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Monday, October 8, 2007

Kidney Stone Prevention! 10 Free Tips to Prevent Kidney Stones

Five people out of every 100 develop a kidney stone sometime in their life. If you are or have been one of those five people, you will know that kidney stones can be a living nightmare. In fact, numerous women characterize the pain worse than childbirth. If you currently have a kidney stone, there is good new because kidney stones can be passed naturally without drugs or surgery (Read last paragraph)! And if you are worried about future kidney stones, know that kidney stone prevention is as easy as changing a few simple lifestyle habits.

10 Tips to Prevent Kidney Stones

1. Drink Water! Kidney Stones are caused by dehydration (not enough water) over a long period of time. Therefore, you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day! A good rule would be to always keep your urine clear.

2. Distilled Water! If you have the option of drinking distilled water, do it! Distilled water is water without any bacteria, viruses, heavy metals or impurities. Drinking 'pure' water will help prevent kidney stones while flushing out your system.

3. Lemons! This citrus fruit is easy to eat. Simply squeeze a couple slices in each glass of water and you will be eating two lemons a day! Tip: You can make free lemonade at a restaurant by mixing water, a few slices of lemon and some sweetener to your glass!

4. Exercise! If you haven't jumped on the health train yet you better finally do it! Exercise has literally thousands of benefits including preventing kidney stones! Find activities that you enjoy and go out and do them! You should make a goal of 30 minutes of exercise for 3-4 days a week!

5. Find a step-o-meter! A step-o-meter shows you how many steps you took during the day. Step-o-meters became extremely popular years ago when McDonalds gave them out! You should make a goal for 10,000 steps per day.

6. Sleep! Most Americans either get too little or get too much! You should try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night. Your body has a natural clock so it is recommended to always go to bed and get up at the same times.

7. Cranberry Juice from concentrate! Cranberry Juice will help maintain your urinary tract which will help prevent kidney stone formation.

8. Get Citrates! Citrates reduce the build up of uric acid and eliminate the build-up of calcium salts (causing kidney stones). Drink plenty of fruit and vegetable juices such at carrot, grape, and orange juices.

9. Say good-bye to soda! Many people believe that kidney stones are caused by drinking too much soda. To some extent that is true because a variety of reasons. Don't drink soda because of high levels of phosphorous which causes kidney stones. (Stay away from carbonated drinks in general.)

10. Stay away from high sugars! High sugar intake is associated with increased risk of kidney stones. You can cut hundreds of calories and prevent future kidney stones by staying away from sugary drinks and foods.

More Prevention and a Natural Remedy for Passing Kidney Stones

I hope that you find these simple, yet effective, kidney stone prevention tips useful! If you know the pain associated with kidney stones, you will know that lifestyle changes need to take place. There are also many more prevention tips available in our Natural Remedy for Kidney Stones Report. And finally, are you currently suffering from a kidney stone that hasn't passed? Please try our guaranteed natural home-remedy (only two ingredients needed) (will work in hours) to pass the kidney stone! Many doctors and nurses are recommending this remedy to their patients to avoid surgery! You can also find this remedy and many more in our report.

Cryosurgery – Freeze Your Foot & Ankle Pain Away

Advances in Cryoanalgesia for Foot and Ankle Pain Relief

Foot and ankle pain has become an epidemic in our society. Diabetes, arthritis, weight gain, injuries and other medical conditions are known contributing factors. If you suffer from chronic foot and ankle pain, relief may be at your doorstep!

When people live with pain on a daily basis, they have difficulty performing simple daily activities. Some have difficulty sleeping or simply walking. This often leads to depression, weight gain and stress. The cycle continues, leading to further distress and life changes that are difficult. The conditions worsen as people don’t know where to turn for relief.

Cryoanalgesia, also known as Cryosurgery, has been used for almost 20 years to relieve chronic foot and ankle pain by freezing the painful. Newly developed techniques and improvements in the CryoStar technology have led to excellent treatments for relief of pain.

