Health Answers

Healthy answersHow Serious Is Gluten Ingredients? You Might Want To Read This.

A New Way To Fight Depression

This Organ May Be Large But It's Still Vulnerable

Low Libido In Women: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Is Abdominal Pain And Diarrhea Making Food Your Enemy?

Is Inflammation Your Defender Or Ruthless Destroyer?

You Could Have Diabetes And Not Even Know It- Part I

Middle-Aged Men Are Twice As Likely As Women To Have Diabetes- Part II
You May Be One Of The Millions Suffering From This Mystery Illness

Is Your Inner Voice Trying To Tell You Something?


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The Ins And Outs Of A Gluten-Free Diet

You may be hearing a lot about gluten these days and wondering what the fuss is about. There are gluten-free breads and other specialty products in stores, and you may have friends who follow gluten-free diets. Here are the facts about gluten and some information to help you decide if a gluten-free diet may be right for you.
What is Gluten Anyway?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. There is nothing inherently bad in gluten, but it does cause digestive problems, like bloating, gas, diarrhea and abdominal pain in some individuals. This is not an allergic reaction but sensitivity to the protein. In this case, it may be helpful to avoid gluten or even eliminate it from your diet altogether.

The important thing to note, however, is that gluten sensitivity does not cause long-term damage. If you eat gluten, you may have irritating symptoms, but it will not affect your overall health.

For about one percent of the population, intolerance to gluten can cause serious health consequences. These individuals suffer from celiac disease. When gluten reaches the small intestine, it can cause an abnormal immune reaction that damages the intestine and prevents celiac sufferers from absorbing the nutrients in food.
This lack of nourishment can eventually damage the brain, the peripheral nervous system, liver, bones and other organs. There is no cure for celiac disease, but people diagnosed with the condition can live healthy lives by completely removing gluten from their diets.

How to Be Gluten Free

It may sound simple at first—simply stop eating foods made with wheat, barley or rye. Unfortunately, going gluten-free requires a bit more work. “Gluten” is generally not labeled under the ingredients list in most foods made with grains. Aside from obvious foods like bread, pasta or crackers, gluten can hide in some unexpected places. Soups, gravies and sauces, salad dressings, candy, beer, imitation crab meat, pickles, chutneys, and processed lunch meat are likely to contain gluten.

Since celiac disease is being diagnosed more commonly than it was even a decade ago, there are a growing number of gluten-free products on store shelves. Not only must these foods not contain gluten, but they must be processed in facilities that are free of wheat or other gluten-containing foods in order to avoid contamination.
Celiac sufferers must be careful about any product that may touch their lips, whether it is a food or not. Lipsticks and lip balms, postage stamps, and toothpaste may contain gluten.

Going gluten free may sound nearly impossible, but it is not difficult once you learn the ropes. One important principle to remember is that the more “processed” a food is, the more likely it is to contain gluten.

If you follow guidelines for healthy eating and choose foods in their whole, most natural form, you have taken a big step toward gluten-free living. Fruits, vegetables, rice, legumes and most dairy products are safe to eat. Wine and distilled liquor is gluten-free. The same goes for unprocessed animal proteins, like beef, poultry and seafood.

For baking, you may use a variety of gluten free flours, like quinoa, rice, soy, corn and nut flours. The Celiac Disease Foundation provides resources and lists of foods and ingredients to watch out for at http://www.celiac.org/lifestyle.php.

To create the healthiest gluten-free diet, I recommend working with a dietician.

Should You Go Gluten Free?

If you suspect celiac disease, do not put yourself on a gluten-diet; instead, see your doctor. It is more difficult to make a correct diagnosis if gluten is not creating certain indicators in your blood. Symptoms vary, but they include abdominal pain, intermittent diarrhea, weight loss, general weakness, oily and foul-smelling stools, muscle cramps and joint pain.

Celiac has traditionally been difficult to pin down, but more doctors today are knowledgeable about the disease. To make the diagnosis, your doctor will look for signs by doing a blood test. If those are present, a biopsy of the small intestine is needed for confirmation.

If you do not have celiac, it is still possible for you to have a difficult time digesting foods containing gluten. See if going gluten free improves your symptoms. Sometimes, simply eating a healthy diet of natural foods gives you more energy and vitality. With a little effort and knowledge, it is easy to enjoy a delicious, gluten-free diet full of foods you love to eat.

Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/gluten-intolerance-against-grain?page=2
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2008-08-17-gluten_N.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/DG00063
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Can A Good Night's Sleep Beat Depression?

Everyone has days where they feel down in the dumps. But when feelings of sadness, anger or frustration become so overwhelming they interfere with your daily activities you could fall into depression. While sleep disorders have long been associated with depression, recent research on this link has changed the way the medical community views the cause of depression. Today I’m going to share the latest research and tell you how to use this new information to fight depression – or even prevent it altogether.

The Surprising Link Between Insomnia and Depression

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. During our mid-life years the chances of experiencing an episode of depression nearly doubles. Even mild cases can interfere with one’s ability to function normally at work, maintain a home and interact socially.

Over 90% of depression patients suffer from either insomnia (inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleep). For a long time, many experts believed insomnia was caused by depression. But new drugs designed to treat depression proved depression could be improved without relieving the patient’s insomnia.

New studies have dramatically changed the way researchers understand the link between insomnia and depression. These studies conclude insomnia is frequently the cause of depression instead of the other way around. For example, elderly patients with insomnia but no history of depression were found to be 6 times more likely to be diagnosed with an initial episode of depression than patients without insomnia. Those at highest risk for first-time depression suffer from severe “middle insomnia,” where you wake up frequently through the night then eventually go back to sleep each time.

By correcting sleep disorders, patients recover significantly faster from depression. One study found depressed patients able to sleep well were 11 times more likely to have recovered within 6 months than those with insomnia. Improved sleep also reduces the likelihood of remission. Two-thirds of patients with persistent insomnia relapse into depression within a year of discontinuing antidepressants while only 10% of those with good sleep do.

Clearly sleeping well is critical for dealing with depression. While most studies focus on patients suffering from major depression, those suffering from milder forms will likely benefit from a similar focus on improving sleeping habits.

Quick Tips for Getting a Better Night’s Rest

If you or someone you love is one of the nearly 18 million Americans battling depression each year I have some good news for you. You probably don’t have to resort to addictive sleeping pills to get the rest you need. Instead I’ll share with you some of my best tips on beating insomina so you can safely and easily get the 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep you need for optimum health.

Sleeping Environment

Start by sleeping on the right mattress. Choose a fully supportive mattress with just enough softness to allow you to wake up refreshed, not sore. Pillow placement should keep your head and neck in a straight line. Always keep your room as dark as possible while sleeping. If you absolutely must fall asleep with a radio or television on, use its sleep timer. Dress for bed in comfortable, loose fitting clothes. Your goal is to be comfortably warm, not too hot or too cold.

Sleeping Schedule

Get into a routine. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Avoid naps during the day. If needed, keep naps to 15-20 minutes long. Avoid drinking for an hour before bedtime to avoid waking from a full bladder. Exercise or other physical activity during the day, at least an hour before bedtime, helps you achieve a deeper, more restful sleep. Limit yourself to the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee a day, avoiding caffeinated drinks including hot cocoa and soda near bedtime.

Sleeping Supplements

Try late night snacks like milk, turkey, ice cream, yogurt, or peanuts an hour before bed. These all have high levels of tryptophan which help your body produce the serotonin needed to relax and prepare your body for sleep. Some natural herbal supplements have a long track record as non-habit forming sleep aids. Passionflowers, Valerian root and American Skullcap leaves are a few which have been used for centuries to safely and effectively treat anxiety and insomnia.

Wrapping Up Depression

If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide or is in crisis, please seek help immediately by calling 911, visiting a nearby emergency department, or calling the 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or TTY 1-800-799-4TTY (1-800-799-4889).

Remember, depression is a treatable illness. While every case of depression may not be overcome with sleep alone, getting proper rest will certainly help. Exercise and maintaining a proper diet also play an important role. Whether you suffer from depression or not, you will always enjoy better health by sleeping well, exercising regularly, and eating the right foods.
Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
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Your Skin Is The First Line Of Defense

Your skin is likely to be something you take for granted and you assume it’s less important than other parts of your body. The truth is that your skin serves as the first line of defense to protect you from harm.

Skin is the largest organ of your body and provides information about your surroundings by sensing heat, cold, sharp objects, and danger. It regulates your body temperature through small surface blood vessels, sweat glands and hair follicles. With all that it does to guard you from the elements it is still the most vulnerable organ.

