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The Huichol Indians (pronounced “Wee-chol”) are an indigenous tribe of traditional people living in western central Mexico, in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. Many live in small scattered settlements high in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Because of the extreme remoteness of this rugged mountain area, the Huichol were not conquered by the Spaniards, nor greatly changed by Mexican culture. They remain one of the last tribes in North America still living much as they did in pre-Columbian times, maintaining many of their ageless rituals and beliefs. Today it is estimated there are only about 10,000 Huichol Indians still in existence.

The Huichol believe themselves to be “mirrors of the gods” and try to reflect a sacred vision of the world, both physically and spiritually. To the Huichol, everything is alive and has a soul (called kupuri) and is therefore divine. They are a deeply religious people and worship multiple deities. They make offerings and prayers to assure the protection and goodwill of these deities.

The Huichol Indian tribe sees dress as another important way of expressing their religious beliefs. Their colorful clothing is said to give pleasure to their divinities, ensuring the kindness of the deities and protection of the people. The Huichol men wear elaborately embroidered muslin pants, a long tunic that is wrapped around the waist and held in place by a hand-woven belt, and a kerchief which may be embroidered or can be made from a combination of embroidery and felt. Hand-woven and embroidered bags are often worn, and during ceremonies a large hat with feathers may be worn as well. Huichol women typically wear delicately embroidered peasant dresses.

The Huichol are a highly creative people and reflect their strong ceremonial traditions and rich mythology in their visionary art work. These visions are often inspired by their peyote god whose divine gift enables them to communicate with all the gods. These mystical experiences can only be told by the shamans, but all are encouraged to express them in their art and offerings. Through their artwork, whether it be beaded art (chaquira) or yarn painting (nierika), the Huichol encode and document their spiritual knowledge.

The Huichol beliefs are complex and elaborate, involving myth, shamanism, ritual peyote, prayer and ceremony. Much of their current art depicts these religious themes and retells mystical stories. So each piece of art, in addition to being a beautiful work of art, carries its own historical and spiritual significance.

The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts is a grass-roots project that provides the Huichol people with an interface to the outside world. Concern has become ever greater as some Huichol people are migrating away from their unique way of life in the mountains, and into the cities due to economic pressures. The Huichol Center is helping to transform poverty into dignity through programs which reinforce pride in their cultural heritage. Language and cultural preservation, education, nutrition, and self-sufficiency are the earmarks of their mission.

To learn more about the Huichol and the Huichol Center, please view their website atvwww.huicholcenter.org.

Sheila Hull-Summers is the owner of Sunrise Imports, a web retailer specializing in Mexican folk art and other unique handcrafted gifts & decor from Latin America and the United States.

The old saying is “Your home is your castle.” It is where you come home from work and relax. It is where you live out the majority of your life. Obviously, it’s a very important place, and for it to be as relaxing and as comforting as it should be, the interior design of your home needs to match up to your own tastes, yet be functional as well. Here are some interior design ideas to help your home be more inviting for you.

Many newer homes are using wallpaper on “feature walls” to add some real creativity to the interior design of a home. At one time, feature walls were mostly used in commercial settings to designate certain areas. That same need is not often needed in most homes, but the fact that wallpaper has been added to those feature walls to add more color, textures, and patterns to those structures can allow homeowners to distinguish a certain area of their home without it just being a plain old wall or divider, thereby making it more appealing and practical for homeowners to use feature walls in their homes.

Another interior design idea that more and more people are using is designing your home to allow the most “Chi,” or life force, to flow through your home. This interior design idea is known as “Feng Shui” and comes from Chinese culture. It usually involves the specific placement of objects in your home so that they are in harmony with the environment, and supposedly, will help you to achieve more harmony and peace in your life. Someone who is versed in Feng Shui principles can assist you in arranging your interior design to match those principles.

Incorporating color and texture into your interior design is very important in presenting a pleasing and comfortable environment in your home. A good way to get creative ideas is to observe nature carefully and see how certain elements bring out the color or texture of a surface.

For instance, emphasizing one color by putting a lighter color next to it to bring out the contrast between the two colors is one interior design strategy to consider when trying to bring more color and contrast into your rooms. By putting similar items that have different textures near each other in the same room, you can incorporate a subtle design that blends into the room and gives it a different look, feel, and mood.

The lighting in your home is another important aspect of your interior design. Some types of light provide better light for safety and working, other types provide subdued lighting to provide atmosphere and intimacy, while other types provide lighting that is designed to highlight a certain area of your room.

