Stevia is actually a naturally occurring sweetener which is derived from a plant growing in the South American continent. It contains steviol glycoside, a chemical that is 400 times sweeter than the table sugar you may be using every day for your coffee, juices and desserts. In fact, according to the Global Stevia Institute, natives of Paraguay have been using this natural sweetener as a food enhancer for hundreds of years. But there is one question that rings in the minds of people suffering from diabetes: “Is Stevia safe for my health condition?”
In December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration issued a “no objection” notification for the use of Stevia, stating this “new” food sweetener is safe for public use. Added to this, after several years of investigation by a global panel led by the World Health Organization, publications were released in 2008, 2009 and 2010, stating Stevia can be used as a safe alternative to table sugar.
In a study published in the June 2008 issue of the Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, a group of scientists in Paraguay investigated the effect of this food sweetener in people suffering with diabetes. In this study they recruited people with:
normal blood pressure
Type 1 diabetes, and
Type 2 diabetes
These volunteers were randomly assigned to treatment with either Stevia, or what is known as a placebo (a simulated medical intervention that can produce a perceived or actual improvement), for a period of three months. Their…
blood pressure readings
hemoglobin A1c, the average blood sugar concentration within the red blood cells,
were taken before, during and after the observational period.
The researchers documented that there is no significant difference in the baseline blood pressure reading and hemoglobin A1c before the treatment and after the observation period. Furthermore, they were also not able to note any adverse reaction related to the intake of this sweetener. They therefore have concluded Stevia is a safe and well-tolerated alternative sweetener with no adverse reactions in diabetic patients who use it.
As a result, Stevia is now a very popular alternative sweetener that can be found in numerous food products such as soft drinks, teas, juices, baked products, yogurts, soy milk and confections. It can also be used as a safe alternative to the usual old table sugar. Even diabetics can have the benefit of enjoying sweet products without the fear of having high blood sugar.
As well as Stevia being able to sweeten up your food and beverages, it actually has the ability to lower blood sugar by acting on the beta cells of your pancreas to help you release insulin.
You can find Stevia at any health food store. It is sold as a sweetener in liquid form and, as well, in packet form under various brand names.
Life can become quite exhausting when you suffer from mental stress. Even the smallest tasks seem difficult and overwhelming leaving you tired from the effort. Mental tension can be a joy killer, taking all the pleasure and fun out of daily living. It is a sad state to fall into; however, it need not be a permanent state. Once you recognize some of the symptoms of this affliction, you can begin efforts to overcome its effects and regain your joy of living.
The Mental Stress Traps
The reasons people fall under mental or psychological stress varies with the individual. Some people succumb to pressures in their workplace due to work overload, too many timely deadlines to meet, not getting along with their boss or colleagues, lack of skill or knowledge to accomplish their tasks, complications in assigned projects, competition, etc. Other people may experience stress due to family affairs – arguments with siblings, children or spouse; disagreements over financial matters; sickness or death in the family, etc. We live in an extremely stressful world surrounded by stressful people and situations. However, we can learn to rise above these situations, find solutions to our problems and overcome tension and fear in our lives.
The Effects of Psychological Stress
Nervous tension affects people negatively in different ways, physically and mentally. Mental effects may include lack of focus and concentration, lack of sleep, inexplicable fears, tension, irrationality, anger, indecision, moodiness, etc. Physical effects may range from headaches and migraines to problems with digestion, ulcers, strokes, heart attack, dizziness, nausea and more. Though there are many treatments and medications you can try to help relieve these symptoms, more and more people today are discovering how they can overcome stress using meditation.
Guided Meditation for Relaxation
Meditation provides a natural means of reducing the strain and pressures in your life, especially when practiced on a regular basis. The simple process of taking time from your busy schedule regularly to meditate on the positive aspects of your life, enjoy creation, listen to faith building stories and quotations, relax with your favorite music and enter into a state of peace and rest can eliminate tension and fear. During this time you are focusing your mind and heart on that which is good and positive and uplifting. You refuse to allow negative thoughts and emotions to build up and overpower you. You learn to look for and be thankful for the good, count your blessings and dwell on the positive aspects of your situation. By dwelling on the positive, you maintain peace of mind and spirit which in turn enables you to find solutions to the problems you face.
Meditation has been tried and proven to help reduce stress. It is a simple process to put into practice and can help you live a more enjoyable life. You can start incorporating meditation into your life today and reap the positive results of a more peaceful, happy existence.
