It’s A Long And Winding Road

It’s a proven fact today that we all need physical exercise to stay healthy. However, in the winter rather than enjoying a nice walk, we tend to peak out the window, seeing a harsh wind or storm (even just a hint of one coming) and we decide cleaning the oven would be more enjoyable. And what if you aren’t especially athletic. Okay, you can walk and chew gum at the same time, but it’s cold outside. You can’t ski, you aren’t going to attempt snowboarding, but the family loves it. So, what are you going to do, stay in the lodge and drink hot chocolate (hmm, doesn’t sound too bad).

But no, you’re going to bundle up, strap on a pair of snowshoes and take a low-impact trod through the snow. Now anyone can do that. According to the American Council on Exercise, snowshoeing develops leg muscles and endurance without jarring your joints on hard pavement. They also say that you will burn 45% additional calories than walking while moving at the same speed. Actually by snowshoeing for an hour, you can burn off your whole breakfast of 600 calories.

If you’ve visualized those putting huge tennis racket like apparatuses on your shoes, forget it. They are less intrusive these days and made from very light material. Now, to get an upper body workout add a couple of ski poles to your sport. They will help you keep your balance as well.

For more information check out this full article on snowshoeing and how to pick the right snow shoe.

The pineal gland lies at the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres. Scientists haven’t yet figured out exactly how it works or it’s complete role. They do know that it produces melatonin, “the sleep hormone.” This gland makes more melatonin when surroundings are dark and less when they are light. As we grow older, most often, the pineal gland produces less and less melatonin. This is why we don’t sleep as well as we age.

It is also theorized that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, may be tied in with the pineal gland as there is a direct connection between the eyes and this gland. It seems that light only reaches the pineal gland when it is bright enough. In the northern countries, where light is often diffused by cloud cover, SAD is most prevalent. It is theorized that melatonin levels are either too high or irregular in those with this disorder.

Symptoms of SAD may include:

Depression
Lethargy
Cravings (most often for carbohydrates)
Excessive Sleep
Anxiety
Muscle Aches
Back Aches
Headaches

Interestingly, SAD is most often found in women, ages 20s to 40s. Which leads to an additional theory that this condition may be related to a woman’s menstrual cycle in some way. It also seems to run in families and you may find more than one person afflicted with SAD or some other depression illness. Western medicine most often treats this disorder with antidepressants.

Alternative Treatments

The most natural cure for this disorder would seem to be “sunshine.” However, not all of us can pick up and head to a tropical island in mid-winter. However, this does make you think about our need, as human beings, for more than just food, water and air. Apparently the sun plays a much more important role in our well being as perhaps other things here on earth do that we are still unaware of.

Certainly, if days in which the sun is visible during winter months, it would be beneficial for all of us to get outdoors and soak it up (well, in 20 minute intervals). The next best thing would be to install special lamps that emit 10,000 lux white light. Sit near it in the morning for about an hour per day.

St. John’s Wort is an herb that has been found to be effective in elevating depression. A study in which SAD patients were treated with this herb every day found their symptoms greatly improved.

Vitamin D is another well known help for those suffering from with SAD. Exercise, although an afflicted person may not feel like it, is a good serotonin level booster and can help with depressive symptoms.

Resources

The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association

Mayo Clinic on SAD

There are a lot of things in everyday life that can cause us to be sleepless. Stress and worry are two of the big culprits. However, new studies have shown how it is now more important than ever known before to get enough sleep. The old excuse of “I’ll catch up on my sleep this weekend” doesn’t hold true as we once thought it did. We now know that you can’t catch up on sleep and if giving sleep the short end of importance can effect your health over time.

1. 26% of children who don’t get enough sleep become overweight. Although this study related to children 2 ½ to 6 years, one has to wonder if a lack of sleep can effect this percentage of people, in this manner, in all age ranges. This was based on children of this age group getting fewer than 10 hours of sleep per night.

2. Lack of enough sleep can affects adolescents with both emotional and behavioral disturbances including ADHA. The results were ascertained through a study involving 882 high school students by reviewing their sleep habits in conjunction with their grades. As part of the study, students were also given psychological and behavioral testing.

3. Consider your overall fat intake (especially dinner fat intake) if you aren’t sleeping well. A study done at the Federal University in Brazil in which 52 healthy people’s food intake records were watched for three days. The study showed a higher fat intake matched up with a lower amount of REM sleep, a higher arousal and higher occurrence of apnea.

4. Cigarette smoking is linked with sleep disturbances. Research shows that smokers will report feeling unrested, in the morning, four times more than non-smokers. It turns out that smokers spend less time in a state of deep sleep than those that don’t smoke.

Things You Can Do to Sleep Better

1. Don’t sleep in. Set a schedule of going to bed and getting up at the same times, even on weekends.

2. Exercise between 20 and 30 minutes per day. However exercising late in the day may actually disturb sleep for some.

3. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol especially late in the day and evening. Where stimulants keep you awake, depressants such as alcohol rob the body of deep sleep.

4. Find ways to relax before bedtime. Reading or taking a warm bath are good examples.

5. If you can’t sleep, don’t lie in bed. The anxiety of concentrating on being unable to sleep is worse than getting up and doing something else until sleepy.

As a source of protein, turkey is a good bet. It’s the gravy, mashed potatoes and rolls that put on the pounds.

Overall, turkey is inexpensive, low fat and high in protein. It’s also a good source of zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium and the B vitamins. 2 to 3 ounces is considered a portion. Interestingly, different parts of the turkey have differing amounts of fat and calories. The following are considered on one portion.

Breast with skin 194 calories 8 grams fat 29 grams protein
Breast w/o skin 161 calories 4 grams fat 30 grams protein
Wings with skin 238 calories 13 grams fat 27 grams protein
Leg with skin 213 calories 11 grams fat 28 grams protein
Dark meat with skin 232 calories 13 grams fat 27 grams protein
Dark meat w/o skin 192 calories 44 grams fat 19 grams protein

The best know use of garlic is to keep vampires away. But, come on, the smell of garlic would keep anyone away unless you are eating it together. It’s true, I’m not a huge garlic fan. A little garlic powder for seasoning is okay, but a lot seems awfully overpowering to me. That is until I tried roasted garlic. I loved it. It seemed to have a whole different flavor. So, what does it matter, you ask. It’s the huge health benefit and disease fighter that garlic offers.

Alicin is the substance within garlic that gives it the distinguishable odor. It’s also the compound that is beneficial in killing viruses and even serious diseases such as tuberculosis. If you can eat it raw, studies have shown that the garlic maintains a higher nutritional value, including more alicin. It seems that garlic stored in water at room temperature for 6 days lost about half of the alicin and garlic in oil lost about half in just 1 hour.

Other scientific studies have shown garlic to be beneficial in treating cancer, bacterial infections and preventing blood clots. Studies showed, however, that even the garlic stored in water or oil and cooked garlic had some benefits for cancer and blood clot patients.

A recent study done by Penn State researchers showed in order to get the best benefit from garlic when cooking it should be chopped or crushed and allowed to rest for 10 minutes before cooking. For some reason this action allows the garlic to retain it’s healthful benefits.

You do realize, in some ways, your pets are smarter than you? Humans often second guess themselves. When intuition is telling you something, we most often don’t listen. Especially if we can’t match it up with a logical explanation. Of course, we don’t know why pets (animals) intermittently know certain things without learned responses. There are many theories, I’m sure. But, until your cat or dog can tell you why they do something, we won’t know for sure.

On occasion our dog will eat grass and sometimes even dirt. My husband always yells at her to stop, but I think she is just trying to replace something she isn’t getting in her diet. She simply is self medicating. After all, feeding her commercial pet food (although I try to get the best I can afford), stress, environmental pollutants and so many other things cause her to be drained of nutrients.

The first thing you can do to make sure your pets stay healthy is to get them natural vitamin supplements made for the particular kind of pet and their age. After all, you take at least one daily supplement (if you don’t, you should consider it. Our foods don‘t retain the same vitamins and our environment steals them from us these days).

If you aren’t spending enough time with your pet, they can become bored and depressed. Because they usually are in a confined area, they may eventually find it bored to entertain themselves. If you find your life becoming too busy and your pet is getting the short end of the deal, schedule in time to spend with them. Make sure your dog, horse, even your cat get’s exercise and fresh air.

Make sure your pets get regular check ups and inoculations. Whether you believe in every vaccine that comes along for yourself, pets can get and pass along (to other animals) some pretty heavy duty diseases, even lethal ones. And, of course, make sure your pet is spayed or neutered if you aren’t a breeder.

Your pet is a “family member.” Make sure your treat her like one.

An enlarged prostate can mean having to get up to go to the bathroom so many times at night that it is impossible to get enough sleep. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) most of the time is just plain annoying. One in five men older than 50 are affected and almost all of those in their 70s. You should always see your health care professional before embarking on any natural or other treatments. Once the diagnosis has been made, certainly listen to all the options available through your doctor. These are some options you may want to discuss with him.

1. There is a surgery option that should be discussed with your health care professional. Also, in Europe the common conventional treatment is to try beta blockers. These drugs normally are used for high blood pressure, but they can give some relief to approximately 60% of men.

2. In the Nashville Men’s Health Study showed a 9% lower PSA (prostate specific antigen) in men who took aspirin regularly as apposed to men who did not.

3. Saw Palmetto Berry Extract has been known to give relief within a 30 day period for some men. Make sure that the product used is of high quality. There are no known side effects and it is non-toxic. Studies conducted (with proof of benefit) have used 320 mg daily that contained 85% to 95% fatty acids and sterols. Divided in half and taken twice a day is the best formula.

