Top Weight Loss Guide

Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, is stored in the body in the liver and can therefore be a vitamin that you can overdose. It is involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes. Vitamin A helps us to see in dim light and is necessary for proper bone growth, tooth development, and reproduction.

Hypervitaminosis A – means to store high levels of Vitamin A in the body that can lead to toxic responses. There are five major side effects with Hypervitaminosis A:

1. Birth defects
2. Liver abnormalities
3. Reduced bone mineral density that may result in osteoporosis
4. Central nervous system disorders
5. Orange skin

Toxic symptoms can appear after ingesting large amounts of supplemental Vitamin A over a short period of time. These signs include:

• Nausea and vomiting,
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Muscular uncoordination
• Hair Loss
• Enlarged Spleen
• Enlarged Liver
• Growth retardation
• Death

Vitamin A overdose can have many repercussions. It can be harmful to skin and bones, making both weak and brittle. It can also lead to nausea and vomiting. If you take too much while pregnant you can cause birth defects in your baby. The symptoms of a vitamin A overdose can be quite devastating.

If you wish to find good health then the best thing to do is eat a variety of foods, avoid foods with to much fat, maintain a good weight, avoid sugar, salt and alcohol.

Vitamin A overdose can happen and you need to be aware of the symptoms and what is going on if and when it does. Remember too, that this knowledge is just the groundwork you need to do before you can bring your body into a healthy state.

Its been touted over the years that taking Vitamin E and Lipitor together will actually allow each of these medications to function better. It could be the drug companies pushing this idea or there might be a modicum of truth in it, however in my research I did not find any true facts that supported the idea.

It seems to be that people add supplements to their diet on whims of fancy thinking that any supplement is better than no supplement. This has been proven false time and again and not only not helpful but possibly harmful.

To know if there is a connection between Vitamin E and Lipitor we have to define what each are. Vitamin E is a fat soluble nutrient that is needed for our body to function correctly. Vitamin E is an antioxidant responsible for proper functioning of the immune system and for maintaining healthy eyes and skin and is absorbed by the gastrointestinal system and stored in tissues and organs throughout the body.

Lipitor on the other hand is a Statin Drug that seems to carry a lot of controversy with it regarding its safety and efficacy. One issue is that the level is brought to low and this causes some major problems as cholesterol is required for the natural synthesis of hormones.

There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or activities while you are taking vitamin E and/or Lipitor unless otherwise directed by your doctor. This means that both the drugs can be taken together without conflict.

As far as it is known there is no real reason that you would take Vitamin E and Lipitor together. There is one known indication that might possibly give you reason to combine the two and that is that Vitamin E may prevent heart disease by lowering the total blood cholesterol and preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. The studies have been most conflicting and with no real facts to say it is a function.

Appetite is influenced by sight. What you see makes a difference. If you are accustomed to seeing a full plate as you sit down for a meal, you eat and feel satisfied. When you diet, you obviously will see less food and immediately your eyes send a message that you will not be satisfied. The trick, therefore, is to fool your eyes. Rather than half-filling a regular-size dinner plate, use a salad plate and heap on the victuals. In this way your eyes are deceived.

Your eyes not only appreciate quantity of food, but color. Milk is white, beans are green, beets are red, lamb is brown, and corn is yellow. By upsetting the expected color patterns your eyes can be further deceived. This is accomplished by adding small amounts of harmless and inexpensive vegetable dyes to food during their preparation; thus the obese patient might sit down to a supper of:

1. Pink milk
2. Brown beans
3. Turquoise beets
4. Blue lamb
5. Lavender corn

This even sounds bad!
Smell greatly alters appetite and accounts for the bulk of what is tasted. There are only four tastes: bitter, sweet, salt, and sour. Aroma is responsible for the distinctive and subtle nuances which characterize various dishes. We recognize foods by their characteristic odors, not tastes. This process of smell association can be interrupted, resulting in a decreased appetite. To do this you should smell something just before a meal which you do not associate with eating. One suggestion is to take a couple of sniffs of a cheap and reeking perfume. Or take a couple of whiffs of motor oil. No one in his right mind would think of consuming either perfume or motor oil. So the nose relays an unfavorable report to the appetite center and the desire for food diminishes. Read the rest of this entry »

Skeptics look at Hoodia in the same way they look at other diet supplements. After the experts found the side effects from ephedra products and Phenfen, it is perhaps right to question the product as a legitimate product to aid in weight loss. Skeptics see Hoodia as another product touted to be the “magic pill” of weight loss. The rate of obesity and overweight people has skyrocketed in the Western world. People do not want to put the effort into losing weight, they long for a pill that will magically cut calories or fat from their diet and allow them to lose weight effortlessly. Products with ephedra and the diet drug Phenfen were effective but were found to cause serious medical problems. Increased heart rate and blood pressure led to heart attacks and stroke. No wonder there is skepticism about this new product.

