Baggage Beauty: Health Help

Stop Dining On Dioxin: A Daily Dose of Toxins
Found everywhere, dioxin is public enemy number one. To give you an idea of how common dioxin exposure is, consider bleached coffee filters. The EPA says that 40% to 70% of the dioxins contained in bleached coffee filters get transferred to your coffee. Therefore, the simple routine of using bleached coffee filters results in a lifetime of unsafe exposure to dioxin.
According to the World Health Organization, dioxins are highly toxic. They cause reproductive
and developmental problems, damage the immune system, disrupt hormones and cause cancer.
The Skinny Science:
Dioxin is an organic chemical that consists of a pair of benzene rings.
Because of their chemical stability and their ability to be dissolved
by fat tissue, they can exist in the body for years. Highly potent in
small quantities, it is measured in parts per trillion, not the parts
per million we usually hear. Dioxins are categorized as persistent
environmental pollutants. This means two things: they do not degrade in
the environment, and they exist indefinitely once released.
Green your Routine:
How do you avoid this seemingly omnipresent substance? A major source
of dioxin exposure is eating animal products, because of dioxin's
ability to persist in fats. In addition to changing your diet, here are
some other strategies you can incorporate:
Avoid eating animal products (especially eggs)

Eat organically grown fruits

and vegetables. Pesticide and herbicide residues found on

non-organically grown food harbors dioxin.

When gardening, avoid using pesticides and herbicides that contain

dioxin.

When cleaning, avoid chlorine

bleach. It forms dioxin after contact with organic compounds.

In personal care products, avoid triclosan,

an antibacterial agent. It degrades into dioxin.

With coffee supplies, use unbleached coffee filters, metal filters,

or a French press. Dioxin is a by-product of the bleaching process.

Avoid bleached paper products like disposable diapers, napkins,

tissue and paper towels.

Prevention is the Best Cure:
Because of the ubiquitous nature of dioxin, the usual prevention advice is challenging. Dioxin is present in every aspect of life: water, air, soil and food. That said, dioxin concentrations vary, so the best advice may be to avoid foods with the highest concentration of dioxins. Since dioxin accumulates in fat -- in both our own and the animals we eat — people with diets high in vegetables and low in animal products have lower dioxin levels.
High dioxin level foods:

dairy products

meat

fish

shellfish

Low dioxin level foods:

vegetables

fruit

Extra Tidbits:
Alternative names quick list: DLC (dioxin-like compound),

TCDD (the most toxic dioxin), PCDD, PCDF, and some dioxin-like PCBs.

Dioxin is categorized as one of the "dirty dozen" chemicals.

Dioxin made headlines when it was used in an assassination attempt to poison former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko,

leaving him severely disfigured.

Agent Orange made dioxin infamous in the 1980s.

For more information, check out these sources: United

States Department of Agriculture, Environmental

Protection Agency.

Information provided by Apartment Therapy

The Buttery Truth
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?
Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter...

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine..
Very High in Trans fatty acids

Triples risk of coronary heart disease

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases immune response.
Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact...
Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:
* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....If you want to butter them up!

Pink Slime

“Pink slime,” a cheap meat filler, is in 70 percent of the ground beef sold at supermarkets and up to 25 percent of each American hamburger patty.

The USDA's Secretary's makes an extra 1.2 million dollars with her decision.

The USDA just bought 7 million pounds of pink slime to add to school lunches (up from 5.5 million pounds in 2009).

Disgusted yet?..how about the amount of money our government made on junk food subsidies...

16.9 Billion

Unhealthy Food Subsidization is Ruining Our Health

Between 1995 and 2010 over $260 billion was spent by American taxpayers in agricultural subsidies. Most of that money is put into commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, but the money is far less than well spent. While corn alone took in a whopping $77.1 billion from the governmentbetween 1995 and 2010, taxpayers spent $262 million subsidizing apples during the same time period. It just so happens that apples are really the only significant federal subsidy of fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, if these agricultural subsidies went directly to consumers for the purchase of food, America’s 144 million taxpayers would each be given $7.36 to spend on junk food and only 11 cents to buy apples each year. This equates to about 19 Twinkies but less than a quarter of one healthy apple.

The U.S. government continues to be a major player in the national food business, with subsidies continuing to grow. The worst part is that the crops being subsidized are almost always genetically modified and pose a health risk to the environment and humankind.

