With the rising debate over affordable health care for all Americans, many are searching for ways to maintain their health and avoid illness as an alternative. I was one of those people searching for ways to take more control of my health. I starting looking for ways that were more preventative and not waiting for illness to strike.

I started this prevention quest in my early thirties, but not I am in my early fifties. I see the value of maintaining my health and to not become a statistic. I was fortunate to have a great health care plan with my employer, but that was some time ago. I am now among the millions of Americans whose company down-sized and I was left trying to figure out how I was going to make the high Cobra payments after my benefits were terminated. Fortunately I started doing research and looking into alternative ways to maintain my health and stay disease free. That was almost 20 years ago and I can truly say that I am free of any illness because of the lifestyle changes I made.

There have been amazing studies done by the Harvard Medical School on the benefits of adding just one of these supplements, resveratrol to your diet. There is plenty of medical research to back up this information. These studies indicate that resveratrol reduces the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, and other age related illnesses. It may also prolong life. Some of these findings were even published in the Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2006, New York Times, October 31, 2006 and CNN.com November 1, 2006.

I have found strategies that have helped me maintain a healthy disease free life. Even though I should be having pre-menopausal systems, I have not had a hot flash to date. I would Like to share these strategies with you. For me adding supplements to my life has really helped me take control of my health. While taking supplements should not be a replacement for traditional medicines, I feel empowered that I can assist my doctor by keeping my body as healthy at I can. For me supplements have indeed enhanced my overall quality of life.

• Get moving, exercise, walk and start slow in the beginning. Your body will love you for it.
• Eliminate white flour, sugar, carbonated soda and eat more veggies and fruit also buy organic
• Cut down on portion’s, I eliminated red meat, pork, turkey, chicken ( that was really hard to do)
• Being a vegan or vegetarian is hard for a lot of people. I cut out one meat at a time, this took years.
• Eliminating Stress ( a biggie)
• Adding supplements such as resveratrol, flax oil, omega 3, a quality multi-vitamin, D3 not D2, and calcium with magnesium, vitamin C and zinc, have truly made a difference for me.
• Staying connected with family, friends and finding your true passion, a purpose in life can make a big difference.
• Volunteer your talents and your time would and help those that are less fortunate than you.
• Showing gratitude for everything you have right now.

Of course as with everything in life you should always consult your doctor before attempting any exercise program or adding nutritional supplements to your diet.

Acai is known by some as nature’s energy fruit, a little berry that is packed with so much nutrition that some call it one of the most powerful foods on the planet. The fruit is 100% natural and found exclusively in the Amazon rain forest. Acai is a berry that is retrieved from the Amazon palm tree. The berry tastes like a combination of chocolate and berries but it is filled with antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. It is usually available in juice form as well. Recently it has become available as an unsweetened pulp which would offer the utmost nutrition.

The antioxidants that are in acai can reverse the signs of aging because they have ten times more antioxidants than red grapes and 30 times more than red wine. Acai also heals and restores cardiovascular and digestive health as it is full of monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols. It is also responsible for offering the minerals and essential amino acids that are essential for proper muscle contraction and regeneration. Celebrities like Oprah have even attested to the wonders of this versatile fruit.

Acai contains a fatty acid that is similar to the one in olive oil and is also rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. In case you are wondering why oleic acid is important, let me tell you why. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane which helps to make cell membranes suppler. Acai will boost energy levels naturally, improve digestive functions, induce healthy and sound sleep, provide all of the vital vitamins that are necessary, and improve clarity.

Acai is also a very powerful free radical fighter. It has high levels of fibers and cleanses infections within the body. It will regulate cholesterol levels, promote healthier and younger-looking skin, alleviate diabetes, fight cancerous cells, slow down the aging process, and will also enhance sexual desire and performance.