Patients often come to me for consultation complaining about various skin problems. Many times the reason for their discomfort is due to their own neglect and abuse over a long period of time. That’s why taking care of your skin from an early age is critical to keeping it looking healthy. When you think about what your skin is exposed to on a daily basis, its no wonder special care is advisable.

You are exposed to sun, wind, dirt, sharp objects, water and chemicals. Every encounter causes skin cells to be lost and it takes about one month for a skin cell to work its way from the base of the epidermis to the surface. The trick is to keep your skin nourished from within. This ensures the replacement skin cells are healthy and protected from without so there is less environmental damage to repair.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Keeping your skin young and supple is not as hard as it might seem. The best defense is a good offense so why not follow these five simple recommendations to guard your skin from the elements. Your skin will respond to your tender loving care by feeling softer and looking more radiant.
• Protect it from the sun with sunscreens, cover-ups, or midday sun avoidance.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking decreases blood flow, which depletes your skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A.
• Wash your skin carefully. Don’t use abrasive soaps or hot water, which can strip the protective oils from your skin.
• Moisturize your skin to keep it supple and less prone to chafing and breaks.
• Shave gently. Use a good lubricant so the razor glides gently over your skin with no danger of nicks and abrasion.

Red Lines Are A Red Flag!

One of the most common problems I encounter in my practice is a skin condition known as Cellulitis. Although this skin condition can be serious, it is fortunately treatable. Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection caused by the streptococcus bacteria entering your skin tissue through a small cut or sore.

Red lines may appear on your skin, running from the infected area along lymph vessels to your lymph glands. Left untreated the bacteria can get into your bloodstream and cause blood poisoning. Be particularly aware of a potential infection if you have a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender. When this symptom is accompanied by a high fever it is time to see your doctor immediately.

There are several contributing factors to be aware of when dealing with infections of the skin. Depending on your medical background you might want to alert your doctor to any one of these conditions that could exacerbate your problem and impede a speedy recovery.
• Age – As you age, your circulatory system has a harder time delivering infection-fighting white blood cells to any open wounds or sores.
• Weakened immune system can leave you susceptible to cellulitis
• Diabetes – chronic skin ulceration can lead to bacterial infections.
• Chickenpox and shingles -the broken blisters on your skin are potential entry points for bacteria.
• Lymphedema – chronic swelling of your arms or legs, can lead to cracks on your skin.
• Chronic fungal infection of your feet or toes can cause skin cracks and possible bacterial infection.
• Intravenous drug use – needle entry points are excellent portals for bacteria infection.

Be pro-active when it comes to caring for your skin by giving it the care and attention it deserves. The look and feel of your skin is a testament to how well you take care of yourself. Proper nutrition, exercise, and vitamin supplements go hand in hand with skin care maintenance. Take care of your largest and most vulnerable organ and it will take care of you.

In Good Health,
Jay Brachfeld, M.D.
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Sex For Women Over 60!

One of my patients came to me last week complaining about his wife. He said she just wasn’t interested in sex anymore. He added, “After she turned 60, her desire for sex disappeared. Is there such a thing as a female Viagra?”

This is a question I get frequently from men who are having sexual difficulties with their spouse. It appears that sex is one subject most women hate to discuss with their doctors. Women over 60 may come to me for treatment of a physical nature but when it comes to sex, it usually boils down to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Sexual problems fall into a “quality of life” category verses one that is life threatening so it is a subject that is rarely talked about.

It is natural to assume that women over 60 no longer have a desire for sex because their production of estrogen has been dramatically reduced during menopause. At the same time, their ovaries decrease the production of testosterone, the hormone connected to sexual drive or libido. Although some women experience a drop in sexual desire after menopause it does not mean that their sexual relationships have to be less fulfilling.

Although sexual problems are not considered an illness you shouldn’t hesitate to get treatment if you are having symptoms. Even if there is no equivalent to Viagra for women, there are a number of natural remedies to help boost the female libido.

Increase Your Sex Drive Naturally

For many women over 60, vaginal dryness is a major problem that can cause discomfort during sexual intercourse. You may shy away from sex rather than find out what you can do to enjoy your body and your sexual desires. Don’t be embarrassed to ask your doctor about some of the treatments that are available including lifestyle adjustments, hormone therapy, and natural remedies.

There are many alternative treatments being researched to counteract the effects of menopause and increase sexual desire. Herbs with estrogen like properties that work to restore hormonal balance in women may be helpful in improving sexual ability and satisfaction.
• Natural Estrogen – known as phytoestrogens that can be found in certain foods. There are two types of phytoestrogens; isoflavones found in soybeans, chickpeas, and other legumes and lignans found in flaxseed, whole grains and some fruits and vegetables.
• Black cohosh – has long been used for treating menopausal symptoms in particular for the relief of hot flashes.
• Dong Quai – believed to increase libido and help prevent vaginal dryness
• Wild Yam – touted as a natural source of progesterone to improve vaginal dryness
• Shunthi – helps with sexual arousal by pumping blood to the genital areas of a female system
• Avena Sativa – helps to lower anxiety and improve sensitivity of female sex organs
• Chasteberry – boosts the body’s progesterone production and normalizes estrogen/progesterone ratio
• Other foods and spices – coffee, cola, and chocolate have reputations as libido-enhancers. Anise, fennel, sage and parsley are reputed to boost sex drive.

Overcoming a diminished sex drive is no different than dealing with most health problems. Following a healthy lifestyle by eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, exercising moderately, and cutting out saturated fats, will contribute to your overall feeling of well being. You may also find an increase in your libido as you gain the confidence to fully enjoy your own sexuality.

Low Libido Not True in All Women

Not all women over the age of 60 have unfulfilled sexual relationships. Since they no longer have to be concerned about having a monthly period or an unwanted pregnancy very late in life they can be more spontaneous. With the addition of herbal remedies and hormone therapy, women are learning to enjoy new found sexual freedom after menopause. Here are a few statistics that may surprise you.
• A study of 2,000 U.S. women ages 45-80 found 60 percent had been sexually active in the previous three months, researchers said.
• The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, also found 43 percent of the women reported at least moderate sexual desire, challenging conventional wisdom that women lose interest in sex due to their own physical problems.
• Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco said half of all sexually active participants described their overall sexual satisfaction as moderate to high. More than one-quarter of women age 65 years or older remained moderately or highly interested in sex, and more than one-third of women in this age group had been sexually active in the past three months.
• Among sexually inactive women in the entire group, 39 percent reported the most common reason was a lack of interest in sex, followed by 36 percent reporting lack of a partner, 23 percent citing physical problems of their partner and 11 percent saying there was a partner's lack of interest.

Just because you are over 60 doesn’t mean you have to live with low sex drive. If you are suffering from vaginal dryness, hot flashes, or low libido, there are remedies out there that can help bring back enjoyment to your sex life. Join the ranks of the thousands of women over 60 who experience fulfilling sexual relationships. Remember to consult your doctor before taking herbal treatments as they may interfere or interact with other medications you may be taking.

Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
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Stomach Disorders

There is nothing worse than suffering from all sorts of unpleasant symptoms related to stomach disorders. Just going out to eat with friends can become a nightmare when you have to make a mad dash to the bathroom because of abdominal pain and diarrhea. If you are one of the thousands of people who experience uncomfortable and embarrassing side affects after eating don’t wait to see your doctor. You may be suffering from Crohn’s Disease or a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall, a condition that has become increasingly common in Western countries in the past few decades. Most cases start between the ages of 15 to 35 years and affect men, women and children. Patients with Crohn’s Disease struggle with severe stomach cramps and feel as if they have completely emptied their insides of everything they have eaten within the past 24 hours. And that’s just one of the unpleasant symptoms.

Crohn’s Disease is considered to be the most common of similar colon related diseases known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Unfortunately, many people explain their frequent spells of diarrhea as just part of what they ate for lunch or dinner rather than seeking a professional’s advice.

I have to tell you that living with Crohn’s or IBD can be both physically and emotionally debilitating. What many people don’t realize is their discomfort may not be due to something they are doing or eating but rather what is happening within their own immune system.

Normally white blood cells are there to help fight infection but in the case of Crohn’s your immune system becomes dysfunctional and can’t tell the difference between good substances and foreign invaders. The result is swelling and pain somewhere along the digestive tract that leads to chronic inflammation. This overactive immune response is called an autoimmune disorder.

How Do You Know You Have IBD?

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above there is only one way to know for sure if you have IBD or Crohn’s Disease. There are a number of tests that will determine your condition and the severity of your problem.

