by: Steve Smith
The trace mineral iodine is well known for its crucial role in enabling the body's manufacture of vital thyroid hormones, but it is also important for the health of the immune system and for optimal brain function. It is widely believed by many authorities that iodine deficiency should never be seen in the affluent West, although this problem affects millions throughout the developed world.
Some nutritionists argue, however, that this conventional view is too optimistic, because the content of all minerals in foods is heavily dependent on the mineral content of the soil from which those foods are derived. The assumption must therefore be that the continuing de-mineralisation of farm soils has led to a reduction in the amount of dietary iodine commonly consumed.
Fish and other seafood, however, remain a relatively rich source because these ocean creatures concentrate the sea's iodine in their flesh. Though not commonly eaten in the West, seaweed, or kelp, is also an excellent source of iodine for this reason, and is readily available in the form of a dietary supplements. Dairy products and certain meats may also be a good source, particularly where iodine is routinely added to farm animal feed. But in countries, including most of Western Europe, where animals are grazing fields growing on iodine depleted soils, levels are likely to be much lower.
So even in the West, those not including fish or seafood in their diets, and not using iodised or sea salt, may be at real risk of deficiency. In an effort to compensate for low levels of dietary iodine, the mineral has been routinely added to ordinary table salt in the US for many years. But the practice is not as common in the UK and other European countries, where specially iodised or natural "sea-salt" has been marketed more as a luxury alternative. The problem of insufficient dietary iodine has been compounded on both sides of the Atlantic, however, by increasing concern about the possible adverse health consequences, particularly high blood pressure, of excessive salt intake. Many nutritionists, however, regard these fears as exaggerated, and believe that any such potential problems are far less serious than the consequences of an insufficiency of iodine, and may be easily resolved by the use of the low sodium salt alternatives available.
Iodine, however, cannot in any case be regarded as a luxury. Its essential function lies in the production of the vital thyroid hormones; thyroxine, sometimes known as T4, and tri-iodothyronine, or T3. And as is well known, these hormones are crucially important in ensuring a healthy metabolic rate and the release of energy from food; so an underactive thyroid gland is commonly the villain in cases of excessive weight gain, particularly where this of sudden onset, and in cases of difficulty in losing weight even when following a sensible reducing programme. A healthy thyroid gland is also crucial for the optimal functioning of the immune system.
But perhaps even more importantly, iodine deficiency is also known as a major cause of avoidable brain damage; a problem which the World Health Organisation has estimated to affect an astonishing 50 million people worldwide. Sadly, many of these cases occur in children whose mothers were iodine deficient in pregnancy, resulting in a condition of severely retarded brain development known as congenital hypothyroidism, or "cretinism". Even where such catastrophic consequences are avoided, iodine deficiency in childhood may also have serious effects on the developing brain, leading to low energy and motivation for learning, and measurable impairment of IQ scores.
Since 2001 the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine (FNB) has prescribed a Recommended Dietary Allowance for iodine of 150 mcg for all individuals over 14, rising to 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for those breastfeeding. Somewhat confusingly, however, an excessive consumption of iodine is also associated with a malfunctioning or enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well as mouth ulcers, headaches and gastric upsets, and the FNB therefore advises an upper safe limit for daily iodine consumption of 1,100 mcg for adults. Most people eating a conventional Western diet are unlikely to exceed this level.
With the possible exception of pregnant and breastfeeding women, people in the West who use liberal quantities of iodised salt as a regular seasoning are unlikely to need further supplements. But many commercial multi-mineral preparations contain iodine in reasonable quantities, usually in the form of potassium iodide, and whilst not perhaps strictly necessary, such supplementary doses will do no harm and may be regarded as a useful insurance policy given that, like all minerals needed by the body, iodine functions best in the presence of adequate supplies of all the others. And it should be particularly noted in this context that the effects of any deficiency of iodine may be intensified by any deficiency of selenium, iron or vitamin A.
About The Author
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter and journalist with a particular interest in health and wellness. Find out more at http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/Iodine.htm
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Luckily in South Africa our health department ordered sea salt to be the only legal salt sold by retailers. That goes a long way in helping us not be deficient. Just check that you don't get to much of the nutrient, because that is equally bad.
To make sure you get all your necessary nutrients in your diet perhaps you should order a good supplement from http://www.herbalstore.co.za .
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Medical Aids in South Africa
I found this very good article on the need for a medical aid in south africa.
Check it out: http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-2002-2019,36103.asp
Getting optimal nutrition is a great way to help keep medical costs down. Take a look at http://www.herbalstore.co.za
Check it out: http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-2002-2019,36103.asp
Getting optimal nutrition is a great way to help keep medical costs down. Take a look at http://www.herbalstore.co.za
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Is Your Busy Life Making You Age More Quickly?
by Marcus Ryan
You know you should eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly if you want to look and feel as young as possible, but sometimes your schedule seems to make either of those things impossible.
If you think that you are simply too busy to take proper care of yourself, then take heart, because this article will give you some hints on how you can both exercise regularly and eat properly without cutting even further into your valuable time.
Exercise
You may be operating, as many of us are, under the impression that any exercise session of less than thirty minutes will do nothing either to improve your fitness or to fight aging. But more recent research has indicated otherwise.
If you can find three ten minute breaks during your day which you can devote to physical exercise, you'll achieve the same results as if you had a single half-hour session. Getting your heart into your target zone for then minutes three times a day will be just as beneficial as getting there for thirty minutes, and you can achieve your target heart rate simply by power walking for ten minutes.
If you eat lunch at work, take ten minutes from your lunch break and climb some stairs, or walk around the block or the grounds of your building. If you have a couple of coffee breaks in the course of a work day, use one of them as a walking break. You'll get in another exercise session, and will be as energized as if you had gulped down that caffeinated coffee, Pay Attention To Your Diet
At the same time you begin to incorporate mini-exercise sessions into your life, you can begin to make the dietary changes which will ensure that you get all the antioxidants and nutrients to keep your skin rejuvenated and elastic, regardless of your age. These dietary changes need not involve much extra time, as long as you prepare in advance.