For instance, tungsten bulbs emit a yellowish-white color that tend to brighten warm colors and mute cool colors. These work well in bedrooms, living rooms, and dining areas because they provide atmosphere and coziness.

Conversely, tungsten-halogen bulbs are particularly suited for accent lighting, which is why traffic lights use these type of bulbs - to emphasize the colors red, yellow, and green so you know for sure what you are supposed to do at an intersection. These types of bulbs can provide a nice contrast in warm, ambient settings where tungsten bulbs are often used.

To determine what type of lighting will work best for a room, analyze and determine what the room’s purpose will be and what elements are already in it (windows, a fireplace, etc.) By doing this, you can save on time and cost in utilizing the best lighting for your room the first time you install or put in lighting.

Your home can provide great comfort and relaxation to you, but you need to take into account several interior design aspects to get the most enjoyment and function out of your home. These aspects include the placement of objects, feature walls, color and texture and how they compare and contrast with other objects and elements in the room, and the lighting of the room. By taking into consideration these elements, you can create a home that will allow you to unwind and enjoy your home that much more.

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While I originally started to avoid this subject like the plague, I felt the need to at a minimum address it because there are so many widely differing view points on what this actually means, what to do about it and how this really affects your overall health.

I was very happy to find that the Chief Science Officer at Univera LifeSciences, Steven Cherniske, had published a very informative article, “The Acid Alkaline Mystery Solved”, on this very subject. For any of you that have read any of Stephen Cherniske’s work, you will not be surprised to see that it comes complete with all the references that you could hope for and the straight hard facts on this very confusing subject. As a result of this finding I am not going to attempt to do the subject justice, by trying to recreate an article of equal caliber. Verses re-inventing the wheel I am going to simply hit some of the high points for those of you who would prefer the cliff notes version. For those that would like to read all of the details I will leave that to Stephen and his article, “The Acid Alkaline Mystery Solved”.

First of all what is an Acid or for that matter an Alkaline substance? These substances are measured on a pH scale with water being neutral at 7.0. With values less than 7.0 being acid and the lower the pH value the stronger the acid. As you may have guessed alkaline (or base) substances have a value greater than 7.0 up to a maximum of 14. By now you may be wondering where our bodies should fall on this scale. First of all when we speak of an acid/alkaline balance in the body we are talking about the pH balance of our blood and tissues that should remain in a fairly narrow range of about 7.4 – slightly alkaline.

The real heart of the matter here is the byproducts of the digestion of foods that we consume and absorb. The biggest contributors to the fact that ACIDOSIS is at an all time high are the facts that most Americans are consuming beef and/or poultry multiple times per day, Americans are now consuming more soft drinks than water, consumption of coffee (caffeinated & decaffeinated) and lastly the processing of many of our foods have removed all of the alkaline forming minerals. When thinking about the foods that we consume you can not take the natural state of a food as the prime indicator of how that food will interact with our bodies. As an example, most fruits when consumed will result in an alkaline ash residue once digested even though naturally they maybe very high in acid in their natural state, even oranges.

The primary acid forming foods in your diet contain the minerals, sulfur, phosphorus and iron. Typically you will find these minerals in proteins, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, most nuts and soft drinks (due to the high phosphate levels).The minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium form alkaline reactions in the body and are found primarily in fruits and vegetables, and so these foods are classified as alkaline forming foods. As many of you are aware the consumption of alkaline-forming vegetables and fruit is at an all-time low. This has resulted in an increase of acidosis which accelerates catabolic damage and impairs our bodies anabolic repair processes. One of the best examples is the fact that it has been known for a long time that diets high in protein greatly increase the risk of osteoporosis. While there are many theories on this subject it appears that the body is simply taking from one part of the body to help support other systems that have been depleted due to the body staying in such a high state of acidosis.

In an attempt to help us make this shift in our diet Univera LifeSciences has created MetaGreens

A new computer is an exciting purchase for many people. Generally, people are ready to get started on using the new programs their new system has to offer. Unfortunately, they can get sidetracked because of one thing. They do not know how to use the new software. Many people who have recently purchased a computer have looked into obtainingVista training so they can understand what they need to do to effectively use their new computer.

Finding a good way of learning can be difficult. Users want to find something they can understand. When the language is overly technical, it can be impossible for the average user to grasp what is going on. It is important that the language is worded in a way that makes sense to them. If something is only worded for those in the software business, the regular person will not benefit.

