By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
http://tinyurl.com/6ftjsr

Okay, that’s it, all done with the holidays, so lets get going on weight loss. No more bad nutrition, get back to your regular calorie intake and 6 small meals per day. You are eating 5-6 mini-meals per day, right? If not, get started, and here are some more weight loss tips.

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Get your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables first, before using breads and pastas. You’ll get far more nutrients and fiber, and fewer calories.

2. Eat fiber
The average American falls far short of the fiber recommendations (of 25+ grams of fiber per day). Add an ounce of raw nuts to your daily food plan to get more fiber and to satisfy your appetite.

3. Eat more protein
Protein fills you up and doesn’t mess with your blood sugar, so you’ll have more mental energy.

4. Have something for breakfast.
While the exact reason isn’t clear, breakfast eaters tend to be slimmer than non-breakfast eaters. Start your day with a whey protein shake and an apple if you are in a rush.

5. Drink water
At least 8 cups per day. This will help fill you up and helps you avoid constipation.

6. Exercise less, but harder.
Forget about long, slow cardio. Learn how to do interval training instead. This will boost your metabolism all day long.

7. Use your bodyweight
There are hundreds of bodyweight exercises you can do at home, from beginner to advance.

And those are your 7 tips to help you lose weight, burn fat, control your appetite, boost your metabolism and get the body you want.

Sincerely,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

P.S. Is a lack of time stressing you out?

“No time to exercise” is the #1 reason most people don’t exercise consistently. In fact, a lack of time stresses most people out for many reasons - whether it’s a lack of time to prepare good food, exercise, or be with your family.That’s why I created Turbulence Training to be the most efficient and effective fat loss program out there. The warm-up is applicable to your workout, not some 5-minute waste of time on the treadmill. The strength training supersets shave minutes off your wait time.And the intervals cut your cardio in half, or more.

“I think TT is awesome. I have seen a serious change in my overall body composition. In 12 weeks I’ve gained a lot of muscle and have lost about 10 lbs, but inches are flying off.”
Gordon M.

“The TT workouts are excellent! You have literally changed my life! I got completely burned out on single body part training and long periods of cardio. It just isn’t conducive to my life given that I work full time and have a spouse. I’m already lean but I want to maintain a high level of health and have a fit, athletic look. I have to admit that I was skeptical because the workouts were so short, but even after the first workout my skepticism disappeared in a hurry. The time flies by at the gym and the workouts have eliminated a lot of stress because if I got stuck at work and couldn’t get to the gym for “leg day” it would mess up my training schedule for the rest of the week. I also like having the option to do some body weight circuits plus I have a full range of dumbells and a ball at home so I can get my workouts in at home.”
Janet M

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Visit for FREE Ebook http://tinyurl.com/6ftjsr

The stomach makes us work harder to satisfy our urge for food—Good food–Tasty Food.

BUT the situation is very different when there is pain in the stomach. It could be over eating or consumption of stale food or some ingredient in the food which our system does not accept.

The system, on its own forces a vomiting and makes us feel comfortable. Sometimes a digester like herbal tea or some medicine which helps us in digesting the food, gives us relief.

But the things seem to go out of control if it is extreme pain, cramps, regular vomiting or diarrhea. There is no alternative except rushing to a Medical Consultant for proper treatment.

Many times the medicines do not provide regular relief besides there are side effects of the consumed medicines. Then one can always try with natural procedures.

The human body regularly tries to set the digestive system in order. But it does need a proper maintenance. Over-eating, eating at varied time-gaps or negligible exercises do affect our digestive systems if that situation continues for a longer periods. Therefore Digestive system demands an urgent attention and proper cleaning.

Lots of fiber and water helps in cleaning the digestive tract. That improves the working of digestive system and we start feeling a regular relief from various disorders of the stomach.

In case of Ulcers or chronic problems of digestive systems, one must adopt the following steps for at least 30 days:

# Start your day with Instant Oats in water. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables. The cooking should be done with minimum oil.

# Consume much of fibrous foods and water. It will help in removing the toxins from the digestive tract and provide strength to the digestive system.

# Home prepared fruit juices and vegetable juices without any table sugar will help in faster relief.

# Ensure that no meal is skipped. Even if you feel no appetite, take little fruit but do take something.


# No cold drinks or aerated water, especially when taking food since the stomach digests the food better, at room temperature.