Sticking with a healthy eating plan can actually be very easy if you use your free weekend time to prepare and store the vegetables you intend to eat throughout the week. Wash the veggies and put them in plastic baggies, and if you slice them squeeze some fresh lemon juice on their exposed surfaces to keep them from turning brown. They'll be all ready for the salad bowl, steamer, or grill whenever you need them.
Keep your meals interesting but simple. Have a spice rack with herbs ready to sprinkle on freshly grilled veggies and fish, and keep skinned and boned white meat chicken on hand as another healthy time-saver.
On those nights when cooking simply is not practical, pay a visit to the local deli and pick up fresh vegetable salad and grilled chicken or fish. With a little effort, you can find everything you need for a healthy meal at the deli, and you wont have to spend time cleaning up afterwards!
While you are at the supermarket, look for pre-cut veggies and fresh fruit salad to eat as snacks, instead of those sugary and salty processed ones. You can even find bags of almonds and dried fruits in single portion packs. Taking them along to work will give you healthy pick-me-ups to keep you away from the vending machines and donut table during work hours.
If you really want look and feel young for as long as possible, you will have to make a commitment to regular exercise and healthy eating. Being too busy for either is simply cheating yourself, and if you use a bit of creative scheduling, there is no reason at all why you can not eat properly and get adequate exercise!
About the Author
Want the best anti wrinkle creams? Then see these anti wrinkle cream reviews of latest creams that gives results in under 7 minutes, at www.wrinklecreamsreview.com and get the anti wrinkle cream that gets rid of skin wrinkles in minutes.
************************************************************************************
Eating healthy cant be anymore easy than going to http://www.herbalstore.co.za and getting some nutrituos herbalife shakes and supplements. they are high on nutrition and low on fat.
You know you should eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly if you want to look and feel as young as possible, but sometimes your schedule seems to make either of those things impossible.
If you think that you are simply too busy to take proper care of yourself, then take heart, because this article will give you some hints on how you can both exercise regularly and eat properly without cutting even further into your valuable time.
Exercise
You may be operating, as many of us are, under the impression that any exercise session of less than thirty minutes will do nothing either to improve your fitness or to fight aging. But more recent research has indicated otherwise.
If you can find three ten minute breaks during your day which you can devote to physical exercise, you'll achieve the same results as if you had a single half-hour session. Getting your heart into your target zone for then minutes three times a day will be just as beneficial as getting there for thirty minutes, and you can achieve your target heart rate simply by power walking for ten minutes.
If you eat lunch at work, take ten minutes from your lunch break and climb some stairs, or walk around the block or the grounds of your building. If you have a couple of coffee breaks in the course of a work day, use one of them as a walking break. You'll get in another exercise session, and will be as energized as if you had gulped down that caffeinated coffee, Pay Attention To Your Diet
At the same time you begin to incorporate mini-exercise sessions into your life, you can begin to make the dietary changes which will ensure that you get all the antioxidants and nutrients to keep your skin rejuvenated and elastic, regardless of your age. These dietary changes need not involve much extra time, as long as you prepare in advance.
Sticking with a healthy eating plan can actually be very easy if you use your free weekend time to prepare and store the vegetables you intend to eat throughout the week. Wash the veggies and put them in plastic baggies, and if you slice them squeeze some fresh lemon juice on their exposed surfaces to keep them from turning brown. They'll be all ready for the salad bowl, steamer, or grill whenever you need them.
Keep your meals interesting but simple. Have a spice rack with herbs ready to sprinkle on freshly grilled veggies and fish, and keep skinned and boned white meat chicken on hand as another healthy time-saver.
On those nights when cooking simply is not practical, pay a visit to the local deli and pick up fresh vegetable salad and grilled chicken or fish. With a little effort, you can find everything you need for a healthy meal at the deli, and you wont have to spend time cleaning up afterwards!
While you are at the supermarket, look for pre-cut veggies and fresh fruit salad to eat as snacks, instead of those sugary and salty processed ones. You can even find bags of almonds and dried fruits in single portion packs. Taking them along to work will give you healthy pick-me-ups to keep you away from the vending machines and donut table during work hours.
If you really want look and feel young for as long as possible, you will have to make a commitment to regular exercise and healthy eating. Being too busy for either is simply cheating yourself, and if you use a bit of creative scheduling, there is no reason at all why you can not eat properly and get adequate exercise!
About the Author
Want the best anti wrinkle creams? Then see these anti wrinkle cream reviews of latest creams that gives results in under 7 minutes, at www.wrinklecreamsreview.com and get the anti wrinkle cream that gets rid of skin wrinkles in minutes.
************************************************************************************
Eating healthy cant be anymore easy than going to http://www.herbalstore.co.za and getting some nutrituos herbalife shakes and supplements. they are high on nutrition and low on fat.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Rescheduling of Medicines that Contain Ephedrine
27 May 2008
The scheduling of medicines takes into account their risk, their benefit and their safety. Medicines containing ephedrine, pseudo ephedrine and d-nor-pseudo ephedrine have been rescheduled not only in South Africa as a result of widespread abuse of these components for the illicit manufacturing of drugs of abuse. Concerns have been raised by the public on the increasingly easy availability of Tic. These components are a precursor for the manufacture of Tic.
Comments were invited from industry on the possibility of rescheduling the above-mentioned three components. Responses were mixed, for and against.
These components are commonly used in combination with analgesics for the management of coughs and colds. The regulation limits the pack size to one course per person and one package per person per episode. The scheduling in such cases does not change. This, we believe does not compromise availability. Further, a phase-in period of six months for changing the packaging has been granted.
Ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine and d-nor-pseudo ephedrine not in combination with other products have been rescheduled to Schedule 6. The majority of these are used in slimming preparations. The public can access these on prescription.
