Positive Health Online

Diet Lies and Weight Loss Truths

by Melody Schoenfeld and Susan M Kleiner

Published by Human Kinetics Inc. 2020. Paperback. £17.99/ $24.95.  ISBN-10: ‎ 1718202415.

When it comes down to best diet, more or less all diets work. Three questions you need to ask yourself would be ‘Do I enjoy this diet?’, ‘Does this diet keep me healthy?’, ‘Can I maintain it in the long-term?’ The “best diet” is not a one-size-fits-all equation. The best diet is the one you can stick with for life. To help you figure out what way of eating may work best for you, here are some diets you may want to try.

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diet-Lies-Weight-Loss-Truths/dp/1718202415

Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean diet is a good starting point because it is not based on restriction and has good evidence that it promotes health, as well as an ability to support weight loss when you eat well but don’t overdo it. It’s a diet that is high in veggies, fruit, whole grains, legumes, herbs and spices, fish, and olive oil. Poultry, eggs, and dairy are included more sparingly, and red meat is eaten occasionally. Refined, sugary, and processed foods are generally avoided.

Vegan Diet

Let’s take the healthy Mediterranean-style meal plan and make it vegan. If beans or certain vegetables give you intestinal distress you might want to use over-the-counter gastrointestinal solutions.

Low-Carb Diet

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for muscles and brain. During sedentary days, you might choose to lower your carb intake to meet your lower activity needs. Key for this diet is going low in carbs but still keeping a room enough to eat good amount of vegetables and a little fruit. Typically, low-carb diet involve consuming less than 100 grams of carbohydrates a day. As a reminder, a low-carb diet can be dehydrating, so focus on your fluids.

Low Fat Diet

There are a couple of reasons why you might be interested in this diet style. Some research has shown that a 10% fat diet may help preventing certain types of coronary artery disease. Other research has shown that there are clearly some people that sustain a low-fat diet better than a low carb diet. So it might be a good way to remove few extra calories. You can consume 10% fat per day in a low-fat diet.

Intermittent Fasting

This is a practice of going without food or undereating, for a specified period of time on a regular basis. The commonly known 16/8 method limits eating to eight hours per day, with fasting rest of the day. There are other methods for fasting and eating hours, such as 14/10, 15/9, 18/6 method. This essentially works out to skipping a meal. The eight hours you spend asleep after dinner can help the fasting go easier. Combining the foods into fewer meals can make this plan work well for you too.

Melody Schoenfeld MA CSCS is a certified personal trainer with over 25 years of training experience in many different disciplines. She holds a master's degree in health psychology and writes and speaks internationally on a wide variety of health and fitness subjects.

Susan Kleiner PhD RD CNS FACN FISSN is the founder and owner of the internationally recognized consulting firm High Performance Nutrition LLC.  

Further Information

Available on Amazon.co.uk         Amazon.com         Human Kinetics

Ultimate Stress Relief

Emotions affect the body. Modern lifestyles are proving that there is a new danger that lurks within each and every one of us...STRESS! 

This invisible force is the cause of 90% of all illness. People tend to take better care of their cars than they do of their bodies, hence dis-ease and then pain/illness occur. Prevention is obviously the aim but we can heal  from anything  once we address our 4 bodies. Think ‘Russian Nesting dolls’ our energy fields are in layers around us. 

• Physical
• Emotional
• Mental 
• Spiritual

Our body can heal from anything naturally! 

Body, mind and spirit can be balanced easily so that our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies balance restore the toxic electro-magnetic field that surrounds us and allows us to relax and heal naturally. Fear is a fundamental emotion common to us all. The adrenal glands produce adrenaline which switches on the “fight/flight” mechanism of our bodies. This is where adrenaline is produced, in the adrenal glands look like walnuts atop each kidney.

