Category Archives: Medical Issues

May 11 2012

Are You Missing One of These Five Keys to Proper Digestion?

By Vicki Berry, Nutrition-To-Wellness

You have probably heard that your health begins in your colon, but do you really know why?

The colon is as much responsible if not more for ridding your body of toxins as your kidneys and sweat glands.

While the kidneys, lymph system and sweat glands depend on your intake of appropriate amounts of
fluid, your colon requires a bit more attention to the diet.

Here’s why:

Over time, you may realize that a buildup in the colon walls is possible, which will prevent both the absorption of nutrients AND the elimination of toxins.

Thousands of chemical reactions and enzymes are at work breaking down our food as it passes through
our stomach and small intestine.

By the time it reaches our large intestine, it should be digested to the point that the walls of the colon can absorb the water and remaining nutrients.

But sometimes the food and toxins that we ingest are not so easily digestible, and cause accumulations on our colon walls, causing not only a depletion in micronutrients, but a toxic buildup as well.

These toxins are then able to pass into our bloodstream in place of the nutrients that are no longer allowed to pass through the blockages, leading to cancers and other chronic diseases.

There are FIVE crucial elements that must be in place for the proper functioning of your digestive system:

(1) Chewing!

Yes, your mother was right, chew your food thoroughly!

If you do not do this, eating in a hurry and gulping down your meals will result in gas and bloating, and a buildup of bad bacteria in your gut!

If you are having a lot of gas and bloating, stop and think when you eat, are you really chewing your food well enough? It’s something we often don’t think about!

Chew slowly and longer, which will actually help you to feel fuller, and ultimately aid in weight loss if you are overweight. If you are not overweight it certainly helps nutrient absorption!

Saliva is what begins the digestive process. Some vegetables are digested primarily with the enzymes in our saliva, the remainder of which facilitates digestion through the lower intestine as insoluble fiber (more on fiber in number 3…)

(2) Water

How much do you need on a daily basis, and what counts? The recommended amount is at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces. In other words, if you weigh 160 lbs, you need 80 oz. of water (10 8 oz glasses) per day.

Now this might sound like a lot but there are some things you get to consider, which I explain in this post.

(3) Fiber

Fiber is simply a form of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest, and is not absorbed into the bloodstream. It is not converted to energy as are other carbohydrates, rather, it is excreted from our bodies.

Fiber is known to aid in shedding extra pounds, preventing constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis, managing blood sugar levels, and may even also help with lowering the bad LDL cholesterol. Fiber has been shown to prevent some cancers.

Fiber also helps to balance the pH (acid/alkaline level) in the intestine, which is important for nutrient absorption.

It also regulates the good bacteria, which in turn helps to detoxify your body and regulates your immune system. (For more on good bacteria, or probiotics, see number 4).

Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid, and prolongs the time that the stomach is emptied to provide for better nutrient absorption. This is also important when eating sweet fruits so that your liver does not get over taxed and create fat from excess fructose absorption.

Soluble fiber also binds with essential fatty acids, which are crucial to cellular health. Sources of insoluble fiber include oats and oat bran, nuts, flax seed, fruits, and vegetables such as peas and carrots.

Insoluble fiber is not water soluble, and passes through us largely intact, helping to move waste through the intestines, preventing constipation, and improving digestive health. Sources of insoluble fiber include fruit and root vegetable skins, green beans and dark leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, corn bran, whole wheat.

Soluble fiber needs water to provide the required function of absorption, and insoluble fiber needs water to move, so always be sure to get enough water with an increased intake of fiber! Water will facilitate the benefits of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

So How Much Fiber Should You Have?

If you consume a diet high in refined starches and meat, you are probably not getting enough fiber.
Current recommendations suggest that children and adult women consume a minimum of 20 grams of dietary fiber per day, and adult men consume at least 30 grams per day.

The more calories you consume, the more fiber you need. Teens, active adults, and particularly men may need up to 38 grams per day or more. This recommendation is for dietary fiber from food, not supplements.

Here is one fiber chart I’ve found that is a good source to keep around, and see what you are really getting.

Fiber supplements are ok, but it is better to get as much as you can from whole foods. Sometimes the fillers and sources of fiber supplements are less than optimal, and you are certainly going to get more micronutrients from whole foods!

(4) Probiotics

Probiotics are the “friendly” bacteria that benefit the colon and therefore the immune system.

They are live micro-organisms (usually including lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, streptococci, and some yeasts such as Saccharomyces, and moulds) which are beneficial to health by restoring microbial balance in the intestine.

Probiotic foods are those that involve fermentation in their production; including miso, pickles, sauerkraut and fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir.

A new category called prebiotics refer mainly to certain foods, and occasionally to certain food products, that support probiotics by enhancing their survivability.

Prebiotics foods include artichokes, leeks, onions, oats, and whole grain breads and cereals, fructooligo-saccharides, or fruit derived, digestion resistant sugars (FOS), also in honey, and galacto-oligo-saccharides, which are the sugars in galactose-containing foods like goats milk.

