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The health care products industry is possibly one of the most profitable in the market place today. Every year millions of weekend warriors spend millions of dollars on exercise equipment, health club memberships and weight loss products. Every year, those same well intentioned individuals either give away their expensive exercise equipment, or sell it on garage sales for next to nothing in order to make room in their over crowded garage.

Many are discouraged by the current failure rate that plagues many that venture into living a healthier and better life. This toppled with the high cost of all the “get healthy” paraphernalia that is typical of weight loss enthusiast, is preventing many from taking a step towards a healthier life style. But the truth is that in order to loose weight one does not need to purchase expensive exercise equipment at all.

One of the healthiest and most rewarding exercises available to the average person is walking? Walking can provide one with the ability to loose unwanted pounds in a healthy way. To make walking more palatable, try walking at a park or by the beach if at all possible. Adding a change of scenery to ones walking routine can get rid of the “walking blues” by providing a stimulating environment that can certainly invigorate.

Another way that you can spice up your walking is by talking your dog along with you. Taking your canine friend with you can certainly be a win-win situation for the both of you, since your dog will benefit from walking. Additionally, if you happen to be the owner of a large breed dog, bringing your dog with you can provide protection for you. This is especially important if you are a female and if you will be walking in an area while it is dark, or when there are not too many people around. If your dog is the type that likes to pull and lead the way, visit a Dog Directory and look for information on dog trainers or dog training, so that you can train your dog not to pull you any more.

The fact of the matter is that aside from having a physical disability, there is not a valid reason for getting involved with walking as a form of exercising and weight loss or control. So get up on your feet and out the door, and get in good shape before it is too late.

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I was reading an article that claimed that eating ice cream might help woman get pregnant. I know, it sounds crazy and you might be led to believe that I was reading one of those crazy tabloids out there, but according to the article a study from the well known Nurses’ Health Study showed that eating two ice cream servings a week reduces a woman’s risk of infertility by approximately 38 percent.

Although scientists were able to observe the dramatic increase in percentage, to this date they are not able to figure out why. However, it is obvious that the fat in the ice cream and in other full fat dairy products or perhaps a substance inside the fat seem to help the ovaries function properly. Of course, I am not making this up. Dr. Chavarro who is a fellow in the research department at Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition, backs up this research according to the article I read.

The same Dr. Chavarro also found that woman that get their daily iron from pasta, cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, had a better chance of not suffering from the risk of infertility, as supposed to those who got their iron from chicken, beef and fish. He attributes this finding to the fact that pasta may encourage egg development, and that there is the possibility that the fat on meat limits iron absorption.

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One of the things that concern me the most about traditional medicine and its treatment protocols is that most of the drugs that are prescribed have major side effects. For instance, I was reading that the drug REQUIP (Ropinirole Hydrochloride) which is used to treat moderate to severe Restless Legs Syndrome, and some time is used to treat Parkinson’s disease, has some minor side effects that I think should be looked into by those who are about to use it.

The possible side effects of REQUIP are:

Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, sleepiness. Some patients also show urges to gamble, increase sexual urges, and hallucinations.

As always consult a licensed health care provider to discuss this side effects or any other questions that you might have. The content provided here is solely for informational purposes only and was not meant to treat or diagnose an illness.

The latest news: it seems that coffee and exercise together can help fight cancer. In fact, the combination is over three times more effective than exercise alone (see article sources below). How can this be?

Researchers don’t know why this works, but as is so often the case, an explanation can be found in the ancient field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, cancer is caused by a condition called “excessive dampness”. It’s treated by getting rid of the dampness. There are many ways to do this, but the most effective is exercise. The dampness comes out as perspiration and the activity makes our body work more efficiently.

But not all cancer patients have the energy to exercise. Excessive dampness robs the body of energy and physical strength, which makes it very difficult for some patients to even want to exercise. This is where coffee comes in. All bitter foods and drinks increase heart energy, which is responsible, among other things, for physical activity. So the coffee effectively gives cancer patients the energy to exercise.

It’s important not to overdo it, though. While a bit of coffee boosts heart energy, too much of it will, in fact, increase the dampness in the body. In general, one to two cups of black coffee a day is enough. It can be regular or decaffeinated, or it can be replaced by other bitter foods, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, dandelion, slightly charred toast or barbecued foods.

Please read the disclaimer before using any of the information presented here.

Doctors and psychologists see it all the time: people who have substantial debts are highly stressed and often in ill health. They can suffer from an inability to focus, lowered performance, depression, relationship problems, frequent colds, poor sleep, overeating, digestive disorders, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Although the problem is widespread, medecine doesn’t understand it very well, mostly because of the difficulty in designing appropriate tests (see the Washington Post article “In Over Your Head? Ask Your Body.”). But perhaps a bit of ancient Chinese wisdom can shed some light on the mechanisms involved—and provide a few tips on how to stay healthy in spite of debt and other long-term stressors.

Central to all ancient Chinese sciences, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a view of nature called the Law of 5 elements. It’s a way of classifying things according to their main characteristics and describes how they interact. Things that have the same characteristics reinforce each other. Things that are different influence each other along specific energy patterns.

Being in serious debt is a situation that causes a lot of worry and anxiety. Because it usually goes on for a long time, chances are that the ongoing attack will eventually affect our health. While the pattern is the same for everybody, the exact symptoms vary from person to person, depending on our individual strengths and weaknesses.

Directly affected is the digestive system. It belongs to the same group as worry and anxiety, which increase its energy. When we worry too much for too long, eventually our digestion becomes overstimulated. This can trigger all kinds of digestive problems.

Indirectly affected is the heart. It’s responsible for physical and mental activity, for joy and happiness, and provides energy to the digestive system. But when the digestive system is overstimulated, it drains energy from the heart. Our energy goes down, our activity diminishes, we can’t focus or produce, we feel down, even depressed. And, of course, we’re at greater risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In addition, low heart energy can easily upset our sleeping and make us gain weight.

These are the most common symptoms, but by no means are they the only possible ones. The excessively high energy of the digestive system increases lung energy and diminishes kidney and liver energy, all of which have their own associations, illnesses and symptoms. Both Chinese and Western medicine agree that stress can cause or trigger all kinds of health problems. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to protect our health in times of great stress, in addition to stress management and other coping systems.

• Worry and anxiety can be diminished with anger and grief. Sad books and movies, stories about injustices and hitting a sand bag are all useful.
• Sweet foods and drinks, beef, fruits, dairy products and eggs increase the energy of the digestive system. It’s best to reduce them as much as possible, but without eliminating them completely.
• Bitter foods, such as coffee, cabbage, broccoli, etc., provide energy to the heart, but it’s likely to be drawn into the digestive system. It’s better to eat vegetables (particularly leafy greens) and sour foods: these nourish the liver, which not only provides energy to the heart but also diminishes the energy in the digestive system.
• Spices and pungent foods can draw energy away from the digestive system.
• Fish, seafood, tofu and other soy products, summer vegetables (cucumbers, etc.) and, if allowed, some salty foods, all help restore energy to the kidneys.

It’s best to experiment with these suggestions and adjust them as needed. Listen to your body; use what works and feels good and eliminate what doesn’t. And with a bit of luck, you’ll be able to weather the stress until the debt problem is solved.