This system of fight/flight brings the energy/blood of the body from the digestive system to the sensory organs: eyes (vision), ears (sounds), nose (smell), mouth (taste), and the nervous and muscular systems so that we become almost superhuman in our abilities, to be incredibly strong and jump higher, run faster etc. Our muscles and senses become fully empowered. It is important to remember however, that balance is the key. If we are always stressed or in “fight/flight” mode then we can develop adverse digestive and tummy disorders over time i.e. ulcers, hiatus hernia, diverticulitis, digestive issues and so on.

https://organic-aromatherapy.co.uk/shop/all/ultimate-stress-relief/

“Ultimate Stress Relief” Cream works almost instantly to balance adrenalin levels within minutes. Meditation /breath-work/breathing practice, relaxing essential oils, yoga/Tai Chi/Qi-gong or something similar like forest bathing, getting into nature, hugging a tree, sitting in sunshine, taking gentle walks  may be enough for you but regular treatments with a favourite wellness practitioner will also help your body to maintain optimum health and avoids illness in the short, and long term. These things also provide highly effective and speedy relief for many long-term complaints.

You will be amazed at how good you can feel , and how easily and effectively you can maintain good health! Sometimes you just want a quick fix, so Sarah at Organic aromatherapy has formulated a magical cream   that works within a couple of minutes .

”Ultimate Stress Relief” cream is influenced by some gorgeous and powerful organic essential oils ( neroli, helychrysum, sweet orange, roman chamomile and geranium) infused together in a peace-filled sacred space, made by hand with love and wrapped in a vegan pure white cream. This has been tried and tested over the past 20 years by many individuals, panels and therapists. It’s currently on offer at 50% discount so that you can try it for yourself. Use regularly to reduce negative effects of stress.

Further Information

Apply a small amount to the backs of your hands whenever you feel stressed or anxious, as often as you like. Creams are also available online www.organic-aromatherapy.co.uk

Treatments are available in Southampton, Hampshire or online via video link or phone.

Feeding Children and Young Adults

by Simon Ranger

The intricate composition of our native wild seaweeds and their place in our biological evolution, have a direct bearing on our dietary requirements today, especially for brain development. A new book, The Shrinking Brain, from Professor Michael Crawford and David Marsh (both of www.mccarrisonsociety.com) is easy and essential reading on this subject (ISBN 978-1-915465-12-2). Any doubt as to the veracity of this fact can be set aside by reviewing the 2020 data provided by the UK National Diet & Nutrition Survey (see the NDNS link below).

Seagreens® nutritious food seaweed included in the diet of children and teenagers, at one gram per day (eg. a quarter of a teaspoon of Seagreens Culinary Ingredient, or a single Iodine Lite+ capsule) provides a natural balance of all the micronutrients in which they might be or become, deficient. Scroll down beneath each product for the Profile of nutrients.

Little girl choosing tomatoes in a food store

The 2020 data shows that population vitamin and mineral intakes are low and falling in children and young adults. A concurrent study by HSIS the Health & Food Supplements Information Service found that often 'picky’, they seldom explore different foods, fruits or vegetables, making a varied diet difficult to achieve. Even if it is, it is not sustained.

The opportunity for health professionals, parents, carers and the food and supplements industries is that they have favourite foods, the key to including a tiny amount of non-allergenic Seagreens on a daily basis whether as food and drink ingredients or as encapsulated supplements. For example up to a quarter of a teaspoon of Food Granules can be mixed in a fruit juice such as apple juice, or a smoothie with rice or almond milk or yoghurt.

Culinary Ingredient can be sprinkled into soup or any meal a child will eat. Some like to chew dry Pelvetia Pieces. These can also be soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then added to vegetables or salads. The simplest way may be a single Iodine Lite+ capsule, developed especially for children. The capsules slide open if preferred. Over 10, use Food Capsules.

Daily use of this small amount is of more value than seaweed or other marine foods included in a meal periodically, because the most valuable micronutrients, including all the minerals, essential fatty acids, and rare vitamins like B12, are not manufactured nor easily stored in the body. 54% of UK teenage girls intake less iron than the LRNI [Lower Reference Nutrient Intake].

Seaweed must be subject to the kind of rigorous and complete analytical testing of its total composition and Seagreens makes this readily available to consumers.

Seagreens information website links:

• Micronutrient requirements in the teenage years, HSIS report 2020.
• 25 years in Seaweed Nutrition.

