The Nagging Issues of Aging

It starts with a twinge when you over do something and you figure it's probably nothing. Gradually, it occurs more often, but you accept it since you've experienced it before. You think it's "just" aging. Maybe yes, maybe no.

I had a yoga teacher who explained how we lose our balance and strength as we age. It starts with a loss of core strength. Those abdominal and pelvic muscles that keep our back strong weaken with lack of use (you sit at a desk more and don't play as much on the weekend) and, if you are female, childbirth. So, the ribcage collapses forward slightly and excentuates the curve in your lower back, weakening it further. It also pulls out the curve in your thoracic spine, causing your neck to hyperextend so you can see where you are going as you walk. This all pulls you out of balance over your pelvis, so you are fighting falling forward with each step, so gradually that you don't notice it. Until you think about the little old lady with the walker- that's what you're working toward.

If this isn't what you are designing to be, then rethink your exercise regime and your diet. It's all related. If you don't have enough minerals in your diet, as your bones demineralize you will start a similar stoop from lack of bone strength in your spine.

All issues of aging start like this. A small aggravation which we ignore until it is too big to be ignored. Can't walk as far or as fast as when you were 20? That problem started at 35, not 55. If you don't take care of what you have now, you won't have it long.

Transforming Health Care

Boy, my blood gets to boiling often these days. Too many people believe all this nonsense passing as "science" because the government lets it go by. Do we have healthcare? I don't think so, at least not in mainstream medicine. Here's why:

Doctors and nurses are not educated in health maintanence, they are educated in disease management. Most physicians have fewer than 10 hours of nutritional education in medical school. That's shocking, since diet is what causes disease in the first place and is the basis for healing.

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, 40% of American hospitals have fast food restaurants on their campus. What? We have the Susan G. Koman foundation letting Kentucky Fried Chicken put their pink ribbon on the buckets of chicken we are supposed to buy so we don't get cancer? What??? This is a travesty!

The government needs to support a healthy nation. We need food subsudies that support fruits and vegetables, not packaged food. People on food stamps should find it cheaper to eat fresh than packaged. In fact, all of us should. We need a tax on junk food to discourage people from feeding their sugar habits. It is a personal choice, but we humans tend to take the least painful path.

Now go out there and eat a nice fresh salad!

So, if we are really interested in cutting costs in medical care, we are going to have to do our part by cutting out all fast food, eating mostly raw vegetables and fruits, eating clean protein (like meat that is at least hormone and antibiotic free), and stopping the binge eating of chips, crackers, white flour products, packaged snack foods, frozen TV dinners (yes, that includes Lean Cuisine), and sugar. Otherwise, we are chasing the tail of the dragon and we will never be able to keep up with the cost of the monster that passes for healthcare in this country.

Tainted meat

This week's news included a just released story from 2008! It seems Mexico refused a shipment of USDA meat because their testing found heavy metals (copper), pesticide residue, and antibiotic residue that did not meet their standards. What? The USDA passed it but Mexico did not? Sad indeed. Of course, the next question is what happened next. Nothing. So, the beef you are eating does not pass Mexico's standard for human consumption but it does in the US. So why did it take so long for us to hear about this? Well, according to the story in USA Today, an audit was just released that shows USDA meat is not adequately tested for these contaminants and limits have not been set by the USDA and the EPA. Below is a table from the article about the contaminants and the possible effects on humans.

Drug or substance
Potential side effects

Flunixin:
Fecal blood, gastrointestinal ulcers and renal necrosis

Penicillin:
Life-threatening allergic reaction; nerve damage; severe inflammation of the colon; swelling of the lips, tongue or face; bleeding; diarrhea

Arsenic:
Non-malignant skin lesions, skin malignancy, internal malignancies, vascular diseases and hypertension

Copper:
Hemolysis, jaundice, changes in lipid profile, oxidative stress, renal dysfunction and death

Ivermectin:
Poisoning of the nerves or nerve cells

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General

Now, go look up a source for organic meat and stop buying it at the grocery store!

Are energy drinks safe?

Mostly not- especially those sugary ones with 200-300 calories per can! Also, watch your caffeine intake. A small amount of caffeine has not been found to be harmful for most people, but large amounts, especially when used as a replacement for adequate sleep, can harm the adrenal glands and your heart and cardiovascular system.

Neways will be releasing a new energy drink with a blend of acai berries and other healthful fruits in June. I got to try some at the convention, and not only is it delicious, it didn't keep me up half the night with an "over-buzz" like so many other things I've tried.

Stay tuned for more information as this new product is released!

Love where you are

Health is also a state of mind. Love what you do, love where you are. You can always create more in your life- but it has to be done from a positive state of mind. Visualize yourself doing exactly what you want to be doing every day- preferably before falling asleep. Imagine how you'll feel doing this, and exactly what will happen. What will people say about you? Use as much detail as possible. You can even record this and listen to it several times a day. I love the book by Richard Brooke "Mach II with your hair on fire". Read it and see if it doesn't help you too!