It must be noted that there are other cough and cold preparations on the market that do not contain these three ingredients.
For more information contact: Charity Bhengu (012) 312 0420 or 083 679 7424
Issued by:Department of Health
Ms Mandisa HealthHead of Medicine Control Council (MCC)
************************************************************************************
Luckily Herbalife doesnt contain ephedrine. To find out about health legal alternitives to losing weight, go to http://www.herbalstore.co.za .
The scheduling of medicines takes into account their risk, their benefit and their safety. Medicines containing ephedrine, pseudo ephedrine and d-nor-pseudo ephedrine have been rescheduled not only in South Africa as a result of widespread abuse of these components for the illicit manufacturing of drugs of abuse. Concerns have been raised by the public on the increasingly easy availability of Tic. These components are a precursor for the manufacture of Tic.
Comments were invited from industry on the possibility of rescheduling the above-mentioned three components. Responses were mixed, for and against.
These components are commonly used in combination with analgesics for the management of coughs and colds. The regulation limits the pack size to one course per person and one package per person per episode. The scheduling in such cases does not change. This, we believe does not compromise availability. Further, a phase-in period of six months for changing the packaging has been granted.
Ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine and d-nor-pseudo ephedrine not in combination with other products have been rescheduled to Schedule 6. The majority of these are used in slimming preparations. The public can access these on prescription.
It must be noted that there are other cough and cold preparations on the market that do not contain these three ingredients.
For more information contact: Charity Bhengu (012) 312 0420 or 083 679 7424
Issued by:Department of Health
Ms Mandisa HealthHead of Medicine Control Council (MCC)
************************************************************************************
Luckily Herbalife doesnt contain ephedrine. To find out about health legal alternitives to losing weight, go to http://www.herbalstore.co.za .
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Being Fat is Not Being Happy
By Dr. Martha Castro
Having a happy life is not only about laughter and having the right financial position to buy things. I find that being happy starts with our bodies, like eating healthy, drinking healthy and exercising. I don't care what obese people say about acceptance, it cannot be true, it's impossible to be happy when you are carrying 100 or 200 or more lbs of extra fat, when you can hardly move or walk or bend to tie your shoes.
Not accepting obesity is rejecting an unhappy and unhealthy life style.
There are people who actually think that is OK to be morbidly obese, they think that being that over weight is not unhealthy and that it would not interfere with them having a long and healthy life. They are wrong, sadly, they are wrong.
These people need to be stopped. They are dangerous, and I'm going to tell you why. There are probably thousands of obese people who are mentally sane and unhappy being over weight and they want to lose the extra pounds and change their negative eating habits for positive ones and if they listen to what these "obese acceptance" people are talking about, they might just give up and still go on with their unhealthy way of living, and eventually they will get a disease like High Blood Pressure, Embolism, Diabetes Mellitus II, lung problems, severe arthritis problems, etc.
I am proud of all the over weight people who want to make a change and live a healthy life losing the extra pounds. I support them fully, but I don't support these people who promote fat acceptance. It's a dangerous thing.
I am a Medical Doctor and General Surgeon. I specialize in medical and clinical diagnostics, and subspecialize in Ischemic Cardiopathy. I have been practicing medical science for 22 years. In my private life I am a cycling fanatic.
You can learn more and get to know me if you visit my Website: http://livingstrongandhappy.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Martha_Castro,_M.D.
************************************************************************************
End of article
You read what the doc said. Lets get rid of obesity. http://www.herbalstore.co.za . Herbalife has a proven weight management system.
Having a happy life is not only about laughter and having the right financial position to buy things. I find that being happy starts with our bodies, like eating healthy, drinking healthy and exercising. I don't care what obese people say about acceptance, it cannot be true, it's impossible to be happy when you are carrying 100 or 200 or more lbs of extra fat, when you can hardly move or walk or bend to tie your shoes.
Not accepting obesity is rejecting an unhappy and unhealthy life style.
There are people who actually think that is OK to be morbidly obese, they think that being that over weight is not unhealthy and that it would not interfere with them having a long and healthy life. They are wrong, sadly, they are wrong.
These people need to be stopped. They are dangerous, and I'm going to tell you why. There are probably thousands of obese people who are mentally sane and unhappy being over weight and they want to lose the extra pounds and change their negative eating habits for positive ones and if they listen to what these "obese acceptance" people are talking about, they might just give up and still go on with their unhealthy way of living, and eventually they will get a disease like High Blood Pressure, Embolism, Diabetes Mellitus II, lung problems, severe arthritis problems, etc.
I am proud of all the over weight people who want to make a change and live a healthy life losing the extra pounds. I support them fully, but I don't support these people who promote fat acceptance. It's a dangerous thing.
I am a Medical Doctor and General Surgeon. I specialize in medical and clinical diagnostics, and subspecialize in Ischemic Cardiopathy. I have been practicing medical science for 22 years. In my private life I am a cycling fanatic.
You can learn more and get to know me if you visit my Website: http://livingstrongandhappy.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Martha_Castro,_M.D.
************************************************************************************
End of article
You read what the doc said. Lets get rid of obesity. http://www.herbalstore.co.za . Herbalife has a proven weight management system.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Excerpt from "How and When to be Your Own Doctor." Loss of weight indicates, almost guarantees, that detoxification and healing is occurring. I can't stress this too much. Of all the things I find my patients seem to misunderstand or forget after being told, it is that they can't heal in a rapid manner without getting smaller. This reality is especially hard for the family and friends of someone who is fasting, who will say, "you're looking terrible dear, so thin.