# Avoid Tea, Coffee, fruit juices (Packed), fried food, creamy food, starchy stuff and peanuts and peanut butter, spicy food, Non-vegetarian food and sweets in any form. It aggravates the digestive problems

You can expect positive and encouraging results in 30-45 days. Once you feel better, you can resume your routine diets. In any case, light healthy food taken at regular intervals keep the digestive system, in order.

Regular exercises are an essential part to maintain a healthy body.

Suggestive readings: at http://teingdesign.blogspot.com or http://goodbyesugar.blogspot.com

Roberta Temes has designed a practical approach for reducing weight.

She says that Obesity is neither a psychological disorder nor an eating disorder. Fat people have a genetic predisposition to gain weight. If they wish to conform to today’s ideal of slimness and maintain good health, they must counteract their inborn biological impulses through behavioral changes.

Accomplishing permanent weight loss is easier to achieve when you simply follow a series of small steps and don’t think about the big picture.
Adding Some new habits added to your daily routine facilitate
Weight Loss and help you reach your goal quickly and easily.

20 steps will positively help you in making you Slimmer

1: What You See Is What You Eat: If it’s on your plate, you will eat it. So take small portions.

2: Don’t Trust Your Stomach : Choose your portion size by measuring it or weighing it. Don’t wait until you feel full to stop eating.

3: Taste May Not Matter: You will eat whatever is in front of you. Don’t tempt yourself.

4: Restaurant Portions Are Gargantuan: In restaurants, ask for half the food to be wrapped to take home before it is served to you.

5: Writing Can Help You Eat Less: Walk around with pencil, paper, and a calorie book. Record whatever you eat and tally your calories before you go to bed each night.

6: Losing a Little Makes a Big Difference: Break up your weight-loss goals into small manageable units of pounds to be lost. Concentrate on losing one unit at a time.

7: Low-Fat Labels Can Be Misleading: The Nutrition Facts panel on your food is important. You should check it before you purchase or eat a particular food.

8: Eating Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight and Keep It Off: Be certain to sit down to a meal every morning.

9: Watching TV Adds to Your Weight: Stay away from the TV.

10: Eating Out May Be Dangerous: Eat at home as often as you can.

11: The Scale Is Your Friend: Buy a scale or a tape measure. Use it every morning.

12: Walk and Walk and Walk Some More: Look for opportunities to add walking to your life.

13: Eating Slowly Makes You Feel Full: Chew your food well and eat slowly.

14: Bore Yourself and Lose Weight: Stick to a boring menu. Eliminate choices, and stay away from buffets.

15: Your Friends Can Make You Fat: Eat alone when possible. Limit your social eating to a few friends. Meet with larger groups of friends while walking, or in a non-food environment.

16: Fool Yourself with Portions: Serve yourself dinner on a salad-sized plate. Use smaller sized spoons, too. Your portions will look larger and you will eat less.

17: Treat Your Kids (and Yourself) to Healthful Foods: If you have kids, limit their fatty foods. Buy food that is good for you – it’ll be good for them, too.

18: Exercising for the Fun of It Will Keep You Active: Come up with another reason to exercise, besides losing weight. Find a sport or activity that you love to do.

19: Forbidden Foods Will Call Out to You: Keep healthy foods accessible and visible. Don’t buy and store unhealthy foods in your home or office, because you may eat more than you intend to.

20: Sleeping More Helps You Eat Less: Get at least seven hours of sleep every night to reduce what you eat. .

You may ask for a FREE Ebook at the site: www.hypnosisnetwork.com

Underarm odour is a problem for everyone at one point or another during their lives. Just about everyone uses deodorants and / or antiperspirants to combat the problem. But safety concerns about several of the ingredients in many of these products have led some people to search for a more natural solution to this odorous problem. Before I show you how to get rid of underarm odour naturally I want to give you a little background into why underarm odour occurs.

We develop underarm odour because of various bacteria that find a welcoming home under our arms. These moisture loving bacteria find a near perfect breeding ground under our arms where it is warm, dark, and moisture has problems evaporating easily. Odour is produced when these bacteria consume organic materials found on your skin, clothing, hair, and in your sweat. These bacteria also are fond of other damp and dark areas of the body such as the pubic and foot regions. Some other reasons for underarm odour include medicines, foods, or illness. The methods I will share with you today probably will not be much help if your underarm odour is caused by these other reasons but if its caused by bacteria you may find relief with these techniques.

