Most Effective Way to Quit Smoking
Most smokers are looking for the most effective way to quit smoking. It is not easy, and according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, smoking should be treated as a chronic disease in order to help smokers kick the habit. Different things work for different people. Some smokers may need medication and counseling along with close contact with their doctor.
The more you try to stop smoking the greater your chances of succeeding according the study. A big part of the success is the phone counseling because it helps patients think differently about the cigarette and come up with a plan to stop. High intensity long-term counseling is the most effective way to quit smoking for most patients.
Having great support is a very important component when it comes to the battle to stop smoking. The most effective way to quit smoking for many people seems to always include continual support from family and friends.
East Coast Saunas
The benefits of owning a infrared sauna are many. They are used to offer pain relief to those who need it, help detoxify the skin, aids in cardiovascular health, and it lessens the stressors of everyday life. The infrared energy given off by the the products of West Coast Sauna penetrates up to 1.5″ deep into muscle tissue. This aids in reducing muscle spasms, joint stiffness, and general aches and pains due to such issues such as Fibromyalgia and various forms of arthritis.
A far infrared sauna does not work by indirect means of heat like conventional steam saunas. The unique Carbon Wave 360 Panes allow the far infrared sauna to warm its users to a much greater depth than the kind of saunas most people are used to.
The saunas come with great amenities such as 1-5 person models, CD/MP3 players, inside reading lights, cup holders, magazine racks, inside and outside touch controls, and chromotherapy lights. The EZ lean system allows maximum comfort by allowing you to lay back against the panels. The all glass doors are a wonderful touch because of their beauty and the feeling of openness to combat any feeling of claustrophobia.
FDA Approves Health Claim for Brown Rice
ARLINGTON, Va., May 8 /PRNewswire/ — Brown rice, a 100 percent whole grain food, joins the recognized ranks of healthful whole grains, according to an announcement this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will allow brown rice food labels to bear the whole grain health claim. This will enable consumers to easily identify brown rice as a food to help them increase whole grain consumption and reduce their risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Brown rice and other whole grain foods are widely recommended to consumers by the public health community including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for their protective effects against heart disease and certain cancers. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines recommend “making half of all grain servings whole,” or three daily whole grain servings in a standard 2,000-calorie reference diet. Still, data from a recent consumer survey conducted by EatingWell magazine and the USA Rice Federation show that the majority of Americans (65 percent) are not meeting their whole grains quota(1).
Consumers can now be on the lookout for brown rice labeled with the FDA whole grain health claim: “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.”
FDA’s action explicitly extends an existing health claim to include whole grain rice. For the first time, FDA states that all single ingredient whole grain foods qualify for the claim regardless of whether they meet the
requirement for a minimum level of dietary fiber, as long as they meet the other general health claim requirements. The dietary fiber requirement was established in 1999 in order to monitor compliance with the claim. FDA now states that compliance for single ingredient whole grain foods will be monitored by examining package ingredient statements, not through fiber content. The science on which the health claim is based clearly acknowledges that the health benefits of whole grains are independent of
their fiber content.
From a public health perspective, this news means that now there’s one more option for the nearly 90 percent of Americans who know that whole grains should be part of a healthy diet and the 70 percent who say they would be likely to increase whole grain consumption if the benefits were clearly listed on the package(1).
”Rice is the most popular grain around the world, which makes brown rice a great choice for increasing whole grain intake,” says Joann Slavin, PhD, RD, whole grains expert and Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. “In the United States, where chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancers are common, encouraging whole grain brown rice consumption could have a significant public health impact.”
One hundred percent whole grain brown rice is an economical, nutritious and versatile food. With only the inedible hull removed, brown rice contains beneficial phytonutrients including antioxidants, anthocyanins, phytosterols, tocopherols oryzanol and many other potentially protective substances that have been found to help reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, type II diabetes and potentially aid in weight maintenance. Brown rice also contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including B-vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, iron, and 2 grams of fiber per one half cup of cooked rice.
According to the EatingWell/USA Rice survey: 87 percent of consumers know that whole grains are good for them. However, while more than 80 percent know whole grains can be protective against cardiovascular disease, less than two-thirds are aware that they also offers protection against certain cancers.
There’s still confusion about what foods are whole grains. While 80 percent of consumers know that brown rice is a whole grain, more than 80 percent also mistakenly think that bran cereal and breads marked simply as “wheat” are also whole grains. Most individuals (80 percent) said they would be likely to eat more whole grains if these foods were clearly labeled as whole grains; and another 68 percent said they would increase consumption if the health benefits were stated on the package.
