Vitamin E is an absolutely vital nutrient in your body, but it probably can't do half the things you heard it can. What does vitamin E do? To begin, it is an antioxidant. It tames dangerous free radicals and helps prevent blood clots and blockages in coronary arteries. Research points to its ability to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart attacks and some cancers. Vitamin E is also believed to slow the aging process and to help nerve conduction. Most importantly, it works to enhance and even protect vitamin C and Vitamin A. There is also promising research that vitamin E might help prevent or slow the onset of cataracts in the eyes. Vitamin E has been touted as a cure for just about everything but a broken heart. I am sure that's coming, though. Here are just a few of the diseases and conditions vitamin E has been credited with curing or preventing: Parkinson's disease Infertility in both men and women Alzheimer's disease Hepatitis eye tissue inflammation fibromylagia hair loss PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) heavy menstruation healing wounds diabetes atherosclerosis menopause osteoarthritis even restless leg syndrome! It might well prove that vitamin is helpful in some of these and other conditions, but probably not in many or even most of them. As with many vitamins, there is a raging debate over how much vitamin E you need. The US recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 8-10 milligrams per day. But most people in the nutrition field believe that to capture the long-term benefits, people need 10 to 20 times that quantity, which is well short of the maximum recommended 1,000 milligrams. Vitamin E is found in many foods in small quantities. The good news is that almost everyone gets sufficient vitamin E to avoid a deficiency, with a few exceptions noted below. The bad news is that most people do not get the RDA. This is definitely a vitamin that should be supplemented. Be careful about what supplements you choose, since the synthetic version of vitamin E is not even half effective as in its natural form. Look for nutritional supplements containing natural vitamin E, preferably in liquid form. People on low fat diets need supplements the most, since fats and oils are the largest sources of vitamin E. Nuts and green, leafy vegetables are also good sources, as are egg yolks and liver. So are whole grains. Vitamin E probably will never cure your broken heart, nor live up to half of the claims people make about it. But it is an important vitamin for maintaining good health and it is needed in quantities above what most people take in their diet.
Have you seen the latest drug commercial? You know, the one where the guy is walking down a spiral stair case with numbers printed on each step gradually going lower. He s talking about how your doctors have told you that now you need to get your cholesterol even lower than you did before. It s a myth; and a dangerous one at that. Let s start with just a bit of very basic biology. What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is part of a group of compounds called sterols. Cholesterol is primarily produced by the liver, however, every cell in the human body is also capable of making cholesterol. What is the role of cholesterol? Cholesterol is used by the body to form cholic acid which is then used to make bile salts. Bile salts are necessary to digest fat. In addition, cholesterol is necessary for the production of adrenal and reproductive hormones such as DHEA, pregnenolone, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, aldosterone and cortisol. Cholesterol is also used to make the skin impervious to water and other substances that may be harmful to the body as well as to bind with toxins in the blood which will then reduce inflammation protecting the nerves, brain tissue and heart. Biology lesson over. We can now understand why cholesterol is important. So why has it been give such a bad rap? The myth started when scientists determined that there was a correlation between cholesterol in the blood and heart disease. If you had the wonderful opportunity to take any sort of research classes in school, you might remember that a correlation doesn t mean anything. It simply means two things are present at the same time. This is like circumstantial evidence, just because someone is found holding the gun, doesn t mean they pulled the trigger. Working to lower cholesterol as a way to treat heart disease is kind of like getting a bunion removed because you have a headache. It s important to note that cholesterol levels that are too high should be addressed. But what is too high? It used to be that what were considered normal were readings between 0 and 200. Anything above 200 was said to indicate heart disease. This was recently lowered to 0 to 169. But why was it lowered? Statistics show that heart disease rates are not improving. Despite statin drugs that are designed to lower cholesterol, people are still dying of heart attacks and more and more individuals are being diagnosed with some form of heart disease. The drug manufacturers certainly don t want to admit that their drugs aren t working as intended (even though they are somewhat successful at lowering cholesterol), so they decide that it s because the cholesterol levels are not low enough. If they drop the normal ranges, then they can sell more drugs and pass the buck for the continuing trend of heart disease. The natural health experts are still out but there seems to be an unwritten agreement that levels between 175 and 230 are ideal. Levels below 150 or above 250 may indicate the need for more attention but do not necessarily indicate heart disease. There are better methods for determining the risk of heart disease; the ratio between LDL and HDL for example. Better yet is a test gaining popularity and much media attention for something called C-reactive Protein. While it isn t healthy to have extremely high cholesterol, it also isn t healthy to have very low cholesterol. A short word about statin drugs Despite no scientific evidence showing that statin drugs reduce the risk of heart disease and despite evidence that they are not as successful in the real world for treating cholesterol as they had shown to be in the studies, statin drugs are one of the most commonly over-prescribed drugs in the US. Statins have many side effects, including increasing the risk for heart disease. Statins deplete CoQ10, an important co-enzyme for cardiac health. In addition they lower antioxidant levels, cause headaches, fatigue, memory loss, difficulty sleeping, and, of course, liver damage. It s important to be proactive with your health. Don t let your doctors be the complete authority just as you wouldn t trust the salesman to give you all the details when making a large purchase. Do your own homework.
