Having a Senior Moment? Blame Sugar

By Kelley Herring

If you've had embarrassing lapses in memory, it may be time to pay better attention to your blood sugar.

New research published in the journal Annals of Neurology focused on an area of the hippocampus - the "dentate gyrus" - that is responsible for age-related memory decline. The researchers conducted brain scans on humans and animals, and found that reduced activity in this memory center was closely linked to blood sugar. What's more, they found that it doesn't take off-the-charts levels of blood sugar or the presence of diabetes to damage the dentate gyrus.

Maintain your memory by enjoying a low-glycemic diet packed with brain foods like wild fish, organic omega-3 eggs, raw nuts and seeds, nutrient-packed organic veggies, and grass-fed meats. And when the sweet tooth strikes, reach for berries or cherries (which are naturally low in sugar), or a dessert made with all-natural, zero-glycemic erythritol.

It's Good to Know: Why We Still Have Fax Machines

"Poor line condition... what the heck does that mean?"

"Arghh! This machine is eating my pages!"

Ah, the joys of the fax machine! This surprisingly old technology (patented in 1843) is still holding its own in offices worldwide (consuming about 200 billion pieces of paper per year), despite the advent of the Internet and e-mail. So why is it still around?

For one thing, fax machines are everywhere: doctors' offices, grocery stores, real estate offices, your mechanic's shop... the list goes on. It includes the many small businesses that haven't yet joined the Net revolution. (Yes, they are out there.) Furthermore, fax machines are easy to use. And they are all completely compatible with each other. You can even use your computer to send a fax to a fax machine, or vice versa.

(Source: Wired)

Word to the Wise: Contravene

To "contravene" (kon-truh-VEEN) - from the Latin for "to oppose" - is to act against or be in conflict with.

Example (as used by Jacob Heilbrunn in a New York Times review of Baptism by Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis by Mark K. Updegrove): "As president... Jefferson contravened his own strict view of the presidency's limited powers by authorizing the Louisiana Purchase, which more than doubled the size of the United States and plunged it into debt."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2577, 01-28-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."

- Yogi Berra

3 Tricks to Keep Weight Off

By Kelley Herring

Maybe you've been there. You lose 10 pounds in a month, only to gain it back (plus one or two more) over the next 60 days.

Quick weight loss rarely produces sustainable results. That's because the focus is on "dieting" rather than on adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has identified three "tricks" that successful losers use to maintain their weight loss.

1. Exercise Regularly. Successful losers exercise 60 minutes or more per day.

2. Eat More Low-Calorie Density Foods. Fill your plate with organic salad greens, veggies, and fruits. Skip the energy-dense breads, pastas, and unhealthy fats.

3. Count Calories. Research shows that most people tend to underestimate the number of calories they actually eat by approximately 200 per day. That equates to 10 pounds worth of extra calories per year!

Remember, when it comes to weight loss, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Slow, safe weight loss through lifestyle changes is not just healthier, it improves the odds you'll take it off... and keep it off too.

It's Good to Know: Reading the Riot Act

Delinquent children, misbehaving students, errant employees... all may be "read the riot act." It's an idiomatic expression that we use when talking about forcefully warning or reprimanding someone.

Where did the expression come from? Turns out there really was a Riot Act - a British law enacted by Parliament in 1714 to discourage crowds from assembling and disturbing the peace. Per the law, a magistrate would read a short portion of the Act (something about the King demanding that protestors or rioters disperse immediately). If the crowd (defined by the Act as any group over 12) wasn't gone within an hour, those still assembled were charged with a felony, potentially punishable by death.

(Source: Schott's Original Miscellany)

Word to the Wise: Dastard

A "dastard" (DAS-terd) is a mean, sneaky coward. The word may have been derived from "dast/dased," Middle English for "stupid" or "dull."

Example (as used in Time magazine): "Even that notorious dastard and Spanish Political Grafter Juan March, popularly supposed to get his way in any part of Spain with 1,000 peseta notes, bolted like a rabbit for France until things should quiet down."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2579, 01-30-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

Get Taut & Trim... With a Pen

By Kelley Herring

You may think you have a good idea of the number of calories you consume. But research shows that we underestimate our actual intake by approximately 200 calories per day. That equates to 10 pounds of added weight per year!

So forget about estimating the number of calories you eat, and start keeping track.

A recent study of people who were trying to lose weight, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that those who kept a food diary lost an average of 18 pounds in six months. That's compared to an average loss of nine pounds for those who didn't keep a diary.

Hold yourself accountable in 2009, and don't let those added calories take a toll on your health. There are many free food diaries available, as well as online programs to help you meet your goal of making this year your happiest and healthiest so far.

It's Fun to Know: Bestselling Novels... Written on Cellphones

Move over e-books... the bestseller lists of Japan are filled with books written (and often read) on cellphones.

Known as "keitai shosetsu," these melodramatic novels use common text message shortcuts like abbreviations, emoticons, and sentence fragments. They are usually serialized and then uploaded to websites or sent to subscribers via (what else?) cellphone. But they've also been printed and/or turned into movies, and have become a cultural phenomenon along the way. Five of the top 10 bestsellers on Tohan's (a major book wholesaler) 2007 list were cellphone novels.

(Source: Christian Science Monitor and The New Yorker)

Word to the Wise: Scrum

A "scrum" (SKRUM) is a rugby play in which players from both sides line up around the ball and struggle to gain possession of it. By extension, the word is used for any disordered or confused situation involving a number of people.

Example (as used by Rob Walker in a New York Times article about a buying frenzy at the H&M store in Manhattan): "But even this minor retail scrum was, in a way, of a piece with the zeitgeist: It was about snapping up a high-end apparel brand [Comme des Garcons] at apparently bargain prices."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2578, 01-29-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret." - Anthony Robbins

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"There is no great writing, only great rewriting."

- Justice Brandeis

Slow and Low Is the Way to Go

By Kelley Herring

Want to live longer... enjoying drippingly-delicious meat?

It may sound too good to be true, but it's not. You simply need to be aware of three factors - quantity, quality, and preparation.

Quantity (eating too much meat) and quality (eating the wrong kind of meat - i.e., "conventionally" raised meat, packed with hormones and pesticides and rich in inflammatory omega-6 fats) are the first two issues.

These are easy to fix by eating smaller portions and choosing only grass-fed meat.