I’ve written more about probiotics, including some history, recommendations, precautions and reliability of supplementation.

(5) Exercise

Yes, even for your digestive health, exercise plays a crucial role! Particularly core strengthening exercises and stretching, which increase the blood flow, nutrient absorption, and facilitate toxic elimination.

Be sure and visit Vicki’s site, Nutrition-To-Wellness!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Apr 20 2012

7 Ways Testosterone Improves Womens’ Quality of Life

Testosterone, androgenic hormone, male sex hormone, etc. Testosterone is good for women too. Sure, you will need it if you’re trying to “lean and tone” your body. But, research has revealed much more about the “so-called male hormone.”

Here are 7 Ways Testosterone Improves Womens’ Quality of Life:

1. According to the research, heavy weight lifting gives you exercise-induced testosterone increases. This will help you build muscle mass without fear of “bulking up” like a man! Couples who workout together report having improved sex lives due to this type of exercise…..makes sense.

To lift heavy enough, your repetition range for exercises should be between 3-5 (you would have a difficult time lifting these repetitions). You would typically do 4-5 sets of each exercise.

Rotate heavy lifting days with light lifting days (10-12 reps per exercise, 3-4 sets). Do circuit weight training with the lighter weights (little or no rest between sets). You will need more rest between sets when you lift heavy (1-2 minutes rest between sets).

Women can also burn more fat by increasing exercise-induced growth hormone. Growth hormone is also important for building muscle. Intense circuit weight training and interval cardio workouts will increase your body’s growth hormone.

Women need testosterone for other uses too:

Paul Carpenter, M.D., is a consultant in endocrinology and health informatics research at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. He has practiced in endocrinology, with a special interest in hormone replacement, for 25 years. Here he addresses questions about the role of testosterone in women (items 2 through 6 based on Mayo Clinic research).

Testosterone production is substantially lower in women than it is in men. After puberty, a woman begins to produce a constant, adult level of testosterone. The production is split about 50:50 between the ovaries and the adrenal glands. In men, the testes produce testosterone. Women produce just a fraction of the amount of testosterone each day that men do.

2. Studies show that it helps maintain muscle and bone and contributes to sex drive, or libido. There are also quality-of-life issues. If you give testosterone replacement to testosterone-deficient women, they often say they feel better, but they’re not specific as to how.

One of the tough things about research in this area is what has been measured and what hasn’t. Testosterone levels, muscle mass and bone strength have been measured. When testosterone levels in the blood increase, bone density generally improves. Although a few researchers have attempted to measure changes in sex drive and overall quality of life, these important effects are much more difficult to assess.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluated sexuality and quality of life in women with low blood levels of testosterone. After raising their blood levels of testosterone using a medicated skin patch, health and sexuality seemed to improve.

3. Which women should have their testosterone levels checked?

It’s a complicated answer. After menopause, testosterone production drops, but not as sharply as estrogen does. For women who’ve had their ovaries removed, testosterone production drops by roughly one-half, sometimes resulting in less-than-normal testosterone blood levels.

Generally, the women who have too little testosterone are those who may go to their doctor with concerns like, “Ever since I had my ovaries removed, I don’t feel like the same person. I’m not as strong, I don’t have as much energy and I don’t have the same sex drive.” Should we measure testosterone in all women who’ve had their ovaries removed? I don’t know. If a woman says her sex life has diminished since her hysterectomy, her doctor may check her testosterone level. If it’s low, she can consider testosterone replacement.

Another group at risk of low testosterone is women who have lost pituitary gland function because of a medical condition or past surgery. The pituitary sends hormone messages to the adrenal glands and ovaries. Without the pituitary signal, hormones aren’t manufactured. These women require estrogen and cortisone replacement, and they’re also testosterone deficient. This isn’t a common problem, however.

4. How important is it for women with low testosterone to have it replaced?

It isn’t an imminent health danger per se. However, think about the older woman with osteoporosis who has fallen and fractured her hip. If her testosterone is low, would replacement have helped prevent her hip fracture? It’s possible. Testosterone has the potential to strengthen her bones. Additionally, she might have been able to prevent the fall if her muscle mass had been better.

If a postmenopausal woman is on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), does that affect her need for testosterone?

Yes. Estrogen therapy — with or without progesterone — can further suppress residual testosterone production by the ovaries. That’s because hormone signals from the pituitary gland drive ovarian hormone production. Taking estrogen partially reduces the pituitary hormone signal to the ovaries and potentially reduces testosterone production. The pituitary senses there’s enough estrogen, so it doesn’t send the signal for more estrogen and testosterone.

