Category Archives: Health & Nutrition

Guide to Nutritional Supplements and weight management.

How to Speed Up Wound Healing

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Everyone during his or her lifetime gets cuts and scrapes along the way.
Americans are getting more than 12 million cuts and other wounds every year,
according to doctor’s estimation.

The skin is usually able to heal itself by showing signs of quick regeneration.
But you have to eat the right foods for healing to occur.
Nutrients like Vitamin C, protein and zinc are the building blocks for new skin.
If you don’t get enough of them in your diet, it takes longer for wounds to heal.

Protein
Protein is essential for healing cuts and wounds, but it isn’t always available
where you need it most. Only about 10% of the body’s protein is found in the
skin, and the rest is used elsewhere in the body.
Protein is used for energy before it goes to healing.
The need for protein can double,when your body goes into healing mode.
For example, when you get 50 grams of protein per day, you have to increase
this to 100 gram per day, when you have burned yourself.

The amount of protein you need depends mainly on the severity of the wound.
If you are recovering from massive burns, for example, you may need to increase
your protein intake by stirring non-fat dry-milk into milk, cereal, soups, and
graves, having desserts made with eggs, such as pudding or gustard, and adding
shredded cheese to vegetable dishes.

Meats are one of the best sources of protein. A 3-ounce serving of flank steak
for example, has 23 grams of protein, which is about 46% of the Daily Value.
If you are not a meat eater, you can also get protein from fish, beans, nuts,
and grains. Tofu is also an impressive source of protein. A 4-ounce serving
has more than 9 grams, which is about the same you get from 11/4 ounces of
ground beef.

Vitamin C
Orange juice is a favorite home remedy against colds, because the vitamin C
it contains helps to strengthen your immune system. Vitamin C helps for wounds
as well. If you’re not getting enough vitamin C in your diet, you are more
susceptible to infections.

Also, vitamin C is essential for strengthening collagen, the tissue that helps
to hold skin cells together.
When there is not enough vitamin C in your diet, collagen gets weaker and
it takes longer for wounds to heal. Tissue integrity, the actual strength of the skin,
relies on vitamin C.

Whether you have a cut, a burn, or any other kind of wound, it’s a good idea
to get at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C per day. Or about 8 times the recommended
Daily value of 60 milligrams.
In fact, you can take even more than that – up to 1000 milligrams a day.
This is especially true for older people and smokers, because these people often
don’t have enough vitamin C

Strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes.
For example, a half-cup serving of red bell peppers has 95 milligrams of vitamin C,
or 158% of the Daily Value, while an orange has nearly 70 milligrams, or 116%
of the Daily Value. For a superb vitamin C kick, grab a guava. One guava
contains 165 milligrams of vitamin C, or 275% of the Daily Value.

Honey
If you saw a jar of honey in a doctor’s black bag, you’d just assume that he packed
in the dark. But as it turns out, doctors have been using honey for centuries.
“Up until World War II, honey was used commonly to treat skin wounds”, says
Dr. Molan. With the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940’s, honey was taken
out of doctor’s bags and returned to the kitchen. But today, doctors are trying to
bring it back into circulation as a medicine. “We’re finding that doctors are starting
to use honey where modern medicine have been tried – and have failed – to cure
sskin wounds.” according to Dr. Molan.

Honey contains three ingredients that make it ideal for treating wounds.
Because it’s high in sugar, it absorbs much of the moisture inside wounds, making
it hard for bacteria to survive, Dr. Molan explains. In addition, many honey varieties
contain large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, the same medicine you can use at home
to disinfect cuts and scrapes. Finally, some honeys contain propolis, a compound in
nectar that can kill bacteria.

Zinc
Many people don’t get enough zinc,a mineral that helps grow tissues and repair
themselves. In fact, slow wound healing is often s sign that you’re not getting enough
of this important mineral.
The Daily Value for zinc is 15 milligrams. This doesn’t sound a lot, but getting
enough zinc can be tricky, since only 20% of the zinc in foods is absorbed during
digestion. However, eating zinc-rich foods along with protein from animal foods
will help the absorption of zinc.

An excellent source of zinc are oysters, with 1/2 cup providing 8 milligram, or 54%
of the DV. Wheat germ is also good, with 1 2/3 tablespoon containing about
2 milligram, or 13% of the DV.

Water keeps your skin hydrated, which is important while helping to heal burns.
Drink eight 8-ounce glasses per day.

Focus on omega-3 fatty acids.Fat helps your body tto build new cells, and they
become part of every cell membrane. Choose oily fish, walnuts and flaxseed.

Get a full range of vitamins and minerals. If your diet is not always up to par
(and nobody is perfect), consider taking a multivitamin, preferably one from USANA,
as an insurance policy against a shortfall of essential vitamins and minerals,
Dr.Gottschlich suggests.These include B vitamins, which help your body use
energy from carbohydrates to rebuild tissue; vitamin K, which helps blood clot;
and vitamin A, which help collagen from supportive nets and skin cells reproduce.

GOOD NUTRITION AS PART OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

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It’s a sad fact that about one-third of American adults are overweight. But people can change that by adopting a lifestyle with the right diet.
It’s important to know how fat is deposited in the body, so that you
understand how to make the body lose it. Your body needs food to obtain the necessary energy to function and feed its cells.
The calories in food have energy, commonly referred to as calories.
The more calories food contains, the more fuel the body can obtain from it.

In order to use the energy from the food, your body has to digest the food first. The process of digestion causes the body to burn some old energy to get the new energy from the food.
More energy/calories are burned if it’s more difficult to digest the food.
The body’s fuel is categorized as protein, carbohydrates or fats. This fuel nourishes the body and keeps the body functioning. The left over calories are eventually stored in the fat cells. Your body uses a part of the foods fuel for nutrition. The excess fuel is eventually stored up as fat in the “fat cells” of your body, around the kidneys and liver.

Fat cells are often deposited in the chest, hips and waist region. As the cells become bigger, your physique acquires a doughy look. The body has a limited number of fat cells, and there is only so much fat these cells can store. Once the threshold is reached, fat begins to accumulate in the muscle lining of your arms and thighs, creating
unsightly, flabby limbs.

