Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Natural Anxiety Remedy: Vitamin B12

People have a lot of reasons to feel anxious and nervous these days, from the ups and downs of the stock market to stress at work and lack of money.

At the same time, many of these people who are aware of the Law of Attraction, which says that the more anxious we feel the more likely we are to attract events that will make us even more anxious, are struggling not to feel anxious.

So what's a self-aware person stuck in a not-so-good situation to do?

Natural Remedies for Anxiety

While there are many activities you can do to reduce your level of anxiety, such as exercises or meditation, sometimes you need a physical boost to help your body calm down, and thus allow you to feel more mentally and emotionally peaceful.

Studies have shown that when our bodies are in "fight or flight mode," and using the sympathetic nervous system, we cannot heal, relax, or rest. With all the world changes and chronic uncertainty in the world today, it's a sure bet that most of us are in "fight or flight" mode at least once a day.

Luckily, there are some natural nutritional remedies that can help your body shift from the "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system back into the resting parasympathetic nervous system. When your body is relying on the parasympathetic nervous system, you feel relaxed and peaceful rather than anxious and high-strung.

The Importance of Vitamin B12 in Reducing Anxiety
Vitamin B12 is one of the more effective natural substances that help your body "let down" and relax. Various research studies, cited in Dr. Walter Willet's Harvard Medical School Guide on food and nutrition, indicate that a lack of B12 can result in

- memory loss
- muscle fatigue
- increased risk of heart disease
- dementia

To this list, Dr. Karl Abrams adds that B12 deficiency is also linked with:

- chronic anxiety and nervousness
- low energy
- mental fatigue
- disorientation
- poor oxygenation of the blood
- Alzheimer's disease

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, then you may be low in vitamin B12. In fact, B12 deficiency is becoming so prevalent that many doctors are now prescribing B12 injections for many of their patients. But don't worry, if the thought of needles nauseates you, you can always get B12 from multiple other sources!

Where to Get Concentrated Sources of Vitamin B12
In attempt to increase the levels of B12 in their bodies, many people take B12 in a capsule or liquid supplement. But the fact of the matter is that the reason many people lack B12 is not because they don't ingest enough of it, but because they don't absorb it well. Dr. Willet indicates that one-sixth of older Americans are deficient in B12 because they cannot absorb the B12 they ingest.

B12 is best absorbed from whole-food sources. The best sources of B12 foods, in order of concentration, are:

- blue-green algae (AFA species only)*
- liver
- tuna
- yogurt

- cottage cheese


* AFA stands for aphanizomenon flos-aqua, a specific kind of blue-green algae that has been tested to have very high concentrations of B12. Other kinds of blue-green algae, including certain forms of spiraling, have been shown to possess molecules that actually block the body's absorption of vitamin B12. That's why it's important to choose the correct form of blue-green algae if you want to increase your B12 levels.

In addition to eating foods high in B12, adding probiotics like acidophilus and bifidus to your diet also help increase your levels of B12. This is because these "friendly bacteria" live in your gut and actually produce B12. They do this so efficiently that adding just a small amount of probiotics to the diet has been shown to decrease symptoms of nervousness and anxiety in people and animals.

In fact, with performance horses it has become a common practice to feed concentrated doses of probiotics orally prior to hauling or showing because of the almost immediate positive effect this has on anxiety and nervousness.

So ... if you are struggling with anxiety or nervousness on a daily basis, check your diet to see whether you may be low in vitamin B12. If so, you may wish to consider adding AFA blue-green algae and probiotics to your daily supplement regimen, as well as consuming other foods high in B12 on a regular basis.

Vitamin B12 is a simple, natural remedy to the problem of anxiety with none of the side-effects of conventional medication prescribed for this condition.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Lose Weight By The Clock!

Did you know that there are "good times" and "bad times" during the day to try to lose weight according to some doctors?

Dr. Norman Cousens did some fascinating research on what our cells are doing during a 24 hour cycle, and it turns out that some of the old adages about the best time to eat are at odds with his findings.

Morning: From 4 am to noon, the cells of our body are focused on dumping waste, manufacturing cells, and repairing cells - in short, maintenance.

Afternoon: From noon to 8 pm, the cells of our body are geared toward digestion and metabolizing.

Evening: From 8 pm until 4 am, the cells of our body are assimilating nutrients.

When Should We Eat to Lose Weight?
Since our cells are busy with building, repair, and assimilation of nutrients from 8 pm in the evening until noon the next day, it makes sense to focus most of our eating from noon to 8 pm. From noon until 8 in the evening, our cells are ready to digest, which implies that our bodies will store less fat and digest more fuel.

