Your organs – help them help you in your quest for health-gain and weight-loss

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liverTo detoxify efficiently on a daily basis, is very important to your health-gain and weight-loss success, but it’s every bit as important to maintaining any weight-loss in the long term.

These are the organs that will help you in your quest – the liver, kidneys, skin, colon, lymph, lungs, and fat cells.

Your over-worked liver is one of your main allies, in the fight against weight problems, fluid retention and cellulite. Help your liver help you loss-weight and gain-wellness.

One of the liver’s many jobs is to break down substances into less harmful compounds. It breaks them down into more manageable components ready for removal from the body. This process alone uses up an enormous amount of nutrients and resources. In the case of artificial sweeteners, you are voluntarily putting chemicals into your body further polluting your system, giving your organs of detoxification much more work and in some cases over-whelming the organs.

Your liver already has thousands of chemicals and compounds (from all the processed foods) to deal with and is probably more than your liver can handle efficiently already. Thousands and thousands of chemicals are lurking in the environment, without voluntarily consuming large amounts, via artificial sweeteners. This complex cocktail is putting a huge strain on your liver.

If you are not getting enough hydrating fluids, getting vital nutrients, enzymes etc it will be much more difficult for your liver to flush these chemicals out of your system. When chemicals begin to build-up in your body, fluid retention is more likely, as are cellulite problems, cravings, fatigue etc.

What should you do to help all these organs – to reduce fluid retention, improve cellulite, lose weight, and gain health?

a)      Consume as few chemicals as possible – from processed foods, those inhaled or absorbed each day (like household cleaning products).

b)      Resolve constipation (because of auto-intoxification)

c)      Consume plenty of cleansing liquids

d)     Provide these organs with nutrients – a good supply of nutrients provide the organs with the building blocks for enzymes.

e)      A diet rich in anti-oxidants work to limit the damaging effect of chemicals.

f)       Help the liver by encouraging the accumulated of waste to be discharged by the gall bladder.

g)      Change your skin care products to ‘toxic chemical-free’ “spa naturals” which are mainly organic. The average skin care products contain toxic chemicals and your skin absorbs about 5lbs of these chemicals through your skin each year.

h)      Reduce your negative thoughts as they can produce toxicity within the body.

i)        Find ways to handle stress better, stress produces negative chemicals within your body.

Cellulite and/or fluid retention

This is a type of body fat found almost exclusively in women, and generally collects on the thighs and looks a little lumpy, often referred to as orange peel skin. Normal dieting doesn’t usually make that much difference, to this type of condition.

Many toxic substances are not dissolved in water so the kidneys are unable to deal with them all and remove them efficiently. If you’re liver already has more than it can efficiently cope with, these compounds build up in your body, so the excess is stored in your fat cells. Like a toxic reservoir. You may not like the appearance but it’s safer there.

The organs may be struggling due to the sheer volume of toxins you are exposing yourself to. These fat cells will accumulate water in a bid to dilute this toxic build-up/overload. Fluid retention and a whole host of other problems result.

The liver will send waste and toxins via the gall bladder to be removed by the large intestines. Constipation will allow re-absorption of these toxins back into the blood stream for the liver to deal with again – called auto-intoxification and is far from an ideal situation and needs to be  resolved.

Lymphatic massage, regular massage, aromatherapy massages, body scrubs and wraps have been used for decades to treat cellulite, fluid retention, toxic overload, combined with good nutrition all work to reduce toxicity.

At home self help - dry body brushing is a great tool for moving lymph in the lymphatic system. This will help reduce fluid retention and eliminate toxic waste that accumulates, reducing cellulite.

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The Truth Of Acupuncture & Weight Loss

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By Dave Text

In the United States, obesity is rapidly growing as a major
disease. It is beyond surprise that more than half of the
population in the country is overweight and the rate is still
increasing. Obesity or overweight has many reasons to grow but
on the other hand there are only a few methods to bring the
weight under control. Moreover, the success of such methods
differs from person to person and most of the time comes under
the scanner.

This means, successful long term weight loss is incredibly
difficult for most people to achieve. And along with the weight
loss methods and treatments, most of us have tried diets that
may trigger some weight loss but at the end tend to gain back
the weight they lost plus some additional pounds. This seems as
an unending story for some, but those who have tried acupuncture
as a method to control weight have something different to say.

