All people who suffer from fibromyalgia are overwhelmed by its variety of symptoms. Fibromyalgia is considered to be a serious neurological condition that in time can lead to many complications. Although millions of people worldwide are confronted with fibromyalgia, the exact causes of the disorder haven’t yet been clarified. Despite the fact that scientists have been able to establish a connection between abnormal brain activity and the symptoms of fibromyalgia, the factors responsible for causing the disorder are still unknown.

The factors of risk that are considered to facilitate the occurrence and the development of fibromyalgia are stress, depression, inadequate sleeping patterns, inappropriate diet and unhealthy lifestyle. Although many people who are exposed to all of these factors of risk don’t develop neurological conditions, statistics indicate that all patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia have suffered from depression at certain stages of their lives and many of them have developed the disorder on the premises of insomnia, unhealthy lifestyle and inappropriate diet.

An appropriate diet is vital for maintaining both physical and mental balance and it can strengthen the immune system of the organism. A good fibromyalgia diet can be a very effective way of overcoming the symptoms of the disorder, normalizing and stimulating the activity of the body. Unhealthy lifestyle, stress, lack of sleep, smoking, the abuse of alcoholic beverages are all considered to be factors of risk in the development of fibromyalgia. By improving your lifestyle and by respecting an appropriate fibromyalgia diet, you will quickly feel improvements in your health. Also, an effective fibromyalgia diet can considerably ameliorate the symptoms of the disorder. Here are some tips in establishing an effective fibromyalgia diet:

- A good fibromyalgia diet should exclude alcoholic beverages and smoking; also, caffeine is known to have undesirable effects on the fragile nervous system of people with fibromyalgia and therefore, all products containing caffeine (coffee, tea, carbonated soda, cocoa and chocolate) should be excluded from the fibromyalgia diet.

- An appropriate fibromyalgia diet should contain less dairy products, especially those that contain high levels of fat; consider using soy replacements instead (soy milk, tofu).

- Consume less wheat products, as they are not well tolerated by people with fibromyalgia.

- Reduce the amount of sugar in your fibromyalgia diet.

- Stay away from food products that contain additives, colorants and preservatives.

- Avoid any kind of fried foods; consider eating more boiled and baked foods instead.

- Add more home-made meals in your fibromyalgia diet; consume more soups, as they are better tolerated by the stomach.

- Consume more liquids.

- Reduce the amount of salt and spices in your meals.

- Reduce the amount of meat in your fibromyalgia diet.

- Consume plenty of vegetables and fruits, as they are a vital source of vitamins and minerals.

- Consider taking mineral and vitamin supplements.

These are some basic tips in establishing a good, effective fibromyalgia diet. By respecting these suggestions in planning your fibromyalgia diet, you will soon begin to feel an amelioration of your symptoms. A good fibromyalgia diet can correct the sleeping problems that occur to most people with the disorder, also diminishing fatigue and the lack of energy characteristic to fibromyalgia.

So, if you want more information about fibromyalgia symptoms and especially for fibromyalgia diet, please follow this link http://www.fibromyalgia-info-center.com.

All images need light but some light is better than others. Sunlight, or “natural light” can be very helpful in producing a good image. But is needs careful assessment for the right effect.

In general terms, direct sunlight is bad, especially during the middle of the day. The midday sun is cold in colour, harsh and casts dark shadows as well as leading to loss of features. Also, such light is often intense, leading to squinting of the subject. Avoid this is you can. Either side of midday is not ideal either for the same reasons.

Sunlight in the early morning or late evening is best. At these times, the sun is low in the sky and produces softer, more diffuse light. The blueness, found in daytime sunlight, is absent leading to a pleasing colour effect. The diffuse low light produces softer shadows and is less uncomfortable for the model. Consequently the light produces a more flattering effect and discernible features.

Cloudy and overcast conditions can produce good results especially if the light is directional. In these conditions the harsh sunlight has already been diffused by the overhead clouds. Directionality can be achieved by placing your subject next to a window or other such light source.

