Health Benefits of Cumin

The health benefits of cumin include its ability to aid in digestion, improve immunity and treat piles, insomnia, respiratory disorders, asthma, bronchitis, common cold, lactation, anemia, skin disorders, boils and cancer.

Many of you might remember having hated those curries and soups which had roasted or fried cumin seeds in them when you were kids, because they looked like small black insects. However, you probably liked the taste. So your mother might have removed these flavorful parts before she served you the food. That was cumin!

Cumin, scientifically known as Cuminun Cyminum belongs to family Apiaceae and is extensively used in culinary practices of the Indian Subcontinent and some other Asian, African and Latin American countries as a condiment or spice. Those who are of the opinion that spices are bad for one’s health should note that cumin can be beneficial for some of the most dangerous diseases, and is generally consider a boost for overall health. Let’s explore just how it benefits your health in the section below.

Health Benefits of Cumin

The health benefits of cumin include the following:

Digestion: Cumin is extremely good for digestion and related problems.  The very aroma of cumin, which comes from an aromatic organic compound called Cuminaldehyde, the main component of its essential oil, activates our salivary glands in our mouth, which facilitates the primary digestion of food. Next is thymol, a compound present in cumin, which stimulates the glands that secrete acids, bile and enzymes responsible for complete digestion of the food in the stomach and the intestines. Cumin is also Carminative, which means that it relieves from you from gas troubles and thereby improves digestion and appetite. Due to its essential oils, magnesium and sodium content, cumin promotes digestion and also gives relief for stomach-aches when taken with hot water.

Piles: The main cause behind piles (hemorrhoids) is constipation added with infections in the wound in the anal tract, which are also caused by constipation. Cumin, because of its dietary fiber content and carminative, stimulating, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, acts as a natural laxative in powdered form. These characteristics are due to the presence of essential oils comprised mainly of Cuminaldehyde and certain pyrazines. Adding cumin to your diet also helps in healing up of infections or wounds in the digestive and excretory system and speeds up digestion as well. That pretty much means that cumin clears up all of the symptoms and causes of hemorrhoids, so keep that it mind when you start itching!

Diabetes: Although research is still ongoing, early studies report that cumin, among a number of other spices, can have a powerful effect in preventing diabetes by reducing the chances of hypoglycemia. The animals that were tested showed a sharp decline in hypoglycemia when fed cumin seeds in their diet, and they also showed a decrease in glucosuria, which is a condition where the urine contains too much glucose, also resulting in hypoglycemia and diabetes. Human testing is ongoing, but early reports show that cumin can be a very powerful tool in the battle against diabetes!

Insomnia: This is a very peculiar property of cumin. It is a stimulant as well as a relaxant at the same time. This property cannot be attributed to a single component alone, just as causes of insomnia cannot be attributed to a single cause. However, studies show that the proper intake of vitamins (particularly B-complex) and good digestion help to induce a sound sleep. Cumin helps in both of these factors. Some of the components of cumin essential oil are hypnotic in nature and have tranquilizing effects, which also help to relieve stress and anxiety that commonly causes insomnia.

Respiratory Disorders, Asthma, Bronchitis: The presence of caffeine (the stimulating agent), and the richly aromatic essential oils (the disinfectants) make cumin an ideal anticongestive combination for those suffering from respiratory disorders such as asthma and bronchitis. It acts as expectorant, meaning that it loosens up the accumulated phlegm and mucus in the respiratory tracts and makes it easier to eliminate them from the system via sneezing or coughing up and spitting. By eliminating as much of the mucus and phlegm as possible, it can inhibit the formation of additional material and help to heal the initial condition that led to its formation in the first place.

Common Cold: The common cold is a viral infection which affects our body frequently when our immune system becomes weakened or vulnerable. Again, the essential oils present in cumin act as disinfectants and help fight viral infections which can cause the common cold. Cumin also suppresses the development of coughing in the respiratory system since it dries up the excess mucus. Cumin is rich in iron and has considerable amount of vitamin-C, which are essential for a healthy immune system and keeps infections from forming or becoming worse. Vitamin-C is also a natural antioxidant, so it defends against other infections and toxins as well, further boosting the immune system.

Lactation: Cumin is rich in iron and thus very good for lacting mothres as well as for women who are undergoing menses or who are pregnant, since they are more in need of iron than others. Moreover, cumin is said to help ease and increase secretion of milk in lactating women due to the presence of thymol, which tends to increase secretions from our glands, including milk, which is a secretion from the mammary glands. Also, cumin is more beneficial if taken with honey. Cumin has remarkable amount of calcium (more than 900 mg per 100 grams) which accounts for over 90% of our daily requirement of calcium. This calcium is an important constituent of milk and hence cumin is very good for lactating mothers.

Anemia: As stated above, cumin is very rich in ironn (more than 66 mg. in every 100 grams) which is more than 5 times the daily requirement of iron for an adult. This iron is the main constituent of hemoglobin in the red blood corpuscles of blood. It is hemoglobin which transfers oxygen (as the oxide of iron) to the body’s cells and whose deficiency causes anemia. So, cumin can be a nutritious additive to daily diet for anemic people and avoid the symptoms of anemia like fatigue, anxiety, cognitive malfunction, and digestive issues.

