Dairy-Free Calcium: Top Foods and Alternative Health Supplements

If you are lactose intolerant or allergic to the hormones and antibiotics that are found in milk and most dairy products, you probably let your calcium levels slip on many days of the week. This is actually a pretty dangerous thing to do - you can go fro quite a long time with steadily declining calcium levels, and your body will simply break down the minerals in your bones to compensate … so you'll feel no ill effects until you shatter your pelvis or shoulder, or your teeth suddenly seem to collapse all at once. It's important to get plenty of calcium, both from alternative health products and nutritional supplements, and from your diet. Today we check out the top sources of dairy-free calcium!

Almonds

These are not only a good source of non-dairy calcium, but great all-round for your health. They are one of the richest available dietary sources of vitamin E, and are also a good source of protein, fiber and magnesium.

Blackstrap molasses

Okay, unlike almonds this rich source of calcium is not really good for your general health! Pop it in your baked goods, sweet sauces and marinades, but don't overdo your intake of these foods just to get your calcium intake up … you'll end up worse off health-wise.

Broccoli

Broccoli is an awesome antioxidant as well as being packed with calcium (well, as much calcium as a vegetable can handle, anyway!). It contains magnesium, potassium and vitamin C in very decent quantities too.

Calcium enriched rice milk or soy milk

There is some debate about whether the calcium that rice milk and soy milk is fortified with is usable in the body. You're looking for calcium phosphate on the label to be certain that it is in a usable form for your body.

Figs

This fruit is a great complement to lamb, pork and chicken dishes - once you get used to cooking with figs you'll quickly become addicted.

Spinach

Spinach is surprisingly easy to add to a lot of savory recipes - you can pack a heap of spinach into your bolognaise sauce or lasagne without even noticing it is there. Risotto is another excellent way to get lots of spinach into your diet without doing it Popeye-style!

Alternative Health Supplements

Of course, these are much faster and provide a catch-all for the times when you just don't have time to bake, make stews or lasagnes.

Caring for Those Who Don't Care…

For those of us that have experienced it, there are few things more challenging, more heartbreaking and that requires more strength and conviction than caring for a loved one with depression. Natural treatments for depression and low moods have come a long way in recent years - but they can still take a while to work. Today we check out some of the points it is essential to keep in mind if you are caring for a depressed person.

Look into drug free treatment of depression

Many depressed people fervently hate taking medication - it makes their bodies feel alien and their thoughts seem to belong to somebody else. Looking into drug free treatment of depression and consulting with their physician about how to incorporate it into their routine might be the best thing you can do. There are plenty of alternative health care products that can help.

Understand the illness

Depression is not just somebody seeking attention, somebody being stubborn, or something that people can snap out of if they don't like. You cannot help somebody with depression if these things are going through the back of your mind … even if you don't say them.

Try to find out the 'focus' of their depression

Did they recently lose a job? Suffer a relationship breakup? Lose contact with a child? Are they grieving? Do they believe that they are unlikeable, etc? Knowing the focus of their depression can help you find positive ways to convince them that it is unfounded - in a gentle and constructive way.

Know that just being there helps

It can be extremely frustrating trying to care for somebody that doesn't care. Know that just being there is helping them - even if they act as if it’s the complete opposite.

Find a way to exercise with them

Mild to moderate exercise has enormous therapeutic potential for mild to moderate depression. Try to get your loved one out for a walk round the block every day. Many depressed people enjoy the company of animals - duck ponds, seagull feeding or dog walking is perfect.

If you can't go the distance, find someone who can

If you start caring for someone that is depressed and then decide it is too hard, it will only reinforce their ideas about humanity in general. Only those that are very close to a depressed person should be involved with them.

Eat Soup, Lose Weight, Gain Control

Emotional eating happens. When we feel bad, some of us head for the kitchen to console ourselves with cookies, ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate, and lots of other goodies that really are not good for us. Alas, while this may lift our mood quickly, afterwards we tend to feel even worse. And the pounds stay with us. We feel even more depressed just looking in the mirror.

Breaking the Feel Bad/Eat Bad Cycle

Over the last year, I’ve been in a group of 12 women who are encouraging each other to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. One of the first things that became obvious to me was the clear connection between our weight and feeling good about ourselves. As the pounds came off, we talked more about wanting to feel better and look better. As we felt better about ourselves, we could keep the commitment to our health. There was a definite positive feedback cycle!