If the light is harsh, and you have no alternative, then using a reflector can put some light back into the shadow areas leading to a more pleasing effect.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life balance, which is still a luxury for tens of millions of working parents, has been overtaken by an even greater demand: a work-life-nutrition balance. Unfortunately, this increasing demand for nutrition has not been accompanied by a useful strategy that enables people to reclaim time from their harried lives.

The result of this dilemma has been an additional layer of stress applied on top of an already stressful life. This has further highlighted stress as America’s top health problem something that was first brought to public attention in the early 1980s, and has since more obvious in the 2 decades since then[i].

Once the link between time mismanagement and stress is made - and it is virtually axiomatic at this point that this link exists[ii] — a range of adverse health and nutrition consequences often result. The vicious cycle that ensues is harrowing and known to most people through direct experience, or via painfully seeing it manifest in the life of a family member, friend, or colleague.

Stress can — and often does — lead to unhealthy eating[iii], which in turn, leads to even more stress because the body is not receiving the essential micronutrients and vitamins that it requires. While this is happening, since poor eating is often associated with undesirable weight gain, another level of psychological stress - this one associated with body image problems - is unleashed.

Although if the cycle ended here this would be enough to solidify this as a major problem, it continues beyond this point and becomes worse.

This psychological stress due to body image problems/weight gain often leads to “emotional eating”. It is estimated that 75% of all overeating is the result of emotional eating[iv]. This, in turn, leads to yet more nutritional deficiency, since the emotional eating is typically of unhealthy comfort foods that are rich in saturated fat. This - as can be inferred — leads to yet more stress, and the cycle continues, unabated, often resulting in malnutrition, obesity, and in more cases than most average people realize, even suicide.

The almost clinical description of this negative cycle in the preceding paragraphs does not remotely capture the indescribable pain and suffering that tens of millions of Americans experience each day due to the collision of stress, lack of time, and poor eating habits. While no description could accurately capture the devastation that this negative loop causes, it is enough in the context of this article to firmly declare that it is a profoundly significant crisis.

No quick-fix solution to a problem of this magnitude is possible, and any attempt for an overnight solution should be met with the most aggressive skepticism. The key to addressing a situation of this immense complexity is to identify the root cause, and then provide remedies that mitigate or in some cases, avoid the negative loop from beginning in the first place.

One of the root causes of this problem has been noted already: a lack of time. If more Americans had more time, or felt that they had more time, the stress associated with not having enough time would not be able to pull them under and into a negative nutrition spiral. Therefore, a solution that works on this level - the level of time - is going to be help solve this problem to some extent.

It is within this awareness that time is of the essence that a number of nutritional supplements have been created. Unfortunately, while many of these supplements take mere seconds to ingest, an array of them are not providing the body’s requirement for micronutrients and vitamins.

Furthermore, and quite irresponsibly, many so-called “energy bars” are very high in calories and carbohydrates, and as such can lead to emotional eating and trigger weight gain. It is even more unfortunate than this to observe that the race to market many nutritional supplement products has been more about making money through clever advertising and slogans, than it has been about helping people save time, eat healthy, and avoid potentially life-altering negative stress cycles. This is evidenced by the number of so-called nutritional supplements that are little more than expensive and pretentious candy bars.

However, there are some products that have risen to this ethical challenge - products that have been truly inspired by actual nutritional scientists who see a dire need in society, and have engineered a useful product to help meet that need.

The easiest way to identify such products is to find those that deliver a complete, balanced source of nutrition for time-starved individuals, including: adults, kids, athletes, sedentary individuals, and all those in between. At the same time, these elite products should provide a range of essential nutrients so that, in effect, the nutrition source can be relied upon as a complete meal when time is severely limited.

