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Suppose I am a dairy producer and I have to add fortifications of Calcium to my milk; the first question any wise milk drinker should ask is, “Why would you have to fortify milk with Calcium. Doesn’t milk already contain Calcium?” As the producer, I’m not required to put on the carton packaging what chemical compound of Calcium is being used to bolster the milk.

The next question should be “What chemical form of Calcium do you use to fortify the milk?”

From a financial perspective, the dairy producer is going to use the cheapest form of Calcium that he can legally get away with using.

Last question, “Is the chemical make-up of the Calcium used the most efficient and effective for the absorption and utilization of Calcium in my body?”

And, of course that last question is the big one; usually the chemical is not that efficiently absorbed and utilized by the body.

Now, this scenario may not be 100% accurate, but it’s worth thinking about, and it gives us an easy example of what fortified means when you see it on food packaging.

WHAT ENRICHED AND FORTIFIED REALLY MEAN

The terms enriched and fortified in the food world are a gold mine to the industry and a curse for the consumer.

You believe that you’re eating something nutritious and actually you are unwittingly increasing the toxic load on your body.

What the food industry is doing is removing the high-quality nutrients, adding poor, lower-quality, cheaper nutrients, and your body doesn’t utilize them properly.

The same is true for supplements. Since they are not regulated, the quality standard for supplements isn’t about quality at all. What the supplement company claims is in the bottle may not be in there at all, or the formulation of the compound may be cheap and non-absorbable. Unfortunately, it’s more about their bottom line than your health.

For example, there are different compounds that are all considered Vitamin C, but they are not all equally absorbed and utilized by the body.

This is another reason working with a professional, with access to known reputable “nutraceutical” companies, is essential. That doesn’t mean that you can only get high quality supplements by going to a professional, but it makes it easier. Do the research on the companies; make sure they are at least GMP certified and don’t go by marketing testimonials.

Price is not always the determining factor for quality. Many of the cheaper supplements manufactured by the leading chain brands, are exactly what they advertise … cheap. And some of the more expensive supplements are just that … more expensive. They don’t necessarily work either, so it’s absolutely crucial that you’re working with a professional, a health coach or someone who thoroughly understands nutrition and can teach you as you develop, grow and perform.

by Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell, D.C., CCSP | Owner, Clinic Director Chicago Institute for Health and Wellness Copyright ©

The best time of the day for you to eat, should be based upon eating unusually small frequent meals, containing only high-quality foods. In terms of sports performance, priming comes anywhere between four hours to a half-hour before an event, training or practice. Be sure you’re taking in higher carbohydrate-rich meals all the way up to 30 to 60 minutes before your athletic performance.

During training and exercise, your body requires an intake of carbs and protein at about a 4 to 1 ratio by weight consumption. During recovery after exercise, training, or an event, a carbohydrate to protein ratio of about 2 to 1 is more appropriate.

EATING FOR RECOVERY

Optimal recovery requires that you are eating the right recovery foods within that 45 to 60-minute window of opportunity. Make sure the carbohydrates to protein ratio is correct – 2:1. Some research indicates that you have about two hours of time to take in the right nutrients for recovery, but my recommendation is that it would be best for you to keep it to under 1-hour, post exercise.

It is recommended that you develop the desire for and a lifestyle that includes mostly complex carbohydrates, high quality fats and lean high- quality proteins. You can easily achieve this by getting added supplements through a protein shake or a high-quality medical food.

Included in optimal recovery is rest in-between training sessions. Then high-quality sleep (a deep, sound sleep on a bed with a good firm mattress for 7-9 hours every night). During your sleep cycle, your body gets the opportunity to heal and repair without disruption from activities.

The result is the next day you can perform at your best once again.

NUTRITIONAL TIMING

Nutrition timing varies between athletes and between sports. One key underlying factor is your fluid intake. Water is your primary liquid in sports and in life. I recommend 64 oz. for children and 96 oz. for adults per day. Sports drinks are added to the 64-96 oz. requirement. Consumption of water during exercise or event is also essential.

by Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell, D.C., CCSP | Owner, Clinic Director Chicago Institute for Health and Wellness Copyright ©

Electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS therapy, is used to treat a variety of painful issues, much like therapeutic massage, from muscle strain and injury to fibromyalgia symptoms. This commonly sought after treatment uses an electrotherapy device that delivers a small, pulsating current to the muscles and nerve endings. This current encourages blood circulation, muscle stimulation and healing.

