List of Article with: wellness
Depressed? Call My Mother!
by cheerchic42792
My mother was a wonderful woman who was a depressant all her life. Even though she had a finely honed sense of humor, she had an ever present dark side that would not allow her to give encouragement.
If you went to my mother depressed, you could very well come away suicidal. If you told her what was bothering you, she would answer: “if it’s not one thing it’s ninety-nine others.” Yikes, she was definitely not the right person to go to in a low mood!
I have that same dark side as my mother but have learned over the years to keep it locked away in a closet of my mind. I talk to myself every morning to get my attitude straight. I also avoid things that I know can drop my mood to below sea level.
We wrote in an earlier blog that the Mediterranean diet has been associated with lower incidence of depression and it is high in omega 3 fatty acids. Try the following:
- Take a daily fish oil supplement- 1,000 mg of EPA- omega 3 fatty acids
- Stay away from triggers like negative thoughts
- Get out in the sun regularly-develops Vitamin D
- Exercise- I know we beat this one to death; but it is true
- Stay connected to other people-do not become isolated
- Strive to get 8 or more hours of sleep each night
Good Luck and Best Wishes!
Paul
Become a fan of Total Wellness | FREE “The Path to Wellness” E-book | Follow us on Twitter
Health is Wealth
Everybody over the age of 18 has most likely heard the expression: “if you have your health you have everything”. If you have not heard that one you have probably heard this one: All you need is your health and then you can get everything else”.
Are these expressions accurate or true; or are they just nice, feel good sayings?
I think that we can all agree that when you feel well, have good health and enjoy an overall state of wellness; you can do more things, perform more tasks and are much more apt to accomplish your goals.
When you feel bad, are lethargic and slow moving and cannot get yourself motivated to do much; you are not really going to accomplish very much in the course of a day. If you feel bad on a consistent basis over many years, you are most likely not going to get too far in life.
Ask any mature person what the most important asset he or she can have; and you will almost always hear the word “health”. Why do people prize health so highly? Because we all know that without health and wellness, life is much more difficult.
Is health really wealth? Is health truly an asset like gold, diamonds, property and cash?
Just see how quickly a person is willing to give his personal fortune to doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals to bring him away from death’s door to a state of health and wellness.
Health is the greatest wealth! Without it you are truly poor!
Sincerely,
Paul
Become a fan of Total Wellness | FREE “The Path to Wellness” E-book | Follow us on Twitter
Sources of Protein
Protein is one of our three food groups. It is probably the last thing most people think about in planning their meals and is often lacking in our diets unless we are big meat eaters. We need protein for so many things; but look at it this way. If you want to keep “meat on your bones” you need protein.
Protein should be about 20% of your daily diet. If you eat a 2,000 calorie diet, protein should be 400 calories; which translates to 100 grams at 4 calories per gram.
Words to the wise- try to get as little of this protein as possible from red meats and high-fat dairy products. Here is a list of some of our most popular sources of protein and the cost per gram.
- 1 cup of chicken- 43 grams- 1.8 cents per gram
- 5 oz. Salmon- 42 grams- 5.8 cents per gram
- 1 cup turkey- 41 grams- 1.5 cents per gram
- 1 cup soybeans, canned- 29 grams- 3.1 cents per gram
- 3 oz. Roast beef- 26 grams- 2.7 cents per gram
- 1 cup non-fat cottage cheese- 25 grams- 3.1 cents per gram
- 3 oz. Ground beef- 22 grams- 2.3 cents per gram
- 3 oz. Ham- 18 grams- 2.1 cents per gram
- 1 cup lentils- 18 grams- 3.3 cents per gram
- 1 cup beans, canned- 15 grams- 2.9 cents per gram
- 1 cup low-fat yogurt- 12 grams- 5.0 cents per gram
- 1 cup milk- 8 grams- 2.5 cents per gram
- 8 oz. Peas, canned- 8 grams- 5.2 cents per gram
- ¼ block firm tofu- 7 grams- 6.9 cents per gram
- 1 oz. Cheddar cheese- 7 grams- 3.6 cents per gram
- 1 oz. Nuts- 7 grams- 7 grams- 5.2 cents per gram
- 1 large egg- 6 grams- 5.7 cents per gram
- 1 tbsp. Peanut butter- 4 grams- 1.8 cents per gram
- ½ cup ice cream- 3 grams- 5.3 cents per gram
Can Aspirin Prevent Colon Cancer?
The incidence of colon cancer can be dramatically reduced by taking a strong regimen of aspirin on a daily basis. An adult does of 325 mg/day is the proper amount. The salicylic acid in aspirin is an anti-inflammatory; and as we have shown earlier, a great many diseases, including cancer, are promoted by inflammation in the body.
However, a daily dose of 325 mg of aspirin is going to have other effects on the body over that are not so good. First, aspirin is also a blood thinner and consistent use of it can lead to gastric problems that include internal bleeding. Over 16,000 people a year die from gastric bleeding associated with non-steroidal medications such as aspirin and ibuprofens.
In short, aspirin does work but it will cause havoc with your body because colon tumors take between 5 and 10 years to develop before they are discovered. It is too long a period of time to be on an aspirin regimen.
Some doctors and wellness experts recommend a high fiber diet rich in vegetables, fruits and wheat bran. This advice is excellent for many reasons; but the fact of the matter is that so far there has been no evidence that such a diet prevents colon cancer.
Our recommendation is always to eat a proper and healthy diet, to exercise and to keep your weight in the correct range; but do get a colonoscopy on a regular basis as advised by your physician.
