The Management Consulting Group

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer located in the lining of either the lungs, abdomen or the heart. These linings are thin layers of tissue covering the organ.

The pleura is the tissue covering the lungs and the wall of the chest cavity which cushions and protects the lungs. The peritoneum lines the abdominal wall and surrounds most of the organs in the abdomen. The pericardium is the tissue surrounding the heart.

Mesothelioma is a rare but very serious cancer. There are three types of mesothelioma based on the types of cancerous cells. The most common type is epithelioid and consists of 50-70% of total cases and has the best prognosis. The second type is called sarcomatoid, consists of 10-20 % of mesothelioma cases and is more unpredictable in nature. The third type of mesothelioma is called biphasic, it is a combination of the other two types and consists of 20-35% of all cases.

There are an estimated 2000-3000 new cases of mesothelioma in the United States every year. The majority of these cases begin in the chest wall (pleural mesothelioma), a few start in the abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma) and very rare are the cases starting in the lining surrounding the heart (pericardial mesothelioma).

The pleura is a thin lining of mesothelial cells. There are two pleuras in the chest, the parietal pleura and the visceral pleura. The parietal pleura lines the chest wall including the inside of the ribs, diaphragm and pericardium. The visceral pleura covers the lungs and filters fluid to and from the chest. If the pleura becomes diseases it is not effective at eliminating fluid from the chest resulting in pleural effusion or too much fluid in the chest.

Mesothelioma is usually the result of exposure to asbestos. Most people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma have had jobs where they breathed asbestos fibers. It may take up to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until mesothelioma develops.

Although rare, mesothelioma is a serious form of cancer which is often in its advanced stage when a diagnosis is made. In general, prognosis for mesothelioma patient is poor, however, some patients live with the disease for a long time. As mentioned earlier, the type of mesothelioma has an impact on the prognosis, as well as, the age of the patient, how much tumor has developed and if treatment is rendered. There are many variables in evaluating a mesothelioma case, so only the patients doctor can determine the best treatment and possible prognosis on an individual basis.

Jill Kane provides useful information and resources regarding mesothelioma and asbestos at http://www.mesothelioma-101.org

I would like to introduce you to an incredible new weight loss product: Your brain…

I discovered this technique for weight loss many, many years ago from a great New Thought teacher. When I posted it on a business forum last year, a member publicly thanked me for her weight loss a short time later.

I hope some of you will accept this and give it a try also.

To lose weight, here is a technique to use. As you drop off to sleep, repeat over and over again to your subconscious mind, your ideal weight (or your goal weight). For example, just repeat as you fall asleep, when your mind is most receptive to suggestion: 140 pounds…140 pounds…140 pounds. In the waking state, an affirmation might be: “I weigh 140 pounds in divine order” or something similar. You will be conditioning your subconscious mind to accept your goal weight and it will compulsively guide you to do everything necessary to accomplish that result.

Am I qualified to make such a claim about this technique? I will let you decide. The photos you see of me that appear on my website were taken within the past couple of years and with some fluctuation, I have maintained this body for most of my life. I am healthy, trim, fit and look 20 years younger than my years. However, I come from a “fat” family. My mother wasn’t overweight…she was obese, and when she died in the 80s, she was just a few years older than I am now. I won’t give details about my younger sister - she’s gone, too. And don’t think I can’t gain weight easily. Oh, yes I can, but my mind won’t let me. It has been conditioned too well to keep me fit and healthy. I don’t think about what I have to do to maintain that, it does it for me - I lift weights, I eat healthy foods and can indulge in fattening foods sporadically without repercussion. Automatic pilot. Will this technique work for you? I say…what have you got to LOSE? Body back guarantee.

The whole point of the subconscious conditioning is to bring our consciousness to the point of acceptance that we already are where we want to be. Then the subconscious is compulsive and will intuitively guide us to the right foods, exercise, whatever it takes to fulfill that vision. But we must give the mind the right message.

The subconscious mind technique does not “replace” your healthy eating habits. It creates them! That’s the whole idea. The subconscious is the seat of habit. And of intuition. With the right mindset, your healthy eating habits will become just that - healthy “habits” - instead of the compulsively unhealthy ones.

“When the imagination and the will are in conflict, the imagination always wins.” - Emile Coue

This is not a diet. This is the natural way we are created to use our minds - constructively and in alignment with Universal laws.

