It's no secret that minerals are required for every bodily process, but did you know that hormone imbalances can be blamed on mineral imbalances too? That's right - essential nutrients affect how our hormones work and that can have a huge impact on life in general. Hormonal imbalances can cause weight gain, decreased sex drive, weight gain, fatigue and PMS, to name a few.
Prescription medicines contain mind-altering pharmaceuticals that can disturb your natural hormonal balance and cause unwanted side-effects. Some people who use anti-depressants may experience increased suicidal tendencies, while lacking sexual desire and weight gain. Evidence has shown time and again that many conditions that are treated with pharmaceuticals could be avoided with proper nutrition.
Let's take a look at some of the hormones, and how you can address them using mineral supplements. A hair mineralysis is a great way to assess any imbalances and deficiencies that will help address symptoms.
Serotonin boosts excitement and enthusiasm. People who lack serotonin often experience sadness, poor sleep, lethargy, irritable bowel syndrome, PMS and sugar or carbohydrate cravings. Magnesium is essential for hormone development and nerve communication.
Dopamine functions in improving energy, self-confidence and self-discipline. Dopamine deficiency is evident when symptoms such as addiction, depression, hyperactivity and obesity are present. Selenium helps improve dopamine and research has shown that a low selenium intake is linked to depression.
Women in particular need essential minerals for optimum health. During her reproductive years, a woman is more likely to lack iron, while a menopausal woman will have to avoid iron supplementation. Here are some more reasons why women should consider mineral supplements:
Iodine assists hormone regulation, detoxification an nerve activation.
Selenium has powerful antioxidant properties for immune health and it helps to regulate thyroid hormone activity. There is a strong relationship between selenium and hormone regulation, particularly of hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, luteotropic hormone, thyroid hormone and progesterone.
Zinc is often depleted by birth control, poor dietary habits, HRT, medications and alcohol consumption. Low levels of zinc have been linked to PMS, infertility and increased estrogen activity, as well as increased effects of ageing and an inability to handle stress.
Magnesium has been found to fight the effects of ageing in women, as it helps with muscle cramps and spasms, migraines and blood pressure, as well as PMS.
If you think that your hormones are out of balance, or that you might be mineral deficient, it's a good idea to consider a hair mineral analysis. This quick, accurate and painless procedure will show you exactly what your body needs to become healthy, energetic and performing at optimum level.
The term high cholesterol refers to a high concentration of cholesterol, a waxy fatty substance, and other lipids (fats) in the bloodstream. This condition is a known risk factor for heart disease.
The most common doctor-recommended treatment for high cholesterol is a statin drug. Statin drugs are accompanied by numerous side effects. There is no research proving the drugs are beneficial for people who do not have ongoing heart disease.
However, normalizing your cholesterol will definitely improve your health. Fats in the blood make the blood thicker which raises blood pressure and puts stress on the arteries, as well as the heart. Here, you can learn more about why high cholesterol happens and how it can be helped.
Why High Cholesterol Happens
High cholesterol results from a combination of factors including unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. Excessive alcohol intake and smoking cigarettes also increases cholesterol levels.
When it comes to diet, dietary cholesterol such as that found in eggs and shrimp, has less of an effect on blood cholesterol levels than saturated and trans-fats. Trans-fats are man-made fats found primarily in processed foods. They are listed as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on ingredient labels. Efforts are being made to eliminate trans-fats from processed foods but currently they are still present in many foods. Diets high in trans-fats are a separate risk factor for heart disease.
Cholesterol is also produced by the liver because it is an essential component of the body's cells. This means that cholesterol, itself, is not bad. Excessive cholesterol is the problem.
When there is too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, it is taken back to the liver for reprocessing. The liver may attempts to "dump" some of it through the digestive system. But this dumped cholesterol can get reabsorbed into the bloodstream. So, there are multiple pathways for cholesterol to get in your blood.
You may have seen commercials for statins saying that high cholesterol happens because of your family history. There is a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia that must be treated with drugs. In the condition, the liver produces excess cholesterol for unknown reasons. But the condition is rare. You probably don't have it.
