Avoid nutrient thieves

Avoid nutrient thieves

(NaturalNews) Unknown to many people there are particular substances that when taken into the body actually rob the body of crucial nutrients. These popular substances strip the body of nutrients which set the stage for sickness, disease, and finally death.

Nutrient Thieves

Now let's look at some of what can be called nutrient thieves....

Antacids rob the body of B complex, vitamins A and C, calcium and phosphorus.

Antibiotics rob the body of B complex, vitamin K and friendly bacteria.

Antihistamines rob the body of vitamin C, and aspirin robs the body of B complex, vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, potassium and iron.

Caffeine robs the body of vitamin B1, biotin, inositol, potassium and zinc.

Fluoride robs the body of vitamin C.

Tobacco robs the body of vitamins A, C, and E.

Oral contraceptives rob the body of B complex and vitamin C, D and E.

So it can be clearly seen that different substances, when placed in the body, can actually make one sick and set them up for chronic diseases by stripping away the very nutrients that the body needs to function properly. For instance let's look briefly at the mineral magnesium.

An Example With Magnesium

Magnesium is very highly concentrated within the cells of the body; the only other mineral that is more highly concentrated within the cells of the body is potassium. Magnesium is essential to many of the functions of the body. It is essential to energy production, protein formation, and cellular replication for example. Moreover magnesium functions or participates in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body! It is an essential heart nutrient and also regulates acid-alkaline balances. Magnesium is also a natural tranquilizer.

Some Causes Of Magnesium Deficiency

Some of the causes of magnesium deficiency include a high calcium intake, surgery, alcohol, diuretics (which are typically given for hypertension or high blood pressure), liver disease, kidney disease, and oral contraceptive use. Now let's consider some of the abnormalities that adequate amounts of magnesium can help.

Deficiency Symptoms Of Magnesium

Some of the deficiency symptoms associated with magnesium deficiency are fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, tendency to stress, nerve problems, etc.

Health Benefits Of Magnesium

Magnesium can help cardiovascular and heart problems, and it can also help high blood pressure. Magnesium is helpful for acute myocardial infarction, asthma, diabetes, fatigue, glaucoma, hearing loss, kidney stones, migraine, osteoporosis, pregnancy toxemia, and several other abnormalities.
So consider what a long-term or chronic deficiency in just this one mineral such as magnesium could potentially do to the body.

Now there are several other nutrient thieves that could have been listed; this is not a complete or exhaustive list. However it provides an overview of how certain substances that are consumed or placed into people's bodies can be the basis of why they may develop sickness or disease. These substances are nutrient thieves to the body.

Finally by avoiding these nutrient thieves as much as possible, by providing the body with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and grains, and by following an overall healthy lifestyle, one can, to a great degree, head off sickness, disease and even premature death.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031518_nutrient_thieves_deficiency.html#ixzz1FG4tUOgN

New study proves that drinking soda causes gout

New study proves that drinking soda causes gout

(NaturalNews) Regular soda consumption significantly increases women's risk of gout, according to a study conducted by researchers from Boston University and published in theJournal of the American Medical Association.

Gout is a painful type of inflammatory arthritis that has become increasingly common in the past few decades, rising in prevalence from 16 cases per 100,000 people in 1977 to 42 cases per 100,000 in 1996. The same time period saw a large increase in soda consumption, the researchers noted.

The researchers studied 78,906 women who had taken part in the Nurses' Health Study between 1984 and 2006 and who had no history of gout at the beginning of the study. They found that over the course of 22 years, women who consumed one serving of soda per day were 74 percent more likely to develop gout than those who had less than one per month. Women who drank two or more servings of soda per day were 240 percent more likely.

A connection between soda consumption and gout is not surprising because fructose, a component of sugar, causes the body to produce more uric acid. Uric acid buildup is the immediate cause of gout.

Sugary beverages are widely reviled by nutritionists as a source of empty calories that raises the risk of obesity and diabetes.