It is also important that the Vista training that users choose shows them everything about the program. Only learning about overly broad aspects of the program is not going to help people in the long run. In fact, it can give them the false idea that they understand the program when they really do not. That is why it is important for people to learn every aspect of the program, so they are able to handle any situation that occurs.

With all of the kinds of Vista training out there, it is also important that users find a tool or system that actually works. Many systems use trial and error as their teaching method. Those systems have people work on the program and just play around with the different functions from all corners of the program. Most of the time you never know where you are. This is not teaching.

When looking for a product for Vista training, people need to go with a system that has proven to work. They need to find something that other people have used and have benefited from in the past. If a system has worked for a large number of people, it would make sense that it would work for even more in the future.

In order to thrive in the workplace, people have realized that they must learn how to use computer software. They do not want to be left behind as the computer age hits its prime. That could be frustrating at best, and they could lose their jobs because of it at the worst. Therefore, they must do something in order to compete.

There is a new type of training tool by Software Menu Maps Ltd. that offers all of the above mentioned traits. By using fast familiarization, they are able to teach people how to use the entire program. They do not leave a single detail out. Their system has been proven effective, and it is a fast way to learn all of the aspects of new software. To find out more information or to look into using the proven tool, visit http://www.softwaremenumaps.com. Take advantage of the software that this website has already created this new training tool for.

Software Menu Maps Ltd. was founded in the UK in 2006. They are currently the only company that offers menu map guides to the public. For more information on vista training visit http://softwaremenumaps.com.

There are many questions that can be asked about home mortgage refinance. Let’s take a look at what could be considered the top three things people want to know. This is a big decision you will be making and you definitely don’t want to make any mistakes.

If you are looking to refinance your mortgage, this is when you are taking out a new mortgage to pay off your existing one.

First of all, how can a home mortgage refinance loan help you? There are many different reasons; one being that you can lower your interest rate. This will give you a lower payment. If you have had your mortgage for a long period, by refinancing you will now make payments on a smaller loan amount.

Another option this gives you is the ability to consolidate your credit cards and possibly automobile loans. The average interest rate on credit cards is from 12% to 25% and mortgages are typically from 5% to 8%. So you obviously would be cutting down a lot you would normally spend on your interest every month.

The extra hundred dollars you would save each month in extra interest could finally help you to pay off those credit cards or car loan.

Maybe you have been fortunate enough to stay away from using any credit cards. This would give you an opportunity to get some money from your equity to invest. You could do some improvements on your home or anything else that wouldn’t cause you to worry about taking out a big loan.

The next question most people are wondering, is usually how often can you refinance a home mortgage? You really can refinance as often as you’d like. Just remember that you are going to have to pay closing costs each time. There are a large number of banks who will sell the loan on the secondary market.

So if you refinancing, then the same bank you are trying to get away from might end up becoming the new owner of your loan. There really isn’t anything you can do to stop that from happening.

Banks are very careful when processing loans and they way they set them up. They want to make sure that is “salable” or that it will sell. If they have a loan that is “unsalable,” that means that they don’t not want to give the individual lender all that money or can’t. The banks want to just give it to a bigger bank that can sell the capital to a consumer, and just take their cut from the loan.

Be advised that there are some banks that chose not to resell loans, but this is a small number. Possibly look for any of those banks to see if you will wind up with an even better deal.

The most important question, I believe is how do you go about finding a reputable company, one that you can trust to refinance your home mortgage? There are plenty of good lenders out there, but this now depends on specifics. If you are able to afford a large payment and have good credit, also if you have taken care of your home then an FHA loan is the best way to go.

Most lenders do these types of loans and you can get help in seconds by submitting your info online. There are many reputable companies that will be able to work with you!

Christina Costa, a freelance writer, recommends eQuoteGrabber.com for refinancing your home where you can receive help with all of your mortgage needs in seconds! Visit http://www.eQuoteGrabber.com

In an attempt to keep anyone from wasting their time reading an article that does not apply to them we need to clearly define the subject of this article. If you are comfortable with waiting for a miracle drug to cure cancer, expecting that early detection through any number of exams at your physicians’ office followed by chemotherapy in an attempt to kill the now detectable cancer cells, then this article is not for you. If however, you would prefer to avoid cancer totally by preventing it before it starts, then please read on.

