Fingernails and health - The condition of our nails corresponds to our internal organs, and body functions. The color and condition of your nails is a reflection of the quality of the blood that nourishes them. They are reflections of your total health. A touch of white here, a rosy tinge there, or some rippling or bumps may be a sign of disease in the body, food intolerance or nutritional imbalances. Problems in the liver, lungs, and heart can show up in your nails.

Fingernails and health – When you care for your nails and hands, you must first note carefully that the appearance and color have changed since changes may signal the existence of a condition more or less serious. Despite its apparent solidity, nail is actually quite vulnerable to external environment, and so does the internal functioning of the body. Repeated aggression, lack of care or not, too many treatments, affect the nail, marking it clearly. Fatigue, poor diet, no daily intake of protein, vitamins and minerals, also influences the structure of the nail and, consequently, its resistance. Of course, they add real potential diseases that result in fingernails color change or producing micro-lesions that reflect a poor health of the body.

The nails on our body are composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin that’s also found in our skin and hair, and are made up of six parts. This grows from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticles. This is another area where fungus can form and you can begin to have ridges on your fingernails.

Nails grow at a rate of around 1 mm per week – that’s twice the rate of toenails – and take around six months to grow from bottom to top. As a result they act as a map revealing your physical health and general well-being.

Healthy nail beds are pink due to the rich blood supply underneath them. Depending on their shape, texture and color, your nails can provide important clues to underlying disorders, food intolerance, nutritional imbalances or more obviously, an accident.

White Spots

Tiny white splotches dotting otherwise healthy-looking pink nails are not normally a sign of anything serious. Most often, those spots are the manifestation of some type of trauma to the nail. If you injure the nail matrix—the area at the base of the nail where new nail cells are created—you’ll see the results of that trauma show up as white spots as the nails grow out.

But if you’re certain you didn’t injure your nails and you are noticing recurring white spots, it could be symptoms of a serious disorder – but in most cases are caused by iron or zinc deficiency. There are several other causes—including the skin conditions psoriasis and eczema, or a diet that’s deficient in the mineral zinc (found in whole grains, poultry and seafood).

Show high content of sugar from alcohol, fruit and chocolate. Also indicates lack of zinc which is needed for mineral breakdown in the process of digestion. Eat zinc-rich foods such as whole grains and chicken and also, consider taking zinc supplements.

White nails

If the nails are mostly white with darker rims, this might indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis. Indication lack of iron and poor circulation where the blood is not reaching the end of your fingers. ‘Build blood by increasing your magnesium intake,’ recommends naturopath Cornelis Van Dalen.

Dark red nails

Can result from high content of fatty acids and cholesterol due to excess of dairy, sugar and salt. This can lead to an under-active liver and blocked arteries. Replacing refined foods with whole grain rice and bread. Also flush out the system with plenty of fresh vegetables and at least five glasses of water per day.

Red-purple nails

Indicate an upset digestive system caused by over consumption of sugar, pharmaceutical drugs, fruits and juices. Avoid tropical fruit – which hold a high content of sugar – and eat plenty of seasonal vegetables, whole grains and pulses.

Yellow nail syndrome

Yellow discoloration in your fingernails may result from a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, or from swelling of your hands (lymphedema). In yellow nail syndrome, nails thicken and new growth slows, resulting in discoloration. Nails affected with this condition may lack a cuticle and may detach from the nail bed in places.

Although this condition is often a sign of respiratory disease or diabetes, it’s possible to have yellow nails and not have a respiratory condition. Yellow nails may also result from any condition that causes the growth of your nails to slow down.

Nail pitting

When the normally smooth surface of the fingernail has several small dents or pits in it, this may be an early sign of psoriasis or inflammatory arthritis. Psoriasis is a skin condition that starts in the nails 10% of the time. The inflammatory skin condition—it shows up as red, scaly patches on the skin—can also affect the skin cells in the nails. Instead of growing out smoothly, the surface of the nail takes on a dented appearance. Once the psoriasis is treated and under control, nails will slowly return to normal. (Since nails only grow about a millimeter per week, it will take a few months for the old, pitted nail to fully grow out and be replaced with a healthy one.)

Gnawed nails

Biting your nails may be nothing more than an old habit, but in some cases it is a sign of persistent anxiety that could benefit from treatment. Nail biting or picking has also been linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you cannot stop, it is worth discussing with your doctor.

Nail clubbing

Clubbing occurs when the tips of your fingers enlarge and your nails curve around your fingertips. This condition results from low oxygen levels in your blood and could be a sign of lung disease. Clubbing is also associated with inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease and liver disease.

Spoon nails

A healthy nail has a specific shape—slightly raised in the middle, then curving down a bit at the tip.Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Spoon nails may be a sign of iron deficiency anemia. As with many health problems, it can take months of iron deficiency before the problem shows up in the nails. And when the anemia is corrected, it will take awhile for normal-shaped nails to re-grow.

Terry’s nails

With the condition known as Terry’s nails, your nails look opaque, but the tip has a dark band. Sometimes this can be attributed to aging. In other cases, it can be a sign of serious illness, such as Congestive heart failure, Diabetes, Liver disease, Malnutrition.

Beau’s lines

Beau’s lines are indentations that run across your nails. They can appear when growth at the area under your cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness. Diseases or illnesses associated with Beau’s lines include:

• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Circulatory diseases, such as peripheral artery disease
• Illness associated with a high fever, caused by pneumonia, scarlet fever, mumps or measles
• Malnutrition

Nail separates from nail bed

With a condition known as onycholysis, your fingernails become loose and can separate from the nail bed. If your nails show signs of detaching, this may be associated with:

• Injury or infection
• Thyroid disease
• Drug reactions
• Reactions to nail hardeners or acrylic nails
• Psoriasis

Peeling

The nail plate is made up of several layers of keratin (a protein). Ideally, those layers are sealed together to form a unified, strong nail. But when nails aren’t protected—your hands are in water a lot, or exposed to cold, dry air—those layers tend to delaminate. The result is nails that are likely to peel. The main reason why most people face the problem of peeling nails is lack of protein. The ones who are facing the problem of nail peeling have to make sure that they add a good amount of fruits, vegetables and some supplements that could strengthen the nails on the overall basis.

• Reactions to Climate Changes: There are many people who are quite sensitive to climatic changes and this leads to chipped and peeling nails. All those who feel that the cold weather leaves them with peeled nails have to make sure that their hands are properly moisturized and covered when they step out of their house.
• Reaction of Medicines: – Any one who is taking some medicines also need to take care of nails as there are many that leave the nails chipped. It is better to speak to the doctor regarding side effects of the prescribed medicines as this would help one to take the medication that does not leaves the nails peeled.
• Excess exposure to chemicals: – It is better to wear gloves and take necessary precautions if ones work involves exposure to any hard chemicals. It is better to keep the hands well moisturized as most of the times dry hands also lead to flaky nails.
• In water for too long: – If the job involves wetting of nails on regular basis, it is always better to dry the nails properly using a soft towel. All those who immerse their hands in water on a regular basis have to make sure that they do not leave their hands dry overnight. It is better to apply olive oil on the hands while going to bed.