Dr. Marc Katz, a Tampa Podiatrist, has performed hundreds of procedures for relief of foot and ankle pain. He has made it his goal to find a successful treatment and has refined the procedure through extensive training, advanced technology and experience. He found that many patients either lived with foot pain or had multiple types of treatments from many medical specialties with little to no relief. Many people had been told that there was nothing else that could be done to provide them with relief.

So where do you turn when you can’t get relief from chronic foot and ankle pain?

Cryosurgery!

The procedure is minimally invasive and takes 15-30 minutes. During a typical in-office procedure, local anesthetic is used so that the cryoprobe can be introduced without discomfort. The probe is inserted through a small skin opening which will require no sutures. The doctor uses a stimulator to locate the nerve. The freeze cycles are then initiated to give long-term pain relief and produce an anesthetic effect.

The patient may perform most of their regular tasks immediately, however . they are advised to decrease their normal level of activity over the first 48 hours. Postoperative discomfort is minimal.

In some cases more than one treatment is needed to obtain optimal results. “Success rates have been around 80 percent in most patients”, says Dr. Katz. “As with any treatment, results will vary. However, most patients get significant relief with the Cryosurgery treatment. Some patients may require treatment of several nerve areas to get relief and may need the procedure repeated to gain additional relief.”

The latest more specialized Cryosurgery procedure takes advanced skills and is more time-intensive, but allows for localization of the abnormal nerve using a stimulator probe. Also, the area is checked for motor nerves. Those are the nerves that control muscle movement and should not be frozen for pain relief. “It is a more exact and precise procedure, so there is little to no guessing. When freezing the nerve, I am more confident that the actual nerve is freezing and not just an area close to the nerve”, says Dr. Katz.

The Cryosurgery procedure sounds fairly straightforward, but it’s more than technique and technology. Another important step in obtaining pain relief and success involves the correct diagnosis and finding the source of the pain. This can be a challenge because many patients have a hard time describing the type and location of their pain. The pain may also vary from day to day. Specialized protocols are used to locate the nerve causing the problem and to diagnose and prove the painful condition prior to performing any procedures. Dr Katz believes that this extra step is critical to good outcomes. “Spending individualized time with each patient makes a world of difference.”

So what should my expectations be from the Cryosurgery procedure?

The majority of patients get significant pain relief for at least 6-8 months. The relief can be long-lasting if the underlying problem that initially caused the pain is treated. Not all patients treated with Cryosurgery will get relief. Some may require more than one treatment and others may not get relief at all. Also, after treating an area there may be numbness that can be long-lasting. Other previously unidentified pain areas may become more apparent after pain relief in another area. In those cases, the other involved nerves can also be treated. Complications are rare, however with any procedure, they can occur. This should be discussed with your Cryosurgeon prior to the procedure.

So don’t give up, Cryosurgery may be the answer for relief of your painful foot and ankle problems.

Dr. Marc Katz is located at 508 S Habana Ave in Tampa.

What is the Problem With Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. Water?

Northern Virginia is growing in population rapidly and as more people move into the area, a question that is asked more and more frequently is - what is the quality of my drinking water?

Individuals and families are naturally concerned with their health and drinking water is an important element of maintaining good health.

Unfortunately, the quality of the water in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. is very poor and is getting worse. Contaminants, bacteria, minerals and chemicals in tap water are masked with heavy doses of chlorine and tap water, in addition to being unhealthy, tastes and smells terrible.

Regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not eliminate contamination but merely sets maximum levels of contaminants that can enter the human body. and cause long term damage.

What is the Story With Tap Water?

Tap water is municipal water that is usually pumped from a nearby river and then processed to meet EPA guidelines. The processing is usually done through a waster treatment plant with heavy amounts of chlorine added to kill remaining bacteria that processing does not catch. It is important to note that EPA guidelines are just that – they establish minimum amounts of allowed contamination that may eventually be harmful to both adults and children.

In Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. the drinking water is pumped mainly out of the Potomac River and at least one waste treatment plant.

Contaminants that may be present in this source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic waste water discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

Contaminants also include pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

In addition contaminants may include organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities also affect local tap water.

What is the source of water in Washington D.C.?