Concentration and Cognitive Malfunction: The amount of iron in cumin leads to increased hemoglobin production and subsequent prevention of anemia, but that increased blood flow has other benefits as well. When your blood circulation is in top form, adequate amounts of oxygen are able to reach the organs and the brain, leading to optimal performance of those bodily systems. Proper amounts of oxygen and iron in the brain lead to increased cognitive performance and a decrease in cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. For other organs, increased oxygenation increases efficiency and speeds up the metabolism, which can boost your overall health, increase strength, and prevent signs of aging.

Skin Disorders: Almost everyone knows that vitamin-E is good for the maintenance of skin and the prevention of premature aging symptoms. It keeps the skin young and glowing. This vitamin is also present in abundance in cumin. The essential oils present in cumin have disinfectant and antifungal properties. This prevents any microbial and fungal infection from affecting the skin. Not all skin issues are disorders or infections, some of them are simply signs of aging. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in this regard and combats the free radicals that attack the skin and result in signs of premature aging like wrinkles, age spots, and sagging skin. This, combined with the antibacterial capacity of cumin, makes for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts far into your old age.

Boils: Boils are outlets for the removal of toxic substances and foreign matters such as microbes from the body. This means that they are symptoms which show that a high amount of toxic substances have accumulated in the body. In this way, cumin can help you a great deal. Those who regularly use cumin in food have a significant reduction in the occurance of boils, rashes, pimples, and other signs of excess toxin content. Components such as cuminaldehyde, thymol, and phosphorus are good detoxifying agents which help in the regular removal of toxins from the body. The healthy way of removing toxins is through the excretory system, not through boils.

Immunity: As discussed above, an abundance of iron, the presence of essential oils, vitamin-C, and vitamin-A in cumin boosts our immune system in a number of ways. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants that we have in our body, and it also stimulates the function and activity of white blood cells. As an antioxidant, vitamin C fights the detrimental effects of free radicals, which are the dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism. They are constantly being created in the body, and therefore, must be constantly eliminated. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that lead to many diseases, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Cancer: Cumin itself has detoxifying and chemopreventive properties, and accelerates the secretion of detoxifying and anticarcinogenic enzymes from the glands, as it also does to other secretions. Furthermore, it has beneficial antioxidants like vitamin-C and vitamin-A within its chemical makeup, in addition to those essential oils. Besides having countless other benefits, the antioxidants have anticarcinogenic properties too, and those found in cumin are particularly good for colon cancer prevention.

Other benefits: Even more? Cumin is also beneficial in treating renal coli, weak memory, insect bites and painful stings. With all of these benefits, how could you say no? Add some cumin to your diet as soon as you can!

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-cumin.html

Last Update: March 8, 2012.

Being overweight increases the risk of health problems, but what benefits can you expect if you lose weight? Is there an immediate health pay-off, or is it impossible to get quick results? Losing weight and then keeping it off usually takes a lot of motivation, because we really have to change our lifestyles if we want to change our weight for the long term. Changing long-established habits and patterns of behavior is hardly ever easy.

If we want to lose weight, not achieving our goals can make us feel quite bad about ourselves. Being a normal weight is important for our health, but that is not the only issue for many of us. Our society places great importance on how we look. This is why we can become unhappy or even depressed if we feel unattractive because of our body size. On the other hand, there is also the view that overweight people just enjoy life and have more fun than other people. Contradictory messages like this are common when it comes to weight and weight loss. So what happens emotionally when you lose weight? How many of your problems could losing weight solve?

Unfortunately, despite all the claims about weight and weight loss, there are not many reliable answers to these questions. But some of the research could help you find your way through the maze of claims and counter-claims about weight loss.

How much weight do you need to lose to get healthier?

Firstly, you do not have to lose weight if you are not genuinely overweight. And even if you are, weight is not the only important issue, either. What is actually most critical is the amount of fat in your body, and where that fat has built up. Muscle, for example, is quite heavy. So if you gain weight because you have increased your muscle bulk, the extra bit of weight is no problem at all.

Two approaches are commonly used to determine if people are overweight: the body mass index (BMI) and waist measurement. The BMI helps to determine how much you weigh in relation to your height. Waist measurements give you an idea of how fat is distributed in your body.

The BMI is the most common way to try to work out if people are overweight or very overweight (obese). It measures the relationship between weight and height. People who have a BMI over 30 are considered to be obese. Being obese is a greater risk to health than being overweight. People who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are usually considered to be overweight. Being overweight alone does not necessarily cause health problems, but it could be a problem if the person already has certain illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes.

The BMI scale cannot always be used in this way because, for example, a certain BMI is associated with different health risks in people from South Asia compared to people from Europe. The same is true for waist measurements. A waist measurement of 88 cm or more could put European women at a higher risk of health problems, while for European men, more than 102 cm could be a sign of increased health risks. This is also true even if their weight is within the normal range.

You can get a better idea of how fat is distributed in your body by looking at the relationship between your waist and your hips. If you have a relatively big amount of belly fat, your risk of disease is higher. A more "apple-shaped" person with a "beer belly" and narrow hips faces higher health risks than someone who does not have much fat stored around their belly. Abdominal (belly) fat in particular increases your risk of heart disease. If your body fat tends to be stored around your legs, hips and bottom rather than your belly, then it is less likely to be a health problem. This is often called being "pear-shaped", because you are smaller on the top and rounder lower down.

