Posts Tagged ‘good health’
Evening primrose oil comes from the seeds of a yellow wildflower that grows throughout the United States. It contains a special kind of fatty acid that the body converts to a beneficial hormone-like substance. Capsules containing evening primrose oil are frequently used as natural remedies by women to help relieve menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, as well as premenstrual syndrome.
In one study from the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, researchers tested the effect of evening primrose oil on 56 menopausal women aged 45 to 59 with menopausal hot flashes. The women were given two capsules per day of evening primrose oil (500 mg per capsule) for a continuous 6 weeks. The results showed there was a 42% improvement in the severity of hot flashes, as well as beneficial improvements in their life activities and quality of life.
Regarding PMS symptoms such as headache, food cravings and joint pain, insomnia, breast pain and fatigue, a research study evaluated the effectiveness of evening primrose oil in sixty-eight women with PMS. They received one to two grams per day (1,000 mg. to 2,000 mg.). The timing of the capsules was arranged so the women received them three days before their usual PMS symptoms began, up until the beginning of menstruation.
The women completed questionnaires which showed that 61% found complete relief of their symptoms and 23% had partial relief, with these results obtained after three months of supplementation. Relief of breast pain was the symptom most benefited. (Reference: Evening primrose oil in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. Clinical Uses of Essential Fatty Acids. Montreal: Eden Press).
Mineral supplements such as magnesium and calcium have also been found to be natural remedies for hot flashes and night sweats. One recent example is a study from the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. Women with at least 14 hot flashes a week, received 400 milligrams of magnesium oxide for 4 weeks, increasing to 800 milligrams per day if needed. At the end of the study, the magnesium supplements had reduced their frequency of hot flashes from 52 to 28 per week — a 41% reduction. Fatigue, sweating, and distress were also significantly reduced.
This news is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the effective calcium and magnesium based natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, as well as Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, aches and pains, allergies, stronger hair and nails, and more energy.
Article source: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/blog/2015/04/14/menopause-hot-flashes-improved-by-evening-primrose-oil/
Sometimes just taking a drink of pure, fresh water can lighten our spirit and improve overall health. Hydration means to supply with ample fluid or moisture. Studies are finding that being well-hydrated with water can assist with weight loss, help relieve fatigue and migraines, and improve mood and concentration.
Water is one of the best natural remedies and is vital to life. It ranges from 75% of body weight in infants to 55% of body weight in the elderly. The more water we drink, the better it circulates through the body, bringing essential nutrients and vitamins to places they are needed and flushing out toxins.
Water provides its health benefits without calories or sugar and actually comes in many forms such as spring water, carbonated water, mineral water, distilled water and well water. It is present in soups, stews, and teas, and is found within the most beneficial of all foods: vegetables and fruits.
Water is gaining attention for its ability to be an appetite-controller that has no side effects, costs very little and requires no prescription. In a study from the American Chemical Society, participants aged 55 to 75 all ate a low-calorie diet during the study. They were divided into two groups — one of the two groups drank 2 cups of water prior to their meals and the other didn’t. Over the course of the 12-week study, the water-drinkers lost five more pounds than the non-water drinkers.
Researchers from the Netherlands set out to prove the common notion that dehydration is considered to result in headaches and they studied 18 patients with migraine headaches. One group was given a placebo and the other was instructed to increase their daily intake of water. In the group that increased their intake of water by a quart a day, the total overall hours of headache were reduced by 21 hours in 2 weeks.
An easy way to increase the water intake is to fill a container with a quart of water and bring it along to drink throughout the day. Avoid tap water and use the filtered, spring or distilled varieties. Eating more raw fruits and vegetables is another key strategy; not only because of their high water content, but because of the plant chemicals they contain. Known as “phytochemicals”, these active nutrients provide the colors of the plants and give benefits to the heart, eyes, hormones and more.
This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid featuring calcium and magnesium Sleep Minerals II, and Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, hair growth, allergies and more energy.
Article source: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/blog/2015/03/28/health-benefits-of-water-weight-loss-headache-relief-detoxification/
Avocados are a healthy, creamy, tasty food, whether they sit on top of a sandwich, an omelet or a salad — or become transformed into guacamole. Avocados balance hormones, contain beneficial fats, and feature over twenty vitamins and minerals.