Solving America’s time-starved dilemma is bigger than any one product, or series of products, to solve. However, though the perfect solution to this complex problem remains elusive, it is clear that part of that eventual solution will depend on resolving causes, and not chasing symptoms. Nutritional products that offer scientifically developed meal and supplement solutions will be a major ally in this resolution.

About Protica

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.

References

[i] Source: “America’s #1 Health Problem”. Stress.org.
http://www.stress.org/problem.htm

[ii] Source: “Stress Management”. WebMD.
http://my.webmd.com/hw/emotional_wellness/hw153409.asp?pagenumber=3

[iii] Source: “Nutrition”. SVCMC.
http://svh.nymc.edu/quickcheck/mstress/nutri.asp

[iv] Source: “Are You an Emotional Eater?”. About.com.
http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/emotionaleating.htm

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com

AMINO ACIDS are the building blocks of the body. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses; they are part of the enzyme & hormonal system; they build nucleoproteins (RNA & DNA); they carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity. When protein is broken down by digestion the result is 22 known amino acids.

As the building blocks of protein, amino acids are vital to health. Next to water, amino acids in the form of proteins make up the greatest portion of our body weight. They comprise tendons, muscles and ligaments; organs and glands; hair and nails; important bodily fluids, and are a necessary part of every cell in the body.

There are over 20 amino acids, separated into two categories - essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be manufactured by your body, hence, it is essential that you obtain them from your diet. Non-essential amino acids can be manufactured by your body, however, your body must have the right combination of essential amino acids and supporting nutrients to optimize healthy protein maintenance, so supplementation may be desirable. Twenty amino acids are needed to build the various proteins used in the growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues. Eleven of these amino acids can be made by the body itself, while the other nine (called essential amino acids) must come from the diet. The essential amino acids are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Another amino acid, histidine, is considered semi-essential because the body does not always require dietary sources of it. The nonessential amino acids are arginine, alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. Other amino acids, such as carnitine, are used by the body in ways other than protein-building and are often used therapeutically.

Who is likely to be deficient?
Dieters, some strict vegetarian body builders, and anyone consuming an inadequate number of calories may not be consuming adequate amounts of amino acids. In these cases, the body will break down the protein in muscle tissue and use those amino acids to meet the needs of more important organs or will simply not build more muscle mass despite increasing exercise.

Amino acids are not only absolutely integral to life, but they can have a profound impact upon how clearly we think and how well we feel.

Benefits

• builds cells and repairs tissue

• assists with wound healing

• increases athletic performance

Chester is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of AstroNutrition - a provider of premium health nutrition and sports supplements.

1. Most of the modern western diets contain way too much omega 6 in the form of breads and pasta, by supplementing your diet with an omega 3 fish oil supplement it will help to correct this imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3.

2. High grade omega 3 EPA fish oil has been shown to be very beneficial in the fight against depression. If your brain becomes clogged up with Tran’s fatty acids (bad fats) it is possible that the whole messaging system within your brain could become sluggish, should this happen then onset of depression may occur

3 .In one recent study performed, people who supplemented there diet with EPA fish oil lost more weight than a placebo controlled group. This is thought to be due the cells releasing the bad fats, and the body then burning them as fuel.

4. High grade EPA fish oil helps with concentration and the ability to think clearly by aiding the passage of signals within the tiny gaps of the brain called synapses.

5. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid and cannot be produced by the body. It is called an essential fatty acid because it is Essential for correct body balance and function of most vital organs and hormones.

6 Omega 3 high grade EPA fish oil has blood thinning properties similar to aspirin, this is very beneficial for people who are at risk from a heart attack. And other similar cardiac problems. Those with arrhythmia problems and those taking blood thinning medication should consult their GP.

7. The quality of your skin, hair and nails depends on your diet being rich in all the correct essential fatty acids, especially omega 3. The body needs these essential nutrients for optimal grow and rejuvenation.

8. The omega 3 we used to obtain from milk and meat has now been reduced drastically because the cows are mainly grain fed instead of grass fed, this has reduced the omega content in meat and milk to a very low level.

