Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations

By Pattrick Jhonson

Consume Adequate Amounts of Calcium and Protein During stressful times, body protein is broken down to provide the body with energy. Over an extended period, this can lead to a loss of muscle. Another nutrient lost from the body during stress is calcium. This can be extremely serious, as it weakens the bones and increases the risk of osteoporosis . Strategy To safeguard your body's supply of these nutrients with­out compromising its health, make sure that you get plenty of foods containing these nutrients . Ideally, you should eat two portions of protein-rich foods and 1,000 milligrams (one gram) of calcium daily.

Getting this much dietary calcium from foods is difficult, however, so an acceptable alternative is to take a calcium supplement. Five hundred milligrams of calcium should be taken twice daily in the form of 1,250 milligrams of calcium carbonate, at mid morning and just before bedtime. Try ptophan is useful in treating depression when it is taken by someone who is experiencing carbohydrate craving. It is believed that such cravings are caused by inadequate levels of serotonin in the brain. A carbohydrate-rich, low-protein meal increases brain serotonin levels because such a meal reduces the blood levels of most amino acids (the building blocks of protein), but not of tryptophan. Tryp tophan competes with many of the other amino acids for a place on the transport mechanism that gives entry into the brain. After a high­carbohydrate meal, tryptophan has less competition and so brain levels rise. This serves to increase brain serotonin levels as well.

Though the increases produced by eating a high-carbohydrate meal only are small, taking a tryptophan supplement greatly increases relative brain levels. Protein-rich meals have, of course, the opposite effect, decreasing both tryptophan and serotonin levels. Strategy If you are suffering from depression and also find yourself craving carbohydrates, try eating a diet in which no more than 10 to 15 percent of your total calories come from protein sources .

If this doesn't seem to have much of an effect, a daily supplement of 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams of tryptophan per day might be the answer. It should be taken in three equal doses and consumed after meals. The effects of tryptophan last only a few hours, and so repeated doses are necessary. Taking the supplement after meals will prevent the nausea some people experience as a side effect. Obviously, the lower the dosage the better, and so you should experiment within the dosage range in order to see at which level you get concrete results. Never take more than 3,000 milligrams (three grams) of tryptophan a day without a doctor's supervision.

If your depression is severe, and if drug treatment and psychotherapy don't seem to be working, your doctor may suggest ECT. Also learn about some natural herbal supplements for depression treatment.

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Is There Anything I Can Do To Prevent Macular Degeneration?

By Matt Murren

Unfortunately, there are not any known ways to completely prevent age related macular degeneration. That said, there are many ways that you lower your risk. These tips have been known to help those who were genetically pre-disposed to macular degeneration.

Below are some secrets in lowering your risks before it is too late.

Get your eyes examined early.

Regular eye exams are critical in determining if you are at risk for developing macular degeneration or not. If you are pre-disposed genetically, you should make sure to schedule annual exams. This will help prevent potential eye loss later. It could also delay loss of vision of the doctors can detect it early on. Quit smoking. It is a known fact that those who smoke are up to 2 times more likely to have macular degeneration. The earlier you quit the lower the risk.

Eat well.

By modifying your diet to eat more nuts and fruit can help you lower your odds of getting macular degeneration. If you are allergic to nuts, you can take vitamins or supplements that are rich in omega-3’s as well as vitamin A and luteins. If you are already suffering from dry macular degeneration, there are measure you can take to prevent it from advancing. Some of these are:

· Eat your spinach. By modifying your diet to eat more dark green vegetables you can actually slow the progression and further vision loss. Your doctor may also want you to take vitamins and supplements.

· Exercise. By maintaining a healthy weight you will also lower your risk in getting more advanced forms of AMD.

· Hold the fat. Be sure to lower your fat and cholesterol intake. These fats can actually accelerate your AMD.

· Wear UV blocking sunglasses. You will want to protect your eyes from the harmful sun rays especially if you are already experiencing dry macular degeneration. Many doctors also treat AMD with advanced vitamin treatments. These vitamins include Vitamins A,C, and E. In addition, your physician might prescribe high levels of Zinc. Before you start high doses of vitamins, make sure you check with your doctor. Some high doses of vitamins can react with medications you may already be taking. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, you will want to make sure you keep these diseases in check. These diseases may have an impact on the type of care you receive.

