Practical Health Information

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Monday, February 23, 2009

What Is Wonderful About Whey Protein?

There are a lot of benefits of whey protein and you may be only aware of the most obvious if you are a bodybuilder, and that is to promote muscle growth. Using whey protein is going to give you a lot of other benefits that you might not know about. Here are some of the many benefits of this super protein.

One thing that everyone is going to love about taking whey protein is that it is going to help them to lose weight. Whether you have a couple of extra pounds to lose or are starting a major diet, whey protein is going to help you out.

A second benefit to whey protein is that it will give your body extra calcium. Because whey protein is made of whey, which is a dairy product, using it is going to give your body calcium, which is also going to help in weight loss. If you are not looking to lose weight with whey protein, you dont have to worry because its just going to help with weight loss, not melt the pounds off like other supplements can do.

Another amazing thing that whey protein can do is help your body regulate the levels of blood sugar. If you are a serious weightlifter, you are going to need to keep your energy up, so this is going to give you a huge advantage. If your energy levels drop suddenly during the middle of a power lift, it can be really dangerous. Whey protein gives you that extra power when you need it. If you arent a bodybuilder, whey protein is still going to be able to help you by helping your body to read its hunger signals better. If your blood sugar is low, you probably eat something sugary to get it back up. Whey protein is going to get rid of those sugar highs and lows by regulating your levels more.

The most obvious benefit of whey protein is going to be the building of lean muscles. If you are a bodybuilder this can be a really great tool to help you get stronger and stronger. If youre not a bodybuilder this can help you to just tone up a bit and look better.

For intense bodybuilders, you are probably going to need about one gram of protein for each pound on your body. That means if you weigh 100 pounds, you are going to want between 90 and 100 grams of protein everyday. This is going to be difficult to do without supplementing protein. Whey protein is one of the best ways to get the protein that you need to keep your progress going.

Non-bodybuilders are going to need less protein everyday, but they are probably still going to have to supplement their protein unless their diet is really good. Most people dont get enough protein - both bodybuilders and non-bodybuilders. Because you arent getting enough protein, you are going to find that you are tired and dont have enough energy to get through your workout.

The benefits of whey are going to outshine any of the negative side effects. Whey protein is going to be a good choice for a protein supplement to your diet.

By: Rick Bean

FSV is one of Ireland's top whey protein suppliers and stocks instant whey.

Monday, February 16, 2009

3 Stop Smoking Medications

It is so easy to begin and so difficult to quit, isn't it? If you have already wanted to quit smoking for good, it is a good idea to take all measures which will guarantee success. The good news is that along with the traditional cold turkey skills, you can get yourself a stop smoking medication to relieve the cessation symptoms and help you to quit smoking.

A good approach is to advise with your doctor first. Since he is aware of your medical condition, he will be able to prescribe you the best and the most effective stop smoking medication. Although most stop smoking medications seem harmless, they might be unsuitable for your physical condition.

Zyban

A well knows stop smoking medication is Zyban which is a popular dug that has the same effect as nicotine. It will fool your brain and your body will not experience the cessation symptoms in their full strength. Zyban does not contain nicotine so it is suitable for people who cannot use nicotine medications or for the ones tried nicotine stop smoking products with no success. It is also a highly recommended stop smoking medication as it prevents weight gain. You will need a prescription from your doctor in order to buy Zyban.

Nicotine Patch or Nicotine Gum

Another form of stop smoking medication is the nicotine gum or the nicotine patch and both products work on the nicotine replacement therapy. Small amounts of nicotine are released into the body therefore the cigarette desire is greatly reduced. If you cannot apply nicotine stop smoking medication, try one with no nicotine as they contain herbs which have nicotine-like effects.
Generally nicotine patches, gums and inhalers are available without a prescription. If you suffer a severe smoking addiction, your doctor may prescribe you more than one stop smoking medication. For example a combination of Zyban and a nicotine patch or a gum usually gives good results.

Herbal Stop Smoking

Beside the stop smoking medication mention above, you also can get a herbal stop smoking medication to quit smoking. There are plenty of products available in the market however you need to let your physician know that you would prefer a natural product to help you to quit smoking then he will advise you for the best ones. The good thing about herbal medications is that they are all natural products which will intoxicate your body less than chemical medications.

Regardless of the form of the stop smoking medication you prefer to use, it will simply not help if you are not devoted to entirely forget about smoking. Stop smoking medications can ease the cessation symptoms, help your mood and reduce the cravings however the rest is up to you. To get better results combine your medication therapy with a behavior one such as find yourself a new hobby, do more spot and seek support from your family and friends.

By: John K Lam

John K Lam, who has studies various medical studies and manage to quit smoking successfully, has share his knowledge through website where you can get Free Copy and Useful Information about Stop Smoking and Stop Smoking Herbs.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Brain Fitness And Your New Year's Resolutions

New Brain for the New Year!

Brain Fitness Programs.


It is January 1, 2009, and today is the day you will be doing your New Year's Resolutions, if you are done with the excesses of New Years's Eve anyway.

Perhaps you have done resolutions before, generated a great deal of excitement anticipating all the neat changes you were going to manifest, like the new physique, the reduced debt, no more cigarettes, a return to school, and then you were disappointed about the slow drain of excitement, and the continuation of old habits you wanted to change.

How about beginning the change process in the brain, before worrying about the diet or the new text book?

Yes, change the brain first and the movement of the body will change too.