Corn may be the crop utilized most poorly in the country. The corn being produced is actually specifically created for purposes of adding certain ingredients (many of which are toxic) into the food supply. One such ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, which has been found to contain mercury and cause cancer, and resides in many products such as ketchup, cereals, and beverages. Shockingly, it has nearly replaced sugar in all sodas and soft drinks.

Then there is corn starch, corn gluten meal, hydrolyzed corn protein, and corn syrup which can all be found in snacks like cookies. Lastly, corn is used to feed conventionally fed animals to prompt weight gain and hasten their slaughter weight. Unfortunately, these animals’ digestive systems are not meant to digest corn, causing the animals to be fed antibiotics.

In addition to corn lies soybeans, another crop heavily subsidized by the U.S. government. Today, the U.S. produces at least 75% of all soybeans grown worldwide, with an increase of about 10 million acres produced between 2007 and 2011. Total subsidies for soybeans between 1995 and 2010 totaled $24.3 billion, making it 3rd on the list of top products subsidized. Unfortunately this heavily subsidized crop is no less genetically modified than corn, with nearly 93% of US soybeans beinggenetically modified in order to resist powerful weed-killers.

These genetically modified crops pushed by the government are said to reduce pesticide usage and be completely safe according to U.S. government agencies. But more than enough evidence has shown these touted benefits to be false claims, and the heavily subsidized, genetically modified junk food pushed on the population has only been shown to be a threat to your health.

1/2 Of The United States has Parasites

Many people believe that parasites only happen to someone else and that they do not have them. But it has been estimated that more than 50% of all people in the Western world will have some sort of parasitic or semi-parasitic animal living in their bodies. It is also thought that parasites could be a co-factor in almost every illness that we now suffer from. So is having a thorough parasite cleanse actually healthy for us and our bodies?

Dr. Oz: Parasites: Crypto; Giardia, Whipworm; Tapeworms; Roundworms; Dr. Oz explained today that parasites can live in your intestinal tract for years, one study found that 46% of people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome actually had parasites responsible for the symptoms. Dr. Robin Chutkan joins DR. Oz today and say if you’re feeling exhausted all the time it may not be from lack of sleep, it could be a parasite causing your chronic tiredness. 40 Million people have parasites thriving inside of them and most don’t even know it…maybe you and I are one of them!

One go the easiest ways to get parasites in our body is through contaminated drinking water, the other problem is people not washing their hands carefully enough. The other thing is that we are receiving a lot of our fruits and vegetables from over seas and people migrating, travelling.

The regulations for food in particular are not that stringent, there was an episode at the Atlanta’s farmers markets several years ago where a snake arrived wrapped around a large bunch of banana’s. If they can miss a ten foot long snake it is safe to say they can miss a tiny microscopic worm that might be living in the digestive tract.

Dr. Oz said there are two kinds of parasites that can make you sick and tired:

Visible worms such as round worms and tape worms which can grow to be 50 feet in length and can live 25 years in our gut. We get tapeworms from eating raw or undercooked meat. Fish are often found infested with flukes, tapeworms and the nasty anisakine larvae.

Whip worms – Dr Oz show us a demonstration of someone’s intestinal tract living in the U.S. and it was totally crawling with whip worms. Now I am not talking about a few hundred, were talking infested eating away at the persons gut which would cause anemia.

Apparently the patient had no idea she was infected with thousands of these little worms. -The whip worm burrows into the wall of the intestines and literally suck your blood — they absorb blood -eat it up and you become anemic and that leads to fatigue.

Now these are parasites that you can see but there is a whole set parasites that are making you exhausted that are microscopic parasites and we are seeing more and more of these in the U.S. said Dr. Oz.

The two microscopic parasites in the U. S. are:

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM: this parasite comes from run off water from cattle farms. The infection is called Cryptosporidiosis – also known as crypto. This parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time. This shell also makes it resistant to disinfectants. They are ideal carriers for many of our autoimmune diseases. During the past 2 decades, crypto has become recognized as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease within humans in the United States. It may be found in drinking water and recreational water in EVERY REGION of the United States AND throughout the WORLD. The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include dehydration, weight loss, stomach cramps and/or pain, fever, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms show 2-10 days after becoming infected and can last for 1-2 weeks.

CRYPTO was responsible for the outbreak in Milwaukee several years ago, over 400,000 people were infected and over 100 people died. This is from contaminated city water – chlorine in water does not kill the Crypto parasite.