Being too worried about your weight can itself become a problem. If you are not in fact overweight, but keep losing weight, then you could quickly become unhealthy.

Are there any quick health results that I can get from losing weight?

Being overweight or obese increases your risk of long-term health problems that could shorten your life, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Preventing these serious illnesses is often the main health reason why people try to lose weight if they are obese.

Reducing your risk for serious life-threatening illnesses is an important health benefit. Many people may feel that the best reward for losing weight is feeling healthier and seeing an improvement. One of the first benefits you might notice is having more energy. If you are losing weight with the help of exercise, your fitness will be increasing. So you could quite quickly be able to climb more stairs without getting out of breath, for instance.

If you have osteoarthritis in the knees, you are likely to experience a quick improvement there, too. Being overweight or obese puts a lot of stress on your knee joints in particular. If you have been overweight for a long time, your risk of osteoarthritis will increase quite a lot as well. Losing weight can prevent you from developing osteoarthritis of the knee joints. If you already have painful knees, losing weight can relieve the symptoms.

If you are obese and you have osteoarthritis in your knees, you are likely to notice that you can move your joints more easily if you manage to lose 10% of your body weight in three months. But even if you only lose 5% of your body weight in five months, you could still feel a real difference in what your knees can do. If you are 80 kg (about 177 pounds), then 5% of your body weight would be 4 kg (about 9 pounds). You can read more about the positive effects exercise and losing weight have on osteoarthritis here.

One of the other important health benefits of losing weight may be that your doctor might decide that you can take less of the medication you have been taking, or stop taking it altogether. This may include drugs to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol level, insulin for type 2 diabetes, and other drugs to lower your blood sugar.

Of course, how you lose the weight also matters: there are healthy and unhealthy ways to lose weight. Some weight-loss drugs have adverse effects that can harm some people’s health. One drug, rimonabant (brand name: Acomplia) had its license for use in Europe suspended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in October 2008 because it had caused serious depression. And in January 2010, authorization for the drug sibutramine was suspended by the same agency. They had determined that the potential benefits of sibutramine did not outweigh the possible harmful effects, particularly cardiovascular disease.

The U.S. regulatory agency FDA ruled in May 2010 that all medication containing orlistat, also available over-the-counter in low dosage, must include a warning about serious liver injury as part of its package insert in the United States. There had been individual cases of this in people who had taken, among other drugs, orlistat. Yellowish skin, itchiness, noticeably darker urine, light-colored stool and upper-abdominal symptoms can all be signs of damage to the liver. The agency recommends suspending the use of medication and consulting a doctor if these symptoms occur.

The latest diet craze in women's magazines will probably not give you the results you want either. Generally speaking, you lose weight by reducing how much energy you consume (calories from fat and carbohydrates in food) and by increasing how much energy you use (by being more active). If you lose weight but smoke more, the smoking could do more harm to your health than a few kilograms of extra weight will.

How can I keep the weight off permanently?

Losing weight is hard enough, but keeping it off for the long term can be even harder. To keep weight off permanently, you need to have made some real and sustainable changes to your lifestyle. Because your previous habits led to your being overweight, going back to those habits means the weight would be quite likely to return. This means that it is important to find new habits that you can really live with for the long term: for example, a form of exercise that you really enjoy, or that is at least very practical for you to keep up.

One of the main things you can do to keep your weight down is to exercise, as well as change your eating habits. Researchers have found that when people who are overweight or obese lose weight with a combination of diet and exercise, they lose on average 20% more weight than if they only diet. For the people in that research, this meant an average of 3 kg extra weight loss due to exercise. And this improvement also held over the longer term: a year later, the people who had exercised still weighed less than the people who had only dieted.

It is believed that people really need to be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on at least five days a week to stay healthy and fit. "Moderate-intensity exercise" means doing something that increases your heart rate. This means that walking very slowly does not count, but walking briskly does. You do not have to exercise so strenuously that you are out of breath, but you do need to exert yourself at least a little to get a benefit.

Brisk walking has been shown to help very inactive people get more exercise into their everyday lives. People who work full-time, for example, would get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise by walking at a fairly brisk pace for 15 minutes to and from work every day. Regular brisk walking has many advantages, such as not needing special equipment and causing fewer injuries than many other forms of exercise.

People who walked on average an extra three hours per week for eight months were able to lose around one kilogram and two per cent of their body fat through the walking alone. They improved their cardiovascular fitness (the strength of their heart and circulation) and there was a small positive impact on their blood pressure. You can read more about that research here, and about ways that can help people walk more here.

How can I keep motivated?

If you are having trouble losing weight and keeping it off, then getting support from your doctor or someone else who encourages your progress could help.

It is important that the changes you make are suited to your physical fitness and your state of health. Your doctor can help you consider the options. The key to long-term success is to find ways that are practical for you. You may have to explore several options before you find something that works. If you have already lost weight but get stuck at some point, you might need to try something new to start making progress again.

