The Colorectal Cancer – Nutrition Connection: A Follow-Up

Tip of the Week: If colorectal cancer is a part of your family history, consider a diet high in folic acid AND supplement with 400 micrograms (mcg.) of this necessary nutrient. The additional supplement (400 mcg. is the amount found in most multivitamin/mineral supplements) is recommended because folic acid’s bioavailability from food varies widely—averaging only 50% overall.

Note: If you are already taking a multivitamin containing 400 mcg. of folic acid, you need not increase your supplemental intake unless directed to do so by your health care provider. Pregnant or lactating women will require additional supplementation beyond the 400 mcg. level.

How to Incorporate This Tip Into Your Lifestyle: Consider adding an 8-ounce glass of orange or grapefruit juice on a daily basis as an enhancement to your healthy diet. In addition to the antioxidant power of vitamin C (as well as a host of beneficial phytonutrients) citrus juices are also good sources of folic acid. And if you choose the calcium-fortified varieties, all the better!

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Not long after posting last week’s article on colorectal cancer screening, I came across a recent study regarding the nutritional benefits of folic acid for those individuals with a family history of this curable cancer. In this study (the famed Nurses’ Health Study which has followed the health habits of 90,000 female nurses since 1976) it was found that in participants with an adequate folic acid intake (400mcg. in this case) the presence of immediate relatives with colon cancer did not increase the participants’ risk for the disease. This is in direct contrast to individuals who took in less than the desired amount of folic acid. In this group, those participants having relatives with colon cancer were 2.5 times more likely to contract the disease than those individuals with relatives who did not have colon cancer. In essence, adequate folic acid neutralized the negative effect of the family history for this type of cancer in this study!

The exact mechanism of this neutralizing effect may be uncertain; however, we do know that folic acid is involved in DNA and RNA synthesis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that in the absence of folic acid, normally healthy cells can transform to a pre-cancerous state. These cells have the ability to become malignant, causing cancer. Speculation is that folic acid presents a roadblock in that process.

In addition to citrus foods, legumes (“beans” such as kidney, black, northern, garbanzo, pinto, etc.) green leafy vegetables, and fortified grains are good sources of folic acid. If you’re looking for a folic acid power meal, sit down to a bowl of tomato and bean chili, a green salad (leaf and romaine lettuce will be higher in folic acid than iceberg) a whole-grain roll, and grapefruit sorbet. Don’t forget a healthy beverage—perhaps OJ or green tea?

Not a chili fan? How about a bean tostada or bean burrito topped with lots of shredded greens and accompanied by a citrus smoothie? Challenge your imagination and come up with some ideas of your own!

The Internet offers many recipe sites–some offering search engines that will find recipes based upon product ingredients. Take a look. Invest a few minutes now to improve your lifestyle–you may be rewarded with more years to your life (and more life to your years) down the road.

While we all will grow older, the manner in which we age will not be the same. Genetics and lifestyle are two factors that play significant roles in the aging process. The purpose of this site is to educate its visitors about this process—providing tips on how to both extend and enhance their lives.

As promised, here is your anti-aging Tip of the Week: Challenge yourself to learn more about the aging process and anti-aging strategies. Knowledge is power! The more you know, the better equipped you will be to assess the information that is out there.

To assist you in this endeavor, I have compiled a list of what I believe to be the 10 most important components of an effective anti-aging program. And while other anti-aging proponents might or might not agree with my list, there is one thing on which most of us agree—that the approach must be multi-faceted. Many of the components are synergistic, working together to produce maximum results. Thus, no single strategy will be as effective as a combination.

Top 10 Anti-Aging Components

1. Adequate nutrition

2. Activity – physical

3. Activity – mental

4. Antioxidants (from food and, when necessary, from supplements)

5. Attitude

6. Air (the art of breathing)

7. Alleviation of stress

8.Achievement of inner peace/harmony

9. Awareness of advances in medicine

10. Active partnership with health care practitioner in managing your health

Utilize this list as a starting point for your own anti-aging action plan. After researching the field, you may find additional areas you would choose to include. Perhaps there may be some you would delete. Modify the list according to your needs.