But there's a third, much-overlooked, issue you need to address: the way you prepare your meat. Problem is, the most popular ways of cooking meat - grilling and broiling - are recipes for cellular damage and disease.

Here's why.

Cooking protein-rich foods at high temperatures - even for short periods of time - promotes the formation of cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs). But you can prevent this... by slow cooking!

Cooking your grass-fed meat in a slow cooker - at or below 212 degrees - creates negligible amounts of HCAs. Cooking "slow and low" also infuses your meat with wonderful flavor, a tender texture, and mouthwatering moisture.

In addition to using a slow cooker, you can make your meat safer by stewing or poaching. And be sure to add antioxidant-rich herbs and spices (especially turmeric and rosemary) to further reduce the risk of HCAs.

It's Good to Know: Are You Didaskaleinophobic?

You probably know about arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces). But did you know that those who suffer from didaskaleinophobia are afraid of going to school? (Don't let your kids find out this has been documented.)

Here are a few more less-common fears you may not be familiar with:

• Phasmophobia - fear of ghosts
• Enochlophobia - fear of crowds
• Iatrophobia - fear of doctors
• Pteronophobia - fear of being tickled with feathers (Okay, this one isn't so common.)
• Spheksophobia - fear of wasps

(Source: Schott's Original Miscellany)

Word to the Wise: Cogent

Something that's "cogent" (KOH-junt) - from the Latin for "to drive together" - is convincing, appealing to the mind or to reason.

Example (as used by Meg Wolitzer in Surrender, Dorothy): "One woman, Adrian Pomerantz, was so intelligent that the professors always lit up when Adrian spoke; her eloquent, cogent analyses forced them not to be lazy, not to repeat themselves."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2585, 02-06-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

Meat: Clean, Lean, and Green

By Kelley Herring

Should I eat meat? At some point, just about everyone asks themselves that question. As you know from reading ETR, we strongly believe that the answer is yes - because meat is an essential part of a healthy, fat-burning diet.

When deciding how meat will fit on your family's plate, consider these four factors:

1. Type. Fresh meat from your grocer's organic section is quite different from meat that's been commercially prepared, processed, and preserved. The meat in frozen or canned "entrees" and the slimy cold cuts stacked onto a sandwich at your local sub shop is what I'm referring to here. Avoid those mystery meats and opt for fresh, organic, "clean" meat that's free of harmful additives.

2. Amount. When I prepare meat, it is treated as a flavor-rich accompaniment, not a main dish. The meat perfectly complements the stand-out seasonal veggies and low-glycemic carbs featured on our plate du jour. I serve about three ounces of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) per person - and no one ever complains about the "small portion."

3. Preparation. Treat your meat right! Muscle meats form dangerous carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked at high temperatures (grilling or broiling). Instead, opt for slow roasting or simmering. Marinating beforehand is another good way to prevent the formation of cancer-causing HCAs.

4. Farming Methods. It's absolutely essential to choose "green" meats free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. These compounds are powerful endocrine disruptors in our food supply - and even "cutting back" does not safeguard against their effects. It's also important to choose grass-fed beef, which is leaner and provides more beneficial omega-3s and more vitamin A than its grain-fattened counterparts.

By following these guidelines, you will be eating less meat and getting more of what you want - clean, lean, and green protein.

It's Good to Know: A Quick and Easy E-Mail Backup System

You no doubt know that you should be backing up important files on your computer. But what if you don't have access to your office's server, a flash memory drive, or another backup system? Well, if you have two e-mail addresses (work and personal, for example), just e-mail a copy of the file to yourself. Because that file will be stored on the provider's server, nothing that happens to your own computer will affect it.

(Source: Lifehacker)

Word to the Wise: Ablution

"Ablution" (uh-BLOO-shun) - from the Latin for "to wash away" - is the act of ritually cleansing the body.

Example (as used by Joseph Brodsky in The New York Times): "In fact, writing - more exactly, composing in your head - formal poetry may be recommended in solitary confinement as a kind of therapy, alongside pushups and cold ablutions."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2407, 07-14-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not."

- William James

Healthy Recipes:
Roasted Beets with Garlic
By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

Beets are sometimes an overlooked vegetable, but I like to cook a batch and keep them on hand to use in salads or for quick colorful side dishes. Roasting brings out the sweetness and the coconut oil and garlic complement their flavor.

Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves: 4

Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Good source of folate, manganese

Ingredients*
6 raw beets, stems and greens removed
2 T. coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. A counter top convection oven works great to speed the cooking, but a standard oven will work just fine. Scrub beets with a vegetable brush (do not peel) and set aside. If the beets are large, you can cut them in half to speed cooking time. Put coconut oil in a 9 X 9 baking pan and place in preheated oven until it melts. Remove pan from oven and add beets and garlic. Stir well to coat beets with coconut oil and garlic. Bake for approximately 30 to 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

When done, remove from oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, gently peel skin off of the beets. Serve immediately as a side dish or refrigerate until ready to use in a salad or other recipe. For a simple salad, add beets to arugula and sliced red onions and serve with a balsamic dressing. Or chop beets into bite sized pieces and toss with olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Nutrition
96 calories, 1 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 5 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 3 mg vitamin C, 60 mcg folate, .3 mg manganese

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute.]

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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs [Issue 03-17-09] which offers alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/

"Every man desires to live long; but no man would be old."

- Jonathan Swift

Why My Dad Is the Richest Man I Know

By Kelley Herring

Hard to believe, but my father looks as young today - at 60 - as he did at 40. And though he may argue that he's lost a bit more hair than he'd like, his face, his spirit, and his health seem to have been frozen in time.

While I'd like to think that I got his "good genes," we all know genetics is only a small part of the equation. He passed on something even more valuable: an understanding of natural health.

I remember asking, when I was about eight years old, "Dad, why don't we ever have white bread in the house?" Always a man of few words, he replied, "The whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead."

When I asked "why," he explained: "White bread has been stripped of the good stuff. It's just bad for you."

As I ate my whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich and apple and drank my carton of whole milk, I watched my friends chow down on marshmallow fluff sandwiches on soft white bread accompanied by cheesy-flavored chips and sodas. And I watched them "grow" much faster than I did - horizontally, not vertically.

My father is no scientist. He can probably tell you a little bit about vitamin C and vitamin E. He loves blueberries (and knows they're full of antioxidants). And he never overeats.