EAT FAT BURNING FOODS
All foods can create fat, but certain foods can actually help burn fat. Some foods have minerals or vitamins that raise metabolism and act as virtual fat burners. There are negative calorie foods with low calories that burn extra calories during digestion.
Other foods, even if you eat them in small quantities, gives you a feeling of fullness.They contain very little calories.
You will significantly reduce the fat profile of your body if you consume the right whole foods.
By eating these fat burning foods at the right time, in the correct amount, the body fat profile starts to reduce. Add in foods that lower the likelihood of fat depositing in your body for an extra boost.

Here is a list of everyday foods that double as secret fat burners.
Poultry Salmon , Tuna, Citrus Fruits,Apples, Berries, Oatmeal, Vegetables, Beans, Eggs, Almonds & Walnuts, Pine Nuts

ADD FAT BOOSTERS TO YOUR DIET

Mustard, Onions, Coconut Oil, Hot Peppers, Green Tea

INCREASE WATER INTAKE
Help your body to reduce fat deposits by drinking more water.
The kidneys do not function correctly without enough water intake.
If they don’t work properly, some of the load is discarded to the liver. If the liver is doing the kidney’s work, it can’t concentrate on its’
main job of metabolizing fat. More fat will remain in the body and fat burning stops. So drinking the right amount of water improves metabolism and keeps your fat burning at full capacity. Water also flushes out toxins and improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.

BUILD MUSCLES
Muscles keep your metabolism active and help burning calories.
Adding muscle improves your body’s fat composition ratio.
Because muscles are an active tissue that continually renews itself,
it always needs calories. While normal cardio burns fat only during the exercise, weight training builds muscle to ensure that body fat continues to burn throughout the day. The main source of energy for muscles is fat. So, even when relaxing or sleeping, you continue to
burn calories. The more muscle mass on your frame the more positive effect on your metabolism.It’s important to do weight resistant exercises to build muscle and to avoid your metabolism from getting sluggish and packing on fat.

Now you have the secrets to a beautiful toned body in the palm of your hands. The only thing standing in the way of a lean sexy physique is you. Adopt these fat burning secrets into your lifestyle and you will see results in a matter of weeks. The right diet plan will show you how to combine the fat burning foods to keep your body melting away the
flab.

There are countless delicious recipes to make the switch painless. Add a weight lifting exercise regime and you will sculpt your body into an object of desire. The new you is ready to emerge.

You can read full details about how to loose weight by clicking here!

Celery: A Strong Protector

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As a member of the parsley family, these stalks contain compounds that may help
lower blood pressure and perhaps help prevent cancer.
Celery is also a good source of insoluble fiber as well as some essential nutrients,
like potassium, vitamin C and calcium.

Lower bad cholesterol
Laboratory tests with animals shows the ability to lower cholesterol.
In a study conducted at the National University of Singapore, laboratory animals were
fed a high-fat diet,plumping them up for 8 weeks and raising their cholesterol.
Then they gave some of the animals celery juice. The animals that drank the celery juice
had significantly lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the animals that didn’t
received any celery juice.

Lower Blood Pressure
Celery has been used in Asia as a remedy for people with high blood pressure.
In the United States, a man named Mr. Le with mild high blood pressure and persistence persuaded
researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Rather than cutting back on salt as his doctor advised, he began eating four stalks of
celery per day. Within a week, his blood pressure had dropped from 158/96 to 118/82.

An assistant professor of medicine and pharmacological and physiological science
at the University of Chicago, W. J. Elliott, MD, PhD, decided to put celery at the test.
Test animals were injected with a small amount of 3-n-phthalide, a chemical compound celery
that is found in celery. Within a week, the blood pressure of the animals dropped an
average of 12 to 14 percent.

“Phthalide was found to relax the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure,
allowing the vessels to dilate.” according to Dr. Elliott. In addition, the chemical reduced
the number of “stress hormones” called catecholamines in the blood.
This may be helpful because stress hormones typically raise blood pressure by causing
blood vessels to constrict.

If you have high blood pressure and would like to give celery a try, use this strategy
recommended by Asian practisioners. Eat four to five stalks of celery every day for
a week, then stop for three weeks. Then start over and eat celery for another week.
But don’t overdo it and eat celery by the pound, warns Dr. Elliott.
Each celery stalk contains 35 milligrams of sodium, and for some people, this can cause
blood pressure to go up instead of going down. “Eating a ton of celery can be dangerous
if you have salt-sensitive hypertension.” says Dr. Elliott.

Preventing Cancer
Celery contains compounds that may help prevent cancer, according to research.
Firstly, celery contains compounds called acetylenics, which proved to stop the growth
of tumor cells.
Secondly, celery contains compounds called phenolic acids, which block the action of
hormone like substances called prostaglandins. Some prostaglandins are thought to encourage the growth of tumor cells.
Thirdly, celery contains compounds called coumarins, which help prevent free radicals
from damaging cells. That gives celery a one-two-three punch against cancer.

A Skin Stalker
As celery is such a sweet, succulent stalk, it has to produce its own pesticides to
protect it from hungry fungi.
These compounds protect the celery, however, they could do humans some harm.
For some people, getting these compounds in the diet, or even through the skin,
can make their skin very sensitive to sunlight. So much so that they can get sunburns
after they have spent even a short period of time in the sun.

If you begin having skin problems after eating celery, stop eating it.
You have to wash celery thoroughly before you eat it . That way you remove any fungi
that may have formed on the plant, which sometimes causes the production of those
compounds.

Protect the Flavonoids
Don’t be tempted to cut up celery to eat later. It’s best to eat the celery soon after
you cut it. After only 24 hours in the fridge, the flavonoids are consider ably
decreased, according to researchers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Save the leaves
While celery stalks are certainly a healthy snack, however, the leaves contain the
most potassium, vitamin C and calcium.

Eat it the way you like it.
While many foods lose nutrients during cooking, most of the compounds in celery
are staying on during cooking. Eating a cup of celery raw or cooked, provides about
9 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 15% of the Daily Value; 426 milligrams of potassium
of 12% of the Daily Value, and 60 milligrams of calcium, or 6% of the Daily Value.