GIARDIA: GIARDIA LAMBIA - They live in drinking water and are not affected by chlorine because of their hard outer shell. They cause severe stomach infections that are routinely misdiagnosed as the stomach flu, the stomach bug or a stomach virus with severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. The infection also causes gas and greasy stools that tend to float, fatigue, nausea, weight loss and dehydration. It is estimated that 50% of drinking water in the United States has the Giardia Lambia present. The symptoms show 1-2 weeks after infection and can last for 2-6 weeks. A giardia infection is very contagious.

Giardia is commonly found in daycare centres and nursing homes, anyone who is handling stool on a regular basis. Studies have found that 20-30% of day care workers may be infected with Giardia parasite.

People who have chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome are actually infected with parasites that are responsible for the conditions said Dr. Chutkan.

Warning signs to look for to know if you may have any of these parasites;:

Exhausted

Yellow Stools

Bloating

Cramps

Fatigue

These symptoms can happen within the first two weeks of being exposed to the infection, but you can get a lingering fatigue that can be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).

How To Get Rid Of Parasites

Dr. Oz has 4 ways to prevent parasites living inside of you — easy ways to prevent a parasite and improve your bodies ability to fight one off.

First of Dr. Chutkan says to Wash Your Hands – fruits and vegetables as well to avoid getting parasites these parasites.

Prevent A parasite:

Avoid Acid Reducers – When you block the acid by using proton pump inhibitors and acid reducers you give a your parasite a great place to grow.

Eat 2 Cloves Of Garlic A Day - Garlic is natural remedy that kills germs as well as parasites. If you don’t want to have it raw or cooked in food 1000 mg of garlic supplements per day. These garlic supplements are great for the digestive tract for reducing the growth of bacteria and parasites.

Wormwood Tea – Wormwood Tea kills roundworms, it also paralyzes them so they can’t move, reproduce or eat, it also cuts down on the number of eggs excreted in stool so it decreases the spread of parasites. You can brew it as a tea in filtered water and by the look on Dr. oz’s face it doesn’t look like it tastes that great, he said that taste could kill things.

The herb wormwood has been used for thousands of years as an effective herbal remedy for purging parasites. Wormwood tea is excellent for getting rid of pinworms and roundworms.

It is especially effective against the Giardia Lamblia parasite. Wormwood can be found in various forms such as tea, liquid extract or in capsules.

Drink one cup of wormwood tea per day – you can buy wormwood tea online $10 loose leaf or extract.

Papaya Seeds & Honey: This has been proven in studies to remove parasites – In a study done on Nigerian children with intestinal parasites, 76.7% of the children were parasite-free after seven days of treatment with papaya seeds compared to only 16.7% of the children who received a placebo.

Mix 1/4 cup of papaya seeds with one tablespoon of honey, eat this for 10 day to 2 weeks can be incredibly helpful in getting rid of parasites

Article provided by: http://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter371/index.htm & Healthbodydaily.com

Bottled Water vs Tap Water

"Purely" a Price Tag

THE STANDARD YOU DIDNT KNOW

The bottled water industry promotes an image of purity, but comprehensive testing by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals a surprising array of chemical contaminants in every bottled water brand analyzed, including toxic byproducts of chlorination in Walmart’s Sam’s Choice and Giant Supermarket's Acadia brands, at levels no different than routinely found in tap water. Several Sam's Choice samples purchased in California exceeded legal limits for bottled water contaminants in that state. Cancer-causing contaminants in bottled water purchased in 5 states (North Carolina, California, Virginia, Delaware and Maryland) and the District of Columbia substantially exceeded the voluntary standards established by the bottled water industry.

Unlike tap water, where consumers are provided with test results every year, the bottled water industry is not required to disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts. Instead, the industry hides behind the claim that bottled water is held to the same safety standards as tap water. But with promotional campaigns saturated with images of mountain springs, and prices 1,900 times the price of tap water, consumers are clearly led to believe that they are buying a product that has been purified to a level beyond the water that comes out of the garden hose.

Laboratory tests conducted for EWG at one of the country’s leading water quality laboratories found that 10 popular brands of bottled water, purchased from grocery stores and other retailers in 9 states and the District of Columbia, contained 38 chemical pollutants altogether, with an average of 8 contaminants in each brand. More than one-third of the chemicals found are not regulated in bottled water. In the Sam's Choice and Acadia brands levels of some chemicals exceeded legal limits in California as well as industry-sponsored voluntary safety standards. Four brands were also contaminated with bacteria.

