Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Omega 3 Vitamins
Omega 3 oils, also called essential fatty acids, have been popularized on public television by the information presented by Nicholas Perricone MD. He recommends these as an important component for antiaging and skin rejuvenation.
Fish oil supplements have been studied for helping people with second heart attack prevention. It's important to be aware of the possibility of increased bleeding if you take omega 3 supplements higher than 3 grams per day. The blood thinning result is weaker than that of aspirin, though, when taking the recommended amounts.
Omega 3s are also used in the treatment of depression and are being studied for treating bipolar disease as well. A study of pregnant women found that those who ate no seafood had double the depression rate as those who ate ten ounces of fish each day. This was a study of over 13,000 women by the National Institute of Health.
For more information on Omega 3 essential fatty acids, go here...
Monday, June 11, 2007
Supplements for Enhancing Nails
A number of nutrients are wonderful for skin, hair and nails. Let's study some nail supplement ingredients to understand this better.
Due to enviromental influences such as weather, chemicals, ways we treat our nails and even medications we can be subject to our nails becoming brittle, yellow or even infected. Remembering to wear gloves can be helpful for tasks like shoveling snow, scraping car windows and other tasks during the winter that can cause damage to the fingers and nails.
Silicon is a useful natural way to treat nail problems and it is a trace mineral. Because it helps form collagen it has been studied to help with brittleness on nails. Vitamin E is also recommended as part of any program to help with nail issues and yellowing. It can be used topically as well as orally.
Biotin is also recommended to help assist the healing of nail problems and it is part of the B comlex. It works well on brittleness, and decreasing splitting.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Chinese Healing Herbs
Chinese herbs are attractive to many people due to their preference for natural products, the reduction of adverse side effects and the current revival of philosophies from Asian cultures.
The goji plant, which produces the goji berry, is fascinating due to the claims of longevity associated with this fruit, that has been widely used in Tibet.
Something interesting about the berry is that if it is handled before it has ripened it will turn black to some extent and lose the healing power. The berries are praised for healing the immune system as well as increasing one's age potential. Other anecdotal stories from healers include the berry helping to even out blood pressure, treat tuberculosis and make blood sugar normalize.
Another popular item discussed in the news is the reishi mushroom. Chinese emperors drank teas created from these mushrooms to enhance health and longevity. The mushroom is used by people interested in alternative methods as a boost in fighting cancer. It is also useful for altitude illness and helpful for climbers.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Effects of Creatine
Creatine is found in chicken and fish but many body builders take additional supplementation to get energy for muscle building. The burn you get when working out is mitigated to some extent by creatine as it helps to offset the lactic acid buildup.
Part of the enhanced appearance of muscles from this supplement is that water levels in muscles is increased. It is known more as a supplement for weight lifting than used for a sport that requires lots of endurance (such as running or lap swimming).
For those with sensitive digestive systems, there may be a side effect of loose bowels so check with your doctor and be sure to have a water bottle with you to prevent dehydration.
Creatine is not banned in athletic competitions. Creatine was studied by scientists for reducing brain damage in mice and there was a 36 percent reduction rate during head injuries. Further studies need to be made to see how this would apply to human brain cells.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Nutritional Supplement: Ensure
Ensure comes in five flavors and is useful for people who are underweight, post surgery,ill or for a number of other conditions. Ensure says it is a complete and balanced product.
For the elderly in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as hospital patients that may have difficulty eating solid foods, Ensure shakes are often given by dieticians due to the high vitamin and mineral content. Also for those that are lactose intolerant, there is no milk so it is a safe alternative.
Each shake has 6 grams of fat, and satisfies 18 percent of the daily protein requirement as well as 12 percent of the daily potassium requirement. The shake provides 250 calories. It is low in both cholesterol and saturated fat content.
Some other uses for the Ensure nutritional supplement would be to gain strength during cancer treatments, to help boost energy.The Ensure shake can be used as a snack or a meal replacement.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
L-lysine for Herpes Support
Anyone who has suffered from a cold sore knows both how painful and unsightly it can be from the initial itch to the full-blown sore that develops.
L-lysine is an amino acid that is very helpful for both restoring tissues as well as creating antibodies. Taking this supplement daily is useful to reduce the number of cold sore outbreaks, and if you do have a cold sore it will diminish the amount of time for its healing.
When your immune system is low due to lack of sleep, stress or fighting a cold, you are also more susceptible to a herpes outbreak so take care of yourself. Keep in mind that herpes is contagious to your partner since it is a virus. This is true for the whole process of the cold sore including the initial tingle and itching aspect.
Please note that canker sores are not the same as cold sores or herpes and that canker sores do not contain the virus. These are ulcerations and often occur inside of the mouth as a result from a stress reaction, vitamin deficiency or allergic reaction.
Friday, June 1, 2007
The MSM Vitamin
MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane) is in the news these days. It is a natural occuring sulfur. Due to its destruction through cooking, many people take supplementation. MSM is recognized for it's assistance with joint collagen and connective tissues, building the tissues in the body. Sulfur is found in every cell and MSM is a biological sulfur.
This supplement is used by suffers of arthritis, pms, allergies and muscle pains as well as other disorders. Studies are being done to test MSM for lupus and diabetes. MSM is used for anti-inflammatory purposes. Because it does not cause gastritis many find this an alternative to NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) medications.
Sulfur is also important towards producing glucosamine and chondroitin which are also popular nutritional aids for the same sorts of symptoms. There are even formulations of MSM made for horse health because sulfur is important to the hair, hooves and skin of horses.
In Jacob's "MSM: The definitive guide", there is a lot of information on the application of this nutrient for pain relief.
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