So again, we use our minds to accept the idea, thought and picture of a fit, healthy person at his/her ideal weight. Once that idea is instilled in the mind, you will automatically be guided and directed to all that is necessary for you to fulfill that idea. You will just intuitively want the right foods and pass on the wrong ones. You will adopt the proper exercise habits. You will be guided to the right coach or nutritional information to manifest your subconscious idea. It must happen because that is the law - the nature of mind. Mind will always create according to the seed thought.

Speaking of exercise…in my opinion, one of the greatest exercises in the world for getting the metabolism in gear is putting on good cushiony running shoes, going outside and just walking fast — a couple of miles of fast walking. Weight lifting is fantastic for replacing fat with muscle, and for heart and bones, especially for women. But I understand not everyone is into or ready to lift weights. And we still need that aerobic workout. So get outside and start walking. That’s an addiction you will love to have. When you start releasing those endorphins, the whole world looks better.

Important Footnote:

If you have a lot of weight to lose, your subconscious mind may not be able to accept that you can be your ideal weight all at once. The important thing here is to not set up resistance or an argument in the subconscious. So the following is a good method to use to prevent this.

Pick a weight that you feel that you can accept at this time, one that feels believable. For example, if you now weight 180 pounds and your ideal weight is120, that’s a very big leap of faith to accept. So you might use 150 pounds as the target number that you suggest to your subconscious mind as you fall asleep. That is more believable at this point in time and will be more readily accepted by the mind. When you do reach your goal of 150 pounds, you can then change your input to 120 pounds. You may also do this if you have to lose a lesser amount of weight.

The important thing to remember is that the information that is most believable will produce the fastest and greatest results. This same idea also applies to financial prosperity, but I will save that for another time. By the way, I have learned many of these things through brilliant new thought teachers, far ahead of their time. It is time for valuable esoteric knowledge to become mainstream. You can become your own case study in the meantime.

How’s this for a marketing idea: Mental weight loss clinics called “Brain Watchers International.”

© Copyright 2003, 2004 Marilyn Jenett

Marilyn Jenett, an accomplished business owner in the corporate arena, founded the Feel Free to Prosper program to mentor and teach others to become aligned with Universal laws and accept their right to prosper. Her students, from around the globe and from all walks of life, are enjoying remarkable success using her lessons and participating in her telephone group sessions. For more information, check out her website at www.FeelFreetoProsper.com.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print as long as the bylines, URL and copyright are included. Please print the article in its entirety, unchanged and send a copy of the publication to marilyn@feelfreetoprosper.com.

Smoking habits are stronger than people are. That is a well-recognized fact. There are thousands of advice newsletters and hundreds of ways to help you fight this habit.

Most folk find the process extremely frustrating and regularly just give up to the smoking cravings. Others are so determined to leave the smoking habit behind that they seek the help of medicines. There are medicines designed to help you cease smoking and others to fight the depression that usually goes along the smoking cessation process. Although all medicines on the market as soon as possible are scrutinyed and approved for sale by the respective pharmaceutical body, it is a well-known fact that there is no harmless diet.

For this reason, many inhabitants use herbs to help them getting through the withdraw symptoms . Here is a brief overview of the basic natural substances you can use if you are heading on the path to smoke free life.

One of the most well-known among stop smoking herbs is Lobelia. Lobelia, also called Indian Tobacco, has a similar to nicotine effect on the nervous system. That is why it is recommended as a nicotine expediency substance. The good thing about using Lobelia is that you cannot addict to Lobeline. You can buy dried herb or a liquid extract to take it anytime you feel nicotine hunger.

Any smoking withdrawal process is connected with other frustrating symptoms such as headaches, nervousness, anxiety, etc. Most people eulogize Mimosa tea to calm you down and improve your mood. Popular herb that reduces anxiety and has a painkilling effect, mimosa is also a non-addictive herb. That is why it is recommended for use instead of anti-depressant pills or herbs such as valium for illustration).

There is a variety of traditional Chinese stop smoking herbs. For example, a cut of the made of the CaoSu herb will diminish your cigarette desire.

Any ex-smoker knows from experience that the smoking cessation working is very much connected with the smoking habit. If you manage to dispute it you have won half of the battle. However, what should you do when you cannot resist it? There is a natural, herbal solution to this problem as well. Instead of lighting a real tobacco cigarette, light up a non-tobacco one.