Your skin is hanging on your bones. You're not eating enough protein or nutrient food to be healthy and you must eat more or you're going to develop serious deficiencies. You don't have any energy, you must be getting sicker. You're doing the wrong thing, obviously. You have less energy and look worse every day. Go and see a doctor before it is too late." To succeed with friends like this, a faster has to be a mighty self-determined person with a powerful ability to disagree with others. Medical personnel claim that rapid weight loss often causes dangerous deficiencies; these deficiencies force the person to overeat and regain even more weight afterward. This is largely untrue, though there is one true aspect to it: a fasted, detoxified body becomes a much more efficient digester and assimilations, extracting a lot more nutrition from the same amount food is used to eat. If, after extended fasting a person returns to eating the same number of calories as they did before; they will gain weight even more rapidly than before they stated fasting.
When fasting for weight loss, the only way to keep the weight off is to greatly reform the diet; to go on, and stay on, a diet made up largely of no starchy, watery fruits and vegetables, limited quantities of cooked food, and very limited amounts of highly concentrated food sources like cereals and cooked legumes. Unless, of course, after fasting, one's lifestyle involves much very hard physical labor or exercise. I've had a few obese faster become quite angry with me for this reason; they hoped to get thin through fasting and after the fast, to resume overeating with complete irresponsibility as before, without weight gain.
People also fear weight loss during fasting because they fear becoming anorexic or bulimic. They won't! A person who abstains from eating for the purpose of improving their health, in order to prevent or treat illness, or even one who fasts for weight loss will not develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders mean eating compulsively because of a distorted body image. Anorexics and bulimics have obsessions with the thinner-is-better school of thought. The anorexic looks at their emaciated frame in the mirror and thinks they are fat! This is the distorted perception of a very insecure person badly in need of therapy. A bulimic, on the other hand stuffs themselves, usually with bad food, and then purges it by vomiting, or with laxatives. Anorexics and bulimics are not accelerating the healing potential of their bodies; these are life threatening conditions. Fasters are genuinely trying to enhance their survival potential.
Occasionally a neurotic individual with a pre-existing eating disorder will become obsessed with fasting and colon cleansing as a justification to legitimize their compulsion. During my career while monitoring hundreds of fasters, I've known two of these. I discourage them from fasting or colon cleansing, and refuse to assist them, because they carry the practices to absurd extremes, and contribute to bad press about natural medicine by ending up in the emergency ward of a hospital with an intravenous feeding tube in their arm.
Dr. Billie is a veteran nutrition and dieting expert for the last 12 years. Do read more on Master Cleanse Diets at Master Cleanse
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Resmin
************************************************************************************
End of article
There is another way you could visit www.herbalstore.co.za and try the herbalife way. Herbalife shakes are delicious and healthy for you and your weight.
Your skin is hanging on your bones. You're not eating enough protein or nutrient food to be healthy and you must eat more or you're going to develop serious deficiencies. You don't have any energy, you must be getting sicker. You're doing the wrong thing, obviously. You have less energy and look worse every day. Go and see a doctor before it is too late." To succeed with friends like this, a faster has to be a mighty self-determined person with a powerful ability to disagree with others. Medical personnel claim that rapid weight loss often causes dangerous deficiencies; these deficiencies force the person to overeat and regain even more weight afterward. This is largely untrue, though there is one true aspect to it: a fasted, detoxified body becomes a much more efficient digester and assimilations, extracting a lot more nutrition from the same amount food is used to eat. If, after extended fasting a person returns to eating the same number of calories as they did before; they will gain weight even more rapidly than before they stated fasting.
When fasting for weight loss, the only way to keep the weight off is to greatly reform the diet; to go on, and stay on, a diet made up largely of no starchy, watery fruits and vegetables, limited quantities of cooked food, and very limited amounts of highly concentrated food sources like cereals and cooked legumes. Unless, of course, after fasting, one's lifestyle involves much very hard physical labor or exercise. I've had a few obese faster become quite angry with me for this reason; they hoped to get thin through fasting and after the fast, to resume overeating with complete irresponsibility as before, without weight gain.
People also fear weight loss during fasting because they fear becoming anorexic or bulimic. They won't! A person who abstains from eating for the purpose of improving their health, in order to prevent or treat illness, or even one who fasts for weight loss will not develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders mean eating compulsively because of a distorted body image. Anorexics and bulimics have obsessions with the thinner-is-better school of thought. The anorexic looks at their emaciated frame in the mirror and thinks they are fat! This is the distorted perception of a very insecure person badly in need of therapy. A bulimic, on the other hand stuffs themselves, usually with bad food, and then purges it by vomiting, or with laxatives. Anorexics and bulimics are not accelerating the healing potential of their bodies; these are life threatening conditions. Fasters are genuinely trying to enhance their survival potential.
Occasionally a neurotic individual with a pre-existing eating disorder will become obsessed with fasting and colon cleansing as a justification to legitimize their compulsion. During my career while monitoring hundreds of fasters, I've known two of these. I discourage them from fasting or colon cleansing, and refuse to assist them, because they carry the practices to absurd extremes, and contribute to bad press about natural medicine by ending up in the emergency ward of a hospital with an intravenous feeding tube in their arm.
Dr. Billie is a veteran nutrition and dieting expert for the last 12 years. Do read more on Master Cleanse Diets at Master Cleanse
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Resmin
************************************************************************************
End of article
There is another way you could visit www.herbalstore.co.za and try the herbalife way. Herbalife shakes are delicious and healthy for you and your weight.
Labels:
fasting,
Herbalife,
herbalife shakes,
herbalife weight loss,
Weight loss
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Nature Offers Several Cures for Sinusitis
by carla san gaspar
Nature can be the reason why you feel a physical condition like sinusitis. Infectious organisms and environmental irritants are only some of the natural factors that can cause your sinuses to become inflamed, infected and damaged. But nature can also provide the necessary antidotes for sinusitis.
Your Body Your body has the capacity to heal itself. You have an immune system that can deal with infections like sinusitis. For acute sinus problems, usually there should be no worries because your body can take care of this type of sinusitis by itself. No need to resort to expensive or complicated treatment procedures. Just make sure to give your body proper rest and sleep. These will help your immune system to remain in control - to continually fight the infection and eventually eliminate your sinusitis troubles.