4. Pygeum Africanum is not as effective as Saw Palmetto Berry Extract, it can be used in conjunction with it. Studies have shown it to have no side effects while reducing the symptoms of BPH. Choose a product that contains 13% sterols with a dosage of 50 mg to 100 mg per day.

5. Stinging Nettle when used in scientific studies has shown to improve BPH symptoms. This herb has also been used in Europe for conditions involving baldness, bladder infections, kidney stones and arthritis. Studies used dosages of 50 mg to 150 mg/twice a day. This herb can be used in conjunction with Pygeum Africanum and Saw Palmetto Berry Extract.

6. Zinc is accumulated by the prostate more than any other body organ. Studies have shown that a zinc supplement can reduce the size of the prostate gland. Studies used 30 mg supplements per day with the addition of 2 mg of copper for a balanced combination.

Although there are many foods that have been used for eons that claim they increase brain power, not all have been scientifically studied and tested with results that prove it to be so. Here are some actual “brain foods” that are now known through professional studies to be beneficial to your brain.

Natural Wild Salmon (not farm grown)
Proven to be one of the most overall health beneficial foods to add to your diet, natural salmon is considered a brain food. It has an abundance of fatty acids (including Omega 3), low saturated fat and the lowest amounts of mercury contaminants in seafood. This fish has been shown to improve the brain synaptic connection, mood, reduce stroke risk and Alzheimer disease or dementia.

Cacao Beans
This is not an excuse to go out and buy a Hershey candy bar. There is actually very little cacao bean found in commercial candy bars. Plus you are ingesting a whole lot of other bad things like fat, sugar and artificial colors and flavorings. The cacao bean must have minimal processing in order to be of benefit. You will probably need to go to your health food store in order to find a product to find an organic cacao powder that is alkalized and minimally processed. Or you can choose a dark chocolate bar that has a high (75% or higher) cacao content. Cacao beans have now been shown to be good for brain health as well as skin elasticity, an anti-cancer agent and heart health.

Acai Berries
You may have seen this fruit advertised on the internet. It has become the new weight-loss fad. I’m not sure about the claims in this area, but this berry has been proven as a brain food and an all around healthy food to add to your diet. We already know how blueberries and blackberries contain antioxidants and vitamins. Acai berries contain these benefits plus essential fatty acids and an even higher protein content than the other berries.

Who knew listing to your favorite music could be healthy for you. You might know, just from the way you feel, that your top rated tunes on the car radio relieve your work-day stress as you drive home. Now a new study out of the Center for Preventative Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center proves that listening to your favorite music works better than laughter does to protect your heart functions.

The study used 10 healthy (non-smoking) individuals. They were given various stimulus (listening to favorite music, humorous video, music that caused anxious feelings, etc.). After each stimulus their blood pressure was taken to test the response of the inner lining of the blood vessels (brachial artery flow). The brachial artery flow, among study participants, increased 26% after listening to preferred. It decreased 6% after disturbing stimulus such as disturbing music.

The increased dilation, after the positive stimulus, was similar to the ingestion of statin drugs or after aerobic activity. There was a 19% increase in blood flow after watching a humorous video or relaxation. One would think that relaxing music in the workplace could act as a stress reducer. And certainly that ride home, filled with soothing music, could be the best medicine after a stressful work day.

We’ve all heard of potassium, but what benefits will we receive by making sure we have enough of it in our diet? It reduces high blood pressure and stroke risks. Therefore, it is especially important for those with high blood pressure to make sure they are receiving enough potassium. If you are prone to anxiety and/or stress, a proper amount of potassium will help sooth those conditions. Cramping and weak muscles can be a sign of inadequate potassium in the body. It also keeps your body’s water balanced and nerve impulses firing properly. Here are some other things potassium does for your body.

Protects against:

Diabetes
Obesity
Kidney Disease

Keeps:

Bowels working properly
Muscles strong

Supplements are convenient. And if you are unable to eat enough potassium rich foods, it is the second best way to receive enough potassium in your diet. Here are some foods containing a good amount of this mineral.

Lima Beans contain 1000 mg of potassium (1 cup)

Avocados contain 975 mg of potassium (1 avocado)

Orange Juice contains 975 mg of potassium (1 cup, fresh)

Cantaloupe contains 427 mg of potassium (1 cup)

Tomatoes contain 427 mg of potassium (1 cup)

Swiss Chard contains 364 mg of potassium (2 leaves)

Spinach contains 335 mg of potassium (2 cups, raw)

Broccoli contains 287 mg of potassium (1 cup, raw)

Celery contains 263 mg of potassium (1 cup)

Romaine Lettuce contains 232 mg of potassium (2 cups)