WALMART AND GIANT BRANDS NO DIFFERENT THAN TAP WATER

Two of 10 brands tested, Walmart's and Giant's store brands, bore the chemical signature of standard municipal water treatment — a cocktail of chlorine disinfection byproducts, and for Giant water, even fluoride. In other words, this bottled water was chemically indistinguishable from tap water. The only striking difference: the price tag.

If you have such bad cramps you've calling out of work, school, or take a half of bottle of advil be the week's end...

you may have Endometriosis

What is it?

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that forms the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, grows in places in the body other than the uterus. Endometrial tissue outside the uterus responds to changes in hormones. It breaks down and bleeds like the lining of the uterus during the menstrual cycle. The breakdown and bleeding of this tissue each month can cause scar tissue, called adhesions, to form. Adhesions can cause pain. Sometimes, adhesions bind organs together. Endometriosis also may lead to infertility

Symptoms of endometriosis can include:

Very painful menstrual cramps; increasingly worse over time

Chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis

Pain during or after sex

Intestinal pain

Painful bowel movements/urination during menstrual periods

Spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods

Infertility or not being able to get pregnant

Chronic Fatigue

Severe bloating, or nausea

Recent research shows a link between other health problems in women with endometriosis and their families. Some of these include:

Allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities

Autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s system that fights illness attacks itself instead. These can include hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia

Being more likely to get infections and mononucleosis

Mitral valve prolapse, a condition in which one of the heart's valves does not close as tightly as normal

Frequent yeast infections

Certain cancers, such as ovarian, breast, endocrine, kidney, thyroid, brain, and colon cancers, and melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Diagnosis:

The only sure way to tell if endometriosis is present is by looking directly inside the body. This can be done by laparoscopic surgery.

zZz....Why You Need To Sleep....zZz

You'll Live Longer
Chronic insomniacs are more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who sleep well, according to new research in the journal Circulation. Other studies have linked lack of sleep to a higher risk of dying from a stroke and developing breast cancer.

You'll Look Sexier!
It's called beauty sleep for a reason! Swedish researchers took photos of people when they were well-rested and then again when they were sleep-deprived. Strangers rated the plenty-of-z's shots as more attractive.

You'll Be Slimmer
Women who slept five hours or fewer per night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain over 16 years, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “Too little sleep causes an increase in ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone, and a decrease in leptin, which helps you feel full,” says Northshore Sleep Medicine’s Dr. Lisa Shives.

You'll Be Sharper
Shorting yourself on rest ages your brain by four to seven years, say researchers in London. Middle-aged women who slept fewer than six hours a night tallied scores on memory, reasoning, and vocabulary that resembled those of senior citizens.

You'll Improve Your Relationships
Research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that women who have trouble sleeping have more negative interactions with their husbands the next day than those who don’t.

You'll Be FriendlierExhaustion takes a toll on your morals, according to a recent study in the Academy of Management Journal, which showed that a lack of sleep increased deviant and unethical behavior and made people more rude.

Convinced yet? Nearly one-third of American women use some kind of sleep aid at least a few nights a week but beware of side effects, which include dizziness, sleepwalking, and even addiction.

Do you have back pain, headaches, an autimmune disease, joint problems, allergies, a hormone imbalance, tiredness or stress?

Stop Treating the Symptoms

Start Treating the Problem

From the personal opinion & recent experience of our Editor...

ACCUPUNCTURE WORKS

..but how?

Scientific Research

Nerve-Reflex Theory
When an abnormal condition occurs in an internal organ, alterations take place in the skin and muscles related to that organ by means of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system extending through the internal organs, skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles, constantly transmit information about the physical condition to the spinal cord and the brain. These information impulses set up a reflex action that cause symptoms of internal organ's disorders to manifest themselves on the surface area as hyper or hyposensitivity, spasm, contraction, tightness or lumping of the muscles, discolouration, dryness or oiliness of the skin,etc. This phenomena is called "Viscera-Cutanous Refelx". At the same time, this intimate relation can exert the reverse effects too. That is, stimulation of the skin and muscles can cause dilation or contraction of the vessels to change the blood and lymph flow of the internal organs, activate the endocrine (hormone) and immune system,etc. This phase is called "Cutanous -Viscera Reflex". Acupuncture is defined as the most effective systematized stimulation therapy to utilize these reflexes for restoring the homeostasis of the body and acceralate the healing process.

