When It Comes to Lifting, the Pros Have Your Back
Following the example of professional movers can help you reduce the risk of injury http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=26031 the next time you move, says a new study that included 20 men who carried a load on a treadmill so that researchers could assess the effects on the shoulders, neck, back, abdomen and forearms.
The study found that carrying loads on your back http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/bb/backpain.php rather than against the abdomen may reduce effort and lower the risk of injury. It also found that using assistive load carriage devices can improve grip and lessen the strain on the back and forearms.
"We found that professional movers often carry loads against their backs, mainly because they found it to be more practical and less painful. However, more research is needed with professional movers or warehouse workers to see if the back carry technique reduces the risk of back injury without increasing the risks of other injuries," study co-author Joan M. Stevenson, said in an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) news release. The study was presented this week at the ACSM annual meeting in Seattle.
She and her colleagues found that movers who use the back carry technique feel they lift more safely, reduce their risk of tripping, and are less likely to suffer back painhttp://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=32969.
"This technique may be very important when it comes to injury prevention, whether it is on a professional mover or just a college student moving to an apartment. We know that some people do not have the shoulder flexibility or grip strength to perform this technique, so an assistive lifting device can be valuable," Stevenson said.
Before moving, you should gently warm up your body with low-intensity muscle stretching for about 10 to 15 minutes, the ACSM said. It also recommends regular stretching sessions two to three times a week to improve flexibility and other aspects of health.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health have more about avoiding back pain.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/backpain.html
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/bb/backpain.php
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Europeans warned to avoid drinking milk or eating vegetables
The radiation risk from Fukushima is "no longer negligable," says CRIIRAD, the French research authority on radioactivity. It is now warning expectant mothers and young children to avoid drinking milk or rainwater. They should also avoid certain types of vegetables and cheese due to the dangerously high levels of radiation they may contain thanks to the radioactive fallout spreading across the globe (http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/radiation-risks-fukushima-longer-negligible-news-503947).
CRIIRAD now says that eating these items qualifies as "risky behavior." And yet, in practically the same sentence, the organization claims there is "absolutely no need" for anyone to take iodine tablets.
That's right: There's so much radiation in the food that you probably shouldn't eat it. But all that radiation is so harmless that you don't need to protect yourself from it with iodine. It's amazing how these people think they can have it both ways.
The institute goes on to say that drinking rainwater might be dangerous, but standing in the rain is perfectly safe. There's actually some sense to this, as ingesting radioactive water is indeed far more dangerous than merely being drenched in it. But U.S. nuclear authorities make no such distinction, by the way.
Here comes the mass irradiation of the food supply
Despite these warnings, the real issue that few are willing to acknowledge so far is that Fukushima fallout will continue for many more months. And during this fallout, there will be a cumulative load of radiation http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/rr/radiationsickness.php raining down upon the grasses, fruits and vegetables that make up the global food supply. How high those levels get is anyone's guess, and those animals that feed upon those grasses -- such as cattle, goats and sheep -- will tend to further concentrate the radioactivity, producing milk and meat products that are far more radioactive than the grasses upon which they fed.
This is a very sad circumstance, of course, because it means that the corn-fed, factory-farmed cattle will probably be LESS radioactive than the open-range grass-fed cattle whose beef products are usually far better for you. Although I'm not personally someone who consumes beef, I'm a big supporter of those who choose grass-fed beef over the corn-fed factory farmed beef.
Bring your Geiger counter to the fresh produce section
What I'm beginning to wonder in all this, however, is how high the radioactivity of the entire food supply is going to become. Are we looking toward a day when we have to being Geiger counters to the grocery store?
Will we soon have two bins of apples at the store called "Pre-Fukushima" and "Post-Fukushima?"
And for all those people who have already stored food http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18, good for you! All the food you stored before Fukushima is obviously not radioactive, and there may come a day when non-radioactive food commands a huge price premium.
For those still looking to acquire and store non-radioactive healthy foods, check out http://www.StorableOrganics.com where you can find organic foods and superfoods sealed in steel cans for long-term emergency preparedness. The entire inventory there is "Pre-Fukushima," by the way.
For those who haven't stored any food, you might start thinking about what you're going to eat if Fukushima suffers yet another explosion and a massive cloud of radioactive isotopes gets dropped onto the food production lands of the world. This situation will only get worse before it gets better.
And sadly, even growing your own food is no solution to all this, because your own gardens are just as susceptible to radiation fallout as commercial crop lands. Only those who grow food in greenhouses will be largely protected from the fallout. Maybe it's a good time to buy some sprouting seeds, too, because you can sprout seeds in your own kitchen and grow them free of radiation. In just 3 days, you can turn a pile of seeds into a nutritious sprout salad. Add some avocado and balsamic vinegar and you have a delicious lunch!