They are a uniquely high source of plant sterols, which is the part of the plant that corresponds to cholesterol in people. Eating plant sterols has been proven to lower cholesterol and increase heart health in several research studies from sources like the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Another key benefit of avocados is their ability to block estrogen absorption in the body. They contain key plant sterols that can reduce excess estrogen. This allows increased progesterone to be present in women and testosterone in men.
Some of the causes of excess estrogen include exposure to toxins and pollutants in the environment, chemical estrogens in plastics, hormones from food, and toxic cleaning products. Eating some avocado regularly can take the edge off the toxic load and provide better hormonal balance.
Increased estrogen levels can lead to weight gain, tiredness, headaches, water retention, breast tenderness and insomnia. Regarding excess weight, one study in the “Nutrition Journal” showed that adding half an avocado to the lunch time meal resulted in a feeling of satisfaction and a 40% reduction in the desire to eat during the 3 hours after lunch.
According to Michael Lam, M.D. who specializes in nutritional medicine: ”Plants contain over 5,000 known sterols that have progesterone enhancing effects. People who eat more wholesome plant foods have a far lower incidence of menopause symptoms because their pre- and post-menopause levels of (hormones) do not drop as significantly.”
The avocado is a pear-shaped fruit that is free of cholesterol and salt and is a high source of potassium. They are high in fiber and also contain lutein, which is a plant pigment that is proven to strengthen the eyes. Eating avocados can help prevent heart disease with its healthy fats that reduce cholesterol in the body. Adding some avocado to meals is a great way to help balance hormones – half an avocado is a good amount.
Avocado oil is another concentrated form of plant sterols that can be used for cooking in any high heat application like stir-fry, bar-b-q or roasting. It also makes a great base for salad dressings and sauces. An avocado in any form is a great food for overall health and particularly good hormonal health.
This news is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Learn more about the natural sleep aids and natural joint and pain relief products made by Nutrition Breakthroughs.
Article source: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/blog/2015/05/09/avocado-increase-progesterone-and-testosterone-naturally/
From the American Journal of Otolaryngology (Diseases of the Ear and Throat)
Introduction: Following animal experiments where correlations were observed between blood magnesium level and noise-induced permanent hearing threshold shifts, we tested the prophylactic (disease preventing) effect of magnesium in human subjects exposed to hazardous noise.
Methods: Subjects were 300 young, healthy, and normal-hearing recruits who underwent 2 months of basic military training. This training necessarily included repeated exposures to high levels of impulse noises while using ear plugs. During this placebo-controlled study, each subject received daily an additional drink containing either 167 mg magnesium aspartate or a similar quantity of placebo.
Results: Noise induced hearing damage was significantly more frequent and more severe in the placebo group than in the magnesium group, and was correlated to the magnesium content of red blood cells. Long-term intake of a small dose of oral magnesium was not accompanied by any notable side effect.
Concluslon: This study may introduce a significant natural agent for the reduction of hearing damages in a noise-exposed population.
This news is provided to you by http://NutritionBreakthroughs.com. Since 2001, Nutrition Breakthroughs has provided natural health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that work well and help people avoid drugs and their side effects.
Since 2009, their natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II has been keeping this promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers, to women with menopause symptoms, to older seniors, in their quest to get a good night’s sleep. For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit here.
Greetings to you,
Here is an informative, colorful chart containing some of the top anti-aging foods and their health benefits. Enjoy these foods alone, or in salads, cooked dishes, or energy shakes.
This health news is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs. For more info on natural remedies for good sleep, as well as joint relief and more, visit the Nutrition Breakthroughs website.
To your good health,
Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
A healthy supplement similar to the acidophilus used in yogurt has been found in a Canadian study to help overweight women to lose weight and keep it off.
Known as “probiotics”, these healthy bacteria in the intestine are “pro” or beneficial to the health of the body. They stimulate the immune system to be stronger, keep the stomach and bowels healthy, and help urinary health. In addition, a 2006 StanfordUniversity study found that obese people have different gut bacteria than normal-weighted people — a first indication that gut bacteria can play a role in overall weight.