Non-tobacco cigarettes come in many favors: Menthol, Burnt sienna and some other with stronger taste. They are made of herbs do not contain nicotine and tar. As they look the same to normal cigarettes and give you the same feeling while smoking, these cigarettes are a great way to resist the physiological desire to smoke. Nevertheless, non-oral Tobacco cigarettes are less expensive than the regular ones.

If you are eager to try the matter-of-course medical alternative to help you quit smoking you better network your physician first. Although herbs are not chemical medicines, they still interact with your body. Some herbs contain substances very similar to substances used in many drugs.

That is why you should check with your doctor if your medical predicament grants you using a distinct kind of stop smoking herbs.

Rene’s website helps light and heavy smokers to quit smoking forever. Please visit the site for more information on stop smoking aids.

There are two events in my life that solidify my faith in the power of
nutrition.These monuments will forever bring me backto that core belief that each of us has theability to control who we are, what we choose to think, and
what we choose to do with our health.

My family has an inherent weakness in the area of hormonal balance. I have three aunts who were unable to bear children; my sister has been unable to conceive, even after trying fertility drugs and lazer surgery; and I had surgery years ago to enable me to have the children I longed for. At this time, my surgery was called a ‘wedge resection’ and served to surgically remove a pie shaped section of each ovary so that the egg could
penetrate the ovarian walls that had become thickened from fibroid cysts.

With this history in mind, I was not surprised when my daughter, Morgan, did not menstruate. From the tender age of sixteen, her OB/GYN induced menstrual periods with the use of birth control pills. Morgan detested this, and would put it off as long as possible. The forced menstruation was debilitating, with agonizing cramps and heavy bleeding. Her doctor had also told Morgan that it was unlikely she would ever have children.

I began looking for an answer which would help Morgan to achieve a period
naturally.I encouraged her to begin a program of pau d’arco, essiac tea, and shark cartilage to help dissolve the cysts on her ovaries. She also included a combination of female corrective herbs which included red raspberry, alfalfa, dong quai, blessed thistle, and black cohosh to target her reproductive system. Along with this, Morgan took a combination of herbs to strengthen the entire endocrine system; particularly the pituitary gland which is the master conductor for our endocrine system. Within three months Morgan began normal periods, without the heavy cramping and bleeding that was a side effect of the birth control pills. She had mixed feelings about this; because she admitted to enjoying the freedom of not having to deal with menstruation for the better portion of each year.

At this point it seemed the victory was won. Another point scored for the incredible power of herbs to return the body to homeostasis. However, both my daughter and I had naively stopped short in realizing that this restored balance could presage further events.

When Morgan announced her pregnancy, my jaw dropped. Her husband, who had learned to accept their lives as being childless, seemed dazed. This baffled look he wore seemed plastered to his countenance from that day until the day their daughter, Sierra, was born. I will never forget the glorious moment when the doctor held up the newborn and announced, “This is the healthiest looking baby I’ve seen in a long time.”

About this same time, my daughter-in-law was expecting her first child. Wendy’s doctor sent her to a High-Risk Specialist after the ultra sound revealed only two channels in the umbilical cord, rather than three. Two channels are meant to deliver nutrients to the fetus and one carries waste out of the womb. The doctor explained their concern that the baby could be born with Down’s Syndrome, but would definitely be undersized, due to the missing umbilical channel. Wendy was monitored closely with frequent ultra-sounds as well as comparative measurements taken of the baby’s head growth.

We knew it was imperative to get as much nutrition as possible through that single channel. Wendy began taking raspberry leaf herb, alfalfa, kelp, and dandelion. The alfalfa was taken in concentrated form as this herb directly feeds the pituitary gland, which in turn promotes growth. Wendy was faithful in taking her supplements throughout her entire pregnancy.

I had the good fortune to be present at this granddaughter’s birth also. The delivery room was filled with no less than eight hospital personnel as the time approached for the baby’s birth. The staff were solicitous and kind; and they were fully prepared for a preemie. When Wendy was in transition, and barely aware of comments around her, one of the doctors said to staff, “We don’t expect the baby to be over five pounds.” I stood on the side, with my son’s mother-in-law, waiting anxiously as a chorus of medical students, nurses, and doctors chanted in unison, “push, push, push”. Each time
the baby’s head crowned, we held our breaths, and then the tiny wet head would disappear. Again the chorus…..”push, push, push”. Finally that triumphant moment came when the baby slipped out and everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and a shout of exhilaration. Everyone feels as though they have somehow participated in, and not just observed, a miraculous event.

