My Viking Soul

Treating Muscle Cramps With Creatine Monohydrate

Muscle cramps is one of the dilemmas faced by many athletes and fitness buffs. Muscle cramps are involuntary contraction of the muscles that affect a specific part or an entire group of muscles. It may occur many times before it is relieved. Sometimes there can be simultaneous cramps that move body parts in opposite directions. Statistics show that about 95% of individuals experience muscle cramps at some point of their lives.

Muscle cramps can be caused by different factors which may include poor flexibility, muscle fatigue, electrolyte and mineral depletion, and many more. Other factors that may contribute to muscle cramping may include excessive physical exertion, dehydration, and electrolyte (minerals in the blood that carry energy) depletion. In addition to these causes, muscle cramps can be linked to some factors like improper breathing and unhealthy diets.

Another factor that health specialists consider is a complication of haemodialysis. Haemodialysis is the process where the blood is cleansed of toxins, extra salts, and fluids. This process maintains blood pressure and proper balance of chemicals like potassium, sodium, and chloride. The exact process of this complication is still unknown. The disturbance of muscle energy metabolism may take place as a result of haemodialysis. Creatine monohydrate supplements can be taken to enhance muscle metabolism and may prevent the development of muscle cramps.

Creatine monohydrate may increase the availability of instant energy and increase muscle strength. When used properly, this supplement may enable individuals to run faster, lift more weights, and perform strenuous activities longer. It may enable individuals who lift weights to add about 10% to their strength. For example, if a normal lifter can usually lift 100 pounds with added creatine it may improve to 110 pounds. Another benefit of taking creatine monohydrate is it will make the body look bigger and firmer. This happens because more fluids are forced into the muscles.

However, one concern of some researchers is the continuous supplementation of creatine of the body from synthetic sources may lower its ability to produce creatine on its own. Side effects of creatine monohydrate may include muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and increased risk of muscle strain. In addition, short-term or long-term creatine supplementation may magnify kidney stress. To minimize the health risks of creatine monohydrate supplementation, health professionals advise users to take this supplement in monthly intervals. For example, after using creatine monohydrate for two months, refrain from using supplementation for two months and so on.

Lose Weight Without Starving Yourself

Many people believe that weight loss is a painful thing. To shift those stubborn pounds you must go hungry all the time. Many are afraid to even set a weight loss goal because they cant stand the thought of going hungry and the frustrations that it brings. For a lot of people it’s just better to be overweight than to suffer hunger pangs.

Well who can blame them?

If the only way to lose weight or stay slim was to go hungry all the time very few people would be at their ideal weight and the vast majority of the planet would be extremely overweight! It isnt necessary.

Our body is a marvellous device. It is truly amazing! Its natural rhythm and internal workings tell us when we are hungry. It has a self protection mechanism that lets you know when you need to stock up on fuel. A hunger signal is the body notifying you that you NEED to eat in order for you to sustain a healthy level of energy and have the reserves necessary for healing, repair and maintenance of your cells. Serious hungry pangs are a strong self-preservation signal from the body that it is in danger and needs food immediately to restore its balance. This signals should not be ignored!

Your body has no idea that food is in plentiful supply and that it is one of the cheapest commodities of the 21st Century. Your body is acting the same way your ancient ancestors bodies worked. The general design of the human body hasnt changed one bit since then. When your ancient ancestors where living in caves they relied on their ability to hunt for food to feed themselves. Sometimes they would go days or weeks without a kill and the body would send them warning signals that they were in serious danger. When they did eat the body immediately, being still in self-preservation mode, stored as much of the energy as it could in reserve as FAT! Your body works in exactly the same way today.

Starving yourself just doesnt work. It goes against nature to think that you can starve yourself and lose weight. Of course you can get the exception when people just dont take in anywhere near enough food to sustain themselves but we all the effects of this kind of dieting!

So, we know that starvation diets dont work and you dont want to spend 2 hours a day in the gym. How do we lose weight then? Well the good news is you do not have to go hungry to lose weight. Nor do you need excessive amounts of exercise. The truth is, eating regular nutritional meals and allowing your body to fill itself to satisfaction is the key to reaching and maintaining a healthy, slim body. By not allowing yourself to go hungry you will in fact avoid overeating – which is the very thing that usually happens when you break a starvation diet.

One method is to eat five or six, fairly small, healthy meals divided up throughout your day. Instead of eating three large meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, divide the same quantity of food into 6 meals instead and eat an extra small meal between a small breakfast and lunch, one between lunch and dinner and if you are hungry later have another one. Try to avoid having the last meal close to bedtime, anytime up to 2 hours before bed is all right.

