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Local Google Search Engine Marketing by AuthoritySEO.com

2010-12-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

AuthoritySEO.com in Phoenix has been helping businesses grow their business and increase revenue and profits for nearly a decade. This help has been mostly for online businesses. Now they are helping the brick and mortar businesses get a better online presense. They are doing this in 2 ways.

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Many business owners ask me why. The answer is simple, Smart Phones. Everyone is switching to smart phones and using them to search the web. What are they searching for? Businesses, phone numbers of businesses, directions to businesses, your business. But if you do not have a internet presense how are they going to find you.

With a internt presense you will show in search engine results, online maps, gps systems and many of the social networks.

This is where Authority SEO comes in. We help business owners get on the internet and we do in a cost effective manner. There is a reason that 98% of the customers we have acquired stay with us. The reason is because we make them money. We increase their revenue whether they are a online business, in a shopping mall or both.

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

2010-04-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is defined as “a slowly progressive disease of the airways that is characterized by a gradual loss of lung function”. It is the fifth-leading cause of death worldwide (1). While 12.1 million adults ages 25 and older were diagnosed with COPD in 2001, it’s estimated that another 24 million adults have evidence of impaired lung function. In 2001 alone, COPD cost our healthcare system over $32 billion (2).

Natural ways to help maintain lung health include omega-3 fatty acids (3), creatine (4), trace elements (5), N-Acetyl-Cysteine (6), soy (7). Now a new study (8) has found that fiber, found in 2007 (9) to improve several measures of lung health, continues to be beneficial.

In the study, researchers looked at data on 111,580 US women and men from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (9). Data on their fiber intake was obtained through food frequency questionnaires. After adjusting for 11 factors that included age, sex, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diabetes, and omega-3 intake, those with the highest intake of total fiber (more than 28.4 grams per day) had a 33% reduced risk of COPD compared to those with the lowest intake of total fiber per day (less than 11.2 grams per day).

When they looked at specific sources of fiber, only cereal fiber had a significant effect on lung health. Specifically, cereal fiber constituted 27% of total fiber intake and produced a 23% reduced COPD risk in the highest intake group (>9.0 grams/day) compared to the lowest intake of cereal fiber (<2.2 grams/day). The researches did find that fruit fiber, which constituted 22% of total fiber intake, produced a 23% reduced risk of COPD but this statistic had a large margin of error (p = 0.31) compared to the cereal fiber statistic (p = 0.04). Vegetable fiber, which constituted 35% of total fiber intake, showed no relationship to decreased COPD risk.

Omega-3's benefits are astounding and real

2010-03-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

The American public is now well aware of the varied health benefits of fish oil capsules. This is evidenced by a recent survey that showed that omega-3 supplements are now at the top of consumers' shopping list of dietary supplements, with 74% of respondents reporting that they take omega-3 supplements regularly. The next most popular category was multivitamins, which 72% of respondents reported taking. It's amazing that more Americans today are taking omega-3 supplements than they are multivitamins. Fish of course are a great source of fish oil. A sushi restaurant run by chef Ferreri, who is a former MR Ohio bodybuilding champion, tells us that people are just coming to understand the real benefits of eating sushi. The Japanese have known this for 1000's of years.

In the 1980s, new manufacturing techniques were able to produce a type of fish oil that was derived from the whole fish, and not just the liver. Although this step was an upgrade in the manufacturing process, and produced the best fish oil capsules available for that time, it did not solve the problem of impurities being present in fish oil. Fish oil contains toxins, PCBs, and metal contaminants such as mercury and lead. Although fish oil was considered healthy, most people during the time loathed taking fish oil because of its obnoxious taste. With the invention of soft-gel encapsulation, this problem was solved, but another problem emerged: how could one teaspoon of fish oil be encapsulated and yet still allow the capsule to be of a size that would be easy to swallow?

Today, high-tech manufacturing processes such as molecular distillation are able to remove a large percentage of the impurities in fish oil. This same process produces a higher concentration of fish oil-higher potencies of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Only a minute quantity of this pharmaceutical-grade fish oil is required in one encapsulation

Omega-3’s Rise in Popularity,

Omega-3’s benefits are astounding and real.
This news made for an interesting read, even as private-lab testing, at the request of environmental lawyers, revealed that many of the popular fish oil capsules in the market today—and there are more than a hundred of them—may contain unhealthy levels of PCB toxins. Although tests were only done on 10 brands of fish oil capsules, the negative test reports may impact consumers’ impression of fish oil capsules. Manufacturers will need to work harder in enforcing and ensuring higher-quality manufacturing of fish oil capsules. Manufacturers with a known reputation for quality or for fish oil capsules that are verified by third-party lab testing will obviously have a competitive advantage over other brands in the market.

Because omega-3’s many benefits are substantiated by strong research, the surge in sales of omega-3 supplements is more than likely to continue.

Omega-3 health benefits include:

• Supports cardiovascular and arterial health
• Exhibits anti-inflammatory properties and is useful for reducing inflammation and pain. Supports joint health.
• Supports brain health, promoting concentration and long-term cognitive functions
• Promotes mental well-being
• Supports eye health
• Supports prenatal and postnatal development of the brain and eyes
• Promotes fat metabolism
• Promotes cellular health

There are various grades of fish oil available in the market. Pharmaceutical-grade fish oil holds the highest level of purity and potency. Many people experience bloating or mild indigestion with fish oil capsules, but further advances in formulating have introduced enteric-coated fish oil capsules. This special enteric coating allows digestion of fish oil to take place in the intestine, and not in the stomach. The advantage includes no fishy after-burps and reduced side effects common to non-enteric fish oil capsules.

Consumers now enjoy the health benefits of fish oil capsules conveniently encapsulated, without the impurities. This, combined with the expanding research on omega-3 benefits, has led to the increased usage of omega-3 supplements. As science continues to affirm the rich benefits of omega-3 supplements on health, the market for fish oil capsules will continue to flourish. From 2006 to 2010, the U.S. market for fish oil capsules has more than doubled and is valued at an estimated $1 billion. Expect those numbers to grow.

Sushi Restaurant In Northern Kentucky is a Body Builders Best Friend

2010-03-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sushi is a bodybuilder’s best friend. As a former bodybuilder I always struggled with dieting. Can after can of tuna fish got be a pain to eat and I was always looking way to eat right but have some enjoyment out of it. Well a sushi restaurant in northern Kentucky was my answer and is the answer to all body builders’ prayers. High protein, no fat, great taste, high in essential fatty acids, what more could you ask for. Sushi is not a particularly fattening food, and a low calorie meal is not out of the question if you choose sushi as your meal. While rice contains a fair amount of carbohydrates, sushi can be eaten without it as sashimi. Even a standard sushi item can be a healthy treat without all the calories.
People who exercise or diet do not often think about the relatively low amount of calories in seafood and they certainly don’t think of sushi as a high protein meal. Restaurants may also add ingredients, such as mayonnaise to some rolls, which will increase their caloric values.
A typical tradition roll such as spicy tuna can contain 24 grams of protein. That is a lot of protein and it tastes great as well.