In extreme cases, you may also require laser surgery to destroy blood vessels before they cause additional damage to your vision. This process can also cause vision loss, but may be the only hope if your case has advanced symptoms. It is clear that early detection and prevention can help significantly with AMD. Maintain your weight and diet and you will be on the right track to maintain your eye health as you age.

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.dry-macular.com Dry Macular Prevention

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A Healthy Lifestyle Starts With Changing the Way You Think About Health

By Thomas Mason

Everybody wants to be healthier. There are more New Year's resolutions out there every year from people who are promising to live a more healthy lifestyle, whether it be to lose weight or eat better or just exercise more often than they do already. At the very same time, the promise to live a more healthy lifestyle is also the most often failed New Year's resolution of them all. Why? Because people are going about these changes in the wrong way.

Having a healthy lifestyle starts with you. You have to change the way that you think and the way that you look at life. There are so many different ways that you can implement a lifestyle change for yourself, but forcing yourself to do things is certainly not the way to go about it.

Take Baby Steps

So you want to eat better, right? If you are addicted to Twinkies and Bon-Bons, denying yourself the luxury of Twinkies and Bon Bons is not going to work, no matter how logical that solution feels to you at the time. Instead, start out by eating fewer of them. Try substituting them with other things that you enjoy that may be a bit more healthy for you and take baby steps toward eliminating those items from your diet gradually.

Remind Yourself of Your Goals

Having a healthy lifestyle is a big goal, but it can be broken down into smaller pieces. Decide what having a more healthy lifestyle means to you. Does it mean more exercise? Does it mean fewer sweets? Does it mean no cigarettes? Are you done with soda pop?

Post these goals somewhere where you know you will see them. The refrigerator works well, but so does the cubicle walls at work, your computer monitor at home, the wall in front of the toilet. Think of all of the places where you spend large amounts of time and those will work well for constant reminding of what it is that you have to do.

Having a more healthy lifestyle is about starting from the bottom and working your way up. Taking small steps now can prepare you for the larger steps later on, and those larger steps are what is really going to make a difference in your health.

Thomas Mason
http://www.todaylivehealthy.comhttp://www.wealthcrazy.net

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Becoming a Healthier, Fitter You - The Naked Truth

By Blake Johansen

Everywhere you look these days, there is someone trying to peddle another miracle product, pill, program or potion promising that you'll finally be able to trim your waistline, feel better and/or get in the shape you've always wanted. As dull as it may sound, there is simply no miracle solution.. That being said, the answer to getting in better shape is not a complex one at all. By following a simple plan, you can gradually get the results you desire. Anybody who wants to shed a few pounds, build some muscle and have more energy can do so if they are in overall good health and are willing to put forth the necessary effort.

If the willingness is there, the only missing thing for most of us is a road map of how to do it. Any workable program must contain all elements necessary for success. These include detailed instructions concerning exercise, nutritional needs as well as rest and recovery. If any of these areas is overlooked, less than desirable results can be expected. In my personal experience, regularly scheduled smaller meals about three to four hours apart throughout my day are about right. This equates to about five meals a day. I eat mostly relatively lean protein combined with plenty of vegetables as well as a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates. The rest and recovery part of the equation usually averages out to about seven and a half hours of sleep every night, although I'd like to get more.

Additionally, I usually get a minimum of three days rest between workouts aimed at a particular group of muscles. With a routine like this, I'm in most cases doing some form of physical exercise four to five days every week. I like to change up my routine from time to time so that body does not have a chance to adapt to a particular regimen. I usually do this about every six to eight weeks with a week off before starting a new routine.

Lastly, I'd like to say that any meaningful program that is undertaken will, if you are truly committed, over time greatly enrich your health and enjoyment of life. It may not be easy, but it is really quite simple.

Blake Johansen has been involved in fitness for over thirty years and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He has helped numerous people achieve their fitness goals. Get Blake's Newsletter

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