One of the greater benefits of Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is that it can be used to treat weak or atrophied muscles resulting from an injury or from long periods of immobility. This works by stimulating muscles, which causes them to contract and relax, much like normal physical activity. Electrical Muscular.

Stimulation helps develop strength in the affected area and can be used to treat completely incapacitated patients by creating involuntary muscle contraction responses, thereby improving and also maintaining muscle tone without any actual physical activity.

Many sports-related injuries reduce the range of motion in joints, especially in the shoulders, elbows and knees. EMS can be used on an impeded joint to increase range of motion and promote healing in the injured area by increasing blood flood and thereby reducing inflammation.

Many of my patients suggest that EMS helps relieve their chronic pain in joints and muscles, as well as their suffering from stress and tension. This therapy is great for relieving pain in patients with fibromyalgia and also can be used to treat chronic headaches, muscle weakness and fatigue, as well as overall body aches and pain.

Therapeutic Massage involves the use of a state licensed massage therapist to manipulate superficial and deeper muscle layers and connective tissue through various massage techniques that tend to enhance function, aid in natural healing, decrease muscle reflex reactions, promote relaxation, and improve health.

In a therapeutic massage, the patient is massaged while lying on a special table built for massage therapy, or while sitting on chair especially designed for massage. The patient may be fully or partially clothed.

If you are injured, massage therapy plays a vital role in your healing process. Massage involves working with acting on muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, joints or connective tissue. Areas targeted by the massage therapist, under the guidance of your doctor, might include hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearm, or feet, as well as the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine as well as your stomach. Massage can also assist in the proper drainage of the lymphatic system. Proper drainage is critical for the elimination of waste products from the body. Massage therapy promotes this elimination process while mobilizing soft tissue at the same time.

Massage Therapy provides great benefit for the following conditions:

• Muscle spasms, tension, and stiffness
• Limited ROM (range of motion) of the muscles and joints
• Restricted circulation of blood and movement of lymph flows
• Promotion of faster healing of soft tissue injuries
• Reduction of scar tissue
• Improvement in posture
• Reduction in overall stress and anxiety, thus creating a feeling of well-being
• Promotion of a relaxed state of mental awareness

It is never wise to have massage therapy performed on an injury prior to a professional examination and diagnosis. Improper care of an injury can lead to further damage and longer healing periods. When receiving any type of therapy, make sure you are being treated by a qualified professional and be fully involved in the process. Whether at our office or another clinic, therapeutic massage can be a useful tool in getting you back to doing the activities that you love.

by Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell, D.C., CCSP | Owner, Clinic Director Chicago Institute for Health and Wellness Copyright ©

Tissue injury to the body is a common issue we see in our patients. It can be from a sports injury, such as improper lifting of weights, or one that occurs through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture while performing work duties or by improperly going through a sports training.

In any case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain and diminished function for the sufferer, all in a short period of time, and can last indefinitely if not properly treated. Spinal manipulation, or chiropractic adjustment, of the affected joint and tissues, begins the process of restoring mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness. This process permits tissues to heal naturally.

Evaluating the Patient

I find the most effective method to begin a treatment protocol is to evaluate patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, and other diagnostic interventions to determine whether chiropractic treatment is right for the patient’s condition. Sometimes, I refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when I determine that chiropractic care is not suitable for their condition. Other times, the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other members of our health care team and we manage all necessary services within our clinic.

The primary focus of my chiropractic treatment, and any other procedures that we perform in our clinic, is to use the right approach to alleviate the health issue. That’s it!

Getting healthier is definitely about lifestyle improvement and the chiropractic adjustment is a powerful tool, but just one of many. The practice of chiropractic manipulative therapy is the most powerful tool that can be applied to physical conditions and does a lot of great things. However, it is not the end all/be all of healthcare. It has to be incorporated and used appropriately when needed, the same way nutrition, rehabilitation and anything else must be used to help a patient improve their health and well- being.

by Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell, D.C., CCSP | Owner, Clinic Director Chicago Institute for Health and Wellness Copyright ©

Men who engage in high-impact physical activity and resistance training as teens and young adults are likely to have greater bone density by middle age, according to new research.