The StanfordUniversity research has now spurred a new study, done by a team of researchers at the University of Laval in QuebecCanada. Headed by Professor Angelo Tremblay, the researchers sought to confirm the premise that consuming probiotics could help reset the balance of intestinal flora in favor of those that promote a healthy weight. It may be that a diet high in fat and low in fiber leads to certain bacteria flourishing at the expense of others. They recruited 125 overweight people to test this theory.
During the first 12-week period of the Canadian study, the subjects underwent a weight-loss diet. This was followed by a 12-week period aimed at maintaining their body weight. Throughout the entire 24 weeks, half of the subjects took two pills daily containing probiotics, while the other half received placebos. After the 12-week dieting period, there was an average weight loss of 8.8 pounds in the women in the probiotics group and 5.7 pounds for women in the placebo group.
The interesting difference is that at the end of the 12-week maintenance period, the weight of the women in the placebo group stayed the same, but the probiotics group continued to lose weight – a total of 11.5 pounds per person. Upon testing, these women demonstrated having a drop in an appetite-regulating hormone, as well as less of the intestinal bacteria related to obesity.
Professor Tremblay concludes that probiotics may make the intestinal wall stronger and more able to prevent inflammatory substances from passing into the intestine and entering the bloodstream. Those substances and molecules that can lead to diabetes and obesity. He believes that several types of the probiotics found in yogurt and supplements can have a similar effect. Their study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
This news is provided by http://NutritionBreakthroughs, with the purpose of contributing to the increased health and well-being of all. Since 2001, Nutrition Breakthroughs has provided natural health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that work well and help people avoid drugs and their side effects.
Since 2009, their natural sleep remedy Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers to seniors to get a good night’s sleep. For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit here.
The magnificent mineral magnesium is the second most abundant mineral in our cells, its involved in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body, and is known to be effective for strengthening heart health, reducing diabetes, and for treating migraines, insomnia and depression. With increasing age, the risk factor for developing magnesium deficiency grows larger.
A National Institutes of Health fact sheet says older adults are at increased risk of magnesium depletion due to a decreased ability to absorb the mineral. And according to the Journal “Sleep”, nearly 50% of older adults are experiencing insomnia and having with difficulties with falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up early.
Several reports have come out regarding the role of magnesium deficiency in insomnia. The journal “Magnesium Research” writes that magnesium deficiency contributes to sleep disorders and interrupts sleep by reducing melatonin levels in the body. According to the Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota, a high magnesium diet has been found to be associated with deeper, less interrupted sleep. Good sources of magnesium in foods include fish, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.
The most recently released study on magnesium for sleep comes from the University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Its subjects were 46 older adults, aged 60 to 75, who were experiencing insomnia. However, it’s interesting to note the researchers recommend their results be extended as a helpful aid to all ages of the general population.
In the University study, the subjects were divided into two groups. One group received placebos, while the other received magnesium oxide tablets twice a day (250 milligrams each) for eight weeks. In the group that was given magnesium, the subjects experienced significant increases in sleep time and sleep efficiency, with less night time interruptions and fewer early morning awakenings.
From blood samples taken, the researchers found that magnesium significantly reduced cortisol levels in the body, which is a stress hormone that can keep people awake. Magnesium also brought about a statistically important increase in melatonin, the hormone involved with sleep-wake cycles.
The researchers concluded that supplementation with magnesium improves subjective and objective measures of insomnia in elderly people and is a useful natural remedy to manage sleep disorders – not only in the elderly but as an effective sleep aid for people of all ages.
Regarding supplements containing magnesium that are taken as an insomnia remedy, the combination of minerals included and the presence of complementary vitamins (such as calcium and vitamin D) are vital. Formulas should contain a 2 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium for the best utilization in the body. The original research on this recommended ratio appeared in 1935 in the Journal of Physiological Reviews. In addition, softgels that mix the minerals with natural carrier oils allow them to be more fully absorbed than with tablets or capsules.
One formula that has these qualities and is gaining in popularity is Sleep Minerals II from http://NutritionBreakthroughs. Sleep Minerals II contains highly absorbable forms of calcium and magnesium, the best minerals for sleeplessness and insomnia, as well as for restless legs syndrome, bone strength, teenage insomnia and menopause insomnia. The formula also includes vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy rice bran oil, making it quickly absorbable and allowing it to provide a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.