From tender age, we were exposed to myths about money and myths of being rich. Be it from our parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, or friends. The myths that we have determine our financial well being in our adult lives. I call them myths because they are not true. Or, at least they are not giving you the complete picture. We can't blame our parents for the myths in us. They already gave us the best they could. And don't forget that times change. Things were true then may not be true today. If you want to move ahead financially, you have to be aware of the myths that you have about wealth and money. And do not let the myths stop you from living a wealthy life. Money Myth 1: Work hard and you'll be rich. Many of us think that by having a job with a big company would ensure that we're on the path to financial freedom. With so many layoff announcements, we might be out of job anytime. I'm not saying that you'd be one of them but the fact is there is no job that is guaranteed. Recently, my friend was laid off in less than a month in his new job. Having a job is merely helping you to cope with daily expenses, providing you shelter, food and clothing. Do not be misled that a job or your employer will turn you into a rich and wealthy person. No one cares more than you about your wealth. Money Myth 2: Saving is good. When I was small, I was told by my mother that I must learn to save. I thank my mother for inculcating the habit of saving in me. The habit of saving helps me to develop discipline. Many people think that when they save enough, one fine day they'll be rich. But is saving alone enough to make you wealthy? I came to realize that if I only depend on my savings to get rich, I'd have to wait for a long time. That's the problem with savings, it takes a long time for you to get rich. Saving alone is not enough. You have to learn to invest your money in other investment vehicles to grow your money faster. Money Myth 3: Debt is evil. The other common myth about money is debt is bad. Did your parents ever tell you that borrowing was bad? Mine did. Not all debt is bad, actually. It depends on how you spend your loans that you're getting. If you take a credit card loan to buy a flat plasma TV, it's a bad debt. On the other hand, if you take loans to start a business or invest in real estate, the debt is good. If debt is bad, can you imagine what would happen to companies if they are not allowed to take loans from the banks? As a general rule, if you use debts to buy things that increase in value over time, they are good debts. You must know whether the debt you're taking is good or bad. Money Myth 4: You need money to make money. When I ask my friends what's stopping them from starting their own business, the common answer is "I don't have money. And it takes money to make money." I do agree that it takes money to make money. But does it really to be yo?r own money? Everybody has limited resources when it comes to achieving our financial goals. I do not expect you to have everything when you plan to build your own business. You might need financial backing, manpower, expertise, or a coach to guide you. If you lack resources in any areas, find the resources. Someone else will definitely have it. It does take money to make money, but you can use OPM - other people's money. Money Myth 5: Investing is risky. Many think that investing is risky because they lack education in investing. Investing itself is not risky if you know how to control the risks. Most of us invest based on a tip from a friend or broker without doing our own research. When you lose money, you say that investing is risky. And you tell yourself that you'll never invest again. To be frank, everything we do has a risk in it. Learn to manage risks by educating yourself. You can educate yourself by attending seminars, reading books, or even from the Internet. Money Myth 6: Wealth reflects in material possessions. Material possessions reflect your level of wealth. This is a misleading measurement. Someone who is driving a Porsche might not be rich and he might highly in debt. Wealth does not reflect in material possessions. Wealth is a state of mind. Wealth is how fast you can become rich if you're stripped of everything. As Henry Ford once said after he was asked what he would do if he lost all his fortunes, "I'll become a millionaire again within five years." We possess one or more of the above myths, consciously or unconsciously. But what is more important is to be aware of the myths and replace the myths with facts. By doing this will tremendously improve your financial well being.
