Sugar and Spice: Learn How Cinnamon Promotes Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

An ancient spice prized for its unique flavor, aroma and healing capabilities, cinnamon has received a lot of attention by the modern media as a possible treatment for diabetes. Several studies have shown that cinnamon is an effective medicine for lowering blood sugar levels. While most doctors do not suggest replacing traditional diabetes therapy with cinnamon, many people may find this spice to be an effective way to control blood sugar naturally.

One of the first studies to call attention to the blood sugar benefits of cinnamon was published in 2003 in Diabetes Care. The study included 60 participants with type II diabetes who were given a daily dosage of one, three or six grams of cinnamon in capsule form (which is about one-quarter to one teaspoon in typical powder form). The participants were monitored for 40 days, and all recorded a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose levels - some as much as 29 percent. There was not a notable difference in results between the three dosage levels.

Another study published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation in 2006 examined the effects of cinnamon extract on blood sugar. There were 79 participants in this study, all with type II diabetes that was being treated with oral medication and diet therapy (as opposed to insulin medication and therapy). Participants were randomly given a placebo or a cinnamon extract capsule filled with 112 mg of water-soluble extract (which is equal to about one gram of cinnamon). The dosage was given three times daily. Those who were given the cinnamon extract showed more than a 10 percent improvement in fasting glucose levels, versus a 3 percent improvement in the control group.

A small Swedish study gave 14 participants a daily cup of rice pudding, plain or with six grams of cinnamon added. Researchers recorded blood glucose levels and the rate of gastric emptying after participants ate the pudding. The cinnamon appeared to slow down stomach emptying, and blood glucose levels were notably lower in those who ate the pudding with cinnamon.

Researchers aren't completely sure whether cinnamon influences insulin or whether it affects the rate at which sugars are absorbed, but the results of these and other studies are intriguing, and will hopefully lead to more research about just how cinnamon causes these positive blood glucose results.

For most people, adding a small daily dose of cinnamon to their diet is almost effortless. In fact, what better way is there to start the morning than with a bowl of whole-grain oatmeal, sweetened with stevia and flavored with cinnamon? It's an ideal breakfast food for someone aiming to control blood sugar. Or add a little cinnamon to your daily cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate. You can also add an extra dash of cinnamon to desserts like apple pie or bread pudding to help tame the blood sugar highs that come with indulging in sweets. Of course, cinnamon isn't an excuse to over-indulge in sugar, but it can help balance our blood sugar when we do occasionally satisfy our sweet tooth. Cinnamon can also be used in capsule form for those who would rather not add the spice to their food. -naturalnews

Selenium Helps Remove Mercury from the Body

While high levels of Mercury are often found in large species of fish, a more important factor to consider is the relative amount of Selenium the fish contains. Selenium, also abundant in seafood, actually helps remove Mercury from the body. Thus, consuming certain types of seafood (and other foods) that have a high Selenium to Mercury ratio can purify the body of heavy metals even when the fish contains those same elements. This article will explore the benefits of Selenium, those foods with the highest Selenium content, and the Mercury to Selenium ratio of several types of fish.

What is Selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that functions as an antioxidant and promotes a healthy immune system. Selenium is required in remarkably small amounts, with recommended daily amounts measured in the millionths of a gram (micrograms). Selenium is also toxic in larger amounts. Selenium has strong anti-cancer effects and is known to help detoxify the body and remove heavy metals including Mercury.

In the early 1970's it was discovered that Selenium is incorporated into proteins to produce selenoproteins, important enzymes that are antioxidants (they destroy free radicals and prevent cellular damage). Selenoproteins boost the immune system and help regulate thyroid function.

How Much Selenium is Required?

The average person gets about 65 micrograms of Selenium per day. 200 micrograms is considered the optimal amount while 400 micrograms is the maximum allowable daily dose. Note that too much Selenium is highly toxic to the body.

* Symptoms of too little Selenium: Cancer, heart disease, fatigue, stunted growth, high cholesterol, compromised immune system function, liver impairment, pancreatic insufficiency and sterility.

* Symptoms of too much Selenium: Arthritis, brittle nails, bad breath, hair loss, irritability, liver and kidney problems, tooth loss, jaundice.

Note that in most places including South America, most of North America, Africa, Russia and China there is little or no selenium in the soil. Northern Nebraska and the Dakotas have very high levels of Selenium however.

Seafood: Selenium Benefits

According to a recent study by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, a new standard (called the Selenium-Health Benefit Value or Se-HBV) is being proposed by leading researchers to measure seafood safety.

The following types of fish have very high Se-HBV, containing between 10 and 25 times as much Selenium than Mercury. High quality servings of the following fish can be expected to lower blood levels of Mercury along with providing a healthy amount of Selenium.

* Yellowfin Tuna
* Albacore Tuna
* Skipjack Tuna
* Mahi Mahi
* Wahoo

Only one fish in the Western Pacific study (Mako shark) showed higher levels of Mercury than Selenium, while one other (Swordfish) had an even, 50/50 ratio of Mercury and Selenium.

Another study by Dr. Nicholas Ralston at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that (southern) Flounder and (wild Pacific) Salmon (including Chinook, Sockeye and Coho) have much more Selenium than Mercury. It also shows that Pilot Whale, Tarpon and most types of Shark should be avoided, with Grouper being about even.

Foods high in Selenium

* Brazil Nuts (dried, unblanched) - Brazil nuts are the only truly concentrated, natural source of Selenium, and may contain so much Selenium that one shouldn't consume too many! However different sources can vary based on the soil they are grown on. Brazil nuts can contain as much as 550 micrograms per ounce, an amount large enough to be toxic.

* Tuna (light, canned in oil) - a 3 ounce serving of Tuna contains nearly 100% the RDA of Selenium (about 63 while 65 micrograms is the RDA). Note that most cans contain dangerous BPA (Bisphonol-A, a hormone disruptor) in the liners and only two companies are known to not use this in their canned tuna. Meanwhile, higher quality tuna has as little as .08 ppm of Mercury per serving versus .38 ppm in lower quality sources.

Other foods that may contain Selenium in lesser amounts include kelp, molasses, whole wheat, turkey, chicken and beef. -naturalnews

Green Beans

This vegetables is one of favorite for me and my mom. It not just the flavor but green beans can reduce your high blood pressure(One week ago her blood pressure almost 170/100 but now 120/80).
If you have history of high blood pressure, green beans can be alternative for your medicine. here the recipe :

• Take 150gr green beans and wash
• Boil green beans with 2 glass water in stainless pot in 5 or 6 minutes
  
• Wait and second till the water in pot warn or cold
• Separate green beans from water(eat green beans as salad)
  
• Drink water boil green beans 2 times in a day

You do it until your have normal blood pressure(my mom need 3 days) and don't forget to always check your blood pressure. remember it just alternative cure you can believe it or not in your hands. -burifa

Learn the Best Time of Day to Take Vitamins

The body performs different functions at different times of the day. Many people suggest adding food supplements at varied times of the day to accommodate for the digestion and assimilation of these nutrients.

At night, many suggest taking calcium. This is because calcium is utilized at night, and also because calcium can help you get to sleep when taken at bed time. Remember the adage of a glass of milk before bed? Calcium absorption is the reason this makes sense. Magnesium is needed to work hand-in-hand with calcium. Many people take magnesium along with calcium, in the same supplements, at bedtime, although some suggest that magnesium is best absorbed in the day time. If the calcium supplement contains magnesium, taking both at the same time is appropriate.

Many vitamins are best ingested with food, so taking them at meal time is advised. It's easy to remember to take vitamins with meals, since you are eating and drinking at that time, anyway.

