You Can Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

By Robert Brown

At present, 30 million Americans suffer from different levels of hypertension, from mild (between 90 to 105 mm Hg diastolic) to severe. While many people are aware of the use of drugs for the condition, few understand that you can lower your blood pressure very effectively through non-drug means. Here are 4 effective ways to lower your blood pressure naturally.

Exercise Regularly.

Regular aerobic exercise increases the ability of your heart to pump blood throughout the body. A stronger heart works less hard, leading to lower blood pressure. Exercise also helps by lowering levels of stress hormones in the body which causes arteries to relax. To get going, try jogging or brisk walking for about 30 minutes, five days a week. Also effective are stationary or road cycling, calisthenics, or any physical activity that increases your heart rate and sweating.

Improve Diet & Eating Habits.

There is a well known connection between salt and blood pressure. Most people know that salt is linked with the disease. Use salt in extreme moderation if you cannot avoid using it altogether. Control your consumption of processed food where sodium content may be high. Beyond this, limit your intake of red meat and sweets. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Low-fat dairy products and whole grains are also good diet choices. In addition, minimize your intake of caffeine, as this aggravates stress and increases the heart rate. Coffee, soda, and some energy drinks are high in caffeine.

Learn Stress Management.

It’s common knowledge that stress is bad for blood pressure. Stress management has been shown to be an effective remedy for hypertension. Take time to get away from the environment that is causing you stress, be it the workplace or your home. Do not bring work problems home. Leave them in the office where they belong. Doing this will not make the problems go away but will give you time to relax and be refreshed, and be better able to handle the challenges later.

Examine Your Attitude And Approach To Life.

The simplest and most obvious blood pressure lowering method is to take a different attitude and approach to life. Pessimism and feelings of powerlessness are linked to high blood pressure and chronic heart disease. Try not to be a “half-empty” person. A gloomy approach may cause bouts of emotional depression and these are associated with high blood pressure. The optimist faces the same issues that the pessimist does, except that he sees the issue not as a depressing problem, but rather as an exciting challenge.

It’s not something you can do overnight but these simple changes can help you effectively control your blood pressure if you practice them over time. There are also herbs and electronic devices which can help you to control your blood pressure naturally. Visit http://www.LowerBloodPressureNow.com Lower Blood Pressure for information and advice about these.

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All the Health Risks of Processed Foods -- In Just a Few Quick, Convenient Bites

Every day, 7 percent of the U.S. population visits a McDonald's, and 20-25 percent eat fast food of some kind, says Steven Gortmaker, professor of society, human development, and health at the Harvard School of Public Health. As for children, 30 percent between the ages of 4 and 19 eat fast food on any given day.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Americans get processed food not only from fast-food restaurants but also from their neighborhood grocery stores. As it stands, about 90 percent of the money that Americans spend on food is used to buy--that's right--processed foods.

Think about it ... if it comes in a box, can, bag or carton, it's processed. The fact that these foods are so readily available, and, often, of such poor quality, has led some, like associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard David Ludwig, to say that they're actually discouraging healthy eating and leading to a "toxic environment."

"There's the incessant advertising and marketing of the poorest quality foods imaginable. To address this epidemic, you'd want to make healthful foods widely available, inexpensive, and convenient, and unhealthful foods relatively less so. Instead, we've done the opposite," says Ludwig.

Processed foods have, indeed, been implicated in a host of chronic diseases and health conditions that are currently plaguing the nation. What follows is just a taste of the risks processed foods may present to your health.

Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) says processed foods are to blame for the sharp rise in obesity (and chronic disease) seen around the world.

In one study by Ludwig and colleagues, children who ate processed fast foods in a restaurant ate 126 more calories than on days they did not. Over the course of a year, this could translate into 13 pounds of weight gain just from fast food.

"The food industry would love to explain obesity as a problem of personal responsibility, since it takes the onus off them for marketing fast food, soft drinks, and other high-calorie, low-quality products," Ludwig says.

However, "When you have calories that are incredibly cheap, in a culture where 'bigger is better,' that's a dangerous combination," says Walter Willett, M.D., D.P.H., professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Diabetes

"In the last 50 years, the extent of processing has increased so much that prepared breakfast cereals--even without added sugar--act exactly like sugar itself ...

As far as our hormones and metabolism are concerned, there's no difference between a bowl of unsweetened corn flakes and a bowl of table sugar. Starch is 100-percent glucose [table sugar is half glucose, half fructose] and our bodies can digest it into sugar instantly," says Ludwig.

"We are not adapted to handle fast-acting carbohydrates. Glucose is the gold standard of energy metabolism. The brain is exquisitely dependent on having a continuous supply of glucose: too low a glucose level poses an immediate threat to survival. [But] too high a level causes damage to tissues, as with diabetes," he continued.

Heart Disease

Many processed foods contain trans fatty acids (TFA), a dangerous type of fat. According to the American Heart Association, "TFAs tend to raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lower HDL ("good") cholesterol ... These changes may increase the risk of heart disease."

Further, most processed foods are extremely high in salt, another blow to the heart. One-half cup of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, for instance, has 37 percent of the daily-recommended amount of sodium.