Stop Being a Fat Slop For Your Kids Sake.

2010-03-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

At Supplements To GO we want everyone to enjoy life as much as possible and being a fat kid is no way to go through life. It litterally disgusts me to see fat slobs at the all you can eat buffet with their fat spouce and their fat kids. It disgusts me on several levels. First if your a fat slob, why are you eating at the all you can eat. Secondly, ok you have given up but what about your kids? Set and example or at least tell them, "Don't do this to yourself". Forget all that crap that big is beautiful or love the skin your in. Other than NFL lineman and Summo wrestlers, no one wants to be fat. However it is much easier to be fat than it is to be healthy and that is were the problem is. There are a few excepts to the being fat rule but in 99.999% of the cases you are fat because you eat to much of the wrong foods. No one is creating fat cells from sun light exposure.

Many people grappling with obesity is that healthful change costs money - more than they can afford. So the article pointed out that obesity and its accompanying chronic health issues costs A LOT more money later on if you do nothing.

So first of all we need to begin to realize that if one child in the family is obese, you cannot expect this kid to go along with dietary and exercise changes as a solitary experience. Most of us adults don't have the willpower to sit and watch others gorge while we diet. We typically abandon the diet either in the moment, or we yo yo diet as an attempt to deal with temptations. A kid should be given the kind of home environment support he needs to stabilize his weight or lose weight. That means the whole family joins the experience. Let's also point out that even the most metabolically gifted people i.e. skinny kids, can still have health issues like diabetes, cholesterol problems, hypertension, related to food choices, even if they are not overweight. Let's also agree that skinny kids can grow up to be overweight adults, especially if they don't learn good nutritional and exercise guidelines. Maybe you were lean as a kid and now you're overweight. You have to recognize that you are probably raising your kids, knowing that their destiny will be the very same because of the way you stock your frig, pantry and expose them to fast food. Why do we think that eating fast food is an American rite of passage anyway? For that matter drinking soda seems to be one too - why else would we give 2 year olds sips of soda???

Let's also realize - and I alluded to this in my blog about Michelle Obama's own wake up call - that our kids are surrounded by other overweight kids, so we assume their largeness or major weight growth patterns are normal. We also, as parents, struggle to see any inherent "bad issues" especially if they might reflect on our own habits and patterns. But consider this.

Why do kids need pantries filled with numerous processed food choices - why aren't two or three choices enough? Why do we not sit down with our kids and talk about health and food - it won't create eating disorders if the topics discussed are framed around health and energy and performance? Why don't many of us realize the importance fof family meals? And if we ourselves are overweight, why is it a shock when the pediatrician suggests that our kids have a weight issue - after all it is pretty obvious that the same habits that cause adults weight gain, will cause children to gain weight as well? Why are a pediatrician's medical comments suggesting changes at home, often received like a parenting indictment? It's really not.

Diabetes now affects 24 million Americans

2010-03-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Diabetes now affects 24 million Americans and costs our healthcare system $174 billion per year
(1). One out of every five health care dollars is spent caring for someone diagnosed with diabetes, while one in ten health care dollars is attributed to diabetes (2). The condition comes with a number of health risks that include a 200-400% increased risk of stroke and a 200% increased overall risk of death, compared to those without diabetes of similar age.

Diabetes can lead to permanent disability and numerous health complications, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations (1). There are a number of natural ways to help maintain blood sugar health, including chromium (3), glucomannan (4), cinnamon (5) walnuts (6) and magnesium (7). Now a new study (8) has found that soy intake may help overweight women improve their blood sugar health.

The study involved 25,872 men and 33,919 women aged 45–75 years participating in the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study (9) with no history of diabetes. They completed a 147-item food questionnaire to assess their overall soy intake, including soy protein and soy isoflavones, for 5 years.

While no benefits of soy intake were seen across the entire sample of men and women, there was a benefit of soy intake in women classified as “overweight” (having a body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2). Compared to those with the lowest 20% of soy intake (less than 43.1 grams of soy products per day), those with daily soy intake between 83.7 and 117.3 grams per day of soy products had a 38% reduced risk of diabetes.

When attempting to explain how soy can help maintain blood sugar health, the researchers pointed to the fact that soy isoflavones are structurally similar to the hormone estrogen (9) and may alter the expression of genes that are involved in insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake (10). But soy isoflavones also have non-estrogen benefits on blood sugar by preventing sugar uptake during digestion intestinal glucose uptake and also improve metabolism (11).

For the researchers, “we did observe associations suggestive of a protective role of these food factors in overweight women or, to a lesser extent, postmenopausal women.”

Eliminate Childhood Obesity in One Generation? Yeah Right!

2010-02-25T05:06:00.000-08:00

Michelle Obama has launched the Let's Move campaign to deal with the national health crisis, childhood obesity. Her organic garden at the White House was a first step. Getting urban kids who are typically raised on fried food, tasty stuff, to plant, grow, harvest, clean and cook these freshly grown fruits and vegetables. She is enlisting the help of the nation's governors, pediatricians, children's TV networks and websites, sports figures and teams. Public service announcements will be aired with the idea that most parents will "move heaven and earth" in order to make sure their kid's have the opportunity to be the best they can be - and certainly when it comes to health and weight, kids in the US need change.

Here's a list of ideas and changes being considered or implemented:

The American Academy of Pediatrics will encourage its 60,000 members to routinely check kid's BMI and waist sizes, and then write prescriptions of lifestyle change. Typically kid-friendly conversation relating to lifestyle change is not part of a rushed examination.

$400 million in tax credits and other incentives will go to grocery stores and supermarkets encouraging them to move into "food desert communities" and offer healthier fare.

$25 million will go to schools to help renovate kitchens and switch out fryers and other less healthy cooking appliances and techniques for healthier ones.

$10 billion over 10 years will go to the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, to provide among other things, free and reduced - priced school meals that are healthy, to more kids nationwide.

Schools will be encouraged to grow school and community gardens - providing healthy produce

Efforts will continue to have vending machines offer water, 100% juice and healthy snack products.

There will be a push for kids to get 60 minutes of accumulated physical activity daily. SupplementsToGo.com has workout and exercise routines for youths to follow.

From a personal perspective, Mrs. Obama knows she is incredibly lucky to have a chef who can assist in making healthy tasty meals from produce grown in the garden. She also acknowledges that there's no need for 100% perfection when it comes to lifestyle change. Her kids have burgers and watch TV. Before she came to the White House, she made changes slowly and said for the most part, the kids embraced the shift. They would grumble a bit sometimes as dessert frequency was reduced, juice switched out for water, but for the most part it would pass quickly. Nutritionists agree that diet and exercise changes should be made gradually, over time. It's not about never having desserts or treats but rather positioning them over the course of seven days, less frequently as "special moments."