The best technique I have discovered for getting rid of underarm odour without using chemical deodorants or antiperspirants is lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice works best but a product such as Real Lemon from the supermarket will work wonders to. In some people lemon juice may irritate the skin so I suggest you try with one arm first to see if it causes you irritation. To get the best effect from using lemon juice to get rid of underarm odour, follow these simple directions: Take a good bath washing your armpits carefully. After getting out of the shower dry your underarms thoroughly. Then take your lemon juice and pour on a paper towel and rub your underarm area gently. The citric acid in lemon juice kills the bacteria that are fond of your underarms and unlike with antibacterial products bacteria do not seem to develop a resistance to citric acid. Others have found relief by using vinegar, or mouthwash the very same way but I was never able to duplicate those results personally.

The second tip I know of that will help you get rid of underarm odour without using chemical deodorants or antiperspirants is a really simple one. Shave your armpits. When you shave your armpits you remove hair that bacteria stick to even after taking a shower. Less bacteria means less odour–a safe and natural way.

There are several products and programs advertised on the internet that claim to help you get rid of underarm odour but I have no experience with them and cannot recommend or condemn them. After using the two above techniques I have not needed to pursue further help in resolving the problem. Many people may choose to use a deodorant even with this natural regimen of personal care and that OK. Just try and find a all natural deodorant where you can pronounce all the ingredients listed on the container.

High blood pressure is known as the silent killer. High blood pressure demands consumption of prescribed medicines on a regular basis. Its high costs and the side effects has been continuously forcing patients to look for a natural cures for high blood pressure. The natural cures and remedies for high blood pressure are safer, free from any side effects and far more effective than prescription medication and drugs.

High blood pressure is classified as a systolic pressure of more than 140 and the diastolic pressure of more than 90. It’s interesting to note that about 4 years ago, high blood pressure was classified as 160/95. The lowering of the standard has little to with health risks, and a lot more to do with how much money goes into the FDA, and the entire pharmaceutical industry. This is part of the reason that many of the natural cures for high blood pressure are not publicized. However, without much further ado, here are the best natural cures for high blood pressure:

Apple Cider Vinegar – This is a miracle cure for high blood pressure patients. Apple Cider Vinegar acts very fast, and you will start seeing a difference in your blood pressure within a week with it. You do not need any other medication for high blood pressure with apple cider vinegar.

Dosage – Take one full tablespoon 3 times a day for the best results. If you find it stronger then add in half a glass of water. This is easily one of the best natural cures for high blood pressure.

Sourced from: http://www.associatedcontent.com

Standing on a vibrating platform may sound like an odd way to pass the time, but a new research review suggests it may do the muscles and bones some good – particularly in older or sedentary adults. Dr. Dennis G. Dolny and G. Francis Cisco Reyes of the University of Idaho in Moscow, have conducted the review.

It is claimed that these vibrations activate muscle fibers more efficiently, than conscious contraction of muscles during regular exercise. WBV is often touted as a way to improve muscle power, jump higher or sprint faster.

The researchers have found that WBV appeared to increase bone density in the hip. The 8-month training regimen required the women to stand on a WBV platform, in a squat position, for six 1-minute cycles, 3 times per week.]

Performing squats on a WBV platform is slightly more effective than standard squats in boosting muscle power and jump height.

In sedentary and elderly subjects, there is greater likelihood for WBV to improve muscle performance to at least the same if not greater extent (as) traditional training methods.

People with conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure should avoid WBV until safety concerns are better addressed.

However, more research is needed

Adopted from: Current Sports Medicine Reports, May/June 2008.

The human body is more powerful than you ever thought. It has ability to self healing.

Do not accept emotional trauma, phobias, traumatic stress disorder and chronic physical pains.

ALL negative emotions are caused due to disruption in the body’s energy system. The body is composed of energy. Balance of the body’s energy can be restored to mend the negative emotions and symptoms that stem from the energy disruption.

Chinese discovered hundreds of meridian points in the human body. The meridian points can be easily stimulated to improve the blood circulation and the flow of Prana, energy or life force They also discovered that by stimulating these meridian points, they could heal.

The energy circulates through the body along a specific network of channels. Meridians are the energy points which can be tapped to activate the flow of energy throughout the body. You can tap into this energy at any point along the system. It results into faster improvement from the physical discomfort.

Negative emotions disrupt the body’s energy. Physical pain and disease are closely connected to negative emotions. Health problems create feedback – physical symptoms cause emotional distress, and unresolved emotional problems manifest themselves through physical symptoms. So, the body’s health must be approached as a whole. You cannot treat the symptoms without addressing the cause.