"Probably the single fastest way to reduce strokes in this country is to halve the amount of salt that's added to processed food," says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at the City University, London.

Cancer

A seven-year study of close to 200,000 people by the University of Hawaii found that people who ate the most processed meats (hot dogs, sausage) had a 67 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate little or no meat products.

A Canadian study of over 400 men aged 50 to 80 found similar results. Men whose eating habits fell into the "processed" pattern (processed meats, red meat, organ meats, refined grains, vegetable oils and soft drinks) had a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer than men in the other groups. Men who ate the most processed foods had a 2.5-fold increased prostate cancer risk.

Yet another study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Mile Markers, and Prevention found that refined carbohydrates like white flour, sugar and high fructose corn syrup is also linked to cancer. The study of more than 1,800 women in Mexico found that those who got 57 percent or more of their total energy intake from refined carbohydrates had a 220 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who ate more balanced diets.

Acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance that forms when foods are heated at high temperatures, such as during baking or frying, is also a concern. Processed foods like French fries and potato chips have shown elevated levels of the substance, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

"I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.

Food Additives: Unknown Effects

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3,000 chemicals that are added to the processed food supply. These compounds do various things to food: add color, stabilize, texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken, add flavor, soften, emulsify and more.

Some of these additives have never been tested for safety--and require no government approval--but instead belong to the FDA's "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) list. An item is "safe," as defined by Congress, if there is "reasonable certainty that no harm will result from use of an additive."

Some compounds that are known to be toxic to humans or animals are also allowed, though at the level of 1/100th of the amount that is considered harmful.

Potential side effects from the additives vary, and are controversial. For just one common food additive, monosodium glutamate (MSG), for example, the following symptoms have been reported:

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Numbness
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Burning sensation
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Tingling
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Facial pressure or tightness
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Chest pain
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Headache
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Nausea
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Rapid heartbeat
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Drowsiness
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Weakness
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Difficulty breathing for asthmatics



As is the case with most food additives, some people have no side effects, but others may become ill.

By Brian Vaszily

Myths of Bodybuilding that fooled most people

•If you stop working out, your muscles will turn to fat
Muscle and fat are two different things and they cannot from one to another because they are completely two different types of tissue. The myth probably started because some former weight lifters continue to eat more even though they have already stop weight lifting. Their muscle could also shrink from long disuse.

•Look for the one with the highest amount of protein serving when choosing a protein supplement.
A protein supplement that has 50 grams of protein per serving may sounds more because it has a bigger measuring scoop or the serving suggestion may require more than one scoop. Look carefully at the serving suggestion label when buying a protein supplement.

•The longer I train in the gym, the more muscle I’ll gain.
When you train in the gym for a long time, your body hits a catabolic state and it would lead to a plateau. A plateau is an inability to progress in training and it would last for months. A training session of 45 minutes to 1 hour would be ideal.

•I should seek training advice from a pro bodybuilder.
Many bodybuilders are big because of genetics and hard work. They may not have the correct scientific explanation as to how they got that way. People with the right genetics would train and diet incorrectly and still grow big. You should seek gym instructors or trained professionals.

•The more you sweat the more fat you lose.
The amount of sweat does not necessarily reflect how hard you are working because some may sweat a lot due to heavy body weight, poor conditioning or heredity. Exercising in hot weather will make you sweat a lot and it looks like you have lost weight immediately but that lost weight is almost consisted of water in your body. The weights will return when you replenish your fluids by drinking after the workout.

•No pain, no gain?
It should never be painful and if it is, you are likely injured from overtraining. When you over train, you would experience physiological and mental stress as well as other health problems.

Sean Nalewanyj is an experienced bodybuilder that has been training for many years and is a writer for http://www.gainmusclenow.info

Vitamins And Minerals Are Health Magnets For Our Body's Circulatory System

By: Holly Dodd

Our body’s circulatory system is made up of the heart, arteries, veins and capillaries. This circulatory system transports oxygen, nutrients, water and blood throughout our bodies as well as assists in the removal of waste products. Obviously keeping this system in tip top shape is essential to its efficiency and to our health.

One of the things we can do to help keep our circulatory system healthy is to make sure that we are properly nourishing it with healthy diet filled with vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C is responsible for strengthening the walls of the blood vessels throughout the body. This has to do with its role in the production of collagen, which is an essential connective tissue. Copper is a mineral that is necessary for the process of making the body’s connective tissue. Biotin is critical to the health of the circulatory system, as well as to the circulatory system’s performance, as it has a function in a number of essential enzyme processes.

Vitamin E helps to promote the healthy functioning of the circulatory system in a couple of ways. It helps to dilate the veins and it has a role in the controlling of blood clotting. Another important aspect of Vitamin E is its antioxidant properties, something that it shares with Vitamin C. These vitamins, with the help of other antioxidants, serve in the essential capacity of bringing free radicals, which if left unchecked can damage body tissue, under control.

Potassium, long known as being beneficial to the heart also serves other parts of the circulatory system. One important function of potassium is to control blood pressure and fluid stability in the circulatory system. Sodium shares in these important functions of maintaining the blood’s balance and pressure. We hear so much about the negatives of sodium that it’s easy to forget that sodium is, in reality, a mineral that is essential to the body’s functioning, particularly in the circulatory system. The key to sodium is moderation, a little is necessary but too much could be dangerous.

