What the Experts Say about Antioxidants

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS

“The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.” -  Richard Cutler M.D., Director Anti-Aging Research, National Institute of Health (NIH)

“There’s a revolution happening out there right now.  People are bound and determined to take an active role in their health care.  I have long refereed to antioxidants as the revolution that would change the face of modern medicine, but without a reliable convenient and painless method of measuring antioxidant levels, I was afraid that the revolution would die before it even got started.  I am happy to report with the Antioxidant Laser Scanner the revolution is back on track!” – Dr. James Balch, author of the Antioxidant Revolution, and co-author of eight-million copy best seller Prescription for Nutritional Healing

“Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease, from heart disease to arthritis to cancer to cataracts.  In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process itself.  By controlling free radicals, antioxidants can make the difference between life and death, as well as influence how fast and how well we age.”- Lester Packer, Ph. D.- Head of the Packer labs at the University of California at Berkeley.  Dr. Packer, author of The Antioxidant Miracle, is regarded as the world’s foremost antioxidant research scientist.

“Scientists’ understanding of the benefits of vitamins has rapidly advanced, and it now appears that people who get enough vitamins may be able to prevent such common chronic illnesses as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.  All adults should take a multivitamin daily.” -Journal of American Medical Association, June 19, 2002

“Powerful antioxidants like lutein and xeaxanthin (from green vegetables) and lycopene (from tomatoes) may protect against coronary-artery disease, cataracts, macular degeneration and cancer.” – Time Magazine, October 20, 2003

“Antioxidants can cut your risk of heart disease up to 70%, diabetes 40%, lung cancer 30%, and breast cancer 20% studies show. Many leading authorities now urge all adults to take a daily supplement. USA Today, January 18^th, 2004

How To Have More Energy

Regardless of how young or old you are; no matter how busy your daily schedule is; it’s not within the original design and purpose of your body to constantly feel tired, run down or lethargic.

There are six different things you can do right now to tap into the wellspring of energy lying dormant in your body. You don’t have to master all six things, but try one or two of them to start. Over time, each of the practices that you add to your lifestyle will have a compounded healthy affect on your life, your level of wellness and your overall productivity.

ONE: Improve Your Diet (it’s easier than you think)
Avoid all foods that require only a minute or two to prepare (this includes fast foods), or foods that come ready to eat out of a bag or box. More often than not, these types of foods are loaded with harmful chemicals, Trans fat and high levels of sugar. Improve your diet—and enhance your energy level—by simply eating foods that take time to prepare.

Make meals and snacks that use fresh vegetables, fruits and unprocessed meats. You’ll be blessing your body with life-giving foods that improve health and yield higher levels of energy.

Remember, the key to improving your diet is to “take time” to eat healthier. If it takes you only a minute or two to make it, you probably don’t want to eat it.

TWO: Exercise More Regularly
This needs no explanation; simply decide today to add more physical activity to your lifestyle.

THREE: See Your Chiropractor
Misalignments in your spine can short circuit connections for brain-to-body activity, and therefore cause health problems, bodily discomfort and lack of energy. By simply making Chiropractic adjustments a part of your lifestyle you’ll be able to maintain a healthy spine, allow your body to naturally heal itself from sickness, plus you’ll find that your energy levels have increased.

FOUR: Sleep More
Each of us needs 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each day. If we don’t get it, our health and wellbeing will suffer. It’s vital to make time in our schedules to get the rest we need.

To help maximize the quality of your sleep, invest in the best mattress you can afford. Also, choose a pillow that is high enough to take up the space from your ear to the outside edge of your shoulder.

FIVE: Lose Weight
Having too much weight on your body, around your heart or around your waist will always cause you to feel tired. Even ten pounds of extra weight will steal energy from you.

Don’t make excuses; there are many weight loss plans that work. Pick one and follow it step-by-step and you’ll lose weight. Or do it the old fashioned way—eat less and exercise more. Once the pounds come off and your energy level sky rockets, you’ll be so glad you made the effort.

SIX: Learn To Say No
This may be the most powerful thing you can do to maximize your energy and health. As busy Americans, we need to say no to some things and learn to enjoy a simpler, less hectic lifestyle.

You will be offered many opportunities in life. If you say yes because you feel pressured to say yes, or you feel guilty to say no, you’ll end up with nothing but higher levels of stress and lower levels of energy. Learn to say no.

(Source: the book “Setting Things Straight” by Natural Health Care Expert Dr. John Madeira)

The Sweet Health Threat

THE SWEET HEALTH THREAT

There is a rapidly advancing plague that is stifling the health and quality of life of millions of Americans, and it’s triggered by something found in every home—sugar.

Our nation’s not so sweet obsession with sugar—also known as high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar—has become deadly. Over the past 25 years our sugar intake has increased by 23 percent. Current data reveals that each week the average American eats 2.5 pounds of sugar—that’s 142 pounds of sugar each year. This amount is way more than the human body was designed to handle, and after years and decades of abusing our bodies with sugar, we’re now seeing the repercussions. Unhealthy weight gain is running rampant as over 40 million Americans are obese and 8 out of every 10 adults over the age of 25 are overweight. It’s now estimated that 80 percent of type II diabetes, 70 percent of cardiovascular disease, 42 percent of breast and colon cancer, 30 percent of gall bladder surgery and 26 percent of high blood pressure is ALL triggered by obesity.

Think you’re in the clear because you use table sugar sparingly and never eat candy bars? What’s really hurting Americans is the unseen sugar—the carbohydrates found in highly-processed food, like white bread and white rice. These types of foods quickly turn into a high calorie glucose (or sugar) when consumed. A slice of bread and a cup of sugar may taste very different, but once in the body, they both do the same thing.

The good news is that not every sugary food is bad. Consider the apple. Yes, it has sugar, but that sugar is surrounded by fiber, which causes a slower digestion, keeping blood sugar under control. Plus, an apple is loaded with vitamins and minerals, unlike nutrition starved processed foods and other sugars.

Your health and quality of life is on the line. Become a label reader and avoid foods that contain processed sugars. Stick to fresh, organic produce. Drink plenty of water. And visit your chiropractor regularly to enhance your body’s natural ability to maintain health and ward off sickness.

[Source: Obesity statistics at annecollins.com, CBS news at cbs2.com/health]

Beware Trans Fats

BEWARE OF TRANS FAT

The phrase “trans fat” is not yet a household name, but it will be soon. Why? Because trans fats are directly linked to heart disease, and are proven to raise cholesterol levels, cause pain and induce inflammation. What’s worse, trans fats are believed to cause cancer.

You know this deadly killer by another, more socially accepted name: partially hydrogenated oil. 

The problem with partially hydrogenated oil and other trans fat oils is that they cannot be properly digested by the body. Instead, the chemical composition of these oils acts as a toxic catalyst, causing normal body processes to become dangerously abnormal. This, in turn, leads to the beginning of minor and major health problems, including heart attack.

So which foods are the worst offenders? You’ll find high amounts of trans fat oils in peanut butter, margarine, butter replacements, processed cheeses, crackers, cookies, cupcakes, potato chips, pretzels…and the list goes on and on. But the biggest trans fat health threat is found in fast food French fries.

What’s the best way to beat trans fat? Start reading food labels and eliminate foods that are high in trans fat and sugar. Eat more vegetables. Exercise regularly. And schedule routine chiropractic adjustments in order to enhance your body’s natural ability to ward off sickness. Remember, you only get one body in this lifetime. Take steps to protect it and keep it as healthy as possible.

[Source: Dr. John Madeira’s book, Setting Things Straight]