One of the most prevalent symptoms of Crohn’s Disease is bleeding. Doctors will test for blood in the stools, check for signs of anemia which could be an indication of internal bleeding. Other tests include an upper GI, or gastrointestinal series, which is an x-ray process that reveals abnormalities in the intestine.

Doctors might also decide to do a colonoscopy which is a procedure that examines the inside of the large intestine by a device hooked to a TV or computer monitor. This allows the doctor to see internal bleeding during the examination or any inflammation that exists. Additional x-rays of both the upper and lower intestines are sometimes needed depending upon the results of the colonoscopy.

Living With Crohn’s Disease

There is no known cure for Crohn’s Disease therefore it is important for you to know how to manage your symptoms. Your doctor will decide which treatments are best for you depending on how severe and where the inflammation is located.

One area of particular concern is correcting vitamin and nutritional deficiencies. Eating a healthy amount of calories, vitamins, and protein is important to avoid malnutrition and weight loss. Others treatments include controlling bleeding, inflammation, and relieving the pain and diarrhea. Methods usually involve the use of drugs, nutritional supplements, surgery or a combination of all three.

There are a variety of drug treatments for Crohn’s disease but may produce side effects. The most common are drugs containing mesalamine or those containing corticosteroids. Antibiotics may also be prescribed for infection when it occurs.

Herbal Treatments and Diet May Relieve Symptoms

There are many herbal recommendations for treating inflammation of the bowel and to relieve the symptoms of cramps and diarrhea. Always consult your doctor when considering any herbal remedy or supplement to ensure that you are choosing ingredients that help to improve your condition.
• An herbal anti-inflammatory option is White Willow which does not have common side effects that the other drugs produce.
• Another treatment involves taking 1 dessertspoon of Slippery Elm Powder mixed with yoghurt, mashed banana or cold chamomile tea. Slippery Elm provides a protective lining to the mucosal lining of the gastro intestinal system and in 12 weeks will help heal an irritated lining.

It is also important to avoid foods that spark the s
ymptoms of IBD. Although fatty foods are to be kept to a minimum, fish oil and flax oil are highly recommended. Your diet must be healthy and non-irritating consisting of natural products whenever possible. Because Crohn’s Disease and IBD can cause certain vitamin and protein deficiencies, an increase in supplements is recommended. This includes vitamins A, folic acid, B12, C, D, E and K as well as Calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.

Certain herbs may also provide relief from stomach disorders.
• German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) - German Chamomile has antispasmodic and analgesic properties. This plant has long been used in natural medicine against insomnia, painful digestive spasms, and in the treatment of diarrhea, stomach ulcers.
• Probiotics - Probiotics are non-pathogenic living microorganisms involved in the proper functioning of the digestive system. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the Probiotics; it is beneficial for the health of the intestinal flora. Without these small organisms, intestinal flora can be infected by many disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
• Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides (AMP) – this is the most effective supplement that has an anti-inflammatory property, it regulates normal functioning of your intestine to prevent both diarrhea and constipation; it repairs the protective mucosa lining throughout the digestive system; it ensures healthy intestinal flora, and much more.

Although there is no known cure for Crohn’s the good news is treatments have come a long way. It is possible to stay comfortable and pain free most of the time so eating out does not have to be a nightmare. The most important part is making sure your problem is diagnosed correctly because the symptoms may be similar to other bowel disorders.

Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
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Inflammation

If I told you that inflammation is good for your health chances are you would think I had lost my mind, especially if you happen to be one of the millions who suffer with the pain of arthritis. Although inflammation is linked to a host of diseases related to aging, it can be your best friend and an essential part of your well-being. Let me explain what I mean.

Inflammation is your first indicator that something in your body is going wrong. It can signal the presence of bacteria, toxins and viral infection and help you repair and heal the cells of your body. You would surely die without a healthy, powerful inflammatory process. When inflammation occurs, the body’s white blood cells and chemicals are released to protect us from infection and foreign substances.

There are times, however when inflammation becomes more of an enemy than a friend. This happens in some diseases when the body’s immune system triggers an inflammatory response when there is no need to do so. In other words, there are no foreign substances to fight so the inflammatory chemicals actually cause damage to the body’s own tissue. When this occurs it is known as an autoimmune disease.

How a Good Defense Turns Bad
When inflammation becomes chronic, uncontrolled or systemic it goes from being your defender to a ruthless destroyer. As tissue is continuously hit with infection, stress, and irritation it is left with chronic inflammation.

In a perfect scenario the inflammation should subside when the pathogens are removed. For instance, when a virus dies, or an injury heals, the blood vessels and lymphatic system carry the excess fluid and damaged cells away from the inflamed site. It is only when the body is out of balance that the system overreacts, or turns against you that inflammation continues causing tissue destruction.

Some of the obvious characteristics of inflammation are redness, swollen joints that are warm to the touch, joint pain, stiffness, and loss of joint function. There may be only a few of these symptoms that are present along with the possibility of fever, chills, and fatigue.

Although inflammation is generally associated with arthritis or joint pain, uncontrolled inflammation can affect internal organs as well. Since organs do not contain pain sensitive nerves, the symptoms can be very different depending on which organs are affected.

For example:
• Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) may cause shortness of breath or leg swelling.
• Inflammation of the small tubes that transport air to the lungs may cause an asthma attack.
• Inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis) may cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.
• Inflammation of the large intestine (colitis) may cause cramps and diarrhea.
Don’t Just Treat Inflammation – Prevent It!
The best way to maintain healthy joints, relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength is through exercise. Specific programs can be individualized to meet your needs and include low-impact aerobic activity, range of motion for flexibility, and strength training for muscle tone.

When dealing with severe or serious inflammatory situations circulation is critical for healing to take place. Since the body is trying to fix itself you can help it along by improving circulation to the affected area by using hot-cold hydrotherapy. You may also apply a cream derived from hot chili peppers to the skin over your painful joints. Improvement may be felt after applying the cream for 3-7 days.

There are many natural ways to enrich your diet with nutrients that are easily accessible:
• Eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially antioxidants like vitamin E. These are found in fruits and vegetables.
• Get selenium from Brewer's yeast, wheat germ, garlic, whole grains, sunflower seeds, and Brazil nuts.
• Get omega-3 fatty acids from cold water fish (like salmon, mackerel, and herring), flaxseed, rapeseed (canola) oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
• Taking supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin are important because they form the building blocks of cartilage, the substance that lines joints.
Let’s not forget that rest is just as important as exercise to help you recover from flare-ups. Avoid holding one position too long or placing stress on your affected joints.

You can see how inflammation can be good for you and a key to staying healthy. Taking control of inflammation and balancing your body’s inflammatory response will help reduce the threat of it turning against you. Learn to read your body’s signs of inflammation and see your doctor for diagnosis and proper treatment. Get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, improve circulation, and eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals.

Take control of inflammation before it controls you!
Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
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What You Should Know About Diabetes
Dear RAUL,
Whenever I inform my patients that they may be suffering from juvenile diabetes, better known as Type 1, the reaction is often the same. “How can I have juvenile diabetes when I am not an adolescent?” This is a very good question and one worth explaining.

Although juvenile diabetes tends to occur in young, lean individuals, usually before the age of 30, older people may also show signs of this chronic condition. What’s worse is that approximately 12 million people in the United States have diabetes and don’t even know it! The reason for this astounding statistic is that the American Diabetes Association does not recommend screening for the general population at this time unless you have a parent or sibling with the disease.

With an estimated 17 million people (about 8 % of the population) in the United States affected with diabetes it is important for everyone to have a better understanding of this insidious disease.

There are many factors that play into the cause of type 1 diabetes including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Diabetes is considered to be a chronic condition meaning that it lasts a lifetime. Despite ongoing research no known cure has been found to date, but type 1 diabetes is manageable and treatable. People suffering with diabetes are now living longer, healthier lives with the addition of herbs and nutritional supplements available to complement conventional medicine.

All About Blood Sugar

Glucose is a simple sugar found in food and is a necessary nutrient that provides energy for the cells to function properly. Glucose in digested food cannot enter the cells without the help of insulin to help it along. Without it, the cells become starved of glucose energy and the unused sugar is wasted in excreted urine. That’s why a urine test is sometimes used as a means to measure sugar levels in the body and to check for potential signs of diabetes.

A person with type 1 diabetes doesn’t produce enough of the hormone insulin or is unable to use it effectively, which causes high blood sugar (glucose) levels. Over time, this imbalance can lead to heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, vision loss, and other complications. The less controlled your blood sugar, the higher the risk of disabling complications over a long period of time.

As a type 1 diabetic, the goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible to delay or prevent complications. This is done by monitoring blood glucose levels and is the only way to make sure that your sugar level remains within the target range.

