by Augie Mendoza
"I graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in May 1972. Not dressed in white (honors), but I graduated.
That summer like the previous summer, I worked as a longshoreman loading corn, flour and corn sacks weighing 50 to 140 lbs. and 900 lbs. caustic soda drums on freight ships bound to other countries at nearby Brazos Harbor and Dow Chemical A2 Dock.
This was one of the better paying jobs in the area. It was grueling, hard, heavy work, but I loved it at the time. My father had been doing this job most of his life since it paid well.
Fall came around and I had already decided that I did not want to make my living as a longshoreman. Work was inconsistent and when it was there it only went to the ones with the most seniority, unless there was too much. There was very little opportunity for a better job when you got older.
I had always heard that a college education would get you a better job and decided to find out. So I went to nearby Brazosport College and set up an appointment with a counselor.
I got to his office at the appointed time and he asked me what work or profession interested me the most. I had taken Auto Mechanics I & II during my junior and senior years in high school and asked him if Brazosport College had an auto mechanics program.
He said "no." I asked him if they had anything similar to it. He said that the Machine Tools Technology program was very similar and described the program to me.
I was very interested and asked him how long it would take if I went full time. He said "4 years." I said I couldn't go full time since I am working (whenever work was available).
I asked how long would it take if I go part time? He said "7 years." I was shocked. I said, "Man, I'll be old then, I'll be 25 years old. I don't thing so."
He asked me, "what did you say you did for a living right now?"
I told him again that I worked as a longshoreman throwing bags and manhandling drums. Then he bent over his desk and looked me square in the eye and asked me the most significant words I will never forget in my life:
"IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?"
These words hit me like a ton of bricks! I sheepishly told him that I would be doing the same thing. I signed up for the classes right then and there.
These prophetic words have inspired many of my relatives and friends. The sun will rise and fall 365 days a year. What you choose to do in between will determine many things in your life.
This story alone has inspired relatives and friends to realize an age-old truth: Time will go on regardless and it waits on nobody.
Years later, I told a co-worker this story. He got inspired enough that he went on and got 3 different degrees in computers in less than 7 years! He said afterwards, "7 years ago I would've been saying to myself, 'If only I had the opportunity.'"
TIME WILL PASS REGARDLESS!"
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What life is like
"Life is like riding a bike. It is impossible to maintain your balance while standing still."
Linda Brakeall
Author
Linda Brakeall
Author
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Positive attitudes at home
"A positive attitude is perhaps more important at home than anywhere else. As spouses and parents, one of our most vital roles is to help those we love feel good about themselves."
Keith Harrell
Speaker and Author
Keith Harrell
Speaker and Author
Curcumin may prevent heart failure
from http://www.newsmax.com/health/Curcumin_Heart_Failure/2008/02/22/74697.html
"Eating curcumin, a natural ingredient in the spice turmeric, may dramatically reduce the chance of developing heart failure, researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital have discovered.
In a study entitled, "Curcumin prevents and reverses murine cardiac hypertrophy," published in the February edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers found when the herb is given orally to a variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts (hypertrophy), it can prevent and reverse hypertrophy, restore heart function and reduce scar formation.
The healing properties of turmeric have been well known in eastern cultures for some time. The herb has been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to reduce scar formation. For example, when there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder because it can help to heal without leaving a bad scar.
Unlike most natural compounds whose effects are minimal, curcumin works directly in the cell nucleus by preventing abnormal unraveling of the chromosome under stress, and preventing excessive abnormal protein production.
"Curcumin's ability to shut off one of the major switches right at the chromosome source where the enlargement and scarring genes are being turned on is impressive," says Dr. Peter Liu, cardiologist in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. However Dr. Liu cautions that moderation is important, "the beneficial effects of curcumin are not strengthened by eating more of it."
Dr. Liu, who holds the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Polo Chair Professor in Medicine and Physiology at the University of Toronto, says that since curcumin is a naturally occurring compound that is readily available at a low cost, it might be a safe and effective means of preventing heart failure in the future.
"Whether you are young or old; male or female; the larger your heart is, the higher your risk is for developing heart attacks or heart failure in the future. However, until clinical trials are done, we don't recommend patients to take curcumin routinely. You are better off to take action today by lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, exercising and healthy eating," says Dr. Liu.
If clinical trials of curcumin support initial findings of heart enlargement prevention, it may offer hope for millions of patients with heart enlargement in a relatively safe and inexpensive manner. Curcumin-based treatments are currently in clinical trials for pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients with promising results."
"Eating curcumin, a natural ingredient in the spice turmeric, may dramatically reduce the chance of developing heart failure, researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre of the Toronto General Hospital have discovered.
In a study entitled, "Curcumin prevents and reverses murine cardiac hypertrophy," published in the February edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers found when the herb is given orally to a variety of mouse models with enlarged hearts (hypertrophy), it can prevent and reverse hypertrophy, restore heart function and reduce scar formation.
The healing properties of turmeric have been well known in eastern cultures for some time. The herb has been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to reduce scar formation. For example, when there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder because it can help to heal without leaving a bad scar.
Unlike most natural compounds whose effects are minimal, curcumin works directly in the cell nucleus by preventing abnormal unraveling of the chromosome under stress, and preventing excessive abnormal protein production.
"Curcumin's ability to shut off one of the major switches right at the chromosome source where the enlargement and scarring genes are being turned on is impressive," says Dr. Peter Liu, cardiologist in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. However Dr. Liu cautions that moderation is important, "the beneficial effects of curcumin are not strengthened by eating more of it."
Dr. Liu, who holds the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Polo Chair Professor in Medicine and Physiology at the University of Toronto, says that since curcumin is a naturally occurring compound that is readily available at a low cost, it might be a safe and effective means of preventing heart failure in the future.
"Whether you are young or old; male or female; the larger your heart is, the higher your risk is for developing heart attacks or heart failure in the future. However, until clinical trials are done, we don't recommend patients to take curcumin routinely. You are better off to take action today by lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, exercising and healthy eating," says Dr. Liu.
If clinical trials of curcumin support initial findings of heart enlargement prevention, it may offer hope for millions of patients with heart enlargement in a relatively safe and inexpensive manner. Curcumin-based treatments are currently in clinical trials for pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients with promising results."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The power to make wishes come true
"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true."
Richard Bach
Writer
Richard Bach
Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008
Oatmeal pudding
"Oatmeal pudding" is a name I've given to this. If you like oatmeal, you'll find this appealing. If not, you probably won't.
Oatmeal pudding starts with making oatmeal for breakfast one day. Put 2 cups of water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Add some salt -- probably 1/2 teaspoon. When the water boils, throw in some oats -- quick or old-fashioned. Add a tablespoon of cottage cheese, 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, a little honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. When it's all boiling, let cook for couple of minutes. Then turn the heat off, and let the oatmeal sit covered for a few minutes. Eat with milk, and enjoy.
What's left over becomes the pudding. Put it in a covered container and refrigerate.
The cool oatmeal mixture will have a pudding-like texture. It's good for breakfast, especially with hot tea or coffee. And for those who fret about their cholesterol, it's another way to get oats into your diet. But I just like the taste. : )
Oatmeal pudding starts with making oatmeal for breakfast one day. Put 2 cups of water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Add some salt -- probably 1/2 teaspoon. When the water boils, throw in some oats -- quick or old-fashioned. Add a tablespoon of cottage cheese, 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, a little honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. When it's all boiling, let cook for couple of minutes. Then turn the heat off, and let the oatmeal sit covered for a few minutes. Eat with milk, and enjoy.
What's left over becomes the pudding. Put it in a covered container and refrigerate.
The cool oatmeal mixture will have a pudding-like texture. It's good for breakfast, especially with hot tea or coffee. And for those who fret about their cholesterol, it's another way to get oats into your diet. But I just like the taste. : )
Friday, February 22, 2008
Starting the day right: cottage cheese
I've mentioned before about how you need breakfast. Especially if you want to lose or maintain your weight. And a good breakfast not only helps with weight, it helps to prevent snacking later in the morning.
What's crucial is protein. In the last 20 or 30 years, when many have become obsessed with fat in their diet, we've gotten out of the habit of eating many protein-rich traditional breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheeses.
By eating low-fat, high-carb foods such as sweet rolls or breakfast cereals most of the time, we've contributed to becoming an obese society.
Protein's important. Not just because your body needs it (your body does) but because it contributes to a feeling of fullness that helps keep us away from the cookies.
But I can hear the wailing now, "I don't have time to cook sausage and eggs like my grandma did!" Or, like my wife, who grumbles that she just doesn't like the taste of eggs in the morning.
So how to get the protein. Cottage cheese is the natural remedy here. It's good all by itself. Or if you'd like it with a little zing, sprinkle just a tad of freshly-ground black pepper on it. Or go sweet: sprinkle it with a bit of stevia or Splenda, and a dusting of cinnamon. Or if you're making oatmeal, add a spoonful to the bowl (there's no obvious cheesy flavor, and it contributes enormously to the bowl's protein and calcium). And if you oversleep and just need to eat something quickly, it's a good, fast and healthy breakfast right out of the container.
But experiment with it. Cottage cheese works on so many levels that it's worth getting re-acquainted with if you've been out of touch for a while.
What's crucial is protein. In the last 20 or 30 years, when many have become obsessed with fat in their diet, we've gotten out of the habit of eating many protein-rich traditional breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheeses.
By eating low-fat, high-carb foods such as sweet rolls or breakfast cereals most of the time, we've contributed to becoming an obese society.
Protein's important. Not just because your body needs it (your body does) but because it contributes to a feeling of fullness that helps keep us away from the cookies.
But I can hear the wailing now, "I don't have time to cook sausage and eggs like my grandma did!" Or, like my wife, who grumbles that she just doesn't like the taste of eggs in the morning.
