Now, there’s even more reason to stop – and this time, to stop for good.  A recent infographic has shown up on the Internet showing the various organs in the human body that the ingredients of soda can negatively affect.  Some of these I already knew about.  Some of them are new.

Although it’s been claimed that this infographic is from “the insurance industry,” that’s not the case.  It’s from a site called TermInsurance.org, a domain which according to a WhoIs search,  is registered in the Grand Cayman Islands.  From what I could see, it looks like an affiliate site.  However, don’t let the apparent lack of authority of the website detract from the information on the infographic.  

The health problems listed on the infographic supposedly come from reputable sources and can include things like:

• Increased Tooth Decay
• Asthma Attack
• Heart Disease
• Kidney Disease
• Reproductive Issues
• Sugar Overload
• Obesity
• Diabetes

Check out the original article here, where you can get a larger image of the graphic that you can read and/or print out.

IDEA TIP: this would be a great graphic to print out and tape to your refrigerator door. If that doesn’t make you think twice about reaching for another soda, I don’t know what will!

The empty calories coming from the high amounts of high fructose corn syrup sending your insulin levels sky-high is reason enough to stop drinking — or at least significantly reduce — your soda consumption.  This infographic should convince you the rest of the way.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: soda, coke, corn syrup, fructose, heart, disease, health, fitness, diet, nutrition, diabetes, obesity, calories, sugar, kidney

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“Me” time is just what it sounds like – time for me.  It’s as much a vacation from the house and the family as it is from work and/or school.  It’s time to spend with no one but yourself.

All of us need time alone every once in a while.  To think.  To dream.  To wonder.  You can’t do that in the midst of the constant chatter that is daily life.

Being alone for a while allows the voice of God to be heard.  You can only hear God whispering to your heart when your spirit is still.

Although I “scheduled” some “me” time, you don’t have to wait until your next vacation comes around.  Take whatever opportunity comes along.  Grab your cup of coffee and instead of heading for the breakroom, head outside and take a walk around the block – alone.  Don’t think.  Don’t worry.  Don’t fret.  Just be by yourself for a while.  You’ll be surprised how refreshed it will make you feel.

Why not try it right now?

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S. Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.” This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: me-time, alone, spirit, mindfulness, meditation, quiet time

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Not cool.

Whether you’re shopping for a guy or a gal, here are a couple of tips to make this Valentine’s Day special:

1.  Plan ahead. Nothing says “I really care about you” than something that takes advance planning – even if it’s just getting reservations at a favorite restaurant.  At the other extreme, nothing says “I just don’t think about you that much” as a box of chocolates with the price sticker still on the box.

2.  Make it personal. Yes, I know that Hallmark has a card for every occasion, and yes, some of them actually say what I want to say way better than I could say it myself.  But that’s not the point – and it’s not what your special someone wants to hear.  They want to hear it from you – in your own words, in your own way.  It’s not the “vehicle” that matters, it’s the message.  Make yours personal.  So this year, forget the store-bought cards and come up with something on your own.  It might be a song, a poem, or just a few sentences, just tell them how much they mean to you.

3.  If you’re going to be there, BE THERE. Don’t think that buying a gift and just leaving it on the kitchen counter gets you off the hook to go watch Sports Center or head to the gym.  Make the day special by giving of yourself.  Turn off the TV, set aside the magazine, get off the computer.  Don’t just be there physically, be there mentally, totally focused on the love of your life.

4.  Say “I Love You” Like you Mean It. No, I don’t mean the “You know I luv ‘ya” and the quick peck on the cheek as you run to catch the Nightly News.  Take the time to look deeply into each others eyes and say “I Love You” the way you did it when you first got together.

5.  Let The Mood Take You. Be open to going wherever the mood takes you.  That could mean making wild passionate love in the middle of the Living Room or just sitting together holding hands and watching an old movie.