Kaitlynn was born, and she weighed a glorious 7.6 pounds, had perfect color, and was strong and healthy in every way. The hospital preparations for an undersized, undernourished baby were not needed. The comments around the room were, “Maybe there were three channels after all.” So a portion of the umbilical cord was taken to the lab to be analyzed. The result showed that, indeed, only two channels had been present.

Two beautiful granddaughters. Uncertain beginnings…but with the help of proper nutrition, and positive thinking…..two very precious gifts.

The information in this article is intended for education purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or
replace medical treatment.

Gael Riverz, ND is a naturopathic doctor and iridologist with offices in southeastern Wisconsin. She can be reached at drgriverz@hotmail.com
website: www.drgaelriverz.com

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most costly burdensome chronic diseases of our time and is condition that is increasing in epidemic population in the whole world. The complications resulting from the diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and are associated with failure of various organs such as the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetics are also at a significantly higher risk for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke and they have a greater likelihood of having hypertension dyslipidemia and obesity.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious disorder of the glands, of pancreas to be exact, called Madhumeha in Ayurveda. It is one of the most insidious disorders of the metabolism and, if left undiagnosed, may lead to rapid emaciation and ultimately death.

What are the types of Diabetes?

According to Ayurveda Diabetes is of two types: Diabetes Mellitus- Insulin dependent Juvenile Diabetes (IDDM-Type I) in which the body is unable to produce insulin and Non Insulin Dependent Adult Onset Diabetes (NIDDM-Type II) in which the pancreas produces insulin, but it is insufficient for reducing the blood glucose to normal levels.

What are the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes?

Some of the common symptoms of Type- 1 Diabetes are:

• Excessive Thirst

• Frequent urination

• Unexplained weight loss

• Irritability

• Weakness

• Fatigue

What are the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes?

Some of the common symptoms of Type- 2 Diabetes are:

• Loss off weight

• Numbness in hands or feet.

• Uncontrolled infections

• Pain in the limbs

• Inflammatory chest infections

• Dimness of vision, contrast

• Excessive thirst

• Body weakness

What are the different tests for Diabetes?

Urine Test: Some chemicals are added to a few drops of urine. Colour change indicates presence of glucose in urine.

Blood Test: In this, blood is taken to test the glucose level. This is more accurate test to confirm diabetes

Which parts of my body are affected by Diabetes?

Blood Vessels: Higher level of glucose damage the blood vessels. As a result of this most of the diabetic complications occur in blood vessels.

Heart: Diabetes affects the heart by: Increasing the amount of fat in blood and increasing the amount of homocysteine in blood.

Kidney: In diabetes because of increased levels of glucose, kidneys have to do extra work to retain essential substances and separate waste products to produce urine. This affects the small blood vessels and their capacity to filter. After many years of work, it leads to kidney failure.

Eyes: Diabetes affects blood vessels of the eyes. Damage to these blood vessels leads to eye problems like: Damage to retina, Cataract or total loss of vision

Foot: Damage to blood vessels reduces blood flow to the feet and increases risk of developing foot ulcers and infections.

Nerves: High glucose level for a long time damages nerves. Nerve damage reduces sensation in some parts of body which may lead to: Numbness and tingling, Fainting and dizziness

How do I know if my diabetes medicines are working?

Learn to test your blood glucose. Ask your doctor about the best testing tools for you and how often to test. After you test your blood glucose, write down your blood glucose test results. Then ask your doctor teacher if your diabetes medicines are working. A good blood glucose reading before meals is between 70 and 140 mg/dL.

Ask your doctor about how low or how high your blood glucose should get before you take action. For many people, blood glucose is too low below 70 mg/dL and too high above 240 mg/dL.

One other number to know is the result of a blood test your doctor does called the A1C. It shows your blood glucose control during the past 2 to 3 months. For most people, the target for A1C is less than 7 percent.

Home Remedies for Diabetes:

The best remedy for this disease is the bitter gourd, better known as ‘karela’. Eat this vegetable as often as you can or have at least one tablespoon of karela juice daily to reduce blood sugar levels in your blood and urine.

Amla, due to its vitamin C content is effective in controlling diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice, mixed with a cup of fresh bitter-gourd juice, taken daily for two months will secrete the pancreas and enable it to secrete insulin.

