thenatural-way.com

Regarding junk food and cravings, if you find yourself
craving a lot of chocolate you may be low in copper.
Chocolate is the only food in the average American diet
providing copper (an anti-aging antioxidant especially good
for young-looking skin).

FYI:

The chocolate you find in most stores will not typically provide you with all the health benefits chocolate can offer. That is because of the way the chocolate (cacao) bean is processed. The high pressures and temperatures destroy the important beneficial bio-flavonoids present in the chocolate.

I found a great premium chocolate bar (Dagoba) at my local Whole Foods Market. Remember, all dark chocolate bars aren't created equally. Be sure to read labels very carefully. Dagoba bars yield only 4 grams of sugar while Hershey's "Healthy" Special Dark Chocolate tips the scales at 21 grams — more than 5 times as much sugar than the Dagoba bar! Keep in mind that the higher the cacao bean content the more anti-oxidants (phenolic bioflavanoids). These gobble up free radicals, the destructive molecules implicated in heart disease and other ailments. For more info about this premium chocolate you can check out their website gadobachocolate.com. This is a chocolate lovers delight!

Don’t get me wrong – eating a lot of chocolate is not good for you. If you suffer with diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol this clearly is not your ideal snack. But if you are healthy and want an occasional chocolate treat, then this can be a guiltless option for you!

Craving cheese flavors = need calcium, salt, protein
(canned salmon or sardines w/ bones can satisfy this
craving very nutritionally and portably. Keep 1-2 cans at
work or car and a fork. I also usually have to take a few
calcium supplements to make this craving go away).

If you find yourself eating sour fruit flavor candies a lot
from the vending machine you are low in vitamin C, so eat
more whole fruit (juices are denatured and one of the major
causes of the American obesity epidemic).

Continuous salt cravings may mean you need trace minerals
and electrolytes. Seaweed is especially good for this
craving. Visit the Asian section of your grocery store and
get some Japanese seaweed crackers or miso and seaweed soup
packets (both good take-with-you snack foods) and you are
good to go.

Reprinted with Permission from the SixWise.com Security & Wellness e-Newsletter

by www.SixWise.com

You've likely heard it proclaimed throughout your entire life: chicken soup is good medicine.

Whether it was your mother, grandmother, or a Campbell's soup commercial handing out the advice, a steaming bowl of chicken soup has been touted as the cure for just about every ailment, from the common cold to a nasty scrape on the knee.

Chicken soup is a soup made by boiling chicken parts or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with noodles or dumplings, or grains such as rice and barley. In the United States chicken soup is considered a classic comfort food.

But is chicken soup, in and of itself, really a "medicine" of sorts? Does it actually possess healing capabilities, or is its magic all in our heads?

Back in the Day

Around the 12th century trusted healers started to prescribe "the broth of fowl" for their ill patients. It was during that time that Egyptian Jewish physician and philosopher, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimonides, started to write extensively about the benefits of chicken soup.

The ancient healer wrote, "The meat taken should be that of hens or roosters and their broth should also be taken because this sort of fowl has virtue in rectifying corrupted humours."

Maimonides used his 'fowl brew' to treat such things like hemorrhoids, constipation, and even leprosy. He strongly believed and especially praised the brew's healing power for respiratory illnesses like the common cold.

Since then, many researchers and scientists have pondered the question of whether or not chicken soup has any real health benefits to patients suffering from a cold. Some have even done experiments to see if there is such proof.

Is the Proof in the Soup?

Dr. Stephen Rennard, MD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, thought his family's chicken soup really did work, but as a scientist, he wanted proof.

"One day we were discussing chicken soup," Rennard explains. "My wife says that grandma says this is good for colds, and I said maybe it has some anti-inflammatory action."

Rennard tested his theory and added his wife's home made chicken soup to white blood cells, called neutrophils. To his surprise, the soup did slow the neutrophils. In fact, he claims that chemicals in the broth-based elixir clears a stuffy nose by inhibiting inflammation of the cells in the nasal passages.

Dr. Rennard did admit that there needed to be more studies conducted, but believes his findings are one more piece to complete the puzzle.