6.  Recommit. One question that brings up some interesting discussion when someone says, “I love you,” is “How come?”  You might hear things like “because you let me be me” or “because you accept me the way I am” or something similar.  This does two things.  First, you hear what you’re doing right  (obviously you need to keep doing them!).  Secondly, by verbalizing their thoughts, the other person tends to reinforce and strengthen those feelings.  Now to be fair, you’ve got to be prepared to answer the same question for your partner.  Doing this is a great way to reconfirm your love for each other, recommit to the relationship, and re-ignite the passion as you remember exactly what attracted you to this person in the first place.

Have a great Valentine’s Day, this year and every year after that!

Hiram

Technorati Tags: relationships, love, valentine, heart, partner, feelings, passion

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Every year, around 800,000 Americans have a stroke with about 145,000 of them not surviving.  Even when a person does survive, their lives are forever changed, sometimes radically.  Those changes can range from little to no physical damage to significant and debilitating impairments including speech and mobility loss.

There are two main categories of risk factors:  those that are genetic and those that are a result of your lifestyle.  The first you’re born with and can’t do much about.  The second category on the other hand, is totally within your control…

Many of the lifestyle risk factors you already know.  They include the standard “watch what you eat and exercise more” that has become the main health prescription that all of us need to do more of.  But there’s more, much more.

First of all, don’t dismiss the “exercise and diet” as just more of the same pop-culture advice that’s on every health ad and exercise commercial.  If you’re going to focus on anything at all, this should be the thing you work on the most.  Nothing else provides the same level of health benefits – nothing.

Second, take a look at your lifestyle habits.  Do you regularly skimp on your sleep by staying up late or having to get up early?  Whether you’re missing sleep because of essential reasons (taking care of a sick child, for example) or for trivial ones (watching a late-night movie on AMC), the end result is the same – you don’t get the rest your body needs to rebuild and maintain its health.

If you drink more than one glass of wine, beer, or drink per day, you’re putting your body at risk of a stroke.  Smoking doubles the risk of stroke.  Now’s the time to cut back on these habits that are reducing your life and work on building new ones that will add to the time you have on this Earth.

Another lifestyle habit is your diet, the types of food you eat.  Reduce salty and fatty foods in your diet and you’ll lower your risk of stroke.  I don’t even have to mention reducing portion sizes, do I?

Lastly, you can manage your risk of stroke by taking control of your medical check-ups.  Get checked out on a regular basis, especially if you fall into a high risk group (being over 55, being male, being African-American, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander, or having a family history of stroke).  Many of the medical factors that can lead to stroke, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, can be successfully treated IF they’re identified in time – and the only way to do that is to get yourself checked out on a regular basis.

Having a stroke can radically change your life.  All those plans you had for dream vacations, travel, retirement, and so on can quickly go out the window.  The good news is that you have control over many of the risk factors that can lead to stroke, as well as to many other health problems.

The question is, what will you do with that control?

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer

Technorati Tags: heart, stroke, exercise, balanced health, risk factors, heart attack, brain damage, blood pressure, diabetes, fitness

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Turn on the TV to any news channel and what do you see?  Lay offs.  Economic downturn.  Bankruptcies.  You don’t need me to tell you that these are stressful times.

Stress is a natural response to unexpected things that happen in our lives.  Designed to help keep us safe from dangerous situations, stress can also damage your health if not channeled and/or controlled properly.

When we encounter a stressful situation, or when a stressful situation is thrust upon us, the body responds by releasing a number of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.  These hormones put your body on “high alert,” ready to face whatever the problem is.  However, spending too much time in this heightened state puts a significant strain on the body that can eventually damage your overall health including your heart.

Learning how stress works and how it affects your health are the first steps in learning how to manage stress in your life.

What Causes Stress?

Most stress is caused by those unexpected or unplanned for events that happen in all of our lives.  For example, taking the kids to school is a pretty straightforward task.  All of us have a mental picture of how things should go in order to perform this task.  So we go through our mental checklist that includes homework, lunches, coats, books, etc when suddenly, one of the kids mentions that they forgot a major part of their homework assignment.  This wasn’t part of the plan.  Our reality doesn’t match the mental picture we had of how things should be going.  We therefore begin to experience stress.