Acupuncture, is one of the ancient healing techniques still in
use. And those who have tried weight loss with the aid of this
age old method can definitely vouch for its success. With the
success stories of many, more and more people are turning to
acupuncture weight loss treatments.

Acupuncture, as a healing technique, is a practice that is more
than 5,000 years old, and is appreciably older than Western
medicinal therapies and practices.

Most of us are aware of the techniques involved in this
technique and while considering weight loss with this method, it
involves inserting hair-thin needles into particular spots on
the skin that are believed to help the body function properly.
In general, the method of Acupuncture helps to stimulate the
body and to discharge endorphins, which are nothing but body’s
own pain-relieving chemicals which makes us feel good.

This can be considered one of the ways in which Acupuncture
helps us in weight loss releasing endorphins and in turn control
appetite. The weight loss treatment begins with the proper
history of the patient which the acupuncture specialist will
note down by asking a variety of questions. Most of the times
the specialist also performs an examination of the patient.

The intention is to recognize the main grounds of the person’s
excess weight as the weight gain is sometimes simply behavioral,
or sometimes there is a physiological reason as well.

After the questioning and examinations, the root causes of the
problem are identified, and the acupuncture specialist can
continue with proper treatment of the same. To start with the
specialist can insert needles into different areas of the body
in order to help improve the body’s functioning in a way that
will promote weight loss.

In most of the weight loss cases, the acupuncture specialist
uses a multi-targeted approach. One of this is the method to
attempt to lower the body’s weight by increasing the output of
the pituitary gland. Another method is to decrease the carving
for foods. Or the specialist can also attempt to encourage a
decrease in natural appetite. In this way, some needle
placements are even considered to lower insulin levels or lipid
levels in the blood.

About the Author: For more information visit our website

http://www.acupuncture-weightloss.com

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How To Maximize Acupuncture Weight Loss

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By Annie Beal

You may have heard about acupuncture weight loss and are having
trouble believing that sticking needles in someone’s body, the
traditional image conjured up when someone says acupuncture
weight loss, could ever help them lose weight.

Well, maybe your scepticism is born from the fact that you
don’t know all of the elements involved in acupuncture weight
loss treatments.

Acupuncture weight loss grew out of the millennium old Chinese
practice of acupuncture. While acupuncture weight loss has been
around for almost as long as acupuncture itself it only hit the
public consciousness in 2003.

The media began reporting the staggering statistics of
acupuncture weight loss in China. In a society where weight loss
is a major issue for so many, the news was greeted with much
interest.

The Chinese were reporting that acupuncture weight loss was
helping a large number of people lose, on average, between
twenty two and thirty three pounds. There was even the
occasional super case where someone lost huge amounts of weight,
sometimes in excess of 240 pounds.

The percentage of success case was fantastic as well.
Acupuncture weight loss specialists in China were claiming four
out of every five people were losing weight.

It wasn’t long before acupuncture weight loss centers began
popping up in the west. Yet one visit to an acupuncture weight
loss center would quickly dispel any assumption that acupuncture
weight loss was exclusively focused on sticking needles in
someone’s body.

The main goal of acupuncture weight loss is to stimulate the
patient’s digestive system. While acupuncture weight loss uses
acupuncture as the main foundation of this process, it is always
married with an herb regimen.

The herbs used in an acupuncture weight loss regimen balance
the digestive system, reduce appetite and improve the patient’s
metabolism. All of these processes are vitally important in a
successful acupuncture weight loss plan.

It is also important to note that most reputable clinics using
herbs as a part of their acupuncture weight loss regimen are
using pharmaceutical quality herbs.

Acupuncture weight loss clinics also use methods such as light
exercise, Shaitsu massage, proper breathing lessons, and
information on body balance and flexibility as essential
elements of a fully rounded acupuncture weight loss system.

It is also important to note that acupuncture weight loss is
not an instant weight loss solution. Acupuncture weight loss is
a gradual approach that is focused on turning the body and mind
into a healthy balanced machine.

That isn’t to say that acupuncture weight loss is a gruelling
uncomfortable process.

On the contrary, while some of the acupuncture weight loss
methods are active, some others, such as Aroma wraps and the
previously mentioned Shiatsu massage would have to be considered
more on the pampering side of the acupuncture weight loss
methodology.