Sadie D. from The Netherlands says: “I am ever so grateful that I discovered Sleep Minerals II after suffering with premenopause and now the real menopausal insomnia. I felt like I was slowly losing my mind due to the continual lack of sleep. I can’t express the relief of getting a good night’s sleep and being able to function properly.”
Richard P. of Parkville, Maryland says: “The Sleep Minerals are making quite a difference. I was regularly waking at around 3:00 a.m. and after a few days use my sleep improved quite a lot. I wake once a night to go to the bathroom, but the great thing is, I then fall back asleep and sleep several more hours. This has been a great improvement.”
Minerals have come to the forefront as some of the most effective natural remedies for insomnia. For more information on Sleep Minerals II click here.
Greetings to you.
Here is a great handy chart of natural remedies. Add these powerhouse foods to your diet for any of the conditions shown.
Best of health,
Jobee Knight
NutritionBreakthroughs.com
Remedies for Hot Flashes
A hot flash, also called a hot flush, is a sudden unexpected feeling of warmth and often a breakout of sweating in the upper half of the body. A night sweat is a “hot flash” that occurs in the night, often while one is sleeping. These flashes are experienced by 80% of women around the time of menopause, and men can also have them due to a lessening of testosterone in middle age.
At night time while a woman sleeps, her body temperature rises steeply just prior to a hot flash, and may cause her to wake up. The National Sleep Foundation writes that as many as 61% of post-menopausal women report having symptoms of insomnia and less satisfying sleep, due in part to hot flashes interrupting their sleep with frequent awakenings.
Dr. John R. Lee, M.D. explains the source of hot flashes in his book: “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Menopause”. There is an area of the brain that controls the amounts of estrogen and progesterone made by the ovaries. When these two hormones become depleted as in menopause, the brain sends out signals for the ovaries to make more hormones, but they no longer respond to these prompts.
The signaling system can go awry as the brain sends out more and more signals and actually begins to “shout”. This over-activity begins to affect adjacent areas of the brain; particularly the area that controls body temperature and sweating mechanisms — thus the occurrence of hot flashes.
Sometimes spicy food, hot beverages, caffeine, alcohol or cigarettes can bring on a hot flash. For help with night sweats in bed, keep the bedroom cool and keep a washcloth in a bowl of ice near the bed to use on the forehead or chest as needed. To minimize hot flashes during the summer weather, stay cool by using fans and drinking cold drinks. Keep air conditioners on and make sure that air is circulating throughout the room. Dress in layers so you can peel them off as needed.
Vitamins E and C have been shown in studies to help reduce hot flashes. One study supporting vitamin E was published in “Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation” and concluded that vitamin E is effective and is a recommended treatment for hot flashes. Extensive research indicates that vitamin C strengthens blood vessels and acts as a potent health enhancement. In a study that combined vitamin C with bioflavonoids (the white matter on the inside of orange peels), 67% of the subjects reported complete relief from hot flashes.
The minerals calcium and magnesium can also help with deeper, sounder sleep, particularly because estrogen in women and testosterone in men helps to keep these minerals in circulation in the body, and when these hormones are depleted, more frequent mineral supplementation is needed.
Sleep Minerals II from http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com is an example of a natural insomnia remedy that provides good results for menopause symptoms. It contains highly absorbable forms of calcium and magnesium, the best minerals for sleep and insomnia, heart health, restless legs syndrome and bone strength. The formula also includes vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy carrier oils, making it more quickly absorbable than tablets or capsules and providing a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.
Anita L. of New Caney, Texas says: “I was having hot flashes every 30 minutes to an hour through the night and was so miserable. After about two weeks of taking the Sleep Minerals, I noticed an incredible difference with my sleep. I have much less interruption from hot flashes, I’m sleeping much better and I’m a lot more comfortable.”
Valerie from Santa Clarita, California says: “I had such bad menopause insomnia that it took me hours to fall asleep even though I was extremely tired. My legs also had crawling and tingling feelings at night. I got the Sleep Minerals and took them and after a few days, it started to work really well. I fall asleep now within 20 minutes and no more restless legs.”
For more information on Sleep Minerals II, visit http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html
Greetings to you,
Have a look at these proven natural remedies and painkillers, many of which are backed-up by research studies.
This news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II.
Here’s to your good health,
Jobee Knight
President
Nutrition Breakthroughs
News on Natural Remedies, Good Sleep and Good Health 