You should also include a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are high in nutrition and low in fat and calories. Fewer sweets and animal products provide more nutrients and less sugar.

Move to Keep Blood Sugars Low

If you are a type 1 diabetic, the secret to lowering blood sugar is more than just a healthy diet. Exercise is right up there with watching what you eat. The advantage of physical activity is that it moves sugar from your blood into your cells so the more you move the lower your blood sugar level.

Walking, biking, and swimming are examples of activities that you might enjoy and can easily be included in your daily schedule. Shoot for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise as many days of the week as possible. Add some weight bearing exercises along with stretching to round out your program. Remember not to do too much too soon especially if you have not exercised for awhile. Consult your doctor for advice on the level of physical activity that is best for you.

Type 1 diabetics must also be cautious of their blood sugar dropping too low especially when taking insulin. When blood sugar drops the condition is known as hypoglycemia and is common among diabetics as well as people who are not.

Nature Can Help You Live with Type 1 Diabetes

The majority of people with type 1 diabetes are insulin dependent. But did you know there are natural remedies that have been around for years proven to be effective in lowering blood glucose levels? Here are a few of nature’s miracle workers:
• Gymnema sylvestre – The name of this herb actually means “destroyer of sugar” and was used in ancient times as a treatment for diabetes. “A study published in Ethnopharmacology in 1990 showed a daily dose of 400 milligrams was effective in lowering blood glucose levels in diabetics over the long term.”
• Fenugreek - A popular herb used for high blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.
• Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) – This plant has a long history of use as a hypoglycemic agent and has been referred to as vegetable insulin. At least three properties of Bitter Melon have been reported to have sugar-regulating properties.

Many famous athletes and professional people suffer with type 1 diabetes. It is possible to live a normal life as long as you follow your treatment plan, get daily exercise, eat a healthy diet, and monitor your blood sugar. Ask your doctor about natural remedies that will help you keep your glucose levels in check and aid you in your quest for good health.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
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All Diabetes Are NOT The Same

In my previous “Healthy Answer” article I helped you better understand the problems and solutions of diabetes type 1. Unfortunately, many Americans suffer from another type of diabetes that is far more prevalent and this article will help you better comprehend the differences. Here’s a general description on the two types:

Diabetes falls into the category of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels. Under normal conditions, blood glucose levels are controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, the organ responsible for sugar control. All types of diabetics have difficulty either producing too much or not enough. Here is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in a nutshell.
• Type 1 diabetes is sometimes called juvenile diabetes and occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin. Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but some experts believe a virus or an autoimmune response, in which the body attacks its own pancreatic cells, is responsible. People with this type of diabetes must take insulin for life.
• Type 2 was once known as adult-onset and those affected are noninsulin-dependent. In the case of type 2 diabetes, the pancreas secretes plenty of insulin, but the body’s cells don’t respond to it.

Age, Gender, and Obesity Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

Did you know that men, aged 35 to 54 are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as women? Recent studies indicate that although diabetes occurs in people of all ages and races, some groups have a higher risk for developing the disease. What researchers don’t know is why certain people develop type 2 diabetes and others do not.
What medical reports do tell us are the factors that increase a person’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Let’s take a look at the relationship of type 2 diabetes and three very important characteristics that put you in danger of developing the disease.
• Weight – The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells become to insulin.
• Inactivity - Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin.
• Age - The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you get older, especially after age 45. It may be because as people age they tend to become less active, lose muscle tone and gain unwanted weight.
Its no wonder these common risk factors have sparked concern among members of the medical profession.

More Staggering Statistics

You might agree that it seems more and more people you know are becoming a statistic; one more victim of diabetes 2. I’d like to share a few facts about this fast growing disease that might be of interest to you.
• Type 2 diabetes is the most common form and is responsible for 90% - 95% of the 21 million people afflicted with the disease.
• People over 40 are at higher risk of the condition, as are people with a large waist or family history of the disease.
• Type 2 diabetes is the form linked to poor exercise and diet. Many of the two million people with type 2 are overweight or obese - and an estimated 500,000 more people have type 2 but do not know it.
• The number of obese people will increase in the coming decades, putting people at higher risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.
• Type 2 diabetes can be undetected for a decade or longer and many already have complications by the time it is diagnosed. These complications include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.

The News Is Not All Bad

If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it might seem frightening at first. But don’t let it get you down. Although type 2 diabetes is serious, it is also manageable. If you are willing to follow a healthy life style you can reduce your risk of developing the disease as well as learn to control it. Consider this:
• Losing weight can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk people by 58 percent.
• Exercising can cut the risk by 64 percent.

There are also natural remedies for type 2 diabetes that are being explored in addition to standard treatment. Make sure that you inform your doctor about any herbs, supplements, or natural treatments you are taking to safeguard against adverse reactions with other medications.

Diabetes Improves With Natural Minerals
• Chromium is a mineral that helps increase the efficiency of insulin, and picolinate is an amino acid that allows the body to use chromium much more readily.
Research shows that chromium picolinate helps lower blood sugar levels in most type 2 diabetics after taking a daily supplement containing the mineral. What’s even better is chromium picolinate has shown to reduce obesity which means it may enable some people with type 2 diabetes to lose enough weight to stop taking drugs entirely.
• Magnesium is a mineral that can be found naturally in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It is needed to help regulate blood sugar levels as well as other bodily functions. Some studies suggest that magnesium supplementation may improve insulin sensitivity and lower fasting glucose levels.
• Zinc is important to type 2 diabetics because it helps in the production and storage of insulin. It can be found naturally in oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecans, split peas, egg yolk, rye, beef, liver, lima beans, almonds, walnuts, sardines, and chicken.
• Vanadium can be found in soil and many foods and has been found to improve insulin and reduce blood sugar. It actually imitates the action of insulin in the body.

It’s not hard to see why nutritional supplements can be an aid to a diabetic sufferer. However, all diabetics are not created equal. Cases differ in terms of the severity, prescribed medication, diet, and exercise. That’s why I stress the importance of working with a qualified health care professional to find the best treatment and supplement for you.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
________________________________________
A Small Gland Doing A Big Job

One of my patients came to me feeling tired, run down, confused and out of focus. When I suggested it could be related to his thyroid, he was shocked. That’s because most people don’t think a small gland like the thyroid could have such a huge affect on your overall health. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Hypothyroidism has been labeled the “unsuspected illness” and is one of the most under diagnosed conditions in the United States.

The thyroid is one of the endocrine glands located in your neck, just above your collarbone that produces hormones to help set your metabolism. In other words it controls how your body gets nutrients from the foods you eat. It has a big job to keep your weight stabilized and your energy level at an even keel. Millions of people live with thyroid disease without realizing they have a problem.

Some people experience chronic fatigue, others find that they don't have the same mental clarity they once had. Other symptoms are dramatic changes in weight, sleep disturbances, even depression. You can see why it is difficult to determine the cause when the physical signs are so easily confused with a number of other illnesses.
As a result people continue to live with thyroid disease for years without getting proper treatment. What makes matters worse is the fact that since thyroid conditions are mistaken for other diseases they are often treated incorrectly. So the patient continues to suffer with thyroid problems with no relief.

If some of these symptoms sound familiar you may want to learn more about the functioning of this small but powerful gland.
Too Much or Not Enough
Too much - hyperthyroidism

The thyroid gland uses iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to make hormones that help to regulate your metabolism. When your thyroid becomes overexcited it produces too much of the hormone and kicks your metabolism into overdrive. This is called hyperthyroidism. When this happens you tend to lose weight, have trouble sleeping, and feel irritable. It might also affect your heart as well by producing a faster or irregular beat. You may even find your body temperature higher than normal.

The cause of hyperthyroidism may be a result of inflammation which resolves itself once the thyroid heals. Or some chronic diseases such as Graves’ may cause hyperthyroidism which can be treated with anti-thyroid drugs to bring thyroid hormones back into balance.

Not enough – hypothyroidism

When the thyroid becomes exhausted and doesn't produce enough hormones to do the job your body slows down. This is called hypothyroidism. The result is weight gain, weakness, trouble with focusing and fatigue. The cause of hypothyroidism is considered to be due to an autoimmune disorder. It is unknown as to why the immune system goes astray but in this situation it attacks the thyroid gland and disrupts its function.

Unfortunately, there is no way to restore thyroid function once it is lost. But you can manage the disease by taking prescription medication or natural supplements. This process takes some trial and error to get you feeling back to normal. Too much hormone replacement can mimic hyperthyroidism. Too little won't correct your symptoms.
There are both natural and synthetic versions of prescription thyroid hormones. Work with your doctor to find which medication works best for you.