A great quote to start off with was one by Dr. Robert Maurer. Here is what he said, “It’s been said that the only constant is change. I don’t agree with that. There’s another constant, and that’s the desire for change.”
My vision is to see a paradigm shift in America’s healthcare; and I believe it all starts with families, primarily the next generation. I want to see children growing up understanding God’s laws of health and healing and the way he truly designed the body to function and heal. Our body is a self-healing organism, and we carry within ourselves this innate healing ability that we can put our faith in and rely upon. It can restore us to health and wholeness if we just allow it to do so without interference.
I want people to understand the premise of the three major interferences and to know that if we can remove those interferences, the body can heal itself and get well. We must remove the chemical interferences, the physical interferences, and the emotional/psychological interferences and allow the body to express itself from above, down, inside, and out – from the brain and nervous system (the master control system), through the brain/body connection, out through the spine, and to the body.
My vision is that people get out of the pill, potion, lotion, spoonful- of-medicine mentality and start putting their faith in their own bodies, and in God’s laws of health and healing. Digging ourselves out of the hole we’re in starts with this belief in the body.
A wellness coach can help you begin living this lifestyle. It is paramount that you find someone to hold you accountable and provide you with the resources to begin living this lifestyle. Ideally, this person will create an atmosphere that is supportive, nurturing, encouraging, inspiring, and exciting. That person needs to show you that they are willing to hold you accountable, have ways to measure and demonstrate your progress, and ultimately be able to produce results while leading you to where you need to be. The most qualified people for this are family and wellness oriented chiropractors because they understand this philosophy and possess and utilize the resources necessary to produce outstanding results. They understand how God made the body, as well as how He heals the body; they understand His laws of health and healing.
Deepak Chopra, endocrinologist, lecturer, celebrity and author of many books, states, “Prognostication is based on statistical probabilities. While statistics may apply to a large population sample, they tell us nothing about the individual. For example, if the average temperature in New York City for the year is 54 degrees Fahrenheit, that does not inform me what the temperature is today. Similarly, if you are a citizen of Bangladesh and the average income of a Bangladeshi is $65 per household per year, that does not tell me your income. When I was a medical student, there used to be a joke about statistics, which in today’s climate of political correctness might be considered sexist, but at the risk of possibly off ending some, I will share it with you anyway because it makes an insightful point. “Statistics are like a girl in a bikini. What she reveals is obvious, but what she conceals is much more interesting.” As applied to illness, there is only one rule: Do not buy into the prognosis; you may be buying into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Again, there’s a major flaw in that thinking and in that health model. The problem is that medical doctors went to medical school, and in their medical textbooks it said that pancreatic cancer kills. It’s one of the most virulent forms of cancer. The medical professor teaches it, and the medical students hear it and adopt it as their belief system.
Through quantum physics, however, we know that reality is usually created by one’s belief system. Quantum physics says an object can’t be measured without the observer influencing what they’re observing; so we know that intention and belief system determines a lot of what you’re observing and so your belief system determines reality to a large extent. So if you or a loved one were given a terminal diagnosis and a doctor’s belief system was that you’re going to die, would you believe this or look for other answers?
As a wellness doctor of the future, my new vision for America has people asking: “How do I not die from all the cancer and the heart disease and the strokes and all the things destroying Americans? What do I need to do to become part of that 4 percent?” If you are asking that question, you have hope. There is a way to live because, obviously, 4 percent are living.
The principle of chiropractic is all about teaching the world how to be part of that 4 percent, not the 96 percent who may choose to believe in a statistical death sentence. As chiropractors, we stand in the gap, and shout to the world that yes, there is hope. Yes, you can live life without fear. Yes, the power that made the body can heal the body. Yes, God needs no help to heal, just no interference. The principled chiropractor empowers their patients to think within a new paradigm, thus enabling them to ask better questions and make more intelligent decisions. We understand that your thought process, more often than not, can be a matter of life and death.
We started this off with a great quote so I am going to leave you with a great set of questions to ask now: “I desired to know why one person was ailing and his associate, eating at the same table, working in the same shop, at the same bench, was not. Why? What difference was there in the two people that caused one to have pneumonia, catarrh, typhoid, cancer, or rheumatism, while his partner, similarly situated, escaped? Why?” Dr BJ Palmer.
