Tips and idea's of things that might help us out

General
41

Hi Jeannie, I have a ball. And I think my goal should be, to be able to use it. Ha, Ha. I have tried many things on it and I am just to wobbly to use it. I cant even lay on it with my stomach. I roll off. But my core and everything is so weak. I need to beable to do something. Ive been fallowing the things you are saying and I am tring to do things. I do walk without a cane. I have pretty canes. But fighting it every step of the way. I want to strengthen my body. But im so damn weak! I'm using the saying."'TOMORROW" To much.

Lori

Jeannie Ball said:

Ball Sit

How to do it: Sit on a large stability ball, with your arms straight out in a T, feet flat on the floor, abdominals engaged, and spine tall. Lift your right knee, letting your right foot dangle an inch or two off the floor. Build up to holding this position for 20 to 30 seconds, trying not to wobble while you maintain the pose. Switch legs and repeat for one set. Do two sets total.

What it does: As you remove one point of contact with the floor, your body has to work to keep the ball from rolling around underneath you, which strengthens your core.

Make it harder: Do the move as above, but lift your arms straight overhead in line with your body, palms facing forward. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Rest, then repeat for one set. Do two sets total.

Ballet Balance

How to do it: Stand next to a chair with your left hand on it, right hand on hip, and toes of your right foot pointing straight ahead. Raise your right leg so that the knee is bent at almost 90 degrees. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Tighten your buttocks and rotate your knee out to the right; keep hips facing forward. Hold for a count of five. Return to the starting position and repeat five more times. Switch legs.

What it does: The added motion of the leg swinging out to the side forces you to activate your core and gluteals.

Make it harder: Add even more motion. As you lift your leg forward, extend and raise your arm on the same side so that it’s parallel to the floor and directly over your knee. As you rotate your knee out to the side, let your arm follow, keeping it in line with the knee. More Muscular Middle

Single Leg Bend

How to do it: Stand barefoot next to a chair with your left hand on its back and your right arm extending out to the side, palm down. Lift your right thigh till the knee is bent at nearly 90 degrees; point your toes. Bend your left leg and slowly sink down, keeping your back straight. Push up, slowly straightening the left leg to the starting position. Repeat five times, then switch legs.

What it does: As you work to stay balanced throughout the up-and-down bending motion, you also strengthen your core, rear end, and thighs.

Make it harder: After you bend your knee and sink down, extend your right leg forward, straight, keeping your toes pointed and your foot a few inches off the floor. Pause, then return to the starting position.

42

thank for all your tips so helpful thanks

Lorraine

Lori said:

Hi Jeannie, I have a ball. And I think my goal should be, to be able to use it. Ha, Ha. I have tried many things on it and I am just to wobbly to use it. I cant even lay on it with my stomach. I roll off. But my core and everything is so weak. I need to beable to do something. Ive been fallowing the things you are saying and I am tring to do things. I do walk without a cane. I have pretty canes. But fighting it every step of the way. I want to strengthen my body. But im so damn weak! I'm using the saying."'TOMORROW" To much.

Lori

Jeannie Ball said:

Ball Sit

How to do it: Sit on a large stability ball, with your arms straight out in a T, feet flat on the floor, abdominals engaged, and spine tall. Lift your right knee, letting your right foot dangle an inch or two off the floor. Build up to holding this position for 20 to 30 seconds, trying not to wobble while you maintain the pose. Switch legs and repeat for one set. Do two sets total.

What it does: As you remove one point of contact with the floor, your body has to work to keep the ball from rolling around underneath you, which strengthens your core.

Make it harder: Do the move as above, but lift your arms straight overhead in line with your body, palms facing forward. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Rest, then repeat for one set. Do two sets total.

Ballet Balance

How to do it: Stand next to a chair with your left hand on it, right hand on hip, and toes of your right foot pointing straight ahead. Raise your right leg so that the knee is bent at almost 90 degrees. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Tighten your buttocks and rotate your knee out to the right; keep hips facing forward. Hold for a count of five. Return to the starting position and repeat five more times. Switch legs.

What it does: The added motion of the leg swinging out to the side forces you to activate your core and gluteals.

Make it harder: Add even more motion. As you lift your leg forward, extend and raise your arm on the same side so that it’s parallel to the floor and directly over your knee. As you rotate your knee out to the side, let your arm follow, keeping it in line with the knee. More Muscular Middle

Single Leg Bend

How to do it: Stand barefoot next to a chair with your left hand on its back and your right arm extending out to the side, palm down. Lift your right thigh till the knee is bent at nearly 90 degrees; point your toes. Bend your left leg and slowly sink down, keeping your back straight. Push up, slowly straightening the left leg to the starting position. Repeat five times, then switch legs.

What it does: As you work to stay balanced throughout the up-and-down bending motion, you also strengthen your core, rear end, and thighs.

Make it harder: After you bend your knee and sink down, extend your right leg forward, straight, keeping your toes pointed and your foot a few inches off the floor. Pause, then return to the starting position.

43

Hi Lori, I was getting weak also and just started working on my core babysteps. I happened to find a really great Yoga instructor that basicly gives me more one on one showing me how to modify exercises in Yoga and now in Pilates. I kept doing just 1-3 everyday and added 1 time each week and I got stronger with my legs and my core. I didn't know if I really could do it or not.

I also talked with Dr. Tom Clouse through his website http://walkingwithataxia.com/INHERENT%20PROBLEMS%20AND%20ISSUES.htm after reading and working on some of his tips that he gives that have really helped me, and he was the one that suggested I do Pilates. I really didn't think I could so I never tryied it. It's the same instructor so she knows my abitlities now and helps me modify there too. Check out his site maybe one or two things can start helping you out too!

