Alcohol and a Long Life?

 

Researchers have conducted a new study using rats, and results show that those bred to prefer alcohol live longer and healthier lives than those that don’t.

Most of us enjoy a drink but know that there are many drawbacks, and we are all becoming more and more aware of the negative impact it can have on our health if we consume too much. However, very little has actually been known about the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on survival rates.

That is until now, as researchers in Finland have bred rats to either prefer alcohol or to avoid it, and the results were astonishing. Rats that were genetically predisposed to avoid alcohol had a death rate three times higher than those that preferred alcohol.

 

There is a catch, though. Rats that prefer alcohol may live longer, but this is true whether or not they actually consume any of it in their diet. Therefore, it could be that the genes that predispose rats to alcohol preference have other qualities that lead to a longer and healthier life. Or perhaps genes that lead to alcohol avoidance are defective in other ways. Either way, it was not the case that rats consuming alcohol lived longer – just that those who had a genetic tendency towards it lived longer, and were healthier.

There has long been some awareness of genetics being at play when it comes to alcohol consumption, as tendency towards alcohol abuse can often be genetic, while some people appear to carry genes that make them unable to tolerate alcohol. More research will certainly be needed, but it’s safe to say that we shouldn’t all begin binge drinking with the idea that we will live longer if we do. What the discovery actually suggests is that having genes that makes us like alcohol is no bad thing.

Ever try Meditation?

Many people choose to mediate as they feel that it has a range of different benefits for them, but a study has now revealed that transcendental meditation is linked with living longer.

Transcendental meditation (TM) is a method of stress-reduction that uses quiet contemplation and steady breathing to bring a state of relaxation. In the first ever trial on the impact of TM on longevity, researchers in the USA studied 202 men and women with an average age of 71 years, all of whom had slightly elevated blood pressure.

The effects of TM were compared with those of using progressive relaxation and health education techniques, and TM was shown to be a very useful tool in helping people to live longer.

Those involved in TM had an overall 23% reduction in death rates from all causes, with the risk of death from heart disease being reduced by 30% and the risk of death by cancer being reduced by a whopping 49. Transcendental meditation appears to reduce the blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and amount of stress hormones in the body, helping the slow down the ageing process and allowing people to live longer, happier and healthier lives. It must be worth a try!

 

Air Pollution Still Sucks!

It has long been thought by the medical community that air pollution had greater impact on the lung and heart health of older people. A recent study by Harvard University researcher has concluded that everyone of any age can suffer the adverse affects of air pollution.

Polluted air particles enter the body during respiration and also enter the circulatory system and bloods stream, thereby affecting the heart as well as the lungs. The particles of air pollution are measured in micrometers: A PM10 is a particle less than 10 micrometers in diameter and a PM2.5 is a particle less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, and so on.

The Harvard researchers study was based on PM2.5s and the study group was a group of boiler makers in general good health and with an average age of 38. The men were exposed to pollution normally found in the general environment and were hooked up to heart monitors and an air sampler set to screen polluted particles PM2.5. The results showed that for every milligram per cubic meter increase in PM2.5s, there was a corresponding decrease in heart rate variability of 2.6 per cent.

The significance of heart beat variability is that even though a healthy heart should beat regularly, it also needs to be able to adapt with minor fluctuations. The variability rate provides indicators of the state of the heart’s electrical activity, blood pressure and the state of the blood vessels. The fact that study shows a correlation between air pollution and decreased heart rate variability in healthy young men is a concern for all.

Complementary Medicine is More Commonly Used in Middle-Age

 

Wake Forest University School of Medicine (based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) has recently published the report of a survey which shows that the most common group of people likely to turn to complementary medicines and alternative therapies is middle-aged adults. A group of more than 30,000 adults participated in the survey with questions based around the use of 28 complementary medicines in the 12 months previous.

A common view might have been that older and more inform adults would be most likely to look at complementary medicine for health improvement but the survey results did not bear this out.  One theory for this is that the complementary and alternative medicines and therapies have only started gaining significant popularity in more recent decades and therefore, older people have been less exposed to them. Another theory is that many people may simply view their health issues as a sign of age and therefore are not motivated to seek assistance, medical or otherwise.