Most of us have now shed over 20 pounds each and bought new clothes and feeling more energy! We know that having that commitment to health is central. Yet frankly, we floundered trying to figure out how to lose that poundage in a healthy, safe way that does not leave us feeling irritable, deprived, or depleted. We shared emails and tips about diets and alternative health products until we found something that really worked.

See Immediate Success

Then I came across a soup diet from Dr. Priscilla Slagle in one of her free alternative medicine newsletters. As a soup and vegetable lover, this was a welcome delight! The reason this approach really helped is that I saw immediate success in just one week. The soup itself is called the Sacred Heart Basic Fat Burning Soup (from a hospital program of the same name), and the complete diet can be found here.

I followed her instructions to alternate up to two weeks on the soup diet with two weeks on until I lost all the weight I wanted. The soup has very little protein, so it cannot be used long-term. I also took nutritional supplements since, as with any diet (including my normal one), it is not always balanced. Dr. Slagle suggests taking a good Multivitamin Mineral, at least 1000 mg Vitamin C, Essential Fatty Acids, such as MAX-EPA, or Flax Seed Oil & a good multi-amino-acid product such as Aminoplex--5 with breakfast and dinner.

Feeling Lighter and Lighter

The thing that is so great is that I could eat as much of this soup as I wanted to! I did not have to starve myself. The wonderful thing is that the more of it you eat, the more weight you will lose. It has been a real boost to feel my clothes getting too big for me and to feel lighter in more ways than one! Natural treatment for health conditions, including being overweight, has helped me regain control of life.

Does Your Friend Have “the Blues”?

Chances are you know at least one person who is suffering from the blues. Maybe it's a friend or a colleague, or even a member of your family who says she or he feels down or miserable often. It could be undiagnosed depression. Think about this person for a minute: In addition to feeling sad, what else do you notice about them? Do any of these other symptoms of depression show up? How many of these characterize him or her?

She or he is restless and fidgety.

She or he complains about being exhausted much of the time.

She or he is no longer as productive as before.

She or he expresses a lot of regrets about the past.

She or he shows a lack of hope about the future.

She or he is often focused on bodily symptoms.

If you answered yes to more than two or three of these, consider the possibility that your friend has depression or is headed for one--and needs help. The thing that makes depression so difficult is that the depressed person often does not realize it. Their thinking is not as clear. Even if they agree they have a problem, they doubt that they can be helped. They feel hopeless! Telling someone to “buck up” or "just smile" is not going to work and can even be counterproductive.

Why Depressed People Need Friends

This is why friends can be so important to helping get a depressed person back on a positive track. Unfortunately, as you can see from the checklist, the behaviors and attitudes of a depressed friend often turn off those around them. It is easy for us to "forget" to spend time with someone who is down all the time. They start making us feel negative about life!

One of the biggest favors you can ever do a friend who seems to be slipping into depression, or who may already be in a depression, is to sit down with him or her and share you concerns. You can express your affection and offer to help your friend get the help she needs.

Give Your Friend Hope

You could start by helping your friend take a look at just how depressed she is. There are simply on-line tests for identifying depression, for example the Zung Self Rating Depression Scale The range of scores will give a good if there is depression, and if so how severe.

You can also offer your friend information on a natural, drug-free treatment that can put and end to those symptoms. This treatment is based on the most up-to-date scientific discoveries about mood and depression. It’s a drug-free treatment of depression using a program of nutritional supplements, and it is clearly described in “The Way Up from Down” by Dr. Priscilla Slagle.

“The Way Up from Down”

Dr. Slagle has generously offers a FREE book on the natural treatment for depression. The Way Up from Down, at her website. You could easily send your friend that link as well as the one to the related newsletter, clearly one of the best free alternative health newsletters around.

Then take some extra time with your friend to discuss it and let him or her know you care, and that hope is alive! It could be one of the best things you ever do for your friend! You might even learn a few things that will help you feel better if the blues ever comes your way!

Healthier Living Today

We as individuals are constantly searching for a cure to the many illnesses that occur rather they are the common colds or other diseases that hit us. Finding cures for our children and ourselves is a constant battle especially when it comes to curing colds and viruses as well as medicines that help you cope with certain diseases from depression to cancer. Knowing that you choose the correct alternative vitamin or medicine is vital when it comes to ridding your body of infection or coping with mental illness and other health conditions.

With the wide variety of alternative health products available to the general public choosing the right medicine or vitamin proves to be harder with each passing day. On line there are wide selections of choices for a healthier living but choosing the company that offers the top of the line alternative solutions is vital. The Way Up is a company that offers you only the best when it comes to alternative medicines and vitamins. Owned and operated by a doctor who has spent years researching and selling on the top of the line solutions to alternative solutions for a healthier life for you and your loved ones.