Acai berries are high in carbs so they give the body that added energy especially during work or while engaging in sports. Today there are a lot of health drinks that contain acai berries or a concentrated extract of the acai berry fruit. You can also buy it in a powder form and make smoothie drinks too. If they are freeze dried, the berries have a very long life while still maintaining full nutritive value. The acai berry is definitely a healing food and should be added to any diet to maintain optimum health.

Many of us go through some form of depression at many points in our life. It can be harmful to one’s health if it has come to the point when one becomes unable to sleep, lacks the desire to eat, and loses focus and concentration. It is not necessarily bad, however, if you know how to deal with it in a positive way. The problem is, while some of us are able to bounce back to our pre-depressive state without need for medical treatment, others either allow their depression to take control of their lives or cope with depression by doing things that are harmful to their health.

Here are a few examples of how others cope with depression and how such can affect their health:

• Resorting to comfort foods. Comfort foods are foods that provide instant gratification. Usually they come in the form of junk foods, and junk foods are exactly what they are – junk. They are loaded with empty calories that make you fat, salt that affects your kidneys and makes you bloat, artificial ingredients and preservatives that really do not do anything more than poison your body. Comfort foods can make you obese, which itself has plenty of complications, diabetes and heart disease among them.
• Food binging. Depressed individuals may resort to what experts refer to as “going on a food binge”, especially involving foods that are high in sugar and fat content. Such foods increase or boost the production of serotonin and endorphin, the brain chemicals that are said to be greatly responsible in making one “feel good”. As the combination of high fat-high sugar foods tends to be addictive, going on a food binge will have many untoward consequences to one’s health over time.
• Cigarette smoking. Some people learn to smoke out of the need to feel relaxed. Somehow, the chemicals in cigarettes give them a euphoric feeling. But these same chemicals can also affect your health in a number of ways. They can interfere with the normal process of oxygenation, depriving your cells of essential nutrients and affect blood circulation, causing hypertension and worsening heart conditions. Cigarette smoking can also affect your skin, your lungs, as well as many other organs of your body.
• Resorting to illegal drugs. People who are depressed escape from reality through the use of illegal drugs. Drugs, such as the likes of ecstasy, can certainly provide one with a sense of euphoria. But the effects of such drugs are much worse than those of cigarette smoking. Reliance on illegal drugs can damage your brain; it can make you delusional, and worse, make a criminal out of you.
• Excessive alcohol drinking. Among the places you will find depressed people in are bars, taverns, and pubs. Many depressed individuals find comfort in alcoholic beverages. But while wine, which is an alcoholic drink, is regarded as heart-friendly, too much consumption of red wine isn’t good because of the alcohol content and the calories. Too much alcohol can affect your state of mind, making you do things you wouldn’t have otherwise done.
• Oversleeping. There is a tendency for depressed individuals to oversleep, as if they can literally sleep their problems away. Well, they can’t. Sleeping on your problems will only make things worse for you. You will only end up feeling more depressed than ever, lifeless, without energy, and with your head weighing a ton.
• Taking over one’s life. In very extreme cases when depression becomes very severe, one may be led to commit suicide.

Most certainly, these are not how you should deal with depression, no matter how bad it may seem. You must learn to control depression before it affects your health and your life.

Antioxidants are known to help prevent the accumulation of free radicals and combat the effects of aging on the body. HydraxanThin combines Astaxanthin, Acai and other super-antioxidants to give you a revitalizing drink.

The main ingredient in HydraxanThin is Astaxanthin. This is a very powerful antioxidant. As a matter of fact, its anti-oxidant capacity is even more powerful than that of Resveratrol, the anti-oxidant present in red wine. Astaxanthin has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. It is believed to be highly effective in treatment of Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia etc.

Acai berry is another power anti-oxidant present in this product. Acai berry has been known for its high anti-oxidant capability as well as it amino acid, vitamin and fiber content. It has been proven to be great for health and weight loss. In addition, this amazing berry effectively combats the effects of aging by preventing the damage of cellular organelles.