Hoodia skeptics claim there is less knowledge and scientific evidence for the Hoodia product than many of the other diet pill supplements. They state that Hoodia has the flimsiest scientific evidence than most of the other miracle weight loss supplements! The Hoodia plant is found in the deserts of South Africa. It looks like a cactus but is a member of the succulent family. Most companies grind Hoodia into powder and make it in several different forms.

Skeptics of the Hoodia product claim there are two distinct problems with the Hoodia weight loss concept. First, there is no scientific research to verify the claims that it suppresses appetite and helps in weight loss. There are many sites on the Internet that claim to have researched the claims, but they are mostly sites that are in business to sell Hoodia supplements to those desperate for weight loss help. Many sites claim to have testimonials and other “official” test results to back up their claim to amazing weight losses. You should research these sites to find any legitimate proof there is scientific evidence to back their claims.

There are over 13 varieties of Hoodia, only one, the Hoodia gordonii has been shown to be effective in aiding in weight loss. The Hoodia gordonii plant will only grow in specific temperatures and soils. They are found in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. The Hoodia plant takes over five years to mature and it is difficult to cultivate.

Second, one of the major pharmaceutical company in the world bought the rights to develop a Hoodia based drug but has since abandoned the effort. It has turned the rights over to another company. If Hoodia had shown any promise of being the miracle weight loss drug of the century they would not have abandoned their project to another pharmaceutical company!

Proof of how Hoodia works is purely guess. A reporter from major news broadcast tried eating the drug and related she was not hungry for the rest of the day. This is not scientific proof! The Sans Bushmen in South Africa also would eat parts of the plant to prepare for long journeys or hunting trips. This is not proof; this is folklore and has not been scientifically proved. What the Bushmen eat and what the reporter ate was “raw” Hoodia plucked from the Kalahari Desert. Raw Hoodia is different from the processed powders found in many supplements offered today.

Although we may not like the idea, weight loss occurs only when you cut back on the calories you take in and the physical exercise your body gets. The Hoodia product has yet to be confirmed in a scientific way to be helpful in losing weight.

One mother says, “My son has too many colds. He must be deficient in something.”
Another asks, “What am I doing wrong? Sharon always has a cold.”

Nearly always in these situations the diet and general health are adequate and there is no reason to think that the “too many colds” type has a low resistance. The explanation is simply that either the individual happens to come in contact with more virulent organisms or his resistance against some of the germs that are always around happens to be diminished for some reason physicians can’t track down.
Sometimes the answer is that allergy imitates many of the symptoms of a common cold. Allergic rhinitis or hay fever may persist, or recur frequently, until the allergy-causing substances are discovered and removed from the environment or the patient is desensitized to them by proper treatment.

Tonsil Surgery

“Perry has so many colds. Take his tonsils out.” This is what some parents say. The trouble with such a solution is that large controlled studies have shown that the presence or absence of tonsils has no effect on the number of colds caught by a person. Most people do not need to be subjected to the surgical procedure known as tonsilloadenoidec-tomy. Those who benefit from such a procedure, whether in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, are the few who have special kinds of trouble. Usually these problems come from oversized tonsils and adenoids causing partial blockage of the swallowing or breathing passages.

This may bring about mouth breathing and poor speech habits or even loud snoring. Obstruction by the adenoids to the usual drainage path of the Eustachian canal may cause repeated middle-ear infections. Peritonsillar abscess or quinsy (a boil at the side of the tonsil) may be another reason for removing tonsils. If the tonsils or adenoids harbor infection that won’t respond to the usual medical treatment, surgery may be indicated. Read the rest of this entry »

More than a century ago a French scientist, Lamarck, said, “Function makes an organ.” This saying is just as true today as it was then. We may also add that lack of function unmakes an organ.

What happens, for example, when one uses his muscles too little? This leads to what has been dubbed, in this country, as a Flabby American. This means more than just flabby muscles. This means “flabby” or debilitated heart, blood vessels, blood, respiratory system, to name a few items. A flabby man suffers from an old sickly state, which has been given a fancy name: hypokinesis.

