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Flu Flu Go Away

How To Avoid The Flu

Everyone is talking about the flu this winter.

Everywhere I go, people are coughing and sneezing.

The last time I was in the food store, a lady picked up a box of cupcakes, then sneezed without covering her mouth. Those germs went everywhere! She smiled at the lady next to her, put the cupcakes down and they walked off. Even if she didn’t have the flu, she could be carrying the germs. 

Flu Symptoms from the Mayo Clinic website: 

  • Fever over 100.4 F (38 C)
  • Aching muscles, especially in your back, arms and legs
  • Chills and sweats
  • Headache
  • Dry, persistent cough
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Nasal congestion
  • Sore throat

So, what can you do to avoid the flu, colds and other winter illnesses? 

  • Wash your hands.
  • If possible, stay away from people who are sick.
  • Eat healthy.
  • Drink lots of water and other healthy drinks.
  • Exercise.
  • Take your vitamins.
  • Sleep 7-8 hours every night.
  • Keep your immune system strong.
  • Watch the video for details. 

Products recommended in the video are available here

Cold and Flu Prevention

 

 

Discover Healthier Living With Shaklee Products

 

StarTeamUSA.net

Alternative Remedies for Normal Thyroid Function


Guest post by Paisley Hansen.

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Thyroid System

Metabolism, protein production, calcium and phosphorous balance, weight gain or weight loss, increase in oxygen levels and body temperature are all controlled by a 2-inch bi-lobed gland known as the thyroid, located just below the larynx in the front of the neck.

When normal thyroid function is compromised, it can result in an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). The conventional way of treating these conditions is medication and surgery. However, natural healing of the thyroid can be successfully done by consuming five foods that positively affect thyroid function.

Fish

An essential component needed by the thyroid to manage calcium absorption is selenium. Individuals with an under-active thyroid can heal this gland naturally eating selenium-rich foods such as fish (tuna and salmon) at least three times a week. Sardines are the one of the best food choices for people to maintain good thyroid function since it is a good source of Omega-3 and is packed with a high content of selenium, calcium and iodine which are also crucial for good thyroid health.

Nuts

Typical thyroid medication only provides T4 hormone for hypothyroidism. However, the most beneficial form of thyroid hormone that effects living tissue is T3. Therefore, T4 hormone has to be converted into T3 by the body in order for an underactive thyroid to begin to function normally. One of the best foods that can provide the body with the nutrients it needs to convert T4 to T3 efficiently is nuts. Almonds and walnuts are both good sources of selenium and have concentrated levels of nutrients, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Brazil nuts are also rich in selenium, but contain a greater amount of saturated fats that may increase the risk of developing higher LDL and cholesterol levels, heart disease and hardening of the arteries with frequent consumption.

Yogurt

For individuals who have an overactive thyroid, yogurt is a good food choice to reduce the effects of this condition. Since hyperthyroidism is considered a disease of the autoimmune or defense system, the active presence of good bacteria called probiotics, (i.e., lactobacillus acidophilus) helps to improve the function of the immune system over time by eating it regularly.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Low thyroid hormone can also be caused by a copper and iron deficiency. People who produce low amounts of thyroid hormone can incorporate Shiitake mushrooms often in their diet to boost these nutrients.

Cabbage

Hyperthyroidism may be caused by too much iodine consumption among other things. Eating a “goitrogenic” food (inhibits the body’s use of iodine) such as cabbage may significantly prevent the body’s ability to absorb iodine and minimize hyperthyroidism symptoms.

Certain Foods To Avoid For An Unhealthy Thyroid

Gluten-Based Foods

Autoimmune problems are related to certain disorders of the thyroid that also include food sensitivities to gluten found in wheat, barley and rye and processed foods that can prove harmful to the thyroid’s autoimmune function.

Peanuts

Foods containing isothiocyanates occur in certain foods such as peanuts that may interfere with thyroid metabolism. Before consuming peanuts, it is advisable to get a blood test to check thyroid hormone levels.

Cabbage

Although cabbage may help reduce overactive thyroid, it should be avoided for individuals who have an under-active thyroid since it belongs in the category of cruciferous vegetables known as goitrogens.

Sweet Potatoes

Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain. Although this vegetable is often praised over the white potato, the sweet potato is a goitrogen food that can sabotage the effects of thyroid medications used to stabilize this gland.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Paisley HansenPaisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in health, fitness, beauty and fashion. When she isn’t writing she can usually be found reading a good book or hitting the gym.


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November is National Diabetes Month

This infographic and description is excerpted with permission from The American Recall Center

Diabetes affects over 25 million people in the United States, or 8.3% of the entire population. Within those 25 million people, over 8 million are undiagnosed, or do not know they are living with diabetes. For diabetes being so widespread, there is a lack of common knowledge about how to recognize diabetes, the different types, and what it takes to manage the disease.

Life with Diabetes Infographic

American Recall CenterThe American Recall Center provides drug and medical device recall information alongside practical healthcare information and support. We aim to build the most comprehensive resource on the Internet for timely and trusted material regarding healthcare topics that matter to the consumer. The team at ARC is dedicated to helping consumers find accurate information with ease.

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Stop Tobacco Litter

Tobacco Fact Sheet Header

The following is from The Tobacco Fact Sheet
by Legacy For Longer Healthier Lives.