How High Cholesterol Can Be Helped
It has been proven without a doubt that high cholesterol can be helped without drugs. The methods for lowering cholesterol that work safely include:
1. Increased physical activity - exercise raises good HDL levels which in turn lowers bad LDL levels and total cholesterol counts 2. Eliminating trans-fats from the diet 3. Reduced intake of saturated fats and total fats - a low-fat diet 4. Quitting smoking - smoking affects the liver and causes it to produce more cholesterol 5. Limit alcoholic beverages 6. Eat more fiber-rich foods such as oatmeal and whole grains - fiber absorbs and carries cholesterol out of the body 7. Take a good dietary supplement to maintain healthy cholesterol levels naturally
The way that the body works is complex, but one thing should be understood when you are seeking to enjoy optimal nutrition - it is best to get all that you need from your food. Though the modern world seems to favor instant remedies and lots of over the counter health solutions, it is not that wise to rely on pills to give you nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Why not? That is something that you will want to know if you are looking to consume a high vitality diet. The body really loves balance. It has actually mastered it by being able to take foods and use everything in them to nourish the body. In fact, this mastery has gone so far as to make it best to eat certain foods because they contain complementary ingredients that actually help the body to use nutrients in the best ways possible.
As an example, you eat an orange because you know it is full of vitamin C. This is a water soluble vitamin that is not absorbed by the body until it is about to exit the small intestine. The fact that oranges are high in water content means that a lot of the vitamin is going to be absorbed easily in the best way possible by the body. It is amazing and serves as a good lesson in the need to use food sources for nutrition.
The Transports
The ways that vitamins are found are almost endless. They appear in almost every natural food you can list, and they all have different quantities. This is why you do want to consume a range of foods on a regular basis, and why you want to choose only fresh and whole foods as often as you can. These are the only guarantees of getting the highest nutrient counts.
After all, if you eat roots, leaves, fruits, flowers, stems, and nuts for your nutrients and vitamins, they are what could be called "living" food sources. They will degrade quite rapidly after being harvested (as they should), and so food that has been transported over distances and kept in storage will not have the same higher nutritional values.
This does indicate that nutrition and vitamins can usually result best when obtained through the consumption of the freshest foods possible, and this means that seasonal eating is the wisest course of action. While your entire diet may not be available as fresh foods, you can consume frozen and dried foods and mix them with the available bounty.
This ensures that you are getting the materials you need at the highest quality. Now, there is one last way to get vitamins, and that is through exposure to the sun. Vitamin D is actually synthesized (made by) the body when the skin is exposed to direct sun. Just sitting outdoors for 15 to 20 minutes each day will allow you to naturally generate your daily supply of this essential vitamin. Nature does provide what you need, just be sure you eat seasonally and rely on food sources for most of your nutrients.
Uniquely produced in Japan, Matcha powder has been drunk as tea or used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes, for along time now.
Production of the Japanese Matcha Tea
The local farmers in Japan cultivate the tea using traditional methods starting with the growing to the grinding. It is known to be cultivated on the banks of Yahagi River, with a misty fog and a micro-climate conducive for it to grow. A few weeks before the harvest during the spring season, the tree plants are covered by use of bamboo mats. This reduces the sunlight that gets to the plants and at the same time increases the content of chlorophyll in the leaves thus offering the matcha green tea its distinctive green color.
Once it has been harvested, the tea is steamed before being air dried. The next step involves the sorting for grade before they are stems and veins are removed. In this stage, the leaves are known as tencha, and once it is ground, it is called matcha.
The stone mill grinds the tea grade version and this is finer as compared to the industrial version.
Contents in Matcha Powder
Matcha green tea comes with a number of ingredients including:
Amino Acids - It is known to content L-theanine amino acid which is useful in relaxing the mind. It is also what gives the tea its distinctive taste.
Caffeine - Just like other green teas, Japanese matcha tea comes with caffeine which offers the drinkers a mild steady energy.
Antioxidants - It is believed that the amount of oxidants in this powder is higher than in other foods.
