Thursday, August 7, 2008

How to Stop Bad Breath In 4 Refreshing Steps

OK, no more excuses. Here''s how to stop making everyone laugh behind your back after getting a whiff of your noxious breath.

Do you secretly fear that your breath is making people gag? Well you can stop the paranoia right now. Here''s how?

Step 1: Scrape your tongue

The first source of a rotten mouth is a tongue smothered in festering bacteria. If your tongue is fuzzy white, you can bet that that layer of filth is making your breath hideous. Scrap off that white coating with a soft toothbrush or a special tongue scraper- you can get one from any drugstore.

Step 2: Gargle with diluted hydrogen peroxide twice a day

After you scrap off those bacteria, you can mix one part water with one part hydrogen peroxide and gargle with it for 45 seconds. The hydrogen peroxide gets real foamy in your mouth, but it helps to kill the excess bacteria that make your breath stink.

Don''t overdo the hydrogen peroxide though. Give yourself 2-5 day breaks from the hydrogen peroxide because too much of this solution in your mouth can decompose the enamel on your teeth.

Step 3: Eat foods that make your breath smell better

There''s a ton of food you can eat to make your breath smell better. And the fact is, you usually smell like what you''re eating. Drink teas like peppermint, Moroccan mint, jasmine, hibiscus and lemon balm to freshen up your mouth. Don''t add sugar because you''ll totally ruin the cooling effect if you do.

Add fresh foods like ginger, parsley, cilantro and scallions to your meals. Make sure these foods are not cooked. Eating them raw helps restore the natural balance of colon bacteria, which ultimately leads to fresher breath.

Step 4: Empty your colon

OK, imagine this: your colon is directly tied to your mouth. If your colon is a filthy overcrowded cesspool, your breath will stink on an astronomical scale. That''s why stinky smells either go out the anus, seep through the skin, or puff out of the mouth. Which way do you prefer?

Eating bran will help you cleanse your colon. You can also try an herbal laxative. Whatever you do, do not take drug to get regular unless your doctor tells you to. That''s because most constipation drugs make your colon weaker and less efficient at pushing out the garbage and that''s the last thing you need.

One other thing, you always want to make sure that your stinky breath is not the result of some fungi invasion. Here''s a simple fungus test that you can use at home: First thing in the morning, spit into a class of water. Don''t drink this. Let the water set for the day. If at the end of the day, you see stringy white substances in the class, you could have a fungal infection.

Now, stop making people dizzy and start making them smile with your newfound methods for fearlessly fresh breath.

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Fiber in a Nutshell?

There are numerous diets out there that guarantee that they are the ones that will work. We all know who and what they are. There is the no carb, low carb, carb and low fat, grapefruit, and soup diets, to name a few. While I believe that each of these diets can work for certain individuals in the short term, research shows that crash diets don''t work. Over the long term, these diets are not sustainable. After returning to normal eating patterns the average person not only gains the weight back but often put on a few pounds more than their original weight.

I would like to suggest an alternative. Make fiber your friend. Research has shown that a daily diet high in fiber can help stabilize blood sugar, lower cancer risk and control the appetite. How does this work?

There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel which coats our intestines. Insoluble fiber speeds up the passage of material through the digestive tract. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts will provide us with both types of fiber. The suggested amount of fiber for the average person is 25-30 grams. Most of us, in the United States, consumes less than one half of the suggested amount.

Some easy ways to introduce more fiber in our diets is to try to attain a goal of 90% fresh food to 10% processed. Start out slowly according to what your lifestyle requires. If you now subsist on a diet of wholly processed foods, try 50-50. Fiber has no nutrients. Therefore, high fiber foods which are low in fat are surprisingly low in calories. One of the best and most delicious sources of fiber are berries. Whole foods are better than juices. Try an orange instead of a glass of orange juice. A pear has more fiber than an apple. One ounce of nuts makes a good pick-me-up in the afternoon and has 2 grams of fiber.

A word of warning: Introduce fiber slowly to your diet over a period of two to three weeks to avoid cramping and gas. In addition to making these changes drink plenty of water. This help to create the bulk which, in turn, enhances the positive aspects of a diet rich in fiber.