When I would come home ravenously hungry after skating or biking or dancing ballet for hours and head for the refrigerator, he would say, "Slow down. Your stomach needs time to catch up. If you're still hungry in 20 minutes, you can eat more then." I doubt he had any idea that what he was telling me was an ancient Japanese principle called Hara Hachi Bu - meaning "Eat until you're 80 percent full. Then stop."

My dad is proof that you don't need to be a personal trainer or a doctor... nor do you need to have a nutritionist at your beck and call. Simply adhere to a few easy-to-follow guidelines when it comes to what you eat and how you exercise, and you can live a long, full life feeling (and looking!) younger than your years.

My father taught me that health is the ultimate wealth. I hope you will take his lessons to heart and make your own life better... starting today.

It's Fun to Know: TV Contact Lenses

With high-def flat screens, PCs, iPods, and all those other media devices, you might think the world has enough ways to watch television and movies.

Think again.

Based on recent technological advances, a British futurist foresees TVs in the form of contact lenses. This would allow viewers to "immerse" themselves in sports, action movies, and other programming. The lenses would be powered by body heat. Channels would be changed by voice command or hand motion.

Of course, you'll want to take this "prediction" with a grain of salt. Futurists are the guys who envisioned bubble cities on the ocean floor, flying cars, and moon colonies.

(Source: The Daily Mail)

Word to the Wise: Lapidary

"Lapidary" (LAP-uh-dare-ee) - from the Latin - refers to the art of cutting or engraving on stone. The word is also used to refer to a refined, terse style of writing (associated with inscriptions on monuments).

Example (as used by Michael Foley in Getting Used to Not Being Remarkable): "Here, disgusted by venality and intrigue, the retired courtier would come to compose lapidary maxims and wise but sympathetic letters to ardent youth."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2602, 02-26-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

Get More Antioxidants and Satisfy Your Cravings

By Kelley Herring

We all need to get more antioxidants in our diet. That's because free radicals - rogue molecules that wreak havoc on our cells and contribute to disease and degeneration - are constantly being generated, even as a result of basic biological functions like breathing and digestion. But by choosing foods that are high on the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) scale, we can pack more free-radical-fighting power into every bite.

Researchers at the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory recently released the ORAC values of various foods. In the report, raw broccoli came in with an ORAC score of 1,362. That's pretty good, but not nearly as high as blueberries. With a score of 6,552, blueberries rank near the top of all fruits and vegetables. But even blueberries can't hold a candle to cocoa. With an ORAC score of 80,933, the antioxidant power of cocoa powder is simply off the charts!

When choosing cocoa, be sure to opt for the organic, non-alkalinized variety. (I like the one from NOW Foods.) "Dutched" cocoa has been treated with potassium carbonate, which cuts the antioxidant capacity in half.

Stir antioxidant protection into your coffee, blend into a berry smoothie, or try a cocoa-packed cake to fend off free radicals deliciously.

"Has the 'I and me' rule changed?"

"I have a question for Suzanne Richardson:

"When I took grammar in school, I was taught that the use of I and me is not interchangeable. And I remember Miss Fancher in high school saying, 'If a sentence is appropriate using me, you still use me if another person is included. Example: Give it to me. Give it to Susie and me. Same goes for I. Example: I want to go. Jane and I want to go.'

"However, I now hear, almost every day, people saying things like 'John wants to go shopping with you and I' instead of 'John wants to go shopping with you and me.'

"Has the 'I and me' rule changed? Or is vernacular changing so the old rule does not apply anymore?

"A little thing, but I am beginning to doubt myself!"

Carrol S.

Dear Carrol,

Ah, pronouns. Tiny little words - but a huge pain in the rear.

Miss Fancher was right - and she hit on the easiest way to figure out when to say I and when to say me when another person is included. Merely remove the other person from the sentence.

Take this sentence, for example: "Do you want to go to the marketing conference with Aaron and I this weekend?"

Is that correct? Or should it be: "Do you want to go to the marketing conference with Aaron and me this weekend?"

One way to tell is to take Aaron out of the sentence.

"Do you want to go to the conference with I?" doesn't sound right. But "Do you want to go to the conference with me?" does sound right. So, in this case, you'd know that me is correct.

Another trick is to try out we and us in the sentence. If us sounds better, use me. If we sounds better, use I. In our example, "Do you want to go to the conference with us" sounds a lot better than "Do you want to go to the conference with we." So, again, you'd know that me is correct.

Some incorrect applications of the "I and me" rule have become so common that you risk sounding pompous or pretentious by being grammatically correct. (Correctly saying "It is I," for example, instead of "It's me.") In a case like that, just say something else. ("It's Jim.")

We've just scratched the surface on how to use pronouns the right way. (And I haven't even mentioned what's behind it all - objects, subjects, and such.) For a good reference book on all the complicated rules of grammar, check out Patricia O'Connor's Woe Is I.

- Suzanne Richardson

[Ed. Note: Speaking well can garner you respect and appreciation from friends and colleagues alike. One of the best ways to improve your speech is by understanding more about the words you choose. The bigger your vocabulary, the easier it is to choose the most appropriate word for any situation.]

Word to the Wise: Soporific

Something that's "soporific" (sop-uh-RIF-ik) - from the Latin - induces sleep.

Example (as used by Benjamin Schwarz in The Atlantic): "Since the war - beginning in 1950 with... Richard M. Titmuss's Problems of Social Policy - ... a tour de force whose soporific title belies its often disturbing contents - historians have probed, revised, and re-revised nearly every aspect of this self-defined finest hour of the British people [the Blitz]."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2420, 07-29-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale."

- Zig Ziglar

6 Life-Saving Reasons You Shouldn’t Toss Your Vitamin E Supplement

by Dr. Al Sears

You’ve read and heard about many reports on the “risks” of taking vitamin E. But in a recent issue of his newsletter Health Confidential for Men, Dr. Sears sets the record straight. “There’s not enough space here for me to show you all the studies proving vitamin E is safe and has significant protective benefits,” he writes, “But here are just a few of the proven benefits.” He then lists the following:
1. Vitamin E prevents heart disease.
2. Vitamin E prevents death from all causes - especially heart disease.
3. Vitamin E slows down Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Vitamin E reduces the risk of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration.
5. Vitamin E has benefits for diabetics.
6. Vitamin E lowers the rates of prostate, breast, colon, and cervical cancers.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is also a nutritional expert, a fitness expert and board certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears' practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting www.alsearsmd.com.]
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Sears 02-24-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts."