Another result of the survey was that ethnicity had no bearing on the use of complementary medicine but the survey questions were not geared to finding out whether belief principles of different ethnic groups had a bearing.

Yep, Another Pitch For Water...

Our bodies are made up of around 75 % water – depending on which study you read, and on top of that our bodies use a huge amount of water every day for basic functions like digestion, circulation, the transporting of nutrients to organs, maintaining body temperature and the manufacturing of saliva.

Therefore we need to be drinking a certain amount of water every day just to manage these basic things. But many of us don’t, opting instead for coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks, as well as fruit juices when we are thirsty. But what you might not realize is that caffeine in all forms dehydrates your body further – acting as a diuretic. Energy drinks and fruit juices are packed with sugar – natural and artificial- which don’t help in flushing out your system.

Every single cell in our body needs a lot of water every day – the only time you could get away with swopping water is when you drink herbal tea, without sugar or milk. Dehydration is one of the main causes of things like headaches, fatigue – that familiar late afternoon slump – pain and digestive issues.

Think of water drinking as if you are giving your body an inner shower, allowing your system the chance to flush out all the toxins, boost the immune system and allow your poor post weekend liver to get a fresh start for the week. It also has fantastic benefit on your skin – will reduce problem skin, making you look young and fresh for longer.

Make it a habit to keep a bottle in the car, on your desk at work, in your bag and another in your gym bag and you will slowly get into the habit of drinking more water during the day.

Stress and the modern lifestyle

Stress has become a huge part of the way that we live in our modern lives. Traffic, deadlines, over scheduling, family commitments, school, work, commuting – it’s all a race defined by time and money. And we don’t realize just how much stress we are constantly under just going about our day to day business.

But intense amounts of stress will start to show signs in our health and our wellbeing, and the worst part is that we often ignore them. Too busy, don’t have the time, no money to get to the doctor or health practitioner – we just take a pill and move forward. But when the pills stop working, our body starts giving us other signs to make us slow down and we suddenly have all sorts of ailments that start becoming debilitating.

We are suddenly dealing with allergies, insomnia, high anxiety levels, mood swings, feelings of total exhausting, despondency and a general feeling of being overwhelmed. If you are feeling any of these symptoms of stress on a daily basis, you most definitely need to take a step back and make some changes so that you can cope better.

Look after your health, your body and your diet – without those three you don’t have much control over your life. Stop smoking now – do it for good and do it forever – take back the control and stop being a nicotine slave. Swop the libations for water, herbal teas and fruit juices and keep the wine for the weekend.

Clean up your diet, plan your meals ahead of time and get to bed at a reasonable hour and do some exercise. We all say we just don’t have time to get to the gym – but we make time to have wine with our friends.

The Detox Diet – A healthy alternative to managing Candida

Often when we start experiencing health symptoms like Candida, it’s our body’s way of telling us to slow down, take stock, reboot and to consciously check our diets. It’s extremely easy with a modern lifestyle – fast paced, highly stressed, always on the go – to not pay attention to the food we are eating. And we approach meal times as a bit of a nuisance as we rush between meetings.

But there is that age old saying ‘’ Life is like a shopping trolley – you can put whatever you want in it , but sooner or later you are going to have to pay for it.’’ Our bodies are going to take strain if we are feeding it junk food, fast food, instant meals and washing it all down with things like coke and beer.
A detox diet for a few days is a way to give your body a chance to flush out all of the toxins we have accumulated through diet and our environment, that are causing our systems to be slow and troublesome. And this doesn’t mean that you have to rush out and buy a juicer, living on lemon slices for 5 days or just eat carrots – it means you have to eat clean, cut out the junk – the booze, the caffeine (yes sorry), the nicotine – why you are doing that in the first place boggles the mind – the white bread and the cheeseburgers.