The Benefits Accrued from Using the Matcha
This type of tea comes with a wide variety of benefits to the users some of them include the following:
Delayed aging - With the antioxidants in the powder, the users will be able to enjoy a number of benefits. One of them is delayed aging as the antioxidants fight against the free radicals occurring in the body and this protects the body from the adverse effects of elements such as external toxins.
Protection against chronic diseases - The antioxidants found in this product is also helpful in protecting the body against diseases such as cancer. One of the main antioxidants is catechins which are known for its cancer-fighting properties. It is also known to reduce the risk of heart diseases, thanks to catechins. The beverage also has the ability to inhibit a number of enzymes responsible for arthritic inflammation. It also comes with a number of compounds known to protect the users against ulcers that are caused by NSAIDS.
Cleansing the body - The chlorophyll in the leaves has a number of roles. One of the main is getting rid of the heavy metals as well as the chemical toxins in the body. This is facilitated by the fact that the powder is completely ingested when it is consumed.
Enhances the mood - This product comes with an amino acid known as L-theanine which is responsible for relaxing the mind. Over the years, the monks have been taking matcha to help in their meditation. When combined with caffeine, it L-theanine provides the drinkers a calm alertness sustainable over time.
Weight loss - It is noted that the powder comes with the ability to increase the energy expenditure as well as fat oxidation in many people. The consumption of this beverage will increase the thermogenesis and this will work in helping the users reduce weight. The other advantage is that the use of this powder does not come with any side effects as compared to the weight loss products available in the market today.
Preparation of Japanese Matcha
Before preparing this beverage, the users need to determine the version they want as it is available in the thin style and the thick style. The basic steps to take include:
Heating water
Rinsing the tea bowl with heated water before drying it up with a cloth
Rinsing the bamboo whisk
Once the tools have been prepared, the users need to sift or scoop-sift the powder directly to into the bowl.
They should then add water after it has boiled between 165 degrees F and 180 degrees F.
Using the bamboo whisk, they should whisk quickly back and forth for sometime and the Matcha is ready to drink.
When preparing the thin style version, they need to get 2 bamboo sticks of the powder to 3 Ounces of water and for the thick style; they should between 2 and 4 tea scoops to 1.5 ounces of water.
The Japanese matcha tea has been a favorite for many people who are now looking for the matcha powder that will fit their needs. The best things about consuming the matcha green tea is the fact that it is easy to prepare and offers the drinkers a wide variety of benefits starting with improved health to enhanced moods.
The raw food diet is a diet where the foods are consumed in their raw state. Foods are considered to be raw if they have not been exposed to high temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (or 115 degrees Fahrenheit). This ensures that all enzymes and nutrients are left unchanged and intact so that the body is able to absorb them faster.
In addition, raw foods contain many antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals and eliminate toxins. According to studies, most age related diseases and common ailments are the result of too many toxins in the body. Thus the raw food diet can help to slow down the aging process by preventing diseases.
Variations of the Raw Food Diet
There are several different variations of the raw food diet and they include the Raw Vegan Diet, the Raw Vegetarian Diet and the Raw Omnivorous Diet. All three focus on raw foods, but each diet has slightly different restrictions.
Raw Vegan Diet
The raw vegan diet is the strictest of the variations, but it is also the healthiest and the most popular.
The diet mainly consists of raw fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, sprouts, nuts and seeds, as well as many superfoods such as raw cacao, goji berries, protein powders and sea vegetables. The superfoods usually are not available in most grocery stores, but can be purchased in most health food stores or online.
The raw foods are often eaten as they are, or mixed together in salads, smoothies, or are juiced in a juicer. Many western recipes can be mimicked with raw foods, such as ice creams, raw fruit pies, pizzas and many others. Bread, crackers and cookies can be mimicked by using a dehydrator, which is an oven-like appliance that dehydrates the foods at low temperatures over a period of 4 or more hours.
