Curiously Awesome

Traveling can be really hard on your health. There are lots of factors that can work against you when you are on the road. The increased stress, changing time zones and not being able to find healthy food can all hurt your health. If you travel by air you have the added problems of exposure to airborne germs, fragrance chemicals, and other pollutants you may be exposed to by unhealthy people around you. Additionally, there’s the difficulty of bringing all your supplements with you.

So how can you protect yourself from sickness and environmental stress and keep to your healthy diet while traveling? This begins a multi-part series containing some great healthful tips for staying healthy when traveling.

Tip #1:

Boost your immune system before you go.

Don’t even think about walking into an airport, train station or other public place like this without protecting your immune system first. How you may ask? For at least three days before leaving start drinking lots of vegetable juice and taking immune-boosting herbal supplements. This works even better if you’re already drinking fresh juices every day as a regular habit. But even if you’re not do this before you travel.

For supplements, try garlic supplements, Echinacea, goldenseal, ginger and other similar immune herbs.

It’s also important to get plenty of zinc in your diet by eating pumpkin seeds or taking high-quality zinc supplements. Taking lots of vitamin C and vitamin D3 is also beneficial. Be sure to you get high-quality supplements.

Part 2 Coming Next Time!

Let’s face it…if you are actually thinking seriously about having some kind of Plastic Surgery, you want the absolute best surgeon you can find.

Wouldn’t a website that’s purpose is to educate and provide resources and support for people desiring plastic surgery be a great thing to use if you are in this position? I surely would use a website like this. Information and education is the key to getting the desired results.

For the most current relevant plastic surgery news and information about cosmetic surgery and all other types of plastic surgery, this resource is the key to your level of knowledge about these procedures. They will also provide information about board certified plastic surgeons in your area. They feature only the most highly trained and qualified plastic surgeons that are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and/or the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Supplementation

Now that many of the health benefits of vitamin D have been shown, I next want to describe where to find this vitamin and who needs it the most.

The best source of vitamin D is the sun. Spending time in the sun daily is not deadly. Obviously, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, but never spending any time in the sun is certainly not the better alternative. Lighter complected people need less time in the sun than darker complected people, about 15 minutes in the sun daily. For darker individuals, approximately 30 minutes should be strived for.

Another source of vitamin D is diet. Raw milk naturally contains vitamin D, but the largest dietary source is cod liver oil.

Everyone needs vitamin D! It has been recently shown that young children and infants tend to be deficient, even though they appear otherwise healthy. New info on vitamin D has prompted many to deem the RDA to be far too low — the highest amount suggested being 600 IU. The Vitamin D Council recommends at least 1,000 IU per day.

In summary, if people get plenty of sunshine, raw milk, and cod liver oil, many would definitely benefit from this vitamin. Vitamin D has been underestimated in its abilities and its health benefits for years. The future only holds more data on how important this vitamin is.

Lakeview Dermatology is a leading dermatology clinic in the Chicago area. They specialize in Park Ridge Botox, as well as laser acne treatment, hair removal treatment, Restylane treatment and other skin care treatments. Both cosmetic and medical/surgical treatments are provided by this well-respected clinic.

Lakeview Dermatology is led by Dr. Eugene Mandrea and Dr. Steven Mandrea and located in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Vitamin D and Brain Function

There are many vitamin D receptors in the brain. It has been discovered that vitamin D plays a very important role in maintaining and achieving what may be considered a healthy mind. There is more research necessary in this particular area of vitamin D functions, but it is worth mentioning because vitamin D levels have been noted in children with brain dysfunction.

Behavioral and cognitive difficulties and how they are associated with low vitamin D levels is still unclear, but what is known is that low vitamin D levels create depression in the elderly. Often accompanied by an overactive parathyroid, low vitamin D levels have been noted to increase depression in older adults, and in other mental disorders.

This information is important because instead of treating patients with dangerous psychotropic medications (many of which have hazardous side effects) depression could be treated with a higher intake of vitamin D or more calcium and exposure to sunlight.

It’s time for our annual eyeglasses replacement for of our children who wear glasses. In the past, I have always dreaded this annual summertime ritual as it is a extremely expensive undertaking that I don’t look forward to.