Hypokinesis creates a vicious circle: little activity brings about greater inability for activity, which leads to even greater

restriction of activity, and the person begins to act sick or prematurely aged, avoiding physical exertion which used to be fun and now causes only pains and aches and makes one puff and feel tired.

What can be done about this? This can be remedied in a simple manner—start exercising! Do it gradually, and gradually you will become again what you used to be when you were younger—almost!

The result obtained from exercising may be compared with that obtained during immunization. A doctor injects some substance which may cause a temporary indisposition, but makes you immune against even a deadly disease.

Each time that you exercise until you feel slightly tired is comparable to one immunization shot, only in this case it is immunization against fatigue and not against a disease. After each exercise session, you become more resistant to fatigue and you can do more than before. There is, however, a difference between immunization and training.

During immunization you usually have only a short period of partial mobilization of the body which results in a dramatic production of specific weapons called antibodies. Once immunization is achieved you don’t need any more shots, sometimes for a few years, sometimes for life. During training, although the body is mobilized to a greater extent, the immediate results are slight and of a short duration. Thus, one cannot consider himself trained for life, or for a year or for a month, by just exercising on two or three successive days. One has to exercise frequently and continuously. Only in this manner can one obtain a lasting cumulative effect.

Few people realize the tremendous capacities of our internal organs.

Let us cite just a few:

1. If all the capillaries of one individual were placed end to end they would form a string long enough to go four times around the earth, or close to 100,000 miles. And the heart which pumps the blood through all these capillaries weighs only ten ounces. No wonder that, if the heart weakens, sludges may begin to form in the vessels.

2. If we take from a sedentary man a bundle of muscle fiber equal in thickness to the lead of an ordinary pencil, and cut it across, there will be as many as 2,000 capillaries.

3. A drop of blood of a man at rest contains 250 million corpuscles. During exercise it is increased by 7.5 million.

4. At rest, about one gallon of blood per minute is pumped by the heart. During running this may increase to 10 gallons per minute.

5. If all the blood corpuscles of an individual are placed on the ground they will cover an area of about 5,000 square yards.

6. The surface area of the capillaries in the lungs equals the area of one-half of a tennis court for singles. Fantastic as these figures are, they may be even greater; and this result can be achieved through the fun of exercise.

You hear it in the news, in the stores and from your doctors. Take one a day vitamin for complete health! The goal of this one little pill or capsule is to give you whatever you need for the rest of the day once and only once a day. Do you ever ask yourself is taking one a day multivitamin enough?

Believe it or not, it is now being touted as being nutritionally ineffective because one’s body requires an input of nutrients throughout the day to work properly. So why would that be true? Everyone takes one vitamin a day and all is well right?

Well the answer to this quandary is that your body works in cycles. Meaning that at certain times of the day certain things happen in a better or worse way. For instance, nutrient absorption is optimal in the morning and early afternoon.

Not only that, but there is no way your body can take and process all the nutrients at the same time. If it could then we would only have to eat one meal a day in order to gain all the daily requirements we need. Instead our bodies pick and choose at their own rate; this rate is determined by your body’s metabolism and even by your health.

Of course taking a one a day supplement is better than doing nothing at all. But as stated your body cannot handle all of it. The unprocessed vitamins that are water soluble will be excreted into your urine and are useless to you. You will have wasted both time and energy.

Now you know the reason, all you need now is a game plan. The strategy is simple; you need to take your multivitamin more often. So, take it twice a day and give your body time to adjust to the increase in nutrients. You should take them split in the day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Take it on an empty stomach if possible but if you have stomach upset eat a small amount of food.

So research shows, that taking one a day multivitamin is not enough and you should take it twice a day. It is important to do your research so your body will give you years of good health.

Should Vitamin B12 be taken sublingual? And if so why?

What is sublingual?

• Sublingual means to take and dissolve something under your tongue
• Sublingual glands are salivary glands in the mouth
• They lie beneath the tongue and beneath the mucous membranes on the floor of your mouth.
• 8 to 20 ducts will drain the glands
• The sublingual gland is a mixed gland
• The facial nerve via the lingual nerve goes to the sublingual glands

Sublingual medications are administered by placing them in the mouth and under the tongue. The medications dissolve rapidly and are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth, where they enter into the bloodstream. The medications are compounded in the form of small, quick-dissolving tablets, sprays, lozenges, or liquid suspensions.

Sublingual medications are given for a variety of conditions. This form of medication is extremely effective, because it bypasses the digestive system and is absorbed into the bloodstream in minutes. Not all medications can be made to be used sublingually as the compounding difficulties might include solubility, dosage problems and taste.

There are some directions and cautions that should be followed when taking a nutrient or medications sublingually. First off, it should not be take if the gums or mucous membranes have open sores or areas of irritation. You should take the medication only while sitting or standing.

You should not eat, drink, chew, or swallow until the medication has been absorbed; swallowing the medication must be prevented, as it will decrease the drug’s effectiveness. The patient should not smoke while taking sublingual medication, because smoking causes vasoconstriction of the blood vessels. This will decrease the absorption of the medication.

Now you know why taking Vitamin B12 as a sublingual nutrient can be the right way to do so for some people. It is good to understand and do the researches before you take something into your nutritional life. It can save you a lot of wonder and worry.

The makers of Hoodia products state that Hoodia supplements have no side effects. Do we know if that is really true? It is often used as a diet pill and largely reported to be safe because the Bushmen of South Africa have used the Hoodia gordonii plant to suppress appetite for thousands of years. They did not seem to have any side effects. It is important to remember that these South African Bushmen did not take medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or depression. Therefore, consumers should be careful if they are taking any prescribed medications should consult their doctor before taking any supplement.

There have been no published reports or studies that verifies the safety of Hoodia in humans. Researchers state the supplement has not been around North America or other parts of the modern world long enough to confirm the safety of the Hoodia plant. Scientists and researchers have not studied Hoodia for long-term use although it has been said there could be some liver damage. That has not been confirmed. Normal precautions should be taken by anyone who is pregnant or nursing. They should contact their doctor to decide if the supplement should be used.

If you are taking other medications, research has not discovered if the Hoodia extract interferes with medications you might be taking for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, or other potentially life threatening health problems. A special alert has gone out for those who have diabetes because of the way the Hoodia supplement works. Diabetes requires the patient to pay strict attention to their blood sugar level. The Hoodia plant tricks the brain into believing the body is full. This means the diabetic may not be able to keep their blood sugar levels regulated and severe problems could develop.

Hoodia supposedly suppresses thirst as well as appetite. There could be a danger of a patient suffering physical harm because they become dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to death.

Hoodia may be a wonderful discovery to aid those who are overweight or severely obese in losing weight allowing them to lead healthier lives. The average consumer should be careful when they are buying Hoodia products. They may contain certain filler material that may cause side effects. Not every company’s product contains real Hoodia from the Kalahari Desert; some may contain more filler than Hoodia extract, and some may not have any Hoodia in the product. Consumers looking for diet pills for weight loss should research the company or market they are buying the product. It should have a certificate of authenticity by CITES, an independent lab report number on the package and the bottle, they must match testing dates, and you should look at the label carefully for other ingredients besides Hoodia.

Before taking any new supplement, all patients should check with their doctors. Especially if they are taking any prescribed medications for serious health risk factors. Hoodia supplements should be used with a healthy eating plan and increased physical exercise.

It is very hard to overdose on Vitamin D, even though it is a fat-soluble prohormones. The two major forms of which are vitamin D2 (or ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol).

It is known as the sunshine Vitamin because it is converted from an AV ray to Vitamin D by the skin. It is not widely known about because it is free and why will, say drug companies want to study or give out information on something free?

Food Sources

Fortified foods are the major dietary source of Vitamin D. Only a few foods naturally contain significant amounts of Vitamin D, these include, fatty fish and fish oils

Our bodies are so efficient that they simply regulate and expend any Vitamin D that is brought in from the sun, and thus it is virtually impossible to get an overdose of sunshine.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D for adults is the same in males and females, but increases with age.

• Ages 19-50: 200 International Units (IU)
• Ages 51-69: 400 IU
• Age 70 and older: 600 IU

Now if you take an overdose of the supplement Vitamin D then you need to know some of the side effects that might occur. First off call your poison control center. The US National Poison Line is 1-800-222-1222.

Symptoms of overdose

• drowsiness
• unconsciousness
• weakness
• headache
• loss of appetite
• dry mouth
• metallic taste
• nausea or vomiting
• stomach cramps
• constipation
• diarrhea
• dizziness
• irritability

An overdose on Vitamin D takes months to build up in the body, unless you grab a bunch of bottles and swallow. It is important to know how much to take so you do not take too much and suffer the consequences. Knowing this will give you the ability to find a well being for yourself in the world of nutrition.