Online you will find a wide selection of alternative health products, natural solutions for treating different levels of depression including simple low moods, natural ways to treat a variety of health conditions, drug free treatments for a variety of illnesses, natural herb supplements, nutritional supplements and much more. Shopping with the assistance of a professional will not only save you time when choosing the perfect alternative to over the counter or prescription medication but will save you a ton of money as well. Imagine cutting the cost of your health care monthly when you can avoid the expensive prescriptions that are sometimes not even covered under your insurance policy. Not to mention by using alternative medication, natural herb supplements and other alternative health supplements you are not putting harmful or unknown ingredients into your body solving one problem but creating another.

Enjoy a constant update via email newsletter when you sign up on line with The Way Up, the ability to speak with a professional doctor who can assist you in choosing the perfect products to get you started on your road to a healthier you and healthier family, affordable prices and wonderful shipping. Why continue running from health food store to health food store relying on individuals who only claim to know what’s best for you and your family when you have a professional doctor just a few clicks of your keyboard away?

Healthy Living

With our healthcare on a rollercoaster lately, who can afford prescription medications? They seem to be raising the costs every week. If only we could rely on our insurance companies to pick up the slack, but lately they seem to be denying more and more coverage. Even if they do cover it, the cost of the prescription is so expensive that it barely makes a difference. The bad news is that some of these prescription medications and treatments that cost so much are necessary to our lives. We cannot live without them. Healthcare knows that and continues to raise the prices. The Way Up is an answer to your prayers if the above describes you! We are here to offer affordable alternative health care products that are sure to provide results!

Priscilla Slagle, M.D., has a lot of experience in medicine. She is not new to the natural side of medicine either. Dr. Slagle has been using natural substances into her products for 35 years. She believes in natural health and is not trying to shove ten different expensive medications down your throat -- or wallet. Everyone knows, even doctors, that medications can sometimes do more harm to the body then good. Our bodies may become immune or start rejecting any medications that are introduced to it. This reason is exactly why natural health products are the way to go. The body already recognizes them and allows them to work their medical magic. These natural health supplies are not a fraud either. Dr. Slagle’s products are doctor-recommended supplements.

Dr. Slagle’s practice is based in Palm Springs, California, and is well-known. Her goal is to provide natural health supplements to people in need all over the world. Her worldwide shipping is set into place for that reason alone. If you are new to the natural way of medicine then please refer to our website. We have a guide and step-by-step instructions on how to fight your bad mood. Dr. Slagle has provided the recommended natural health alternative for whatever health issue you are facing. Since we are so dedicated to providing you with the best healthcare we want to make it even more affordable for you. Please refer to our discount tab on the website to see which offers you qualify for. Dr. Slagel has even authored a book titled “The Way Up from Down.” The book goes into detail about brain chemistry and mood changes. She shows you what affects your moods and how to change them for the better. The next time you are looking for a natural supplement to pick your mood up then please try The Way Up.

A Better way to Live

Being in the health care profession I understand completely how important it is to get all the essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to work correctly. I see a lot of illnesses that could be eliminated from people’s lives by simply changing their life styles. There are so many natural treatment of health conditions and if people would just pay attention to their bodies they could live a much healthier and happy life.

I have personally seen how somebody can use a drug free treatment of depression and not be tied to expensive and sometimes mind numbing medications. By simply changing the diet and adding supplements on a daily routine, along with a proper exercise schedule, they can overcome the symptoms of depression naturally. People just are not aware of how important nutrition is for the whole body and the mind. Chemicals get out of whack when you don’t eat correctly or when you don’t take care of your body.

Alternative health products are a key ingredient to extending you life and living happier and healthier. By removing the foods in your diet that cause fatty build ups, which also hampers the function of the immune system, you can repair so much of the damage that has already taken place. The most important thing is to know how to repair the damage and what steps you must take to get started.

You should start by examining your eating and exercise habits. If you aren’t eating healthy foods on a regular schedule and if you aren’t exercising routinely, you must change this part of your life. A natural health alternative would be to eat more vegetables and less red meat along with taking supplements to ensure you are getting all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. That would be an excellent start to a healthier you.

Natures Alternative to Illness

Several years ago when I was diagnosed with a mild case of depression, the doctor I trusted put me on a prescription medication that kept my head in a daze for most of the day. I didn’t like that feeling and decided to check into a drug free treatment of depression and found the answer for this and many other illnesses that I had always treated with modern medicine.