Constance Weygandt is a balance mentor who specializes in finding answers for those individuals who are seeking an alternative to conventional weight management. For more information or to sign up for Constance''s newsletter, visit her website at http://www.balancedwellnessonline.com', 190, 'Fiber in a Nutshell?, Nutrition, Nutrition articles, Nutrition information, about Nutrition, what is Nutrition, Nutrition Information', 'Fiber in a Nutshell? plus articles and information on Nutrition'

Homeostasis and Complementary Therapies

The word ''homeostasis'' is made up of two Greek words: homeo; meaning the same or similar, and stasis; meaning stable, or standing in the same place. The body''s systems participate in maintaining homeostasis, keeping the body''s internal environment healthy despite external environmental change.

The cells that make up the body are bathed in extra cellular fluid which remains constant only if the blood supply remains constant. The circulation system takes blood to and away from the capillaries, here the exchange with extra cellular fluid take place. Nutrient molecules leave the capillaries to be taken up by the cells, and waste molecules given off by the cells are received by the capillaries to be transported away. Critical to the internal environment is the circulatory system in that extra cellular fluid is nourished and purified by the movement of small molecules across capillary walls. Additional nutrients are added to the blood by the digestive system, while waste is removed by the excretory system. Oxygen is taken in by the respiratory system and excretes carbon dioxide. Oxygen is used during cellular respiration and carbon dioxide is a waste product of cellular respiration. Ultimate control over homeostasis is by the nervous and endocrine systems as they coordinate the functions of the body''s systems.

Regulation of body temperature, blood pressure, pH, and glucose concentration are four examples of how the body maintains homeostasis. Involved to a degree in each of these regulations is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus has a regulatory centre for body temperature but is also helps in the control of blood pressure and breathing rate through its control over the medulla oblongata. The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland and indirectly controls the secretions of other glands, such as the thyroid and the adrenal cortex through the production of hypothalamic-releasing factors and release-inhibiting factors.? To control bodily conditions, the body has both long-term and short term measures. To control temperature, the significant long-term measure to increase body temperature is an increase in thyroxin. Thyroxin raises the metabolic rate. The short-term measures would include the constriction of arteries to conserve body heat and shivering, and sweating with the dilation of arteries to lose body heat.

When the vasomotor centre stimulates the constriction of abdominal blood vessels and increases the heartbeat a rapid elevation in blood pressure occurs. When the kidneys secrete renin a longer lasting effect occurs leading to re-absorption of sodium and water. The resulting increase in blood volume increases blood pressure.

The kidneys are involved in regulating blood pH, but the effect may not be noticed for up to twenty hours. The pH of the body is immediately regulated by chemical buffers also, while the excretion of carbon dioxide must wait until blood moves through the lungs. The blood glucose level is usually regulated by glucagon and insulin. But other hormones can also have an effect since thyroxin and glucocorticoids promote gluconeogenesis.

In maintaining homeostasis a feedback mechanism is often involved. When the body temperature rises above or falls below a certain level, the temperature-regulating centre is activated. The centre stops sending out stimulatory nerve impulses once the temperature is within a normal range. The vasomotor centre promotes a rise in blood pressure, but once this has been attained the centre is no longer active. Chemoreceptors in the aortic and carotid arteries signal the respiratory centre and the breathing rate increases, if the pH is too acidic. These bodies no longer signal the respiratory centre and breathing rate returns to normal once the pH is within a normal range. Insulin is secreted when glucose concentration is high; but once the glucose level falls, insulin is not secreted. Feedback is a self-regulating mechanism as these examples show.

There are numerous complementary medicines ranging from acupuncture to yoga which help to regain balance in the body. I am going to concentrate on the ones that you have probably read about or heard of in the media. They are acupuncture, ayurveda, aromatherapy, homeopathy, nutritional therapy, and reflexology.

In Acupuncture, homeostasis is the centre pillar from which all diagnosis is made. Acupuncture is a healing system which has been practised by the Chininese and in other Eastern countries for thousands of years. It focus on improving the overall well being of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. In traditional Chinese philosophy it is believed our health is dependent on the body''s motivating energy - known as Qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. Qi made up of equal and opposite qualities - Yin and Yang - and when these become out of balanced, illness may result. Inserting fine needles into the meridians, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body''s own healing response and help restore its natural balance. The aim of acupuncture is to treat the whole person so they can recover the equilibrium between the physical, emotional and spiritual.