It is important not to give up completely, even if you do have setbacks or some difficult times. Seeing a reduction in your waist and losing weight is probably the best feedback to motivate yourself, but it can also be disheartening if nothing is changing.

Some people watch their cholesterol levels as a sign of whether their risk of heart disease is going down, but this is not always a guarantee that your health risks are decreasing. Nevertheless, it can be very encouraging to see measurements like your cholesterol or blood pressure fall.

The health risks that come from being overweight are a combination of many factors. This means that health interventions do not necessarily have an immediate effect. For example, losing weight might not always be enough to reduce your blood pressure in the short term. You can read more about the research on this here . So, just because you are not seeing immediate results, it does not mean that it is not worthwhile to stick with your new habits.

IQWiG, the publisher of this website, is looking for research that shows ways of reducing your blood pressure without drugs. We will update this information as the IQWiG's assessments become available. 

What if I am losing weight but it does not make me feel as good as I expected?

Many people who lose weight will feel better physically and emotionally. But even if you do not feel better or are disappointed with the results you have achieved, the weight loss could still be making you healthier.

Other ways of losing weight might make you feel happier about yourself. For example, some people feel better with the support they get from a group of others who are also trying to lose weight. Others feel better if they go to group sessions that help them to learn to accept their bodies and improve their body image. Doing regular exercise gives some people a lot of satisfaction and makes them feel emotionally better, but not everyone experiences this.

Losing weight is not the only way to improve your health. Getting more exercise, even if it is not reducing your weight, can also have other benefits for your well being. You can feel good about yourself and be healthy even if you are not a normal weight for your height. Getting to know your body and accepting yourself might be more important for your happiness than losing weight.

Some people will have thought for a long time, “I'll feel much better and happier if I just lose some weight . . .” So if they do not end up with the results they had hoped for when they lose weight, they may feel very disappointed. Even though being overweight can cause a lot of problems in your life, the weight itself might not be responsible for all the problems that you think it is. This means that losing weight will not necessarily solve all your problems. Expecting life to become easier by losing weight alone is unrealistic.

It is difficult to lose weight and then keep it off. If you have been able to do it, it is an important achievement. Having done it, you may also find that you are better able to take on other challenges and succeed with them as well.

Author: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Prevention

How to Reduce Your Risk and Protect Your Brain

For many years, we've been told that there's little we can do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia but hope for the best and wait for a pharmaceutical cure. But the truth is you can reduce your risk by eating right, exercising, staying mentally and socially active, and keeping stress in check. By leading a brain-healthy lifestyle, you may be able to prevent Alzheimer’s symptoms and slow down, or even reverse, the process of deterioration.

IN THIS ARTICLE:

• Lifestyle choices can protect your brain
• Regular exercise
• Healthy diet
• Mental stimulation
• Quality sleep
• Stress management
• Active social life

  

Lifestyle choices can protect your brain

Researchers across the world are racing towards a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But as prevalence rates climb, their focus has broadened from treatment to prevention strategies. What they’ve discovered is that it may be possible to prevent or delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through a combination of healthful habits. While Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 percent of dementia cases, vascular dementia accounts for up to 40 percent in older adults, and there is much you can do to prevent this type of dementia.

It’s never too early to start boosting your brain reserves, but whatever your age, there are steps you can take to keep your brain healthy.

The 6 pillars of a brain-healthy lifestyle

The health of your brain, like the health of your body, depends on many factors.

While some factors, such as your genes, are out of your control, many powerful lifestyle factors are within your sphere of influence.

The six pillars of a brain-healthy lifestyle are:

1. Regular exercise
2. Healthy diet
3. Mental stimulation
4. Quality sleep
5. Stress management
6. An active social life

The more you strengthen each of the six pillars in your daily life, the healthier and hardier your brain will be. When you lead a brain-healthy lifestyle, your brain will stay working stronger…longer.

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention pillar #1: Regular exercise

The benefits of exercise

In addition to protecting against Alzheimer’s and dementia, regular exercise:

• Reduces stress
• Boosts mood
• Improves memory
• Increases energy

According to the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation, physical exercise reduces your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 50 percent.

Regular exercise can also slow further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems.

If you’ve been inactive for a while, starting an exercise program can be intimidating. But you don’t have to take up jogging or sign up for a gym membership. Look for small ways to add more movement into your day. Park at the far end of the parking lot, take the stairs, carry your own groceries, or walk around the block or pace while talking on your cell phone.

Tips for getting started and sticking with your exercise plan:

• Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times per week. Try walking, swimming, or any other activity that gets your heart rate up. Even routine activities such as gardening, cleaning, or doing laundry count as exercise.
• Build muscle to pump up your brain. Moderate levels of weight and resistance training not only increase muscle mass, they help you maintain brain health. Combining aerobics and strength training is better than either activity alone. For those over 65, adding 2-3 strength sessions to your weekly routine may cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in half.
• Include balance and coordination exercises. Head injuries from falls are an increasing risk as you grow older, which in turn increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Balance and coordination exercises can help you stay agile and avoid spills. Try yoga, Tai Chi, or exercises using balance discs or balance balls.
• Stick with it for a month. It takes approximately 28 days for a new routine to become habit. Once you’re over this hump, keeping up your exercise routine will feel natural. In the meantime, write realistic goals on a workout calendar and post it on the fridge. Build in frequent rewards, and within no time, the feel-good endorphins from regular exercise will help you forget the remote…and head out the door.
• Protect your head. Studies suggest that head trauma at any point in life significantly increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This includes repeated hits in sports activities such as football, soccer, and boxing, or one-time injuries from a bicycle, skating, or motorcycle accident. Protect your brain by wearing properly fitting sports helmets, buckling your seatbelt, and trip-proofing your environment. Avoid activities that compete for your attention—like talking on your cell while driving. A moment’s distraction can lead to a brain-injuring thud!