Since Dr. Rennard's findings in the early 1990's, several studies have since agreed with his results, and show chicken soup as a "relief" for the common cold, not a "cure." All research agrees that the soup helps break up congestion and eases the flow of nasal secretions. In addition, many say it also inhibits the white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response (causing sore throats and the production of phlegm.)

The "Guts" of Chicken Soup

When you are feeling under the weather, it seems that everything hot helps to make you feel better. However, the good thing about chicken soup is that – properly prepared such as the recipes below – it is loaded with valuable nutrients. This includes:

Chicken: Chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, a substance released when you make the soup. This amino acid is similar to the drug acetylcysteine, which is prescribed by doctors to patients with bronchitis. It thins the mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough out. And hot chicken vapors have been proven more effective than hot water vapors in clearing out the cold in your nose.

Carrots: Carrots, one of the routine vegetable ingredients found in chicken soup, are the best natural source of beta-carotene. The body takes that beta-carotene and converts it to vitamin A. Vitamin A helps prevent and fight off infections by enhancing the actions of white blood cells that destroy harmful bacteria and viruses.

Onions: Onions, another chicken soup regular, contains quercetin, a powerful anti-oxidant that is also a natural anti-histamine, and anti-inflammatory.

Final Note

While chicken soup isn't a cure for a cold, it does help alleviate some of the annoying symptoms that come with it. And, if nothing else, it definitely is a delicious, comforting meal that helps keep your body hydrated.

To get the full benefits, of course, we recommend homemade chicken soup using only natural ingredients.

The next time the cold bug has you down, stay warm, get a lot of rest, and try slurping away on your favorite chicken soup recipe.

by Patricia Bragg
N.D. Ph.D., Health Crusader

These days, apple cider vinegar can be found as a staple in millions of household kitchens worldwide. There are so many unknown uses for this powerful cleansing and healing agent!

The versatility of vinegar is legendary and is proven to help keep the body healthy, youthful, and ageless!  It was used by the Egyptians in 3000 BCE, as well as the Babylonians, and Julius Caesar's army used vinegar tonic to stay healthy and fight off disease. Hippocrates, in 400 BC, treated his patients with apple cider vinegar.

The Greeks and Romans kept vinegar vessels for healing and for flavoring and preserving food. In Paris, vinegar was sold by the barrel and used for deodorant and for a delicious tonic drink to keep the body ageless. Even Christopher Columbus took vinegar barrels for his sailors on his long sea travels to prevent scurvy and disinfect wounds.
Most people don't know how wonderful vinegar is. Its cleansing properties are known to aid digestion by stimulating the flow of enzymes and saliva in the mouth. Vinegar has been shown to support a healthy heart.

Vinegar can do everything from relieving muscle pain from exercise, balancing pH levels, soothing sore throats, and normalizing weight and helping to maintain levels of cholesterol already in the normal range. Externally, it is effective in supporting healthy skin and hair. Use it topically to give yourself a vinegar facial for toning or clearing up non-cystic acne and exfoliating dry dull skin. Gently rub your skin with a soft cotton ball dipped in vinegar and watch your skin glow! It's also great for animals-use it as a soothing after-bath rinse for cats and dogs to eliminate dry skin. Just as with people, it is also helpful in older animals. The high acidity and powerful enzymes in apple cider vinegar also supports a healthy scalp. Try a rinse of apple cider vinegar after you wash your hair. It gives hair incredible shine and bounce!

It's so easy to incorporate vinegar into your daily diet. When you wake up in the morning just make a delicious cocktail using 2 teaspoons of raw, organic apple cider vinegar, and if you need a sweetener, use organic honey, 100% maple syrup, or molasses to taste. If you are diabetic, use the sweet substitute stevia. I recommend you use only distilled water. This "Bragg Healthy Cocktail" is designed to flush out wastes that are clogging the organs of elimination, the bowels, lungs, skin, and the kidneys. Take it at least twice a day, and you will start to see changes like increased energy, soft skin, and decreased muscle and joint aches from exercise. Make sure you use raw, organic vinegar, never dead, distilled vinegar because the natural enzymes, minerals, and nutrients are destroyed in the distilling process.