But I have to admit that my disapline muscle wasn't strong either. But the more I do the stronger it gets too. :0)

44

The Eight Splendid Truths of Happiness.

Eight

by Gretchen Rubin

In my study of happiness, I’ve labored to identify its fundamental principles. Because I get a tremendous kick out of the numbered lists that pop up throughout Buddhism (the Triple Refuge, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths, the 8 auspicious symbolsa), I decided to dub these fundamental principles as my Eight Splendid Truths.

Each one of these truths sounds fairly obvious and straightforward, but each was the product of tremendous thought. Take the Second Splendid Truth—it’s hard to exaggerate the clarity I gained when I finally managed to put it into words. Here they are:

First Splendid Truth
To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.

2nd
One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy;
One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.

Third
The days are long, but the years are short. (Click here to see my one-minute movie; of everything I’ve written about happiness, I think this video resonates most with people.)

Fourth
You’re not happy unless you think you’re happy.
[Many argue the opposite case. John Stuart Mill, for example, wrote, “Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.” I disagree.]

Fifth
I can build a happy life only on the foundation of my own nature (things I like).

Sixth
The only person I can change is myself.

Seventh
Happy people make people happy, but
I can’t make someone be happy, and
No one else can make me happy.

Eighth
Now is now.

45

Trying to Eat Better? Ask Yourself This Important Question.

Cookie_jar

By Gretchen Rubin
Quiz: Are you a moderator or an abstainer?

In honor of many people’s New Year’s resolutions—”Eat more healthfully,” “Cut out sweets,” “Lose weight,” and the like—I’m re-posting this quiz, to help you determine whether you’re a moderator or an abstainer. When I figured out that I’m an “abstainer,” it helped me tremendously in terms of eating better.

Often, we know we’d have more long-term happiness if we gave up something that gives us a rush of satisfaction in the short-term. That morning doughnut, that late-night ice cream.

A piece of advice I often see is, “Be moderate. Don’t have dessert every night, but if you try to deny yourself altogether, you’ll fall off the wagon. Allow yourself to have the occasional treat, it will help you stick to your plan.”

I’ve come to believe that this is good advice for some people: the moderators. They do better when they try to make moderate changes, when they avoid absolutes and bright lines.

For a long time, I kept trying this strategy of moderation—and failing. Then I read a line from Samuel Johnson, about drinking wine: “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.” Like Dr. Johnson, I’m an abstainer.

I find it far easier to give something up altogether than to indulge moderately. When I admitted to myself that I was eating my favorite frozen “fake food” treat, Tasti D-Lite, two and even three times a day, I gave it up cold turkey. That was far easier for me to do than to eat Tasti D-Lite twice a week. If I try to be moderate, I exhaust myself debating, “Today, tomorrow?” “Does this time ‘count?’” etc. If I never do something, it requires no self-control for me; if I do something sometimes, it requires enormous self-control.

For instance, we keep a bag of cookies in our cupboard. If I ever ate one of those cookies, they’d prey on my mind constantly. I’d constantly struggle not to eat them. But because I’ve never once eaten one of those cookies, I never think about them. I don’t have to use any will-power not to reach into that bag. It might as well be a bag of flour.

When I told a moderator friend about this, she shook her head pityingly and said, “That’s just sad. Really. Life is too short not to have a cookie.”

“No,” I answered, “for me, life is too short to use up my precious mental energy on a few cookies. I’m happier if I don’t eat them.”

There’s no right way or wrong way—it’s just a matter of knowing which strategy works better for you. Once again, back to the 5 splendid truth: you can build a happy life only on the foundation of your own nature. If moderators try to abstain, they feel trapped and rebellious. If abstainers try to be moderate, they spend a lot of mental energy battling their temptations.

You’re a moderator if you…
– find that occasional indulgence heightens your pleasure—and strengthens your resolve
– get panicky at the thought of “never” getting or doing something

You’re an abstainer if you…
– have trouble stopping something once you’ve started
– aren’t tempted by things that you’ve decided are off-limits

People can be surprisingly judgmental about which approach you take. As an abstainer, I often get disapproving comments like, “It’s not healthy to take such a severe approach” or “It would be better to learn how to manage yourself” or “Can’t you let yourself have a little fun?” On the other hand, I hear fellow abstainer-types saying to moderators, “You can’t keep cheating and expect to make progress” or “Why don’t you just go cold turkey?” But different approaches work for different people. (Exception: with an actual addiction, like alcohol or cigarettes, people generally accept that abstaining is the only solution.)

Does this ring true for you? Do you identify as a moderator or abstainer?

46
Welcome to the 2011 Assistive Mouse Adapter

Millions of people around the world suffer from some form of tremor condition. In the United States alone an estimated 10 million people suffer from tremor. In the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide the figure is equally significant.

If you have a tremor that affects your hands you will know how difficult it can be to operate a computer using a mouse. Simple tasks like opening an email or clicking on a web button can be very difficult because of the erratic movements of the cursor on the screen and the problem of unintentional clicking caused by shaking fingers.

The Assistive Mouse Adapter technology was invented by IBM to address this problem. It works by filtering out the unintentional movements of the hand caused by a tremor. The effect of the adapter is much smoother movement of the cursor on the screen and greatly improved accuracy of mouse operation. It can also be set to filter out unintended multiple clicking of the mouse.

The Adapter works with all mainstream computers and operating systems. It is compatible with the latest Apple Mac computers plus computers using Microsoft Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 etc. No additional software is required; the Assistive Mouse Adapter is simply plugged in between the computer and the mouse and can be switched on or off, and adjusted depending on the tremor severity

You can buy the adapter over the Internet , or by contacting Montrose Secam direct.