Contact and Further Information

Article by Simon Ranger, founder, the Seagreens® project © 2024. Seagreens Trust, The Warren Estate, Handcross, West Sussex RH17 6DX. Tel 01444 400403; info@seagreens.co.uk   www.seagreens.co.uk

The Brain Needs Oxygen

Brain tissue cannot sustain itself without oxygen. When brain cells are depleted of oxygen, they have to convert their aerobic or oxygen-processes into anaerobic--without oxygen--processes, as mentioned by Sarah Rocksworld and research associates in March 2007 in "Neurological Research." When this happens, cells lose their ability to regulate brain function.

As a result, free radicals are released that are very reactive and therefore highly damaging to brain cells. Without oxygen, amino acids, or protein parts are also released and damage brain cells. Even short periods of oxygen deprivation can activate events in the brain that result in cell death.

"Research has shown that oxygen administration leads to improved long-term memory and reaction times compared to a control group of normal air-breathing....oxygen administration appears to facilitate cognition most effectively for tasks with a higher cognitive load.” Con Stough and Andrew Scholey's (editors), "Advances in Natural Medicines, Nutraceuticals, and Neurocognition,”

https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/products/aso-activated-stabilised-oxygen

The Synapse and Oxygen

How strong a memory remains in our brains depends on the strength of the synapse between the neuron cells associated with the memory. The more we practice or think about a piece of information stored in our brain, the more that particular synapse is going to be used.

As the synapse is used more frequently, it grows in strength. This allows the memory to be more vivid and clear in our minds. But, if we do not access the memory very often, the synapse begins to weaken. This may cause us to forget, or will make it difficult to remember a memory that has not been accessed in some time. And none of this access can occur without an adequate supply of oxygen for neuron energy.

Increasing the amount of oxygen to the brain will accomplish two things. First, it will activate areas of our brain that are usually idle from lack of blood. Second, it will slow down the constant death and deterioration of our brain cells.

Advanced Stabilized Oxygen (ASO®)

For the last 25 years Oxigenesis a US company have been researching and developing technology to aid increased oxygenation in the body where it is below optimal levels. This stability of oxygen is due to the process of bonding oxygen to natural sea salt.

Not only will stabilized oxygen be beneficial for brain health but can be particularly helpful for people struggling with asthma, COPD, Heart disease and many other health challenges. There are many reasons why oxygen can be less than optimal, poor breathing patterns being one primary reason.

Oxigenesis primary product ASO^® has been extensively researched over the last 2 decades and has sold in excess of 1million bottles worldwide.  It is a very worthwhile option for people looking to improve body oxygenation. It has also proven popular with top class athletes who are looking for even small increases in performance and ASO^® has proven helpful. It has also been found to improve recovery.

Further Information

Oxigenesis products are now available exclusively in the UK from Water for Health Ltd. their contact details are:   https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/   or Tel: 01764 662111.  

Getting Healthy in Toxic Times:  An Ecological Doctor’s Prescription for Healing your Body and the Planet

by Dr Jenny Goodman

Published by Chelsea Green Publishing UK. 2024. Paperback. £16.99 / $22.00  ISBN-10 :‎ 1915294339

In Getting Healthy in Toxic Times, Dr Jenny Goodman connects our well-being with the health of our planet, examining the problem of pervasive toxicity in contemporary life – a topic many health professionals know little about. Dr Jenny, a medical doctor trained in ecological medicine, shares how we can all take steps to protect ourselves from the toxins that fill our homes, neighbourhoods and wider, environment. Traffic pollution, chemicals in our water, contaminants in our soil – and by extension in our food – and the electromagnetic energy emanating from our gadgets are just some of the sources of toxicity with which our modern lifestyles are overrun.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Healthy-Toxic-Times-prescription/dp/1915294339

Having spent decades helping patients recover form long standing health issues due to toxins, Dr Jenny shows that if we understand its impact on our health – as seen in the worrying rise in diagnoses of asthma and allergies, infertility, obesity, heart disease and behavioural and neurological disorders as well as cancer – then we can take positive steps to avoid as many toxins as possible in our day-to-day lives.

With the right information, we can safeguard ourselves with protective measures such as:

• Minimizing our interactions with pollutants;
• Ensuring our bodies have the right antitoxin nutrients to help us detox;
• Taking collective action to fight for our health and that of the environment.

Backed by the latest scientific and medical research, Getting Healthy in Toxic Times will empower you to look after your own health – but also that of the planet. Let’s put the good stuff in and take the bad stuff out!