Dont wait when you feel hungry. Eat as soon as you can. If you wait for a long period of time before you eat your body will go into panic mode, think that you dont have enough resources to feed it and you will overeat! Therefore, eating frequent yet smaller meals will help to keep your body satisfied and you will be less likely to over-indulge.

Do not miss a meal in the hope that it will help burn some extra calories. You may believe that by skipping a meal you will save some calories or fat intake, but, as you have seen, the opposite tends to happen. In addition, if you go for a long period without a meal you are much more likely to over-indulge when you get fed-up and cant take the starvation any more.

Did you also realise that by skipping meals you are actually slowing down your metabolism? Because your body thinks there is a food shortage it not only stores extra fat but it also slows down the amount of fat it burns. The bodys natural survival instinct is triggered, you put on extra weight and burn fewer calories and fat. As the body burns fat to convert into energy you will find that you become lethargic and tired. Starving yourself just doesnt work!

In addition to eating smaller more frequent meals you should also teach yourself to eat slower. Place your knife and fork down between every bite and chew for a few seconds longer than normal. It can take us up to twenty 20 minutes to realize that the body is full and completely satisfied. When you eat at a fast pace stuffing food into you before you have time to recognise the full signal your body is sending your brain. When you eat at a slower pace you start to recognise these signals from your body and train yourself to identify them at an earlier stage.

Losing Weight the Healthy Way is the Best Way

Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:

1. heart disease 2. stroke 3. diabetes 4. cancer 5. arthritis 6. hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:

1. Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).

2. Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.

Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.

5. Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6. Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7. Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.

There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.

8. Exercise.

Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activites and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

3 Choices To Help You Lose Weight

1. The Weight Loss Patch

Perhaps the most appealing benefit of using a patch is that it is so easy to use. No pills to remember to take, no special diets, no required exercise routine. Naturally, sticking to a healthy diet and exercise program is best for your overall health, but if that is difficult for you to adhere to all of the time, the patch may be a solution that works for you.

A weight loss patch that you place on your body will deliver the active ingredients by transdermal delivery, meaning through the skin. The patch ingredients will go directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system and liver. Simply apply the patch to a smooth area of your skin and change it every 3 days. That is all of the maintenance that is required.

A patch can even be used occasionally when you are traveling and know you will be eating out a lot, or for those times you are too busy to cook the proper foods. A patch that suppresses your appetite will help you develop good eating habits that will help you maintain your ideal weight in the future ~ no more yo-yo figures.

2. Appetite Suppressant Pills

Curbing your appetite to stop the influx of calories in the first place seems to be the logical way to lose and maintain your weight. However, we are so bombarded by confusing claims everywhere for appetite suppressant pills ~ in print, on the radio, on television, even on billboards when driving, that it is difficult to know which diet pill will really help take off those pounds ~ and keep them off..

Some diet pills will cause your heart to race, your hands to shake, or an overall “wired” feeling. To avoid these problem, stay away from products that contain Ephedra, Ma Huang, and Ephedrine.

One herbal diet pill that has gotten a lot of publicity lately is Hoodia Gordonii The authentic plant comes from the Kalahari desert in South Aftrica. Respectable television shows like 60 Minutes, the Today Show, BBC, and even Oprah’s “O” magazine have given it rave reviews for its fast acting appetite suppressing qualities. While it can take one to two weeks to work fully, many users report a decline in their appetite with the first pill.

In fact, Hoodia has had so many positive reports that there are now a lot of knock-off products being marketed to the uninformed ~ especially on the Internet. The real Hoodia is very rare because it takes up to 7 years for the Hoodia plant to mature to a point where it provides appetite suppressant qualities. In addition, the African government is now limiting the amount of Hoodia it exports, meaning only a few suppliers have the real thing. Because Hoodia is so rare, you can expect it to be a little more expensive than other diet pills.

Another diet pill that helps shed pounds is Herbal Phentermine. This is a non-prescription appetite suppressant that is scientifically designed to produce similar effects of a popular Rx version of phentermine.

The good news is that the Herbal version contains only natural ingredients so you don’t have to be worried about side effects. Plus, you can avoid the time, expense, and embarrassment of a doctor’s visit.

Herbal Phentermine will not only suppress your appetite, but it will also increase your metabolism so you burn more calories and have more energy.

3). Carbohydrate Blockers

Perhaps you prefer not to have your appetite suppressed, but instead would like to eat all of the pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes you want. If this sounds more like your style, then you might want to try a carbohydrate blocker.

