Saturday, July 22, 2006
Are All Vitamins Created Equal?
Are All Vitamins Created Equal?
By Monique HawkinsCopyright 2005 Monique Hawkins
Everyone has read the reports and seen the news. Our soil is depleted and lacks the necessary nutrients and minerals that our bodies need. The environment is toxic and wreaks havoc on our health. Free radicals attack our immune system. The only solution seems to be supplementation with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to compensate for environmental deficiencies.
After hearing all of this, what do most people do? They take a trip to the local supercenter or pharmacy, grab bottles of a popular supplement, and then think their job is done. It is a safe bet, however, that many people are not considering if what they consume is nutritionally complete and balanced. Not all supplements are created equal.
Dr. Myron Wentz, Ph.D and founder of USANA Health Sciences has this to say in the company's "Health and Freedom" brochure: " I began testing health supplements in my analytical laboratory to measure their nutritional balance and their effectiveness in promoting and sustaining a healthy life. Many of the products I analyzed were not only nutritionally unbalanced, but had incorrect and misleading labels. My research proved many times that what consumers thought they were buying and what they were receiving were two different things."
What can people do to ensure they are purchasing supplements that are high quality and nutritionally balanced? Here are 5 tips to assist in this process:
1. Perform careful research! Don't just go along with the latest fads. A good book to purchase is "The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements" by Lyle MacWilliam, BSc, MSc. MacWilliam is a former Canadian Member of Parliament and a current member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia. His book carefully analyzes over 500 products available in the US and Canada. The products that are listed at the top are best in the market today.
2. Look for a company who invests significant time and money in extensive scientific research, has worldwide scientific alliances, and who puts quality first.
3. Check to see if there is a guaranteed potency. Yes, there are companies who offer this and who follow stringent analytical and quality control procedures. In other words, what you see on a product's label is actually in the product.
4. Make sure the company's products follow pharmaceutical-grade good manufacturing practices (GMP). This is a step above FDA regulations. This means a variety of government agencies conduct periodic inspections and require control of procedures, as well as documentation.
5. Lastly, look to see if the company's products provide a money-back guarantee. Believe it or not, there is a company that is so confident about its products that if offers a revolutionary one million money-back guarantee to some professional and world class athletes.
Follow the above 5 tips for optimal health!
About the author:
Monique Hawkins is an Associate with USANA Health Sciences. One of her passions is encouraging and supporting others to obtain optimal health and wellness. Visit her USANA website at www.whyusana.com/mhawkinsand her new music box website at http://www.my-music-box.com
Tooth Whitening
Tooth Whitening
By Shaniqua HTooth whitening is sometimes called tooth bleaching and both are a procedure that is being done more and more for residents who want a tooth whitening Las Vegas style or anywhere else in the country. If a person wants to have a tooth whitening Las Vegas cosmetic dentists and cosmetic dentists everywhere can have it done. When a child is young and grow in their permanent teeth, they have the whitest teeth most people will expect them to have throughout their lives. This isn’t considered true anymore with the availability of tooth whitening Las Vegas and other cosmetic dentists offer to patients who value to the look of their smile.
Tooth whitening Las Vegas dentists provide provides an oxidation process sometimes using hydrogen peroxide to change the color of teeth often by several shades. The tooth whitening agent infiltrates the tooth through porous areas in the make up of the enamel and oxidizes the materials causing the stains. Layer by layer, the calcareous material harder and denser than bone that comprises the bulk of a tooth known as dentin is also bleached providing a tooth whitening Las Vegas and other residents can truly be proud of.
There are two different types of tooth whitening Las Vegas and other dentists use. The first method is the tooth whitening Las Vegas dentists would perform in their offices. The tooth whitening Las Vegas or other dentist applies a very concentrated oxidation agent on the teeth for a short interval. This tooth whitening Las Vegas method is effective yet presents some risks to the patient that can include damaging the soft tissue in the mouth and causing sensitive teeth. The benefit of this type of tooth whitening Las Vegas and other residents can enjoy is whiter teeth is a very short amount of time.
Another method tooth whitening Las Vegas residents and others can select is when a dentist provides their patient with a form fitting mouth guard to be used at home. The patient is to fill the mouth guard with a modest amount of oxidation agent that is to be place on the teeth and worn for several hours a day, often for a period of two to three weeks. Tooth whitening Las Vegas cosmetic dentists and other dentists usually refer to this type of tooth whitening as home bleaching of night guard bleaching. Although this process of tooth whitening takes considerably longer than the process performed in a dentist’s office, the results are comparable and the risk of damage to the soft tissues of the mouth and tooth sensitivity are lower.