Fat-soluble vitamins need fat in order to be absorbed, so they should always be taken with meals that contain fat. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Vitamin C lasts only a few hours in the bloodstream. It should be repeated every three hours for best results, or the entire dose should be divided up to take a third with each meal.

Fiber is best ingested in the morning upon rising. That way it will do its work in the colon without being impeded by food. Fiber can cause vitamins to not absorb, as it can act as a coating to the intestines, so it is best to not take vitamins before fiber. Iron is especially not absorbed well with fiber.

Probiotics are taken with meals and sometimes before a meal, usually about 20 minutes. Digestive enzymes are taken with meals as well, for best effect.

Stimulating vitamins, such as vitamin C, should not be taken before bedtime, as it can keep a person awake. Some even suggest that citrus juice and vitamin C cause nightmares, but this is unconfirmed.

If you are taking many nutritional supplements you might want to organize them in a pillbox that provides a separate box for each time of the day. A few minutes preparation can ensure that you take the recommended doses and that you remember to get all your doses in, in a timely manner. Setting the box near your dining area will remind you to take the vitamins when you eat. Even if you don't take vitamins at the "appropriate" time, adding nutrients to your diet will build health at any time of the day. -naturalnews

Maintain Your Health with Ginger

Ginger has been cultivated and taken as a medicinal by numerous cultures for thousands of years to address symptoms such as upset stomach or nausea, to expel cold from the body and to stop a cough. In addition, recent studies have confirmed and expanded our understanding of this herb's healing abilities, including ginger's ability to protect the stomach lining and inhibit the secretion of gastric acid. Ginger's botanical name is Zingiber officinale, with the genus name Zingiber deriving from a Sanskrit word meaning "horn-shaped" in reference to the shape of the protrusions on the ginger rhizome. While the exact origins of Ginger are not known, we do know that it has been cultivated in China and India for millennia, and it reached the West over two-thousand years ago.

Numerous studies have demonstrated ginger's anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger's nausea-reducing actions are attributed to its ability to increase digestive fluids, as well as neutralize stomach acid and toxins. Ginger has been shown to increase the action and tone of the bowels, as well as increase bile secretion. Ginger also reduces the stickiness of blood platelets, and may therefore help reduce one's risk of atherosclerosis.

It is interesting to note, too, that ginger has been employed in Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years due to its numerous beneficial properties. Called Sheng-jiang in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, ginger used alone as a single herb is considered to alleviate nausea, dispel pathogens by inducing sweating, expel cold, as well as stop coughing and reduce excess phlegm in the lungs.

In Chinese herbal medicine, Sheng-jiang, or fresh ginger, is considered to have very different properties than Gan-jiang, or dried ginger. Gan-jiang is useful for "cold" pain of the stomach and abdomen, diarrhea due to "cold" in the abdomen, cough, and rheumatism, among other uses. Dried ginger has also been shown to inhibit vomiting.

Additionally, fresh ginger is considered in Chinese herbal medicine to have a moderating or detoxifying effect on other more harsh herbs. For this reason, ginger is found as a component of many different Chinese herbal formulas (clusters of herbs combined together for their overall synergistic effects) for the treatment of symptoms ranging from the common cold, to allergic rhinitis, influenza, chronic nephritis, headache, and chronic laryngitis. It should be noted that ginger won't directly treat the symptoms listed above unless combined with other herbs in the proper formula for an individual patient's particular case.

A recent study published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine concluded that ginger protects the gastric mucosa from stress-induced mucosal lesions and inhibits gastric acid secretion, due in part to inhibiting growth of h. pylori as well as offering anti-oxidant protection against gastric damage. This seems to clearly confirm the popular use of ginger in Ayurvedic, eastern, and folk medicine traditions for its medicinal properties. -naturalnews

10 Reasons People Just Can’t Get Organized

I have a friend who avoided going home after work because it was just too depressing. Her home was cluttered and disorganized in every room. She had fast food wrappers everywhere. Drinks had spilled on the couch and carpet that made a sticky mess. She couldn’t find her DVD’s because they were scattered everywhere. She had late fees galore on both DVD’s and library books because she couldn’t find them under all the clutter. She didn’t know how to declutter her home or her life. If this sounds familiar to you here are 10 Tips on how to declutter your home and your life.

1. Some people think they are just lazy and that is why they can’t organize. As a professional organizer I have worked with hundreds of people and no one I have met is lazy, that may be an avoidance tactic. We are busy people and have a lot of demands on our time.

2. They don’t know what they want and haven’t taken the time to think about what they want their home to look like.

3. You may want to keep everything you now have in your home. In each room eliminate 30% to 50% of the stuff (depending on how much you have). If this is too hard to do get rid of 20 items in each room, again depending on how much there is to get rid of.

4. You tell yourself you don’t know where to start? Here are some suggestions of where to start: Chose the room that bothers you the most. Start in your bedroom as that room can be a place of sanctuary for you. Start on the front porch or in the entry way as that is the place visitors and guests see first. When you are in a room start organizing from the inside out, do the flat services after you have done the closet, drawers, armoire, cupboards etc.

5. Have you ever said there just isn’t enough time in the day to declutter my home? The solution is to start slow and take baby steps. Set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and see how much you can get done in that length of time. You will be surprised how much you can get done by taking one small bite at a time. If you are in a good rhythm, reset your timer and keep on clearing clutter.

6. You blame other people in your home for keeping the clutter around. (Only because it is often true). Start with your things first and when they see you are serious and are making changes they will be more likely to come on board and will be willing to declutter their space. Negotiate with your family and share with them your goals on how you want your home to look and feel.

7. What is the use to organize, it will just get unorganized? Do you ever feel this way? And it is true unless you have some systems in place to help you and your family keep it organized. Have a home for everything and after using something put it back where it belongs immediately after using it. When you see something out of place pick it up then and put it away, or in a drawer straighten things up before they get out of hand and a jumbled mess.

8. Do your children undo everything you do? Give them responsibilities and teach them how to declutter by putting things away, reward them and praise them for jobs they do.

9. You are holding on to things because you may need it someday. It is all just stuff; consider is it worth the cost to replace it IF at some future time you need it compared to what it is costing in clutter living in your home.

10. You can’t decide what to get rid of? As you look at every item ask yourself how long it has been since you used it, do you ever use it, does it light you up, could someone else make better use of it? By asking yourself these questions it will be easier to part with the stuff that is just taking up space in your home and creating clutter.

By using these simple steps to declutter your home you will be able to keep organized. Life happens and things get unorganized, but keep your goals in mind and use the systems you put in place to keep organized.

Marilyn is a professional organizer and invites you to visit her website www.marilynbohn.com, She is a sought after public speaker and author who is passionate about teaching ways to organize your life and how to reduce clutter. She works with women in their homes and offices. On her web site she teaches you to get rid of clutter by using her Lights On Organizing System. She provides practical information on how to declutter your home, office and life. In her blogs, articles, and videos she gives timely tips on how to clear clutter and how to declutter everything in your home and office. She is the author of a book called Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple steps which will be in major bookstores in December 2009. -Marilyn Bohn

7 Concrete Ways To Build Up Trust In Your Relationship

Did you know that there are 7 concrete ways to build trust in a relationship? Frequently, what really makes a relationship work is not the usual stuff we assume of first. For example, do you believe you for all time need to zest things up? Wrong! Expectedness is more vital than diversity in a relationship. The subsequent seven methods are fail-safe to grow your bond by improving the stage of trust in a relationship.

First and foremost, as what I have mentioned in the opening paragraph, you got to be predictable. This goes against the general concept that you need to shift things up to keep the romance full of life. Surely, going to a new restaurant or giving a surprise gift can be pleasant, but for the most part of it, we need things to be constant and stable in order to make our relationships work. Consider that trust in a relationship is built on being dependable day in and day out.

