Americans Among the Most Sleep Deprived

What probably won’t be much of a surprise at all, A new survey has found that Americans are among the most sleep-deprived people in the world.

The researchers found that the majority of Americans (49%), Indians (54%) and Singaporeans (43%) reported not getting enough sleep because they were too worried or stressed out.

New York has the special distinction of being the most sleep-deprived city in the world.

Sleep is vital to your physical and mental well-being! If you’re not getting enough sleep at night it can be a number of different things; from not being able to “turn the mind off”, to hormonal imbalance such as too little progesterone, or even subclinical thyroid activity.

For more information on how you can battle problems with sleep, contact us here the longevity league.

Dietary Changes to Help With ADHD

The numbers are alarming.  Ten percent of US children have been diagnosed with ADHD — an increase of almost 25 percent in four years.

Unfortunately, the medicine prescribed to treat ADHD can come with a downside. It can cause dietary problems and increase the rate of cigarette smoking in the child taking it.

Some doctors have taken a different approach to fixing the problem, and have studied how dietary changes that can help ease symptoms of ADHD.

Here are some of the findings:

·         About 70 percent of children who crave sweets have much more control over their behavior when their food is low in added sugar.

·         Many kids with ADHD have food allergies that contribute to the symptoms. The foods to which children with ADHD most commonly had allergic reactions were cow's milk (which included milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream), corn (an additive in many prepared foods), wheat, soy, eggs, gluten, casein, and food colorings.

·         Hyperactive children often benefit greatly from the right supplements. High quality fish oil supplements high in DHA can be a tremendous benefit (and they don’t have to taste bad), magnesium and calcium are essential minerals many people might be deficient in.  For more information on how supplements can help, contact us at the pharmacy.

So before you get a prescription for medicine, ask your doctor or contact us for a consult to see about making nutritional changes in your child's diet.

Energy Drinks...Rev You Up, But Can Bring Your Health Down

From weekend warriors to hard core athletes, energy drinks have woven themselves into the fabric of high performance sports and activities, although not without some ramifications to the users health.

Researchers found that users of these hugely popular energy drinks faced potential health risks by using such products as they can seriously dehydrate users due to their high amounts of caffeine.
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical School, Houston also warned that users who mixed drinks with alcohol also faced increased heart rates and blood pressure and mental problems. 

The study, reported in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, adds weight to previous research that found such energy drinks can affect a person's health such as heart attacks and seizures and in some extreme circumstances lead to death. 

"What we know is that a typical energy drink can have as much as a quarter cup of sugar, and more caffeine than a strong cup of coffee," said John Higgins, who led the study. 

"The possibility of dehydration and increased blood pressure make water or lower-octane sports drinks, which contain electrolytes, some minerals and carbohydrates, a better choice." 
 
The researchers reviewed medical literature on energy drinks and their ingredients between 1976 and 2010. 

They found that the caffeine content of energy drinks ranged from 70 to 200 mg per 16-oz serving. By comparison, an 8-oz cup of coffee could contain between 40 to 150 mg of caffeine. 

They warned that some ingredients not mentioned on the labels such as herbal stimulant guarana, the amino acid taurine, might produce adverse affects with caffeine. 

Dr Higgins said that by not publishing ingredients added to the problem. 

"Manufacturers can put whatever in them, advertise however and people consume however. Whenever you have a situation like this, you are going to run into problems," he said.


Non-athletes should drink no more than one a day, never mix them with alcohol, and drink lots of water after exercising. 

People with hypertension should never drink them, and people with health conditions such as heart disease should consult their doctors before using the drinks, he said. 

"Manufacturers can put whatever in them, advertise however and people consume however. Whenever you have a situation like this, you are going to run into problems," he said.

How Fast Is Stress Aging You?

Have you had your telomeres studied lately? One of the most profound advancements in identifying on how healthy and how fast people may age, the condition of one’s telomeres are showing a direct link to how one manages stress.

In 2004, scientists started to study telomeres, which are the tips of strands of DNA designed to protect the chromosomes in our cells.   As our cells divide over time, because of ­damage, the telomeres get shorter and so become an accurate marker of ­biological ageing. 

