Tuesday, December 29, 2009

5 Simple Steps To Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Yes! You can lower your cholesterol safely and naturally without the harmful (and sometimes deadly) side effects of drugs. By following a few simple steps you’ll learn below, you can lower your cholesterol readings and improve your health starting today and well into the future. All too often, many people use prescription drugs and hope it will magically cure whatever ails them. These drugs aren’t the answer my friends! What ever happened to proper nutrition and exercise?

The truth is, prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol do work. The problem is the short term and long-term side effects. Even more dangerous than the side effects of prescription drugs to lower cholesterol is not getting cholesterol under control. Over time, high cholesterol can lead to numerous conditions of the heart and arteries, not the least of which are atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), stroke or heart attack.

Here are 5 steps you can take today to lower your cholesterol without prescription drugs.

1. Eat right. It may sound simple, but your diet has such a huge impact on lowering your cholesterol that you should consider it the number one area you focus on in determining if your high cholesterol is hereditary or a matter of dietary choices. A low fat and low cholesterol diet is the first step toward lowering your blood cholesterol.

2. Exercise. Improving cardiovascular health is a major step toward reversing the effects of high cholesterol. Exercise will strengthen the heart and entire circulatory system. Become more active today! Just 30 minutes per day can have a positive impact.

3. Quit smoking. If you smoke, the plaque build up in your arteries due to high cholesterol is accelerated. When plaque blocks the flow of blood to your heart, the muscle has to work harder to get oxygen. This can lead to a heart attack. If the arteries get completely blocked with plaque from high cholesterol then a stroke can occur.

4. Relax. Chronic stress can affect cholesterol levels. If you are constantly stressed and eating a low cholesterol diet, you may not seen any improvement in cholesterol readings until you learn how to reduce stress stress.

5. Talk to your doctor. Not all doctors are quick to prescribe medications. In fact, there are “enlightened” doctors that will help you form a diet and exercise plan that’s suitable for your current overall health and physical abilities as a first step toward lowering cholesterol. It’s always important to ask your doctor if your decision to follow a specific diet or exercise plan is right for you. In addition, do not stop taking medications before consulting with your doctor. You can lower your cholesterol with diet and exercise, and under the care of your doctor, you can ask about removing drugs from the process.

It does not take long to see significant improvements in your cholesterol. Lower cholesterol can be yours in just a matter of weeks. If you would like to understand more about cholesterol, the prescriptions most often used to treat it, and what you can do to lower cholesterol naturally and without prescription drugs, visit one of the Internet's leading resources on cholesterol:
http://www.60daystolowercholesterol.com

Toxic Burden: Women Put 515 Chemicals on Their Faces Every Day

(NaturalNews) A study published by Bionsen, a company in the United Kingdom that sells aluminum-free body products, found that the average woman applies 515 chemicals to her face a day. Makeup, perfumes, lotions, mascara, and other beauty products all contribute to the toxic brew that is causing health problems for many women.

The study revealed that the typical woman uses about 13 different beauty products a day. Most of these products contain at least 20 ingredients and additives, many of which can have a detrimental effect on the body and skin. Perfumes alone were found to contain up to 400 different ingredients.

Other products that were tested include lipstick, body lotions and mascara which contained an average of 30 ingredients each. Aside from aluminum, many of these products contain other harmful ingredients like synthetic dyes, fragrances, and parabens. When applied continually, the many beauty products that women use are exposing them to wide range of carcinogens.

The perpetual advent of new and innovative beauty products has led to a massive increase in product usage over the years. What was once a basic cleansing protocol has turned into a lifestyle of trying the latest and greatest products in an effort to maintain youthful beauty. As a result, women are exposed to more toxic carcinogens from beauty products than ever.

An Environmental Working Group (EWG) study from 2006 found that less than one percent of all cosmetic products are made from ingredients that have all undergone safety assessments. The great majority of products contain known carcinogens, reproductive toxins and various other harmful chemicals that cause serious diseases like cancer.

The EWG study found that the average person uses up to 25 personal care products per day. Among these, about 200 different chemicals will have been added to scent, preserve, synthesize and stabilize them for consumption. Many of these ingredients will end up causing hormonal disruption and immune dysfunction. In younger people, developmental problems are likely to result from excessive product use.

Makeup usage among younger girls has also increased. About 90 percent of 14-year-old girls now use makeup, according to a research study conducted by Mintel Internation Group in 2004. Sixty-three percent of girls as young as seven are now using lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara.

As consumers are becoming more aware of many beauty product ingredients and the harm they are causing, product manufacturers are beginning to remove many of them from their formulations. Those concerned would do best to purchase only products that have minimal or no toxic ingredients. Greatly reducing one's cosmetic arsenal is the next best option.