Steam Sinusitis symptoms such as nasal congestion, swelling of the nasal passages, and difficulty in breathing can be alleviated by humidifying the sinus areas. You can inhale steam from a hot shower or from hot water in a bowl or sink. The trapped infectious organisms and unwanted mucus can also be flushed out faster after inhaling steam either through the nose or the mouth.
Hot Compress When feeling facial pain, headache and inflammation/swelling because of your sinusitis, a small towel or cloth can be used to apply hot compress to your face and experience relief. Hot compress reduces sinus and nasal tissue inflammation. Its effects are also similar with that of the effects of steam inhalation â€" congestion is lessened, and mucus drainage becomes easier.
Essential Oils The general idea is to look for essential oils that serve as natural decongestants, immune-boosters and/or anti-inflammatory agents. You can ask for advice from stores that sell these herbs on what you can use for your sinusitis, but commonly used oils are like eucalyptus and peppermint. These oils are rubbed on the chest, temple, forehead, and wherever you feel pain and pressure due to your sinusitis. There are different kinds of essential oils, so you have to make yourself familiar with what works with your system.
Fruits and Juices Take lots of foods rich in vitamin C. These will help your body fight better, especially for upper respiratory conditions like sinusitis. Citrus fruits and juices help in reducing mucus secretion, and they have antibacterial attributes that fight off infections.
Hot Beverages Hot tea and soup can soothe your swollen throat and bring moisturized relief to the dry nasal passages as well. Nasal congestion is also eased because swelling is decreased and mucus is discharged with the help of these hot beverages.
Dietary Supplements Eat dishes rich in garlic, onion, horseradish, pepper and ginger to make mucus thinner and easier to blow out of your nasal passages. These are types of foods that can treat sinusitis because of their antibiotic and antiseptic elements.
There are other types of cures that are labeled as natural, or nature’s offerings. The premise is, basically, everything came from nature. But when natural elements are manipulated, engineered and/or mixed into something new, they can be classified as different from what a natural cure is. The cures mentioned above are as natural as you can get. Hopefully they can help you in turning to the most basic cures from nature as you battle with improving your sinus condition.
About the Author
More sinusitis infection treatment information like Nature Cure for Sinusitis can be found at Sinusitis - Sinus Dynamics
************************************************************************************
End of article
Have a look at the supplements in the Herbalife product range, which may be helpfull with sinusitus. Visit http://www.herbalstore.co.za/
Nature can be the reason why you feel a physical condition like sinusitis. Infectious organisms and environmental irritants are only some of the natural factors that can cause your sinuses to become inflamed, infected and damaged. But nature can also provide the necessary antidotes for sinusitis.
Your Body Your body has the capacity to heal itself. You have an immune system that can deal with infections like sinusitis. For acute sinus problems, usually there should be no worries because your body can take care of this type of sinusitis by itself. No need to resort to expensive or complicated treatment procedures. Just make sure to give your body proper rest and sleep. These will help your immune system to remain in control - to continually fight the infection and eventually eliminate your sinusitis troubles.
Steam Sinusitis symptoms such as nasal congestion, swelling of the nasal passages, and difficulty in breathing can be alleviated by humidifying the sinus areas. You can inhale steam from a hot shower or from hot water in a bowl or sink. The trapped infectious organisms and unwanted mucus can also be flushed out faster after inhaling steam either through the nose or the mouth.
Hot Compress When feeling facial pain, headache and inflammation/swelling because of your sinusitis, a small towel or cloth can be used to apply hot compress to your face and experience relief. Hot compress reduces sinus and nasal tissue inflammation. Its effects are also similar with that of the effects of steam inhalation â€" congestion is lessened, and mucus drainage becomes easier.
Essential Oils The general idea is to look for essential oils that serve as natural decongestants, immune-boosters and/or anti-inflammatory agents. You can ask for advice from stores that sell these herbs on what you can use for your sinusitis, but commonly used oils are like eucalyptus and peppermint. These oils are rubbed on the chest, temple, forehead, and wherever you feel pain and pressure due to your sinusitis. There are different kinds of essential oils, so you have to make yourself familiar with what works with your system.
Fruits and Juices Take lots of foods rich in vitamin C. These will help your body fight better, especially for upper respiratory conditions like sinusitis. Citrus fruits and juices help in reducing mucus secretion, and they have antibacterial attributes that fight off infections.
Hot Beverages Hot tea and soup can soothe your swollen throat and bring moisturized relief to the dry nasal passages as well. Nasal congestion is also eased because swelling is decreased and mucus is discharged with the help of these hot beverages.
Dietary Supplements Eat dishes rich in garlic, onion, horseradish, pepper and ginger to make mucus thinner and easier to blow out of your nasal passages. These are types of foods that can treat sinusitis because of their antibiotic and antiseptic elements.
There are other types of cures that are labeled as natural, or nature’s offerings. The premise is, basically, everything came from nature. But when natural elements are manipulated, engineered and/or mixed into something new, they can be classified as different from what a natural cure is. The cures mentioned above are as natural as you can get. Hopefully they can help you in turning to the most basic cures from nature as you battle with improving your sinus condition.
About the Author
More sinusitis infection treatment information like Nature Cure for Sinusitis can be found at Sinusitis - Sinus Dynamics
************************************************************************************
End of article
Have a look at the supplements in the Herbalife product range, which may be helpfull with sinusitus. Visit http://www.herbalstore.co.za/
Labels:
Herbalife,
natuaral remedy,
sinus,
sinus treatment,
sinusitus,
supplements
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Make a Yummy Low Fat Pizza
There was this line in a movie (I can't quite recall which) that said "Fatless, salt-less, sugarless… and tasteless" or something to the same effect. This actually reflects a quite popular sentiment in this day and age of health consciousness. People who wish to be healthy or who want to lose a few pounds are of the belief that they have to sacrifice taste if they wish to achieve their desired weight or health goals. Naturally, tasteless yet healthy foods don't lend itself well as a substitute for tasty yet rich foods to which we have been accustomed. As a result, people who go on a low fat diet usually find themselves reverting to old habits sooner or later.
