How to Heal Your Thyroid Naturally

Carly Fraser | LiveLoveFruit.com

Image: itsnotthegoodkind.blogspot.com

Can you really heal your thyroid with proper diet, exercise and stress maintenance? The answer is yes! When individuals are told they have hypo- or hyperthyroidism, the “only option” available to them by their doctors is drugs – these drugs also come with nasty side effects like heart palpitations, nervousness, insomnia, tremors, frequent bowel movements, discomfort in warm weather, and osteoporosis (bone thinning as a result of taking high medication doses for long periods of time).

How does the thyroid work? The thyroid sits in the front of the neck and is responsible for secreting proper amounts of thyroid hormone. The thyroid is incredibly important because it effects every cell in the human body by helping to increase or decrease the metabolic activity of the cells.

There are a variety of causes as to why your thyroid might be malfunctioning. Below are some of these causes:

Nutrient Deficiencies:
Chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12

Medications:
Beta blockers, birth control pills, estrogen, iodinated contrast agents, lithium, phytoin, steroids, theophylline

Nutrition:
Cruciferous vegetables, soy

Other:
Aging, alcohol, lipoic acid, diabetes, fluoride, lead, mercury, obesity, pesticides, radiation, stress, surgery

How can you fix your thyroid naturally?
Improving your overall health through eating properly and ruling out adrenal fatigue is the first step to helping your thyroid heal on its own, naturally. In addition, ensuring adequate sleep, recovery from any kind of exercise and proper stress reduction techniques are all critical in improving thyroid function.

Here are SIX STEPS to help your thyroid start functioning at it’s optimal best:

Foods You Should Be Consuming:
Seaweeds
Seaweed products like nori, kelp, dulse, wakame, etc. are very high in iodine which is what a lot of individuals with thyroid problems are lacking. Iodine is essential for proper thyroid functioning because it helps the thyroid gland produce the hormone thyroxin which regulates our metabolism.

Selenium-rich Foods
A major contributor to thyroid problems is a lack of selenium. This mineral keeps the various hormones produced by the thyroid gland in balance. Foods rich in selenium include garlic, kelp, onion, sunflower and sesame seeds as well as brazil nuts!

Essential Fatty Acids
To help out our metabolism, it is important to eat foods rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. This includes things such as leafy green vegetables, nuts (i.e., walnuts), pumpkin & sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and avocado. Don’t forget seeded fruits such as watermelon, berries, pomegranates, kiwi, etc. also contain these essential fatty acids within their seeds. Consuming watermelon seeds is harmless! They taste wonderful too! Finding seeded watermelons is pretty much near impossible unless you grow your own heritage watermelon or pick up non-hybrid watermelons from a local farmers market.

Copper & Iron-rich Foods
Copper and iron are also crucial to help the thyroid function properly. Foods rich in copper include things such as sunflower & hemp seeds, nuts (cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts), shittake mushrooms, spirulina, and tomatoes. Copper is also found (in lesser amounts) in pears, persimmons, peaches, apricots, prunes, dates, grapes, avocado, and potatoes.

For an extensive list of iron-rich plant foods to consume, click HERE.

Foods You Should Eliminate:
Soy
Soy is in the category of foods known as “goitrogens” which promote the formation of a goiter (enlarged thyroid). Goitrogens also slow down thyroid functioning and can trigger thyroid disease. The isoflavones found in soy are inhibitors of thyroid peroxidase which is the main factor in creation of T3 and T4. Inhibition of thyroid peroxidase can lead to thyroid abnormalities.

Too many cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables contain compounds called . This doesn’t mean to eliminate cruciferous vegetables – these guys are vitamin and mineral dense and have wonderful effects on the body. Simply limiting yourself to cruciferous vegetables 3-4 times per week, instead of 7 days a week is a good place to start! Cruciferous vegetables include things like carrots, beets, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, bok choy, chinese cabbage, watercress, arugula, turnips and parsnips.

Wheat Products (and other grains like rye, barley, millet & oats)
Foods that contain gluten (aka. wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats) contain gliadin (the protein portion of gluten), which closely resembles the molecular structure of the thyroid gland. When we consume gluten, this protein is targeted by the immune system for destruction – but, because the thyroid gland also closely resembles this protein, the immune system gets confused and also starts attacking the thyroid gland, mistaking it for the gliadin intruder.