Another recommended site for more weight loss information is:

http://4-best-weight-loss.com

So now you hopefully have a different picture of what’s
involved in an acupuncture weight loss process. You may even be
tempted to give an acupuncture weight loss clinic near you a
try.

About the Author: Annie Beal is a healthcare writer who makes
it easy for people to learn about Alternative Healthcare. She is
a contributing author at 4HealthGems. For more of her work go
to: http://4healthgems.com

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Your are what you eat

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Animals fed on processed oils have a body fat composition chemically similar to the fats in the foods they were given to eat (this goes for you too except you have choices). So the meat would be equally as toxic as the processed oils themselves. The same goes for farmed fish like salmon, their diet makes them fatter but they have far less omega-3 than their wild cousins. The natural salmon have less body fat but more omega-3! A direct association – they are what they eat.

Highly processed refined oils are not nutritious they damage enzymes and parts of our cells interfering with their energy production. Eating these processed oils and fats increase your risk of abnormal blood clotting, inflammation, immune deficiency, stroke, aging, obesity and cancer.

Posted in Foods and recipes

Eating Socially

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Most people are social beings with invites to dinner, birthday parties, weddings, christenings, Christmas, Easter, New year, anniversaries, baby showers etc. Party food can be a real stumbling block for a lot of people because … dieters are in the habit of going to a social event hungry. Many dieters have the mentality of skipping a meal or ‘saving themselves’ so to speak during the day as they know they are going out later. Big mistake! As blood sugar levels drop.

I hear all the time people say at dinner or a party “I am starving”. That person will be eating whatever is laid out in front of them. These people say to me “you have so much self-control, are you not tempted with all those unhealthy treats?” I never go out hungry I have a healthy snack before I go, so when I get there I can make choices. Never expose yourself to that, make sure you never go out hungry.

A habit of a dieter is to not eat much during the day, as they think about what they are going to eat when they go out that night, some will even obsess about it. They book a table for 7.00 by this time they are really hungry.

While blood sugar levels are low ordering food is more hit and miss, invariably not making good choices or eating more than they would have, even ordering a dessert (after all they deserve it as they have been saving themselves, having eaten little during the day).

Starving, who can resist the bread on the table while you’re waiting for your food to be served and by now it’s 8.00 to 8.30 or later before their order arrives.

It’s important to eat regularly during the day have a healthy snack before you go out (around 6ish), blood sugar levels will then be fine – less temptation, so much easier to make sensible choices.

Posted in Foods and recipes

Food Shopping on a Diet

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Research shows that when people go to the supermarket hungry – they make more unhealthy decisions and buy more or bigger size packets. Whereas when people go shopping after eating, when they are no longer hungry they make much healthy choices, more sensible decisions.

It is also a good idea if you go food shopping go on your own if you can. Leave the children, the grand-children and husbands for that matter, as they are so good at filling the shopping trolleys with all sorts of unhealthy fattening things.

Posted in Foods and recipes

Ten simple things to improve absorption of calcium and other minerals

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Taking these steps will help prevent osteoporosis but will also help the body get the minerals it needs to calm the appetite.

1) Generally, we should be eating natural foods, as close as nature intended. We should be eating foods that provide us with the maximum of nutrients, foods that are easy to digest and work in harmony with our bodies. You need top-grade ‘fuel’ to function well. Just as a high performance car would not perform well on low-grade fuel. We can make our body’s job very difficult or very easy. Good nutrition is essential at any age but even more so as we get older.

2) A healthy program needs to be followed for the rest of your life. I have eaten this way for well over 2 decades now, so I know what it is like to change habits of a lifetime.

3) Exercise is very important, helps the bones, circulation, heart, moods – includes walking, dancing, jogging, what ever makes you happy and you know you will continue to do.

4) Ban the aluminum cook ware, aluminum is a heavy metal, which enters food from the aluminum pots and pans during cooking, especially if the food is acidic for instance contains tomatoes. It has the ability to interfere with the absorption of calcium and other minerals.

5) Alkaline diet. Most people’s diet is too acid forming. It makes sense to ensure that you have a more alkaline forming diet. This ensures the body is not continuously leeching calcium out of the bones to neutralize the acidic environment you have created for your body. The is more acidic the body is, the more susceptible to disease and degeneration. Alkaline forming foods are vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, whole grains etc

6) Tea Total at meal times. Don’t drink black tea with meals, as it hinders absorption of calcium and some other minerals , due to the high levels of tannins.