Besides Astaxanthin and Acai berry, this product contains several other natural and proven ingredients to ensure a healthy body. The efficacy and safety of this product has been extensively researched through scientific and clinical studies. Studies in healthy adult males and mice have shown that HydraxanThin can boost energy levels and muscle endurance. This product is especially useful for athletes because it prevents formation and accumulation of lactic acid which causes muscle fatigue.

The best part is that this product tastes great. You can add it to a drink or take a few drops alone. HydraxanThin is not available in stores. You can purchase it by placing an order at their official website. You can also place an order by phone.

What’s on our minds today? What is our #1 biggest concern, on average mind you, for being fulfilled or content in life? Is it making more money? Getting a bigger house? Finding a better job? Making sure our children can get into college? All these are valid and admirable goals. But I believe we have a more rudimentary desire. One rooted deep in our minds, hearts, bodies & souls. One that we are born with, yet when attempting to come to terms with it, we struggle. I’m talking about our health!

In our youth we run, and jump, and play, most of it outside in the sun and fresh air. Then, school brings our first introduction to the dangers of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). No one tells us about it, yet there we are in the midst of it, day after day, for 12 years. Next comes college for a lot of people. More rooms, and different types of buildings. Larger gathering places with mechanical ventilation systems. People who have to be there an can’t afford to miss a day. So they come no matter how they feel, coughing & sneezing & hacking their way through class just to make a grade.

For many others it is the workplace, and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Unless you’re in the trades that allow you to work outdoor, many professional careers keep us tightly knit inside a building for 9 hours a day, 335 days a year, for what may turn out to be the next 40 years. The driving, the stress of performance, acceptance, advancement, it all adds up to, in many cases, more than our bodies can handle.

We study more, work more, and play less. We gather ‘things’ along the way, and the responsibility of maintenance becomes a burden to us all. We drink, we smoke, we eat… oh how we eat. Even if we don’t smoke, or if we don’t drink (alcohol), we consume so many other things that our bodies don’t need; fats, sugars, caffeine, carbohydrates, manufactured fillers & dyes that we can’t process, or simply just can’t handle in the volumes by which we ingest them. We are quite literally polluting our system with toxins. Our body then goes into a self-preservation mode, and it begins to store this excess in various ways to protect us from our self-destructive lifestyle. Fat becomes an insulation between life & death. In some people, that is the only reason they are still alive. The body actually stores the toxins in the fat cells so that they do not kill us when we’re unable to excrete them from our body in the normal course of bodily functions.

Which brings me to diseases. Given the environment I’ve just described, is it any surprise that we have such epidemic proportions of diabetes, gout, arthritis, acid reflux, osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, attention deficit, autism, Alzheimer’s, and numerous forms of cancer, that all spread havoc throughout our society today?

Perhaps you formed good habits that began at a very young age, continued through adulthood, and on into your senior years. Good eating, drinking, and exercise routines that didn’t end when life’s transitions occurred. But when you did not get the good direction in your younger days, and now you’re suffering from such ailments as have been mentioned, what does one do?

Resveratrol, alkaline, antioxidants, immune system boosters, to name just a few, can be found in natural forms when a person observes proper dietary habits. But when you’re so far into the game that you may never offset the damage done, simply by normalizing your eating habits alone, must we automatically turn to Big Pharma for the all-to-often sought after ‘quick fix’?

The pH in your body can be altered by drinking Alkaline water. Antioxidants as well, can be found in alkaline water. Resveratrol can be found in a glass of red wine, and if you’re like me and don’t drink alcohol, then you can find it in highly concentrated forms of consumable juice products Resveratrol has also been show in studies to actually enhance some cancer treatment medications. Lastly, let me add, it has been proven by Otto Warburg, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1931, that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline environment, and his thesis went on to show that cancer thrives in an acidic environment. http://www.nndb.com/people/682/000127301/

So, after all that, my questions are these: Why do we continue to focus so much on “treatment”? And, in this world of knowledge, technology, advancement, and higher learning of which we live, when are we going to shift our attention to ‘PREVENTION’? There have to be close to $700 billion reasons every year that the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want us to change. And don’t expect any doctors to get off that wagon train anytime soon either. The fastest hands I’ve ever seen are those of a doctor reaching for the prescription pad.

