Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Fastest and Simplest Way to Oriental-Charged Healthy Living Is Traditional Chinese Medicine

Long before the introduction of the western medical system most people that lived in the ancient days survived and even lived a healthier lifestyle than people in this present generation. The Chinese people are renowned for this attribute; their traditional way of healing and preserving health has in fact been studied at increasing pace in the western world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is an ancient medical system that was used by the ancient people of China; this system involves a profound understanding of natural laws and their inter-relation with human bodies. It adopts a holistic approach that combines the personality, mind, spirit, soul, and emotions of humans in order to prescribe a totally effective solution that aims to heal the root causes of illnesses and not just the symptoms.

One of the most popular methods of these ancient traditional medicines is acupuncture. Acupuncture are the points at which human body picks its responses and senses. They are the body locations from which energies are transmitted between the body and the internal organs. These points are referred to as Shuxue in the Mandarin, or Chinese language.

Acupuncture is just one of the diverse plethora of effective Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques and remedies. There are several other methods of applying the ancient Chinese healing methods; some of these include - Qigang, herbal therapy, Acupressure, food for healing and Chinese psychology.

Purists of ancient Chinese medicines contest that they bring more benefits to the body than the more used western medicines. Apart from the fact that this type of medicine has a rich history of proven success, both amongst the ancient people, and also the surviving generations, it is also proven to have healed both the body and the mind of the sick.

Holistic Medicine - The Greatest Alternative Medicine

The utilization of homeopathy originated in Germany. This is formed on the deduction that our body uses autonomous mending capacities, and this normally aims at preventing diseases plus promoting well being. These naturopathic medical treatments are rightly called homeopathic treatments rather than drugs since they include numerous natural components derived from minerals as well as plants.

These homeopathic remedies are famous for protecting against diseases by enhancing the defense system. Though naturopathic therapies are not used for treating unexpected emergency circumstances such as most cancers, or even heart attack, they can be put to use for treating minor injuries and even persistent ailments.

What are Natural Treatments?

Well, naturopathic treatments are weakened preparations which are made making use of things obtained from minerals, herbs, animals, and countless other sources. Those materials are diluted (using pure water or alcohol) using a process termed distilization. An additional procedure, known as succussion is applied where distilled materials are repetitively hit across highly flexible surface areas. The complete procedure of creating these cures makes them really effective in treating various illnesses and ailments.

Unprocessed Elements - Completely Reliable with regard to Humans

As homeopathic solutions are prepared making use of materials gotten from natural resources, they are actually absolutely nontoxic even when consumed after a very long time. There is little chance of negative reaction, and consequently numerous household remedies are indeed recommended for pregnant females. In addition to that, these treatments can easily also be consumed with conventional treatments without the worry of any negative reaction.

The Importance of Calcium for the Human Body

The mineral calcium is the most abundantly found mineral in the human body. And we all know that along with phosphorous and Vitamin D, it is essential for strong teeth and bones. The average adult human body will contain as much as one kilogram of this mineral. Almost all of it is in the bones and teeth. Some amount of it is used by the body to ensure proper muscle contraction, blood clotting, and maintaining neurotransmission.

There exist many sources of dietary calcium and supplements can be easily purchased as over the counter medication; however, these should be taken under medical guidance. Milk and milk products are amongst the best known natural sources of calcium. However, there are many people who are lactose intolerant. Fortunately, for such people there is choice from leafy greens; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, etc; seaweed; blackstrap molasses; and fish whose bones can be consumed easily. It is also possible to obtain it from fortified products such as juices and breads.

The most commonly used calcium supplement is calcium carbonate. This supplement should ideally be taken with food. It is cheap and contains a good amount of elemental calcium. It may be a good idea to take vitamin D supplements to improve calcium absorption by the body. Calcium supplements can also contain calcium citrate, calcium lactate, and calcium phosphate. Calcium citrate is expensive and does not contain as much elemental calcium as calcium carbonate.

Monday, July 2, 2012

The lowest-mortality BMI: What is the role of nutrient intake from food?