Nevertheless, while it is true that majority of health and low fat foods being sold in the market do tend to be bland, this is not applicable in all cases. If nothing else, there is such a thing as a yummy, low fat pizza. Yup, a delicious low fat pizza is definitely possible. In fact this article will instruct you on how to make one. All you need is a proper understanding of what constitutes healthy, low fat food and how to apply such principles into making your pizza.
The Principles of a Low Fat Diet
Understand one thing: low fat doesn't mean non-fat. These two are entirely different things. Low fat means you reduce the amount of fat in your diet. This means that less than thirty percent of your daily calorie intake should come from fat.
A low fat diet also means a reduction in the amount of unhealthy fats in your diet. By unhealthy fats, we are referring to saturated fats (which are unhealthy because they raise bad cholesterol levels) and polyunsaturated fats (which are unhealthy because they reduce the amount of ALL types of cholesterol and do not discriminate between good and bad cholesterol). Each of these two types of fat must consist less than ten percent of your daily calorie intake. Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, are the "healthy fats" because they promote good cholesterol levels and reduce bad cholesterol levels. Such healthy fats, however, should still only comprise less than fifteen percent of your daily calorie intake.
Reduction in the amount of fat and reduction in the amount of unhealthy fats are the basic principles of a healthy, low fat diet. If you reduce the amount of fat intake but consumes only or mostly unhealthy fats, then you are, technically, on a low fat yet generally unhealthy diet.
A low carb diet is not the same as a low fat diet. A low fat diet can be one that has high carbohydrate content whereas a low carb diet can have a high fat content. With careful planning, however, it is possible to combine a low fat diet with a low carb diet.
There are debates as to which of these two types of diet is healthier. Definitely, a low fat diet that reduces the intake of unhealthy fats is healthy. However, if your goal is to reduce weight, a low carb diet is more effective in the short run. Nevertheless, a low carb diet can lead to more side effects and can be unhealthy in the long run whereas the low fat diet, although apparently not as effective as a weight reduction measure in the short term, is more effective as a weight maintenance measure in the long run.
Now that the definition of a low fat diet has been discussed, and the low carb and low fat diet have been sufficiently differentiated, it is time to apply such tenets. Get your pizza pan and wooden spoon ready. It's time to make our yummy, low fat pizza. Take note that we are going to make real, homemade pizza - not something that simply looks and tastes like pizza.
How to Make a Yummy Low Fat Pizza The secret to making a low fat pizza is finding out the fat content of your usual pizza ingredients, finding a low fat substitute, reducing overall fat content, and adjusting the other ingredients and the cooking procedures to reflect the changes. You need not compute the calories in pizza to make a low fat pizza.
Low fat pizza dough
The change should start with the pizza crust. Whether you are making a thin crust or a thick crust, you should always focus on how much fat content your pizza crust recipe has. For instance, the basic pizza dough recipe has the following ingredients: flour, yeast, water, oil/shortening, milk, salt, and sugar. To make pizza crust relatively low in fat content, therefore, you must check each of the ingredients and find substitutes when applicable.
In the easy pizza crust recipe indicated above, it is easy enough to find low fat substitutes. First, you should use vegetable oil instead of animal fat or butter as your shortening in your pizza recipe. Of all vegetable oils, however, it is best to use olive oil which has the highest amount of monounsaturated fat content. Avoid palm and coconut oil as these have higher saturated fat content. Next, you should use dry, non-fat milk solids to replace regular milk.
Aside from replacing the ingredients that you can with their low or non-fat substitutes, you should also reduce the total amount of fat in your pizza dough recipes. Use as little oil as possible in your pizza dough. Moreover, do not use egg yolks even if your traditional homemade pizza recipe calls for it.
Substituting olive oil for butter or shortening should not result in any drastic changes. In fact, you can use extra virgin olive oil for a stronger olive flavor. If you prefer your crust to be creamy, you shouldn't worry since you are using milk on your dough anyway. The above ingredients should therefore give you great-tasting, low fat pizza.
Now, if you want to make an even healthier pizza dough, increase fiber content by using whole wheat flour instead of the usual white flour; reduce the amount of salt and sugar, too. Then, you can decrease carbohydrate content by opting for a thin crust pizza (less carb per slice) or reducing the amount of flour. To compensate for the less flour, you can use egg whites as binder (of course, amount of water must be reduced in proportion to the amount of egg white used).
Pizza Toppings and Pizza Sauce Low Fat Pizza
It is much easier to choose pizza toppings for a low fat pizza recipe. You should primarily choose vegetable toppings. Thus, a vegetable pizza is preferable. For variety, you can add fruit and make it a vegetable-and-fruit pizza. You can find a vegetable pizza recipe or a fruit vegetable recipe online; you can also create your own.
No-cheese pizza is best, but if you really must have cheese, then find low fat cheese or find a low fat cheese blend that you can live with. Moreover, less cheese is best. Use just enough cheese to give your pizza flavor; I'm afraid that cheese pizza is generally out then.
Tomato sauce is healthy, but you should choose one with a lower salt and sugar content. If you want, you can make your own. You can even dice up your own tomatoes and use them as toppings. Finally, substitute lean meat to your fat-laden sausages; use white meat (without the fat portions) instead of red meat. Add herbs and herbal pizza spices to add flavor and taste to your low fat pizza.
About The Author
Sean Lannin With more than 10 years experience both working and owning pizza restaurants. When he tried to find information about making pizza at home, he noticed that the information was either non-existent or lacked the information he felt was important. He now shares his passion for making pizza with readers of his website. http://www.homemade-pizza-made-easy.com/
For great tasting weight loss shakes and other help visit http://www.herbalstore.co.za .