The water in the Potomac River, Anacostia River, and Rock Creek flows into the District from outside jurisdictions. For example, the Potomac River begins in West Virginia, while the Anacostia River begins in Maryland. The quality of water in the District is thus affected by activities throughout the watershed.

Storm water runoff from commercial, industrial, residential and agricultural sites, point source pollutants from wastewater treatment plants and industrial discharges, and combined sewer overflows from as far away as West Virginia and Pennsylvania all contribute to the quality of water in the District and Northern Virginia.

What About Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO’s)

CSO’s frequently occur when natural events like flooding overcome the capacity of waste treatment plants and raw sewage is pumped back into the water source like the Potomac River.

During periods of significant rainfall, the capacity of a combined sewer may be exceeded. When this occurs, regulators are designed to let the excess flow, which is a mixture of storm water and sanitary wastes, to be discharged directly to the Anacostia River, Rock Creek, the Potomac River, or tributary waters. This excess flow is called Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO). Release of this excess flow is necessary to prevent flooding in homes, basements, businesses, and streets but it adds bacteria and contaminants as potential threats to tap water.

Since a portion of the tap water comes from sewerage treatment plants CSO's can adversely affect the quality of our receiving waters in a number of ways:

CSO's contain material which contributes to high bacteria levels in the receiving waters. Organic material in CSO's can contribute to low dissolved oxygen levels, which can contribute to a potential for fish stress or fish kills, especially in summer months; and, debris in CSO's such as plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups (otherwise known as "floatables") contribute to poor aesthetics.

How Safe For Drinking is Well Water?

Well water, a popular alternative to tap water particularly in Northern Virginia is subject to the same ground water contaminants, chemical discharge waste and organic waste as tap water but is not subject to any regulation whatsoever.

In addition to emitting foul sulphur odors and sediment from the water Northern Virginia well water contains significant amounts of iron in the rock in some areas, particularly the Piedmont and Blue Ridge, resulting in iron "staining." Sulfide in ground water is also found in parts of the Valley and Ridge where coal or natural gas is present produces an obnoxious odor.

Ground water that is a source of well water also can be contaminated by human activities. Bacteria from septic systems, and nitrate from both septic systems and fertilizer applications, are among the most common contaminants. Since well water is not subject to regulation, the potability and suitability for drinking, of a private well is the responsibility of the homeowner and many private wells are contaminated.

Treating Drinking Water From Wells

The Sate of Virginia strongly recommends treatment of well water with chlorine to kill bacteria in well water and, in an effort to overcome the obnoxious smell and taste of chlorine, de chlorination. Again, this process is not controlled by any state or Federal agency.

Two general kinds of water treatment are disinfecting and conditioning. To ensure that the supply is free of harmful bacteria, water is disinfected. Objectionable tastes, odors, and matter are removed by conditioning.

Well Water Disinfection Methods

Drinking water is most commonly tested for coliform bacteria, which live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Coliform bacteria in a well are usually the result of a faulty septic system or contaminated surface water entering the well or water delivery system.

Materials and tools used in well construction are frequently contaminated withbacteria that live in the soil and these can be introduced into the water system while constructing the well, installing components of the piping system, or servicing any part of the water supply system. The State of Virginia strongly recommends that the water system be disinfected following construction and after all repairs.

Chlorination is used to disinfect private supplies because it destroys bacteria within a reasonable contact time and provides residual protection. However,ordinary levels of chlorination are not always effective in destroying Giardia cysts, which cause a severe gastrointestinal illness. Super-high levels of chlorination,boiling and filtering are the only effective methods to destroy or remove these cysts.

High chlorine concentrations can have objectionable tastes and odors, and even low chlorine concentrations react with some organic compounds to produce strong, unpleasant tastes and odors.

To eliminate these offensive tastes and to remove excessive amounts of chlorine, the water is then dechlorinated. Activated carbon filters are the most common devices used to dechlorinate water, remove objectionable chlorine tastes, and reduce corrosion of plumbing systems.