Charles Darwin

Your Genetic Code Is Not Carved in Stone

By Al Sears, MD

New research is revealing how your environment actually changes your genetics - and it’s putting you in the driver’s seat.

In November, the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute released the results of their groundbreaking study. They found that a mother’s diet during pregnancy not only affects her child, but also her child’s offspring.

This means that the lifestyle choices a woman makes can affect several generations of children - a revolutionary idea that flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

For more than 150 years - since the time of Darwin - scientists have believed that any changes to an organism cannot be passed on to the next generation. According to strict Darwinism, if you were to change your diet, lose weight, and become super-fit, your children would not benefit from your efforts. But we now know there is something more at play: the "epigenome." The epigenome plays a powerful role in your health … and could make the difference between whether or not you "inherit" heart disease or diabetes or something else.

Scientists in an emerging field of research - epigenetics - have discovered that your genes are only 15 percent of the total genetic material you get from your parents. For example, your genes give you many individualizing traits like blue eyes or brown hair. The remaining 85 percent - the epigenome - is a scaffolding of proteins that surround your DNA’s double-helix pattern.

As it turns out, this "scaffolding" functions as an interface that interacts with your environment. Based on the lifestyle choices you make, the epigenome has the power to turn genes on or off, changing the way your body translates your genetic coding into the proteins that make up YOU.

The Children’s Hospital Oakland study, lead by Dr. David Martin, split genetically identical pregnant mice into two groups. The mice had been bred in a way that gave the scientists the ability to monitor a gene that determined both the color of their coats and their tendency to develop chronic disease. So, by tracking coat color, they were able to follow the effects of vitamin supplementation across two generations of offspring.

The first group of mice received a standard diet. The second group received the same diet, with the added benefit of supplemental vitamin B12, folate, choline, and zinc. When the babies were born, the females from both groups were mated and fed identical diets with no supplements. When the offspring gave birth, Dr. Martin’s team discovered that the original mice that had the diet with extra vitamins passed the benefits on to both their children and grandchildren.

Findings like these have powerful implications in both directions. It means that, by making healthy choices, your efforts can have a positive effect not only on your children but on your grandchildren as well. On the other hand, a diet of fast food and sodas will not only wreck your own health, it could predispose future generations to chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

That helps to explain why so many schoolchildren suffer from high blood pressure and low HDL (good cholesterol). The poor dietary choices their parents made are coming home to roost.

This discovery gives us new insight into a long-standing debate between Charles Darwin and a guy you may never have heard of - French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

Darwin’s theory, which has been shaping the direction of modern science, can be summed up in a few words: Genes cannot be affected by the outside world. In other words, your lifestyle choices have no effect on your genetic code or how those genes are expressed.

But Lamarck believed that if an organism changes during its life in order to adapt to its environment, those changes would be passed on to its offspring - and Dr. Martin’s study is one of several that are proving he was correct.

So, guess what? It looks like you’re no longer a "victim" of your genetic programming. If, for example, if you decide to exercise vigorously to develop new muscle, it now appears that it’s possible for you to pass on a predisposition to build muscle with exercise to your children … and perhaps even further down your line of descendants.

Conscious decisions to improve your health will interact with your epigenome. In turn, the proteins in your epigenome can turn off genes that would have otherwise expressed themselves as disease in your descendents.

Instead of the old model, think of your genetic code as a library. You have thousands of choices, but you never check out all of the books. The epigenome interacts with your environment and your choices to determine which books to "read."

You can actually "talk" to your genes to improve your health and prevent disease.

I hope you appreciate the power of that last statement. It means you no longer have to live in fear of disease - even if you have a family history of it.

Vitamins like E, C, and A send messages to your genes that normalize cell division. This alone can aid in preventing many forms of cancer.

For vitamins E and C, I recommend taking more than the U.S. government suggests. Start with 100 IUs of vitamin E and 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily.

Here are four other nutrients that powerfully support detoxification and proper genetic expression:

• Vitamin B12: 500 to 1,000 mcg daily
• Folic acid: 500 to 1,000 mcg daily
• Vitamin B6: 10 to 20 mg daily
• Betaine: 200 to 1,000 mg daily

Don’t sit back and allow "bad genes" to ruin your health. Take action and make yourself and future generations healthier.

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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1956, 02-03-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle."

- Kahlil Gibran

Cold Coffee: A Hot Idea

By Kelley Herring

Coffee is not just a breakfast drink or an afternoon pick-me-up. Recent research shows that coffee can reduce your risk of cancer. And you can make your java even healthier if you use a "Toddy."

A Toddy is cold-brewing system created four decades ago by Todd Simpson (a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell University). It is based on a method that's been used for centuries in South America.

Cold-brewing creates coffee with 67 percent less acid than conventional hot-brewing. The result: bold, smooth, sweet flavor. But that's not all...

Our bodies are already overloaded with acid as a result of the typical American diet. And coffee contributes to the problem. But using a Toddy (which costs around $40) can slash the acid so significantly that even sufferers of chronic acid indigestion and other digestive disorders can enjoy a cup of joe.

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2612, 03-10-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

Get Back to Basics

By Kelley Herring

Do you remember using litmus paper in science class to test the pH of a liquid? You'd dip the strip into a solution of lemon juice or baking soda and see if it was acidic or basic.

But a better use for that litmus paper may be to test your pH.

Without the proper acid/alkaline balance, enzymes don't work, oxygen delivery to cells suffers, and the body struggles to complete vital biochemical processes.

The culprit? Our modern diet.

Our meals are packed with acid-forming foods - especially sugars and refined grains, along with too much meat. And we eat too few alkaline-forming fresh foods - greens, vegetables, and fruits.

Get back to basics by aiming for at least 60 percent of your meals to be fresh and unprocessed, packed with these foods:

• Greens
• Sprouts
• Cruciferous veggies
• Citrus fruits (especially lemons)
• Fermented veggies (like sauerkraut)

It's Fun to Know: The Bus-Sized Snake

Scientists working in Colombia have discovered the fossilized remains of a snake that was 43 feet long and weighed nearly a ton. If you were standing next to it, it would come up to your hip.

