Tag Archives: immune system

What’s Up, Doc?

Posted by Healthy Wealthy Help in Healthy Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ever wonder what the secret is behind Bugs Bunny’s sharp mind and active body? Yes of course, it is carrot!

carrotThe juicy carrot is one of the most liked vegetable by millions of people all over the world. It serves as a crunchy addition to salads and is also a healthy choice for snacking. Besides its natural sweetness, delicious taste and revitalizing ability, the vegetable contains very important nutrients that are important for various organs such as eyes, skin, teeth and digestive system.

The vegetable derived its name from Greek word, “karoton”, where kar means horn shaped. The substance called beta-carotene found in carrot has actually been derived from the word karoton. Carrots are being cultivated since thousands of years in central Asia and the Middle East and also in some parts of Europe. It was brought to North America in the 16th Century for the first time. Currently China is the largest producer of carrots in the world.

You will find ample amount of vitamin A, beta-carotenes, anti-oxidants and minerals stored in it. The juice of the carrot is equally good and used in Juice Therapy Remedies for curing several diseases. It is recommended by many doctors to take at least one glass of carrot juice, especially children; it will help you and your child combat many diseases. The benefits that carrot juice will provide you will compel you to call it a Miracle juice.

Now let’s take a review of what carrot has to offer for your health.

The magic of Beta-carotene

There is 8285µg of beta-carotene found in 100g of fresh carrots. It is known to be one of the most powerful anti-oxidant that helps your body to combat against oxygen-free harmful radicals. These carotenes are converted by the liver into Vitamin A, which helps in improving vision, sperm production, maintains epithelial integrity and also helps in growth and development of the body.

Improves visioncarrot2

If you want sharp eye sight, increase the intake of carrot. The vitamin A obtained by carrot also helps to improve night vision. Carrot is known to cure vision related problems such as senile cataracts and macular degeneration.   Researches prove that 40% of people who take a lot of beta-carotene found in carrots, have a lower risk of developing macular degeneration.

Cure for Cancer

It has been discovered that carrots reduce the risk of developing several types of Cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer. Two of the components found in it called falcarinol and falcarindiol are known to have anticancer properties. A research conducted on mice proved that carrots lower the risk of developing cancer by 1/3.

Falcarinol is beneficial as a natural pesticide and this compound is only known to be found in carrots. It also protects from fungal diseases.

Beneficial for younger looking and glowing skin

Forget about the beauty treatments to enhance your skin health, use natural remedy such as carrot. Again with the help of high levels of beta-carotene acting as antioxidants, carrots halt the damages done to the cells of the body during the ongoing process of metabolism. This stops the aging of the cells.

Also if you want to protect your skin from the harmful damages of the sun, increase the intake of carrots. The vitamin A and antioxidants present in it, provides your skin with a shield that protects you from harmful sunrays. The lack of vitamin A can cause skin and hair dryness, premature wrinkling, acne, blemishes and pigmentation, to combat these problems make carrot a part of your daily diet.

If you want glowing skin apply a mask of carrot juice and honey on the face. So carrot acts as a complete skin treatment, from both inside and outside.

Improves Heart health

Three of the components found in carrots i.e. alpha carotene, beta carotene and lutein are known to lower the risk of developing heart diseases. The soluble fibers present in carrots when bind with bile acids, help to reduce the cholesterol levels.

It also saves us from strokes and researches have proven that. A study conducted by Harvard University proved that people who eat at least 6 carrots in a week are not at a risk of getting a stroke as compared to the people who take it once a week.

carrot3Carrot as a natural Cleanser

The Vitamin A present in carrot helps the liver to flush out all the harmful toxins away from the body. It is also helpful in the reduction of bile and fat production in the liver. There are some important fibers present in the carrot that regulates the bowel movements and clean out colon.

Carrot as a Powerful Antiseptic

Many herbalists use carrots to prevent several infections. You can treat cuts and wounds by placing raw grated carrots on them.

Effective for teeth and gum health

When you take a bite of a juicy carrot it not only provides you with its sweet taste but it also helps in maintaining your oral health. The food particles and plaque is scraped off with the help of these crunchy carrots. When we chew a raw carrot, it stimulates our gums and triggers the production of saliva that is alkaline in nature, this balance out the acid formation and also reduces the growth of bacteria causing cavity. There are some important minerals found in carrot that helps to protect against tooth decay.

How carrots should be used?
There are over 100 species of carrots available in a variety of colors such as orange, red, purple, white, yellow and green. But when you choose to eat carrots, try to select the ones that are deep orange in color because they are known to contain more beta-carotene.

The nutrients contained in carrots are tightly enclosed in protein sacs present inside them, these nutrients can easily be obtained by either heating or juicing the carrots. The carotenoids availability is increased by 600% when carrots are cooked in fats or by juicing them.

Two glasses of carrot juice a day can boost our immunity up to 70% so try to incorporate more of this vegetable to your diet on daily basis.

Published by MyHealthList.net

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Healthy Kids

Posted by Healthy Wealthy Help in Healthy Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Children’s Health

Super Wellness For Super kids  

Children grow at a much faster rate during their first few years than at any  other time in their lives, stressing the need for parents to ensure optimal  nutrition. Of special importance are macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins,  and fats) that provide calories and essential vitamins and minerals critical to  proper growth, development, and immune function—including all eight B vitamins  and vitamins C, A, and D, as well as calcium, iron, and zinc. In addition,  growing children should achieve adequate intakes of omega-3 fatty acids such as  DHA, which is essential for early brain and eye development.

Although  specific nutrient needs vary throughout the different stages of life, there is  probably not a more critical time for optimal nutrition than during  childhood—especially early childhood. Good nutrition is absolutely essential for  the development of healthy bodies that will thrive with abundant energy, healthy  brain function, a responsive immune system, and strong bones and teeth.  Healthful eating and exercise habits  established during childhood also  will help reduce the risk of obesity as well as many degenerative and  lifestyle-related diseases of adulthood, including diabetes, heart disease,  cancer, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and other conditions related to nutrition,  weight, and lifestyle. In other words, acquiring beneficial lifestyle habits  early in life, making nutritious and healthful food choices, being physically  active, and filling in nutritional gaps with the appropriate dietary  supplements can provide a strong foundation for a lifetime of health and  wellness.

For more information on supplements click HERE.

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Gesundheit!

Posted by Healthy Wealthy Help in Healthy Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tis the Season…

The lower 48 states are experiencing one of the worst allergy seasons on record.  The mild temperature during the end of winter has allowed for earlier growth and blooming. Levels of pollen, tree, grass, mold and others are all high. The fact is,  all of us are allergic to these things because they are foreign invaders. So why do some seem symptom free, while others are so bad that they are having asthmatic conditions? The answer is balance.

Several systems in your body need to be in balance to help deal with environmental allergens. The immune system, inflammatory system, detoxification system, hormone system and structural system all have to be in balance and functioning at 80% capacity or higher. Additionally, we need to have low oxidative stress and healthy bowel function. When all of these are in working order, there is a good chance you will be one of the people who don’t appear to suffer from allergies. The more of these systems that are out of balance, the more likely you will suffer. In fact, over the years I have had many people tell me that they have recently developed allergies, or that over time they have increased.  To help improve your symptoms or eliminate them, you have to support the systems mentioned above. I myself can attest to the power of this approach as I once had terrible environmental allergies and suffered with exercise induced asthma.  I happy to report that the asthma is completely gone and the allergies have not been an issue for several years.

Everything starts with diet. Your diet has a major impact on your inflammatory response.  Try to eliminate processed foods, white sugar, white flour, high carb foods, trans fats, coffee and other high caffeine foods or drinks. Cut down on dairy products and red meats. Grass fed, organic beef is best, but on a limited basis.  Instead, try to eat quality proteins like turkey, fish, pasture raised chicken and eggs. Get plenty of vegetables in your diet as well as healthy fats like olive oil, fish oil, flax oil and coconut oil. I realize this is a tall order, but every little bit helps. Just be mindful of what you eat. Drink plenty of purified water, like Get Clean water.

Move your body. The trash in your body moves through the lymphatic system. The lymph system does not have its own pump. Therefore, you have to move your arms, legs and trunk to help move the garbage along. A ten minute walk, stationary bike with arm movements, yoga and mild cardio movements are all helpful.

Support your systems. There are some really easy and great ways to help support the body and allow it to handle the allergens better without causing you a lot of discomfort. For me, the baseline is the Shaklee Life Strip and Vivix. Together, you have all the things you need to have a positive impact on detoxification, oxidative stress, inflammation and hormonal imbalance. These four systems interact very closely with one another so supporting all four at the same time makes better sense.  Next, consider adding DTX for additional liver support (your oil filter), Nutriferon to regulate the immune response and Alfalfa to clean and alkalize the system. If you have a lot of stress in your life, try Stress Relief Complex to help balance out the stress response. Stressed out stress glands have been shown to have a direct link to increased allergies to both environmental allergens as well as food.

Lastly, keep things as clean as possible. Always use non toxic cleaning products to clean your home, on dishes and clothing. I have chosen to use Get Clean products. Some of the most toxic things you come in contact with are cleaning products.  Women need to find healthier cosmetics that don’t have all those nasty chemicals.  Limit fragrances as they contain hormone disruptors as well as chemicals known to irritate the lungs.

Every little bit helps. Start with one or two, and add on as you can. I know you will see a difference because I did!

Information based on an article by Dr. Joseph Hansen/Omnis Chiropractic

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Have a Laugh

Posted by Healthy Wealthy Help in Healthy Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This article is from HelpGuide.org…

Laughter is the Best Medicine

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”

~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is good for your health

  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits:

  • Boosts immunity
  • Lowers stress hormones
  • Decreases pain
  • Relaxes your muscles
  • Prevents heart disease
 Mental Health Benefits:

  • Adds joy and zest to life
  • Eases anxiety and fear
  • Relieves stress
  • Improves mood
  • Enhances resilience
 Social Benefits:

  • Strengthens relationships
  • Attracts others to us
  • Enhances teamwork
  • Helps defuse conflict
  • Promotes group bonding

Laughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

  • Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
  • Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
  • Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

The social benefits of humor and laughter

Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.

Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone

Creating opportunities to laugh

  • Watch a funny movie or TV show.
  • Go to a comedy club.
  • Read the funny pages.
  • Seek out funny people.
  • Share a good joke or a funny story.
  • Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
  • Host game night with friends.
  • Play with a pet.
  • Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
  • Goof around with children.
  • Do something silly.
  • Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Incorporating more humor and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships— as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

  • Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
  • Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
  • Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
  • Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

Bringing more humor and laughter into your life

Want to bring the fun? Get a pet…

Most of us have experienced the joy of playing with a furry friend, and pets are a rewarding way to bring more laughter and joy into your life. But did you know that having a pet is also good for your mental and physical health? Studies show that pets can protect you depression, stress, and even heart disease.

Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.

Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with working out, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything you do.

 

Here are some ways to start:

  • Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. Like laughter, it’s contagious. Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event. The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling.
  • Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
  • When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
  • Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
  • Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”

Developing your sense of humor: Take yourself less seriously

One essential characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there!

Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most events in life don’t carry an overwhelming sense of either sadness or delight. They fall into the gray zone of ordinary life–giving you the choice to laugh or not.

Ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life:

  • Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take yourself less seriously is to talk about times when you took yourself too seriously.
  • Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. Look for the humor in a bad situation, and uncover the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you.
  • Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.
  • Keep things in perspective. Many things in life are beyond your control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical.
  • Deal with your stress. Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter.
  • Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.
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‘Tis The Season

Posted by Healthy Wealthy Help in Immune System and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seems like this is the time of year when we hear more talk about our immune system. While the weather is getting cold, we try our best not to “catch” one. Maintaining immune system health is an important element in the body’s well-being. The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from infections and for healing injuries. Every day our bodies are under attack by pathogens and dangerous microbes that infest our surroundings with an unseen, unfelt, yet undeniable health threat. Our body’s built-in immune system protects us whenever possible, but it’s under constant attack from poor nutrition, stress, pollution, and fatigue.The immune system protects the body from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other harmful organisms. At times of the year when you’re more likely to be slowed down by immune challenges, it’s more important than ever to keep your immune system up to speed.

So what are some of the things we can do to keep our immune system strong?

Eat a balanced diet. Fill your meals and snacks with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and a little meat or fish if you so desire. These foods are packed with nutrients that strengthen the immune system. Eat more fresh, whole foods and fewer packaged and processed foods, and foods high in fat.
Get adequate sleep. Studies have demonstrated that people who have not gotten enough sleep (or enough good-quality sleep) are more likely to get sick when exposed to a virus than people who have gotten enough shut-eye. One reason for this is that when you sleep, your immune system releases substances that increase your body’s ability to fight infection. For most people, seven to nine hours of sleep per night is optimal.
Exercise moderately. About 30 minutes a day of moderately strenuous exercise, such as brisk walking, has many positive effects on your health and well-being. Among other things, it can increase energy, help to lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol readings.
 Don’t smoke. Smoking depresses the immune system by affecting the antibodies that protect against foreign invaders like viruses. Quitting smoking usually reverses this process.
Avoid excess alcohol. Taking in too much alcohol (more than one or two drinks) on a regular basis reduces the production and effectiveness of the cells the immune system sends out to fight infection. Excess alcohol also impairs the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and reduces the flow of oxygen to vital organs.
 Take a quality multivitamin. A basic, daily multivitamin/mineral supplement can help support your immune system.
 Reduce and manage your stress level. Prolonged or chronic stress seems to make some people more likely to become sick. To counteract chronic stress, see what you can change in your life to reduce your stress level, practice relaxation techniques and seek social support from family and friends.
 Drink plenty of water. Adequate hydration helps your body in many ways, including digestion and the flushing of toxins. Plain water is all you need, so drink up!

One of the products I suggest having on hand, especially this time of year, is called Defend and Resist. I take it at the first sign of a runny nose, or a scratchy throat, and most times I am able to avoid getting sick all together. It basically supercharges your immune system when you start to feel the need.

Scientific studies suggest that, along with a healthy diet and getting enough rest, consuming certain herbal ingredients can help you be prepared for the moment when you first feel the need to bolster your immune system. Defend & Resist Complex can help your body respond to seasonal challenges by giving your immune system what it needs to stay strong, with a unique formula based on standardized extracts of herbs. Defend and Resist contains echinacea to stimulate the body’s natural resistance, black elderberry helps maintain a healthy immune response, larch tree enhances immune support, and a daily intake of zinc is also important in maintaining a healthy immune system.

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