If you have been diagnosed with diabetes

This is the first of many articles to come on the terrible disease of diabetes.

Let me tell you upfront that I have diabetes. I have had it or pre-diabetes or Syndrome X for the last 15 years or so. So I speak from my own experience. I am not and never will be a doctor. Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes in my own humble opinion the very first step you should do is get educated.

The resources available to you in the way of education are enormous. From the American Diabetes Association on down to websites like mine-the information is almost overwhelming. There is no shortage of information for you to become expert in your new found possession.

Once diagnosed, many people need counseling; some need anger management; others like myself were in denial for almost two years and didn't take it seriously-please don't emulate the author.

I would say the next step is to get a team together that can help you fight the disease. A doctor, a nutritionist, family for support, maybe someone who could help you with exercise-all these folks can be on your team to help you with the next step.

The next step in my opinion is to get a grip on the disease. With your team, pledge that you will always be in control of it and not the other way around. The alternative is not very pleasant.

So once you have been diagnosed with diabetes:

GET EDUCATED

GET A TEAM

GET CONTROL

Being a diabetic is not the end of the world. As a matter of fact, diabetes is perhaps the only major disease that can kill you that is controllable. Your future with diabetes rests in your hands. This website and the blog will hopefully shed some light for you and maybe give you some encouragement.

Jack Krohn has had Diabetes, Pre-diabetes and Syndrome X for nearly fifteen years. He speaks from the experiences he has had during that time. His new website is devoted to educating patients of Diabetes.

By: Jack Krohn

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DIABETES articles and tips. Jack is also a free lance writer and the #1 author of Home Security Articles in the country according to EzineArticles. You can get information on a FREE HOME SECURITY SYSTEM. He owns SECURITY SOLUTIONS a one stop resource that provides solutions and answers for all your self defense and home security problems.

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Article Posted By the Webmaster Foras Aje. He invites you to visit his website for more information on the Latest Health news, Healthy Living and Lifestyle choices at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com

Green tea is truly one of nature’s great gifts

The news today is all about the rapid march of the Chinese economy which it seems likely will shortly overtake all but the very largest Western nations. But is there a danger that in importing Western affluence the Chinese may also import Western levels of the characteristic diseases of affluence – obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, even cancer?

Perhaps, but probably not, so long as traditional Chinese medicine retains its focus on promoting the balance and harmony of the entire human organism; on unleashing and then harnessing the body’s own incredible healing powers.

In fact the ever increasing popularity of Chinese medicine in the West is evidence of the wisdom of this approach. And fortunately there's isn’t no need for you wait until you’re ill or consult a specialist practitioner to derive the benefits of the Chinese approach to health. As simple a change as incorporating a few cups of tea a day in your routine will over time deliver dramatic improvements in your well being.

Tea became widely known in China during the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) and was quickly prized for its health promoting qualities, but there is evidence that its benefits have been known to the enlightened for at least four thousand years. In fact legend tells of a stray camellia blossom, drifting on the breeze one day in 2737 BC, which found its way into the Emperor Shen Nung’s steaming drinking water and quickly infused it with all the characteristic refreshment and invigoration we associate with tea.

So renowned did the properties of this simplest of beverages become that detailed rules of etiquette for its correct consumption emerged, culminating in the publication of Lu Yu's "The Classic Art of Tea". This famous poet and Buddhist priest laid down strict procedures for the preparation and serving of the perfect cup of tea. The water for the brew had to come from a gently flowing stream and be combined with leaves in a fine porcelain cup. The resulting brew was ideally to be drunk next to a lily pond in the company of a beautiful woman.

But despite Lu Yu’s best efforts, the Chinese never developed the kind of highly formal and complex tea ceremony characteristic of Japan. In the centuries following the publication of his work, however, tea's popularity spread rapidly throughout China. "Rather three days without food than a day without tea" became the saying, as news of its benefits reached the remotest corners of the vast empire. Books and poems were composed in its honour; Emperors gave particularly prized samples as gifts, and the teahouse became a familiar feature of countless cities, towns and villages.

So just what are the health benefits of drinking tea? The Chinese knew it from earliest times first as a stimulant to good digestion when consumed after a meal, stimulating the absorption of nutrients from food. Tea is also known as a powerful anti-oxidant and detoxifying agent helping to flush toxins from the body. These qualities alone, common to all teas, would be more than enough to make it a very valuable health supplement. But there’s more, much more, to green tea than this.

What makes green tea different from the black varieties with which we’re all so familiar, since all are derived from the camellia plant, is the method of production. Crucially, leaves for green tea are steamed rather than fermented, preventing the oxidation (ie destruction) of the vital EGCG compound which gives green tea its power. If you’ll forgive a little scientific jargon, EGCG is short for Epigallocatechin Gallate, one of a number of catachin polyphenols that occur naturally in tea. But what’s important to know is that EGCG is a very powerful anti-oxidant, the preservation of which has been indicated by research to make green tea anything up to ten times more potent than the more common fermented varieties.