Nevertheless, while it is true that majority of health and low fat foods being sold in the market do tend to be bland, this is not applicable in all cases. If nothing else, there is such a thing as a yummy, low fat pizza. Yup, a delicious low fat pizza is definitely possible. In fact this article will instruct you on how to make one. All you need is a proper understanding of what constitutes healthy, low fat food and how to apply such principles into making your pizza.
The Principles of a Low Fat Diet
Understand one thing: low fat doesn't mean non-fat. These two are entirely different things. Low fat means you reduce the amount of fat in your diet. This means that less than thirty percent of your daily calorie intake should come from fat.
A low fat diet also means a reduction in the amount of unhealthy fats in your diet. By unhealthy fats, we are referring to saturated fats (which are unhealthy because they raise bad cholesterol levels) and polyunsaturated fats (which are unhealthy because they reduce the amount of ALL types of cholesterol and do not discriminate between good and bad cholesterol). Each of these two types of fat must consist less than ten percent of your daily calorie intake. Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, are the "healthy fats" because they promote good cholesterol levels and reduce bad cholesterol levels. Such healthy fats, however, should still only comprise less than fifteen percent of your daily calorie intake.
Reduction in the amount of fat and reduction in the amount of unhealthy fats are the basic principles of a healthy, low fat diet. If you reduce the amount of fat intake but consumes only or mostly unhealthy fats, then you are, technically, on a low fat yet generally unhealthy diet.
A low carb diet is not the same as a low fat diet. A low fat diet can be one that has high carbohydrate content whereas a low carb diet can have a high fat content. With careful planning, however, it is possible to combine a low fat diet with a low carb diet.
There are debates as to which of these two types of diet is healthier. Definitely, a low fat diet that reduces the intake of unhealthy fats is healthy. However, if your goal is to reduce weight, a low carb diet is more effective in the short run. Nevertheless, a low carb diet can lead to more side effects and can be unhealthy in the long run whereas the low fat diet, although apparently not as effective as a weight reduction measure in the short term, is more effective as a weight maintenance measure in the long run.
Now that the definition of a low fat diet has been discussed, and the low carb and low fat diet have been sufficiently differentiated, it is time to apply such tenets. Get your pizza pan and wooden spoon ready. It's time to make our yummy, low fat pizza. Take note that we are going to make real, homemade pizza - not something that simply looks and tastes like pizza.
How to Make a Yummy Low Fat Pizza The secret to making a low fat pizza is finding out the fat content of your usual pizza ingredients, finding a low fat substitute, reducing overall fat content, and adjusting the other ingredients and the cooking procedures to reflect the changes. You need not compute the calories in pizza to make a low fat pizza.
Low fat pizza dough
The change should start with the pizza crust. Whether you are making a thin crust or a thick crust, you should always focus on how much fat content your pizza crust recipe has. For instance, the basic pizza dough recipe has the following ingredients: flour, yeast, water, oil/shortening, milk, salt, and sugar. To make pizza crust relatively low in fat content, therefore, you must check each of the ingredients and find substitutes when applicable.
In the easy pizza crust recipe indicated above, it is easy enough to find low fat substitutes. First, you should use vegetable oil instead of animal fat or butter as your shortening in your pizza recipe. Of all vegetable oils, however, it is best to use olive oil which has the highest amount of monounsaturated fat content. Avoid palm and coconut oil as these have higher saturated fat content. Next, you should use dry, non-fat milk solids to replace regular milk.
Aside from replacing the ingredients that you can with their low or non-fat substitutes, you should also reduce the total amount of fat in your pizza dough recipes. Use as little oil as possible in your pizza dough. Moreover, do not use egg yolks even if your traditional homemade pizza recipe calls for it.
Substituting olive oil for butter or shortening should not result in any drastic changes. In fact, you can use extra virgin olive oil for a stronger olive flavor. If you prefer your crust to be creamy, you shouldn't worry since you are using milk on your dough anyway. The above ingredients should therefore give you great-tasting, low fat pizza.
Now, if you want to make an even healthier pizza dough, increase fiber content by using whole wheat flour instead of the usual white flour; reduce the amount of salt and sugar, too. Then, you can decrease carbohydrate content by opting for a thin crust pizza (less carb per slice) or reducing the amount of flour. To compensate for the less flour, you can use egg whites as binder (of course, amount of water must be reduced in proportion to the amount of egg white used).
Pizza Toppings and Pizza Sauce Low Fat Pizza
It is much easier to choose pizza toppings for a low fat pizza recipe. You should primarily choose vegetable toppings. Thus, a vegetable pizza is preferable. For variety, you can add fruit and make it a vegetable-and-fruit pizza. You can find a vegetable pizza recipe or a fruit vegetable recipe online; you can also create your own.
No-cheese pizza is best, but if you really must have cheese, then find low fat cheese or find a low fat cheese blend that you can live with. Moreover, less cheese is best. Use just enough cheese to give your pizza flavor; I'm afraid that cheese pizza is generally out then.
Tomato sauce is healthy, but you should choose one with a lower salt and sugar content. If you want, you can make your own. You can even dice up your own tomatoes and use them as toppings. Finally, substitute lean meat to your fat-laden sausages; use white meat (without the fat portions) instead of red meat. Add herbs and herbal pizza spices to add flavor and taste to your low fat pizza.
About The Author
Sean Lannin With more than 10 years experience both working and owning pizza restaurants. When he tried to find information about making pizza at home, he noticed that the information was either non-existent or lacked the information he felt was important. He now shares his passion for making pizza with readers of his website. http://www.homemade-pizza-made-easy.com/
For great tasting weight loss shakes and other help visit http://www.herbalstore.co.za .