Drink loads of water and herbal tea, eat fruit, raw veggies, salad, free range chicken and wild salmon, fill up on whole grains and cut out the dairy and the coffee. After 3-5 days you will have given your body a fantastic chance to reboot and you will start feeling great and full of energy again.

The Gluten Conspiracy

To hear folks tell it and to see the food manufacturers coming out with one new product after another made without gluten you would think this gluten stuff ranks right up there with radioactive particles as being the worse thing to put into your body.

Cereals, pastas, breads… there’s a slew of new products out there that are gluten free.  And because of that they’re supposedly healthier for you.  Supposedly.

Do you even know what gluten is?  Many do not.  They can associate it with wheat but that’s about it.  Gluten is a protein– A protein that is found in wheat, barley and rye.  And here’s the kicker on why it’s important.

It’s all about texture and consistency.  Gluten makes bread spongy.  It makes pizza dough stretchy.  It helps give donuts that unique texture.

You see without gluten things tend to taste… well crappy because they develop a new texture and consistency.

Without gluten that pizza you ate for lunch is going to taste like crap.

Without gluten that donut you had for breakfast is going to taste like crap.

And without gluten, you know that pasta you’re going to have for supper tonight– You know how that’s going to taste right?  Yep.  Like crap.

The whole gluten-free thing has picked up steam over the last few years because more people have become aware that they are suffering with celiac disease which potentially causes all sorts of digestive problems for folks.  The thought is that someone with celiac develops a bad reaction to the gluten protein and the result is a disorder within the digestive tract.  Obviously it’s not a fun thing to deal with for those that suffer with celiac.

The problem is, and well there are two problems with this– actually make it three problems…

The first being that manufactures are using other additives that may be even more damaging for your health if you not suffering from celiac, because again without gluten our wheat/barley/rye based foods do not taste the same.  So manufacturers are using more fats and sugars to try to restore the proper consistency to foods.  The result is that many end up doing themselves more harm than good by partaking in those gluten-free foods.

The second problem is that many who report celiac as being one of their health challenges have responded positively to using certain types of probiotics (dietary supplements that contain live friendly bacteria) as part of their daily health regime.  The problem is that many more people simply avoid gluten-filled foods because they think there is no help for someone who reacts negatively to foods containing gluten except to avoid those foods all together.

The result is that those people have to live their lives with a greatly reduced diet and do not realize that perhaps by taking the right probiotic that their issues relating to gluten could be greatly minimized. 

Finally here’s the third problem.  There are a lot of folks who are switching to a gluten-free lifestyle thinking they are on some sort of weight loss program when doing so.  Well as I pointed out earlier many gluten-free foods are showing up with more calories and fat grams than their gluten-filled equivalents– so much for that idea.  HOWEVER because the selection gluten-free foods is still kind of small I suppose you could  say folks are going to eat less just because there’s still far less selection out there.  So I guess there’s some relevance to a weight loss program, but I would think you could find better or more efficient weight loss programs to follow.

We’re blessed with a wide variety of foods… from the breakfast table to the lunch table to the supper table.  And many of those foods contain gluten.  Heck gluten is even used to thicken soups and sauces.   A life without gluten isn’t as enjoyable and in some ways may be even unhealthier.

Here’s two probiotics that have good reputations for helping people that struggle with digestive disorders that may be celiac related: http://www.candida-yeast-problems.com and http://www.candidayeastsupport.com

Is It Chicken or not?

There have been many commercials on TV lately about KFC offering boneless chicken parts.  As a long-time KFC fan that leaves me with a somewhat empty feeling... Sigh. 

Don't get me wrong I know how unhealthy their original recipe chicken.  I know it's loaded with fat and salt.  But is it darned good!  I don't have it often because of the the amount of fat grams it contains.  Another sigh.

It seems that KFC is looking to go away from chicken-on-the-bone entirely. 

My problem with the whole thing is that when I think of boneless chicken I think of McD's nuggets or the bags of frozen breaded frozen chicken chunks you can buy in the freezer section of your grocery store.