This is not an academic difference. In fact today’s western science is increasingly confirming the health benefits long claimed for the consumption of green tea. And amazing as it may seem, EGCG and related compounds in green tea appear directly to target the most common killer diseases commonly attributed to western affluence and diet. A striking example is the case of the so-called “French paradox”. Medical science had long been puzzled by the relatively low incidence of heart disease in France, despite its traditionally high fat national diet. But then it was discovered that the red wine also widely enjoyed in France contains significant quantities of resveratrol, another ant-oxidant polyphenol credited with protective powers against the effects of a fatty diet.

The really good news is that a 1997 study at the University of Kansas demonstrated that EGCG is up to twice as powerful as resveratrol. Other research has credited EGCG with the ability to reduce total levels of cholesterol as well as improving the ratio of “good” (HDL) cholesterol to “bad” (LDL) cholesterol; and to protect against abnormal blood clotting.

This kind of thrombosis is a major risk factor for both heart attacks and strokes - still two of the biggest causes of premature death and disablement in the western world.

But there's more good news yet, because if there's one single disease that's most characteristic of Western society today it must sureluy be obesity; as alook around yourlocal gym or shopping mall will quickly confirm. And in truth, many ot hteother killer diseases of affluence, most notably diabetes and cardio-vascular problems, have chronic obesity at their root. So can green tea help with this all too common health problem? Well Swiss research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November 1999 suggests that it can. The research concluded that green tea possessed thermogenic properties and promoted fat metabolism at a faster rate than could be explained by its caffeine content alone. Or in layman’s terms, green tea is a powerful fat burner which can be a very useful tool in any weight loss program.

But perhaps most excitingly of all, there’s increasing evidence that the anti-oxidant effects of green tea may even have positive effects in the fight against cancer. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese people by almost sixty percent. And University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that EGCG can directly inhibit the growth of cancer cells without apparently harming healthy tissue. This ground breaking study suggested that consumption of as few as four or five cups of green tea a day may have a significant inhibiting effect on tumour growth. Whilst earlier studies had also indicated the possible anti-cancer benefits of green tea, this was the first to isolate EGCG as the compound responsible – a major step forward.

If after reading all of the above you’re just raring to add green tea to your daily dietary regime I wouldn’t blame you at all. In fact I’d actively encourage you. But it’s only fair to give you the whole picture. And that means pointing out that the consumption of large amounts of green tea could risk adding a significant amount of caffeine to your normal intake.
Let me put this in perspective though. A standard six to eight ounce cup of green tea will contain between 30 and 60 milligrams of caffeine. A similar size cup of coffee will likely contain more than 100 milligrams. So just replace a couple of cups of your normal coffee intake with your recommended four to five cups of green tea and your caffeine intake’s going to stay level. But if you want to eliminate caffeine entirely then caffeine-free green teas are now becoming readily available.

So you can enjoy all the benefits cited above without any of the possible side-effects of caffeine and with ever increasing interest in the health promoting properties of green tea, new benefits are coming to light all the time. Already for example, the anti-oxidant (ie anti–ageing) qualities of the tea are being applied to the manufacture of skin care products.

Those may still seem a little far fetched to you right now, but in terms of your internal organism there’s no longer any doubt that green tea is truly one of nature’s great gifts - a very inexpensive but invaluable health booster.

Steve Smith
April 2007
www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com

By: Steve Smith

Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in direct marketing and with a particular interest in health products. Find out more about green tea at www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/GreenTea/Information.htm

Article Posted By the Webmaster Foras Aje. He invites you to visit his website for more information on the Latest Health news, Healthy Living and Lifestyle choices at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com

natural remedies are readily available for cold sores

Many natural remedies are readily available for cold sores. There have been many cases where they have been extremely effective in not only treating the symptoms but also the length and severity of the cold sore outbreak. However, one very important caveat – before starting to use one of these natural remedies it is absolutely vital that you discuss this first with your doctor. If you are currently taking prescriptive medicine, there may be a conflict which could exacerbate the problem. Please check with your doctor first!

Now having said that, do not be surprised if he or she is 100% behind your decision to try a natural alternative – indeed many doctors will advise their patients to try them as a first course of action before that has even occurred to the unfortunate sufferer themselves. With the massive expansion of the internet over the last few years, there is a huge amount of information exchange going on that just wasn’t there before.

In fact data studies have been made which conclude that natural remedies can cut the time period of suffering cold sores by an amazing 79%. Not only that, they can also avert the likelihood of further outbreaks in the future. The natural remedies keep the virus indefinitely inactive rather than killing it off outright. So, having established that there is no shortage of successful home remedies that will rapidly assist you in curing your cold sore outbreak, let’s list just 10 of them.

