SIMPLE STEPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

Purchase from an electrical shop a juicer, an electric orange citrus press, a bread maker and a steamer. This equipment will help you prepare healthy food. Daily drink orange juice, as well as fruit juices, made in a juicer. Do not put sugar or honey to fruit juice. If it is too thick pour water, otherwise it will have many carbohydrates and will make you feel sleepy.

 With the bread maker you can make natural bread. The flour used by some bakeries does not contain 100% whole grain, but can contain 30% or 70%; the rest is useless material. Generally, unless you make something yourself, never have the confidence that food manufacturers make their product 100% natural. Some put on the bread various additives. Prefer black bread enriched with seeds.

 With the steamer will find the real taste of foods (especially of fish and chicken), because since our childhood we have been used not to the real taste of the foods, but to the taste of salt, sugar and spices. On the steamer you can add vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, etc. Once they are ready to eat, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a few salt (we need salt because of the iodine it contains as additive).

 Eat also skinless chicken or lamb's liver (each of them only 1 time per week) and plenty of fish. Animal’s liver has plenty of iron and vitamin B12. Cod’s liver is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D.

 Eat less than 1 teaspoon of salt daily, because in all prepared foods salt is added. But during a hot summer or a strenuous physical exercise we need extra salt (put 1 teaspoon in food) and water and few carbohydrates (e.g. from honey) otherwise we may get dehydrated and electrolyte imbalance may occur endangering our lives. All the doctors recommend the elderly to avoid salt (in order to avoid increasing their blood pressure).

 However full abstinence in hot summer days may kill people (especially older) because of the fact that salt keeps water in our body and dehydration not only ends up to electrolyte deficiency (that may cause severe arrhythmia), but also the blood becomes thicker and this predisposes to clots and heart attack or stroke. Indeed in France a few years ago many old people died because of dehydration that induced cardiovascular events. Salt has also as additive iodine which is necessary for thyroid gland. We can’t live with zero salt. However, as mentioned above, salt is added everywhere.

 In the morning most stupidly don’t not eat anything or drink coffee on an empty stomach or eat a pie that is filled with greasy cheese and margarine. Spend 10 minutes for breakfast and eat e.g. porridge (oat) with hot milk and add a few seeds (such as almonds) and a tablespoon of honey.

At noon, eat steamed vegetables or beans or eat skinless chicken or fish. Avoid meats because they have hormones, antibiotics, dioxins, etc. The meat and animal fat is generally associated with cancer and heart disease. In terms of fruits and vegetables, prefer organic (organics) because the others have pesticides and chemicals that help increasing their size. Also, fish in fish farms are said to eat foods such as fish meal of probably unknown quality, contrary to the natural fishes.

 The ‘fresh’ seafood frequently is frozen (even at restaurants) or fished in poor countries (Tunisia, Morocco, often in waters contaminated with mercury) and it is said that some fish sellers put boric acid on their fish’s eyes in order their eyes to shine and look fresh.

 Fish (especially the fatty ones) have essential omega 3 fatty acids that protect the heart, lower the triglycerides and prevent coronary heart disease and heart attack.

 In the evening, eat ‘live’ yogurt every day (often the live yogurt has a skin on its surface) or prefer a live yogurt, like ‘Activia’. Unfortunately many yogurts are velvet type and don’t act as probiotics. You can also eat foods such as porridge with warm water or milk in which you can add and 1 tablespoon of honey and a few non-salted and non toasted almonds or walnuts that are recently manufactured (old ones may contain aflatoxins that are toxic for the liver; also the ones manufactured in poor countries may contain toxic metals such as arsenic).

The prepared foods that are sold on the super markets have a lot of carbohydrates, salt and saturated fats - often of poor quality oils (e.g. palm oil) and have also poor nutritional value. Prefer wheat with milk and honey or warm water. You can keep the water of the boiled wheat you keep it for 1 night (with the wheat added) and drink it the day after (it is said that it helps the IBS irritable bowel syndrome).
Similarly prepared nuts have no nutritional value because they are salted, toasted and roasted. Prefer fresh walnuts and almonds unsalted.

On the intermediate between breakfast and dinner you can eat fresh fruits, vegetables and juices and 1 cup of 0% fat milk. You can occasionally eat cottage cheese with low fat. Milk may be contaminated from dioxins, pesticides and antibiotics. The yellow / hard cheeses have excessive saturated fat (more than 14% fat, the time that most foods have a mean of 3 – 4% fat). Very useful for our cardiovascular system is the garlic. Garlic pills at the pharmacy usually have garlic oil, not the whole garlic.

The basic rule is: plenty of fruits and vegetables (steamed, but not cooked), and legumes. Besides, these are not fattening and also prevent colon cancer. Eat meat (for iron and vitamin B12) once a week and prefer skinless poultry or lamb's liver (not fried). Use extra virgin olive oil, but only 3 tablespoons, because it has many calories. If you definitely want to eat fried food (although it is unhealthy), fry it with a few oil in a non-stick pan (such as ‘Tefal’).

Do not eat pastas, fried, sautéed, snacks (including pizza, fried potatoes, toast, hamburgers, pie, cheese, sweets and so on) that contain plenty of hydrogenated saturated fats (which obstruct the heart arteries causing heart attack). Eat only boiled eggs and not omelette (boil them over 15 minutes) 2 – 3 times weekly. Don’t exclude totally eggs from your diet because their white part contains important amount of protein.

Manufactured cereals have often high amounts of saturated fats, carbohydrates and have no nutritional value because they are roasted and baked. They are also full of salt and sugar. Prefer eating as a breakfast natural wheat or beans or corn or porridge (oat) and put them in a bowl with warm water or milk and a tablespoon of honey.