Recently, technological advances in tooth whitening have introduced the addition of light to the tooth whitening process in order to accelerate the results. While it is too early for conclusive results, may tooth whitening Las Vegas and other dentists have found the process to be effective. While tooth whitening procedures are not guaranteed to work, the majority of people who have their teeth whitened see a significant enough result to be happy with their tooth whitening results.
About The Author
Shaniqua is the webmaster and owner of " Best-Tooth-Whitening-Products.com " and has been researching and reporting on Tooth Whitenings for years. Click Here ==> http://www.best-tooth-whitening-products.com/
About the author:
About The Author
Shaniqua is the webmaster and owner of " Best-Tooth-Whitening-Products.com " and has been researching and reporting on Tooth Whitenings for years. Click Here ==> http://www.best-tooth-whitening-products.com/
Some facts About Phentermine
Some facts About Phentermine
By Kevin Kennedy-SpaienPhentermine ( A.K.A. Adipex-P; Obenix; Oby-Trim; Anoxine-AM; Fastin; Ionamin; Obephen; Obermine; Obestin-30; Phentrol) is a powerful drug first approved by the FDA in 1959. In use for almost half a century, it has been a source of much controversy since the late 1990s. What are the effects of this drug, and how does it act upon the human body?
Phentermine works by triggering a fight-or-flight response. It acomplishes this by changing the Seratonin levels in the brain and releasing Adrenaline and other related chemicals. This can result in, among other things, heightened blood-pressure, a feeling of panic, insomnia (or, in some, drowsiness) and a loss of appetite.
It is only recommended for moderate weight-loss and for short-term use. It is known to be dangerous for people who are already suffering from high blood-pressure or Glaucoma. It can be addictive, and abruptly quitting ("cold turkey") has been known to cause lethargy, depression, and similar related conditions. Some other known side effect include changes in insulin requirements as well as impotence.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phentermine [Wikipedia]
http://www.medicinenet.com/phentermine/article.htm [Medicine Net]
http://www.fda.gov/cder/news/phen/fenphenqa2.htm [FDA.Gov]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682187.html [Medline Plus]
http://www.Health-Hack.com/ [Health-Hack.com]
About the author:
Kevin Kennedy-Spaien is a writer specializing in health issues related to technology. He can be read regularly at Health-Hack.com ( http://www.health-hack.com/), The Health Portal for Computer Geeks and Gadget Freaks.
Circulated by Article Emporium
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Studies Confirm Vegetarian Diet Takes Pounds Off
Studies Confirm Vegetarian Diet Takes Pounds Off
A scientific review in April'sNutrition Reviews finds that, as expected, a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.
Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.
Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
The authors found that the body weight of both male and female vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test in clinical studies, as the review notes.
The best of these clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.
"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," said Dr. Berkow, the lead author.
"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," said Dr. Barnard. Insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet, allowing nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted to heat rather than to fat.
A team of researchers led by Tim Key of Oxford University has found that meat-eaters who switched to a plant-based diet gained less weight over a period of five years. Papers reviewed by Drs. Berkow and Barnard include several published by Dr. Key and his colleagues, as well as a recent study of more than 55,000 Swedish women showing that meat-eaters are more likely to be overweight than vegetarians and vegans.
Yourself! Fitness
Yourself! Fitness
Remember the VHS workout craze?
Remember the VHS workout craze? A workout tape gave the viewer some needed direction, but the downside was that after you had watched it a few times the repetition made your eyes glaze over. But this interactive program, which features more than 500 unique exercises from yoga, Pilates, strength training, and cardio fitness, keeps your interest. Maya, the on-screen guide and personal trainer, creates customized health and fitness routines that won’t feel routine; you can even progress at your own pace. The six on-screen locations are varied, including a Japanese dojo and an Alpine retreat. And since working out is only half of the battle (of the bulge), Maya offers diet suggestions from more than 4,500 recipes. Even without the interaction you’d get in a real gym class, you’ll shape up faster than you would playing Ballistic. For PC, PS2, and Xbox.
Stop Dieting!
Stop Dieting!
It's diet season, that time of year when more than 76 million Americans resolve to never eat another french fry, swear off sweets, stop swilling beer, and pray for a magic pill to shorten the days of diet deprivation that so often mark the new year. The call is everywhere. Good Morning America is featuring weight-loss tips every day this month. AOL tells its subscribers via E-mail that it's "Time to lose your spare tire." NBC last week rolled out a special edition of its obesity reality show, the Biggest Loser. Magazines lining grocery aisles exhort you to "Lose 10 pounds this month!"