That is going to take a cultural change. Until you can change the entitlement attitude of inner city residents, whether they are legal or not, you are always going to have fat kids. When you grow up watching adults constantly looking for a handout from the government, what else are you going to do? Work hard and better yourself or look to the Obamas for a hand out!

John McCain is an idot

2010-02-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

Sen. John McCain (R-NV) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
Making Vitamins Too Costly for Your Health
By Alan Caruba Sunday, February 21, 2010

At age 72 I have been taking a full range of vitamin and mineral supplements for years. Even I find it amusing to open more than a dozen bottles every morning to extract vitamins A, B, C, D and E, along with zinc, potassium, selenium, and fish oil. On the advice of my physician long ago, I also take a low dose aspirin every day. I also take some herbal supplements.
In early January I fell and broke my collar bone. A month later it was completely healed. I don’t get the common cold, although I do experience seasonal allergies that are controlled with anti-histamine. In sum, I am as healthy as a person of my age can hope to be.

So why have Sen. John McCain (R-NV) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) joined to introduce an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that would deny freedom of easy access to these vitamins and minerals that are now commonly available in supermarkets, pharmacies and other outlets at affordable prices?
Why would they conspire to make dietary supplements such as purified fish oil seven times more expensive than it is today?
It is irrational, not to say obscene, at a time when a debate is raging over the costs of Medicare and the various illnesses that afflict Americans to introduce a law that would raise the cost of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements that are among the best forms of preventative medicine available to the general public.
Who, ultimately, will benefit from such a law? The answer is the pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Steven Joyal, M.D., vice president of science and medical affairs of the Life Extension Foundation, says “This bill aims to further pharmaceutical profits by creating wide-ranging, unprecedented FDA power to reclassify natural nutritional products as drugs.”
I am a free market capitalist, but I also know that many companies engage in “rent seeking”, a term to describe how they use the ability of Congress to pass laws and regulations that improperly and unfairly increase their profits.
Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010
The bill, titled that “Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010” is a classic example of how an ever-expanding federal government continues to get between Americans and the freedoms they have come to take for granted. High on the list is the freedom to maintain one’s health; in this case with affordable and easily accessible vitamins and minerals.
The “Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010” has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with increasing the profits of pharmaceutical companies. It does not enhance safety because vitamins and mineral supplements are already manufactured under some of the most stringent restrictions placed on any products sold anywhere in the world.
My friend, Frank Murray, is the author of nearly 50 books on health and nutrition. He is the former editor of Better Nutrition, GreatLife, and Let’s Live magazines. His books have documented how various vitamins and minerals, as well as herbal supplements have preventative and curative affects on a wide range of ailments and afflictions.
His latest book, “Sunshine and Vitamin D” describes the research concerning this vitamin’s ability to reduce or ameliorate cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and a host of other ailments. And that is just one common vitamin!
It is astonishing how vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements can aid the body to resist the many pathogens in our environment, to digest the food we eat, and to enhance many of our mental and physical abilities.
This latest bill in Congress should be defeated. Its two sponsors should be held up to scrutiny to determine how great a role the donations of pharmaceutical companies to their election campaigns played in the drafting and introduction of this bill.
There is not enough scorn that can be heaped upon the bill’s sponsors and any member of Congress that votes for it.
I don’t want and I don’t need a doctor’s prescription to purchase the vitamins and minerals I take daily. Neither do you

One more reason to drink beer. Like I needed a reason.

2010-02-17T09:19:00.001-08:00

Beer drinkers now have a good excuse to order another round -- the brew may help keep bones strong, a study has found.

Lifestyle

Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, have found beer is a rich source of silicon and may help prevent osteoporosis, as dietary silicon is a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.

These were the findings after researchers tested 100 commercial beers for silicon content and categorized the data according to beer style and source.

Previous research has suggested beer contained silicon but little was known about how silicon levels varied with the different types of beer and malting processes.

"We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer," researcher Charles Bamforth said in a statement.

The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, found the beers' silicon content ranged from 6.4 milligrams per liter to 56.5 mg per liter. The average person's silicon intake each day is between 20 and 50 mgs.

The researchers found there was little change in the silicon content of barley during the malting process as most of the silicon in barley is in the husk, which is not affected greatly during malting.

They found pale ales showed the highest silicon content while non-alcoholic beers, light lagers and wheat beers had the least silicon.

"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," said Bamforth.

"Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element."

But Bamforth told reporters that the results shouldn't be taken too serious. The study examined the beers but it did not look at bone mineral density or analyze patients' data.

"I would first consider flavor and whether you like it or not," he told science and technology magazine Discover. "Choose the beer you enjoy, for goodness sake."

More Govt regulation. WHY? Govt is too big now.

2010-02-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

SupplementsToGO.com vigorously opposes the well-intentioned but misdirected “Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010” (S.3002) introduced by U.S. senators John McCain (AZ) and Byron Dorgan (ND). We believe it is poor legislation because the real solution is enforcement of current laws, not adding to the mountain of governmental regulations.

Tell your Senators not to co-sponsor or support this bill. Tell your congressional Representative not to co-sponsor or support any House version of this bill, which is expected to be introduced in the future. You may do this online via the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) website at www.anh-usa.org/new_site/?p=2307

• We support current regulations promoting the safety of dietary supplements and encourage the FDA to go after lawbreakers.

• The FDA already has adequate legal authority to enforce federal laws, including DSHEA, the Anabolic Steroids Control Acts, and the mandatory reporting of all serious adverse events for both dietary supplements and OTC drugs.

• But this bill targets controlled substances that the FDA says are actually drugs, which are not defined as dietary supplements under current law. It makes no sense to add more regulations to control dietary supplements when the stated purpose is to rein in already illegal mislabeled/unapproved drug products.

• Dietary supplement manufacturers already are registered with the government because existing bioterrorism regulations require this of all food manufacturers.

• Supplement label information is already available in the public domain of the marketplace and the Internet, and there are already legal requirements that documentation of all label claims be submitted to the FDA and that all product labels be accurate.

• Mandatory recall authority is already part of the Food Safety bill expected to pass Congress soon.

• While current law requires pre-market submission of all new ingredients to the FDA, this new bill would require dietary supplement manufacturers to use only ingredients appearing on an officially approved list and to seek approval for all new formulas. This model resembles the highly restrictive Canadian regulatory scheme that in 5 years has approved only 16,000 out of 42,000 product license applications and caused some American manufacturers to pull out of the Canadian market, forcing many Canadians to cross the border to buy certain multivitamins and other supplements here and smuggle them back home. Some safe products now sold freely in the U.S., like healthy vegetable oil capsules, have languished in the Canadian bureaucracy for over 4 years and are just now getting preliminary approval to submit product license applications.

• This bill would needlessly expand the federal government’s power and increase FDA bureaucracy and budgets, negatively affecting all law-abiding manufacturers of dietary supplements and tens of thousands of retail stores nationwide, leading to far fewer available products and higher consumer prices.