Your Temperature Can Be A Clue to Thyroid Disease

If you suspect that you have thyroid disease your first step is to track your temperature. You can do this by keeping a thermometer by your bed. Place the thermometer bulb in your armpit as directed. (Make sure there is no clothing between your skin and the thermometer). Wait ten minutes if you are using a mercury thermometer. For a digital thermometer, wait until it beeps.

Record the temperature in a notebook. Do this every day for three weeks. After three weeks, calculate your average waking temperature. If your average waking temperature falls below the normal range of 97.8 to 98.2, tell your doctor. You could have a low thyroid or hypothyroidism. If it falls above, it could be a case of hyperthyroidism.

Determining your average daily temperature is only a clue to detecting thyroid disease. The next step is to consult a health care practitioner to check your TSH level and the amount of thyroid hormone in your blood. There are two basic blood tests that are usually given first. If your doctor suspects you have a thyroid condition more specialized testing may be needed.

Foods and Supplements Aid Thyroid Conditions

Once you have been diagnosed with a thyroid condition, it is important to get the proper nutrition for your problem. For hyperthyroidism foods that depress thyroid activity are recommended. These include broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, beans, and mustard greens. The same foods should be avoided for hypothyroidism.

For both types of thyroid conditions keep the following in mind:
• Avoid refined foods, sugar, dairy products, wheat, caffeine, alcohol
• Add 1,000 – 1,500 mg of flaxseed oil (an essential fatty anti-inflammatory) three times per day
• Add calcium and magnesium to aid the metabolic process to function properly. Consult your doctor for the appropriate amount of each.

If you think you have a thyroid condition, see your doctor. Don’t be one of the many people who live with the “unsuspected illness.” With the right diagnosis and treatment you will be feeling better in no time.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging
________________________________________
Is Your Inner Voice Trying To Tell You Something?

Have you ever made a few life-changing decisions knowing that down deep inside it just wasn’t right for you? It has happened to all of us at some time or another. I must confess I am not exempt! There were times I wish someone had hit me upside the head to give me a reality check! How many red flags have to go up before we heed the warning signs?

I recall a time in my life when I made the decision to relocate to a different state to live with my boyfriend. Our relationship seemed like a match made in heaven as long as we lived apart in distant places. Something deep inside of me told me no, but I wanted it to work so I went there. Like many people I didn’t listen to that little inner voice that says, “Maybe this is not such a good idea”!

Well, as you expected, it turned out to be a disaster. I no sooner settled in when I felt my independence was compromised. I realized in hindsight that I should have followed my gut instincts.

Learning to follow through on your everyday hunches is not easy! Blame it on the realization that we are just human. But thankfully, there are ways to tune in your inner dialogue to help you make wiser choices and protect yourself from harmful outcomes.

Just recently I had a close friend call me for some good old girl-to-girl talk. The fact that I’m a life coach probably helped promote this phone call, but that’s what friends are for!

Jane (the name I use here is to protect the innocent) is known for making the wrong choice when it comes to her love life. Shortly after her divorce, Jane was anxious to put her life back together again and throw herself into the dating scene.

To make a long story short she ended up with a man not too much different from her ex-husband. At first it seemed like a Camelot romance but after a few short months the red flags were flying high.

Her mate’s controlling and manipulative personality was becoming very evident. That’s too mild, let’s just say he was a “control freak”. There were times Jane couldn’t even go to the grocery store without him. Talk about jealousy! Of course there were other instances that were reminiscent of her past that came flashing back.

Jane basically felt trapped and knew she had to get out. All she wanted to do was to be left alone to pursue her own life. Why didn’t she just listen to her intuition in the first place? The big WHY!

Let’s not single Jane out! We are all subject to the weakness of not reading the signs that help to frame our life decisions. Regardless if it’s a relationship or simply a work related choice we often don’t go with “our gut” How many times have you accepted a job opportunity that you know is just not right for you?

Or maybe you decide to go into business with a friend but it doesn’t feel quite right. In the back of your mind you know it’s not a good idea. The deal goes bust and you end up losing a friend. At the end of it all you say, “What was I thinking?”

Many people refuse to follow their instincts because they want the outcome to be different and think they can force it to happen. Just like Jane you believe if you work hard enough or want something badly enough you can control the result. So you sidestep your inner voice and do it anyway.

So, what is this phenomenon we call intuition? Why is it important to our well being? Intuition is a way of knowing or sensing the truth without explanations. It is the ability to get a sense, a vision or feeling about someone or something. It is that voice inside of you that communicates with you through feelings and emotions.

We are all born with intuition but many of us don’t develop a way to use it to our advantage. Children are fine examples of intuitive beings and seem to have a natural ability to sense when there is danger, or react to what would be an unpleasant situation.

As you grow older your reasonable mind takes over and you lose touch with the instinctive part of yourself. You ignore the small voice inside of you and replace it with intellect and rational judgment. Even when it slaps you in the face as it did to me and Jane, you still choose to disregard its calling.

The good news is intuition can be nurtured and strengthened. The first thing I do is to clear my busy schedule of all distractions. This step allows time for me to think about my dilemma. Here’s a great little trick I’ve used for years to help me steer clear of the bumps in the road.

I imagine a weighted scale, much like the balance you see in a legal sense. I call it my “intuition scale”. On one side I place all the pros I’ve written down and on the other all the cons I consider to be deal breakers. Then I look at my scale to see which way it’s tipping. Believe me, this helps simplify and clarify your decisions when making important life choices.

If you have difficulty emptying your mind, I suggest trying a few minutes of meditation along with some deep breathing exercises. Just three to five minutes of this relaxing process will train your mind to surrender its control and make better use of to your instincts.

Please try to pay attention to your inner voice when it speaks. It will connect you to a better understanding of your purpose in life. It is there to channel your choices toward the greater good and is looking out for your best interests. Listening to your intuition can give you the confidence you need to take action and change your life for the better.

Your Healthy Life Coach,
Dale Brown, B.S., M.A., C.E.C.

Lose Weight in 2010

The Friendliest Way to Lose Weight in 2010
December 30, 2009
Jon Herring
Editorial Director, Total Health Breakthroughs

About this time ten years ago, I went through a rough patch in my life. Not long before that, I owned a successful business. I was young and prosperous. I was able to travel. And though I worked long hours, I had the freedom to work where and when I wanted.

I exercised frequently. I was eating well and I felt great. I could only see blue skies ahead.

Then, in a rather short period of time, it fell apart. The business failed, for reasons mostly out of my control. I lost a good deal of money. I started another business that went nowhere fast. And a few months later, I found myself with no job, few prospects, and just enough money for bills that month.

A friend of mine owned a restaurant. So I went to work waiting tables. I slowly got back on my feet financially. But I was still depressed. My solace was food. I was drinking soft drinks. I was always snacking on bread. And since I was always around food, I ate everything in sight, even when I wasn't hungry.

In no time at all, I gained about 30 pounds. I could hardly get out of bed in the morning. My skin started breaking out. And I became even more depressed about my situation. But I wasn't broken and I decided to make a change. I knew that if I wanted to regain anything financially and emotionally, I had to focus on my health first.

Within a few short months, I was in better shape than I had been in years. I felt great. I had more energy. My skin cleared up. And feeling so much better about myself, I went on to have a great year financially. But this essay is not about my financial transformation. I want to tell you about my health transformation. There were three keys that made it work.

I'm not going to tell you what I ate, how much I ate, or how I prepared my food. And I'm not going to tell you how much I exercised, or what kind of exercise I did to get back in shape. You might think those two things are the most important when it comes to losing weight and transforming your health. But they are not.

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Believe it or not, there are three steps that are even more important than what you eat or how you exercise. Because without taking these three steps first, your chances of sticking to your plan diminish significantly. These three steps will make or break your fat loss and health transformation efforts.
1. Write down your goals and deadlines and make a detailed plan to achieve them.
2. Benchmark your starting point. Then document and measure your progress.
3. Communicate your goals and enlist the support of others. This is critical!

I am going to go over these three steps in more detail. Then I would like for you to comment on this article, with your own goals and plans for the New Year. So please read to the end!
Write Down Your Goals and Make a Detailed Plan

As with anything you set out to do, the first step is to determine exactly what you want to accomplish. Be specific and descriptive. How much weight would you like to lose? In what amount of time? In what measurable ways would you like to improve your health? Want to give up sweets? Set a future date that you won't put a taste of sugar in your mouth until that time comes. Whatever your goals are, write them down and be specific.

