I grow more amazed at Americans every day

When you notice that your body is changing and things do not work like they used to, this is for most of us a pink slip that we are getting older. The interesting thing is that it is happening to people who are not old. Young people with geriatric diseases, it is horrific, but true, and scary to think that we are the ones causing most of it ourselves.

When I was young, people began to hurt, they would have Rheumatism and Bursitis and Diabetes and Heart disease when they were old. It was something that most would say, he or she is old and everything is beginning to break down and fall apart. Today, people are having a hard time believing that they have type II Diabetes in their thirties and forties, blood pressure problems and cholesterol disasters in that same age bracket, and old bones and arthritis when they should be in the prime of their life.

It is hard to believe it is happening to us at a young age, but lets face it, stand back and take a look at lifestyle, diet, lack of exercise, stress levels and bad habits, and then say to yourself that it is hard to believe.

We have every tool available to us to get and stay in the greatest of health. More than any other country actually, but we still choose all of the wrong paths and make the worst choices, and do not take warning signals seriously. The thing that is so frustrating to me is when a disaster happens with someones health, and the Doctor tells them what they already know, they suddenly want to do everything they can to change their life overnight. This is the mentality and they cannot understand why doing things now cannot make and correct years of their lousy bad choices and fix all that ails them by tomorrow.

This is when I usually say, you have had these habits for decades in some cases, and you have known about what was coming and how your health was becoming compromised. So why now, because a man in a white coat puts the fear of God in you, do you think what you have always known is now easy to do and understand?

Amazing as it sounds I see it every day, and I am marveled at how the judgement of an individual can change at the drop of a dime. Maybe the answer is people need to be told what to do and warned by someone, anyone in a white coat and then instantly the foggy picture becomes clear. Maybe I should start wearing a white smock?

Tablets versus liquid supplements

So I thought I would answer a question I am asked all of the time, and yesterday three times. Is it better to take supplements in a tablet or a liquid?

Liquids certainly are a faster delivery system, but the drawback may be that many of those supplements are not digested in the stomach and may become destroyed in the acid before ever reaching the intestines where they are supposed to be digested and absorbed. Some people are so familiar with the stories of tablets coming through the digestive tract through the colon unbroken down and whole, This is very true but that is not the full story. Many of the natural manufacturers use vegetarian coatings that break down no matter how poorly the digestive tract works. Some, and many pharmaceutical companies use everything fro carnuba wax, red and yellow dyes and shellac to hold the tablet together, making it very difficult for us to digest. Thereby the term "Bedpan Bullets" came to be associated with those supplements.

The other drawback is with a liquid, there is basically no way to sustain the length of time in a body or timed release it for all day coverage. Easy in, quicker out! I will always take a timed released supplement that I can be assured of all day coverage and having nutrients at your bodies disposal when it needs it.

So to answer the question of liquids versus" High quality" supplements, I like the idea of liquids, and there are people that cannot for whatever reason swallow a tablet, so it does have it's place. But let;s face it, we live in very stressful times and we need all day protection and need to have that protective wall around us.

Why we do the things we do

I am often vitamin asked by many different people why do I not feel anything from my vitamins that I take every day? I think the answer to this can be answered by one of three different questins.

The first question I ask is where did you buy them and what kind of sources do they use?

How are the products manufactured and in what kind of laboratory, and are they regulated and FDA approved?

The third is, why would you continue to use a product that claims to make you feel different and does not make any noticeable difference for you?

We need to remember that because there is not as much control over the vitamin industry, many times companies will cut as many corners as pssible to save their bottom line, and the effectiveness of the products and the customer satisfaction suffers for it. Also, there are not as many strict standards in line as far as the labs and how they utilize their raw products and how the air, bottling, capsulizing and tableting procedures are used. This can cause a dramatic difference in the effectiveness and success of the products we the consumers buy and use.

The reason I have stayed with Great Earth for as many years as I have has to deal with the fact that they are made in Phoenix Labs in New York. Phoenix has been an FDA sanctioned laboratory for years and continually adds updated machinery and expertise to be ahead of the manufacturing process every year. Having this status puts Phoenix in a very small minority of companies across the country that has earned this prestigious honor, and then have to work to maintain it year after year.

The last thing to remember is if you have been using a product or products for a period of time and you have not been successful or achieved the benefits you were looking for, then it is time to change it up a little. Many consumers stay with things because of being a creature of habit, but this is not a time to stick to your guns, it is rather a time for change.