A Heart Healthy Diet Prevent Stroke

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The fact that stroke can strike suddenly without warning is most frighting.
There is often no sign or anything, just a fraction of a second sense that something went wrong.
Although the stroke itself comes out of the blue, the problems that causes it usually develop
over years. When the blood, that contains oxygen and nutrients, can’t reach parts of the brain,
stroke occurs, or when an artery ruptures and blood is lost.

The risk of a stroke will be present by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,
and a dangerous prediabetic condition called metabolic syndrome – and all these factors
can be reduced by choosing the right food and a healthy lifestyle.
“Your diet plays a critical role in preventing stroke”, says Thomas Pearson, M.D. PhD,
professor of epidemiology and chairman of the department of community and preventive
medicine at the University of Rochester in New York.

A study involving more than 87,000 nurses at the Harvard School of Public Health showed that women
who ate the most fruits and vegetables had a 40% less change of having a stroke than those who ate the least.
Another study conducted at the University of California, San Diego, discovered that people who ate a single
serving of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables a day where also able to cut there risk of stroke by 40%.

The following six strategies offer powerful protection:
Calm high blood pressure with dairy and potassium. High blood pressure (135/85 or higher)
doubles your risk for a stroke. Here is why. Pressured by high-speed blood flow, arteries
in the brain thicken and can eventually squeeze shut. Small arteries may rupture under pressure.
The risk for developing clot-producing plaque on the artery walls due to high blood pressure.
More than 300,000 strokes annually could be prevented if everyone in the US brought it
under control. Your diet should include low-fat dairy products and plenty of potassium-rich
foods. Not only does potassium fight high blood pressure, it also appears to make blood
less likely to clot, which can reduce the risk of stroke even more.
Potassium rich foods are fat-free milk, low-fat yogurt, vegetable juice cocktail, baby limas,
kidney beans, lentils, baked potatoes, prune juice and died peaches.

Reverse metabolic syndrome with smart meal combo’s.
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of prediabetic conditions including insulin resistance
which occur when your cells stop responding quickly to insulin’s command to absorb blood
sugar – plus slightly high blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides, plus low levels of
good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Nearly everyone with this condition is
overweight. There are at least 40 million Americans at risk for metabolic syndrome.
People with metabolic syndrome doubles their risk of stroke.

You can prevent this condition by eating high-fiber, low-sugar foods, lean protein, good fats
such as nuts, oily cold-water fish, and flaxseed. Fruits, vegetables and grain products low
on the Glycemic Index, also keeps blood sugar and insulin levels lower.
This will cut cravings and help you lose weight and can almost instantly make your body cells
more sensitive to insulin’s signals. Avoid foods like doughnuts, sugary soft drinks, and white
bread, which send sugar levels soaring, fast.
You can also slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal by combining a high-fiber or high-
protein food with a refined carbohydrate – for example, with some navy beans with instant rice,

Lose weight
Not only what you eat but also how much you eat can play a role in controlling stroke.
Overweight can raise a woman’s stroke risk by 75%. Obesity raises it by 100%.
When researchers at Harvard University compared body weight and stroke risk in 116,759
nurses, they found that overweight women were two to four times more likely to have high
blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Being overweight is perhaps the leading cause of high blood pressure, which rapidly increases
stroke risk. As a matter of fact, people with high blood pressure are five times more likely
to have a stroke than those who’s blood pressure are normal.
Also, being overweight increase your risk of developing diabetes and the risk of stroke.

Treat diabetes with slow carbs
Having diabetes in women seems to be a bigger threat for a stroke than for men, because
of raising blood pressure and brain-threatening blood clots, and makes her risk for stroke
two to four times higher than normal.

The best food strategy for keeping diabetes under control is choosing “good”, “slow”
complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
These keep blood sugar levels lower and steadier and also help control levels of insulin
in your body. Experts theorize that surges of insulin after a meal heavy loaded with
refined carbs advance biochemical changes in the body that promote high blood pressure
and blood clot formation – which are two big stroke risks.

Rebalance your cholesterol profile with good fats
High levels of bad low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of good (HDL)
cholesterol increase the risk of stroke. When the level of good cholesterol is low, your body
is unable to haul away the bad cholesterol , giving it free entry inside the lining of your
artery walls and start the process that leads to clogged arteries.
To get lower LDL and higher HDL levels you should eat less saturated fats and more good
fats. Choose olive oil or canola oil for cooking to maintain healthy HDL levels.
By adding plenty of exercise you give them a boost.

Also, skip full-fat milk, cheese, sour cream, and ice cream….and turn down that fat-marbled
prime rib. What you don’t eat can be just as important as what you do eat.
Research has shown that people who get the most fat in their diet – especially the saturated
fat in meats and other animal foods – have a bigger change of having a stroke than those who
eat healthier foods. This is because a diet that is high in saturated fat raises cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol which is known for clogging arteries in the heart, can also block blood vessels
in and leading to the brain.

“Reducing saturated fat intake is the most powerful dietary maneuver you can make”‘
according to John Crouse, MD, professor of medicine and public health sciences and
associate director of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine General Clinical
Research Center.

Limiting meat servings to 3 to 4 ounces a day, using little or no butter, switching to low-fat
dairy foods, and avoiding high-fat snacks is all what’s necessary for most people to keep
healthy cholesterol levels.

Choose lots of produce as well.
When researchers from the well-known Framingham Heart Study Group scrutinized the diets
of 830 men, they found that for every three servings of fruits and vegetables people ate
every day, their risk of stroke declined 22%.

There are several reasons that fruits and vegetables are so beneficial for preventing stroke.
Most of all, they are high in fiber, which has been shown to lower bad cholesterol.
These foods also contain powerful antioxidants, according to epidemiologist Michael Hertog,
PhD, of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental protection in the Netherlands.
They help prevent the harmful LDL cholesterol from sticking to your artery walls and blocking
blood flow to the brain. Foods that contain a large quantity of antioxidants are: garlic,onions,
kale, carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, blueberries, plums, cherries, oranges and red grapes.

