A Vegetarian Lifestyle Change – Heart Disease is a Killer!

So you’ve decided to make the change to a vegetarian diet. It’s understandable that you will feel some anxiety as we are creatures of habit and resistant to change.

To make you feel at ease it’s important to point out the benefits of the decision you have taken to eventually eliminate all meat and animal products from your diet. For example, you should know that a vegetarian person has a much less chance of contracting many forms of cancer such as colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer as well as heart disease.

A study of women in Japan who follow western style, meat-based diets, showed that they are eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow the more traditional vegetarian lifestyle.

Another study concluded that if men and women regularly consume quantities of red meat they increase their risk of colon cancer by approximately 300 percent. Our digestive system is more likely to function properly by obtaining the kind of dietary fiber provided by fruits,vegetables, legumes and nuts. Diseases of the bowel occur a lot less frequently in humans following a vegetarian diet due to the increased fiber content in a vegetarian meal.

If you are someone who has had a recent health scare it is understandable that you will feel the need to change your eating habits immediately. It is a fact that if you don’t make a dramatic change all at once, you’ll have a much greater chance of long term success.

Start by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat and at the same time look to reducing the red meat you are eating on a weekly basis. Vegetables and grains should become the main part of your meal with meat as a side dish. Remember, you are making a change to last a lifetime, so make it natural and gradual with the goal of enjoying many years of healthy living.

Now it’s time for you to start your vegetarian journey by finding some recipes to begin the education process. Take your time to experiment with the different ingredients and ways you can prepare your meals. You will find them to be wholesome, delicious and enjoyable by all members of the family. Let’s hope they will realize as well, the importance and benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

Acupuncture For Your Health

Acupuncture could be the answer to many health concerns. This is an ancient Asian practice that began in China a few thousand years ago and spread into Japan and Korea. Modern day American practices incorporate tactics from all three nations. Thin needles are inserted into strategic locations in the body in order to improve a patient’s health. These needles are so miniscule and slender that they resemble hairs although they are comprised of metal. Many people are afraid that it will hurt to receive this type of treatment, but surprisingly, there is no pain involved in the process. Conversely, many ills and painful conditions are eliminated after a course of treatment. Somehow these points of needle insertion amp up a body’s healing response, immune system and pain threshold.

What can acupuncture do for you? More than you might think:

– Nausea and vomiting: Stomach ills of nausea and vomiting are uncomfortable indeed. After a course of treatment of this ancient Chinese practice, tummies can feel soothed.

– Anxiety and depression: Not just physical ills are treated in this way. Sufferers of mental maladies such as anxiety and depression may find relief in an acupuncturist’s office.

– Infertility: Individuals who are having trouble conceiving a baby may find help after receiving this type of remedy. In order for conception to occur, both the male and female body must be properly aligned in many regards. Harmonizing these elements through this methodology often results in the jackpot of conception.

– Dry-eye syndrome: Dry eyes can be uncomfortable and may obscure vision as well. Lubrication which should be supplied by a person’s tear ducts sometimes become clogged or dryer than one would expect. This can be alleviated with a course of slender needle application.

– Digestive ills: The human digestive system is a complicated maze involving many more body parts than simply the stomach. Mouth, throat, liver, colon, rectum, and intestines all need to be running smoothly in order to have healthy digestion. Crohn’s Disease, colitis, malabsorption and other maladies may be resolved with these techniques.

– Smoking cessation: If a person wants to stop smoking tobacco products, they may want to think about enlisting an acupuncturist in their battle. Quitting smoking is a tough endeavor but well worth the health benefits. Smoking cigarettes hampers immune systems, causes skin to look weathered, turns teeth yellow and costs a lot of money. Giving it up can turn a person’s life around.

– Chronic pain: An individual who has chronic pain may want to think about amping up their natural bodily pain relievers. This can be done with the help of an acupuncturist.

– Lower blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to strokes, heart disease and more. Lowering it can improve quality of life and longevity.

A doctor of acupuncture has other techniques in his or her bag of tricks as well. Herbal remedies, lifestyle alteration advice and more can be obtained by practitioners of this discipline. Acceptance of this methodology is rapidly growing. Many hospitals and western medicine physicians are incorporating this into their practices as well.

Having trouble locating a place to receive acupuncture in Washington, DC? By searching online, you will be able to find an acupuncturist who offers great service. To find one in your area, please visit http://www.angieslist.com/

Fight Breast Cancer With Calcium D-glucarate And Other Nutritional Supplements

Most likely, there is nothing more frightening for a woman than the discovery of a lump in her breast. Her mind is quickly flooded with cancer and all of its consequences. Most women have a friend, a sister, or a coworker who has been diagnosed with the disease and know how difficult dealing with it can be. Fortunately, 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer, as most are cysts or a benign clump of tissue. From puberty on, a womans breasts undergo many changes. Because of these continual changes, breast tissue requires adequate nutrition. Although everyone benefits from a healthy diet, there are additional nutrients which can specifically benefit women including B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea, maitake mushrooms, and iodine.