I had no idea there was a natural treatment of health conditions for just about every kind of illness and disease known. I wondered why I had never been shown this type of treatment before by my doctor because these treatments are less expensive and much better for your body than modern medical treatments that are manmade.

Once I found these alternative health products I started doing a lot of research. I found treatments for arthritis, in which both of my parents suffer from. I purchased the supplements and took them to my parents to try. After a month of using the natural treatment supplements, both my parents felt better and had more pain free use of their knees, shoulders, and hands. It really was amazing to see how well the natural treatment worked compared to the manmade treatment.

After doing extensive research I have found a natural treatment for almost every known disease or illness that humans suffer from. I don’t know why more people aren’t informed about these treatments but it almost seems like modern medicine is trying to keep this a secret from us all. I am happy to say that the mild depression I was diagnosed with is being treated successfully with a drug free treatment of depression that doesn’t give me a dazed feeling and allows me to continue my everyday routine. I am very thankful for finding these natural alternatives and have been spreading the news to everybody I know.

5 Things You Should Know About Depression in Men

Depression is often thought of as a women's disease … when men get frustrated they punch things, and when it happens to women they cry and get depressed. As most of us have found throughout our lives, the truth goes far beyond any set of narrow stereotypes. Depression is actually quite common in men … and it seems that our modern lifestyle is making it even more so. Today we look at five things you should know about depression in men and natural treatment of depression and low moods.

1. It happens … and it is nothing to be ashamed of
   Being depressed doesn’t make any man less masculine. On the contrary, it is often said that true bravery can be seen in the person that is scared, but faces their fear. Simply feeling no fear (or simply not suffering from depression) does not a true man make. It just does not factor into the equation - oftentimes depression is purely nutritional, biochemical or hormonal.
2. The following factors can contribute to depression in men
   Using drugs and alcohol, and the subsequent ups and downs in his body's chemistry; physical health problems; relationship problems; social isolation; and changes in living arrangement can all trigger depression.
3. Men are less likely to seek help for depression
   Because of our society's biases mentioned in point 1, men are less likely to seek help for depression. He will be much more dependent on the help of those close to him to pull him back up, from down. There are plenty of natural treatments for depression and low moods that can help make a good start.
4. Men are more likely to self-medicate, or to take medication improperly
   If a male loved one has been diagnosed with depression, they are much more likely to try to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, or to take more or less of their prescribed antidepressants than they should. It is best to supplement antidepressants with natural means of lifting depression, to help him get off that medication sooner.

Men are more likely to deny that they are depressed
This means that their loved ones often have a harder time getting them to seek help, and a non-threatening avenue such as nutritional, hormone and amino acid supplements

Focus on Amino Acids: Leucine

We are starting to see a new breed of alternative health products appearing more on the net and in stores. Rather than the simple vitamins and minerals which we used to take, you can now buy a range of tissue and glandular supports that help you achieve natural treatment of depression and low moods, and general health much better. Amino acids are a common ingredient in these, and today we shine the spotlight on one of the essential amino acids, leucine.

What is Leucine?

Leucine is an essential amino acid, which means that we must obtain it through our diet -- our body cannot synthesize it from other chemicals as it can with the range of non-essential amino acids. On the technical side, leucine is a component of buffer proteins like ferritin and astacin.

What organs use leucine?

Leucine is essential for functioning of the liver, adipose tissue and muscle tissue. Therefore, leucine has a role in:

• Removing toxins from the body, through the liver
• Helping us move and feel energized (through our muscles)

Leucine foods

You can get leucine from foods such as meat, poultry, cottage cheese, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and lentils.

Leucine alternative health products

Look for amino acid supplement comlexes in your alternative health product store, if you think you might not get enough leucine from your diet. These complexes are often rice-based, and can be mixed in with milkshakes, soups, smoothies and so on. Take a small amount several times daily, rather than a large amount all at once.

Alternative Health Supplements and … Your Hypothalamus

As far as biological science has progressed, much of the way the brain works remains a mystery to us! Along the way we have learned a few things about how the brain works, and alterntive health products as well as common sense mainstream methods for treating various conditions. If you are just discovering the enormous range of alternative health products and wondering about the regions of the brain they refer to, today we are investigating the hypothalamus, its functions, pathologies and how its function can be improved in some cases of deficiency.

What does the hypothalamus look like, and where is it?

The hypothalamus is located just above the brain stem, and directly below another region known as the thalamus (from which it derives its name). It is one of the older parts of the brain, speaking in evolutionary terms. It is also very, very small -- roughly the size of an almond in humans.