In addition to removing taste and odor problems, reports have shown that granular activated carbon absorption is the best method currently available to remove specific organic chemicals (including some pesticide residues), and as a method for radon removal.

How Safe is Tap and Well Water for Drinking?

Municipalities, well owners and even the EPA claim that tap and well water in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. is perfectly safe for drinking but one must wonder. Consider the source of tap water in light of sewage treatment, heavy chlorine additive and waste discharge in the Potomac River and one starts to wonder. Also consider that well water is subject to most of the contaminants of tap water but is unregulated as well.

Is Drinking Bottled Water an Alternative to Tap or Well?

The popularity of bottled water has grown tremendously as Americans seek healthy lifestyles and better tasting water. But not all bottled water is healthier than the tap or well alternative.

Up to 25% of all bottled water on the market is tap water repacked in plastic bottles and bottled water that is not purified often contains minerals and other contaminants that may be harmful to your health. These contaminants are not only unhealthy and affect the taste of the water but limit storage life for emergency supplies of drinking water.

Purified water however, using a distillation and oxygenation process, provides the water drinker the safest and best tasting alternative to contaminated tap and well water in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. Distillation removes the water from the contaminants in a process that insures purity and oxygenation adds a light refreshing taste to the remaining purified water.

Consider the long term health of you and your family and build a healthy lifestyle on pure drinking water.

Focal Infection Theory Supported by Other Medical Doctors.

What has been learned in the intervening years which confirms Dr. Price's contributions to mankind?

Research about endondontic treatment since that time has been extensive and, for the most part, corroborates Dr.Price's discoveries. At the same time, Price's questions continue to add new dimensions to understanding problems inherent in the dental profession's effort to save teeth and keep people healthy.

Let me tell you about some of the scientific research which confirms Dr. Price's major revelations and adds so much to our understanding of this subject. What follows includes a bit more technical information than I like to present to lay audiences. However, knowing some dentists and physicians will read this book because of their own interest in the subject or because of the demands of their patients, it seems necessary to include at least a minimum of scientific data to emphasize studies which support and confirm the Price discoveries.

The following men made important contributions to society in this regard: Milton J. Rosenau, M.D. One of the medical greats who contributed much to our knowledge of the process of focal infection was Dr. Milton J. Rosenau, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene at Harvard Medical School In Boston. In 1939, in an article published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, Rosenau reported isolating streptococci bacteria from an ulcer in the bowel of a patient ill with "mucous colitis." He transferred the bacteria involved in the ulcer through intravenous injection into several animals and reproduced in them a similar colitis. Extensive medical work to try to locate the source of the bowel infection was solved when he found the patient had a crowned bicuspid which had a large abscess at its root end.

Cultures made from the infected area were injected intravenously into a rabbit. In 72 hours the rabbit developed a bleeding, necrosing colitis which proved to contain the same family of bacteria involved in the patient's tooth. But Rosenau's experimental work didn't end there. He then planted these bacteria in some of the teeth of a dog. X-ray photographs revealed these teeth developed abscesses quite similar to those found originally in the patient. What is more, after 16 months the dog developed ulcerative colitis.

To further his work, Dr. rosenau transferred into the teeth of dogs other strains of streptococci taken from patients with a variety of diseases, either acute or chronic, such as nephritis (kidney disease with stones), cystitis (bladder), stomach ulcers, arthritis, and various central and peripheral nerve diseases. Fifty-two dogs were involved and 1014 dogs who were not inoculated were used as controls. Between 47 percent and 75 percent of the animals developed the same diseases as had the patients.

Dr. Rosenau was criticized that he too often found streptococcus bacteria in diseases transferred via focal infection. He pointed out the streptococcus organisms were commonly found to be responsible for the largest number of chronic cases of invalidism. You will remember that Dr. Price also found streps the most frequent oral organisms involved in causing degenerative diseases.

Franklin Billings, M.D. It was Frank Billings, M.D. Dean of the Faculty, Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, who located and identified the first focal infection in the mouth. In 1914, Dr. Billings wrote: "Focal infection is most commonly situated in the head, but may be located in any organ or tissue." What he meant was, while it was possible for a focal infection to rise from any where in the body, its most probable starting site was in the mouth.

