Keep The Body Alkaline For Optimum Health

-From Natural News Oct 20,2009

Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. This means that our bodies function more efficiently when slightly alkaline, but bodily functions, such as digestion, are acid producing. So what can we do to ensure that our bodies remain more alkaline and balanced?

The human body's metabolic process is naturally acid producing. However, this waste needs to be neutralized or "balanced" so it can be safely eliminated from the body without damaging tissues and organs that are responsible for detoxifying the body. Alkalinity is needed to neutralize and balance acidity. The presence of alkalinity in the body's acid producing environment is counteractive to the onset of illness and disease and also prevents decomposition.

"Acidosis" refers to an acid pH. It is an imbalanced acidic condition of all bodily fluids. Almost all cellular functions in the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH falls too far to the acidic side the cells become poisoned in their own toxic wastes and will die. All chemical processes have an ideal pH. Your blood should have a pH of 7.35 - 7.45.

Many studies show that people with a correct blood pH enjoy good health; whereas, people with a low, or acidic, pH are more likely to be ill. The slightest imbalance can cause serious illness and disease.The body will do whatever it must to maintain the blood pH balance, and will continually steal acid-neutralizing minerals from wherever necessary, such as calcium from bones and teeth. The blood will dump the acid into other body organs in an effort to detoxify itself. The organs then dump the acid back into the blood, creating a vicious cycle of trying to rid itself of acidity. This cycle can be ended with a properly balance pH.

Symptoms of mild cases of acidosis include headache, lack of energy, sleepiness, fast and shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and loss of appetite. Acidosis can result in rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporoses, high blood pressure and most cancers.Metabolic acidosis occurs when the body has more acidity then alkalinity in it. Eating a diet of excessive meats, grains and breads, dairy products, sugar, overcooked, refined and processed foods and fast foods, can lead to an acidic pH balance. Other factors can include overload from pollutants and chemicals, emotional stress and negative thinking. Even excessive exercising (past the point of exhaustion) causes acidity.

The most important way to stay alkaline is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

- Increase the amounts of vegetables and fruit (alkaline foods) that you eat while decreasing the amount of acid-forming foods, such as grains, dairy products, pasta and breads. Juicing vegetables can be an excellent way to increase your alkaline food intake.Just because a fruit or vegetable may be acid, that doesn't mean it will be acid when it is digested. When foods are digested, they turn into "ash". This ash is what determines if a food is acid or alkaline.- It is important to remember that the method of cooking will also have either an acidic or alkaline reaction. For example, a potato that is baked or boiled in its jacket is alkaline food, whereas a fried potato is acid-forming.

- Make sure you drink at least 2 liters of good water per day. Normal tap water falls short of being good for you. Most city water has additives such as chlorine and fluoride, which are acid forming. Distilled water, water treated by reverse-osmosis or alkaline waters are best.

- Stress - Joy helps to alkalize the body. Take time to relax, have fun and laugh!

- Exercise will tend to make the body more alkaline, but exercising excessively will become acid-forming

www.thewolfeclinic.com/phbalanceart...

http://www.naturalnews.com/027280_alkaline_food_blood.html

Top 5 Habits to Increase Longevity

-From Yahoo! Health

By Dr. Maoshing Ni

Is it really possible for anyone to live happily to 100? The good news is that your body was designed to be 100 - you just have to get out of the way.Getting out of the way means taking an honest look at the habits and lifestyle you are living with today. Most of us have developed habits that limit our true health potential.
But don't let these bad habits of the past discourage you - it is never too late to make new choices. What you did in the past can be changed, and your body will respond in kind. What matters is what you do from this moment forward.

Top 5 Daily Habits for Your Longevity

It takes 14 to 21 days of repetitive behavior to form a new pattern in your brain. Once the pattern is formed, it becomes an automatic behavioral response.
As you develop new healthy habits, they will begin to replace bad habits. These healthy lifelong habits are adapted straight from the time-tested traditions practiced by centenarians all around the world, and I can say with certainty that they will transform and rejuvenate you!

Eat five small meals a day.

In the Western culture, meals are taken three times a day, but it is much better to eat five smaller meals. When you eat smaller portions five times a day, you deliver a steady stream of nutrients, blood sugar, and energy to your body throughout the day.
Additionally, eating this way is less taxing on the digestive and metabolic systems and also reduces your risk of heart disease.

