News on Natural Remedies, Good Sleep and Good Health

Posts Tagged ‘nutrition breakthroughs

pure waterThere’s nothing like the feeling of crisp, fresh water as it slides down your throat, cooling you off on a hot day, or the invigoration of a shower first thing in the morning.  Water makes up an amazing two-thirds of our body mass and is vital to many aspects of our health. Inside the body, water acts to stabilize body temperature and it takes part in digestion, blood circulation, absorption and use of nutrients, building new tissue, lubricating the joints and nervous system, and carrying wastes out of the body. 

We lose an average of 3 quarts of water a day through perspiration and elimination, and up to 10 quarts daily with strenuous exercise or in desert climates. Water must be frequently replaced to prevent dehydration.

Despite the critical role water plays in our health, the Environmental Protection Agency warns that dozens of substances  contained in public drinking water can cause cancer and other illness (1). Rain falls through polluted air containing bacteria, smoke, and chemicals.  Our soils contain pesticides, herbicides (weed killers), fertilizers, and many other chemicals that wash into the rivers, lakes and streams — the primary sources of our tap water. Radioactive wastes and poisons from factories (arsenic, etc.) are poured into water supplies. 

Chlorine is universally added to public drinking water as a disinfectant.  Drinking chlorinated water has been found to promote colon cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer, according to the British Medical Journal “The Lancet”. In studies of public drinking water, the cancer risk increased in direct proportion to the amount of water consumed (2).

Sewage systems and animal waste runoff are sources of bacteria and viruses that are introduced into tap water.  In 1993, the town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin suffered an outbreak of intestinal disease caused by infected water. More than 400,000 people became ill and 100 died.  The purification methods there failed to eliminate the eggs of the Cryptosporidium bacteria, which leaked into the water supply from fecal matter at an upstream dairy farm (3). 

Fluoride is frequently added to city tap water.  The largest study ever done on the effect of fluoride on dental cavities took place in India over the course of 30 years.  After much study, the researchers concluded that cavities are actually caused by a high fluoride intake from drinking water and a low consumption of dietary calcium (5).  Fluoride can also contribute to hip fractures in older women and men. Elderly people, and those with heart and kidney problems, are unusually susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride (6).

Showering

New research has uncovered that drinking polluted tap water is far from the only way people are exposed to dangerous substances. According to New Scientist Magazine, taking long hot showers is a serious health risk.  During the shower, the chemicals evaporate out of the water and are inhaled into the lungs and absorbed through the skin.  This delivers up to 100 times more chlorine to the person than if they drank the water — and directly into the bloodstream (7).

Pure Water

Water filters, purifiers and distillers are available for the home that can turn toxin-filled  tap water into healthy water for drinking and bathing.  Shower and bath filters generally do a good job of removing pollutants from the water, and good kitchen models are available for the countertop, under the sink, and refrigerator. 

Look for kitchen filters that are certified by NSF International (The National Sanitation Foundation) or that meet EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standards. Choose a shower filter based on how many gallons of water it can clean.

Raw fruits and vegetables are especially good sources of chemically pure water, which is 100 percent pure hydrogen and oxygen.  Plants “distill” the water they consume and convert inorganic minerals from the environment into organic minerals, which our bodies can better assimilate (8). Because tap water only contains minimal amounts of minerals, it should not be used as one’s primary source of minerals.

A good supplement should be taken that provides a full spectrum of minerals from a plant-based source.  Especially if you drink distilled water, which has had all of the minerals removed from it. Keep pure water with you at all times and drink at least 8 glasses of it each day.  Also include raw fruits and vegetables in your diet for the pure water they contain.

Protect yourself and your family from toxic water, and supply your body with the clean, pure water it deserves — both inside and out.

This health information is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, and the natural remedy for joint relief, allergy and asthma, and increased energy – Joints and More.

 

To your good health.