So how to get the protein. Cottage cheese is the natural remedy here. It's good all by itself. Or if you'd like it with a little zing, sprinkle just a tad of freshly-ground black pepper on it. Or go sweet: sprinkle it with a bit of stevia or Splenda, and a dusting of cinnamon. Or if you're making oatmeal, add a spoonful to the bowl (there's no obvious cheesy flavor, and it contributes enormously to the bowl's protein and calcium). And if you oversleep and just need to eat something quickly, it's a good, fast and healthy breakfast right out of the container.
But experiment with it. Cottage cheese works on so many levels that it's worth getting re-acquainted with if you've been out of touch for a while.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Your attitude and your life
"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working 24 hours a day for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."
Tom Blandi
Author
Tom Blandi
Author
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
How to get the best out of life
"It is a very funny thing about life - if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it."
W. Somerset Maugham
1874-1965, Novelist and Playwright
W. Somerset Maugham
1874-1965, Novelist and Playwright
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Giving meaning to bad things
"I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value."
Hermann Hesse
1877-1962, Novelist and Poet
Hermann Hesse
1877-1962, Novelist and Poet
Monday, February 18, 2008
Now You Can Enjoy Yourself Every Day
by author Vernon Howard
"People are often puzzled by the idea of making life more enjoyable by changing their viewpoints. Let's examine it:
Suppose you are not feeling well one day, yet you accompany some friends on a leisurely drive through the beautiful countryside. Someone calls your attention to a lovely lake, but because of your illness, you cannot give it your attention or interest. Someone else remarks about a magnificent mountain in the distance, but you hardly hear him. You pass one lovely scene after another, yet they have no meaning to you. Because your illness has taken all your energy, you have none to spare in enjoying yourself. It is the same to your mind as if these natural beauties didn't exist at all. In your present ill state, they have neither existence nor attraction.
But the next day you recover. You feel fine. There is no inward attention to anything; you are outward bound once more. So again you go on a drive; you visit the very same places. But now, everything is completely different. You enjoy the lovely lake and magnificent mountain. You respond to them. You enjoy yourself.
How come? It was the very same scenery both times. But on the second trip you were different. You saw everything in an entirely new way. You had the inner freedom to see and appreciate your outer world. Like magic, your changed mental viewpoint changed the world for you.
It is difficult for people to grasp that the very same principle holds true elsewhere in life. Yet it is absolutely so. When we are inwardly ill at ease we do not really see things as they are; we see them as we are. And there is a world of difference - an actual world of difference - in the two viewpoints.
As we elevate our mental view points we also elevate our world. How is this accomplished? Enjoyment results from discard, not from acquisition. Discard of what? Of the very things we really want to lose - our acquired negative attitudes.
Enjoyment of life is not the presence of something outside ourselves; it is the absence of something within ourselves. Gloom is a state of inner blockage of your True Self; enjoyment is its release. Just as a balloon rises to greater heights by discarding weights, so do we ascend as we toss out negativities."
"People are often puzzled by the idea of making life more enjoyable by changing their viewpoints. Let's examine it:
Suppose you are not feeling well one day, yet you accompany some friends on a leisurely drive through the beautiful countryside. Someone calls your attention to a lovely lake, but because of your illness, you cannot give it your attention or interest. Someone else remarks about a magnificent mountain in the distance, but you hardly hear him. You pass one lovely scene after another, yet they have no meaning to you. Because your illness has taken all your energy, you have none to spare in enjoying yourself. It is the same to your mind as if these natural beauties didn't exist at all. In your present ill state, they have neither existence nor attraction.
But the next day you recover. You feel fine. There is no inward attention to anything; you are outward bound once more. So again you go on a drive; you visit the very same places. But now, everything is completely different. You enjoy the lovely lake and magnificent mountain. You respond to them. You enjoy yourself.
How come? It was the very same scenery both times. But on the second trip you were different. You saw everything in an entirely new way. You had the inner freedom to see and appreciate your outer world. Like magic, your changed mental viewpoint changed the world for you.
It is difficult for people to grasp that the very same principle holds true elsewhere in life. Yet it is absolutely so. When we are inwardly ill at ease we do not really see things as they are; we see them as we are. And there is a world of difference - an actual world of difference - in the two viewpoints.
As we elevate our mental view points we also elevate our world. How is this accomplished? Enjoyment results from discard, not from acquisition. Discard of what? Of the very things we really want to lose - our acquired negative attitudes.
Enjoyment of life is not the presence of something outside ourselves; it is the absence of something within ourselves. Gloom is a state of inner blockage of your True Self; enjoyment is its release. Just as a balloon rises to greater heights by discarding weights, so do we ascend as we toss out negativities."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Research backs theory that vitamin C shrinks tumors
Last April, I went on a short trip to Thailand.
And because I don't like to check luggage, I brought a minimum of stuff, and kept my baggage light.
Which meant that I didn't bring as many vitamins and supplements as I normally take here at home. But there are 2 that I take fairly religiously: fish oil, and vitamin C.
Vitamin C seems to be a no-brainer. It has virtually no downside (if you get too much, your body will just excrete it), while the upside is well-known.
Here's an article about the effects of vitamin C on cancerous tumors. This article is talking about the effects of vitamin C infusions (probably intravenous). Obviously, I'm not taking my 3 grams a day of C by infusion, but the article is good, and thought-provoking:
Research backs theory that vitamin C shrinks tumours
And because I don't like to check luggage, I brought a minimum of stuff, and kept my baggage light.
Which meant that I didn't bring as many vitamins and supplements as I normally take here at home. But there are 2 that I take fairly religiously: fish oil, and vitamin C.
Vitamin C seems to be a no-brainer. It has virtually no downside (if you get too much, your body will just excrete it), while the upside is well-known.
Here's an article about the effects of vitamin C on cancerous tumors. This article is talking about the effects of vitamin C infusions (probably intravenous). Obviously, I'm not taking my 3 grams a day of C by infusion, but the article is good, and thought-provoking:
Research backs theory that vitamin C shrinks tumours
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Finding peace by confronting your problems
"Self-acceptance comes from meeting life's challenges vigorously. Don't numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory."
J. Donald Walters
Author, Lecturer and Playwright
J. Donald Walters
Author, Lecturer and Playwright
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Recognizing challenges
"It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it."
Vince Lombardi
1913-1970, American Football Coach
Vince Lombardi
1913-1970, American Football Coach
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Loyalty is something you give
"Loyalty is something you give regardless of what you get back, and in giving loyalty, you're getting more loyalty; and out of loyalty flow other great qualities."
Charles "Tremendous" Jones
Speaker and Author
Charles "Tremendous" Jones
Speaker and Author
Monday, February 11, 2008
8 Tips for Arthritis
from medical writer Margie Garrison:
Tip 1: Make Sure You Really Have Osteoarthritis
While to some of you, today's tip might be very basic. It is absolutely essential that
you make sure your diagnosis is correct before you begin wasting money on
treatments that are not designed to help your specific situation.
Tip 2: Searching For Just Arthritis Pain Relief? You Shouldn't!
Doctors are very quick to address your joint pain with what has become a "standard"
response. Normally, they tell you to take NSAIDS like Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen,
and Acetaminophen, or prescribe COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.
Tip 3: Keeping Your Weight in Balance is Key To Taking Control of Your Osteoarthritis!
If your osteoarthritis is affecting your load-bearing joints, keeping your weight within
normal ranges is important. Load-bearing joints of course refers to any portion of your
body that would be affected by excessive weight. Hips, knees, feet and spine are all
load-bearing joints.
Tip 4: The Arthritis Fighting Diet
The most common foods to avoid are:
# sugar
# caffeine
# citrus
# salt
# red meat
# dairy products
# additives
# soft drinks
# corn
# flour
Tip 5: Fighting Arthritis Through Proper Exercise!
As best you can, try to keep painful joint areas in motion, even in a limited manner. Exercise
is good for joints affected by osteoarthritis. Even if you don't think you can exercise, you can.
Even the lightest exercise can go along way to maintaining joint mobility and health. A good
exercise routine is key to beating arthritis.
Tip 6: The Treatments: NSAIDs, Cox-II Inhibitors, Surgery, & Glucosamine
The latest arthritis research has shown that there are some very effective alternatives that have
no side effects, are completely safe, ease the pain and tend to the disease. This supplement
is Glucosamine.
Recently, Glucosamine has been making a lot of headlines. Glucosamine is an over-the-counter
dietary supplement that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis and
joint pain. Glucosamine stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAG's), the important
proteins found in cartilage plus proteoglycans, the water holding molecules that make up the
cartilage.
Tip 7: How to Evaluate a Glucosamine Product
Glucosamine compounds have opened up an entirely new avenue for all of you who suffer from
osteoarthritis. There is nothing new about the use of Glucosamine as a way of easing an arthritic
condition. For many years it has been used in Asia and Europe before the English speaking
medical community caught on. However, you have to be very, very careful when selecting
Glucosamine products.
Your selection should be based on four factors.
You must consider the quality of Glucosamine, method of delivery to body, additional ingredients
in the product, and of course, price.
Simply put, the higher quality of Glucosamine you use, the greater your relief will be. Many
companies use medium grade Glucosamine so you must be careful to look for the highest
quality. You need to look for pharmaceutical quality Glucosamine if you want the fastest and
fullest relief and healing.
Secondly, the method of delivery can make the difference between no pain relief and your
personally desired pain relief. Most products produced after the breakthrough news of the
1999 Lancet medical journal Glucosamine study, were rushed to the market. In this haste,
these companies did not take any time to do tests on their product. They simply assumed pill
form would be the most effective. The latest research however, has shown that Glucosamine
in liquid form is much more effective. In selecting a Glucosamine product, you should look for
one that is liquid form.
Also, crucial to the effectiveness of the product, is the other ingredients that are included in the
product. Glucosamine alone is not a cure all. There simply is no cure for arthritis. To receive
true help in an arthritic state, you need to look for products that combine a number of arthritis
fighting ingredients. You should look for a product that besides Glucosamine Sulfate and
Glucosamine HCL, it also contains arthritis-fighting ingredients such as chondroitin, boswellin,
bromelain, omega 3 & 6, yucca, manganese ascorbate, and vitamins A, C, and E.