9. During pregnancy the unborn baby takes all the nutrients from the mother, this includes the omega 3 nutrient DHA. If after the birth of the child these correct nutrients are not replaced then the onset of post natal depression could occur.

10.Western diets can be lazy and full of the wrong kind of fats i.e. trans fats. Therefore we are not giving our bodies the correct balance of omega 3 essential fatty acids. The body will then start to show signs of this imbalance:

Dry eyes
Dry skin
Chicken skin on the back of upper arms

Brittle nails
Frequent infections
Poor wound healing

Low moods
Mood swings

The Author
Dave mcevoy: A great resource for high grade omega 3 Ethly EPA , with a 90% concentrate of EPA and Zero DHA visit http://www.mind1st.co.uk

Dr. Arthur Agatston, the cardiologist who developed South Beach Diet has stated in a recent interview that the diet is not low-carb, as everybody labels it.

Speculating the wave of decrease in popularity of the low-carb diets, many hastened to say that Dr. Agatston’s recent statement is issued from his fear that the diet would fail altogether taken by this wave. The way I see it, the allegation was made not necessarily as a defense against the popularity fall, but as a reaction against frequent associations with low-carb diets, especially with Atkins diet, with which it shares slight resemblance but of which it fundamentally differs.

What is it that the two diets share? The common points of the diets lie in the carbohydrate restriction during the incipient phases, with the induction of ketosis. But, speaking of the following phases in the diet, unlike the unhealthy recommendations of strict reduction of carbohydrates and foods high in saturated fats that Atkins makes, the South Beach diet recommends replacement of all simple carbohydrates with complex, healthy ones. In fact, South Beach diet recommends consumption of lots of whole grains, brown rice and fruit. Also, it strongly advises against all saturated fat, recommending instead unsaturated fats consumption, stressing on the healthy properties of the olive oil and fish oil.

So, is Dr. Agatston’s claim that the South Beach diet is not a low-carb diet a response to the fading of the low-carb craze? In fact, with the allegation that “We are not low carb. We are good carb”, Dr. Agatston reestated part of what he declared in his book “South Beach Diet”, that the diet was neither low-carb nor low-fat. So, how Dr. Agatston could have known in 2003, when the book was published, of the dramatic drop in percentage of low-carb dieters - from 9% in January 2004 to 4.6% in September 2004?

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.south-beach-diet-101.com where you can find more information about the South Beach Diet
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:lauracio@gmail.com

Manny has made history as the first Filipino to become the WBC lightweight champion and the first Asian boxer to hold 4 titles in 4 different divisions. What now? Understandably, the public has been hyped up as to who Pacquiao will face next. The list may be getting longer with the inclusion of some interesting names from the lightweight division but only two seem to bubble to the surface: Edwin “Mr. KO” Valero and Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton.

Why and why not Valero

With a record of 24 wins, all by knockout, the WBA Super Featherweight champion Valero has definitely earned his bragging rights to challenge Pacquiao. They are both bombers when it comes to power and this kind of matchup should be exciting to watch.

But who has Valero faced? Class C fighters. Valero’s accident, which resulted to serious head injuries, is also one matter that should not be overlooked. As explosive as Valero is, fighting against Pacquiao is a clear mismatch, much worse — and dangerous — than the Pacquiao-Diaz one.

Why and why not Hatton

Ricky Hatton is a pure brawler who loves to trade inside punches. Like Pacquiao, Hatton is considered a boxing hero by his countrymen. If both fighters will indeed collide, it will be one of the most exciting fights of the year.

But Hatton is a dangerous fighter and rules a division (welterweight) higher than Pacquiao’s. Pacquiao might be better off if he sticks to the lightweight division and dominate his turf first.

For more information on information about Naveen Jain, check out the News Mixer.

Naveen Jain was recently profiled on the Forbes 400 series.

Check out the CNET New interview of technology innovator Naveen Jain.