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention pillar #2: Healthy diet

Eat to protect glial cells.

Researchers believe that glial cells may help remove debris and toxins from the brain that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming foods such as ginger, green tea, fatty fish, soy products, blueberries, and other dark berries may protect these important cells from damage.

Just like the rest of your body, your brain needs a nutritious diet to operate at its best. Focus on eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.

Eating habits that reduce inflammation and provide a steady supply of fuel are best. These food tips will keep you protected:

• Follow a Mediterranean diet. Eating a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet rich in fish, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, and abundant fresh produce. Treat yourself to the occasional glass of red wine and square of dark chocolate.
• Avoid trans fats and saturated fats. Reduce your consumption by avoiding full-fat dairy products, red meat, fast food, fried foods, and packaged and processed foods.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet. What’s good for the heart is also good for the brain, so by reducing your risk of heart disease, you also lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Get plenty of omega-3 fats. Evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Food sources include cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, and sardines. You can also supplement with fish oil.
• Eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day, rather than 3 large meals. Eating at regular intervals helps to maintain consistent blood sugar levels. Also avoid refined carbohydrates high in sugar and white flour, which rapidly spike glucose levels and inflame your brain.
• Eat across the rainbow. Emphasize fruits and vegetables across the color spectrum to maximize protective antioxidants and vitamins. Daily servings of berries and green leafy vegetables should be part of your brain-protective regimen.
• Enjoy daily cups of tea. Regular consumption of green tea may enhance memory and mental alertness and slow brain aging. White and oolong teas are also particularly brain healthy. Drinking 2-4 cups daily has proven benefits. Although not as powerful as tea, coffee also confers brain benefits.

Give up smoking and drink in moderation

Smoking and heavy drinking are two of the most preventable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Not only does smoking increase the odds for those over 65 by nearly 79 percent, researchers at Miami’s Mt. Sinai Medical Center warn that a combination of these two behaviors reduces the age of Alzheimer’s onset by six to seven years.

When you stop smoking, the brain benefits from improved circulation almost immediately, no matter your age. However, brain changes from alcohol abuse can only be reversed in their early stages.

What about supplements?

Folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium, and fish oil are believed to preserve and improve brain health. Studies of vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, coenzyme Q10, and turmeric have yielded less conclusive results, but may also be beneficial in the prevention or delay of Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms.

Talk to your doctor about medication interactions, and review current literature to make a personal decision about the costs and benefits of dietary supplements.

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention pillar #3: Mental stimulation

Those who continue learning new things throughout life and challenging their brains are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, so make it a point to stay mentally active. In essence, you need to “use it or lose it.”

Activities involving multiple tasks or requiring communication, interaction, and organization offer the greatest protection. Set aside time each day to stimulate your brain. Cross-training with these brain-boosting activities will help keep you mentally sharp:

• Learn something new. Study a foreign language, learn sign language, practice a musical instrument, read the newspaper or a good book, or take up a new hobby. The greater the novelty and challenge, the larger the deposit in your brain reserves.
• Practice memorization. Start with something short, progressing to something a little more involved, such as the 50 U.S. state capitals. Create rhymes and patterns to strengthen your memory connections.
• Enjoy strategy games, puzzles, and riddles. Brain teasers and strategy games provide a great mental workout and build your capacity to form and retain cognitive associations. Do a crossword puzzle, play board games or cards, or work word and number games, such as Scrabble or Sudoku.
• Practice the 5 W’s. Observe and report like a crime detective. Keep a “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” list of your daily experiences. Capturing visual details keeps your neurons firing.
• Follow the road less traveled. Take a new route, eat with your non-dominant hand, rearrange your computer file system. Vary your habits regularly to create new brain pathways.

Mental exercises have long-lasting benefits for seniors

In a groundbreaking study, older adults who received as few as 10 sessions of mental training not only improved their cognitive functioning in daily activities in the months after the training, but continued to show long-lasting improvements 10 years later.

The ACTIVE study of 2,832 seniors involved 60-75 minute training sessions in memory, reasoning, or speed of processing, using exercises such as memorizing lists, detecting patterns in number series, and operating a touch-screen program.

Ten years after the training, nearly three-quarters of the participants who received reasoning training and over 70 percent of speed-trained participants were still performing tasks above their pre-trial baseline level, compared to about 62 and 49 percent of control participants.

While there was not the same improvement in memory performance, the results highlight the importance of mental training in delaying the onset of functional symptoms of dementia.