It must be kept in mind that in the beginning, studies disclosed the transfer of bacteria from the teeth and tonsils was found to infect the heart, bone joints, kidneys, etc. As time went on, more and more organs and tissues were found to be involved in diseases which originated in the mouth.

It would have been better had Dr. Billings been able to spell out the original findings and then add his new discoveries, for many people who had trouble understanding bacteria could be transferred from the mouth to other tissues opposed his frequent addition of new areas, even though it should have been obvious search addition was a new discovery. These objections were partially responsible for the focal infection theory battles which came about.

Eventually Dr. Billings was to state that at least 99 percent of the focally infected diseases arose from the tonsils or teeth, and only one percent or less from all the other sources combined. Some of those other sources proved to be the sinuses, Lungs, Intestines, toenails, and tonsil tags or stumps, but keep in mind these bacteria could originate anywhere.

Today's Hottest Fat Burning Supplements for Men and Women

It's summertime! The time of year when you want to show the most, feel the best and look ripped! In conjunction with a rigorous fitness plan and a healthy, well balanced diet, fat burning supplements have become an excellent way to optimize your results. It may just make the difference between getting to your goal a little sooner, or even surpassing your body fat goal by a few extra percentage points. Just as in weight training programs and diets, there is individuality that allows different people to get results in different ways, the same goes for supplements as well. So to help you make a better informed decision regarding what fat burners are best for you, here is some additional information about fat burning supplements, and what are the most popular supplements on the market today for both men and women wanting to make the most of achieving that slim summer look.

Calotren Liquid Weight Loss Formula

Calotren is an all natural protein formula that comes in liquid form, therefore it is easier to absorb and works faster than most capsules and tablets. This formula assists the body in burning unwanted body fat naturally without the use of stimulants, tricking the body, or by starvation and severe calorie reduction. It just simply supports the natural fat burning ability of the body and allows you to burn sugar more efficiently.

The protein formula found in Calotren is also naturally occurring in the body. It serves a role of supporting the integrity of our muscles and joints and their ability to absorb impact. It is also linked to giving us a younger appearance as it supports healthy skin. This protein is already broken down and is readily absorbed when taken orally and its integration helps build muscle efficiently and in turn, burns fats and sugar efficiently as well. There are no stimulants such as caffeine, it is ephedra free and there are no known side effects of using Calotren as a weight loss supplement. Other benefits of Calotren supplementation may include: decrease catabolism of muscle tissue, improved workout recovery with shortened rest times between intense session, no adverse effects from stimulants such as jitters or irratic sleep patterns, increased energy, loss of body fat, and healthy younger looking skin.

Take Calotren with water, usually 1 tblsp with a glass of water before bed and it should be outside of a 3 hr time frame of not eating to allow Calotren to work more effectively. You may take another serving in the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach to optimize fat burning. Calotren is unique in that it offers no stimulants, something that is hard to find in fat burning supplements that work.

Lean Out by Beverly International

Lean Out is a lipotropic formula that comes in a capsule form containing L-carnitine, Co-enzyme 10 and Chromium Picolinate. Co-enzyme 10 is an important fat soluble antioxidant that protects substances like cholesterol from oxidation, or the process of it being deposited on arterial walls. L-Carnitine serves two major functions as it relates to fat burning and fitness. The metabolism of BCAA's and burning fat. L-Carnitine is required for the transportation of fatty acids into the mitochondria where they serve for energy production while sparing muscle glycogen or sugar. A deficiency in Carnitine causes fatty acids to accumulate in the blood and ultimately result in more fat deposits. And many times this occurs right where you have the greatest accumulation and where you least likely would want it. In summary, L-Carnitine shifts your fuel source toward fat and thus leaves amino acids and glycogen available to build lean muscle tissue.

The dosage for Lean Out and L-Carnitine supplementation is 2-4 grams in 3-6 daily doses on an empty stomach taken with water. You may find it best to cycle this supplement in a 3 week on 1 week off cycle for optimal results.

