Posted by admin on June 1st, 2008 — Posted in School of Nutrition
Herbal Remedies Have Come a Long Way in Effectively Treating Physical Conditions, IBS is No Exception
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is not only an embarrassing inconvenience, but in many cases can be so severe that it becomes painful and dangerous to the future health of your bowels and colon. So, what can you do to control and even cure your IBS naturally, and return to a carefree, regular existence? A complete herbal remedy for IBS is a great start.
IBS comes in many forms. In most cases it manifests in uncontrollable, unpredictable, and sudden urges to evacuate the bowels. The stool of a person suffering symptoms of irritable bowel tends to be inconsistent in that it jumps from hard to pass (constipation), and painfully sudden and watery and cramp-inducing (diarrhea). Some people with the condition will experience either constant constipation with occasional bouts of “relief” in the form of diarrhea, and yet other experience a constant state of runny stool, cramping and excessive water loss.
As you can imagine, either of these types of IBS can definitely cramp your lifestyle and cause a lot of discomfort. Not only that, the condition can many times lead to serious health implications for the colon such as colon polyps and even colon cancer.
What an Herbal Remedy for IBS Can Do for You
1.) Colon Cleansing - An herbal remedy for IBS should come with a colon cleanser. Colon cleansing is an absolute necessity if you want to restore regularity and comfort to your life. A good colon cleanser will cleanse away toxic and stagnant substances from your colon that may have literally been polluting your digestive and waste system for years. You can see why the colon cleanser is vital to any herbal treament of IBS.
Herbs are one of the best ways to naturally cleanse the colon, since they do not cause any side effects and will not build up and add toxins to your colon as many chemical formulas will do.
2.) Active Cultures or Probiotics - Probiotics, acidophilus or active cultures (as you see in some yogurts), are absolute essentials within your digestive tract. These flora help to kill off harmful bacteria and toxins, as well as to tone and repair the colon allowing for smooth evacuation and comfort.
3.) Herbs Which Target Parasites Responsible for IBS and Colon Problems - The killing of harmful parasites that may inhabit your digestive tract and cause further difficulties with IBS is also an absolute necessity in your chosen herbal IBS remedy. Without this, you are only targeting part of the problem and not addressing each potential aggravator of the condition.
If you want to use herbal or natural supplementation as a part of your overall strategy for getting and staying regular, it’s important to look for something that not only addresses and corrects the issue of regularity, but also helps to cleanse and repair the digestive and waste tracts that have no doubt suffered damage over the years from IBS-induced difficulties.
This way, you can regulate your body and repair years of damage at the same time. And you won’t believe how good you’ll feel.
Visit Herbal Remedy for IBS for more information on the most effective natural remedy for IBS. Danna Schneider is the webmaster of Herbal Medicines
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Posted by admin on May 27th, 2008 — Posted in School of Nutrition
According to at least one popular diet web site, millions of dieters around the world may be using the wrong oil on their salads, or taking the wrong omega-3 dietary supplement pill.
For years, millions of people have been pouring flax seed oil over their salads, adding it to recipes and menus, and taking big capsules of it on a daily basis. The idea was to get something called EPA, DHA, and GLA from the essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids it contains. The problem is that to get GLA, EPA and DHA from flax oil, you need a special digestive enzyme. And, guess what? The news from Level1Diet.com is that only young, healthy people make enough of the enzyme to do the conversion from flax oil into these special nutrients that people are looking for.
What are all these initials and why do people want them? EPA, DHA and GLA are called “essential fatty acids” because your body can’t make them by itself. You must eat foods (or take supplements) from outside sources containing either Lenoleic Acid (LA) or Alpha Lenolenic Acid (LNA). Flax seed oil contains both of these.
- GLA: Gamma Linolenic Acid
- EPA: Eicosapentaenoic Acid
- DHA: Docosahexaenoic Acid
And, if you can properly digest these essential fats, then you get two wonderful health boosters for your body called EG1 and EG3 (prostaglandin series-1 and series-3). These are terrific aids in fighting inflammation. And, when you reduce inflammation, you help your body prevent major diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and many more.
What if you can’t digest the flax seed oil? Well, you will end up making too much of something called EG2 (prostaglandin series-2). As you might guess, this actually INCREASES your levels of inflammation, and therefore increases your risk for all the major diseases associated with inflammation — and that’s a big list of diseases, as scientists are reporting these days. The Level1Diet.com site lists dozens of these associated diseases, adding up to possibly 73% of all the deaths each year in the U.S.
So, for years people have been buying flax oil to get these vital nutrients. And all this time they may have actually been making matters worse. Or, at least many people have not been improving their health, despite their efforts.
Here is the break down — The issue is that the Linoleic Acid flax seed oil contains has to be converted into Gamma Linolenic Acid using Delta-6 Desaturase D6D enzyme. And D6D is made inoperative by high levels of insulin (duh), alcohol, pollutants, and high levels of Omega-6 Fatty acids from vegetable oils and fried foods, trans-fatty acids, etc. Also, D6D becomes less available anyway as we age, and there is evidently a genetic mutation that makes people into diabetics (by family groups of course) that is basically simply a mutation that makes people not as capable of making D6D as “normal” people. It is felt that this mutation is probably the true cause of the familial component in the genesis of type-2 diabetes, and naturally likely of most inflammatory disease and metabolic syndrome.