You don’t need a lot of antioxidant-rich food to get the benefits. In the Nurses’ Health Study,
for example, Harvard researchers discovered that women who get as little as 15 milligrams
of beta-carotene daily, which is the amount in a large carrot, reduced their risk of stroke.

Except fruits and vegetables, tea (both green and black tea) is also an excellent source of
flavonoids. When Dr. Hertog studied more than 550 men aged 50 to 69, he found that those
who got most of their flavonoids from tea were able to reduce their risk of stroke by 73%,
compared with those who got the least of these healthful compounds.
He found that those men who drink at least 5 cups of tea daily can reduce their stroke risk
by more than two-thirds, compared with those drink who less than 3 cups a day.

Dropping just a few pounds can cut stroke risk. You don’t have to be model-thin to stay
healthy, says Thomas A Pearson, MD. PhD, of the University of Rochester.
Losing 10 to 20 pounds is often sufficient to lower blood pressure and with it, the risk
of having a stroke.

The Healing Power of Currants

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Currants are a favorite fruit in various countries.
The British love currant jams and jellies. The French consider black currant liquor
as their favorite. Until the turn of the previous century, Americans enjoyed fresh currants,
as well as currant jellies and sauces.

Today, fresh currants are hard to find in the US. (Don’t be fooled by the black “currants”
sold in supermarkets, they are really zante grapes.
What caused the end of our craving for currants? In the early 1900s, the USDA banned
the cultivation of currants because the shrubs harbored a fungus that was destroying
white pines. Even though the ban was lifted in the 1960s, currants never really made
a comeback. This is unfortunate, because currants, the forgotten fruit are a superb source
of vitamin C and fiber. What’s more, they contain a compound that present a powerful
cancer fighting potential.

Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention
It’s ironic that the forgotten fruit might prove to be helpful in keeping your memory sharp.
Researchers in New Zealand found that substances in currants could help prevent
Alzheimer’s disease. Two compounds in the currants, anthocyanins (which give them
their deep red color) and polyphenolics ( which is also abundant in red wine and chocolate),
where found to protect the brain cells of rats against the kind of damage that occurs in
people’s brains afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Anthocyanins as well as polyphenolics are powerful antioxidants that provide protection
against free radicals.These highly reactive oxygen molecules can damage the brain and
other tissues if left to run amok. Much more research is needed to see if these results
would actually translate to people too.

Cancer Protection
Besides the fact that currants are extremely high in vitamin C content – a half cup of black
currants for example, has 101 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 168% of the Daily Value
and three times that of oranges – there is another thing that gets researches excited.
It’s the fact that berries contain a compound called ellagic acid, which has the ability
to prevent cancer from starting.

Ellagic acid belongs to a disease-fighting family of compounds known as polyphenols.
(Cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, and grapes also contain polyphenols).
It has been shown in laboratory studies to be a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralizing
free radicals, according to Gary Stoner, PhD, professor and cancer researcher at Ohio
State University in Columbus.
Free radicals try to replace their missing electrons by stealing electrons from healthy cells,
causing cellular changes that can lead to cancer.

It may surprise you that researchers found that currants are a much higher source of
antioxidants than blueberries, long regarded as the antioxidant champ.

Ellagic acid also has the ability to block the effects of cancer-causing chemicals in the body
at the same time that it stimulates the activity of enzymes that fight cancer growth.
This two-pronged approach makes this compound a powerful alley for blocking cancer.

Another antioxidant that has been found in currants is quercetin. In general, the most
common sources of quercetin are onions, tea, apples and red wine.
That’s for most of us anyway. The Finns, however, commonly eat certain types of berries
that contain quercetin – currants, lingonberries, and bilberries.
Researchers in Finland reasoned that these berries may be an important source of quercetin
in that country. The scientists divided 40 healthy men into two groups.
Half of the men ate their usual diets, but the other half 100 grams of black currants,
lingonberries and bilberries every day. After 8 weeks, the researchers found that the men
who ate the berries had blood levels of quercetin 32 to 51% higher than the men who ate
their regular diets. So the researchers concluded that these berries are a good source of
quercetin.

Like ellagic acid, quercetin has long been considered important in possibly helping to
prevent cancer. In test tube studies, it inhibits the growth of cancer cells, including those
from breast, colon, prostate, and lung tumors.

Protection against Digestion and Heart disease
Like most berries, currants are also high in fiber. The black, red, and white types all provide
about 2 grams, or 8% of the Daily Value. Apart from controlling digestive problems like
constipation and hemorrhoids, fiber also helps to deal with more serious health problems,
like high cholesterol and heart disease.

From a study of 21,930 Finnish men it showed that those who got just 10 extra grams of
fiber a day were able to reduce their risk of dying from heart disease by 17%.
Eating one or two servings of currants a day , along with extra fruits and vegetables,
will provide all the fiber you need to help keep your circulation in optimum form.

The only problem with fresh currants is that they are hard to find, since most supermarkets
don’t stock them. Your best change to find them is to check out roadside stands or farmers’
markets, as growers sometimes sell small amounts of these homegrown favorites.

When you are lucky enough to get your hands on fresh currants, you will get the most
out of them by storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. That way you will
be able to keep them fresh for 2 to 3 days. Or you can freeze them for use throughout
the year.

Benefits of Apples are Skin Deep

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Apples are more than just a wholesome snack. Research have shown that eating apples can help reduce the risk of heart disease, and they may also help protect you from lung cancer. In addition, they may lower your risk of asthma and improve your overall long function.
Antioxidant Protection Phenolics are some of the most powerful disease-fighting components in apples, and they have been getting a lot of research attention lately. Phenolics are a type of phytochemicals that can act as powerful antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals before they can get a change to damage your DNA and other important components within your body.

Researchers at the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and Seoul University in South Korea found that these phenolics may provide the bulk of the antioxidant power in apples, rather than the vitamin C. Other research from Cornell set out to rank the total phenolic content in many popular fruits. Apples came in second place behind the cranberries, and beat out other favorites such as the red grape, strawberry, pineapple, banana, peach lemon, orange, pear, and grapefruit.