Law of Attraction describes what we experience in our lives. It is always “like attracts like” no matter what. If you vibrate in fear, you will be delivered more experiences that cause fear. If you vibrate in a joyful place, you will bump into more experiences that bring you joy. Pretend your thoughts and vibrations are like slow moving boomerangs…they always come back to you. Many people misinterpret the principles behind the Law of Attraction, and think they can “fool” the Universe by pretending that they are joyful. This is not possible, as the Universe reads your vibration, not what you say or do.

EFT is a simple and painless way to dissolve your negative emotions. It can be easily learnt by anyone. You can apply it to yourself, whenever you want, wherever you are. It’s less expensive and less time consuming. It can be used with specific emotional intent towards your own unique life challenges and experiences. Most importantly, it gives you the power to heal yourself, putting control over your destiny back into your own hands.

Think about all the pieces of EFT —
(1) Choosing a specific problem,
(2) Affirming that you deeply and completely love and accept yourself
no matter what, and
(3) Tapping on the points in your energy system and relieving the stress, tension, and conflict that has been stored there.

What a wonderful way to raise your vibration! Reduce negative emotions and feel physical improvement.

If you wish to gain a FREE Ebook,
JUST CLICK : http://tinyurl.com/5z3s8m

How disturbing it could be when you are not able to turn your neck. The pain increases when you give it a little try. Forgetting about any important job, you will try to consult your Doctor for some relief. He will prescribe some tablets and suggest some exercises. After two days you will feel little better.
Why don’t you roll your both thumbs and give little mild pressure at the bone just behind your neck. Your half of the problem will be solved.

The maddening Migraine pain bothers every third or fourth day and almost half of the day is gone. No medicine works. Life has become very difficult. Various Pathological tests and even MRI do not reflect any clear reason for the problem.
Little pressure on the head and 30 seconds’ pulsating pressure at the back of head, twice a day, could show some positive results in a week’s time. How about trying it?

Bad throat, hoarse voice, pain in throat: Go for gargles and rub the base of your thumbs for 60 seconds, thrice a day and feel the relief.

Sciatica pain in the legs make a person immobile for 2-3 days. Pain killers and the physio-therapy exercises also take their own time to show some positive effects.

Lay on your stomach on hard bed, lift your head a little and move your legs backwards so that heels try to move nearer to the hips, maintain that position for 20 seconds, take back your legs to relaxed position. Try this exercise– five sets twice a day for 3 days and feel the relief.

3.3 billion people, all over the world are enjoying the luxury of using a mobile phone. It was till the end of 2007. Lots of more people must have gained. the pride of owning a mobile till end May 2008.

How does it matter if study after study during last ten years, show the connection between cancer and cell phone use? Some of the findings from the studies conducted were as under:

• Nearly 300 percent increase in the incidence of genetic damage when human blood cells were exposed to radiation in the cellular frequency band
• Significant increase in cell phone users’ risk of brain tumors at the brain’s outer edge, on whichever side the cell phone was held most often
• 60 percent greater chance of acoustic neuromas, a tumor affecting the nerve that controls hearing, among people who had used cell phones for six years or more
• Higher rate of brain cancer deaths among handheld mobile phone users than among car phone users (car phones are mounted on the dashboard rather than held next to your head)

The Cell phone companies have downplayed the danger and avoided any risk to their profits.

At this point, you cannot completely avoid wireless radiation from all sources; they pervade the environment. However, getting rid of your cell phone altogether can help protect you. But even if you don’t want to take that step, you can still minimize your exposure and reduce your risks by doing the following:

Children Should Never Use Cell Phones: Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cell phone, or a wireless device of any type. Children are far more vulnerable to cell phone radiation than adults, because of their thinner skull bones.

Reduce Your Cell Phone Use: Turn your cell phone off more often. Reserve it for emergencies or important matters.

Use A Land Line At Home And At Work: Although more and more people are switching to using cell phones as their exclusive phone contact, it is a dangerous trend and you can choose to opt out of the madness.

Reduce or Eliminate Your Use of Other Wireless Devices: You would be wise to cut down your use of these devices. Just as with cell phones, it is important to ask yourself whether or not you really need to use them every single time. If you must use a portable home phone, use the older kind that operates at 900 MHz. They are no safer during calls, but at least they do not broadcast constantly even when no call is being made.

Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception Is Good: The weaker the reception, the more power your phone must use to transmit, and the more power it uses, the more radiation it emits, and the deeper the dangerous radio waves penetrate into your body. Ideally, you should only use your phone with full bars and good reception.

Turn Your Cell Phone Off When Not In Use: As long as your cell phone is on, it emits radiation intermittently, even when you are not actually making a call.

Keep Your Cell Phone Away From Your Body When It Is On: The most dangerous place to be, in terms of radiation exposure, is within about six inches of the emitting antenna. You do not want any part of your body within that area.

Use Safer Headset Technology: Wired headsets will certainly allow you to keep the cell phone farther away from your body. However, if a wired headset is not well-shielded – and most of them are not – the wire itself acts as an antenna attracting ambient information carrying radio waves and transmitting radiation directly to your brain. Make sure that the wire used to transmit the signal to your ear is shielded.

Adopted with courtesy,from: http://www.mercola.com

(NaturalNews) Diets high in fast food can be highly toxic to the liver and other internal organs, but that damage can be reversed, says one of the country’s leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, who offers four steps to undo the effects of a ’super-size me’ diet.

“There’s strong evidence now that a fast-food type of diet –- high in fat and sugar, the kind of diet many Americans subsist on –- can cause significant damage to your liver and have extremely serious consequences for your health,” says Brent Tetri, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the Saint Louis University Liver Center and one of the country’s leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

“The good news is that most people can undo this damage if they change their diet and they keep physically active,” Tetri says. “If they don’t, however, they are asking for trouble.”

Particularly alarming, says Tetri, is that physicians are starting to see children and teenagers with cirrhosis, a serious liver disease once seen mostly in adults with a history of alcohol abuse or hepatitis C. Tetri suspects this is because many kids today eat far too much fast food or junk food and get far too little exercise –- the kind of behaviors that can lead to liver damage.

“The fact we’re starting to see kids with liver disease should really be a wake-up call for anyone eating a diet high in fat and sugar and who’s not physically active,” Tetri says..

Similarly, in February researchers in Sweden published the results of a study in which 18 healthy and slim adults ate fast food and restricted their physical activity for a month. The result: an average weight gain of 12 pounds and, within as little as a week, a sharp rise in liver enzymes.

Tetri is quick to emphasize that fast food per se doesn’t causes liver damage. Rather, he says, the harm comes from eating too many calories and too much fat and sugar –- which happens with a steady diet of burgers, fries, sodas and most other items on the typical fast-food menu.

“The big issue here is caloric content,” says Tetri. “You can put away 2,000 calories in a single fast-food meal pretty easily. For most people, that’s more calories than they need in an entire day.”

For adults and children who’ve repeatedly indulged in fast food, Tetri urges four key steps to help reverse the damage they’ve done to their liver.

1) Limit yourself to no more than one fast-food meal a week. For some people, that’s going to be a major down shift. But for the sake of your health, a visit to a fast-food restaurant should be considered a treat –- not a regular event.

2) When you do eat fast food, eat as healthfully as possible. Try the burger without mayo and cheese, and avoid fries and sugary soft drinks. Better yet, go for a grilled chicken sandwich, a salad with a lower-fat dressing and bottled water or a diet soft drink.

3) Get active. If you don’t already exercise at least three times a week, start now. Regular exercise helps keep your weight down and helps your body better metabolize and process the food you eat.

4) Ask your doctor to do a blood test to check your level of liver enzymes, a key measure of the health of your liver. Many doctors now order this test routinely when doing blood work on adults, but kids who eat a lot of fast food especially need to have their liver enzymes checked.

“Even for those people with the worst kind of diets, it’s not too late to start exercising and eating right,” Tetri says

Personally, I think it would be best to give up all fast food if you are able. If not, supplement with the herb Milk Thistle as it has recently been proven that it can protect the liver from fatty liver disease as well as cancers.

Source:

Saint Louis University Medical Center
About the author

Leslee Dru Browning is a 6th generation Medical Herbalist & Nutritionist from the ancestral line of Patty Bartlett Sessions; Pioneer Mid-Wife & Herbalist. Leslee practiced Medical Herbalism and Nutritional Healing for over 25 years and specialized in Cancer Wellness along with Chronic Illness. She now devotes her career to teaching people, through her writing, about Natural Healing from An Herbal Perspective.

