Cold and Flu Season Advice

Powerful Immune support against the cold and flu 

With our first taste of Fall like weather (a welcome relief for most of us) now is a great time to prepare for the “cold and flu” season. Here are a few ideas for you and your loved ones.

What to Eat

Eating well and proper supplementation is key in helping your body fight the good fight. Unfortunately, we tend to rely or otherwise come into contact with an increased amount of comfort foods during this time of year because of the holidays (and perhaps increased alcohol use, as well, for many different reasons). Nourishing the body now with great all-natural nutritionals that contain vitamins and minerals will help either stave off a cold or assist in recovering from one more quickly. Proper vitamin and mineral levels at the start will assist for a faster finish. The old stand-by vegetables to stick close to would be the green leafy variety (spinach, cabbage, etc.) for their calcium and magnesium. Broccoli and tomatoes are excellent for their antioxidant powers. Carrots help increase the flow of blood and also deliver powerful antioxidants ensuring your entire system gets nourished. Incorporate onions and garlic into your eating plan as often as possible. Bacteria and other pathogens have a tough time against this dynamic duo. If you are interested in powerful liquid nutritionals perhaps you should try a fucoidan based beverage. It nourishes the immune system and could prove very effective in your fight against the ill effects of the flu. Read more about it at https://thoughtfulhealth.mysisel.com/en/US/productdetail.htm?id=26.

Exercise

Exercise is an often over looked aspect of cold prevention. Exercise in and of itself is a great detoxifier. Nitric oxide is produced during moderate to strenuous physical activity. This helps to not only keep arteries clear but also helps to remove impurities from the body allowing the immune system to rest and get ready for other potential threats. Getting your heart rate up and maintaining that higher rate for at least twenty minutes could save you days of misery.

Home Remedy

What should you do when you begin to feel the first tell-tale signs of cold or flu like symptoms? Make your own therapeutic syrup! It has been well established that cough syrups, especially for kids, do not work (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181128,00.html). Follow this simple recipe to make a tonic that could stop or shorten your cold or flu symptoms:

•Honey (Unpasteurized to prevent enzyme destruction; usually a locally produced honey will not be pasteurized)

•Fresh garlic juice

•Organic or Natural Black Seed Oil (cold pressed only)

Mix equal parts black seed oil and garlic juice. Add honey to the mix to a consistency you prefer. It is best to mix and consume at the very first hint of trouble to prevent the onset of all the symptoms. It is also a great preventative so if you are prone to colds and flu take a tablespoon or more of this per week to build your immunity. This particular tonic has been used in our household for over a year and has proved to be very effective.

Following these tips could save you from the expense and misery caused by being sick any longer than you have to be, if at all. If you would like more tips or have a more specific concern contact me at thoughtfulhealth@gmail.com. Happy cooler temperatures to all!

A word of caution…When reading the article referenced for this report please know that I do not endorse the “alternative” to cough syrup sited in the article. The underlying cause should be addressed and the remedy listed above is one of many great alternatives.

Also, it is typically advisable to not give children under the age of two honey because of a potential allergic reaction to some enzymes found in honey. Consult you Healthcare Practioner before doing so.

Powerful Immune support against the cold and flu

Is Vitamin Water Bad for Your Health? Well...It Won't Help It

How innocuous is Vitamin Water? Its water and vitamins, right? What is the harm? When you watch the comical commercials you would think Vitamin Water was some sort of miracle tonic from yesteryear. Up all night clubbing and drinking? Down a Vitamin Water. Playing hard on the court or ‘ye old’ ball field? Pep up with Vitamin Water. After all, the water hydrates you and all those vitamins are great for energy and rejuvenation. A closer look, however, reveals a beverage that is at best mediocre and at worst an outright detriment to health.

Let’s start with what should be obvious about any type of water. Water has no color yet Vitamin Water does. This fact is often overlooked but is very important. The Coca Cola Company, having made $700 million last year distributing Vitamin Water, adds artificial dyes to the water. These chemical dyes have been linked to ADD/ADHD and other adverse health conditions.

Then we come to the sugar content. Vitamin Water is sweetened with crystalline fructose, a version of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Consuming Vitamin Water can inevitably lead to spikes in blood sugar which ultimately crashes. It is the spike that makes you feel ‘energized’ giving you a false sense of energetic elevation. Unfortunately the crash leaves you needing another sugar fix or you must face the wrath of lethargy and poor performance. While we are on the subject of wrath, let us consider all of the sugar that is in Vitamin Water. It contains approximately 30 grams or 6 ½ teaspoons of sugar. By contrast a Hershey Bar has 24 grams of sugar. Along with the spikes and crashes the toxic nature of processed sugar must be considered. Over consumption of sugar hinders the body’s immune system by adversely interacting with the white blood cells changing their shape, number and function. Processed sugar has no place in a beverage that claims to be beneficial to the body.

