Tuesday, July 27, 2010

GM Diet Review

The GM Diet is a free weight loss plan that's been around since 1980s. Rumor has it that the management of General Motors has this diet created for their employees to help them lose weight. I've read that a spokesperson from General Motors denied any knowledge of this diet and it does seem a bit far-fetched to assume that GM had anything to do with it.

Nevertheless, the GM Diet has remained popular and is still used today. It's a free 7 day eating plan made up of low calorie food combination. The purpose is to get you to lose weight fast.

GM Diet reviews and testimonials are mixed. Some report losing weight with this diet while others state that it is far too drastic to be any good for the average person. Once you see the full 7 day menu in this article, you'll see that this is indeed not an easy diet plan to stick to.

In addition to what you can eat on each and every day, you can also enjoy the GM Diet Soup which is made up of tomatoes, onions, head of cabbage, celery, and 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix with additional flavoring as you see fit. This soup can be eaten without limitation.

Here is the GM Diet menu:

Day 1: As many fruit as you like except bananas.
Day 2: Any cooked or raw vegetables that you like without any dressing. For breakfast you should have a baked potato flavored with very little butter.
Day 3: As many fruits and vegetables as you like. Bananas are still forbidden to eat.
Day 4: On this day, you can eat up to 8 bananas and drink up to 3 tall glasses of milk. Remember that you can also enjoy the GM Diet soup as much as you like.
Day 5: Eat 6 whole tomatoes and 2 servings of beef (10 oz. each). You also need to drink a high quantity of water.
Day 6: Eat as much beef and vegetables as you like with no limitations on type.
Day 7: Eat brown rich and vegetables and drink fruit juices.

There's little information about whether you can do the cycle again and if so, how soon after the first one is completed.

As you can see, the food is limited and the diet is low on calories. No exercise is mentioned, you only lose weight due to the nutrition.

As this is a restrictive diet plan, it may be hard to stick to the General Motors diet for a long time. However, this is not what this diet is for. It's for a very fast weight loss, not really for long term results.
For a site that offers a variety of articles on this diet alone visit http://www.GMDiet.org

Monday, July 19, 2010

Music Affects Longevity


Music has a long history of therapeutic use -- from playing a traditional role in healing rituals around the world to its recent use as an integrative Alzheimer's disease treatment. Find out how music to your ears can add on years.
Music as therapy
To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression, and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals do believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life. Music therapy is often used in combination with meditation and visualizations.
Live longer with soothing tunes
In the past few decades, research has found that slow, soothing music is generally beneficial to one's health, whereas fast, jarring music is not. Listening to calming music enhances cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and reasoning skills; even better, it boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates mood, and increases endurance.
Classical music and meditation music were found to have the most benefit on health. On the other hand, irritating sound can cause stress, with all its negative consequences for your health.
Play music to boost your brain
When you learn new things, you give your brain a workout; why not learn a new instrument? Studies have found that students who take music lessons have increased IQ levels, even showing improvement in non musical abilities.
You can also use music to soothe yourself to sleep. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines; sleep is no exception, and forming healthy rituals before bedtime can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Playing tranquil music an hour before sleep is just one way to induce an automatic sleep response

I hope this article inspires you to get healing benefits from music! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Healthy bowel movement,a key to good health

Constipation
Constipation also known as costiveness,a symptom of infrequent hard to pass bowel movements.e term obstipation describes severe constipation which prevents passage of both stool and gas. Causes of constipation include dietary, hormonal, anatomical, as a side effect of medications (e.g., some opiates), and poisoning by heavy metals. Treatments may include changes in dietary habits, laxatives, and enemas.
Prevention
Constipation is usually easier to prevent than to treat. The relief of constipation with osmotic agents, i.e., lactulose, polyethylene glycol, or magnesium salts, should immediately be followed with prevention using increased fiber (fruits, vegetables, and grains) and a nightly decreasing dose of osmotic laxative. With continuing narcotic use doses of osmotic agents may safely be used.
Treatment
The main treatment of constipation involves the increased intake of water, and fiber (either dietary or as supplements).The routine use of laxatives is discouraged, as having a bowel movement may come to be dependent upon their use. Enemas can be used to provide a form of mechanical stimulation. However, enemas are generally useful only for stool in the rectum, not in the intestinal tract.
Laxatives
If laxatives are used milk of magnesia is recommended as a first-line agent due to its low cost and safety. Stimulants should only be used if this is not effective,In cases of chronic constipation prokinetics may be used to improve gastrointestinal motility.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS ) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). The Killers in your bathroom?

Both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.Although SLES is somewhat less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting.
A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous".

So why is a dangerous chemical like sodium lauryl sulfate used in our soaps and shampoos?
The answer is simple - it is cheap. The sodium lauryl sulfate found in our soaps is exactly the same as you would find in a car wash or even a garage, where it is used to degrease car engines.

In the same way as it dissolves the grease on car engines, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the oils on your skin, which can cause a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin.
Do not believe that just because a product is labeled as "natural" it is free from SLS or SLES. Most common brands of "Natural" or "Herbal" shampoos and cleansers still use these harmful chemicals as their main active ingredient - check your labels!
Perhaps most worryingly, SLS is also absorbed into the body from skin application. Once it has been absorbed, one of the main effects of sodium lauryl sulfate is to mimic the activity of the hormone Oestrogen. This has many health implications and may be responsible for a variety of health problems from PMS and Menopausal symptoms to dropping male fertility and increasing female cancers such as breast cancer, where oestrogen levels are known to be involved.

Products commonly found to contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLES
Soaps
Shampoos
Bubble-baths
Tooth paste
Washing-up liquid / dish soap
Laundry detergent
Childrens soaps / shampoos
Stain Remover
Carpet Cleaner
Fabric glue
Body wash
Shave cream
Mascara
Mouthwash
Skin cleanser
Moisture lotion / Moisturiser
Sun Cream