When considering price, you must take care to determine exactly how much supply you are
purchasing. Many companies engage in what can only be called a "deceptive" practice. They
often will include 60 pills, or 32 oz. of the product, but they don't make it clear that you have to
take 6 pills or 4 oz. a day. You think you have purchased a month supply when often you will run
out in less than 2 weeks. A good price for a quality liquid Glucosamine product with many of the
above ingredients synergistically combined is around $30.
My recommendation for Glucosamine products is Syn-flex®, a 98% pure liquid formula that
combines all the ingredients that are essential for pain relief and joint healing.
Tip 8: 12 Ingredients that Will Ease Your Arthritis Pain
In alleviating arthritis pain, there are twelve key compounds that you should be taking for
maximum relief. These are Glucosamine, chondroitin, boswellin, bromelain, omega 3 & 6,
yucca, manganese ascorbate, and vitamins A, C, and E."
Tip 1: Make Sure You Really Have Osteoarthritis
While to some of you, today's tip might be very basic. It is absolutely essential that
you make sure your diagnosis is correct before you begin wasting money on
treatments that are not designed to help your specific situation.
Tip 2: Searching For Just Arthritis Pain Relief? You Shouldn't!
Doctors are very quick to address your joint pain with what has become a "standard"
response. Normally, they tell you to take NSAIDS like Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen,
and Acetaminophen, or prescribe COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.
Tip 3: Keeping Your Weight in Balance is Key To Taking Control of Your Osteoarthritis!
If your osteoarthritis is affecting your load-bearing joints, keeping your weight within
normal ranges is important. Load-bearing joints of course refers to any portion of your
body that would be affected by excessive weight. Hips, knees, feet and spine are all
load-bearing joints.
Tip 4: The Arthritis Fighting Diet
The most common foods to avoid are:
# sugar
# caffeine
# citrus
# salt
# red meat
# dairy products
# additives
# soft drinks
# corn
# flour
Tip 5: Fighting Arthritis Through Proper Exercise!
As best you can, try to keep painful joint areas in motion, even in a limited manner. Exercise
is good for joints affected by osteoarthritis. Even if you don't think you can exercise, you can.
Even the lightest exercise can go along way to maintaining joint mobility and health. A good
exercise routine is key to beating arthritis.
Tip 6: The Treatments: NSAIDs, Cox-II Inhibitors, Surgery, & Glucosamine
The latest arthritis research has shown that there are some very effective alternatives that have
no side effects, are completely safe, ease the pain and tend to the disease. This supplement
is Glucosamine.
Recently, Glucosamine has been making a lot of headlines. Glucosamine is an over-the-counter
dietary supplement that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis and
joint pain. Glucosamine stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAG's), the important
proteins found in cartilage plus proteoglycans, the water holding molecules that make up the
cartilage.
Tip 7: How to Evaluate a Glucosamine Product
Glucosamine compounds have opened up an entirely new avenue for all of you who suffer from
osteoarthritis. There is nothing new about the use of Glucosamine as a way of easing an arthritic
condition. For many years it has been used in Asia and Europe before the English speaking
medical community caught on. However, you have to be very, very careful when selecting
Glucosamine products.
Your selection should be based on four factors.
You must consider the quality of Glucosamine, method of delivery to body, additional ingredients
in the product, and of course, price.
Simply put, the higher quality of Glucosamine you use, the greater your relief will be. Many
companies use medium grade Glucosamine so you must be careful to look for the highest
quality. You need to look for pharmaceutical quality Glucosamine if you want the fastest and
fullest relief and healing.
Secondly, the method of delivery can make the difference between no pain relief and your
personally desired pain relief. Most products produced after the breakthrough news of the
1999 Lancet medical journal Glucosamine study, were rushed to the market. In this haste,
these companies did not take any time to do tests on their product. They simply assumed pill
form would be the most effective. The latest research however, has shown that Glucosamine
in liquid form is much more effective. In selecting a Glucosamine product, you should look for
one that is liquid form.
Also, crucial to the effectiveness of the product, is the other ingredients that are included in the
product. Glucosamine alone is not a cure all. There simply is no cure for arthritis. To receive
true help in an arthritic state, you need to look for products that combine a number of arthritis
fighting ingredients. You should look for a product that besides Glucosamine Sulfate and
Glucosamine HCL, it also contains arthritis-fighting ingredients such as chondroitin, boswellin,
bromelain, omega 3 & 6, yucca, manganese ascorbate, and vitamins A, C, and E.
When considering price, you must take care to determine exactly how much supply you are
purchasing. Many companies engage in what can only be called a "deceptive" practice. They
often will include 60 pills, or 32 oz. of the product, but they don't make it clear that you have to
take 6 pills or 4 oz. a day. You think you have purchased a month supply when often you will run
out in less than 2 weeks. A good price for a quality liquid Glucosamine product with many of the
above ingredients synergistically combined is around $30.
My recommendation for Glucosamine products is Syn-flex®, a 98% pure liquid formula that
combines all the ingredients that are essential for pain relief and joint healing.
Tip 8: 12 Ingredients that Will Ease Your Arthritis Pain
In alleviating arthritis pain, there are twelve key compounds that you should be taking for
maximum relief. These are Glucosamine, chondroitin, boswellin, bromelain, omega 3 & 6,
yucca, manganese ascorbate, and vitamins A, C, and E."
Saturday, February 9, 2008
More brain research suggests 'use it or lose it'
from http://www.physorg.com/news121529569.html
"Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) scientists have found another important clue to why nerve cells die in neurodegenerative diseases, based on studies of the developing brain.
Neuroscientists at The University of Queensland have just published findings, which add more weight to the "use it or lose it" model forbrain function.
QBI's Dr Elizabeth Coulson said a baby's brain generates roughly double the number of nerve cells it needs to function; with those cells that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving, and the
remaining cells dying.
In research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Dr Coulson and her colleagues have identified a crucial step in the cell-death process.
"It appears that if a cell is not appropriately stimulated by other cells, it self-destructs," Dr Coulson said.
This self-destruct process is also known to be an important factor in stroke, Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, leading to the loss of essential nerve cells from the adult brain.
"We know that a lack of both chemical and electrical stimuli causes the cells to self-destruct," Dr Coulson said.
"But we believe that nerve cells will survive if appropriate electrical stimuli are produced to block the self-destruct process that we have identified."
The researchers' next step is to test whether dying cells receiving only electrical stimulation can be rescued.
More than three years' research has gone into understanding these crucial factors regulating nerve cell survival, but it is a major step in the long process of discovery needed to combat neurodegeneration.
QBI Director, Professor Perry Bartlett said the research is an extremely exciting finding because it also provides the missing piece of information as to how the brain likely keeps alive the new neurons it generates in some brain areas as an adult.
"Combining this with our knowledge of how to stimulate new neurons in the brain of adults following to disease processes such as stroke, it provides new mechanisms for the treatment of a variety of diseases from depression to dementia," he said.
Established in 2003, the Queensland Brain Institute is one of Australia's leading centres for research in fundamental brain function.
QBI researchers investigate the mechanisms that regulate brain function in the knowledge that a better understanding of how the brain works will lead to the development of improved treatment options for a wide range of mental and neurological disorders."
"Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) scientists have found another important clue to why nerve cells die in neurodegenerative diseases, based on studies of the developing brain.
Neuroscientists at The University of Queensland have just published findings, which add more weight to the "use it or lose it" model forbrain function.
QBI's Dr Elizabeth Coulson said a baby's brain generates roughly double the number of nerve cells it needs to function; with those cells that receive both chemical and electrical stimuli surviving, and the
remaining cells dying.
In research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Dr Coulson and her colleagues have identified a crucial step in the cell-death process.
"It appears that if a cell is not appropriately stimulated by other cells, it self-destructs," Dr Coulson said.
This self-destruct process is also known to be an important factor in stroke, Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, leading to the loss of essential nerve cells from the adult brain.
"We know that a lack of both chemical and electrical stimuli causes the cells to self-destruct," Dr Coulson said.
"But we believe that nerve cells will survive if appropriate electrical stimuli are produced to block the self-destruct process that we have identified."
The researchers' next step is to test whether dying cells receiving only electrical stimulation can be rescued.
More than three years' research has gone into understanding these crucial factors regulating nerve cell survival, but it is a major step in the long process of discovery needed to combat neurodegeneration.
QBI Director, Professor Perry Bartlett said the research is an extremely exciting finding because it also provides the missing piece of information as to how the brain likely keeps alive the new neurons it generates in some brain areas as an adult.
"Combining this with our knowledge of how to stimulate new neurons in the brain of adults following to disease processes such as stroke, it provides new mechanisms for the treatment of a variety of diseases from depression to dementia," he said.
Established in 2003, the Queensland Brain Institute is one of Australia's leading centres for research in fundamental brain function.
QBI researchers investigate the mechanisms that regulate brain function in the knowledge that a better understanding of how the brain works will lead to the development of improved treatment options for a wide range of mental and neurological disorders."
Friday, February 8, 2008
Running your own race
by Jill Koenig at www.GoalGuru.com
"Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.
When I was a teenager I volunteered to work the water station at a 10k race. It was called the "Heaven Can Wait" 10k run and ironically, it was sponsored by the local cemetery.
My job was to pass out water to the runners. I remember being so excited to see all the different kinds of people who passed by and grabbed a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past. I saw so many types of people doing it, I thought maybe I can do it too!
So the next year I signed up for the race and gave it a shot. Back then I didn't do much to prepare except jog around my neighborhood. I never tracked how far I jogged, or timed myself, I just ran around. I had no time goals for the race, no specialized training, no game plan, nothing. Needless to say that I prepare differently when I run races today, but back then my only goal was to finish.
On the day of the race, it was incredibly hot and humid. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, "I must be crazy, why did I do this? What was I thinking? And at one point, I said, "I am never doing this again!"
Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly undertake a goal and in the midst of it comes a moment of struggle, and you realize it is much harder than you imagined it would be?
That first 10k race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. At times, I didn't know if I could finish. Then came a defining moment.
At one point near the end, a 70 year old man ran past me, very very fast, and I felt embarrassed that I was 50+ years younger than he and I couldn't even keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine.
He had different capacities, experience, training and goals for himself. I had mine. Remember my goal was merely to finish.
How often in life do we compare ourselves to others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn't? After a minute, it hit me that this was a lesson I could draw from. I learned something about myself in that moment. I turned my embarrassment into inspiration.
I decided that I would not give up on running races, in fact, I would run even more races and I would learn how to train and prepare properly and one day I would be one of those 70 year olds who was still running. As I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my accomplishment.
I am so glad I didn't give up on running. Today it is an incredible source of joy in my life. I have run several races since then, 5ks, 10ks and I run purely for fun. I have studied running books, made friendships with other runners and I can report that I love it now more than ever.
In life we all have those moments where we compare ourselves to others. It's only natural. Don't allow those moments to disempower you. Turn them into motivation and let them inspire you. Use them to show you what is possible. Every struggle is rich with opportunity. You define your own race when you define your own goals.
With the proper preparation, coaching and conditioning, you can improve your results to achieve anything you want in life.
The impact of fitness and nutrition on my life has been remarkable. I can do things now that I could not even do in my 20's all because of coaching, proper nutrition and conditioning.
You decide your race and you decide your own pace. Rarely in life will your destiny be determined by one little race.
"Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable." - Coach John Wooden
Life is a series of races. There are lessons in every race. There are life lessons to be learned every single day. If you don't win the race, but you get the lesson, and grow, you are truly a success."
"Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.
When I was a teenager I volunteered to work the water station at a 10k race. It was called the "Heaven Can Wait" 10k run and ironically, it was sponsored by the local cemetery.
My job was to pass out water to the runners. I remember being so excited to see all the different kinds of people who passed by and grabbed a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past. I saw so many types of people doing it, I thought maybe I can do it too!
So the next year I signed up for the race and gave it a shot. Back then I didn't do much to prepare except jog around my neighborhood. I never tracked how far I jogged, or timed myself, I just ran around. I had no time goals for the race, no specialized training, no game plan, nothing. Needless to say that I prepare differently when I run races today, but back then my only goal was to finish.
On the day of the race, it was incredibly hot and humid. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, "I must be crazy, why did I do this? What was I thinking? And at one point, I said, "I am never doing this again!"
Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly undertake a goal and in the midst of it comes a moment of struggle, and you realize it is much harder than you imagined it would be?
That first 10k race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. At times, I didn't know if I could finish. Then came a defining moment.
At one point near the end, a 70 year old man ran past me, very very fast, and I felt embarrassed that I was 50+ years younger than he and I couldn't even keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine.
He had different capacities, experience, training and goals for himself. I had mine. Remember my goal was merely to finish.
How often in life do we compare ourselves to others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn't? After a minute, it hit me that this was a lesson I could draw from. I learned something about myself in that moment. I turned my embarrassment into inspiration.
I decided that I would not give up on running races, in fact, I would run even more races and I would learn how to train and prepare properly and one day I would be one of those 70 year olds who was still running. As I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my accomplishment.
I am so glad I didn't give up on running. Today it is an incredible source of joy in my life. I have run several races since then, 5ks, 10ks and I run purely for fun. I have studied running books, made friendships with other runners and I can report that I love it now more than ever.
In life we all have those moments where we compare ourselves to others. It's only natural. Don't allow those moments to disempower you. Turn them into motivation and let them inspire you. Use them to show you what is possible. Every struggle is rich with opportunity. You define your own race when you define your own goals.
With the proper preparation, coaching and conditioning, you can improve your results to achieve anything you want in life.
The impact of fitness and nutrition on my life has been remarkable. I can do things now that I could not even do in my 20's all because of coaching, proper nutrition and conditioning.
You decide your race and you decide your own pace. Rarely in life will your destiny be determined by one little race.
"Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable." - Coach John Wooden
Life is a series of races. There are lessons in every race. There are life lessons to be learned every single day. If you don't win the race, but you get the lesson, and grow, you are truly a success."
Lack of B vitamin may triple risk of dementia in old age
from http://health.yahoo.com/news/afp/healthageingdementia_080205142557.html
PARIS (AFP) - Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a study published Tuesday.
Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia, and then tracked their development over 2.4 years.
At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia, including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study, published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National University in Kwangju, South Korea, remeasured folate levels, they uncovered a strong link with the dementia.
Even after other factors were taken into account -- including age, disability, alcohol consumption, weight change -- "the onset of dementia was significantly associated with an exaggerated decline in folate," the researchers concluded.
Folate and folic acid, another form of the compound, are essential for the creation of new cells in the body.
The compound occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas and in certain fruits.
An study published last year in The Lancet showed an improvement in short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency among persons over 50 who took a daily dose of 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. The US recommended daily dose is 400 mcg.
Taking folic acid before conception and throughout the first trimester helps a mother ensure that her child will not develop certain brain and spinal cord defects, including spina bifida, according to previous research.
PARIS (AFP) - Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a study published Tuesday.
Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia, and then tracked their development over 2.4 years.
At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia, including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study, published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National University in Kwangju, South Korea, remeasured folate levels, they uncovered a strong link with the dementia.
Even after other factors were taken into account -- including age, disability, alcohol consumption, weight change -- "the onset of dementia was significantly associated with an exaggerated decline in folate," the researchers concluded.
Folate and folic acid, another form of the compound, are essential for the creation of new cells in the body.
The compound occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas and in certain fruits.
An study published last year in The Lancet showed an improvement in short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency among persons over 50 who took a daily dose of 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. The US recommended daily dose is 400 mcg.
Taking folic acid before conception and throughout the first trimester helps a mother ensure that her child will not develop certain brain and spinal cord defects, including spina bifida, according to previous research.
The dangers of statin drugs
from wellnessresources.com
"Considering that tens of millions of Americans now take statins to lower cholesterol, the following headline was conspicuously absent from the major media this month: "Statins Found to Turn On Gene that Causes Muscle Damage." It's now a fact of science; a new study shows that taking statins destroys your muscle to a greater or lesser degree. And let's not forget that the heart is a muscle.
Place this study juxtaposed to another rather interesting recent finding: the more fit you are the longer you will live - and the two just don't add up. How can you destroy muscle and be more fit? You can't. Sure you can drug your cholesterol number lower, but will you be healthier, fit, and live longer?
In the new study researchers found that statins activate a gene signal in muscles called atrogen-1. When this gene activates it targets key muscle proteins for destruction. The activation of this gene drives the process of muscle atrophy and muscle wasting. It is induced in cardiac muscle in failing hearts. Why on earth would any person want this gene activated by a drug?
The researchers tested statin-taking humans who were complaining of severe muscle pain. Muscle biopsy found that the atrogen-1 gene was activated, compared to people with severe muscle pain not on statins and controls. They went on to show through various experiments that statins activate the gene. This is extremely bad news for any person taking a statin.
Right now doctors ignore the majority of muscle aches and pains caused by statins, and in their mind only consider the problem serious when it is debilitating (rhabdomyolysis), which apparently happens less than 1% of the time. However, at least 5% - 7% of statin users experience significant muscle problems. The number is greater than 10% if a person is taking the now commonly prescribed higher doses. And if a person is trying to be fit and exercise the number jumps to 25%. These numbers are clearly on the low end as it has now been shown that doctors are ignoring their patients, not reporting the side effects of statins to the FDA, and telling them the side effects they are experiencing are not from the drug!
This new science shows that as soon as the atrogen-1 gene is activated by statins it starts destroying muscle. This means that even mild aches or pains while taking a statin is a sign that muscle is being destroyed, an entirely new and sobering perspective on the side effects of statins. Statins directly work against being physically fit, as is evidenced by the difficulty statin users have exercising without troubling symptoms.
Cardiomyopathy (serious weakening of the heart muscle) is a known adverse and often not reported side effect of statin therapy, previously thought to be the result of a statin-induced coenzyme Q10 deficiency. It is likely that the combination of Q10 deficiency with atrogen-1 activation is behind this problem.
Statins - Perversion of Science for Profit
The statin industry is a 20-billion-a-year propaganda machine, producing more yearly revenues from one class of drug than all professional U.S. sports combined. Just like any hot-selling drug on the market, negative studies are discouraged to say the least. They are either thrown in the trash can when they don't work out or critical researchers are often blackmailed, meaning if they publish something negative they will never again get research money from the industry. These well known tactics discourage basic research on drug-related toxicity problems.
When statistics are honestly looked at in the case of using statins for many years to prevent a first heart attack, for every life that is saved (1% over 10 years use) statins cause an equal number of adverse deaths due to accidents, infection, suicide, and cancer (1% over 10 years use). This means that as a general public health measure, which is now the lion's share of current statin use, they are an ineffectual waste of money. It has now been proven that middle-age men would be better off taking an aspirin a day for a tiny fraction of the cost (of course there are many supplement options). Statin-taking for a number of years does not reduce mortality rate. None of these facts faze the statin industry, which keeps churning out positive spin and moving right along regardless of the damage being doing and the money wasted.
The fraud of statins inside one's body centers on the regulation of an enzyme known as HMG CoA reductase. Statins work by reducing the function of this enzyme, the higher the dose the more the enzyme is reduced, and the less cholesterol is made. It is well known that individuals with naturally lower cholesterol (LDL at 130, total less than 200) in their 40s and 50s have fewer cardiovascular problems as they grow older. However, taking a statin to reduce cholesterol to these levels or even lower is not the same thing as natural healthy function.