Brittle nails

By some estimates, about 20 percent of women suffer from a condition called “brittle nail syndrome.” While it may sound like just a fancy name for nails that break easily, the causes go deeper than that. Brittle nails are ones that can’t hold on to moisture, so the layers of the nail plate dry out and crack. Medically speaking, it’s possible for an under-active thyroid to cause both dry skin and brittle nails. Nutritionally, a diet low in iron can cause nails to become thin, brittle and easily broken (eating more green, leafy vegetables, red meat and eggs will help boost your iron intake). Biotin supplements (a B-complex vitamin) have also been shown to improve the condition of brittle nails. And your habits play a role as well. The main culprit: excessive exposure to water. Constantly wetting and drying your hands (and nails) can make brittleness worse. Indicate liver congestion from lack of vegetables, pulses and fish.

Cracked or split nails

Dry, brittle nails that frequently crack or split have been linked to thyroid disease. Cracking or splitting combined with a yellowish hue is more likely due to a fungal infection.

Horizontal ridges

Horizontal lines/indentations can be caused by moving from a warm climate to a cold climate. They can also be caused by a change in the way you are eating. These line/ridges take time to appear, so this can be an indication of past dietary problems, which will take time to clear up as long as you are feeding your body a balanced and healthy raw/vegan diet. I’ve seen people change to a raw/vegan diet and yet they are still not balanced because they eat mostly what I call raw junk. So please make sure that you are eating properly. Indicate high levels of stress.

Vertical ridges

Vertical lines/ridges are a result of nutrient imbalances, over intake of carbohydrates and salt, under intake of protein and fats. Point to congested liver, kidneys, digestion tract and liver stagnation.

Anyway, irrespective of whatever story your nails convey it really feels good to have well groomed finger nails. A healthy diet is the key yet sometimes we need a little boost and supplements rich in Vitamin B, potassium, iron and calcium such as soy products, celery, eggs, sea food or fish oil, which can help your fingernail health tremendously. The right vitamins and minerals is not only good for your nails, you will help your fingernails and health together.

Fingernails and health – To maintain healthy fingernails, avoid infections, and improve nail appearance, try the following tips:

• Keep your nails clean and dry.
• Avoid nail-biting or picking.
• Apply moisturizer to your nails and cuticles every day. Creams with urea, phospholipids, or lactic acid can help prevent cracking.
• Manicure at least once in a month is a good idea for maintaining the nails well and pampering them.
• File your nails in one direction and round the tip slightly, rather than filing to a point.
• Don’t remove the cuticles or clean too deeply under your nails, which can lead to infection.
• Don’t dig out ingrown toenails. See a dermatologist if they become bothersome.
• Avoid nail polish removers that contain acetone or formaldehyde.
• If you have artificial nails, check regularly for green discoloration (a sign of bacterial infection).
• Eat a balanced diet and take vitamins containing biotin.
• Giving your nails a regular massage is also a great way to help give you healthy fingernails.

Fingernails and health – In Conclusion, the condition of our nails corresponds to our internal organs, and body functions. Therefore when a certain nail shows some problem or condition, (like white line/spots, ridges etc), it is a sign that the corresponding organ or energy is unbalanced. To maintain your healthy fingernails over time, ask your doctor to take a look at them during your next checkup. Your thumb/nail corresponds to your lungs, the index finger – the large intestine, the middle finger – your heart, the ring finger – triple heater, the baby finger – your heart and small intestine.

Remember our external appearance always reflects our internal condition.

by Irwanlee

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Blood Circulation Problem – Poor Blood Flow Symptoms

Poor Blood Flow or Blood Circulation Problem previously known only to affect those of middle-age and the elderly, it is now more widespread among younger people. Blood Circulation Problem refers to limited blood flow throughout the body, particularly in the peripheral areas such as the hands, legs, and feet. The smoothness of blood flow is crucial to a healthy existence as blood carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. Many people underestimate the occurrence of these impaired circulation symptoms. The symptoms of Blood Circulation Problem do not develop overnight. They begin in a very mild form, and steadily worsen as time goes on.When your major organs do not receive adequate oxygen and nutrition, and if left untreated, it can result in a myriad of chronic conditions ranging anywhere from varicose veins to kidney damage to a heart disease, stroke and cancer which might Claim Your Life!

Poor Blood Flow or Blood Circulation Problem in many cases might also cause chest pain, shortness of breath, altered heart rate, pain in the legs while walking or do any physical activity and the pain goes away while sitting down. The brain is filled with many blood vessels, and needs a great deal of blood flow in order to function to the best of its ability. When that blood flow is reduced – means poor-oxygen to the cell, you might experience low in energy, feeling tired easily and all the time, loss of memory, lack of mental clarity, lack of stamina, feeling lethargic, unexplained headaches and sudden dizziness. Lack of blood circulation in the body can also further damage the liver and the kidneys.

Proper healing of wounds requires blood flow to the injured area. If blood flow is impeded, as is the case whenever circulation problems are present, the body is not getting the blood flow it needs in order to heal correctly. This results in a much slower healing of any wounds that may be present, and, in advanced cases, the wound may not heal at all.

Libido as well as erectile dysfunction is a touchy subject for many people, even though it is still an important component of good health; this may be one of the most difficult symptoms of poor circulation to confirm. Poor blood flow to penis causes sexual or erectile dysfunction. The symptoms are lack of sex drive, fatigue, also including lack of vitality. Poor blood flow can affect our reproductive organs as well. Serious poor blood flow problems could significantly impede such function make one impotent as well.

Causes of Poor Blood Flow or Blood Circulation Problem

Poor Blood Flow or Blood Circulation Problem is more rampant in urbanites due to overweight or obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), and sedentary lifestyles. Spending long hours in poor occupational postures and the lack of exercise have since been credited as major culprits.

Poor dietary habits (imbalanced diets) also increase the risk of developing poor blood flow which then leads to circulatory system diseases and disorders. Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine, use of certain drugs or smoking could also be responsible for poor blood flow.

Obesity affects million adults and teenagers around the world, and is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic and there are many problems arising from being obese-these can range from heart disease through to diabetes through to lower leg circulation problems where blood is not able to get from the lower part of the body. In Men, Obesity decreases blood flow to penis thereby causes sexual or erectile dysfunction.

Treatment for Blood Circulation Problem or Poor Blood Flow

Fortunately, treatment is simple and generally relatively inexpensive, and can in some cases even reverse the condition, especially when you start treatment when poor blood flow symptoms first appear. When it comes to your continued health, the effort it takes to improve leg circulation is more than worth it.

You may prevent or improve circulation symptoms by making your lifestyle changes, particularly by maintaining a balanced diet, giving up smoking, sit with correct posture, lose weight if you are overweight, as well as regular exercise.  Yoga is another useful exercise for improving blood circulation. Headstand, a part of the Yoga regimen, is another exercise which can prove useful for improving your blood circulation and keep your body fit. Headstands also provide nourishment to the pituitary glands and the pineal glands of the brain.

Drink plenty of water for proper hydration. Avoid saturated and trans fats, condensed milk, refined sugars in your diet and products that contain it, as well caffeine, red meat and products with white refined flour. Fruits and vegetables are good for your health, particularly oranges, which provide high levels of bioflavonoids to promote blood flow while also strengthening capillaries. Watermelon is a natural source of lycopene, which has been known to help prevent plaque buildup, a common hindrance to blood flow, to help promote healthy circulation. Garlic is very beneficial for poor circulation, so you should eat plenty of it. Consider the usage of herbal supplements such as Ginko biloba, rosemary and vitamin E are recommended.

Massage is another great way to improve poor circulation. Massage therapy releases contracted muscles and pushes venous blood towards the heart thus easing the strain on this vital organ. This increase in circulation brings energy producing nutrients and oxygen to your cells as well as carries away metabolic waste products that can make you feel listless and drained. In addition, it increases your body’s oxygen carrying red blood cell count helping to bring even more oxygen to your body’s cells.

Steam, Sauna or Jacuzzi is also very beneficial, the heat stimulates your blood vessels near your skin’s surface to expand, and more oxygen will enter to your body parts and muscles, which in turn helps increasing the blood flow to different body parts. The steam stimulates the lymphatic system to increase blood circulation.

Hot and cold showers or Hydrotherapy is another method of improving blood circulation. Hot showers followed by cold ones, but of course without extreme changes in the water temperature. The hot water will cause the blood vessels near the surface of the skin to dilate so that more blood can flow, cool down and maintain the right temperature, whereas the cold water will cause the vessels to restrict, and keep the blood away from the surface to maintain correct temperature. When these two mechanisms are alternated several times, it gets the blood circulating, bringing oxygen to skin, muscles and tissue.

By: Irwanlee

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That, at least, is the conclusion of several recent studies. Indeed, if you consider only healthy people who exercise regularly, those who sit the most during the rest of the day have larger waists and worse profiles of blood pressure and blood sugar than those who sit less. Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t: sitting a lot appears to offset some of the benefits of jogging a lot.

So what’s wrong with sitting?

The answer seems to have two parts. The first is that sitting is one of the most passive things you can do. You burn more energy by chewing gum or fidgeting than you do sitting still in a chair. Compared to sitting, standing in one place is hard work. To stand, you have to tense your leg muscles, and engage the muscles of your back and shoulders; while standing, you often shift from leg to leg. All of this burns energy.

Prolonged Sitting - For many people, weight gain is a matter of slow creep — two pounds this year, three pounds next year. You can gain this much if, each day, you eat just 30 calories more than you burn. Thirty calories is hardly anything — it’s a couple of mouthfuls of banana, or a few potato chips. Thus, a little more time on your feet today and tomorrow can easily make the difference between remaining lean and getting fat.

You may think you have no choice about how much you sit. But this isn’t true. Suppose you sleep for eight hours each day, and exercise for one. That still leaves 15 hours of activities. Even if you exercise, most of the energy you burn will be burnt during these 15 hours, so weight gain is often the cumulative effect of a series of small decisions: Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Do you e-mail your colleague down the hall, or get up and go and see her? When you get home, do you potter about in the garden or sit in front of the television? Do you walk to the corner store, or drive?

Just to underscore the point that you do have a choice: a study of junior doctors doing the same job, the same week, on identical wards found that some individuals walked four times farther than others at work each day. (No one in the study was overweight; but the “long-distance” doctors were thinner than the “short-distance” doctors.)

So part of the problem with sitting a lot is that you don’t use as much energy as those who spend more time on their feet. This makes it easier to gain weight, and makes you more prone to the health problems that fatness often brings.

But it looks as though there’s a more sinister aspect to sitting, too. Several strands of evidence suggest that there’s a “physiology of inactivity”: that when you spend long periods sitting, your body actually does things that are bad for you.

As an example, consider lipoprotein lipase. This is a molecule that plays a central role in how the body processes fats; it’s produced by many tissues, including muscles. Low levels of lipoprotein lipase are associated with a variety of health problems, including heart disease. Studies in rats show that leg muscles only produce this molecule when they are actively being flexed (for example, when the animal is standing up and ambling about). The implication is that when you sit, a crucial part of your metabolism slows down.

Nor is lipoprotein lipase the only molecule affected by muscular inactivity. Actively contracting muscles produce a whole suite of substances that have a beneficial effect on how the body uses and stores sugars and fats.

Prolonged Sitting – Which might explain the following result. Men who normally walk a lot (about 10,000 steps per day, as measured by a pedometer) were asked to cut back (to about 1,350 steps per day) for two weeks, by using elevators instead of stairs, driving to work instead of walking and so on. By the end of the two weeks, all of them had became worse at metabolizing sugars and fats. Their distribution of body fat had also altered — they had become fatter around the middle. Such changes are among the first steps on the road to diabetes.

Conversely, a study of people who sit for many hours found that those who took frequent small breaks — standing up to stretch or walk down the corridor — had smaller waists and better profiles for sugar and fat metabolism than those who did their sitting in long, uninterrupted chunks.

Some people have advanced radical solutions to the sitting syndrome: replace your sit-down desk with a stand-up desk, and equip this with a slow treadmill so that you walk while you work. (Talk about pacing the office.) Make sure that your television can only operate if you are pedaling furiously on an exercise bike. Or, watch television in a rocking chair: rocking also takes energy and involves a continuous gentle flexing of the calf muscles. Get rid of your office chair and replace it with a therapy ball: this too uses more muscles, and hence more energy, than a normal chair, because you have to support your back and work to keep balanced. You also have the option of bouncing, if you like.

Or you could take all this as a license to fidget.

But whatever you choose, know this. The data are clear: beware your chair!

By Olivia Judson, The New York Times

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Causes of Acidosis – Over acidity, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease. A healthy body maintains adequate alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands. When excess acids (acidosis) must be neutralized, our alkaline reserves are depleted, leaving the body in a weakened condition.