As far as McD's nuggets go here's what they are made of:

Half of the ingredients in McNuggets consist of corn derivatives, sugars, leavening agents and completely synthetic ingredients, including dimethylpolysiloxane (an anti-foaming agent made from silicone) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (or TBHQ, a deadly chemical preservative).
So we've got about half meat and half... something else.

I gotta say I petrified that my KFC chicken parts will end up the same way.  The fact is once you take the chicken off the bone I think it becomes much easier to add some stuff to the chicken to make it less... well like chicken.   I'm not saying KFC is going to do that, but getting the chicken part without the bone leaves more of a chance for chicken hanky-panky if you will.

Too Much Coke Killed This Woman… No Not That Kind of Coke

I spied this article not long ago…

INVERCARGILL (New Zealand): Drinking too much Coke killed mother of eight Natasha Harris, a New Zealand coroner has found.

Ms Harris drank up to 10 litres of Coke every day – equal to more than twice the recommended safe daily limit of caffeine and almost 1 kilogram of sugar.

She died aged 30, on February 25, 2010, from a cardiac arrest. Her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson, found her seated on the toilet, slumped against the wall and gasping for air.

Coca-Cola has argued that the huge quantities of Coke drunk daily by Ms Harris day could not be proven to have contributed to her death.

But in findings released on Tuesday, New Zealand coroner David Crerar said Ms Harris would not have died if it wasn’t for her dependence on Coke.

‘‘I found that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died.’’

In the months leading up to her death her health had deteriorated, Mr Hodgkinson said.

‘‘She had no energy and was feeling sick all the time ... She would get up and vomit in the morning.’’

He said her Coke habit had become an addiction: ‘‘She would get moody and get headaches if she didn’t have any Coke and also feel low in energy.’’

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/too-much-cocacola-killed-mother-coroner-20130212-2eab8.html#ixzz2WtRCctp0

For those who never had metric training in school, is a little more than 2 ½ gallons of Coca Cola per day. 

Can you imagine that?

And how in the name of all things that are holy can you either be the person that is doing that to themselves or one of those around her that let this happen? 

Apparently she had been doing this for quite some time because not only were her teeth rotted out (I wonder what the makers of Coke would say about that?) but her kids also had massive teeth problems and they didn’t drink the stuff– this was due to what happened in the womb. 

I feel bad for this woman and the folks she left behind, but geez Louise step up and take some responsibility for your health huh?

I know others with similar addictions to soda pop.   I use to work with a gal who would start off the day with a can of Pepsi (no sense just beating up Coke!) and 4, 5 times throughout the rest of the day would get herself a brand new can.

Several years ago I knew someone who use to travel with a cooler of “Tab” (yeck) everywhere they went.

All sorts of people have been beating up Mayor Bloomberg of NYC for his ban of gigundo soft drinks being offered at restaurants, convenience stores and such.   I quietly applauded the action because I know many folks simply can’t help themselves and if those monster drinks aren’t there then they probably won’t miss then… I don’t think that’s a big price to pay to help maintain someone’s health.  And don't get me wrong, I don't think there's a better breakfast in the world than Pepsi (yep, I gotta admit... I'm a Pepsi guy) and cold pizza.  That combo for me is to die for, but to really die for it?  Nah.

In a future article maybe I’ll beat up coffee and beer drinkers, but I’ll stop here for today. J

Sometimes Dietary Supplements Shouldn't Contain What They Do...

Yesterday I talked about Sen. Durbin's attempt to get dietary supplements regulated as tightly as prescription drugs.

And today I'm talking about this news piece from Fox that discusses 6 dietary supplements that contain "stuff" that shouldn't be there– namely ingredients that are typically found in prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.

"The names of the tainted products are: Reload, Get It Up, Super Cheetah, Cave Diver, Nights to Remember and X Zen Platinum. All of the products are marketed for sexual enhancement, and sold on various websites and in some retail stores, the FDA said.
All of the products were found to contain the drug sildenafil (sold under the brand name Viagra), and one was found to contain tadalafil (brand name Cialis). Sildenafil and tadalafil are prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction. Sex supplements are not allowed to contain prescription drugs, and the drugs are not included on the products' labels."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/10/6-sex-supplements-contain-hidden-drugs-fda-warns/#ixzz2WiCLq600

Obviously this is not a good thing.  It doesn't mean I think dietary supplements should be regulated like prescription drugs, but I don't necessarily think the FDA should have a "hands-off" policy either.