If you must eat grains, consume pseudo-grains like rice, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, sorghum, teff or wild rice! There are plenty of options available, as you can see!

Coffee
Be wary of your coffee intake. Coffee raises cortisol levels, and cortisol slows down the production of thyroid hormone. In addition, if you are on thyroid medication, coffee consumed within 60 minutes of taking said hormone replacements reduces absorption even further. Our thyroid hormone consists of two main players: T4 and T3. T4 is needed to make T3, and T3 is the component that helps boost metabolism, keeps weight levels down, and puts you in a happy mood. High cortisol (triggered by coffee consumption, and other external stressors as mentioned below) blocks the production of T3, leading to slowed metabolism, weight gain and poor moods.

Stress Reduction:
Did you know that chronic stress can trigger a thyroid condition? If you suffer from any kind of thyroid condition, being able to manage your stress levels is essential! Especially if you wish to treat your thyroid naturally. When we are bombarded with stressful situations such as stressful jobs, relationships, financial issues, etc., our body goes into over-drive and our adrenal and thyroid glands become overwhelmed and stop functioning properly. As a protective mechanism, the body slows down thyroid hormone production to slow metabolism and slow down the catabolic process that normally occurs when the body is in a high state of stress.

Managing your stress by meditating and relaxing, getting out of toxic relationships with friends or lovers, opting for a job that will make you happy instead of stressed and learning how to properly manage your money are all ways to help de-stress and improve the functioning of the thyroid.

Exercise:
To improve thyroid function and to heal a poorly functioning thyroid you must exercise at least 3 days a week for 40 minutes! Whether that is walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, you name it! Exercise helps lower insulin levels (especially circuit training) which helps to boost thyroid function. Make sure you get adequate recovery time too! Without enough recovery time, your body will not have enough time to heal and this can lead to burnout.

Remove All Chemicals & Endocrine Disruptors:
This includes toxin-free living in your home and body. The endocrine system (also called “hormone system) is made up of glands throughout the body which secrete hormones to be released to other parts of the body (which respond to said hormones). The thyroid gland is apart of the endocrine system, and so it is important to avoid harsh chemicals, especially those classified as endocrine disruptors. Disruption of the endocrine system can occur via some chemicals which mimic a natural hormone and fool the body into over-responding to the stimulus or responding at times when not appropriate. Other endocrine disruptors block hormones from entering certain receptors, while others cause the overproduction or underproduction of hormones.

Many of your household chemical cleaners, hair-care products, skin-care products, air fresheners, perfumes, and the like, contain these chemicals. Going all-natural is the best way to avoid harsh chemicals. When it comes to eating food, switching to a high-organic, pesticide/herbicide/fungicide free diet is the best way to avoid any potential endocrine disruptors.

Here is a list of endocrine-disrupting chemicals which directly target the thyroid gland:
Persistent organohalogens (found in chemical cleaners, hair-care/skin-care products, etc.):

• Benzenehexachloride (BHC)
• Octachlorostyrene
• PBBs
• PCBs
• PCB, hydroxylated

Pesticides (found in MANY foods, not labelled organic: boxed, bagged, canned, fruits, veg):

• Acetochlor
• Alachlor
• Amitrol
• Chlofentezine
• Ethylene thiourea
• Fenbuconazole
• Fipronil
• Heptachlor
• Heptachlor-epoxide
• Karate
• Malathion
• Mancozeb
• Maneb
• Methomyl
• Mirex
• Nitrofen
• Pendimethalin
• Pentachloronitrobenzene
• Prodiamine
• Pyrimethanil
• Tarstar
• Thiazopyr
• Thiram
• Toxaphene
• Zineb
• Ziram

Other compounds:
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
Resorcinol

Metals:
Mercury

Sources:
http://livelovefruit.com/2013/11/heal-your-thyroid-naturally/

http://drchadedwards.com/1407/the-mismanaged-thyroid-gland-hormones/

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/thyroid-hormone-medications-for-hypothyroidism

http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-gottfried-md/thyroid-coffee_b_1585136.html

http://www.epa.gov/endo/pubs/edspoverview/whatare.htm

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/basics/chemlist.htm

Watch this Amazing and Inspirational Transformation

For those of you who haven't seen this, it is one of the most heart touching videos to grace the surface of the internet! If this story can inspire someone you know, please share it with them.