Perhaps you have been tangentially noticing all the publicity in the media about brain fitness, all the information being revealed by fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) which is giving scientists an opportunity to look at the brain in action in real time.

They are discovering some very interesting information, like our brains continue to grow new cells throughout the life span, which is called neurogenesis, and that the brain is a very plastic organ, constantly reorganizing itself based on how we use it, which is called neuroplasticity.

Those two discoveries alone overthrow decades if not centuries of neuroscientific dogma, much to the benefit of our New Year's Resolutions.

However, we must maximize the brain's ability to manifest neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, which means lay the groundwork.

As we do that groundwork, the brain is in a much better position to help us carry through on our resolutions.

(Remember that Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, author of Finding Flow, says that we perceive seven bits of sensory data every 1/18th second, so our brains are fast, and my brain will have me moving down a familiar path rapidly if I am not on top of my brain fitness game).

The researchers are discovering that our brains work best when we take care of our nutrition, stress management, physical exercise, and involve our brains in novel challenges, which is part of what I want to talk about today.

Researchers are finding very intriguing evidence that brain circuits or brain maps can be exercised, and when those circuits are exercised, the neurons in those circuits continue to fire together in close harmony, and dendritic growth continues to happen.

In other words, the neurons stay creative in the sense that they are growing connections to other neurons, and the more connections I have the better I am at making decisions which benefit the entire organism.

I will be able to bring more brain power to the resolutions I make.

There are any number of marketers leaping into the brain fitness marketplace with different brain fitness programs to take advantage of this market, which is being driven by aging Baby Boomers, so it is important to take a look at the product before you purchase or partake.

I think it is important to note that research is indicating that the words "novel challenge' referred to above do not include "brain games" but do include activities like learning a new instrument, or taking up a new career, or learning a new language.

For brain fitness to occur, one does not need to become an expert at a new, novel challenge. One does need to practice regularly.

There are a number of brain fitness programs available now that offer a novel challenge to our brains which can be part of our routine which mazimizes brain fitness.

I have tried four of them, and found them all, while different in approach, time committment, and expense, very useful.

One in particular has helped me to focus more effectively on a given task, like building a website page, better than at any time in my entire life. (People have been telling me for a long time that I resemble this ADD or that ADD friend).

Another has taught me that I have some improving to do in my auditory processing, which will maximize my ability to find the correct word at the correct time, very important in my counseling business.

Another has given me a way to take a quick break between clients or phone calls to refresh the neurotransmitters in my brain so I have a less cortisol and more DHEA, more vasopressin, and more oxytocin available on demand.

And another has taught me the value of certain musical note sequences in brain speed and processing.

So the basis for my keeping my New Year's resolutions is taking care of my brain with novel challenge including computerized brain fitness programming, and learning chess to play with my son, taking care of stress reduction using HeartMath, lots of good smoothies for good brain nutrition (that is not all, of course), and lots of physical exercise,which can be as simple as walking more and longer.

By: Michael Logan

Brain fitness expert, counselor, partner with Julie Logan, RN, LCSW at Logan Family Counseling, student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late live father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. www.askmikethecounselor2.com

Monday, February 02, 2009

Skin Care Tips - Learn How To Maintain A Healthy Skin

I know for certain that everyone of sound mind enjoys receiving an effective skin care tip every now and then. The newsstands are simply full of magazines full of skin care tips for the person that cares about the way that he or she looks. The only problem about some of these publications is that the advice that they give you in a number of cases may not be the best idea for your skin.

Probably the most popular skin care tip that is being given right now has to do with the benefits of regular exfoliation treatments, which is one of those ideas that while popular is not a good idea if you want to maintain healthy skin. This type of treatment is bad for you because it is not only dead skin cells that you are removing in this process, but living cells as well.

You see, the skin conducts its own natural exfoliation process which allows for a cell to fall off only when the cell below it has reach a level of maturity where it can withstand exposure without being badly damaged. Exfoliation treatments remove the protective cells prematurely which exposes the cells underneath to potential damage. This is why exfoliation is not one of the popular skin care tips that you should follow.

Another skin care tip that you hear a lot about is chemical peeling, which for much the same reason as exfoliation should not be used. This treatment is also potentially dangerous due to the fact that if the chemical used is too strong for your skin then burns and sometimes scarring can occur. Anything that has the potential to cause permanent damage to your skin should be avoided.

I have even read skin care tips where people suggested brushing your skin with a hairbrush to increase exfoliation, and increase circulation, but practices like this are simply foolish. Again you have a situation where you could do yourself far more harm than good, so you have to let common sense be your guide when you read these things. If it sound as though it could do damage to your skin it probably will.

The best skin care tip that I can give you would be to simply shop for quality skin care products that contain only natural ingredients many of us are looking or products that will not only make our skin healthy, but will also make us look younger. Don’t buy into the Idea that skin care products that contain collagen will help you to attain this youthful look, because your body cannot absorb collagen.

Functional Keratin, which is a blend of keratin proteins, is the best ingredient for attaining younger looking skin. This ingredient actually increases the amount of collagen and elastin that your body naturally produces. The use of products that contain this ingredient can dramatically change the way that you look, and its use is probably the best of the skin care tips that I have for you.

That is a skin care tip that can change your life.

To learn about the skin care products I personally use that contain Functional Keratin, visit my website today.

By: Rachel Hammond


Rachel Hammond is a dedicated researcher and user of high quality natural skin care products. Take a moment to visit her site now and discover the very latest, natural and effective anti-aging skin care products Rachel recommends after extensive research: www.best-health-and-beauty.com/