Good health --- put yourself in the driver's seat

"The link: obesity and disease

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two out of three adults in the United States are either overweight with a body/mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 or obese with a BMI of 30 and above.

Now why is there concern over America's weight problem?
Statistics now show that excess body weight raises the risk of chronic, even life-shortening medical conditions such as heart disease, even depression. And lately, the American Cancer Society had produced evidence th show that excess weight and obesity are strongly associated with increased risks for a host of cancers, in some extreme instances by more than 500 percent.

If you are concerned about your weight, ask your doctor for your BMI. If it is 25 or above, find out what you can do to lower it. If generally healthy, you might want to step up your daily exercise to 30 minutes of brisk walking, and adjust your diet to include foods that are rich in nutrients and low in calories. And be sure to keep an eye on the amount of food you eat; many of us routinely consume a couple hundred more calories each day than we expend, which can add up to a few extra pounds each year.

The good news is that adopting a healthier lifestyle doesn't have to mean making drastic changes, just modest and consistent ones."







***All source information from: Healthy Times a publication of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc.

WHAT ARE PHYTOS?

Have you had your phytos today? Once upon a time it was thought that fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals were all the nutrients necessary for growth and health. Now we know there's another group of nutrients necessary for optimal health - phytonutrients. Despite its high tech ring, "phytonutrient" (from the Greek phyton for "plant") simply means a "nutrient from a plant."

Molecular science is finally confirming what mother always told us: "Eat your fruits and vegetables." As you will soon learn, the power-packed nutrients that give fruits and vegetables their many colors also provide a lot of Mother Nature's medicine.

4 WAYS PHYTOS ARE HEALTH FOOD
While there are many phytos that have been identified, there are probably thousands more that remain to be discovered. The best known phytos are carotenoids, flavonoids, and isoflavones. Carotenoids include yellow, orange, and red pigment in fruits and vegetables. Dark, green, leafy vegetables are rich in the carotenoid, beta carotene, but the usual yellow color is masked by the chloraphyll, the green pigment in the vegetables. Flavonoids are reddish pigments, found in red grape skins and citrus fruits, and isoflavones can be found in peanuts, lentils, soy, and other legumes. You're familiar with vitamins, now we have "phytomins," which are less familiar, but equally important, health-promoting substances in food.

1. Phytos protect the body and fight disease. One day while I was watching my garden grow, I wondered how plants stay so healthy. They don't wear sunscreen or a raincoat; they don't go to the doctor. The answer: they make their own disease-fighting chemicals we call phytochemicals - phytos for short. The same phytos that help keep the plant healthy keep our bodies healthy. Phytos provide medicine for cell health. They help the cells repair themselves by stimulating the release of protective enzymes or those that rebuild damaged cells. Other phytos inhibit cancer-producing substances, reducing their ability to damage cells. When the repair squad can stay ahead of the damage, degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis, can't get started. Phytos also keep cancer and cardiovascular disease in check.

2. Phytos fight cancer. Cancer starts with a cell out of control. As cells wear out or get injured, they replace themselves with new and healthy cells. Within each cell a network of inner controls (the DNA) keeps this process in check. But with this cellular cloning happening millions of times a minute, there are many opportunities for an occasional cell to defy the rules and get out of control. It may go on reproducing itself, eventually damaging the organ of which it is a part. Like a band of terrorists, the out-of- control cancer cells also try to infiltrate other organs by entering the body's blood vessels and traveling to places near and far, a devilish process called metastasis. Some cancer cells are probably formed in every person every day. Yet the body's own defense system recognizes these invaders and attacks. Almost always, the body wins the battle, so that these cancer cells either never have a chance to develop, or they are destroyed before they have a chance to spread or cause damage. Occasionally, the body's defenses aren't strong or effective enough to overcome these rebellious cells, and the person "gets cancer."

Phytos fight on the side of the body. Carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) can enter the body from all kinds of sources: tobacco smoke, pollution, pesticides, or just plain bad luck. Carcinogens attempt to enter cells and change how they develop. But antioxidant phytos nab the carcinogens before they have a chance to cause cancer in the cell. If the carcinogen manages to infiltrate the internal controls of the cell, other kinds of phytos help to shut down the precancerous cell so it does not multiply into a gang and overrun the neighborhood. This phyto protective mechanism explains why cultures whose diets are rich in plant foods have the lowest rates of cancer. The Mediterranean diet, for example, emphasizes garlic, tomatoes, onions, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil - all of which contain cancer-fighting phytos.