Source: National Institutes of Health

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention pillar #4: Quality sleep

Your brain needs regular, restful sleep in order to function at optimum capacity. Sleep deprivation not only leaves you cranky and tired, but impairs your ability to think, problem-solve, and process, store, and recall information. Deep, dreamy sleep is critical for memory formation and retention. If nightly sleep deprivation is slowing your thinking and affecting your mood, you may be at greater risk of developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The vast majority of adults need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Any less, and productivity and creativity suffers.

Tips to help you combat insomnia and catch up on your Z’s

• Establish a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time reinforces your natural circadian rhythms. Your brain’s clock responds to regularity.
• Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.
• Set the mood. Reserve your bed for sleep and sex, and ban television and computers from the bedroom (both are stimulating and may lead to difficulties falling asleep).
• Create a relaxing bedtime ritual. Take a hot bath, do some light stretches, write in your journal, or dim the lights. As it becomes habit, your nightly ritual will send a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time for deep restorative sleep.
• Quiet your inner chatter. When stress, anxiety, or negative internal dialogues keep you awake, get out of bed. Try reading or relaxing in another room for twenty minutes then hop back in.

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention #5: Stress management

Stress that is chronic or severe takes a heavy toll on the brain, leading to shrinkage in a key memory area of the brain known as the hippocampus, hampering nerve cell growth, and increasing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Yet simple daily tools can minimize its harmful effects.

Get your stress levels in check with these proven techniques

• Breathe! Stress alters your breathing rate and impacts oxygen levels in the brain. Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Restorative breathing is powerful, simple, and free!
• Schedule daily relaxation activities. Keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Make relaxation a priority, whether it’s a walk in the park, playtime with your dog, yoga, or a soothing bath.
• Nourish inner peace. Most scientists acknowledge a strong mind-body connection, and various studies associate spirituality with better brain health. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize you against the damaging effects of stress.

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention #6: An active social life

Human beings are highly social creatures. We don’t thrive in isolation, and neither do our brains. Studies show that the more connected we are, the better we fare on tests of memory and cognition. Staying socially active may even protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, so make your social life a priority.

Oftentimes, we become more isolated as we get older, but there are many ways to keep your support system strong and develop new relationships:

Volunteer Join a club or social group Visit your local community center or senior center Take group classes (such as at the gym or a community college)

Reach out over the phone or email Connect to others via social networks such as Facebook Get to know your neighbors Make a weekly date with friends Get out (go to the movies, the park, museums, and other public places)

Simple ways to connect with your partner, family member, or friend

• Commit to spending quality time together on a regular basis. Even during very busy and stressful times, a few minutes of really sharing and connecting can help keep bonds strong.
• Find something that you enjoy doing together, whether it is a shared hobby, dance class, daily walk, or sitting over a cup of coffee in the morning.
• Try something new together. Doing new things together can be a fun way to connect and keep things interesting. It can be as simple as trying a new restaurant or going on a day trip to a place you’ve never been before.

http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm

Tips for Reducing Cellulite with a Power Plate

By Dr. Mercola

Cellulite—those little pockets of fat that give some an "orange peel" or "cottage cheese" appearance to skin —is a source of great embarrassment for many. If you've tried numerous treatments to no avail, you may be wondering... does anything actually work on cellulite?

The answer is, YES! There really are things you can do, but they have nothing to do with the creams and gadgets you've seen advertised on late night TV.

There Are No Quick Fixes for Cellulite

Cellulite's bumpy appearance is due to the way your fat cells connect to your skin amidst the connective tissue just below it. Your connective tissue is attached to the lower layers of your skin by relatively inelastic fibers, causing the skin to become dimpled if your fat cells are enlarged.

Fluid retention, storage of toxins, poor circulation, and poor muscle tone all worsen the appearance of cellulite. Today, you can't escape bombardment by ads for creams, wraps, and medical procedures claiming to "cure" cellulite, but don't waste your money. These are temporary fixes at best, and without continual treatment, cellulite just reappears.

As with so many other health issues, the key is in the lifestyle choices you make every day. Treating cellulite successfully requires accurate information, a little bit of patience, and your willingness to make some long-term changes, such as what you eat, when you eat, and how you exercise.

I will be discussing specific strategies in a moment, but before we hit the nitty-gritty, it is important to understand what you are actually treating and why.

Your Lymphatic System Is Key

The presence of cellulite should be viewed as more than just a cosmetic issue—it's a window into your overall health and may indicate a larger health problem. Cellulite often results from a buildup of toxins in your tissues, especially in your fat cells. If you have cellulite, it may mean that your detoxification system needs support—specifically, your liver and lymphatic system.

"Detoxification" is more accurately defined as the mobilization and elimination of waste, toxins, pathogens, and other unwanted debris from your body. Therefore, if your goal is to reduce cellulite, supporting your liver and keeping your lymph flowing are two key objectives.

Lymph is a clear, colourless fluid that serves as the transport medium of your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is part of your circulatory system and has a number of functions, including the removal of interstitial fluid, the extracellular fluid that bathes most of your tissues. Lymph also transports white blood cells between your 600 to 700 lymph nodes and other areas of your body.

Lymph moves between your cells, tissues, and organs along a lymphatic "highway" of specialized capillaries. About three-quarters of these capillaries are superficial, located near the surface of your skin.1 This is why treating cellulite requires that you give some special care to your lymphatic system!

