Monday, December 29, 2008

The Tricky Tactics of the Pharmaceutical Industry

By Dr. Ray Sahelian

You may think you're up on the latest health information. But even if you were to read all the thousands of medical journals out there, you probably wouldn't be getting the whole story. Because when they are trying to get their studies published, drug companies are more likely to submit outcomes of those that favor benefits of the new drugs they are promoting.

Understandable, maybe. But that means you may not be aware of the poor outcomes of many new drugs. In fact, many trials that showed poor outcomes were still not published several years after the FDA approved the drug.

An independent review of these studies concludes: "The information that is readily available in the scientific literature to health care professionals is incomplete and potentially biased."

This should make you even more skeptical about the benefits touted by drug companies.

Discuss all new medications thoroughly with your doctor - and be sure to get a second opinion if anything seems fishy or too good to be true.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Build Your Healthful List

Risking Cancer With This Fat?

By Shane "The People's Chemist" Ellison

You know by now that there are "good" fats and "bad" fats. And you've probably heard that small amounts of omega-6 fatty acids from seeds and plants are essential for your body. When combined with omega-3 fatty acids from fish, omega-6s appear to play an integral role in maintaining health. Together, these two fats can help regulate brain development, energy production, and immune function, and control inflammation.

However, large quantities of omega-6s promote oxidative stress by disabling the body's second defense against cancer: the antioxidant. Adding insult to injury, they increase inflammation within skin cells. And inflammation can be a driving force behind the growth of skin cancer and its ability to spread to nearby tissues and organs.

This omega-6 threat did not exist 100 years ago. Our ancestors consumed only small quantities of omega-6 in the form of whole corn, seeds, and legumes. Their ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was about 1:1. Today, a large segment of the population consumes a ratio of at least 20:1.
The omega-6 overdose exists thanks to the advent of technology - chemical extraction methods, to be exact. Instead of getting omega-6 in its natural state - from plants and seeds - our primary sources are now plant and seed oils (corn, safflower, and sunflower). A single tablespoon of omega-6-laden corn oil is derived from a whopping 12 to 18 ears of corn.

The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids has not yet been determined. One thing is certain, the overdose of omega-6 manifests into poor health as well as dry, brittle skin that predisposes us to skin cancer.

The best thing you can do to protect against skin cancer is rid your diet of omega-6-laden plant and seed oils while consuming more protective omega-3 fatty acids.

Friday, December 26, 2008

How To Win the Fat-Loss War

By Craig Ballantyne


Every day, sneaky saboteurs are trying to defeat you in the fat-loss war. Everyone - from family to friends to co-workers to restaurant owners to TV advertisers - is conspiring against you to make you eat more and exercise less.


They might not be doing it on purpose or with bad intentions, but they are happier when you are fed, full, and flat out on the couch.


So you must always know your options.


You must have Plans A, B, C, D, and E. You must be prepared to counterattack. When they say "pizza," you say "sushi." When they say "take-out," you say, "I've already prepared my lunch." When they say "happy hour," you say "workout first."


And you must surround yourself with people who are fitter and healthier than you. The power of social support and POSITIVE peer pressure will help you take your health and fitness to the next level.


[Ed. Note: Finding health-conscious people with whom you can share your weight-loss struggles, diet and exercise techniques, and encouragement can help you lose weight. For a free source of support and a community of like-minded men and women, click here.


And for a topnotch fitness program that can help you burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program right here

Monday, December 15, 2008

3 Things You Must Measure to Lose Weight

By Craig Ballantyne

One of the biggest mistakes folks make with a weight-loss program is not recording their diet, their workouts, and their progress.

I absolutely demand that my clients record (1) their daily meals and calories, (2) their sets, reps, and weights from each workout, and (3) their weight and other body measurements.

If you do those three things, you will succeed. And for maximum success, you should be making yourself accountable to others by sharing this information with them.

I know that sounds painful, but if you want improvement, you have to lay it on the line. Soliciting social support, both online and offline in the "real world," is a proven way to get help with your weight-loss efforts.

Just be careful who you share your progress with. You must share it only with people who are going to support you in a positive way.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Can Cellphones Really Give You Cancer?

By Al Sears, MD

Some people think Senator Kennedy's cellphone caused it.

He was diagnosed last year with a malignant "glioma," a kind of brain cancer specifically considered a risk for cellphone users.

Should you be worried?

The truth is, cellphones have not been around long enough to give us the kind of long-term studies we really need to know for sure.

And the research is conflicting. Some studies show no increased risk. So I'm not ready to tell my readers and patients that cellphones definitely cause cancer. The FDA says, "The available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are associated with using wireless phones." But they then add, "There is no proof, however, that wireless phones are absolutely safe."

Some of the most up-to-date research suggests that there is some cause for concern. Here's what I know:

Researchers in Israel found last year that people who used cellphones heavily experienced a 58 percent increase in "parotid tumors" - a cancer of the saliva gland near the ear.

Another study last year, this one out of Sweden, concluded that cellphone users are 10 times more likely to develop benign cancers of the ear and brain.
Several animal studies have found that the kind of radiation cellphones use can damage DNA in brain cells. Damaged DNA is one of the things that can turn healthy cells into cancer cells.

Cellphones use microwaves called "radio frequency radiation" (RF) to transmit signals. Their antennae emit most of the RF, and since you're holding the phone right next to your ear most of the time, a lot of it penetrates the brain - as much as 60 percent, according to some studies.

Depending on the size of your head and the amount of radiation coming from the specific type of phone you use, you may be literally "cooking" your brain. RF energy can potentially cause the temperature of your brain tissue to rise slightly.

To protect yourself from any potential risk from cellphone RF, here are a few guidelines:

Keep cellphone calls short.
Go with a "hands-free" headset or a speakerphone. These keep the cellphone from direct contact with your head.