Please don’t misunderstand me here, I accept that modern medicine has a place in our society. The vast majority of us, at one time or another, have been aided in our recovery efforts by a pill or potion. I just think it’s time for us to take a good hard look at ourselves, at our personal responsibility, and the simple approach to health by taking matters into our own hands. Then we have to decide to make a change in our habits, our choices, and our lifestyles. If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always gotten. A wish changes nothing, a decision changes everything. Decide today, please.

The Acai berry is one of the most nutritious fruits. The fruit is found in the rainforest and can provide the body with the antioxidants required to preserve the youthful look of the skin, assist in weight loss, reduce the free radicals in the body and boost the immune system. The small, dark berry follows the rule of the jungle that color can somewhat determine the healthiness of a food. The darker and more colored the fruit, the richer and better that fruit is for you.

A berry that can do all of this has been examined to be more than ninety percent seed, only ten percent of the berry is the potent pulp, which is grinded with water to make the juice that has become so popular as one of the most effective antioxidants.

Acai berries are more potent than grapes and red wine in increasing the amount of antioxidants in the blood.

As one of the most nutritious fruits, it is important to include this in your diet! It can help to revitalize the skin and has even been known to help reverse the process of aging. Acai berries are of one of the most potent fruits and have been featured on Oprah and hailed by the likes of Dr. Oz as one of the ‘superfoods’.

Acai berries resemble large grapes and are found within the Brazilian rainforest. The healing powers within the fruit are one of the reasons that they have become so popular.

There are very few ingredients in the Acai berry juices that are unhealthy. Most of the juices contain very small amounts of sugars, and high amounts of natural products which can increase the health of the product. Therefore, as one of the healthiest fruits, it can also be used to make one of the most healthiest and nutrient rich fruit juices.

There are many uses for the Acai berry, from the use of juices which can assist in ridding the body of toxins to supplements and even acai diet pills which have been known to boost the weight loss process. For the person seeking a nutritious way to up the health factor of their diet, Acai berries are the premier way to up your nutrition and be on the road to a healthier lifestyle today!

I suggest that you take this article on the Chardonnay diet less seriously than our other articles on popular wine diets. As always, don’t go on a diet without getting a checkup and the go ahead from a qualified medical practitioner. Do you really think that you can lose a lot of weight in a short period of time? Do you really think that you should lose a lot of weight in a short period of time even if you can? However, if you are only looking at losing a few pounds you might consider this seemingly painless, five-day diet. As with any diet, unless you change your eating habits, you will soon put on the weight that you lost. One last recommendation before getting into the details, don’t overdo your consumption of Chardonnay wine. You’ll be drinking a lot so don’t drive and don’t drink too fast. If you get sick, lose your cool, or lose your control, STOP.

The Chardonnay diet originated in the United Kingdom and has become quite popular in Germany. On day one of this diet drink at least two pots of tea in the morning. Continue drinking tea until you are very hungry. Your goal might be a three o’clock lunch, which should be chicken or a salad. About six o’clock begin to drink some Chardonnay wine. When you can’t drink any more (the maximum is one bottle) go to bed. Repeat this procedure for two more days. It is claimed that you can lose about two pounds a day; by the end of day three you should be six pounds lighter.

The fourth day of this diet involves a change of pace. Start with tea in the morning but skip lunch. Around six o’clock eat a healthy, generous dinner and don’t worry if you put back on a pound. It’s very important to reload your body with vitamins and nutrients after three days of light eating. On the fifth day you fast until six o’clock when you bring out the bottle of Chardonnay. If I were to undertake this diet (I seem to be allergic to tea so I wouldn’t) believe me I would not drink a full bottle of wine after fasting all day. Make sure that you eat properly and drink the wine slowly.

