Posts Tagged ‘omega-3’
Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power
December 2nd, 2009
- Image by BIJI KURIAN via Flickr
Chronic back pain is one of the most vexing problems that you can have. Not being able to find comfort in any position and the resulting problems.
You can work on back pain by helping your back get stronger and healthier. Remember pain pills are ok to take if you really need them but they don’t solve the underlying problem.
You can begin to address the problem by noticing your posture and beginning to correct it when it is poor. Massage is good. Getting your back more flexible can also help, check out: Kundalini Yoga. There are also more traditional exercises – there is a good video at the end of this post that you should watch. These are just a couple of ideas to help resolve your back problems.
Don’t Let Chronic Back Pain Limit Your Brain Power
You don’t need to be a scientist to know that chronic back pain can have a negative impact on your life, often bringing with it anxiety and depression. It can affect your ability to work, sleep, and perform other daily activities.
Until recently, it has been assumed that whatever changes occurred in the brain as a result of chronic back pain were only temporary and that the brain would revert to a normal state once the pain stopped.
Recent findings by researchers from Northwestern University have turned this assumption on its head. What they found was that chronic back pain — defined as pain lasting six months or longer — can cause significant and long-lasting damage to the brain, aging it up to 20 times faster than normal.¹
The Northwestern study is consistent with other research on chronic pain and cognitive ability.
Evidence of a link between chronic pain and brain function comes from a study done at Keele University in the United Kingdom. Scientists compared the “prospective” memory — such as remembering to pick up groceries or keep a doctor’s appointment — of 50 subjects with chronic back pain to the memory of 50 subjects who were pain-free.
Investigators used something called the Prospective Memory Questionnaire, a self-rating scale that requires users to record the number of times their prospective memory fails in a given period of time. The scale measures three types of prospective memory: long-term habitual, short-term episodic, and internally cued.
Those with chronic pain had significantly impaired short-term memory compared with subjects who were pain-free. No differences were observed in the other types of prospective memory.
Researchers believe that when pain kicks in, it triggers a region of the brain known as the lateral occipital complex (LOC). When this happens, it overrides a person’s ability to concentrate and accurately recognize images.
You can help preserve your short-term memory — even if you do live with chronic pain — by following these easy tips.
Read out loud
If you want to remember something, saying the words out loud will help burn the information into your brain. If you can turn it into a rhyme, it’s even better.
Write things down
Mental clutter makes it hard to recall data. Use address books, datebooks, and calendars. Jot down notes on more complicated material and reorganize your notes as soon as possible. The physical act of rewriting can help imprint facts into your memory.
Rehearse and review
Go over what you’ve learned the day you learn it, and review it periodically. Researchers call this “spaced rehearsal.” It has proven to be more effective than cramming.
Get your vitamins
Nutrients such as vitamins B, C, and E can nurture brain function. Dietary sources of vitamin B include spinach and other dark leafy greens, strawberries, melons, and black beans. Vitamins C and E improve the flow of oxygen through the brain. Good natural sources are berries, sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, green tea, nuts, citrus fruits, and liver. Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna are also associated with improved cognitive function.
Surprise your brain
Another way to help your brain perform better is to stimulate it through novelty. For example, brushing your teeth with your left hand (if you’re right-handed) will fire up seldom-used connections on the non-dominant side of your brain. Or try “neurobic” exercise, which forces you to use your faculties in unusual ways — say, getting dressed with your eyes closed, taking a course in a subject you know nothing about, or cooking a recipe in an unfamiliar cuisine.
Reference
1. The Journal of Neuroscience, November 17, 2004; 24(46):10410-10415.
[Ed. Note: Jesse Cannone is a certified fitness trainer, rehabilitation specialist and co-founder of the Healthy Back Institute. For more information on how you can reduce or completely eliminate your pain naturally, click here.]
This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.
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Posted in Healthy Living, affirmations | 
Tags: abs, back pain, exercise, Fitness, omega-3, Yoga | 
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Chia Seeds For Energy, Vitality, And Health
November 8th, 2008
I recently read The Magic Of Chia, The: Revival Of An Ancient Wonder Food by James Scheer. An interesting and revealing book about Chia seeds as a super energy food.
Chia was made famous by the Chia Pets that have been on TV in the Christmas season for many years. These seeds grow fast to make a coat of ‘hair’ for your pet. I never saw the appeal of the Chia Pet. But as much as I hated seeing those commercials come on TV I couldn’t help taking a closer look at Chia seeds as a food. Chia turns out to be rich in Omega-3, fiber, and other nutrients. I buy my seeds from Raw Vegan Books and here is their discussion of the nutrients:
The seeds have twice the protein of any other seed or grain, five times the calcium of milk, boron which is trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones, omega 3 and omega 6 which are essential oils for the body. They also have a very long list of valuable nutrients in them naturally. The soluble fiber in the gel forms a wall between carbohydrates and the body, releasing them slowly into the body. This has been found to be very helpful for people who have trouble controlling their sugar levels like Diabetics. Dieters love the seeds because it can be added to any food or drink in a ratio of 75% to the volume of food or drink and will not change the taste. Because the carbohydrates are released slowly you will get the feeling of being full. Many use the seeds as a way to control their appetites. The gel has no taste.
In the book Scheer talks about improved athletic performance and a broad spectrum of health benefits. He also details the history from Chia’s Aztec roots as a food of royalty to their near loss after the Spanish conquerors that nearly killed out those peoples.
My favorite use is as the gel described above and as thickener for soup. Chia will be a welcome addition to your kitchen too as a secret ingredient that improves your families health as it satisfies the appetite.
Order Chia Products:
| Chia Book | 5lb Pack | 1lb Pack |
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Posted in Healthy Living |
Tags: boron, calcium, chia, chia seed, chia seeds, endurance, energy, energy booster, essential oils, fiber, omega-3 |
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The Big Fat Scam for the Obese and Diabetic
October 27th, 2008
In this expert article Shane Ellison presents information about getting healthy fats into your diet. Healthy fats include Olive Oil, Fish Oil, and other non-transfat fats that contain Omega-3s and other healthy nutrients. Olive Oil should be your oil of choice. Consider using it instead of butter. Have you been to a traditional Italian restaurant? Always Olive Oil is on the table and you have to ask for butter. There is wisdom to this borne out by modern science that has shown the health benefits of Olive Oil. If you go to the store you will find different grades and prices for the Oil. The type depends on how it is processed. The best to buy is Extra Virgin. This oil is pressed out and heat is not used to get it. It means that it is as pure and natural as you can get it.
So substitute Olive Oil for butter – Olive Oil and vinegar dressing is good too. By the way there is a whole other story to tell about the benefits of vinegar and you will see them here in future posts.
The Big Fat Scam for the Obese and Diabetic
by Shane Ellison
Traditionally, a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet is recommended for the obese and type II diabetics. This low-fat approach is based on simple math. Fat has about twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein. Regardless of the lower calorie content, applying the theory has proven disastrous. It has secured America a seat in the worldwide Fat Ass Hall of Fame while giving birth to a diabetes epidemic. No surprise, math isn’t the best measure of a foods effect on the body. Biochemistry is – go figure.
In contrast to carbohydrates, eating fat (not trans fat, but naturally occurring fat) has proven to be the most important method for ensuring fat loss and warding off diabetes. This is courtesy of fats inability to spike the fat storing hormone insulin – and prevent us from feeding our pie hole excess calories. Thus, despite eating fat in the form of grass fed beef, seeds, nuts, avocados, coconut oil or fish, you won’t suffer from unsightly belly fat. This phenomenon has been proven many times.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently showed that eating twice as much fat led to greater weight loss. Researchers compared two eating plans that were similar in caloric intake but vastly different in fat consumption. Obese individuals who consumed 61% fat energy for eight weeks lost 18 pounds; those consuming a mere 30% fat lost 14 pounds (they replaced the fat intake with 46% carbs). (1) Far more staggering than the differences in weight loss are the differences in biochemistry among the two groups.
Low fat, high carbohydrate eaters have the perfect biological environment for obesity and type II diabetes. Their blood levels of glucose, insulin and triglycerides skyrocket.(2) The Nurses’ Study by Harvard found that women who adhere to the Big Fat Scam and eat mostly carbohydrates increase their risk of diabetes 2.5 times! Men are not immune to the deadly carbohydrate effect.
Diabetics usually die early from heart disease, twice as often as those without diabetes. It is so damaging that it can erase 11-20 years from a persons lifespan. Currently, an estimated one in four American’s suffer from it. One in three born in the year 2000 will succumb to the Big Fat Scam and therefore suffer from diabetes according to The Journal of the American Medical Association. (3)
The best way to avoid being an honorary member of the Fat Ass Hall of Fame and the diabetes epidemic is to avoid the Big Fat Scam. Start eating more fat (avoid trans fats, of course, and give preference to fats with omega-3’s). Judge your food based on its effect on insulin (via glycemic load), count calories second. Stop futzing around with fad diets and self-proclaimed weight loss gurus who push wanton pill and supplement use as well as whole grains, fruit juice, sugary yogurt, candy bars disguised as health bars and most anything else served out of a box, package or window.
References:
1. Barclay, Laurie. Low-Carb/High-Fat or High-Carb/Low-Fat Diet Improves Weight Loss, Mood. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:580-587
2. YD Chen, AM Coulston, MY Zhou, CB Hollenbeck and GM Reaven.Why do low-fat high-carbohydrate diets accentuate postprandial lipemia in patients with NIDDM? Diabetes Care, Vol 18, Issue 1 10-16.
Liu S, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB, Franz M, Sampson L, Hennekens CH, Manson JE. A prospective study of dietary glycemic load, carbohydrate intake, and risk of coronary heart disease in US women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2000 Jun;71(6):1455-61.
Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, Kraemer HC, King AC. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007; 9 (297): 969-77
Frederick F. Samaha, M.D., Nayyar Iqbal, M.D., Prakash Seshadri, M.D., Kathryn L. Chicano, C.R.N.P., Denise A. Daily, R.D., Joyce McGrory, C.R.N.P., Terrence Williams, B.S., Monica Williams, B.S., Edward J. Gracely, Ph.D., and Linda Stern, M.D. A Low-Carbohydrate as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. Volume 348:2074-2081. May 22, 2003. Number 21
3. K. M. Venkat Narayan, MD; James P. Boyle, PhD; Theodore J. Thompson, MS; Stephen W. Sorensen, PhD; David F. Williamson, PhD. Lifetime Risk for Diabetes Mellitus in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;290:1884-1890.
Shane Ellison holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design. He is an internationally recognized authority on therapeutic nutrition and author of Health Myths Exposed, The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and The AM-PM Fat Loss Discovery. Read his free report entitled The Foundational Health Education to beat obesity, heart disease and death by prescription drug:
www.thepeopleschemist.com
Article Source: U Publish Articles
Posted in Fitness and health, Healthy Living, Positive Thinking, positive living |
Tags: Diabetes, fish oil, good fats, healthy heart, obesity, olive oil, omega-3 |
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