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Superfood Cereals: A review of the most delicious and nutritious superfoods for morning meals
I grew up eating a lot of cereal. Sadly, it wasn't the healthiest stuff, either: Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and other sugary processed foods drowned in pasteurized, processed cow's milk. Sometimes I wonder how I ever survived my childhood diet...
Even as a health-conscious adult, I still find myself enjoying a bowl of healthy cereal, but of course now I use almond milk or sometimes rice milk instead of cow's milkhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33165.
As far as the cereal itself goes, finding a really nutritious and delicious breakfast cereal has been a challenge for a number of years: The mainstream so-called "healthy" processed cereals at the grocery store are all dead, processed foods usually made with extra fiber, less sugar or whole grains -- just enough to call them "healthy" when, by my standards, they aren't very healthy at all. Even most so-called "all natural" cereals still don't meet the standards of what I'd like to put into my body on a regular basis.
So over the last several years, I've been on the lookout for a really high-end, raw breakfast cereal based entirely on organic, non-GMO superfood ingredients. I've sampled many different products from dozens of companies, and there are now three that I would recommend. You'll see all three mentioned here, but my very favorite among all the raw superfood cereals is called, quite simply, Superfood Cereal.
Superfood Cereals
It's made by a company called Living Intentions based in San Francisco, and it's available in four flavors: Acai Blueberry, Cacao Crunch, Chia Ginger and Hemp and Greens. You can find many of these in your local health food stores.
These cereals are really outstanding. They have a delicious taste and texture, but without resorting to refined or chemical sweeteners of any kind. They're all based on organic buckwheat sprouts as their No. 1 ingredient, and if you know about buckwheat, you know it's a super high-protein grain that transforms into a nutritional powerhouse when sprouted! I've often made my own raw buckwheat cereals at home, and I love the fact that I can now get buckwheat in these superfood cereals.
The other ingredients are just as impressive: Chia seeds, amaranth sprouts, quinoa sprouts http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33577, Hawthorn Berry and many others that are just as impressive.
At the same time, these characteristics of the cereal are quite remarkable. All Superfood Cereals are:
• Sprouted
• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free
• Non-GMO
• Raw
And it goes without saying that they're not made with refined sugars, refined grains, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners of any kind!
Superfoods for breakfast? Sure!
Breakfast, they say, is the most important meal of the day. The average American breakfast is far too high in processed meats (sausage and bacon), dairy products (milk and butter) and refined sugars and carbs (white toast, jelly and sugary cereals). A typical American breakfast, in fact, is little more than a hodge-podge of refined factory foods enhanced with toxic chemicals and artificial colors. I wouldn't feed that stuff to an animal, much less my own children!
Can you imagine what kind of difference it would make in someone's day if they switched from a toxic "average" breakfast to a superfoodhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33537 breakfast? Imagine going to work or school fueled by raw superfoods and sprouted foods that just happen to taste super delicious at the same time.
Personally, I believe that a nutrient-dense breakfast that avoids all the toxic chemicals and refined ingredients found in traditional breakfast habits can make all the difference in your day. There's no doubt that people who live on real foods rather than junk foods have improved learning performance, better sustained energy and improved moods and optimism. That's why one of the most important questions you can ask yourself when deciding what to eat is, "How good do I wish to feel today?"
If you want to feel fantastic, start your day with superfoods nutrition!
What's in it
Superfood Cereal is hands down the best raw superfood breakfast cereal I've ever tried. And as you well know by now, I'm extremely picky about what kinds of things I advocate or offer, and I'm thrilled to call these Superfood Cereals "Health Ranger recommended." In fact, when award time rolls around again, I plan on offering this cereal line a Natural News Editor's Choice award.
Their ingredients are really impressive, too. Here's what's in their Acai Blueberry flavor:
Organic Buckwheat Sprouts, Organic Coconut, Local Blackberry Honey, Organic Currants, Raw Brown Rice Bran and Germ (grain-free), Organic Sunflower Sprouts, Organic Banana, Berry Antioxidant Blend (Organic Blueberry Powder, Organic Acai Powder, Bilberry Powder, Camu Camu Fruit Powder, Elderberry Powder and Amla Berry Powder) and Pink Crystal Salt.
Compare this to the typical breakfast cereals http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=33590 you find on the shelves -- even "healthy" cereals: They're typically made almost entirely from corn, wheat and sugar. And a lot of that is genetically modified, too (both the corn and the sugar). I don't know about you, but I'm just not interested in fattening myself up like a cow by feeding myself corn and sugar for breakfast.