What does the hypothalamus do?

This little gland has various functions related to maintenance of normal body processes. Its jobs include:

• Communicating with the pituitary gland to link the nervous system (sensory inputs) to the endocrine system (your glands and the hormones they produce)
• Controlling body temperature
• Controlling hunger and thirst
• Helping regulate fatigue, sleep and waking cycles.

It is one or an assortment of these functions which alternative health products that focus on the hypothalamus generally aim to correct.

How does this little almond know what it is doing?!

We mentioned that this region of the brain links the sensory inputs from the nervous system to the hormonal outputs of the endocrine system. It does this using information from:

• Light inputs
• Pheromones and other odors
• Information that the brain relays to it from the activity of the heart, lungs, stomach and reproductive system including the gonads
• Stress
• Blood-borne stimuli, such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin (which change in response to the food you eat)

Alternative health products for the hypothalamus

Support for your hypothalamus from the alternative health products industry often comes along with thalamic and pituitary-support factors. These include substances like medulla concentrate, anterior lobe, ascorbic acid, pineal extract, papaine, and support for the limbic lobe, anterior lobe and posterior lobe.

Possible Side Effects of Mood Disorder Drugs: Alternative Health Products for Mood Support

With the recent release of findings that mood-disorder drugs could cause psychiatric disorders later in life, people are again turning to natural mood support methods to help. Drug free treatment of depression with alternative health products is becoming more and more popular, as people have more and more concern about standard medical treatments and their possible long term effects. We look at the recent finding, and your alternatives for mood support if you are concerned.

The Research

The study was done on animals, by researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center. The results were released in October of 2009. The research builds upon an earlier finding that there are some neurons in the brain which die when these drugs are given to immature animals. We do have to temper the results with the realization that animals aren’t humans; however, when behavioral tests that determine autism and schizophrenia were given to the animals later in life, abnormalities were detected. This finding wasn't limited to the drugs that are known to cause neuronal death, either.

The study also named drugs which have little or no effect -- as understood currently. If you are concerned about the effects of traditional mood drugs on your brain, what can you do?

1. Exercise

Almost every person in the Western world currently gets less exercise than our bodies require for optimal functioning. The way our economy is set up, there is now little physical activity required to meet everyday demands, whether you are working in paid employment or cleaning the house. Exercise is also vital for proper brain function, and plays a critical role in maintaining good mood, even more than alternative health products. In most cases, being able to get more exercise involves a rethink of your priorities, and the realization that you may need it to actually enjoy life!

2. Drug free treatment of depression and other mood disorders

For those who have started to feel low already, it can be difficult to drag yourself out of the cycle of television and bad food to build yourself back up from down. You can get a great kick-start with some of the many alternative health products on offer, including:

• Sublingual adrenal cortex extract, for help with stress-induced fatigue and exhaustion, withdrawals from alcohol or other drugs, general fatigue, and low everyday moods.
• Sublingual melatonin, which improves mood naturally by improving the quality of sleep. It is rapidly absorbed, and some formulations are made to avoid the traditional hangover effect the next day.
• 5-hydroxytryotphan is part of the conversion process of L-trytophan, another popular alternative health product, and eventually becomes serotonin.

Focus on Amino Acids: Glutamine

There are dozens of different amino acids in the world, and around twenty that are used in the human body. They are vital in many bodily functions, and are sometimes prescribed in the hope that they will help patients lose weight, find increased energy, improve mental fatigue and better tolerate stress. Today we are looking at a common non-essential amino acid supplement in depth: glutamine.

The Basics

The scientific name for L-glutamine amino acid is (2S)-2,5-Diamino-5-oxopentanoic acid. Its molecular formula is C5H10N2O3, which translates to 5 atoms of carbon, 10 of hydrogen, 2 of nitrogen and 3 of oxygen. All those common substances put together play an important role in our body! It is the most abundant free amino acid in our body, and is founding healthy blood samples in concentrations of 500-900 micromol per liter.

Functions

Amino acids are all involved in the synthesis of different proteins within the body. The body makes its own glutamine -- the major source of this is the muscles. Around 90% of all the glutamine in the body comes from a person's muscle mass, which leads some to believe that if you have lower muscle mass, you may also be deficient in L-glutamine and require amino acid supplements. In addition to protein synthesis, L-glutamine:

• Is a source of cellular energy, as glucose is
• Produces ammonium in the kidneys to help regulate your body's acid-base balance
• Provides nitrogen in anabolic processes

When are glutamine amino acid supplements necessary?