After this five-day diet be careful what you eat. Stay away from high-fat foods and keep your meal sizes to a minimum. This lets your body adjust to your new weight and helps you maintain it. I’ll chime in with my wine consumption recommendation, a maximum of two glasses a day.

I’ll finish this article by quoting some calorie and carb statistics. A three-ounce glass of Chardonnay (or for that matter Pinot Grigio) has 60 calories and 1.2 grams of carbs. The same glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot red wine contains as many calories but twice the carbs. A 12-ounce glass of light beer has almost twice the calories and five times the carbs. Is that why I never heard of a Cabernet Sauvignon or a beer diet?

Some joint problems are attributed to their increased levels of hyaluronic acid. A great deal of research has been done on hyaluronic acid. It is found in several areas of the body, not just in the synovial fluid of joints.

If you ever dissected a cow’s eyeball in high school biology class you might recall that hyaluronic acid made up much of the runny Jell-O-Iike fluid inside the eyeball. Most of the research on hyaluronic acid, however, involves its use in the treatment of joint problems.

It is often injected into knee joints as a temporary treatment for osteoarthritis. Oral hyaluronic acid supplements are generally made from rooster combs, and a few have been shown to help in the treatment of arthritic joints-though they are quite expensive. These are the same compounds that can be found in bovine (cattle) and properly processed shark cartilage, either of which can help with the repair and protection of various joints throughout the body.

Other compounds are available to help reduce inflammation and pain. Ultimately, though, the goal should be restoration and healing of the joint itself. But you don’t need expensive supplements to achieve these results.

Bone Broth Is the Best Source The “poor man’s” joint supplement (and probably one of the most beneficial) is bone broth. Although obesity and a lack of exercise are obviously major contributing factors to the widespread osteoarthritis problems we see today, I feel a large part of the problem is also the fact that bone broths are no longer a part of our diet. I’ve investigated numerous “pure” hyaluronic acid supplements (and will continue to do so), but I have yet to find one that is superior to bone and joint broth. Preparing broths from the carcasses and joints of cattle, chickens, and fish, and incorporating them into your diet each day, can have a tremendous beneficial effect on your overall health. Much of the reason stems from the increased intake of hyaluronic acid-along with various minerals, proteins, and other compounds necessary for proper joint health. You can add vegetables or meat back into the broth for hearty soups or stews, and substitute the broth for chicken or beef stock in many recipes.

Bone broths are easy to make. You just need to keep a few minor points in mind. The ingredients are few and simple. Begin with bones from fish, poultry, beef, lamb, or pork. The bones can be raw or cooked, and they can be stripped of meat or still contain meat remnants and skin. (When making meat broth, I throw everything in the pot: bones, attached meat, skin-including the parts normally not eaten, such as the rib cage and spine, chicken feet, and fish heads.) Ideally, the animal should be raised organically, or at least naturally.

On the positive side (not from the animal’s perspective, I’m sure), most animals raised for consumption don’t live long enough to have large amounts of toxic metals accumulate in their tissues. Obviously, however, the better their environment, the less risk of you having to deal with such problems.

How to Make Your Own Broth Cover the bones with water in a covered pot. Add a couple of tablespoons of one of the following per quart of water: apple cider vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, or lemon juice. Gently stir and then let it sit for about 30 minutes to let the acid go to work. (1 recommend a pot made of either stainless steel or porcelain. I don’t suggest aluminum because the acidic vinegar or lemon juice may cause aluminum to leach into the broth.) Then bring the water to a boil and immediately cut back to a slow, steady simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 4 to 6 hours for fish, 6 to 8 hours for poultry, and 12 to 18 hours for the other types of bones. Keep a lid on the pot to avoid having to add water (but add water if and when necessary). A slow cooker works well since the temperature is generally low enough that the lid will keep in the steam and it won’t require much attention.