Arthur's story is highlighted from the beginning, in the upcoming documentary, INSPIRED: The Movie.

Arthur Boorman was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War for 15 years, and was told by his doctors that he would never be able to walk on his own, ever again.

Image: YouTube

He stumbled upon an article about Diamond Dallas Page doing Yoga and decided to give it a try -- he couldn't do traditional, higher impact exercise, so he tried DDP YOGA and sent an email to Dallas telling him his story.

Dallas was so moved by his story, he began emailing and speaking on the phone with Arthur throughout his journey - he encouraged Arthur to keep going and to believe that anything was possible.

Even though doctors told him walking would never happen, Arthur was persistent. He fell many times, but kept going. Arthur was getting stronger rapidly, and he was losing weight at an incredible rate! Because of DDP's specialized workout, he gained tremendous balance and flexibility -- which gave him hope that maybe someday, he'd be able to walk again.

His story is proof, that we cannot place limits on what we are capable of doing, because we often do not know our own potential. Neither Arthur, nor Dallas knew what he would go on to accomplish, but this video speaks for itself.

In less than a year, Arthur completely transformed his life. If only he had known what he was capable of, 15 years earlier.

Do not waste any time thinking you are stuck - you can take control over your life, and change it faster than you might think. Hopefully this story can inspire you to follow your dreams - whatever they may be.

Source: whydontyoutrythis.com

The Top 11 Health Benefits of Sex

Regular sex cannot be underestimated as a factor for reducing stress, bolstering self-esteem and fostering feelings of intimacy and bonding between partners.

But the real point of this article is the fact that a healthy sex life can provide for a longer, healthier and, most would agree, more enjoyable life. Among the many health benefits of sex are:

1. Improved Immunity

People who have sex frequently (one or two times a week) have significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA).¹ Your IgA immune system is your body's first line of defense.

Its job is to fight off invading organisms at their entry points, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of your body's immune system. This may explain why people who have sex frequently also take fewer sick days.²

2. Heart Health

Men who made love regularly (at least twice a week) were 45 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did so once a month or less, according to one study.³

Sexual activity not only provides many of the same benefits to your heart as exercise but also keeps levels of estrogen and testosterone in balance, which is important for heart health.

3. Lower Blood Pressure

Sexual activity, and specifically intercourse, is linked to better stress response and lower blood pressure.⁴

4. It’s a Form of Exercise

Sex helps to boost your heart rate, burn calories and strengthen muscles, just like exercise. In fact, research recently revealed that sex burns about 4 calories a minute for men and 3 for women, making it (at times) a ‘significant’ form of exercise.⁵ It can even help you to maintain your flexibility and balance.

5. Pain Relief

Sexual activity releases pain-reducing hormones and has been found to help reduce or block back and leg pain, as well as pain from menstrual cramps, arthritis and headaches. One study even found that sexual activity can lead to partial or complete relief of headache in some migraine and cluster-headache patients.⁶

6. May Help Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Research has shown that men who ejaculate at least 21 times a month (during sex or masturbation) have a lower risk of prostate cancer.⁷ This link needs to be explored further, however, as there may have been additional factors involved in the association.

7. Improve Sleep

After sex, the relaxation-inducing hormone prolactin is released, which may help you to nod off more quickly. The “love hormone” oxytocin, released during orgasm, also promotes sleep.

8. Stress Relief

Sex triggers your body to release it’s natural feel-good chemicals, helping to ease stress and boost pleasure, calm and self-esteem. Research also shows that those who have sexual intercourse responded better when subjected to stressful situations like speaking in public.⁸

9. Boost Your Libido

The more often you have sex, the more likely you are to want to keep doing it. There’s a mental connection there but also a physical one, particularly for women. More frequent sex helps to increase vaginal lubrication, blood flow and elasticity,⁹ which in turn make sexual activity more enjoyable.

10. Improved Bladder Control in Women

Intercourse helps to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which contract during orgasm. This can help women to improve their bladder control and avoid incontinence. You can boost this benefit even more by practicing Kegel exercises during sex (a Kegel squeeze is performed by drawing your lower pelvic muscles up and holding them up high and tight, as if you’re trying to stop a flow of urine).