If you suffer from a catabolic illness or injury, you may need to derive l-glutamine from your food or supplements -- your body may not be able to make enough on its own. 10-15 years of study have been performed on glutamine, and it is considered useful for treating burns, injuries, and helping with the side effects of cancer treatment.

Supplements and food sources

Supplements are one of the richest sources of L-glutamine, and unlike with some supplements, higher dosages do not seem to result in reduced effects. You can also supplement your L-glutamine intake by eating foods like:

• Beef, chicken and fish
• Milk and other dairy products
• Cabbage
• Beets
• Spinach
• Parsley
• Beans

Depression: Helping Yourself Through

Depression is a cruel disease. Other illnesses simply don’t rob you of your very motivation to get better the same way that depression does. You feel that nothing will ever change, so there is no point trying. One of the key things to understand is that depression can be caused by simple imbalances in your hormones and the nutrients within your body … while it makes life at large seem idiotic and pointless, your life isn’t usually the cause of your depression. If drugs only make you feel worse (as they do for many depression patients) and you're undergoing natural treatment of depression, today we are looking at some strategies to help make this period of your life nothing but a memory.

Early treatment

This is critical … while we hear this about many illnesses, it is especially true in depression. When you think or feel a certain way, neuronal pathways in the brain are activated. The longer they stay activated, or the more repetitively they are activated, the easier it becomes for signalling to work on that pathway in future. If you fail to get help early, you are literally teaching yourself to be depressed. If you know what the doctor is going to say and you don’t like it, there are plenty of natural treatments for depression that you can try.

Nutritional Supplements

When you are depressed, you don’t necessarily eat right -- and this only contributes to the cycle. Break it with effective nutritional support for depression.

Do something you love

Depression takes all the color out of activities, I know… I've been there too! But it is essential when you are feeling depressed to do things that you like doing, that once inspired you and energized you. This is a key step in the natural treatment of depression.

Set realistic goals

Understand that you are ill -- although it might not have been caused by a virus, the way your body reacts is not completely under your control when you are depressed. If you can’t do the ironing AND make dinner, don't stress. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it -- that's what loved ones are there for.

Avoid alcohol and drugs

The term "self-medicating" is very much a misnomer with depression. Alcohol frequently makes the problem worse -- when you are hung over the next day, it often triggers a massive bout.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most potent natural treatments of depression -- it is both preventive and cure. Make sure it is an activity you like -- take an mp3 player walking, go swimming and enjoy the calm and quiet underwater, or find a nice outdoor spot for some individual yoga.

Why Your Adrenal Glands Could be the Cause of Your Weight and Mood Problems

Okay, I'd just like to qualify the above statement a little. Your adrenal glands aren't actually tiny villains sitting above your kidneys, plotting to make your life hard! However, when we expose our adrenal glands to constant stress (from our environment), adrenal fatigue can result. If you've tired the poor little guys out, you are probably experiencing poor concentration, low moods, low tolerance to noise and stressful situations, and often difficult to shift excess weight. We explain the process of adrenal fatigue, and look at alternative health products and lifestyles to cure it.

What do the adrenal glands do?

The outer layer of the adrenal glands produces cortisol. The center of the gland produces adrenaline.

These hormones help our body go into a fight-or-flight state when faced with a stressful event. However, this state takes precedence over all other metabolic functions -- basically, if your stress hormones are constantly kicked in, they prevent the rest of your body from working properly.

Events that affect your adrenals

The stressful events that trigger the adrenal response (and overtake all your other functions) are prevalent in modern life. This is why there have been plenty of alternative health products developed to compensate! These events can include:

• Death of a loved one
• Relationship troubles
• Work stresses
• Financial trouble
• Reliance on stimulants like caffeine and sugar
• Skipping meals
• Illness and infection

The functions these events impair

We mentioned that other metabolic processes are shunted to the side when stress occurs. These processes can be things like:

• Normal healing
• Bone growth
• Hormone production, including melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, thyroid hormone, etc
• Digestion
• Mental function -- electrical transmission in the brain
• Immune function

DHEA - Where alternative health products come in

DHEA is the antidote to cortisol, if you will. It is the hormone that helps us calm down after something stressful occurs. When cortisol is produced in large amounts, consistently over time, we lose the ability to make normal levels of DHEA. Taking an alternative health product containing DHEA can help you overcome low mood and energy levels, decreased sex drive, anxiety, weight that can’t be shifted (a stressed body wants to hang onto its energy stores!), and even allergies.