Next, you need to make sure that your words always match the message. This means that your partner needs to hear the words which match your body language. If you say you are happy but you are frowning, your partner doesn’t hear your words, he or she sees your face and the tone in your voice. Your partner needs to be able to trust what you are saying. When the words match the message, you build trust in a relationship.

Third, you need to have a fundamental belief in your partner’s competency. If you don’t you won’t have the trust in a relationship that you need. When lovingly communicated, the truth is never destructive. When you do not believe that your partner is competent at some things (or indeed, anything), you violate the trust in a relationship.

Don’t keep secrets. Secrets destroy the trust in a relationship. Be honest and open. Assume everything you know will eventually come out. Secrets require enormous energy on your part. That is energy that could be going into building the relationship.

Fifth, do not be anxious to let your partner know what your requests are. Do not make him or her speculate what you need. Let them know! It is acceptable to be self-absorbed as long as you are not egocentric. If truth be told and you are unenthusiastic to assert your needs, you may possibly go overboard in the contradicting direction and oppress your partner.

Sixth, you have to learn to say no. When your other half expresses to you about what are his or her needs, that is a good thing. But you do not call for to say yes to everything. A partner cannot value you if you in no way say no. Declining to be dominated to the other person will really builds trust in a relationship.

Finally, always pursue growth. When you plant a flower, you begin by digging in the dirt. Digging in the dirt of our relationships can sometimes cause pain. But, through that pain, we prepare the soil for future growth. Don’t be afraid of turmoil, crisis, or questions. These become the fertilizer for growth and change. Embrace what is difficult.

When you come to a decision to work on the trust in a relationship, you are guaranteed to stumble upon a little pain. But, as you work throughout this pain, you will not merely become stronger as a personage, you will also fortify your relationship. -Andyl Bergerl

Is It Possible To Restore Trust In Any Relationships After Affairs?

Is it possible to convince your ex back into the relationship even though you have cheated? It has been observed that many relationships end because of an affair. But I disagree and believe that a relationship can still be restored to the way it was before the affair. Of course, both individuals have to be willing to put in the effort to save their relationship. This article is all about restoring the trust in relationship.

To restore trust in your relationship, you need to make some adjustments to your action as well as your attitude. It is quite possible to save your relationship even after having an affair. The major component you need here is to win back the trust of your partner.

Now look, it is very probable that if you choose to have an affair, you might also be having some attitude which made you stray. There is a possibility that there is something wrong in the relationship. And there is a big chance that you can heal that infection.

Let's get to the reason for why you strayed. Was your partner too busy to give you time? Or is it because she is not grooming herself?

You will probably not even consider an affair if your relationship is perfect with your partner. The question is, what can be done to fix your relationship now? Many times, the solution will be more apparent if you conduct a serious self analysis.

Restoring trust in relationships means fixing the underlying problems. Sometimes that means going into couples counseling.

But you need to realize that understanding your thoughts are not good enough. What is important is that you need to take concrete action in solving those problems.

The secret to restoring trust in relationships lies not in talking about the right things, but in doing the right things.

The best thing you can do is to make a promise and stick to it. For example, if you have promised her that you would be home by 7 every evening, you need to make sure that you do come home by that time. And then you need to do this with consistency. If your partner can trust you on small things, it will be easier for your partner to trust you on bigger issues.

Now your girlfriend or your wife will always need to be assured and would always want to ensure that you have really changed. This means that you will probably have to apologize more than once. It is certainly not easy for her to forget the breach of trust. If you really want to stay with her, be calm and patient with her.

This certainly doesn't mean that you need to feel guilty about what you did forever. Just let her speak out whatever she has in her heart once and for all. It is obvious that in the beginning, she will not be happy about the new relationship you are building. Try to be more understanding.

It is important to let go of your past mistakes and take it as an opportunity to improve your relationship to even better than before, so that both of you will grow as an individuals. Doing so will also improve your relationship. Just like a bone grows stronger at the place it was broken, after successfully dealing with an affair, your relationship can be much better than before.

It takes time to restore trust in your relationship. It is important for both of you to amend your actions and attitudes toward each other. By working on your action and attitude, it will enhance the bonding between both of you and will surely lead to a better and healthier relationship. -Andyl Bergerl

When Making Up, Use Honesty As Your Weapon

When your heart is broken, it's the most painful and emotional day of your life. Nothing else can so easily rob you of a will to live, or is more important than love. You have no one to turn to, because the person you would have leaned on, in this time of crisis, is the one you have separated from. You feel all alone in your quest to find answers and to rebuild your connection. It can be done though. Your relationship can be healed even after the most intense fight you've ever had, even if the reasons are valid and serious and damning. There's a way you can come back from this and be stronger and in love all over again by simply making up.

This process is more detailed than simply reliving your break up, or your fight, in your mind, or talking about it. It contains many different twists and turns, none of them flattering or comfortable. But each step is necessary and important.

It's also vital that you do this very soon after your break up. Don't wait. Do it now. If you want or need to analyze it, do it quickly. The longer you wait the more time there is for thoughts to enter your mind and his/hers that will make the making up part harder.

I'll give you a few steps and ideas here, then I suggest you look at my bio for an ebook that I know will help you as it has helped many others in the art of making up. And yes, it is an art. Actually I think he called it magic. We all need a little magic from time to time. That's why so many people need help in their time of crisis. You are not alone.

I found that after a fight, or break up, I must sit quietly and think about all that was said and done and the cause of it. Then I can look at it a little more objectively. When I do this, I can often see what I said and did that was wrong and I concentrate on what I've done, should do next time, or didn't do. I cannot change what they did, but I can listen to their words and feelings and start planning how I'm going to go about making up.

It's so important at this time to be brutally honest, with yourself as well as with your lover or partner. It's hard though, too, because your feelings sometimes get in the way. You must persist. If you cannot be honest, you will have nothing on which to build. If it's hard for you, consider the probability that it's just as hard for him/her.

So my first word of advice is to be honest.

Part of the above, is the next step - taking the blame for what you did wrong.

This is just as hard. I know. It's always so easy to blame someone else or circumstances or your mood. It's not always true though and you know it. Sometimes you did wrong and you're going to have to own up to it. You're going to have to be the one that says I'm sorry, I did wrong. Then you're going to have to be the one who waits for your lover to say he/she forgives you or is still mad at you. This is all part of the making up process, a necessary part.

The problem is that if you don't own up to your mistakes, how can you expect them to own up to theirs? If you make the first move and admit what you did, then you can hope that they are strong enough in the assurance of your love to do the same. And you must give them that assurance, too.

You must state that you love them, if it's true. Obviously if it's not true, then don't say it. We're talking in this article about breaking up with your loved one, so I can only assume that you love this person you are making up with, or trying to.

It's a good foundation on which to build - honesty - owning up to your mistakes and telling them you love them, giving them the assurance that you are willing to forgive their mistakes, if not immediately then in time. Telling them that you want to continue this bond. Assuring them of your forgiveness in time. Letting them know you trust and accept them. This is all part of the making up process.

This short article does not give me room to explain all that I am trying to convey to you. I wish I could help you understand why I believe this is so important. I've been married 33 years and I know what a broken heart feels like. Making up has been part of my marriage for years and I always hated the reason for it. It's so important, though, and so worth the effort. I still love my husband more than words can say and I would never wish any other person to go through life without their lover at their side.

So I suggest you do whatever is necessary, also legal and moral, to win back your lover. Making up is extremely important. Don't ever overlook it. -Jenny Dunbar

How to Flatten Your Stomach Fast

Are you tired of trying all the different exercises to flatten your stomach, but nothing seem to have worked? If you are beginning your search for the best way get a flat stomach then read on for a simple method to achieve your goal. This new and simple way will get you the results you have been trying for years.