1) Tea Bags applied directly to the sore
2) Reishi mushrooms in supplement or powder form
3) Resveratrol cream (a natural compound from red grapes)
4) Astragalus – a popular herbal tonic originating from Chinese medicine
5) Lemon Balm cream
6) Wakame - a type of seaweed popular in Japan
7) Echinacea – or purple coneflower common to North America
8) Rhubarb and Sage cream
9) Bee Propolis – as the name suggests it is collected by bees
10) Lysine in supplement form (an essential amino acid)

You should be able to find most of the above from any good health food store. The above list is by no means conclusive, and results will vary from person to person. Some will work better than others, some may have no effect at all. However, various studies have shown significant success with them, hence their inclusion here.

Also potential new herbal remedies are being constantly tested so it is always worthwhile to keep up with the latest developments.

By: Robert H Black

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Did you know you could be home free from cold sores in just 3 days from now? Click on Robert’s site Cold Sore Free to see what you’ve been missing!

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there are many benefits to be had from an intestinal cleanse

Today both the colon and intestinal cancers are becoming the fastest growing cancer diseases in the Western world. Our poor diet as well as the build up of toxins and parasites in a person's body contributes to these particular forms of cancer being contracted. However, an intestinal cleanse or as they are more frequently known as "colon" or "bowel" cleanse are able to help remove the toxins and parasites which can lead to these forms of cancers.

Certainly there are many benefits to be had from an intestinal cleanse, Below we provide you with just a few of them.

1. Intestinal cleanse not only helps your intestines, colon and bowel but it can also make a person's skin look more vibrant.
2. Intestinal cleanse often let a person finds that their cellulite, water retention and blemishes have disappeared.
3. It has been known that intestinal cleanse helps the whites of a person's eyes to regain their youthful clearness as harmful toxins are removed from the body.
4. Intestinal cleanse also helps to heal and strengthen a person's entire gastro intestinal system which makes it work more effectively and so helps to remove toxins and parasites from the body more easily.
5. An intestinal cleanse will help to prevent the build up and the formation of new toxins and parasites in the body.
6. Often the use of the herbal forms of intestinal cleansing will also help to strengthen the muscles of the large intestine as well helping to improve the digestive tract overall.

But not only intestinal cleanse helps to improve and promote a person's health it helps improve a person's digestive system. It also helps the body to assimilate essential nutrients from the food that we eat as well as properly eliminating waste and toxins from the body in order to maintain a good hormonal balance.

So as you can see from above, there are many reasons to why a person will use an intestinal cleanse in order to help improve their health and well being.

By: tangopang

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Tangopang is an author and consultant. You can read more on Natural Health Remedy. Natural Health

Need To Improve Your Health Or Flexibility? Try Yoga

There are a range of health benefits from the practice of Yoga. These range from improvements in general levels of health and fitness, to improvements in mental health in some cases, and to, for some, an expansion of what could best be described as spiritual health. Yoga has wide ranging benefits.

Yoga can lessen stress in your life, and help with some problems such as anxiety. And one area where the disciplined practice of Yoga helps greatly is flexibility. The regular practice of Yoga can make a big difference to your flexibility.

Yoga is a low impact, slow and invigorating form of stretching exercise. It is not specifically designed with stretching in mind, but this is certainly one of it’s benefits. As Yoga exercises or movements are done slowly and carefully, over time this will lead to an improvement in your overall flexibility and this will make differences in other areas of your life.

Improvements in flexibility can reduce muscle strain from trying to do things which your current flexibility prohibits without effort. It can improve back movement and muscle pain and will sometimes help with such problems as migraines.

Simple things like sitting at your office desk or reaching to pick something up may be more comfortable. Bending over will become easier. You may well find that other activities, particularly sporting and recreational activities become more enjoyable as your flexibility improves.

And of course this is just a few of the benefits of Yoga. Yoga is easy to learn, although it does take some discipline to do it regularly, as with many forms of exercise. It can be practiced by people with no experience and is easy to take bit by bit. There is no requirement to do a certain amount, you can take it at your own pace and learn as slow or as fast as you like.

And if you learn Yoga at your pace it has limited risk of injury as it is a slow low impact form of exercise.

Yoga is fun and healthy. If you’re thinking of taking up Yoga give it a go. You won’t regret it.

By: Peter Crump

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To find out more about Yoga visit Peter's Website The Good Yoga Guide at www.goodyogaguide.com/ and find out about Yoga Health Benefits and more including Yoga resources

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Well, It seems sugar has gotten a bad wrap

It seems sugar has gotten a bad wrap.