Causes of Acidosis – Every day we wage our own private war against molds, yeasts, bacteria, viruses and fungi. By using antibiotics as the first line of defense we have encouraged the development of more powerfully bugs and bacteria. Our immune systems are becoming weaker and over-taxed in this war. Louis Pasteur declared the germ theory of disease that states germs are the cause of disease. But note Dr. Pasteur’s dying words: “The germ is nothing, the inner terrain is everything”.

The concept of acid alkaline imbalance as the cause of disease is not new. In 1933 a New York doctor named William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book, A New Health Era in which he maintains that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or “self-poisoning”) due to acidosis in the body.

Now we depart from health in just the proportion to which we have allowed our alkalis to be dissipated by introduction of acid-forming food in too great amount… It may seem strange to say that all disease is the same thing, no matter what its myriad modes of expression, but it is verily so.
William Howard Hay, M.D.

More recently, in his remarkable book Alkalize or Die , Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, N.D., D.C., Ph.D. says essentially the same thing: “The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause…too much tissue acid waste in the body!”

Modern science has revealed that the cause of aging may be far more simple than previously thought.
Almost 99% of the components of food that we consume every day are composed of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen with only 1% been minerals.

The wastes produced from food are highly acidic and acidosis is one of the main contributors that lead to the aging process and various illnesses. Acid waste is excreted from the human body in the form of or sweat. But the wastes not excreted will be circulating around in the , in the body. This acidic waste will gradually accumulate somewhere in our capillaries vessels, and eventually clog them up. Also as a consequence of this, the cells of the human body will be deprived of their supply of oxygen and essential nutrients, rendering these cells inactive in reproduction. That’s the main reason why people age. Moreover, with the capillary vessels clogged up, the function of every organ in the human body accumulating acidic waste will begin to deteriorate, causing serious illnesses in the long run.

So when does the accumulation of age-contributing acidic waste begin?

Scientists say that aging begins when a child starts to wean. An unborn child lives on nutrients from his mother while in the womb and the body of the baby becomes alkaline, owing to the consumption of alkaline minerals.

Naturally, this is due to the release of alkaline minerals from the mother. This release of alkaline minerals during pregnancy does temporarily weaken the mother’s body, causing a lack of appetite etc.

The baby will remain alkaline while breast feeding, but will begin to reduce in alkalinity once put on infant cereals.

If the cause of aging lies in acidosis, then the answer to longer life must lie in eliminating such acidic wastes. Hence, to neutralize acidic meals, alkaline water could be the answer. Many doctors recommend a vegetarian or low meat diet as alkaline minerals and vegetables help neutralize acidic waste. But vegetables only contain a very small amount of alkaline minerals and that is why a very large quantity of vegetables needs to be consumed in order to neutralize these wastes in the body.

We live and die at the cellular level. All the billions of cells that make up our human body are slightly alkaline, and must maintain alkalinity in order to function and remain healthy and alive. However their cellular activity creates acid and this acid is what gives the cell energy and function. As each alkaline cell performs its task of respiration, it secretes metabolic wastes, and these end products of cellular metabolism are acid in nature.

Although these wastes are used for energy and function, they must not be allowed to build up. One example of this is the often painful lactic acid which is created through exercise. The body will go to great lengths to neutralize and detoxify these acids before they act as poisons in and around the cell, ultimately changing the environment of the cell. Most people and clinical practitioners believe the immune system is the body’s first line of defense, but in actuality it is not. It is very important, but more like a very sophisticated clean-up service. We must instead look at the importance of pH balance as the first and major line of defense against sickness and disease and for health and vitality.

Drinking alkaline water is an easy and efficient way to help neutralize an acidic human body.

One American cancer center showed significant improvements in their cancer therapy by getting 1,000 patients to drink 7 glasses of alkaline water a day. Their research concluded that the alkaline minerals in natural, alkaline water with a pH 7.5 helped to neutralize acidosis and thus helped to prevent cancer.

Water, the origin of Life, contains 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. Alkaline water is water that contains a larger amount of oxygen as compared to hydrogen. By drinking alkaline water, we increase our intake of oxygen compared to drinking plain water. The advantage of drinking alkaline water is that while being absorbed by the body, it helps neutralize acidic wastes, making them more soluble in the vessels. Thus, acidic wastes will be easily drained out of the body in the form of or sweat.

If we were to ask what is us, the answer might be ACIDOSIS. It has been strated that an acidic, anaerobic (lacking oxygen) body environment encourages the breeding of fungus, mold, bacteria, and viruses. Let us look at an example. If we were to seal the door to our freezer and then unplug it, come back and open the door in two weeks, what would we find? Mold, bacteria and microscopic bugs that are growing and multiplying. Where did they all come from? They did not sneak in – remember the door was sealed. The answer is . . . they were always there.

It is simply that the environment changed to a more inviting and healthy one for these ‘critters’ to live in. This can be likened to a shift in our biological terrain from a healthy oxygenated, alkaline environment to an unhealthy anaerobic acidic environment. You see what is healthy for us is unhealthy for the body attackers and what is healthy for them is what is unhealthy for our body.

Understanding pH

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 – the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral.

Water is the most abundant compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio called the pH which is a balance between positively charges ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.) The body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.

It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking about the pH of the body’s fluids and tissues which is an entirely different matter.

Test Your Body’s Acidity or Alkalinity with pH Strips

It is recommended that you test your pH levels to determine if your body’s pH needs immediate attention. By using pH test strips, you can determine your pH factor quickly and easily in the privacy of your own home. There is much to discover so that pH test result can be meaningful. Rather than give simplistic guidelines here it is recommended you look online or purchase a book on this subject from our online store.

Urine pH

The results of testing indicate how well your body is assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These are called the “acid buffers” because they are used by the body to control the acid level. If acid levels are too high, the body will not be able to excrete acid. It must either store the acid in body tissues (autotoxication) or buffer it – that is, borrow minerals from organs, bones, etc. in order to neutralize acidity.

Saliva pH

You may also want to test the pH of your saliva. The results of saliva testing indicate the activity of digestive enzymes in your body, especially the activity of the liver and stomach. This reveals the flow of enzymes running through your body and shows their effect on all the body systems. Some people will have acidic pH readings from both and saliva. This is referred to as “double acid.”

Keeping the Balance Right for Excellent Health

Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is balanced. It is therefore possible for you to be taking healthy nutrients and yet be unable to absorb or use them. If you are not getting the results you expected from your nutritional or herbal program, look for an acid alkaline imbalance. Even the right herbal program may not work if your body is struggling with acidosis.