You can perform this simple exercise to lose weight and get a flat stomach without leaving your house. The way this exercise works is that you will be squeezing certain muscles in your abdomen. This easy routine will give you great results fast.

You need to follow these few steps to get that flat tummy. You can perform this type of exercise on your feet, while resting in your bed, or even during your commute. You start off by breathing in at a very slow pace. You want to squeeze your abdominal muscles, allow them to contract for few seconds and then relax the muscles. You can then rest for a few seconds and repeat the process again. After a few sessions you will notice that your stomach is starting to take shape.

This should be done in few repetitions to achieve great results. You also want to do this a few times during the day. The best routine is to do this when you wake up, during lunch, and in the afternoon to see the results in no time. If you feeling any sort of discomfort when performing this routine try to start for a few seconds and then build up from there. -Andy Reza

Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Making Up is Harder

There is an old song called "Breaking up is hard to do". Later on in the song the lyrics say "I wish that we were making up again". This song summarizes some relationships perfectly. Without a doubt breaking up is hard to do and making up is even harder. Here are some reasons why.

Breaking up is hard to do because you have to say things to end the relationship that are hurtful. Making up is harder because it's so difficult to take back the bad words and even harder to forgive them. Undoubtedly someone said some things that were unpleasant. Whoever was on the receiving end will have a very hard time forgiving those words. They will probably never forget the words.

Breaking up is hard to do because you cared enough about the other person to begin a relationship in the first place. Making up is harder because you've either broken the trust of the other person or your trust in the other person is broken. Once this type of intimate trust is broken it is very difficult to get back. It can be done but it takes time and patience.

Breaking up is hard to do because the relationship helps define who you are.Making up is harder because you've lost your sense of self and who you are. Relationships take on a personality of their own. Couples typically begin to define themselves through the relationship with the rest of the world. When the relationship is lost it can be easy to lose perspective of your self or your self worth.

Breaking up is hard to do because you shared the relationship with friends and family.Making up is harder because friends and family get forced to take sides. In some cases friends were used to help build up one person's case for the break up. Inevitably, friends and family become the sounding board for all of your feelings about the relationship. So if you decide to get back with your ex it can be difficult for them to support you. You've probably told them every horrible thing you can think of about the other person.

Breaking up is hard to do because it's easier to stay in a relationship than end one.Making up is harder because once you do make the change it's hard to go back. The concept of inertia plays a big part in everyone's life. Change is hard. It can be hard to enter into a relationship, even harder to break up and harder still to make up. Knowing that making up will be difficult also sabotages our efforts for reconciliation. Its just easier to give up and not try because we know its hard to make up. -Jenny Dunbar

Eat Your Carrots and Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer

There is mounting scientific evidence that women who eat a diet rich in carotenoids have substantially lower risk of breast cancer. The most recent studies show that the nutrients that give fruits and vegetables their yellow, orange and red colors can offer breast cancer protection to women at any stage of life, even those who have already survived breast cancer.

In separate studies, scientists from Harvard and New York`s Albert Einstein College of Medicine have confirmed the value of carotenoid-rich diets even for women with deadly invasive breast cancer.

Among the 5,450 postmenopausal women Albert Einstein researchers studied over an 8-year period, those who consumed the most carotenoid-laden vegetables cut their risk of invasive breast cancer nearly in half.

The Harvard study went a step further by concluding that carotenoid consumption might even protect premenopausal women who had been smokers.

A study published earlier this year concludes that a carotenoid-rich diet can prevent breast cancer from returning.

Carotenoids are brightly colored fat-soluble pigments in fruits and vegetables that are part of the Vitamin A molecule. As strong antioxidants, carotenoids protect cells and tissues from disease-causing oxygen free radicals. They are also known to strengthen immune function and cell-to-cell communication.

Beta-carotene, perhaps the best known in this family of more than 600 carotenoids, has been credited with life-extending provitamin A activity that helps boost the immune system, among other functions.

Get your carotenoids from any bright red, yellow or orange fruits or vegetable, including carrots, red peppers, tomatoes squash, pumpkin, peaches, apricots and sweet potatoes. They`re also found in spinach, kale and other dark green vegetables.

Cooking the foods can, in some cases, actually increase the bioavailability of carotenoids. Lycopene, a carotenoid that has been shown to be protective in a number of hormonally related cancers, actually becomes more usable to the human body after it is cooked. You`ll find lots of lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and papayas.

Researchers haven`t yet identified the specific cancer-protective property in carotenoid-rich foods, but their role in improving cell-to-cell communication is likely to have a role in the equation. Carotenoids are believed to have a role in female reproduction, possibility-providing researchers with a clue to their breast cancer protective nature.

Eating foods containing animal-based vitamin A molecules called retinols have also been shown to protect against breast cancer. Retinols are found in abundance in liver, butter and eggs. -naturalnews

A Protein Drink in Morning is Complete Meal for a Balanced Start to the Day

Having a protein drink in the morning is probably the best way to create sustainable energy throughout the day. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon hunger pangs and energy dips can disappear altogether. A protein shake in the morning is a filling and complete breakfast which contains protein, fats and carbohydrate, all in one meal.

If you experience dizziness or irritability without eating for 4 hours, or food cravings and energy dips, you may be experiencing a blood sugar imbalance. Such imbalances are bad for the immune system, the liver, and almost every bodily organ. Protein shakes can improve this sugar imbalance, while boosting the immune system and supporting the liver with nutrients and antioxidants.

Protein has a remarkable ability to increase your body`s levels of glutathione by providing the building blocks needed to create this molecule. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant which helps liver detoxification and boosts the immune system. Also note red berries are one of the most potent sources of antioxidants available.

Regular consumption of protein powder shakes is a superb way to bring about cell renewal and new tissue growth. It improves skin, strengthens arteries, restructures musculature and helps prevent excessive weight gain.

How to Make a Protein Shake
Ingredients:

• 3-4 tablespoons of natural organic yoghurt. (Or alternative if dairy intolerant)
• A rounded handful of berries (equivalent to the volume of 1 apple):
  

Optional Extras:
You could add the following if you desire:

• 1 scoop of your protein powder. Protein powders can be dairy or non-dairy
• 1-2 tablespoons of oats (best soaked overnight)
• 1 tablespoon of ground nuts and seeds (best soaked overnight)
• 1 tablespoon of liquid essential fatty acids
• Vitamin C powder or a multi vitamin and mineral powder
  

Instructions:
Throw everything into a blender and whizz until smooth!

Natural organic yoghurt can be bought from most supermarkets and health food shops. It is always best to have organic sheep and goat`s yoghurt. If you are vegan, you can use soy yoghurt instead. If you are also soy intolerant, a great creamy alternative is 1/2 or a whole avocado. It is important to get organic dairy as toxins tend to accumulate in fatty foods.

Ideally organic berries are best because non-organic berries have been found to contain some of the highest levels of pesticides of all fruit. They can include raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries etc. These can be fresh or frozen.

Oats are a great source of low sugar carbohydrates. Organic is best. Nuts and seeds can include pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, almonds, Brazils, hazelnuts and walnuts. Most blenders come with an attachment to grind coffee. This can be used to grind the nuts and seeds. -naturalnews

Fish Oils Reduce Size of Cancer Tumors

The omega-3 essential fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is more effective at reducing the size of breast cancer tumors than the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, and can also reduce that drug's harmful side effects, reports a new study published in the journal Cell Division.

"Our results suggest a new, fruitful drug regimen in the management of solid tumors based on combining cisplatin and possibly other chemotherapeutics with DHA," said researcher A.M. El-Mowafy of Egypt's Mansoura University. "DHA elicited prominent chemo-preventative effects on its own, and appreciably augmented those of cisplatin as well. Furthermore, this study is the first to reveal that DHA can obliterate lethal cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity [kidney damage] and renal tissue injury."