This year, however, I have high hopes of being able to satisfy my kids’ eclectic tastes in eyewear and at the same time satisfy my own desire to not have to go without necessities for a few weeks to be able to afford this.

I found an amazing source for inexpensive eyeglasses that you won’t believe.

ZenniOptical.com sells Stylish Prescription Glasses Online from $8. I have found a huge selection of frames. They have single vision lenses, sunsensor (potochromic) lenses, tinted sunglasses lenses, bifocal lenses and progressive lenses. From what I understand, the secret to Zenni’s low prices is that they sell only their own manufactured frames directly to the customer. There are no middlemen and, therefore, practically no advertising budget.

In taking a quick look at their site, it’s very apparent that no one would have any trouble whatsoever finding something that they would wear. I easily found many things I’d wear and I don’t even wear glasses!

My daughter would totally wear these glasses gladly and they are only $8! I am liking this site very much!

Check out this live web clip!

Vitamin D and Cancer

Vitamin D has also been linked to better outcomes in cancer. In breast, colon and prostate cancer, the sun-shine vitamin has been shown to suppress cancer growth and the formation of blood vessels that feed cancer cells. Furthermore, in a breast cancer study, 24 percent in the breast cancer study had adequate levels of the vitamin at the time of diagnosis. Those who were deficient were more likely to have the cancer metastasize or recur ten years later. Moreover, 73 percent of the deficient were more likely to die.

A study in the International Journal of Cancer found that vitamin D protects cells from oxidative stress. This study used the most biologically active form of the vitamin, vitamin D3 along with nonmalignant human prostate epithelial cells. Metabolism of cells produces free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer formation and accelerated aging. Vitamin D links with a gene that increases its activity and produces an enzyme that combats free radical damage by clearing the cell of those DNA-damaging substances. This relieves cell stress and retains healthy cells.

Coming Next – Vitamin D and Brain Function

I try really, really hard not to rely too much on analgesic pain relievers because I understand how harmful they can be to the liver and other organs. There are times, however, when you just need relief…at least I do.

I just found out about a new product called Emuprofen topical ibuprofen cream. This sounds very interesting to me.

Emuprofen combines Emu oil with Ibuprofen, MSM, glucosamine and a blend of natural anti-inflammatory botanicals to form a very powerful topical pain cream. This cream has just been launched and it has the ability to help so many different people from all walks of life. From athletes, to those with arthritis, to anyone with general neck, back and muscle pain.

I would much rather use something topically like this than ingest something that carries harmful side affects to my liver.

Vitamin D and Diabetes

Most people in Western societies are familiar with diabetes. Type II diabetes is highly publicized since most diabetes sufferers are afflicted with this form of the affliction. Those suffering with type I diabetes, have a small advantage over their counter parts. Recent research has demonstrated that those who receive high amounts of vitamin D during childhood have a lower risk of developing type I diabetes later on in life. The greater the amount of vitamin D, the greater the benefit.

Type I diabetes is different than type II because it does not come from insulin resistance. Instead it comes because the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by one’s own immune system. This typically starts early in childhood. Though more commonly found amongst Europeans and North Americans, it can affect people from all walks of life.

Next time – Vitamin D and Cancer

Having had many children, something we thought about during several pregnancies was banking cord blood. I’m sorry to say that we never did take the steps necessary to do this with any of our children. I find myself wishing after the fact that we had done this…you just never know if or when you are going to need or want stem cells banked.

If I had it to do over again another time, I would definitely spend some time researching and getting information about banking cord blood.

The benefits are many…here are a few:

Umbilical cord stem cells are known to treat seventy diseases. This includes leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, diabetes and cerebral palsy, to name only a few. Did you know that approximately 30,000 people in the United States are diagnosed every year with a disease that could be treated with cord blood stem cells? The thought of treating diseases with stem cells is just such an awesome and exciting idea.

By the year 2015 it is predicted that there will be 10,000 cord blood transplants world-wide every year using publicly banked cord blood. This is amazing! The value of cord blood is an exponential thing that really cannot be measured by anything we can use.

Cryo-cell is one of the world’s largest and most established family cord blood banks. They have over 150,000 clients worldwide.

July is Cord Blood Awareness Month. If you have the opportunity to do this for your family, I hope you will consider it.