"Data collected from the study of 51,603 nurses in the United States found that women who drank one serving of non-diet soda or fruit punch daily, which was sweetened with eithersugaror high-fructose corn syrup, gained more weight, an average of 10.3 pounds, than women who drank less than one per month," writes Gabriel Cousens in his bookThere Is a Cure for Diabetes.

"In addition, the sugar consumers had an 82 percent increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes."

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031511_soda_gout.html#ixzz1FG3fJWUf

Vitamin D grows hair, prevents the flu and reduces arthritis pain

Vitamin D grows hair, prevents the flu and reduces arthritis pain

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D prevents flu. Vitamin D has been shown to help prevent hair loss, reduce back pain, grow bones, prevent osteoporosis, and even prevent dozens of types of cancer. Vitamin D has been called the "antibiotic vitamin" by the journal, Science News, because of its recognized ability to build immunity. An editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published in 2007 entitled "The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective" was co-signed by nutritionists from around the world, including those from Mount Sinai Hospital, Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Tufts University, University of Toronto, University of London, and the University of Helsinki.

Vitamin D Prevents the Flu
Research has shown that vitamin D intake prevents the flu. A study published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2007 showed vitamin D significantly reduced the number of viral infections. In the study group of 104 participants, only one person in the entire group came down with an infection, compared to the control group who had three infections EACH. The 104 people who took vitamin D had a total of one viral infection (1:104) compared to the control group who had a total of 312 (312:104).

Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to a Variety of Diseases

Numerous research studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a wide range of diseases including: acne, adrenal insufficiencies, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, autism, autoimmune diseases, allergies, osteoarthritis, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, many forms of cancer including colorectal and ovarian, Crohn's disease, chronic fatigue, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), diabetes, gluten intolerance, Graves' disease, heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, obesity, Parkinson's disease, psoriasis, and urinary incontinence.

Vitamin D and Bone Pain

Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce back pain in 22 varied studies. Over 3,000 participants showed a reduction in musculoskeletal pain of 48 to 100 percent.

Vitamin D and Hair Loss

Vitamin D is used by the hair follicles, which is where hair begins its growth cycle. Research has shown that vitamin D intake can help grow hair and prevent hair loss.

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Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031522_vitamin_D_arthritis_pain.html#ixzz1FG1kTQNI

Deficiency in this essential Omega-6 fat increases risk of heart disease and diabetes

Deficiency in this essential Omega-6 fat increases risk of heart disease and diabetes

(NaturalNews) Health-conscious individuals understand the importance of Omega-3 fats for cardiovascular and brain health. Conversely, Omega-6 fatty acids are known to lead to systemic inflammation and free radical proliferation when consumed in an unbalanced ratio with Omega-3 fats. Many people avoid Omega-6 food sources in an effort to preserve their health, but they may be missing out on gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an Omega-6 fat that possesses an impressive set of disease fighting powers. Fortunately you can make the necessary dietary modifications or take an inexpensive supplement to further lower your risk of many inflammatory-mediated diseases.

GLA is Critical to Health as it Neutralizes Damaging Inflammatory Messengers
GLA is a unique type of Omega-6 fatty acid and has been shown to exert a powerful influence on chemical messengers that provoke immune response to stressors in the body. This fat works alone and in concert with the Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA to combat a wide range of age-related disorders that are promoted by inflammation.

The results of a study published in the journalInflammationshows that GLA becomes incorporated into immune cell membranes and prevents the genetic regulation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB). This action suppresses the release of messenger cytokines that initiate the damaging inflammatory cycle in cell nuclei. Further research demonstrated that GLA was able to counteract a critical enzymatic process that deteriorates with age and is responsible for producing an anti-inflammatory biochemical action in the cells.

GLA is shown to be Cardio-Protective
Atherosclerosis is largely the result of chronic, low-grade inflammation that causes degradation of the inner endothelial lining of the coronary arteries. GLA triggers an enzymatic process that reverses the damaging effects of inflammation and reduces the age-related risk of coronary artery disease.