Researchers injected a group of mice with breast cancer cells, then treated them with either 125 or 250 milligrams per kilogram of DHA, a regular dose of cisplatin, a mix of cisplatin and 125 milligrams per kilogram of DHA, or a placebo. They recorded tumor size and blood levels of white blood cells, C-reactive protein (CRP) and MDA at the start of the study and again after 20 days.

CRP is a marker of inflammation, a known risk factor for tumor growth. MDA is a marker of lipid peroxidation, which signifies high levels of the free radicals that can lead to cancer. Elevated white blood cell counts are also associated with tumor growth.

The researchers found that compared with mice that had never been injected with cancer cells, the injected mice underwent a significant increase in levels of CRP, MDA and white blood cells. Elevated levels of CRP and white blood cells were significantly correlated with increased tumor size.

Levels of white blood cells, CRP and MDA were all lower in animals that had been treated with either DHA, cisplatin, or a combination, however.

In animals who received 125 milligrams per kilogram of DHA, tumor growth was 38 percent less than in animals who received a placebo. Animals receiving cisplatin had 55 percent less tumor growth, while those treated with 250 milligrams per kilogram of DHA had 79 percent less. The combination of DHA and cisplatin not only reduced tumor growth by 81 percent compared with a placebo, it also returned white blood cell counts to normal levels. The 250 milligram per kilogram dose of DHA was nearly as effective at restoring a normal white blood cell count as the DHA-cisplatin combination.

"The chemoprevention elicited by DHA was dose-dependent, and appeared to be mediated by reduction of leukocytosis [elevated white blood cell count], oxidative stress, and replenishing of endogenous antioxidant machinery," the researchers wrote. "Most strikingly, a strong anti-inflammatory effect was produced."

In a second experiment, researchers treated rats with cisplatin, which is known to produce potentially lethal kidney damage. Half the rats were also given a 250 milligram per kilogram dose of DHA, while the other half was given nothing.

All the rats that received only cisplatin died from kidney toxicity. Among animals given both the drug and the omega-3, however, only 12 percent developed lethal kidney damage.

DHA is found primarily in fatty cold-water fish, such as salmon, anchovies, herring, mackerel and sardines, but it can also be found in certain vegetable oils. It is believed to play a critical role in the development of the nervous system, particularly the brain and retina. -naturalnews

Human Heart Regenerates Cells Automatically: One Percent Each Year

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have demonstrated that heart cells are able to regenerate themselves, overturning the conventional wisdom that the body cannot replace damaged heart cells.

Researchers immediately hailed the study as providing new hope for prevention and treatment of diseased hearts.

"I think this will be one of the most important papers in cardiovascular medicine in years," said Dr. Charles Murry, a heart researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle. "It helps settle a longstanding controversy about whether the human heart has any ability to regenerate itself."

Unlike most cells in the body, heart cells mostly stop reproducing themselves relatively early in life. When injured, the heart tends to simply scar, rather than replacing damaged tissue the way other organs do. For decades, scientists assumed that the heart was simply incapable of natural regeneration.

This idea was challenged in 1987 by Piero Anversa, now a researcher at Harvard Medical School. Anversa believes that the heart regenerates a rate allowing it to replace all of its cells four times in 80 years. Clinical evidence for this idea has been lacking, however.

To determine rates of cell regeneration in animals, scientists typically flood an animal's body with radiation and track the rate at which non-radioactive cells replace the radioactive ones. In one of these so-called pulse labeling experiments in mice, researchers found that mouse heart cells regenerated at a rate of about 1 percent per year -- much lower than the rate hypothesized by Anversa, but still higher than the conventional wisdom.

Although pulse labeling experiments are banned in humans, researcher Jonas Frisen realized that the technique could be replicated by measuring heart cells' levels of the radioactive isotope carbon-14.

Because carbon-14 decays at a fixed rate, researchers can use levels of the isotope to estimate the dates of organic materials that are tens of thousands of years old -- but the isotope decays far too slowly to be used in dating of living cells.

Aboveground nuclear tests in the 1960s, however, injected large quantities of carbon 14 into the air that were then absorbed by life forms around the world. When aboveground testing was banned, atmospheric levels of the isotope began to drop. This means that the amount of carbon-14 contained in a given cell could serve as an indicator of what year that cell was formed.

Examining the heart tissue of 50 people over the course of four years, Frisen and colleagues found that on average, new heart cells appeared to replace old ones at a rate of approximately 1 percent per year in youth and 0.5 percent per year by age 75.

"If you exchange cells at this rate it means that even if you live a very long life you will not have exchanged more than 50 percent of your cells," Frisen said. "So at any given time your heart is a mosaic of cells you carry with you from birth and cells that that have been added later to replace cells that have been lost during life."

Anversa said he was "ecstatic" at the study's findings.

"Now let's discuss the magnitude of the process, and that will let us think about how we can apply this concept to heart failure," he said.

Researchers now hope to find ways to stimulate the regeneration of heart cells, as a way to avoid heart transplants and help people recover from heart attacks. Alternatively, the heart might already be regenerating heart cells after an injury but those cells might simply be dying without getting established. If this is the case, scientists could find a way to help those new cells survive.

Frisen also noted that different regeneration rates might explain why some people are more predisposed to heart disease.

"We are interested in studying whether some heart diseases could potentially be caused by too low an ability to replace heart cells," he said. -naturalnews

World Health Organization Recommends Sunshine to Prevent TB

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended two simple measures to reduce the spread of tuberculosis (TB), which kills nearly 2 million people per year: sunshine and air.

TB is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be caught simply by inhaling air that infected individuals have coughed or sneezed in. Because of this ease of contagion, TB is a particular problem in crowded settings such as hospitals and prisons.

According to the WHO's Stop TB head Mario Raviglione, "simply opening the doors" can remove the stagnant air that the TB bacteria thrive in, thus significantly decreasing the risk that the disease will spread in institutional settings. Citing research findings that the bacteria are killed upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation, he also recommended that prisons and hospitals make every possible effort to increase their natural lighting.

The WHO's most recent figures estimate that 1.8 million people died from TB in 2008. Half a million of these were officially classified as AIDS deaths, since the immune-destroying virus had increased the deceased's resistance to the disease.

Approximately one-third of all people alive have been exposed to the TB bacteria, but few of these cases develop into active infections. The active form tends to develop in people who are immune compromised or pregnant, however, making it particularly dangerous.

TB is considered a major emerging global health threat. Although the number of new cases held steady from 2006 to 2007, antibiotic resistant versions of the disease are becoming increasingly common. According to the WHO, there have already been at least 500,000 reports of multi-drug-resistant TB -- which cannot be treated with at least two front-line TB drugs. In addition, 55 countries and territories have reported at least one case of "extensively drug-resistant TB," a strain that appears to be immune to all currently known TB treatments. -naturalnews

Increased Brain Power is Easy if You Know How

Stress, fatigue, emotional problems and even old age can make your memory rusty. When it does, you tend to forget where you placed your keys, miss appointments with the dentist or even forget the names of friends. These lapses in your memory are actually normal and understandable but can be completely preventable. You can actually do a lot of things and eat a lot stuff that can help make you remember things more clearly. If you are clueless on what to do to sharpen your ability to recall and recollect, read on and follow the tips below:

Keep Away From Brain Drainers

If you want to have strong cognitive abilities even when you are in your 80s, then you need to start avoiding the things that kill your brain cells. How are you going to keep a sharp memory when you are depleting the cells that are essential in making you remember things?

The number one brain drainer is chronic stress. Being in a perpetual state of stress can truly zap away your brain cells and make your mind function less efficiently. Simple organizational skills, a little help from other people, and a bit or rest and relaxation can help you fight stress.

