Immune For The Future

Our bodies are constantly battling foreign invaders, but victory in this war depends on the help of a powerful ally – the immune system.

"The immune system and its response characteristics are as variable as there are humans on the face of the earth. From the gene perspective, mice have been selectively bred for immune response differences ranging from increased tumor resistance to proneness to autoimmunity. Given these facts, one must conclude that the immune system in humans is as variable as our genetic background might be. However, disease resistance is not just a function of our genes," says Dr. Mark Laudenslager, director of Behavioral Immunology at the University of Colorado’s Department of Psychiatry. Read more...

Squat This

The experts may not always agree about the way you should perform a squat but they have reached a consensus on why you should make squats an integral part of your workout regime.

It’s not often you can learn good fitness techniques from a two-year-old. Danny M. O’Dell, author of Strength Training Secrets (www.explosivelyfit.com), claims that small children execute perfect squats, unlike adults who usually perform them incorrectly: "I find a kid anywhere from about two-to-six-years-old automatically does a perfect squat. If you watch any of these little tykes squat you will see their seats hit the floor, and their back and lower legs are straight." Read more...

Your Sweet Tooth

Of course sugar is an easy target and the favorite bogeyman of dietary habits. The average North American consumes the equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar a day – more than double the recommended amount — and drinks 53 gallons of soft drinks per year, a whopping 40 per cent increase over the consumption levels of 20 years ago. But that’s just the beginning of the good carb vs. bad carb debate . . .

If your sweet tooth doesn’t undo your best intentions with regard to sugar, count on the body to perform its own secret act of sabotage. When you severely restrict carbohydrate intake, your body gets sweet revenge by converting available fats and proteins into blood sugar; essentially forcing other nutrients to become unwitting soldiers in the carbohydrate army. Read more...

Brain Food for Thought

I think, therefore I am…eating properly. Mental acuity doesn’t need to diminish with age. Research supports the idea that certain foods can help keep you sharp and protect against degenerative diseases while they reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

Fat content and caloric measurements are valuable considerations for maintaining a trim body. But what diet best serves the mind? Buoyed by startling results, some researchers are claiming that the key to preserving mental capacity as we age may lie in the multicolored storehouse of Mother Nature’s bounty.

The human body possesses the potential to be as creative and destructive as the individual that inhabits it; consequently, some of the body’s necessary operations, frequently compromised by lifestyle, are also what contribute to its problems as we age. Read more...