Stress occurs when things don’t go as planned, or how you imagined they would go.  You picture a leisurely drive into work and someone cuts you off.  You planned a nice quiet afternoon but the kids won’t stop fighting.  You didn’t picture things going this way so you get stressed.

Is Stress a Bad Thing?

Stress in and of itself is not a bad thing.  In fact, stress is designed to help get us out of dangerous or harmful situations, our “fight or flight” response in other words.

Small amounts of stress can actually be a good thing.  For example, working against the stress of a deadline can actually help focus your mind and allow you to get more done than you otherwise would.  When you lift weights or use resistance bands, you’re working your muscles against a controlled level of stress in order to make them stronger.

So what is it that causes stress to flip over to the “bad side?”

It’s All About Control.

Psychologists have found that “bad” stress is usually caused by events where we feel we have no control over the situation.  Let’s assume that you’re late for work and there’s a traffic jam up ahead.  If you’re on a highway and you just passed the last exit, you’re essentially stuck and will probably start feeling stressed about not getting to work on time.  On the other hand, if you  take the last exit before the traffic jam and know the neighborhood enough to be able to get around the traffic, you probably won’t feel stressed, even though you might still be late.  What’s the difference?  In the first case, you didn’t have much control over the situation while in the second, you did.

This belief of being in control (even if we’re actually not), tends to make the difference between feeling stress and being stress-free.

If you’ve read any self improvement or motivational books, you’ll find this same theme:  it’s all about believing that you’re in control.  The people that are the most successful tend to be those that believe that they are in control of their lives, no matter what actually happens to them.  These people also have the least amount of stress.

Putting This to Use.

So how do you put this to use in your life?  How do you use this to get through some of the worst economic times this country has seen since the Great Depression (according to many news sources)?  Here are a few tips:

1.  Add some flexibility to your life. Knowing that unexpected or unplanned events are what help to create stress, plan on the unexpected.  Add in some flex time or unscheduled time to your plans to take into account the twists and turns that life tends to throw at you at the last minute.  That way you don’t have to stress and say “I don’t have time for this” because in fact, you do.

2.  Believe that you are in control. Yes, I know that you can’t control the weather, or the traffic, or the economy.  However, the one thing you have absolute control over is your attitude.  Victor Frankl, a Jewish psychologist imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World World II observed that the biggest difference between the prisoners that lived through their ordeal and those that simply gave up and died was their attitude – the one thing that could not be taken away from them, the one thing they could control.  Believing that no matter what happens to you, you will find a way to deal with it will go the longest way towards replacing stress with determination and purpose.

3.  Keep your sense of humor. Humor is a great stress-buster.  As one of my partners said as we were waiting to meet with the IRS to discuss the $800,000 in back taxes our company owed, “Well, at least they can’t eat us.”  It lightened the mood and we were able to go in and brainstorm ways to get our company out of hot water (which we eventually did).  So no matter how stressful the issue in front of you seems, remember the Joker in the latest Batman movie and ask yourself, “Why so serious?”

4.  Organize the little things. It’s the little things that tend to stress us the most – or at least trigger stress.    Organize your bills so they don’t get  past due.  Put your car keys in the same place so you’re not running around looking for them all the time.  Pick out what you’re going to wear to work tomorrow the night before so you don’t stress in the morning because you’re running late.  Set an alarm so you don’t run late in the first place.   All of these are little things but they’ll drive you nuts if you let them.

5.  Work off your stress. When stress builds, find a way to work it off.  This can mean different things to different people.  For some, vigorous exercise will help to “blow off” some of the stress.  For others, going outside and yelling at the top of lungs will do it.  Some people need some sort of physical activity, some need a mental outlet like working on a crossword puzzle, others need an emotional release like a good cry.  Do whatever works for you.  The worst thing you can do is to let stress build inside.