When addressing nutrition and the prevention of cancer one of the hottest topics in this arena at this time are antioxidants. The primary reason that antioxidants have received increasing attention is based on the very nature of cancer cells themselves, how they are started and more importantly how they can be eliminated before becoming detectable. For most forms of cancer, they get their start when your cell’s DNA becomes damage in some form. Keep in mind that your body is generating new cells on a daily basis and that these new cells are being created based on the blue print of how they should be constructed. That blue print is your DNA. When your DNA has become damaged or during the creation process of these new cells they come in contact with free radicals they are damaged. Unchecked that damage begins going through an uncontrolled growth and at some point this once damaged cells has now become a tumor.

While there is a lot of talk about antioxidants we really need to define what they are. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from the damage caused by molecules known as free radicals. Antioxidants are capable of stabilizing free radicals and therefore prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Free radicals are unstable molecules caused by incomplete electron shells which make them more chemically reactive than those with complete electron shells. There are a number of environmental factors, including tobacco smoke, over exposure to the sun, pollution, toxins in our water, pesticides used in the growing of our vegetables and various other factors can also lead to free radical formation. The most common form of free radicals is oxygen – that’s correct the simple act of breathing that is required to keep us alive is the most common cause of free radical production in our bodies. When oxygen molecules become electrically charged or “radicalized” it tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA and other molecules. Over time, such damage may become irreversible and lead to various diseases including cancer. Antioxidants are often described as “mopping up” free radicals, meaning they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules. Some examples of common antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, just to name a few. While not an antioxidant another very important mineral is Selenium, which is actually a component of antioxidant enzymes.

While diet and nutrition are beginning to get more attention we still have a long way to go, based on a number of statistics surrounding the average diet of more Americans. A simple search of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition will provide clinical research based on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer. While that may not be a big shock to you, you may be surprised to find that this particular entry has a copyright date from 1976. As a leading cause of death in the United States, one that is very preventable, one would expect to hear more about the impact of Diet, Nutrition and Exercise as it relates to the prevention of cancer. More often than not, if you pick up a newspaper or catch the news you are going to hear about the latest advances in chemotherapy, the newest drug for the treatment of cancer, the latest technology for improved mammograms and the list goes on. If you truly want to do something about the prevention of cancer you can’t wait on the news media and unfortunately not even your family physician to educate you on adopting a healthy lifestyle. Please don’t misunderstand that last comment as being a slam on doctors, because it is not. Every doctor that I know works extremely hard and puts in some very long hours.

Unfortunately, the way that our healthcare system is structured they do not get paid to educate you on a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, exercise or any of the things that you need to adopt as a comprehensive wellness program. The sad truth is that our healthcare system is setup to fix you after you’re broke, not to prevent you from getting to that point. It is truly up to YOU to take a proactive approach to learning what you need to know in order to adopt a overall healthy lifestyle/wellness program. It is important to note that a comprehensive wellness program leading to an overall healthy lifestyle is not something that you get to do for a week, a month or even just over the next year and then you’re done. This is a life long endeavor.

For those of you that are more of the do it yourself type people there are a large number of resources available to help you. From the internet to a staggering number of books that are published each year on the subject of healthy living, diet, nutrition, anti-aging. A very comprehensive guide to an overall healthy lifestyle that is very practical, pack with references to clinical research and an overall easy read is “The Metabolic Plan”, by Stephen Cherniske. The good news is that there is something for everyone. If you would prefer not to wade through mountains of information there are an increasing number of centers dedicated to Wellness, Healthy Lifestyles, and many of these facilities provide life coaches to help keep their clients accountable and on track. Even for the most dedicated person having an accountability partner of some type is a good idea to help during those stages of life where the motivation level just is not where it should be. Lastly, there are an increasing number of physicians that take a holistic approach to healing that includes a balanced approach which is one of the best approaches. In a perfect world our health would always be controllable through a balanced diet, good supplementation and exercise. However, the stark reality is that there are times that even our best efforts are not enough and we are forced to turn to a pharmaceutical to keep us in the game of life. In short all forms of healing have their place – there is not a one shoe fits all solution that will work for everyone, all the time.

Lastly, there are some well documented things that we can do to help prevent cancer.

- If you smoke – STOP

- Eating foods prepared with HIGH heat especially fried foods should be eliminated or reduced as much as possible.

- Increase the number of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Ideally 70% or more of your daily caloric intake should come from fruits and vegetables. If possible organically grown.

- Find a reputable supplements company grounded in science with products proven through strict clinical trials such as Univera LifeSciences. Even the best diet in the world is going to short on the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we need in a comprehensive wellness/anti-aging program.

- Exercise – We were built by our maker to move. Keep moving and stay active. Does the term use it or loose it mean anything to you? The American Cancer Society has a great section on their website titled “The Complete Guide to Nutrition and Physical Activity”

- Reduce your exposure to chemicals and toxins. Use biodegradable products when cleaning as they are much less harmful to you and the environment.