In case your diet isn’t healthy you can take a multivitamin daily with the meal. Eating royal jelly has infinite rewards. Replace sugar with honey and fructose. Do not eat other sweeteners such as aspartame and cyclamate that are carcinogenic. Do not eat sausages because they contain nitrites that cause stomach cancer.

Do not smoke cigarettes because you will surely die from heart disease or cancer or stroke or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Avoid coffee and other beverages with caffeine and taurine, causing tachycardia and nervous agitation. The freddo – caputsino coffee is high in fat and carbohydrates. Prefer at least the French coffee. But always drink coffee with a full stomach (after meals) and never on an empty stomach.

 Avoid sweets, soft drinks, tonic drinks and anything prepared. Prefer only of sweets with fructose.

Avoid alcohol, which is the greatest scourge of our times. Alcohol causes many diseases. However, small amounts of red wine protect the heart (I recommend 1 to 2 small wine glasses with dinner). Do not use alcohol or other addictive substances or food as a substitute for dealing with financial or emotional or psychological problems you. Better go to a psychologist and/or psychiatrist.

 Often violence (e.g. in the family or interpersonal) and accidents are due to alcohol or drugs abuse. Another addiction, besides food, is an emotional relationship. Never put someone else and to overestimate him/her more than your personality, otherwise you underestimate yourself. In the emotional and family problems a psychologist may help.

 About the only food combination that goes with everything are the vegetables. Nothing else. The fruits should be eaten alone (away from other foods), as well as juices (but avoid them in the night). All the other combinations are wrong. Foods with carbohydrates (e.g. cereals or sweet) / starch (e.g. potatoes) or fat (e.g. meat) or proteins (e.g. egg, meat, and fish) go alone or with vegetables (vegetables can be combined with everything except sweets). Also avoid fatty dressings at the vegetables.

 About the food combinations milk should not be combined with cookies, neither meat with potatoes, or pasta with hashed meat or cheese (but it can be combined with tomato sauce); or meat with rice. Fruit and sweets should be avoided at the end of the meal, as well as juices. So all the classical combinations we all use are wrong, because the fats, proteins and carbohydrates are digested and metabolized by different pathways in our body and if we mix them all their indigestion is delayed and there is poor absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Take water filter with carbon for the kitchen’s faucet and the shower bath. Also take ionizer for air pollution. Put plenty of plants at your balcony, but do not sleep with the plant in your room because it sucks oxygen at the night.

 Concerning investigations of the Greek journalist Nikos Evangelatos, you should rarely eat out and rarely buy prepared food. The journalist Nikos Evangelatos revealed that restaurants often serve food that was left from previous clients or using oil fried million times or oils with full saturated fat (e.g. palm oils). Generally something that you don’t prepare yourself you are not sure when you buy it prepared if it is absolutely safe and natural.

 As for fast food, deep fried food and kebabs, these are garbage, usually with poor quality materials with lots of saturated fats, carbohydrates and zero nutrients and would definitely lead you to obesity, atherosclerosis, vascular clots (that cause heart attack or stroke ), cancer, diabetes and hypertension (which fatigues the heart) etc.

 Allow time to prepare your food. The majority of the diseases are due to unhealthy nutrition. Even the Mediterranean diet is problematic if we consider the sautéed and fried, cooked in plenty oil food. The phrase  ‘to eat everything but in moderation’ may be misleading. On the other hand, many nutritionists and dieticians say a lot of mistakes. Prefer knowledge in Evidence Based Medicine - see the internet e.g.

ebm.bmjjournals.com  

If you do not have a healthy diet and a healthy life just wait for the doctor to recommend it after a heart attack or stroke or cholelithiasis (a complication of pancreatitis; pancreatitis may be caused by alcohol abuse) or diabetes or some other condition. Just think of that poor nutrition obstructs  your arteries and causes heart attack and stroke and also predisposes to diabetes (in which  the blood vessels are obstructed faster), hypertension (causes heart failure and stroke), cholelithiasis (gallstones are usually from cholesterol) and other conditions of welfare and nutrition in developed countries.

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

A) Avoid red meat. Eating meat once a week and prefer meat poultry without skin. Liver is rich in vitamins - especially vitamin B12 and iron. Their deficiency occurs often on vegetarians and vegans, causing anaemia.

 Avoid also hard (yellow) cheese (eat only cottage cheese), sweets, fried / sautéed in general foods with saturated fats that block the arteries and cause heart attacks and stroke.

 The ‘statin’ drugs (such as simvastatin) have been found to prevent heart attack even in people with normal cholesterol! Talk to your general practitioner (GP) about taking this drug, especially if you have hyperlipidemia (such as high blood cholesterol), coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes. These drugs may increase liver enzymes and also cause myopathy (muscle disease).

 B) Aspirin (75 mg prefer the enteric coated aspirin) prevents heart attack and stroke, but before taking it ask your doctor because there are contraindications such as in those with peptic ulcers, bleeding tendency etc.

C) The wine (especially red which has many antioxidants) prevents heart disease in moderate use; however chronic abuse causes serious liver problems (in severe alcoholism, the person may die of hepatic coma or bleeding oesophageal varices), pancreatitis, cancer of the larynx (especially in combination with smoking), polyneuropathy, encephalopathy Wernicke - Korsakoff (with neurological problems; it occurs from lack of vitamin thiamine), hypoglycaemia (on intoxication) and also hypertension (high blood pressure)! Alcohol causes many other diseases, including breast cancer!

 The limits of alcohol intake are up to 21 units per week for men and less than 14 units weekly for women. 1 unit is equal to 8 grams of alcohol, namely one wine glass of wine or sherry. 1 bottle of 12% wine is equal to 9 units. I personally recommend 1 to 2 wine glass (small cups) red wine a day with food.

 D) The cigarette is the worst enemy of the heart (and causes lung cancer, larynx - in combination with alcohol, and many other diseases).

