Health Care | A Metabolic Plan

Nov

12

This year more than ever, talk of the flu season is in the news. What with both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 or swine flu, what’s a person to do?

Let put some of this in perspective. While there is a huge push for people to get both flu shots, statistics say that the seasonal flu shot is not terribly effective. Instead, build up your immune system so if you do get the flu, it will be minor.

Here are some of the suggestions I have read by doctors.

Wash your hands regularly – carry some Purcell or disinfectant wipes and use them regularly.
Vitamin C 1000mg – 2-3 times/day.
Vitamin D 1000 IU 2 times daily for children and up to 4000 IU for adults. Research has shown that it reduces serious bouts of flu.
At the first signs of flu-like symptoms, there is a natural flu medicine Oscilloccinum that is effective – You can read about it here http://www.oscillo.com/ (there’s even a coupon) and can be purchased at health food stores as well as WalMart.
There are excellent immune enhancing products. Look for ones containing Wellmune WG beta glucan.
Get plenty of rest.

With these tips, you will have a good chance of staying healthy through this coming flu season. Oh and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

No Comments

Aug

16

DHEA & CoQ10 – In the News

Filed under: Health Care; Tagged as: Alternative Health Care, Antioxidant Effects, Breast Cancer, Coenzyme Q10, CoQ10, Energy Production, Extreme Stress, free radicals, Heart Attacks, high blood pressure, Increasing Energy, Managing Diabetes, National Cancer Institute, Prostate Cancer, Veteran's Administration, Yale University

It seems that alternative health care is getting some press these days. Earlier this week, Yale University and the Veteran’s Administration Center for PTSD released information about the testing they have done and the benefits of using DHEA to prevent and relieve stress in soldiers. This was a small study but they tested soldier’s ability to cope with extreme stress and found they were greatly improved in their performance when their levels of DHEA were higher.

The other big news is that the National Cancer Institute has FINALLY released a report that shows that Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 may play a role in the treatment of certain types of cancers. There have been many small, independent studies done on CoQ10 which have shown significant health benefits for some types of cancer including melanoma and breast cancer. However, to have the National Cancer Institute actually print a report on this is a very positive event as they are generally opposed to alternative medicine.

So what is CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 occurs naturally in every cell and is part of a class of substances called enzymes. The role of enzymes is to facilitate and act as an catalyst for chemical reactions in the body such as transforming fats and sugars into energy. Because it is essential to the production of energy at the cellular level it is of particular importance for athletes and bodybuilders. CoEnzyme Q10 also has powerful antioxidant effects which destroy free radicals. Many studies are discovering that CoQ10 is beneficial in helping to prevent heart attacks and high blood pressure as well as treating Parkinson’s disease, managing diabetes, increasing energy and stamina, and improving the immune system.

Is a CoQ10 supplement necessary?

Organs that use the most energy (like the heart and liver) have the highest concentrations of CoQ10 and as we age, the body’s production of CoQ10 can decrease as much as 72% in the heart. Also statins (used to reduce LDL and cholesterol levels) deplete CoQ10 levels. Statins are some of the most prescribed drugs on the market.
If you’re middle-aged or older, supplementing with CoQ10 can be crucial to maintaining good health. While CoQ10 studies are ongoing for the treatment of diseases, such as migraines, asthma, breast and prostate cancer, and HIV/AIDS, there is certainly a large amount of evidence of it’s benefits in the area of prevention. Not only is heart health affected but one of the most valuable benefits is CoQ10′s ability to help regulate high blood pressure, a common problem aging adults face. New research indicates that CoQ10 may be a safe and effective alternate or adjunct therapy for hypertension.

CoQ10 may even enhance the effectiveness of some blood pressure medications. In numerous clinical studies participants taking supplements were able to take lower dosages of the drugs.

People under the age of 18 or those on medications should not take a CoQ10 supplement without consulting a doctor first. The side effects of CoQ10 supplementation are rare although it may interfere with some prescription drugs such as blood thinners and beta-blockers.

More »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

13 Comments

Jul

30

The Health Care Crisis

Filed under: Health Care; Tagged as: Free Insurance, Health Care Costs, Health Care Crisis, Health Care Insurance, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Hospitals, Medical System, Private Insurance, Trillion

The health care reform issue is in the news constantly and hopefully we’re all paying attention. It doesn’t matter whether you are for or against the current legislation in front of congress. The fact is our lives, regarding health care, are about to change and we better get it right because it will not only affect us but our children and grandchildren. Now more than ever we need to be involved.

Outside of contacting your congressmen(and that’s important) what should we be doing. There are several things.

Take responsibility for your health. By taking responsibility you have a better chance of staying out of the medical system. That actually helps the sytem (and you).
It’s been said that if Americans returned to the weight we were in 1990, it would save our nation $1 trillion in health care costs. Make sure you’re eating properly to maintain your ideal weight.
Keep up with current information/research about supplements that can assist in prevention of various diseases.
Find out what’s in the bill – do you really know or even better, does your senator know? – after all the bill is 1200 pages.

I just listened to an interview of the Massachusetts’ State Treasurer – Massachusetts is the only state that has a public health care insurance. Here are some interesting comments by their Treasurer.

The State is $3B in the whole and costs are rising each year.
More people opted for the free insurance than the private insurance and so costs have escalated
The belief was that if people had the option of seeing a doctor for free they would not need the services of hospitals as often as they would seek help sooner. The opposite has happened and several hospitals are considering closing because they can’t get paid fast enough and can’t afford the influx of patients.
Massachusetts has more doctors per capita than any other State, however the wait to see a doctor is longer there than in most places.
The program is basically being subsidized by the wealthy. However it is the low income people who are most unhappy with the program – 62% say they are dissatisfied.

I don’t know what the similarities or differences are between the proposed national health care insurance and Massachusetts’ insurance. However wouldn’t it be nice to use some of their experience to develop our national insurance and maybe even try it on the State level first?

I don’t know the answers. I certainly have a lot of questions and the people doing the talking seem to vary widely on their opinions of what to do.

It would be nice if this issue was not so political. After all our health shouldn’t be a political issue – it’s too personal for that.

What are your thoughts?

7 Ways to Build Your Body’s Defenses Against the Flu

DHEA & CoQ10 – In the News

The Health Care Crisis

Links

FREE ENERGY REPORT!

Recent Posts