A state of acidosis is simply the lack of oxygen and available calcium which the body uses to maintain its alkaline balance. Calcium makes up 1.6% of our body weight. It is literally the human glue that holds the body together. Calcium is so biochemically active that it has been likened to an octopus. A calcium ion can hold onto seven other molecules while it grabs onto one molecule of water. No other ion can do this. And it is the right size to easily get in and out of the human cell. As it does this, it takes a chain of nutrients into the cell and then leaves to get more nutrients.

What Causes Me to be Acidic?

The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid-producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. We use too many , which are acid-forming; and we use artificial chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Equal, or aspartame, which are extremely acid-forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly-acid body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle.

Most people who suffer from unbalanced pH are acidic. This condition forces the body to borrow minerals including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium, from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body. Because of this strain, the body can suffer severe and prolonged damage due to high acidity. A condition that may go undetected for years.

One of the first warning signs of an acidic biological terrain is calcium deposits. In testing where calcium deposits come not it has always been shown that they come from the structural calcium of our bones and teeth and never from the calcium in our water or diet.

This is important because it means that if calcium deposits are forming, we know our inner biological terrain is too acidic. Our dietary intake of calcium is not keeping up with the calcium buffering needed and we are actively pulling calcium from our bones and teeth. It all works like a little train, from the bones to the fluids and cells, to the . As our biological terrain becomes acidic, our pH level drops. When this happens we start losing calcium out of the , the bones, and the tissues. This is a safety mechanism. Now your biological terrain’s oxygen level drops leaving you tired and fatigued, allowing fungus, mold, parasites, bad bacteria, and viral infections to flourish and gain a hold throughout the body. It is interesting to note that you often won’t have just some of these invaders. If you have Candida you will likely have bad bacteria, fungus, and parasites because they all flourish in the same terrain.

Mild acidosis can cause such problems as:

• Cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of vessels and the reduction of oxygen.
• Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.
• Bladder and kidney conditions, including kidney stones.
• Immune deficiency.
• Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations.
• Premature aging.
• Osteoporosis; weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs.
• Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.
• Low energy and chronic fatigue.

A recent seven year study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, on 9,000 women showed that those who have chronic acidosis are at greater risk for bone loss than those who have normal pH levels. The scientists who carried out this experiment believe that many of the hip fractures prevalent among middle aged women are connected to high acidity caused by a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. This is because the body borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The biggest problem scientists have found is that over time the human body becomes depleted of calcium. A compound called mono-ortho-calcium phosphate is the chemical buffer for the . This buffer maintains the alkaline level (or the lack of acidity) in your . Without it you would die. If the acidity level of your changes even slightly you die immediately. But in order to supply enough calcium for buffering we must have enough calcium being absorbed from our diet or our body will simply rob the needed calcium from our bones and teeth.

The more acidic we become, the harder it is for oxygen to be present, so our biological terrain also becomes more anaerobic. Without adequate oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungus can live and prosper. Then our cells cannot carry on their life-giving functions in a very efficient manner because our biological chemical reactions need oxygen.

Some Common Diseases and their Relationship to Acidity

Cancer

While the normal cells of the human body degenerate, and acidic wastes accumulate, cancer will make a genetic transformation and keep propagating itself in order to survive in such acidic surroundings.

There have been two theories on the basic causes of cancer. One is the oxygen deficiency theory by a German biochemist, Dr. Warback. The other is the theory of acidic cells, by a Japanese doctor, Dr. Airashi.

Dr. Warback discovered that if oxygen is removed from a health cell, the cell will start to turn cancerous. Dr. Warback won the Nobel prize by proving this theory through his many experiments.

Dr. Airashi showed that cells that survive in acidic environments will eventually develop cancerous characteristics.

Even though cancer cells are eliminated entirely through an operation, they reoccur because the acidic surroundings still remain after the operation. So, to help prevent this, we should stop the development of acidosis by drinking alkaline water every day, eating the right foods, avoiding stress, living in a healthy environment and exercising.

Obesity

The human body is very intelligent. As we become more and more acidic the body starts to set up defense mechanisms to keep the damaging acid from entering our vital organs. It is known that acid gets stored in fat cells. After all, if the acid does come into contact with an organ the acid has a chance to eat holes in the tissue. This may cause the cells to mutate. The oxygen level drops in this acidic environment and calcium begins to be depleted.

So as a defense mechanism, your body may actually make fat to protect you from your overly-acidic self. Those fat cells and cellulite deposits may actually be packing up the acid and trying to keep it a safe distance from your organs. The fat may be saving your vital organs from damage. Many people have found that a return to a healthy inner biological terrain helps them to lose excess fat.

Diabetes

When acidic wastes accumulate in the pancreas, diabetes can develop due to lack of insulin in the body. Doctors say that symptoms of diabetes appear mainly in people above 40, with no symptoms of diabetes in their 20s. How do they differ from each other?

In general, the quantity of accumulated acidic wastes after the age of 40 is far more than those in their 20s, especially in the pancreas. Nevertheless, we can help avoid the onset of diabetes if we flush out the acidic waste in our bodies by drinking alkaline water.

Hypertension

Hypertension is a common illness that occurs due to three reasons.
1) Hypertension caused by clogged capillary vessels due to physical reasons.
2) Narrowed vessels caused by acidic wastes.
Thus, pressure has to be higher naturally in order to supply sufficient quantities of through the narrow vessels.
3) Lack of oxygen due to chemical reasons, namely solidified acidic waste in the vessels.

Hypotension

Hypotension occurs as the heart muscles deteriorate due to a lack of calcium ions, caused by acidic waste.

A patient with hypotension may regain his health by drinking enough alkaline water. This is because calcium ions in alkaline water can help to restore the heart’s activities when caused by a lack of calcium ions.

Kidney Ailment and Kidney Stone

One of the major functions of alkaline water is to purify or help remove the wastes in the body. The accumulation of excessive wastes in the kidneys weakens the kidneys. When cells survive in an excessive acidic environment, swelling of the kidneys occurs.

In order to remain healthy, cells should expel all the waste produced by them. But if the becomes more acidic them the waste will cling to the walls of cells, causing solidification of acidic fluoride in the kidneys and kidney stones.

Osteoporosis and Gout

Human bones function as a calcium bank for the body. A combination of calcium and phosphorus, bones stay healthy as long as there are adequate amounts of these two substances present. To neutralize excessive quantities of waste or acidity, the body starts to deprive the bones of calcium, which may be harmful to the body. Symptoms of calcium deficiency are not evident through X-ray examinations and are only visible when 30-40% of the calcium in the bone has already been depleted.

Gout happens when calcium accumulates in the capillary vessels of the hands and legs. Normally, gout occurs in toe joints, knee joints, and finger joints and drinking alkaline water is one of the best treatments.