 E) Another enemy of the heart is obesity which is defined as BMI (body mass index) 30 – 39.9. The BMI over 40 is obesity disease. Normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. An overweight person has a BMI between 25 – 29.9. The BMI is equal with weight (in kilograms) / height (in m² ). The BMI over 30 triples mortality! Obesity predisposes to many diseases like diabetes mellitus, depression, osteoarthritis (especially of the knee), hypertension, coronary heart disease (atherosclerosis and heart attack), stroke, arterial and venous insufficiency in the legs, deep vein thrombosis in special circumstances (on bedridden patients or after surgery) that predisposes to pulmonary embolism, etc. Today obesity is a real pandemic.

 You can estimate your calories daily by buying a book that refers the calorie of several dishes. Diet and exercise help losing weight. You can run on a treadmill at the gym 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week (ask your doctor first if you are healthy to exercise). Alternatives are the bike and walking with fast pace. Aerobic exercise (especially jogging or fast walking at least) is necessary for a healthy cardiovascular system and doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily,  5 days  per week. Exercises with weights are helpful, especially on women, and prevent osteoporosis.

 Take for example 20 minutes aerobic exercise running on the treadmill with a pyramid program, namely a program with gradual increasing of speed and incline up to a maximum and then a gradual decreasing of speed and incline). In case you do anaerobic exercises (such as weight lifting), work out every day with one day break (such as Wednesday and Sunday) in order to give your body the opportunity for healing minor injuries.

 Unfortunately most people rarely or never exercise. Children today are more obese children than in the past. Young people are involved in other sports such as TV zapping, computer games and internet surfing, drinking coffee at the cafeteria or alcohol at the pub etc. Competitive team sports like football and rugby predispose to injuries.

 The professional athletes suffer often from musculoskeletal injuries. Many athletes such as those doing Body Building or even professional athletes often take dangerous for their health supplements (thyroxin, iodine, ephedrine, anabolic, etc.) instead of taking just vitamins, iron and protein such as spirulina or soy protein.

 F) Avoid salt and sugar: the 3 white deaths, along with heroin! Instead prefer fructose sugar (it has only 12 calories a teaspoon; sugar has 20) or honey as sweeteners. Avoid, however, as sweeteners saccharin, cyclamate acid and aspartame that have been linked with cancer.

 Check your BP blood pressure (preferably 1 – 2 hours after waking; and taken after lying for 10 to 15 minutes. If the BP is above 140/90 mmHg consult your general practitioner (GP).

 In diabetics, the blood pressure should be controlled below 130/80 mmHg. Please note that diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the obstruction of the arteries occurs faster causing heart attack, stroke and also blindness, gangrenes in the leg and kidney failure. Hypertension (increased blood pressure) causes the same problems except gangrene. Check your blood sugar.

 It is said that the chicory root reduces blood sugar and may help on diabetes.

 Make an annual health check with physical examination (by the doctor), and Labs that include CBC/ FBC (complete/full blood count), biochemistry and urinalysis. Also perform an ECG. People over 50s should be screened with an ultrasound for abdominal aneurysm.

 G) Returning on healthy eating, prefer fruits and organic vegetables, legumes, fatty fishes (such as mackerel) rich in omega – 3 fatty acids, and generally prefer organic products (organics). Also prefer soy (e.g. soy oil; soy protein; you can find also soy milk the market but almost all is water and sugar) because soy reduces cholesterol. Eat walnuts (in moderation because they are rich in calories: 293 Kcal are contained in 100gr walnuts) that also reduce cholesterol.

 Vitamin B12 and folic acid protect the heart and are necessary for the blood (vitamin B12 deficiency causes neuropsychiatric problems; vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency cause anaemia). Also they lower homocysteine that on increased level causes heart disease. Vitamin B12 deficiency causes pernicious anaemia with increased MCV. You'll find folic acid in green vegetables and Vitamin B12 in animal products. Note: vegetarians should check their blood levels of iron and vitamin B12 because they have often deficiency of these essential substances that their diet lacks.

 Iodine is another substance that deficiency in infants causes cretinism (with mental retardation) and in adults thyroid goitre.
Iodine is present in fish and salt, so even salt increases the blood pressure we should not exclude it completely from our diet (you can eat less than 1 teaspoon a day, unless you have increased blood pressure). However salt is added in many processed goods.

 H) Avoid saturated fats, especially the ‘trans’ that are found in most prepared food, in meat, fried / sautéed foods, oily foods, hamburgers, butter / margarine. In some dairy products many manufacturers have added plant sterols or stanol esters or beta glucans or omega – 3 fatty acids that reduce cholesterol (the omega – 3 fatty acids reduce the triglycerides), however avoid dressings and butters with those substances, but prefer yoghurt or other dairy products (such as milk) enriched to the above substances. ‘Becel’ is one company that sells these products.

 Probiotics today are also added in many products. They help digestion and may enhance the immune system. The company ‘Danone’ sells probiotics such as the products ‘actimel’ (‘Danactive’ in the USA), ‘activia’ (yogurt), and other products.

 J) Prefer the cooking, steaming and baking foods rather than frying. Do not cook the ingredients. Eating fatty fish such as mackerel, herring, salmon offers omega – 3 fatty acids that reduce the triglycerides and protect the heart.

 Replace meat with vegetable protein like soy protein. Avoid sausages and cooked pork meat that contain nitrates that are carcinogenic preservatives. Another carcinogenic preservative that is often added in products is sodium benzoate which is present in many packaged foods such as soft drinks, salads, lemon juice etc. Drink juice from fresh fruit instead of refreshments. Prefer fresh milk (not evaporated with preservatives) with 0% fat (skimmed). Also beneficial is the milk and the yogurt that is enriched with plant sterols or stanol esters or beta glucans or omega – 3 fatty acids (as mentioned they reduce cholesterol; the omega 3 fatty acids reduces the triglycerides). Avoid hard yellow cheeses that contain very high amounts of fats (more than 15%). Prefer cottage cheese with low fats. Avoid butter butter and margarine.