Take ten tulsi leaves, ten neem leaves and ten belpatras with a glass of water early morning on an empty stomach. It will work wonders in keeping your sugar levels under control.

The leaves of Butea tree are very useful in diabetes. They reduce blood sugar and are useful in glycousia.

Take two teaspoons of powdered Fenugreek seeds with milk. Two teaspoons of the seeds can also be swallowed whole, daily.

Eat 10 fresh fully grown curry leaves every morning for three months. It prevent diabetes due to heredity factors. It also cures diabetes due to obesity.

More on http://www.ayurvediccure.com/diabetes.htm

*100% safe and Natural Ayurvedic Medicines for Arthritis, Gout, Weight Control, Diabetes, Heart, Vigour and Vitality, Menstruation, Skin Care… made from Traditional Ayurvedic Herbs. Ayurveda, Diet Chart, Home Remedies, Massage, Naturopathy, Tips, Beauty and Skin Care.. Online Consultation, Books, CD/DVDs*

About The Author

Sahil Mehta

Visit http://www.ayurvediccure.com for more articles; queries@ayurvediccure.com

Quitting smoking now greatly reduces chances of your premature death. It’s difficult to quit smoking, sometimes as difficult as getting out of bed in the morning. Getting out of bed every day and quitting smoking is important for maintaining good health; that’s why I’m providing a motivational article to help you in your endeavors to better yourself. Getting out of bed is beyond the scope of this article, and I’ll only be focusing on smoking cessation.

I figured that as long as I got out of bed, I might as well think about something, so I thought about quitting smoking. Thinking about quitting smoking is almost as important as making it a reality. You can’t truly quit smoking unless you’ve thought about it first. As you ponder quitting smoking, have a cigarette if the need arises. It will help you relax if you feel anxiety about the prospect of never lighting up again.

While you’re smoking and thinking about quitting, think about eating popcorn. Think about how much better popcorn tastes. Popcorn may help you quit smoking. You’ll find that while you’re eating popcorn, your urge to smoke will have lessened. Eating popcorn may seem like a good idea, but after you’ve run out of popcorn you’ll most likely desire a cigarette. Once you’ve finished your popcorn and are about to light up, I strongly advise you to think about eating another bag of popcorn, or throwing your cigarettes into the trash. If you’ve thought about these two options and neither seems very appetizing, at least give yourself praise for having the courage to think about quitting. Promise yourself that you’ll consider it further, and then remember to add popcorn and cigarettes to your grocery list if you’re running low.

Quitting smoking may be the most important thing that you do in your life. Getting out of bed is also important, and thinking about exercising, but smoking is pretty far up on the list. There are some exceptions to this rule. Some of them include — but are not limited to — (a.)having an obsessive-compulsive disorder which causes you to invade other countries or (b.)are currently involved in a contest to see how many endangered species you can kill off to extinction. If either of these scenarios apply to you, or if you’re in the habit of committing general crimes against humanity, then my advice to you would be to get rehabilitated and work on successfully re-entering society. If you’ve made a prioritized list of things in your life you’d like to improve on, that’s commendable, but make sure (34)quitting smoking is at the bottom, and (1)no more chaos and destruction of innocent whales or countries is at the top.

I briefly mentioned exercise in the last paragraph. Sometimes you
might find that exercise gets in the way of your smoking activities. If you’ve chosen to avoid exercise in favor of smoking, or thinking about quitting smoking, let me assure you that there’s a better option. It may help you to exercise with an unlit cigarette hanging from your mouth. People at the gym, or your cat may look at you curiously, but assure them that you’re thinking about quitting smoking.

If after several months you still haven’t managed to quit smoking, don’t punish yourself for failing to quit smoking. You’re already punishing yourself because all of your extra money has been spent on cigarettes, and cancer cells are starting to form. You don’t need to beat yourself up any more than that. All that guilt is detrimental to not only your physical health, but also your mental health. You’re already starving your brain of oxygen by smoking — don’t add insult to injury. In your efforts to quit smoking, your brain must be preserved so you can continue to think about quitting smoking. On the bright side, if your brain ever does decay completely, you can always use what’s left of your tar-encrusted heart to feel that you should quit smoking.

Andy Alt
http://www.mentaldimensions.com/
Mental Dimensions Humor Ezine
Warped minds can come here for observational humor, comedy editorials, farce, satire and spoof

If you have diabetes information about how to manage your condition is vital to your well being.