Keeping Stress in Check.

Stress is a natural part of life.  Use these tips to help keep it in check and to help keep your health in balance.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: stress, stressful, nerves, nervious, self control, attitude, health, heart, adrenoline, cortisol

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There had to be a way to reduce my blood pressure naturally.  It turns out there is.  It’s a biofeedback device called the RESPeRATE that helps you lower your blood pressure through “therapeutic” or deep breathing.  According to their literature, it’s “the first medical device clinically proven to lower blood pressure.”

WARNING: if you are currently under treatment for high blood pressure, make sure to talk to your doctor before making ANY changes to your treatment program, including using devices such as this one.

What RESPeRATE Is

So what exactly is a “biofeedback” device?  A biofeedback device is a device containing some sort of sensor that displays (or feeds back) the biological response you’re trying to regulate.  For example, if you’re trying to learn how to relax and lower your heart beat, you can wear a heartbeat monitor in order to see what kind of progress you’re making.  The heartbeat monitor measures your biological response (your heartbeat) and feeds that information back to you so you can take the appropriate action.

Similarly, the RESPeRATE device is designed to help you learn how to lower your blood pressure through structured, therapeutic deep breathing – the same type of deep breathing practiced in meditation and yoga (needless to say, if you already practice meditation or yoga, then this device is probably not for you).

This type of deep breathing causes the muscles surrounding the small blood vessels in your body to relax allowing the blood vessels to slightly dilate.  Blood is allowed to flow more freely lowering your blood pressure.  The effect is small but these effects accumulate over time so the more you use the device, the better results you get.

The goal is to spend at least 10 minutes each session doing “therapeutic breathing”  – breathing slowly, deeply, and naturally at a rate of less than 10 breaths per minute.  The RESPeRATE device helps get you there and tracks your progress as well.

What It Does

Using the RESPeRATE device requires that you sit comfortably, put on a set of headphones and position a sensor across your chest via an elastic strap.  When started, the device begins to play specially designed music through the headsets that helps to pace your breathing (play clip for an example) while at the same time, the chest sensor monitors your breathing rate, which then shows up on the display.

The display also contains a person with an arrow pointing in when you’re supposed to be breathing in, and pointing out when you’re supposed to be breathing out (see picture at right).  Cute, but no big deal, right? Well, here’s the really neat part.

The microprocessor-controlled device determines your current breathing rate and then adjusts the pace of the music so that it’s a little bit lower than your actual breathing rate.  The result is that you naturally start breathing a little slower as you follow the music.

Once you reach the lower rate, the device lowers the pace yet again, and continues doing so until your breathing reaches a stable rate.  If your breath speeds up for any reason, the music also speeds up until it matches your breathing rate — and then it begins to slow down again leading your breathing rate back down with it.  This is what they mean by “pacing” and it’s what makes RESPeRATE so unique.  It’s like having someone right there gently leading you forward.

How It Works

The RESPeRATE comes with a control/display unit, a set of headphones (or ear buds, depending on the model you purchase), and a sensor that attaches to your chest through the use of an elastic band.  The control unit is battery operated and requires 4 AA batteries.

To use it, place the sensor across your chest by adjusting the elastic strap so that it’s either on your upper chest, or slightly above your abdomen.  The sensor measures the movement of your chest as you breathe in and out so the best place for it is going to depend on whether you’re a “chest breather” or an “abdominal breather.”

Next, put on the headphones and turn on the control unit.  That’s it.  The control unit will go through a “breathing recognition phase” where it confirms that it’s properly sensing your breathing rate.  Once it’s determined that it can read your breathing rate (ie: the sensor is properly placed), the music begins to play.

The special music has two distinct “guiding” tones, a high tone indicating when you should inhale and a low tone indicating when you should exhale.  There are also voice prompts (which can be turned off) to guide you as well.  You can hear an example of this by playing the audio clip that’s part of this review.