 

Jobee Knight
President
Nutrition Breakthroughs

A short glossary of water terms:

GAC: Granulated activated carbon filter
KDF: A filtering medium by KDF Fluid Treatment, Inc. that removes contaminants.
MCL: Maximum contaminant level
PCB’s: Polychlorinated Biphenyls — A highly toxic pesticide made from chlorine
PPB: Parts per billion
PPM: Parts per million
THM’s: Trichlorethanes — Cancer-causing byproducts of chlorine
VOC: Volatile Organic Compound

REFERENCES:

1. Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,   Wash, D.C., Summer 2000

2. Lancet, 5 December 98, Volume 352, Number 9143 and Lancet 23 August 97, Volume 350, Number 9077

3. American Museum of Natural History: Epidemic, 1993: Cryptosporidiosis In Milwaukee

4. Effect of monochloramine disinfection of municipal drinking water on risk of nosocomial Legionnaires’

disease, The Lancet, Volume 353, Number 9149, 23 January 1999

5. Teotia SPS, Teotia M, Dental caries: a disorder of high fluoride and low dietary calcium interactions (30 years

 of personal research), Fluoride, 1994 April, 27:2, 59-66

6. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicological Profile for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorine. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. 1991; ATSDR/TP-91/17.

7. New Scientist Magazine, 18 Sept. 1986

8. Nutrition Almanac, McGraw-Hill Books

     

Greetings to you,

Here is a helpful chart of the healthiest fats in foods for glowing skin and hair, as well as for good nutrition for the organs and hormones.  All hormones are formed with healthy fats, so eating more of these foods can nourish one in many ways. 

This health information is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, and the natural remedy for joint relief, allergy and asthma relief and increased energy – Joints and More.

To your good health.

Jobee Knight
President
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Fats that are healthy

Fish Oil CapsulesFrom ScienceDaily .com

A placebo-controlled study by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom suggests that higher levels of omega-3 (DHA), the group of fatty acids found in algae and seafood, are associated with better sleep. The researchers explored whether 16 weeks of daily 600 mg. supplements of algae sources would improve the sleep of 362 children.

The children who took part in the study were not selected for sleep problems, but were all struggling readers at a mainstream primary school. At the outset, the parents filled in a child sleep questionnaire, which revealed that 40% of the children in the study suffered from regular sleep disturbances. Of the children rated as having poor sleep, the researchers fitted wrist sensors to 43 of them to monitor their movements in bed over five nights.

This exploratory study showed that the children on a course of daily supplements of omega-3 had nearly one hour (58 minutes) more sleep and seven fewer waking episodes per night compared with the children taking the corn or soybean placebo.  The findings are due to be published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

This news is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs.com.  Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that get results, and therefore help people to avoid addictive 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 women with menopause symptoms, to seniors, to get a good night’s sleep.

For more information on the effective natural insomnia remedy Sleep Minerals II, visit http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com/html/Sleep_Aid

Article source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140306103931.htm

Cold and Flu RemediesOccasionally the stresses of life reduce our immune system defenses and the door opens just wide enough to let a cold or flu sneak in and take hold. Here are some of the best tested immunity boosters in existence. Use them well to build your strength back and show that cold or flu the way to the exit

Special Virus-Killing Foods

Garlic is a commonly used cold medicine. It is widely used in Russia and is known there as “Russian Penicillin”.  Garlic supports immune function and it can kill bacteria, parasites, fungus and the flu virus. One test-tube study in the Journal Planta Medica showed that fresh garlic kills various viruses, including one which can cause flu like symptoms.   Aged garlic extract can also protect against the flu. One good way to benefit from garlic is to cut up a couple raw cloves into small pieces and swallow the pieces whole at the first sign of a cold, then eat one clove per day until fully

Horseradish is another plant that can ease throat and upper respiratory tract infections.  It has good antibiotic properties. Horseradish has been shown specifically to destroy the flu virus and reduce the severity of flu infections in animals per a study in the Journal Virologie. This plant is a member of the mustard family.

You may have found that eating horseradish can make your eyes water and nose run.  Indeed, it can create a similar release of watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs which helps to flush them out and wash away congestion.  For this reason, hot foods and spices in general are also very good for colds and flus

Echinacea: The Immunity Herb of Choice

Studies of echinacea show that it plays a critical role in fortifying the immune system to fight illness. Although scientists have had little success developing drugs or vaccines to eradicate the common cold or flu, echinacea improves immune function in humans, and especially improves the virus-fighting white blood cells, even when given in very low doses (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine). Echinacea can cut the duration of a cold in half