Calorically Vitamin Water can sabotage a workout. The nutritional label, an oxymoron in regards to this product, explains that there are 50 calories per serving. Unfortunately, there are 2 ½ servings per bottle for a total of 125 sneaky calories. When you consider what processed sugar does to the immune system combined with blowing up your workout due to calories or adversely affecting your athletic performance (sugar crash) it hardly seems worth it.

In addition to everything that has been mentioned the true crime are the vitamins. People who think of Vitamin Water somehow think vitamins are in it. That’s probably because the name is ‘Vitamin Water’. In nature there are many vitamins ranging from A to K and the B complexes are numerous but Vitamin Water only contains five – C, B3, B5, B6, and B12. To add insult to injury these few vitamins (and the electrolytes as well) are synthetic. Synthetic vitamins are not always bioavailable. In other words, the body may not recognize the synthetics as vitamins. So, Coca Cola only uses five vitamins in their product and they may not be assimilated in the body. Brace yourself because the insults continue. If the body doesn’t recognize the synthetics as vitamins they are attacked by the immune system as a foreign substance. This taxes the immune system in addition to sugar’s role in adversely affecting it. No wonder chronic illness is so prevalent with the dubious nature of products marketed in a way that makes us think they nourish us.


If you are working out, playing hard or just wanting to recharge drink some purified water and eat a small healthy snack. You could also insist on an all-natural, non-toxic beverage. They do exist. Be aware of what you consume and let LeBron and 50 Cent (avid spokesmen for Vitamin Water) consume this nutritionally suspicious product.

For a great non-toxic, all natural and rejuvenating beverage checkout SISEL Splash at: http://www.mysisel.com/vip/thoughtfulhealth/productdetail.htm?id=2022

The Protein Fallacy and How Best to Utilize Protein in Your Diet

Is there a such thing as too much protein? If you ask most people the answers would range from "I don't know" to "no". The reason for this is because of how protein is presented to us in our everyday lives. There are many products and diet trends that emphasis protein pushed through various mediums relentlessly. So, for the sake of clarity let's take a closer look at protein.

Increased Acidity

Protein is comprised of 25 amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. Protein also serves as an important transporter of materials and is used in the production of antibodies, enzymes and hormones. Protein, in other words, is very important to the body but over-consumption can have detrimental effects on the body. All protein metabolizing increases blood acidity. Increased blood acidity from protein is generally not a problem when it is consumed moderately. When consumed in excess the uric acid produced is high enough to lead to inflammation. If you are already predisposed to pain the increased acidity will only exacerbate it. In addition to increased inflammation and pain, higher blood acidity must be balanced by the body (since the body requires blood to be slightly alkaline for proper functioning). The two ways this is accomplished is through sodium and calcium. Once sodium stores are consumed the body removes calcium from the bones in order to bring blood pH to proper levels. Considering the average mineral and vitamin deficient diets of today the stores of sodium and calcium are depleted quickly. Overtime, bone calcium that has been depleted and not replaced leads to the condition of osteoporosis.

Digestion

Protein, especially animal protein, is notoriously difficult to digest. The primary cause of this difficulty is based on our nutrient deficient diets. Without the proper amount of B Vitamins and Zinc the body is heavily taxed to breakdown proteins its amino acid components and utilize them into efficiently.

Building Muscle

If you have been to a gym or health food store lately you undoubtedly saw many protein products most of which is aimed at people who want to build muscle. You know the ones in huge containers just waiting for pre and post workout consumption. Athletes and body builders have chased protein dreams of greatness mostly unaware of basic biological facts. Consider this point as illustrated in "The New Optimum Nutrition Bible": The body requires less than 2 lbs. of protein per year to gain 9 lbs. of muscle (muscle is approximately 22% protein). That averages to about 2.5 g of protein per day. You can get that much protein from just a few almonds. The inability to build muscle is seldom due to a lack of protein. Most often the lack of essential vitamins and minerals such as B3, B6 and Zinc are to blame.

How Much Protein

The recommended amount of protein consumption is approximately 15% of total calories consumed during the day. That's about 35 g for most people. Another point to consider is the quality of the protein. Quality proteins are more easily digested and assimilated into the body. Typically, protein of higher quality can be found in vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Animal products are not an ideal source of protein due to how taxing uptake can be as mentioned earlier.

Final Thought

The American (and Western) diet is heavily meat oriented. Very often most people exceed the recommended amount of protein on the daily basis. It's no wonder acidosis is becoming more prevalent with each passing day. Have you seen the commercials for a new drug called Uloric? Uloric is a drug a person can take to assist in ridding the body of uric acid which can often result in gout, a painful type of arthritis, and other conditions. It's just one more pill to correct what a well thought out meal plan could help avoid.