When you find yourself living with pain every minute of every hour of every day, just getting up in the morning can seem like too much to ask. When you find it hard to remember the last time you weren t in pain, it s not unusual for fear and depression to take hold and drag you into a downward spiral that makes the pain even worse. Even on good days, exercising can still be the last thing you feel like doing.There s evidence, however, that exercise may be one of the best things you can do to help manage chronic pain. A recent (2000) study by Martin Hoffman found that moderate exercise reduced the amount of pain people suffering from chronic back-ache perceived they felt. Other anecdotal studies and reports have confirmed that sometimes, activity can work wonders. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXERCISE & PAIN RELIEFExperts have suggested four possible reasons for the pain-reducing effect of activity. The first has to do with endorphins. These are chemicals your body produces naturally during exercise, which have the same kind of effect as opiates like morphine and codeine. Endorphins actually block the perception of pain, and create a general feeling of wellness, both of which are invaluable to someone with chronic pain.A second reason is that regular activity helps to improve both the ease with which we fall asleep, and the quality of our rest once we do. Pain, can become more or less difficult to deal with depending on our resource levels. Most sufferers experience difficulty sleeping when the pain is bad, which can prompt another downward spiral. Something that helps us sleep better, means more energy and resources, which in turn, allows us to cope better with the pain we experience.A third is that exercise helps release tension (see Exercise & Stress for an explanation of why). Tension, stress and frustration, as any sufferer of chronic pain will attest, increase pain levels. This means that anything that helps relax the body will also usually help reduce pain levels.Finally, if the chronic pain occurs after an injury, targeted exercise can strengthen the muscles around the injury site, taking pressure off the injured tissue. Of course, the wrong kind of exercise can actually re-injure the area too, so it s important to get professional guidance from a physiotherapist, or a personal trainer who specialises in rehabilitation work, rather than trying to go it alone.USING EXERCISE TO HELP YOU MANAGE PAINAn important disclaimer: this article is written assuming that, if you re experiencing chronic pain, you re already working with a healthcare professional to manage it (and if not, you need to be!) Check any suggestions you want to try with that professional, and follow their recommendations. Also, if an activity increases your pain levels, don t do it. It s OK to have muscles that are tired and slightly sore the day after. It s not OK to experience any joint pain or sharp, stabbing pain during or after exercise, or anything that makes your chronic pain worse. If you experience any of these, seek advice from your healthcare professional as soon as possible.That said, the most beneficial kind of exercise depends very much on the individual. One of Optimum Life s key principles is that activity will always do more good if it s something you enjoy. This is even more important when you experience chronic pain, when something you start dreading or tensing up about can quickly make your condition worse. Additionally, it helps if you choose activities that give you a good range of aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises. Good potential choices to start with include walking, swimming, stationary cycling, yoga or t ai chi.Finally, be aware that exercise will be most helpful for pain management if it s one out of many tools you use. Medication, diet, visualisation, relaxation, acupuncture and biofeedback have all been shown to have positive effects on pain individually but the best effects seem to come from taking a multi-disciplinary approach. Take time to research the different therapies available to you. There are a number of excellent pain management sites online two of the more popular ones include The Chronic Pain Haven or The Mayo Clinic.Chronic pain will never be fun to live with, but there are options available that make it more manageable. Give yourself the gift of being willing to try out different options until you find the combination that s right for you, and don t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Meanwhile, until the next issue, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.If you have any questions about this week s article, please don t hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, until next time, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life. About the author: Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Personal Trainer and Stress Management Coach whose articles on holistic health and relaxation have appeared in various media since 1999. Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress management services to help clients all over the world achieve their optimum lives.