In healthy individuals with lower cholesterol the HMG CoA reductase enzyme is active at a high level as part of health. It is part of a complex communication system within the body that regulates energy, immunity, fat metabolism, leptin, cellular thyroid hormone activity, liver-related synthesis, stress tolerance, adrenal function, sex hormone synthesis, and brain function. This system is core to survival! The high activity of this enzyme is a type of metabolic fitness, similar to the idea of muscle fitness. The enzyme is very active in a healthy state for a variety of important and vital needs.
Drugging this enzyme is similar to making a person get around in a wheelchair, whether they need one or not. If you put a person's metabolism in a statin-induced straightjacket, then maybe Humpty Dumpty won't fall off the wall so easily. That may be a useful concept for someone in brittle cardiovascular health, but it has little to do with the average person concerned about general cardiovascular well being and maintaining a healthy level of fitness and vitality.
Doctors don't use statins to try and reduce HMG CoA activity a little bit, with the idea of approximating some type of healthy function of the enzyme (the lowest and least toxic dose possible to provide improvement). Doctors actually could care less what healthy function of the enzyme actually is. Rather, the new "gold standard of medical care" is to batter the enzyme into a state of submission so that cholesterol levels are abnormally low. Any apparent benefits of a statin, many of which are falsely touted, is accomplished by poisoning some aspect of health. How long can such a charade be allowed to continue on millions of unsuspecting Americans? Why won't the FDA demand drug companies include a correct risk profile as part of the labeling? As normal, the FDA continues to sleep on duty.
Double the Dose - Rake in the Billions
In 2004 the government-funded National Cholesterol Education Program selected a panel of nine "experts" to review statin drug use and make recommendations as to guidelines doctors should follow to reduce cardiovascular disease. They recommended that individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk attain LDL levels < 100 mg/dL and individuals at very high cardiovascular risk attain LDL levels < 70 mg/dL (levels that are abnormal, levels which are seldom ever this low in healthy people with no cardiovascular disease). Their advice was published in the marketing journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation. This "scientific journal" failed to disclose that six of the nine authors had direct financial ties to the makers of statin drugs.
Today, in doctor's offices around the country, these abnormal cholesterol levels are being pushed on anyone over the age of 40, requiring a double or triple dose of statins or combination with some other toxic drug (like fibrates) to achieve these completely unnatural and unhealthy levels of cholesterol. In hindsight we can see that these recommendations boosted yearly statin sales by seven billion dollars. A class-action lawsuit has already been filed against Pfizer for illegal Lipitor promotion. Many others are sure to follow as this fraud becomes better understood by those who are injured and those footing the bill.
Further highlighting this fraud is a study appearing in the October 3, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers reviewed all studies relating to cholesterol-lowering benefits by statin drugs, with a focus on the new abnormally low cholesterol levels promoted by the American Heart Association. Their conclusion, "current clinical evidence does not demonstrate that titrating lipid therapy to achieve proposed low LDL cholesterol levels is beneficial or safe." That is a rather shocking conclusion coming more than two years after the fact. The finding did not faze the statin marketing machine or the prescribing habits of any physician.
Make Vitamin E a Scapegoat
During the time in 2004 that Big Pharma was plotting its statin bonanza it needed to fire cannonballs at its most widely recognized competition, Vitamin E and other antioxidants. No problem. First, in August 2004, the American Heart Association used its marketing magazine to print a bogus article contradicting hundreds of nutritional studies, stating that antioxidants A, C, and E are not effective for cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Then, in November of 2004, with trumpets blaring at their yearly AHA meeting, they make the brazenly fraudulent claim that vitamin E increases the risk of death by 6%!!!
Outside the marketing meeting masquerading as a scientific conference, the chairman, Dr. Raymond Gibbons of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was holding a dog and pony show press conference. "I spend all my time trying to tell patients why they should not take vitamin E. Too often in terms of the supplements there's very scant science. In this area, we have the science. Vitamin E doesn't work." He implored his captive audience of reporters to help him convince patients to stop taking Vitamin E and take the "proven" drugs. The next day, all major media ran the story telling consumers vitamin E was dangerous. Program effective. Damage done.
Within weeks the American Heart Association had brainwashed doctors and the American public to actually think vitamin E was dangerous, clearing out the primary competition to statins for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Doctors were telling all their patients to stop taking vitamin E. The anti-vitamin rhetoric spread like wild fire through doctor's offices around the nation and continues to this day.
Within a week the bogus vitamin E information coming from the American Heart Association meeting was debunked. Physician and nutritional expert, Alan Gaby, pointed out all the flaws as well as the safe and effective track record of vitamin E. By April of 2005 the leading antioxidant scientists in the world had published a comprehensive review showing the safety of vitamin E up to doses of 1600 IU per day, again debunking the false vitamin E story and explaining the high degree of safety of antioxidant nutrients. The media was nowhere to be found; the public never heard vitamin E was truly safe and vital for immune function, prevention of cognitive decline, and a wonderful nutrient for cardiovascular support.
In July of 2005, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of an amazing vitamin E and heart disease study. After tracking 40,000 women for eight years it was proven that vitamin E lowered the risk of cardiovascular death by 24%! However, JAMA authors, going along with the vitamin E smear campaign, concluded that vitamin E was not worth recommending! Any drug with that kind of statistical evidence would be a billion dollar blockbuster. The media failed to look at the study and reported everywhere that vitamin E was not needed, denying women the true information about a wonderful cardiovascular support nutrient.
Likewise, an August 2007 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that natural vitamin E reduced cardiovascular death or serious cardiovascular disease by a statistically significant 13%, the primary end point of the study. Natural vitamin E also showed improvement in secondary end points, including a 22% reduction in heart attacks, a 27% reduction in strokes (31% when combined with vitamin C), and a 9% reduction in cardiovascular death. Once again the study results were hidden deep in the paper, downplayed by the authors, and not correctly reported in the media.
And in November the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported the results of another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled vitamin E study showing that vitamin E was completely safe at doses of 1200 IU per day in patients with existing cardiovascular disease. Once again the media was nowhere to be found.
It is hard to calculate how many elderly people have been injured and killed by the proclamation not to take vitamin E and to take statins in super-high doses. Vitamin E is absolutely vital for heart function and healthy immunity in older Americans. When a statin-taking senior dies the physician never notes the deterioration of health that often begins with taking a statin or increasing the statin dose. Rather, the physician simply blames the health of the patient for the death - isn't that convenient. Thus, statin-induced deaths are hidden and grossly under-reported.
A New Statin Fraud Emerges
The statin golden pot at the end of the rainbow has recently been threatened due to the fact that several best-selling statin drugs have lost patent protection and are now open to generic competition for pennies on the dollar ((Lipitor sales are off 25%). Newer cholesterol drugs in the pipeline have turned out to be a total bust. In order to get insurers to keep coughing up unnecessary money Big Pharma had to be creative - and dishonest (no surprise there).
Merck and Schering-Plough have joined forces to market Zetia (which works in the digestive tract differently than a statin) and Vytorin (which is a combination of Zetia and a statin). By combining a statin in this way generic competition can be avoided. Either Zetia or Vytorin sell for $3 a day, compared to $0.25 for a generic statin. By adding Zetia to any other statin or by taking the combination pill cholesterol can be lowered an additional 15%. This has created a $5 billion dollar share of the statin market for these two drugs.
Is lowering cholesterol an extra 15% worth it? That is the billion dollar question. Forbes was the first to blow the lid on what is obviously a rip-off. The Wall Street Journal is also covering the story. Vytorin has never been proven to prevent heart attacks, strokes or deaths any better than a plain generic statin. In 2002 Merck/Schering Plow undertook a study to prove that the combination prevented plaque build up in the arteries better than a statin alone. The study was completed in April of 2006. The drug companies are sitting on the results, and now have announced they are changing the primary outcome of the study after it is done - a scientific farce.
It is obvious that the top executives in these companies know the results are not good. They can't throw the data away as their marketing campaign was built on the expectation of a favorable outcome of these studies. Even doctors are complaining about the stalling tactic. The longer they can stall the longer they can collect their $5 billion in yearly sales, swindling Americans of hard earned money. This is, unfortunately, an example of typical drug company behavior. The FDA is of course snoozing on the job - they should be warning consumers of the dangers of lowering cholesterol excessively.
Take Health into Your Own Hands
The medical profession has lost almost all credibility. There is no short cut to being healthy. The majority of drugs are best used for a short duration, which is not in the best interest of Big Pharma profits. Some people in poor health need to be managed with drugs. Drugs as a tool for general health and prevention are a travesty. The statin industry is a scam gone wild. Space in this article has only allowed me to define a few of the primary statin side effects. There are many more that are seldom explained, including weakened immunity and cognitive decline. Statins are a slow and insidious poison wherein the side effects gradually get worse the longer a person takes them. This means that people often don't realize their decline in health is from the statin, until someone points this issue out to them and they look at how their health in general has deteriorated since being on a statin. No, it's not that the person is simply getting older - it's the statin! You may read about all the statin side effects for free in my book, Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America (chapters 19-21).
If we want a renaissance in cardiovascular fitness and quality of life in the over 50 crowd then most of the meds need to go in the trash and be replaced with consistent exercise programs, a fresh and organic diet, stress management programs, improved quality of sleep, and appropriate dietary supplements that support fitness and healthy cardiovascular function. Seniors need to have a rightful and respected place in our culture."
"Considering that tens of millions of Americans now take statins to lower cholesterol, the following headline was conspicuously absent from the major media this month: "Statins Found to Turn On Gene that Causes Muscle Damage." It's now a fact of science; a new study shows that taking statins destroys your muscle to a greater or lesser degree. And let's not forget that the heart is a muscle.
Place this study juxtaposed to another rather interesting recent finding: the more fit you are the longer you will live - and the two just don't add up. How can you destroy muscle and be more fit? You can't. Sure you can drug your cholesterol number lower, but will you be healthier, fit, and live longer?
In the new study researchers found that statins activate a gene signal in muscles called atrogen-1. When this gene activates it targets key muscle proteins for destruction. The activation of this gene drives the process of muscle atrophy and muscle wasting. It is induced in cardiac muscle in failing hearts. Why on earth would any person want this gene activated by a drug?
