Food or diet?
Some people say that "there is no such thing as a "good food" or
"bad food", just bad diets". Usually after that they say something
about another kind of low-fat, balanced diet which will let you
reach your 100' birthday in good health. Most of this "wonder
diets" became sooner or later another dietetics mistake and are
replaced by new ones, which, after some time, are also replaced,
because of the new revelations in the dietetics. And so it goes on
and on, making people who want to live healthy life more and
more frustrated, but still believing that the most important thing is
not what lands on their plate, but the amount of it. Today, when
there are so many kinds of food on the market, we should not only
care for the calories, but also look carefully at what we are actually
eating.
Difference between organic, conventional and genetically modified
food
We all know that organic food is healthy, conventional food is
accessible and genetically modified food can be solution to the
food problems around the world, but when asked for details only
few people can answer precisely what this is all about. Organic
food is produced using ecological methods of farming. That means
no pesticides or fertilizers with synthetic ingredients for the plants
and no growth hormones and antibiotics for the animals. When
you buy certified organic food, you can be sure that all of the
above won't land in your stomach and affect your organism.
However because of the slower production process and lesser
efficiency this kind of the food is more expensive and even if all the
farms would start its production it wouldn't be enough to feed
people all around the world. Conventional food is produced using
almost all available technologies provided by the science, save
genetic modifications. Still, because of the intense production
process, many chemicals and medicines are involved to guarantee
that crops or animals will grow at the appropriate rate. Some of
these "stimulants" can be found in the final product which we buy
and may affect our health (notably the growth hormones in meat).
Anyway, conventional food can be found in almost every kitchen
around the world and some of the scientists start to wonder how
could we feel without this additional dose of antibiotics and
artificial poisons which we involuntary eat. Genetically modified
food is the most controversial. The process of growing it is similar
to the conventional, the only difference is that in GM food a part of
the DNA is transferred from another species in order to change its
characteristics into desired one without some long-lasting and
sometimes in vein inbreed process. All scientists working on GM
food projects say that everything is under control, but a few
accidents when transferred genes didn't behave as they predicted
show us that it may not be as safe as they want. The real
advantages and flaws of the GM food will be known only after long
time, all we know today is based only on theory and laboratory
tests, not the real life.


Essential Massage Facts
Essential Massage Facts
A massage is a traditional form of therapy in which muscles and other soft tissues of the body are manipulated to improve health and well-being. Variants of massage range from tissues to deeper manual techniques. Massage was practiced as a healing therapy for centuries in virtually every culture thorough the world. It helps to relieve muscle tension, reduce stress, and evoke feelings of calmness. Although massage affects the body as a whole, it particularly influences the activity of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems. History of the massage dates back over 4000 years, to traditional Chinese medicine. In 19th century a form of massage called "Swedish" was introduced. Although massage was rather unpopular in the 20th century, in 1970 there begun a renaissance of this form of natural therapy.
How does a massage works?
During massaging, the electrical nerve signals are transmitted thorough entire body, which helps to stimulate circulation and clear waste products as well as boosts the activity of immune system as well as reducing pain and tension, giving overall calming effect. By increasing release of endorphins and reducing the level of stress hormones massage also enhance general sense of well-beings.
What is massage good for?
Massage is frequently used to support healing, boost energy, shorten recovery time after an injury, as well as a method to enhance relaxation, by melting away stress. Massage relieves effectively chronic pains (perhaps more efficiently than any other known method, including pharmaceutical, and other traditional, like acupuncture). Mothers and newborns also benefit from massage, making mother-child bond stronger. Almost in any treatment massage can be introduced as support for conventional therapy. For example, it is often used in treatment of autism, cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Who should avoid massage?
Generally, massage should be avoided by people with congestive heart failure, infection of superficial veins, soft tissues and several other health problems. Also, pregnant women should be cautious (and choose a specially trained therapist). In any case of doubt if you can have a massage, consult your doctor first, who should be final judge in this matter.

About The Author:
Alan Pierce is an experienced massage practitioner and expert on several types of massage techniques. His goal is to educate people on the benefits and healing effects of the massage therapy. Visit Alan's site http://www.smilingback.com to find out more about all aspects of this relaxing healing technique.


omega 3 benefit, omega 3 fatty acid, omega 3 fish oil
Omega 3 fish oils have received some negative publicity recently. There were scares over potential contamination in fresh oily fish by mercury, though this has been refuted as an overly exaggerated issue. And more recently, a meta study, which is a 'study of studies', was published online that seemed to suggest that omega 3 benefits for heart health and cancer were not true.
But Dr Ray Rice, a food scientist, dismissed the results. He said that despite the claim that 48 studies were reviewed, only 12 actually were, and of that 12, 3 or 4 should not have been included. He described the report as being "conceptually flawed", having a faulty technique, and being misleading to the public.
There is an abundance of scientific data to support the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oils, from oily fish such as salmon, and of course, good quality (non rancid) fish oil supplements.
General omega 3 benefits include:
* protecting against cardiovascular disease and improving heart health
* improving joint health
* improving moods and behaviour, including ADHD
* good development of the fetus during pregnancy
* the inhibition of some cancer cells
The Omega 3 Benefits For Heart health
The omega 3 benefits for heart health have been well documented. The Food Standards Agency and the British Nutrition Foundation recommend that people eat 2 servings of fish a week, one being an oily fish like salmon that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
A small study of 18 white men, from ages 68 onwards, who had a heart attack from 3 months to 5 years previously, found omega 3 fish oils benefited their hearts and potentially reduced the risk of further heart attacks.
These men took a supplement containing 810mg of fish oil a day for 4 months, and those taking a placebo took a mixture of corn oil and olive oil. The participants didn't know whether they were taking a placebo or not.
Their resting heart rate at rest and after exercise was measured. It was found that those taking the omega 3 fish oils had a lower resting heart rate, and their heart rate returned to normal more quickly after exercise. Those men that have a high heart rate when resting have a greater chance of having a heart attack, and dying from one.
A study designed to assess the combination of 3 supplements that have been found to individually protect against cardiovascular disease found that when used together, the benefit was much stronger. The 3 supplements were omega 3 fish oils, niacin, and vitamin E. Niacin, due to side effects at high doses, was a low dose component. Despite this low dose, the study found that those taking the niacin, fish oil, and vitamin e combination had a greater benefit than those taking fish oil and vitamin e alone.
The study was a double blind, placebo controlled study, with a control group taking none of the supplements. 57 volunteers took the supplements over a 4 month period. After this period, it was found that the total antioxidant capacity of the volunteers taking either 2 or 3 of the supplements increased, with the greatest increase being in the group taking the omega 3, niacin and vitamin e combination. This third group also had significantly higher levels of vitamin e, whereas those not taking niacin did not have this benefit. This is because niacin, and another component of that supplement, gamma-oryzanol, preserve vitamin e in the body.
The study also found that cellular agents that are involved in inflammation, were reduced in both of these groups taking the supplements. In particular, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was reduced for both, but only in the group taking the additional niacin and gamma-oryzanol component was the reduction of the inflammatory agent interleukin 1-beta (IL 1-beta) significant.
Combination Omega 3 Supplements
It's not just omega 3 fish oils with the benefits however. For specific conditions, a combination of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are very helpful.
A study recently published found that teenagers aged 12 to 15 years taking a supplement containing both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids had a remarkably improved attention span. These teenagers had been clinically diagnosed with moderate to severe ADHD and had persistent problems with both impulsiveness, and attention and concentration.
At the start of the study, the inattentiveness of these students was measured at an average of 94%. After 3 months of taking a supplement containing a high quality omega 3 fish oil and the omega 6 fatty acid, evening primrose oil, the inattentiveness of the students had fallen to an average of 17%.
With regards to impulsivity, there were similar benefits. From an average score of 89%, impulsivity scores fell to an average of 28% by the end of the trial.
The evening primrose oil was also a high quality one, being made from virgin evening primrose oil. And the study participants were aware they were taking the supplements, so it was not a double blind study. But the results are still excellent. The EPA content of the fish oil component was 500mg taken per day, which in this case was the equivalent of 6 capsules, though this will vary according to different formulations. EPA simply means eicosapentaenoic acid, and is a kind of active constituent in fish oil essential fatty acids.

References:
1. nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=66694&m=1NIU328&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
2. nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=66816&m=1NIE403&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
3. nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=67062&m=1NIE413&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
4. foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=66658&m=2FNE329&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
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