It's horrifying to read the papers these days.
All sorts of terrible illnesses and conditions seem to be on the increase, despite the best efforts of medical technology.
It makes you wonder about the diets and lifestyle of modern man. We've got old evils like polio and tuberculosis under control in this country... but new ailments are on the rampage.
Especially diabetes.
According to the organisation ‘Diabetes UK', there are 1.8 million people with it. But there's a million more who have it... but don't even know it! What's more, it gets more common as you get older. The average age of diagnosis for people with no family history of the illness is 52.
There are two basic types of diabetes...
"Type 1" develops when the body is unable to produce any insulin. Sufferers need to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels.
"Type 2" develops when you can't produce enough insulin, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly. This is the diabetes which usually appears in people once they pass 40 years old.
But I've got some good news for you. Protection from both kinds of diabetes can come in the form of a vitamin that's not even a real vitamin!
"Why dead fish are the answer..."
A study in the Lancet back in November 2001 revealed that vitamin D lowered the risk of type 1 diabetes. A Finnish study of 12,000 new born babies found that recommended doses of vitamin D reduced the risk of them developing diabetes by 80%.
But even more tellingly, Finland has more Type 1 diabetes than anywhere else on planet earth. And why? Because they only get 2 hours of sunlight per day.
And the key source of vitamin D? You guessed it... the sun.
You see, vitamin D is not really a vitamin, as such. It's what's known as a ‘Steroid Hormone Precursor'. Instead of it coming mainly from food, you make over 90% of it in your skin after you've been in the sun. So one answer is to get plenty of natural sunlight every day.
But there's a problem. As we age, our skin absorbs less and less vitamin D. Even worse, we live in Great Britain. In the winter, even if we get more than the Finnish 2 hours of sunlight a day, it often doesn't feel like it. It goes from dark, to gloomy, to dusky, to dark again.
It's more vitamin ‘Depressed' than vitamin D.
So you have to look to your diet instead. And you don't need really need supplements, which could raise your vitamin D levels too high. To get your vitamin D intake up to scratch, you need to add eggs, liver and oily fish to your diet.
The best way is to take a cod liver oil supplement. It has the right amount and the right type of vitamin D for your needs. One teaspoon a day should do it.
"New Alzheimer's discovery revealed"
Although there are no known cures for this disease, fish could also be the answer in the fight against Alzheimer's.
Eating fish one day a week and doing mental exercises every day can help slash your chances of developing this terrible disease.
Dr. Gary Small is the director of the UCLA Centre on Ageing and a professor of psychiatry at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute in the USA. He reviewed a great deal of scientific studies, and conducted his own. His claim is that people who eat fish once or more a week can reduce their risk of Alzheimer's by up to 60%.
Small also believes that the brain acts like a muscle. To keep it fit and healthy you have to exercise it. A great technique is to do a crossword puzzle every day. But there are plenty of others... learn a musical instrument, memorise facts and figures for pub quizzes or learn complex new card games.
Best of all is to combine light exercise (even a brisk walk) 3 times a week with these mental activities. Add some fish to your diet and you will be feeding your brain and body enough to put up a fight against Alzheimer's.
"7 steps to a safe detox"
We all have those periods where we think we're having too many nights out, with too much rich food and alcohol. A common reaction, especially in the New Year, is to go on a huge detox programme, giving up everything you enjoy, nibbling on lettuce and drinking only water.
But this is dangerous. When you detox, your liver, lungs and kidneys flush out all the chemicals, pollutants and heavy metals that you body has absorbed. These are dangerous toxins, and if you've not prepared your organs to deal with them properly, they can cause horrendous damage.
So before you go on a detox, please follow these 7 steps:
1. Don't fast or go on a crash diet. By doing this you lower your levels of glutathione (or GSH) a powerful detoxifying agent that acts like a ‘super mop' for your cells, wiping up all the ‘free radicals' and ridding you of unwanted toxins. Glutathione also helps your body recycle the vitamins C and E, which you need to fight off disease.
2. If you're going to detox, then your liver, kidneys and lungs need high levels of glutathione. Its ingredients are glycine, glutamate and cysteine. To maintain your glycine and glutamate, you need to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and freshly prepared meats.
3. To top up your cysteine levels, then you should get hold of some whey protein. It is are the building block of GSH and loaded with nutrients and essential amino acids. Ask your chemist for details of ‘GSH precursors', which you can take as a glutathione booster.
4. Try ‘milk thistle'. It contains silymarin which helps the lung repel toxins. Also, ensure you eat green vegetables like broccoli every day. They are rich in fibre and anti-oxidants... essential for fighting illness as the toxins flood out.
5. Have a check-up with your doctor. When you go into serious detox, you need to be sure you are fit and well. Consult your doctor, especially if you have a history of illnesses, and check that you are not going to trigger a reaction as your body starts rejecting toxins.
6. Plan a 4 week detox. This should be enough to do the job properly. No need to punish yourself.
7. Do some light exercise as you detox. This will raise your energy levels, keep the blood circulating through your body, and help flush out those toxins.
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