Hydro-cures

Using water to promote an ageless appearance is one of the oldest, most potent (and cheapest) natural self-care tools available. Maybe, that’s one reason why hydro-cures are the most used treatment in health farms (therapeutic clinics) and spas, around the world. The act of simply pouring a stream of cold water over the face, prevents wrinkle formation, or toe aerobics in crushed ice to increase cellular vitality are just two easy, natural law methods of skin rejuvenation which can be performed in the convenience and privacy of our own homes.

Mineral and botanical enriched herbal baths; saunas and other skin-renewing hydro-cure treatments have a luxuriating history of indulging the detoxification of premature aging. Hydro-cures gentle wash away excessive perspiration, dead skin cells and embedded cellular toxins while at the same time, stimulate deep tissue layer cleansing. They also do wonders to refresh the body and renew the spirit. People all over the world, use hydro-cures from the extravagant bath-houses of the ancient Roman’s to the hot mineral springs of Japan, for the sole purpose of skin purification and rejuvenation. Many traditional cultures regard natural mineral springs a sacred gift from Mother Earth, and are frequently visited as special places for miraculous healing. In Europe, the leader in natural-earth therapies, hydro-cures have become a valued alternative to the accelerated cost of drugs, and sometimes unnecessary, cosmetic surgery.

Natural water healing methods, including hot/cold stream application, herbal effusions and compresses, the combined use of the forces of nature (sun, water, food, exercise), a positive attitude and imagery of life expectancy, all form a course of treatment which is designed to restore both physical and mental unity. These simple treatments can be adapted for home use to retard cellular and functional wear and tear. Anti-aging hydro-cures have exceptional versatility. They can be used to stimulate or relax with almost no strain on the body, they can strengthen the immunity, increase vitality, or encourage deep tissue detoxification and with not a negative side effect experienced. While some treatments require full body immersion others require a flowing stream of cold water over a particular body part, it’s that simple. There are literally hundreds of water based, skin rejuvenating treatments (I have included a few my father swore by) which can be adapted to individual needs, as you begin to erase your visible map of self-neglect.

Facial effusion

Use this treatment to stimulate a rich supply of cleansing blood to your facial and upper body skin. If performed frequently, it will restore natural elasticity to the skin and is very popular amongst European men who effuse weekly to increase general suppleness and retain their good looks.

The treatment:

Remain dressed and warm from the chest down, but remove all your clothing from your neck and upper shoulders. On a thick supporting towel, lean your neck and shoulders backwards, over a bathtub or sink, in a warm room. Using a hand held shower hose (with head removed) turn on the cold faucet so that a smooth sheet of constant, non-pressurized water is delivered to your skin. Once the water flow is constant and smooth, circle your skin beginning with the temples, moving back and forth from one side of your face to the other. After about three lengths this way, move the water flow across your face from the left to the right. Repeat both directions once more then conclude by circling water over your whole face twice. Pat your skin dry with a pre-warmed towel to remove any excess water, then allow your skin to air dry in a well ventilated room. This treatment is more beneficial with the help of another person.

Whole body-wash

Use whole body washing as a self-care tool to relax internal functioning while at the same time strengthening it through active elimination of toxic build-up. The spreading of cool water over the skin with a rough linen cloth or hemp mitt activates natural body warmth, while cleansing and purifying the cells and tissues. Whole body washing is an excellent skin renewal tool to refresh your spirit between work and leisure.

When the production of human growth hormones drops, the aging process begins.  There are several reasons for this decline. Aside from simply no longer having a need for these hormones, there are additional reasons for our bodies to slow production of them.

Mother’s milk gives babies extra human growth hormones. For this reason, babies who have not been breast fed develop more slowly. Up until the past one hundred years, people didn’t live to be more than fifty.  Scientists believe that the extended life span we now experience is responsible for the slow down in the production of human growth hormones. And so, there is no real reason for the body to use up energy on these hormones.