Adult obesity is one of the problems which are being faced by one out of five adults all over the world. So if you find yourself gaining weight and are looking at the easiest ways on how to lose weight, here are some tips and techniques which are going to come in useful. Firstly, Adult obesity is getting to be a problem because the lifestyle of a number of people all over the world is changing drastically. More and more people stop leading active lifestyles, every day because they have more interesting things to do with their time. So why do they need to exercise when they can spend their time more enjoyably watching movies, playing games on the Internet getting in touch with their friends on their cell phone and doing all this sitting comfortably on a well cushioned sofa. This is one of the reasons why more and more people find themselves wondering how they managed to put on that extra weight around their tummies and thighs. Then comes another main reason of adult obesity. There was a time when we bothered about the food that we ate. That was because what was put on the table was what we could afford to eat. That food included beans, legumes, fruit, vegetables, meat, and freshly baked bread. This food was cooked in olive oil under the close supervision of mom or grandma. But nowadays we really do not have time to go into the kitchen and waste about two – three hours preparing a fresh meal when we can order out.
This change in lifestyle, especially when we have easy access to junk food and fast food is one of the reasons why we find ourselves putting on weight so fast. And then we could not be bothered to exercise those extra calories off; there is a movie we need to see, and besides exercising is so boring! So is it a wonder that we soon reach a stage when we start to press the action station panic button and start looking for shortcuts on how to lose weight. And that is the time when we get into the expensive trap of fads and Castle in the air Weight loss promises. So here are some facts on how to lose weight. There is absolutely no way in which you can lose weight overnight. The healthiest way to lose weight is to lose anywhere between 1 to 2 pounds in a week through following a healthy diet supported by regular exercise. No medicine, no pill, no magic potion and no mumbo-jumbo are going to get rid of that extra beer belly overnight. A normal weight loss should take anywhere between 48 to 72 hours to show up in your body. That weight loss is going to be temporary because your body is getting rid of toxins and extra water. So, it is only through following a regular healthy diet, – ditching the junk food and processed foods – and changing your lifestyle from sedentary to active, that you can and will be able to see a proper and visible weight loss over a given period of time.
There are many symptoms of depression, which may actually weaken how you perform the daily activities of life, but there are treatments that can help deal with this condition. If you are unsure, and you suffer some of these symptoms or or some of this sounds similar to the list provided it is always best to consult a doctor.
The American Psychological Association has stated that eight to ten percent of Americans that are eighteen years old or older suffer from some form of depression each year. Generally, this is accredited to a dysphotic mood or a basic sense of sadness or melancholy, but most people are unusually oblivious to the sweeping symptoms and can go on for months not understanding what they feel.
Although there are times when an external factor may contribute to strengthening the symptoms and its influence on your life, depression is a chemical defects in the brain that causes the brain’s neurons to become incapable of receiving endorphins and you experience a loss of joy, happiness or just being able to feel good about yourself. There is no known cure to completely rid the brain of these feelings, but there are several medications that can be used to fight against effects and symptoms you feel when it hits you.
The symptoms of Depression and the disease is classified by professionals in the field of psychology as a disease that disrupts the physical, psychological and emotional happiness of person.
Symptoms of Depression
Thoughts of suicide and feeling worthless
Feeling Hopeless
Unable to concentrate
Low levels of sex drive.
Trouble with sleep patterns, oversleeping and lack of sleep
Low energy level or restlessness
Crying without reason, feeling mournful
Unimportance toward things and people
Headaches, Stomach aches
Loss of appetite, weight loss or weight gain from over-eating
Metabolism is a word that surely means a lot to those who are trying to lose weight. It will be even more important to those who have tried all diets and counted calories all their lives, only to feel like their battle with the bulge will never be over. Of course, when it comes down to this, it’s only metabolism that matters. The word can have a lot of meanings because it is a body process that functions in multiple ways. However, for a weight-watcher, metabolism is simply the process that burns unwanted fat and sheds off unwanted weight. The slower the metabolism, the slower the fat burns. The faster it is, the shorter the route to a leaner, healthier body.
If you find yourself struggling with metabolism issues, you’ll never be able to make them work for unless you understand the factors behind them. So if you’re serious about keeping that weight off, get to know these factors, understand them and determine how you may be able to work around them so you can improve your metabolic rate and make it your ally in your fight for fitness.
You’ve heard it all before but yes, there are many factors involved in the rate at which your body metabolizes the food you eat. The first one you’d like to consider might be age. It may be frustrating for those who are on the older end of the spectrum but age does contribute to how fast or slow one’s metabolism will be. When you’re younger, everything involved in your fat-burning process is young. That means optimal performance. But as you age, this performance deteriorates as well, so the most obvious conclusion is, younger means faster metabolism and older means slower metabolism. You will simply have to deal with that.