The Assistive Mouse Adapter has become increasingly more sophisticated over the years. It is of benefit to users in homes and offices as well as in public places like libraries and universities.

Montrose Secam is committed to working alongside international tremor foundations and tremor associations in many countries to help them offer support and advice to people with tremor conditions.


Buy the adapter over the Internet
 For price information click button above

Frequently asked questions
Wall Street Journal Honors IBM's New Mouse Adapter
>
47
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Developer:
RunKeeper, LLC

Age rating: 4+

Compatibility: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

  •

RunKeeper - GPS Running, Walking, Cycling and more!Version: 2.6.0.0

FreeGET IT

See more Free Healthcare & Fitness app reviews »

Join the more than 10 million people who are using RunKeeper to turn their phone into a personal trainer in their pocket! Track your runs, walks, bike rides, hikes, ski runs, and more using the GPS in your iPhone.

Track your fitness activities and have fun doing it
- See detailed stats around your pace, distance, and time.
- Get stats, progress, and coaching through your headphones with built-in audio cues.
- Listen and control your music while you work out.
- Measure your heart rate with many available sensors.
- Take pictures along the way to share and save while you go.

Measure your performance over time
- View a detailed history of your activities to see how you are doing.
- Get notified when you hit new personal bests and milestones.
- Measure your progress against your goals and targets.
- Follow detailed plans to help you achieve specific fitness objectives.
- Turn any activity into a route to do again later.

Share with friends
- Post your activities, achievements and plans to Facebook, Twitter and your friends on RunKeeper.com.
- Let supporters watch LIVE maps of your workouts and races as you go (must subscribe to RunKeeper Elite).

Get a broader picture of your health at RunKeeper.com
- Integrate your activity data with more than 70 other apps and services including Fitbit, Withings, Zeo, Garmin and many more, to get deeper insight into your overall health.

Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.


RunKeeper - GPS Running, Walking, Cycling and more! Screenshots
48

Vitamin D: A Drop of Golden Sun

Avoiding Vitamin D Deficiency


It is estimated that approximately one billion people worldwide have a vitamin D deficiency. I am one of them.

This is something I was clearly unaware of when I went for my annual physical last year and received a call from my doctor saying my vitamin D level was dangerously low. He wrote me a prescription for a strong dose of vitamin D to be taken weekly for two months. Then, a repeat blood test would be taken. I have since remained on 50,000 units of vitamin D once a month, with blood tests every six months.

Honestly, I was unaware of how bad I felt until I began taking vitamin D and started to feel good. I had more energy and better mental acuity, and just felt overall happier.

Now, you should not read this and just grab some vitamin D; too much of this vitamin can be toxic. Always consult your healthcare team.

So, what is all the commotion about vitamin D? Preliminary studies have shown that deficiencies of this vitamin can cause varied symptoms ranging from lethargy to depression. Vitamin D is a fat- soluble vitamin, which means it stores what the body doesn’t use. This also means that too much vitamin D, as previously stated, can be a bad thing. This is why blood tests are essential for those on high doses of vitamin D, like myself.

Vitamin D is important for bone development, and also for the proper functioning of the muscles, intestines, pancreas and brain. Emerging evidence also supports the possible role of vitamin D in diseased prevention ranging from cancer to diabetes. The mechanism of disease prevention seems to be related to vitamin D’s ability to decrease cell proliferation, stopping the growth of new blood vessels (important in cancer prevention), and having anti-inflammatory effects. Some studies have suggested vitamin D may lower the risk of diabetes, both type 1 and type 2.

Weight loss is also a problem many of us struggle with. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, depression, stroke and diabetes, just to name a few. Results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have found vitamin D to be associated with successful weight loss.

And so the evidence for maintaining adequate vitamin D intake keeps mounting. At the annual meeting of The Heart Failure Society of America a study was presented on vitamin D. It showed patients with inadequate levels of vitamin D are significantly more likely to die of heart failure.

Why are we now so deficient in vitamin D? With more people avoiding the sun for health reasons and perhaps our diets it seems that we don’t often achieve the balance we need.

In summary, the sunshine vitamin is important in multiple body systems, and a baseline level of vitamin D will help you and your health care team determine if vitamin D supplementation is right for you.

In general, a normal range of vitamin D is 30-74ng/ml. A doctor will determine what level works for you personally.

Stay healthy!

49

Type 2 Diabetes

Views 52,093

Prevention

Preventing type 2 diabetes

You can take steps to prevent type 2 diabetes . Even small changes can make a difference, and it is never too late to start making healthier choices.

  • Maintain a healthy weight. To find out if you are overweight, you can use the body mass index (BMI) chart for adults Click here to see an illustration. or the same chart in metric Click here to see an illustration.. If you need to lose weight, losing as few as 10 lb (4.5 kg) to 20 lb (9.1 kg) can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes.2
  • Exercise regularly. Getting enough exercise lowers your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.4 Do activities that raise your heart rate . Try to do moderate activity at least 2½ hours a week. Or try to do vigorous activity at least 1¼ hours a week. It's fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week. Also include resistance exercises in your exercise program.5, 6 Resistance exercises can include activities like weight lifting or even yard work. This does not mean that you have to do strenuous activities or join an expensive gym—anything that increases your heart rate counts. Walking groups or programs where you use a pedometer to count the number of steps you take in a day are great ways to start exercising and to stay motivated. If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, using an exercise planning form Click here to view a form.