Cellulite May Mean Your Lymphatic System Is Backed Up

Your lymphatic system is essentially your body's "sewage processing plant," responsible for removing waste, toxins, and other unwanted material out of your cells and tissues so they can be flushed out of your body. When your lymph stops flowing freely, it's like having your garbage company go on strike. Your garbage begins to pile up—and the longer the strike, the higher it piles. If the strike goes on long enough, your home will become toxic and you'll get sick. This is what happens with sluggish lymph: waste accumulates in your cells and tissues.

Unlike your blood, which has a beating heart to push it along, your lymph requires actual movement from you in order to keep it flowing. So, if you don't move much, your lymph doesn't move much either... and cellular "garbage" begins piling up. Your fat cells are particularly susceptible to the build up of fluids and toxins. You have 500 to 1,000 times more toxins in your fat than in the rest of your tissues. If your lymph becomes sluggish, then your fat cells may swell—and one of the consequences is cellulite.

According to one study, women with cellulite typically have lymphatic deficiencies. Another study found that 80 percent of women have sluggish lymphatic systems. Cellulite is not the worst thing that can happen when your lymphatic system isn't working properly—you can actually become quite ill. In your body, garbage removal is serious business, which is why it's so important to not ignore warning signs that your body's detoxification system is compromised, and cellulite is one of those signs.

You Can't Spot-Treat Cellulite

Cellulite is a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution, as opposed to spot treatments. In the words of personal trainer Ariane Hundt, founder of Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp: "Getting rid of cellulite requires proper exercise, nutrition, proper circulation and the control of fat-storage hormones that are more prevalent in the lower body."

Reducing cellulite is approached much like reducing overall body fat—it is best tackled through proper diet and exercise to get at the hormonal and metabolic processes that control fat storage. By regularly engaging in vigorous exercise, not only will you increase your lean body mass, but you'll also stimulate your lymphatic system and help your body to mobilize and eliminate toxins. Most of these toxins are fat-soluble and are released when your fat is burned for fuel. Exercise will improve your circulation, both in your blood and lymphatic vessels.

Acceleration Training May Reduce Cellulite 26 to 32 Percent

I'll address diet shortly, but in terms of exercise, there is nothing more effective at reducing cellulite than Accelerated Training, also known as Whole Body Vibration Training (WBVT). Acceleration Training is performed on a platform that vibrates in three dimensions, such as the Power Plate. This motion improves your lymphatic circulation and helps break down cellulite from the inside out.

The vibrations cause thousands of muscle contractions that pump lymph out of congested tissues, helping to flush out toxins, which eases the load on your immune system. It also stimulates your production of human growth hormone (HGH), the "fat burning hormone." The Power Plate has been scientifically shown to be more effective than aerobic exercise at reducing visceral fat, and research has also proven that it's also excellent at reducing cellulite. In a 2004 German study, subjects exercised on Power Plates for eight to 13 minutes, two to three times a week.

After six months, they experienced a 26 percent reduction of cellulite on their buttocks and thighs. A second group added 24 to 48 minutes of cardio training to the same Power Plate workout and experienced a 32 percent reduction in cellulite after six months. Other studies confirm the benefits of Acceleration Training for sustained fat loss. For example, one animal study showed that it decreased the production of new fat cells.

How to Demolish Your Cellulite with a Power Plate

There are some specific Power Plate exercises that may be particularly good for cellulite-prone areas of your body, such as your buttocks and thighs. Not surprisingly, squats and lunges are among the best, whether done on a Power Plate or not. But when combined with Acceleration Training, their effectiveness is kicked up several notches! Women's Fitness recommends the following three Power Plate exercises. (For diagrams and equipment settings, refer to the original article.)

• Squat with strap hold: Facing away from the machine, stand on the platform with a wide stance. Get into a squat position and grab the straps with a neutral grip at the base. Keeping your arms straight and inside of your elbows, pull the straps straight upwards. Maintain tension in the straps and hold for the required time to complete a set.
• Lateral Step-Lunge: Begin standing on a step next to the plate, with your right side nearest the machine. Step onto the platform with your right foot and lower down to a 90-degree bend in your right knee, keeping your left leg straight. Hold for a count of two and return your right leg to the step. Repeat for the required time to complete a set, then switch legs.
• Single-Leg Squat: Stand on the platform on one leg and sit back into a squat position by bending at your hips and knees, keeping your chest up. Slowly stand up without locking your knees, then move back into the squat. Repeat for the required time to complete a set, and then repeat on the other leg.