The fossil, known as Titanboa, dates back 60 million years. Researchers speculate that the snake lived in a tropical rainforest. It was discovered in an open-pit coalmine, one of the largest in the world.

(Source: Agence France-Presse)

Word to the Wise: Blandishment

"Blandishment" (BLAN-dish-munt) - from the Latin for "to flatter" - is speech or action that flatters and tends to coax, entice, or persuade. The word is often used in the plural.

Example (as used by Anne Rice in Vittorio the Vampire): "And that my English-speaking victims find my blandishments so pretty, accented as they are, and yield to my soft lustrous Italian pronunciations, is a constant source of bliss for me."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2608, 03-05-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends."

- Walt Disney

Are Your Lungs Shrinking?

By Al Sears, MD

When it comes to physical health, there are few things more important than "lung power." Great martial artists like Bruce Lee knew physical strength and robust health depend on your lungs.

The strong men of my father's era knew it too. Part of what gives you the capacity to live robustly is getting enough oxygen. But without your awareness, you are probably losing lung capacity. Your lungs tend to shrink with age.

Sooner or later, you get tired more quickly, you're less virile, you get colds and the flu more often, and it takes longer to recover from illness.

I've proven that it doesn't have to be that way. You can stop this loss of vitality by taking a few simple steps to build your lungs back.

By the time you reached 20, you stopped growing lung tissue and your lung capacity stabilized. This lasted for about 10 years. Then, around 30, your lungs started to decline. The alveoli that deliver oxygen to your blood began to die off. Slowly, most folks limit their daily activities so their lungs can keep up.

Unless you prevent it, you lose 20 percent of your vital lung capacity by about age 35. By 50, you've lost 40 percent of your breathing capacity and the decline continues for life.

If you get the flu at age 35 or 40, you can shrug it off. That's because you have the extra lung capacity you need to sustain yourself--even if the flu or pneumonia takes some of your lung volume out of commission with fluid.

But if you're 65 or 70 and you get a bout of flu or pneumonia, you won't have the reserve lung capacity to sustain you. That is why the death rate is so much higher for seniors who contract these respiratory diseases. They simply don't have the lung capacity to get them over the hump.

What's more, bigger lungs supply your working body with more oxygen. They also restore cell health by removing cell-eroding carbon dioxide. When there's plenty of oxygen circulating around the body, your muscles can afford to use it to build reserve sources of energy for times of stress or exertion. But as your lung capacity decreases, your normal everyday activity takes up more of it, leaving you with very little reserve.

And as your lung capacity diminishes, you're more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke that permanently affects the rest of your life. Lack of oxygen reserves is a risk factor in heart attacks.

Fortunately, you can implement a simple exercise program that will improve your lung capacity and minimize the consequences of losing lung volume. If you focus on improving your lungs' elasticity, improving posture and improving the function of your diaphragm, the rest will take care of itself.

The best way to do it is simple: High intensity, short-interval workouts. My PACE® program is the only program I've ever encountered that is specifically designed to best accomplish this most important goal. In fact, the technique we use is so revolutionary, the U.S. Patent Office awarded it a service mark.

And you can make this challenging exercise program more effective with a diet rich in protein. You need protein to build organ tissue. It will also increase your need for certain vitamins. Consider adding the following vitamins for even faster results:

• Beta-carotene (25,000 international units) shields your lungs from air pollution and smoke, keeping the small air sacs in your lungs cleaner and healthier.
• Selenium (50-200 micrograms) helps keep your lungs elastic.
• Vitamin A (5,000 international units) turns into carotenes, which your body needs for lung function.
• Vitamin C (1,200 milligrams) helps people with asthma breathe easier and is a great water-soluble antioxidant.
• Vitamin E (600 international units) preserves oil-soluble nutrients needed for building new cells, fights cellular aging and protects your lungs from oxidative damage.2

To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD

References

1. Aging Changes In the Lungs. Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Health Encyclopedia (www.enh.org), accessed 5/11/05
   
2. Prevention's Healing with Vitamins. Rodale Books: Emmaus, PA, 1996.

[Ed. Note:Dr. Sears is Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs. He has written over 500 articles and 7 books in the fields of alternative medicine, anti-aging, and nutritional supplementation.]

Health & Immunity:
Mother Nature's Natural Germ Fighters
By Lisa Forgione, MD

Part 2 of a 2-part article

Natural Topical Therapies
Some natural substances have amazing anti-infective properties, but are not effective or safe when taken internally. However, they work wonderfully when applied topically to the skin or mouth area. Please see Part 1 of this article for the internal therapies available.

Tea Tree Oil has been used for centuries for all types of skin infections, scabies, insect bites, burns, and acne. It effectively penetrates deep down into the skin layers. It is also useful for hard-to-treat fungal infections, such as nail fungus, dandruff, vaginitis, and ringworm. Apply topically to the gums for periodontal disease. It should not be taken internally and should be discontinued if irritation develops.

The essential oil of clove can be applied topically to mouth ulcers, sore gums and toothaches. Gargling with diluted clove oil helps relieve sort throats. It can be used topically like tea tree oil for all kinds of skin infections.

As its name implies, comfrey helps heal burns, bites, stings, bedsores, skin ulcers, dermatitis, scabies, inflamed bunions and rashes. It is available in ointments and creams.

Remember having a cold as a child and the soothing feeling of Vick's VapoRub on your chest? Eucalyptus in the Vick's is what suppressed your cough and let you sleep. Eucalyptus is a terrific decongestant, and useful for all kinds of respiratory infections -- apply topically to the chest or back, or use as a steam vapor that can be made from the leaves.

For Internal and External Use
You have probably heard of silvadine as a topical burn treatment. Colloidal silver is a powerful antibiotic for both internal and topical use. It can treat drug-resistant staph, tuberculosis and the bird flu. In Africa, it is used to treat just about everything, including AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, cholera, and pneumonia. It can be used topically to treat burns, wounds, thrush and other skin infections.

Use a 5-parts-per-million concentration, at a dose of one teaspoon three to four times per day. There have been rare instances of silver overdose resulting in skin and nail discoloration. However, this is from ingesting silver salts, not colloidal silver. Carefully research the product you are buying for its strength and purity and follow the directions for usage to the letter.