“Since eating just one cup of brown rice is equivalent to two of the three recommended daily whole grain servings, the new health claim will certainly assist people in meeting their whole grain goals,” said Slavin.
“This is a milestone event. Today brown rice joins the recognized ranks of healthful foods that are entitled to make this claim. Having this information on packages of brown rice will help consumers increase whole grain consumption and reduce their risk of heart disease and some cancers,” said Al Montna, chairman of the USA Rice Federation.
The FDA action adds support to the growing body of scientific data that shows that rice is a healthy food choice. Recent research found that rice eaters are more likely to eat a diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans(2). Americans who eat rice have healthier diets than non-rice eaters and may have reduced risk for chronic diseases including heart disease and type II diabetes(2,3). Compared to people who do not eat rice, people who eat rice consume less added sugar and fat; consume more nutrients, such as folic acid, potassium and iron that are contained in rice products; are less likely to be overweight or have an increased waist circumference; have 34 percent reduced risk of having high blood pressure;and have a 21 percent reduced risk of metabolic syndrome(3).
In both whole grain brown and enriched white forms, rice is a complex carbohydrate that is naturally low in calories, is sodium-, gluten- and cholesterol-free, has just a trace of fat, and contains no trans or
saturated fat. Due to its mild flavor, rice also complements many other healthy foods, including vegetables, lean meat, seafood, poultry, beans and soy foods. Rice is nutritious due to its nutrient profile, and it is also
highly-digestible and non-allergenic, and can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Rice poses no risk for those who are sensitive to or intolerant of gluten or other proteins commonly found in other grain-based foods.
U.S.-grown rice accounts for nearly 88 percent of the rice consumed in America, and there is an ample supply of U.S.-grown rice for the domestic market. Rice is grown and harvested by farmers in five south central states and California according to the highest quality standards. The U.S. produces short, medium and long grain rice, as well as specialty rices including jasmine, basmati, and arborio, red aromatic and black japonica, among others. For more information, visit http://www.usarice.com.
Teaching Kids to Eat Healthier
A brand new set of children’s books from H and T Imaginations Unlimited, Inc., is out to teach kids to eat healthier. In the first three of the planned six book series — “Professor Woodpecker’s Banana Sandwiches”; “Green Apples, Red Apples, Yellow Apples and More”; and “Professor Woodpecker Loves Cereal” (published by AuthorHouse –http://www.authorhouse.com) — Professor Woodpecker shares invaluable
nutritional advice and ideas with children everywhere, and no one is better equipped to share such dietary wisdom than clever and caring Professor Woodpecker.
Children in Illinois to Have Healthier Smiles
HINSDALE, Ill., May 12 /PRNewswire/ — As part of the Illinois
Children’s Healthcare Foundation’s (ILCHF) $20 million, five-year
initiative to expand access to oral health care for Illinois children, the
Foundation is pleased to announce a request for proposals in the oral
health care field. The RFP process is open to any nonprofit that currently
provides primary care services directly to children or formally
collaborates with a primary care provider and desires to establish a new
oral health service, expand existing services in a clinical setting or
implement a community planning process. This RFP is expected to result in
ILCHF awarding a number of grants ranging between $50,000 and $300,000.
“Expanding access to quality oral health care for all children in
Illinois is one of the Foundation’s primary objectives, along with
addressing the mental health needs of children and increasing the rate of
developmental screening of young children,” said Dr. Peter E. Doris, chair
of ILCHF board of directors. “As a component of ILCHF’s oral health care
initiative, the Foundation supports programs that are designed to increase
the number of oral health professionals caring for underserved children.”
To encourage an increase in the number of oral health professionals
dedicated to serving children in underserved areas, the Foundation also
announces the recent award of $3 million to the two dental schools in
Illinois. Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine and the
University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry will each receive
$1.5 million over the next several years.
The grant awarded to Southern Illinois University School of Dental
Medicine will, over the next six years, allow the School to better prepare
dentists to provide care for underserved children, primarily in southern
Illinois. The University will design and implement a program that modifies
the admission process, updates the curriculum, provides mentoring and
support to students, expands community-based service-learning opportunities
and assesses the outcomes of the program.
