Июнь
3rd
The risk of working at heights
An article about The risk of working at heights
Keywords:
working at heights
In 2004/ 2005 53 people died in the UK and nearly 3,800 were seriously injured as a result of a result of a workplace fall. Falls are the most common cause of death at work.
If you work at height for any task then your employer has a duty under the Working at Height regulations which places a duty of care on employers to protect their employees safety at all times who may be at risk of personal injury from a fall from height.
Latest projects launched by the Health and Safety Executive highlight the risk to the health of workers who conduct duties whilst at height but do insist that this does not mean a ban on the use of ladders as previously reported in the media.
The working at height regulations do not outright the ban in the use of stepladders but place emphasis to employers that they must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks connected with the working duties. This also entails finding reasonable alternatives if possible for not working at height in the first place. As an example of good working practice the use of a tower scaffold rather than the use of a stepladder is always the safer option.
Designers also have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to design products which do not place people at risk during maintenance tasks etc. A typical example of this connected with the Working at Heights regulations would be that designers construct windows which can be rotated in their frames so that they can be cleaned without someone working at height or design new coatings which protect the glass and self clean like modern ovens.
The most common area of accidents connected with working from heights are connected with window cleaners, electricians and cleaning maintenance personnel. Recent cases provided evidence that a cleaning company was fined Ј15,000 after one of its employees fell seven metres fracturing his skull. The employee was cleaning gutters at the time when he tried to cross a roof and fell through a plastic roof light. In another recent case a decorator died as a result of his stepladder collapsing.
Stepladders and ladders should only be used for low risk, short duration work. A visual inspection should be carried out before any use of ladders to ensure the safety of the equipment, any cracks or deterioration of the equipment must be logged and the equipment removed from service until repaired and signed to warn other people of the hazard.
Employer’s management requirements include assessment of risk, suitable safe systems of work communicated to the employee, supervision, task briefing or toolbox talks on the risks connected with the task, training, method statements communicated, using the safest equipment possible and routine checks on the equipment.
The regulations also require all working at height to be properly planned and supervised. With this hierarchy of control measures in place;
Avoid working from heights if practical
Provide working platforms, guardrails, toe boards or using elevating platforms
Providing nets or air bags if a working platform cannot be used
Safety harnesses but do rely on the employee to wear them.
Июнь
3rd
The Mane Attraction
Some people experience hair loss excessively. This condition can affect men, women and children. This article includes a number of things that can cause excessive hair loss. It also includes treatments and options for people experiencing thinning hair.
Keywords:
hair loss, birth control pills, anti anxiety drugs, antidepressants, stress, diet
Of all the animals, the horse has probably shared the most of their existence in human adventures and has been intimately allied with human progress. For thousands of years, the horse has participated in the pleasures, the dangers, and the hard work that have marked human life. It has long played an important role in transport, whether ridden or used for pulling a chariot, carriage, horse-drawn boat, stagecoach, or tram. For many centuries, horses were primarily used in warfare. They have also been used for food. Indeed, horses have galloped through an important role in human life. Now, horses have also contributed an important product that was never thought will be used by men.
There have been a clamor for horse shampoos for many years now. There’s nothing so distinctively unusual about horse shampoos, except for the fact that it is used not by the quick and hard-kicking animals alone, but by men too. Horse shampoos that promises longer, thicker and shinier hair, and that it can even prevent hair loss some believed.
But can this shampoos really stop anyone from getting bald? Experts explained that horse shampoo only thickens the hair strands and do not stimulate hair growth. So why do people experience hair loss? Let us comb this issue strand by strand.
The hair’s normal cycle of growth lasts for two to six years. Each hair grows approximately one centimeter per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on our scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on the scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After two to three months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.
It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive hair loss. This type can affect men, women and children.
There are a number of things that can cause excessive hair loss. About 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, a patient may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
It is also related to aging, heredity, and testosterone. Hormonal problems may also cause hair loss. If the thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment of the thyroid disease. Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones.
Moreover, some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners (also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills, anti anxiety drugs and antidepressants.
Certain infections can cause hair loss too. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines. It may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.
There are treatments that are available, depending on your type of hair loss. If a medicine is causing hair loss, a physician may be able to prescribe a different medicine. It is likely that your physician will ask you some questions about your diet and any medicines you’re taking. Recognizing and treating an infection and correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.