Raw Vegetarian Diet
The raw vegetarian diet is not quite as strict as the vegan, as it allows for the consumption of dairy, eggs and honey. However, there are some vegetarians that only consume eggs, while others will only consume dairy, and still others refuse to eat dairy and eggs, but will use honey as a natural sweetener.
Raw Omnivorous Diet
This diet is the most relaxed diet, as it allows for all animal products provided that they do not contain harmful food additives such as colorants and/or preservatives.
All animal products, whether consumed by the raw vegetarians or raw omnivores are usually obtained from free range and grass-fed animals in order to reduce the risks of ingesting harmful bacteria. In addition, foods from grass-fed animals also contain more nutrients.
Does the Raw Food Diet Eliminate All Cooked Foods?
Many who hear about the raw food diet think that they can no longer enjoy their favorite cooked meals. But this is not so. Dieters can consider themselves to be a raw foodist if they consume at least 75% of their foods in the raw state. This allows for a partially cooked meal every night.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating component of the cannabis plant, has generated significant interest among scientists and physicians in recent years - but how CBD exerts its therapeutic impact on a molecular level is still being sorted out. Cannabidiol is a pleiotropic drug in that it produces many effects through multiple molecular pathways. The scientific literature has identified more than 65 molecular targets of CBD.
Although CBD has little binding affinity for either of the two cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), cannabidiol modulates several non-cannabinoid receptors and ion channels. CBD also acts through various receptor-independent pathways—for example, by delaying the “reuptake” of endogenous neurotransmitters (such as anandamide and adenosine) and by enhancing or inhibiting the binding action of certain G-protein coupled receptors.
Here are some of the ways that CBD confers its manifold therapeutic effects.
Serotonin Receptors
Jose Alexandre Crippa and his colleagues at the University of San Paulo in Brazil and King’s College in London have conducted pioneering research into CBD and the neural correlates of anxiety. At high concentrations, CBD directly activates the 5-HT1A (hydroxytryptamine) serotonin receptor, thereby conferring an anti-anxiety effect. This G-coupled protein receptor is implicated in a range of biological and neurological processes, including (but not limited to) anxiety, addiction, appetite, sleep, pain perception, nausea and vomiting.
5-HT1A is a member of the family of 5-HT receptors, which are activated by the neurotransmitter serotonin. Found in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, 5-HT receptors trigger various intracellular cascades of chemical messages to produce either an excitatory or inhibitory response, depending on the chemical context of the message.
CBDA [Cannabidiolic acid], the raw, unheated version of CBD that is present in the cannabis plant, also has a strong affinity for the 5-HT1A receptor (even more so than CBD). Preclinical studies indicate that CBDA is a potent anti-emetic, stronger than either CBD or THC, which also have anti-nausea properties.
Vanilloid Receptors
CBD directly interacts with various ion channels to confer a therapeutic effect. CBD, for example, binds to TRPV1 receptors, which also function as ion channels. TRPV1 is known to mediate pain perception, inflammation and body temperature.
TRPV is the technical abbreviation for “transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V.” TRPV1 is one of several dozen TRP (pronounced “trip”) receptor variants or subfamilies that mediate the effects of a wide range of medicinal herbs.
Scientists also refer to TRPV1 as a “vanilloid receptor,” named after the flavorful vanilla bean. Vanilla contains eugenol, an essential oil that has antiseptic and analgesic properties; it also helps to unclog blood vessels. Historically, the vanilla bean has been used as a folk cure for headaches.
CBD binds to TRPV1, which can influence pain perception.
Capsaicin—the pungent compound in hot chili peppers—activates the TRVP1 receptor. Anandamide, the endogenous cannabinoid, is also a TRPV1 agonist.
GPR55 - orphan receptors
Whereas cannabidiol directly activates the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor and several TRPV ion channels, some studies indicate that CBD functions as an antagonist that blocks, or deactivates, another G protein-coupled receptor known as GPR55.
GPR55 has been dubbed an “orphan receptor” because scientists are still not sure if it belongs to a larger family of receptors. GPR55 is widely expressed in the brain, especially in the cerebellum. It is involved in modulating blood pressure and bone density, among other physiological processes.