Don't carry your cellphone in your chest or hip pocket. Even when in "standby" mode, cellphones continue to emit radiation, exposing whichever part of your body is closest.

When using a hands-free headset, let the wire extend fully between your head and the phone. This distributes RF in small amounts along the length of your body rather than concentrating it in any one location.

Look for a phone with "voice-activated" features. These enable you to place calls and perform other commands without having to hold the phone close to your head.
Use a standard "land line" whenever possible.

Find out the level of RF emissions for your cellphone. If the level is high, replace the phone.

Cellphones come with emissions ratings known as "SARs" (specific absorption rates). These range from 0.5 to 1.6 W/kg (watts of power absorbed per kilogram of body tissue). Avoid any cellphone that falls within range of that upper limit.

The FDA provides SAR ratings for most kinds of cellphones and other wireless devices online. You'll need to locate your cellphone's FCC ID number, which is usually located somewhere on the case of the phone or in the battery compartment.

Monday, December 8, 2008

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3 Reasons to Say No to Crestor

By Shane "The People's Chemist" Ellison, MS

A new study on heart health is touting statin drugs as the best thing since the iPod. But before you head off to your doctor asking for a prescription, let's take a closer look at the facts.

The JUPITER (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) study is not a clinical trial. It's a ruse to promote drugs as vitamins. Dr. Timothy J. Gardner, president of the American Heart Association, was so excited by the study that he insisted, "this one is pretty clearly a winner for statin therapy."

The New York Times gave us the infomercial, scripted response of, "Taking the statin Crestor, also known as rosuvastatin, slashed the risk of heart attack by more than half according to the JUPITER results."

But most popular media missed the truth. Here are three important points that you need to know:

Crestor's maker - AstraZeneca - funded the study. When a company pays for a study, they pay for the interpretation of results, which always involves statistical trickery. Cardiovascular events were reduced by a paltry but absolute 0.9 percent with Crestor use. Using a few tricks of the statistics trade, this bland number was converted into the more lucrative "relative risk reduction" of 53 percent.
Dr. Mark Hlatky of Stanford told the New England Journal of Medicine that "absolute differences in risk are more clinically important than relative reductions in risk in deciding whether to recommend drug therapy, since the absolute benefits of treatment must be large enough to justify the associated risks and costs."

It would cost beaucoup bucks to follow JUPITER's recommended Crestor protocol. The drug giant stands to pocket an estimated $500,000 per patient (over a patient's lifetime), courtesy of insurance companies, if the drug is used as recommended by the study.

Crestor users risk the particularly nasty side effects of liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, diabetes, and more. This, in itself, is a great reason to say no to Crestor: It's a seriously expensive way to get sick.

I've said it before - you don't need drugs to be healthy. For a healthy cardiovascular system, take hawthorn and folic acid, both available at Walmart.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Why You Should Avoid the Elliptical Machine

By Craig Ballantyne

Elliptical machines are often the only option for people with bad knees. But if your knees are healthy, think twice before using them - for two reasons.

Reason #1. Men's Health magazine warns, "Never trust elliptical machines." And they quote a study which found that elliptical machines overestimated the number of calories burned in a workout by 31 percent.

Ouch.

So if your "elliptical cardio workout" burned 400 calories, the truth is you really burned closer to 300.

Reason #2. Men's Health magazine interviewed "Biggest Loser" contestant Ed Brantley, who lost 73 pounds while on the show. Ed had this to say: "I hated the elliptical. It was too easy. I didn't feel like I was doing anything."

I couldn't have said it better myself. But that's EXACTLY why elliptical machines are so popular. They are inferior for fat loss because they fail my "human nature" test.

Put it this way...

Take 100 people and put them in a gym with 100 treadmills and 100 elliptical machines. Tell them they have to exercise for 30 minutes at a hard pace, and they can use either the treadmill or the elliptical. Guess where 90 percent of those folks will be headed?

To the elliptical!

Why? Because it is human nature to take the easy way out. That is why elliptical machines are so busy at the gym. You rarely see anyone doing intervals on a treadmill or bodyweight circuits in the corner.

So if you are stuck at a fat-loss plateau and you've been counting on the elliptical machine to help you, forget it. You can't say you "worked out" if you don't get any real work done. Stick to the bike, the treadmill, or bodyweight exercises.

Friday, December 5, 2008

More Proof That Carbs Are Deadly for Your Weight

By Craig Ballantyne

When I was in college, I remember going to a party at the home of four girls. While standing around in the kitchen, I realized they had almost as much cereal as the local convenience store. When I asked them about it, they said they often ate cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because they thought a high-carbohydrate diet would help them lose weight.

That notion was popular back in the 1990s, and, unfortunately, they had bought into it. However, every year more and more research (not to mention experience) shows it to be untrue.

In the latest study, from the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, 50 overweight adults were put into one of two groups. One group was given a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet, and the other group was given a high-carbohydrate diet. Both groups ate 500 calories less than they needed to maintain their weight.

The moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein group ate 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (approximately 112 grams of protein for a 154-pound person) and less than 170 grams of carbohydrate per day. The high-carbohydrate group ate only 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (56 grams of protein for a 154-pound person) and less than 220 grams of carbohydrate per day.

At the end of four months, the higher-protein diet group had lost more body fat (an average of 8.7 percent) than the high-carbohydrate group (an average of 5.7 percent). The higher-protein group also had greater reductions in triglycerides (an average of 34 percent as compared to 14 percent) and greater improvements in the good HDL cholesterol (an average of 5 percent as compared to 3 percent).

This study shows that you don't need to make radical changes in your protein intake to get more fat loss and better blood lipid levels. Simply cut two slices of bread from your diet each day and substitute two 20-gram protein shakes.

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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