Cigarettes and Land Pollution

° In 2007, 360 billion cigarettes were consumed in the United States.1 ‘Cigarette butts’, the plastic filters and remnants of smoked cigarettes, are discarded in natural environments, streets, sidewalks, and other public areas. Some of these butts may then be carried as runoff to drains and ultimately end up polluting rivers, beaches, and oceans.2

° Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic which is technically biodegradable. However, cigarette butts only degrade under conditions described by researchers as “severe biological circumstances,” such as when filters end up in sewage. Even under optimal conditions, it can take at least 9 months for a butt to degrade.3–5

° In practice, cigarette butts tossed on streets and beaches do not biodegrade. The sun may break them down, but only into smaller pieces of waste which become diluted in water and/or soil.2,3,6

° Despite the fact that 86% of smokers consider cigarette butts litter, three-quarters of them reported disposing of them on the ground or out a car window at some point.7

° Multiple litter studies show that when counting litter on a per-item basis, cigarettes and cigarette butts are the most prominent litter item on U.S. roadways.8

° Keep America Beautiful reports that in 2009, tobacco products—primarily cigarette butts—
comprised nearly 38% of all collected litter items from roadways and streets.8

° Keep America Beautiful also found that cigarette butts were the most common litter item collected at five of six non-roadway sites, including: retail areas, storm drains, loading docks, construction sites, and recreational areas.8

° A study of the effects of roadside waste on soil found similar patterns of poly-aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in the soil as in cigarette butts found in the roadside waste, indicating that the chemicals had leached from the butts into the soil.9 Some PAHs are carcinogenic.10

° A study found that tobacco cultivation contributes significantly to deforestation and degradation of the environment, particularly in the developing world.11

Cigarette butts are the single most littered item across the entire globe

Cigarettes and Coastal and Aquatic Pollution

° Data from the Ocean Conservancy shows that in 2010, over one million (1,181,589) cigarettes or cigarette filters—enough to fill 94,626 packs—were removed from American beaches and inland waterways as part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). This represents about 31% of the total debris items collected and by far the most prevalent item found.12

° In addition to cigarettes and cigarette filters, 16,257 cigarette lighters, 73,155 cigar tips, and 36,592 tobacco packages or wrappers were removed from U.S. waterways during the ICC in 2010.12

° Growing concerns over the impact of tobacco waste on the environment as well as the substantial costs of cleanup have prompted states, municipalities, and institutions to undertake a variety of policy actions.2

° As of July 1st 2012, 130 municipalities across the country prohibit smoking on their beaches13, while 625 prohibit smoking in their parks.14

° Studies have examined the toxicity of cigarette butts to aquatic ecosystems. Preliminary studies show that organic compounds, such as nicotine, pesticide residues, and metal, seep out of cigarette butts and become acutely toxic to fish and micro-organisms.15-17

° In one laboratory study, the chemicals that leached from a single cigarette butt soaked in a liter of water for 24 hours released enough toxins to kill 50% of the saltwater and freshwater fish exposed for 96 hours.17

° Another laboratory study found that cigarette butts can be a point source for heavy metal
contamination in water, which may harm local organisms.18

Tobacco Smoke and Air Pollution

° Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also known as secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke given off by the burning end of cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and the smoke exhaled by smokers.19

° In 1986, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that ETS is a major health risk to nonsmokers. In 1992, ETS was classified as a Group A carcinogen, a substance known to cause cancer.20 In 2006, the Surgeon General concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to ETS.21

° In 2010, 818,580 pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the air by tobacco product manufacturing facilities in the U.S.22 Some of the chemicals released are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database because they are considered hazardous to a person’s health and to the environment.23

° The top five chemicals released were ammonia, nicotine, hydrochloric acid, nitrate compounds, and chlorine.22

Tobacco Fact Sheet

Download the Tobacco Fact Sheet

Ready to quit smoking?
Are You Still Smoking?
Top 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking

February is American Heart Month

American Heart Association
According to the American Heart Association

  • More than one in three adults has some form of cardiovascular disease.
  • The good news is 80% of heart disease and stroke can be prevented.

Life’s Simple 7 keys to prevention

Control cholesterol
Cholesterol is more than just a number. One important factor is the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL). The more HDL in your blood, the better the ratio. Keep your cholesterol in check by reducing and/or eliminating the bad fats in foods like greasy burgers and bacon.

Manage blood pressure
Blood pressure can be controlled with medication or try these low blood pressure tips.

Reduce blood sugar
Prevent diabetes by living a healthy lifestyle outlined here. Check your blood sugar with a simple blood test. If you have diabetes, control it with diet and exercise. And take your medicine if your doctor prescribes it.

Eat right
Eat less red meat. Eliminate boxed, prepared and over processed food. Stop eating white flour and sugar.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Follow the food pyramid or go vegan.

Lose weight
There’s no magic to losing weight. To lose one pound, you need to …
Eat 3,500 calories less
Burn 3,500 calories more
Or a combination of both
You’re invited to do a 180 turnaround. 90 Days to lose the weight. Then 90 days to learn how to keep it off.

Get moving
Walking is one of the best exercises. All you need is a good pair of shoes and get moving.

Stop smoking
There are lots of good reasons to stop smoking. And NO good reason to continue smoking. Top 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking

What Are My Chances of Getting Heart Disease

References:
Make the Effort to Prevent Heart Disease with Life’s Simple 7
What Are My Chances of Getting Heart Disease?
American Heart Association

Leave a comment with YOUR heart healthy tips.

Marilyn Kvasnok

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