You will find this is correct if you look carefully. The top age two thousand years ago was the mid-thirties.  For this reason, the human body had no reason to produce human growth hormones. Life expectancy has increased in regular increments as time has marched on. Cave men had very short life spans.  To live past the age of one was unusual.  A thirteen year old was probably considered quite old and wise.

These days, we live so long that we need supplements to keep our bodies functioning properly.

Recently, athletes have used human growth hormones to enhance and extend their performance.  They have received some criticism for this. When athletes reach their thirties and forties, their bodies naturally begin to decrease the production of the hormones that helped them reach their athletic peak when they were younger. Of course, it is quite controversial when high school athletes, who already have plenty of these hormones, try to benefit from their use. There are some very clear differences between artificial growth steroids and human growth hormones. In the 1970s, the East German Olympic Team used steroids that caused some very serious side effects.  This type of artificial growth steroid is a synthetic replication of natural muscle growth hormones. Your body needs some essential amino acids and some non-essential amino acids to be able to create these hormones on its own.  That is what Human Growth Hormone Supplements are made of.

It is not difficult to see the true potential that these natural supplements could have on the quality of your life. When you get older, your body doesn’t produce these hormones as freely as it once did, so your energy levels will drop. There is definitely proof that these amino acids can improve the quality of ones’ life.  The athletes we mentioned experienced a sharp decline in performance levels when they stopped taking them. Human growth hormones may be the building blocks that will help you to restructure the energy and zest for life you had when you were younger.

How do our bodies use oxygen? Each breath we take brings air into the lungs. The air that we breathe is approximately twenty percent oxygen. Seems low, doesn’t it? The low percentage of oxygen is actually a good thing because oxygen is highly reactive and will begin to damage the lungs after a few hours. In the lungs, oxygen attaches to our red blood cells and is transported to all of the other cells in our body to maintain cell and body functions. It makes sense that more oxygen means that we’re better able to maintain body functions, right? Except that once our red blood cells are fully saturated with oxygen, they are holding their full capacity and cannot take on more. What does this mean? If you are healthy, then your red blood cells are carrying all the oxygen they can. Therefore, breathing pure oxygen will not help you or improve your performance.

Granted, people with specific diseases like emphysema or other lung and heart diseases often benefit from a higher dosage of oxygen, but in these cases, oxygen is a medical treatment prescribed for a specific disorder. Inhaling pure oxygen is also used to combat carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, and other conditions that reduce our capacity to use oxygen. Again, in these cases, oxygen is a treatment prescribed by a physician to treat a specific condition.

What about athletes who claim that oxygen improves their performance? Controlled research studies have shown that it is a placebo. Athletes can’t tell the difference between pure oxygen and regular air; they just think they can. Because they think that inhaling pure oxygen is good for them, they report feeling better afterwards. Likewise, medical studies have not shown oxygen therapy to fulfill any of the other claims. Looks like we have to keep on looking for the cure for aging, sorry.

So, if you like being fashionable, try an oxygen bar. But, remember that the oxygen is only helping your ego and sense of style. Too much exposure can actually hurt you.

If you increase the amount of HGH in your body, you will feel and look years younger. This fact has been proven by doctors already. Until now, HGH was available only by a doctor’s prescription and through an injection. This route could cost you $10,000 annually.

Luckily, now there exists a better option for everyone to naturally elevate the level of his or her HGH. Doctors have formulated all natural supplements that contain peptides and amino acids that help the body increase its HGH levels naturally. Synthetic HGH is expensive and using natural HGH supplements is cheaper as well as a healthier choice.

There are many benefits to increasing your body’s HGH levels. This is a list of some of the benefits.

Skin Benefits

Your skin will become more pliable and younger looking if you boost the levels of HGH in your body. You will look better because more HGH in your system will reduce lines and wrinkles on your face. Your skin texture will be much better, as it is well known for this.

Fingernails and Hair

More HGH in your system will lead to healthier nails. HGH can darken your hair and make it shinier as well.

Energy

You will feel more energetic by increasing your HGH levels. In today’s hectic lifestyle, high energy is necessary.

Loss of Weight

You will be assisted in weight loss and have the ability to keep it off with HGH. By increasing your metabolism, you will burn fat quicker.

Improved Memory

Increased levels of HGH in your body will help maintain a healthy brain and memory.

Improved Immune System

Increased levels of HGH in your system will support your immune system, which protects your health. You will be healthier and not as susceptible to seasonal bugs.

If you would like to look and feel younger, use natural Human Growth Hormone supplements to increase your HGH levels.

In addition to the visible anti-aging benefits bestowed by HGH products, they provide many other benefits that are important that are less visible. For instance, the functioning of the thyroid gland can be improved through use of HGH products. This is significant because as we get older, the thyroid gland may work less efficiently. HGH products also enhance the functioning of the thymus gland. Since the thymus gland plays a key role in the functioning of the immune system, it is critical that we keep our immune systems operating at their peak of efficiency to help ward off viruses and diseases and live long and healthy lives.

HGH may also help prevent bone loss which is a concern for everyone as they get older. Using HGH supplements on a regular basis can assist in the reduction of bone loss. This, in turn, will prevent cracks and breaks from occurring in our bones as we age. Although HGH products can assist in dealing with the side effects of aging, proper medical care is still essential.

One of the key benefits of HGH products is the ability to enhance the health of your skin. Using HGH products helps skin appear more vibrant and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Other improvements are evident too, including an increase in the ability to heal wounds.

Since a product such as HGH is so readily available, it is now possible to spend less time worrying about the aging process and more time enjoying the time you have left with your friends and family. Use HGH products to help your body heal itself again and function optimally while at the same time protecting your immune system and bone density. As a bonus, you will enjoy a healthier and younger appearance.

What motivates people to buy HGH? For those who might want to try HGH therapy, what safe choices do they have?

In addition to the fact that HGH boosters are an obvious treatment for children suffering from stunted growth, people do not mind spending money on HGH boosters because they are increasingly health conscious and they have a fear of aging and its manifestations (impotence, weight gain, anxiety, loss of lean muscle tissue, lack of energy).

People suffering from HGH deficiency are intrested to buy HGH pills because they safely but slowly (in the case of herbal cures) boost the level of HGH production in the body.

Synthetic HGH boosters, for example, injections, can have adverse side effects. There are numerous kinds of supplements that increase the amount of HGH and choices vary from being prescribed or OTC enhancers such as HGH sprays, powdered forms or pills that can be purchased at an online pharmacy. One of these is HGH + Releaser, suggested by doctors for a
continuous and harmless betterment to produce human growth hormone and to feel well, generally. This option is safer than utilizing products containing synthetic HGH because their effects can vary, not to mention that they can cause adverse side effects. Besides, this product utilizes real HGH in an herbal blend that is produced under quality control systems, it’s effective and reasonably priced from $50!

Who are the potential consumers of HGH pills? What selections are available on the current market for those looking to purchase HGH that is effective and reasonably priced?

People who have experienced less production of normal HGH levels and people who have declining HGH levels as they get older because of diminished pituitary gland function are typically searching for safe choices to purchase HGH pills that will help them stay young in the later phases of life and also while they are young adults. One indication of decreased HGH levels is if your an igh-1 1evel less than 190, because this means an HGH deficiency. In 1997 when the FDA approved HGH treatment for adults, many manufacturers hurried to supply prescription HGH. But many of these drugs were expensive, running as much as $20,000 per year, so when herbal HGH remedies became available, many who wanted to buy HGH snapped up these supplements that they found effective and affordable.

Aside from the adrenal, sex and thyroid hormones, one other hormone is critical — the most important one, in fact — since it is the most influential one when it comes to changes associated with aging, and that hormone is human growth hormone, or simply HGH. HGH is one of the hormones produced in our brains by the pituitary gland (which controls our whole system for hormones). A large number of cells in this gland are “somatocytes”, which are devoted to creating HGH. With such a high percentage being used for HGH, it must be something of vital importance.

HGH functions during childhood by stimulating long bone growth to eventually cause a person to reach a final body height. In times past, scientists believed this was the only function of HGH. According to the results of new studies, HGH receptors are present in each cell in the body, and HGH performs multiple functions involving human metabolism in each bodily organ. Receptors are even present in the brain that, once activated, produce endorphins, molecules which help regulate our moods and keep us optimistic. HGH affects the texture of our skin, which is why a child’s skin feels so smooth; the skin cells are being taught by HGH to grow evenly. Brain cells respond by actually coming back to life — approximately 10% of our brain cells cease to function as each decade of life passes. Therefore, even though big double-blind clinical trials have not yet been completed, HGH is the latest and most effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Irritability is a consistent effect of HGH deficiency; when replacement therapy is administered, the irritability is replaced with a profound sense of well-being. The response of bone cells is to generate new bone, which results in a reversal of osteoporosis, although this process takes at least two years to transpire. Fat cells disappear as they are burned for energy. A lack of HGH causes a build up of fat cells around the middle; this virtually disappears within a couple of months. The response of muscle cells is to become larger and stronger, particularly those in the upper body. One becomes stronger and able to endure as they did when they were young. Many people no longer have to rely on glasses to help them read as the ciliary muscle of the eye strengthens.

Because HGH has so many functions, it has more effect than any other hormone on the physical changes that are associated with aging. Predictably, as we age, our levels of HGH continually decline. In fact, HGH has so many important functions, we should replace the “G” with “V” for vitality.

Total Hormone Rejuvenation Therapy

The goal is to return your hormone levels to the levels available when you were between the ages of 20 and 25. Since that time, it is all but certain that your hormone levels have been steadily decreasing. Most likely you thought of it as “normal aging,” but it could also be referred to as “multiple system degenerative disease.” Why suffer with the problems and symptoms that result from the disease we call aging, if you don’t have to do so?

Ask yourself how old you were when you felt your best, most energetic, and most optimistic. Most people will respond with an age in the early twenties. With that in mind, why not survey the bodily hormone systems and utilize orthomolecular human hormone supplementation to return each to the level present in your body when you were in your early twenties? When this is done, you start to feel better in just a few days. In just a few months you begin to feel as you did when you were that age. And within just a few years, you begin to look as young as you feel.

Of course, we do not mean to imply that you will look like you are 20 years old again, but it is quite possible to look ten to twenty years younger by reversing changes that you thought were inevitable and irreversible.

The rate at which we age, as well as the physical and mental symptoms of aging, can all be regulated with the hormones DHEA, melatonin, pregnenolone, the estrogens, testosterone, and HGH (human growth hormone), and all of these hormones are currently available. Since they are available over the counter and people do not monitor their hormonal levels before or after taking the hormones, these items are not being used optimally. The objective is to take enough supplements to maintain the levels that were present when you were 20, not to take hormones indiscriminately. It is possible to obtain other hormones, such as the natural human estrogens (estrone, estriol, and estradiol) and testosterone, with a prescription. But in order to obtain the best results, prior to supplementation, all these hormones should be tested; once this is done, the goal of supplementation should be to achieve and maintain optimal levels, not just high levels. Low hormonal levels are bad, but elevated hormone levels can be even worse.

Hormone replacement therapy is becoming quite mainstream, and is capable of reducing morbidity and mortality rates by half. You are missing out on your opportunity for great health if you have not asked to be tested for adrenal, sex, and thyroid hormone levels.

Of course, the biggest problem is locating the right physician who will order these tests. Many doctors still adhere to the old school philosophy that aging is inevitable and not considered to be a disease. When many people tell their physicians about various complaints, they are dismissed with comments such as: “Well, what do you expect? You are aging. Deal with it. We all die eventually!” Prior to making your appointment, it is wise to screen your doctor.

to be continued..