This study also found that apples have the second highest total antioxidant activity of these fruits, again beaten by the cranberry. If you take into account their tastiness, easy preparation time and versatility, apples are hard to beat as an easy way to get a quick dose of antioxidants.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter
The phytochemicals in apples may make them useful tools in warding off heart disease. A study that followed almost 40,000 women for about seven years associated apples with a 13% to 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Research in Finland has found that intake of flavonoids – a type of phenolics found in apples – was inversely associated with death from heart disease in women.

Another study, involving more than 30,000 older Iowa women found that, consuming catechin and epicatechin – both flavonoids found in apples – was associated with a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease.

Even though, many people favor the flesh, much of an apple’s healing power can be found in the skin, which ccontains large amounts – about 4 milligrams – of an antioxidant compound called quercetin. Like vitamin C and beta-carotene, quercetin can help prevent harmful oxygen molecules from damaging individual cells.

Even in the healing world of antioxidants, quercetin is thought to be exceptional. Another Finnish study, this one following more than 10,000 men and women, found that the people who ate the most quercetin had a 20% lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease than those who ate the least.

Cancer Protection
A study involving more than 120,000 men and women found that women who ate at least one serving of apples daily had a lower risk of lung cancer. A Hawaiian study looked at the diet history of 582 people who had lung cancer and 582 without the disease found that the people who consumed the most apples and onions and white grapefruit had nearly half the risk of lung cancer than those who ate the least amounts of these foods.

Effect of Apples on Lung Problems Apples may also help reduce your risk of asthma and improve your lung health. An Australian study involving 1,600 adults associated apple and pear consumption with a lower risk of asthma. And a study of more than 13,000 adults in the Netherlands found that those who consumed more apples and pears had a better lung function and less chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Apple Fiber for Digestive Health
Apples are also a rich source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. A 5-ounce apple including the skin has about 3 grams of fiber. Insoluble fiber, found in the skin, has long been recommended to relieve constipation. Studies show that a smoothly operating digestive tract can help prevent colon cancer. Also, insoluble fiber is filling which make apples an excellent weight control food for people who want to lose weight without feeling hungry.

The soluble fiber in apples, which is the same kind that is found in oat bran, acts differently from the insoluble kind. In stead of passing through the digestive tract more or less unchanged, soluble fiber forms a gel-like material in the digestive tract that helps lower cholesterol and with it, the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A particular form of soluble fiber called pectin is very helpful to reduce the amount of cholesterol produced in the liver. An average-seize apple contains 0.7 gram of pectin, more than the amount in strawberries and bananas.

Indeed, it appears that having an apple or two a day really can help to keep the doctor away.

Health Benefits of Pineapple

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This tropical fruit has more health benefits than most people know. Apart from being a rich source of vitamin C, it also contains a substance called bromelain, which can ease swelling and inflammation, associated with rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, soft tissue injuries, inflammatory conditions in the colon, and even chronic pain.

In a recent lab study at the University of Connecticut, researchers found that promelain reduced the level of eosinophils, the main inflammatory cells associated with asthma by half. “Asthma is a very serious disease. It can be life threatening”, says Eric Secor, ND, a naturopathic physician at the University of Connecticut. Promelain may even speed up healing time and decrease pain and bruising after surgery.

Bone Builder
You need calcium to prevent osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease that primarily affects postmenopausal women. What you may not know is that your bones need the trace mineral manganese as well.. The body uses manganese to make collagen, a tough, fibrous protein that helps build connective tissues like bone, skin, and cartilage. Research has shown that people deficient in manganese develop bone problems similar to osteoporosis. One study found that women with osteoporosis had lower levels of manganese than women who didn’t had the disease.

“Eating fresh pineapple or drinking pineapple juice is a good way to add manganese to your diet,” says Jeanne Freeland Graves, PhD, professor of nutrition at the University of Texas in Austin. A cup of fresh pineapple chunks or pineapple juice will give you more than 2 milligrams of manganese, witch is more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV).

Promoting Digestion
Pineapple has a centuries-old reputation for relieving indigestion, and there may be good reasons for that. Bromelain in pineapple also helps digestion by breaking down protein. This could be important for some older people who have low levels of stomach acid, which is needed for protein digestion. If you are older and have frequent indigestion, adding a few pineapple slices to your dessert plate might help to keep your stomach calm.

Great Source of Vitamin C
Vitamin C gets a lot of attention, and for good reason. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, that means it helps to combat free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells and can cause cancer and heart disease. The body also uses vitamin C to make collagen, the “glue” that holds tissue and bone together.

And when you have a cold, the first thing you reach out for is probably vitamin C. It reduces levels of a chemical called histamine, which causes the cold symptoms like watery eyes and running noses.

While pineapples aren’t as rich in vitamin C as oranges and grapefruits, they’re still excellent sources. One cup of pineapple chunks, for example, contains about 24 milligrams of vitamin C, or 40% of the daily value (DV). Juice is even better. A glass of canned pineapple juice contains 60 milligrams, or 100% of the DV.

To get the most out of pineapples, buy them fresh, when eating them to soothe an upset stomach. Fresh fruit is best because the intense heat used in canning destroys the bromelain.

Eat pineapple alone, otherwise the bromelain will be deactivated as it helps to digest protein in the other foods that you eat.

The next time you’re at the store, try a new variety. The “Gold” pineapple from Costa Rica is exceptionally sweet, and it has more than four times the vitamin C content than found in other varieties.

Look for freshness
The leaves on pineapples should be crisp and deep green, without yellowed or browned tips. Contrary to popular wisdom, a leave that comes off easily doesn’t indicate that the fruit is ripe.

Reveal the fruit
When you get the pineapple home, cut off the top and bottom ends. Then place the pineapple in a shallow dish to catch the juices a you slice off the spiny skin vertically. You can then cut it into rounds and remove the tough center core. Enjoy your healthy snack!

The Mediterranean Diet – A Model for Good Health

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When the heart disease rate in the United States was skyrocketing during the early 1960s, people in Greece had some of the lowest heart disease rates in the world. But the most remarkable fact about this is that they were enjoying this robust good health even though their diet racked up nearly 40% of its calories from fat plus they generally washed down their meals with a glass or two of wine.