The good thing is, it’s not only age that affects how you burn fat. That means there are many ways for you to compensate. One is by exercising more. The more you move, the more you help your metabolism pick up speed and the faster you burn fat. You’ll have to take into consideration though that the greater your muscle mass, you’ll burn that fat even faster. This is why people are often advised to go weight-training so they build more muscle and burn more fat.
One common misconception about losing weight is that the fewer calories you consume the more fat you’ll lose. This is not entirely true because the body has a natural buffer system which tells you to burn fewer calories when you don’t consume enough calories. It is good to limit your caloric intake, but to have less than what your body requires is only going to boomerang on your weight loss efforts because you’ll only end up burning less fat.
Other causes of slow metabolism can be genetic or acquired defects of the thyroid gland which regulates metabolic activity. In these cases, medical intervention may be required. Some people even have to undergo surgery to improve their thyroid functions.
You can recognize a migraine headache by the following symptoms and characteristics:
* It recurs often and repeatedly.
* You experience nausea with or without vomiting.
* Your vision is disturbed and you feel a headache which affects only one side of your head.
There are 2 types of migraines: the classical and the common.
The classical migraines begin with an “aura” short before the headache begins. The aura lasts from 10 to 60 minutes and it has some or all of the following possible characteristics:
* blurry vision, flashing lights, seeing visual spots and other shapes
* difficulty speaking
* smelling of aromas
* partial or temporary paralysis
* confusion, dizziness etc.
The common migraines start without an aura or any other warning. You just feel a pain that starts small and expands until it becomes really painful. The degree of pain is similar to the one experienced by the people who suffer because of the classical migraines.
What causes the classical and the common migraine?
The main associated triggers with the migraine headaches are:
* hormonal changed in women. These changes can have various causes. What is known is that migraines appear during or before a significant drop in estrogen.
* the influence of xenoestrogen. Xenoestrogen is a chemical that displays activity similar with estrogen. Xenoestrogen can come from eating beef which has been fed with grains enhanced with hormone additives, from eating vegetables and fruits that still contain pesticides and from many other similar factors.
Xenoestrogen behaves like “fake” estrogen and it may trigger a drop of estrogen.
* higher levels of use of birth control pills in the last 50 years
* bad food habits. Bad food habits can be eating junk food, eating highly preprocessed foods or not eating regularly.
* not getting enough or getting too much sleep
* intense physical effort
* changes in the atmospheric pressure or changes in the weather. For example, if you travel to another city and the weather is much different you are likely to have a migraine headache soon after you arrive there.
* side effects of certain medical drugs
Everyone wants to eat fresh food. Healthy lifestyle and a nutritious balance food are needed by everyone. The nutritional requirements for your body have to be complete and you always should eat those kind of foods which satisfy your body. When you came home after getting tired from work and that time a more healthy diet is required for your body. If you don’t take healthy food on at the moment then your body will be getting down and also you can be subjected to diseases. To work properly by mentally or physically you will have to take nutritional food otherwise you can’t get enough energy for your work. Mexican pharmacy online
If you don’t know more about healthy food, here I will give you some advice about how to eat healthy. Many of the green vegetables like the sprouts, asparagus and spinach are a great source of energy. These vegetables can be eaten in any recipe. Some of nuts are very much perfect for health, such as soy nuts, peanuts and almonds. The other source is yogurt. Yogurt is a great source of Vitamin B and C. It is very necessary for you to intake of yogurt everyday. Lacking of vitamins and much-needed minerals, human body can suffer with many kinds of health hazards like arthritis, bone diseases, anemia and asthma.
Besides, you can eat more organic food which has been produced by sustainable procedures and also added minimal man-made chemicals. Actually, Organic food are high quality food that are nutritious and easier to digest than cooked or processed food. Organic raw food which contains no free radicals is pure and unaltered. Lexapro online no prescription
Today people are facing number of heath problems. The most common health problems are diabetes and heart problems. In the future, more and more people will realize that eating healthy is the head item everyone should do in one’s daily life.
Veins are equipped with valves that ensure blood flows toward your heart. The valves are composed of leaflets that open to allow blood through, and close to prevent it from flowing in the opposite direction. If these leaflets fail to close properly, blood will start to pool in the veins. This will cause blood pressure to rise, and eventually lead to the bulging and twisting that is characteristic of varicose veins.
In addition to their unattractive appearance, varicosities in the blood vessels can be uncomfortable. They may cause itching and pain, especially toward the end of the day when pressure within the veins is greatest.