Slim Quick by NxCare

Slim Quick by NxCare was specially created for women wanting to burn fat and have a lean look. It is considered the best weight loss product of its kind, and designed to work for a woman's body to effectively burn fat. The quality ingredients are designed to overcome hormonal barriers that prevent most women from losing weight.

For best results, in conjunction with a fitness program and healthy eating plan, Slim Quick should be taken on an empty stomach with water. One capsule in the morming before breakfast and one capsule 6 hours later. As with any supplements, they are most effective when used in conjunction with a complete fitness plan and healthy, well balanced diet. No fat burning supplement can help you lose weight and burn fat exclusively, exercise is a must. But for those who wish to optimize their results, get an edge on competition, and accelerate their fat burning ability, a fat burning supplement is the way to go. For professional advice on fitness program, diet information and nutritional supplements, liveleantoday.com is your home to help you become fit for life.

Fish Oil Benefits

In the quest to achieve better health and wellness, fish oil supplements have become an increasingly popular way to take advantage of many different medical benefits. Fish oil originates from the tissues of oily fish, such as carp, herring, salmon, and fresh tuna. Today, fish oil is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids contained, which is known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and lessen the threat of coronary heart disease (among other things).

There are two main ways to include fish oil as part of a healthy diet. The first involves the consumption of oily fish, including sardines and cod, which contain oils throughout their body and about their gut, unlike other species of fish. Depending on the species, oily fish fillets may offer up to 30% oil. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, oily fish also provides a good source of vitamins A and D.

The second approach towards increasing the amount of fish oils in a diet is to purchase fish oil capsules or supplements. Many people are said to prefer the consumption of fish oil capsules because they are easy to follow and do not require laborious measurements in making sure recommended daily values are satisfied. To explore some of the many benefits associated with fish oil supplements and consumption, a few examples can be found below:

Decreased Pain Levels and Inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids may posses the power to lessen inflammation in the body, as well as ease the pain associated with arthritis and cystitis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often report an improvement in joint pains and inflammation when taking fish oil supplements.

Treats Depression and Stress

Some individuals have been able to ease their symptoms of depression by implementing omega-3 fish oil supplements into their diet. Fish oils have also been linked to showing promise in treating bipolar and psychotic patients. Supplements may also help to promote the overall mood of patients, and may even reduce premenstrual stress.

Cardiovascular Improvements

The heart, arteries, and veins may benefit from fish oil because it has been known to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, while at the same time improving "good" cholesterol levels.

Fights Strokes and Heart Attack

The threat of stroke and heart attack may be decreased with the introduction of fish oils into a diet because they may help to prevent blood clots and other damage to the heart. A decreased risk of sudden death and heart attacks has also been seen.

Enhances Brain Activity

Fish oil is known to boost intelligence and overall happiness in users, as well as improve the memory and ability to stay focused. In the elderly, the risk of dementia and memory loss sometimes decreases with the use of fish oil supplements. Additionally, mothers who consume or take a high amount of omega-3/fish oils during pregnancy often give birth to children with a higher IQ.

Combats Childhood Disorders

Children, who suffer from disorders, such as ADD and ADHD, have experienced a better quality of life when incorporating fish oil fatty acids into their diet. Additional conditions that respond to fish oils include dyslexia and compulsive disorders.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Does Toothpaste Help Get Rid of Acne?

Home remedies for acne come in all flavors of strange. There's the egg yolk mask, handyman soap scrub, lidocaine rub and even a urine toner. And like any trial therapy, homemade treatments may work sheerly because of the placebo effect. But, does toothpaste posses any properties that support its usage as an acne treatment?

The first place to begin answering this question is to consider the ingredients in common toothpastes and what effect they have on the skin.

Fluoride:

In almost any tube of toothpaste you'll find sodium monoflurorophosphate, or simply put, some chemical variety of fluoride. Fluoride prevents tooth cavities. But in the skin, fluoride typically causes more damage that it corrects. For example, medicals studies have reported that large does of fluoride could cause systemic poisoning. Though the amount of fluoride in tooth paste is less than one percent you may not want predispose yourself to risk.