The Gate Control Theory of Pain
In the west, especially in the USA, media has popularized the amazing effect of acupuncture for pain relief, therefore, it is understandable that most scientific research has been focussed on the mechanism of acupuncture for pain relief

There are some specific nerve fibres that transmit pain to the spinal cord, while the input of other nerve fibres inhibits the transmission of pain. Both of these groups of fibres meet at an area called the "substantia gelatinous" in the spinal cord. The substantia gelatinous controls the integration of pain and pain inhibitory stimuli. If the pain input is excessive, then it is transmitted up the spinal cord to the brain to be perceived as pain. This theory proposes a balance between stimulation of the pain fibres and inhibition of that stimulus, so that pain is perceived only if the pain input overrides the inhibition of pain.

Endorphines

Morphine-like substances have recently been discovered in the central nervous system. These substances are called endorphins, or naturally-occurring morphines,1 and they have been found to be very effective in blocking pain. Endorphins are released into the nervous system by the action of acupuncture and the effects of acupuncture anaesthesia can be reversed by the use of anti-morphine drugs.

Scientific Theories

1.Needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body’s own internal regulating system.

2.In traditional Chinese medicine YIN YANG balance is the healthy state of the body. Modern science reveals that the very basic unit of the body is cell. Cells’ movement follow the movement of electrons. The electrons inside cells act according to its own regular patterns. We call all these electrons in living body bioelectrons. Energy flow in the meridians is the direct or indirect transportation of bioelectrons. Meridians are the pathways where bioelectons move more frequently than other parts of the body. When positive and negative charges in the bioelectronic movements are not balanced, the cells would act abnormally—this is YIN and YANG imbalance. In Chinese medicine it is defined as “disease”. It is a beginning stage of the physiological cells electrons movement. Only radical change of the cells electrons movement is admitted by Western medicine as “disease”.

50 Ways to Boost Your Energy

Naturally

Turn on all the lights. – Darkness promotes fatigue and laziness. Turn on every light in the room.

Go outdoors. – Getting some fresh air outdoors is always a good way to rouse your senses.

Pull down on your earlobes. – This may sound strange, but pulling down on your earlobes can help you stay awake and alert when you’re feeling drowsy.

Rub the roof of your mouth with your tongue. – Rub your tongue against the top front area of your mouth cavity. It feels a little weird, but it does give you a quick nerve jolt that’s bound to make you a bit more alert.

Call a close friend. – Sometimes a quick conversation with someone you care about is just what you need to boost your mood.

Eat nutritious low carb snacks. – Low carb fruits such as raspberries, apples, oranges, and grapefruits are great energy boosters. Heaping scoops of spicy salsa on a few small crackers is another goodie. Stay away from meats, breads and dairy products.

Listen to some fast beat music. – If it’s not too much of a distraction, listening to fast beat music can be a great way to keep your mind awake.

Roll up and down on your toes. – This stimulates your circulatory system, which will deliver much-needed oxygen and fuel (glucose) throughout your body.

Watch or read something that inspires you. – Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk. Watch a motivational video or read something that inspires you.

Have a good laugh. – Watch a funny video clip or read your favorite comic strip. A good chuckle will stimulate your mind, giving you a renewed level on energy.

Crank up the AC. – Warm, stuffy environments accelerate mental fatigue. If you need to stay awake and energized in a lecture hall or meeting room find an open seat under an AC vent.

Apply pressure to the top of the back of your neck. – Use your fingertips to apply pressure and lightly massage the top part of the back ofyour neck for a few minutes.

Tap the top of your head. – Lightly tap the top of your head with your fingertips. Do this continuously for a few minutes.

Chew sugar-free peppermint gum. – It won’t rot your teeth and that minty taste will make you feel fresh. Strong peppermint flavors seem to work best for me.

Take light exercise breaks every two hours. – Take a break and take a walk or do a couple jumping jacks to get your blood moving. Even the slightest bit of exercise can act as a healthy way to energize your mind and body.

Write and plan. – The idea is to keep your mind busy. If you are attending a lecture or business meeting, write down everything that is said. If you are simply trying to stay awake or re-energize, create a detailed to-do list for the week or plan out your perfect weekend getaway.