7) Reduce stress levels. Too much stress causes the release of adrenaline, too much adrenaline has a harmful dissolving effect on the bones, and a negative affect on just about every other system in the body.

8) Avoid bran (in its concentrated form) as it also hinders the absorption of calcium and other minerals. Get your fiber from whole foods, they also supply the body with an abundance of nutrients.

9) A healthy digestive system is crucial to good health. When the digestive system is working properly, it is the foundation to a long and healthy life. If you have problems with your digestion you should make it a priority to solve this situation – herbs, enzymes, foods etc.

10) This is a very important aspect to your health. Stabilizing our blood sugar will make an enormous difference to how we feel both emotionally and physically. Nutrition is the key to stabilizing your blood sugar levels. Begin by removing white flour products and sugar completely from your diet.

I put in the title 10 simple things – I didn’t say 10 easy things. Some people will feel the changes are easy and others will find it very difficult – see the information in “bite size pieces” – tackle one thing at a time and then it is pretty simple and easy to make the changes you need to or want to.

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18 consequences of low calorie dieting

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Research has revealed ‘going on’ several low calorie diets and the inevitable ‘coming off’ a diet has these consequences (this list is by no means complete)

1) Loss of self-esteem

2) 40% drop in metabolism

3) Muscles shrink which further lowers metabolism

4) Heart output decreases by 40%

5) Regain weight that was lost after coming off a diet.

6) Preoccupation with certain foods

7) Gallstones, and sometimes the removal of the gall bladder due to dieting

8) 25% of dieters on a liquid diet develop gallstones and need their gall bladder removed

9) Mental dullness

10) Increased risk of developing diabetes

10 Decreased sexual drive and interest

11) Elevated cholesterol levels

12) Elevated uric acid levels

13) Nausea

14) Headaches

15) Abnormal heart beat

16) Moods

17) Binging and cravings

18) Much less energy

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Food addictions, cravings and food intolerances

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AddictionOf course we are not addicted to food in the same way as cocaine addict is addicted to their drug, however there are some very big similarities. You may think this doesn’t apply to you but it probably does.

Statistically it is thought that a large amount of people eat compulsively. Food cravings develop and for some people these cravings can be for them as strong as an addiction to alcohol for an alcoholic, or a nicotine addiction. Otherwise everyone would eat sensibly all the time.

The body can fight back against deprivation of nutrients by escalating food cravings until they are strong enough to overwhelm the will, and for some these cravings don’t go away after they have stopped dieting and regained their weight. Most often than not because they still are not getting the nutrients they need.

The body will not switch off until it gets the nutrients it needs (I am not talking of calories), this is a built in safety mechanism. Some nutrients are vital to the body and sadly lacking in most people’s diet. When the body finally gets the nutrients it needs it will begin to tone down cravings, addictions and intolerances.

Some foods literally act like ‘drug foods’ as they create a false high in the brain, they change the brain chemistry – a feel good factor for a short time (like a drug such nicotine or alcohol). Some people overeat, consuming loads of refined processed foods giving them a temporary high, leaving them malnourished, as these foods will use up valuable resources, depleting the body’s reserves. These are what are called ‘empty calories’. They will leave you wanting more. They will eventually drain your energy and alter your brain chemistry.

Which foods do you love? Which foods do you think you would be unable to live without? Experience shows these foods could be the very foods you have a problem with. You may be using these foods unknowingly like a drug. Over the years I have seen it time after time.

A lot of people tell me they are not addicted to any particular food, but soon find out when they try eliminate certain foods, how dependent they really are. It often comes as a surprise to them, but do not worry we have had extensive experience in this area, making it easier for you to overcome these obstacles.

Of course the food industry is well aware that people crave certain foods like wheat, sugar, salt, and food grade chemicals like preservatives, sweeteners, colorings etc. The industry has made full use of this fact and everywhere you look there are products full of the ‘drug like’ ingredients! It’s good for business and luckily for the industry these food ingredients are very cheap.

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LAUGHTER – we all need more of it.

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Our general attitude to life will have a direct effect on every cell in our body. It will have a direct effect on every aspect of our lives. Making laughter a bigger part of your life and trying to make other people around you laugh is healthy. Laughter is a true gift and there is no other living creature on this earth that is so lucky, even the laughing hyena really doesn’t laugh.