A simple digestive enzyme deficiency, which is possibly inherited among up to 40-50% of people or sometimes even more in some regions (apparently about 90% of the Pima Indians in Arizona, for example). Estimates vary, but the inability to use D6D is very common. So, a simple digestive enzyme can be a major cause involved in many of our worst diseases. Who’d have thought it?
OMEGA-3 Alpha-Linolenic Acid LNA (part of flax oil) + D6D -> … -> Eicosapentaenoic Acid EPA -> Series-3 Prostaglandins [inflammation fighters]
OMEGA-6 Linoleic Acid LA (in many vegetable oils, incl. flax oil) + D6D -> … -> Gamma Lenolenic Acid GLA -> … -> Dihomogamma Linolenic Acid DGLA -> Series-1 Prostaglandins [inflammation fighters]
NOTE that D6D is required to generate both of these this way, from vegetable oils, and it is often not available for diabetes and many pre-diabetics or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistant folks.
Incidentally, if you eat the wrong stuff and D6D stops working, then you get Arachidonic Acid (AA), which leads to making Series-2 Prostaglandins… those are the bad guys involved in most inflammatory disease states.
Everybody affected by most of the major types of disease in the U.S. usually wants to boost Series-1 and 3 Prostaglandins, and lessen Series-2. We’re manipulating our diet to get that to happen. That’s most of our strategy. There’s more, i.e. burning more with exercise, eating less etc.
SOLUTION?
The idea is to make an end run around the missing or not-working D6D issue. Fish oils give you EPA and DHA with needing to be converted by D6D. Borage oil gives you GLA with using D6D. So the answer is simply to add them into your diet.
- Take Borage Oil (GLA), which gives you GLA without needing D6D (best source). Recommended daily dose is about 300mg of GLA from one 1,200mg oil capsule for most normal sized people - up to twice that for very large people.
- Take Fish Oil, which gives you EPA without needing D6D (best source). Recommended dose is about 2.4 grams a day of the total EPA and DHA in the oil you are using. That usually means about 3-4 pharmaceutical grade capsules, or up to 10 normal standard health store grade capsules.
Both these oils together will get you more of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin series-1 and series-3 molecules. And you don’t get as much of the pro-inflammatory series-2 prostaglandins that would come from not being able to convert flax seed’s omega-6 fatty acids into DGLA and therefore ending up with too much arachidonic acid — whenever you’re insulin resistant, inflamed or for some other reason unable to produce or use enough delta-6 desaturase D6D enzyme.
Thomas Bond is the founder of the Level1Diet.com anti-inflammation health program. He is the creator of the unique Food Guide Football(tm), a replacement for the Food Guide Pyramid. The Food Guide Football features fats at one small end of the football, sugars at the other end, vegetable proteins like beans, peas and nuts in one vertical stripe around one end, and animal proteins like fish, chicken, turkey and lean beef, as the other stripe around the other end, with the large middle of the football representing fruits and vegetables. The Food Guide Football represents a low fat, low simple carbohydrate, moderate protein and high complex carbohydrate diet formula. Specific foods and supplements are recommended to achieve and maintain a low inflammatory state of health.
If all of that complex chemistry stuff is confusing, just take Level1Diet.com’s word for it. A capsule or two of flax seed oil probably won’t hurt you, and it may help you. However fish oil and borage oil should ABSOLUTELY HELP YOU. Take them instead.
For more information, contact:
www.Level1Diet.com
Thomas Bond
561-627-6221
ceo@level1diet.com
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Posted by admin on March 23rd, 2008 — Posted in School of Nutrition
Many parents are concerned that their children do not consume the proper foods they need to stay strong and healthy. The truth is children can be picky eaters. Some children will go through stages where they will refuse to eat anything other than a favorite food, while other children will try new foods, but do not take to them.
Children’s vitamins are available to parents who want to ensure their children are receiving the necessary nutrients he or she needs to grow strong and healthy. Even parents who have children who eat well are supplementing their children’s diet with vitamins. The fact is the earth’s soil is rapidly being depleted of nutrients, and the rigors of food processing also leaves many foods deficient in vitamins and minerals.
Children’s vitamins are packaged in such a way that they are attractive to children. Most children’s vitamins come in colorful and fun shapes. Many manufacturers of children’s vitamins are packaging their vitamins in lollipop, gum ball and gummy bear varieties. Because these vitamins resemble candy, it is important that you keep them away from a child’s reach and that you monitor their intake. If you find your child has taken extra vitamins, you should consult their pediatrician or your local poison control center.
There are instances when a pediatrician will prescribe vitamins for a child. If a child has a vitamin deficiency, does not have access to fluoridated water, or has anemia or other illness or disease, vitamin supplements may be prescribed for a child. However, in general, many pediatricians believe that children do not need vitamin supplements if they are being fed properly. They feel that children can receive all the vitamins and minerals they need if they eat according to the Food Pyramid. Consult with your child’s pediatrician before starting them on a vitamin.
Vitamins are supplements and not replacements. Children’s vitamin supplements should never be looked upon as a replacement for healthy eating. Encourage your child to eat the foods they need, and do things to make nutrition fun and flavorful for them. For instance, letting children add grated cheese to their vegetables will make some children more interested in eating them. Allowing a child to drink calcium fortified orange juice over milk works well for a child who does not like milk. Let your child participate in making a vegetable pizza, or let them pick out fruit at a market and place it in their own special area at home. All of these tips can go a long way in helping a picky eaters overcome their fears so they consume the vitamins they need.
Raquel is a writer for MamasHealth.com. www.MamasHealth.com is a website aimed at providing clear, simple, easy to understand information about health.
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