The researchers tested statin-taking humans who were complaining of severe muscle pain. Muscle biopsy found that the atrogen-1 gene was activated, compared to people with severe muscle pain not on statins and controls. They went on to show through various experiments that statins activate the gene. This is extremely bad news for any person taking a statin.
Right now doctors ignore the majority of muscle aches and pains caused by statins, and in their mind only consider the problem serious when it is debilitating (rhabdomyolysis), which apparently happens less than 1% of the time. However, at least 5% - 7% of statin users experience significant muscle problems. The number is greater than 10% if a person is taking the now commonly prescribed higher doses. And if a person is trying to be fit and exercise the number jumps to 25%. These numbers are clearly on the low end as it has now been shown that doctors are ignoring their patients, not reporting the side effects of statins to the FDA, and telling them the side effects they are experiencing are not from the drug!
This new science shows that as soon as the atrogen-1 gene is activated by statins it starts destroying muscle. This means that even mild aches or pains while taking a statin is a sign that muscle is being destroyed, an entirely new and sobering perspective on the side effects of statins. Statins directly work against being physically fit, as is evidenced by the difficulty statin users have exercising without troubling symptoms.
Cardiomyopathy (serious weakening of the heart muscle) is a known adverse and often not reported side effect of statin therapy, previously thought to be the result of a statin-induced coenzyme Q10 deficiency. It is likely that the combination of Q10 deficiency with atrogen-1 activation is behind this problem.
Statins - Perversion of Science for Profit
The statin industry is a 20-billion-a-year propaganda machine, producing more yearly revenues from one class of drug than all professional U.S. sports combined. Just like any hot-selling drug on the market, negative studies are discouraged to say the least. They are either thrown in the trash can when they don't work out or critical researchers are often blackmailed, meaning if they publish something negative they will never again get research money from the industry. These well known tactics discourage basic research on drug-related toxicity problems.
When statistics are honestly looked at in the case of using statins for many years to prevent a first heart attack, for every life that is saved (1% over 10 years use) statins cause an equal number of adverse deaths due to accidents, infection, suicide, and cancer (1% over 10 years use). This means that as a general public health measure, which is now the lion's share of current statin use, they are an ineffectual waste of money. It has now been proven that middle-age men would be better off taking an aspirin a day for a tiny fraction of the cost (of course there are many supplement options). Statin-taking for a number of years does not reduce mortality rate. None of these facts faze the statin industry, which keeps churning out positive spin and moving right along regardless of the damage being doing and the money wasted.
The fraud of statins inside one's body centers on the regulation of an enzyme known as HMG CoA reductase. Statins work by reducing the function of this enzyme, the higher the dose the more the enzyme is reduced, and the less cholesterol is made. It is well known that individuals with naturally lower cholesterol (LDL at 130, total less than 200) in their 40s and 50s have fewer cardiovascular problems as they grow older. However, taking a statin to reduce cholesterol to these levels or even lower is not the same thing as natural healthy function.
In healthy individuals with lower cholesterol the HMG CoA reductase enzyme is active at a high level as part of health. It is part of a complex communication system within the body that regulates energy, immunity, fat metabolism, leptin, cellular thyroid hormone activity, liver-related synthesis, stress tolerance, adrenal function, sex hormone synthesis, and brain function. This system is core to survival! The high activity of this enzyme is a type of metabolic fitness, similar to the idea of muscle fitness. The enzyme is very active in a healthy state for a variety of important and vital needs.
Drugging this enzyme is similar to making a person get around in a wheelchair, whether they need one or not. If you put a person's metabolism in a statin-induced straightjacket, then maybe Humpty Dumpty won't fall off the wall so easily. That may be a useful concept for someone in brittle cardiovascular health, but it has little to do with the average person concerned about general cardiovascular well being and maintaining a healthy level of fitness and vitality.
Doctors don't use statins to try and reduce HMG CoA activity a little bit, with the idea of approximating some type of healthy function of the enzyme (the lowest and least toxic dose possible to provide improvement). Doctors actually could care less what healthy function of the enzyme actually is. Rather, the new "gold standard of medical care" is to batter the enzyme into a state of submission so that cholesterol levels are abnormally low. Any apparent benefits of a statin, many of which are falsely touted, is accomplished by poisoning some aspect of health. How long can such a charade be allowed to continue on millions of unsuspecting Americans? Why won't the FDA demand drug companies include a correct risk profile as part of the labeling? As normal, the FDA continues to sleep on duty.
Double the Dose - Rake in the Billions
In 2004 the government-funded National Cholesterol Education Program selected a panel of nine "experts" to review statin drug use and make recommendations as to guidelines doctors should follow to reduce cardiovascular disease. They recommended that individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk attain LDL levels < 100 mg/dL and individuals at very high cardiovascular risk attain LDL levels < 70 mg/dL (levels that are abnormal, levels which are seldom ever this low in healthy people with no cardiovascular disease). Their advice was published in the marketing journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation. This "scientific journal" failed to disclose that six of the nine authors had direct financial ties to the makers of statin drugs.
Today, in doctor's offices around the country, these abnormal cholesterol levels are being pushed on anyone over the age of 40, requiring a double or triple dose of statins or combination with some other toxic drug (like fibrates) to achieve these completely unnatural and unhealthy levels of cholesterol. In hindsight we can see that these recommendations boosted yearly statin sales by seven billion dollars. A class-action lawsuit has already been filed against Pfizer for illegal Lipitor promotion. Many others are sure to follow as this fraud becomes better understood by those who are injured and those footing the bill.
Further highlighting this fraud is a study appearing in the October 3, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers reviewed all studies relating to cholesterol-lowering benefits by statin drugs, with a focus on the new abnormally low cholesterol levels promoted by the American Heart Association. Their conclusion, "current clinical evidence does not demonstrate that titrating lipid therapy to achieve proposed low LDL cholesterol levels is beneficial or safe." That is a rather shocking conclusion coming more than two years after the fact. The finding did not faze the statin marketing machine or the prescribing habits of any physician.
Make Vitamin E a Scapegoat
During the time in 2004 that Big Pharma was plotting its statin bonanza it needed to fire cannonballs at its most widely recognized competition, Vitamin E and other antioxidants. No problem. First, in August 2004, the American Heart Association used its marketing magazine to print a bogus article contradicting hundreds of nutritional studies, stating that antioxidants A, C, and E are not effective for cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Then, in November of 2004, with trumpets blaring at their yearly AHA meeting, they make the brazenly fraudulent claim that vitamin E increases the risk of death by 6%!!!
Outside the marketing meeting masquerading as a scientific conference, the chairman, Dr. Raymond Gibbons of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was holding a dog and pony show press conference. "I spend all my time trying to tell patients why they should not take vitamin E. Too often in terms of the supplements there's very scant science. In this area, we have the science. Vitamin E doesn't work." He implored his captive audience of reporters to help him convince patients to stop taking Vitamin E and take the "proven" drugs. The next day, all major media ran the story telling consumers vitamin E was dangerous. Program effective. Damage done.
Within weeks the American Heart Association had brainwashed doctors and the American public to actually think vitamin E was dangerous, clearing out the primary competition to statins for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Doctors were telling all their patients to stop taking vitamin E. The anti-vitamin rhetoric spread like wild fire through doctor's offices around the nation and continues to this day.
Within a week the bogus vitamin E information coming from the American Heart Association meeting was debunked. Physician and nutritional expert, Alan Gaby, pointed out all the flaws as well as the safe and effective track record of vitamin E. By April of 2005 the leading antioxidant scientists in the world had published a comprehensive review showing the safety of vitamin E up to doses of 1600 IU per day, again debunking the false vitamin E story and explaining the high degree of safety of antioxidant nutrients. The media was nowhere to be found; the public never heard vitamin E was truly safe and vital for immune function, prevention of cognitive decline, and a wonderful nutrient for cardiovascular support.
In July of 2005, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of an amazing vitamin E and heart disease study. After tracking 40,000 women for eight years it was proven that vitamin E lowered the risk of cardiovascular death by 24%! However, JAMA authors, going along with the vitamin E smear campaign, concluded that vitamin E was not worth recommending! Any drug with that kind of statistical evidence would be a billion dollar blockbuster. The media failed to look at the study and reported everywhere that vitamin E was not needed, denying women the true information about a wonderful cardiovascular support nutrient.
Likewise, an August 2007 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that natural vitamin E reduced cardiovascular death or serious cardiovascular disease by a statistically significant 13%, the primary end point of the study. Natural vitamin E also showed improvement in secondary end points, including a 22% reduction in heart attacks, a 27% reduction in strokes (31% when combined with vitamin C), and a 9% reduction in cardiovascular death. Once again the study results were hidden deep in the paper, downplayed by the authors, and not correctly reported in the media.
And in November the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported the results of another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled vitamin E study showing that vitamin E was completely safe at doses of 1200 IU per day in patients with existing cardiovascular disease. Once again the media was nowhere to be found.
It is hard to calculate how many elderly people have been injured and killed by the proclamation not to take vitamin E and to take statins in super-high doses. Vitamin E is absolutely vital for heart function and healthy immunity in older Americans. When a statin-taking senior dies the physician never notes the deterioration of health that often begins with taking a statin or increasing the statin dose. Rather, the physician simply blames the health of the patient for the death - isn't that convenient. Thus, statin-induced deaths are hidden and grossly under-reported.
A New Statin Fraud Emerges
The statin golden pot at the end of the rainbow has recently been threatened due to the fact that several best-selling statin drugs have lost patent protection and are now open to generic competition for pennies on the dollar ((Lipitor sales are off 25%). Newer cholesterol drugs in the pipeline have turned out to be a total bust. In order to get insurers to keep coughing up unnecessary money Big Pharma had to be creative - and dishonest (no surprise there).