Research reveals that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline. All of these hormones when they reach chronic levels are destructive and will increase pain, anxiety, irritability, interfere with our quality of sleep, speed up aging and slow down healing and repair. For others this can mean binging and/or comfort eating. At the same time laughter will increase levels of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins and neurotransmitters (happy chemicals). This means generally – you will feel better, have less pain, be in a much better mood, speed up healing and repair, sleep better, maintain better blood sugar levels and slow down aging.

Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T-cells. All this means a stronger immune system, which is a really pleasant way of protecting yourself from the viruses and ‘bugs’ that are around us all the time. We have all heard and used the expression “didn’t know whether to laugh or cry”? Though, they both provide physical and emotional release its more fun to laugh. A good ‘belly laugh’ exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. This means less aches and pains in the neck and shoulder areas that are so common today. It even provides a good workout for the heart – known as a ‘hearty laugh’.

We stretch muscles in our face and body, our pulse goes up, we breathe more deeply, our heart rate goes up therefore increasing our oxygen supply to every part of our body. It is like a very pleasant mild workout. The research reveals that while watching a comedy blood vessels expand and contract normally with ease, however while watching a drama blood vessels constrict, hindering blood flow. Laughter has a positive effect on our blood sugar levels, too.

Laughter connects us with others, it is a very sociable thing to do and it’s wonderfully contagious. We are 30 times more likely to laugh if we are with other people.

Laughter moves the focus away from anger, worry, guilt, stress and negative emotions. Studies show – our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge’. Humour can give us a more light-hearted perspective and help us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less threatening so we are able to deal with them more effectively. I wonder how and why we lose the ability to laugh so much? A recent study showed that pre-school-aged children laugh up to 400 times a day!!!! That is enviable wouldn’t you love some of that? How many times a day do you laugh now you are a sensible ‘grown-up’?

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7 Tips – choosing clothes that make you look taller and slimmer

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costume dress1) Buy plain clothes as opposed to patterns, especially large bold patterns.

2) Avoid clothes with strips going across, if you want to wear strips then always with stripes going down. Strips going down will certainly make you look taller and thinner.

3) Clothes that are too tight will make you look larger, clothes need to fit well not too loose not too tight. Too tight is worse than too loose.

4) If you wear trousers that are not long enough they will make you look heavier and shorter, wear a shoe with a heel (how high is up to you), the trousers should reach below the middle of the heel, the fashion at the moment of wearing short trousers is really fattening!

5) Trousers, if too narrow at the bottom of the leg will make your hips look bigger! The same is true of a skirt, if the skirt is straight as opposed to coming out a little, will make your hips look bigger.

6) Wearing colors that are not too contrasting helps you to look taller and slimmer. A pair of white trousers with a pale colored top is fine, but a pair of white trousers with a black top will cut you in half and make you look shorter and fatter.

7) Whether you wear trousers or shirts a heel even a low heel (you don’t have to wear high heels if you don’t want to), will make to taller and look thinner, and makes your posture different, making you stand differently.

If you don’t follow these 7 simple rules – then the answer to your question “does this make my butt look bigger” would have to be “yes dear”.

Of course clothes can’t make you look what you are not, but they can make a huge difference either way.

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Need to get out of the rut

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The meaning and the value people put on health is different for each person. As a practitioner I see many people who would consider themselves healthy, they have not been branded with a particular disease – for instance diabetes. However, they do take some form of medication, have aches and pains, are over-weight, don’t sleep well, and their annual tests are okay-ish.This is not what I would consider health and well-being. I put a very high price on true health and vitality.

What is well-being as opposed to dis-ease?  It is a balance, a harmonious lifestyle that enhances and energizes, as opposed to dragging you down, leaving you more tired and more vulnerable to dis-ease, dis-stress and weight problems.

Changes – anything worth having usually needs some dedication and staying power. It does take some effort and commitment but the results are usually well worth it. In the majority of cases changes are often easier than you first imagined.

The hardest thing of all for most people is changing their thought patterns,  as they seem deeply etched. There is no one simple answer here, some people find mantras or meditation a good technique other people choose to read inspirational books, some would rather listen to audio CDs or watch DVDs, some get a mentor, while others find their daily journal invaluable.

Do not let anyone tell you their way is the best. The only way, is the way that works for you, we are all different. Bear in mind you have not only developed ‘eating patterns’ but also developed ‘thought patterns’.

Posted in Weight Loss Information