If you don’t look after your feet you run the risk of developing sores or infections that could, in the worst case scenario, lead to amputations. As happened to my father-in-law. Reduce your risk of infection or amputation by incorporating these 7 foot care tips…

1) Check your feet daily - especially if you have low sensitivity or no feeling in your feet. Sores, cuts and grazes could go unnoticed and you could develop problems leading to amputations.

2) Don’t go around barefoot, even indoors. It’s easy to tread on something or stub your toes and cut yourself. Protect your feet with socks/stockings and
shoes/slippers.

3) Be careful if you have corns or calluses. Check with your doctor or podiatrist the best way to care for them.

4) Wash your feet daily in warm, not hot water. And don’t soak your feet (even if you’ve been standing all day) because it could dry your skin and form cracks or sores.

5) Take extra care to dry your feet completely, especially between your toes. These are natural moisture traps - leaving them damp or wet could create all sorts of problems.

6) Exercise your legs and feet regularly. Even when sitting you can rotate your ankles; wiggle your toes or move your legs up and down. These all keep your blood circulation flowing and helps to minimize the risk of foot problems.

7) Get your feet professionally checked, at least once a year, for sensitivity and signs of any problems. You can usually arrange this when you have your annual check up for your AC1 levels (blood glucose levels over a 3-month period), blood pressure and cholesterol.

Take constant care of your feet. Get help from a relative or professional; Doctor, diabetic nurse or podiatrist if you are not able to bend when trimming nails or checking for sores. Taking these simple actions will help you reduce the risk of painful problems.

© 2006 Carol Ann

Carol Ann created http://www.your-diabetes.com to present information on diabetes from a diabetic’s viewpoint

Find out more about diabetes; how to recognise it; live with it; important linked health issues. Plus, read inspiring stories from other diabetics and share your experience.

Include delicious recipes from here in your diabetic meal plan and, if you send in your favorite recipe, you could win the monthly prize draw.

The purpose of this article is not to scrutinize, vilify, or verify the so-called Milk Diet. There are a number of resources available both online and offline which can help you and your physician decide which of the several diet plans or personalized weight loss programs is right for you.

No matter what plan you choose, that plan should lead you to healthy weight loss and to the attainment of your weight loss goals. And if the resources that help you in your decision are sponsored by weight loss professionals, they won’t just point you to one of fad diets.

Professionals know that fad diets just don’t work. You may see initial results, but the risk to your health is high, and the chances of keeping the weight off are low.

I went to one of the major search engines and in the search box I typed the words, milk diet and skim milk diet. Try it, and you’ll laugh at how some sharp entrepreneurs are trying capitalize on one of the latest crazes.

One of my favorites is an ad along the side of the page which redirects you to an Ebay area where you could purchase, no lie, milk paraphernalia to help you keep up the Milk Diet team spirit. All the vintage milk bottle tops and signs were marked down to special prices.

Oh, and remember the classic Grapefruit Diet? What a shot in the arm that craze gave to the citrus industry! Of course, I have a distant cousin named Grady who at family gatherings still reminds everyone of how his wife spent more on a 10-speed juicer (now kept as a relic in the attic) than on him that year for their anniversary and Christmas combined! Now that’s serious juicing!

The point I won’t to make is simple. You want to lose weight and keep it off, right? You will NEVER achieve that by pulling out your credit card to pay homage to the next diet guru or program with a celebrity’s name attached to it. These fad diets promise to give you what you want through the latest secret revealed or truth now discovered.

And it shouldn’t suprise you to learn that only the guru or the people sponsoring the plan can bring to you the latest secret revealed in this special offer for only three installments of just $29.95 (plus $14.95 shipping and handling).

By the way, since when does it cost $14.95 to ship a welcome letter, some funny looking plastic things, and a book? Maybe the extra cost is the handling?

In any event, you don’t need any new secret revealed nor an undiscovered truth now discovered. What you need is to go back to Diet Basics. There’s nothing wrong with a diet plan that proclaims the values of either milk or grapefruit. Both grapefruit and milk provide wonderful essential nutrients which help you have good nutrition and balanced meals.

And that is my point! Losing the weight you need to lose and keeping it off is about modifying your eating habits to have overall good nutrition. It’s not about focusing on one nutrient or food group. In fact, true weight loss professionals would consider as suspect any diet program which radically reduces or increases just one component of a balanced diet. That’s not a good way to lose weight.