Phytos seem to be the most cancer protective against epithelial cells, those that form the lining of organs, such as the mouth, lungs, bladder, uterus, and digestive tract. These cells are the ones most exposed to carcinogens. They also have a rapid turnover rate, meaning they're replaced often. Even though there are anticancer phytos in all plant foods, those found in fruits and vegetables seem to be the most powerful. It's not only what fruits and vegetables contain that make them effective cancer-fighters, but it's also what they don't contain-saturated fats and chemical pollutants frequently found in animal foods.

3. Phytos help hearts. Antioxidant phytos can interfere with the damaging effects of LDL cholesterol on arteries. LDLs, the bad cholesterol, become harmful after an encounter with a free radical, during which they are oxidized. And when artery walls are damaged by free radicals, it's easier for oxidized LDLs to build up there. Antioxidant phytos, especially beta carotene, can block this process and thus prevent cardiovascular disease.

NUTRITIP
Is Alcohol Good for Your Health?
The studies claiming longevity and better health for wine drinkers should be taken with a grain of salt. It's likely that the health benefits were due to the antioxidant properties of the red grape skins rather than the wine itself. The harmful effects of potentially excess alcohol on health may far outweigh the benefits of moderate intake. Better to eat a handful of red grapes or blueberries than drink a glass of wine if it's health you're after.

4. Phytos boost immunity. Phytos, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, mobilize the body's immune cells, called natural killer cells and helper-T cells. These act like a protective armor to keep invading pollutants and germs from entering the cell.

ALL ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS
One of the most important roles of phytos is acting as antioxidants. Here's why your body needs antioxidants.

When the cells in your body burn fuel for energy they burn oxygen as well. When oxygen is burned, molecules called free radicals are released. Free radicals are like vandals loose in your body. They have at least one extra electron, giving them a negative charge, which drives them around the body looking for cells with which they can react. These reactions damage the DNA and other substances in cells. Much of the time the cells can repair themselves, but the cell neighborhood can't protect itself from these gangs of free radicals all by itself.

Enter the antioxidant "police." Antioxidant molecules have a positive charge, so when they meet up with the negatively-charged free radicals they neutralize them - handcuff them so they can't do any damage. Your body needs more antioxidant police officers as you get older, since the body's ability to repair itself diminishes with age. Antioxidants also help to prevent damage by carcinogens, such as ultraviolet radiation, tobacco smoke, and environmental pollutants.

VITAL GREEN PLUS® - Over 50 Vegetables, Fruits and Phytonutrients
Vital Green Plus is a concentrated nutraceutical superfood containing over 50 vegetables, fruits and phytonutrients. it helps fuel every cell with what your body needs to perform at peak efficiency. You can find this product (Vital Green Plus) here at the Customer Product Store under the Wellness category.

Public Enemy #7: Alzheimer's

Although it was identified in 1907, it wasn't until ex-president Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with it that the public took notice. Now; experts predict that the longer you live, the more likely it is you'll get Alzheimer's. 10% of people over 65 have it. 20% of people over 75 have it. 40% of people over 85 have it. That amounts to about four million of us. The symptoms are loss of memory, mental capacity and disorientation. Death follows diagnosis in seven to ten years. It kills 100,000 people each year - but only after reducing its victims to human vegetables.

You don't want to come within one hundred miles of this disease.

The good news is that 20-30% of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia don't actually have the disease at all. They have, instead, a deficiencv of a single, specific vitamin. When given a tiny amount of this inexpensive vitamin supplement daily they recover their mental capacities and return from the living dead.

Have you ever known an older person who was senile? Could it be that they just hadn't taken enough vitamins? According to Dr. Irwin H. Rosenberg of the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, "Much mental deterioration associated with aging can be prevented or reversed by vitamins."

In my next blog I'll share with you which specific vitamin to take to reduce the risk of you or someone you love from being misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's and how to reduce your risk of the real thing.