Inflammatory Depression

Depression is now seen to be in the top three illnesses affecting the aging population. The leading cause of death people younger than 35 in some areas of the world, according to a recent Australian study, is actually suicide. Untreated chronic depression is linked with a whole host of other diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer's and coronary heart disease. New schools of thinking are starting to suggest that inflammation could play a part in developing depression. Today we are looking at the rationale behind that thought, and the alternative health products that can reduce inflammation in your body to help reduce your risk of becoming depressed.

Chris Meletis, a naturopath, points to a growing body of evidence that the natural mood enhancers that are often prescribed to treat depression (Specific Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs, for example) also have anti-inflammatory properties, and these may actually be the reason that people feel better after taking them.

Evidence for the above

Male patients with increased early life stress have shown an enhanced inflammatory response to psychosocial stress later in life. (Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, September 2006)

Patients with bipolar disorder were also found to have higher serum levels of the inflammation marker C-Reactive protein. (Published in the Programs of Neuropsychopharmacological Biological Psychiatry October 2006).

Possible remedies through alternative health products

Melatonin is a critical part of this equation, and alternative health products that provide glandular support to the pineal gland may be of special use in treating depression. We know that going without sleep makes us feel depressed, and we also know that going without sleep decreases our melatonin levels. It is a fact that melatonin is involved in regulating the anti-inflammatory response, as well as being responsible for circadian rhythms. Alternative health products that provide the support the pineal gland needs to function properly could help depressed patients feel better with much more natural substances.

Drug free treatment of depression

You can give those alternative health products a boost along their way to your better health by doing the following:

• Stop eating foods that produce an inflammatory response -- trans fats, refined carbohydrates and gluten are the number one offenders. For some people, dairy, eggs, soy and nuts may also be.
• Eat plenty of essential fatty acids -- if you don’t eat fish, get these through a natural health supplies store.
• Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs and spices such as garlic, oregano, turmeric, ginger and green tea.

Oo, Baby! Five Benefits of Colostrum

Colostrum is a yellowish, thin milky substance produced by new mothers of every mammalian species in the first days after they give birth, before their breast milk comes in. It is enormously rich in immune factors and growth factors, and packed with nutrients. We don’t need to stalk new mothers in hospital and replace their babies with ourselves, however -- sources from goats and cows are almost as effective as human colostrum. Today we are looking at five of colostrum nutritional supplement's most significant benefits.

Warding off colds, flus, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes

Research by Immuron, an Australian company, is showing promising early results that suggest that hyper-immunized colostrum nutritional supplements (which are available when the cow has been immunized against certain pathogens), could help prevent diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes and even the gastrointestinal consequences of AIDS.

Athletic ability

Double blind studies at the Australian Institute of Sport by trainers (as reported on science program Catalyst) have shown that athletes who take colostrum increase their muscle strength by 5-10% over those taking a placebo, recover faster, and also miss fewer days of training due to minor illnesses like influenza.

Gastric diseases

Colostrum has been found by some studies to be especially effective against gastric diseases, especially bugs like Escherichia coli, salmonella, helicobacter pylori, and others such as clostridium and staphylococcus.

Potential stress effects

Some studies have suggested that colostrum can also have an effect on the brain for natural treatment of depression and low moods -- lambs that were tube fed colostrum as compared to saline (directly into their stomach, so taste was not a factor) reduced their distress bleating. The effects of colostrum can be seen in the hypothalamus, the insular cortex and amygdale.

Proteins and Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant, and this natural source is one of the best ways to ensure you have enough of it. Protein is one of the most useful ingredients in milk itself (the fat we can live without!), meaning that colostrum nutritional supplements has a high concentration of what we want from milk, but not what we don't.

5 Kids That NEED Nutritional Supplements -- 3 That Don't

The debate over children's vitamins and minerals has raged over the past 15 years, since figures about the widespread use of children's vitamins have come to light. Not all kids need multivitamins, or even supplements of some minerals. However, there are some situations where the modern convenience of vitamins and minerals in pill, powder and liquid form really are necessary. We look at five types of kids who need nutritional supplements, as well as three types of kids that shouldn't necessarily have them.

1. The lactose intolerant child

Calcium is an essential mineral during childhood, when teeth and bones are being formed … and also when their strength is being tested by falls off fences! If your child gets an upset tummy from drinking milk or eating dairy, like many do, then calcium supplementation is appropriate.

2. The rainwater kid

If your family lives on well water, you must be enjoying the delicious taste of water straight from the ground! However, well water is not fluoridated, so cavities are a risk. Fluoride nutritional supplements can be inexpensive alternatives to fluoridated bottled water.