Check your spice shelf for oregano. Wild oregano and oregano oil both fight bacterial, viral and fungal infections, along with boosting your immune system. Use oregano to help fight acne, allergies, athlete's foot, insect stings, bronchitis, colds, diarrhea, gum disease, parasites, sinusitis and skin infections. Apply the oil topically as needed. Wild oregano is also available in capsules to take orally as directed.

There are many more natural products available to fight infections of all types. We have covered the more common ones here. It's astonishing how readily available these treatments are -- and they are inexpensive! You can avoid germ resistance, antibiotic side effects, and long waits at your doctor's office by allowing Mother Nature to heal you. A visit to your local health food store or an internet search will provide you with information and easy access to these exciting products.

The editors at Total Health Breakthroughs know it is impossible to avoid germs. We want you to be happy, healthy and infection free. Winter is cold, flu and pneumonia season. So, eat your garlic, oregano, cinnamon and honey, rub on your tea tree oil and breathe your eucalyptus vapor. Care for yourself naturally and safely, and live well!

[Ed. Note: Lisa Forgione, MD, is an Emergency Medicine Physician practicing in Wadesboro, North Carolina. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Forgione participated in the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and has received several Physicians Recognition Awards for teaching from the AMA and AAFP.]

Healthy Recipes:
Artichoke & Wild Salmon Eggs Benedict
By Kelley Herring

Boost your body's antioxidant defenses with this Benedict breakfast! The production of glutathione -- your body's master antioxidant and detoxifier -- is manufactured by your liver given the right ingredients, including sulfur-containing amino acids and selenium.¹ This delicious dish provides 51% of your daily requirement for selenium, plus those sulfur-containing aminos from the organic eggs.

Time To Table: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Excellent Source of: Fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Protein, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Folate, Riboflavin
Good Source of: Calcium, Niacin
Preferences: Gluten-Free, Low Sugar

Ingredients
1 ounce organic cream cheese
8 medium organic artichoke bottoms, drained
2 ounces wild smoked salmon
6 large organic omega-3 eggs
4 large organic egg whites
4 tsp. organic extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. organic plain yogurt
2 tsp. organic lemon juice
3 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss artichoke bottoms with 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons oregano. Place them top-side down on half of a large baking sheet. Roast until the artichokes are just beginning to brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and whites. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet (preferably ceramic or porcelain enamel) over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and cook, folding and stirring frequently with a heatproof rubber spatula until almost set, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in cream cheese and the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano. To serve, divide the artichoke bottoms among 4 plates. Top each artichoke with equal portions scrambled egg, smoked salmon and creamy lemon sauce. Garnish with oregano sprigs if desired.

Nutrition Information
323 calories, 15 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 329 mg cholesterol, 537 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g sugar, 14 grams fiber, 25 g protein

Reference

1. Gladyshev VN. Selenoproteins and selenoproteomes. In: Hatfield DL, Berry MJ, Gladyshev VN, eds. Selenium: Its molecular biology and role in human health. 2nd ed. New York: Springer; 2006:99-114.

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs [Issue 03-13-09] which offers alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/

Fight Breast Cancer... With Coffee!

By Kelley Herring

Numerous studies have proven the health benefits of coffee - ranging from preventing diabetes to reducing inflammation and enhancing physical endurance. Now new research shows that your cup o' joe may play a role in protecting against one of the most prevalent cancers in women: breast cancer.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Cancer found that women at high risk for breast cancer significantly reduced that risk by drinking three or more cups of coffee daily.

Why? Researchers are calling it the "drink and shrink" dilemma. The coffee drinkers experienced a significant reduction in breast volume, which reduced the women's exposure to the cancer-promoting hormone estrogen.

While coffee may offer a number of health benefits, be sure to choose organic coffee to reduce your exposure to cancer-promoting pesticides.

The Language Perfectionist: It's Foreign to Me

By Don Hauptman

In your reading, you may occasionally encounter a word or expression from another language.

Some writers ostentatiously drop in such words to flaunt their erudition. But foreign-language words are used for good reasons. Although the English language offers us a remarkably wide choice of words, some concepts are better expressed in other languages, especially when no precise equivalent exists in English. In addition, an imported locution is often more concise and stylistically superior.

Here is an A-to-Z glossary - by no means comprehensive - of such words and phrases. You might occasionally find opportunities to use them. But even if you never do, you won't be in the dark when you read or hear them.

• a fortiori (ah for-tee-OR-ee), Latin. All the more. Example: "I said I wouldn't clean the garage and my reasons apply a fortiori to the house."

• casus belli (KAH-zus BELL-ee or KAY-sus BELL-eye), Latin. An act or event that provokes war. Often used metaphorically, e.g., "That new book on evolution is sure to be a casus belli."

• l'esprit de l'escalier (les-PREE duh les-kal-YAY), French. Literally, "the wit of the staircase" - the clever retort you think of only after it's too late to utter it and impress everyone. Interestingly, German has the identical metaphor: Treppenwitz. (I often find occasion to use this one!)

• nostalgie de la boue (NOS-tal-jee duh lah BOO), French. Literally, "yearning for the mud." An attraction to, or perverse compulsion for, the unworthy, crude, or degrading.

• schadenfreude (SHAHD-en-froi-duh), German. When a once-esoteric word is discussed on The Simpsons and becomes the title of a song in a long-running Broadway musical (Avenue Q), you know it's hit the big time. Literally, "shameful joy" - taking pleasure in the misfortune of another person. Handy!

• Weltanschauung (VELT-ahn-shou-oong), German. Literally, "world view." A philosophy of the universe or of life.

• Zeitgeist (TZITE-giste), German. Literally, "spirit of the time." The characteristic attitude or mood of a specific period or generation. Useful for conversations about politics, society, and the state of mankind.

A few stylistic points: When used in writing, foreign-language words and expressions should be italicized. In German, nouns are capitalized - and that style is usually retained when the words are imported into English text. Exception: schadenfreude. This word has become so common in English that it's now lowercased.

If you find this subject appealing, you might enjoy They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases, by Howard Rheingold. It's filled with interesting foreign-language expressions, some frequently used in English and some that probably never will be.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant.]

It's Fun to Know: The Great Space Elevator

Getting cargo into space on rockets is very expensive, time-consuming, and risky. (Sometimes the rockets blow up - taking their expensive payloads with them.)

A potential cheap solution? A 62,000-mile "tether" made of space-age materials (pun intended), anchored to the Earth and reaching out into orbit. A space elevator would be attached to this structure, allowing cargo and passengers to travel up and down at high speed.

Researchers who have worked out the complicated math and physics (don't ask this writer to fact-check them) say it is possible. However, more work needs to be done as far as finding materials strong enough to support the weight.

(Source: BBC)

"Of journeying the benefits are many: the freshness it bringeth to the heart, the seeing and hearing of marvelous things, the delight of beholding new cities, the meeting of unknown friends, and the learning of high manners."

- Muslih-Uddin Sadi

6 Budget-Friendly Travel Temptations for 2009

By Steenie Harvey

If hearing about the recession day in and day out makes you want to skip the country and head off on a long, luxurious weekend in la-la land... but you don't think you have the budget to do it... I have good news for you.

Although most vacationers need to make their travel dollars stretch further, that's no reason you should suffer the indignities of backpacker hostels. Recession or not, the world is still brimming with exotic destinations where your dollar buys more than a stay in a ratty room and a hot dog for dinner.

I'm talking about world-class spas... quirky antique markets... cheap Persian rugs... decadent chocolates... even an apartment in Paris... for much less than you'd expect.

Here are six of my favorite low-budget destinations for 2009, all places I certainly wouldn't say "no" to this year or any...

Bangkok, Thailand

Night bazaars, lady-boys, and golden Buddhas always distract, but one theme for the Big Mango is inexpensive luxury. Going rate for a traditional Thai massage is $8-$10, and Bangkok's hotels have slashed prices. As I write, agoda.com has doubles in the deluxe Sofitel Grand Sukhumvit for $85 a night. (Two-star hotels start at $12.)

Then there's "the world's best street food." From papaya salad to green chicken curry, sidewalk vendors create delicious dishes for 50 cents to a dollar. Start your culinary adventure with yen ta fo - noodles in red soy bean paste with fried fish, squid, and morning glory.

Iceland

Twelve months ago, 1 U.S. dollar bought 62 Icelandic krona. Today, you'll get 123 krona - twice the amount. If you dream of visiting this island of geysers, glaciers, and 10,000 waterfalls, there may not be a better opportunity. Since its currency collapsed last year, Iceland has become a lot more affordable.

Icelandair has round-trip fares for $399. An even better deal is their $479 "Budget Getaway," on sale until April 2009. It includes round-trip airfare from either Boston or New York-JFK, and a 2 nights' hotel stay with Scandinavian breakfast.

One must-do is the world-famous Blue Lagoon and its mineral-rich geothermal waters. Day passes are $26, and you can slap on silica mud face packs for free.

Brussels, Belgium

The symbol of Belgium's stylish capital is the Mannekin Pis - a statue of a boy taking a leak. That's understandable. You can drink your way through around 400 alarmingly strong ales here, many brewed by Trappist monks. Try Mort Subite (Sudden Death) and Delirium Tremens.

With flea markets, antiques, and multicultural Ixelles - known as Brussels' Notting Hill - this could be 2009's best bet for a European cut-price weekend getaway. When businesspeople leave town on Fridays, rates drop. Two nights plus breakfast for doubles in the classy NH City Centre (nh-hotels.com) go for 129 euro. Or go chocoholic. At the Neuhaus factory shop, 6.6 pounds of gourmet liqueur chocolates cost just $18.75, and samples are free.

Paris, France

Nothing dents the appeal of romantic Paris. In the first half of 2008, the number of visitors actually increased 2.2 percent. But as self-catering allows vacationers more control over spending, why not rent an apartment?

When last here, I rented a place off Rue Montorgueil in Chatelet-Les Halles district. Monet painted this foodie heaven street, and its shops include La Maison Stohrer, one of Paris's most famous bakeries. In business since 1730, it's credited with inventing rum babas - small, rum-soaked cakes.

A studio in this neighborhood costs $76 per night through homeaway.com.

Sanliurfa, Turkey

Turkey is always a great bargain destination, even if rug merchants lurk in the background. My best buy last year was an exquisite Persian wool sumak - a flat-weave kilim rug overlaid with hand embroidery from the mysterious pilgrimage town of Sanliurfa. (I haggled it down to $75.)

With prices way below those in touristy Istanbul, Sanliurfa's bazaar is full of magical imagery. Coppersmiths, leatherworkers, and shoppers with indigo-blue tattoos on their hands and faces. And, of course, carpet traders. Other enticing bazaar towns in this region include Gaziantep and Mardin.

Abruzzo, Italy

You'll find proof that "affordable Italy" exists by visiting the Abruzzo region. Fringed by golden Adriatic beaches, this secret corner of Europe's most seductive country stitches together mountains, olive groves, and picturesque hill towns. Including wine, dinner one night in a village restaurant cost only $101... for seven of us.

Word to the Wise: Locution

A "locution" (loh-KYOO-shun) - from the Latin for "to speak" - is a style of verbal expression, a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations.

Example (as used by Don Hauptman today): "Although the English language offers us a remarkably wide choice of words, some concepts are better expressed in other languages, especially when no precise equivalent exists in English. In addition, an imported locution is often more concise and stylistically superior."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2580, 01-31-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"You can spend your whole life dreaming. And dreams are wonderful things. By all means, dream away. But if you want to turn those dreams into reality, you need to transform them into goals."

- Michael Masterson

Got Migraines? Blame Your Belly

By Kelley Herring

Blasting belly fat may have yet another health benefit: fewer migraines.

Recent research conducted at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia evaluated 22,211 participants between the ages of 20 and 55. The researchers found that those with larger waistlines were more likely to have migraines than people the same age who had smaller waistlines. The results seemed most relevant for women. In those with excess belly fat, the odds of having migraines were 1.3 times higher than in those with trimmer tummies.

Belly fat isn't the only thing that researchers have connected to migraines. There are many substances in food that can act as triggers, including tyramine (in red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans), monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates (in cured bacon, hot dogs, and lunchmeats), alcohol, salt, lactose, and tryptophan.

Migraine triggers are different for everyone. If you suffer from migraines, keep a food journal to help identify your personal triggers and stop the migraine chain reaction before it starts.

It's Good to Know: A Ban on Bad News

Bad economic news got you down? Well... just pretend it's not happening.

That's sort of what the United Arab Emirates is doing with pending legislation. Some government officials hope to make it a crime to report news that would "harm the economy."

It's a pretty vague rule, but, if enacted, coverage of tumbling property values, record job losses, and other serious problems could simply disappear when sources, fearing fines of up to 1 million dirhams (approx. $272,000), clam up.

This will, of course, allow the government to fix the economy in peace and quiet without meddling reporters and oversight getting in the way.

(Source: Boing Boing)

Word to the Wise: Anagogic

Something that's "anagogic" (an-uh-GOJ-ik) - from the Greek for "to lift up" - has a secondary spiritual meaning.

Example (as used by Joy Williams in a New York Times review of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor by Brad Gooch): "She was an anagogical writer, of that there is no doubt. The civil rights movement interested her not at all."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2611, 03-09-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

The Anti-Fat-Loss Substance That Could Be Ruining Your Diet

By Yarixa Ferrao

You work hard all day. So when you come home from work, or finally get the kids down to sleep, you probably want to chill out. Many people do that by having a few glasses of wine with dinner. That's one of the health mistakes Michael Masterson was making that was keeping him from losing weight. But Michael was able to modify his habit... and so can you. And that will help you finally shed that stubborn fat!

Now, I'm not saying you should cut out alcohol completely. A glass or two with dinner is just fine. But I want to make sure you understand that, when you're trying to lose weight, a big issue with alcohol is not only its calorie content, but also the way the body metabolizes it.

Alcohol brings fat burning to a complete STOP!

When alcohol is ingested, it passes through the stomach and intestines, into the bloodstream, then into the liver. In the liver, it is converted into acetaldehyde, which is then converted into acetate. Because acetate is readily bio-available, your body will burn it first... instead of carbs, protein, or fat.

So if you choose to consume alcohol, keep these three tips in mind:

Tip #1: Always eat fat and protein with alcohol to slow down its absorption rate and protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine.

Tip #2: Drink wine from organic sources whenever possible.

Tip #3: Enjoy your wine - but drink in moderation.

Instead of three glasses of wine every night with dinner, Michael gradually cut down to two glasses and then to one. By cutting his alcohol intake, intensifying his exercise routine, and making a few changes to his diet, Michael was able to lose 15 pounds and lower his body fat by five percent. (By the way, he still tries to keep it to one glass of wine with dinner - but, now that he's lost the weight, he has more than that at least once a week.)

You can improve your own health and get leaner by making similar changes. Get started today.

It's Good to Know: The Going Rate for Your Personal Information

Identity thieves trafficking in personal financial data from bank accounts and credit cards are having to work harder for their money these days. Due to the tremendous amount of "secure" information that's now on the market, they can get only a tenth of what they used to get for something like a credit card number with its PIN. So they've turned to "premium" information that commands higher prices, including patient healthcare and insurance information, personnel files, and corporate credit card numbers.

(Source: Reuters)

Word to the Wise: Gustatory

The word "gustatory" (GUS-tuh-tor-ee) - from the Latin - refers to the sense of taste.

Example (as used by Jeffrey Tayler in The Atlantic): "In a land of ice and chains and endemic suffering, caviar provided gustatory salvation from grief and black days, a sensual escape from temporal woes."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2427, 08-06-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

How I KILLED Michael's Nightly Cravings - for GOOD!

By Yarixa Ferrao

Michael Masterson was 19 pounds over his ideal weight at the beginning of the year [2008]. One reason was because he'd developed a dangerous habit. He was snacking on high-sugar, high-carb foods late at night.

How on earth did I get Michael to stop eating Ben and Jerry's? It was easier than you might think. I simply gave him the solutions to three common mistakes he was making. If you have cravings for bad-for-you foods, these solutions can work for you, too.

Mistake #1: Not eating enough during the day. Michael tends to get caught up in what he loves: working. And sometimes, that makes him forget to eat.

Solution #1: Eat every 3 hours. I gave Michael a tub of whey protein powder. Using it to make a protein shake is easy, quick, and keeps your body burning fat by not allowing your metabolism to slow down. At the same time, it provides the body with muscle-building nutrients. Michael started drinking one protein shake between breakfast and lunch, and another one immediately after his afternoon workout. Eating more frequently kept his appetite down, so he was able to cut the size of his food portions. Plus, he stopped being hungry and wanting to stuff his face late at night!

Mistake #2: Eating a light lunch and a heavy dinner.

Solution #2: Eat your main meal in the middle of the day. Michael was making a classic mistake - eating a light salad for lunch and a heavy high-carbohydrate dinner. I simply told him to swap the two. Because your metabolism slows down at night, eating a starchy dinner can make you store more fat.

Mistake #3: Eating processed, high-glycemic carbohydrates. Michael's main meals almost always included pasta, white rice, or mashed potatoes.

Solution #3: Improve the quality of your carbohydrate choices. I had him replace those carbs with low-glycemic carbs like sprouted bread, sweet potatoes, or brown rice. Low-glycemic carbs have a slower absorption rate, making you feel satisfied for longer periods of time. Plus, they don't spike up insulin levels - so your body stays in fat-burning mode.

Mistake #4: Eating Ben and Jerry's late at night.

Solution #4: Find a healthy replacement dessert. I turned Michael on to an awesomely rich chocolate mint protein shake to satisfy his sweet tooth. It tastes so good, it almost makes him feel like he's being bad.

With these few dietary changes, we knocked off about 30 grams of fat and about 800 calories from his daily meals. As a result, he started burning off fat all over his body.

And these changes didn't make Michael feel deprived one bit. In fact, he tells me he's more energetic (without the need for caffeine!), more productive, and feels more than satisfied. More important, his belly is vanishing right before his eyes!

You can implement these changes, too - and burn fat and feel better at the same time.

It's Fun to Know: The Original Landfill

Garbage collection and disposal has been a concern for mankind since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found trash heaps containing bones, charcoal, and pottery shards in South Africa dating back 140,000 years. But the first known municipal dump was organized by Athens. In 500 B.C., the city began requiring trash to be taken at least a mile outside its borders.

(Source: Discover Magazine)

Word to the Wise: Mephitic

Something that's "mephitic" (muh-FIT-ik) - from the Latin for "stench" - is noxious, offensive to the nose.

Example (as used by Richard Holmes in Coleridge: Darker Reflections, 1804-1834): "The mephitic stench from the bilge became overpowering."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2426, 08-05-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.