Your goal for each session is to spend at least 10 minutes in the “therapeutic breathing zone” of 10 breaths per minute or less.  The control unit will automatically track the amount of time you spend in the therapeutic zone.

The unit’s “Performance Statistics” mode can also tell you how many minutes you spent in the therapeutic zone during the last session, during the last 7 days, as well as the average value over the past 60 days.  It will also track your beginning breathing rate as well as your final breathing rate making it easy to see your progress.

The control unit is battery operated (uses 4 AA batteries) and made of plastic.  The controls are easy to understand and use.  The RESPeRATE device is compact and very portable making it a perfect item to take with you anywhere you go.

How Effective Is It

But does the device really reduce blood pressure?  The RESPeRATE is FDA-approved and their website contains numerous medical studies as well as doctor and client testimonials that prove that the device does indeed work.  However, I’ve found that there’s a caveat that you need to know about before you run out and get one.

First of all, if you already meditate or do Yoga, then you are probably already getting the benefits of therapeutic breathing and getting a RESPeRATE won’t make much sense.  I was a little disappointed to find that my resting breathing rate starts out in the therapeutic zone (I usually start the session at around 7 BPM and end the session around 4 BPM).  Although the sessions are extremely relaxing (and I still continue to use it for that reason), I actually haven’t seen much impact on my blood pressure.  But that’s just me.

If you DON’T already meditate or do Yoga (which is probably most people), the device may be worth trying. I also suspect that the people who will benefit the most are those whos blood pressure is caused, at least in part, by nervousness, worry, stress, or tension.  Since this is a biofeedback device, there are no physical side-effects or chemical interactions you have to worry about.

WARNING: if you are currently under treatment for high blood pressure, make sure to talk to your doctor before making ANY changes to your treatment program, including using devices such as this one.

What It Costs

The RESPeRATE device comes in two models: the RESPeRATE and the RESPeRATE Ultra.  As far as I can tell, the only difference is that the Ultra is a little more compact.  Both work the same and have the same features.

The RESPeRATE device retails for $299.95 and the RESPeRATE Ultra for $349.99 and comes with a full 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Yeah, I know.  Ouch!  What makes it worse is that Medicare and most insurance programs do not cover the cost of the device.  However, the manufacturer occasionally offers rebates (they’re currently offering a $65 rebate until Dec 31, 2008) so make sure to check their website before purchasing.

So at this price, why would anyone want to buy one?  Well, for one, it’s documented to work.  Surely your good health is worth at least 300 bucks – at least that was my rationale for getting one (I purchased the basic model).

Note that there are other alternatives out there that can accomplish the same thing.  For example, you can sign up for a Yoga or meditation class (and spend $300 along the way). Another alternative is music CD’s with a “breathing track” such as the ones you can get from Breatheasy at www.control-your-blood-pressure.com ($67 plus SH).

However, only the RESPeRATE is FDA-cleared and has been clinically tested to work.  Also, only the RESPeRATE is microprocessor-controlled to adjust to your currently breathing rate and then to guide it lower.  It’s a true biofeedback device.

WARNING: if you are currently under treatment for high blood pressure, make sure to talk to your doctor before making ANY changes to your treatment program, including using devices such as this one.

Where To Get It

The RESPeRATE device is available direct from the manufacturer at www.resperate.com as well as from major drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens (see the website for a complete list of outlets).

My Recommendation & Ratings

My recommendation is that if you suffer from high blood pressure, especially if it’s related to stress or tension, then you need to try this device (please see the multiple warnings about discussing this with your doctor if you’re already on a treatment program).  The device is fully guaranteed, it’s portable, constructed of quality materials, and it works.

I highly recommend giving it a try.  Here’s how I would rate it overall:

Disclosure

InterCure (the manufacturer of RESPeRATE) does not have an affiliate program so I am not making any money or getting any kind of compensation from this review.  I purchased the RESPeRATE basic model (at full retail) for my own use and have found it works as advertised.