3. The hydroponic garden kid

Growing our own vegetables is becoming more common, with hydroponic bench-top setups making plenty of veggies tasty and easily accessible. However, if many of your vegetables come from hydroponic sources then you and your kids will be missing out on important minerals that usually come from the soil.

4. ADD kids

There is increasing evidence to show that an omega-3 rich diet can help with attention deficit disorder. If you want to support your child's brain naturally, omega-3 supplements like fish oil are a quick and easy way to do that.

5. Bedridden kids

If you have a chronically ill child, then the last thing they need is a vitamin deficiency to play further havoc with their health. We normally get Vitamin D from sunshine -- if your child doesn't get 10 minutes of sunshine a day for a few days, then vitamin D supplements may be appropriate.

Kids that don’t need nutritional supplements:

• Kids that don’t like some fruits or vegetables -- they'll get plenty of nutrients from others, or from juice, without nutritional supplements
• Children that have fluoridated water for drinking -- excess fluoride can cause tooth staining.
• You have a fussy eater aged over 4 -- kids over 4 are old enough to learn that if they don't eat their vegetables, they don’t eat anything.

Natural Goes Mainstream

Here’s something you simply can’t ignore…

As advocates of the natural health movement, we’re always on the lookout for pertinent information that supports our agenda. Well, you can imagine how our ears perked up when we read this article posted by Fox News. And because we’re always interested in getting natural medicine to go more mainstream, this one goes way up there on our “that’s WAY UP” list!

The following news report was written about Reiki Therapy…

At one of the top U.S. trauma hospitals, a nurse circles a patient's bed, humming and waving her arms as if shooing evil spirits. Another woman rubs a quartz bowl with a wand, making tunes that mix with the beeping monitors and hissing respirator keeping the man alive.

They are doing Reiki therapy, which claims to heal through invisible energy fields. The anesthesia chief, Dr. Richard Dutton, calls it "mystical mumbo jumbo." Still, he's a fan.

"It's self-hypnosis" that can help patients relax, he said. "If you tell yourself you have less pain, you actually do have less pain."

Alternative medicine has become mainstream. It is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals like the shock trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more "care" in their health care. They distrust drug companies and the government. They want natural, safer remedies.

"Herbals are medicines," with good and bad effects, said Bruce Silverglade of the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Fifteen years ago, Congress decided to allow dietary and herbal supplements to be sold without federal Food and Drug Administration approval. The number of products soared, from about 4,000 then to well over 40,000 now.

Ten years ago, Congress created a new federal agency to study supplements and unconventional therapies. But more than $2.5 billion of tax-financed research has not found any cures or major treatment advances, aside from certain uses for acupuncture and ginger for chemotherapy-related nausea. If anything, evidence has mounted that many of these pills and therapies lack value.

Yet they are finding ever-wider use…

There’s much more to this story yet to come…stay tuned for our next posting to learn more about Reiki Therapy and its use at mainstream hospitals!

Testify for Natural Health

For many years, alternative health care was considered inferior to standard practice. However, over the past several decades, alternative health care has become widely accepted as a legitimate and highly beneficial approach to wellness. In fact, clinical studies in scientific research have proven that many alternative healthcare treatments are just as beneficial, if not more so, than standard synthetic drugs, and without the side effects. What does this mean for you? Well, the answer is fairly simple. It means that you can treat your body well, use natural and homeopathic ingredients and treatments, and still reap the same or better benefits you would if you paid a fortune to a pharmaceutical company.

You'll be astounded at the many benefits your body can reap through the intake of natural supplements. And because not all supplements are created equally, settling for second-best shouldn't be an option. Shop online for the best and most successful natural supplements on the market today, you’ll be feeling great in no time (and you’ll probably have saved some money to boot)!

There are countless testimonials proving people who embark on a holistic regimen for healthcare experience a dramatic increase in vitality and a decrease in symptoms. But you don't have to take our word for it. If you're interested in experiencing the benefits a natural approach to health care can have on your current state of mind and state of physiology, consider embarking on an alternative supplement intake program.

In the past, we’ve also discussed the fact that you can use alternative medicine, holistic approaches to healing, and all natural supplementation in the prevention of disease as well. In short, you don't have to wait until you're sick to begin a holistic supplement preventative program. As such, you should consider spending some time researching the many available holistic approaches to health and well-being.

If you've reached the point in your life where your health is becoming issue, or perhaps you've tried all the other approaches and nothing seems to work, consider changing gears and looking into the natural alternatives. You'll be astounded at the many benefits your body can reap through the intake of natural supplements.