Any vinegar that is clear and has no "mother" (the strand-like substance in the bottom of the bottle) has no nutritional value. Natural raw vinegar should be pungent, with a rich, brownish color and a visible "mother." Drinking apple cider vinegar daily, and eating a largely fresh, organic, vegetarian diet, along with following a simple fitness program, will change your life so dramatically you will never go back to your old ways!

Get fit, get healthy, and live a long and happy life!

This is an excerpt from the book THE MIRACLE OF FASTING by Paul and Patricia Bragg

Do you want to live a longer, happier, healthier life and save hundreds of dollars annually? Following The Bragg Healthy Lifestyle with water fasting one day a week not only provides life extension values, but an extra big savings of 15% off your annual food bill.

 Don't be a Slave to Foods

Most humans are slaves to foods; they must have breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular meal hours every day, year in and year out. They eat whether they are hungry or not, and their poor bodies are burdened by overeating . . . and usually poor nutrition as well! No wonder we have so many physical wrecks! One of the greatest nutritional teachers in the world, Professor Arnold Ehret, said, "Life is a tragedy of nutrition." How true is the old trite saying, "Man digs his grave with his knife and fork!" Many people never give their stomachs a rest. They continually stuff and work the digestive and eliminative functions with an overabundance of food. This excessive burden means that the functions of digestion and elimination become so overworked and so exhausted that they simply collapse. The entire body then becomes enervated! Millions suffer from fatigue.

Fasting – the Key to Super Energy

Fasting is the key which unlocks Mother Nature's storehouse of energy. It reaches every cell in the body, the inner organs and generates the Life Forces. No one can do it for you! It's a personal duty that only you can perform. No one can eat for you. And I believe that 99% of all human suffering is caused by wrong and unnatural eating. The efficiency of any machine depends upon the quality and amount of fuel for generating power it is given. And that goes double for the human machine!

Some people will blame everything on earth except food as the cause of their physical miseries and premature ageing. Why they are suffering is always a mystery to them. The average person does not know how horribly unclean the inside of their body is, caused by years and years of overeating, eating when not really hungry and, in many cases, wrong-minded eating of dead, devitalized foods. All these unhealthy habits build up internal poisons and clogging toxic wastes in their bodies.

Put the person who brags that he "enjoys perfect health" on a complete distilled water fast for 5 or 6 days. His breath will become putrid and his tongue will have a foul-smelling, white coating. His urine will become dark and evil-smelling. This definitely proves that his whole body is filled up with decayed and uneliminated toxic materials brought in by eating the wrong foods.

The continual accumulation of increasingly foul body poison is the buried or latent unknown ailment. When Mother Nature wants to get rid of this ailment by a "crisis" commonly known as sickness, people look for an easy "quick fix" to get rid of their troubles. They usually ignore the miraculous one Mother Nature has given us which has no dangerous side effects: FASTING!

Fasting is as Old as Man

The instinct that leads us to fast when the body is sick or wounded resides in the cells of every living being. The reason sick or wounded animals refuse to eat is that the instinct of self-preservation takes away their hunger so they will not eat. In this way, the Vital Force (which would otherwise have to be used in the digestion of food) is concentrated at the site of the injury to remove waste products, thus purifying and healing the body. The fasting instinct is so powerful and of such vital importance that, even though semi-civilized man has strayed from the natural path, he is still greatly influenced by this wonderful saving scheme of Mother Nature! If he would obey the silent voice of this infallible, natural instinct and stop eating when hunger has been withdrawn, he would soon get well. Better still, he would never get sick again, provided he ate natural food, lived in a natural environment and lived a sane, sensible, healthy and natural life.

Since the infallible intelligence of the living organism withdraws the sensation of hunger when there is an excess of food or when the body has been wounded, the desire to fast begins when either of these happen.

 Fasting – The Safe, Perfect Cleanser

Of course, if you are loaded with toxic poisons, fasting will flush these poisons out of the body and you will feel a little uncomfortable, but these are momentary experiences and should cause no concern. This means only that fasting is working for you. You know you are fasting to purify the body of the accumulated toxic poisons and waste. When you feel uncomfortable, you can say to yourself, "This is only temporary. This will pass as soon as these old toxins are flushed out of my body." And what miracle rewards you'll receive for the small, temporary discomfort you may have experienced.