What happens is some people try an inferior brand, get no results and then get a bad taste in their mouth and give up on it completely. It is hard to think about it but not all supplements are created equal, and I am sorry about that, but sometimes if it is cheap and seems to good to be true, it most likely is. Like they say, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are, it is a duck!!

Take the extra time to research the supplements you take. People spend more time researching their clothes, their cars, and their travel plans one hundred times more that the supplements they put in their bodies, go figure!

If you are troubled as to where to go and what to look for, e mail me and I can steer you in a productive and effective direction.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

This is a birthday wish to Richard Armstrong from all of his friends. See, like I always tell you, just because you are fifty, does not mean you cannot act 25, and pull it off, and look great doing it !!!!

Happy birthday Richard, all of us wish you healthy birthday wishes for years to come.

Bad habits

As I visit so many different places, I always ask the same questions when at lectures or doing training. I am amazed that no matter what part of the country I am in the answers are almost textbook the same.

Now I have to think that I am in so many areas that involve different demographics, different financial situations, different age levels, different backgrounds, both sexes and different races, so how can the answers and the health problems and results of my questions all be the same, or close to it?

The answer I think is that although everyone around the country wants change and everyone wants the perfect healthy body, and while almost all of them desire a healthy lifestyle, very few do what is needed to get it. That is the answer. Although want and desire is stressed, the common denominator is PROCRASTINATION.

Crazy, but so true, and also frustrating because I cannot blame it on anything other than low motivation and laziness. If we were graded on want to, and desire, Americans would all receive an A, but since we have to grade on actually applying themselves and follow through, the grade would have to be incomplete.

All of the know how about health concerns and diet and exercise and supplements. Enough information that it should make people run for the hills to get away from their unhealthy lifestyles, but still no motivation on their part.

I never ever judge bad habits or tell people to quit them, habits are personal and most will quit them when and only when they want to. I have a funny , well not so funny story that proves true the statement I made above.

Many years ago I was with 4 of my friends I grew up with, they were two brothers and two sisters. They were at the hospital and we were visiting their Mom who was in a coma dying from Cancer everywhere in her body. She was a heavy four pack a day smoker and heavy drinker, so basically no surprises here. As we were all in the room, the Doctor came in and spoke to all of them about smoking and the pitfalls as to Cancer and death, and he spoke to them for about a half hour. The Mom passed away about a half hour later, and after a while we all got in the elevator to go down to our cars. As soon as we stepped outside to talk about the plans and what to do next, all four of them lit up. I never said a thing, but then at that moment I realized the intensity of habits and how and why they are so hard to break.

I am sorry to say that three of the four have since died of lung and or throat Cancer and the forth has emphysema. This is why it is actually pointless and really none of anyone’s business when someone we know and love has a bad habit. It is up to them and only them to make the change. Honestly, our bugging people is annoying and should not be done, once again we can be concerned and hope for the best, but that’s about it.

Half way through the year, how are you doing?

I have come to the conclusion after many years of thinking about this, that we are not all created equal, Let me elaborate on this so that it makes sense and so that my viewpoint will let you see where and how I have come to this conclusion.

I know that we are all the same as far as our make up, our blood our cells, organs, skin consistency, brains and that we have all arrived here ion the same manner. Where I see the major differences in people in general, is how they react to change and how they look at solutions about their health and longevity.

Many people daily do exercise, take supplements, do body work like massage and yoga and meditation. They do this because they know and understand the benefits and have either decided on their own, or have been told or have had it suggested to them that it would be a good life change. Others may try it for a while, but because they do not want to do it in the first place, or are not convinced of it’s benefits, they do not continue for a very long time.

Amazing as it may seem, some people would like all of their health problem’s and faults to go away over night, or be able to take a pill to have it magically disappear by tomorrow. Now, although supplementation is an amazing art and science, and can do miraculous things, it will most likely not do it overnight. I think television and articles in the grocery store periodicals over stress magical changes with no effort and people because of just plain laziness expect it and in some cases demand it. The mentality of so many people is that they want change to happen quickly and they do not want to give anything up or change their habits or do anything that requires anything other than what they are doing right now.