Climb the stairs instead of using elevators.

The health benefits of a daily exercise program cannot be stressed enough. Regular exercise can help promote physiological well-being, strengthen the immune system, maintain joint mobility, increase energy - and the list goes on.
Look for opportunities all through your day to work in physical activity. Power-walk, run, or ride your bike instead of driving. Begin a daily tai chi practice. Join a gym and actually go! Practice safely and watch your health results pile up.

Laugh it up!

We know from research that laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of the natural killer cells that help protect the body from illness and cancer. Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, compounds that give you a sense of well-being, in your brain. Without a doubt, joyful people live longer and healthier lives.

Drink 8 glasses of water every day.

Water is essential for all healthy body functions. Centenarians from around the globe cite their native water as the source of their health and longevity - and the scientists agree with them. What they all have in common is pure water sources located far from any city, free from chemicals and toxins.
Choose filtered water; the best filtration processes are the ones that use activated charcoal, which removes the impurities but leaves the water-soluble minerals. Also, do not store water in plastic containers because the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can leach into the water.

Unwind with meditation.

Stress is the root cause of most of the diseases that shorten our life span. In our modern society stress will continue to increase - unless you find techniques to manage it. Meditation is the best way to release tension and revitalize your being. It teaches you to breath properly, which is critical for eliminating up to 70% of your body's toxins and wastes. It also quiets your mind, lowers your stress hormones, and teaches self-discipline, which is a necessary attribute to achieving your health and longevity goals. Try this beginning meditation:Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Breathe naturally and close your eyes. Each time a thought appears, put it inside a balloon and let it fly up into the sky and disappear. Do this until the thoughts are exhausted. After a bit, your body will feel very light, and your mind will become still. The first few times it may take a while, but it will get easier and faster with practice.I hope you use these healthy habits for years to come! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me. May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

-Natural News-

-April 9,2009-

Stress is not a modern-day problem. It's something mankind has been dealing with since our very existence began. Our bodies even come built with a specialized hormonal response to stress: our adrenal glands trigger a burst of hormones like cortisol to help us deal with periods of stress. This release of cortisol is meant to be temporary - perfect for chasing down game or outrunning an enemy.Today, our lives are busy and stress is virtually constant. This lifestyle produces chronic high cortisol levels. So, while we may not have to worry about evading a grizzly bear, our modern way of life has its own risks. High cortisol levels are linked to a weakened immune system, insomnia, weight gain, high blood pressure, depression and more. Fortunately, we can take measures to balance our cortisol levels and regain our good health.

Budget Your Stress

It's impossible for anyone to eliminate all stress from their lives, but we each have the choice of what stresses we are willing to deal with. In the same way you would prioritize your expense budget, decide which stress-inducers you are willing to handle and then discard the rest. If you feel like you are constantly running around, then you probably need to make a few cuts to reduce your stress. And if you find yourself dealing with a major stressor - like divorce, relocation, or a sick loved one - you may need to temporarily scale back even further.

Take a Break From Stress

Even after making cuts in your stress budget, you're still likely to run across situations that cause your cortisol to jump sky-high. The best way to combat these stressors is to allow yourself some downtime. Here are some proven ways to put a check on your cortisol:

• Sleep it off. Eight hours of sleep every night is one of the most effective ways of lowering cortisol. Even if you didn't sleep well the night before, a midday siesta can help make up for lost hours and normalize your cortisol, according to research at Pennsylvania State University.


• Listen to some soothing tunes. By spending time listening to your favorite songs, you can significantly lower your cortisol levels.


• Massage the cortisol away. Well, no one had to tell you a massage helps you unwind, but several studies have shown regular massage therapy is an effective way to slash cortisol levels


• Laugh till it hurts. Laughter can help reduce cortisol - by as much as 39 percent says a study from Loma Linda University. So pop in a DVD of your favorite sit-com or hang out with your buddy the wannabe comedian to melt the stress away.


• Eat regular, balanced meals. Skipping meals and low-calorie dieting can trigger the release of stress hormones. Instead, eat a healthy, balanced diet of at least three meals and one snack each day. Include whole carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.


• Avoid too much caffeine. You may think you need eight cups of java a day to function, but the truth is that caffeine is a stress trigger to the adrenal glands. Chronic high cortisol will cause fatigue and poor brain function over time, so in the long term those shots of espresso do more harm than good. Try sticking to less than three caffeinated beverages per day.