Your eyes become brighter and all the natural senses of the body seem to be sharper! After a fast, your food tastes better – the fruits and the vegetables taste so marvelous, because of your newly revitalized taste sense! Your body seems to be tireless and you will sleep like a baby after a fast. There are so many rewards from a fast that only a person who has actually fasted can truly realize the great benefits that are achieved.

Fasting – A Natural Instinct and Great Purifier

Sickness is Mother Nature's way of showing you that you are filled with toxic wastes and internal poison. Dead people don't have colds. It is only when you are alive and have Vital Force that you have physical problems. By fasting, you are working with Mother Nature to help expel the wastes and poisons you have accumulated in your body. Every animal in the wilderness knows fasting, for it's the only method animals use to help overcome any physical trouble that befalls them. This is pure animal instinct. We humans have lived so long in this soft civilization that we have lost this natural instinct to fast when health problems occur in our bodies.

In your life you may have experienced physical suffering, when you felt no desire for food – it might even have repulsed you. Then, kind but ignorant relatives or friends may have told you to "eat to keep up your strength." The very last thing you needed was food, because your body was signaling you to stop eating. Mother Nature wanted you to fast so she could use your Vital Force to cleanse and then heal your body.

The soft voice of Mother Nature is often hard to hear and understand. By fasting, your extra-sensory instinct becomes very keen. The fast sharpens your mind and tunes you in with the gentle inner voice of Mother Nature and God. Fasting has made my inner body, mind and soul alert! My body and mind work better after each fast. I know yours will, too! Fasting is for sure a miracle!

Reprinted with Permission from the SixWise.com Security & Wellness e-Newsletter

by www.SixWise.com

 It's estimated that one in three Americans suffers from a condition that Steven Nissen, M.D., a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has dubbed the "disease of the new millennium."

Metabolic syndrome, as it's more commonly known, is actually a name used to describe a group of symptoms, or "metabolic risk factors." These symptoms increase the risk of a number of diseases, including:

·         Coronary heart disease

·         Stroke

·         Type 2 diabetes

·         Breast cancer

·         Infertility

In all, it's thought that over 50 million Americans have it, but the syndrome (also known as syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome) often goes undetected.

Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

Having any one of the following conditions increases your health risks; the more conditions you have, the greater your risk. The National Institutes of Health says that metabolic syndrome begins with three or more of the following symptoms:

·         A waist circumference greater than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men

·         An HDL (good) cholesterol level lower than 50 in women and 40 in men

·         Blood pressure of 130 over 80 or greater

·         Fasting blood sugar between 110 and 126

• Triglycerides (a form of fat in the bloodstream) over 150

"Each of the five elements that make up metabolic syndrome increases your risk of heart disease and stroke," says Daniel Einhorn, M.D., medical director of the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes in La Jolla, California. "But the combination of the five makes your risks especially high."

Underlying Cause of Metabolic Syndrome

It's thought that insulin resistance is what's behind metabolic syndrome. The food you eat normally gets broken down into sugar (glucose), which enters your cells for fuel. Insulin is made by your pancreas to help the glucose enter cells.

However, if you are insulin resistant, your cells don't respond to the insulin, and, as a result, your body keeps making more and more of it. The end result is an increased level of both insulin and glucose in the blood. Although in metabolic syndrome the levels may not be high enough to qualify as diabetes, they still interfere with your body's normal functions by:

·         Raising your levels of triglycerides and other blood fats

·         Increasing your blood pressure

• Increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more

According to the Mayo Clinic, one study found that men with three factors of metabolic syndrome had close to twice the risk of having a heart attack and three times the risk of developing heart disease as those with no factors.

Factors That Increase Your Risk

There are several factors that raise the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Age: Forty percent of people in their 60s have metabolic syndrome, compared to under 10 percent in their 20s. However, while the risk of metabolic syndrome does increase with age, younger people can be affected. One study found, according to the Mayo Clinic, that one in eight schoolchildren already have three or more components of the disease.

Race: Hispanics and Asians have a greater risk than other races.

Obesity: Having a body mass index (BMI) over 25 increases the risk, as does abdominal fat (an "apple" body shape).

History of diabetes: A family history of type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) increases the risk.

Other diseases: Diseases including high blood pressure, heart disease or polycystic ovary syndrome increase the risk.