Merck and Schering-Plough have joined forces to market Zetia (which works in the digestive tract differently than a statin) and Vytorin (which is a combination of Zetia and a statin). By combining a statin in this way generic competition can be avoided. Either Zetia or Vytorin sell for $3 a day, compared to $0.25 for a generic statin. By adding Zetia to any other statin or by taking the combination pill cholesterol can be lowered an additional 15%. This has created a $5 billion dollar share of the statin market for these two drugs.
Is lowering cholesterol an extra 15% worth it? That is the billion dollar question. Forbes was the first to blow the lid on what is obviously a rip-off. The Wall Street Journal is also covering the story. Vytorin has never been proven to prevent heart attacks, strokes or deaths any better than a plain generic statin. In 2002 Merck/Schering Plow undertook a study to prove that the combination prevented plaque build up in the arteries better than a statin alone. The study was completed in April of 2006. The drug companies are sitting on the results, and now have announced they are changing the primary outcome of the study after it is done - a scientific farce.
It is obvious that the top executives in these companies know the results are not good. They can't throw the data away as their marketing campaign was built on the expectation of a favorable outcome of these studies. Even doctors are complaining about the stalling tactic. The longer they can stall the longer they can collect their $5 billion in yearly sales, swindling Americans of hard earned money. This is, unfortunately, an example of typical drug company behavior. The FDA is of course snoozing on the job - they should be warning consumers of the dangers of lowering cholesterol excessively.
Take Health into Your Own Hands
The medical profession has lost almost all credibility. There is no short cut to being healthy. The majority of drugs are best used for a short duration, which is not in the best interest of Big Pharma profits. Some people in poor health need to be managed with drugs. Drugs as a tool for general health and prevention are a travesty. The statin industry is a scam gone wild. Space in this article has only allowed me to define a few of the primary statin side effects. There are many more that are seldom explained, including weakened immunity and cognitive decline. Statins are a slow and insidious poison wherein the side effects gradually get worse the longer a person takes them. This means that people often don't realize their decline in health is from the statin, until someone points this issue out to them and they look at how their health in general has deteriorated since being on a statin. No, it's not that the person is simply getting older - it's the statin! You may read about all the statin side effects for free in my book, Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America (chapters 19-21).
If we want a renaissance in cardiovascular fitness and quality of life in the over 50 crowd then most of the meds need to go in the trash and be replaced with consistent exercise programs, a fresh and organic diet, stress management programs, improved quality of sleep, and appropriate dietary supplements that support fitness and healthy cardiovascular function. Seniors need to have a rightful and respected place in our culture."
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The nature of happiness
"I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves."
Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt
1767-1835, German Statesman
Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt
1767-1835, German Statesman
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What a wonderful world
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."
Jawaharlal Nehru
1889-1964, Indian Nationalist, Statesman
Jawaharlal Nehru
1889-1964, Indian Nationalist, Statesman
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Remedies for what ails you in the air
by James Wysong
As a flight attendant, I have always thought it strange that I can serve you a meal that gives you indigestion, but I can't give you an antacid tablet to fix it. If you are on an airplane for hours on end, what are you supposed to do? Suffer in silence? Apparently.
That got me thinking about other ailments you might experience during an airplane flight, and about some uncommon cures that might ease the pain. The following is a collection of natural remedies and possible solutions for problems that passengers have encountered on many of my flights. Mind you, I am not a doctor; I am merely offering tips that have been found to be effective for other passengers and crew members. Take these suggestions at your own risk and if you have any doubts, please consult a doctor first.
Hiccups. It seems everyone has a remedy for this ailment. My favorite is to scare my wife in some way, but that's probably not a good idea in flight -- especially since she is a pilot. Here's one that seems to help me and passengers most afflicted by them. First swallow a teaspoon of granulated sugar, then fill your lungs and hold your breath while lightly squeezing your lungs against your diaphragm. This should get rid of the problem.
Sneezing. I love to sneeze, but an airplane really isn't a good sneezing place. After all, it's an small, enclosed space and that makes a lot of people nervous about germs. But some people, including me, sometimes get into unstoppable sneezing fits. I missed most of the meal service one day because I sneezed for 20 minutes straight. On that flight a sympathetic passenger told me of this remedy: Place your middle and index fingers directly beneath your nostrils and above your upper lip, and press firmly until the urge to sneeze disappears. It works like a charm.
Headache. Aspirin is the best remedy, so bring some along. But did you know it is more effective if taken with a caffeinated drink? If you don't have any aspirin, try applying lime wedges directly to your forehead. You might feel silly -- and sticky -- but the throbbing should go away. Plus, you'll smell good.
Leg cramps. Standing on your feet and moving around is the best way to relieve leg cramps, but if they keep coming back, try eating some yellow mustard. People say it is very effective. Don't ask me why.
Stiff neck. Airplane seats don't seem to be getting any more comfortable, so you may find yourself with this condition quite often. Try squeezing your shoulders up towards your ears and holding for 15 seconds; then relax. The exercise resembles an exaggerated shrug (you know, the same gesture you get from the flight attendants when you ask them about a connecting flight). Perform this exercise eight to 10 times and you should feel relief.
Nausea and air sickness. Ginger is a classic herbal remedy for nausea and vomiting; some say it can also prevent them. You can try sucking on crystallized ginger, taking ginger capsules, eating gingersnaps, or even drinking the airplane ginger ale if you can stomach it.
Jet lag. I hear many flight attendants use melatonin to combat jet lag. Apparently, melatonin helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm, the internal clock that plays a key role in when we fall asleep and wake up. Some people should not take melatonin, including pregnant women and nursing women, so be sure to check this one out with your doctor.
Diarrhea. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a glass, add half a teaspoon of baking powder, and drink it as it foams. A passenger with a pretty bad case of this affliction (and on an airplane things can get quite messy) was cured within an hour of taking of this remedy. Now I know not many people travel with baking powder, but some passengers and crew members do for this very reason, so it never hurts to ask. If no baking powder, try eating white rice as it tends to bloat, which can alleviate the symptoms.
Bad breath. Bring your toothbrush on board and use it whenever you use the lavatory. (Remember, your toothpaste tube must contain less than 3 ounces to clear security.) If you don't have your toothbrush, chew the parsley on your meal tray -- if you get a meal, that is. If someone offers you a mint, don't get huffy, but accept it as a possible hint.
Bug bites. Rub a slice of raw onion on the sting as soon as possible, and if it itches, apply a tiny dab of -- believe it or not -- hemorrhoid cream. I tried it and it works great.
Toothache. Swish a small amount of Nyquil around your mouth in the area of the pain. Nyquil is good for many of my ailments, and I always carry a 3-ounce bottle with me when I travel.
Gas. Try drinking a cup of hot water, and if there is any apple cider vinegar around, take two teaspoons of that, too. If you get a meal on the flight, ask for extra oil-and-vinegar dressing on your salad. The vinegar should calm things down.
Nosebleed. Pinch the nose firmly, but not hard, at the bridge of your nose just below the bone. Do not tilt the head back, as this makes the blood flow down the throat and will give you an upset stomach. Hold the pinch for two to four minutes until the bleeding stops. Do not blow your nose as this will open the clot and cause the bleeding to start again.
Stinky feet. If you can smell your feet a little bit, then so can other passengers around you. If people start wadding tissues up their noses or turning their air vents on you, put your shoes back on.
Insomnia. One glass of red wine and a typical in-flight movie are usually enough to put me out, but if sleep doesn't come easily for you and you aren't taking sleeping pills, try melatonin. It is a natural remedy that induces sleep without side effects like grogginess. It's not habit-forming, but there may be mild side effects like headaches. You can purchase melatonin at most health stores.
Indigestion. One remedy for the food I serve you on board is to take a teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water. It may taste disgusting but it is quite effective. Of course, most people don't carry baking soda with them on an airplane trip. Another effective remedy is to drink a can of soda water and swallow a small amount of mint toothpaste. And as far as meal choice goes, if you are having trouble deciding, go with the no-fly, no-eat rule. Cows can't fly but chickens can. I have witnessed very few cases of in-flight food poisoning caused by our fowl friends.
I once flew with an Asian flight attendant who told me his secret for never getting sick when flying. He heats up a mixture of apple cider vinegar and honey at home, and then carries it with him on every flight in a small flask, adding a small amount to every water bottle that he drinks. Of course, I was interested, so I tried his all-around preventive treatment, and in the past three years I haven't been sick once even during the cold and flu season.
I hope some of these suggestions will help. If you have any other tips, send them to me.
Fly safe and suffer no more.
As a flight attendant, I have always thought it strange that I can serve you a meal that gives you indigestion, but I can't give you an antacid tablet to fix it. If you are on an airplane for hours on end, what are you supposed to do? Suffer in silence? Apparently.
That got me thinking about other ailments you might experience during an airplane flight, and about some uncommon cures that might ease the pain. The following is a collection of natural remedies and possible solutions for problems that passengers have encountered on many of my flights. Mind you, I am not a doctor; I am merely offering tips that have been found to be effective for other passengers and crew members. Take these suggestions at your own risk and if you have any doubts, please consult a doctor first.
Hiccups. It seems everyone has a remedy for this ailment. My favorite is to scare my wife in some way, but that's probably not a good idea in flight -- especially since she is a pilot. Here's one that seems to help me and passengers most afflicted by them. First swallow a teaspoon of granulated sugar, then fill your lungs and hold your breath while lightly squeezing your lungs against your diaphragm. This should get rid of the problem.
Sneezing. I love to sneeze, but an airplane really isn't a good sneezing place. After all, it's an small, enclosed space and that makes a lot of people nervous about germs. But some people, including me, sometimes get into unstoppable sneezing fits. I missed most of the meal service one day because I sneezed for 20 minutes straight. On that flight a sympathetic passenger told me of this remedy: Place your middle and index fingers directly beneath your nostrils and above your upper lip, and press firmly until the urge to sneeze disappears. It works like a charm.
Headache. Aspirin is the best remedy, so bring some along. But did you know it is more effective if taken with a caffeinated drink? If you don't have any aspirin, try applying lime wedges directly to your forehead. You might feel silly -- and sticky -- but the throbbing should go away. Plus, you'll smell good.