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Tobacco use decreasing in SA, says WHO
Issued by Department of Health
24 February 2008
The Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has welcomed the new report on global tobacco control efforts released by the World Health Organisation which indicates that consumption of cigarette in South Africa has "declined dramatically" because of higher taxes. (Report available on http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/index.html)
"The report gives South Africa more reasons to celebrate the national Healthy Lifestyle Day as the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign focuses on tobacco control, responsible alcohol use, physical activity and good nutrition," said Minister Tshabalala-Msimang. The Healthy Lifestyle Day was observed in Port Shepstone (KZN) on Friday, February 22.
The WHO report argues that higher taxes are especially important for deterring tobacco use among the young and the poor, who will benefit most from a decrease in consumption. People in these socioeconomic groups are much more sensitive to the price of goods. Higher tobacco prices help convince them to quit or not to start using tobacco in the first place.
"In South Africa, for example, tobacco tax rates were increased by 250% during the 1990s to slightly less than 50% of the retail price. Cigarette consumption fell by 5% to 7% for every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes, resulting in a sharp decline in consumption, with the largest smoking decreases among the young and the poor," the report states. (Page 40-41)
The WHO report indicates that consumption decreased from close to 2 billion packs of cigarettes in 1990 to 1.3 billion in 2005. 40% of the decrease was attributable to smokers quitting because of significant increase in prices of cigarettes. The largest decrease was among young people and low-wage earners who reduced smoking most when prices increased.
The report suggests that higher taxes reduce consumption of tobacco and lead to lower health-care costs. The intervention helps households save money, as well as increase government revenues, which can help to pay for tobacco control interventions and other policy priorities.
In this report which presents the first comprehensive analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts, WHO finds that only 5% of the world's population live in countries (including South Africa) that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates.
The six key tobacco control measures recommended by WHO are:
Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit tobacco use
Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raise taxes on tobacco
The report gives South Africa 7 out of 10 for enforcement of bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship relating to tobacco and 5 out of 10 for protecting people from tobacco smoke through smoke-free environments. The country has complied will all requirements on placing health warnings on tobacco packages except for placing pictorial warnings. Amendments are being made to the Tobacco Control Act to add this obligation on tobacco producer. (Report country profile Page 146 - 149)
South Africa is also found to be doing well in providing counseling and treatment for tobacco dependence and in allocation of resources for tobacco prevention.
"This is a significant progress for a developing country like South Africa if you consider the WHO report's observation that only 5% of the world's population live in countries that protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates.
"We have to sustain and build from these gains if we are to reduce the high levels of morbidity and mortality related to tobacco use which WHO puts 1 in every 10 deaths worldwide," said Minister Tshabalala-Msimang.
Contact: Sibani Mngadi @ 0827720161
24 February 2008
The Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has welcomed the new report on global tobacco control efforts released by the World Health Organisation which indicates that consumption of cigarette in South Africa has "declined dramatically" because of higher taxes. (Report available on http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/index.html)
"The report gives South Africa more reasons to celebrate the national Healthy Lifestyle Day as the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign focuses on tobacco control, responsible alcohol use, physical activity and good nutrition," said Minister Tshabalala-Msimang. The Healthy Lifestyle Day was observed in Port Shepstone (KZN) on Friday, February 22.
The WHO report argues that higher taxes are especially important for deterring tobacco use among the young and the poor, who will benefit most from a decrease in consumption. People in these socioeconomic groups are much more sensitive to the price of goods. Higher tobacco prices help convince them to quit or not to start using tobacco in the first place.
"In South Africa, for example, tobacco tax rates were increased by 250% during the 1990s to slightly less than 50% of the retail price. Cigarette consumption fell by 5% to 7% for every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes, resulting in a sharp decline in consumption, with the largest smoking decreases among the young and the poor," the report states. (Page 40-41)
The WHO report indicates that consumption decreased from close to 2 billion packs of cigarettes in 1990 to 1.3 billion in 2005. 40% of the decrease was attributable to smokers quitting because of significant increase in prices of cigarettes. The largest decrease was among young people and low-wage earners who reduced smoking most when prices increased.
The report suggests that higher taxes reduce consumption of tobacco and lead to lower health-care costs. The intervention helps households save money, as well as increase government revenues, which can help to pay for tobacco control interventions and other policy priorities.
In this report which presents the first comprehensive analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts, WHO finds that only 5% of the world's population live in countries (including South Africa) that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates.
The six key tobacco control measures recommended by WHO are:
Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit tobacco use
Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raise taxes on tobacco
The report gives South Africa 7 out of 10 for enforcement of bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship relating to tobacco and 5 out of 10 for protecting people from tobacco smoke through smoke-free environments. The country has complied will all requirements on placing health warnings on tobacco packages except for placing pictorial warnings. Amendments are being made to the Tobacco Control Act to add this obligation on tobacco producer. (Report country profile Page 146 - 149)
South Africa is also found to be doing well in providing counseling and treatment for tobacco dependence and in allocation of resources for tobacco prevention.
"This is a significant progress for a developing country like South Africa if you consider the WHO report's observation that only 5% of the world's population live in countries that protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates.
"We have to sustain and build from these gains if we are to reduce the high levels of morbidity and mortality related to tobacco use which WHO puts 1 in every 10 deaths worldwide," said Minister Tshabalala-Msimang.
Contact: Sibani Mngadi @ 0827720161
Health quiz
Everybody desires better health. I found a helpfull quiz, that asks you a couple of questions about your health an makes sugestions about apropriate supplements. Whether your goal is weight loss, lifting depression or just better health.
I added the quiz to http://www.herbalstore.co.za, the direct link is:
http://www.herbalstore.co.za/health-quiz
The link will also be added to the blogs Helpfull links.
I added the quiz to http://www.herbalstore.co.za, the direct link is:
http://www.herbalstore.co.za/health-quiz
The link will also be added to the blogs Helpfull links.
Labels:
better health,
Health quiz,
supplements,
Weight loss
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