Picture these telomeres to be like the tips on the end of a shoelace. Telomeres stop DNA from fraying. When it frays, the cell stops being healthy: if it is a skin cell, it will cease to function properly and will appear aged. If the DNA frays in a brain cell, memory will lapse. 

With the identification of these telomeres there has been increasing research on what keeps them healthy, and what leads to their damage.

Recent research implicates mis-managed stress to be a major factor in leading to their destruction, leading to ‘premature aging’.

And it’s important to highlight that it is mis-managed stress, because the fact of the matter remains that the body does need stress to strengthen and grow, although it needs it followed by periods of rest and repair.

A perfect example of how stress can age someone is to look at what might be perceived as a stress full job, president of the United States.  Just look at any photo of any president from before they took office to a year or two into their job.

Look at president Obama, profoundly grayer and it only took a few months.

The good news is, when stress is managed, or extreme stress is eliminated, the body can ‘de-age’ itself a bit.  Take a look at President George W Bush and President Clinton.  Each of them looks much younger now than when they left office if you look at the health of their skin and how they present themselves.

And sure, you might say this evidence is anecdotal, although take a look at what research has shown us.

Scientists studied ­parents who were looking after very ill children which can be a very stressful situation from the caring of the child to the economical challenge it can provide.

They found that those who felt under the most stress had telomeres that were ten years shorter than should have been. The more stubby and shorter the telomeres, the less protected our DNA.

Here is the remarkable thing about the human body.  Telomeres can be stimulated to grow again, actually reversing the effects of ageing.  The telomeres of women who had been caring for a husband with dementia were measured, and then measured again when the husband went into a home. Almost immediately, the ­telomeres were rejuvenated.

So how is your stress being managed?  What shape are your telomeres in?

Schedule a wellness consult with us for customized tips and techniques on how to measure and manage how your body responds to stress, and even find out how to measure your telomeres.

Bumper Sticker Chuckles

They say laughter is the best medicine...so here are some Holiday bumper stickers poking fun at who else, but the TSA.

If we did our job any better we’d have to buy you dinner first

Don’t worry; my hands are still warm from the last guy

We are now free to move about your pants

We rub you the wrong way so you can be on your way

It’s not a grope, it’s a freedom pat

We handle more packages than UPS

Walking In Gratitude

Ok, I might be getting a bit mushy and woo wooey here, but I found it appropriate to write today about the practice of Gratitude.

Gratitude is just as big a part in the success and happiness in ones life.

One might say…the more attention you apply with gratitude to a particular thing (love, friendship, money, family) the Universe will send you more.

I think it’s true.

I am very Grateful for Thanksgiving…I love this day. To me its one of those FREE DAYS in life, no obligations, no calls, kind of a having fun, letting the ‘right brain flow’ kind of day, wrapped within a bunch of silence.

And I have a LOT more to be Grateful for.

I am Grateful for my wife, my dogs, my family…the friends we have, certainly our health, the fact that I laugh every day…and I love what I do.

…I am Grateful I can do something creative everyday that helps change the landscape of health care…I am Grateful to have such great clients (via Wellness practice, Pharmacies, and other Health Care Practitioner’s) who take it upon themselves to make changes in their own health and their practice, thus changing the course to a better way of life.

I have read about Gratitude through many different sources over the years, from Louise Hay, The Dali Lama, and others, and I used to practice it almost automatically when life was simpler.

I remember going for hikes on top of the mountain behind our house in Jackson Hole Wyoming and focusing on good things…how much I loved our lifestyle…I called it Walking In Gratitude.

Gratitude is magnetic…the more you walk in Gratitude, the smoother your day will go, the more you will have to be Grateful for.

The time for resolutions is just around the corner…and it’s the time to begin planing your New Year out…goals you want to accomplish, things you want to do.

Gratitude can play a big role for you.

I admit, I sometimes slip…and fall off of the Gratitude path…and the results of my day will show it.

It’s time to make it automatic again.

I’m beginning today, and by the time Jan 1 comes around…I will have this habit in place-automatic.

Write down five things you are grateful for.

Read them at least once or twice a day, maybe upon waking up and going to sleep,

As the pattern develops, begging adding Gratitude within your steps throughout the day, Walk in Gratitude.

Begin to notice how it makes you feel, how much smoother your days go, how much you achieve, how your business grows, the compliments you receive from your friends, customers and clients.

I warned you, this might get a bit woo wooey…but their you go,

Have a Happy (and Grateful) Thanksgiving Day!

Robert and Amy

My Favorite Nutrient For Healthy Weight During The Holiday Season- Cut Cravings and Lose Weight!

Have you tried Irvingia?

This is a great product, and when I carried it in my pharmacy it worked great!

I recommend Life Extension's Irvingia with Calorie Control Complex, and what I really liked about it is that it does so much to help with portion control, one of the biggest factors of weight gain in our 'super-sized' society.

Other benefits are:
 Support weight loss of over 20 pounds on average in 10 weeks all by itself.¹ It works by supporting sensitivity to leptin, the hormone secreted by fat cells that tells your brain you’ve eaten enough and facilitates the breakdown of stored fat. Plus four other science-based ingredients.

• Phase 3™ Sucrase Modulator to help delay rapid absorption of sucrose.
• InSea²™ seaweed extract to help modulate levels of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes to reduce the caloric impact of sugary foods.
• Green tea phytosome to positively influence the absorption of dietary fat.
• And a white kidney bean extract to help delay digestion and absorption of starch calories. 

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5 Great Apps To Bring In A Healthy New Year

Hooked on technology?  Here are 5 great health app's to ring in a healthier New Year!

1) iFitness- Have you ever started at a new gym and felt self-conscious about how to properly do an exercise?  You see all the weathered gym veterans using extra care in not what they do, but how they do it?  This is a great app to show you how to do the exercise correctly, without having to drag along a book. There are over 300 exercises to choose from, and each one is explained with pictures and some video. If you want to target one part of your body, you can pick exercises targeted exclusively for that area. You can also keep track of your BMI, weight, and food on iFitness.

2) Pocket Yoga- This app offers three different types of yoga at three different levels for three varying durations, which means you'll have the choice to pick between 27 different routines. The app provides excellent depictions of the poses in case you need to check yourself. Another great feature is that it allows you to play your own music from your iPod if you want to.

3) Get Running- If you have trouble staying motivated while your out on a run, this app may be perfect for you. "Get Running" says encouraging and motivating things into your headphones while you run, which helps you keep going.

4) iHormones- 
Did you know you cannot work out as efficiently, lose weight and build muscle if your hormones are not in check.  This problem is, many people don’t know the facts and fall into ‘mis guided’ information because most schools of medicine don’t teach it optimally.  And it’s not just hormones!  You get references, resources, nutrition, food charts and more.

5) My Fitness Pal
This app is the closest thing to a personal trainer you can get on a phone. It has tons of recipes and workouts and it helps you figure out how many calories you’re burning so you can make sure you stay on track.

Tips To Cut Down On Calories While Enjoying Your Food More This Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving dinner is estimated to provide a whopping 3000 calories. 

Did you know that eating less will allow you to enjoy it more?

I understand, it’s a bit difficult to make sense of that in the throws of temptation, although its quality not quantity…and remember the greatest thing about all of this?

Leftovers!

Here are some tips to help you ‘pace yourself’ and enjoy the ‘quality over quantity’ this Turkey Day.

1) Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: Often we here, “I’m not going to eat all day so I can feast over dinner”.  You might want to consider this philosophy because we often eat faster and more when we are hungry, so take in a hearty, healthy breakfast or lunch on the big day.

2) Think about where you are going to start the event: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.

3) Turkey - go skinless: I know, this is practically a sacrilege right?  But it works and once you make the decision and bite into the moist and tasty meat, you wont miss the skin.  Choosing your 4-oz turkey portion skinless will slash away some fat and cholesterol, as well as saving some room for some healthy side dishes.

4) Make sure side dishes don’t become the main course - watch your portion size: go for smaller portions in an effort to sample all of the different foods! Always eat in moderation.  You know how it feels to be TOO FULL to try that dish everyone is raving about.

5) Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.

Hopefully those tips help you stay on track with your diets this holiday season (if you want to, at least), but remember to enjoy your meal and if you take in a few too many calories, just hit the gym a little harder than usual after shopping on Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!