Scientist searched the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and they discovered that it was not only the Greece people who were living longer but also in neighboring nations like France, Italy and Spain. Clearly, these folks were onto something, but what?

Here is what Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention research Center in Stanford, California has to say about it:
“For one thing, the traditional Mediterranean diet includes a lot of vegetables and legumes, along with fruits,
fresh whole-grain breads, dates, and nuts. Meats like lamb and chicken are consumed infrequently and in small portions,
and the main source of fat in the diet is monounsaturated fat from olives and olive oil, rather than the saturated fat
from animal foods.
In addition, physical activity is a big part of their daily routine”, he adds.

But just how healthy is the traditional Mediterranean diet? In one study French researchers looked at 600 men
who recently had a heart attack.
They put half of the men on a traditional Mediterranean diet and half of them on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet
that people with heart disease are typically told to follow. Those who followed the traditional Mediterranean diet
had a 70% lower rate of recurrent heart problems than those following the prudent low-fat diet.

Other studies showed similar results. When researchers examined the diets and disease rates of people
in seven different countries, they found that, while heart disease accounts for 46% of deaths of middle-aged men
in America, only 4% of men on Creta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea,had similar problems.
In fact, the death rate from all causes in Creta during this 15 year study was lower than that of the other countries

In 2006, researchers reviewed 35 experimental studies of the Mediterranean diet and found that the diet had
a positive effect on cholesterol and insulin resistance. Researchers also found that the diet also lowers
the risk of metabolic syndrome, heart attack and heart disease, and the risk of cancer
in obese patients and patients who have had a heart attack.

One study found that, in addition to the health benefits. people find it easier
to stick to a Mediterranean diet compared with a low fat diet.
A group of 772 older adults in Spain who had diabetes or three or more
risk factors for heart disease were assigned to one of three groups.
Two groups followed a Mediterranean diet, and the third followed a low-
fat diet. In addition to the Mediterranean diet contributing to lower blood
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels after three months, it also made
it easier for the study participants to maintain the diet, researchers say.

The Fat Factor
The most important factor in the Mediterranean diet is that it uses fat
from olive oil, with total fat intake of 25 to 35 percent of total calories.
Even though people in Mediterranean countries eat as much fat as we do
(or more), they eat relatively little meat. Red meat is eaten only a few times
a month, while fish and poultry are eaten every week.

This means that they consume only minuscule amounts of artery-clogging
saturated fat. “The big difference comes from limiting saturated fat and
replacing it with monounsaturated fat, like olive oil,” Dr Gardner says.
Besides olive oil being a monounsaturated fat, it also contains antioxidant
compounds that help prevent chemical changes in the body that can cause
the dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to stick to the
lining of artery walls.
Sweet desserts made with sugar and saturated fat are consumed no more
than few times a week.

The second-most common source of fats in the Mediterranean diet is nuts
and seeds. Nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, which the body converts to
the same kind of heart-healthy fats we find in fish ( which is also part of
the Mediterranean diet). Studies have proved that people who eat the most
of these fatty-acids are the ones least likely to get heart disease.

The fish that people in the Mediterranean eat contains omega-3 fatty acids,
which have been shown to reduce clotting and inflammation in the arteries,
and thus significantly reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The American Heart Association reports that epidemiological and clinical
trials have shown that cardiovascular disease incidence decreases when
people consume omega-3 fatty acids, especially when it comes from fish
and plant foods as apposed to supplements.

Physical activity
People in Mediterranean countries also take plenty of exercise, in the form
of walking, hard physical labor, and generally stay active.
So even though they take a lot of calories from fat, they’re usually able to
keep their weight under control.

Five-a-Day Protection
The folks at the American Heart Association would be delighted if they
could get us to eat the five servings (or more) of fruits and vegetables
that people in the Mediterranean region eat every day.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes seasonally fresh and locally grown
fruits and vegetables over highly processed foods that don’t contain
as many micro nutrients and antioxidants.
Studies have shown that people who eat the most fruit and vegetables
have fewer problems with heart disease. Presumably this is due to the
antioxidant vitamins and healing compounds in these foods.

In addition, fruits, vegetables and beans, which are another Mediterranean
staple, are among the best sources of folate, a B vitamin that may work
hard in the fight against heart disease, says D. Gardner.
Folate helps decrease levels of an amino acid called homosysteine.
There is a link between too much homosysteine and heart disease.
Research has shown that healthy people who have high levels of
homosysteine have about 14 times more change of having heart disease

High Fiber
On top of all that, the Mediterranean diet is extremely high in fiber.
High-fiber foods not only help to keep your weight down by filling you up
without a lot of fat and calories, they also help block the absorption of
certain fats and cholesterol. This means that some of these harmful
substances are flushed away before they can make it into the bloodstream.
How powerful the effects of fiber are shows a study of nearly 44,000 men,
aged between 40 and 75, who added just 10 grams of fiber a day to their
diet decreased their risk of heart disease by almost 30 percent.

A Drink for Good Health
Another factor that contribute to a healthy heart is the fact that wine,
and especially red wine, is also included in a typical Mediterranean diet.
Whine contains compounds called phenols that help prevent LDL
cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. It also keeps platelets in blood
from sticking together and causing clots. “In moderation, wine can be
a nice addition to a healthy diet,” says Robert M. Russell, MD, director
and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

Final Thoughts
Although the Mediterranean diet is most renowned for its role in helping
to keep the heart healthy, it also appears to reduce the risks of other
health threats, among them cancer of the breast and colon.
Studies show that compared with women elsewhere in the world, women
in some Mediterranean countries half half the risk (or less) of getting breast
cancer. This could be due to their low intake of saturated fat and high intake
of monounsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables.

Indeed, Italian researchers have found that people in the Mediterranean region
who follow the traditional diet – that is, those who eat lots of fruits and
vegetables and not much fat and protein – are less likely to get cancer than
those who eat more modern, less-healthful diets.

“The message here is simple,” says Dr. Gardner. “For optimal health,
choose a plant-based diet, which is naturally high in vitamins, minerals, fiber,
and antioxidants, and low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.”

Impotence

Health & Nutrition

I know this is a delicate subject for many men, but it is specially important for men
over 50. Up to 30 million American men, getting and maintaining an erection is an
persistent problem. Commonly known as impotence, doctors now call this condition:
Erectile dysfunction. Although, it doesn’t have to be that way.
“Men shouldn’t lose potency while getting older. There are age-related diseases that men
develop that can lead to difficulty in getting an erection, but if men are healthy, they
should be able to function all of their lives.” According to Drogo K. Montague, M.D.
Director of the center for Sexual Function at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Just to give you some examples: Gary Grant fathered a daughter at age 62.
Clint Easwood had a baby girl at 67.Charlie Chaplin had a son at 73 and
Antony Quinn had his 13th child at age 81!!

Estimates of impotence vary widely which makes the statistics nearly meaningless,
which says something about truth in reporting when it comes to this delicate subject.
Older men are more apt to have diabetes, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
and other physical ailments that reduce blood flow to the penis.
problems. But anxiety, depression, and other psychological woes can also contribute
to the problem, says Dr. Montague.

For decades, older men whose sex lives were limp, slack or nonexistent because of
impotence faced some pretty grim choices: go without, use cumbersome vacuum pumps,
or inject erection-inducing drugs directly into their penises.
Then came the pill that recharged the sexual revolution among older Americans.
As easy as taking an aspirin, sildenafil citrate ( Viagra) quickly became known for
its ability to restore a man’s erections even after decades of impotence.
In its first three months on the U.S. market in 1998, doctors wrote more than two
million prescriptions for this “miracle drug”, making it the most successful new
pharmaceutical on record.

The drug work wonders for about 80% of men, stimulating blood flow to the penis and
jump-starting long-lost erections. But for nearly one in three men, particularly those
with diabetes and other health conditions that damage nerves in the penis, this medication
may not help as much.A warning for people who are taking nitroglycerin or related
nitrate-containing drugs. They should never take Viagra. When taken together, Viagra
and nitrates cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and some men have died from
this side effect, according to Roger Crenshaw, M.D. psychiatrist and sex therapist in
private practice in La Jolla, California. Other drugs may cause problems, so make sure
to let your doctor know about any drugs you are taking, including over-the-counter
products, before taking Viagra.

Fluff up the pillows
Impotence can be triggered by boredom in the bedroom, says Roger Crenshaw.
Take a few moments to think about your sex life. Try some other variations if you
got stuck in the same routine for years. How to you feel about kissing and foreplay?
Where do you have sex? In the bedroom? In the shower?
Often just changing when, where and how you have sex can be erotic enough to
revive your potency. So experiment. Try new positions and tough your spouse
in ways you never have before or try some role-playing games if your spouse is game.

Ask for a healing touch
When men get older they need more physical stimulation to get and maintain erections,
explains Dr Crenshaw. So ask your spouse to take some time to touch and play with
your genitals and other erotic areas of your body.

Turn off the pressure
If you do have difficulty getting an erection, don’t dwell on it.Obsessing about impotence
could make you worry so much that you’ll have performance anxiety, which leads to
impotence, which make you worry more, which leads to more anxiety.
So break the vicious circle and treat it casually. Shrug it off.

To relieve the tension, avoid having intercourse the next few times you and your partner
are intimate, even if you get an erection, Dr. Crenshaw suggests.
Instead hug,kiss, caress, and do other things you enjoy. Satisfy your spouse but avoid
touching each other’s genitals.
“If intercourse becomes an overarching goal, sex ceases to be fun.. And when sex
ceases to be fun, that’s where the trouble begins”. Dr. Crenshaw says.

Avoid smoking
Smoking kills erections. Each time you light up a cigaret, you are risking to damage
your arteries, you also restrict blood flow to the penis.And without enough blood,
you’re not going to be a rocket man. Even if you’ve been smoking for years,
quitting now can help you to restore your potency.

Stop wine-ing
Alcohol is a depressant that slows down reflexes, including sexual ones.
Drink no more than one drink, which is a 12-ounce beer, a 5 ounce glass of wine,
or 1 1/2 ounce shot of liquor a day if you want to keep your erections as you
get older, Dr. Crenshaw says.

Get plenty of exercise
You are less likely to loose your potency when you are fit. Regular aerobic exerrcise
like walking and swimming helps keep your arteries healthy, and that includes the
arteries that supply the penis, according to Dr. Montague.
Try to fit some running into your daily routine, ideally, 15 to 20 minutes three times
a week. But check with your doctor before you start a new exercise program.

Reduce fat in your diet
Dietary fat can cause clogging of your arteries all over your body. So what’s good
for your heart is also good for your penis. To stay potent, reduce the fat in your diet
to about 20% of total calories. That means if you eat 2000 calories a day, you can
eat up to 44 grams of fat. To get started in the right direction ,read food labels.
Avoid fried food, look for low-fat and nonfat products. Switch to fat-free milk.

Get a good night sleep
difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep through the night. Try to get at least
six to eight hours of sleep a night. If you’re tired, even a 30 minute nap before sex
can improve your changes of getting an erection.

Be informed
There are plenty of books available that can help you learn about sexual techniques,
eroticism, and how to overcome impotence, Dr. Cranshaw says.
As a start, Dr. Cranshaw recommends the timeless classic:The Joy of Sex by
Alex Comfort, M.D. You also may like to check out : A Lifetime of Sex:
The Ultimate Manual on Sex, Women, and relationships for every stage of a Man’s
Life by Stephen C. George and K. Winston Caine. These and other books can be
purchased by mail order or found in a bookstore or library. .

The Impact of Aerobic Exercises

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Aerobics refer to a variety of exercises that stimulate heart and lung activity for a time period sufficiently long to produce beneficial changes in the body. Running, swimming, cycling, and jogging – these are typical aerobic exercises. There are many others.

Aerobics offers you an ample choice of different forms of exercise, including many popular sports.
They have one thing in common: by making you work hard, they demand plenty of oxygen.
That’s the basic idea. That’s what makes them aerobic.