Public Enemy #6: Osteoporosis

Twenty-five million of us suffer from osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease. 80% of these are women over the age of 50. You've heard about older people falling and breaking their hips. In many cases, it's just the reverse. She was walking down the mall, and her hip spontaneously broke and then she fell. Her bones were so brittle that just walking caused them to snap. And it all started in her thirties. After age 35, your bones lose bone mass at the rate of about 1% per year. Menopause accelerates the bone loss so that by age seventy-five, 90% of women have osteoporosis.

What does this mean to you?

A third of the women over 65 suffer fractured vertebrae or fractured hips. And not to leave the men out, by age 80, a sixth of the men also break a hip. What's so bad about a few broken hones? Well, for 50,000 seniors last year, these fractures were a death sentence. Unable to walk and to be active, they were confined to bed. A quarter of them died within 6 months. That's one death every twenty minutes. However, osteoporosis is not just about broken bones. Have you ever wondered why some older people seem to wrinkle more than others? Osteoporosis actually causes your skull to shrink, too! According to one plastic surgeon, "The result of ... such bone loss ... is skin that sags, like a dress that's a size too big." If you plan on living a long, full life, you'll have to reckon with osteoporosis. The good news is that prevention is simple, costs little, and is available to everyone.

Public Enemy #5: Arthritis

Thirty million of us have arthritis. You might think it only happens to old people, but the average age at which arthritis strikes is 47 - hardly over the hill. And 80% of Americans develop some degree of arthritis by the age of 60.

If you hate pain, then you can take a few simple, inexpensive steps that might lower your chances of arthritis.

Public Enemy #4: Diabetes

Over sixteen million North Americans suffer from diabetes, with millions more worldwide. And it's on the rise. The incidence of diabetes has risen over 600% in little more than one generation. One in twenty of us will eventually get it. It's a major threat to our health. The longer you live, the greater the chance that you'll eventually develop diabetes. 40% to 60% of eighty-year-olds have it. Every year, it kills 300,000 people.

You don't want to come within a mile of diabetes.

Public Enemy #3: Stroke

Most of us are petrified of cancer without realizing that stroke kills more women than breast cancer, and more men than prostate cancer.

What is a stroke?

Most strokes are caused by the same problem that causes a heart attack. The arteries of the brain harden and plug up, eventually shutting off the flow of blood to vital parts of the brain causing, in essence, a "brain attack." Researchers at the University of Cincinnati recently found to their alarm that approximately 730,000 strokes occur in the USA each year, almost ONE THIRD higher than the previous estimate of 550,000. Of those victims of stroke, at least 150,000 will die. And many of the rest of them may wish they had died. Strokes are the number one cause of disabilities. There are 4,000,000 North American survivors of stroke alive today HALF of them have significant disabilities including paralysis, impaired speech , impaired vision, and memory.

You don't want to be a stroke victim and you may not have to be.

Public Enemy #2: Cancer

Cancer is the most feared and most expensive of all diseases. And for good reason. At least a million North Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year. 50% of those will die within five years. That amounts to 1,500 people a day or one every minute of every day in America and one every 3 or 4 seconds somewhere in the world.

We've spent billions trying to cure it. Far from being conquered, the incidence of cancer has increased 44% since 1950. Breast cancer is up 6000. Prostate cancer is up 100%. At this rate, cancer will soon pass heart disease as the number one cause of death in America. Recently, the news on the cancer front in the U.S. has shown some improvement. After decades of steady increase, the rate of cancer death seems to have peaked and is dropping about 1/2% per year That's good news for about 2,750 people this year. But little comfort to the other 547,250 who won't make it.

What are your odds of developing cancer?
The National Cancer Institute says: "that one American in every three living today will get cancer, and one in four will die from it."

For women, the most feared cancer is breast cancer. In 1950,only one in twenty women got it. Today it's about one in eight. Only 18% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will survive it for at least five years.18 About 45,000 women will die from it this year. According to Patrick Quillin in his book, Beating Cancer with Nutrition, even women who are lucky and beat it still lose an average of 19 years of lifespan.