There are a number of treatment options available to eliminate varicose veins. This article will focus primarily on nonsurgical approaches, such as compression stockings and other conservative measures.
Improved Circulation With Compression Stockings
Most patients suffering from varicose veins should consider compression stockings before more invasive measures. These stockings are typically worn over the calves, though longer versions that extend over the knees are available. They put pressure on the leg veins to encourage blood flow to the heart. As a result, they reduce pain and swelling.
The stockings are available in several compression levels, some of which can be purchased over-the-counter while others require a prescription from your doctor. Compared to other treatment measures for varicose veins, this approach is far less expensive. Stockings for a compression class that requires a prescription typically cost under $100 per pair.
Exercise And Weight Management
Because blood pressure is the primary cause of varicosities in the blood vessels, weight plays a large role in their development. Those who are obese tend to experience varicose veins more often than others. Thus, exercise and weight management are important parts of treatment (as well as prevention). A healthy, low-salt diet that contains plenty of fiber will help prevent weight gain that can otherwise lead to added pressure in the veins.
Take the time to walk each day to encourage blood circulation in your legs. Any form of physical activity is good, including jogging and bicycling, since it promotes healthy venous return. Many physicians also recommend swimming because it positions the body so the legs are horizontal. This reduces blood pooling due to gravity.
If you sit for extended periods, make a point of standing up and walking every thirty minutes. This will prevent blood from pooling. An alternative to standing is to stretch your legs as you sit, and flex the muscles within them. This, too, encourages blood flow.
Other Conservative Treatment Measures
Some doctors will suggest medications to reduce inflammation caused by varicose veins. An example is ibuprofen, which may be recommended along with compression stockings. It is important to realize that medications alone cannot resolve varicosities, but they can have an anti-inflammatory effect on them. This can help prevent aching, swelling, and skin ulcers (in severe cases).
Another conservative approach to preventing blood from pooling in the legs is to elevate your legs above your heart for short periods throughout the day. This encourages blood flow, and reduces pressure within the veins.
Minimally Invasive Procedures For Resolving Varicosities
If your varicose veins are persistently uncomfortable, a more direct treatment approach may be warranted. One method is sclerotherapy. This involves injecting a chemical into the target blood vessel. The chemical causes inflammation and hardening, and eventually causes the vessel to vanish.
Another procedure is endovenous laser therapy (EVLT). During EVLT, a laser fiber is advanced into the target vessel. Once the fiber is positioned, heat is used to damage the blood vessel’s lining, and cause it to collapse. As with sclerotherapy, the vein eventually disappears.
Your doctor may also suggest ambulatory phlebectomy. This is the removal of a diseased vein through small punctures that are made over it. The procedure is usually reserved for smaller blood vessels.
Treating varicose veins seldom requires invasive surgery. In most cases, they can be resolved with treatment measures that are minimally invasive and affordable.
Healthy eating is not about being overly strict and not enjoying food. It’s not about being super thin, being a vegetarian or never eating desert. Healthy eating is about feeling really good with lots of energy, basically staying as healthy as possible. You can eat well and be healthy by educating yourself in basic nutrition principals and then applying them to fit and work for you.
Healthy eating is also about not only what you eat but how you eat. Making the right food choices can make all the difference in avoiding the risk of major illness and disease. Good food choices can keep you cancer free, diabetes free, keep your heart healthy and keep you from experiencing depression. The benefit side of healthy eating is more energy, better memory and a happier disposition. Increase your healthy food choices, do some planning so you have the correct food to maintain your healthy diet.
Don’t put too much pressure on your self to change too quickly, take it at a manageable pace. Take smaller steps rather than all at once. It’s better to be consistent and succeed than to overwhelm yourself and fail. Be committed and you will be eating healthy soon enough.
Go for simplicity, choose real food, fresh food. Avoid refined processed foods, limit packaged foods. This will make it easier to make good choices in the super market. Go with the foods you love, just make them with fresh ingredients, not canned, frozen or processed. Don’t over cook your vegetables, cook lightly and retain the nutrition and enzymes. Take it all at a reasonable pace so you can be honest with yourself and not cut corners. Small steps like using olive oil over butter, eating salads everyday, fruit rather than chips or crackers for a snack. All these changes to your diet matter and will combine to get you to new healthy eating habits. The benefits to your life will be profound.
Changing habits is often the hardest part of making these kinds of changes, so ask for support from family and friends. Encourage your partner or a friend to make these changes with you. Being healthy through diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle is well worth the effort.