Also write down the reasons you intend to accomplish these goals. You have to have a "why". Maybe you want to look your best for a trip to the beach. Maybe you want to wear the same size jeans you wore in high school. Maybe you want to compete in a road race or a martial arts competition. Perhaps you want more energy to play with your kids. Or you want to live long enough to see your grandkids grow up. Whatever your reasons are... big or small... immediate or far out into the future... write those things down.

Then you need to write down your plans to achieve those goals. If your nemesis is junk food, don't allow it in your house. Discard any temptation and fill your cupboards and refrigerator with healing foods. Plan and prepare your meals ahead of time. You never want to get too hungry or go too long between meals. That is when your willpower will break down. Make a plan for when you will exercise and put it on a schedule.

Document and Measure Your Progress

Now, you have your goals and plans in place. Next, you need to establish your starting point.
If your goals involve your health, perhaps you want to improve certain blood tests. Maybe you want to lower your fasting insulin so you can get off diabetes medication. Maybe you want to get your blood pressure in a healthy range and ditch those meds too. Whatever it is, you need to set a starting point for the markers you want to improve. If your goals involve fitness and fat loss, you should take measurements of your body, bodyfat percentage and your weight.

You should also take some photos of yourself. And continue to take photos every two weeks along the way. Just be sure to keep the variables the same. Stand in the same place. Wear the same clothes. Keep the lighting the same.

The most accurate yardstick is your body measurements. If your goal is to transform your body, take the following measurements with a flexible tape measure:
• Arm - flex your bicep and measure the biggest part
• Hips - look to the side and measure the biggest part of your butt
• Navel - measure around your belly, even with your belly button
• Waist - measure the narrowest part of your waist
• Chest - measure just above the nipple, with your breath out

Your body tape measurements will tell you where you are gaining or losing inches. But they won't tell you what you are gaining or losing. The goal is to gain or maintain muscle, while losing fat. And the way to tell that is by calculating your bodyfat. You can do that with a simple caliper, or you can go to a gym and have your bodyfat measured.

Of course, you should weigh yourself before you begin. And you should track your progress along the way. Weigh yourself at the same time each time. But don't weigh yourself every day. There are a lot of things that can affect your weight. You don't want to get discouraged, just because you gained a few pounds of water weight. Once or twice a week on the scale is best.

And don't worry if the scale is not dead accurate. Your progress is what is important. And as long as you use the same scale every time, you'll know if you're making progress.

Become Accountable to Other People

The third - and the most important - step is to communicate your plan and enlist the help of other people. My personal experience, along with numerous studies, proves that social support is one of the most important factors in transforming your health and losing weight successfully.

In one study, performed at Brown University School of Medicine, the subjects were a group of overweight men and women. They were scheduled to attend group exercise sessions to lose weight. Each participant was encouraged to bring up to 3 support partners who would also participate. What the researchers discovered is that the number of support partners each participant had didn't matter, but the success of those partners mattered a great deal.

They found that each test subject's weight loss was closely associated with the success of their partners. They also found that those with successful partners lost significantly more weight. And finally, the more often the subject attended counseling sessions, the greater their success.

Another study at the famous Karolinska Institute in Sweden tracked men and women who used an Internet weight loss club. They found that the people who used the website the most also lost the most weight.

Many other studies confirm the importance of social support. And it just makes sense. If you want to succeed in business, you need to hang out with successful business people. If you want to stop drinking, you need to hang out with people who don't go to bars every night.

The best case scenario is to have a partner - or even better, multiple partners - that you can exercise with and share your plans and goals with. If you don't have partners with the same goals and commitment, then at least communicate your plans to those close to you.

You want to tell people exactly what you are setting out to do. Be specific. Tell them what you are going to do to accomplish your goals. Also tell them what you are NOT going to do and the things you are going to avoid. Ask them to check on your progress. And ask them to hold you accountable.

It would be best if these people are close to you and important to you. But we all know that sometimes these people can be the least supportive. Whether it is from jealousy or insecurity, those around us sometimes don't want us to succeed. Sad, but often true. If that is the case, then you need to seek some outside support.

Hire a trainer or nutritionist, even if only for a few sessions. Research shows that being accountable to an authoritative figure also increases your chance for success.

You might even dedicate a blog to publicizing your goals and tracking your progress. It doesn't cost a thing, and they are super-easy to set up. This has worked for thousands of people. There is nothing like putting your goals and promises in front of the world to motivate you and keep you on track. And who knows, you might even make some money in the process.

You might also look into becoming active on an Internet forum dedicated your same goals. There are hundreds of highly active forums with thousands of members. And many of them are very specific. There are fitness and muscle-building forums. There are weight-loss forums. There are cancer-recovery forums. There are forums for moms looking to lose their baby weight.

The great thing about the Internet is that it provides enough intimacy to feel accountable. And it provides enough "removal" that you're not mired in the social difficulties of "real life".

The main idea is to communicate your goals and plans to a group of people and for them to hold you accountable. Social support is almost always the missing ingredient when someone fails to achieve their fitness and weight loss goals. So get help. Hang out with friends who will support you. Your chances of success will be assured.

In this spirit, I would like for you to comment on this article. Whatever you would like to accomplish in 2010, let your fellow Total Health Breakthroughs subscribers know about it.
How do you feel about your health and your body today? What changes are you looking to make? What are you willing to do to make those changes a reality? What is most important for you to accomplish this year?

Please let us know by clicking on the comment link below. I look forward to hearing about the goals you WILL attain this coming year!

Jon Herring
Editorial Director
Total Health Breakthroughs

Images for Manny Pacquiao

Images for Manny Pacquiao

Media Pigs Misinforming about so-called "Epidemic"

Dr. W.C. Douglas

Those filthy swine... The swine flu "epidemic" is only a few days old, and Big Pharma is already plotting to make a fortune. European drug maker Roche announced it was scaling up production of Tamiflu, giving a boost to its stock price and sending millions into the Roche coffers.

GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the anti-flu drug Relenza, is also seeing its stock price climb, as investors hope this swine flu is the biggest thing since the bubonic plague. There's only one problem here – it's not going to happen. You read the Daily Dose because I always give you the straight scoop, and because I'm not afraid to tell you when the mainstream has it wrong. And they have it wrong on swine flu. It won't be an epidemic – it'll barely even be a ripple. I've run medical clinics in Africa – I know what an epidemic looks like. And this isn't it. The media is blowing swine flu out of proportion so it can feed its 24-hour news cycle – the same media, mind you, that had us convinced that avian flu was going to destroy the planet a few years ago. But here are the facts about swine flu – it has affected so few people in America that it's hardly worth discussing. There are 64 confirmed cases in America as I'm writing this – not 6,000 or even 600. There are 64. Of course, the media is fixated on the 100 or so people who have died in Mexico from the swine flu. But let me clue you into something that no one seems to be discussing – health care in Mexico is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I know – I've been there more times than I can count. Disease spreads rapidly through Mexico because large areas of the country lack clean water and basic sanitation. Seeing a doctor – let alone a qualified doctor – is a luxury unavailable to most of the population. Of course the flu is killing people in Mexico – so are a lot of other diseases that are successfully treated in America. People in Mexico still die from diarrhea, for Pete's sake! Yes, they have apparently had some cases of bad swine flu in Mexico. They've had lots of dengue fever and chagas, too, but you don't need to stay up at night worrying about it. Beating the swine flu isn't any different from beating the regular flu. Wash your hands. Avoid large crowds if you can. Get plenty of rest and fluids if you start getting sick. And don't be afraid to eat pork or any other meat, for that matter, as it's not the pigs who are getting sick. Of course, I'm not recommending you eat Mexican pork – or any food produced in Mexico, for that matter.

Hopefully the tainted peppers outbreak of 2008 taught us that. But don't change your diet because of some so-called swine flu epidemic. It's no epidemic. It's no public health catastrophe.

It's good theatre – and nothing more.

Critical Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic - Fact or Fiction?

Dr. Mercola

American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, where seven people are confirmed dead as a result of the new virus.

On Wednesday April 29th, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to five on its six-level threat scale,1 which means they've determined that the virus is capable of human-to-human transmission. The initial outbreaks across North America reveal an infection already traveling at higher velocity than did the last official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu.

Phase 5 had never been declared since the warning system was introduced in 2005 in response to the avian influenza crisis. Phase 6 means a pandemic is under way. WHO now openly states it is not possible to contain the spread of this infection and recommends mitigation measures, not restricting travel or closing borders.