- Reduce the fat in your diets, but increase the essential fatty acids that are required by each of us – especially your brain and your joints.

- If you are overweight and/or obese reduce your weight as this is a very well documented cause of accelerated free-radical activity.

References:

1) Diet, nutrition, and cancer: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 29, 1035-1047, Copyright

If you have browsed through your favorite bookstore lately in search of help in succeeding in your quest to live a healthy lifestyle or where to start out on your fitness program, you probably walked out more confused then when you walked in. Looking to the internet in many cases is not much more help due to the massive amounts of data to sift through much of which is geared toward those that mother nature still favors. Lastly much of the information you find does nothing more than explain why we should be working out and staying active, something we have all heard and are well aware of at this stage in life.

For those of us that mother nature does not favor quite as much as before we turned 40 we can read all of the fitness articles that we want, sign-up for various programs, getting a training coach and any number of other options, but something the marketing gurus fail to mention is that biochemically speaking we are not programmed to succeed. Mother Nature has started turning off those longevity signals, the rebuild/repair signals and no amount of training is going to change that – sorry. The good news is that we can turn these signals back on and once we have our bodies in an anabolic (rebuild/repair) state we can succeed and in grand fashion. The key to turning those signals back on is DHEA which has been proven in numerous IRB certified tests to have a profound impact on the aging process and most importantly returning our bodies, biochemically speaking, to a more youthful state. To do this properly please see a use with the direction of your health professional to have your DHEA sulfate levels tested.

While a very powerful and critical component to any fitness program anyone 40+ DHEA is not a quick fix and please do not approach it with this mentality. However, take note that it does work and as mentioned previously there is a lot of data to support this claim. As an example a year long study with postmenopausal women clearly demonstrated increased bone density, improved glucose tolerance, enhanced feelings of well being, decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, improved liver functions and NO side effects.

Once you shift your body from a catabolic (downward spiral) state back into an anabolic state of rebuild/repair you are ready to get to work.

First and foremost avoid being a weekend warrior. Those individuals that spend a couple weekends a month working out really do more harm than good. In short their bodies simply don’t ever have an opportunity to increase strength, flexibility and/or stamina and in short they are putting themselves in a position whereby they are much more susceptible to injury. Consistent exercise spread throughout the entire week is much more beneficial.

Set goals. Whatever your goals for taking up a fitness/wellness program put them in writing and just as importantly put them somewhere that you will see them often. Share them with a friend; find yourself an accountability partner; a workout partner; or your spouse. By taking this small step you have just greatly increased your odds of success. Clearly defined goals are a critical step towards success in any devour. Along the lines of setting goals, make your goals achievable and realistic. One of the biggest contributors to people failing when starting out with a new workout regimen is discouragement – we are wired to like success. Set some realistic short term goals that can be stepping stones towards your bigger long term goals. Remember it is important to see progress and the best way to measure that progress is to have goals.

Moderation is the key. Moderate consistent exercise is proven to stimulate your metabolism, promote weight loss and most importantly reduces your risk of injury. Remember that you are actually reprogramming your body, over time, to use the calories that you take in daily for energy, rebuilding your muscles and not storing it as fat. When we are sedentary our bodies learn that we don’t need a lot of that extra energy, the muscles are NOT working and as such it is much easier to simply store those calories as fat. Just as we can program our bodies to know that we don’t need that energy we have the ability to change that programming through moderate consistent exercise spread over 3 to 5 days a week.

As an important note please do not get discourage by all of the charts that have been published showing that for example you burn 200 calories after doing a specific exercise for 30 minutes. The truth is that your body continues to burn calories at an increase rate long after you have stopped exercising and as previously mentioned your body will learn to burn more calories on daily basis.

If cost is a concern one of the most effective and efficient exercises is walking. With a good pair of walking shoes you are ready to go. From walking through the neighborhood, walking on the track at the local school or walking through the mall during bad weather you have an unlimited number of options. In a number of cities malls have started opening their doors long before the stores open to allow patrons to do their walking without the added challenge of dodging shoppers.

Please do not forget or discount strength training. In order to maximize your benefits gained from exercise it is imperative that increase your upper body strength. Most exercising provides great benefits to all of the large muscles located in our legs, but does little to increase our upper body strength. If you are wondering why the importance of upper body strength/training keep in mind that 65% of your muscles are above your waist. Research has shown that for most people their upper body muscles are the most underdeveloped muscles they have. As such moderate training on alternate days provides the most benefit as it gives the muscles the time required to rebuild and repair themselves after being stressed. It is important to note that we are not talking about large amounts of weight as most people could benefit significantly from weights ranging from 3lbs to 10lbs.