However, I’ve found that slow cookers generally take longer than when I cook on the stove, so that’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. If you want just the broth, strain the liquid through a colander and consume it immediately either by sipping it as a tea or soup, or making it into a gravy. Although I have never used it for such, the liquid can also be used to cook rice, beans, or grains. If you want to add vegetables, strain the liquid first and then add the vegetables for about the last 30 minutes. Feel free to add other items-such as salt, pepper, butter, or olive oil-to enhance the flavor. The broth can be stored in the refrigerator for about five days, or stored frozen for several months. (1 generally pour the cooled liquid into quart freezer bags and freeze those.

When I want some broth, I simply rip open the bag and reheat the broth in a pot.)

Note: Never cook or reheat the broth (or gelatin) in the microwave.

Certain amino acids may convert into forms that can be toxic to the body when microwaved. (Lancet 89;2(8676):1392-1393) Also keep in mind that bone broth is not nutritionally complete. You couldn’t live on the broth alone. It contains only a few proteins and should be added to a more complete diet rather than used as a stand-alone.

Eggs Also Contain Hyaluronic Acid Another source of hyaluronic acid is eggs. The parts that you eat-the white and the yolk-are well-known sources of high-quality protein. But the membrane that separates the white from the shell is also composed mostly of protein, plus hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, and chondroitin. In fact, preliminary open -label studies suggest that the membrane itself could help alleviate joint pain. (At this point, it seems they’ve figured out how to use every part of the chicken but the cluck.)

When you make your joint-boosting broths, you can throw in any leftover eggshells from breakfast to double the broth’s healing power. Just strain them out with the bones after the broth has cooked. If you’re not big on eating eggs (though I highly recommend that you do so), or making soup puts too much heat in your kitchen during the summertime, you can look for supplements with egg- shell membrane.

The unpublished research I mentioned above showed that a small group of individuals who took supplements containing 500 mg of eggshell membrane had a reduction in their joint and muscle pain after just seven days, and that relief continued through the end of the study at 30 days.

I don’t see any downside to taking eggshell membrane now rather than waiting years for it to get the blessing of some major journal.

The Acai Berry is a small purple berry found in the Brazilian and Peruvian rainforests. It is known for its numerous health benefits. Today I’m can discuss the top five health benefits of acai juice. Hopefully, this will help you determine if this powerful antioxidant is right for you.

1. Improves heart health

Acai is considered an anti-inflammatory product due to the large content of anthocyanins. Because of this, it protects both the large and small blood vessels. These anthocyanins are the same photochemicals that have doctor’s everywhere recommending a daily glass of red wine. The acai fruit is actually better for you than red wine because it contains 30% more anthocyanins than is found in red wine. This means that you get a larger concentration of these healthful antioxidants without worrying about any potential risks associated with alcohol consumption.

2. Lowers cholesterol

Because of the high concentration of Omega fatty acids and the high fiber content, the acai berry may help lower cholesterol. While there is some controversy as to whether Omega 6 fats are good for you, most human studies indicate that they lower cholesterol because they suppress molecules that mediate the accumulation of fat in arteries. There is also evidence that healthy individuals have levels of Omega 6 fatty acids in their blood stream when compared to patients with cardiovascular illnesses.

3. Anti-Aging

The acai berry may help slow the aging process. Antioxidants protect us from free radicals because they work to neutralize these harmful contaminants in our bodies. Free radicals are believed to accelerate the aging process as well as speed up at the progression of age-related diseases. By neutralizing harmful free radicals, the acai berry can help slow aging process.

4. Weight loss

Everyone knows there is no quick fix for weight loss. However, acai juice may in fact support a healthy diet and exercise. The reason for this is the high level of antioxidants found in a acai berry work to speed up the metabolism. This combined with the fact that it gives you more energy, can help you lose weight more quickly and allow you to fell better while doing so.

5. Increases blood flow

Acai fruit works to increase the blood flow inside your body. This is this offers numerous health benefits. Poor circulation can lead to numerous conditions including clotting, heart problems, and may also contribute to baldness.

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