5 Foods That Help You Sleep Better

Besides making you abrasive and unpleasant, a lack of sleep can make you fat. Here are five foods to help you sleep better.

As you go about your hectic lifestyle, one thing that you must be sure that you're not shorting yourself on is a sound sleep. If you're working out hard in the gym, without that proper night's rest each evening, you're going to really struggle to keep up with your recovery and progress.

In addition to this, those who aren't sleeping well throughout the night are more likely to see elevated levels of cortisol in their body, which will then encourage belly fat accumulation. If a lean midsection and a healthy rate of muscle building are two of your main priorities, you definitely want to look into how to sleep better. You’ve come to the right place.

What you eat will have a big influence on the quality of your sleep. You can easily sleep better by making a few changes and being sure to include foods that promote rest. Note, however, that you should not eat these foods immediately before going to bed, as that can keep you awake due to the increased blood flow to the digestive system; eat them one to two hours before you plan to turn in for the night. This will allow the heaviest part of digestion to take place and also give the sleep-enhancing effects a chance to kick in.

Let's have a quick look at the top foods you should consider if you want to sleep better. Read more

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Posted in: better sleep,insomnia,nutrition

Shut Off the Light at Night to Reduce Cancer Risk

Do you sleep in a dark room? Completely dark? Research shows that even a single light emission during sleep is enough disrupt the circadian rhythm of the sleep cycle and alter normal cellular division.

A wealth of research is pointing to an ever increasing problem that is shown to increase our risk of cancer. The problem is with light sources in the bedroom at night when most people are asleep. Many of the critical biological functions carried out by our body during sleep are dependent on circadian rhythms and are disturbed by the smallest amount of light from devices such as iPods, laptops, electronic readers and television. Information provided by the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics shines a light on the importance of sleeping in a totally dark room to lower cancer risk.

Researchers have been able to show that a single light emission during sleep is enough to disrupt the circadian rhythm of the sleep cycle and alter normal cellular division. The body requires 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep with no light distraction each night to complete the repair and regeneration functions essential to maintain optimal health. Read more

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Posted in: better sleep,cancer prevention,circadian rhythm

How to Speed Up Your Metabolism

Joseph Mercola says some of the tips and tricks to burn fat and lose weight recommended by the mainstream media are dubious at best. He reveals which techniques really work.

... A few of the techniques mentioned in the Yahoo article have merit, while others are dubious at best. For example, if your goal is to improve your metabolism, I wouldn't give much attention to strategies like

• drinking cold water,
• loading up on caffeine or
• gorging at breakfast (which may actually be counterproductive for fat burning),

In all honesty, if you truly want to boost your metabolism, I recommend focusing on what really works, which I'll discuss in this comment. Sure, thermogenic foods (such as green tea for example) may help, but if you're really going to do it, why not maximize your chances of success rather than dallying around?

So, quit pretending quick fixes like tea or caffeine will do the work for you, and address the root instead. In this comment, I'll address three potent natural ways to optimize your metabolism: Read more

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Posted in: boost metabolism,burn fat,lose weight

Physical Fitness: Better than Vaccines for Seasonal Flu Prevention

A new study finds that staying physically fit is your best defense against colds and flu.

Staying physically fit may reduce your time spent sick during cold and flu season by nearly 50 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from Appalachian State University and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers followed 1,002 adults younger than age 86 for 12 weeks in either the fall or winter of 2008. Participants reported how much time they spent exercising and rated their own fitness on a 10-point scale. The researchers found that after adjusting for potentially complicating factors such as age, body mass index, education, fruit intake, marital status, mental stress and sex, people who exercised at least five days per week spent 43 percent less time with an upper respiratory tract infection than people who exercised one or fewer days per week. Read more

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Posted in: physical fitness,seasonal flu,vaccines

How Much Iodine Do We Need?

Mark Sircus discusses the dosages of iodine necessary to prevent and treat illness, overcome toxic fluoride, and stay healthy.

After testing over 500 patients, I found that 94.7% of my patients are deficient in inorganic iodine.
~ Dr. David Brownstein

There are several reference points we can use to plot out iodine dosages for a variety of disorders that beg for the use of iodine for successful treatment. In this chapter I will present different views and practices from present as well as from the long past when iodine was vastly more popular as a medicine than it is today. For whatever irrational reason, doctors and patients fear iodine thus en mass do not use to its fullest potential.

Humans tolerate large doses of iodine but the ultra high doses that were used many decades ago are not required to get the most out of iodine therapy. Just a little goes a long way, as the governmental iodized salt programs showed but this dosage level was only affective for goiter and its avoidance. It actually takes very little iodine to prevent this disease but no one ever said that was the only purpose and need for iodine in the body. Today people are more deficient then ever before because our need for iodine has increased in direct proportion to our toxic burdens especially of other competing halogens.

So effective is iodine that aerosols can be effective in sterilizing a room at levels not even detectable by humans. But Dr. David Derry of Canada says that, “Dietary iodine found in iodized salt is below the amounts needed to fill mucus defense roles. To protect themselves, people wishing to boost their defense against infections should supplement their diets with iodine.” Read more

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Posted in: iodine,nutrition

The American Bed Bug Infestation

Alan Caruba explains why the nationwide bed bug epidemic is the fault of counterproductive government regulation..

There really is no mystery to solving the nationwide bed bug epidemic. In 1946 the solution was DDT. Today the solution could still be DDT if it hadn’t been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970s and, since then, any number of other beneficial pesticides.