Dr Jenny Goodman is a medical doctor, lecturer and broadcaster. She qualified at Leeds University School of Medicine and worked as a junior doctor but, disillusioned with conventional medicine’s inability to heal sick people and its failure to enquire about the causes of illness or to do preventive healthcare, she qualified in Ecological Medicine with British Society for Ecological Medicine, a group of doctors and other practitioners who help patients to attain dramatically better health through changes in diet and nutrition, and through detoxification. She has been practising Ecological Medicine for twenty-two years now and is the author of Staying Alive in Toxic Times. Jenny appeared with Terry Pratchett in ITV’s documentary What’s in Your Mouth? and has been featured on the Victoria Derbyshire show, BBC One’s Inside Out and numerous other TV and radio shows.

Further Information

Available from Amazon.co.uk          Amazon.com

Beyond Hormones: 7 Holistic Strategies to Thrive Through Menopause

by Clarissa Kristjansson PhD

‎Independently Published. 2024. Paperback. £10.99 / $11.99.  ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8883334152.  

Unexplained weight gain, bursts of inescapable heat, sleepless nights and disappearing libido are just a few of the unwelcome symptoms most menopausal women must endure alongside their typical work/life responsibilities. Clarissa Kristjansson, neuroscientist, holistic menopause health expert and host of the Thriving Thru Menopause podcast, recognized that despite the increasing conversation surrounding this stage of life, women are still entering menopause feeling disempowered and confused about how to manage the whirlwind of menopausal changes impacting their health and well-being.

“They deserve thoughtful, modern, holistic information about weight gain, sleep disruption, anxiety, changes in libido and how to overcome the negativity that surrounds aging in our modern-day society,” Kristjansson said.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Hormones-Holistic-Through-Menopause/dp/B0CWY82SPQ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

In her new book, Beyond Hormones: 7 Holistic Ways to Thrive Through Menopause, Kristjansson contends that menopause is a whole life experience that deserves a wide-ranging approach combining aspects of mindfulness, nutrition, daily movement, therapy and psychobiology grounded in science, alongside the support that can come from medical solutions.  Drawing on over 200 in-depth conversations with leading world experts and her decade of working with women, Kristjansson focusses on vital non-hormonal support that women can easily implement, whether they choose hormone therapy or go a natural route.

In the book, readers will discover:

• Nutritional blueprints that align with their bodies’ changing needs, empowering them to feel energized and balanced;
• Deep insights into hormonal upheavals and how they influence physical, mental and emotional health;
• Practical strategies for managing common symptoms, from hot flashes to mood swings, with easy lifestyle adjustments;
• Movement and exercise regimens tailored to bolster strength, flexibility and mental clarity;
• Sleep solutions that address the elusive quest for restful nights, reconnecting women with the healing power of sleep;
• A supportive perspective on sexual health, rekindling intimacy, and pleasure during menopause and beyond;
• Steps to transform societal stereotypes into a celebration of growth, wisdom and the beauty of evolving.

Clarissa Kristjansson Ph.D. is a respected, certified menopause health coach and a mindfulness and Chinese medicine practitioner. Her podcast, Thriving Thru Menopause, is ranked among the top 20 health and wellness podcasts of 2024. She is a regular speaker, advocating for a positive and empowered approach to menopause, and is also the author of Mindful Menopause and The Potent Power of Menopause.

Further Information

Available from Amazon.co.uk     Amazon.com  and Thriving Through Menopause

Maximum Vibrance – Nutritional Support to Tick all the Boxes Conveniently and Cost- effectively.

An increasing number of the population are beginning to realize the importance of supplementing their diets to make up for the nutrient deficit of their foods. Nutrient deficiency is an increasing problem which does not look like changing in the short term. Until farming moves towards quality of food produced instead of quantity we are going to suffer nutrient deficiencies. The thought of taking multiple capsules or tablets per day is off putting for many people and consequently there is an increasing requirement for complete nutritional products that will cover all the various aspects of nutrition that are important for optimum health. We need to support our requirement for minerals and vitamins, for antioxidants, for digestive support and for detoxification etc.

https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/products/maximum-vibrance-all-in-one-supplement

Vibrant Health, one of the leaders in the US market for plant based nutrition, brought out a product – Maximum Vibrance – a few years ago. It is increasingly become popular as probably the most complete nutritional supplement on the market with the nutrients delivered being plant based, which will be better used by the human body. Maximum Vibrance has includes every nutrient that the body needs with the exception of Omega 3, since there is no powdered form of Omega 3 that will remain stable for the lifetime of the product. That deficit can easily be overcome by taking a single fish oil capsule such as the high purity products from WHC such as UnoCardio 1000.