The majority of consumers wrongly think that a teaspoon of sugar has a whopping 70 calories, according to a study by The Sugar Association. The truth is that sugar has just 15 calories per teaspoon.

That means people may not be saving as many calories as they think when they reach for a yellow, pink or blue packet of artificial sweetener.

The obvious question is: How did we become so misinformed? Have all the sugar-free products, artificial sweeteners, anti-sugar diets and sugar-buster books biased our perception?

Browse a supermarket and you'll likely find sugar-free or reduced-sugar products in almost every category from jams and jellies to ice cream, cookies, breads, salad dressings and cereals. But are they better for you?

Recently, the Associated Press asked five nutrition scientists to evaluate newly introduced "reduced-sugar" kids' cereals. The scientists found that the reduced- sugar version of popular kids' cereals provided no reduction in calories or improved nutritional content over the regular sugar versions. The replacement ingredients provided the necessary bulk and texture to the reduced- sugar cereals but offered no nutritional or caloric advantage.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA) 2004 position paper on the use of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners, "Nonnutritive sweeteners added to the diet have been shown to promote a modest loss of weight… The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially at the same time as the consumption of nonnutritive sweeteners has increased."

Nutritionists say the best advice overall is to read nutrition labels and know what's in your food. Low sugar doesn't necessarily mean low calorie or better for you. Eat a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other fiber-rich foods, plus calcium-rich dairy products. And you can add sugar, with only 15 calories per teaspoon, to make many of those healthy foods tastier. A bowl of fresh berries, homemade oatmeal or unsweetened yogurt tastes great with a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Just because a food contains sugar does not make it a food to avoid.

By: Stacey Moore

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For more information, visit www.sugar.org. Food fact: A teaspoon of sugar has just 15 calories.

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5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5

Some Great Reasons To Go Vegetarian

Reason #1 - You love animals
Many Americans love their pets dearly yet they still eat meat. It can be easy to forget what you are actually eating because the meat we purchase bears no resemblance to the original furry animal with big brown eyes. Make no mistake however, if you eat flesh, you are eating an animal that had feelings, emotions and most importantly a capacity for suffering.

Over 27 billion animals are violently slaughtered in America each year after enduring lives of neglect, torture, and mutilation in cramped, filthy conditions with virtually no laws in place to protect them from cruelty.

The next time you are deciding what to eat, try to picture yourself at the petting zoo.

Reason #2 - You love our planet
Water conservation is a hot topic. You might do your part by using a low flow showerhead or turning off your water while you brush your teeth. What you may not realize is that a whopping one-half of the water supply in the United State goes to animal agriculture.

Our existing water supply is contaminated further when the enormous amounts of excrement produced by these animals,which is far too much to fertilize the local crops, is disposed of as waste.

America’s forests are also being destroyed to raise cattle. Vegetarians only require 1/6 of an acre to grow their food supply while meat eaters require over 3 acres. If the US population switched to a plant based diet, over 20 million acres could be returned to forest.

The next time you are enjoying a low flow shower after eating steak for dinner, please think about the 2500 gallons of water it takes to make a single pound of beef.

Reason #3 - You love being alive and healthy
What is the one lifestyle choice you can make that can reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, asthma, many cancers and even male impotence? What choice can help make your kids taller and smarter? What lifestyle choice can help you live six to ten years longer? Numerous studies have shown a vegetarian diet to increase your chances of these and other benefits.

Human beings can get all the nutrition they need from plant sources. Organic plants offer antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber while meat offers saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants like hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics.

Additionally the human digestive tract is much longer, twisted, and pocketed than the smooth, short tract of a natural carnivore. Natural carnivores also have much stronger stomach acid. Eating something our bodies can not handle could explain why even a small amount of meat can dramatically increase a person's risk for a multitude of diseases and cancers.

The next time you are deciding what to eat, try to think about the health and lifespan of you and your loved ones.

Reason #4 - You love other human beings
Does it bother you that people are starving to death on the other side of the world? Would you like to do your part to help?

You might be shocked to learn that America could easily wipe out world hunger if we raised crops instead of animals. The world’s cattle alone consume enough food to feed 8.7 billion people.

The next time you are deciding what to eat please think about the 15 million children around the world that starve to death each year.

Reason #5 - You love peace of mind
Wouldn’t it be nice to finally put to rest that little nagging voice inside of you that loves animals? Wouldn’t it feel great to know that you are saving 100 animals a year by adopting a plant based diet? Wouldn’t it be a weight off your shoulders to know that you are doing the right thing for yourself, animals, the planet, and humankind? It is a tough step to take and you may have to face opposition from friends, family, and society in general but what an outstanding feeling to finally do the right thing.

By: Sheryl Lyon -

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Sheryl Lyon resides outside Chicago and writes all about natural living and parenting for Natural Living & Parenting Blog and A Much Better Way.

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