 Drink fruit juices without sugar or preservatives. Very good for the health are the juice of pomegranate and the juice of grapes. Eat plenty of fruits, legumes and vegetables (4 – 5 servings a day) e.g. you can eat steamed zucchini with oregano, vinegar or lemon juice and 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. You can find pure fruit juices in the market, for example the product ‘Vie’ of the company 'Knorr' has vegetable juice in a small bottle that covers 50% of the recommended daily amount of fibers. Fibers protect against colon cancer (in which predisposes a diet rich in fat) and help and the cardiovascular system.

 Healthy food can be prepared fast with frozen vegetables (such as spinach, beans and onion).

 Prefer homemade bread, from 100% whole grain, black, with seeds, but without additives.

K) Brush your teeth after every meal (especially sweets) and at morning, noon and night. Ask your dentist how to properly brush your teeth (with the brush 45 degrees relative to the mouth), since most clean their teeth wrong. Every 1 – 2 months change a toothbrush. Clean the teeth apart the evening with waxed dental floss (e.g. ‘Oral B’) which applies to a specific fork (you will find it from several companies such as ‘AIM’).

 Use also a mouthwash like ‘ACT’ (but do not swallow it!), but avoid mouthwashes with alcohol and antiseptics because they may cause cancer. Strong teeth provide healthy heart because dental infections that cause heart infections (endocarditis) are prevented (e.g. Streptococcus viridans). There is also evidence that oral bacteria (like Chlamydia pneumonia) are responsible for atherosclerosis (hardening of the vessels and obstruction from fats – such as cholesterol – and calcium deposits) of the heart vessels that causes heart attack! Today atherosclerosis is regarded rather as an inflammatory process.

L) The middle-aged and old people should do perform annually ECG to detect any coronary artery disease (clogged coronary arteries that increase the risk for heart attack) and detect arrhythmias and particularly atrial fibrillation (common in patients with hyperthyroidism and alcoholics) that increases the risk for stroke (patients often take anticoagulants to prevent it). Useful in the above age groups is cardiac Echo, carotid ultrasound (blocked carotid arteries predispose to stroke) and ultrasound of the lower extremities.

 Useful is the annual ophthalmologic control in the above age groups, especially in patients with hypertension and diabetes, or patients taking medications such as amiodarone (for arrhythmias) and cortisone (even if it is in inhaled form, such as ‘Pulmicort’ in asthmatics, it may predispose to cataract). Also screen your eyes to prevent the age-related macular degeneration, a significant cause of blindness. Perform tonometry of the eye (to exclude glaucoma) and examine the vision on an Amsler table to check for macular degeneration. Glaucoma and the diabetic eye disease are the leading causes of blindness in the West.

 M) Have always in your home a fire extinguisher (e.g. a 5 kg fire extinguisher), that puts out the fires of the categories A, B, C and E. For emergencies you can purchase from a drug store / orthopaedics shop a small oxygen device with a humidifier and an oxygen mask. It is not very expensive. You can also buy a mask with a self inflating bag with reservoir (such as Ampu’) that helps performing rescue breathings on CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation); however you need to know how to use this device (a doctor expert on emergencies can show you). It is not very expensive too.

 For rescue breaths on CPR you can buy a small face mask (with a valve that prevents aspiration of fluids from the patients). I hope in the future that AEDs automatic external defibrillators (that perform cardiac shock at a cardiac arrest) to become cheaper so that everyone has one at home and use it in the unpleasant event of a cardiac arrest.

 N) The mattresses we sleep have plenty of microbes that cause allergies such as dust mites (dust mites are tiny, invisible - insects that cause allergy). Dust mites are killed with special insecticides (acaricides) that you can often use on beds, sofas, carpets and curtains! Also steam devices help on killing dust mites. Prefer special washable, non allergenic and anatomical (orthopaedic) mattresses. 

 O) Buy a house ionizer (there are also ionizers for the car) to clean (with negative ions that attach to air polluters) the atmosphere of the house. Also daily open the windows to ventilate, well your rooms of your home.

 P) Hear relaxing music (such as the music of ‘Yanni’ http://www.yanni.com/ or classical music - especially piano and/or wind; or special music for relaxation) or visit a concert hall. Aromatherapy helps also on relaxation. To relax before sex have a hot or warm bath before sex (or shower in the summer). Exercise helps too (but don’t make sex just after the gym because you will be tired!).

 Q) Antioxidant, anticancer and anti-aging foods are: cauliflower, broccoli, beetroots, crushed tomatoes, garlic, dark chocolate, green tea, berry, grapes, pomegranate and also wild melon and red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.

 R) Speak on your cell (mobile) phones only with a ‘hands free’ device – earphones (a blue tooth seems less safe) because mobile phones near the head have been linked to brain tumours. Mobil phones may also cause fertility problems if we are near the genitals, or heart arrhythmia on patients with pacemakers if the mobile phone is near the heart. Do not open them at gas stations, airplanes and halls like cinemas, theatres and cafes (it is also ridiculous to talk everywhere on your mobile; some use it only for emergencies or for serious reasons). In the market there are special systems that reduce cell phone radiation. Do not put your mobile phone close to your heart or near your genital organs.

S) Avoid plastic bags of food from PVC which is carcinogenic. Prefer paper bags for food.

 T) Avoid at all costs foods hydrogenated saturated / ‘trans’ vegetable oils and palm oils that are added in most prepared foods (even in creams for baby!).