• This bill would strangle a successful market that grew and added jobs and exports during the current recession, helping Americans meet basic nutritional needs in a cost-effective manner that did not require government funding and may have actually decreased some Medicare spending, according to the conclusions of Lewin Group reports.

• This bill would start to harmonize US dietary supplement laws with unpopular CODEX rules, European Union and Canadian regulations that have historically restricted access to safe dietary supplements that have long been available in the U.S. This would force aggressive and unpopular foreign regulatory schemes on unwilling American citizens, instead of simply enforcing current laws that already prohibit unlabeled performance-enhancing drugs and mislabeled or adulterated dietary supplements.

Health Muscle Fitness Blog Exercise Supplements Sports Weightlifting BodyBuilding: Face Book Page For Destin

2010-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Health Muscle Fitness Blog Exercise Supplements Sports Weightlifting BodyBuilding: Face Book Page For Destin

Face Book Page For Destin

2010-02-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

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Another waste of tax dollars and time by a aging no nothing

2010-02-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

John McCain Introduces Dietary Supplement Safety Act

I thought we were fighting 2 wars, under wear bombers, the worst economy in history, jobs going to other countries, terrible health care, immigrants pouring into the US unchecked and Thank God John McCain is doing something important.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) held a press conference last week introducing the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. The proposed legislation, which has been cosponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), making a host of changes to operations of dietary supplement industry.

Under the proposed bill, dietary supplement facilities would be required to file information identifying all brand names, ingredients, and facility names and addresses with which they conduct business. The definition of new dietary ingredients (NDIs) would also be rewritten, with FDA compiling a new list of “Accepted Dietary Ingredients.” Ingredients marketed prior to October 15, 1994, effectively protected as “grandfather ingredients” by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), would have to seek inclusion in the list of Accepted Dietary Ingredients.

Provisions related to recall authority and adverse event reports (AERs) have also been included in McCain’s bill. FDA would also have new mandatory recall authority on any dietary supplements believed to be misbranded, adulterated, or cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. AERs would be affected by the requirement of annual AER reports (even including nonserious AERs).

The Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 has received mixed opinion from the dietary supplement industry. Last week, an official press release from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (Washington, DC) applauded the efforts of the bill, while also noting that “…where the legislation would deter retailers from offering a wide variety of legitimate supplements to consumers or would overburden manufacturers, we will seek alternate solutions.”

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA; Silver Spring, MD) noted that AER requirements are currently softer on the food industry. “Though we have not yet examined this bill completely, it places new burdens on dietary supplements that are not required for any other class of food,” said AHPA president Michael McGuffin in a press release last Wednesday.

Fish Oil Helped Stave Off Psychosis

2010-02-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

Among people at high risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, fish oil may help reduce their risk, researchers have found.

The new study included 81 high-risk patients with either mild psychotic symptoms, transient psychosis or a family history of psychotic disorders, plus a decrease in daily functioning. These criteria identify people whose risk of becoming psychotic may be as high as 40 percent in a one-year period.

For 12 weeks, 41 participants were assigned to take daily fish oil capsules containing 1.2 grams of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and 40 were given a placebo. Of the 76 patients who completed the study, two (4.9 percent) in the fish oil group and 11 (27.5 percent) in the placebo group progressed to psychosis, a difference of 22.6 percent, the researchers found.

Based on these results, Dr. G. Paul Amminger of Medical University of Vienna in Austria and the Orygen Youth Health Research Center in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues estimated that four adults would have to take fish oil with omega-3 fatty acids to prevent one of them from developing psychosis over a one-year period.

In their report, published in the February issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, the study authors also noted that patients who took the fish oil capsules had fewer symptoms of psychosis and better functioning than those who took the placebo.

The beneficial effects of fish oil capsules with omega-3 fatty acids may result from changes in cell membranes and interactions with neurotransmitter systems in the brain, the researchers explained in a news release from the journal's publisher.

Amminger and colleagues noted that many young adults are reluctant to take antipsychotic drugs due to perceived stigma and side effects such as sexual dysfunction, metabolic changes and weight gain. Omega-3 fatty acids may offer a natural alternative.

"Long-chain omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and may offer a safe and efficacious strategy for indicated prevention in young people with subthreshold psychotic states," the authors concluded.

No Deaths From Supplements in 2008

2010-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Poison Control Statistics Prove Supplements Safety

(OMNS, January 19, 2010) There was not even one death caused by a dietary supplement in 2008, according to the most recent information collected by the U.S. National Poison Data System. The new 174-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, shows zero deaths from multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin.

Additionally, there were no deaths whatsoever from any amino acid or herbal product. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John’s wort , valerian, yohimbe, Asian medicines, ayurvedic medicines, or any other botanical. There were zero deaths from creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, melatonin, or any homeopathic remedies.

Furthermore, there were zero deaths in 2008 from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. Two children died as a result of medical use of the antacid sodium bicarbonate. The other “Electrolyte and Mineral” category death was due to a man accidentally drinking sodium hydroxide, a highly toxic degreaser and drain-opener.

No man, woman or child died from nutritional supplements. Period.

61 poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical toxicologists. NPDS, the authors write, is “one of the few real-time national surveillance systems in existence, providing a model public health surveillance system for all types of exposures, public health event identification, resilience response and situational awareness tracking.”

Over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA and news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?

Those who wonder if the media are biased against vitamins may consider this: how many television stations, newspapers, magazines, and medical journals have reported that no one dies from nutritional supplements?

YouTube Channel gets 1000's of views daily

2010-01-29T04:36:00.000-08:00

Our youtube channel is very popular with our customers. We get over 3000 visitors per day on average and customer email us with comments on how helpful the channel is. They particularly enjoy the video on supplement. You should really check it out. It is narrated by a 5 time bodybuilding champion so you know the advice is good.

Supplements To Go On Twitter

2010-01-29T04:21:00.000-08:00

Have you checked us out on Twitter? Get supplements tweets at our twitter site. I send out coupons, news, dieting tips, new product reviews and more. http://twitter.com/WcnSupplements was picked best twitterer of 2009.

Saturated Fat Not Linked to Heart Disease

2010-01-29T04:18:00.000-08:00

Saturated Fat Not Linked to Heart Disease:
A meta-analysis of 21 studies on 347,747 healthy adults suggests that dietary saturated fat is not linked to cardiovascular disease or stroke. The study, which looked at disease rather than risk markers for disease, but found that those who consumed the most saturated fat were not more likely to develop heart disease than their peers. The study's authors say that further studies are needed to determine if heart disease risks are possibly influenced by nutrients used to replace saturated fat in the American diet.

Obesity rates slow

2010-01-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

American Medical Association's announcement that obesity rates have slowed is welcome news, but overeating and inactivity remain dangerous and expensive health concerns. A national survey of almost 10,000 adults predicted if left unchecked, obesity will rival or surpass smoking as a public health problem. Spending on obesity-related medical conditions topped $147 billion in 2008, an estimated 10% of total annual US medical expenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hmm, maybe we should have skipped the guacamole on the super-sized burrito we had last night on our way home from the gym.

