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Archive for October, 2010

Before many Australians recently, a devastating story unfolded on a popular current affairs program. We watched with compassion as the fattest man in Australia told of his most recent, serious attempt to lose weight. Approximately 12 months earlier and weighing close to 300 kilos, he under went life threatening surgery to lose weight.

I doubt there would have been one person watching not moved by this man’s depression and plight. Despite undergoing the surgery, today he could barely get through each day, both physically and mentally. He shared with us his sense of hopelessness and wanting to end it all.

It was not only his size that was causing his depression. He had to deal with a heart broken by disappointment.

You see, the surgery had been a success.

He soon lost well over 50 kilos post operation and he and his family rejoiced. But then the unthinkable happened.

The weight came back. Today he weighs well over 300 kilos – more than before the surgery.

This is an extreme case, but nonetheless raises a question that so many people continue to battle with.

After a diet, why does the weight come back so quickly?

To answer this we need to understand how much energy a body requires. For each pound you weigh, each day you need 12 calories to maintain your body weight. If you weigh 120 pounds you will need 120 x 12 calories, that is, 1440 calories per day to maintain that body weight. If you eat or drink more calories than your body requires, the excess energy is stored as fat. It takes 3,600 excess calories to make one pound of fat.

In this example, if your typical daily calorific intake is 2000 calories, in around 30 days you would put on between 4-5 pounds of fat!
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Travelers visiting many tropical, sub-tropical and developing countries run an increased risk of suffering a gastrointestinal illness. These are usually caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses. The microscopic bugs at the top of these rather gut wrenching (for all the wrong reasons…) charts are E Coli, the staphylococci, shigella and salmonella species, campylobacter jejuni, cryptosporidiosis, and hepatitis A.

Infected food is the biggest culprit, with water coming in second. Ice cream, cocktails served in re-used coconut shells, raw seafood, ice, and food from street vendors are potential risks that can interrupt your adventure with less salacious memories to pass on to family and friends.

The nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea from such acute infections usually sorts itself out after a few days (unless of course you have contracted hepatitis A, or something like giardia). Certainly, if you are unlucky enough to be sick after a few days, you should see a doctor.

Fortunately, there are remedies you can take that will strengthen your immune and digestive system and hopefully give your body a better chance at dealing with its new environment. The herbs I describe below would make an excellent travelers mix. The best form to take them in would be as a tincture, which can be made up by going to a local herbal dispensary if you have one in your area, or alternatively, a local herbalist.

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)

Astragalus is a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial. The polysaccharides in it support the immune system. Astragalus increases the activity of phagocytes, natural killer cells, and the levels of antibodies in the blood.

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Due to the highly processed foods that we consume and the polluted air that we breathe, our body accumulates toxins. The body does its best to eliminate the toxins, but ends up being stressed due to the overload. Symptoms such as chronic headaches, skin allergies, premature ageing, etc. start to manifest.

What can we do to help our ailing body? Try juice fasting, as a safe way to detox! Many studies have been done on the beneficial effects of juice fasting. We can increase our lifespan, treat bio chemical imbalances, reduce our cholesterol levels, treat allergies, acne, etc.

In juice fasting, by giving the body a rest from food and digestion, the immune system can focus on elimination of toxins, with the aid of the organs of elimination (liver, pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys, intestines, skin, etc.).
During a prolonged fast (3 plus days), the body will start to burn off and digest its own tissues by process of autolysis in a discriminate manner. It will first decompose and burn those cells and tissues, which are diseased, damaged, aged or dead (tumors, morbid cells, abscesses, excess fat deposits, etc.). The stomach shrinks and becomes less acidic. Then, certain detox symptoms are experienced eg. acne breakouts, fatigue, headaches, as the body eliminates its toxins. These symptoms should ease and we will feel a renewed sense of health and well-being!

You can juice almost any fruit and vegetables that you can eat raw. Vegetables that are good for juicing include tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and carrots.
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Hair Loss In Men

With hair loss in men, hair at the temples recedes and the crown can also begin to thin.

Eventually a horse shoe pattern around the sides of the head appears.

The main signs of hair loss in men:

1. Receding hairline

2. Moderate to extensive hair loss, particularly on the crown of the head.

About ninety-five percent of hair loss in men is attributable to Androgenic Alopecia also know as male pattern baldness.

Some believe this condition includes three factors:

1) age 2) heredity 3) the male hormone testosterone

As hair loss in men progresses, the hair becomes finer, does not grow so long and the bald spot at the crown widens.
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