Scientists have discovered, and thoroughly tested a method to allow us to eat the foods we love and not gain weight. We can now stop the normal conversion of starchy foods to sugar before it can pass through our digestive system and store as fat on our hips, thighs, buttocks and stomach. Derived from white kidney beans, the resulting carb blockers, (starch neutralizers), are a completely natural product. They work by neutralizing the Alpha amylase enzyme that digests starch.

By neutralizing this digestive enzyme, the starch from our food does not get digested. Instead, it remains intact and does not convert to sugar. It simply passes through the body undigested and acts as a fiber ~ which is a very good thing. We get more fiber going through our intestines while avoiding the conversion to sugar and the resulting fat storage ~ a definite win-win situation.

Over the past several years, there have been many positive studies to determine the effectiveness of carb blockers and their ability to help lose weight. One study was performed at the Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, over an eight week time period.

It reported that participants saw an average weight loss of 200% more than those taking a placebo, and lost an average of 1.5 inches around their waists. This was 43 % more than those taking the placebo. Plus they reported having 13% more energy, even though it is not a stimulant.

Whether you choose patches or pills, prefer to eat starchy foods, or use carb blockers, some things to look for when buying diet products are that they:

Your Eye Vitamins Report

While there is no single pill that will restore perfect vision or optimal eye health, there is new evidence from Bausch and Lomb Pharmaceuticals that certain minerals and vitamins may be part of the eye’s normal defense system against damage.

The formulation of high-potency zinc and the anti-oxidants vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A (as beta-carotene), selenium and copper have been shown to be effective in assisting the eye’s defenses against certain degenerative conditions.

The formulation, called OCUVITE, developed by B&L Pharmaceuticals, was based on clinical and research studies that suggested that deficiencies in dietary zinc and antioxidant micronutrients occur in patients who are at possible risk of developing macular degeneration and other ophthalmic conditions.

National surveys have demonstrated that the elderly, the population most at risk for macular degeneration, are frequently found to have inadequate diets that are often deficient in zinc and other micronutrients. The retina normally has one of the highest concentrations of zinc in the body, and researchers have suggested that zinc plays a vital role in the metabolism of the retina. In patients with macular degeneration or cataracts, long-term oxidative damage is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis. Zinc and antioxidant micronutrients may be part of the eye’s normal defense system against oxidative damage.

Ocuvite, containing more zinc than any leading multivitamin/multimineral product, provides the eye doctor with a dietary supplement that may be useful in the patient whose diet is deficient in zinc and antioxidant micronutrients.

Zinc is an important cofactor of many enzymes and an essential mineral for tissue repair, skeletal and tooth development, metabolism, protection of the liver from chemical damage, maintaining the proper concentration of vitamin A in the blood, and for white blood cells to function in the immune system.

Ocuvite and Ocuvite Extra is a fortified combination of antioxidants, select B-vitamins and zinc and is based upon the most recent clinical publications on antioxidants. It is the #1 recommended supplement by eye care specialists.

5000 Year-Old Medical Secret Unearthed!

When you get sick, you go to the doctor. And the doctor will, of course, prescribe medicines. You will go and buy medicines. You take them, and hopefully, you get well.

This is how the health profession goes on nowadays a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.

If anyone were to give you herbs for medicine, you would probably say that that person was a quack.

But nowadays, studies are being conducted to see if there are really is any merit to what is called natural medicine.

Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.

Many categories of the healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine.

Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine.

This includes herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese, Ayurvedic(or Indian), and Greek medicine.

Upon the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten.

For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.

Natural medicine can be considered as a lost art. This does not mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider and study the possible uses of natural medicine

Before we continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. It would help to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.

Take herbal medicine for example. There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, fever, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine. This is because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.

Currently there are numerous organizations that study the effects and advocacy of natural medicine among which is herbal medicine. Some governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free.

As their studies compile, more herbs and treatments are added to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments have been proven to be bogus medicine. This represents a challenge for both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate.

There exist today many alternative medical treatments that fall under natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to consult the experts as to the legitimacy of these treatments.

Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine. Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices. In that case of minor ailments your expert we actually advise you to take natural therapies instead.

The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness and prescribing treatments for such. Natural medicine is helpful because it suggests that treatment be not necessarily given only when sick. Natural medicine strives to make each patient practice good health habits. These habits include good diet, healthy living, and the regular natural treatment.

It is this same line of thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes, a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our well-being. And this is the foundation of natural medicine may it be massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or others.