Although it didn’t lower my blood pressure (I already had a low breathing rate because of my meditation practice and martial arts background) I still regularly use the device.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: blood pressure, heart, resperate, breathing, yoga, breath, biofeedback

You might also be interested in the following items from Amazon.com:

RESPeRATE Ultra Blood Pressure Lowering Device, One User

• Small, portable computerized unit with interactive tutorial
• Includes breathing sensor, ear buds and 4 AA Batteries
• User Manual
• Memory to help you track your progress
• Carry case and detachable sensor belt

RESPeRATE Ultra Blood Pressure Lowering Device
Lower blood pressure natu

Untitled Document .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } Introducing RESPeRATE Ultra, our smartest device ever. All the power of the original RESPeRATE in just half the size. Featuring a large, enhanced display, fewer buttons and simple menus, this

Rating: (out of 12 reviews)

List Price: $ 299.95

Price: $ 298.95

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This time however, as the Dental Hygienist was writing down the results in my folder, she said, “Hmm, your blood pressure seems a little high.” I was reading 120/88 – the first stages of hypertension. Needless to say, it got my attention.

What is High Blood Pressure?

Your circulatory system is basically your body’s plumbing system and your heart is the pump that powers it. When your heart “beats,” the heart muscle contracts pushes blood through the arteries creating a set amount of pressure against the artery walls. The amount of pressure that the heart creates when it beats is called the Systolic pressure. When the heart relaxes in between beats, the pressure drops. This is called Diastolic pressure.

Your blood pressure is usually reported as the systolic pressure over the diastolic. Since the systolic pressure is created when the heart beats, it makes sense that the systolic pressure would be the higher of the two. However, both numbers are important.

Although your blood pressure changes throughout the day depending on factors such as your activity and stress level, to name a few, if it stays elevated, it’s called high blood pressure, or Hypertension.

For most adults, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have determined the following categories of blood pressure:

How Serious is High Blood Pressure?

It’s estimated that high blood pressure affects more than 65 million Americans, or about 1 out of every 3 adults. High blood pressure is an indication that your heart is working too hard. The high pressure also put a strain on the arteries and organs downstream. If uncontrolled, high blood pressure can eventually lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, or blindness.

Who’s Most at Risk?

High blood pressure is most common in those over 55 years of age. It’s also common in African Americans, where it tends to develop at a younger age and affect a larger percentage of the population than Whites.

Non-medical Ways to Reduce It

High blood pressure can be managed to a large extent by the following means, listed in the order of biggest impact:

1. Weight management. Just losing 10 pounds can reduce your blood pressure by 4-6 points.
2. Exercise. Try to stay physically active during most of the week.
3. Watch your diet. Maintain a healthy, and low salt (sodium), diet. Check out the DASH diet from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
4. Drink in moderation. If you drink, don’t overdo it.

Note that if your blood pressure is already elevated, your doctor may prescribe medication to control it. It’s important to understand that any kind of medication is not a substitute for the above. Whether you take blood pressure medication or not, you should still watch your weight, exercise, eat right, and drink in moderation.

What I’m Doing

So here’s my problem. I’m not really overweight and I already exercise several times a week. I don’t smoke, and I don’t drink. So what’s left? Lose some weight and eat healthier. Although I’m not overweight, everyone nowadays can afford to lose 10 or more pounds. I don’t binge on junk food but again, everyone can make better food choices. So those are my two goals for the next 6 months.

I’ve also bought a new gadget called the “Resperate.” It’s a computer controlled gizmo that teaches you how to lower your breathing rate, and thereby lower your blood pressure. You put on a pair of headphones and listen to some special music, breathing in to the high notes and breathing out to the low notes, while the machine monitors your actual breathing rate. Once your breathing is in sync with the machine, it slows the music down trying to get your actual breathing rate to slow down as well.