Get help! If you are a do-it yourself type person this is one area that it is strongly recommended that you seek the guidance of an experienced trainer. There are numerous details about training that can only be taught by and experienced trainer and most importantly having that feedback during the workout process is critical. Being able to correct bad form, posture, and/or little details of a particular exercise is very important prior to developing bad habits.

Stretching is often an overlooked but very critical component for the success of any fitness program. Strength, flexibility and reduced chances for injury are benefits of proper stretching both before, after and during your workouts. Yes, during your workout. Moving through the complete range of motion for a given exercise not only stresses the muscle, but provides the stretching of the muscles that is required for full range of motion. Many times people feel that the stretching part of the workout is optional, they don’t schedule time for that part of the workout and when sporting some sore muscles stretching isn’t any fun, but your success greatly depends on this often overlooked component.

Rest and Relaxation are just as important if not more important than the exercise part of your routine. It boils down to the fact that your muscles do not grow while you are in the gym. That is where they are being stressed, broken down and tore down due to the stressors of the exercises that you are putting them through. Once you have torn your muscles down, they need time to rebuild and repair themselves. For young athletes over training is often one of the biggest reasons they are not performing at their maximum potential.

Armed with the above tips you are much more likely to succeed. Remember to get the important nutrients that your body needs to maintain an anabolic state, maintain a consistent moderate workout pattern, find a workout routine that fits your schedule and provides adequate stimulation for both your upper and lower body, get help from a professional trainer/coach, remember to stretch both before and after your workouts, and lastly relax.

Glenn has combined his passion for health and fitness with a great business model that allows him opportunities that would have otherwise not been possible. For more information visit http://www.opportunityofyourlife.com/

Let’s start by defining who the RDA applies to. The RDA applies to the average person that you may know. So who are these average people? The “average person” is defined as an adult under 60 years old, experiencing good health, dealing with little to no stress, no medical problems, not on medication, eating a balanced diet of 2000 calories per day, with good digestion and at an ideal body weight.

Now that we can all see that the above description defines most all of us we can rest assured that the RDA is taking care of all of our nutritional needs. Ok, so maybe the dripping sarcasm was a bit much, but I could not resist. Well if by chance you do fit into the above description there are a few more things that you may want to read before you checkout.

According to numerous sources it has been well documented that most adult men and women are deficient even by the RDA standards. You ask why that should be cause for alarm? There is more and more research being made available daily that further reinforces the fact that many diseases can be prevented and/or slowed down including: heart disease, cancers, arthritis, osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis and the list goes on. Further more, research shows that this can only be accomplished if your body is being supplied with optimal amounts of the vitamins and minerals that our diet is severely lacking in. In case you didn’t notice I said “optimal amounts”. What you may not know is that the optimal amounts in many cases are much higher than the RDA. While we are all different, by consulting with a knowledgeable professional in nutritional medicine they will be able to properly counsel you on what your particular needs may be.

What I have just described above is what applies to those “average persons” and those that may be close to being average. Take into account our elderly population, children, smokers, drinkers, city dwellers, those suffering from acute illness, athletes, people that are on medication, and pregnant or nursing women and you have very large groups of people that are walking around daily in a deficient nutrient state. It is estimated that more than half of the Americans over the age of 60 have reduced nutrient intake and as a result are malnourished. While you may not notice it in the people around you their cells are screaming for the very nutrients that could stave off many of the chronic diseases that they are faced with daily. In spite of the fact that many of these problems could be solved with the proper nutrition these people are handed yet another prescription and sent along their way and exposed to premature death.

While the RDAs were never meant to be a foundation for the production of natural supplements it seems that everyone seems to be focused on how their product rates against the RDA. A much more logical approach would be to base the production of these natural supplements on the most current medical research and/or clinical trials. What makes this fact even more frustrating is the fact that the RDAs are not even based on scientific research. At best the RDA values have been set based on political agendas. The amount of research over the past 20+ years that has found that the American public is at risk for less than adequate nutrients should be some cause for alarm. Yet little progress has been made in updating the RDAs to reflect more optimal values based on what current medical/biochemical research points out as the nutrient levels that we should have in our bodies.