• The little things add up. Studies show simple things like chewing gum, spending time with loved ones, deep breathing exercises or spending a few minutes meditating can help reduce cholesterol levels.

For many, managing stress is a lifelong journey of baby steps. But rest assured that each step you take in the right direction will improve your health and restore you body's natural reserves of energy and vitality.

Sources:

http://www.star-telegram.com/living/story/1257106.htmlhttp://www.healthnews.com/blogs/melanie-grimes/family-health/mental-health/natural-ways-reduce-stress-2866.htmlhttp://www.news-press.com/article/20090317/HEALTH/903170309/1013/LIFESTYLES

Relax to Music, Ease Blood Pressure

Blood pressure a bit too high? Spending half an hour a day listening to music and breathing slowly may help.

That's what happened in a new Italian study of 28 adults taking drugs to control their mild high blood pressure (hypertension).

First, the patients wore a device that tracked their blood pressure for 24 hours. Next, they were given a CD of classical, Celtic, or Indian music. All of the tunes on the CD had similar slow rhythms says Professor Pietro A. Modesti, MD, PhD, of Italy's University of Florence.

The patients were assigned to listen to the CD for 30 minutes per day for a month and to breathe slowly while listening to the music, taking twice as long to exhale as to inhale. At the end of the month, the patients wore the blood pressure monitor again.

The patients' blood pressure improved during the study. When the experiment ended, their average systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped three points, and their average diastolic blood pressure (the second number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped four points.For comparison, 20 other patients didn't listen to music or practice slow breathing. Their blood pressure didn't change during the study.

It's not clear what mattered more, the music or the slow breathing. "The antihypertensive effects [have] to be considered as the result of the combination of music and breathing exercises," Modesti notes.

The findings were presented in New Orleans at the American Society of Hypertension's annual scientific meeting. Modesti calls for further studies to see if the results hold up in the long term.

SOURCES:

American Society of Hypertension Annual Scientific Meeting, New Orleans, May 14-17, 2008.

Dr.H's comments:

Another scientific evidence validated the effects of reducing stress (listening to music, breathing exercise), hence going deep into alpha and these measures able to bring down the blood pressure.

So next time if you're happen to be diagnosed with having high blood pressure, go to any music store and grab some cds of Mozart,Beethoven, or Scarlatti before seeing your doctor. :)

hypertension

Menangani Stress

Kebanyakan dari kita berhadapan dengan STRESS setiap hari. Stress boleh menjejaskan mood dan prestasi kerja kita. Stress juga adalah punca kpd 'oxidative stress' yang menjadi punca kepada lebih 70 penyakit kronik

Oleh itu penting sekali kita berupaya untuk menangani stress-tidak kira siapa anda-pelajar, eksekutif, pensyarah, doktor, arkitek. anda boleh belajar kaedah stress yang senang ini..

Cara menangani stresss

Saya akan tunjukkan 3 strategi untuk mengurangkan stress. anda boleh menggunakan salah satu cara di bawah atau menggabungkannya sekali (lebih baik)..

Strategi 1- Kaedah Cepat

1.Tarik nafas dalam-dalam dan semasa anda hembus nafas...relaksss...rasakan ketenangan..

2. Guna kaedah 'mental housecleaning'. katakan anda telah membuat satu kesilapan di ofis dan anda stress setelah dimarahi boss(suatu yang negatif)...tegaskan dalam hati.."cancel-cancel" untuk membuang fikiran yang negatif itu...gantikan dengan sesuatu yg positif eg membayangkan anda membuat kerja anda dengan sempurna dan boss anda memuji anda.

Strategi 2- Kaedah Relaksasi Progresif

Kaedah ini memerlukan anda concentrate setiap otot, bermula dari kulit kepala dan berakhir di jari kaki dan kemudian relakskan ia

Mulakan dgn bhgian kulit kepala. rasakan getaran, suam-suam atau kebas-kebas pada bhgian itu...kemudian relakskan bhgn itu..

Pindah ke bhgian dahi..rasakan getaran, kesuaman dan kebas2 pada bhgian itu..relaks bhgian dahi anda..

Turun ke bhgian mata...concentrate dan relaks..

Bhgian leher...concentrate dan relaks..