It’s kind of neat how it works. I just got it so I can’t endorse it yet or say how effective it is. You can read more about it at their website at www.resperate.com.

To Get More Information

For more information on blood pressure, see the publication “Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure” from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: blood pressure, hypertension, heart, DASH, diet, health, resperate

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But hold on a minute! The articles in the mainstream press are perfect examples of unbalanced reporting. If you take a look at the original study, it’s not about red wine at all. So before you run down to the liquor store to stock up, read the rest of this post and get the whole story.

First of all, you can access the article “A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice” by clicking on the link.

Scientists have known for quite some time that restricting the caloric intake of mice increases their lifespan by as much as 10-13%. This technique is known as “caloric restriction” (read more about it here at Wikipedia). This study was trying to find out whether feeding the mice a chemical called Resveratrol could produce the same results as caloric restriction. Here’s what they did:

• Group 1 mice were fed a control diet (84 kcal per mouse).
• Group 2 were fed a control diet plus a low dose of trans-resveratrol.
• Group 3 mice were fed a calorie restricted diet that was 25% smaller than the control diet (63 kcal per mouse).

Tissue samples from all three groups were studied focusing in three areas: heart tissue, skeletal muscle tissue, and brain tissue (neocortex). What they found was that low doses of resveratrol retarded the aging biomarkers by over 90% for the heart, by 26% for the skeletal muscle tissue, and by only 13% for the neocortex tissue. Based on these results, the scientists concluded that resveratrol may be an important tool in helping fight the effects of aging on the heart.

The first thing to note is that this study was performed on mice, not on humans. There is a lot of controversy about whether or not studies such as this can be directly applied to humans since our physiology is much more complex (see the Wikipedia article for more details including potential side effects).

The second thing to note is that resveratrol is present in many foods including grapes (primarily grape skins) – but also in peanuts and cranberries (see the Wikipedia article for more details). Sure, red wine comes from grapes so yes, red wine does contain amounts of the same chemical – but then so does grape and cranberry juice.

The third thing to note is that the mice were found to have a high incidence of liver tumors, presumably due to the high-fat diet. The addition of resveratrol did nothing to prevent that.

The fourth thing to note is that the study does NOT recommend taking resveratrol nor does it recommend drinking red wine. The reasons should be obvious. There are no human studies so the effects of resveratrol in humans is not completely known. Drinking red wine in any kind of quantity may be good for your heart, but it’s not doing your liver any favors.

The fifth thing to note is that, even though resveratrol may eventually become an important anti-aging supplement, good health still comes down to a balanced blend of diet, nutrition, and exercise.

Don’t let the news headlines fool you. There is no “good-health-in-a-pill.” If you drink red wine, drink it in moderation. However, you still have to make good food choices, control portion size, and exercise.

Here’s to your balanced health!

Hiram

Technorati Tags: benefits of drinking red wine, calorie restricted diet, resveratrol, balanced health, heart, diet

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What they don’t seem to know is why these drinks apparently cause this. It could be the caramel used to flavor cola’s. However, that arguement doesn’t fly with the non-cola drinks. Maybe it’s the Carbon Dioxide that’s used to provide the “fiz.”

I used to work in a chemical laboratory so I’ve known for some time that soft drinks are extremely acidic since some of the Carbon Dioxide turns to Carbolic Acid. As a result, the pH level of a soft drink is around 3 (a pH of 7 is considered neutral).

My personal belief is that drinking too much soda nudges your body into an overall acidic state, a condition that promotes disease in addition to prematurely aging your body’s organs and reducing their efficiency. I think this study tends to support that belief.

So, whether you agree with me or not, the main question here is what are you going to do with this information?

I was drinking (and greatly enjoying) a can of Barq’s Root Beer yesterday evening as I sat on the couch and watched a little TV (I gave up soda with caffeine long ago). On the CBS Evening News, one of the soft drinks that they showed as they reported the results of this study was, you guessed it, Barq’s Root Beer. The announcer might as well have pointed to me and said, “This is just for you.”