Get yourself some cold water. – Splash some on your face and the pulse area of your wrists. Also, drinking an ice-cold glass of water can help to wake you up and feel alive.

Stay organized. – Avoid losing energy by keeping everything in its place.

Take a few really deep, controlled breaths. – Deep breathing helps reduce stress, a source of fatigue, and increases the level of oxygen in the blood. Techniques can be as simple as inhaling for five seconds, holding your breath for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds. You can also try more elaborate techniques which require different positions

Exercise regularly in the morning. – Ease into exercise, and then keep it up. You should aim to be active for at least 30 minutes each day. Those 30 minutes of exercise will make you feel energized for hours to come. I’ve found exercise most effective on my energy levels when I exercise in the morning. Exercise in the morning gets the endorphins flowing, which keeps you happy and productive most of the day.

Eat at least three meals a day. – Give yourself lasting energy by eating on a regular schedule.

Spend your energy wisely. – Recognized when your energetic moments are, and use this time productively. Often if you get the ball rolling, you won’t stop.

Practice altruism. – By doing good work and good deeds for others you’ll help your energy with enhanced happiness, satisfaction and health.

Avoid late night television or aimless web browsing. – Get a little more sleep instead. Nuff said.

Stretch. – When you feel yourself getting fatigued, get up, reach towards the sky, bend down and touch your toes, twist your torso from side to side… stretch it out. Also, certain yoga exercises, including the warrior poses, have been known to reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.

Take a 15 minute cat nap. – A short afternoon nap can be refreshing, and won’t interfere with regular sleep patterns if you do it early enough.

Decrease sugar consumption. – Sugar will cause fluctuations in energy that can leave you feeling burnt out.

Eat smaller meals more often. – By eating smaller, more frequent meals, you’ll avoid the groggy feeling that comes with digesting large meals.

Eat whole grains and energy foods. – Whole grains have complex carbohydrates that take a while to break down, providing you with energy that lasts. Some of the best high energy foods include sunflower seeds, beans, fruit or fruit juices, eggs, yogurt, nuts and vegetables.

Choose lean protein. – Foods with lean protein help you feel fuller for longer. They also prevent blood sugar spikes, giving you more steady energy. Lean protein foods include fish and other seafood, lean pork, or chicken breasts (white meat).

Cut down on coffee and energy drinks. – Although coffee can give you a rush of energy, in the end it will cause fatigue. Coffee does not have to be eliminated, but you probably shouldn’t drink more than one cup a day.

Consume the proper vitamins. – Make sure you get the proper amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, riboflavin, niacin and the B-vitamins such as pantothenic acid, folic acid, thiamine and vitamin B12.

Use aromatherapy and incense. – Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to stimulate the brain through the nerves in the nasal passages. Oils can be added to bathwater, massage oil, a steam bath or vaporizer for inhalation. Essential oils that can help you stay alert and reduce fatigue include bergamot, cinnamon, clove, cypress, eucalyptus, fir, ginger, lemon, lime, lemongrass, peppermint, pine, rosemary, basil and black pepper. Also try a citrus scent.

Stay hydrated. – Drink plenty of water. Dehydration will reduce your blood volume, which can make you feel tired. Dehydration can reduce blood volume, which leads to feelings of fatigue. Drinking plenty of water will also increase your need to go to the restroom, a feeling that will also help you stay awake.

Clear your stuffy nose. – If allergies have your sinuses blocked, you may be feeling more tired and cranky. Rinse your nasal passages withsaline solution.

Change your socks for refreshment. – It’s an odd trick, but it works. Bring a change of socks to work, and change your socks midway through the day. You’ll be amazed at how much fresher you’ll feel. This trick is especially handy on days with lots of walking.

Wear brighter colors. – This trick is related to the mood you project to people, and the reciprocating mood they project towards you. If you wear dark, somber colors, you project a dark, somber attitude, and people will respond to you with a somber attitude. If you wear bright, happy colors, you’ll get that attitude projected towards you, which will boost your own mood and energy levels.

Watch your attitude. – If you let the bad things that happen during your day get you down, you’re bound to start feeling worn out. Watch your attitude and make sure you’re not letting yourself be overly negative. A generally upbeat and optimistic outlook on life will keep your energy level up. Yes, the worst thing that can happen might actually happen, but giving it too much worry will only drain you. Look for the positive in every situation and you won’t be so tired.