It’s apparent that the circulatory system is essential to a healthy body. It makes sense to support its functions with a diet that meets the recommended daily levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Because the proper balance of nutrients is so vital to the functioning of our bodies and its supporting systems, choose your nutritional supplements carefully. Choosing top quality ingredients will insure that you are doing your body good and not spending money unwisely. Make your circulatory system happy, feed it!

Rejuvenating Sex And Health Naturally

By: Dr. Randy Wysong

Our physical and psychological makeup is influenced by the sexual imperative far more than most of us realize or wish to admit. Entire systems of psychoanalytical therapy (e.g. Freud) are based upon the premise that we are primarily sexual creatures.

Behaviorally, there is little doubt that there are dramatic differences between the sexes. This can be seen even in the earliest of years. (This is so in spite of vigilant efforts by “rights” groups to blur distinctions and to declare sexual equality by legal fiat.) Girls with dolls and boys with trucks and guns manifest with no coaching from parents, and reflect the natural nurturing tendencies of girls versus the more aggressive and protecting inclination of boys. Physically the primary and secondary sexual characteristics are obviously different. These features, in fact, attract the opposite sex and prepare each sex for reproduction, caregiving and protection for the young.

But sex is not just about recreation or procreation. It can directly impact health. For example, the risk of breast cancer is directly linked to childbearing and nursing in women – having children and nursing them for extended periods of time decreases the number of ovulations a woman has and thus decreases the pro-cancerous estrogen surges. Other research has demonstrated that fulfilling sexual activity in women is also linked to health.

A man’s sense of strength, perception of attractiveness to women, feelings of being loved and depended upon, financial success, respect, and feeling accepted are all intricately tied to sexuality. Male sexual self-worth goes hand-in-hand with physical and mental health.

Who primarily commits violent crime in society? Is it not young men in the heyday of their testosterone surge? Sexuality and health at their peak create the potential for either great accomplishment or great harm depending upon how these energies are focused.

On the other hand, when male hormone levels start to ebb in later years, health decline parallels this downturn. Men experience loss of muscle mass, lowered energy levels, decreased immunity, increased susceptibility to a variety of degenerative diseases, decreased libido and fertility, and various degrees of impotence. Sensing this decline, men can feel hopeless, worthless and at the end of life. Such feelings further fuel the downward health spiral often resulting in an early death.

The importance of sexuality in men is evidenced by polls showing that men would sooner risk serious life-threatening side effects than forego the possibility that a new drug (e.g. Viagra™) might rejuvenate them sexually. Being sexually alive even in the very oldest of men may be as important as life itself.

Although male hormone levels decrease with age, the slope of the curve can be dramatically altered. It will not, however, be just a matter of taking a pill. Supplemental male hormones are available but their use disrupts the body’s natural balances and can cause negative feedback inhibition. When this occurs, exogenous hormones (pills) send a signal to hormone-producing tissues that hormone levels are high enough. Endogenous (from the body itself) production therefore slows. Over time this can weaken hormone-producing tissues so that the initial problem of inadequate production is compounded. This is at least part of the mechanism for the adverse effects of anabolic (male hormone-like) steroids taken by athletes and bodybuilders. Young men eager to exaggerate muscularity end up with withered and weakened testicles and other endocrine glands setting them up for serious diseases as they get older.

A better alternative is to make healthy lifestyle changes (suggested in the Optimal Health Program™ http://www.wysong.net/optimal_health_page1.shtml ) combined with natural nutritional supplementation, which has been proven to provide benefit to many.

Androgenic phytonutrients from herbs (such as Tribulus terrestris, Muira puama, Avena sativa and nettle leaf), amino acids (including L-arginine) and certain foods such as melons naturally increase testosterone production without the danger of negative feedback inhibition as experienced with anabolic steroids and other hormones. Increased testosterone levels, in turn, increase libido, act as an aphrodisiac and help prevent impotence. (In fact, modern research has revealed that testosterone is the only substance capable of generating libido in both men and women.)

Recent studies suggest that these phytonutrients also affect brain chemicals such that potency and erectile capacity are improved and male reproductive system growth, function, and repair is enhanced.

Phytonutrients can also improve sexual function through inhibiting the binding of sex hormone-binding globulin to its receptor site on prostatic membranes. This provides relief to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) sufferers who often experience painful intercourse, a certain impediment to sexuality.

Other nutrients such as zinc, vitamin B12 and vitamin C directly stimulate sperm production and motility and thus increase fertility. Modern, processed, food fraction-based dietary fare can be woefully deficient in these nutrients. Selecting good supplements and converting the diet to more natural, fresh and varied foods is the solution.

Lifestyle changes (outlined in the Optimal Health Program™) – not the least of which is maintaining healthy body weight and regularly exercising – when combined with proper nutrition can rejuvenate the entire body and with that send a signal to the sexual core of our biological being that we are alive and well. Such signals stimulate a natural invigoration of sexuality, and with that mental and physical health.