In other words we need balance.

James Gandolfini Was 'Walking Time Bomb'?

Unless you live under a rock I'm sure you've heard that "Soprano's" star James Gandolfini passed away Wednesday from an apparent heart attack.

I love "The Soprano's" and that Gandolfini was terrific.  I'm sad he's gone and I'm sad that pretty much squashes any "Soprano's" follow-ups.

But anyway this is a problem that cuts across all of society... no matter if you're into alternative health or you're strictly a traditional medicine person.

Here's what one doc has to say about the situation...

“He was a walking time bomb,” said Dr. Crandall,

 

Heart disease generally starts decades before it is diagnosed, Dr. Crandall said. “The bottom line was that he was an overweight, probably inactive, and he had multiple risk factors.”

 

Considering the actor’s size, and reports that he was a heavy eater and drinker, Dr. Crandall speculated that “he probably had elevated blood pressure, and may have had metabolic syndrome.”

 

Metabolic syndrome is a set of conditions, which includes a large waistline, high triglycerides, and high cholesterol that dangerously hike heart attack risk. Also, given the actor’s weight, he may very well also have had sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder that hikes heart attack risk, Dr. Crandall added.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Headline/james-gandolfini-death-heart/2013/06/20/id/510948?s=al&promo_code=13E41-1#ixzz2WmzycXqI
Alert: What Is Your Risk for a Heart Attack? Find Out Now

By some reports Gandolfini was 6'1" and weighed upwards of 275lbs.  I'm 6'3" and weigh 220.  I can't imagine being a couple inches shorter and having to carry around an extra 50lbs.  That's gotta put even more wear and tear on your old ticker.

Just something to think about.

Anyway, thank's for the many hours of entertainment as Tony Soprano.

Senator Durbin is still at it...

The guy won't quit!

This is from the mercola website...

"Illinois Senator Durbin is planning to reintroduce his supplement bill, the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act (S 1310), which would grant more power to the FDA to regulate dietary supplements like they were drugs; Durbin first introduced S 1310 in 2011, but it failed miserably, as have many of his other attempts to pass laws attacking the supplement industry."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/19/durbin-supplement-bill.aspx

For some reason the senator seems to think dietary supplements are more dangerous than prescription drugs.

Basically the Senator wants the FDA to be much more of a watch dog over the dietary supplement industry.

Don't get me wrong I think some overseeing is needed, but do we want a situation like in Canada or Europe where dietary supplements are treated like prescription drugs?  Meaning that if you want a simple bottle of vitamins you're going to need to see a physician first.  How is that a good thing?

Right here is the crux of the matter... again from the Mercola web site:

"There is no satiating the hunger for more power in our federal government. Politicians will scare you about sugary beverages loaded with caffeine as examples of the dangerous and 'unregulated' supplement industry.
Meanwhile, consumers load up at Starbucks and other coffee shops - where they can easily down cups and cups of this 'dangerous' substance. You don't see Durbin beating down the door of Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, even though coffee is the primary source where most people get their caffeine fix.
When you notice this type of hypocrisy, you can usually bet there is a serious industry influence behind the scenes. There is a campaign push assaulting the supplement industry by those hoping to gain control of it. Essentially, if supplements become regulated like drugs - only the drug companies will be manufacturing them.
By setting new regulations and gaining control of the industry, big pharma can charge higher prices and make higher profits."

I would doubt there is 1 consumer out of 20 who thinks letting the big drug manufacturers take over the dietary supplement industry would be a good thing.

Senator Durbin was beaten down on this once before.  Now it's time to marshall the troops once again and kick the stuffings out of this proposal.

Here's a place where you can sign a petition to stop this:

https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=590

Till next time...

Mike W.

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