Thanks to websites like SupplementsToGo.com people all over the world have been able to get free dieting information and diet pills at low prices.

USADA Plots Against Nutritional Supplements Possibly Containing Drugs

2009-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

USADA Plots Against Nutritional Supplements Possibly Containing Drugs

In an effort to raise public awareness of companies selling dietary supplements tainted with steroids and other drugs, the United States Anti-Doping Agency USADA has introduced its Supplement Safety Now initiative. Supplements TO GO.com is in full support of the measure to protect the consumer. Nick Bono, the GM of Supplements To Go.com states that his co. thanks every measure available to them to prevent any supplement that compliant from being sold on their website. This effort will only help with their goal.

With the support of national sport organizations, including the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the United States Olympic Committee, this online campaign aims to motivate Congress to take action against online and over-the-counter sales of tainted sports supplements with grassroots mobilization and media outreach efforts.

“13 million athletes fall under the umbrella of these member-based organizations,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA, “That’s a group of constituents that we hope to mobilize to influence Congress to enact better legislation on this issue.”

Tygart went on to add that Supplement Safety Now will see future developments as the campaign continues.

Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition ( Washington , DC ), released an official statement on USADA’s initiative the day it was launched. “CRN commends USADA and the other supporting organizations for today stepping forward in a united front to find ways to get these illegal products removed from the marketplace,” Mister said. “Where CRN can find common ground on the solutions, we look forward to potentially partnering with these organizations on Supplement Safety Now.”

NSF International also announced “full support” of the initiative in an official press release, stating, “This campaign will create increased awareness around this important public health issue and help safeguard consumers from taking steroids and other illegal or controlled substances in products that are marketed as ‘safe and legal’ dietary supplements.”

Exercise may makes you smarter

2009-12-01T14:00:00.001-08:00

A strong cardiovascular system in young adulthood may boost brainpower, making for better school grades and more overall success later in life, new research suggests.

Given that most doctors and laypeople know (or should know) the benefits of exercise and its impact on healthy bodies, the authors of a new study, appearing in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are hoping the findings can influence public policy.

Gut bacteria may explain some cases of obesity

2009-11-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

Scientists say that the convention wisdom of diet, exercise, and genes don't explain every case of obesity. In fact, some obese people eat fewer calories than their slim peers, and even exercise and genes don't paint a clear picture of the cause. Now researchers say gut bacteria may play a part. A mouse study found that animals fed a typical Western-style diet grew more Firmicutes gut bacteria, while those fed a healthier diet developed more Bacteroidetes. Researchers aren't sure if the gut bacteria cause obesity, but they say the study may help them determine who is more prone to obesity later in life.

Probiotic Supplements Help Prevent H1N1?

2009-10-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Probiotics have long been shown to build the immune system. I'm living proof of this. Some probiotic supplements might help you avoid seasonal and swine flu, and limit the severity of H1N1 flu symptoms. I believe the biggest factor in preventing the flu is balanced diet, exercise and avoiding a change in rapid body temperature. I know there is research that shows the being cold does not make you sick. Here is my therory, I think that rapid changes in body temperature weekens your immune system, thereby allowing viruses or bacteria, that are always present, to spread through your body. I never get sick in the summer, but I used to get a cold every winter. I'm indoors all the time, summer and winter, so the therory that you are in doors more in the winter is BS. In Phoenix my windows are closed year round and it gets cold here. It is Oct now and the temp dropped to 40 degrees last night for 80 in the day.

Probiotics are key ingredients in many popular yogurt brands. They have been shown to be useful in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and antibiotic diarrhea. New clinical evidence shows that certain probiotic supplements can boost our immune system's response to influenza and other viruses. Probiotics are an important adjunct to flu vaccines and may help people avoid influenza or reduce flu symptoms. I had to travel often and I seemed to be sick every time I traveled. My partner recommened iflora. This was 2 years ago and I have not a cold since then. My friend travels every week and has not had a cold in 5 years.

Overview Of Probiotics

There are some commonly practiced techniques to avoid the pathogens that cause illness -- hand washing, use of sanitizer gel, and cough/sneeze etiquette, for example. Probiotics supplements might provide the additional help families need this season as consumers, especially parents, look for natural ways to boost their immunity and stay healthy.

Probiotics are, in simple terms, friendly bacteria. The WebMD.com site says that probiotics help keep the intestinal flora in balance by reducing harmful bacteria. Probiotics can help relieve antibiotic-associated diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and other digestive maladies. Probiotics are normally part of the digestive system, so they are considered safe under usual circumstances.

Most people might be exposed to probiotics by their availability in yogurt, but MayoClinic.com says that probiotic supplements contain much more of the active ingredient, counted in the billions of CFU, or colony forming units, and therefore are potentially more beneficial than yogurt alone.

Which Probiotic Supplements Are The Best?

There are several dozen strains of probiotic currently available, so it can be confusing when picking one to take. My choice is iFlora by Nutri-Helath.

Yogurt is a good source but you need to eat it daily. Consumers should look for either Bacillus coagulans (BC-30) or Lactobacillus GG. These two have years of scholarly research behind them. These bacteria have the ability to survive the acidic environment of the stomach to make it to the lower GI tract.

Donald Trump, Nutrition Expert?

2009-10-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Does Donald Trump now think he’s a nutrition expert? Looks like The Donald’s next business venture is all about selling nutritional supplements and weight loss products. And he’s doing it through multilevel marketing (MLM). The new company is called The Trump Network and it’s officially being launched in November. He’s recruiting and “educating” distributors now to sell the so-called unique, cutting edge products that are described as “highly advanced, scientifically-proven health and wellness products, including customized testing and metabolic analysis, effective weight management solutions and vitamin and mineral supplements.” THE TRUMP NETWORK is a unique marketing opportunity, designed to make people healthier with customized vitamins and nutritional supplements, and to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs and to take control of their financial well-being. The power of Trump’s name will likely make this nutritional Ponzi scheme a success for him but not many others. They’ll likely trust his nutrition advice, and the advice of the “trained” distributors, even if much of the information is not scientifically solid. I have no knowledge of what products he is selling and what the quality it is but I would have to imagine that he would not put his name on jun. He’s joining forces with a multilevel marketing company called Ideal Health that’s been around for 10+ years (and has had its share of FTC complaints). The “custom-made” nutritional supplements rely on what’s called a PrivaTest, which is an at-home urine test that claims to tell you what supplements your body needs every day. A urine analysis is not always a reliable measure of nutritional status and it certainly doesn’t do all the things that are described on Ideal Health’s web site. This misleading tactic for selling a customized nutritional supplement regimen was previously exposed in 2004. On the Trump Network site it says “thousands of The Trump Network’s consumers are convinced their Custom Essentials are boosting their cellular nutrition and giving them nutritional balance and optimal metabolic health. Join us.” The best thing to do is eat a balanced diet or go to your doctor for a physical exam. Schedule a consultation with a registered dietitian. That’s the best way to tell if your diet is inadequate in certain nutrients. And if your diet does fall short in nutrients, you certainly don’t need to buy over priced formulas, (Donald Trump Vitamins) These items can purchased for a lot less in any online drug store. If you want to lose weight, stick to real food and eat less. If you have no sef control use a appetite suppressor. This fad diet will cost you $1,325.00 to get started. That's seems expensive, just exercise, eat right and maybe take a diet pill to help you through the hard times.