    (What is a PDF document?)

    may help you and your doctor or other health professional to create a personalized exercise program.
  • Eat healthy foods.
    • Eat a balanced diet, including whole grains, lean meat, and vegetables.
    • Limit saturated fats .
    • Limit alcohol .
    • Limit calories in order to avoid gaining weight, or to help you lose weight.
    • Reduce your intake of soft drinks, sugary foods, and junk food.
    • Eat smaller meals more often in order to keep blood sugar levels within your target range.
    Eating more vegetables, whole grains, and nuts can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.7 Eating a lot of sugary foods, fast foods, and red meat (especially processed red meat) and drinking a lot of soft drinks can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.8, 9, 10 If you want to learn more about eating well, see the topic Healthy Eating.
  • Get treatment if you have prediabetes . If your fasting blood sugar levels are in the range from 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL, you are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.2

Preventing diabetes complications

You can help prevent or delay problems with your eyes, heart, nerves, and kidneys Click here to see an illustration. if you:

  • Keep your blood sugar levels within your target range.
  • Talk to your doctor about taking a low-dose aspirin to prevent a heart attack , a stroke , or other large blood vessel diseases ( macrovascular disease ).
  • Control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
  • Take an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) medicine at the first sign of diabetic nephropathy , even if you do not have high blood pressure.2
  • Get regular eye exams.
  • Take good care of your feet.
  • Quit smoking. If you smoke cigarettes, talk with your doctor about ways to quit. Smoking contributes to the early development of diabetes complications.11 For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
50

Thanks for the info. Jeannie!

51

Healthy Food Tip: from www.whfoods.org

Do you know where in the digestive system vitamins and minerals enter the bloodstream?

While different vitamins and minerals are absorbed as they pass through different areas of the digestive tract (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine), they technically never enter the bloodstream directly from the digestive system. This is because these nutrients are first absorbed from the digestive tract into the epithelial cells that line the digestive tract before they enter the bloodstream. Once they have been absorbed into the epithelial cells they are no longer considered to part of the digestive system. (In the case of highly fat-soluble nutrients, like fat-soluble vitamins, there is yet another step between absorption and the bloodstream. After these water-soluble nutrients get packaged by the endothelial cells lining the intestine in more complicated molecules, they are sent not into the bloodstream, but into the vessels of the lymphatic system. Only following their passage through the lymphatics do they eventually arrive at the bloodstream.)

As noted above, nutrients undergo absorption in different areas of the digestive tract. For example, some nutrients can even undergo absorption at the very beginning of the digestive tract-inside the mouth! We know that vitamins B6, B12, C, and folate can be absorbed in this way, and so can the mineral zinc. (You'll find "sublingual" or "under-the-tongue" supplements in most health food stores for exactly this reason.) Exactly how much vitamin and mineral absorption takes place in your mouth, however, depends on the form in which these vitamins and minerals are found in your food, how long you chew the food in question, the enzyme contents of your saliva, and many other critical factors. In general, we get relatively little vitamin and mineral absorption in the mouth, but what we do get may be very important. There is good research in this area for supplements, and we need better research in this area for foods.

After the mouth, the next potential absorption site in our digestive tract is the stomach. While some vitamin and mineral absorption may also take place directly through the wall of your stomach, this amount appears to be minor and has not traditionally been considered to be part of our vitamin and mineral absorption process. Exceptions here would be the minerals, copper, iodine, fluoride, and molybdenum, which may be significantly absorbed directly from the stomach.

The small intestine is by far the most important site in our digestive tract for both vitamin and mineral absorption. The small intestine is quite long (many feet in length) and virtually all vitamins and minerals can be absorbed from different areas along its surface. The part of the intestine closest to the stomach (called the duodenum) and the middle part of the small intestine (called the jejunum) specialize in absorption of most minerals. The vitamins are also spotlighted in these areas, with the exception of vitamin B12, whose primary absorption site is the very last segment of the small intestine, called the ileum. Literally hundreds of nutritive substances are absorbed from the small intestine.

The last part of the digestive tract-the large intestine-is particularly important for the absorption of vitamin K, biotin, and the electrolyte minerals (sodium, chloride, and potassium).



52

The Benefits Of Caffeine On Motor Impairment In Parkinson's Disease by NMT Medical News Today

Current ratings for:
The Benefits Of Caffeine On Motor Impairment In Parkinson's Disease
Patient / Public: 3 stars

3 (4 votes)
Healthcare Prof: 5 stars

4.75 (4 votes)


Caffeine, which is widely consumed around the world in coffee, tea and soft drinks, may help control movement in people suffering from Parkinson's. This is the finding of a study conducted at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) that was recently published in Neurology®, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study opens the door to new treatment options for Parkinson's disease that affects approximately 100 000 Canadians.

"This is one of the first studies to show the benefits of caffeine on motor impairment in people who have Parkinson's disease," stated Dr. Ronald Postuma, lead author of the study, a researcher in neurosciences at the RI MUHC, and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. "Research has already shown that people who drink coffee have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, but until now no study had looked at the immediate clinical implications of this finding."

Caffeine - one of the most widely used psychomotor stimulants in the world - it acts on the central nervous system and cardiovascular system by temporarily decreasing tiredness and increasing alertness. According to Dr. Postuma, sleepiness is commonly associated with Parkinson's disease. "We wanted to discover how caffeine could impact sleepiness as well as the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, shaking and loss of balance."

The researchers followed a group of 61 people with Parkinson's. While the control group received a placebo pill, the other group received a 100 mg dose of caffeine twice a day for three weeks and then 200 mg twice a day for another three weeks.

"The people who received caffeine supplements experienced an improvement in their motor symptoms (a five-point improvement on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, a rating scale used to measure the severity of the disease) over those who received the placebo," said Dr. Postuma. "This was due to improvement in speed of movement and a reduction in stiffness." Caffeine had only borderline effects on sleepiness, and did not affect depression or nighttime sleep quality in the study participants.

Larger-scale studies need to be carried out over a longer period to clarify these caffeine-related improvements. "Caffeine should be explored as a treatment option for Parkinson's disease. It may be useful as a supplement to medication and could therefore help reduce patient dosages," concluded Dr. Postuma.

53

Here is a link to a video on Dr. Oz about new and best solutions to having pain

http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/best-solutions-pain

54

Jeannie, you are a wealth of information...thank you!!!

55

I get allot of newsletters don't I? :0) I'm glad you liked this!

56
Are Toxins In Your Home ?

While nobody consciously wants toxins in their home, you may be surprised at what you find in your pantry,under your sink and even in your bathroom. Many people take for granted that just because a product is on a store shelf that it is completely safe.

Today, we are bombarded with more toxicity than at any other time in history. In addition to air and water pollution, we've got all the electronic gadgets constantly exposing our body to electromagnetic waves. Even our personal care products like soaps and shampoos can have harmful chemicals in them.

We can't control everything, but many areas are within our control. Whenever possible seek out natural, healthier choices for your home. Whether it's a natural organic handmade soap or non toxic cleaning products, every little bit helps when it comes to minimizing your toxin exposure.

Toxins in Foods

Foods toxins are one of the first culprits that come to mind. Any number of unhealthy toxins and chemicals could be hiding and packaged in such a way that you’d never believe they could harm you.

Preservatives found in canned fruit, fruit juice, soft drinks and canned vegetables such as sodium sorbate (preservative 201) and can be responsible for the causes for headaches, stomach pains and other various maladies.

On the list of toxins two of the common "King-Pins" are

Aspartame (nutrasweet) found in diet soda and many of "sugar free" foods.

MSG or monosodium glutamate found in most packaged foods from snack chips to soups and usually disguised with many other names.

Both are known as "excitotoxins". They overexcite brain cells until they basically burnout and die. In other words, each serving of MSG or aspartame causes a little bit of brain damage everytime it's ingested. Unfortunately this creates a cumulative effect and can lead to neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

And there is the old "toxic" standy by, artificial food color dyes.

Toxic Food Wrappings

Be aware of bisphenol A BPA in plastic bottles, look for and use bottles with the Numbers 1,2,4,5 in the triangle on the bottom. Also of concern are the PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) which are found in fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and boxes for home-cooked pizzas.

These chemicals are linked to increased rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and impaired fetal development. They also adversely affect the liver, thyroid gland and immune system. More reasons to avoid prepared and packaged food!

Several fast food companies like Burger King and Wendy's, have already discontinued using PFCs, but others still use them in packaging.

Household Cleaners

The average home today uses more chemicals than were found in typical chemistry lab at the turn of the 20th century. Those labs were subject to strict health and safety code, yet we use these same chemicals now without restriction.

household toxins

Some of the more well know types of toxins are chlorine bleach, spot removers, corrosive oven cleaners, toilet cleaners and drain openers are some of the worst types of chemicals to have in your house because when mixed together (in the form of chlorine and ammonia) they can cause toxic chlorine gas. Some are even flammable! Do your homework and seek out the safer cleaners and green options that are available.

What Do Those Labels Mean?

You will want to get rid of toxins like these or at the very least be more cautious with them.

  • Caution, means it will kill by ingesting 2 Tablespoons to 2 Cups
  • Warning, means it will kill an adult with a teaspoonful
  • Danger,means it will kill with a pinch

    Check labels for these proven carcinogens..... aerosols, alcohol & ammonia, fluoride, formaldehyde & fragrances, mineral oil, talc, just to name a few. Are any of these in your home right now?

    Are you wondering, how you could possibly live without these products? There are safer alternatives if you want to live in a home that is free of toxins.

    A Toxic Environment

    The most obvious types of toxins in the environment are air pollution and car exhaust fumes in the form of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. They can be extremely harmful to your respiratory system and be absorbed into your body, traveling through your blood to many other organs.

    Regulatory Approval Doesn't Mean "Safe"

    We can't rely on governmental agencies to decide whether or not products we buy are safe to eat and use. While that may have been the original intention, it isn't anymore.

    There is always a battle between the federal regulators and product companies requesting approval. Although product companies may not want to purposefully harm a consumer, getting their product on the shelves is the primary goal because that puts profit in their pockets.

    Many products have received FDA & EPA approval because the level of toxicity is low enough so as not to cause any danger. But what we don't realize is the danger that exists when you consume and use numerous products all containing low levels of toxicity. They start to add up and before you know it your body is constantly being exposed to a very high level of toxins every day!

    Toxins are very harmful to your health. We as consumers have to take responsibility and make healthy choices in the products we use. We hope we have raised your awareness enough so you will want to educate yourself and make healthy choices in your diet and your environment.

    Once you begin to do your own research, you'll wonder why some things ever make it to the market, unfortunately those questions can only be answered by following the money trail. Let your dollars send a message.



57

Great info. as usual Jeannie...thank you!

Jeannie Ball said:

Are Toxins In Your Home ?

While nobody consciously wants toxins in their home, you may be surprised at what you find in your pantry,under your sink and even in your bathroom. Many people take for granted that just because a product is on a store shelf that it is completely safe.

Today, we are bombarded with more toxicity than at any other time in history. In addition to air and water pollution, we've got all the electronic gadgets constantly exposing our body to electromagnetic waves. Even our personal care products like soaps and shampoos can have harmful chemicals in them.

We can't control everything, but many areas are within our control. Whenever possible seek out natural, healthier choices for your home. Whether it's a natural organic handmade soap or non toxic cleaning products, every little bit helps when it comes to minimizing your toxin exposure.