Leg cramps. Standing on your feet and moving around is the best way to relieve leg cramps, but if they keep coming back, try eating some yellow mustard. People say it is very effective. Don't ask me why.
Stiff neck. Airplane seats don't seem to be getting any more comfortable, so you may find yourself with this condition quite often. Try squeezing your shoulders up towards your ears and holding for 15 seconds; then relax. The exercise resembles an exaggerated shrug (you know, the same gesture you get from the flight attendants when you ask them about a connecting flight). Perform this exercise eight to 10 times and you should feel relief.
Nausea and air sickness. Ginger is a classic herbal remedy for nausea and vomiting; some say it can also prevent them. You can try sucking on crystallized ginger, taking ginger capsules, eating gingersnaps, or even drinking the airplane ginger ale if you can stomach it.
Jet lag. I hear many flight attendants use melatonin to combat jet lag. Apparently, melatonin helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm, the internal clock that plays a key role in when we fall asleep and wake up. Some people should not take melatonin, including pregnant women and nursing women, so be sure to check this one out with your doctor.
Diarrhea. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a glass, add half a teaspoon of baking powder, and drink it as it foams. A passenger with a pretty bad case of this affliction (and on an airplane things can get quite messy) was cured within an hour of taking of this remedy. Now I know not many people travel with baking powder, but some passengers and crew members do for this very reason, so it never hurts to ask. If no baking powder, try eating white rice as it tends to bloat, which can alleviate the symptoms.
Bad breath. Bring your toothbrush on board and use it whenever you use the lavatory. (Remember, your toothpaste tube must contain less than 3 ounces to clear security.) If you don't have your toothbrush, chew the parsley on your meal tray -- if you get a meal, that is. If someone offers you a mint, don't get huffy, but accept it as a possible hint.
Bug bites. Rub a slice of raw onion on the sting as soon as possible, and if it itches, apply a tiny dab of -- believe it or not -- hemorrhoid cream. I tried it and it works great.
Toothache. Swish a small amount of Nyquil around your mouth in the area of the pain. Nyquil is good for many of my ailments, and I always carry a 3-ounce bottle with me when I travel.
Gas. Try drinking a cup of hot water, and if there is any apple cider vinegar around, take two teaspoons of that, too. If you get a meal on the flight, ask for extra oil-and-vinegar dressing on your salad. The vinegar should calm things down.
Nosebleed. Pinch the nose firmly, but not hard, at the bridge of your nose just below the bone. Do not tilt the head back, as this makes the blood flow down the throat and will give you an upset stomach. Hold the pinch for two to four minutes until the bleeding stops. Do not blow your nose as this will open the clot and cause the bleeding to start again.
Stinky feet. If you can smell your feet a little bit, then so can other passengers around you. If people start wadding tissues up their noses or turning their air vents on you, put your shoes back on.
Insomnia. One glass of red wine and a typical in-flight movie are usually enough to put me out, but if sleep doesn't come easily for you and you aren't taking sleeping pills, try melatonin. It is a natural remedy that induces sleep without side effects like grogginess. It's not habit-forming, but there may be mild side effects like headaches. You can purchase melatonin at most health stores.
Indigestion. One remedy for the food I serve you on board is to take a teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water. It may taste disgusting but it is quite effective. Of course, most people don't carry baking soda with them on an airplane trip. Another effective remedy is to drink a can of soda water and swallow a small amount of mint toothpaste. And as far as meal choice goes, if you are having trouble deciding, go with the no-fly, no-eat rule. Cows can't fly but chickens can. I have witnessed very few cases of in-flight food poisoning caused by our fowl friends.
I once flew with an Asian flight attendant who told me his secret for never getting sick when flying. He heats up a mixture of apple cider vinegar and honey at home, and then carries it with him on every flight in a small flask, adding a small amount to every water bottle that he drinks. Of course, I was interested, so I tried his all-around preventive treatment, and in the past three years I haven't been sick once even during the cold and flu season.
I hope some of these suggestions will help. If you have any other tips, send them to me.
Fly safe and suffer no more.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
How to gain weight like a sumo wrestler
Maybe you have to be Japanese to appreciate sumo wrestling.
I just don't get it. A couple of (enormously) obese guys wrestling around? Please.
But we can learn a health secret from these wrestling guys: how to gain weight.
Because when you think about it, the Japanese aren't who we think of when think of fat. Most Japanese folks we meet are actually quite thin. So how do sumo wrestlers put on weight?
The first thing they do is not eat breakfast.
Why no breakfast? Well, come morning, you haven't eaten for a number of hours. Maybe 8, 10, even 12 hours. "Breakfast" is just that: a meal when we "break the fast."
But our wrestlers avoid breaking the fast then. They get up, go about their business, check their email, whatever. Anything but eating.
When we do this, it sends a signal to our body: warning! Danger! You are starving! And when the body gets this warning, it reserves fuel in the form of fat. Because your body assumes that you are starving, or that starvation is imminent, and tries to conserve every calorie you've got.
Maybe you want to gain weight. In which case, look at the above advice. But since most folks reading this would like to lose a couple of pounds, follow the opposite advice: eat breakfast. Even if you're not all that hungry, eat a small meal: maybe an apple for the road, a small cup of cottage cheese, or whatever.
Just don't skip breakfast. Unless you want to look like a sumo wrestler.
I just don't get it. A couple of (enormously) obese guys wrestling around? Please.
But we can learn a health secret from these wrestling guys: how to gain weight.
Because when you think about it, the Japanese aren't who we think of when think of fat. Most Japanese folks we meet are actually quite thin. So how do sumo wrestlers put on weight?
The first thing they do is not eat breakfast.
Why no breakfast? Well, come morning, you haven't eaten for a number of hours. Maybe 8, 10, even 12 hours. "Breakfast" is just that: a meal when we "break the fast."
But our wrestlers avoid breaking the fast then. They get up, go about their business, check their email, whatever. Anything but eating.
When we do this, it sends a signal to our body: warning! Danger! You are starving! And when the body gets this warning, it reserves fuel in the form of fat. Because your body assumes that you are starving, or that starvation is imminent, and tries to conserve every calorie you've got.
Maybe you want to gain weight. In which case, look at the above advice. But since most folks reading this would like to lose a couple of pounds, follow the opposite advice: eat breakfast. Even if you're not all that hungry, eat a small meal: maybe an apple for the road, a small cup of cottage cheese, or whatever.
Just don't skip breakfast. Unless you want to look like a sumo wrestler.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Not giving up: your Friday story
"I can remember a period in my life when I was unemployed and money was running short. I needed a job very badly and it seemed as if no one was hiring.
A very good friend of mine approached me one day with an offer. "I'm going to have to let this job go and I was wondering if you would like to take it over?"
"That would be great," I replied.
I went to speak with the manager and he said he could use me, but never gave me a start date. Really needing the job, I made it a point to go and check in with him every day. I knew he would eventually get tired of me and give me a starting period. Finally one day he said, "You can start Monday morning."
Come Monday morning, I showed up for work extra early. I was ready to do my best. When I went inside I was informed that I would be buffing the floors. My friend was there to show me how to operate the buffer.
"It's real easy," he said, running the machine very smoothly.
He handed it over to me and said, "Here, you give it a try."
I grabbed the handles with a "no problem" attitude and gave it some gas. To my surprise, the buffer whipped around in a big circle, running over my friend's brand new pair of boots, and sending him jumping up on a check-out counter.
Several times, I tried to run it again and failed. I really had to fight that thing to make it go.
"What am I going to do?" I thought to myself. "I finally found a job and I can't do it. Am I going to have to tell them I have to quit?"
After several rough days of buffing, I finally made up my mind that I was going to do this. For about a week, I struggled with the buffer, putting all my weight and strength into it. Eventually, I learned the trick was not to struggle with it at all, just go with the flow of it, and by the second week, I was showing off and running it with one hand.
A few months later, I thought back and wondered what would have happened if I had given up that first week. I certainly would not have had the newfound confidence or a paycheck. Sometime after that experience, I started a new job that required the use of a buffer. I even had to train others to use it, and I always got a kick out of seeing them run it for the first time. I knew, though, if they stuck with it, they would do just fine; they just needed a little encouragement and a lot of practice.
Michael Jordan said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
Kip Davis
A very good friend of mine approached me one day with an offer. "I'm going to have to let this job go and I was wondering if you would like to take it over?"
"That would be great," I replied.
I went to speak with the manager and he said he could use me, but never gave me a start date. Really needing the job, I made it a point to go and check in with him every day. I knew he would eventually get tired of me and give me a starting period. Finally one day he said, "You can start Monday morning."
Come Monday morning, I showed up for work extra early. I was ready to do my best. When I went inside I was informed that I would be buffing the floors. My friend was there to show me how to operate the buffer.
"It's real easy," he said, running the machine very smoothly.
He handed it over to me and said, "Here, you give it a try."
I grabbed the handles with a "no problem" attitude and gave it some gas. To my surprise, the buffer whipped around in a big circle, running over my friend's brand new pair of boots, and sending him jumping up on a check-out counter.
Several times, I tried to run it again and failed. I really had to fight that thing to make it go.
"What am I going to do?" I thought to myself. "I finally found a job and I can't do it. Am I going to have to tell them I have to quit?"
After several rough days of buffing, I finally made up my mind that I was going to do this. For about a week, I struggled with the buffer, putting all my weight and strength into it. Eventually, I learned the trick was not to struggle with it at all, just go with the flow of it, and by the second week, I was showing off and running it with one hand.
A few months later, I thought back and wondered what would have happened if I had given up that first week. I certainly would not have had the newfound confidence or a paycheck. Sometime after that experience, I started a new job that required the use of a buffer. I even had to train others to use it, and I always got a kick out of seeing them run it for the first time. I knew, though, if they stuck with it, they would do just fine; they just needed a little encouragement and a lot of practice.
Michael Jordan said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
Kip Davis
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