11. Increase Intimacy and Improve Your Relationship

Sex and orgasms result in increased levels of the hormone oxytocin -- the “love” hormone -- that helps you feel bonded to your partner, and better experience empathic connections.

Source. Mercola

How To Boost Your Lymphatic System For Great Health

Carly Fraser | Live Love Fruit

The lymphatic system has three functions: 1. Fluid Recovery; 2. Immunity, and; 3. Lipid absorption. It is the body’s internal drainage system which is designed to rid your blood of acidic and toxic waste (the lymph system filters these toxins into our body’s major detox organs, the liver and kidneys). The tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus are all part of the lymphatic system, all connected by a web of lymphatic vessels which, in a sense, is like a second circulatory system of the body.

The lymphatic system does not have a “pump” like our circulatory system does (the heart creates a beat which helps push and pump the blood around our body). Instead, the lymph system requires daily movement by the body and proper breathing in order to move lymph through the lymphatic vessels and to pass it through the filters in our lymph nodes.

Thus, we can see why exercising, meditating combined with conscious breathing, eating right, and avoiding processed foods and harmful toxins is essential to prevent infection and disease. Here are three steps to get your lymphatic system back on track to reveal a more healthier, vibrant YOU!

1. Foods For A Healthy Lymphatic System

Eating a proper diet rich in fruit and vegetables and adequate water are essential to ensuring your lymphatic system is clean and flowing free. Green leafy vegetables and herbs are an excellent way to enrich your system with chlorophyll because this molecule helps to purify your blood which in turn cleanses your lymph.

Citrus fruits also have wonderful astringent properties which help increase lymph flow and remove any blockages. As well, melons help keep the body alkaline (and the lymphatic system drains best in more alkaline environments), while berries are packed with antioxidants which keep our immune system strong and don’t make the lymph system work as hard to fight off disease and illness.

Eating healthy fats like avocado, nuts and seeds is also important to ensure we get enough essential fatty acids which help protect and nourish our lymph system.

Drinking plenty of water is also dependent on how well your lymphatic system will flow. Because our lymph system requires a constant supply of fluid, drinking at least 3-4L of purified or filtered water daily will help to keep it functioning at its best!

2. Do These Activities

Massage
Massaging is a great way to encourage natural drainage of the lymph from the tissue spaces in your body. In fact, it can increase the volume of lymph flow by up to 20 times, making it easier for the body to remove toxins, bacteria and viruses.

Exercise
Exercising, or “playing” as I like to call it (doing things you love while you are in motion) is critical to keeping your lymph system open and flowing! When your muscles move, they also help move and pump the lymph within it’s vessels. Walking, yoga, running, swimming, stretching and strength training are wonderful ways to keep the lymph flowing. Dancing (with lots of up and down movement – check out NIA!) or rebounding is particularly helpful because the vertical motion of the exercise opens and closes the one-way valves that comprise the lymphatic system (and can increase lymph flow by up to 15-30 times!).

Dry Brushing
Dry brushing helps increase circulation and helps improve your skin tone if you suffer from cellulite (mainly because the brushing helps to boost slower-than-average lymph systems). Starting on your arms, or legs, brush toward your heart with long strokes and do this for around 5 minutes all over your body before going into the shower.

Deep Breathing
Breathing deep is very important. Why? Proper movement of air through the lungs also helps move and pump fluid through the lymphatic system while providing it with fresh oxygen. Becoming conscious of your breathing throughout the day and getting out of the habit of shallow breathing is a great way to start.

3. Factors Contributing To A Sluggish Lymphatic System

Stress
About 80% of diseases are caused by stress. Learning to stress less, and taking time to meditate and think positive thoughts will help de-congest your lymph system.

Iodine Deficiency
Congestion of the lymphatic system is also commonly caused by an iodine deficiency. Iodine helps protect us from the toxic environment we live in (with radiation and other pollutants), and supports our lymphatic system at a cellular level.

Pesticides & Food Additives
Preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, and food additives like refined sugar, chemicals, and colourings all put strain on the lymphatic system. Consuming non-organic, highly-processed sugary and fatty foods simply creates an even larger workload for your lymph system and prevents it from properly filtering toxins and bacteria which will eventually lead to chronic disease.