If toothpaste does help acne prone skin, it's most likely not due to the fluoride because this chemical can irritate or burn the skin and sometimes provoke skin allergies.

Glycerin, sorbitol and alumina:

Skimming down the list of toothpaste ingredients, we arrive at agents with the potential to delete zits like hydrated silica, sorbitol, alumina and glycerin. Silica and types of aluminum are used to treat acne via dermabrasive products. However, in the toothpaste, they are too fine to profoundly exfoliate the skin. Sorbitol is a flavoring agent while glycerin makes the toothpaste feel good in your mouth.

Moving on, we come to sodium lauryl sulfate, or the toothpaste bubble maker. You don't need suds to get rid of zits. Next!

Getting rid of calcium:

Now we encounter sodium pyrophosphate, or some relative of this chemical resting in our toothpaste. Sodium pyrophosphate limits tartar deposits on the teeth by removing calcium and magnesium from saliva. It is with this calcium evicting phosphate that we may find a potential acne curative.

Skin levels of calcium directly influence skin cell growth and differentiation. One of the traits of acne includes improper shedding of the skin or improper skin cell separation. And according to research done by Chia-Ling L. Tu and colleagues, too much calcium in the epidermis skin causes more hair follicles to grow, makes the skin more susceptible to outside attacks and increases cell growth.

None of these activities help contain acne so taking away a little calcium from acne prone skin may eliminate a cluster of zits. So we allot a point to pyrophosphate as a possible acne taming agent.

Try these ingredients in a better product and they will help with acne:

Rounding out the toothpaste ingredients are minimal amounts of titanium dioxide and or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). As far as the skin is concerned, these two agents are wonderful exfoliators, yet in some toothpastes, their presence may prove too small to positively affect the skin.

These guys may also absorb excess facial oils which will definitely help bumpy skin heal faster. As predominant skin care ingredients, titanium dioxide and baking soda sever as wonderful dermbrasion agents, so you may want to try them in this form.

In short. proving whether or not your toothpaste will get rid of acne would require some costly research and you would still have to face the ominous doubt cast by the placebo effect. Toothpaste does contain agents with the potential to control acne like pyrophosphates that improve skin cell shedding, and skin exfoliators like titanium dioxide and baking soda.

The only problem is, toothpaste is formulated to treat and prevent cavities, not pimples. You really can't fully benefit from toothpaste's zit fighting agents because they are not concentrated enough. Instead, use acne products that contain right proportions of bump fighting ingredients, whether you buy them at the drug store or make them at home.

Mastering Leptin the Key to Weight Loss

Leptin leapt into the headlines when it was identified in 1995 as a protein that triggers weight loss in mice. Leptin (the Greek term for thin) is a hormone released by your fat cells. When you lose fat, leptin levels drop and when you gain fat, leptin levels rise.

Recent research into leptin has revealed what is likely to be very important in the control of appetite, weight loss and the regulation of body weight. Advances in leptin research and its role in the control of obesity would lead to reductions in diabetes, coronary heart disease and many forms of cancer, all of which are increased in obesity.

American adults are overweight and more than 30 percent are obese. Currently 50 million Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome - a disease associated with obesity and encompassing coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.

Leptin affects our weight and our appetites. Levels of leptin rise just before a meal and fall when people are full. It is now known that leptin not only can affect the chemical responses that affect how hungry you are but also can affect the wiring of your brain.

Scientists are interested in whether leptin may be manipulated to help people, especially overweight people, to lose weight and not put it back on. They know that leptin is released by fat cells and tells the brain how much fat is on the body. Once leptin has been secreted by your fat cells, it travels to the hypothalamus. This is the part of your brain that controls eating behavior.

Defects in leptin signaling leads to obesity, overeating, and decreased energy output.

Normally, when leptin levels in the blood go up, the brain signals us to stop eating. But since obesity isn’t the result of a lack of leptin, it is a lack of response to leptin, and obese individuals tend to have more and larger leptin-producing fat cells than thinner people, their leptin levels increase substantially with every pound of additional weight gain. This is illustrated below.