Hearty Vitamin for Colds: Vitamin C

A Scandinavian researcher recently conducted a review of 21 studies that tested between 1 and 8 grams (1,000 to 8,000 milligrams) of Vitamin C for the common cold. He concluded that “in each of the twenty-one studies, Vitamin C reduced the duration of the cold and the severity of the symptoms by an average of 23%. Even much lower amounts of vitamin C such as 100 milligrams have been found to be beneficial. In addition to enhancing the activity of immune cells, Vitamin C acts as a vital component in the production of collagen, the principal protein found in all connective tissues.  By helping maintain the strength and integrity of connective tissue structures, vitamin C keeps infections from spreading throughout the body (from the Handbook of Vitamins)

Friendly Acidophilus

Supplements of Lactobacillus acidophilus and other friendly bacteria, and the growth factors that encourage their development in the stomach, may help to protect the body from harmful organisms that cause infection (from the Journal Nutrition).  Acidophilus and other friendly bacteria are known as probiotics, which means “promoting the growth of microorganisms”.  Lactobacillus has been shown to increase the numbers of circulating immune cells and elevate the body’s antibody responses. Its best to use probiotics that also contain a prebiotic such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS).  FOS are carbohydrates that support the growth of probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract.  A recent study in the Journal Lancet showed that FOS molecules can bind to disease-causing bacteria and prevent their attachment to the body’s cells

Usher that cold or flu out right out the door and keep it away by eating healthy, whole foods, drinking pure water, and taking the right cold-fighting foods and supplements

This health news is provided by www.NutritionBreakthroughs. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that get results, and therefore help people to avoid harmful 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 this page.

Greetings to you,

The chickpeas in hummus are a delicious food that can help lower cholesterol, help to protect cells from cancer, and they are also high in protein, fiber, calcium and iron.  The chart below gives some great, simple recipe ideas for making your own humus.  Enjoy!

Best of health,

Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Maker of the Effective Natural Insomnia Remedy Sleep Minerals II

Humus Recipes.

Allergies Natural RemediesAhhh Chooooooo! Twenty percent of Americans suffer from chronic allergies or hay fever and would like to benefit from natural remedies for the sneezing, runny nose, teary eyes and scratchy throat. Allergies are the result of the immune system’s overreaction to a normally harmless substance, such as pollen, molds, animal hair or indoor dust mites.

Specifically, an allergy occurs when the immune system develops a sensitivity and attacks what it considers to be an invader. When the substance enters the body, the body produces many antibodies in the blood to attack it. The antibodies then bind to a certain kind of white blood cell and this binding causes the release of histamine, a chemical in the body which causes the uncomfortable, yet familiar allergy symptoms.

Remedies that have been proven useful for allergies include Nettle Leaf, Vitamin C, Quercetin, and air ionizers. Quercetin belongs to a class of water-soluble plant coloring agents called bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are found in many fruits and they aid in the absorption and metabolism of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Quercetin is often recommended as a treatment for allergies and asthma. Several test tube studies have found it beneficial in stopping the release of allergenic substances and histamine in the body (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology).

A study of the herb nettle leaf was published in the journal “Planta Medica”. In this study, 58% of the people experienced less symptoms of hay fever, including sneezing and itchy eyes, after taking doses of nettles for one week. Nettle leaf is high in vitamin C and trace minerals and is a rich source of chlorophyll.

Some people with allergies have experienced improvement in their symptoms after taking 1–2 grams of vitamin C per day (1,000 to 2,000 milligrams). A buffered form of vitamin C such as calcium ascorbate may work better for allergy or asthma sufferers than regular vitamin C (per a study in American Journal of Digestive Diseases). One group of researchers proved that vitamin C reduces the tendency of the lung’s bronchial passages to go into spasm (Annals of Allergy), and another study in China showed that people with more vitamin C in their diet had greater lung volume — meaning they could exhale more air than those eating less of the vitamin.

Negative ion therapy can be a wonderful relief to allergy sufferers. The air we breathe contains molecules with electrical charges, both positive and negative. These minute electrified particles called ions, affect the environment in which we live and breathe. Researchers have shown that most of us who live, work and travel in closed spaces suffer some degree of negative ion starvation or the effects of too many positive ions.

Some allergy-provoking substances, such as dust and pollen, have a positive electrical charge. Negative ions appear to counteract the allergenic actions of these positively charged ions on respiratory tissues and people have experienced considerable relief from respiratory allergies (from the Book: The Ion Effect). A plug-in negative ion generator can work wonders in enclosed spaces.

Allergy symptoms can be greatly reduced with the right combination of herbs, vitamins, healthy food, and healthy air.