For men, the most feared cancer is prostate cancer. Just about every man over 50 has an enlarged prostate. Doctors estimate that 30% of American men 60 years and older have prostatic cancer. Among men who live to 75, the number is over 50% That's one in two! And the older you get, the higher the risk. But don't panic! Prostate cancer usually grows very slowly and can be treated with great success. The ten-year survival rate from prostate cancer is over 86%.

If cancer is the most feared disease, it is also the least understood. Most of us think that cancer is something in your genes: some families get it, others don't. This is not necessarily so. Only 20% of cancer is attributable to heredity 80% is in your control.

So there is hope!
The development of cancer is not always a short, lightning strike event that's out of your control. It maybe a long process in the case of lung cancer 20-25 years. If you strengthen your immune system now, you can take back control and possibly keep cancer in check.

Public Enemy #1: Heart Disease

Heart disease kills a million people a year in North America alone, and millions more worldwide. It's an epidemic. It's the equivalent of wiping out entire cities of people like San Diego or Sydney or Vancouver every year. Year after year, or to say it another way... Somebody dies at least every 32 seconds from heart disease. Six million North Americans have it right now - one in every three adults - according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Heart disease is deadly. But just what is it? It's not a disease you catch like a cold. It's a disease you eat. Improper diet causes a sludge called plaque to slowly clog up your arteries, stopping the flow of vital oxygen and nutrients to your heart muscles. When your arteries finally plug up, you have a heart attack. This happens to over 1.5 million people a year. For most of them, it's a total surprise. They had no idea their arteries were clogged. 1/3 of them will die on the way to the hospital, with no second chance, no time to say goodbye. Those who do survive suffer through expensive and painful therapies. These days, a coronary bypass surgery costs about $25,000.

And all of this expense and pain and death may be unnecessary.

So how can you decrease the risk of heart disease?

Odds are, you probably already have some degree of heart disease. Heart disease starts early. By age 16, young Americans already have some degree of blockage in the crucial arteries that supply the heart with blood. But, here's the good news. We have made significant progress in the war on heart disease. Since 1950, we've cut the death rate in half.

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When a Banana a Day Isn't Enough

(Health-e Headlines™) - Nature's nearly perfect food, the banana, packs a punch of potassium that helps each of us reach our daily requirement for this vital mineral.

With so much attention on other nutrients, such as calcium, poor misunderstood potassium gets lost in the mix. Potassium is present in almost every food we eat, including fruits and vegetables, milk and meats.

So why the concern if we don't get enough? Potassium helps regulate cells and muscles and fluid in blood. It even plays a role in reducing the risk of high blood pressure, according to the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. These nutrition experts often encourage people with high blood pressure to increase their intakes not only of potassium but also of two other vital nutrients involved in blood pressure control - calcium and magnesium.
What to Do?

Do you start your day with a ripe banana sliced over fortified cereal along with milk and a glass of orange juice? Most Americans don't. If they did, the recommended goal of 4,700 mg per day would be easily met.

To get adequate amounts of potassium, check food labels. You'll find potassium listed on foods that contain added potassium, such as breakfast cereals. But it's not required on every food label. Green beans, baked potatoes, squash and prunes are other good sources.

For adults who are taking certain medications, potassium levels may be low because the medications themselves cause the kidneys to move the potassium out of your body. At risk for low potassium are people who take high blood pressure medications and women who use diuretics ("water pills") to reduce water and bloating during premenstrual days. Some older people take similar medications to reduce swelling in their legs.

Talk with your doctor about checking potassium levels in your blood and, if you're a banana too low, discuss ways to replenish this valuable mineral.

Sources:

1. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7). NHLBI. 2003. Available online at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ guidelines/hypertension/ jncintro.htm. Accessed June 9, 2006.