Smoking & Second-Hand Smoke
This relates back to the toxin concept. Smoking increases your body’s receptivity to developing fungal or viral infections, parasites, ulcers, cancer, bronchitis, high blood pressure and many more issues. Why? Because smoking depresses the body’s immune response, and our immune system is essentially comprised of our lymphatic system, which houses our white blood cells (in the lymph nodes), and which scavenge any intruders.

Prescription Drugs
Prescription drugs are toxic to the body. They contain harmful chemicals and dyes and these compounds suppress the immune system. Instead, using food as our medicine and weaning ourselves off prescription drugs will help clear the lymphatic system.

Animal Products (Meat, Dairy & Eggs)
Animal products are incredibly acidic to the body, and our lymphatic system does not function as properly in an acidic environment. The flow of the lymph system is more smooth when it is presented with a more alkaline body. In addition, meat, dairy and eggs contain hormones which are either naturally occurring or not (via injection while the animal is still alive), and these hormones interrupt the processing of our own hormones (in which the lymphatic system is largely involved).

Source: livelovefruit.com

Four Ways to Naturally Heal Acne

Image: prettyskin.info

Acne is an issue that a large majority of the population suffers from – not only do teens get acne, but many adults get acne as well! Sometimes people will go to the extremes of taking antibiotics to clear up their issue, or will subject their skin to harsh chemical soaps and creams which make the skin dependent on their use to maintain a clear face (and/or back) – when individuals stop using these products, it seems that their acne comes back full-force.

The real issue here is that the acne is caused by something internal, and individuals are trying to treat themselves externally (a completely backward process). To truly heal your skin, and find success in clearing acne, an individual must take a total-body healthy living approach. This includes changing diet, ensuring good digestion, exercising and maintaining proper skin care. Below I outline these aspects.

Diet
Eating a clean diet is crucial to maintaining clear, healthy skin. When you eat clean, your liver and kidneys are able to flush out toxins on a regular basis. All toxins that enter the body must first be broken down in the liver before they go to the rest of the body – when the liver breaks down these toxins, they are transformed into molecules that can go out in the blood and be filtered by the kidneys and removed in the urine.

When our kidneys and liver are not functioning optimally, this process gets backed up, so instead of secreting toxins through urine, our bodies resort to excreting toxins through other body parts like sweat (major cause of bad body odour) and especially our skin. Having a healthy functioning liver and kidneys will result in clearer skin and less (or no more) acne.

Foods that are highly acidic like processed foods, animal products, and refined sugar all lead to an acidic body environment which puts a lot of pressure not only on our liver and kidneys, but other body organs too! Consume a high alkaline diet, full with plenty of fruit, vegetables, and water (aim for 3-4L of water daily to flush toxins out of your body).

It is important to decrease your consumption of dairy and other animal products which are loaded with synthetic and naturally occurring hormones specific to those species (and NOT humans). Pregnant cows produce a protein which inhibits testosterone processing in our bodies – this means that individuals consuming a high amount of dairy products may also be loading themselves with an abundance of testosterone, throwing off hormones and thus resulting in facial issues. Many people have responded positively with better facial complexion once going off dairy (true of my own experience, and an account of many individuals I have spoken with, read about – online, in books, and friends/family).

Higher testosterone levels also make the sebaceous glands start to produce more sebum, which the bacteria in acne love to feed on.

Digestion
Improving digestion can help your skin tremendously! Start by learning to properly combine foods (you can learn all about that HERE) – properly combining foods means that your digestive system is not as stressed, and can digest one or two foods at a time without being over loaded with many different enzymes and nutrients. This will also ensure that you maintain healthy digestive flora, an important part of ensuring toxins are eliminated and not absorbed back into the bloodstream.

Exercise
How can exercise help acne? It can help tame your hormones (like testosterone) which cause excess sebum production. It also helps reduce stress and builds your immune system (which equates to better overall health). Stress is one of the main triggers in acne flare-ups – when we get stressed, a hormone called cortisol is released, and this thickens hair follicle linings which causes blackheads and whiteheads. If bacteria get trapped in this area, then large pimples will develop.

Reducing stress through exercise (and mindfulness meditation, yoga, breathing techniques) will allow proper blood flow and oxygen to the skin which are normally directed to vital organs in times during stress (and thus, when stressed, withdraws blood and oxygen from the skin). The skin, when stressed, then becomes starved of oxygen and blood and makes it more prone to acne bacteria (and will also make you look dull and lifeless).