To illustrate what I’m trying to say, take a look at the relationship between weight loss and milk. Milk contains nine essential nutrients, making it one of the most nutrient-rich drinks you can enjoy. Just one eight-ounce glass of milk puts you well on your way to meeting the Daily Value for calcium and other key nutrients. Calcium, as most know, helps maintain strong bones and teeth. It also plays a role in nerve function.

You probably also know by now, thanks to the recent Milk Diet fad, that milk can play a significant role in helping you reach your weight loss goals. In fact, here’s part of what the American Dietetic Association has to say about milk and weight loss:

a calcium-rich eating plan, especially one that includes at least three servings of milk a day, seems to provide the nutritional support you need for healthy effective weight loss. In fact, research suggests that milk may help promote the loss of body fat while maintaining more muscle, which is important when dieting. Dropping dairy foods as a calorie-cutting tactic is not only bad for bones, it could make it even harder to lose weight.

Now the money-focused marketers and entrepreneurs have brought milk to the forefront to promote weight loss leading to sales. And I would bet that there are those who probably went to the grocer and bought milk after reading an article or hearing on television about the miracles of milk and its effect on weight loss.

But instead of drinking the suggested 24oz each day (only three 8-ounce glasses), several of the more zealous increased their intake of milk by another glass or two to speed up the process. After all, everyone knows that if a little of something is good, then a lot must be great, right? WRONG! As good for you as milk can be, it can also be detrimental to your health if you drink too much according to recent studies.

Milk has always been milk. It can benefit our overall health. More specific, milk, along with other essential elements, can help promote weight loss. Too much milk can be harmful.

But at the end of the day, healthy weight loss is, and will always be first and foremost, about Diet Basics–eating right, exercising, and having a lifestyle which promotes good health and nutrition. That’s what will lead you to weight loss success.

We Amercians will continue to extol the virtues and hidden mysteries of the grapefruit (at least until we come up with a pill that’s just as good). But have you been to the attic lately? Any juicers up there lying around unused and relegated to a place beside the lava lamp?

And tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, the milk diet will fade away. We’ll be left with our vintage bottle tops, maybe a sign or two, and a lingering disatisfaction over our inability to unlock the mystery of how the handling is calculated in shipping and handling costs.

Well, take heart! Through all the fad diets and gurus and secrets revealed which should have been kept hidden, one principle remains to guide you. If you really want to live healthy,lose weightand keep it off, there’s no substitution for exercise, good nutrition and balanced diet.

It’s about the basics. . . I guarantee it!

Mark Fuqua
http://www.weight-loss-professional.com
With 3 earned degrees and more than 16 years of experience as spiritual leader, pastor, director of marketing and investment banker, Mark Fuqua brings to the discussion table a breadth and depth of of unique experience coupled with academic acumin. Yet he subscribes to the philosophy that you can approach life from either a positive or negative pathway. How you choose that determines your experiences in life whether you are trying to lose weight, build a career, raise a family, or prepare for retirement. He is Consultant and Chief Editor of Diet Basics, a website dedicated to healthy weight loss success.

“I’m an Advil guy” says one TV commercial, or in a series of unlikely scenarios, one depicts a couple of men fly-fishing and as soon as a man winces with ‘arthritic pain’ in his shoulder, his friend, in the middle of the wilderness, magically takes a new pack of Aleve from his pocket and offers it to his friend. Similar situations are shown where it appears as though everyone walks around with a new box of analgesics in their pocket in case they or someone they are with complains of an ache or needs some form of pain relief.

The acceptance of these unlikely scenes has a subliminal effect on TV viewers for as some politician once said “tell people something often enough and they will believe anything.” It is bad enough we are inundated with commercials for heavily controlled drugs that we should “ask our doctor about” but analgesics are readily available without prescription on supermarket and pharmacy shelves and as a result, many teenagers who succumb to advertising hype, end up as pain killer drug addicts.

“Don’t underestimate the analgesic drug problem amongst teens - it is escalating fast and has reached frightening proportions,” said Judy Cutler, a well-known nutritionist in Southern California and developer of ‘Naturally Painless,’ a Natural Pain Relieving spray.

“As a nutritionist I have often come across damage inadvertently caused to kidney and stomach function that can be directly assigned to irresponsible overuse of analgesics for the slightest ache or pain. These heavy commercial campaigns have created a generation of hypochondriacs more commonly known as addicts. Just this morning on NPR radio it was announced that teen use of “Oxycontin” (a strong narcotic pain reliever) has risen since the last survey was done.”