In a previous post (), I discussed the frequently reported lowest-mortality body mass index (BMI), which is about 26. The empirical results reviewed in that post suggest that fat-free mass plays an important role in that context. Keep in mind that this "BMI=26 phenomenon" is often reported in studies of populations from developed countries, which are likely to be relatively sedentary. This is important for the point made in this post.


A lowest-mortality BMI of 26 is somehow at odds with the fact that many healthy and/or long-living populations have much lower BMIs. You can clearly see this in the distribution of BMIs among males in Kitava and Sweden shown in the graph below, from a study by Lindeberg and colleagues (). This distribution is shifted in such a way that would suggest a much lower BMI of lowest-mortality among the Kitavans, assuming a U-curve shape similar to that observed in studies of populations from developed countries ().






Another relevant example comes from the China Study II (see, e.g., ), which is based on data from 8000 adults. The average BMI in the China Study II dataset, with data from the 1980s, is approximately 21; for an average weight that is about 116 lbs. That BMI is relatively uniform across Chinese counties, including those with the lowest mortality rates. No county has an average BMI that is 26; not even close. This also supports the idea that Chinese people were, at least during that period, relatively thin.


Now take a look at the graph below, also based on the China Study II dataset, from a previous post (), relating total daily calorie intake with longevity. I should note that the relationship between total daily calorie intake and longevity depicted in this graph is not really statistically significant. Still, the highest longevity seems to be in the second tercile of total daily calorie intake.






Again, the average weight in the dataset is about 116 lbs. A conservative estimate of the number of calories needed to maintain this weight without any physical activity would be about 1740. Add about 700 calories to that, for a reasonable and healthy level of physical activity, and you get 2440 calories needed daily for weight maintenance. That is right in the middle of the second tercile, the one with the highest longevity.


What does this have to do with the lowest-mortality BMI of 26 from studies of samples from developed countries? Populations in these countries are likely to be relatively sedentary, at least on average, in which case a low BMI will be associated with a low total calorie intake. And a low total calorie intake will lead to a low intake of nutrients needed by the body to fight disease.


And don’t think you can fix this problem by consuming lots of vitamin and mineral pills. When I refer here to a higher or lower nutrient intake, I am not talking only about micronutrients, but also about macronutrients (fatty and amino acids) in amounts that are needed by your body. Moreover, important micronutrients, such as fat-soluble vitamins, cannot be properly absorbed without certain macronutrients, such as fat.


Industrial nutrient isolation for supplementation use has not been a very successful long-term strategy for health optimization (). On the other hand, this type of supplementation has indeed been found to have had modest-to-significant success in short-term interventions aimed at correcting acute health problems caused by severe nutritional deficiencies ().


So the "BMI=26 phenomenon" may be a reflection not of a direct effect of high muscularity on health, but of an indirect effect mediated by a high intake of needed nutrients among sedentary folks. This may be so even though the lowest mortality is for the combination of that BMI with a relatively small waist (), which suggests some level of muscularity, but not necessarily serious bodybuilder-level muscularity. High muscularity, of the serious bodybuilder type, is not very common; at least not enough to significantly sway results based on the analysis of large samples.


The combination of a BMI=26 with a relatively small waist is indicative of more muscle and less body fat. Having more muscle and less body fat has an advantage that is rarely discussed. It allows for a higher total calorie intake, and thus a higher nutrient intake, without an unhealthy increase in body fat. Muscle mass increases one's caloric requirement for weight maintenance, more so than body fat. Body fat also increases that caloric requirement, but it also acts like an organ, secreting a number of hormones into the bloodstream, and becoming pro-inflammatory in an unhealthy way above a certain level.


Clearly having a low body fat percentage is associated with lower incidence of degenerative diseases, but it will likely lead to a lower intake of nutrients relative to one’s needs unless other factors are present, e.g., being fairly muscular or physically active. Chronic low nutrient intake tends to get people closer to the afterlife like nothing else ().


In this sense, having a BMI=26 and being relatively sedentary (without being skinny-fat) has an effect that is similar to that of having a BMI=21 and being fairly physically active. Both would lead to consumption of more calories for weight maintenance, and thus more nutrients, as long as nutritious foods are eaten.