Although this is the wish of every American, I am sorry to say it is just that, a dream.
We need to get real and make whatever changes need to be made and make them before they are made for us medically. I think that this is the worst scenario, when we have to have our decisions made for us by either family or the medical staff at a hospital because we waited to long to make a change for the better, or we did not make one at all.

The moral to this if you are over thirty five years of age. Get a physical once yearly, primarily for a starting point, or someplace to compare to year after year. Exercise or get busy at something you enjoy doing at least three times per week. If you hate the gym, don’t go, go for a walk, go to the park with the dog, something, anything that gets you off the couch and up and moving. The next thing, look at your blood work when your Doctor gives it to you. If he recommends a prescription, ask to have ninety days to make changes in your lifestyle and let the Doctor know that you will come back for testing to see the changes at that time. Most Doctors will agree to this, unless there is a life threatening situation that needs immediate attention.

Many people jump right into the prescriptions without questioning to see if they really can prevent using them, do not fall pray to this. Being that the prescription market is still very new, side effects and updated health scares can come up years after you may be on the drug. If you are forty, do you really want to be on medications for possibly forty or fifty years? I mean does anyone really know the long term side effects? If you have the chance, do anything and everything to prevent being on them.

We need to be reminded that most of the top diseases we are dying from are caused by us and our own forks and lack of motivational drive to be active. So if we can make some changes, many of them small, we will and can live a healthier and hopefully longer life.
Diet should be addressed as this is the one thing that can make the most change as far as disease prevention. Diabetes, high blood pressure, vascular circulatory disease, obesity, heart disease, clogged arteries, and even depression and anxiety can all be managed and in many cases prevented and reversed by dietary changes, and in most cases quite quickly.

So sometime, and sometime soon, go to a quiet place with no distractions and just a pad of paper and a pen. Write down a list of activities you enjoy, problems you may be experiencing, health problems and strengths, how your mood is, supplements you take, medications you take and some family history as far as disease and how your genetic lines are so that you can get a better idea of what is down the road. I often tell people to attend one of those awful family reunions and while you are there look around and ask people how they are doing. This is often the best crystal ball into the future as to what you either want or do not want to happen to you. Remember, people that are not healthy and are having surgeries and bad health love to talk about it. So this is the time to suck it up and listen and learn.

I hope some of this will motivate you to get going and get ahead of the future before you are playing catch up. There is nothing better that making changes and feeling the differences

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Dog information important to know about.

This was sent to me from a wonderful friend in California. Her name is Betsy, and she is the most wonderful person I know, as well as being about the most knowledgeable person about dogs and the health of dogs anywhere.

In this day and age when our pets are sometimes more important than some of our family members and even some friends, information pertaining to them is crucial.

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This was checked out on Snopes and it is true.>http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp>>Written by:>Laurinda Morris, DVM>Danville Veterinary Clinic>Danville , Ohio>>This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. >>I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 ½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.>>The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and>started the fluids . Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.>>He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.>>This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.>>Laurinda Morris, DVM>Danville Veterinary Clinic>Danville , Ohio>>>Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do>This is worth passing on to them.>>

Slow down we move WAY to fast!

So the heat is here and we are all making adjustments so we can better tolerate the heat. The funny thing is, those of us who complain the most, are also the same ones who do it every single year. I mean, we live in the desert, so we should know that every single year we will be in the low hundreds for at least three months.

I always laugh because for the first few weeks everyone seems to put off things and then eventually realize that they need stuff. Gas, food, clothes,cigarettes, booze and need to go somewhere other than just going to work and coming home and hiding from the scorching weather. After a few weeks, we get used to the heat and we go on like we do every single year.

Things eventually cool down and the weather is very pleasant for about a month or so, and then it gets cold, and then we have something else to complain about. I guess when it comes down to it at the most basic level, we will never be, nor are we ever satisfied with the now or the present. I think many of us spend our entire lives living in the what could be and the maybe tomorrow will be better, until we realize that we are now old and where did the and our lives go.

As I am traveling around the country I see it everywhere I go, and hear it in conversations where ever I am. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to go no where quickly and waiting for things that have not happened, and hoping for a better next week when we have not even finished the day.

I know that hoping and planning for bigger and better ways to enjoy our lives is a dream of every person every where, but maybe enjoying what we have and where we are now at this moment will keep us more focused and under a little less self induced stress.

Take more B Vitamins and possibly some Kava and maybe a bit more Ginkgo Biloba. These can all help our stress, our focus, and keep our nerves at bay.