If there are no available treatment for a certain type of hair loss, one may consider trying different hairstyles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement. Or why nor try to put a new life in a man’s head and try to get some pony’s tail.
Июнь
2nd
Marriage Counseling: Using Games to Reduce Tension
Trouble at home? Play an easy game and watch married strife disappear.
Keywords:
marriage,counselling,relationship,relationships,game,games,therapy,anger,frustration,love,frustration,tension
Marriage is one of the most enjoyable but also one of the most painful experiences that people undergo. It carries with it the whiff of romance and eternal bliss, but sometimes you get a pack of thorns instead.
How Do You Ensure Your Marriage Is a Bed of Roses and not Thorns?
One of the major ingredients that a happy marriage needs is a willingness to compromise. But that is much more difficult than it seems. Everyone will agree that they need to compromise, but what happens when the issue is not a simple and tiny one? What then? Who Compromises first? I am sure you must have said to yourself at one point or another that enough is enough. You will no longer be the patsy. You are an independent person and your partner has crossed the line. Maybe.
Maybe your relationship has died and you are just beginning to realize it. Maybe your sentiments are more passionate than romantic. Maybe you no longer love her.
Stop being a fool!
What if I told you that the solution to your marital strife is not divorce. Am I mad?
Look around. How many divorces do you know? Plenty. Me too. But are they really happier off?
What is the first thing that a divorced person does? He or she goes out and starts looking for partners.
Isn’t that strange? No. You say that everybody needs somebody to love. Maybe. I say that they had that somebody and they just let them go. So please stop being foolish.
Why not tackle your problems with a simple suggestion? A Game.
Games as a Peace Maker:
Playing brings out the child in us and causes us to express more than we normally would. We also release bottled up frustration and let go of mental thorns in our outbursts of joy and anguish as we win or lose. Games unite people together and therefore I suggest playing together but if you wish one can play against the other. The game turns into a battle but only this time, after its over, you will both feel refreshed from losing all that bottled up pain and anger.
Games to Pick From:
Try picking games that both of you like or at least somewhat active ones. You could even play hide and seek in the house or something else. If you do prefer playing cards, pick a game which does not go on for long and which requires some thinking like hearts, poker, bridge or rummy. Keep score and determine before hand that the loser has to do something for the winner. Chores is not a prize for the winner! If you lose you have to do something that that the other person wants for themselves like give them their favorite massage or cook them their favorite meal.
Conclusion:
Games are a welcome ambrosia to love and will excite you as a couple to disregard all your frustrations and anger and deal only with the good. The anger and frustrations will not magically disappear, but now you can deal with them together calmly and in a good mood.
Июнь
1st
Causes and Symptoms of Low Back Pain
Low back pain is a quite common phenomenon in the humans and is generally experienced by all at some or the other point in their lives. The severity of the pain is often unrelated to the injury that has caused it. While a simple strain in the back can cause unbearable pain, a displaced disk may turn out to be quite painless. What are the causes of low back pain.
Keywords:
Causes and Symptoms of Low Back Pain, back pain
Low back pain is a quite common phenomenon in the humans and is generally experienced by all at some or the other point in their lives. The severity of the pain is often unrelated to the injury that has caused it. While a simple strain in the back can cause unbearable pain, a displaced disk may turn out to be quite painless. What are the causes of low back pain.
Causes of Low back pain is often due to a wrong posture or displaced or strained back muscle. Irritation of the large nerve roots that go to our legs and our arms, a strain in the smaller nerves or an injury in any of the bones, ligaments or joints may also result in pain in the lower portion of our back.
Many a times, one can experience low back pain without any injury or known anatomical cause. However, back pain can be largely linked to a strain in any of the muscles or a specific condition such as degenerative disc disease or a herniated disc.
Most of the times, one can get rid of the low back pain by using conservative treatments, such as the application of ointments, physical therapy or oral medications. However, cure of certain back low pains may require surgery. One should seek proper medical treatment if the back pain continues for a long time, and is severe and accompanied by sudden bladder or bowel incontinence or progressive weakness in legs. Persons, who have suffered from fever, cold, trauma or undergone sudden weight loss, should seek proper medical attention for the cure of their low back pain.
Июнь
1st
Of Pricks and Zits
Acne is by far the most common skin disease. It affects millions of people. There are various acne treatments and methods that are available in the market, but most of these also have numerous side effects. However, a natural skin care treatment method for acne is said to be an effective cure for acne. This article is all about acne and acupuncture and how it could be the best acne treatment today.
Keywords:
natural skin care
Nearly 17 million people in the United States have it. People of all races and ages have it. Nearly 85 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 24 get acne. For most people, it goes away by age 30. But some people in their forties and fifties still suffer from the skin disease known as Acne.
Acne is a disease that affects the skin’s oil glands. The small holes in your skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows.
Acne affects most teenagers and young adults to some extent. However, the disease is not restricted to any age group. Adults in their 20s and even into their 40s can get acne. While it is not a life-threatening condition, acne can be upsetting and disfiguring. When severe, acne can lead to serious and permanent scarring. Even less severe cases can lead to scarring as well.
Western style medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine are in agreement that a healthy lifestyle and good diet are helpful in the prevention of acne. There is, however, the common lack of depth in Western medicine when looking into the root causes of the problem. There are many cases where proper diet and healthy living are not enough to prevent outbreaks. Western style medicine sees certain causative factors such as stress and greasy makeup as contributing factors to acne outbreaks, but the focus is on the topical treatment of the pores themselves and not on the underlying factors.
With the ever-growing list of acne treatments, there is one natural skin care treatment that often goes unnoticed. Acupuncture for acne does provide varying results, but studies have shown that this acne medicine is most effective when combined with proper diet and a change in lifestyle.
Acupuncture is a natural skin care procedure using very thin needles to stimulate the meridians (certain points in the body that balance and restore the energy flow through the body). By contacting specific skin meridians, acupuncture can treat the blockages in the skin that cause acne.
With the various risky side effects and potential dangers of conventional medicine, many people simply do not want to burden themselves with such treatments. There are still a lot of patients who do not want to undergo laser surgery or expensive hi-tech acne treatments.
That is where acupuncture for acne often comes into play.
A dermatologist or a family physician may recommend acupuncture for acne. If acupuncture for acne is considered, the patient may be referred to another doctor for the actual procedure. Sometimes, depending on their experience, a dermatologist or family physician may be licensed to perform acupuncture for acne themselves.
Acupuncture for acne is not without question, however. As there are few studies that have been performed regarding its success with acne, many physicians find it difficult to evaluate whether or not the treatments will actually work. From the studies that have been performed, indications are that acupuncture for acne has shown to reduce the signs of acne.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding the actual success rates of acupuncture as a natural skin care treatment, the main benefit lies in the lack of its negative side effects. Because there are no medications ingested or dangerous surgeries performed, the patient is not thought to be at risk for the harmful side effects that other methods often carry.
Июнь
1st
ChineseHealthFitness asked:
This is a preview of my upcoming “Chinese Health and Fitness”video featuring the famed “8 pieces of Brocade” breathing set, as well as meditation, physical fitness and strengthening, much of it taken directly from Chinese martial arts, nutrition and supplementation information including vitamins, minerals and how much to take for each, foods and chemicals to avoid to stay healthy and further strengthen our Chi and an accupressure section at the end to help balance energy and alleviate minor …
Июнь
1st
Natural Pain Management.
Life in today’s hectic society is going more and more in the direction of fast food restaurants, sugar in foods you would never think should be there, trans fatty acids, preservatives and pesticides which we consume in large amounts every year. We even go so far as to invent foods, such as artificial sugars, which your body (in my opinion) does not recognize as actual food. We are bombarded with hormones in most of our meats and dairy products. Girls are maturing physically a…
Keywords:
pain relief,pain management,natural pain management
Life in today’s hectic society is going more and more in the direction of fast food restaurants, sugar in foods you would never think should be there, trans fatty acids, preservatives and pesticides which we consume in large amounts every year. We even go so far as to invent foods, such as artificial sugars, which your body (in my opinion) does not recognize as actual food. We are bombarded with hormones in most of our meats and dairy products. Girls are maturing physically at a much younger age because of this. With all this going on, it’s no wonder that our immune systems are on overload and physical ailments are growing in leaps and bounds. Pain in some cases, is what some people’s lives revolve around.
Lets look at pain. It is your signal that injury, disease or too much strain has occurred on the body. Without it you wouldn’t know that something needs to be addressed. Even mild pain can limit your activities, which in turn can lead to a loss of strength, endurance and flexibility.
Chronic pain can be on and off or be consistent. If you are like most people, you’ll reach for over the counter drugs or prescription drugs. This is what the drug companies would love for you to do. My opinion is that if you handle your pain in this manner, you may not be really getting at the underlying cause of it. Drs. today are trained to diagnose, prescribe drugs and or surgery.
If you suffer from pain there are many more options for you to explore than drugs or surgery. Here are some things you may want to consider.
I highly recommend that you seek help from a nutritionist. With vitamins, minerals and herbs lacking in our daily foods, a good diet and exercise with supplements, and organic foods, may improve your immune systems ability to repair the body and therefore experience Pain Relief . There are other natural remedies that can enhance your nutritional handling such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or yoga.
I hope that helps.
Июнь
1st
The Failure of the Wonder Drugs
Sexual impotence is a condition that commonly affects men especially when they reach middle age. It can be caused by an underlying medical condition or psychological issue. Today, there are many treatments available to help men achieve or maintain an erection. Unfortunately, many men who do not get the desired results after taking one of these drugs for the first time are more likely to just give up on sex altogether instead of looking for other treatment options.
Keywords:
sexual impotence, psychological impotence, side effects, treatment
According to a study presented recently at the European Society of Sexual Medicine, about one third of the 631 impotent participants who did not get the desired result after taking prescription medication such as Viagra for the first time gave up sex altogether. When the pills did not work the first time, 68 percent of men reported a loss of self-esteem, 32 percent felt depressed and 24 percent said they believed their condition could never be treated. One third simply did not return to their doctor to try an alternative treatment after a failed attempt, something the researchers said highlighted the fact many men delay or ignore treating their problem. Doctors say that this is unfortunate because there may be other treatment options that a patient can explore with their doctor’s guidance. Patients can have the option to take either testosterone injections, other oral prescriptions, direct injections to the shaft, vacuum pumps, surgery, or in cases of psychological issues, counseling. Apart from those there are other, more unconventional treatments available, like herbal medicine, acupuncture, or experimental medicine. But what exactly is sexual impotence and how is it treated?
Sexual impotence, or erectile dysfunction, is a condition characterized by a man’s repeated inability to achieve or maintain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. It commonly affects sexually mature males, usually due to underlying medical or psychological conditions. It can be caused by alcohol abuse, smoking, hormonal deficiency, or diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Psychological impotence can be caused by depression; feelings of anxiety or nervousness; stress from work, family or financial problems; unresolved issues between sexual partners; feelings of self-consciousness; and fearing a partner’s reaction or rejection.
One of the most popular treatments for sexual impotence are prescription oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors such as Viagra (sildenafil), Cialis (tadalafil), and Levitra (vardenafil) which are reliable, non-invasive and conveniently packaged in pill form. These drugs work by blocking the enzyme known as PDE5, which breaks down the chemicals that cause the erectile response. PDE5 inhibitors work by relaxing smooth muscle tissue in the blood vessels of the penis enabling their dilation and increasing blood supply to the corpus cavernosum, thus allowing the penile shaft to engorge and stay firm for a longer period of time. But contrary to popular opinion, these drugs do not directly create an erection in the penis, instead requiring sexual stimulation in order to work. However, it does increase the sensitivity of the male sexual organ.
Although these medications have been hailed as a wonder drug by impotent men worldwide, PDE5 inhibitors are not without its complications. Numerous side effects such as headache, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, muscle pains, flushing of the face and body, runny nose, palpitations, and vision disturbances have been observed in some patients. However, there has been some evidence that these side effects diminish with prolonged use. It is also not recommended for patients taking nitrate-based drugs or alpha-blockers, because interaction between those prescriptions with PDE5 inhibitors can be fatal in some cases.
As with any medication, PDE5 inhibitors have both positive and negative effects on the body. If you are suffering from sexual impotence and did not achieve an erection upon taking Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra for the first time, please consult your doctor. He can give you a different prescription medication that is more suited to your physiology. Don’t just give up.
Май
31st
The Top Six Massage Techniques
Massage is now applied in different ways and forms for different purposes. Here is a list of the top rated massage techniques. Read on for one of them might be the right option for you.
Keywords:
Deep Tissue Massage, Swedish Massage, Sports Massage, Neuromuscular Massage, Rolfing, Massage, massage therapy, therapeutic technique, massage therapists
Massage is probably the oldest and simplest existing form of medical care that it has been applied for relaxation, fitness, and other health purposes. Basically, massage therapy is a therapeutic technique that involves manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. It is the calming, therapeutic process of kneading, stroking, and pressing the different areas of the body to alleviate pain, relieve stress and tensions, or relax, stimulate and tone the body.
Well, as what most experts have said, massage, no matter how simple or complex the techniques involved, can really be a great healing system.
A number of massage techniques are available nowadays. The massage is commonly applied in different techniques and in different strokes. The techniques and strokes vary widely from the most delicate touch with the fingertips to the more focused deep tissue work. These techniques may even vary in speed as well as in pressure.
Below is a list of the top rated massage techniques. Read on for one of them might be the right option for you.
Deep Tissue Massage
The deep tissue massage, on the most basic, is a massage technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue. It involves a number of slow movements, but generally the pressure is more intense as it aims to release the chronic patterns of tension in the body. The most common target of these movements and deep finger pressure are the contracted areas, either following or going across the muscles of the fiber, fascia and tendons. Usually, in this kind of massage, the therapists use their thumb, fingers and even elbows to apply the needed pressure.
Swedish Massage
Also included in the line of the top rated massage techniques is the so-called Swedish massage. Basically, this technique involves the use of kneading, tapping or calming strokes applied to the entire body to loosen sore joints and relieve muscle tension and pain. Well, what sets Swedish massage unique from the other massage techniques is that it involved five major beneficial strokes: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, and vibration. Although each of these strokes differ according to their movements and target points, all of them are developed to promote an ultimate feeling of being pampered.
There is one particular purpose that the Swedish massage is strongly holding – to increase the flow of oxygen in the blood and release toxins that were trapped in the muscles. With this purpose alone, the Swedish massage highly works to shorten the recovery time from muscular strain
Sports Massage
Sports massage, as you may know, is a form of massage that is applied for sports purposes, hence the name. It is the technique of kneading and manipulating the soft tissues in the body to help athletes improve their performance, prevent and treat sports injuries. It is highly considered in the field of sports knowing that as the participation in sports becoming more popular at all genders and ages and as performances continue to improve annually, more is expected and demanded from the athletes. It is with this situation that athletes start looking for some effective ways to boost their performances, and sports massage is one of the best solutions they’ve ever discovered.
Heated Stone Massage
Heated stone massage, also known as la stone massage, is widely appreciated and accepted in the healthcare and bodywork industry today. Several clinics, spas, fitness centers, and other healthcare establishments have in fact considered it a very effective alternative to the regular massage therapy.
During the heated stone massage procedure, the therapists and the clients themselves will notice certain changes on the body temperature, including the heart and breathing rates. Heated stone massage is used to indicate such changes to determine the flow of the blood and the exchange of blood and oxygen in the body, allowing a sense of well-being in the end. That’s basically how the heated stone massage works.
Neuromuscular Massage
This is actually a form of deep tissue massage that is applied to the individual muscles. However, the main purpose of the massage techniques involved here is to increase the blood and lymphatic flow, while reducing the pain and release pressure trapped on the nerves. The neuromuscular massage techniques are also considered to release the trigger points which could help relieve headaches and the pain in your shoulder.
Rolfing
Rolfing also hit the line of the most well-known and widely performed massage techniques available. This technique, on the most basic, involves reeducating the body about proper posture. Yes, posture is given much attention here for the belief that posture highly determines health problems like headaches, backaches and joint pain. With that focus, the rolfing massage techniques no doubt seek to straighten and realign your body by working the myofascia, which is actually the connective tissue that assists to hold your body together. This tissue surrounds your muscles.
Май
31st
Not All Fats Are Bad
Fats have been unfairly lumped together as being all bad for too long. Fat doesn’t necessarily cause disease, and can actually cause a role in its prevention. The truth is that some fats are very bad for us and some fats are actually very good for us.