I know something about this because, as a public relations counselor I have worked with pesticide manufacturers in the past and elements of the pest control industry today.

The problem isn’t so much the bed bugs as the brainwashing of Americans to believe that pesticides are worse than the pests. One of the reasons Americans live in an essentially pest-free environment in their homes, offices, restaurants, hotels, and elsewhere is the widespread use of pesticides, despite decades of effort by environmental organizations to spread and maintain an irrational fear of pesticides. Read more

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Posted in: bed bugs

The Cholesterol Scam

Ernest Curtis, MD, exposes the Big Government-Big Pharma cholesterol scam.

A delusion is a false belief held with conviction despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. LRC readers are certainly familiar with many delusions popularly held in the field of economics and the fact that these myths persist because they serve the interests of those who benefit from big government and ever-expanding government interventions.

The same is true in the field of medical science where one of the most widely accepted myths involves cholesterol and its purported role in causing heart attacks.

There is a closely related set of theories known as the Cholesterol Theory, the Lipid Hypothesis, and the Diet-Heart Theory. They postulate that cholesterol is the chief culprit in the causation of atherosclerosis (also called arteriosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries"). It is the complications of atherosclerosis that lead to disability and premature death from heart attacks and strokes. These theories also maintain that a diet too high in fats and cholesterol is often responsible for the premature development of atherosclerosis.

The truth is that these theories are scientifically bankrupt and cholesterol has nothing to do with the development of atherosclerosis or its subsequent complications. Read more

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Posted in: cardiovascular health,cholesterol,cholesterol myths,heart disease

Discover the Superfood Power of Hemp

Hemp can be used to make anything from paper to rope to cloth. It is also one of the most nutritionally well-balanced foods on the planet.

Foods that have an incredible array of health benefits that go well beyond just their nutrient value are considered 'super-foods.' One of the oldest and yet seemingly most misunderstood superfoods on the planet is hemp. Hemp is an incredible multi-purpose plant that can be used for anything from paper, rope, and cloth. It is also one of the most nutritionally well-balanced foods on the planet.

Although many people associate hemp with its sister plant marijuana (Cannabis sativa l.) the two are not the same. Hemp products come from a special variety that contains virtually no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the chemical that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects. Therefore hemp is a perfectly safe food that will not make one "high" or cause anyone to fail a drug test. Read more

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Posted in: hemp,nutrition,superfoods

Could Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help to Prevent Brain Injury in Football Players or Soldiers?

Football is a dangerous game, mainly due to head-banging concussions. Now animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid DHA might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury.

Animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

Although only preliminary, the results raise the "intriguing" possibility of preventive treatment with DHA in groups at high risk of TBI, such as military personnel and athletes in contact sports—including football players. The lead author is Dr. Julian E. Bailes of West Virginia University, Morgantown. Read more

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Posted in: fish oil,natural remedies,traumatic brain injury

Want to Feel Better? Give Up White Flour

Want an easy way to feel better? Give up white flour.

f you are still searching for a great health-related New Year’s resolution, consider giving up white flour and products made from it. You might be amazed at how much better you feel.

White flour made from refined wheat is one of the most common food allergens today. Almost everybody who lives in the United States has some sensitivity to white flour and/or wheat.

Wheat used to be considered the staff of life, but now, thanks to processing, it is a dead and detrimental food. When you compare white flour to the wheat berry, processing removes 66 percent of the B vitamins, 70 percent of the minerals, 79 percent of the fiber, and 19 percent of the protein.

What is left is a “food” that forces the body to rob itself of essential minerals in order to be digested. Once these mineral stores are depleted, the “food” will ferment into the perfect environment for yeast, bacteria and parasites to grow, leading to indigestion, gas and bloating. Read more

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Posted in: nutrition,white flour

Olive Oil, Grren Leaf Vegetables Prevent Heart Disease

A new study found that three tablespoons of olive oil or one serving of leafy, green vegetables daily can cut your risk of heart disease almost in half.

Italian researchers have confirmed that diets rich in leafy green vegetables and olive oil are vital for heart health. Dr. Domenico Palli from the Cancer Research and Prevention Institute in Florence and his colleagues discovered that women who eat at least one serving of leafy greens a day are 46 percent less likely to develop heart disease than women who eat less. And those who consume at least three tablespoons of olive oil a day earn roughly the same benefit. Read more

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Posted in: heart disease,natural remedies,olive oil

The Health Benefits of Turmeric

The health benefits of turmeric are numerous, says Dr. Andrew Weil.

Looking for a simple New Year's resolution for health? Add turmeric to your diet.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a culinary spice, a major ingredient in Indian curries, and the source of American mustard's bright yellow color. Used as both medicine and food for centuries, accumulating evidence suggests that this relative of ginger is a promising preventive agent for a wide range of diseases, probably due largely to its anti-inflammatory properties.

The National Institutes of Health lists 24 current studies on the effects of turmeric and its chief active component, curcumin. Such studies raise the question of which is better to take: whole turmeric, generally used as a powdered spice with food; or curcumin, which is usually taken as a supplement? Each has been shown to have health benefits, but unless you have a specific condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, I favor using turmeric (especially in cooking) rather than taking curcumin pills. This reflects my general belief that, until proven otherwise in head to head studies, whole plants are usually a better choice than isolates. On the other hand, curcumin appears to have a more rapid and dramatic effect, and may be the better choice as a therapeutic (rather than a preventative) preparation.

Here's a quick roundup of recent research on both turmeric and curcumin. Read more

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Posted in: natural remedies,turmeric