Fight depression with the Mediterranean diet

2009-10-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

People who followed the Mediterranean diet, an eating regimen that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and nuts, were less likely to develop depression in a Spanish study.
"We are speaking of a relative reduction in risk of 42 percent to 51 percent," said study co-author Dr. Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, chair of preventive medicine at the University of Navarra. "This is a strong association."
The Mediterranean diet usually is recommended to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems. This study, reported in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is one of only a few to assess its effect on mental function.
The Spanish researchers followed more than 10,000 healthy adults who filled out questionnaires between 1999 and 2005. All were free of depression when the trial started. Their adherence to the Mediterranean diet was measured by looking at nine components, such as low intake of meat, moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products, and high intake of fruits, nuts, cereals, vegetables and fish.
After an average follow-up of 4.4 years, the overall incidence of depression for those who most followed the diet was 30 percent lower than for those who most ignored the dietary rules. Even lower rates of depression were associated with intake of specific elements of the Mediterranean diet, such as fruits, vegetables and olive oil.
There are several possible explanations for the reported protective effect, Martinez-Gonzales said. The Mediterranean diet improves the function of the endothelium, the delicate inner lining of blood vessels, which is involved in the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that is responsible for the growth and function of nerve cells, he said. "Dysfunction of BDNF is thought to be responsible for some depression cases," Martinez-Gonzalez said.
In addition, olive oil improves the binding of serotonin to its receptors "and serotonin is a key neurotransmitter in depression," he said. "In fact, Prozac acts by increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain."
And the omega-3 fatty acids found in some fish might help improve the function of the central nervous system, Martinez-Gonzalez said. "All these mechanisms may lead to an improved brain function and a greater resilience to better face the frustrations of every day, to control stress, and so on," he said.
But Martinez-Gonzalez does not recommend that people diagnosed with depression try to treat it by adopting this diet. "The Mediterranean diet might be ideal for the prevention of depression, but not for its treatment," he said. "For those patients who already have depression, the best thing they can do is to seek the proper medical treatment by a psychiatrist."
"It's not surprising to see these results," said Dr. David Mischoulon, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "They are what we would have expected to see on the basis of previous information. There is a very large body of work in the psychiatric literature saying that components of the Mediterranean diet when looked at separately have such an effect."
Mischoulon agreed that he would not recommend the diet as a treatment for existing depression. "A person in an episode of depression needs more direct and more targeted intervention," he said.
But the study adds one more reason for adopting the Mediterranean diet, Mischoulon said. "If you have a family history of depression and you are concerned about it, a diet like this probably would be a good place to start," he said.

BodyBuilding.com Sells Supplements That Contain Steroids

2009-10-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

BodyBuilding.com Sells Supplements That Contain Steroids, Court Papers Say

Published: September 25, 2009
A nutrition company owned by the same company that owns the Atlanta Braves is selling steroids over the Internet, according to allegations in court papers unsealed Thursday.

The nutrition company, BodyBuilding.com, is selling dietary supplements that contain steroids and designer steroids, including a substance found in the raid on the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative in 2003, the court papers said.

Federal authorities unsealed a search warrant on Thursday after agents raided the headquarters and a warehouse of BodyBuilding.com in the Boise, Idaho, area. In 2008, Liberty Media purchased a controlling stake in BodyBuilding.com for over $100 million. Liberty Media bought the Braves from Time Warner in 2007. Among the other businesses in which Liberty Media has interests are QVC, Ticketmaster and DirectTV.

The raid was part of an ongoing effort by the Food and Drug Administration to target companies that are selling steroids as dietary supplements. Unlike drug makers, which must demonstrate that a drug is safe and effective before the agency approves it for sale to the public, dietary supplements are a largely self-regulating industry.

According to the documents, 26 of 31 products purchased by the Food and Drug Administration as part of the investigation tested positive for at least one steroid. Among the steroids found in the products were Madol, Tren, Superdrol, androstenedione, and Turinabol.

Federal agents uncovered Madol in 2003 when they searched a storage facility tied to Balco. In 1998, Mark McGwire said he used androstenedione when he broke the single season home run record. The federal government classified androstenedione as a controlled substance in 2005.

In July, the F.D.A. warned consumers not to use body-building products that are sold as nutritional supplements because they might contain steroids or steroidlike substances. The warning came in response to increased reports of medical problems in men — specifically acute liver injury and kidney failure — who had used supplements. Several days before the warning, federal agents in San Francisco executed search warrants at locations tied to American Cellular Labs that were said to be selling dietary supplements — including Mass Xtreme and Tren Xtreme — that contained steroids.

The F.D.A.’s investigations of supplements have caught the attention of members of Congress. Senator Arlen Specter, Democrat of Pennsylvania, has called a hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs titled “Body Building Products and Hidden Steroids: Enforcement Barriers.”

Folic Acid Before Pregnancy is Beneficial for Delivery Health

2009-09-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Folic Acid Before Pregnancy is Beneficial for Delivery Health

By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, May 26, 2009, abstracted from “Preconceptional Folate Supplementation and the Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Cohort Study” in the 2009 issue of the Public Library of Science

Pre-term birth puts both the health of the baby and the mother at risk. In the newborn, pre-term birth increases the risk of health complications as well as lasting disabilities such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, lung and gastrointestinal problems, vision and hearing loss, and even death (1). For the mother, pre-term birth increases the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Specifically, women who have delivered pregnancies before 37 weeks of pregnancy have a 300% increased risk of cardiovascular death (2).

More than a half million infants were born pre-term in 2004, the highest number reported since comparable national data on gestational age have been available (1981) (3). While some ways to help maintain pregnancy health have been found, including maintaining healthy cholesterol levels (4) and increasing omega-3 fat intake (5), a new study (6) has found that taking folic acid before pregnancy may help with a healthy pregnancy.

In the study, researchers conducted interviews with more than 34,000 women during the first three months of their pregnancy and asked them whether or not they had taken folic acid supplements before conception. They then followed the mothers through pregnancy and found that. compared to those who had not taken any folic acid supplements, those supplementing for more than a year had a 70% reduced risk of pre-term birth between 20 and 28 weeks of pregnancy and a 50% reduced risk of preterm birth between 28 and 32 weeks. There was no reduced risk beyond 32 weeks with supplementation.

