Eat Some Good Chocolate For Halloween
I am not really a chocolate lover,a piece or two now and again. I can live without it ,but most people I know cannot, and while reading this article on “Good Chocolates For Halloween” at Mercola.com I thought or them.Before you let your kids open a piece, check out this article to really know what” Good Chocolate Is”
“If you’re a chocolate lover, or even occasionally indulge, I strongly recommend you follow these guidelines… which will allow you to enjoy your chocolate and help you protect your health at the same time.
- Find chocolate made from the least destructive processing techniques — Organic is always best as over-processing reduces your healthy nutrients and can introduce lead contamination.
- Restrict your intake to dark, organic chocolate — Consuming chocolate as close to its original raw state (unprocessed cacao) provides you the best health benefits.
- Avoid chocolate made from milk or milk byproducts — Adding milk to the chocolate process can diminish your antioxidant benefits.
- Select chocolate with low sugar content — Sugar can seriously impact your immune system
- Consume chocolate in moderation — When you eat too much chocolate, you potentially diminish and defeat any health benefits due to the sugar.
- Avoid chocolate if you’re struggling with a health challenge — Sugar can suppress your immune system.
- Choose a chocolate made to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility — Fair Trade certification should be part of your selection process. Read The Entire Article Here
Omega 3′s Secret To Glowing skin
Omega 3′s secret to glowing skin is contained in its revitalizing benefits. Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids. Now don’t be alarmed; there’s nothing wrong with these fatty acids, they’re the “good fats.” They’re the kind of fats that are vital to the health of every cell in your body, including your skin cells. Omega 3 keeps your skin moist and prevents sagging.
Omega 3 also fights against those nasty free radicals that are flying around. These free radicals also damage the skin and cause wrinkles. Omega 3 lessens this damage and helps prevent collagen breakdown. Without collagen, wrinkles will develop, and your skin will lose its healthy and youthful glow.
If you suffer from premature wrinkles, dry skin, dandruff, cracked skin, or other very dry skin conditions, chances are you have a deficiency of Omega 3. Part of the beauty of Omega 3 is that it will moisturize your skin from deep inside. You won’t have to slather on yet another cream on your face. Instead, you can get Omega 3 from your diet.
Here are a few ways you can get your required source of Omega 3: cold water fish, like salmon, herring, sardines, and fresh tuna twice a week; supplements of at least 1000 mg of Omega 3 per day; or flaxseed or walnut oil, or walnuts. You can blend either oil into a smoothie to make it more palatable. A word of warning about fish: many fish are caught in polluted waters and may carry a high concentration of heavy metals, which is not good for you. Farmed fish do not have as high a level of Omega 3 because they are fed pellets, rather than algae that the free roaming, but possibly polluted, fish eat. Other foods containing Omega 3′s are kiwifruit, lingonberry, black raspberry, butternuts, pecan nuts, and hazel nuts. I’ve also seen eggs that include Omega 3. These are from chickens fed a special diet. You can usually find these Omega 3 eggs in specialty or organic food stores. Grass fed beef is also another source of Omega 3, and possibly milk and cheese from grass fed cows. The mass produced beef nowadays have been fed grain, which doesn’t contain Omega 3.
After reading the above list, it might be a bit daunting trying to find food sources for your Omega 3 requirements. Do some research and see what will fit best into your lifestyle. Would putting flaxseed oil into a smoothie be doable? Or perhaps swallowing a supplement every day will be more your style. Whatever it is, find the intake method of Omega 3 that is right for you. It’s important to your skin and your healthy glow. Your youthful skin will thank you for it!
It’s National Chiropractic Month
I found this nice post on Chiropractors today written by Catherine Morgan Check it out!
“October is National Chiropractic Month, and the American Chiropractic Association is encouraging families to consider trying chiropractic care as a treatment for several types of headaches.
How do you feel about chiropractic health care? Is it something you would consider for yourself and family? Did you realize that seeing a chiropractor could be helpful for people who suffer with migraines and other types of headaches?
Headache Tips During National Chiropractic Month…
While many people associate chiropractic care as a treatment for bad backs, there is growing documentation that chiropractic is also effective in the treatment of cervicogenic headaches, migraines and cluster headaches.
“Research shows that spinal manipulation is an effective treatment option for headaches,” says Dr. Michael P. Griffin of Lakeville Chiropractic in Lakeville, and a member of the. American Chiropractic Association.