Likewise, the grant awarded to University of Illinois at Chicago,
College of Dentistry will support significant changes and enhancements to
the existing community-based dental program over the next five years. These
changes include a greater emphasis on pediatric dentistry at community
sites and earlier, more in-depth exposure to service-learning opportunities
for students. The University expects to graduate professionals with a
greater understanding of the social dimensions of their profession and who
are equipped to participate in the development of solutions for expanding
access to oral health care for children.
The oral health care RFP is now open and will close June 20, 2008.
Grantees can expect to be notified of selection by October 31, 2008. All
interested applicants should visit http://www.ilchf.org to determine
eligibility and review the process for online application submission.
About Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation
The Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation was formed in 2003 with
one goal in mind: to improve the health of all Illinois children. Through
the release of targeted RFPs and proactive, ongoing funding, ILCHF works to
eliminate the barriers that prevent children from regularly accessing
high-quality health care. Since 2004, the Foundation has awarded more than
$25 million in grants to organizations serving children’s health needs
across the state. Please visit http://www.ilchf.org for more information
about the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation.
How Do Apples And Acid Reflux Go Together?
How Do Apples And Acid Reflux Go Together?
By Gilbert Hernandez
If you suffer from acid reflux disease it is very important you get it treated right away. It will worsen if it is not taken care of at the right time. Acid reflux has no prejudice on who it affects. It can affect Adults as well as infants. For infants and young children acid reflux usually goes away as they get older. In some cases acid reflux continues to create suffering on the child through adolescence and then on into adulthood. For some people acid reflux ails them their entire life. A doctor should be consulted if you suffer from acid reflux disease and proper treatment should be started right away. Depending on the severity of the reflux, a doctor may prescribe medication.
There are various ways to cure acid reflux. Some involve special herbs, some are prescription medications and there are also natural cures. Another option, for getting a life long effect against acid reflux, is surgery. The reason being that the other cures, the medicines, have side effects, and the herbal and natural cures rely on continuous treatment. The natural cures can also get expensive real fast.
Most people tend to go with the natural cures anyway. These home remedies seem to be the most popular choice of treatment, since no one really want to get a major surgery and no one wants to deal with the awful side effects of medications. Most of the home treatments are straight out of the kitchen. It is easy too. It is the apple. Just eating apples is good for you and it also helps to eliminate acid reflux. It is used whole and as apple cider vinegar.
The apples rich qualities gives the skin and the eyes the nutrients they need to stay healthy. It is also a much liked fruit that is eaten by many health conscious people. Apples are good for adults and even for young children. So, kids suffering from acid reflux can choose to eat this fruit, either in slices or grated, or they can drink it as a fresh juice. Another of the favorite and effective remedies, from the apple, is the Apple cider vinegar. It is made by crushing the apples and taking the juice out .It is common to find this ingredient found in many kitchens around the world. It can also be taken in capsule form. Apple cider vinegar should be consumed under the supervision of a doctor. It can normally be consumed in small quantities, but because of its high acidic levels it should not be consumed in large quantities. It is also an ingredient in plenty of delicious recipes. If can be consumed by people suffering from blood disorders, bone problems, breathing problems, kidney stones, throat problems and many more it can be shown to be an excellent source of the essential nutrients required to help a person get well.
Apples are rich in minerals and vitamins also. They also improve skin health. This vinegar can also be made at home. The pills do not always contain the all the good stuff that of the liquid form does. In this case the pills may not be as effective. You should always keep the vinegar away from direct sunlight. It is a good idea to keep it in a cool place but it is does not require refrigeration.
Apple cider vinegar can also be consumed by pregnant women. It flushes the body of many unwanted toxins. When consumed it is a good idea to mix it with water or another fruit juice rather than drinking it directly. It is necessary to take it twice a day. Once when you get up, at least a half an hour before you eat, and again half an hour after your last meal of the day. This is a good practice for everyone. With all of its nutrients, the apple and the apple cider vinegar are the best natural home remedies for curing acid reflux disease.
Gilbert Hernandez
http://www.Acid-Reflux.gilbsy.com
How to cure acid reflux ebook and free email course available at http://www.Acid-Reflux.gilbsy.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gilbert_Hernandez
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-Apples-And-Acid-Reflux-Go-Together?&id=980549
Healthy Aging Is Possible
One great tip for healthy aging is to excercise on a consistent basis. Healthy aging is something that we all desire and seek to find more information about. Did you know that many people use anti-aging creams with great results? Visit Healthy Aging for more great tips like these on aging gracefully.
Acid Reflux
Visit www.acidreflux.information-seek.com for more information on reducing the effects of reflux.