Check the ingredients on the cereal in your own cupboard, if you dare. You may find that far too much of it is just corn, wheat and sugar.
That's why I'm happy to talk about these healthier options that are based on truly healthful, gluten-free formulations. And Superfood Cereal tastes so incredibly good that you'll probably forget you're eating a "healthy" breakfast cereal in the first place.
Other great cereal products
There are two other highly nutritious raw breakfast cereal products I also currently recommend: Ruth's Foods Chia Goodness (http://www.RuthsFoods.com) and the entire cereal line from Kaia Foods (http://www.kaiafoods.com/about.html). Both are outstanding products that are also aligned with my philosophy of healthful food ingredients.
I plan to review and recommend many of Ruth's Foods products in the near future, in fact.
Enjoy your superfood breakfast cereals!
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Traditional Chinese medicine sweeps South America
Ancient Chinese medicine practices are gaining much attention and growing in popularity in the South American nation of Brazil. According to a recent report in China Daily, acupuncture http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33574 in particular is fast becoming a new favorite in the country after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said it cured his shoulder arthritis.
A delegation of physicians assembled in Brazil back in 2006 to teach the ways in which Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps treat various skin problems, menopause symptoms, insomnia, anxiety, dementia, joint pain, rheumatism, diabetes, and many other illnesses. The program showed so much promise that the committee is planing a TCM follow-up forum on health and beauty in 2011.
"We try to resolve external problems by curing the body internally," Chen Juan, vice secretary general of the committee, is quoted as saying. "Some skin problems can be tackled through herbal treatments while others may require the use of traditional techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese massage, cuppinghttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=109&t=32407, and skin scraping."
Brazil has a long history of using its own traditional remedies for treating illness, so it makes sense that the nation is widely accepting of alternative treatments. According to the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, Brazil has roughly 10,000 physicians who specialize in acupuncture and Chinese massage, 3,000 of which are in Sao Paulo. And more than half a million Brazilians come to Sao Paulo each year to seek out TCM treatments.
Not everyone in Brazil is open to TCM concepts, though. Some still see the practice as opposing modern scientific methods, as does much of the Western world. But because many people have experienced incredible success from TCM treatments, it is gaining respect around the world, including in Australia where an act was recently passed to allow TCM practitioners to be officially licensed as doctors.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2010-10/20/content_11433127.htm
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Health basics: What is MSG?
Monosodium Glutamate, better known as MSG, is a form of concentrated salt added to foods to enhance the flavor. This salt version of glutamic acid is an amino acid the body can produce on its own, but the MSG we find on store shelves is processed and comes from fermented sugar beets. Because this kind of MSG is processed, it can cause many adverse reactions, including skin rashes, itching, hives http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/aa/hivesandangioedema.php, nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches, asthma, heart irregularities, depression and even seizures (http://www.msgtruth.org/migraine.htm).
Since MSG acquired its infamous reputation for causing migraines http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/mm/migraine.php, the food industry has given it new names and new forms, including autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed protein, sodium caseinate, mono-potassium glutamate, and textured protein. Consumers who are watching out for monosodium glutamate in long ingredients lists usually don't know the aliases, but should.
Because MSG is so cheap, the food industry can use much lower quality foods and simply add MSG as a flavor enhancer. Currently, there is a huge investment by the food giants in MSG medical research to convince consumers of its safety. Monsanto, the giant biotech company that creates genetically modified corn, soy and canola, also controls more than 90% of the sugar beet industry; therefore, MSG contains the gene of the pesticide Roundup. Consumers who don't filter MSG out of their diet are catching a double dose of toxicity.
Foods which contain the largest doses of MSG are spicy corn chips, many soups, certain Chinese foods, ranch dressing, sausages, hot dogs, barbecued meats, smoked meats, processed deli meats, and sauces. Also included are most powdered packets like chili, gravy, taco seasoning, French onion dip and dried dip mixes.
Ibuprofen is the polar opposite of MSG. This widely used painkiller is specifically designed to relieve symptoms from MSG headaches, but only temporarily. Unfortunately, most research on MSG is done by its manufacturers in independent labs. The FDA itself consists of food industry reps and lobbyists who help keep MSG approved, so most doctors (except naturopath doctors) will not point their finger at MSG as the cause of headaches, inflammation, weight gain, muscle pain, or nerve disorders.
MSG affects nearly everyone
Consuming products loaded with MSG http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33635 on an empty stomach or without water can be especially dangerous.MSG affects nearly everyone because it causes a spike in glutamic acid, which is used throughout the body as a neurotransmitter, so many migraines are accompanied by photo-sensitivity (sensitivity to light) and phono-sensitivity (sensitivity to sound). This explains why many people need to relax in a dark, quiet room to recover.