U) Rich in fibers are the cereals Kellogg’s ‘All Bran’ (covering the 43% of the recommended daily amount for fibers) and the ‘All Bran’ of the company Nestle (covering the 50% of the recommended daily amount for fibers). Prefer cereals that do not have hydrogenated saturated / ‘trans’ fats. Avoid foods with hydrogenated saturated / ‘trans’ vegetable oil or palm oil. Oats, as porridge, is also very healthy food rich on fibers, beta – glucans that lower cholesterol. Muesli are also healthy cereals well known in Germany (they contain wheat, oat, seeds, nuts etc).

V) And something unrelated to diet: when you go out always have in your pocket a small amount of money e.g. 10 to 20 Euros or dollars, so if a thug asks you for money, immediately to give him the amount. Do not worry. Save your life and let the villain go; he may simply be a drug addict who wanted to get his dose! Avoid self-defense (the thug may hold a gun or knife and may an accomplice) and do not resist because it is a stupid to lose your life for money that the robber also may need (I am kidding)!

 W) A large proportion of the population is intolerance to lactose in milk (that makes gas in the intestines, etc.) and it is good to drink milk without lactose. Others with celiac disease have intolerance to gluten and should avoid cereal, wheat and oat that may cause them serious health problems such as malabsorption of vitamins and minerals, diarrhea, growth retardation in children, etc.

X) Always prefer known brands at the supermarket. The well-known companies usually are checked for their quality and do not do frauds (fraud has been reported in olive oil mixed with seed oil and feta cheese from the Greece made from cow's milk). The cheap product is not necessarily healthy. Look at the country of origin (often milk is brought from Bulgaria and other poor countries of the Balkans as powder; also orange and other juices came as frost blocks from Brazil). Always look the origin label at the product.

Y) Do not eat fast & junk food and restaurants food. You should better prepare your food by yourself. However you can find shops with natural juices. Even in a fast food shop you can find products for vegetarians or vegans!

Z) Follow all the advices of this text!

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OTHER ADVICES FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

1) For weight loss it is recommended to exercise regularly in the gym e.g. with 30 minutes of jogging or fast walking on the treadmill. If you do not sweat, do not lose weight! Before starting any exercise first consult your general physician (GP), an endocrinologist – if you are obese (to rule out endocrine disorders) and a cardiologist. A CXR (chest X-ray) and an ECG will exclude medical problems.

 It is also recommended to calculate your calories of your diet (there are many books such as ‘Lala Cook’s’ you can find in bookstores). Your diet should be rich in fruits, vegetables, pulses, juices and natural water (preferably metal). You should rarely eat any sweets, fried / sautéed food, fats, and fast food.

There are many dietary supplements in the market for weight loss. Avoid those with ephedrine, thyroxin, caffeine and chromium (the last affects blood sugar levels and is contraindicated in diabetics) and iodine (iodine and thyroxin affect the thyroid gland and are contraindicated in individuals with thyroid disease).Thyroxin, ephedrine and caffeine may cause cardiac (heart) arrhythmias.

2) For products of the Himalaya based on the Hindu philosophy of Ayurveda you can find information online at site: http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/

3) Essential for health are 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

4) For tired and swollen legs, wear lightweight shoes such as the ‘Nike’ modern models which also have air soles. In the evening, put your feet in a bucket with hot water to soften them. If you have varicose veins in the legs get from a drug store a cream with heparin and avoid standing. To relieve from swollen feet put them on a pillow when lying down.

5) Very healthy is to eat oats or wheat with honey and a few nuts (walnuts that lower the cholesterol; and almonds). You can also buy wheat, clean it from small stones, boil it and leave it overnight in the water to soften. You can keep the water in which you boiled the wheat and left it overnight. This pap is said to be helpful on irritable bowel syndrome. 

6) Register to a gym. Make warming up (e.g. jogging for 5 minutes), then stretch your muscles of the hands and feet for 10 minutes (ask a physiotherapist who knows better how to do it) and next warm up (jogging again for 5 minutes). Then do exercises. Begin by running the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes, following the pyramid scheme (start with 5 minutes walking, then gradually increase the speed and incline as a maximum and then gradually reduce the speed and incline, and end with 5 minutes walking) or double pyramid. After running, do exercises with weights more than 1 hour. Exhale during the weight lift. At the end of the exercises to warm up again (with jogging for 5 minutes) and finish with stretching (stretching should be done only after warming up). On weight exercises do 3 sets with repetitions (more than 10 repetitions are aerobic and less than 10 are anaerobic exercise). Finally relax with a shower (not too hot) or a massage (better with aromatherapy, sand and healing stones).

We should bear in mind that all people in the gym exercises steal (e.g. make an exercise fast or don’t complete the full range of the motion or use other auxiliary muscles etc). Classically most steal on the abdominal exercises (crunches) that most do it wrong: in the supine position with the knees bended they bend the trunk more than 45 degrees, so they do the exercise with the muscles of the legs (quadriceps) instead of the abs (that work when we bring our chin to our chest and bend our trunk less than 45 degrees)!

Before starting any exercise first consult your general practitioner (GP) and a cardiologist if you are able to exercise and it is good to take a chest X-ray (to exclude pathologies).

7) NOTE: All nutritional supplements and herbs have been indications, contraindications, side effects and interactions with other drugs such as Ginkgo Biloda interacts with anticoagulants, while St John's Wort causes skin photosensitivity and interacts with anticonvulsants and many other drugs. Vitamin D in large amounts causes damage to the liver. Vitamin D overdose is also harmful. Magnesium Mg overdose affects the heart (bradycardia) and may cause respiratory and cardiac arrest. Potassium and sodium electrolytes deficiency or overdose affect the heart (may cause severe arrhythmia), the muscles and the nervous system. Avoid potassium and protein if you have kidney failure. Rich source of potassium are bananas and potatoes. In case of dehydration from fever, heat, exercise, etc. you can take electrolyte solution such as the powder ‘Almora’ (you can find in drug stores) or you can drink an isotonic drink such as ‘powerade’ or you can add 1 tablespoon of salt and water to a glass of water.