The main objective of an aerobic exercise program is to increase the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can process within a given time. This is called your aerobic capacity.
It is dependent upon an ability to 1) rapidly breathe large amounts of air
2) forcefully deliver large volumes of blood and 3) effectively deliver oxygen to all parts of the body.
In short: it depends upon efficient lungs, a powerful heart, and a good vascular system.
Because it reflects the conditions of these vital organs, the aerobic capacity is the best index of overall physical fitness.

Training Effect
Collectively, the changes induced by exercise in the various systems and organs of the body are called the training effect. Unless the exercise is of sufficient intensity and duration, it will not produce a training effect and cannot be classified as an aerobic exercise.
However, this distinction between aerobic and non-aerobic exercises is a laboratory determination, too technical for routine use. Therefore, the point system utilized in the aerobics conditioning program was developed to make this distinction for you.If the program is followed exactly and the required point goals are reached, an adequate training effect is assured.
Specifically, aerobic exercise produces a training effect and increase the capacity to utilize oxygen in several ways:

1. It strengthens the muscles of respiration and tends to reduce the resistance to air flow,
ultimately facilitating the rapid flow of air in and out of the lungs.
2. It improves the strength and pumping efficiency of the heart, enabling more blood to be pumped with each stroke. This improves the ability to more rapidly transport life-sustaining oxygen from the lungs to the heart and ultimately to all parts of the body.
3. It tones up muscles throughout the body, thereby improving the general circulation,
at times lowering blood pressure and reducing the work on the heart.
4. It causes an increase in the total amount of blood circulating through the body and increases the number of red blood cells and the amount of hemoglobin, making the blood a more efficient oxygen carrier.

None of this is speculation. The anatomic and biochemical changes characteristic for the
training effect have been documented in the laboratory many times.

Point Charts
The training effect is the goal of an aerobic conditioning program. The means of achieving
that goal is also provided by the program. That is the purpose of the point charts
Here lies the unique merit of the aerobic system: you can measure your own progress
as if you were being monitored in a medical research laboratory.
All you need is the point chart and a stopwatch. It is as if you have put the lab in your pocket.

Many people ask:”What is so important about points? Why isn’t it sufficient just to add up
the total distance you walk or run?” To answer these questions I like to mention an experience Dr. Kenneth Cooper had with two active runners in their early forties, comparable in weight and height, who came to his laboratory for an evaluation on the treadmill.
Both men were running two miles, five days a week. I assumed that their level of fitness was comparable but was quite surprised at the result of their treadmill test.
One of the gentlemen was clearly in excellent condition but the other barely passed.
Why the difference?
I was perplexed until I asked another question: “How fast do you run your two miles?”
The first averaged between 13:30 and 14:00 minutes, whereas the second took over 20:00 minutes. The first was a runner and the other a jogger.It was quite clear that Dr Cooper needed to consider another factor than distance: the time.

You achieve a greater training effect if you put more effort into your exercise.
Consequently, the point system was developed so that Dr. Cooper knew exactlyhow much
effort was being expended. In hundreds of subsequent studies it was discovered that it is
easy to predict oxygen consumption and fitness based on points but difficult to predict it
on miles alone. If you are running 20 miles per week, it’s not sure what your level of fitness
will be, but if you are averaging 100 points per week, you are in excellent condition.

The aerobic point system was derived from laboratory messurements of the oxygen cost
of the exercise, as well as from data obtained in field tests. For the user of the charts, all
that is necessary is to understand that the aerobic points refer to the energy expended,
that is, more oxygen consumed by the body at a faster rate.
In short, the point system measures the energy cost of the exercise.

For example, if you run a mile in 11:30 minutes, you can earn 3 points, but if you run the
mile in 8:30 minutes, you get 4 points. That means: Throughout the aerobic charts
shorter completion times means more points. Because your heart and lungs work harder,
that’s why you get more points for the shorter time span.
Because the point charts let you measure the amount of effort you expend, you can now
take exercise in progressive dosis, and this is vital important. In fact, it is the key to
the aerobic conditioning program.
The body must gradually adjust itself to increasing amounts of exercise.
Too much too fast can be as damaging as too little too late.

Age Coding
For the point system to work properly, four separate age brackets were established:
under 30, 30 to 39, 40 to 49 and 50 and over.
This permits to use a different approach for the older age groups.
Age is not a major obstacle to fitness. No matter what age bracket you belong to,
you can reach a statisfactory level of fitness.

Physical examination
Different people have different objectives in their quest for fitness.
No matter what your particular exercise aim may be, the most important thing is to
achieve it safely. After all, you want to gain your health, not lose it.That’s why
a thorough fhysical examination should be the very first step on your road to fitness.
Age Restrictions

As you grow older, the efficiency of your heart and lungs gradually decreases.
One of the benefits of aerobic exercise is that it slows down this aspect of aging
and to some degree helps you to retain your youthful fitness.
But if you have not been exercising regularly, you should observe certain age restrictions
when you consider starting an exercise program.

If you are younger than 30 years, unless you have some obvious medical problem,
you can enter any type of an exercise program. Jogging, swimming, cycling – no restrictions.Just choose one that you enjoy.

If you are between 30 and 50 years of age, you are still good for almost everything.
You have your choice of sports. But if you plan to do some of the more strenuous exercises,
be sure you get your doctor’s specific approval of your decision.

If you are between 50 and 59 years, it would be better if you started a walking program.
Only after you have conditioned yourself by walking according to a plan, should you
consider running, jogging, or more demanding competitive sports, such as basketbal,
handball or squash. Have your doctor check you out again before you start such activities.
Otherwise you’re better off sticking with less energetic exercises, such as walking, golf,
cycling (particularly stationary cycling) and swimming.

If you are age 60 and over, if you are like most people in this age group, avoid jogging,
running and vigorous competitive sports. Walking, swimming and stationary cycling
will do you a lot more good.
However, there are exceptions for the over-60 bracket. If you have been keeping in shape
by regular exercising for many yearsso that you have built up and maintained your
aerobic capacity, you may safely participate in such vigorous activities as jogging, running,
and stationary running. You’re also free to engage in more strenuous activities if you do
your exercises in a medical supervised group.

Exercise is the medicine that keeps countless people alive. But like al medicine,
it must be taken according to prescriptions.