By Paul A. Mulready
The Hidden Dangers of Wheat
If you are anything like I am, you love good bread. I especially like the thick crusty multi-grain bread that needs nothing on it because it tastes so good by itself.
Unfortunately, according to Andrew Rubman, ND, writing in Bottom Line’s Daily Health Newsletter, “there are hidden dangers in wheat.”
“Did you know that grains are actually the first ‘processed foods’ in the human diet? They didn’t become a dietary staple until the agricultural revolution began in the mid-19th century. Unlike meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables, grains aren’t typically eaten in their natural state; rather, they are first milled (processed) to help make them more digestible. Even with processing, many grains often present difficulties, says Daily Health News contributing Editor Andrew Rubman, ND. And, he adds, wheat – of all the grains – is actually one of the most challenging foods in our modern diet. It often is the culprit behind an array of digestive, allergic and autoimmune problems.”
“When experts discuss digestive problems associated with wheat, it is usually within the context of celiac disease – a serious autoimmune disease in which people cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye or barley. In truth though, many – maybe even most – people have trouble digesting wheat. This is because gluten damages the tissue that lines the digestive tract of nearly all mammals, Dr. Rubman explains.”
What Makes Wheat Tough to Swallow
The mucosal walls of a healthy digestive tract are lined with tiny fingerlike protrusions called villi, which facilitate the absorption of nutrients from food, explains Dr. Rubman. Gluten causes degenerative changes in the villi, impairing the function. Once damaged, the villi are less able to absorb nutrients from food, which leads to assorted problems, including fatigue, abdominal bloating and water retention. This slows the metabolism, causing sluggish digestion and accumulation of waste. Over time, this can lead to what Dr. Rubman calls ‘leaky gut syndrome,’ in which intestinal walls deteriorate and become more permeable, allowing waste, toxins, bacteria and partially digested food particles to escape into circulation and cause inflammatory damage elsewhere in the body.”
“If you are having digestive difficulties, especially IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and abdominal bloating, wheat may be the cause. Dr. Rubman suggests that a good way to find out whether this is so is to completely eliminate wheat from your diet for two weeks. You may find yourself craving wheat and you may also notice an increase in digestive disturbances in the first few days, both of which will slowly subside and eventually vanish. After two weeks, try a single serving of a small bowl of pasta, a sandwich on whole wheat bread or some cereal and monitor how your body responds over the next 24 hours. Pay particular attention to such symptoms as cramping, nausea and intestinal gas. This mini-test will give you information about how your body tolerates gluten. Trial and error can identify how often – and in what quantities – you can consume wheat without ill effects. Dr. Rubman says that this provides better information even than the conventional blood and saliva tests your doctor would order.”
“Most people would feel better if they ate less wheat – but if you don’t have celiac disease or are otherwise intolerant of wheat, Dr. Rubman says it is better to enjoy it in moderation. He advises against eating it daily, recommending that your work with your body’s natural digestive cycle. It takes about 72 hours for the lining of an average person’s intestine to turn over, expose a new layer of healthy mucosa and a new set of healthy villi, which are ready to deal with a new onslaught of gluten. This means that you can safely consume grains every three days, more or less, depending on your individual susceptibilities and how healthy the rest of your diet is.”
This may or may not be good news for many of us; but I do believe it is excellent advice. If you are otherwise okay in your tolerance for wheat; eating it once every three days should not be too difficult. It is like everything else we talk about here on the Total Wellness Team site; most things in moderation are not a problem so long as they are in balance with our daily diet of nutrition.
Dr. Andrew Rubman, ND, is medical director of the Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut, www.naturopath.org.
A Mediterranean Diet is linked to Lower Depression
According to an article in the New York Times “Nutrition: Lower Depression Risk Linked to Mediterranean Diet” by Roni Caryn Rabin, published on October 8, 2009:
“Eating a Mediterranean-style diet – packed with fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish – is good for your heart, many studies have found. Now scientists are suggesting the diet may be good for your mental health, too.”
“A study of 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and a half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were about half as likely to develop depression than those who said they did not stick to the diet.”
“The study…does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the Mediterranean diet and a lower risk for depression, only an association between the two. Still, many scientists are convinced that some damaging inflammatory and metabolic processes involved in cardiovascular disease may also play a role in mental health.”
As you discover more and more about a total wellness lifestyle you will see the truth of our definition that total wellness is “an integration of the body, mind and spirit”.
Our systems are interrelated. They do not function separately from each other. What is good for one part of us is good for every part of us.
About Health-Care
With all the talk about health-care in the news we think it is appropriate to comment on how visiting this site and getting good information on health and wellness is relevant to the subject of your health-care.
When you make the decision to improve how you live your life in respect to your own well-being you choose at that time to take responsibility for your own health-care. People who choose to live healthy lives need far less health-care than people with chronic diseases and lifestyle diseases.
We can all agree that being healthy and feeling good beats being unhealthy and feeling sick; but what a lot of us do not look at are the associated costs of being sick. It costs far more to be unhealthy than healthy in every aspect of life:
- Time missed from work = less pay!
- Doctors’ visits with expensive co-pays!
- Prescription drug co-pays!
- Higher health insurance premiums!
- Lower energy levels!
- And less enjoyment of life!
Certainly, there are more costs to being unhealthy than what we have listed here; but these six factors do hopefully get the point across. It is so much better and cheaper to live a life of Total Wellness that there is really nothing much more that needs to be said.