What to do if You Have Metabolic Syndrome

Experts recommend aggressive lifestyle changes when it comes to metabolic syndrome. The three key changes are:

·         Exercising for 30-60 minutes a day, at a moderate intensity level.

·         Losing weight. Even losing just 5 percent to 10 percent of your body weight reduces insulin levels, blood pressure and your risk of diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

• Quitting smoking, if you do. Smoking increases insulin resistance and worsens metabolic syndrome.

How to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

The keys to preventing metabolic syndrome are the same as those for preventing many other types of disease:

• Eat a healthy diet, which focuses on fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Fiber-rich foods can also help reduce insulin levels.

In fact, one Harvard Medical School study found that people with high-fiber diets had a much lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Eating healthy also means avoiding processed foods, fried foods and excess sweets, and experimenting with healthy herbs and spices.

·         Exercise, about 30-60 minutes, most days of the week.

·         Monitor your health. Check your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels on a regular basis. If they are no longer in the healthy ranges, make additional positive changes to your diet and activity level.

By Dr. Ben Kim
Life Essentials Health Clinic

When a person visits our clinic with physical health issues, I perform an evaluation to diagnose potential muscle imbalances and areas of joint dysfunction. Once I am familiar with a person's physical health status, I recommend a series of specific stretches that are designed to address any problem areas.

Without the opportunity to evaluate a person's physical health status, I typically recommend a series of general stretches that are designed to promote flexibility in all of the body's major muscle groups.

These general stretches are as follows:

1. For your neck – up, down, rotate side to side, bend side to side

2. For your shoulders – one arm above your head, the other arm around the lower part of your back, try to make your hands touch behind your back, or use a towel to pull up and down. Repeat the other way.

3. For your trunk – keep your feet pointed forwards and sway with your arms, pushing your elbows back to each side with each sway, allowing your weight to shift from side to side and feeling your spine stretch with each sway.

4. For the front of your thighs – hold onto something for balance. Use your left hand to pull up on your right ankle from behind to stretch the muscles in the front of your right thigh. Repeat on the opposite side.

5. For your inner groin area – sit down and put the soles of your feet together. Hold onto your feet with both hands and use your elbows to push down on your thighs, feeling a stretch in your inner groin area.

6. For your outer hips – in the seated position, keep your left leg straight out, cross your right leg in front of you so that you can bring your right knee to your chest with both arms while your right foot is planted on the outside of your left thigh. Repeat on opposite side.

7. For the back of your thighs – bend forward slightly until you feel a good stretch under your thigh and knee. Repeat on opposite side.

8. For your lower back – lie on your back, bend your left leg so your left foot is flat on the ground. Bring your right foot up to your left knee, then allow both legs to fall to the ground on the left side of your body. Use your left arm to pull down on your right knee until you feel a good stretch in your right hip and right lower back. Repeat on the opposite side.

"Reprinted with Permission from the SixWise.com Security & Wellness e-Newsletter." www.SixWise.com

We all know exercise is good for us. It can help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, plus it may:

·         Lower blood pressure

·         Promote healthy blood sugar levels

·         Boost the immune system

·         Increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol

·         Improve your mood and lower your chances of depression

·         Promote healthy bone density

Yet despite knowing this, most Americans — seven out of 10 of us, in fact — do not exercise regularly.

"You don't have to work up a big sweat at the gym or become a long-distance runner," said former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. "Just 30 minutes of walking a day, five days a week, can significantly improve your health."

The report, released by Thompson, found that while 62 percent of adults had some physical activity in their leisure time, only three in 10 exercised regularly. What is regularly?

The report defined it as light-to-moderate exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes at least five times a week, or vigorous activity for a minimum of 20 minutes at least three times a week.

A lack of such activity, experts say, contributes to 300,000 deaths each year in the United States.

Why Americans Don't Stick to Exercise

Starting an exercise program is easy, and many Americans make a real effort to do so at the start of the New Year. Getting yourself to the gym or outside for a jog regularly, however, is another story altogether.

"Hardly anyone — maybe 20 percent of the population — exercises to the degree that they should to maintain cardiovascular health," says John Raglin, an exercise psychologist at Indiana University.