Chronic constipation

Dr. Choi, a medical practitioner at the Seoul National Medical University, observed 15 patients (10 men and 5 women) who had suffered from constipation for over a year. Results showed that the symptoms of constipation were alleviated when alkaline water was consumed for a period of 1-2 weeks. Twelve of the fifteen patients recovered remarkably well after this period. This is true because by lubricating the wastes secreted on the walls of the large intestine, excretion become easier.

Dr. Choi also observed that there was a remarkable improvement in how alert his patients were after drinking alkaline water.

Stress and Headache

When we suffer from stress, our body produces more acidic waste, leading to acidosis. Physical stress can be relieved by getting a good rest. Nowadays, however, most of us do not find the time to relieve mental stress. Continued long term stress will create harmful problems like headaches, mental disorder, bad temper and unbalanced hormone excretion, etc. There are two kinds of stress. One is physical stress caused by physical activities and the other is mental stress caused by mental fatigue.

To conclude it is reasonable to say that there are no specific diseases, only specific disease conditions.

There is only one disease. And that one disease is acidosis.

The statements enclosed herein have not been evaluated by the Food and   Administration. The products mentioned on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your family doctor.

For those who are not so sceptical about the benefits of the alkaline lifestyle, alkaline water helps to neutralise acids and remove toxins from the body – it is a great cleanser and helps to detoxify our system. Contact powerhealths(a)gmail.com if you are interested in the best economical machine to produce alkaline water at the convenience of your home.

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Dehydration Symptoms In Adults – “Chronic pains of the body which cannot easily be explained as injury or infection, should first and foremost be interpreted as signals of chronic water shortage in the area where the pain is registered. These pain signals should first be considered and excluded as primary indicators for dehydration of the body before any other complicated procedures are forced on the patient.” – Dr F Batmanghelidj

Dehydration Symptoms In Adults - Most of us have become dangerously and chronically dehydrated (especially the elderly), since we decided water was too bland to drink and ignored it in favor of addictive sodas, beer, wine, flavored water, other chemical-laced water alternatives and/or simply tea and coffee. It is a sad facts that most doctors today cannot readily identify the many water-deficient diseases and associated pains. Thus the underlying dehydration process continues to wreak its havoc while the inevitable drugs given will switch off the warning signals/symptoms.

Dehydration Symptoms In Adults

Consider the following conditions:

Heartburn, ‘high cholesterol’, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, lupus, cancer formation, hot flushes and menstrual problems, diabetes, obesity, bulimia, allergies,  migraine headaches, general aches and pains, chronic fatigue syndrome, ME, angina, lower back pain, gout, kidney stones, skin disorders,  fungal/yeast overgrowth, multiple sclerosis,  morning sickness, depression, heavy/burdensome periods, colitis, dyspepsia, peptic ulcers…

Are all of these conditions linked to a chronic state of dehydration?

World-renowned water expert Dr Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, in his latest bestseller, Water and Salt – Your Healers From Within, maintains that the above conditions are the body’s many cries for water, complaints dramatically improved with a consistent and long-term intake of the fresh, clean water. Dr Batman’s timely work has helped thousands quash long-term health problems effortlessly and inexpensively. He writes:

“The report of my having successfully treated with water more than three thousand people with symptoms and clinical signs of peptic ulcer disease was published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in June 1983. I came away from that experience with the understanding that the people I treated were thirsty, and I uncovered the phenomenon that ‘pain’ in the body indicates thirst, even though the condition is classified as a disease.”

Water is used by the body for digestion, detoxifying cells, watering the lungs, lubricating joints, keeping the body alkalized and a host of cleaning duties. Many warning signals (‘symptoms’) arise out of the body’s inability to neutralize or rid itself of acid, a common enough complaint given the number of antacids sold around the world each day.

‘I drink coffee, tea, diet sodas, beer and a host of other liquids. They contain water, don’t they?’

This is a common and dangerous misconception. Many of today’s designer drinks are diuretic in their effect (water-expelling) because their mostly acidic compositions require the body to give up water and alkalizing minerals to eliminate their harmful residues. Diet sodas especially are harmful in that they require large amounts of body-water to neutralize the phosphoric acid component (2.8 pH). Cells that started off healthy and ‘plum-like’ shrivel to prunes as water, the stuff of life, is progressively denied them. The sick in our hospitals are fed the sodas, tea and coffee they ask for in woeful ignorance of the damage wrought to the micro cell-world within them.

Batmanghelidj’s extraordinary work should rightly be considered by a mainstream medical community ever fixated on the drug cure.

Below is a summary of body functions and that rely on an adequate intake of water:

Brain function: The brain comprises 2% of the body’s total weight, yet receives 15-20% of the blood supply, mostly comprised of water. Dehydration will affect cognitive ability drastically, and, through histamine’s action, can create depressive states (many anti-depressant medications are anti-histamines).

Bone function: Bones require plentiful supplies of water. 75% of the weight of the upper body, for instance, is supported by the water core contained within the fifth lumbar disc, the remaining 25% by muscle fibers around the spine.

Nerve function: Microstreams exist along the length of nerves which transport nutrients and conduct energy along microtubules to the synapses to transmit messages. Dehydration disrupts proper nerve function, resulting in the sensation of pain.

Hydrolysis: Water, far from being an inert solvent, is intricately involved in the body’s water-dependent chemical reactions. Lack of water means incomplete or faulty metabolic processes, with obvious implications for continued health and well-being. Proteins and enzymes, for instance, do not function as well in acidic solutions of higher viscosity (stickiness) where the body is dehydrated.

Cellular energy: As water is drawn through the cell membrane, its osmotic flow generates a voltage gradient which can be used in the manufacture of ATP and GTP energy. Dehydration will obviously affect the proper functioning of cells and even kill them.

Histamine: This neurotransmitter plays a major role in activating systems which encourage water intake when dehydration is detected. Functions in the body which consume large quantities of water are cut back, namely the bronchial tubes constricted to cut down on water use in the lungs; increased peristalsis in the bowels to wring more water out of fecal material, and so on. Other signs of histamine’s activity, namely allergies, asthma, depression and chronic pains, are interpreted by the physician as ‘disease’ and treated with anti-histamines, pain-killers (analgesics), etc. Thus the signals of thirst are turned off and the dehydration state continues unabated.

Dyspepsia (heartburn/reflux): Over time, this can lead to ulceration and even cancer. Dr Batmanghelidj recommends that these conditions – also gastritis and duodenitis – be treated with water alone as they are one of the body’s major thirst signals. Arrested in his native Iran by the Revolutionary Council during the troubles of the late 1970′s, Dr B was confined to Evin prison, Tehran, during which time he successfully treated with water alone over three thousand people complaining of dyspeptic pain and associated symptoms.