Examine your emotions. – Stress, depression and other negative emotions can take a heavy toll on your energy levels. Your exhaustion may have a lot to do with how you’re feeling mentally, so take the time to deal with your emotions or get help if you need it.

Lose a little weight. – Carrying around extra weight takes a toll on your body and energy, so take off a few pounds gradually. The things you do to lose weight – exercise, drink water, avoid simple sugars – are actions that also have a positive effect on your energy level.

Consider herbal supplements. – Many people swear by herbs that are purported to improve energy levels. If you’re looking for a natural way to stay awake, try supplements of ginseng, bee pollen, gutu kola, maitake and more.

Find something to look forward to. – Having something to look forward to is a great motivator.

Avoid energy vampires. – Energy vampires always have something to complain about, or a problem that needs to be fixed, and they’ll drain your energy by making you listen to them about their problems or by giving them attention.

Have a discussion about or work on something that interests you. – Even if you can only do it for a few minutes here and there, get your mind firing on all cylinders by talking about or doing something you feel passionate about.

Start work with a challenging task. – Get your brain in gear by giving it a challenging task first thing. You’ll be more alert and you’ll get the hard stuff out of the way so the rest of your day will be a breeze.

Stop slouching. – Slumping down at your desk isn’t doing you any favors in the alertness category. Sitting up at your desk, in an ergonomically friendly way, can make you feel more alert and ready to work.

Try something new. – Getting into a rut can make your day seem boring and tedious and drain your energy levels. Change things up, try new things and seek out new experiences to spice up your day a little and keep you alert and awake.

Finish an incomplete task. – There’s nothing more draining than the lingering of an incomplete task. Get things done. Do you have a task that’s weighing heavily on your mind? Just do it, and get the monkey off your back.

Dress up. – Feeling better about yourself has a magical way of giving you more energy. Put just a tad more effort into looking your best for work, and you’ll get compliments from coworkers that will make you feel better — and make you a perkier and more energetic.

Get enough sleep at night. – This one should be obvious. The best way to feel energized is to be well rested. We need 7-8 hours of sleep to be fully rested. Consistently sleeping less than 6 hours a night builds up a sleep debt that is hard to recover from

10 Reason To Check the

"Sweet Stuff"

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener that is used in many sodas and processed foods. Government subsidies of corn have made it cheap for food manufacturers to use the refined corn-based sweetener, and as a result it is found in everything from canned fruit to ketchup. A study conducted by GA Bray at Louisiana State University found that high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, represents more than 40 percent of all sweeteners used in foods and beverages.

1. Obesity

HFCS limits your body’s ability to produce insulin and leptin, making it difficult to metabolize food and regulate appetite. The pancreas remains insulin resistance to all types of fructose, including HFCS, severely hindering appetite control.

2. Diabetes

Due to obesity and an irregular fluctuation of insulin, HFCS leads to diabetes in many people. Continual pancreatic damage remains the main cause of diabetes.

3. Tooth Infections and Decay

Foods rich in sugars and sweeteners like HFCS rot teeth by decaying the enamel coating.

4. LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides Increase

Sugars metabolize into fat, therefore increasing your unhealthy cholesterol levels along with the fat storages in your body. Since high fructose corn syrup does not cause the secretion of insulin or leptin, foods with high levels of the sweetener become nearly fully absorbed and metabolized into fat and cholesterol.

5. Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Heart Disease

High amounts of HFCS often result in higher cholesterol, which in turn blocks arteries and the flow of blood to and from the heart. This process weakens the heart muscles and the ability for new oxygen to circulate throughout the body. The increase in fat storages also harms heart health.

6. Anemia

In order for your body to digest HFCS and other sugars that contain no vitamins or minerals, you must use other storages of the valuable nutrients, depleting your body of its natural amounts.

7. Poor Immunity

HFCS interfere with the creation of hormones and enzymes in your body that normally defend major diseases.

8. Lack of Calories

Even though foods that contain high levels of HFCS provide a ton of calories, those calories have no nutritional value at all. This often gets labeled as the empyt calorie phenomenon.

9. Fatigue

High levels of sugar cause your body to release greater amounts of hormones and endorphins that slow the body down.

10. Allergies

People with corn allergies are often allergic to HFCS, leaving them at risk for hives and other allergic reactions.