“Not only does drug-free, conservative chiropractic care provide almost immediate relief from pain, but it has significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief than many commonly prescribed medications.”
Simply Steps To Strengthen Your Immunity This Winter
Since mid-Fall TV News has been trumpeting the horrors of the “swine flu(H1N1) season”. “It’s never too soon to begin fighting this year’s bug” they blare. Public health announcements urge us to get our “yearly flu shot”, as if this is something we’ve got permanently scheduled in our Blackberries. All the leading over-the-counter pain medications offer special seasonal “flu” mixtures, and their ads deluge daytime and prime-time broadcasting.
For the health consumer, namely us, it seems as if this annual “war on the flu” is received wisdom. We’re just defenseless human beings at the mercy of the all-powerful flu virus.
What’s wrong with this picture?
What’s never mentioned in the “flu warning” marketing is the versatility and adaptability of our remarkable immune system. We’re the lucky owners of a built-in state-of-the-art bio-warfare system, on-the-job 24/7 to combat microscopic foreign invaders of our health and well-being. Once our immune system has detected a foreign protein it mounts an immediate defense, attacking and destroying the alien molecules. And, the memory of that particular invader is permanent, enabling a future immune response to be swift and effective.1
The big issue with influenza is that new strains appear each year. We’ve never encountered these germs before. But, the whole basis and strength of our immune system is flexibility. It is specially designed to respond quickly to new attackers. And, for the most part, it does this very, very well.
Of course, no one wants their dinner companion to sneeze in their plate of pasta, as Elaine did on an infamous episode of “Seinfeld”. Through a typical cascade of unfortunate events, Jerry’s and George’s comedy pilot was almost scuttled because the network executive was Elaine’s date, and he got violently ill by being on the receiving end of her blast of micro-bugs.
In the real world, our immune systems can be weakened due to life habits, circumstances, and stress. Stress is a notorious compromiser of immune defenses.2 And, of course, being human, there’s plenty of stress from dawn to dusk. If worry and anxiety pile on top of not-enough-sleep or sub-optimal nutrition, getting sick is a pretty likely outcome. So, developing and maintaining healthy habits of living and successful strategies for managing stress is really the key.3
If you do the simple things that keep you healthy and well, in the winter months you can pretty much “let the flu go around you”. You can be confident, knowing you’ve done the work to fight off the latest flu threat. Someone else’s germs are their germs, not yours. If your immune system is on the job, you’re far less likely to “catch” something.
And, even if you do succumb, you’ve got a much better chance of getting well again quickly.
- Make sure you get proper rest(a rested body is a stronger one)
- Drink water lots of water for proper hydration
- Supplement with vitamin D 5,000 iu/day(a great immune building vitamin)
- Use good general hygiene,avoid touch your face frequently as part of habit
- Get some regular excercise(it can be moderate no running a marathon necessary
- Take a regular multivitamin (helps support lack of proper nutritional intake)
- Eat lots of fruits and veggies
- If you’re not feeling well stay home
- Pay attention just don’t get over whelmed with the current viruses
1Sompayrac L: How the Immune System Works, 2nd ed. Blackwell, 2002.
2Wein H:Stress and disease – new perspectives. NIH Word on Health, October 2000.
3The Truth About Your Immune System – What You Need To Know. Harvard Health Publications, 2007.
What Is Integrative Medicine
Holistic or Integrative Medicine is a multi-faceted approach to wellness. It is more than not being sick. Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this approach to health considers the whole person. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything is functioning at the best possible level. Often referred to as personalized or individualized medicine, healthcare based on the integrated/holistic model is considered by most practitioners today to be the future of medicine.
It couples current scientific advances with the best that alternative medicine has to offer. It expands our ability to preserve health, increase longevity and speed recovery. It does not end when you leave the office. As a lifestyle, it includes a personal commitment to move toward the right end of the wellness continuum. No matter what their current status of health, people can improve their level of well-being. Even when there are temporary setbacks, movement is always headed toward wellness.
An integrative/holistic approach to healing goes beyond just eliminating symptoms. For example, taking an aspirin for a headache would be like disconnecting the oil light on the dash of a car when it flashes. The irritation is eliminated, but the real problem still exists. In holistic/integrative medicine, a symptom is considered a message that something needs attention. So, the symptom is used as a guide to look below the surface for the root cause. Then what really needs attention can be addressed.