Turun lagi ke bhgian bahu, dada, abdomen, peha, lutut, kaki dan jari kaki....concentrate dan relaks...

semakin lama anda practice, anda akan lebih cepat utk relaks dgn kaedah ini

Strategi 3- Kaedah 3 jari

Kaedah ini perlukan latihan untuk sampai ke tahap alpha dahulu. (rujuk posting sebelum).

Katalah anda telah mahir dan sampai ke alpha dgn cepat (selepas kiraan menurun 5 hingga 1), lakukan latihan ini..

1. meditasi. buat kiraan menurun- 5,4,3,2,1 dan anda menurunkan 'brainwave' ke alpha

2.rapatkan hujung ibu jari ke hujung jari telunjuk dan hantu spt gambar)

3. katakan dalam fikiran anda.." setiap kali saya stress dan mahu relaks, saya akan rapatkan jari saya seperti ini dan fikiran saya akan relaks..

4. tarik nafas dalam-dalam dan semasa hembus nafas...relaks

5. buat latihan ini selalu semasa meditasi dan masa akan datang, jika anda mahu kurangkan stress, anda cuma perlu rapatkan hujung ibu jari tangan ke hujung jari telunjuk dan jari hantu sahaja...

OK....selamat mencuba dan relax,-it's good for you!

Oxidative Stress

Ever heard of 'catchy' words such as free radicals, oxidative stress, antioxidants and inflammation? some may said yes, I bet majority will say 'hardly heard of them'. I'm not suprised because I was like most of you- 2 years back. Being trained in medical field, you might wonder why so.The answer is becoz I was not thought about that in my medical school days! so what can I expect from the laymen?.

My 'new journey' started after I read a book by my idol/guru/mentor ie Dr Ray Strand who wrote an excellent book- "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You".

Dr Strand in his simple plain English clearly explained what are meant by the words mentioned above, based on his experience in treating chronic diseases in his clinic in South Dakota, US.What I remember most from his book was his statement:

"Over the past 7 years, I have reviewed well over 2,000 medical and scientific studies in regards to nutritional supplements and their affect on your health. These studies appearing in medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, British Lancet, and Annuals of Internal Medicine report that beyond any doubt the "root" cause of well over 70 chronic degenerative diseases is "oxidative stress." These are the "who’s who" of diseases we all fear and want to avoid; diseases like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s dementia, macular degeneration, lupus, MS, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue"

So dear readers, this might be my most important posting in my blog-understanding what is OXIDATIVE STRESS and how to 'firefight' it for it will become your basic in understanding my discussion of any diseases.

So what," you may be wondering, "is ‘oxidative stress’?"




photo:mitochondria

Within every cell of the body is a furnace called the mitochondria. As oxygen is utilized within the furnace of the cell to create energy and life itself, occasionally a charged oxygen molecule is created, called a "free radical." This free radical has at least one unpaired electron in its outer orbit essentially giving it an electrical charge. If this free radical is not readily neutralized by an antioxidant it can go on to create more volatile free radicals, damage the cell wall, vessel wall, proteins, fats, and even the DNA nucleus of our cells.


free radicals damaging the surrounding structures

Chemically this reaction has been shown to be so volatile that it actually causes bursts of light within our bodies!


photo: fireplace

Imagine yourself in front of a crackling fireplace and I’ll give you the best illustration I have to explain the process of oxidation. The fire burns safely and beautifully most of the time, but on occasion out pops a hot cinder that lands on your carpet and burns a little hole in it. One cinder by itself doesn’t pose much of a threat; but if this sparking and popping continues month after month, year after year, you will have a pretty "ratty" carpet in front of your fireplace.

' ratty' carpet (disease)-manifestation of oxidative stress

The fireplace represents the furnace of the cell (the mitochondria), the cinder is the charged "free radical," and the carpet is your body. Whichever part of your body receives the most free radical damage will be the first to wear out and potentially cause one of these degenerative diseases. If it’s your arteries, you could develop a heart attack or stroke. If it is your brain, you could develop Alzheimer’s dementia or Parkinson’s disease. If it’s your joints, you could develop arthritis.

Living a healthy life becomes a matter of balance. You must have enough antioxidants available to readily neutralize the number of free radicals your body produces. If you don’t, "oxidative stress" will occur. When this oxidative stress is allowed to persist over a prolonged period of time, you will most likely develop a serious chronic degenerative disease

Reference: 'What Your Doctor Doesnt Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You'.Ray D Strand.2003


army medical corps
cont in next posting-antioxidants