While supplements should not be an excuse for not trying to maintain a healthy balanced diet, it is a well documented fact that supplementation is required if you are going to try to maintain any type of anti-aging. While none of us have a guarantee of tomorrow I fully expect to maintain the highest quality of life that I can reasonably expect. In short I want to live my life and not simply exist and based on all of the research that is available the RDA is not going to get me anything except maybe average health. I don’t know about you guys that are reading this, but if you haven’t walked through a nursing home lately let me tell you that average is nothing to aspire to.

Many of the nutritional vitamins and minerals that we need in our daily intake provide the antioxidants that our bodies need to repair the damage that is done just by virtue of the fact that we are breathing. Add to that damage the additional damage done to our bodies due to the daily stresses that we live with, toxins that are in our environment and suddenly it becomes readily apparent that our bodies are under constant attack from free radicals. Fortunately, Univera LifeSciences has provided us with AgelessXtra to help combat the free radical damage that is done to our bodies daily. Just 1 fluid once of AgelessXtra Concentrate provides the antioxidant protection of more than 10 servings of fruits and vegetables. When was the last time that you had 10 servings of fruits and vegetables in a single day? For those of you who may be finding it to be a challenge to get all of the folic acid that you need (dark green leafy vegetables) MetaGreens may be just what you are looking for. One table spoon of MetaGreens mixed into water or your favorite juice is equivalent to having 5 large dark green leafy salads. For those of you that may find it to be a challenge to get balanced meals in between all the phone calls, appointments, and deadlines, Ageless Essentials is the most nutrient dense superfood that you will be able to find anywhere. More importantly, Ageless Essentials is not only packed with all of the nutrients that your body could every hope for, it has been design with Nano technology so that you body does not have to work nearly has hard to absorb those needed nutrients. Conservatively speaking your body should absorb 95% of the available vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids within approximately 20 minutes. Compare that to the hours that you body would be required to digest your typical fast food packed with calories, little to no nutrition and enough saturated fat to clog the best of arteries and you will quickly see why Ageless Essentials has become a favorite among many.

As I hope you can see from this entry the RDA falls embarrassingly short when it comes to the nutrients that you body (every cell) is screaming for. What I have covered here does not even do this subject justice, but I hope I have at least generated enough interest that you will feel compelled to do some further research. If there is enough interest, I will at some time in the near future compile some of the research materials that I have into a list of what many experts define as optimal amounts or an Optimal Daily Allowance (ODA) for many of the nutrients that we need to maintain a healthy life style.

References:

1) Cherniske, Stephen M.S., The DHEA Breakthrough, Random House Publishing, 1998

2) Roizen, Michael F, M.D., Oz, Mehmet C, M.D., You The Owners Manual, Harper Collins Publishers, 2005

3) Cherniske, Stephen M.S., The Metabolic Plan, Random House Publishing Group, 2003

4) Lam, Michael, M.D., Sulindro, Maria, M.D., How to Stay Young & Live Longer, Published by the Academy of Anti-Aging Research, 200

Glenn has combined his passion for health and fitness with a great business model that allows him opportunities that would have otherwise not been possible. For more information visit http://www.opportunityofyourlife.com/

While for a long time I did not understand the scientific foundation for why my sweet-tooth seemed to always win out I knew very well that was a battle that I would eventually always loose. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but my willpower could only hold out so long and then I would succumb to the temptations of sweets. In order to fully understand this we need to take a little trip through history.

Now the history I am talking about is more like ancient history, more specifically pre-historic history, because that is were this whole problem started. In all fairness for millions of years it wasn’t a problem because much like any animal in the wild we never knew when our next meal would be. If you have any doubt about that statement, just take an hour or so and watch one of those animal shows on your television. Often they talk about the fact that a pride of lions for example may not make a kill for a couple of weeks. The problem here is, if they don’t kill something many times they don’t eat. Imagine going for a week or two weeks before you had a chance to sit down for a good size meal.

What do you think you would do once you were able to sit down to that meal? More than likely it would be a long while before you would get up from the table. That is the way you are wired at the genetic level. Deep down in your DNA you are wired to eat as much as you can, when you can, simply because for millions of years you had no way of knowing for sure when you were going to get your next meal. That same genetic code is what drives you today, because your DNA does not know that you have a surplus of food waiting at every corner today.