Over time, high-impact activities -- such as tennis and jogging -- help boost bone mass in the hip and lumbar spine, the researchers said. Greater bone mass can help stave off the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis.

"While osteoporosis is commonly associated with only postmenopausal women, it is, in fact, a serious issue for men as well," said study author Pamela Hinton. She is an associate professor in the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Human Environmental Sciences.

"Indeed, research has shown that the consequences of osteoporosis can be much worse for men, as they are less likely to be diagnosed and are at a greater mortality risk from fractures that occur as a result of a fall," Hinton explained in a university news release.

For the study, Hinton's team analyzed medical data compiled on 203 men aged 30 to 65. The participants had various levels of experience with sports and exercise, and engaged in different types of activities.

The men who engaged in bone-loading or weight-bearing exercise as teenagers had more bone density later in life, the investigators found. High-impact activities, in particular, were important for bone health throughout men's lives, according to the report published recently in the American Journal of Men's Health.

Read full article: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_157403.html

Surely health and wellness tips are as valuable to men as to women. Arguably, men need this information even more than women. Men die, on average, five years sooner than women. And new cases of prostate and testicular cancer outnumber breast cancer, but these male diseases don't get as much as attention.

Guys aren't helped by the fact that there's tradition of machismo in our culture. But times they are a-changin' ... right?

Men Need to Learn about Self-Care

The wellness movement and its message of holistic health (through food, water, personal care products, fitness, relationships and stress management) is as important to men as to women. But men just aren't versed in self-care.

The challenge of balancing career and family is not often discussed for men but can be stressful; simple breathing practices to manage stress can be of great value to men who might be reluctant to take a yoga or meditation class.

Many men I know are likely to eat on the run, eat late, or simply have no cooking skills — and of which make them vulnerable to eating highly processed foods. Lessons in conscious eating would help them make better choices.

Read full article: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13846/why- men-should- care-about- wellness.html

One out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. High grade prostate cancer is dangerous and can kill. In the United States, more than 200,000 new cases are diagnosed every year - leading to 31,000 deaths. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to prevent prostate cancer naturally.

Here are five scientifically proven tips that will help you protect your prostate health:

Increase your intake of omega-3s. Increasing your intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may protect you from prostate cancer. A study led by John S. Witte at the University of California has shown that men, who ate dark fish such as salmon one or more times per week, had a 63 percent lower risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer than those, who ate it rarely.

Eat walnuts and pomegranates. Ongoing research suggests that men should eat pomegranates and walnuts as part of a prostate-healthy diet. These two superfoods contain specific types of compounds that have the ability to reduce the size and growth of prostate cancer. Phenylpropanoids and flavones present in pomegranates prevent prostate cancer cells from interacting with testosterone and spreading to other parts of the body. The compounds present in walnuts were linked to a 30 percent slower growth of the disease and 50 percent smaller tumors in mice that were genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer.

Drink green tea. The antioxidants and other biologically active natural compounds of coffee and green tea are believed to play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. For example, recent studies have indicated that Polyphenol E - one of the active ingredients present in green tea - can reduce levels of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), which is an indicator of disease severity in prostate cancer patients.

Lower your cholesterol levels. A study performed by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests that men whose cholesterol levels are below 200mg/dL have an almost 60 percent lower chance of suffering from an aggressive type of prostate cancer. You can reduce your cholesterol levels with regular exercise, weight loss and healthy diet. Get enough vitamin D. We still have a lot to learn about the "sunshine vitamin", but UK researchers hypothesize that vitamin D can be an effective treatment for prostate cancer - reducing PSA level by as much as half in 20 percent of patients. "This is a treatment which is unlikely to have significant toxicity and is a welcome addition to the therapeutic options for patients with prostate cancer", says Professor Jonathan Waxman from Imperial College London.

In the United Kingdom, one man dies every hour from the prostate cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. In order to save more lives, it is needed to raise awareness of the possible ways to prevent prostate cancer naturally.

Read full article: http://www.naturalnews.com/031026_prostate_cancer_prevention.html

Take a minute to think about your weight, health, and lifestyle. Are you as fit and healthy as you would like to be? Do you think you might be carrying a little too much weight or body fat?