Exercise helps pump the lymphatic system and circulatory system which helps flush out excess toxins – the less toxins we have in our body, the less our liver and kidneys need to work to filter them out.

Skin Care 
Proper skin care in times of blemished skin is incredibly important. If you are currently using chemical-based face washes and lotions, throw them out now – they are not helping! Over time, your skin will become dependent on these products and without them, your skin will flare up. You must simply ease yourself off these products, and instead stick to the natural route so that you can repair the natural pH of your skin and allow it to breathe again.

I would suggest minimizing your face washing to once in the morning, and once at night – simply wash off your face with warm water, and scrub with a little bit of sea salt (I use Himalayan sea salt to scrub my face at night – if you suffer from acne, use sea salt morning and night). Once you are done exfoliating with the sea salt, rinse off with cooler water, and pat dry your face. Next, rub in some natural oils on your face like jojoba oil or argan oil.

Remember, your skin might feel oily for the first couple weeks, but it is simply getting used to natural oil production and detoxing harsh chemical soaps and lotions – trust me, your face will look amazing in a month or two after using this routine, and sticking to a healthy diet and active lifestyle!

Source: Live Love Fruit

10 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress that Won’t Stress You Out!

Image: www.ecomarket.com

Here are 10 things you can do to reduce stress without adding more stress:

1. Just say no!  An overloaded and insanely busy schedule is often the main source of our stress.  You should look at all the things on your calendar and find anything that isn’t essential.  Don’t set yourself up for the sense that your life is constantly spinning out of control by over committing yourself.  You can and should decide how much activity is too much and learn to peacefully do less.

2. Focus on just one task at a time.  This simple strategy reduces stress and will also make you more effective.   If you are working on one project, don’t answer the phone or check email in the middle of that task.   Ask family members to respect this focused time of completing a task undisturbed and you will get things done faster without feeling overwhelmed by other projects screaming (sometimes literally) for your attention.

3. Let’s get physical.  There is a definite stress reducing benefit to exercise.  Find something you actually enjoy doing and just get moving.  Even if you can get in a 15 minute walk every day, it can have an impact on your stress levels and your sleeping patterns.

4. Prepare ahead.  If you get stressed in the morning chaos and worry about being late again, get organized the night before.  Feeling more prepared to start the day and getting off without raising your blood pressure will definitely decrease stress.

5. Take care of yourself.  Take a hot bath with soft music, drink a glass of wine by the fire and curl up with a good book.  When the stress of the day is catching up with you, stop and regroup.   Some people like to meditate, take a nature walk or take a nap. Find your calming activity and try to do it as necessary.

6. Take care of your money.  Finances can be a major stressor.  If you haven’t already, you should set up an automatic bill paying system. Look at ways to simplify that will also save you money. Find ways to have fun that don’t involve spending money.

7. Shop Online. Avoid the pushing, shoving, and parking trauma at the mall.  Sit back, pour yourself a nice cup of tea and let your fingers do the shopping. Search for websites that offer free shipping without minimum orders so you not only save on gas but you don’t have the added shipping costs.  Shop around and you’ll save money, time and reduce stress. I always check Amazon for great prices and you can get free 2 Day shipping with  FREE Amazon Prime.

8. Lighten up.  We often take ourselves and life’s surprises too seriously.  Laughter cures many woes.  Watch a good comedy or just find the humor in a crazy moment and laugh out loud.

9. Get rid of stuff.  Less really can be better.  If you get rid of clutter, a feeling of tranquility may enter that space.  For even more stress reduction donate the stuff to a charity and take the tax break. Win-Win.

10. Love the one you're with.  Focusing on relationships is always going to have you come out ahead.  It seems the more we focus on projects, houses or getting more stuff the more miserable, stressed and uptight we become.  Make the decision to spend more quality time and hold deep and meaningful conversations with your loved ones.  The benefits will be priceless.

Get healthier by visiting our blog at http://www.10TopHealthSecrets.com.

Healthy Blessings,

Sandy Scherschligt

Source: naturalnews.com

Meet the world's oldest gymnast (she's 86!)

Johanna Quass is 86 years-old and is still an incredible gymnast. What she can do at this age is truly unbelievable! Her trick to be able to be active and healthy at her age has been a lifetime of good exercise. Check out her amazing bar and floor routine in this video.

