Posted by admin on March 24, 2009 under General health | 
Overweight is most commonly a result of overeating and lack of exercise. Overweight and fluid retention often go together with people who have glandular problems or under-active thyroids. In such cases an iodine and phosporous deficiency may be the cause. For people who overeat, crash dieting and/or starvation dieting, can lead to major problems and if you reduce your calorie intake below 450 calories a day for any long period, you can permanently lower your metabolism, making it much harder to maintain an ideal weight.
If the calorie intake is reduced to between 1000 and 1500 calories per day, a normal healthy person will successfully reduce weight to a level where it can easily be maintained. As part of the daily dietary regime include more vegetables and fruits. Cut back on foods such as bread, cakes and excessively fatty meats and animal products. If you wish to nibble, it is good idea to keep carrots or celery in the fridge, they are not high in calories and are very satisfying.
Natural fibre tablets can be helpful and chewing one or two with a large glass of water half an hour before a meal can assist in curbing the appetite. Drinking water is also an appetite suppressant. Most of us do not drink enough water. We should be drinking 6 to 8 glasses every day. If you have a problem with fluid retention then the herbs corn silk, boldo and blueberry are very helpful. Vitamin B6 can also be of benefit. Exercise at least three times weekly for 20 minutes. This will increase your metabolism and speed up weight loss. When dieting it is a good idea to take a multivitamin mineral formula.
If you have overweight problems associated with diseases such as diabetes then you should consult your health practitioner.
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Posted by admin on under General health |
Take time out to enjoy the meal. Plan meals so that they are not rushed. An example of rushing your food is when you eat a hamburger while driving the car or when you rush down a meal in 10 or 15 minutes. This doesn’t allow the digestive juices and enzymes to work and proper mastication of the food is lost, resulting in indigestion, incorrect absorption and the feeling of lassitude and ill-health.
There are some herbs which can help. Lactobacillus acidophilus plus pectin can be helpful in balancing out the natural gut flora which can often be upset following a course of antibiotics or intestinal diseases. It also helps digest food. Slippery elm is good as it has soothing and antacid properties, settling the stomach and healing any ulcers that can occur with indigestion. For excessive flatulence add charcoal to the diet. One tablet 3 times daily when suffering. It can also be used with animals.
SUPPLEMENTS
Digestive Aid (contains 1 tablets 3 times daily
slippery elm and natural
enzymes)
lactobacillus acidophilus 1 capsule containing 2.5 billion
bacilli daily
goldenseal follow directions
peppermint drink 3 to 4 cups of peppermint tea
daily or take 0.2 ml daily of
peppermint oil
sodium sulphate 200 mg twice daily
(celloid)
magnesium phosphate 200 mg twice daily
(celloid)
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Posted by admin on under General health |
Continual skin care throughout life can improve the condition and texture of skin. Nutrition is of utmost importance for good healthy skin. Vitamin supplementation, especially vitamin E, is also important to help keep a healthy well-balanced skin.
If dry skin seems to be the problem then a proper skin care program should be implemented. It is essential for the skin to be cleaned by a product with gentle, soluble emollients and hand lubricating oils to offset the dehydrating effect of soaps. Almond cleansing cream has been specifically designed for this purpose.
Following cleansing, toning is important. One of the oldest yet most effective toners is witch hazel. This toner is an astringent which has a toning and anti-inflammatory effect. It contains natural oils, skin conditioner and moisturisers, so that the harsh effect of the toning is softened. This is an essential property in conditioners. Blackmore’s Witch Hazel Toner is formulated to suit all skin types. A moisturiser containing a sunscreen is important. Probably one of the most valuable emollients and moisturisers is apricot kernel oil combined with soothing antiseptic and anti-inflammatory herbs such as fennel and chamomile. These herbs and oils have been combined in a product called Apricot Moisturising Day Creme with a natural sunscreen — PABA. This is an ideal nourishing, moisturising creme for daytime use and is excellent when used as a base.
A night moisturising program should be initiated. A richer moisturiser can be used with such ingredients as avocado and vitamin E. Avocado oil is a rich source of vitamins A, D, and E. Avocado oil is a rich source of vitamins A, D, and E and has a softening effect on hardened elastic skin tissue. It protects against dryness and chaffing. Vitamin E assists in skin repair and contracts the level of scar tissue. When combined with chamomile, mistletoe and yarrow, as in Blackmores Avocado Night Creme with E, then this is an ideal combination to nourish and moisturize which can be applied to the skin at night.
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Posted by admin on under General health |
A well-balanced diet is the cornerstone of all good health and a variety of foods including fish, lean meats, raw vegetables and fruits, unprocessed brans and cereals should be included in everybody’s daily dietary requirements. Foods such as chocolate, which contains oxalic acid, should be avoided when taking calcium as it may form other insoluble compounds that cannot be absorbed. Also large amounts of phytic acid present in cereals and grains may also inhibit absorption of calcium by the body.
Certain other factors influence the correct assimilation of calcium. It is very important to include weight-bearing exercise such as walking in your daily routine and to try to avoid excessive stress.
One serious consequence of long-term calcium deficiency for women is osteoporosis. It is an increased porosity of the bone in which the bone softens; a reduction in bone mass. Its cause appears to lie in the gradual bone loss that occurs in everyone with advancing age, but which is especially marked in women after menopause. This greatly increases the risk of fractures and it is therefore important to prevent bone weakening and halt its progress before fracture occurs.
Different studies have indicated that a sufficiently high calcium intake can reverse a negative calcium balance and thereby suppress bone loss.
A recent double-blind study undertaken in Denmark demonstrated that calcium supplements resulted in a significantly slower rate of bone softening in the total body-bone mineral content.
If you are going to take a calcium supplement to raise the dietary levels of calcium then one containing calcium and phosphorus, calcium phosphate, is necessary.
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Posted by admin on under General health |
Alcohol consumption is of growing concern in our community. Alcohol can both directly and indirectly cause many illnesses and associated nutritional deficiencies. Experimental studies have shown that 81% of chronic alcoholics treated with a well-balanced diet plus supplements were still sober after six months. Only 38 % of alcoholics were still sober after six months when treated with a standard hospital diet (as reported by R. Guenther in the International Journal of Biosocial Research in 1983).
It is important if one is a heavy drinker to reduce or stop alcohol consumption and supplement a well balanced diet with a multi-vitamin mineral formula. Extra water needs to be consumed as well, alcohol causes dehydration of the brain which may also result in brain damage.
The liver processes alcohol and the heavy drinker runs the risk of liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver. This disease is dangerous and if not treated properly and alcohol consumption stopped can be fatal. Experimental studies have shown that vitamin C may reduce the effects of alcohol toxicity. Other studies have shown that vitamin C is usually deficient’ in alcohol related diseases and when taken before or during alcohol ingestion may help prevent alcohol-induced fatty liver, fatty liver precedes cirrhosis.
The herb milk thistle has also been shown to help prevent and reverse certain types of liver damage caused by alcohol ingestion.
SUPPLEMENTS
Milk thistle 1 ml of 1:1 fluid extract 3 times daily
Naturetime B+C one tablet twice daily
Naturetime one tablet daily
multi-vitamin mineral
water 6 to 8 glasses per day
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