Sources for this story include: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Detoxification through the Skin Brushing

(NaturalNews) Our skin is often called our third kidney because of its role in detoxifying the body. Many toxins leave the skin through sweating, which is why aerobic exercise, saunas, and steam baths aid in detoxification. But a common problem is that our skin is clogged with cosmetics and dead skin cells - so toxins can't leave our bodies as easily as they'd like. Acne and boils are common signs that the skin isn't breathing properly, and dry skin brushing is a simple technique that can help.

Our skin is our largest organ, and holistic healer Dr. Bernard Jensen tells us that our skin is actually meant to be releasing two pounds of toxins each and every day. But like any of our detoxification pathways, if they are clogged or obstructed, they won't function appropriately - which will leave those toxins inside our bodies where they can do us harm. If the skin isn't breathing properly, it also puts additional stress on our liver and kidneys to detoxify what could otherwise be directed out of the body through the skin.

The action of skin brushing brushes away dead skin cells which opens up this method of elimination for the body to fully utilize. Done regularly, skin brushing improves circulation, brightens our complexion, and stimulates our lymphatic system - which is another system the body uses to detoxify us. Doing skin brushing in conjunction with using saunas and steam baths increases the effectiveness of this detoxification method.

How To: Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing starts with dry skin and a soft, dry brush with natural bristles. It's recommended to brush your skin in the shower and shower afterward - so the dead skin will be whisked down the drain.

Starting at your feet, begin brushing your skin and always move your brush strokes toward your heart which facilitates detoxification. Move up your legs and then brush your back and stomach, again brushing towards your heart. Finally, brush your arms and upper body, using strokes toward the heart. Brush for a few minutes each day and within a few weeks you'll start to notice an improvement.

You'll want to brush hard enough so that your skin turns lightly red, but not hard enough to cause pain or irritation. Be sure to be gentle on areas with thin skin, like your face and neck, and avoid brushing areas with rashes or broken skin.

For complete detoxification, there are many steps beyond skin brushing you can take. However, skin brushing is an easy entry into detoxification and an important step in the right direction. Fortunately, it's a very easy step too.

Friday, December 4, 2009

CT scan exposes you to as much radiation as 100 chest X-rays.

(NaturalNews) A University of Wisconsin (UW) study has found that patients who receive computed tomography (CT) scans for various abdominal and pelvic conditions often receive a slew of additional scans that are unnecessary and that expose them to excess radiation. The findings were presented at the meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

A typical CT scan involves taking images of the patient using an intravenous injection of an imaging chemical in order to contrast the image. Occasionally it is helpful to take more than one image, but many times doctors will order multiple images unnecessarily.

In many cases, doctors are not being careful to assess the doses of radiation they are administering to patients. Though they are supposed to take certain measures to accurately ensure that the radiation dosages are as minimal as possible while still achieving successful scans, Kristie Guite, M.D., of UW emphasized that many doctors do not follow this principle.

Study coauthor J. Louis Hinshaw, M.D., backed up this point by explaining that CT protocols are meant to be custom-tailored to a patient's specific condition. In a great majority of cases, a one-size-fits-all approach is taken that puts the patient at increased risk.

Dr. Hinshaw suggests that patients who are prescribed CT scans should ask their doctors about the risks involved. They should also find out from the CT facility how many image exposures will need to be taken and if a lesser amount would suffice for their particular conditions.

These last few weeks have been huge for revelations about the dangers of medical imaging tests. It's not just CT scans, either: Mammograms are also under fire for exposing women to excess radiation and actually causing cancer.

Western medicine is strangely preoccupied with the desire to visually map physical tissues in the body as part of a diagnostic process. Why is this so strange? Because most modern illnesses have nothing to do with the physical structure of tissues. Instead, they are expressions of the function of the body's tissues and organs.

Some systems of medicine focus more on the functional relationship between organs than the physical, compartmentalized appearance of those organs, and they have far more success in helping patients without harming them. For example, I know a Chinese Medicine doctor who can tell you more about your heart, liver and kidneys by simply feeling your pulse than a whole hospital full of CT scans and MRI machines. Imaging your body is rarely necessary unless you've suffered some sort of acute physical trauma such as being struck by a flying pitchfork or hit upside the head with a heavy stack of health insurance forms. For most health conditions that exist today, medical imaging tests are not merely unnecessary, they are dangerous!

Medical imaging radiation isn't good for you. Just one CT scan exposes you to as much radiation as 100 chest X-rays. Shockingly, many doctors don't know this! And they fail to take medical imaging radiation into account when prescribing these procedures for patients.

The next time a doctor wants to subject you to medical imaging tests, ask WHY you need the test and WHAT the test might reveal that could be helpful to your physician. You might also ask if there's a safer alternative that could provide the same diagnostic information without the radiation shower.

And if you don't believe me, just ask yourself this: How come every time you get a chest X-ray, a mammogram or a CT scan, the doctor flees the immediate area and only returns after the imaging is done? The reason, of course, is because they're not stupid enough to hang out in the radiation zone and be exposed to the very same radiation they've ordered for you.