Maximum Vibrance - a Multi Vitamin, a Protein Powder, a Greens Powder, an Antioxidant Powder, a Probiotic and much more…

1. A ‘greens’ superfood product with ingredients including barley and wheat grass powders, spirulina, broccoli sprout powder and many other green vegetable powders;
2. It has a high vegetable protein powder content primarily coming from yellow pea powder, sprouted brown rice and spirulina. One scoop gives you approx. 20% of your days requirement for protein. Two scoops is a meal replacement;
3. It includes a wide selection of fruit powders with antioxidant properties;
4. Each serving has got a high strength serving of probiotics and enzymes to aid digestion;
5. It has a wide range of vitamins and minerals that are plant derived for better absorption.

Maximum Vibrance has 120 ingredients in it, making it the most complete nutritional support product on the market. Many busy people use it as their breakfast or their lunch because of its high protein content and nutritional density.  It is also particularly helpful for seniors who are inclined to skip meals and are frequently not consuming enough protein. It is also suitable for students to give them a convenient nutritional burst to help compensate for the deficiencies of fast food. 

Not only is Maximum Vibrance nutritionally dense it is very palatable. You mix a scoop in a glass of water and drink. It comes in 2 flavours, either the original natural vanilla flavour or the natural chocolate flavour. The latter has got organic sugar cane powder in it which gives a slightly higher sugar content. Maximum Vibrance is a popular choice for people wanting dense natural nutrition in an uncomplicated manner without having to ingest a handful of capsules.

Further Information

To find the details go to water-for-health.co.uk who are the UK distributors for Vibrant Health.  

Occult: Decoding the Visual Culture of Mysticism, Magic and Divination

by Peter Forshaw

Published by ‎Thames and Hudson Ltd; 2024. Hardcover. £23 / $35  ISBN-10 : 0500027137.

A clear, concise and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and arcane visual and material culture of the occult.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Occult-mysticism-divination-Religious-Spiritual/dp/0500027137

Searching for the philosophers’ stone in the pursuit of immortality; harnessing the properties of the natural world to cast magic spells; seeking visionary experiences to connect with the spiritual world; conjuring demons to enact our desires; using the tarot and astrology to divine the future – the quest to understand the mysteries of the universe and to tap into its powers has fuelled manifold occult philosophies from antiquity to modern times. 

For hundreds of years, occult – or hidden – knowledge has been recorded in esoteric manuscripts, enshrined in illustrated grimoires, inscribed in stelae, incorporated in cryptic paintings and embodied in arcane ritual objects.  Focusing on a carefully curated selection of esoteric art and artefacts ranging from rare, ornate tarot decks to the paintings of Leonora Carrington, Occult explains the meaning and mystic power of occult ritual objects and symbols from around the world. 

Expert author Peter Forshaw defines ‘occult’, traces its origins, and identifies its four key elements – mysticism, alchemy, magic and divination.

Delve within the pages of this new illustrated book and pore over myriad intricate images, ornate manuscripts and intriguing ritual objects, and discover the meaning concealed within the secret ciphers, mysterious symbols and covert rituals of the occult.

Peter Forshaw (@petrus.malus) is a researcher interested in the history of alchemy, magic, Kabbalah, astrology, ritual activity and esotericism. He has a doctorate in Intellectual History and is Associate Professor of Western Esotericism in the Early Modern Period at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy, University of Amsterdam. In addition to editing several volumes on occult and esoteric subjects, he is the author of The Mage’s Images: Heinrich Khunrath in his Oratory and Laboratory and served as editor-in-chief of Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism for 10 years. He has contributed to TV and Radio programmes including BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time series and Channel 5’s The Philosophers’ Stone – The True Story.

Further Information

Available from Amazon.co.uk         Amazon.com