Slimmers the world over are divided into two groups. The successful and the unsuccessful. Many of us have struggled for years to belong to the successful group.

Success is just around the corner for you. Learn from the three eating secrets presented here and you will have the figure of your dreams - and you will be have it for life as you practice the reality of being Young at sixty.

1. Successful Slimmers Make a Lifestyle Change
Successful slimmers do not diet they make a major lifestyle change because they are totally committed to a sensible eating program.

The major lifestyle change involves deciding what to eat and what not to eat - for the rest of their days. They gladly cast aside any lingering passion for greasy fries and sugary breakfast foods.

They study what their body needs by reading “How I Became Young at Sixty” which is available as a FREE download from www.Young-at-Sixty.com

Successful slimmers also pay special attention to how they eat. They know there is a certain way to eat which provides a double bonus. You only need half the food you previously consumed and you save 50% on your food bill.Decide today to make the lifestyle change - you’ll be glad you did.

2. Successful Slimmers Plan Realistic Weight Loss
They carefully set their goal weight with the help of personal trainers. Crash dieting is not part of their reality. They know they know the mistake of short term massive weight loss through loss of fluid.

They plan to meet and hold their goal weight within months not days. They plan to succeed by setting a goal that whilst challenging them it does not require any drastic tricks to meet.Once they have set their goal and written their achievement plan they fully expect to succeed.

Follow their strategy and avoid crash dieting and you will have lasting results with which you will be happy.

3. Successful Slimmers Know No Pain No Gain
Successful Slimmers know that without pain there is no gain. They count the full cost of their lifestyle change. Their passion is to stay away from the food and the habits they know are bad for them.
Food is no longer a reward. It is a serious source of nourishment.

Exercise is a way of the new life. They take the stairs instead of the elevator. They walk to the store and leave the car at home.
They embrace the pain as they continue to train for their new improved physique.

At all times they maintain their focus on their goal weight. They watch the scales and celebrate the loss of every pound as they know it is banished from their body for life.

Summarizing then keep in mind, firstly, Successful Slimmers Make a Lifestyle Change , secondly, They Plan Realistic Weight Loss thirdly, They Know No Pain No Gain.

You too can be a successful slimmer. Learn from these three points and begin to practice them yourself. Follow their plan. Stick to it and you will be well on the way to rediscovering your youthful vigor.

Courtsey: The Young at Sixty Club

Stomach distress, many people view a cup of flat soda as just what the doctor ordered.

The quick and popular remedy — usually in the form of cola, ginger ale or clear sodas — is said to help settle the stomach with its slight fizz and replenish fluids and glucose lost by vomiting and diarrhea..
But research shows that may not be a great idea. In a recent study, British researchers conducted a review of the medical literature going back to the 1950s in search of scientific evidence supporting the claim. They found none. Then, after a biochemical analysis, they compared the contents of colas and other sodas with over-the-counter oral-rehydration solutions containing electrolytes and small amounts of sugar.

The soft drinks contained very low amounts of potassium, sodium and other electrolytes. In some cases as much as seven times the glucose recommended by the World Health Organization for rehydration. “Carbonated drinks, flat or otherwise, including cola, provide inadequate fluid and electrolyte replacement and cannot be recommended,” they said.

Flat soda, a popular remedy for upset stomach, may do more harm than good.

Adopted from an article by Anahad O’ Connor, NYTimes

• Reduce your sodium intake. Increased sodium in the blood can cause your body to compensate by pulling more calcium from your bones to maintain balance. Cut back on your salt intake and your bones will stay strong.

• Increase your vegetable intake. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of potassium and calcium. Minerals help in decreasing calcium excretion.

• Mind your Protein. Body reacts to excess protein. Bones get weaker if you’re on a high-protein diet, please ensure that your daily Calcium intake is minimum 1,000 mg.

• Exercise. Weight bearing exercises, like walking, step-aerobics, running, and hiking put stress on your bones, causing your body to respond by making them stronger.

• Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps in making the bones-stronger. It improves the calcium absorption. Fifteen minutes Sunbath is considered healthy for the body.

If you’re thinking about knee replacement, don’t miss Jane Brody’s update on her artificial knees, three years after surgery.

You may remember the first round of columns Jane wrote about her artificial knee surgery, which caused quite a stir among doctors and knee device makers. Jane recounted her pain and difficult recovery, noting that doctors do a poor job preparing patients for the weeks and months after surgery. Not every knee patient has as difficult a recovery as Jane, but many patients I’ve interviewed over the years agree doctors need to do a better job telling patients what to expect.