These dire consequences have created deep concern among our leaders for the future generation of citizens of our country. Stricter control of both the advertising and distribution of prescription and over the counter drugs would be of some benefit but a switch to natural pain remedies with no side effects or addictive properties would be an even better alternative.

Author, Judy Cutler, a well-known nutritionist in Southern California and developer of ‘Naturally Painless’ natural spray-on pain remedy, writes articles on natural pain relief for Real Solution Remedies, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.realsolutionremedies.com

Type 2 diabetes is sometimes referred to as mature onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than Type I. In Type 2 diabetes the pancreas either does not produce adequate levels of insulin or the body becomes resistant to its own insulin.

Type I diabetes, also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in that the body stops producing insulin altogether. Type I diabetes is generally diagnosed in children or young adults. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in older adults, however, it is becoming substantially more prevalent in the younger population.

With the onset of diabetes, whether it be Type I or Type 2, we lose our ability to adequately utilize sugar. When this occurs, blood sugar levels increase due to the body’s inability to transport sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream. Sugar is very important in that it is the basic fuel source for the cells in our bodies. Insulin is necessary for the transport of sugar from the blood and into the cells.

Diabetes is a serious condition and can lead to many other health problems. Some problems that diabetics commonly encounter are an increased risk for heart and circulatory problems, high blood pressure, visual problems and blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. With the diagnosis of diabetes, it becomes extremely important that blood sugar fluctuations are tightly controlled. With good control of blood sugar levels and the prevention of prolonged periods of elevated blood sugar, people with diabetes can live long and healthy lives.

Fortunately for the newly diagnosed diabetic, there are more and more tools available to help monitor and control the condition. Glucose meters are becoming smaller and easier to use. Blood samples necessary for glucose meter use are much smaller than in the past. Painful finger pricks can now be avoided with blood samples being able to be taken from alternate, less sensitive areas, such as the forearm. In the relatively near future, there will be non-invasive glucose monitoring devices not requiring a sample of blood at all.

A simple blood test, known as the A1c test, can measure the average blood glucose levels over the previous three months. This test is a very good way to monitor and critique how effective current treatments, diet, medications, etc. have been recently. This test is now available for home use and as such does not even require a visit to the doctor.

Type 2 diabetics have more options available to them for blood sugar control than do Type I diabetics. Not only are there oral medications, often eliminating the need for insulin injection treatment, but other methods that may eliminate the need for medications altogether.

Type 2 diabetics should look to multiple sources of information in order to determine the best methods available to deal with their condition. A good start is a physician specializing in the treatment of diabetes. Most physician specialists will have nutritional counseling available to help understand the relationship of various food items with blood sugar levels.

Additionally, diabetics should become very familiar with vitamin, mineral, and herbal options to improve blood sugar metabolism and control. A few examples of supplements that are well known to help in this regard are chromium, magnesium, and vanadyl sulfate. Various natural glucose transport factors can be very helpful in aiding the body’s transport of glucose from the blood and into the cells. Vanadyl sulfate has been shown to improve glucose sensitivity and decrease insulin resistance.

Various herbal preparations have been shown to significantly improve blood sugar levels, sugar metabolism, and reportedly even improve the function of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Notably, Gymnema sylvestre, known as “sugar destroyer” in Sandskrit, has been shown to have positive effects and benefits for diabetics.

Along with proper nutrition, appropriate supplements and vitamins, other important considerations are weight control and exercise. Excess weight tremendously increases the burden on the pancreas as fat requires much more insulin than lean tissue. Exercise not only helps control body fat and reduce weight, but additionally aids the transport of sugar from the blood and into the cells.

Diabetes is a very serious condition, but proper diet, glucose monitoring, and exercise can substantially improve our ability to control the condition. We should attempt to educate ourselves not only in the importance of tight blood sugar control, but also the various methods and options available to help in this regard. By utilizing good judgment in diet, weight control, exercise, and appropriate supplementation, diabetics can markedly reduce complications and lead long and healthy lives.

For further information and valuable diabetes resources, please go to http://www.diabetessites.com

About the Author: Dr. Mark S. Johnson, D.C., FAFICC, QME is a doctor of chiropractic medicine, specializing in nutrition and exercise. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Forensic and Industrial Chiropractic Consultants and a Qualified Medical Evaluator for the State of California.