But can you lose 10 pounds in a month and keep it off? Americans spend more than $33 billion a year on diet books, foods, programs, gadgets, and DVD s in the hopes of losing weight. Yet, after decades of dieting, about two thirds of the American population remains overweight. Some 30 percent are obese, and more than half of them are dieting. Which raises the question: Does dieting work? Do people lose weight permanently on diets? Does dieting lead to better health?
Nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and other health professionals are asking these questions with increasing frequency. And a small but growing number of them believe that the solution is simple: Stop dieting. Stop obsessing about every morsel you put in your mouth, stop weighing yourself twice a day, stop letting the quest to be thin control your life. "I'm almost convinced that dieting is totally useless," says Cris Slentz, an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center. "It's the physical activity aspect of our lifestyle that is the main culprit in our overweight problems. Most of us are eating 25 to 100 calories a day too many, and gaining 10 pounds or less per year. Our appetite system really works pretty well. So why would we use a 1,000 calorie per day deficit diet to try to correct the weight imbalance? It's nuts, and it isn't leading to long-term healthy weights." Steven Hawks, a professor of health science at Brigham Young University, agrees. "You would be hard pressed to review the dietary literature," he says, "and conclude that you can give people a set of dietary guidelines or restrictions that they will be able to follow in the long term and manage their weight successfully."
Slentz, Hawks, and other researchers note that most studies show that the vast majority of people can't stick with a diet very long. Though some dieters do make lifestyle changes that lead to permanent weight loss and better health, most regain much, if not all, of their lost weight in three to five years. Results reported last week from the federally funded Women's Health Initiative do little to enhance dieting's reputation. After seven years, women on a low-fat diet maintained a mere pound of their initial loss. And some studies show that frequent dieters actually gain weight.
Yet, dieting to achieve weight loss has been a cornerstone of obesity treatment, because excess weight is associated with high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, and other cardiovascular risks and increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and some cancers. But stop-dieting advocates point out that many other factors also contribute to these conditions: age, family history, gender, diet quality, stress, socioeconomic status, vitamins, and minerals--and some of these causes are more significant than weight.
While losing modest amounts of weight often lessens the impact of such health problems, so do regular exercise and healthful eating. "Even in heart disease, the role of fat tissue itself is small compared to the role of diet and exercise," says Linda Bacon, a nutrition professor at the University of California-Davis. "Since diet and exercise is the stuff that really matters, let's go after it directly and not use weight loss as the goal."
Fitness counts. Obesity, defined as a body mass index (a measure of height versus weight) over 30, does seem to increase mortality, but a study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that increased deaths linked to obesity occur largely among those with BMI s over 35--people who carry an extra 50 or more pounds. The study revealed that Americans who are merely overweight--with BMI s between 25 and 30--actually live longer than people of normal weight. This may be due in part, the authors suggest, because new drugs to treat hypertension and cholesterol have reduced the negative impact of weight.
For years, research by Steven Blair, CEO of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, has shown that men and women who achieve a high level of fitness, regardless of weight, live longer and develop fewer chronic illnesses than thin people who aren't fit. It's also not clear that weight loss can make a heavy person's body the same as the body of a person who is naturally thin. Research on the role fat cells play and the impact of genes on weight gain, in fact, indicate that overweight bodies are never the same as naturally thin ones--no matter how much weight people lose.
Nevertheless, diets sell books, attract media attention, and fatten the wallets of authors who write them far more than they slim the bodies of the people who try them. Most popular diets seem to produce about the same modest weight loss. A study last year in JAMA looked at four such diets: Atkins (low carb), Ornish (low fat), Weight Watchers (low calorie), and the Zone (low glycemic load). Participants were randomly assigned to each diet. Only 50 to 65 percent of dieters stuck with the plans long enough to lose weight. But the ones who did lost between 4.6 and 7.3 pounds in a year and improved some of their cardiac risk factors, such as cholesterol levels. Michael Dansinger, an endocrinologist at the Tufts-New England Medical Center and lead researcher of the trial, calls the results "underwhelming." For her part, Karen Miller Kovach, chief scientific adviser for Weight Watchers, says "Weight Watchers has never preached diet alone as a means to lasting weight loss. But diet is part of the comprehensive lifestyle program."
Many experts were anxiously awaiting the first chapter in the Women's Health Initiative dietary modification study, probably the largest trial of a low-fat diet ever done, which was reported last week in the same journal. It showed that among more than 19,000 post-menopausal women, a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet does not cause weight gain, as some low-carb enthusiasts have claimed. But it resulted in little long-term weight loss, either. Women in the study lost about 5 pounds the first year and kept off only about 1 pound over the seven years of the study.