For the researchers, folic acid supplementation before pregnancy “is associated with a 50%–70% reduction in the incidence of early spontaneous preterm birth.” Unfortunately, the researchers did not state what the average folic acid supplement dose was during the year before conception, but the current recommendation is 600 micrograms per day during pregnancy

Tea Tree Gel Gets Rid of Head Lice

2009-09-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Tea Tree Gel Gets Rid of Head Lice The beginning of school can be new and exciting, but it is also the peak season for head lice.

Head lice occur most frequently in young children between 3 and 10 years old. In the U.S., approximately 6 to 12 million children undergo treatment for head lice per year. Head lice are spread through direct contact between an infected person and an uninfected person. Although there are prescription medications that are effective in treating head lice, you might be surprised to learn that one nontraditional treatment, tea tree gel, may be as good as or even better at killing head lice.

The most common method of killing head lice is to treat the scalp and hair with a medication, permethrin. It is very effective and has few side effects. However, there are increasing reports of head lice developing resistance to permethrin, and stronger chemicals come with more side effects. Many people are looking to nontraditional alternatives: eucalyptus oil, echinacea, tea tree oil and extracts from other herbs.

Are these nontraditional therapies effective, however, and how do they compare to permethrin?

These questions were addressed in a recent medical study comparing the effectiveness of a number of nontraditional therapies to the permethrin approach. This study (published in the medical journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology) was done in Australia where head lice is a serious problem. In some schools, up to 30 percent of children are affected and permethrin resistance is increasingly common. Using very stringent methods for evaluating head lice mortality, the researchers discovered that most of the nontraditional therapies were relatively ineffective, except for tea tree gel.

Surprisingly, in this study, tea tree gel actually was better at killing head lice than permethrin. Almost 100 percent of head lice were killed by tea tree gel compared with 82 percent with permethrin. There were no significant side effects reported by either tea tree gel or permethrin.

Tea tree gel comes from tea tree oil, derived from the leaves of the tea tree, a native of Australia. Tea tree oil has been used for centuries as a treatment for many conditions including sore throats, open wounds and skin diseases. Now we can add head lice.

Even though there are few side effects to permethrin, not everyone wants to use a pesticide on their children - especially if nontraditional therapies for the treatment of head lice are as effective. Therefore, this study is timely and important: Head lice are increasingly resistant to permethrin; tea tree gel actually kills head lice and may be more effective than permethrin.

I hope you and your family will never experience head lice, but if you do, it is good to know that there are effective nontraditional therapies.

Folic Acid Found to Help Mental Health

2009-09-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Migraine headaches are a dysfunction of the nerves and blood vessels in the brain and are characterized by nausea and vomiting, pain with exposure to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia) and severe recurrent headache (1). The International Headache Society has divided migraines into two types - migraine without aura* (75% of sufferers) and migraine with aura (25% of sufferers) (1). Migraine headaches affect 12% of Americans and cost our healthcare system $24 billion each year (2)

Although the exact cause of migraines is not known, there are natural ways to help treat migraine headaches, including Coenzyme Q10 (3) and butterbur extract (4). Now a new study (5) has found that folic acid may also help mental health.

Existing research suggests that homocysteine levels may contribute to migraines by disrupting blood vessel function (6). Building on these findings, 47 patients with migraine headaches with aura or a family history of migraine headaches with aura received either vitamin supplementation (2 mg of folic acid, 25 mg vitamin B6, and 400 micrograms of vitamin B12) or placebo for six months. The researchers kept a diary of the patients’ headache occurrences and took blood samples before and after the study to measure homocysteine levels.

By the end of six months, those in the vitamin group had an average decrease of 39% in homocysteine levels (4 micromoles/liter). This drop was double that of the placebo group, which experienced a 2 micromoles/liter drop. Those in the vitamin group also had a 50% drop in how often their migraines impaired their activity (dropping from 60% disability to 30% disability) compared to no reduction in the placebo group. Finally, there was a 75% decrease in migraine frequency compared to no decrease in the placebo group.

When analyzing the blood samples, the researchers noted that those with a certain gene defect that causes low levels of folic acid in the body (called an “MTHFR C677T polymorphism”)) experienced the greatest benefits from the vitamin supplementation. For the researchers, “This study provides some early evidence that lowering homocysteine through vitamin supplementation reduces migraine disability in a subgroup of patients.”

orthopedic procedure

2009-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Scheduling a prime daytime slot to undergo an orthopedic procedure may lower your risk of an unplanned follow-up surgery later on, a new study has found.

The study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found little difference otherwise for healing, recovery time and major complication rates between certain orthopedic surgeries done during the day (between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.) and those done after hours (4 p.m. to 6 a.m.).

"Although everyone wants to be treated immediately, it may be in a patient's best interest to wait until morning. The reality is that the on-call night surgical team may not be well rested, as it is likely they had just finished a normal day shift," study lead author Dr. William M. Ricci, chief of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a news release issued by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The study of 203 surgeries to repair either a fractured thigh or shin bone found a higher incidence of follow-up surgery to remove painful hardware (often a supportive rod called an intramedullary nail fixation that was placed to stabilize the broken bone) in the after-hours patients than the daytime patients -- 27 percent versus 3 percent, respectively.

"The results of the study suggest that the system is working fairly well and it is not always best to rush a patient to the OR in the middle of the night. Naturally, when the medical condition is emergent and time is a critical factor, immediate surgery should proceed regardless of time of day," Ricci said in the news release.

"For non-emergent fracture care, sufficient daytime resources should be made available to avoid unnecessary night-time surgery," he added.

Real healthcare reform!

2009-09-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

I just read a revolutionary article by David Goldhill in the September issue of The Atlantic, entitled “How American Health Care Killed My Father.”

In his appropriate indictment of mainstream, conventional healthcare (i.e., the healthcare business), Goldhill begins his call-to-action commentary by telling what happened to his 83-year-old father: from the time he entered a “well-regarded” New York City hospital with pneumonia, through his development of hospital-acquired sepsis 36 hours later, to his death five weeks later.

Nearly two years after his father’s death, Goldhill does not blame the doctors, or the nurses, nor any one person or institution. “There were no greedy pharmaceutical companies, evil health insurers, or other popular villains in his particular tragedy,” writes Goldhill.

Goldhill instead points to our “massively subsidized” healthcare system that is full of structural distortions and with incentives that “inexorably generate terrible and perverse results.” He notes that the biggest problem of all is the fact that consumers have been removed from their “irreplaceable role as the ultimate ensurer of value.”

In my July 2000 editorial in Better Nutrition magazine, “Escape From the E.R.,” I shared my own emergency room experience—-in my case not tragic, just demoralizing and disappointing—I talked about what I experienced as I made my way through two emergency rooms, triage, tests and waiting, a lot of waiting. I saw “victims of a world without a family doctor, statistics at the periphery of an HMO universe.”

I wrote, at the time, that my experience represented “the very worst and the very best of what's horribly wrong and allegedly right about mainstream medicine today. It's high-tech but ‘low-heart,’ the apex of empirical skill yet the nadir of compassionate medicine.”