Some of the more common reasons why people start, then give up on, their exercise routines include:

·         Feeling there's not enough time

·         Taking on too much to start, then burning out

·         Becoming bored with their routine

·         Getting discouraged (expecting major results too soon)

"If you take people and give them good equipment and a good training program," Raglin says, "half of them will quit before long. Here we live in a society where health, fitness, and a fit body are highly valued, and there are a lot of couch potatoes."

How to Stay Motivated … and Finally Keep Your Exercise Program Going Strong

If you're fed up with the exercise "yo-yo" of starting a program strong, then quitting after a couple of weeks, there are a number of tips that can help. Here are the top 10 ways to keep you, and your exercise program, going strong.

1. Start Slowly
You shouldn't expect to hop on a treadmill and jog for five miles if you haven't exercised in years. Starting slowly ensures that your body can become more fit without getting injured. And, you'll be more likely to stick with a workout that leaves you feeling energized, not fatigued from working too hard.

2. Set Realistic Goals, and Write Them Down
Whether you want to lose 20 pounds, tone up for the summer or increase your strength, write down exactly what you hope exercising will help you achieve. Then, keep track of your progress by keeping an exercise journal. Did your pants feel looser after the first month? Are you able to walk farther and faster? Writing down your achievements is a great way to see how far you've come, and get a little inspiration when you need it.

3. Be Patient
Remember that it will take time to achieve your fitness goals. "Many people don't see immediate weight loss and say it's all for naught and stop," says exercise expert William Haskell of Stanford University Medical School.

On the contrary, studies have found that even moderate amounts of exercise can make a big difference in your health. And, in time, you will definitely see and feel a difference.

4. Do Something You Like
Exercise should be enjoyable. If it's not, you're not likely to keep doing it. There are so many ways to get exercise … biking, jogging, strength training, aerobics, dancing, yoga, etc. … that, as long as you keep in a variety, it's impossible to get bored. Make sure you consider your personality (Do you like to workout alone or in groups? Do you like to be outdoors or at the gym?) when choosing which types of workouts are best for you.

5. Incorporate Both Aerobic and Strength-Training Activities
Perhaps the most motivating thing about exercising is feeling more in shape, more flexible, and more toned. A key way to achieve these things is to make sure you are getting both aerobic and strength exercises. While doing some cardiovascular exercise, like jogging, will increase your stamina, strength training will help with your bone density, and, a new study found, can also help prevent weight gain in middle age.

In fact, the study found that women who lifted weights just twice a week prevented or slowed "middle-aged spread." So be sure you are giving your body all the possible benefits exercise can provide by incorporating aerobic and weight-lifting activities into your routine.

6. Set a Time to Do It
Your workout time should be a set part of your day, for three to five days a week. If you don't schedule it in like any other task, it is way too easy, and tempting, to put it off.

Some studies have found that people who workout first thing in the morning are most likely to stick with it. But, most importantly, you should designate a time that works for you — whether it's in the morning, after work or during your lunch hour. Set aside the time, then don't even think about whether or not you'll workout — just do it.

7. Consider Getting a Workout Buddy
A workout buddy can help keep your workouts regular … after all, if you're supposed to meet at the gym, you can't very well cancel at the last minute. It can also be motivating to have someone to encourage you and talk with while exercising. Plus, studies have found it to be effective. When both spouses start a fitness program, only 8 percent drop out, compared with 50 percent who start out alone, Raglin says. "That's a pretty remarkable result," he continued.

8. Support Your Workouts by Doing Other Healthy Things
Your workouts will be much more effective and enjoyable if you are feeling good, mentally and physically. That said, keeping a healthy lifestyle outside of exercising by eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water, getting plenty of sleep and avoiding too much stress is essential to sticking with any fitness routine.

9. Have Fun
Exercising should be enjoyable. If you find that you're dreading your workouts, it's time to change to a new type of exercise.

10. Reward Yourself
In order to keep exercise a positive thing in your life, reward yourself often for keeping to your routine. You may want to take a long soak in the tub, buy yourself a small gift or simply take time to appreciate your achievements each time you keep to your workout routine for a week. Remember to keep it positive — be gentle with yourself if you skip a workout or two, just remind yourself how good it will feel when you get back on track.