Toxins in Foods

Foods toxins are one of the first culprits that come to mind. Any number of unhealthy toxins and chemicals could be hiding and packaged in such a way that you’d never believe they could harm you.

Preservatives found in canned fruit, fruit juice, soft drinks and canned vegetables such as sodium sorbate (preservative 201) and can be responsible for the causes for headaches, stomach pains and other various maladies.

On the list of toxins two of the common "King-Pins" are

Aspartame (nutrasweet) found in diet soda and many of "sugar free" foods.

MSG or monosodium glutamate found in most packaged foods from snack chips to soups and usually disguised with many other names.

Both are known as "excitotoxins". They overexcite brain cells until they basically burnout and die. In other words, each serving of MSG or aspartame causes a little bit of brain damage everytime it's ingested. Unfortunately this creates a cumulative effect and can lead to neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

And there is the old "toxic" standy by, artificial food color dyes.

Toxic Food Wrappings

Be aware of bisphenol A BPA in plastic bottles, look for and use bottles with the Numbers 1,2,4,5 in the triangle on the bottom. Also of concern are the PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) which are found in fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and boxes for home-cooked pizzas.

These chemicals are linked to increased rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and impaired fetal development. They also adversely affect the liver, thyroid gland and immune system. More reasons to avoid prepared and packaged food!

Several fast food companies like Burger King and Wendy's, have already discontinued using PFCs, but others still use them in packaging.

Household Cleaners

The average home today uses more chemicals than were found in typical chemistry lab at the turn of the 20th century. Those labs were subject to strict health and safety code, yet we use these same chemicals now without restriction.

household toxins

Some of the more well know types of toxins are chlorine bleach, spot removers, corrosive oven cleaners, toilet cleaners and drain openers are some of the worst types of chemicals to have in your house because when mixed together (in the form of chlorine and ammonia) they can cause toxic chlorine gas. Some are even flammable! Do your homework and seek out the safer cleaners and green options that are available.

What Do Those Labels Mean?

You will want to get rid of toxins like these or at the very least be more cautious with them.

  • Caution, means it will kill by ingesting 2 Tablespoons to 2 Cups
  • Warning, means it will kill an adult with a teaspoonful
  • Danger,means it will kill with a pinch

    Check labels for these proven carcinogens..... aerosols, alcohol & ammonia, fluoride, formaldehyde & fragrances, mineral oil, talc, just to name a few. Are any of these in your home right now?

    Are you wondering, how you could possibly live without these products? There are safer alternatives if you want to live in a home that is free of toxins.

    A Toxic Environment

    The most obvious types of toxins in the environment are air pollution and car exhaust fumes in the form of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. They can be extremely harmful to your respiratory system and be absorbed into your body, traveling through your blood to many other organs.

    Regulatory Approval Doesn't Mean "Safe"

    We can't rely on governmental agencies to decide whether or not products we buy are safe to eat and use. While that may have been the original intention, it isn't anymore.

    There is always a battle between the federal regulators and product companies requesting approval. Although product companies may not want to purposefully harm a consumer, getting their product on the shelves is the primary goal because that puts profit in their pockets.

    Many products have received FDA & EPA approval because the level of toxicity is low enough so as not to cause any danger. But what we don't realize is the danger that exists when you consume and use numerous products all containing low levels of toxicity. They start to add up and before you know it your body is constantly being exposed to a very high level of toxins every day!

    Toxins are very harmful to your health. We as consumers have to take responsibility and make healthy choices in the products we use. We hope we have raised your awareness enough so you will want to educate yourself and make healthy choices in your diet and your environment.

    Once you begin to do your own research, you'll wonder why some things ever make it to the market, unfortunately those questions can only be answered by following the money trail. Let your dollars send a message.



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Why Half of America May Have Impaired Brain Function by 2030

By Dr. Mercola

It's a fact that excess dietary fructose can harm your body by setting up the conditions for diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver, but what does it do to your brain? Studies have not addressed this question—until now.

A new UCLA study1 is the first to show how a steady diet high in fructose can damage your memory and learning. The study was published in the Journal of Physiology.

Researchers investigated the effects of high-fructose syrup, similar to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheap sweetener six times sweeter than cane sugar, which is used in most soft drinks, processed foods, condiments, and even many baby foods.

The team sought to study the effects of a steady intake of this super-processed, concentrated form of fructose, which is quite dissimilar from the naturally occurring fructose in fruits. They fed rats a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks, then tested their ability to remember their way out of a maze.The results certainly grabbed the researchers' attention.

Too Much Sugar Makes You Stupid!

The rats fed fructose syrup showed significant impairment in their cognitive abilities—they struggled to remember their way out of the maze. They were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier.

Additionally, the fructose-fed rats showed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls your blood sugar and synaptic function in your brain.

Because insulin is able to pass through your blood-brain barrier, it can trigger neurological processes that are important for learning and memory. Consuming large amounts of fructose may block insulin's ability to regulate how your brain cells store and use sugar for the energy needed to fuel thoughts and emotions. The average American consumes roughly 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture2.

Researchers concluded that a high fructose diet harms your brain, as well as the rest of your body. But there is even more to this story.

A second group of rats was given omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), in addition to the high fructose diet. After six weeks, this group of rats was able to navigate the maze better and faster than the rats in the non-DHA group.

The researchers concluded that DHA is protective against fructose's harmful effects on the brain. DHA is essential for synaptic function—it helps your brain cells transmit signals to one another, which is the mechanism that makes learning and memory possible. Your body can't produce enough DHA, so it must be supplemented through your diet.

HBO Documentary Series: "The Weight of the Nation"

The HBO Weight of the Nation documentary is a collaboration among the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kaiser Permanente, and several other health-related organizations. The entire series can be viewed free of charge from their website.

Sadly however, HBO chose to interview many who did not understand the foundational causes of obesity, and their editors chose to continue many myths that are simply incorrect, like using insulin for type 2 diabetes; a calorie is a calorie and you simply need to burn more to lose weight, for example, both of which are utter nonsense. If you have time, the four hour series is useful to watch and has some powerful illustrations and statics that are true, just be warned it is filled with loads of misleading dietary fallacies.

It is projected that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030, which is expected to cost the nation roughly half a trillion dollars per year in additional health costs.

Clearly, that will affect YOU, whether you are among the 42 percent or not.The obesity problem cannot be solved by waiting for the food industry to be struck by a wave of altruism. Big business always has and always will be driven by healthy profits, not healthy people. America has cultivated a toxic culture that has written real food and exercise right out of the script.

The facts are sobering3:

  • Americans today consume an average of 600 more calories per day than they did in 1970
  • Seventy-five percent of Americans now drive to work, a 300 percent increase since 1960
  • In 1969, 42 percent of kids walked or biked to school, versus less than 20 percent today
  • Fewer than five percent of adults meet the minimum guidelines for physical activity, and one in four adults gets no physical activity at all
  • Currently, only four percent of elementary schools, eight percent of middle schools, and two percent of high schools provide physical education

Drugs are a TERRIBLE Answer to the Diabetes Epidemic

Skyrocketing obesity rates are accompanied by escalating rates of type 2 diabetes. This makes perfect sense when you realize the two problems share the same primary cause: insulin resistance. As was confirmed in the UCLA fructose study, a major driver of insulin resistance and therefore a major driver of increasing diabetes rates, is excessive fructose consumption. According to the CDC's 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet4:

  • Diabetes affects 25.8 million people, which is 8.3 percent of the total U.S. population
  • Among Americans age 65 or older, 26.9 percent have diabetes and 50 percent have pre-diabetes
  • Among Americans age 20 or older, 79 million people (35 percent) have pre-diabetes
  • Among Americans age 20 or younger, 215,000 have diabetes
  • Overall, if you have diabetes, your risk for death is about TWICE that of people of similar age who don't have diabetes

Most conventional physicians are quick to pull out the prescription pad as a first-line defense against type 2 diabetes—but the price you pay for diabetes drugs is a high one. In fact, taking glucose-lowering drugs is typically far more dangerous than the disease itself and actually has the potential to radically increase your risk of death from heart attacks, and all other, causes.

Avandia (rosiglitazone) is the poster child for the dangers of diabetes drug treatment. A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine5 linked Avandia to a 43 percent increased risk of heart attack, and a 64 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death, compared to patients treated with other methods. It took nearly 10 years of the drug being on the market for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action and restrict access to this dangerous drug, whereas the European Medicines Agency banned it altogether.But now another diabetes drug has been drawn into the spotlight.

Whistleblower Exposes Deadly Effects of Diabetes Drug Actos

Actos, a type-2 diabetes drug manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, is now the subject of hundreds of lawsuits. It was pulled from the market by both France and Germany a year ago after being found to cause bladder cancer and other tumors. But now, a whistleblower, Dr. Helen Ge, has come forward with a lawsuit of her own stating that the drug company is benefiting from "tens of billions of dollars in sales" at the expense of the lives of people still taking the drug6,7,8.

Dr. Ge worked in the Takeda's pharmacovigilance division, where she was in charge of reviewing side effects of Actos as reported by patients and physicians. She then prepared safety reports that were filed with the FDA―reports that Ge says she was ordered to water-down or not report at all, so Actos would look better than it actually was.

Dr. Ge believes Actos is even more dangerous than Avandia.

She believes that, besides bladder cancer and tumors, Actos is also connected to heart attacks and stroke, suicide, schizophrenia, homicidal ideation, and renal failure. Dr. Ge claims Takeda concealed reports from regulators about hundreds of heart failure cases directly related to the drug in an attempt to drive sales. Dr. Ge filed her lawsuit in September 2011. Actos is still being sold in the United States.

Getting Off The Path of Dietary Madness

But what can be done to derail this obesity freight train that seems to be speeding out of control? The obesity epidemic is different from naturally occurring epidemics in that it is completely human-created. The good news is it has the potential of a human-directed reversal, which begins with expanding awareness about the gravity of the problem. If you are one of my long-term readers, you already know I've been committed to expanding this awareness for decades. In one of the featured articles, best-selling author David Sirota lists what he believes are five of the most promising ways to reverse these trends and the science-based rationale for each9 :

  • Taxing junk food. Multiple studies confirm that this strategy does indeed work—people's food choices are affected by price.
  • Stop subsidizing junk food. Stop giving money to corn and soy growers and start paying farmers to produce real food like fruits and vegetables—the foods that will improve the nation's health. There is NO inherent reason junk food should cost less than fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Ban junk food in schools. Nearly half of public and private schools surveyed sold sweet or salty snack foods in vending machines or other places, and in most schools, school lunches are not much better
  • Stop glorifying unhealthy eating habits. It's time the media are held accountable for equating America with hot dogs, apple pie, and cheesesteaks, and the message this sends to America's youth
  • Start broadening our understanding of obesity. There is no denying the abundance of science disproving conventional wisdom that "a calorie is a calorie"—it's time for the mainstream to wake up and acknowledge the factors responsible for obesity, particularly massive quantities of fructose and refined grain products that Americans are consuming each day.

What Have You Got to Lose?

Solving this problem is going to require significant changes on personal, community, and nationwide levels. The Weight of the Nation website10 lists a wide variety of action steps you can take on all of these levels. But the best first step is to take an honest look at your own personal lifestyle habits—and start making some changes there.

Whether you need some slight dietary tweaking or a total nutritional overhaul, here are some basic strategies you can implement today to get yourself off the "path of dietary madness":

  • Avoid as much sugar as possible, especially fructose. This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes or pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Limit your fructose intake to 25 grams per day (refer to this chart to see the fructose contentof common whole foods).

    If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, consider using the herb stevia, or organic cane sugar or organic honey in moderation. Avoid agave syrup, as most commercial products are just highly processed sap consisting almost entirely of fructose.

  • Consume your sugar with fiber. Fiber helps modulate the impact of sugar by slowing absorption. The perfect sweet food is a piece of fruit, which contains fiber as well as beneficial antioxidants.
  • Eat a well balanced diet, tailored to your specific body type. It should consist of ample raw foods, fresh organic produce, grass pastured meat and dairy, raw nuts and seeds, and naturally fermented foods. Avoid processed foods, genetically engineered foods, and foods with added chemicals. For more information, refer to my total nutrition plan.
  • Get plenty of high quality omega-3 fats from both plant and animal sources. As the study above showed, omega-3's are crucial to modulating the damaging effects of sugar—and have MANY other benefits. My favorite animal-based omega-3 source is krill oil.
  • Optimize your vitamin D level.
  • Exercise every day. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, reduces stress and cortisol levels, suppresses ghrelin (the appetite hormone), speeds up your metabolism, strengthens your bones, and even lifts your mood.
  • Rehydrate with fresh, pure water.
  • Get plenty of sleep.
  • Manage your stress.

How Fructose Turns ON Your "Fat Switch"

If you have ever struggled losing weight and keeping it off, you already know what a challenge that can be. Dr. Richard Johnson, chief of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado has published hundreds of articles and two books on this topic: The Sugar Fix, and most recently, The Fat Switch, which presents a groundbreaking approach to preventing and reversing obesity. According to Dr. Johnson, based on his decades of research:

"Those of us who are obese eat more because of a faulty "switch" and exercise less because of a low energy state. If you can learn how to control the specific "switch" located in the powerhouse of each of your cells – the mitochondria – you hold the key to fighting obesity."

There are five basic truths that Dr. Johnson explains in detail in his new book that overturn current concepts:

  1. Large portions of food and too little exercise are NOT solely responsible for why you are gaining weight
  2. Metabolic Syndrome is A NORMAL CONDITION that animals undergo to store fat
  3. Uric acid is increased by specific foods and CAUSALLY CONTRIBUTES to obesity and insulin resistance
  4. Fructose-containing sugars cause obesity not by calories but by turning on the fat switch
  5. Effective treatment of obesity requires turning off your fat switch and improving the function of your cells' mitochondria

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book, which has been described as the "Holy Grail" for those struggling with their weight. Dietary sugar, and fructose in particular, is a significant "tripper of your fat switch," so understanding how sugars of all kinds affect your weight and health is imperative.

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Yoga tips that I learned today in class that I wanted to share with you:

This will help your hips, back and help your posture:

To do this, lay on your back throw your arms out, make sure to keep your shoulders on the ground along with your spine, put your head to left side, extend your right leg out keep it straight while stretching your left leg over to your other side (right side), bend at the knee hold for at least 30 seconds, if you can't put bent knee on the ground yet place something like a yoga block or something hard under your knee to support your leg and hip while doing this stretch).

To stretch your upper back, neck and arms:

Lay on your back, making sure your shoulders are on the ground (don't let them leave the ground). Put your fingers on your shoulders still touching the ground. Keeping them touching your shoulders touch your elbows if possible (if not go as far as you can) and hold for count of 30. Put elbows to the floor while still touching your shoulders. Relax, hold for count of 10 then do this again, touch elbows together, count to 30 slowly, then release again. Do this 3-5 times. Over time you will get stronger from doing this! :0)

For balancing: Using the back of a chair, stand sidways using your right hand not gripping the back of the chair just lightly hold it with your fingers-pretend your playing the piano with your fingers-touch lightly but it's there if you need to grip). Lift one leg and hold a count of 30 while letting go of chair (but keeping your hand barley touching it).

Advanceing. Bending your knee right knee up, and holding it while going up and down on your other leg while still holding the other one up off the ground (it doesn't have to be high off the ground). Do this to the count of 3x's on each side (leg) ).

Another one that we did today that I was just amazed by doing the steching above I actually could do for a few minutes was:

Stand by a wall, place left foot down in front of you (bent ok) right foot in back of you and strighten right leg put most of your weight on your left leg without arching your back (can bend knees slightly if stretching of hamstrings hurts too much. Back off just a little bit so your still streching your legs), pointing them towards the front (it doesn't have to be in the same line yet you will get there). Use the heels of your hands for support on the wall. Keeping your back straight, chest up/out without arching your back try to move off the wall but keeping your hands up in case you need support. Then try to let off wall again) (For advanced try living your back leg off the ground and balance.).Try this 2-3 times and work up to 5 holding for 30 count.

Even if you can only hold any of these for 1/2 minute that's a great start keep trying these. The more you do this you will get stronger! :0) I am!!!!! :0)

I wanted to add that through out my day I focus now on keeping my spine straight up (I visualize a string holding the top of my head attached to the ceiling) and my shoulders down. This feels better and better the longer I do this! :0)

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My Yoga instructor told me that while sitting I should be getting up and refocusing my eyes farway if I'm focusing on the computer screen and streching every 20 mins or so. But she said that if I don't that after 4 hours of sitting my handstrings get a bit shorter and I'll get more stiff. So she said to avoid tention I should be folding one leg at a time while still sitting helps open up my hips and takes strain off my lower back.