As the healthcare reform debate looms and town hall forums ignite hope and conversation (and also some pessimism and shouting) across the land, what better time is there than now to take a look as some bills that were introduced in 2009 (in some cases re-introduced several years running) that warrant inclusion in the reform debate, pieces of legislation that have (in most cases) not attracted the level of Congressional interest or consumer awareness that they deserve:

H.R. 1869, title: “To require the President to call a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition”; introduced by Rep. James P. McGovern on April 2, 2009; cosponsors: 81. This conference’s goals would be to: end hunger; reduce food insecurity; coordinate government and community programs to improve nutrition; bring attention to the medical, developmental, educational, economic; and psychosocial impact of inadequate nutrition. See also related bill, H.R. 2297. Take away? This bill has real potential, provided (a) the focus is on optimal (best possible) nutrition and (b) the critical importance of supplements to maternal, infant, child and general nutrition is spotlighted.

H.R. 3263, title: “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that amounts paid for foods for special dietary uses, dietary supplements or medical foods shall be treated as medical expenses”; introduced by Rep. Dan Burton on July 20, 2009; cosponsors: 0. With the proposed name of “Tax Supplement Fairness Act,” this bill has the potential to do much good, especially in allowing tax deductions for dietary supplements, especially if the supplements serve a “special dietary use” or are considered “medical foods.” Take away: If this bill is broad or inclusive enough, many people will be helped. Concerns? If restricted to special dietary use or medically supervised diets, however, it could serve to medicalize food supplements and place the rationing of them under medical control.

H.R. 3406, title: “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude from gross income amounts reimbursed by an individual’s employer for certain dietary supplements and meal replacement products”; introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer on July 30, 2009; cosponsors: 1. This bill would exempt the purchases of health-claim-backed dietary supplements (for example, calcium, folic acid, omega-3s, selenium and vitamin D) from gross personal incomes via Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Take away: This is a great start and a good bill. Concerns? Hopefully the consumer take-away would not be that only supplements for which there is a health claim are effective, science-based or legitimate.

Gormley Take-Away: While it appears that, among these bills, some version of Congressman McGovern’s H.R. 1869 stands the best chance of gaining sufficient support for passage, it will be vital for us to make sure that our Congresspeople and Senators know that we will continue to support these bills and other similar legislation in 2010. Because, legislation that emphasizes nutrition and optimal wellness (especially pro-supplement bills such as these) and keeps more money in our pockets is what I would truly call healthcare reform!

Mediterranean-style diet is more effective

2009-09-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

A low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet is more effective than a typical low-fat, calorie-restricted diet for diabetes management, according to a study released Monday.

Not only did the Mediterranean diet lead to greater weight loss, it also resulted in better blood sugar control, delayed the need for blood sugar-lowering medication, and improved some heart disease risk factors, the study team found.

Mediterranean-style eating generally means plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, limited amounts of red meat and processed foods, and a relatively high amount of fat from olive oil and nuts and few carbohydrates. A typical low-fat diet advises cutting down on all types of dietary fat.

Both Mediterranean and low fat diets are recommended for weight loss in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes. However, there have been few direct, long-term studies comparing the two.

This led Dr. Dario Giugliano, from the Second University of Naples, Italy, and associates to randomly assign 215 type 2 diabetic patients to follow either a low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet or a low-fat diet for four years.

Nutritionists and dietitians counseled both groups of patients in monthly sessions for the first year and bimonthly sessions for the next three years.

After four years, 44 percent of patients in the Mediterranean-style diet group required medication to lower their blood sugar compared to 70 percent in the low-fat diet group, the researchers report in the September 1st issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

After 1 year, patients in the Mediterranean diet group also experienced greater weight loss. The absolute difference in weight loss between the two groups was -2.0 kg (-4.4 lbs). The Mediterranean dieters also had trimmer waistlines.

In addition, significantly greater increases in "good" HDL-cholesterol levels and greater decreases in harmful blood fats called triglycerides were seen in the Mediterranean diet group and these heart-healthy benefits were maintained for the duration of the study.

These findings, the investigators conclude, "reinforce the message that benefits of lifestyle interventions should not be overlooked despite the drug-intensive style of medicine fueled by the current medical literature."

SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, September 1, 2009.

Hydroxytrol diet pill for rapid weight loss contains ephedra.

2009-08-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hydroxytrol diet pill for rapid weight loss contains ephedra.

Supplements To Go.com has the best prices.

2009-08-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you have never used Supplements To Go.com I have bought prohormes, ephedra diet pills, protein, creatine, tanning lotions, Superdrol, 1AD and many other weight lifting products to help me with sports and competitions.

Luxury items on sale in tough economic times

2009-03-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Couture Budget.com has drastically cut prices on items due to recent economic troubles. Handbags, purses, jewelry and more at 90% off retail prices.

http://www.destin-retreat.com is a great place for honey moon rentals

2009-01-03T22:46:00.001-08:00

Wanting to stay in a vacation beach house, condo or town home in Destin Florida on the Gulf Coast? Then Destin-Retreat.com is your place for your Destin Vacations. We have a selection of 2 luxury Destin Florida Vacation homes, by us the owners and a penthouse condo in the Miramar Beach / Destin FL. area. We also have a 4 bedroom town house in Gulf Shores, Alabama with a possible 8 bedrooms to rent. You can view the complete listing, see the low costs, view our up to date calender, and book your week stay online here. Just click on the properties page and select your house or condo vacation rental. All of vacationing properties are only steps from the beach, and the pool.

Destin Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico in the panhandle of Florida, and is located between Panama City and Ft Walton Beach. It is a wonder vacation destination with rentals by owners. You are dealing directly with the owner and we will assure you get the best service at a great price.

Destin Florida Beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the country. With beautiful white sandy beaches, turquoise water, perfect weather, dozens of golf courses, and a endless list of restaurants. It doesn't stop there. There are family activities, like the Big Kahuna Water Park, jet skiing, shopping, fishing, boat rental, Dolphin viewing, plus more! The list goes on and on. View our slide shows and videos of all that Destin has to offer. Book your trip online today through our 100% secure site! Come once and you will be back in our Destin Florida Vacation Houses and condos. Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring break, we have the Florida gulf coast vacation rental on the Gulf Of Mexico for you.

http://www.destin-retreat.com is a great place for honey moon rentals

2009-01-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

Couture Budget Is Coming Online Soon

2008-07-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for. Finally shoppers of discerning tastes and frugal spending habits can have it all. www.couturebudget.com will be online this week. Couture Budget will carry name brands and designers such as DNKY, Franco Sarto, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Perlina, Zero Haliburton and many many more.

Couture Budget is a revolutionary way to purchase designer name brand high end products and bargin basement prices. With rewards programs and referral benefits you can save even more.

We are excited to bring this website to the people and look forward to reading your comments on our blog.