2. DRIs for Water, Potassium, and Sodium, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (IOM), February 2004.

Obese employees cost their companies extra $460-$2485 a year

RTI International Health, Social and Economics Research and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared figures that included body mass index (BMI), sick days and total medical expenditures. As BMI increased, so too did medical expenses for both men and women. The additional costs ranged from $162 for slightly obese men to an extra $1,524 for men with a BMI greater than 40. For overweight women, these costs ranged from $474 to $1,302. Per capita cost of obesity amounts to between $460 and $2,485 annually.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

The Fat Man a.k.a. Twice The Man

If you are already at your target weight then provide encouragement otherwise watch this man's progress to get inspired... Twice the Man

America's Greatest Health Challenge

It`s unbelievable, but according to the Centers for Disease Control, two-thirds of all deaths of Americans over 25 stem from two causes: cardiovascular disease and cancer. More often than not, both of these conditions can be traced to men`s lifestyle or behavior: smoking, unhealthy eating and lack of exercise. A super-sized meal with extra cheese and a cigarette after may hit the spot, but they take a toll you wouldn`t believe, especially over time. Are they worth it?

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Leader Wanted

Rapidly expanding company in the world's fastest growing industry - the wellness industry. Unlimited income potential, home based business, must possess strong interpersonal skills and be highly motivated.

Can't Afford It...

Yes... Having lots of money may sound like the solution to this and many other problems, but rich people get fat, unhappy, and unhealthy too. Don't let the amount of money you don't have stand in the way of your health. Diet and exercise never have to be expensive. Of course there are medical situations that may prevent a person from following basic weight-management rules such as: taking a walk or using the stairs more often; using portion size to control what you eat; drink more water; etc. The thing that all of us cannot afford is to lose our health! Where there is a will there is a way. I hope you can find your your before it is too late.

Follow-Up with Stacey: The Biggest Loser

Stacey Halprin from the show
How Much Weight Has Kristie Alley Lost? once weighed over 550 pounds. She was seriously depressed, however after September 11, 2001, she made the decision to confront her problems and went ahead to have gastric bypass surgery. Her desire was to lead a healthier lifestyle.

In her last visit to the Oprah Winfrey show, Stacey explained that even after losing 356 pounds, there were things that she could not fix herself...

Summer Entertaining

Invite your friends and family! It's time to fire up the grill, light your tiki torches and enjoy the sunshine, flowers and fresh foods of summer! Whether you're planning a lively backyard barbecue, elegant garden party or pleasant picnic, this is your guide to summer entertaining.

Go there...

Obesity - A Quick Primer

Obesity - A Quick Primer

Summer Menus the Healthy Way

What you eat, whether you exercise and how you relax can all affect the way you look and feel.   Change your lifestyle and become a younger you!

Get Dr. Nicholas Perricone's superfoods, menu plans, recipes and more!  Cook light and cook right with a five-day menu plan.

Vitamin E is Essential

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient - a powerful antioxidant offering a wealth of health benefits. As our bodies metabolize oxygen, it can generate reactive by-products known as free radicals that can damage normal cells. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and restore stability to support and protect the body's tissues.

Over 340 clinical studies and research papers document numerous health benefits. Vitamin E helps to strengthen the body's immune and brain functions, as well as protect the eyes, lungs and heart. In addition, although the evidence is not yet conclusive, Vitamin E shows promise in protecting against some cancers.

One third of adults do not get enough Vitamin E from their diets alone. The Institute of Medicine has determined the safe upper daily limit at 1,000 I.U.

Lose Weight This Summer With Oprah

"After having read Oprah's Boot Camp article in the February 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, I made the decision…to start a healthier way of life. My decision and commitment 14 weeks ago has lead to a 25-pound weight loss and the start of a healthier new me."
— linda120

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR GAME

Is your body getting the essential nutrients it needs?

Taking a multivitamin daily can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases!

* Pick up the self-assessment brochure online at
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Swing Into Spring

Nigel sez: You can't build a tower of dreams on a foundation of excuses. You can have your dreams or your excuses. Choose one.

Their Pain - Your Gain

Become a part of the Health and Wellness Revolution 

"Chronic pain is a way of life for a great many Americans today. Whether it’s in their backs, joints, heads or extremities, up to 10% of U.S. adults suffer pain that flares up frequently."

Rats! Allicin?

Well... if you keep feeding your rats garlic you will never have to again worry about them developing pulmonary hypertension. You may also want to start sharing a meal or two with them as humans stand to benefit greatly in warding off your own high blood pressure.





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A New You!
A complete, all natural weight-loss system that changes your body from "fat storing" to "fat burning" as it controls your hunger while you experience more energy.