By Dr. Ralph Mossfrom CancerDecisions.com Newsletterhttp://cancerdecisions.com

In the balmy days before World War I, my mother would leaveBudapest with her family to visit relatives in themountains of Romania. Her grandfather would place her onhis knee and impart these words of patriarchal advice: "Eatgarlic."

My great grandfather's farm was near Kolosvar (now Cluj) inTransylvania. Of course this was the stomping ground of thetyrant Vlad the Impaler, the real-life model for Dracula.Nowadays, the Romanians run Vampire Tours for boredAmerican tourists, but in those days the existence ofvampires was a serious matter.

And so, my ancestor's advice probably had less to do withthe health effects of garlic than with its known ability toward off the unwanted attention of the Undead.

Flash forward to the 21st century. Not too long ago thenumber of medical publications on garlic topped 1,500, over250 of which are related to cancer. Garlic and its cousins(onions, chives, scallions and leeks) are probably the mostintriguing of all vegetables. 

Garlic lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of heartdisease, fights infection and boosts immunity.

And, as if that weren't enough, the data is strong for theprevention of cancers of the digestive system, includingthe esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum.

The NCI is sponsoring a huge clinical trial on garlic'sability to prevent stomach cancer. But you don't have towait years for the results of this clinical trial. Youcan't go wrong if you follow my progenitor's advice andeat garlic, along with other foods of the allium family.

Nanjing Study

Parts of China have the misfortune to be among those placeswith an inordinately high rate of cancer of the stomach andesophagus. Scientists at the Nanjing Cancer Institutecompared the incidence of several cancers among thousandsof those who ate lots of allium vegetables versus thousandswho ate little or none. ("Lots" in this case means at leastonce per week while "little" means less than once permonth.) 

Here is how allium vegetables prevented cancer of theesophagus:

85% reduction for those who ate lots of scallions 75% for onions 70% for garlic 43% for chives 

The figures for stomach cancer prevention are equallyimpressive:

83% reduction for those who ate lots of onions 78% for scallions 69% for garlic 60% for chives

As you can see, scallions and onions may be even morepowerful than garlic in preventing some cancers. It is agood idea to incorporate all of these foods into yourweekly, or even daily, diet. I keep them all handy --scallions with ginger and garlic on a piece of broiledfish, sweet, red or Vidalia onions chopped up for a tuna ormesclun salad, chives for a scoop of cottage cheese thereare numerous possibilities.

If you do cook these vegetables, do so with a light touch.Always put garlic in last when you are cooking and let itget just soft enough to eat, never mushy. 

Antibacterial Effects

It was Louis Pasteur who first described the antibacterialeffect of onion and garlic juices. In World War II garlicwas called "Russian penicillin" because it was the mainantibiotic available on the Eastern Front. It kills bothgram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. 

Garlic is effective even against antibiotic-resistantstrains. It even kills Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), akind of bacteria that is implicated in the cause of somestomach cancers and ulcers. 

Many people avoid eating garlic since it can make one'sbreath smell pretty bad. In that case, garlic supplementsare a convenient alternative. Such products were originallydeveloped for the Japanese market, because the Japaneseregard garlic breath as a major faux pas.

Later, however, it was found that aged garlic has unusualhealth qualities of its own. While Larry King is busypromoting garlic supplements, I think the main focus shouldremain on allium vegetables as foods. 

Now that summer is upon us, think about growing your own.Chives are easy to grow in a small herbal garden. Onionscan be raised from seed under a couple of Gro-Lites. Garliccloves should be put in the ground in the fall for harvestthe following summer. 

Garlic is a safe food and has been eaten with gusto formillennia. However, I once ate several raw cloves of garlicat a sitting and wound up with sharp pains in my stomach,so there is a limit. 

But by and large these are safe foods. You will do yourselfa favor by making them part of your diet. Plus, there isthe added benefit that if Vlad happens to drop by, you'llbe prepared. 

A is for apple, and B is for Boat,
That used to be right, but now it won't float.
Age before beauty is what we once said,
But let's be a bit more realistic instead.

I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed, and I've kept
twenty-six doctors fully employed!!
May your troubles be less, your blessings more and
nothing but Happiness come through your door.