So here’s my resolution: Since I really do want to be around to see my grandson get married and have kids, I have had my last soda.

What are you going to do?

Hiram

Technorati Tags: soda, soft drinks, heart, diet, nutrition, balanced health, health

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1. Monitor Your Blood Pressure. Your blood pressure is one of the most critical stroke risk factors. Fortunately, it’s one of the most easily controlled. However, you do have to work at it. Start by having it checked and evaluated by your doctor. Do not skip this step. Although anyone with a simple monitor can tell you what your blood pressure is, only a doctor can tell you what it means and what the ideal range should be for a person with your body type, age, and lifestyle. Once your doctor has discussed this with you, monitor your pressure on a regular basis with any of the home monitors that are readily available.
2. Curb Those Unhealthy Habits. Make a concentrated effort to curb those unhealthy habits that can adversely affect your blood pressure. These include smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, and drinking caffeinated beverages. All of these unhealthy habits narrow your arteries making the formation of a clot more likely and increasing your blood pressure. If you don’t have the willpower to cut them out completely, then reduce them by 25% for a month. The following month, reduce them by another 25% and so on.
3. Eat Healthy. Your diet is an important stroke risk factor. Make sure yours is healthy by reducing the amount of salt in your diet as well as by eliminating high cholesterol-producing foods.
4. Exercise More. Sorry, but every plan for good health seems to end in “exercise more.” There’s no way around it. Exercise will help keep your weight in check, increase muscle tone and strength, and help lower your blood pressure. So quit complaining about it and just do it.

A stroke can radically alter your independent lifestyle. Many people never completely recover. Don’t be one of them. “Stroke-proof” yourself as much as possible by following these four simple steps.

To your good health!

Hiram

Technorati Tags: balanced health, stroke, exercise, diet, heart, health

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Our office building is not exactly state-of-the-art so of course, nothing fit the way it was supposed to. They say that every plumbing job requires at least 2 trips to the hardware store and that was certainly the case here.

Once I got everything apart, I noticed that the pipes had built up quite a bit of corrosion at the fittings. In fact, I had drained out all the water before taking off the shutoff valve. The water slowed to a trickle so I thought it was done. All of a sudden, a chunk of corrosion broke loose and it started pouring out. I got soaked as I rushed to find something big enough to catch it all.

The pipes had gotten clogged — not enough to stop the flow of water mind you — but still clogged. When I started moving things around, part of the clog broke free and allowed a spurt of water to flow out.

What does this have to do with health and fitness? Well, my wife is a nurse who used to work on the Heart Team of a local hospital. I told how proud of her I was one day because she was on a team that helped save people’s lives by repairing damaged circulatory systems and/or helping to perform heart transplants. She said, “it’s no big deal.” I asked her what she meant and she said that working on the Heart Team was pretty easy. “After all,” she said, “pipes is pipes.”

That kept going through my head as I was flat on my back on the floor trying to reach the faucet fittings behind the sink. Our circulatory system is just a system of pipes through which the blood flows to and from every part of the body. And just like the pipes in my office, sometimes our “pipes” — our veins, arteries and blood vessels — sometimes get clogged up. It’s even a bigger problem when parts of the clog break loose and cause damage wherever they lodge.

So how do you keep your “pipes” clean? Well, by doing all of the things that we all know we should be doing — but seldom actually get around to. These including eating right, reducing the amount of fats we eat, reducing the amount of processed salt and sugar, and of course, regular exercise.

Getting and staying healthy is pretty simple — it’s not easy, mind you — but it is simple. The path is pretty clear. What’s not so easy is making the commitment, expending the energy, and building the discipline to stick with it. Still, the benefits are worth it.

So why not start today, right now, in whatever condition you happen to be? Take the first step towards better health and fitness. Make a commitment to improve your health and then find a way to get started — today — right now!

Hiram

Technorati Tags: balanced health, heart, circulatory system

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