This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies. Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that get results and therefore help people to 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, visit www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com.

Listen to your bodyGreetings to you,

Many of us are seeking out ways to be healthier and have more energy.  One of the best ways to do this is to listen to your body.  How can one do this?  There are some specific ways and times that you can increase your awareness of the effects certain things are having on you.  It’s actually most important to notice the positive effects, as then you can reinforce them and feel even better.

1. When you eat certain types of foods, how do you feel afterwards?  If your energy is increased and your thoughts are clearer that’s a great sign.  If you feel more tired, your stomach aches, or you get heartburn, that’s a good time to examine what you ate and make some changes to create a better effect next time.

2. When you take nutritional supplements, try to add new supplements one thing at a time so you can isolate where any effects are coming from.  If it helps to energize or strengthen you, that’s great.  Unless it’s a sleeping supplement!  In that case, take a smaller dose and see if it relaxes you instead.  A good natural sleep aid should help to relax you and also help you sleep sounder and longer.  If there are any after-effects such as grogginess in the morning, take less of the supplement or take it earlier in the day than bedtime, such as at dinner.

3. If you do exercises or take walks, etc. try to notice the effect it has afterwards.  A good exercise should not completely exhaust you or make your muscles overly sore.  If you have a muscle spasm or cramp, you can either reduce the amount of exercise next time, or increase the calcium and magnesium in your diet (or use supplements).

This health information is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep remedy Sleep Minerals II.  Here’s to your good health and well-being.

Best regards,

Jobee Knight
President
http://Nutrition Breakthroughs.

Cranberries for Bladder Health

Anyone who has experienced a bladder infection can attest to the unpleasant symptoms of lower abdomen pain, a burning feeling during urination, an urgency to urinate frequently, and possibly cloudy urine.  Both women and men can develop bladder infections.

A couple of good tips would be to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day, especially chlorine-free (non-tap) water, and to decrease the amount of refined white sugar in the diet.

Regarding white sugar, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that when healthy volunteers consumed a large amount of refined sugar, their immune system’s white blood cells had an impaired ability to destroy bacteria for at least five hours.

Antibiotics are the standard medical treatment for bladder infections, and while they are sometimes necessary, those who do not want to regularly use antibiotics have the option of benefiting from a well-documented nutritional remedy.

Cranberry concentrate in capsule form, together with cranberry juice, can be extremely helpful.  Cranberry makes the urine more acidic and creates an environment which is hard for bacteria to live in.  It has the unique ability to interfere with bacteria establishing a foothold on the bladder wall and when taken regularly, especially in capsule form, it can help to break the cycle of repeated bladder infections.

One research study with women who had a history of recurring bladder infections, found that daily treatment with cranberry concentrate capsules (400 mg twice per day) for three months, significantly reduced the recurrence of urinary tract infections.  Drinking cranberry juice is also helpful, but remember to drink a natural cranberry juice that is unsweetened or sweetened from natural fruit sources, rather a cranberry juice cocktail sweetened with white sugar.

This health news is provided by www.NutritionBreakthroughs. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that work and get results, and therefore help people to 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 this web page.

AlmondsA recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that eating 1.5 ounces of lightly salted, dry-roasted almonds each day (about 35 almonds) reduced overall hunger, did not affect body weight, and helped the participants to meet their ideal daily intake of Vitamin E.

With the majority of Americans eating more and more snacks, it’s a great thing to find a snack that doesn’t result in weight gain and that also provides nutritional benefits.

The test divided 137 people into five groups: One group ate no nuts or seeds, another group ate almonds with breakfast, another ate them with lunch, the next group ate them alone as a mid-morning snack, and the last group ate them as a mid-afternoon snack.

An interesting aspect of the study is that the participants were people with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Eating almonds lowered their blood sugar levels after meals, especially for the in between meal “snack” groups. When consumed as snacks, the almonds also reduced hunger at regular meals.

Richard Mattes PhD, professor of nutrition science at PurdueUniversity in Indiana, and the lead researcher of the study says: “This research suggests that almonds may be a good snack option, especially for those concerned about weight.” The study shows that almonds can increase healthy fat and Vitamin E intake while avoiding weight gain, despite the increase in calories from eating them.

This news is provided by http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com. Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that work and get results, and therefore help people to 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 http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html

young woman at home eating yogurt

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.


Archives