Worse than that, our genetic wiring has us programmed to eat foods that are sweet and/or high in fat. Why – you ask? When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from it is very important that you take in the maximum amount of calories possible to sustain your bodily functions until such time that you get another meal. Not only are the calories important, but the type of calories. While the news media and all the hype about foods high in fat give fatty foods a bad name, the truth of the matter is that your body needs fats to function. These essential fats are very important for your brain functions, your nerves, and the list goes on. Again if you are going between long periods of time between meals, you are programmed to desire the tastes of foods high in fat. If you are starting to feel like the odds are stacked against you, you are correct, but the good news is that as you understand more about what is going on in your body you can eat foods that are good for you, but will turn off the alarms that drive you to eat the foods that are not so good for you.

I am sure that you all know that there are parts of the brain that process feelings of pleasure and thus when something triggers that portion of the brain we tend to remember that and what to repeat that feeling of pleasure. Most notably, sexual experiences set off these triggers in the brain and as such there is no problem with keeping the human species alive and well. Needless to say, food also plays an integral part in the pleasure centers of our brain, in conjunction with the parts of the brain that tells us when we are full. Without getting in to all of the details of the biochemical signals that play a role in that series of communications that tell us we are full, that brownie was really good, or hey you really want more of that ice cream, I will tell you that there are a series of chemicals (Ghrelin, Leptin, Cholecystokinin, PYY) that control all of these essential communications. While I’ve covered this in-depth in another article I will mention that it is well documented that some of these chemicals measure lower than they should in over weight people leading researchers to believe that this flaw in their chemical makeup is leading to their weight problems.

By now you are starting to understand why your willpower to stay away from that second helping, to avoid the fatty foods or to simply pass on dessert is under constant attack. Would you be surprised to know that the fast food industry, the manufactures of processed foods, and the food industry as a whole have known this information for a long time? As a matter of fact that understand everything that I have just mentioned and exactly how all these chemicals interact to bring the most pleasure to that all important section of our brain. As a matter of fact the food industry and those responsible for marketing these products study this at length, many times in the form of study groups or taste tests. Armed with this information they make sure that they can maximize the response all the way from your taste buds in your mouth right to the point of when you body is going to tell you that you have had enough and worse yet, all the way to the point when your body is going to start a craving for more of what you just finished.

With what seems to be all of the odds stacked against us there are still many things under our control. Additionally, you can take heart in the fact that you are not in this battle along. By many estimates close to 70% of the US population is overweight to some degree and yet with all of the information that is known about appetite, diet and our biological make-up we seem to have no solution to the problem. You may or may not be aware of the fact that when it comes to track records the group of drugs with the worse record of all are weight-loss drugs. The reason being is that people will loose weight for a given period of time and then our genetic programming kicks in and we are right back to where we started before. Unfortunately, we have become a society of instant gratification which is not a good way to approach any kind of weight-loss program. In short we don’t gain weight over night and as such we should not expect to be able to get the weight off over night. Combine all of the weight-loss drugs on the market and the 50 million or so diets programs that are available to you on the market today and in short you have a fantastic recipe for total confusion.

While there is nothing sexy or mysterious about the real answer there is one available to all of us. That answer is to eat a highly varied natural foods diet. That means eating lots of unprocessed foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, fish and when possible eating fruits and vegetables in their raw uncooked state. Additionally, eating much smaller more frequent meals is one of the best things that I have ever done. If you think about it that makes a lot more sense in that you body has to deal with smaller quantities of food and as such you body is much better equipped to take full advantage of the calories and nutrients that you have taken in. Not to mention as a bonus you just feel like you get to eat more, but in reality you will have eaten less total calories. For me personally the best way of eating is more of a Mediterranean type of diet. When traveling through the Mediterranean regions all of the meals typically focused on lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains/whole grain breads, lots of seafood combined with some red meats and for the most part most of the foods that I ate where all organic foods. As you now know we are preprogrammed genetically to really like the fatty and sweet foods, but by sticking with a highly varied natural foods diet our genetics will not rule our waistlines.

References:

1) Wikipedia: Appetite

2) Time Magazine: Science of Appetite -

3) FAQs.org (Appetite)

4) Stephen Cherniske, M.S., The Metabolic Plan, The Random House Publishing Company, 2003, ISBN: 0-345-44102-8

5) Wikipedia: Blood Sugar

6) Wikipedia: Glucose

7) Paul Zane Pilzer, The New Wellness Revolution, pg 62 – 76, John Wiley & Sons, 2007 ISBN: 9780470106181

Wikipedia: Cholecystokinin (CCK)

9) Wikipedia: Ghrelin

Glenn has combined his passion for health and fitness with a great business model that allows him opportunities that would have otherwise not been possible. For more information visit http://www.opportunityofyourlife.com/

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