MSG compromises the way the liver and gall bladder use bile to break up fats for digestion, so many people experience diarrhea and even gall bladder attacks. Others will vomit or stir up their Irritable Bowel Syndrome (http://www.msgexposed.com/msg-causes-rapid-brain-cell-death/).
Also, the hair cells of the ear use glutamate as a neurotransmitter, so over stimulation of these cells can result in ringing in the ears (also tinnitus or vertigo). MSG is known to cross the blood brain barrier to damage brain cells, especially in infants. Research has also shown that MSG can cause sterility in female animals (http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/articles/migraines.pdf).
Since there are no regulations on the potency of MSG, consumers have no way of knowing how much or how little they are getting (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/presentregulations.html).
The sooner MSG appears in an ingredients list, the more there is in that product. Consuming MSG at any time is a risk many consumers are not willing to take.
Your best bet is to avoid MSG in general and just add your own natural spices to foods. Sea salt and fresh garlic or organic minced garlic can give a dish the same taste and flavor enhancement. Simply Tasteful's "Garlic Garlic" or "Onion Onion" and Trader Joe's "21 Seasoning Salute" are great natural seasonings that take food flavor up a notch and don't cause headaches, nausea or nerve damage.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ans/psychology/health_psychology/msg.htm
http://www.msgtruth.org/migraine.htm
http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/uwhealth_sodium_180.pdf
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-difference-between-msg-and-sodium.html
http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/articles/migraines.pdf[PDF]
http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm
http://www.msgexposed.com/msg-causes-rapid-brain-cell-death/
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Natural Herbs and Nutrients that Aid Sleep
What can you do to help improve your natural ability to sleep? With over seventy five percent of Americans claiming to have difficulty sleeping (according to the National Sleep Foundation) sleeplessness has become an epidemic. Forty two million prescriptions for sleeping pills were written last year, for one in five Americans. There are natural herbs that have been used since ancient times as sleep aids.
The most common herb to treat sleeplessness is valerian, whose Latin name is Valeriana. It was even used in ancient Greece to calm restlessness and nervousness. Valerian is a twig, and is easily found in tea or raw form. A simple glass of valerian tea before bedtime can help induce sleep.
Peppermint is another calming nerve herb that is frequently mixed with valerian for flavor. It is a digestive herb, as well as calming to the nervous system.
Another digestive herb is Chamomilla. It is also sleep inducing and readily available in tea form.
Passionflower or Passiflora tea can aid with sleeplessness, but may be more difficult to locate.
In addition to teas, herbal compresses can be placed over the face, or under the pillow.
Lavender is frequently used in this manner. Simply place lavender flowers into a small cotton bag and place under your pillow to induce natural sleep, and dreams.
Lemon balm is another herb known to calm the nervous system and induce sleep.
Meditation or prayer and other quieting activities before bed can also relax the body into sleep.
Nutritional supplements that may help increase sleep are calcium, (as in warm milk) theanine, l-glutamine, and GABA. L-Glutamine is an amino acid, and very plentiful in the body. It improves mood as well as helping to increase GABA level. GABA is a neurotransmitter known to help with general relaxation. Theanine is a natural ingredient found in tea.
If you have trouble with frequent rising at night, or a small bladder, do not drink tea too close to bedtime, but rather a few hours before. You will have the same medicinal effects from the herbs, but avoid the discomfort of a full bladder.
The famous warm milk at bedtime of grandmother`s day was popular for a reason. The calcium is nature`s tranquilizer, and a glass of warm milk speeds the calcium to your nerves and helps induce sleep. The warm milk draws blood to your stomach, away from your brain, which also helps you sleep.
Pleasant dreams.
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High levels of natural plant antioxidant alpha-carotene are
Picture this: a chemical is discovered that has amazing health-protecting powers. In fact, if a person consumes enough of the potent life guarding compound, his or her chances of dying from heart disease, cancer or any other reason will plummet for many, many years into the future. Sound like a futuristic drug out of a sci fi story? It's not. Instead, it's a natural compound available right here and right now -- the antioxidant alpha-carotene, produced by plants.
In a large study of over 15,000 adults, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) scientists found that high blood levels of alpha-carotene were associated with a significantly reduced risk of dying over a 14 year period. The research was just published in the on-line edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
There are several forms of carotenoids, including beta-carotene and lycopene as well as alpha-carotene. Alpha-carotene is very similar to beta-carotene but research has shown it may be more effective at preventing or blocking the growth of cancer cells in the brain, liver and skin, according to the CDC scientists. Read more