Mice lacking leptin ate voraciously and grew enormously fat; leptin injections made them stop eating and slim down. The discovery led researchers to think that fat people might also lack leptin, and that it could make them lose weight. But it was not so. Scientists found that most fat people had lots of leptin, and giving them more had little effect. (The New York Times 26/11/2002).

Researchers at the Oregon National Primate Research Center conducted a study in mice involving two separate groups that were fed high-fat and low-fat diets. The high-fat diet group developed symptoms of diabetes and obesity while the low-fat diet group did not. The researchers tested cells which conduct nerve impulses and found the cells behaved as if there was no leptin present, even though levels were 40-times higher than in normal mice. (Cell Metab. 2007 Mar;5(3):181-94).

This is due to obese people becoming resistant to leptin’s signal. When the brain fails to sense the leptin hormone’s signal correctly it thinks that more fat is required, even though we have enough, and fat begins to accumulate while metabolism slows down. Some scientists think that either leptin is not transported through the blood-brain barrier properly or the brain is not interpreting the signals properly.

With the regular discovery of hormones involved in regulating body weight it is a diverse and rapidly expanding field.

My own research of the literature has revealed to me some dietary factors that block leptin from crossing the blood-brain barrier and interfere with leptin signaling. In addition, there are foods/methods that correct these problems. I will discuss these issues in due course.

If this article is reproduced please ensure the link to my website is kept live. If you can't see the links hover your mouse over the words in the bio box.

References

Enriori PJ, Evans AE, Sinnayah P, Jobst EE, Tonelli-Lemos L, Billes SK, Glavas MM, Grayson BE, Perello M, Nillni EA, Grove KL, Cowley MA. Diet-induced obesity causes severe but reversible leptin resistance in arcuate melanocortin neurons. Cell Metab. 2007 Mar;5(3):181-94.

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Fitness and Exercise Guide And Advice

According to few insulin levels play the largest role in losing weight. Other experts determine that our body type is the key to finding the proper exercises and diet plans that work with the body. To find out your body type you will need to talk to your doctor, or else visit the World Wide Net to find answers to your questions. Other details are available over the Internet that can help you decide on which diet is best for you, as well as which exercises works best with your body.

To achieve a healthier status and maintain weight diet must combine with exercise, since one without the other will not work. Combining healthy provisions with correct exercises can bring you good health and physical fitness, which will enhance your quality of life. It will also help you keep your body’s zone to a level.

The body and mind is complicated, however both work together to produce results. Many experts, including theorists, doctors, scientist, and philosophers are continuing to find answers to the body’s functions.

Some of the confusion comes when people diet, exercise and take care of them self, yet they still gain weight. Barry Sears wrote a compelling book titled A Week in the Zone, which produced some outstanding advice. Some of the information in the book helps us to decide on exercises and diets that suit us best, since insulin plays a large part in healthier living. The author lets us know that the hormones consequence of intakes of carbohydrates and caloric differ from the hormones that produce protein and calories. , he continues letting us know that the effects of hormones that produce fats and calories too differ in the direction of health. (p. 3)

The author brings us to see that a balance is needed, yet the balance is factored by the different hormonal levels. Thus, eating healthy, giving the body proper fluids and exercising is the only answer to living a productive and quality lifestyle.

One of the biggest setbacks that people adhere to is making excuses to avoid dieting and exercise. Countless of people find it easier said than done to stick with diet and exercise programs that facilitates them to remain healthy while maintaining weight.

One of the largest reasons is that most people do not understand their body and its type, or have difficulty adhering to a schedule. One of the largest reasons why this happens is that many people find it difficult to plan, set goals that work, and find solutions that help the person maintain a schedule. The threesome is the ultimate tools for working toward good health and fitness. If you are uncertain of the types of exercises, this too can hold you back. Walking up and down the stairs is an aerobic exercise. Mowing the lawn is another type of exercise. Anytime the body is in motion, producing actions it is exercising. Lifting 12’ ounces of beer is not an exercise. Alcohol if overused will affect the body and mind dramatically.