Digestion: Requires plentiful supplies of water. The stomach relies on mucus lining the walls to shield it from the effects of the stomach’s hydrochloric acid. A bicarbonate solution is produced from the cells in the lining which neutralizes any acid attempting to break through the mucus. Water is needed to maintain this effective defense system. Too little water, and the mucus barrier is ineffectual, the acid will penetrate and will lead to pain. Ideally, water should be consumed half an hour before a meal, in time to anticipate the production of digestive acid from glands in the stomach wall.

Ulcers: Often located at the valve between the stomach and duodenum. Said to be caused by curved bacteria known as helicobacters. Yet many people have helicobacters in their small intestine, yet not all of them suffer from ulcers. Histamine-producing nerves are located at this site, which monitor the through-put of acidic food chyme from the stomach into the intestine. Histamine has growth-hormone effects on these micro-organisms, resulting in small intestine bacterial overgrowths (SIBOs). Once again, an adequate regime of water intake will allow all the functions relating to digestion to normalize. Prolonged water intake should therefore be considered before more drastic drug treatments are entered into.

By Phillip Day
Investigative Journalist & Founder of “The Campaign For Truth In Medicine”

As Featured in Food Matters

Just to give a further idea of the importance of water in our diets, to survive the body can stand to lose the following:

• 50% of your glucose
• 50% of your fat
• 50% of your protein; but
• only 20% of your water!

So water is important, but what about the quality of water?

The average suggestion of water consumption per day ranges from 2.5 litres to 4 litres – so it is imperative that we ensure that this water is of the highest quality.

There is a lot of discussion about the merits of alkaline water (particularly in the open publishing medium known as the Internet) – however, regardless of who you listen to regarding this debate there is one thing that is certain:

the process of making making water alkaline increases the purity of the water by filtering out toxins and impurities

For those who are not so sceptical about the benefits of the alkaline lifestyle, alkaline water helps to neutralise acids and remove toxins from the body – it is a great cleanser and helps to detoxify our system. Contact powerhealths(a)gmail.com if you are interested in the best economical machine to produce alkaline water at the convenience of your home.

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In the practice of yoga breathing is the bridge that connects the mind, body, and spirit. To experience the full benefits, it’s important to learn about yoga breathing and master the techniques with as much dedication as given to the yoga asanas, or poses.

Breathing Is Powerful

It connects and expands the senses, rejuvenating the body and soul. The diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen, plays a crucial role in the physical benefits you derive from yoga.

In a relaxed state the diaphragm pushes air upwards from the lungs. As it contracts, it presses into the abdomen and digestive organs. With all the discomforts and stresses in everyday life, we often breathe only from the upper part of our lungs. This type of breathing severely restricts the lung’s ability to function properly – it can no longer gather fresh, renewing oxygen and expel carbon dioxide at peak efficiency.

When this happens, our bodies pay the price. We tire easily, we lack energy, a mental fog descends, and we find our moods shifting towards negativity. However,when you learn about yoga breathing, you’ll find just a few cleansing, deep breaths from the diaphragm will dramatically change all of that. Oxygen floods the body and energizes circulation. As the diaphragm contracts downward, our cells are better able to receive essential nutrients while toxins are released.

Proper breathing also aids digestion and bowel movements as food and waste moves more freely through the digestive tract. The meditative state associated with yoga breathing unites and mental and physical states.

Breathing Is Powerful

With each breath, we become aware of being fully present in “the now”. As our breathing becomes more focused, a connection to the spiritual begins. When the mental and physical combine we are able to observe and simply “let be” without passing judgment. The trivial things that once seemed so significant lose their relevance. Rather than longing for our desires, we feel content. Pressures dissipates and acceptance flows.

Our dreams, needs, and goals are fully within our reach. With every breath, prana, the vital life force, is brought in. If performed properly, yoga breathing allows the life energy to flood our body, which in the process, enhances our our connection and perceptions while improving our physical state.

By Analia Kerner

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Research published this summer in the medical journal Circulation shows that people who drink more than one soda a day — whether it’s regular or diet — have an almost 50 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome, which doubles their risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Diet Soda consumed daily in research conducted in Texas. Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that there was a 41 percent increase in the risk for being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person consumed daily.

But how can something with no calories increase the risk for obesity and heart disease?

There are several possible ways.

First, my own theory is that the sweet taste works in the brain to create a conditioned response. The body responds as it usually does to normal sugar — with insulin, the fat-storing hormone. Those circuits in the brain are pretty primitive and ancient, and they can’t immediately distinguish chemical fakery. As far as your brain is concerned, sweet means sugar. It’s entirely possible that physiologically, you would respond to aspartame in the same way as you would to table sugar. It’s only a theory, but it makes sense to me.

Second, sugar creates its own cravings. Just as a taste of rum creates an unstoppable craving in an alcoholic, it’s entirely possible that the taste of sweet, even if it’s fake, creates the same cascade of cravings in a carb addict that regular sugar does, leading to overeating and binging and all the rest of the reasons
people put on weight.

Third, many people think that by drinking diet beverages they’re “saving” calories. They subconsciously allow themselves to eat more, figuring it’s not doing as much harm since they’re drinking a diet drink. The diet drink gives them subconscious “permission” to eat more.

What’s worse than making you fat, aspartame may be toxic. Aspartame is made primarily from three ingredients: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol, an alcohol, breaks down in the body to formaldehyde, a poison if there ever was one. Apologists for aspartame say that it doesn’t create enough formaldehyde in the body to cause any damage, but I’m not so sure.

Exposing children to formaldehyde levels as low as .75 mg daily for several months has been shown to cause gradual toxicity. Plus, diet soda is frequently stored in hot warehouses, causing chemical breakdowns that went undetected in the original safety studies that looked at “ideal” conditions.

Soda is bad news, whether regular or diet. Period!

Note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He’s a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master’s degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life.

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Muscle Weakness, Fatigue and Heart Problems — Drinking too much cola can increase the risk of a muscle problem called hypokalemia, experts warn.

In people with hypokalemia, a drop in blood potassium levels results in problems with vital muscle functions. Symptoms can range from mild weakness to serious paralysis, say Greek researchers who conducted a review of people who drank between two to nine liters of cola a day.

Muscle Weakness, Fatigue and Heart Problems – Two of the patients were pregnant women who were admitted to hospital with low potassium levels. One was a 21-year-old woman who drank up to three liters of cola a day and complained of fatigue, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. An electrocardiogram revealed she had a heart blockage, and blood tests showed she had low potassium levels, the researchers explained in a news release.

The second pregnant patient, who’d consumed up to seven liters of cola a day for 10 months, had low potassium levels and was suffering from increasing muscular weakness, the researchers noted.