However, a pandemic does not necessarily mean what you think it does, it is NOT black-plague carts being hauled through the streets piled high with dead bodies. Nor does it mean flesh eating zombies wandering the streets feeding on the living. All a pandemic means is that a new infectious disease is spreading throughout the world.

The number of fatalities, and suspected and confirmed cases across the world change depending on the source, so your best bet -- if you want the latest numbers -- is to use Google Maps' Swine Flu Tracker.

Several nations have imposed travel bans, or made plans to quarantine air travelers2 that present symptoms of the swine flu, such as:
· Fever of more than 100
· Coughing
· Runny nose and/or sore throat
· Joint aches
· Severe headache
· Vomiting and/or diarrhea
· Lethargy
· Lack of appetite

Top global flu experts are trying to predict how dangerous the new swine flu strain will be, as it became clear that they had little information about Mexico's outbreak. It is as yet unclear how many cases occurred in the month or so before the outbreak was detected. It's also unknown whether the virus was mutating to be more lethal, or less.

Much Fear Mongering Being Promoted

I suspect you have likely been alarmed by the media's coverage of the swine flu scare. It has a noticeable subplot - preparing you for draconian measures to combat a future pandemic as well as forcing you to accept the idea of mandatory vaccinations.

On April 27, Time magazine published an article which discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country.

Despite acknowledging that the 1976 farce was an example of “how not to handle a flu outbreak”, the article still introduces the notion that officials “may soon have to consider whether to institute draconian measures to combat the disease”.

Fortunately some respectable journalists recognize this and are seeking to spread a voice of reason to the fear that is being promoted in the majority of the media

WHO and CDC Pandemic Preparedness Seriously Broken

The pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn't exist, even in North America and Europe. To improve the system, massive new investments in surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public health, and global access to common sense interventions like vitamin D optimization are required.

According to the Washington Post, the CDC did not learn about the outbreak until six days after Mexico had begun to impose emergency measures. There should be no excuses. The paradox of this swine flu panic is that, while totally unexpected, it was accurately predicted. Six years ago, Science dedicated a major story to evidence that "after years of stability, the North American swine flu virus has jumped onto an evolutionary fasttrack".

However, maybe this is precisely what public health authorities desire.

This is NOT the First Swine Flu Panic

My guess is that you can expect to see a lot of panic over this issue in the near future. But the key is to remain calm -- this isn't the first time the public has been warned about swine flu. The last time was in 1976, right before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign.

Do you happen to recall the result of this massive campaign?

Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths.

However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine. Even healthy 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics.
And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized.

More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!

It is very difficult to forecast a pandemic, and a rash response can be extremely damaging.
To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, and it's considered "a health problem"... But of course, there are no fancy vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short amount of time.

One Australian news source,3 for example, states that even a mild swine flu epidemic could lead to the deaths of 1.4 million people and would reduce economic growth by nearly $5 trillion dollars.

Give me a break, if this doesn't sound like the outlandish cries of the pandemic bird-flu I don't know what does. Do you remember when President Bush said two million Americans would die as a result of the bird flu?

In 2005, in 2006, 2007, and again in 2008, those fears were exposed as little more than a cruel hoax, designed to instill fear, and line the pocketbooks of various individuals and industry. I became so convinced by the evidence AGAINST the possibility of a bird flu pandemic that I wrote a New York Times bestselling book, The Bird Flu Hoax, all about the massive fraud involved with the epidemic that never happened..

What is the Swine Flu?

Regular swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease, caused by a type-A influenza virus that affects pigs. The current strain, A(H1N1), is a new variation of an H1N1 virus -- which causes seasonal flu outbreaks in humans -- that also contains genetic material of bird and pig versions of the flu.

Interestingly enough, this version has never before been seen in neither human nor animal, which I will discuss a bit later.

This does sound bad. But not so fast. There are a few reasons to not rush to conclusions that this is the deadly pandemic we've been told would occur in the near future (as if anyone could predict it without having some sort of inside knowledge).

Why a True Bird- or Swine Flu Pandemic is HIGHLY Unlikely

While in my opinion it is highly likely factory farming is responsible for producing this viral strain, I believe there is still no cause for concern.

You may not know this, but all H1N1 flu's are descendants of the 1918 pandemic strain. The reason why the flu shot may or may not work, however, from year to year, is due to mutations. Therefore, there's no vaccine available for this current hybrid flu strain, and naturally, this is feeding the fear that millions of people will die before a vaccine can be made.

However, let me remind you of one very important fact here.

Just a couple of months ago, scientists concluded that the 1918 flu pandemic that killed between 50-100 million people worldwide in a matter of 18 months -- which all these worst case scenarios are built upon -- was NOT due to the flu itself!4

Instead, they discovered the real culprit was strep infections.

People with influenza often get what is known as a "superinfection" with a bacterial agent. In 1918 it appears to have been Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Since strep is much easier to treat than the flu using modern medicine, a new pandemic would likely be much less dire than it was in the early 20th century, the researchers concluded.
Others, such as evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald,5 claim that a pandemic of this sort simply cannot happen, because in order for it to occur, the world has to change. Not the virus itself, but the world.

In a previous interview for Esquire magazine, in which he discusses the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, he states:

"They think that if a virus mutates, it's an evolutionary event. Well, the virus is mutating because that is what viruses and other pathogens do. But evolution is not just random mutation. It is random mutation coupled with natural selection; it is a battle for competitive advantage among different strains generated by random mutation.

For bird flu to evolve into a human pandemic, the strain that finds a home in humanity has to be a strain that is both highly virulent and highly transmissible. Deadliness has to translate somehow into popularity; H5N1 has to find a way to kill or immobilize its human hosts, and still find other hosts to infect. Usually that doesn't happen."

Ewald goes on to explain that evolution in general is all about trade-offs, and in the evolution of infections the trade-off is between virulence and transmissibility.

What this means is that in order for a "bird flu" or "swine flu" to turn into a human pandemic, it has to find an environment that favors both deadly virulence and ease of transmission.

People living in squalor on the Western Front at the end of World War I generated such an environment, from which the epidemic of 1918 could arise.

Likewise, crowded chicken farms, slaughterhouses, and jam-packed markets of eastern Asia provide another such environment, and that environment gave rise to the bird flu -- a pathogen that both kills and spreads, in birds, but not in humans.

Says Ewald:
"We know that H5N1 is well adapted to birds. We also know that it has a hard time becoming a virus that can move from person to person. It has a hard time without our doing anything. But we can make it harder. We can make sure it has no human population in which to evolve transmissibility. There is no need to rely on the mass extermination of chickens. There is no need to stockpile vaccines for everyone.

By vaccinating just the people most at risk -- the people who work with chickens and the caregivers -- we can prevent it from becoming transmissible among humans. Then it doesn't matter what it does in chickens."

Please remember that, despite the fantastic headlines and projections of MILLIONS of deaths, the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a mere 257 people worldwide since late 2003. As unfortunate as those deaths are, 257 deaths worldwide from any disease, over the course of five years, simply does not constitute an emergency worthy of much attention, let alone fear!

Honestly, your risk of being killed by a lightning strike in the last five years was about 2,300 percent higher than your risk of contracting and dying from the bird flu.6 I'm not kidding! In just one year (2004), more than 1,170 people died from lighting strikes, worldwide.7

So please, as the numbers of confirmed swine flu cases are released, keep a level head and don't let fear run away with your brains.

So is the Swine Flu Getting More or Less Dangerous?

On Sunday, April 26, The Independent reported that more than 1,000 people had contracted the swine flu virus in Mexico, 8 but by the afternoon that same day, Mexican President Calderon declared that more than two-thirds of the 1,300 thought to have contracted the disease had been given a clean bill of health and sent home.9

Additionally, the number of actual confirmed cases appears to be far lower than reported in many media outlets, leading me to believe that many reporters are interchanging the terms "suspected cases" and "confirmed cases."

Interestingly Mexico is the ONLY country in the world where someone has actually died from this disease.Mexico has reported 159 fatalities in flu-like cases in recent days, seven of which have been confirmed as swine flu. Another 19 patients have been confirmed as having swine flu but surviving. Although some insiders at WHO believe these numbers are seriously inflated and could be as low as single digits.

By contrast, the United States has had 109 confirmed cases, five hospitalizations and no deaths from US Citizens. On April 29th CNN reported the first swine fatality in the US, however this was actually a child from Mexico that died in Texas.

According to the World Health Organization's Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response site; as of April 27 there are:
· 109 laboratory confirmed cases in U.S. -- 1 death (reported by CDC as of April 30)
· 26 confirmed cases in Mexico -- 7 deaths
· 6 confirmed cases in Canada -- 0 deaths
· 1 confirmed case in Spain -- 0 deaths

Additionally, nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as mild.