Walking an hour a day can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 25%

ATLANTA, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Women who walked an hour a day reduced their risk of breast cancer, but those who were more active reduced their risk even more, U.S. researchers say.

Alpa Patel, senior epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said the study of 73,615 postmenopausal women found women who engaged in at least an hour of vigorous physical activity every day had a 25 percent lower risk for breast cancer, while those who walked for at least seven hours a week had a 14 percent lower risk for breast cancer.

Image: www.uctv.tv

"We examined whether recreational physical activity, specifically walking, was associated with lower breast cancer risk. Given that more than 60 percent of women report some daily walking, promoting walking as a healthy leisure-time activity could be an effective strategy for increasing physical activity among postmenopausal women," Patel said in a statement.

"We were pleased to find that without any other recreational activity, just walking an average of 1 hour per day was associated with lower risk of breast cancer in these women."

The researchers determined the observed benefits of physical activity and walking were not influenced by body type -- body mass index and weight gain -- or hormonal status, or postmenopausal hormone use.

"Current guidelines recommend that adults should strive to get at least 2.5 hours per week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for overall health," Patel said. "Higher levels of activity might provide greater benefit for breast cancer prevention."

The researchers also found about 9.2 percent of the participants did not partake in any physical activity, while about 47 percent reported walking as their only activity.

The findings were published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Source: upi.com

Exercise is Statistically as Good as Pharmaceuticals to Treat Diseases

PreventDisease.com

A recent study published in BMJ found that physical activity is as effective as drug interventions for patients with existing cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes.

In the few conditions where the life-saving benefits of exercise have been studied, physical activity was often found to be as effective as drugs at reducing the risk of death, according to the first study to aggregate and assess the comparative benefits of drugs and exercise for reducing mortality in a wide range of illnesses.

"We were surprised to find that exercise seems to have such powerful life-saving effects for people with serious chronic conditions," said Huseyin Naci, an HMS visiting fellow in population medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and a graduate student at the London School of Economics. "It was also surprising to find that so little is known about the potential benefits of physical activity for health in so many other illnesses."

Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality from many chronic diseases. Millions suffer from chronic illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular physical activity. This include heart disease, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, hip fractures, stroke and high blood pressure. On average, people who are physically active outlive those who are inactive.

Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, most adults and many children lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle and are not active enough to achieve these health benefits. A sedentary lifestyle is defined as engaging in no leisure-time physical activity (exercises, sports, physically active hobbies) in a two-week period.

Study Details

In addition to providing guidance for patients and clinicians about the importance of discussing the potential benefits of exercise, the researchers highlighted the importance of continuing to research the value of exercise for health.

The researchers argue that more trials comparing the effectiveness of exercise and drugs are urgently needed to help doctors and patients make the best treatment decisions. In the meantime, they say exercise "should be considered as a viable alternative to, or alongside, drug therapy."

"We're not saying people who have had a stroke should go off their medication and head to the gym," Naci said, "but having a conversation with their physician about incorporating exercise into their treatment might be beneficial in many cases."

Preventable illness makes up approximately 80% percent of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs. Preventable illness accounts for eight of the nine leading categories of death.

In the United States, 80 percent of people 18 and older failed to meet the recommended levels of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity in 2011, according to the CDC. What's more, the average number of retail prescriptions per capita for calendar year 2011 was 12.1, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

For people with chronic ailments, exercise used to be viewed as asking for trouble. However, current evidence suggests that in both health and disease, the overall prognosis is better for the exerciser than for the sedentary. For example, a recent study showed that intensive workouts can not only slow the progress of coronary disease, but actually restore lost coronary function when the disease is still stable.

"We've yet to find a disease state where exercise isn't helpful." said Miriam Nelson, Ph.D, from Tufts University. 

For the current study, the researchers analyzed the results of 305 randomized controlled trials involving 339,274 individuals and found no statistically detectable differences between exercise and drug interventions for secondary prevention of heart disease and prevention of diabetes.

Exercise Often More Effective Than Drugs

Among stroke patients, exercise was more effective than drug treatment.

The authors point out that the amount of trial evidence on the mortality benefits of exercise is considerably smaller than that on the benefits of drugs, and this may have had an impact on their results. Of the nearly 340,000 cases analyzed, only 15,000 patients had had exercise-based interventions.