But today Jane gives us insights into life with new knees. Among her experiences:

# Her new knees have hiked in Tasmania and Sydney, and toured Vietnam by bicycle, all pain-free.
# Kneeling is problematic. It can hurt to put weight on metal knees, even on a cushion, making activities like gardening a challenge.
# Falling on an artificial knee can hurt a lot more and longer than you might expect.
# Steep steps are difficult to navigate.
# Jane still “feels” her knees on every rotation of the bike pedals, although the sensation is not painful or enough to stop riding.
# Artificial knees are metal and set off the security alarm at airports, requiring a personal scan with a wand.

For a change, anybody can try the following exercises and feel the relaxation:
* Sit in a chair and put finger in each depression in the knee.(Each knee has two depressions) Press little and give intermittent pressure for 20 seconds.
* Hold the upper portion of the thigh (near Knee) with your hand and give pulsating pressure for 20 seconds.
* Give pulsating pressures with your index finger, at the back of your knee- in the center, for 20 seconds.

Partially adopted from an article by Tara Parker-Pope on Health

Running nose, Cough, Nasal congestion, Sore or itchy throat, Sneezing, Watery eyes, Mild headache, Mild fatigue or body aches, Fever less than 102 degrees—–point to the same problem.

Change of season usually affects us to the extent that we catch cold. There are very simple remedies to handle such problems since the results have been found to be trustworthy.

Garlic is easily found in everybody’s kitchen. It has been found very effective in treating common colds. Freshly crushed garlic is found to be very effective. Garlic has antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C improves the immunity of the body systems. In case of cold Vitamin C tablets have shown positive results.

.
Honey helps to calm children’s coughs and help them sleep better. It soothes the irritated throat. It has antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Dark-colored honey is usually preferred by most of the Ayurveda practitioners.

Ginger has been found very effective in comforting colds. It helps in relieving running nose, headache, and pains in neck and shoulder. Hot ginger tea is a popular home remedy for cold symptoms and sore throat. Honey and lemon are sometimes added.

Steam Inhalation : Nasal congestion and Sinus congestion caused by Colds and Flu can be comforted by Steam Inhalation. If 2-3 drops of Eucalyptus oil are dropped in the water while boiling it then the relieving effect will be enhanced.

Eucalyptus oil is usually available at the chemist shop. In case of problems, one can even use 2-3 gms of Vicks Vaporub, which is easily available.

The inhalation procedure is very simple. Pour steaming water into a bowl. Add2-3 drops of Eucalyptus oil or 2-3 gms of Vicks Vaporub in the bowl. Put a towel on the head while placing your face 15 inches above the bowl and take deep breaths. It must be continued for 5 minutes.
A comfortable feeling of open nostrils and easy breathing will be felt.
Steam inhaling can be repeated twice a day.

Important: Little tapping pressures on all the finger tips with thumb nail, helps in reducing the effect of cold. Tapping in the initial stage of cold may avoid the cold-altogether.

Garlic is one food that you should be eating every day. It has very impressive ability to optimize bowel flora and kill pathogenic organisms.

It is important to note that the garlic MUST be fresh. The active ingredient is destroyed within one hour of smashing the garlic. Garlic pills are virtually worthless and should not be used. When you use the garlic it will be important to compress the garlic with a spoon prior to swallowing it if you are not going to juice it. If you swallow the clove intact you will not convert the allicin to its active ingredient.
One problem, of course, is the smell, but generally a few cloves a day are tolerated by most people. If one develops a socially offensive odor then all you do is slightly decrease the volume of garlic until there is no odor present.

Garlic Reduces Heart Disease Risk
For centuries, people have relied on the power of garlic for everything from enhancing athletic performance to thinning blood. In recent times, researchers have uncovered what is perhaps garlic’s most important effect: lowering the risk of heart disease.

New reasearch focused on studies investigating the effect of garlic on risk factors for heart disease.

They found several studies which suggest that garlic may:
• lower total cholesterol
• lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol
• lower blood pressure
• help keep blood thin, reducing the risk of blood clots and stroke,
• function as an antioxidant.
• There are also some preliminary findings suggesting that garlic may lower elevated serum levels of homocysteine.

These effects are wide-ranging and likely result from several different mechanisms. Below are some of the proposed mechanisms of action of garlic on improving the various cardiovascular risk factors.