You can get on track with regular physical activity and healthy eating habits. By making small changes to your lifestyle, you may become leaner and energetic.

Keep reading for tips on how to get on track with healthy habits—chances are, you will find that it is not as hard as you thought.

What is a healthy weight?

Body mass index (BMI) is a tool that is often used to determine if a person is a healthy weight, overweight, or obese, and whether a person’s health is at risk due to his or her weight. BMI is a ratio of your weight to your height. You can refer to the chart below to find your BMI and see what a healthy weight range is for your height.

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a person with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

Another way to determine if your health is at risk because of your weight is to measure your waist. Waist measurement does not tell if you are overweight, but it does show if you have excess fat in your stomach. You should know that extra fat around your waist may raise your health risks even more than fat elsewhere on your body. Also, men are more likely than women to carry their extra weight around their stomach.

Men whose waists measure more than 40 inches may be at an increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and other problems.

A downside of using BMI is that it does not take into account whether body weight is due to muscle or fat. Therefore, someone who is very muscular may be thought to have excess fat, even if he has low or normal body fat. For the vast majority of Americans, though, BMI is a good way to tell if you have increased health risks due to your weight.

Why do weight and lifestyle matter?

Being overweight, obese, or physically inactive may increase your risk for:

• coronary heart disease
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• stroke
• some types of cancer, including colorectal and kidney cancer

On the other hand, being active, eating healthier, and achieving and staying at a healthy weight may help:

• Improve mood and energy levels.
• Increase fitness and strength.
• Improve muscles.

Read full article: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/weight-control/gettingontrack/Pages/getting-on-track-physical-activity-and-healthy-eating-for-men.aspx\

In everyday life, most people walk around in a state of mild or moderate dehydration because they don’t consume enough liquids that will supply their bodies with the hydration needed. Chronic dehydration puts stress on the organs and can interfere with bodily functions, which in some cases will lead to illness, fatigue, difficulty focusing, and irritability. Physical activity in hot weather depletes the body of water, which makes consuming water essential in warm climates especially in summer months, and anytime surrounding exercise.

Signs of Dehydration

These are some things you can look for that would indicate dehydration:

• Your skin and mouth will feel dry.
• You will be thirsty, you have a headache, and you will be constipated.
• You may feel dizzy or lightheaded and urine will be a dark yellow color.
• You will feel foggy brained and sluggish, and will constantly crave snacks and sugar.
• In the most extreme cases of dehydration some people experience palpitations, fainting, weakness, confusion, decreased urination, and sometimes even seizures.

If any signs of dehydration present themselves, they do require immediate medical attention. Of course all of these symptoms might be caused by a variety of things but even something as simple as mild dehydration may have a more negative affect on physical and mental well-being than most people will realize. In addition to this, the older someone is the more prone they are to dehydration with more serious consequences.

The Solution

Of course drinking water is the best solution for hydration, but fruits and vegetables with high water content are a good source too. This could be things like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, and grapes, tea, coffee, and sports drinks can help, but beverages with caffeine will increase the amount you will urinate in those who are not regular drinkers.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated

The body will use water to maintain its temperature, lubricate joints, and remove waste. Having an adequate fluid intake will help maintain healthy skin and will keep it clear, which is important for not only looking your best but also maintaining the body’s protective outer layer. Proper hydration will help the heart to pump blood more easily, which will help to avoid stressing the heart and other organs during any routine daily activities and strenuous activities. Proper hydration aids in brain function to help focus and improve concentration. Studies have shown that even mild dehydration will lead to inattention.

How Much is Enough

A quick and easy guide to see whether or not you are well hydrated is the color and concentration of urine. If it is pale yellow like lemonade, you are probably getting enough water. If it is a dark yellow and appears more concentrated, you need to drink more water. If urine is clear and colorless you may be drinking too much water and should slow down. Staying properly hydrated regularly will keep you mentally and physically at your best. Always check with your doctor about proper intake of fluids and if you have a medical condition before dramatically increasing or decreasing your water intake.

Source: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 by: Sasha Brown http://blogs.naturalnews.com/warnings-signs-body-drastically-needs-water/