Ayurveda is a system of healing which has been used in India for thousands of years and its aim is to provide guidance in food and lifestyle to maintain wellbeing, health and cure the ill. Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: ''Ayu'' which means life and ''Veda'' which means the knowledge of. Ayurveda will suggest specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines and sometimes herbal remedies to assist the individual in reducing the ''dosha'' that has become excessive. There are three ''doshas'' ? Vata (impulsion, circulation, respiration and elimination), Pitta (metabolism) and Kapha (growth).

Aromatherapy is based on the principles of holistic health and dates back 4000 years in the Middle East and China. It employs highly concentrated essential oils extracted from herbs and flowers that contain hormones, vitamins, antibiotics and antiseptics. Applied to the skin-often in massage-or through inhalation, the oil or combination of oils can be used for medicinal, meditative, restorative or relaxation purposes. Aromatherapists believe that essential oils restore the body''s natural life force to help the body heal itself and it is believed that the oils have both physiological and psychological affects.

Homeopathy is a system of healthcare developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700''s. Homeopathy gets its name from the phenomenon of cure by similars; from the Greek, homoeo = "similar", pathos = "suffering". Cure by ''similars'' is where a substance that could produce disease in a healthy person is used to invite a healing response in someone presenting with a similar disease. Also in homeopathy is the theory of administrating drugs in minute doses and keeping to a single remedy at one time. Homeopathy views disease as a disharmony of the whole person, and considers the state of the whole person - physically, mentally, and emotionally.?

Nutritional therapy uses food and supplements to encourage the body''s natural healing. It does this by detoxifying the body, correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies, restoring healthy digestion and developing a positive attitude. The nutritional therapist will diagnose illness by asking questions concerning medical history, dietary history, family history, menstrual problems, digestion, energy levels and exercise and also doing tests such as hair mineral analysis, hormone tests or food intolerance tests.

Reflexology also known as zone therapy, is an ancient healing therapy based on the idea that in our feet, hands and outer ear have reflex points that are actually "reflections" of body parts. Modern reflexology was developed by Dr William Fitzgerald in the early twentieth century. He divided the body up into ten zones which are believed to have energy flows. This healing technique involves a steady pressure on the reflex points on the feet, hands or outer ear, which correspond to areas throughout the body. Reflexology speeds up the body''s natural healing abilities and directly acts upon particular organs, glands and body parts through gentle stimulation upon the points or reflexes.

Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh Bespoke consultations for a healthier natural life website: http://www.newbeingnutrition.com Get a free initial nutritional therapy diagnosis now...', 190, 'Homeostasis and Complementary Therapies, Nutrition, Nutrition articles, Nutrition information, about Nutrition, what is Nutrition, Nutrition Information', 'Homeostasis and Complementary Therapies plus articles and information on Nutrition'

Snack Attack - How to Keep Your Hunger Between Meals from Getting the Best of You

The Benefits of Snacking

You may feel regretful about snacking, but snacks aren''t necessarily bad for you.

In fact, mini-meals several times a day can be beneficial.

If eating a healthy snack keeps you from taking second and third helpings at your next meal, you may actually consume fewer total calories for the day.

A wide variety of snacks can fit into a healthy lifestyle, so you don''t need to avoid snacks. Rather, plan them with variety, moderation and balance in mind.

Choose Snacks Wisely

Select foods that cna satisfy hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients. Choose a wide variety of these foods to ensure that you get all the necessary nutrients, and to make your snacks more interesting. Here are some of your best snack picks:

Whole Grains Whole-grain snacks are rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber, which give you immediate energy that has some staying power. Look for items such as low-fat whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels and whole-grain crispbreads.

Fruits and Vegetables Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with no fat and only small amounts of calories. They provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.

Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein, which helps keep you feeling fuller longer. The fat in nuts and seeds is monounsaturated fat, a healthy kind of fat. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however, so don''t eat them in large quantity.

Low-fat dairy products Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium, protein, and other nutrients. Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Yogurt may have alot of added sugar, so you should consider light yogurt to limit your calorie intake.

Though snacks can contribute to a healthy diet, they can also be a source of excess calories if not eaten in moderation. For example, a resonable amount of almonds (about 23 kernels or a handful) contains 164 calories. But if you eat handful after handful until it totals a cup of almonds, the calorie count jumps to 800-plus calories.