Muscle Weakness, Fatigue and Heart Problems – Both patients made a rapid and full recovery after they stopped drinking cola and took oral or intravenous potassium. The case studies are described in the June issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before, and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” and there’s increasing evidence that excessive cola consumption leads to hypokalemia, Dr. Moses Elisaf, of the University of Ioannina, said in the news release.

Elisaf said the three most common ingredients in cola — glucose, fructose and caffeine — can contribute to hypokalemia.

“The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalemia has not been determined and may vary in different patients,” Elisaf said. “However, in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role. This has been borne out by case studies that focus on other products that contain high levels of caffeine but no glucose or fructose.”

However, “caffeine-free cola products can also cause hypokalemia because the fructose they contain can cause diarrhea,” Elisaf said.

By Robert Preidt
SOURCE: International Journal of Clinical Practice, news release, May 19, 2009

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Where does the balance come from?

It’s thought that food makes the man, and in this case it could be true. Food gives us more than a wonderful culinary experience; it also provides our bodies with the strength to heal and to correct the balance of Yin and Yang. An imbalance in Yin and Yang energies creates a number of problems, including pain, insomnia, tumors, blood loss and a whole host of irritating and often frustrating ailments. But with the right foods (either rich in cooling or heating elements) this imbalance can be corrected preventing illness, lessening pain and giving you a much longer, healthier life. Now, when we’re talking about Yin and Yang foods (or cold and hot foods), it’s not about the temperature of the food, but rather the effect the food has on the body. Cold foods provide less energy, and help to balance the hot foods. Hot foods, on the other hand, are high in calories and energy and can be used to treat general weakness.

How do you balance everything?

When you’re suffering and shivering in cold conditions, you’ll probably be more likely to eat foods that are warm in flavor (and temperature) – think of all those wonderful soupy dishes you crave on a cold day. You’re also more likely to avoid cold and raw foods. So just what will warm you up? Anything with a spice like nutmeg, mustard, peppers, ginger, curry and black peppers are considered hot. Warmer foods are coffee, chicken, cuttlefish, garlic, green onions, guava, organ meats, rosemary, seeds and nuts, and of course, wine. In hot climates, such as in Singapore or during the Shanghai summer, you are likely to want cooler foods to ward off anxiety, hemorrhoids, fever, and even insomnia. Head towards foods like bamboo shoots, clams, crabs, grapefruit, kelp, watermelons, most green leafy vegetables, pears, and generally most fruits, to keep cool when things heat up. There are neutral foods too, that you can eat in any condition and any climate. Just add healthy doses of apricots, beets, black fungus, Chinese cabbage, carp, chicken eggs, corn, figs, lotus and papayas to your diet to keep things varied and interesting.

Knowing Your Yin/Yang Body Type

It’s believed that each person is categorized into different body types. Your body’s metabolism and organ functions will determine how it reacts with the environment.

1. The Yin or Cold Type: These people tend to be frailer and feel cold easily. They’re the ones you’ll spot drinking hot soups and steaming mugs of coffee or hot chocolate. Notice the quiet, fair-skinned person in the corner? They’re likely to be the Yin type. If you get the chance (although I’m not sure how), you’ll also find that their tongue appears pink and bulky with a whitish coating.
2. Yang or Hot Type: That hot-tempered insomniac you know; he could be a Yang type. They’re often sturdily built and feel warm. They’ll pick a nice cold drink anytime and have a slightly reddish complexion. If there’s a change in temperatures (usually when it starts getting hot), they’ll be the first to feel it. If you look at their tongues, it’ll appear red with a yellowish coating.
3. Phlegm or Damp Type: Sweet foods are what attract the damp type the most, and they tend to feel tired and sleepy during the day while snoring down the house at night. Armed with low metabolic rates, they’re more prone to being overweight or bloated due to water retention. They may look fat, but really they’re just lethargic. Their tongue looks moist and bulky, often with a greasy coating.
4. Dry type: If you’ve got a friend that drinks like there’s no tomorrow because they are always thirsty, they could be the dry type. Watch out for the one who always has a cough, is skinny like a stick and doesn‘t put on weight easily. Because of the dryness they feel, they tend to have itchier skins, nose or eyes and constipation, and will be the first to get affected by low levels of humidity.
5. Neutral type: There are some lucky ones who are in between – a nice balance of everything. They’re healthy with a normal skin color, get enough food and sleep and don’t feel hot or cold easily. Needless to say, they’ve probably got the best-looking tongue among the lot.

With all of this information, you should know one size doesn’t fit all. Some people can be a mix of a few different types not fit neatly into a category. When you’re planning your diet, consider talking to your doctor or your TCM practitioner for their best advice, so you’ll be able to get the right balance for your health.

Edited by Lisa Rochester, based on an article by By Deborah Giam; The Living Room.

Senior centers and retirement communities are looking for new ways to promote exercise in order to stave off physical decline.

CANE FU…NOT KUNG FU evolved out of a regular aerobics class, not only imparts self-defense techniques, but also develops flexibility, strength and balance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults aged 65 and older fall each year. Of those who fall, between 20 percent and 30 percent suffer moderate to severe injuries.

Older adults are hospitalized for fall-related injuries five-times more often than they are for injuries from other causes.

The good news is there are different exercise programs that may reduce an elderly person’s risk for falling.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR SENIORS:

There are many benefits of exercise for seniors. Some of these include:

• Delaying diseases such as heart attacks, diabetes and cancer
• Improving balance, mobility and flexibility
• Increasing energy levels
• Improving sleep

CANE FU…NOT KUNG FU! There’s a new exercise trend among senior citizens who use canes to get around. It’s called “Cane Fu,” and it’s a combination of aerobic training and self-defense.

Instructors teach participants how to perform self-defense moves like breaking a choke-hold with a cane. The class also helps participants improve their balance and coordination.

Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D., President and Founding Chairman of Nifty After Fifty, said: “It actually produces improved balance, improved mobility and a sense of self-confidence and security.”

In a review conducted by 1,428 members, Cane Fu, along with other training classes, reduced falls by 89-percent and fractures by 85-percent when compared to CDC statistics.

THE CANE AS A WEAPON: Instructors say any kind of cane is fine for self-defense, including aluminum canes or the wooden canes make of pine, which are available at drugstores. They say the best are hardwood canes made of hickory or oak, which don’t easily break on impact. The cane has a rich history as a weapon. A number of 19th century canings at the Capitol included a brutal 1856 attack on the Senate floor by South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks on abolitionist Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner.

For More Information, Contact:
Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.
Chairman and President
Nifty After Fifty
(714) 823-4400
Sheldon.zinberg@niftyafterfifty.com

http://www.niftyafterfifty.com

Copyright 2009 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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