Because scientists can learn a lot about diseases from simply observing it, they have learned that certain cultures have a very low incidence of breast cancer, among these being China and Japan. As compared to women in America, Canada, and parts of Europe, the Asian cultures have a much lower breast cancer rate and it seems likely that something in their diet could be protecting these women from the disease. As Asian women adopt a western diet their breast cancer rates climb. It has also been recognized that certain types of vegetables play a large role in the prevention of all types of disease, including cancer. Based on this, scientists have carried out many studies to determine what it is about these nutrients that can prevent breast cancer.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in a serious type of anemia, as well as nerve damage, and is now being researched to see if these deficiencies can also, in part, cause breast cancer. A scientific study proved that women who had the lowest levels of B12 in their blood had the highest rates of breast cancer. Another study discovered that when B12 was applied directly to cancer cells, it actually stopped cancer cells from growing. The researchers conducting this experiment believe that giving B12 to women with breast cancer as a part of a chemotherapy regime might help to keep cancer in check.

Similarly, low folic acid intake is linked to the development of all cancers because folic acid is crucial to the making and continual repair of DNA. A recent study discovered that high intakes of folic cancer may actually reduce the risk of breast cancer, as women who eat lots of foods that contain folic acid have much lower rates of breast cancer. Although there is no clear-cut, single cause of breast cancer, many factors are required for the disease to appear, including estrogen. Studies have shown that women who have higher levels of estrogen tend to develop breast cancer more often. This means that women who got the periods before age eleven or entered menopause after the age of fifty-five have a higher risk of breast cancer. Another factor affecting breast cancer is the consumption of alcohol. Since alcohol raises estrogen levels, a woman who consumes even moderate amounts of alcohol increases her risk of breast cancer. However a recent study has shown that folic acid can overtake this link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer as those women who drink one alcoholic drink a day and have high levels of folic acid have the same rate of breast cancer as those women with high folic acid intakes who did not drink.

While women need estrogen to soften skin, thicken hair, and fill out hips and breasts, estrogen can also nourish breast tumors and help them to grow bigger, stronger, and more deadly. Thanks to good nutrition, American women get their periods early and go through menopause later in life. Today, women also have fewer pregnancies, with the average number of children being one or two. Each of these factors increases the time in which womens bodies are exposed to estrogen, meaning increased opportunities for estrogen to cause trouble. We are also continuously exposed to cancer-causing chemicals and toxins, coming from contaminants in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. Although the body does have a system that eliminates some of the excess estrogen and toxic chemicals before they cause harm, an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase can interrupt the excretion process, allowing the hormone or toxin to continue to cause harm. Fortunately, scientists have discovered a natural substance found in foods, calcium d-glucarate (CDG), which can stop the activity of beta-glucuronidase. CDG, which is found in fruits and vegetables, has been shown in experimental studies to significantly slow breast cancer growth. There are also many other trials currently underway studying its ability to decrease the breast cancer risk in women at high risk for the disease.

Iodine, which is the trace element in a hormone found in the thyroid gland and is involved in several metabolic functions, functions as a protection of breast tissue from cancerous cells. A study exposing breast cancer cells and breast tissue without any cancer to a type of seaweed containing high amounts of iodine concluded that the seaweed killed all of the cancerous cells and did not harm the normal breast cells. Researchers believe that it is because many Japanese women eat this kind of seaweed, containing great amounts of iodine, that they have very low rates of breast cancer.

For a great deal of time, cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, have been observed by scientists for their ability to reduce the risk of diseases including cancer. It appears that the phytochemical sulforaphane, found in broccoli, is one of the chemicals responsible for this beneficial ability. Sulforaphane increases certain enzymes in the body called phase 2 enzymes, which deactivate cancer-causing chemicals. When breast cancer cells were exposed to sulforaphane in a lab experiment, the compound inhibited the growth of the cancer cells up to eighty percent.

There is a good amount of research that has concluded that green tea beverage consumption is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer. Researchers have long noted the low rates of breast cancer in Japan, where green tea is consumed at great amounts. The active compound found in green tea that is responsible for breast cancer inhibition is EGCG, which stops the cells from growing, causes them to lose their ability to replicate, and die.

For many years, maitake mushrooms have been linked to good health in all that eat them, partly because they contain an important compound called D-fraction. D-fraction not only stops the growth of cancerous tumors, but it also alerts and stimulates immune cells to fight the disease. Due to its success, maitake is now being used in clinical trials of women with breast cancer, improving many symptoms including reduction of the tumor.

These nutrients should not be used in place of traditional treatment for breast cancer, as none of these nutrients can cure breast cancer. However, they can be a part of plan of treatment. If you have breast cancer, talk to your healthcare practitioner about these nutrients and remember that nutritional supplements are supplements to your food, medication, and treatment, to enhance and prevent, not a replacement. Supplements like B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea, maitake mushrooms, and iodine can be found at your local or internet health food store.