Too much alcohol is also responsible for making your mind dense. Even if you eat right and exercise regularly, if you regularly consume huge amounts of alcohol, your efforts in boosting your brain power will go down the drain. Alcohol is definitely a brain drainer.

Other brain drainers you need to avoid are smoking, taking drugs, and sleep deprivation. Talk to people who have insomnia or haven't slept well for a while and you will realize that their thoughts can be scattered and incoherent.

Let Blood Flow

To have a clear mind, you need to make sure that your blood circulation is optimal. If there are problems with your blood flow, oxygen and other nutrients that your mind needs will not be able to reach the brain. Buildup of fats and cholesterol in your arteries do not only pose cardiovascular problems, but also brain fogging.

In order to keep your blood flowing flawlessly, you need to minimize, if not totally eliminate, food that are rich in fat and bad cholesterol. Lay low when it comes to mayonnaise, margarine, butter, fat meats, and rich desserts.

Exercise Your Mind And Body

Physical fitness is important in helping improve blood circulation and preventing clogged arteries. Thus, you need to exercise regularly, walk at least 10,000 steps a day, and do some weight training to build your bones.

Aside from physical exercise, you also need to do some mental exercises. Like muscles in your body, the brain will atrophy when not in use. Thus, you should read a lot, do some crossword puzzles or play some mind-bending games. Doing mathematical problems in your head can also sharpen your mind and improve your memory. Remember, the more you use your brain, the better it becomes.

Go For The Bs

Eating a healthy diet is crucial in keeping your mind and body in tiptop shape. However, no matter how much you eat vegetables and fruits, your body's ability to absorb nutrients gets less efficient as you grow older.

In order to keep your mind buzzing, you need to increase your intake of B vitamins. Experts believe that deficiency in vitamins B6 and B12, niacin, and thiamin can contribute to future cognitive problems. You can get these B vitamins in enriched grains, meat, potatoes, bananas and shellfish. You can also take some supplements that have all the B vitamins that you need.

Cleanse Your Gut

Years of consuming fatty foods, junk and sugar-rich desserts can contribute to fogginess of your mind. If you have been eating fast foods and low-fiber diet for the last couple of years, then there is a big chance that your gut is not in a very good shape. Remember, the absorption of vitamins and minerals needed by your brain happens in your intestines. Thus, if your colon is in such a bad shape, your body will not be able to efficiently absorb the nutrients from the food that you eat and the supplements that you take.

One safe and easy way to cleanse your colon is through detoxification. There are products in the market that can help you achieve a no-fuss detoxification, so you don't have to lose mind over it. One detox system that not only cleanses your gut but also helps in repairing tissues is Colpurin. Read more about other people's experiences with Colpurin by visiting http://www.colpurin.com/. -Janet Martin

Should We Tax Sodas and Junk Food to Pay for Health Care?

Mr. Johnson weighed nearly a ton.
And drank pop 'til his health came undone.
His kidneys turned blue
But he said, "I've got two."
"So I'll drink 'til I only lose one."

The debate over health care reform has run smack into a brick wall of economic reality. There's just not enough money to pay for all the disease in America, it seems, and now lawmakers are desperately searching for new sources that might bridge the financial gaps. Their latest scheme involves taxing sodas with a three-cent tax to raise an extra $24 billion over the next four years.

At first, taxing soda might seem like a good idea. Sodas, after all, promote diabetes, obesity, bone loss and many other costly health conditions. It only stands to reason that people who drink soda should pay a little more towards a national health care plan.

But there are problems with this idea of a soda tax. For starters, it's a highly regressive tax that ultimately gets paid mostly by low-income, low-education people (the kind of people who drink a lot of soda). It's a tax, in other words, on those who can least afford it.

Another problem with such a tax is that if the U.S. government is going to use taxes to modify consumer behavior, it would seem prudent to first end the government subsidies on sugar that have existed since World War II. Why are we still using taxpayer dollars to lower the price of sugar when refined white sugar contributes so much to our nation's health problems?

Then there's the question of where the money will go. Even if you slap a five-cent tax on every can of soda, does that money actually end up going towards improved health care, or is it just lost in the morass of bureaucratic incompetude that wanders the halls of Washington these days?

Case in point: The government settlement with Big Tobacco. All that tobacco money that was supposed to go to "improving health care" across America has actually ended up in the general budgets of most states, where it gets wasted on a thousand different things that have nothing to do with health care. A soda tax would likely end up being lost in the system in much the same way.

A better solution for influencing consumer behavior
Slapping new "sin taxes" on consumer products as a way to shape consumer behavior while raising money is a seductively attractive idea if you're a bureaucrat with an itchy trigger finger. It seems (at first, at least) economically and morally sound: Make the people who cause the problem pay more for fixing it. It all seems so simple: Let cigarette taxes pay for health care. Let soda taxes help fight obesity. Let alcohol taxes pay for alcohol addiction recovery centers. But in the real world, it never quite works that way: Money gets stolen away for other uses, rarely going to the intended beneficiary. Meanwhile, the taxes end up hurting those consumers who can least afford it.

A far better option is educating consumers about the harm these products cause. Put large, unambiguous warnings on cigarettes like, "SMOKING CAUSES CANCER" along with a horrifying picture of a diseased lung. On soda cans, you could require warnings like, "DRINKING SODA CAUSES KIDNEY STONES" along with a picture of a short, sweaty man holding his junk and screaming in pain. -naturalnews

Avoid Brain Plaque with a Toothbrush

The next time your son or daughter has a test for school, in addition to hitting the books, s/he may also want to hit the brush - the toothbrush, that is. Scientific discoveries are increasingly uncovering the links between oral health and physical health, but a new round of study is investigating the links between oral health and mental health - with a specific focus on memory.

This new foray into investigating the links between memory and the health of one`s bicuspids and incisors was touched on after a study out of West Virginia University`s School of Dentistry indicated that elderly with poor oral hygiene fared far worse in memory tests than those who were good stewards to their pearly whites. The testing of approximately 300 older adults involved cognitive function tests, blood work and dental check-ups.

This latest study will be undertaken by researchers from the University of North Carolina, and they will have quite the dowry from which to conduct their testing: a cool $1.3 million, awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

Using the West Virginia researchers` findings as a backbone to their analysis, the UNC researchers will try and expand on it, supporting and/or identifying other contributing factors that weren`t apparent to the West Virginia University researchers, whose work is not yet finished.

While the world of natural health typically revolves around the food, it doesn`t stop at the produce aisle. Maintaining good oral hygiene requires natural tooth-defending formulas.

For instance, some may think that they`re protecting their pearly whites by rinsing and gargling with mouthwash twice a day. They may be, but only if their mouthwash is non-alcohol based.

As has been documented in a variety of newspapers and television news outlets - including CBS News - alcohol-based mouthwashes create a breeding ground for bacteria, as the alcohol dries out the lining of the walls inside the mouth. This enables cavities to develop more easily.

More serious than cavities, oral cancer can develop from alcohol-based mouthwashes - disease so prevalent that 34,000 people will be diagnosed with it this year alone (and they likely won`t be alive five years from now). The prevalence rate may have something to do with alcohol-based mouthwash.

Michael McCullough, an associate professor of dental medicine from the University of Melbourne found in a study of his that people who used alcohol-based mouthwashes were five times more likely to develop oral cancer than those who don`t use mouthwash.

This shouldn`t preclude the use of mouthwashes, however. All-natural mouthwashes work wonders. However, all-natural are not necessarily those that are simply "alcohol-free." Natural mouthwashes include those with ingredients like "organic tree oil," "aloe vera gel" and "oil of spearmint." "Witch hazel" is another natural ingredient that`s great for healthy teeth and gums.