Personally, I am highly skeptical. It simply doesn't add up to a real pandemic.

But it does raise serious questions about where this brand new, never before seen virus came from, especially since it cannot be contracted from eating pork products, and has never before been seen in pigs, and contains traits from the bird flu -- and which, so far, only seems to respond to Tamiflu. Are we just that lucky, or... what?

Your Fear Will Make Some People VERY Rich in Today's Crumbling Economy

According to the Associated Press at least one financial analyst estimates up to $388 million worth of Tamiflu sales in the near future10 -- and that's without a pandemic outbreak.

More than half a dozen pharmaceutical companies, including Gilead Sciences Inc., Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and other companies with a stake in flu treatments and detection, have seen a rise in their shares in a matter of days, and will likely see revenue boosts if the swine flu outbreak continues to spread.

As soon as Homeland Security declared a health emergency, 25 percent -- about 12 million doses -- of Tamiflu and Relenza treatment courses were released from the nation's stockpile. However, beware that the declaration also allows unapproved tests and drugs to be administered to children. Many health- and government officials are more than willing to take that chance with your life, and the life of your child. But are you?

Remember, Tamiflu went through some rough times not too long ago, as the dangers of this drug came to light when, in 2007, the FDA finally began investigating some 1,800 adverse event reports related to the drug. Common side effects of Tamiflu include:
· Nausea
· Vomiting
· Diarrhea
· Headache
· Dizziness
· Fatigue
· Cough

All in all, the very symptoms you're trying to avoid.

More serious symptoms included convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections (which led Japan to ban Tamiflu for children in 2007). And that's for a drug that, when used as directed, only reduces the duration of influenza symptoms by 1 to 1 ½ days, according to the official data.

But making matters worse, some patients with influenza are at HIGHER risk for secondary bacterial infections when on Tamiflu. And secondary bacterial infections, as I mentioned earlier, was likely the REAL cause of the mass fatalities during the 1918 pandemic!

Where did This Mysterious New Animal-Human Flu Strain come from?

Alongside the fear-mongering headlines, I've also seen increasing numbers of reports questioning the true nature of this virus. And rightfully so.

Could a mixed animal-human mutant like this occur naturally? And if not, who made it, and how was it released?

Not one to dabble too deep in conspiracy theories, I don't have to strain very hard to find actual facts to support the notion that this may not be a natural mutation, and that those who stand to gain have the wherewithal to pull off such a stunt.

Just last month I reported on the story that the American pharmaceutical company Baxter was under investigation for distributing the deadly avian flu virus to 18 different countries as part of a seasonal flu vaccine shipment. Czech reporters were probing to see if it may have been part of a deliberate attempt to start a pandemic; as such a "mistake" would be virtually impossible under the security protocols of that virus.

The H5N1 virus on its own is not very airborne. However, when combined with seasonal flu viruses, which are more easily spread, the effect could be a potent, airborne, deadly, biological weapon. If this batch of live bird flu and seasonal flu viruses had reached the public, it could have resulted in dire consequences.

There is a name for this mixing of viruses; it's called "reassortment," and it is one of two ways pandemic viruses are created in the lab. Some scientists say the most recent global outbreak -- the 1977 Russian flu -- was started by a virus created and leaked from a laboratory.

Another example of the less sterling integrity of Big Pharma is the case of Bayer, who sold millions of dollars worth of an injectable blood-clotting medicine to Asian, Latin American, and some European countries in the mid-1980s, even though they knew it was tainted with the AIDS virus.

So while it is morally unthinkable that a drug company would knowingly contaminate flu vaccines with a deadly flu virus such as the bird- or swine flu, it is certainly not impossible. It has already happened more than once.

But there seems to be no repercussions or hard feelings when industry oversteps the boundaries of morality and integrity and enters the arena of obscenity. Because, lo and behold, which company has been chosen to head up efforts, along with WHO, to produce a vaccine against the Mexican swine flu?

Baxter!11 Despite the fact that ink has barely dried on the investigative reports from their should-be-criminal "mistake" against humanity.

According to other sources,12 a top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, has concluded that the current swine flu virus possesses certain transmission "vectors" that suggest the new strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.

The UN expert believes that Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the current A-H1N1 swine flu virus are biological warfare agents.

In addition, Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick -- the same Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released, according to a recent article in the Fredrick News Post.13 In February, the top biodefense lab halted all its research into Ebola, anthrax, plague, and other diseases known as "select agents," after they discovered virus samples that weren't listed in its inventory and might have been switched with something else.

Factory Farming Maybe Source of Swine Flu

Another theory as to the cause of Swine Flu might be factory farming. In the United States, pigs travel coast to coast. They can be bred in North Carolina, fattened in the corn belt of Iowa, and slaughtered in California.

While this may reduce short-term costs for the pork industry, the highly contagious nature of diseases like influenza (perhaps made further infectious by the stresses of transport) needs to be considered when calculating the true cost of long-distance live animal transport.

The majority of U.S. pig farms now confine more than 5,000 animals each. With a group of 5,000 animals, if a novel virus shows up it will have more opportunity to replicate and potentially spread than in a group of 100 pigs on a small farm.

With massive concentrations of farm animals within which to mutate, these new swine flu viruses in North America seem to be on an evolutionary fast track, jumping and reassorting between species at an unprecedented rate.

Should You Accept a Flu Vaccine -- Just to be Safe?

As stated in the New York Times14 and elsewhere, flu experts have no idea whether the current seasonal flu vaccine would offer any protection whatsoever against this exotic mutant, and it will take months to create a new one.

But let me tell you, getting vaccinated now would not only offer no protection and potentially cause great harm, it would most likely be loaded with toxic mercury which is used as a preservative in most flu vaccines..

I've written extensively about the numerous dangers (and ineffectiveness) of flu vaccines, and why I do not recommend them to anyone. So no matter what you hear -- even if it comes from your doctor -- don't get a regular flu shot. They rarely work against seasonal flu...and certainly can't offer protection against a never-before- seen strain.

Currently, the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are the only drugs that appear effective against the (human flu) H1N1 virus, and I strongly believe taking Tamiflu to protect you against this new virus could be a serious mistake -- for all the reasons I already mentioned above.

But in addition to the dangerous side effects of Tamiflu, there is also growing evidence of resistance against the drug. In February, the pre-publication and preliminary findings journal called Nature Precedings published a paper on this concern, stating15:

The dramatic rise of oseltamivir [Tamiflu] resistance in the H1N1 serotype in the 2007/2008 season and the fixing of H274Y in the 2008/2009 season has raised concerns regarding individuals at risk for seasonal influenza, as well as development of similar resistance in the H5N1 serotype [bird flu].

Previously, oseltamivir resistance produced changes in H1N1 and H3N2 at multiple positions in treated patients. In contrast, the recently reported resistance involved patients who had not recently taken oseltamivir.

It's one more reason not to bother with this potentially dangerous drug.

And, once a specific swine flu drug is created, you can be sure that it has not had the time to be tested in clinical trials to determine safety and effectiveness, which puts us right back where I started this article -- with a potential repeat of the last dangerous swine flu vaccine, which destroyed the lives of hundreds of people.

Topping the whole mess off, of course, is the fact that if the new vaccine turns out to be a killer, the pharmaceutical companies responsible are immune from lawsuits -- something I've also warned about before on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately, those prospects won't stop the governments of the world from mandating the vaccine -- a scenario I hope we can all avoid.

How to Protect Yourself Without Dangerous Drugs and Vaccinations

For now, my point is that there are always going to be threats of flu pandemics, real or created, and there will always be potentially toxic vaccines that are peddled as the solution. But you can break free of that whole drug-solution trap by following some natural health principles.

I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, which will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

· Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.
This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.

For those of you in the US we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We hope to offer this service by June 2009.If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

However, most of Dr. Cannell's work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.

BUT to keep this in perspective the regular flu, not the swine flu, has killed 13,000 in the US since January. But there is strong support that these types of figures are grossly exaggerated to increase vaccine sales. However, the fact remains that the regular flu at this point in time is FAR more dangerous than the swine flu and were you worried about the regular flu before the media started talking this up?

· Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.

· Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

· Have Effective Tools to Address Stress . We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness. If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.

· Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.

· Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like Krill Oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.

· Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.

· Eat Garlic Regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe product to use. However, if you are allergic or don't enjoy garlic it would be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good.

· Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug. Vaccines will not be available for six months at the minimum but when available they will be ineffective and can lead to crippling paralysis like Guillain-Barré Syndrome just as it did in the 70s.