GPR55 promotes osteoclast cell function, which facilitates bone reabsorption. Overactive GPR55 receptor signaling is associated with osteoporosis.
CBD is a GPR55 antagonist, as University of Aberdeen scientist Ruth Ross disclosed at the 2010 conference of the International Cannabinoid Research Society in Lund, Sweden. By blocking GPR55 signaling, CBD may act to decrease both bone reabsorption and cancer cell proliferation.
PPARs - nuclear receptors
CBD also exerts an anti-cancer effect by activating PPARs [peroxisome proliferator activated receptors] that are situated on the surface of the cell’s nucleus. Activation of the receptor known as PPAR-gamma has an anti-proliferative effect as well as an ability to induce tumor regression in human lung cancer cell lines. PPAR-gamma activation degrades amyloid-beta plaque, a key molecule linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This is one of the reasons why cannabidiol, a PPAR-gamma agonist, may be a useful remedy for Alzheimer’s patients.
PPAR receptors also regulate genes that are involved in energy homeostasis, lipid uptake, insulin sensitivity, and other metabolic functions. Diabetics, accordingly, may benefit from a CBD-rich treatment regimen.
CBD as a reuptake inhibitor
How does CBD, an exogenous plant compound, get inside a human cell to bind to a nuclear receptor? First it has to pass through the cell membrane by hitching a ride with a fatty acid binding protein (FABP), which chaperones various lipid molecules into the cell’s interior. These intracellular transport molecules also escort tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the brain’s own marijuana-like molecules, the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2AG, across the membrane to several targets within the cell. CBD and THC both modulate receptors on the surface of the nucleus, which regulate gene expression and mitochondrial activity.
Cannabidiol, it turns out, has a strong affinity for three kinds of FABPs, and CBD competes with our endocannabinoids, which are fatty acids, for the same transport molecules. Once it is inside the cell, anandamide is broken down by FAAH [fatty acid amide hydrolase], a metabolic enzyme, as part of its natural molecular life cycle. But CBD interferes with this process by reducing anandamide’s access to FABP transport molecules and delaying endocannabinoid passage into the cell’s interior.
According to a team of Stony Brook University scientists, CBD functions as an anandamide reuptake and breakdown inhibitor, thereby raising endocannabinoid levels in the brain’s synapses. Enhancing endocannabinod tone via reuptake inhibition may be a key mechanism whereby CBD confers neuroprotective effects against seizures, as well as many other health benefits.
CBD’s anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects are in part attributable to its inhibition of adenosine reuptake. By delaying the reuptake of this neurotransmitter, CBD boosts adenosine levels in the brain, which regulates adenosine receptor activity. A1A and A2A adenosine receptors play significant roles in cardiovascular function, regulating myocardial oxygen consumption and coronary blood flow. These receptors have broad anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body.
CBD as an allosteric modulator
CBD also functions as an allosteric receptor modulator, which means that it can either enhance or inhibit how a receptor transmits a signal by changing the shape of the receptor.
Australian scientists report that CBD acts as a “positive allosteric modulator” of the GABA-A receptor. In other words, CBD interacts with the GABA-A receptor in a way that enhances the receptor’s binding affinity for its principal endogenous agonist, gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. The sedating effects of Valium and other Benzos are mediated by GABA receptor transmission. CBDreduces anxiety by changing the shape of the GABA-A receptor in a way that amplifies the natural calming effect of GABA.
Canadian scientists have identified CBD as a “negative allosteric modulator” of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor, which is concentrated in the brain and central nervous system. While cannabidiol doesn’t bind to the CB1 receptor directly like THC does, CBDinteracts allosterically with CB1 and changes the shape of the receptor in a way that weakens CB1’s ability to bind with THC.
As a negative allosteric modulator of the CB1receptor, CBD lowers the ceiling on THC’s psychoactivity—which is why people don’t feel as “high” when using CBD-rich cannabis compared to when they consume THC-dominant medicine. A CBD-rich product with little THC can convey therapeutic benefits without having a euphoric or dysphoric effect.