A Full Body Detox

Body detox is among the best ways of keeping ourselves clean and healthy, besides other methods such as special diets, vitamin supplements, natural therapies, and so on. An important step in a full body detox is to restore or also to replenish energy levels to make you more alert in different areas of your life, such as at work. A body cleanse or body detox is also a great way to give your body a boost after a night of over-indulgence, eating all the wrong foods and consuming more alcohol than is healthy. That is why body detox is needed because some mortals are having this kind of lifestyle.

The human body has a built in detox system that removes harmful substances from the body through excretion but when we put pressure on it by eating unhealthy foods, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough sleep the system is weakened. At one time, the need for a natural body detox seemed to apply only to those who suffered from some form of drug or alcohol dependency. The pollution your body is exposed to daily, and your consumption of various types of junk food, coffee, aerated drinks, alcohol etc leads to the accumulation of various toxins in your body. Initially known for elimination of excessive alcohol and drugs from the body, detox is now being used more extensively for the process of elimination of any kind of toxins that may be present in the body. A full body detox diet plan using raw vegetables and fresh fruits is especially recommended for young individuals whose bodies have been subjected to high levels of alcohol, burgers and pizzas.

Todays refined diets, stressful lifestyles antibiotics or other health problems can deplete the body’s natural store of these little miracle workers and upset the delicate balance or eubiosis. There are numerous other methods to detox your body, such as through herbal tea and supplements, in addition to specialized diets and spa programs. Body detox diets vary but typically involve eating or drinking nothing but raw, steamed or gently stir-fried vegetables and fruit, pulses, sprouted seeds, thin soups, juices and plain cereals such as brown rice, millet or buckwheat. Mediterranean diets are low on fat and carbohydrates and they provide us with healthy alternative to the oily food we consume every day.

Start using the benefit of exercise to cleanse and detoxify your body. Exercise increases oxygen to your system and raises your body temperature, in effect combining oxygen therapy and hyperthermia. Exercise detoxification is an effective method of cleansing many vital organs simultaneously and should become a regular part of your life. There are tons of exercise programs and plans out there, or just walking for at least 12-15 minutes a day is beneficial to the colon function. The simplest form of administering oxygen therapy is through a simple deep breathing exercise.

The increase in the amount of toxins in the body results in stress in the immune system that eventually breaks down due to overwork. If you are interested in the idea of detoxing and want to receive the fastest results possible, then what you are going to want to do is find a quick detox diet, a body detox that is going to offer you quick results. Some methods are used individually as body detox solutions while other individuals use several methods together to achieve the best possible results. If you want to receive optimum results from your detox, you should consider taking some supplements for detox. It is also good for keeping track of detox intervals or a detox schedule, body detox is not just a one time thing, for best results it should be done on a regular basis throughout the year.

Without Zinc You Are Headed Towards Dementia or Alzheimer’s

Zinc is one of those minerals that have been discovered necessary to hold off the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Most older people and those with dementia and other mental disorders have been found to be deficient in zinc. In most studies zinc has been shown to improve mental capacity in elders.

To get zinc into your blood stream you need to have a specific acid that is excreted by the pancreas. This acid is called “picolinic acid” When food containing zinc or zinc supplements reaches the small intestine, duodenum, the pancreas excretes picolinic acid. This acid binds with zinc and moves it across your intestine wall and into the blood stream.

Picolinic acid is created in the liver and kidneys from the amino acid tryptoph. This amino acid then moves into the pancreas. If you have diabetes or if your pancreas is overworked or weak, you will not be excreting enough picolinic acid and will not be providing enough zinc to your brain. You will need to supplement your diet with zinc.

The type of zinc you need is one that is bound with picolinic acid. This type is called “zinc picolinate.” There are other type of zinc supplements such as zinc citrate and zinc gluconate, but there are not absorb as good as zinc picolinate. If you cannot get zinc picolinate then the next best is zinc gluconate.

The body has many uses for zinc and this can contribute to a deficiency of zinc in the blood for the brain. The body uses zinc for helping,

* in chemical reactions with enzymes * with antioxidants to prevent arteriosclerosis * with DNA to prevent dementia or Alzheimer’ * with cells activity * kidneys to maintain acid base balance. * with carbon dioxide removal * make pancreatic enzymes * your liver to detoxify alcohols * and the list goes on and on.

Here are some of the foods to add to your diet to get more zinc.

beef, lamb, cheese, yeasts, oysters, Shrimp, herring, sunflower seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, wheat germ & bran, Mushrooms, Spinach, Squash, Asparagus, Collard Greens, Broccoli ,Chard, Miso, Maple Syrup

Zinc can be toxic in excessive amounts. A safe amount to take is 20 – 25 mg per day. Do not take more than 40 mg per day. Toxic effects are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea.