Back pain, vertebral axial decompression therapy, real age, body mass index, BMI, waist circumference, heart disease

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By: Mike Furci (mike@bullz-eye.com)

11/21/2005

Furci Home / Fitness Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

Mike Furci offers research, trends and other info to help with your fitness, health and nutritional needs.

…you can set yourself up for a good night's sleep? Dr. Michael Breus PHD, D, ABSM, lists 10 ways to help ensure a good night’s sleep.

1. Cut caffeine. Do not drink coffee or drinks that contain caffeine at least four to six hours before bed.
2. Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol can disturb sleep patterns.
3. Relax before bed. Try things like: meditation, aromatherapy, hot bath or reading.
4. Exercise at the right time. Although exercise is a great way to help get a good night sleep, some people get energized and should not train in the evening.
5. Keep your bedroom quiet, dark and comfortable.
6. Eat right, sleep tight. Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. Some foods that help include: milk, turkey, tuna, halibut, pumpkin and almonds.
7. Restrict your nicotine. If you smoke, you’ve got bigger problems to consider than getting a better night’s sleep.
8. Avoid napping. If you have problems falling asleep, napping can only make problems worse.
9. Keep pets off the bed. Pet movements and allergies can cause you to awaken during the night.
10. Avoid watching TV, eating, and discussing emotional issues in bed. The bed should be for sleep and sex only.

(www.webmd.com)

…you can lose weight by increasing your protein consumption? Most doctors, dieticians and many diet gurus would have you believe that calories determine weight loss, not the types of food you eat. They believe that weight loss is determined solely by expending more energy than you take in. We’ve been told over and over again that a calorie is a calorie no matter what the source. However, several well controlled studies showed that subjects on high-protein, low-carb diets lost more weight than those on moderate or high-carb diets. In a review of these studies, researchers from the University of Wisconsin found no difference in 24 hour energy expenditures in people on low, moderate or high carbohydrate diets. So what does that tell us? When trying to lose weight (body fat), the types of food you eat matters.

…trans fat should be avoided completely? Partial hydration is a process used to make a perfectly good oil into a perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make oil more solid, provide a longer shelf-life for goods in supermarkets, provide a longer “fry-life” for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of “mouth feel.” The problem is that partially hydrogenated oils are laden with trans fat. Trans fat significantly lowers HDL levels (good cholesterol) and significantly increases LDL (bad cholesterol), makes arteries more rigid, causes clogging of the arteries, causes insulin resistance, and contributes to type II diabetes and other serious health problems. When grocery shopping, READ THE FOOD LABLES. (www.bantransfats.com)

…you should be aware of the type of formula your kids are ingesting? Parents who feed their kids soy-based formula should be aware of its extremely high phytoestrogen content. Some scientists estimate a child being fed soy formula is ingesting the equivalent of five birth control pills a day. This can obviously have disastrous results on a baby’s proper development. Do you want your developing son to be taking estrogen? (www.westonaprice.org)

…the health claims surrounding soy are too good to be true? Americans have been convinced that soy is the miracle food for fighting everything from cancer to heart disease. It has been estimated that more than 200 million Americans are eating soy in record amounts in newly created highly processed forms, including soy milk, soy burgers, soy energy bars, soy ice cream, soy cereal, and the list goes on. It’s ironic that soy has become so accepted as a health food when so many studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, infertility, and even cancer and heart disease. (Daniel, Dr Kaayla. "The Whole Soy Story")

Questions or comments? Send them to mike@bullz-eye.com.