For chronically ill individuals, the psychological as well as physical benefits of exercise can be profound. Even ten minutes of light exercise a day, can help most chronically ill patients feel more vibrant, energetic and alert.

"Exercise is empowering and energizing, and it increases your sense of control over the situation. You're never too sick or too old to get started exercising," stated Bess Marcus, Ph.D, of Brown's University. 

The researchers argue in the paper that this "blind spot" in available scientific evidence "prevents prescribers and their patients from understanding the clinical circumstances where drugs might provide only modest improvement but exercise could yield more profound or sustainable gains in health."

Participation in regular physical activity-- at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least five days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity at least three times per week--is critical to sustaining good health. Youth should strive for at least one hour of exercise a day. Regular physical activity has beneficial effects on most (if not all) organ systems, and consequently it helps to prevent a broad range of health problems and diseases. People of all ages, both male and female, derive substantial health benefits from physical activity.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness in the United States. Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and other conditions;
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes;
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure;
• Reduces blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure;
• Reduces the risk of developing colon and breast cancer5;
• Helps to maintain a healthy weight;
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints;
• Helps older adults to become stronger and better able to move about without falling;
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety; and
• Promotes psychological well-being. 

Exercise v.s. Diet v.s. Drugs

Exercise v.s. diet v.s. drugs is often the debate that many health professionals evaluate. By examining each disease through clinical trials, we can better determine the efficacy of both exercise and diet in the treatment of many common ailments. Diet, for example, is the cornerstone of diabetes care, but if diet is combined with exercise, diabetics dramatically improve their condition by more than 45% than with diet alone. 

CONDITION	TYPE OF EXERCISE	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH EXERCISE	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH DRUGS	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH DIET
High Blood Pressure	Aerobic	15%	9%	11%
Diabetes	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	52%	5%	38%
Stroke	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	28%	7%	--
Heart Disease	Aerobic	33%	11%	26%
High LDL cholesterol	--	--	13%	20%
Low HDL cholesterol	Aerobic	15%	--	--
High Blood Sugar	Aerobic	15%	11%	30%
Arthritis Pain	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	40%	12%	--
Low Bone Density	Weight bearing	3%	--	2%

Regular physical activity is associated with lower mortality rates for both older and younger adults. Even those who are moderately active on a regular basis have lower mortality rates than those who are least active. Regular physical activity leads to cardiovascular fitness, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in general and coronary artery disease mortality in particular. High blood pressure is a major underlying cause of cardiovascular complications and mortality. Regular physical activity can prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure, and reduces blood pressure in persons with hypertension.

Despite this uncertainty, the authors claim that based on the available data physical activity is potentially as effective as many drug interventions and more trials to address the disparity between exercise and drug-based treatment evidence are needed.

"What we don't know about the benefits of exercise may be hurting us," Naci said.

Sources:
bmj.com
nlm.nih.gov
preventdisease.com
medicalnewstoday.com

Dr. Marianna Pochelli is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine specializing in the treatment of disease through superfoods and herbal strategies. She actively promotes detoxification, colon cleansing, and a vegetarian lifestyle using living foods as a platform to health.

10 helpful tips for diabetics

While the standards of processed foods plunge, the instance of chronic illness rise along with health insurance costs.  In 2011 25.8 million adults and children were diabetic.  Here are 10 steps you can take to ease the symptoms of diabetes:

1. Do some kind of exercise every day.
2. Do not eat immediately after working out.
3. Don't eat fast, chew, taste, enjoy each bite to the fullest before swallowing.
4. Add wheat bran to wheat flour to a 50/50 ratio which increases beneficial fiber in the diet.
5. Eat at designated times and do not overeat!
6. Drink a lot of water.  It helps to remove toxins from your body.
7. Have a fresh salad before or with every meal.
8. If you are taking insulin, make sure you eat 3 proper meals a day and have snacks in between.
9. Eat at least 20 to 25 grams of raw onion each day.
10. Make sure the gaps between your meals are short and avoid fried food and sweetmeats.

Another thing you could do to improve your overall health is to reduce the amount of heavily processed foods you eat, avoid tobacco, and avoid alcohol.

More health tips at https://www.facebook.com/True.Health.and.Healing

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