While this flies in the face of advice from many experts to eat a hearty breakfast, it does present another option to those of us who are not hungry in the morning. As always, take science and research with a grain of salt and do what feels best to you.

To increase weight loss in a natural and healthy way, consider our favorite enzyme supplement for enzyme therapy for healthy weight loss.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

How to Be Your Own Expert on Your Health

Drink lots of water, take deep breaths, choose good supplements, eat all your vegetables, eat more protein, eat fewer carbs ... with all the healthcare advice out there these days, and much of it contradictory, it makes healthy living seem like a complicated endeavor!

In fact, all that advice can make a junk-food diet look attractive in its simplicity. But don't panic! Healthy living can be simple.

You Are Your Own Best Expert on Health
You know what makes you feel good and what doesn't. If drinking plenty of water, taking certain supplements, or eating a multiple small meals a day makes you feel better, then you already know more than the experts.

Similarly, you probably know which of your "bad" habits make you feel ill, like eating too much sugar or spending too much time at your desk. If you are not sure what makes you feel better or worse, keep a diary for seven to twenty-one days. Log your daily food intake, exercise, level of stress, amount of sleep, and anything else that might affect your level of health. Notice what happens when you add or vary any of your habits.

Choose Just a Few Healthy Habits
Once you have discovered two or three really great habits that make you feel good, adopt them for the year. To keep things really simply, choose no more than three great habits. If exercise makes you feel good, adopt the habit of exercising a few times a week. If adding fresh fruits or vegetables is good, resolve to add them to your diet on a regular basis, but don't break the bank.

Do what makes you feel good in moderation, and in a way that will be easy for you to remember. If you want to add vitamins or supplements (like blue-green algae) into your life, help yourself remember by putting the bottles or packets in your car, your purse, your pocket, your lunch, or your top desk drawer.

Healthy Habits Should be Pleasurable
Don't kick yourself when you forget to take the supplements, and take them whenever you see the visual reminder of the bottle. Of course, consistency is always great for health, but in the beginning do what you can to make healthy living a rewarding and pleasurable experience rather than another item on your "To Do" list!

Need a simple healthy solution? Consider these handy daily packs with two types of algae, probiotics and enzymes, which are great for easy-to-remember nutrition.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Healing Made Simple for the Rest of Us

In his book "Quantum Healing," Dr. Deepak Chopra describes the story of a young woman who felt her meditation practice was a failure because she kept falling asleep while meditating. Dr. Chopra pointed out that, to the contrary, the woman's practice was a success because she had finally allowed her body to do what it needed to heal: sleep. The woman was so constantly busy that she never got enough sleep and, consequently, her body could not heal.

Our Busy Lives Are Contrary to Healing

Our lives are so busy these days that we hardly have time for anything, least of all healing. Everything we do is fast. We eat fast food, take power naps, and multi-task like crazy. And we wonder why we don't as healthy and vibrant as we used to. In fact, some of us wonder why we are downright ill.

The good news is that you don't have to sign up for a whole new lifestyle to get back to feeling bright and healthy. As Dr. Chopra's story demonstrates, healing can take place if we just give our bodies some of the basic necessities: good food, water, and sleep.

FOOD: Few of us have time to cook anymore. If your diet is questionable but you don't have time to shop and cook totally healthy, try giving your body the nutrition it needs with natural whole food supplements. AFA bluegreen algae  is a simple and convenient whole food solution. These convenient daily packets with two types of algae, probiotics and enzymes cram tons of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and enzymes into easy-to-swallow capsules.

WATER: Whenever possible, avoid chlorine and other additives to your water. Chlorine tends to kill the beneficial bacteria in the gut, your first line of defense against illness. Stay away from tap water and drink plenty of spring or filtered water to keep your body pure and detoxified.

SLEEP: Most of us are walking around in a sleep-deprived state. Our bodies typically need 7-8 hours of undisturbed rest to heal and recover from the ravages of our daily lives. At least twice a week, catch up on any sleep you missed. At least once a week, go to sleep without setting the alarm clock and allow yourself to wake up naturally, when your body is fully rested.

Although it can seem more difficult to stay healthy because of the hectic nature of our lives, it's not as hard as you may think. Just go back to basics. Provide your body with the basic building blocks so that it can heal. Healing is a natural part of your body's function. You don't have to do anything except provide the raw materials!


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