There are of course many other aspects to maintaining good oral hygiene, like eating foods that are good for the teeth, like apples, celery and carrots, as these three foods help remove plaque buildup.

Besides flossing and brushing, another way to maintain good oral hygiene is with 100 percent xylitol chewing gum. Xylitol naturally removes the bacteria that camps out inside the mouth when sugars are left behind from the foods we eat.

As the West Virginia study found - and as the University of North Carolina will likely support - one of the many ways to promote a great memory is right beneath our noses. Help your "pearly whites" live up to their namesake by practicing good oral hygiene the all-natural way. -naturalnews

Vitamin D, Green Tea and Cocoa Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

A nutrient found in grapes, green tea and cocoa could have a significant impact on the brain cell damage that leads to Alzheimer's disease, according to the results of a new study carried out by scientists at Kings College, London (UK).

A research team headed by Dr Robert Williams, a lead scientist at the Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, examined the effects of epicatechin, a nutrient found abundantly in the three foods, in a model of Alzheimer's disease and assessed the potential effectiveness it might have to slow signs of deterioration leading to the illness.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by a build up of sticky proteins in the brain called 'amyloid plaques'. Results revealed that epicatechin may prevent their formation.

"We have found that epicatechin protects brain cells from damage. This is interesting because epicatechin and its breakdown products are one of the relatively few flavonoids known to access the brain, suggesting it has the potential to be bioactive in humans", said Dr Williams.

"Our findings support the general concept that dietary intake of flavonoid-rich foods or supplements could impact on the development and progression of dementia." [1]

Also published this week was a new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggesting that a combination of Vitamin D and curcumin, the main component of the spice turmeric, may clear the brain of amyloid plaques in individuals already suffering from the disease.

Scientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered that the two nutrients may stimulate the immune system in such a way that the body is prompted to remove the toxic build-up.

Through a series of experiments, the researchers were able to determine that curcumin and vitamin D could 'double team' Alzheimer's plaques through a joint mechanism of action. Curcumin was shown to help white blood cells latch onto plaque proteins, while vitamin D could bring up the rear and increase the speed at which the cells were able to gobble it up.

"We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Milan Fiala. [2]

Curcumin has been investigated for a number of years in relation to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Recent research also suggests that low levels of vitamin D may be a significant risk factor.
[3] However, this is the first study directly linking it to a possible treatment for the condition.

[1] Presented at the British Pharmacological Society's Summer Meeting, Edinburgh, July 10 2009.
[2] Masoumi et al. 1á,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 Interacts with Curcuminoids to Stimulate Amyloid-â Clearance by Macrophages of Alzheimer's Disease Patients. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 2009 Jul;17(3):703-717.
[3] Evatt et al. Prevalence of vitamin d insufficiency in patients with Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2008 Oct;65(10):1348-52. -naturalnews

Discover the Power of Cocoa Powder

A cup of hot cocoa may not do much to cool you down from the summer swelter, but it may cool down your blood pressure. According to a new report filed in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, hypertensive rats fed a moderate dose of powdered chocolate dropped their systolic blood pressure rates by an average of 50 mmHg after a single dose. The cocoa content was 70 percent.

The study`s specimens were mice, some with normal blood pressure, others with high blood pressure. The rats were grouped in a fashion so that rats with normal blood pressure and high blood pressure received one of a range of cocoa doses (as low as 50 milligrams to as much as 600 milligrams of cocoa powder).

While the researchers did not observe any noticeable differences in blood pressure readings among the rats with normal blood pressure, the hypertensive rats that received 300 milligrams of cocoa powder had a systolic blood pressure reading that dropped 60 mmHg four hours after the dose.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, lead researcher Dr. Amaiya Aleixandre said, "The results obtained suggest that [hot cocoa] could be used as a functional food ingredient with potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment and prevention of hypertension." Dr. Aleixandre and her colleagues hail from Spain`s Universidad Complutense in Madrid.

While all chocolate contains flavonoids - the active ingredient in chocolate that helps lower blood pressure, among other healthful functions - the chocolate tested in this study is not like the kinds traditionally found on supermarket shelves. Unlike those, the cocoa tested in this study was dark chocolate, which has a much higher flavonoid yield than milk chocolate (the chocolate used had approximately 139 milligrams of flavonoids per gram of cocoa powder).

Contrary to popular belief, the average cup of hot cocoa contains more flavonoids than other highly concentrated antioxidant drinks, like red wine and green tea. Experts suggest the average person should get about 6.7 grams of chocolate in their diet per day, which amounts to about the size of a fun-size candy bar. Any more than that and the negatives begin to outweigh the positives.

But again, all cocoas and chocolates are not built the same. There`s a world of difference between raw cocoa and processed cocoa, the kind typically found in most candy bars and hot cocoa mixes.

For the most health benefit, look for all-natural sources of cocoa. Pay special attention to a product`s ingredients, specifically the percentage of pure cocoa powder used. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the better it is, and the higher it is in overall flavonoid content. Further, make sure that the cocoa is unprocessed. Any truly natural cocoa product should mention that in their ingredients. -naturalnews

Radiation Increases Breast Cancer Rates

Researchers recently found a direct positive connection between girls receiving more radiation for cancer and developing breast cancer later in life. A positive correlation meaning the more radiation they received, the more likely they were to develop a tumor later, not, of course, that this is any type of positive thing.

When looking at information such as this, it's important to note that the effects of radiation are not solely harmful to girls being treated for cancer as children, nor is radiation given to people with cancer the only form of radiation that humans are exposed to.

Most people are exposed regularly to radiation with x-rays, mammograms, wireless internet, and cell phones. Exposure to radiation in our society is common and its effects are underestimated by both medical doctors, who often dole it out, and mainstream consumers.

Part of the problem is that science likes to extrapolate downward.

Science, by its nature, isolates variables and attempts to show direct linear relationships, if it's possible. Sometimes, however, direct linear relationships aren't possible to show due to multi-factorial variables that are common in life, yet impossible to replicate in a controlled setting.

But the real problem comes into play because there is a decided lack of extrapolating upward from what is known and what is found in this manner.

For example, regardless of the fact that countless studies have shown direct connections with various poisons in the body and problems of the body, someone in a position of authority might say "you can't prove" that a person eating specific pesticides will definitely get cancer. Or that people exposed to other known toxic chemicals will definitely get another very specific disease. Therefore, many dangerous chemicals are allowed in our food supply and into human bodies on a mass scale.

Science, however, clearly tells us that these chemicals are toxic and do cause problems. But the fact that they are known toxins, apparently isn't enough to make concerted efforts to keep them out of the food supply and out of human bodies.

These are the kinds of conclusions we'd draw if we were prone to extrapolating upward from direct linear relationships that have been shown in controlled settings.

Extrapolating upwards is just understanding the far reaching variables of what has been determined, in contrast to understanding merely the limited effects of what specifically has been studied.

The overweight might want to pay particular attention to the connection between increased radiation exposure and cancer rates. Just a few weeks ago doctors admitted they were using as much as forty times more radiation for overweight and obese patients than for normal weight patients to get accurate x-rays.

Perhaps the fact that doctors are giving overweight and obese patients considerably higher doses of radiation might also be part of the reason that obese patients are being killed more often by the swine flu. Because, not only does radiation exposure have a strong connection with cancer, it also does disastrous things to our immune systems.

These are precisely the kinds of things we'd start thinking about if we, and mainstream health care providers, were prone to extrapolating upwards. By extrapolating upwards, we can understand the problems, and potential problems, immediately - instead of waiting half our lives for researchers to determine that what we're doing is killing us.

Truly, our society doesn't need to be blindsided by all of these health problems. The answers are quite simple, but to understand them, we need to start looking at the variables from a different angle. And to solve them, we definitely need to start doing things a little differently. -naturalnews

It’s not Hard to Say Thank You

Saying the words “thank you” is one of the first lessons a child must learn by example at home. Showing gratitude and making it a habit is a trait that can take one anywhere. Politicians, actors, and musicians say these words in every speech delivery possible. Why would they not when they will be nowhere close to where they are without their supporters and fans.

Pronouncing these two words does not have to be verbal all the time. A flower delivery accompanied by lavender tea bags in the afternoon is a good way to thank your editor for staying up all night, proofreading your manuscript to the last word. Kids show appreciation to their favorite teachers by giving them the juiciest and reddest apple, their mom’s infamous brownies, and drawings of their entire class by the school garden complete with multi-colored butterflies and doodled flowers. While they are crossing their fingers for monetary bonuses, staff members usually just get pizza and pasta from their bosses for bagging a new client.

It is especially beneficial to show gratitude in romantic relationships. The habit of frequently thanking your partner or as they say, being “romantically polite”, not only shows your appreciation but it also boosts his or her ego overtime. In addition, when you thank your partner for even the simplest gesture, the cheapest gift, or just for giving you a casual complement, it cues him that you liked what he just did or gave. This will definitely go down in this mental notebook as the things that please you and he in turn will do it more often.

Your options on how to say thank you, as a romantic partner is almost bottomless. Flowers and chocolates are and have always been good thank you tokens. Giving his dog a bath or bringing his car to the carwash is will guarantee a good karma. Handing the remote over during season finals and not talking during the game might sound silly but this will go a long way to some men.

Since gratitude is relative, saying or showing thank you can also be overdone. The key is to keep the delivery of your appreciation in the same or just a little over the gravity of the gift or gesture you have received. The only exception to this rule that I can think of would be saying thank you to your parents, your brother’s heart transplant donor, or the woman who gave you three beautiful children that you can just look at the whole day. -Timothy Spencer

Sending Flowers Can Fix Your Love Life

For a lot of guys, getting into an argument with a spouse or girlfriend can come at a cost. Especially when you try to atone for the transgression and nothing seems to work.

The ingredients of a fierce argument, is usually set by a little (okay a lot) yelling, a dash of door slamming, possibly flying objects, you suck, no you suck, and maybe a sprinkle of I hate you too - to top it off. This mix of often regrettable back and forth will tend to mutate into a big mess no body wants.

The aftermath is never good but when a guy really cares, making up takes a lot of courage and a lot of face saving. For men it's not that easy to move a bruised ego forward and say I'm sorry.

But for guys who fill compelled to make things right will begin to find a way to get back into the good graces of their love ones' arms again. Often the process of making up isn't cheap because you need to show you care by going the extra mile even if it involves spending a little money.

Whether the choice is expensive jewelry, clothes, or a trip to an island getaway the remedy is up to the male offender. But for some guys sending flowers can be the perfect answer to saying I love you without ever saying the actual words.

Having flowers sent to her place of work can be the most practical way of saying you care and at the same time letting everyone around her know that someone really cares for her. The options and types of flowers to send are unlimited especially with online flower shops. There are a variety of different gift sets and flower types she's sure to love.

Online floral services give men a great place to find romantic gifts and flowers that say just what they can't say. In addition online floral services offer excellent discount deals and savings that make buying flowers online ideal and a great place to start saving a relationship. -Kennard McGill

You Can Survive Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

Postpartum depression is very different from the "baby blues," a normal period of emotional fluctuation and tearfulness in the first few weeks following the birth of a child. However, for 10 percent (or more) of new moms, symptoms become worse over time and signficantly interfere with caring for themselves and their new babies.

Here are a few tips to remember when coping with postpartum adjustment issues:

*Feelings of anxiety, sadness, or detachment don’t make you mean, crazy, or a bad mother. Pregnancy and the postpartum period are a melting pot of new sensations, emotions, and situations. Even the most well-adjusted woman can experience intense, contradictory thoughts and feelings. These can be caused by the physical challenges of breast feeding, healing from labor and delivery, and the lack of sleep. Changes to your relationship with your family, friends, and partner can also leave a postpartum woman feeling isolated and alone.

*Postpartum Depression/Anxiety can strike anytime within the first year after the baby is born. Too often women who don't start to feel bad until months after the baby is born delay getting help because they believe (or may be mistakenly told) that postpartum mood disorders only occur immediately after the birth.

*Medications are only one option. There is no perfect solution in regard to taking medication while breastfeeding. Though most research indicates that it will not harm the baby, choosing to take meds while nursing is a highly personal decision. Women should know that starting medication to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression does not mean they must stay on that medication forever. When the symptoms have abated, you and your doctor can talk about a time table for weaning from the medication if that seems appropriate.

*Counseling can help provide information, support, and reassurance for woman and their families. Both individual and couples therapy can help pinpoint sources of anxiety and sort out solutions for a better future. Some counselors also provide group therapy for women with postpartum adjustment concerns. These groups can serve as a place to connect with others experiencing the same thing. However, most therapists will require an individual evaluation first to determine a woman's appropriateness for the group. -Holly Cox, LMFT

Tips on how to stop worry

Many of us are moving around everyday lost in out frightened thoughts of what could happen if this?, or that? etc.

It tends to isolate us in our little worlds of pain and we miss out on so much. Not to mention that nothing is more draining of our energy. We don't take opportunities that we should and we miss out on so much in life.

So how do we stop the process?

I hope some of the tips below will help.

1)If you are a worrier and it takes up alot of your time try this technique. Try exaggerating your worried thoughts without interupting them. What I mean by this is that If you have a thought that "My lover could leave me" instead of trying to re-assure yourself that he or she loves you and would never leave you try running with the idea that they could. Watch as your anxiety goes up reaches a plateau and then falls.

2)Forget alot of that positive thinking rubbish thats around Today. Don't try to replace you worried thoughts with more positive ones. Just let the thoughts be and watch them fade.

3)Ask yourself this -What emotion am I feeling when I worry? or what am I trying to avoid in my life?. Generally we worry about the things that we would like to avoid in life and its usually an emotion rather than a particular event. Thats why worries move from one thought to another until we finally face and accept the emotion we're avoiding.

4)Realise that surrender is your only option or that "resistance is futile" as the Borg would say. When an emotion comes up fueling a thought its no use trying to rationalise it away. Just let it happen and you will start to gain more control. -John Right(http://www.nopanic.cjb.net)

Different Types of Psychotherapy

I would like to start off by stating exactly what psychotherapy means as some people often have the wrong idea about it. A psychotherapist is the medical professional which offers this forum of treatment to patients through talking and thereby allowing them to deal with their psychic issues.

Psychodynamic therapy

This technique doesn’t rely on focusing on the various symptoms which are involved. What it does handle with are the different expressive issues at hand. It also looks at the intense reminiscences of relationships which are often the cause for the problems.

Many patients cannot clearly see this for themselves which is why this type of therapy can often help the people a great deal in understanding the root of their difficulties.
Please note however that this type of treatment is not applicable to all type of disorders which could include for example various phobias and obsessive disorders. Other types of assistance are available for people suffering from these types of issues.

Group therapy

One of the most popular and widely available types of therapies available now a day is group therapy. Individuals are able to talk about their situation and experiences in a group setting.

This can often be of great help and these individuals will quickly realize that they are not the only ones who are having these difficulties.

Behavioral therapy

This type of treatment is frequently used for people suffering from eating disorders. The person will receive assistance and information on activities which can be done rather than eating.

Family therapy

The entire family of a patient will be involved and they will be given information and assistance on how to deal with a family member who has mental disorders.

Gestalt therapy

This is based around the technique of allowing individuals the skill of discovering their authentic requirements and outlook in life.

Cognitive therapy

The person is taught to think about their situation realistically and it will allow them to view a situation from the correct perspective. -James Bukovsky