Time has shown us that diets that restrict all fats fail in terms of weight loss. Since the end of World War II, Americans have been told that they need to restrict saturated fat in their diets. So we switched to margarine fr…
Keywords:
nutrition, diet, weight loss, dieting, fats, coconut oil, food, healthy
Fats have been unfairly lumped together as being all bad for too long. Fat doesn’t necessarily cause disease, and can actually cause a role in its prevention. The truth is that some fats are very bad for us and some fats are actually very good for us.
Time has shown us that diets that restrict all fats fail in terms of weight loss. Since the end of World War II, Americans have been told that they need to restrict saturated fat in their diets. So we switched to margarine from butter, and did what we could to restrict fat. We have been constantly told that the reason for our health problems is that we still eat too much fat, especially saturated fats.
Since Americans have been told to eat a low fat diet to lose weight, the results are that nearly two thirds of adult Americans are now classified as overweight and more children are overweight now than ever before. Obviously something is wrong. That is because we need special kinds of fats in our diets that we are not getting.
If you are like me, you grew up being told that vegetable oils were the good oils and saturated fats were the bad ones. Now we are finding out that it is just the opposite. Diets that are moderate to high in “good” saturated fats and oils such as coconut oil and olive oil are actually very good for us. They raise good cholesterol levels and lower bad cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure. As a matter of fact, people who started adding at least 4 tablespoons of coconut oil to their diets every day, have found that they can now lose weight when they could not before on a fat restricted diet. Sometimes the addition of these oils even helps with their health problems.
It turns out that the bad guys are polyunsaturated oils, which carry toxic fatty acids (long chain fatty acids or LCT’s). These LCT’s tend to produce fat in the body. Polyunsaturated oils are the vegetable oils we commonly see in the grocery store, such as soy, corn, cottonseed, rapeseed and safflower.
We have been told that they lower cholesterol, but they way that they do is not healthy, as it ends up collecting in the liver. These oils are easily oxidized and damaged by free radicals. When cooked they become rancid in a few hours, even in the refrigerator. This causes damage to our body at a cellular level, the end results showing up as problems like diabetes, cancer, hypothyroidism and heart disease. And if that is not enough, these oils help us to get fat, lower the metabolic rate in our bodies, help suppress the thyroid function and cause our skin to age quicker.
Trans-fat is one of the worst bad guys. Trans-fatty acids often appear on ingredient labels as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. It is what they do to vegetable oils to make them into hard fats such as margarine and vegetable shortening. It is used in the prepared food industry in baked goods like cookies, crackers, and most supermarket peanut butter to prolong the shelf life. These bad fats are used almost exclusively in fast foods that are fried. When heated and eaten, they turn into something like poison in your system, because your body can not process this kind of chemically made fat. Trans-fats not only increase levels of bad cholesterol, but they will decrease levels of good cholesterol in the blood stream and trans-fatty acids have been linked to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Fats such as margarine and shortening should be totally avoided, as well as foods items that contain them.
The United States FDA is finally catching up to this truth, and by January 2006 they will be requiring food products to label the amount of trans-fat they have in them.) What is frightening is that trans-fats are found in over 40% of the products on our supermarket shelves.
The fatty acid chains in coconut and olive oil are medium-chain fatty acids (MCT’s) and they promote weight loss by increasing the body’s metabolism to create energy. Coconut oil has become popular lately, because it has been discovered that coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MTC’s. If you decide to add coconut oil to your diet, it is recommended that you purchase virgin coconut oil (VCO), usually found in health food stores, because it from the best part of the coconut and has not been chemically bleached and heat processed. It is better for cooking than olive oil, because olive oil can be damaged by the heat of cooking, making it similar to the other vegetable oils in the body when cooked.
Even saturated fat from animals is not as bad as it once was thought to be, especially if it is from organically raised animals (free range and grass fed). Organic butter has a very high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content, which helps us lose weight and gain muscle. But non-organic meats may still be dangerous because of the way the animals were raised or fed. Most grocery store meats are filled with hormones, pesticides, medicines and unhealthy fat that gets transferred to us when we eat it.
Organic grass fed and free range meat and eggs avoid these problems, and give us a much healthier source of protein and saturated fat. Organic saturated fats and oils are actually good for you and should be eaten daily. The body needs these fats for healthy functioning.
So, forget the guilt and fry up that range-fed chicken in some coconut oil and enjoy!