 There are therapists such as herbalists who recommend herbs. The indications, contraindications, side effects and drug interactions of dietary supplements and herbs can be found in special books and internet sites.

8) The herb fever few helps on patients suffering from headaches.

 9) If you have diarrhea have a light diet with rice, soup, mashed potatoes, beef broth, etc. Such a light diet is necessary in many diseases, a fact that modern doctors do not pay attention. It is also said that coca cola (not light) that (probably) replaces potassium and helps on diarrhea. Avoid anti-diarrheal drugs such ‘imodium’ (it should be given only by a doctor, in many cases of diarrhea it is contraindicated as it can cause problems).

 Hemorrhoids occur usually due to constipation. To treat constipation buy natural supplements such as senna  and psyllium – that is also called ispaghula; eat fruits such as plum and kiwifruit; drink plenty of water; and taking chemicals, such as milk of magnesia, and laxatives (the last may cause problems and their prolonged use is discouraged). You should also follow a diet rich in fiber (fruits and vegetables). If you have hemorrhoids avoid foods rich in spices (especially pepper), wine and salt.

10) For benign prostatic hypertrophy the herb Saw palmetto helps.

11) There are other alternative therapies such as acupuncture (useful in painful conditions), homeopathy, dietary supplements, physical therapy, the TENS (for pain), the Tai Chi Chuan http://www.taichiunion.com , the massage Shiatsu, the Pilates http://www.pilates-institute.com , the Ayurveda http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/ , the Art, Drama and Dance Therapy, the Alexander Technique http://www.stat.org.uk/ , the Autogenic Training http://www.autogenic-therapy.org.uk/ , the Faith Healing http://www.nfsh.org.uk/ , the Hypnosis (Hypnotherapy) http://www.thehypnotherapyassociation.co.uk  /, meditation (Meditation), the Reiki http://www.reikifed.co.uk/ , relaxation techniques, the Biofeed Back, the auricular acupuncture (Auriculotherapy) and the reflexology (foot) and the healing with crystals (precious and semiprecious stones that with their energy affect mood). It is worth noting that acupuncture and hypnosis have been used even for general anesthesia!

For alternative treatments (complementary medicine) and see To the internet at: www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/booths/altmed.html

12) Spirulina is a rich source of protein for athletes and body builders, produced by algae and has a toning and detoxifying effect, helps the body's defenses and stamina and is rich in amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE (CHD)

CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) is rather a degenerative disease that comes with aging. It is directly related to high blood cholesterol; however, only 42% of patients with coronary artery disease have high cholesterol! Also, ‘statin’ (such as simvastatin) drugs (e.g. ‘Lipitor’) prevent heart attacks even in patients with normal cholesterol! Early onset of coronary heart disease in children with familial lipidaemic syndromes. Adults should control their ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol and check cholesterol levels at least annually.  Also children should be screened for high cholesterol (e.g. if they are obese). The statins are drugs that control increased cholesterol. They have side effects such as myopathy (muscle disease) and elevated liver enzymes that can be screened with regular estimation of CK (CPK) and the transaminases (liver enzymes), respectively.

 GEOPATHOLOGY
Geopathology is supported by distinguished professors. According to Geopathology there are geopathic stress zones, underground water courses, energy vortexes and earth faults.   Geopathic stress zones are places with harmful energy, natural grids, earth fault lines, water vein and electromagnetic fields of power lines and household equipment such as TV, radios, microwaves, oven etc. Building houses over geopathic stress zones with negative energy is discouraged.

 At the same time, many homes have toxic materials such as the radioactive radon. The detection and measurement of geopathitical nodes with negative energy can be done with special machines or simply by dowsing. The bed or office should not be placed at points of negative energy. Interestingly, cats prefer to sleep in rooms with negative energy, while the dogs in a positive energy space. It should be noted that building materials (e.g. cement and bricks) have little radioactive activity (e.g. radon and, cadmium)!

 You need frequently to air your house by opening the windows in the morning. The brick house emits radon which is radioactive. The bed needs to ‘look’ from east to west. (Our feet on the bed to ‘look’ at the west). The eastern version is geopathology is Feng Shui! There is even a special compass that detects the negative energy. There is also a specialty called holistic architecture. Huge emphasis on nature and the relationship of buildings with the environment was given by the ancient Cretans of the Minoan period (bronze period – 3000 B.C.). Today there are eco-houses (e.g. in Germany) using energy from the air (wind) or the sun (solar cells) and are made with environmentally friendly materials (excluding radon, lead, asbestos, ammonia found in modern materials and colours) and in which vents and skylights provide in the wall save energy.

 REFERENCE FOR GEOPATHOLOGY:

 http://www.instituteoffengshui.com/geopathology_geomancy_geopathic_stress.html

ABOUT OBESITY

Real solution for the non-morbid obesity does not exist except proper diet and exercise. Calculate daily the calories you eat (buy a calorie book that estimates the calories in dishes e.g. the book of ‘Lala Cook’). Also go to the gym and start exercise (e.g. jogging or walking fast). Of course, before going to a gym consult a doctor if you are fit to exercise.

 You may also need to exclude (e.g. from a doctor endocrinologist) medical causes of obesity such as hypothyroidism or syndrome Cushing. About operations for obesity, they are for severe morbid obesity and some have a mortality rate (also the obese is high risk surgical patient). The ‘balloon’ or ‘ring’ in the stomach methods may be safer but have the problem that the patient can eat ice cream and other liquids that pass the stomach! The bypass operations are only for severe morbid obesity!

As for medicines, orlistat is indicated for persons who eat many carbohydrates, while sibutramine has many side effects (increase in blood pressure and pulse rate) and does not cause a large reduction in weight. All other commercial methods of weight loss (except diet and exercise) that promise fast weight loss are medically unreliable.

 Do not forget, however, that excessive eating is associated with increased stress or depression and other psychological problems. If there is depression and obesity, the antidepressant drug fluoxetine (Prozac or Ladose) may help; off course it should be given from a psychiatrist. Psychodynamicaly, some psychologists believe that food is often used as a subconscious reward the person with problems. A tasty meal reminds subconsciously that in childhood the mother was making a tasty meal or a dessert to delight and / or reward the child. Other believe that eating too much is a subconscious punishment for the person (in that way it may take subconsciously revenge e.g. of his/her parents that abused or neglected him/her).  In conclusion, obesity is very difficult to treat, especially if it occurs due to drugs (e.g. cortisone or psychiatric medication) or a disease.

About diet rich in fruits and vegetables I remind you that are also rich in pesticides and hormones. So you better prefer organic products (organics). The greatest risk of obesity is correlated with coronary heart disease (an obstruction of the heart arteries leading to heart attack) and stroke, hypertension (the heart gets tired and enlarges), diabetes (which causes early and extensive coronary artery disease), osteoarthritis (e.g. on the knees), etc.

 Obesity is defined as the increase in the volume or number of fat cells. The number of fat cells is fixed in our body from our adulthood and does not change. This is the reason why most can’t lose weight with any mean!


CHRONIC INSOMNIA AND STRESS

On chronic insomnia and anxiety the drug ‘minitran’ (amitriptiline with perphenazine) may help (amitriptiline is a tricyclic antidepressant with a small dose of a neuroleptic called perphenazine). No other medication (such as barbiturates or sedatives) is recommended for long-term use (they are not indicated over 1 month) because they are addictive (they make the patient junkie!), while other drugs such as venlafaxine (‘Efexor’) are used only for depression and have many side effects. The drug ‘minitran; belongs to the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and also has side effects. Of course minitran, like any other psychotropic drug, needs to be given only by a psychiatrist and not any other medical specialty.

For depression, there is the herb St John’s Wort but it has, like all herbs, contraindications and side effects and interact with many medications such as antidepressants SSRIs (e.g. paroxetine or fluoxetine), the anticoagulant warfarin, the oral contraceptives, and theophylline (for asthma).

Stress may be decreased with exercise (especially jogging and swimming), herb teas (chamomile, sage, tisane, linden, passion flower, mountain tea, peppermint, melissa), aromatherapy (lavender, rosemary, rosewood oil, ilang - ilang) relaxing music (e.g. example piano and flute music or relaxing music such as the one of Yanni http://www.yanni.com/ Many psychological problems (e.g. general anxiety disorder, depression and even schizophrenia) can be helped from CBT, cognitive - behavior therapy from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

 NOTE

1) St John’s Wort is contraindicated in people with liver problems and patients receiving antiepileptic drugs.

 Hawthorne (crataegus) is a herb good for heart problems (such as heart failure).

 Valerian (for sleep and stress) is often combined with passiflora (passion flower), vitamins B1, B2, B3 and wild lettuce.

2) Glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM help on knee osteoarthritis.

Calcium plus vitamin D (for better absorption of calcium) prevent osteoporosis.

3) Garlic (such as ‘Kwai’) prevents atherosclerosis and hypertension.

4) To Multi vitamins (plus minerals/ traces, Ginseng, coenzyme Q10, and carnitine) are useful especially on the elderly and those with a bad diet.

 Selenium is a powerful antioxidant.

 5) Echinacea is a herb that enhances immune function and often is used for common cold. Often it is combined with vitamin C and zinc that also help on infections. Do not take Echinacea for long periods because it will have adverse effects.

6) Ginkgo Biloba enhances brain function and especially memory. It assists memory and learning and may prevent dementia (e.g. Alzheimer's disease). It is contraindicated if the patient is taking anticoagulants.

7) Probiotics such as Acidophilus contain friendly bacteria for good bowel function. But you can find in super market special drinks with friendly Bacterial Cultures for the gut such as ‘Actimel’ or yogurts (the classic live yogurt has skin on its surface; most yoghurts on the market are velvet type) such as ‘Activia’.

8) Omega 3 fatty acids (e.g. from cod liver oil) are good for heart health, prevent atherosclerosis, reduce the triglycerides, and also help the joints.

 9) Lecithin is used for weight loss and fat burning (taking it after eating) and good functioning of the heart by lowering cholesterol.

10) The sprays of Bach Flower Remedies are based to Bach flower essences and help dealing with stress, insomnia and other mood problems. They are usually placed under the tongue.

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PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

1) To prevent skin aging is recommended to avoid the sun that causes aging and skin cancer. Wearing dark glasses which absorb ultraviolet radiation prevents cataract. Also put sunscreen of high SPF (e.g. more than 25) and put a special sunscreen for the face.

2) For the wrinkles is recommended that extra virgin olive oil daily on the face may help (keep it for at least 30 minutes). Also yogurt helps (not up on the oil). Similarly to prevent hair loss and whitening of the hair put on the hair olive oil for 30 minutes. Natural face mask can be made with yogurt on the face and sliced tomato or cucumber on the eyes (closed of course). Leave it for at least 30 minutes. From creams choose a simple collagen cream.

3) Aromatherapy with special candle sticks is also relaxing. For stress and insomnia I recommend lavender, rose oil / rosewood, rosemary, ilang - ilang etc. Place 3 to 4 drops of each oil in the water of the candlestick or the warm / hot water in your bathtub (in winter). Essential oils can be found in drug stores or stores with cosmetics. Do not do aromatherapy during sleep. Also, do not have houseplants in the bedroom when you sleep at night because they are stealing oxygen on night (in night, contrary to the day, the plants inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide!).

4) Peppermint helps on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Probiotics help the irritable bowel syndrome too.

5) The green tea is an antioxidant (you'll find in super market). In high amounts it can end to constipation. It is said that it helps to obesity.

6) The teas: chamomile, lime leaves, mountain tea, linden, passion flower, sage, tisane, melissa (lemon balm) and peppermint help with stress and insomnia and can be found (except lemon balm) at the super market. For insomnia, drink one of the above herb teas (except mountain tea) before bedtime. You can drink it in warm milk with honey (warm milk helps sleeping, provided you do not have lactose intolerance that brings you bloating in the gut when drinking milk; in that case prefer lactose-free milk that you find in super market).

7) The apple cider vinegar helps weight loss because it causes a feeling of satiety. Fiber (on fruits, wheat and vegetables) prevents colon cancer.

 8) Eucalyptus helps on nasal congestion and you can find it in nasal sprays. At the chemists you will find the ‘Vicks’ nasal ointment with eucalyptus. Vicks eucalyptus cream may be spread on your chest if you have pneumonia / pleurisy. In case of nasal congestion you can put 1 teaspoon of ‘Vicks’ eucalyptus cream in a cup with boiling water and inhale the steam (but wear glasses or cover the eyes to avoid irritation) . Alternatively, boil leaves of eucalyptus.

For nasal congestion and difficulty breathing through the nose you can find at the chemist the ‘Breathe Right’ nasal strips that also help on snoring. Please note that snoring may be associated with sleep apnea, which causes fatigue and cardiovascular problems and need advice of an ENT doctor and a pulmonologist (chest medicine doctor) and research to a ‘sleep’ clinic.

For nasal congestion, there are remedies (without side effects of pharmaceutical decongestants that you cannot use for more than 5 – 7 days to avoid pharmaceutical rhinitis) with Echinacea and normal saline for nasal washes, that is also available for infants (but do not wash the nose under pressure).

9) Put extra virgin olive in salads (and the pan - although I do not recommend eating fried – but still prefer olive oil), but do not overdo it like the Greeks who eat tones of oil, because the oil is rich in calories (eat 1 to 3 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon olive oil has 155 Kcal). Olive oil is good, but the excess in its value (e.g. for its anti-cancer and anti-aging properties) has to do with the subjectivity of the research. But do not forget the good genes of people in specific areas that offer them longevity! Olive oil has the antioxidant vitamin E.
The other 2 antioxidant vitamins are vitamin A / beta – carotene and vitamin C. H vitamin C found in oranges, but most is found in wild roses.  Beta carotene is found in carrots and other vegetables.

 11) Natural flavonoids), Grape seed and berries have antioxidants useful in preventing many diseases.

12) Aloe Vera is useful in skin problems such as burns and skin damage.

13) Cranberry is known for the good health of the urinary system and prevents UTIs urinary tract infections (to prevent it women in order should be swept into the toilet from front to back).

14) Milk Thistle is an antioxidant and may help on liver problems.

15) For hemorrhoids you can use the gel (ointment) ‘Preparation H’ applicable to the rectum after defecation (first do bidet before its application i.e. wash the area of the rectum with warm water and soap after defecation). After applying the gel in the rectum push with your finger the prolapsing hemorrhoid inside the rectum in order to avoid its painful thrombosis.

16) In infectious diarrhea do not take anti-diarrheal agents (such as loperamide -imodium), because - as in cough - the organization has diarrhea (and cough, respectively) as a mechanism in order to get rid of the bacteria (and with cough the sputum). For the same reason, drugs that stop cough drugs should be better discouraged (with the possible exception of non-pulmonary disease; ask your doctor before taking a drug that stops cough). If you have diarrhea then have a lightly diet with puree, boiled chicken, meat broth, rice and Coke (regular, not light; it replaces potassium and carbohydrates).

17) Nutrients that offer energy are Ginseng and royal jelly. Sardines have iron, calcium and omega – fatty acids. Do not give honey to babies because it may carry botulism toxin!

18) Krokos Kozanis (red saffron), from Greece is a herb with many therapeutic properties e.g. it has anti – cancer properties.

 19) The mastic from Chios, in Greece, helps in the fight against Helicobacter pylori associated with gastric and duodenal ulcers and also it is said that reduces cholesterol (put a bit of mastic on a glass of water, leave it overnight and drink it in the morning).

20) There are natural hair colors without lead or ammonia. Take also a sun cream and a cream wild rose.

21) There are biological paint colors without ammonia and other harmful carcinogenic ingredients.

22) A very nutritious drink, rich on protein, is ‘Fortimel’ that you can find at the drug store.

23) The Japanese diet (rich on fish) offers cardiovascular protection, but in Japan there are high rates of stomach cancer!

5) To relieve the tired legs in the evening put them in a wide bucket   filled with water (if it's too cold leave it on room temperature or use warm water) with 5 drops of essential oil (lavender, rose oil, cedar, rosemary) and dip your feet for 20 minutes watching television. Before going to bed put a special ointment for tired legs or you can place the ointment ‘Vaseline intensive care’. When you sleep put a pillow under your feet. Often elastic stockings help. You will find them in drug stores or stores with orthopedic stuff. The best shoes for walking are sports and in particular ‘NIKE’.

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 ADDITION (OCTOBER 2010)

ABOUT OZONE THERAPY

Ozone is believed by some that has healing properties, however there is a debate if it really has and there isn’t still sufficient scientific proof to justify its usefulness. So ozone therapy is still scientifically controversial. Contrary, ozone oxidizes organic molecules and also ozone in smoke from cigarettes it is toxic in the respiratory system. The evidence that ozone has helped on diseases is anecdotal (not published) and not confirmed. Further research is needed to ascertain the ozone’s efficacy. 

 NOTE

The writer has written in this article referring his own personal view and has no relationship with drug stores and companies mentioned in this text.