So remember:

Snacks are great!! Eat Several mini-meals per day Eat high fiber whole grain snacks Eat low calorie fruits and veggies Stick with the berry family

> Raspberries

> Strawberries

> blueberries

> blackberries Stick with Dark Green Veggies

> Broccoli

> Asparagus

> Spinach

> Dark Greens

> Green Beans Eating good quality nuts and seeds

> Almonds with skin on unsalted

> eat in moderation Low fat dairy products are good

> low fat cheeses

> no fat cheeses

> unsweetened yogurts

Get Ready for a Snack Attack!!!!

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Monday, August 4, 2008

Relieve PMS with the Food Diet Changes

Almost every woman suffers with premenstrual syndrome at one time or another. The symptoms are familiar: mood swings, cramping and bloating, trouble sleeping. Fortunately, alternative therapies and dietary changes are now providing many women with relief.

Reducing salt, alcohol and caffeine for a few days before your period should help with the bloating and mood swings. Some women have been helped by limiting sugar during this week as well. Be sure to get plenty of vitamin B-6, which can be found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, fish, poultry and potatoes. Vitamin E has also been found to have a positive effect on premenstrual symptoms.

Research has shown that the consumption of fat increases estrogen levels, so reducing the amount of fat that you consume will help normalize estrogen levels and ease premenstrual syndrome. Increasing your intake of whole grains and fibers will help your body to eliminate the excess estrogen in your system. Combine the two and you have a powerful weapon against cramps and bloating.

Calcium has also shown significant results when used to treat premenstrual symptoms. Taken with manganese and vitamin D, calcium aided in concentration, reduced cramping, bloating and mood swings. You can get plenty of dietary calcium in green leafy vegetables and legumes.

Evening primrose oil has also been used to treat premenstrual syndrome. It is rich in omega 6 fatty acids that seem to act as an anti-inflammatory in the body, helping relieve cramps. These fatty acids are found in salmon, mackerel and tuna as well as safflower, sunflower and grapeseed oil.

Before turning to prescription or over-the-counter medications for premenstrual syndrome, try making some dietary changes. You may get to feel better quickly, without resorting to popping pills!

Sandra Kim Leong publishes information on food diet and nutrition remedies for common health ailments. For resources and free articles, please visit http://www.food-diet-remedy.com', 190, 'Relieve PMS with the Food Diet Changes, Nutrition, Nutrition articles, Nutrition information, about Nutrition, what is Nutrition, Nutrition Information', 'Relieve PMS with the Food Diet Changes plus articles and information on Nutrition'

Understanding Vegetarianism

Like the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there are three kinds of vegetarians in existence: ovo-lacto, a vegetarian that eats vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, as well as eggs and dairy products. Lacto, a vegetarian that eats everything the "ovo-lacto" does, except eggs. Finally, we have vegans, a vegetarian that eats what the rest of the others eat, except for any kind of animal products, period. Each group of vegetarian is unique, but branches from the same tree of life.

Why would anyone want to be a vegetarian? Well there are many reasons as there are stars in the heavens. Some reasons are for health purposes, religious/spiritual, environmental, and the love and protection of animals. Other reasons may be for very personal ones. No matter the reason, we all meet at the same intersection on the road of health.

What Can Vegetarianism Do For Me?

Science has proven time and again that vegetarians are among the healthiest people on the planet. They live longer and are less prone to chronic diseases. Eating a low fat vegetarian diet can also help in losing excess weight. Obesity can lead to adult onset diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer. Eating a vegetarian type diet can reverse heart disease and other health complaints such as arthritis. In addition, the vegetarian diet can lower blood pressure. Because potassium is plentiful in fruits and vegetables, the vegetarian diet lowers blood pressure by helping the kidneys abolish sodium and modify blood pressure-regulating enzymes.

A vegetarian diet decreases the thickness of blood. As a result, it flows more easily through blood vessels. This in turn means the heart works less to push the blood. Further more, a vegetarian diet benefits you by using millions of kidney cells to filter and purify your blood. A meat diet over works the kidneys and slowly kills off the kidney cells called nephrons. Animal protein, when broken down in the body, produces waste products that strain the filtering power of the kidneys. If you''ve lost any kind of kidney function, due to infection, diabetes or even high blood pressure, your increased chances of nephrons damaging your kidneys are high. Plant based proteins on the other hand, do not damage or harm your kidneys in anyway.