5. What are the side effects of testosterone replacement?

When given in appropriate doses, there are no negative side effects. Today we can measure blood levels, so it’s easier to monitor the dose. Excessive testosterone can cause acne, body hair growth and scalp hair loss in women. Excessive testosterone supplementation, such as you’ll find with anabolic steroids used by athletes, also tends to drop high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. That’s the “good” cholesterol. Lower HDL levels increase the risk of heart disease.

6. What about other androgens, such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)?

DHEA is a weak androgen or male hormone. Although it’s true that DHEA levels decline with age, very few well-designed research studies show benefit from replacement. Another New England Journal of Medicine study says DHEA treatment improves sexual function in women who have underactive adrenal glands, but not many people are using the supplement for that reason. In addition, many people are taking DHEA in very large quantities. Again, excessive amounts of synthetic androgens drive down HDL cholesterol levels, which is considered a cardiovascular risk. People who are ill often have lower-than-normal DHEA or testosterone levels. This appears to be a normal physiologic response to illness and not the cause of the illness.

Barbara L. Minton is a school psychologist, a published author in the area of personal finance, a breast cancer survivor using “alternative” treatments, a born existentialist, and a student of nature and all things natura. This excerpt is published on www.naturalnews.com

7. Testosterone conveys powerful anti-aging effects. It turns fat into muscle, keeps skin supple, increases bone mineral density, gives us positive mood, and boosts our ability to handle stress. It supports cognitive functioning, and keeps the liver and blood vessels clean. Low testosterone levels have been associated with heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, and depression. If you are freezing cold all the time and your thyroid levels are adequate, you are probably low on testosterone. For women, a little bit of testosterone can go a long way in improving looks, figure, energy level, outlook on life, enjoyment of living, sex appeal and sexual fulfillment.

Women produce increased amounts of testosterone during puberty. Levels of testosterone peak for women in their early twenties. The decrease in sex drive through the twenties, thirties and forties is often exacerbated by oral contraceptives which suppress all sex hormone production (testosterone, estrogens and progesterone). By the time a woman has reached natural menopause, she may have only half of the level of testosterone she once had.

To get exercise-induced testosterone increases, download my FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program and get started changing your body!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Apr 13 2012

5 Tips to Lose Weight without Low Back Injuries

What good does it do you to wreck your body trying to lose weight? I see many people with low back injuries that could be avoided.

You can lessen your risk of low back pain or injury with proper training and good posture. Bad movement patterns over a long period can cause some serious low back pain. In some cases, you may need to consult your doctor.

Low back pain is a major problem for the American population. As many as 75%-80% of adults have experienced significant low back pain. Lack of core stability and strength is the major cause of low back pain.

According to research, here are the Top 5 Causes of Low Back Pain:

1. People with chronic low back pain have inadequate firing of the transversus abdominis, internal oblique, multifidus and deep erector spinae.

2. Training the abdominal area without proper pelvic stabilization increases intradiscal pressure and compressive forces in the lumbar spine.

3. Core training done without proper recruitment of the tranversus abdominis, multifidus and other stabilizers will lead to the development of muscle imbalances and inefficient neuromuscular control of the kinetic chain (human movement system). Brace before doing core exercises (like you’re getting ready to take a punch to the gut).

It is also important to brace before doing exercises like squats and shoulder presses. These two exercises work the core muscles big-time (many times better than other traditional core exercises).

4. People with chronic low back pain have inadequate stabilization endurance. When training the core, the stabilizer muscles (which are primarily slow twitch muscle fibers) are best trained with the “time under tension” method. This method of contraction lasts for 6-20 seconds. This method also improves static and dynamic stabilization.

5. Maintaining the cervical spine in a neutral position during core training improves posture, muscle balance and stabilization. If the head protrudes (forward head) during training, the sternocleidomastoid (anterior neck muscle) is recruited.

This can lead to pelvic instability and anterior rotation of the pelvis. When this happens, the eyes re-align and are not level. This will negatively impact your exercise performance.

Strengthen your core with exercises like planks, side planks, bridges, cobras and back extensions.

Do bodyweight back extensions to protect your spine and build low back muscles.

Back extensions target the erector spinae muscle group surrounding the spine. Your hamstrings also contract strongly during the back extension exercise and assist the erector spinae.

It is important to perform this exercise correctly or you will end up with the very thing you are trying to avoid—-BACK PAIN OR INJURY. The technique error I see most in those doing back extensions is hyperextension of the back. Hyperextension happens when you continue lifting your upper body past the point of a straight line (your back, hips and lower legs should line up).

The pictures above (on the ball and on equipment) shows correct technique. Hyperextension will compress your vertebral discs.

If you already have a specific back injury you are suffering from and are looking for relief, visit the Healthy Back Institute. Since 2001, their team of pain relief experts has helped over 240,000 people in 100 countries from around the world find lasting relief from their pain.

They have given away over one million copies of the new book, The 7-Day Back Pain Cure, by Healthy Back Institute co-founder Jesse Cannone. Get a Free Copy of The 7-Day Back Pain Cure now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs