Many of us, me included have eyesite problems. I have no bad problems like glaucoma or cataracts but I have worn glasses or contacts since I was eight years old. Readers Digest has a great article of vision tips here that will allow you to imrove your vision or at least make it degrade at a much slower rate.

The good news: The most common diseases — age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), cataracts, glaucoma, and dry eye disease — are all preventable to some extent. Read on to see (pun intended) how you can get Stealth Healthy protection for your peepers. Before we go any further, we have to tell you that the first step, if you smoke, is to stop. Smoking increases your risk of cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes, and age-related macular degeneration.

1. Mix a cup of blueberries with a cup of yogurt for breakfast this morning. Blueberries are one of the richest fruit forms of antioxidants, and a study published in The Archives of Ophthalmology found that women and men who ate the greatest amount of fruit were the least likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness in older people. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Association for Research, bilberry, blindness, car vents, cataracts, dry eye syndrome, dry eyes, Eastern Virginia Medical School, eye disease, fish-oil supplements, glaucoma, Harvard, John Sheppard, leading cause of blindness, macular degeneration, Norfolk, olive oil, Ophthalmology, potato chips, readers digest, the Readers Digest, The Archives of Ophthalmology, Virginia, vitamin a

The Chinese have used green tea to treat ailments for several centuries. Nowadays, Western culture is beginning to understand the benefits of green tea. Recent research has revealed some of the health benefits of using green tea including the possible prevention of arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and also cancer.

Besides the disease-fighting benefits, Green Tea also aids weight loss programs. Studies have shown that drinking green tea helps you burn more calories. So what makes green tea so beneficial?

Green tea is the most popular types of Chinese tea. Many people, consider it as the best drink for hot summers. The main reason for this claim is the fact that green tea is cool and fights off irritation. Many have even claimed that it relieves fever.

The health benefits of Green Tea have been known throughout the world, and are appreciated a lot more these days. The Chinese have known about these medicinal benefits since ancient times, as they have been using green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression, and a long list of other ailments. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: antioxidant, arthritis, Asia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, depression, esophageal cancer, fever, green tea, headaches, heart attacks, irritation, National Cancer Institute, prevention of arthritis, stroke, thrombosis, University of Purdue

We hear very often about the importance of antioxidants and the role they play in improving our health so I thought I would check the great Wikipedia and US government research sites to see if I could find some good info on the role that antioxidants play in good health and how to get them.

Antioxidants are present in foods as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and polyphenols, among others. Many antioxidants are often identified in food by their distinctive colors—the deep red of cherries and of tomatoes; the orange of carrots; the yellow of corn, mangos, and saffron; and the blue-purple of blueberries, blackberries, and grapes. The most well-known components of food with antioxidant activities are vitamins A, C, and E; ß-carotene; the mineral selenium; and more recently, the compound lycopene.

The research continues to grow regarding the knowledge of antioxidants as healthful components of food. Oxidation, or the loss of an electron, can sometimes produce reactive substances known as free radicals that can cause oxidative stress or damage to the cells. Antioxidants, by their very nature, are capable of stabilizing free radicals before they can react and cause harm, in much the same way that a buffer stabilizes an acid to maintain a normal pH. Because oxidation is a naturally occurring process within the body, a balance with antioxidants must exist to maintain health.

Why do you need antioxidants?

While the body has its defenses against oxidative stress, these defenses are thought to become less effective with aging as oxidative stress becomes greater. Research suggests there is involvement of the resulting free radicals in a number of diseases associated with aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, immune dysfunction, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Certain conditions, such as chronic diseases and aging, can tip the balance in favor of free radical formation, which can contribute to ill effects on health. This leads to the idea that antioxidants can help improve health and aging.

Consumption of antioxidants is thought to provide protection against oxidative damage and contribute positive health benefits. For example, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin engage in antioxidant activities that have been shown to increase macular pigment density in the eye. Whether this will prevent or reverse the progression of macular degeneration remains to be determined.10 An increasing body of evidence suggests beneficial effects of the antioxidants present in grapes, cocoa, blueberries, and teas on cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s disease, and even reduction of the risk of some cancers.

Taking Vitamins for Antioxdants

Despite the clear role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease, controlled studies using antioxidant vitamins have observed no clear reduction in the risk or progression of heart disease. This suggests that other substances in fruit and vegetables (possibly flavonoids) at least partially explain the better cardiovascular health of those who consume more fruit and vegetables.

During exercise, oxygen consumption can increase by a factor of more than 10. This leads to a large increase in the production of oxidants and results in damage that contributes to muscular fatigue during and after exercise. The inflammatory response that occurs after strenuous exercise is also associated with oxidative stress, especially in the 24 hours after an exercise session. The immune system response to damage done by exercise peaks 2 to 7 days after exercise, the period during which adaptation resulting in greater fitness is greatest. During this process, free radicals are produced by neutrophils to remove damaged tissue. As a result, excessive antioxidant levels have the potential to inhibit recovery and adaptation mechanisms.

The evidence for benefits from antioxidant supplementation in vigorous exercise is mixed. There is strong evidence that one of the adaptations resulting from exercise is a strengthening of the body’s antioxidant defenses, particularly the glutathione system, to deal with the increased oxidative stress. It is possible that this effect may be to some extent protective against diseases which are associated with oxidative stress, which would provide a partial explanation for the lower incidence of major diseases and better health of those who undertake regular exercise.

After looking at this research and it is really thorough research it looks as though it is more important to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables instead of taking the pills that promise the same effect. I have taken vitamins for years but mostly to supplement what I do not get in my diet not to replace my diet with antioxidants in pill form.

You can read more at fitness health and diet tips

Tags: Alzheimer�s disease, cancer, cancers, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, cognitive impairment, food, heart disease, immune dysfunction, macular degeneration, United States, Wikipedia and US government

Sun protection is serious business. The sun can be very dangerous especially in the summer months when the level of Ultraviolet radiation is the highest. Many of us like to get a little bit of color in the summer, getting a tan is a highlight of simmer that makes us feel healthy, look healthy and I hate to say it but the sun is actually very dangerous to us. You may have heard in the past that there is a Vitamin E release by getting sun but remember that being out in the sun going around your daily life will give you more than enough sun exposure. Sunburns are the worst as you can imagine but suntans can be bad as well.
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Tags: cataracts, Indoor tanning devices, melanoma, skin cancer, skin cancers, sunburn, sunburns

No way, is it really true? Next time you are about to unwrap a chcolate bar or pop open that pop think about this list by Nancy Appleton, a PHD that wrote the book Lick the sugar habit. .I thought I knew why sugar was bad but here are well over 100 reasons why you should avoid it.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
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Tags: adhd, alcoholism, Alzheimer�s disease, appendicitis, arthritis, Asthma, atherosclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bacterial infection, biliary tract cancer, bowel disease, breast cancer, cancer, cancer of the rectum, Candida Albicans, carcinoma, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, central reward systems, chromium deficiency, colon cancer, constipation, copper deficiency, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes, dizziness, drowsiness, duodenal ulcers, eczema, endometrial cancer, epileptic seizures, excessive food intake, food, food allergies, gallbladder cancer, gallstones, gastric cancer, gout, headaches, heart disease, hemorrhoids, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, infectious diseases, intravenous feedings, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney stones, laryngeal cancer, learning disorders, liver tumors, lung cancer, memory loss, metabolic syndrome, migraine, multiple sclerosis, myopia, Nancy Appleton, nearsightedness, neural tube defects, obesity, osteoporosis, pancreatic cancer, Parkinson�s disease, periodontal disease, peripheral vascular disease, polio, prostate cancer, schizophrenia, stomach cancer, sugar, sugar habit, Sweet food items, toxemia, travel time, ulcerative colitis, varicose veins, yeast infections