Another Women's Fitness article adds these exercises to the list:

• Bridge: Lie in front of your Power Plate with your back on a mat. Place your feet in the center of the platform and adjust your position so you can lift your hips off the floor and balance your body weight between your shoulders and feet. Try to keep a straight line running from your shoulders to your knees. Pull your belly button "up and in" to activate your core.
• Lunge with Lateral Raise: Stand on the floor facing your Power Plate, one stride's distance away. Holding a strap in each hand, place your right foot on the middle of the platform. Ease your left foot back on the floor until you're in a lunge position, and lift your left heel so that you're balanced on your toes. Drop your back knee towards the floor, keeping your front knee behind your toes and your torso upright.
Lift your arms straight out to the sides, level with your shoulders, to form a "T" shape, keeping your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a straight line with a slight bend at the elbow, and maintain tension in the straps by pulling upwards throughout. To progress, increase the depth of your lunge as you exhale and turn your palms to face the ceiling.
• Squat with bicep curl: Holding the straps, stand in the middle of your platform with the controls behind you. Ensuring your knees stay behind the line of your toes, lower your hips into a squat position. With your palms facing up, lift your arms in front of you, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Focusing on your biceps, continuously pull on the straps as hard as you can. Try not to let your shoulders come forward as you tire.
• Quad massage: Place a mat in front of your Power Plate. Position yourself onto the base with the front of your thighs resting on the platform and your face down. Rest your forearms on the mat in front of you to support your upper body. Keep a strong, flat back. You can also place a step underneath your torso and arms to aid rest. Close your eyes, relax your breathing, and enjoy the massage.

Don't Have a Power Plate?

If you don't have access to a Power Plate, a rebounder (mini trampoline) provides some of the same benefits, but less extreme. Unlike jogging on hard surfaces, which stresses your knees and ankles, rebounding is much easier on your joints and helps improve your circulation, muscle strength, and balance. You don't have to do high impact rebounding to receive lymphatic benefits—even short episodes of gentle bouncing, spread throughout the day, are helpful in getting your lymph moving.

If you don't have access to a Power Plate or rebounder, in addition to them, one of the most effective cellulite-busting exercises is high intensity interval training (HIIT), especially when combined with intermittent fasting. HIIT is an excellent way to kick up your metabolism and shift your body back into a fat-burning mode, as well as, increasing your HGH production.

Intermittent Fasting Can Turn You Into a Fat Burning Machine

The key to reducing or eliminating cellulite is to shift your body from burning sugar (glucose) to burning fat as its primary fuel, in order to get rid of excess fat deposits. Intermittent fasting (IF) is one of the most powerful interventions I know of to turn you into a fat-burning machine. I have been experimenting with different types of intermittent fasting for the past several years, and my preference is to simply skip breakfast and restrict my eating to a six- to seven-hour daily window.

This is doable for most people, but you can restrict it even further—down to six, four, or even two hours if you want. But you can still reap many of these rewards by limiting your eating to a window of about eight hours. The most important thing to consider about intermittent fasting is this: do not attempt it if your diet still consists mostly of processed foods, as proper nutrition becomes critical when you are fasting. Once you have reached your ideal body weight, you can be a bit more liberal, and rather than doing daily IF you can do it as frequently as you need to in order to maintain your ideal body weight.

What You Eat Is as Important as When You Eat

It is important to reduce your sugar intake, particularly processed fructose, as excess dietary sugar will prevent your body from making that much-needed shift into its fat-burning mode. Eliminate ALL high fructose corn syrup from your diet (which is in nearly every processed food), as it will bring your fat burning to a screeching halt. Replace excess sugar and refined grains with beneficial dietary fats such as avocados, raw nuts and seeds, coconut oil, and organic grass-pastured meats, eggs, and dairy.

Chemical-laden junk foods just add to the toxic load on your liver and lymphatic system, and should be avoided. Refined salt, also loaded into processed food, contributes to fluid retention and therefore to cellulite. If you want more nutrition information, please refer to my optimized Nutrition Plan.

You may wish to incorporate a detoxification program to help reduce your body's toxic load. Once you get your lymph flowing, your liver must be healthy and able to eliminate all of this debris, so it may benefit from some support. One simple but very effective detoxification protocol involves a combination of niacin (vitamin B3), exercise, and sauna therapy. Make sure you drink plenty of water, especially if you are on a detoxification program—your body requires good hydration in order to flush out toxins.

Recap—Plus a Few More Valuable Tips

There are no quick fixes for cellulite, but there are ways to reduce or even eliminate it over time. In summary, my cellulite-busting plan consists of the following three primary strategies to restart your fat burning engine and help your body purge tissues of excess fluids, unwanted debris, and toxins:

• Regular vigorous exercise—especially Acceleration Training, rebounding, and HIIT—will boost your metabolism and assist your body with detoxification, providing support to your liver and lymphatic system
• Intermittent fasting further revs up your fat-burning engine
• Optimizing your diet is important to give your body all of the nutrients it needs for optimal metabolic and hormonal function

The following are a few additional strategies you may wish to incorporate:

Dry Skin Brushing: Dry skin brushing stimulates your lymphatic system, accelerates detoxification, boosts circulation, exfoliates, and may help to reduce cellulite

• Massage: Massage stimulates your lymphatic flow and increases circulation, in addition to a long list of other health benefits
• Hydrotherapy: Taking a cold shower, or alternating between hot and cold water in the shower, boosts your body's fat burning ability and assists with detoxification
• "Emotional Detox": Have you taken out your "emotional garbage"? According to Louise Hay, the emotional cause of cellulite is "stored anger and self-punishment." One of the best tools for performing your own "emotional detox" is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is easy to learn and very effective in clearing out old emotional stuff.

• http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/06/13/cellulite-removal-power-plate.aspx?