Nutritional Vegetarians

As a new vegetarian, no doubt you''ll be wondering if you''ll be getting the right nutrition and certainly enough of it. Yes and yes, there''s no reason why you would be under nourished being a vegetarian. Fruits and vegetables provide crucial nutrients such as vitamins C and E, beta carotene and lycopene. Such nutrients are referred to as antioxidants and their function is to help fight diseases by neutralizing substances called free radicals. Antioxidants contain disease fighting properties that protect cells from damage.

Religious & Spiritual Paths

Many religions practice some form of vegetarianism. In the East, you have the Hindus and Buddhists. In the West, you have Christians like the Seventh Day Adventist. Many Eastern and Western Mystics also follow the vegetarian path. Through meditation and other spiritual practices, they have gained a greater awareness of how they should be eating and treating their bodies. Even Jewish Mystics follow the vegetarian lifestyle.

For The Love of Planet & Animals

Among other reasons for becoming a vegetarian are environmental and animal rights issues. Raising animals for food causes topsoil loss, erosion and isn''t a light matter. This sort of farming (livestock agriculture) is rapidly deteriorating the world''s crop lands. It takes 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat, compared to 390 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. Livestock produce massive amounts of excrement, which has been shown to pollute soil, water, and air. Animals such as chickens, pigs and cows are forced to live in In-Humane conditions which cultivate disease and emotional, physical, and mental pain, as well as discomfort. The methods used to kill these creatures for the sake of feeding the masses are usually pretty violent and heart breaking. Scientist has proven that animals have feelings too and they surely feel pain.

Eat Right -- Live Well

That''s right, many people just want to eat healthy and feel better in there lives. It truly feels good to be a vegetarian in everyway. You can''t go wrong with better health, helping the planet and its creatures. You also share a common bond with some of the world''s most famous people: Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Gandhi, and Charles Darwin. There are plenty of other famous people such as actors and actresses of our time, that are vegetarians and proud of it.

A New Beginning

Vegetarianism isn''t just something that you do or way of eating, but also a state of being that illuminates your mind, spirit, emotion and body in a way of existing, that allows you to experience life in a very rewarding and positive way. To be a vegetarian, is to see the hidden harmony in a world of disguised chaos. I can assure you, we''re unique individuals.

Gabriel Foster is the editor for http://www.gabrielfoster.com, the online magazine for both vegetarians and natural health enthusiasts.', 190, 'Understanding Vegetarianism, Nutrition, Nutrition articles, Nutrition information, about Nutrition, what is Nutrition, Nutrition Information', 'Understanding Vegetarianism plus articles and information on Nutrition'

Whats Missing Could Be Making You Sick

Here's something you probably don''t know. The fruit and vegetables you eat today are not as nutritious as the food from fifty years ago.

Who says so? The USDA. When you compare the Food Composition Tables from the 1950 Agriculture Handbook with the latest version, you''ll see the shocking truth.

In fact, that is exactly what researchers Donald Davis, Melvin Epp, and Hugh Riordan did. They compared the data for 43 garden crops. They found that the group of vegetables showed "statistical reliable declines" for many nutrients.

There was less riboflavin, protein, iron, vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, and other nutrients. In some cases the nutrient drop was more than 50%.

The cause of these nutrient losses may have been from changes in the vegetable varieties, according to the researchers. It seems that the plant breeders are more interested in vegetables that ship well and look good on store shelves. Appearance is everything when it comes to creating profits. Nutrition is a secondary consideration.

Not mentioned was the probable lack of trace plant nutrients in soil that has been mined by unsustainable farming practices over the years. This is what the organic farming people have been saying for years.

The nutrition shortage in almost all people is made even worse by our food choices. Instant, prepackaged, processed foods supply refined carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and little else. It''s a lot like the farming practices that feed the crops with high nitrogen chemical fertilizers, potassium, and phosphorus and nothing else.

We end up eating bloated, unhealthy, nutrient lacking foods that give us bloated, unhealthy bodies. Could this be the real cause of the growing obesity problem around the world? We''re all over-stuffing ourselves trying to get the nutrition our body''s intelligence knows we need to be healthy.

If you liked this article, you can get more Tom Donaldson on his Blog at http://PhreMind.blogspot.com.', 190, 'Whats Missing Could Be Making You Sick, Nutrition, Nutrition articles, Nutrition information, about Nutrition, what is Nutrition, Nutrition Information', 'Whats Missing Could Be Making You Sick plus articles and information on Nutrition'