Information published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences provides evidence that GLA reduces the tendency of platelets to form clots within small blood vessels. This effect can dramatically lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by preventing platelet aggregation. The study also showed that GLA when supplemented as evening primrose oil helps lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing healthy HDL cholesterol levels.

GLA Lowers Diabetic Risks
GLA is produced in the body from dietary fats through an enzymatic process. Loss of this function through aging has been shown to lead to insulin resistance and prediabetes. The results of research published in the journal Nutrition show that supplemented GLA can prevent the tendency toward diabetes that is seen during normal aging. GLA provides powerful antioxidant support that is necessary to combat high blood glucose levels and to prevent insulin resistance and diabetic neuropathy.

GLA is frequently overlooked as an essential fat because it is a member of the Omega-6 fat family. Although the fat can be produced in the body from dietary sources (vegetable oils, eggs and poultry), many health minded individuals avoid these foods and supplementation may be necessary. Evening primrose oil, borage oil and black currant oil are inexpensive sources of GLA. Reduce your risk from developing one of the major inflammatory killer diseases with gamma linolenic acid.

Article References:
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Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031526_omega-6_diabetes.html#ixzz1FFzJU19D

Patients Uneasy About Security of Electronic Health Records | Security Management

Patients Uneasy About Security of Electronic Health Records | Security Management

By Matthew Harwood

02/22/2011 -

A new survey finds patients wary of the move to electronic health records and the ability of their healthcare providers to secure them.

During the last week of January, CDW Healthcare surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who had been to a doctor's office, a hospital, or an outpatient facility in the past 18 months. What the survey found was a broad cross-section of the American public who were uneasy about the potential security problems associated with the move from paper to electronic records.

Nearly one-half of all respondents believed electronic health records would negatively impact the privacy of their personal information and health data. Patients' concerns varied from fears their information would wind up on the Internet to cybercriminals using the information to blackmail them or steal their identity. Respondents also worried that if employers gained access to their health information, they could use it to manage their benefits and compensation or to make hiring decisions.

These results came despite patients' overwhelming trust in healthcare providers to do the right thing with their personal health information.

According to CDW, nearly seven out of ten patients trusted their doctor's office with their personal information, whereas only one of ten patients trusted their insurance company, the federal government, and their employer to protect their personal information. More noteworthy, 83 percent of patients surveyed said they trusted their doctors to use their information in their best interest.

Nano-sized vaccines

MIT engineers have designed a new type of nanoparticle that could safely and effectively deliver vaccines for diseases such as HIV and malaria.

The new particles, described in the Feb. 20 issue ofNature Materials, consist of concentric fatty spheres that can carry synthetic versions of proteins normally produced by viruses. These synthetic particles elicit a strong immune response — comparable to that produced by live virus vaccines — but should be much safer, says Darrell Irvine, author of the paper and an associate professor of materials science and engineering and biological engineering.

Such particles could help scientists develop vaccines against cancer as well as infectious diseases. In collaboration with scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Irvine and his students are now testing the nanoparticles’ ability to deliver an experimental malaria vaccine in mice.

Vaccines protect the body by exposing it to an infectious agent that primes the immune system to respond quickly when it encounters the pathogen again. In many cases, such as with the polio and smallpox vaccines, a dead or disabled form of the virus is used. Other vaccines, such as the diphtheria vaccine, consist of a synthetic version of a protein or other molecule normally made by the pathogen.

When designing a vaccine, scientists try to provoke at least one of the human body’s two major players in the immune response: T cells, which attack body cells that have been infected with a pathogen; or B cells, which secrete antibodies that target viruses or bacteria present in the blood and other body fluids.

For diseases in which the pathogen tends to stay inside cells, such as HIV, a strong response from a type of T cell known as “killer” T cell is required. The best way to provoke these cells into action is to use a killed or disabled virus, but that cannot be done with HIV because it’s difficult to render the virus harmless.


http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/nano-sized-vaccines-0222.html