|
| |
August 2003
Underneath is the main part of the newsletter that was sent out, excluding special offers or items that were being promoted during that month. To access any previous newsletters, please click here, or if you want to sign up for our free newsletter, please click here.
In this issue:
Phytosterols, obtained from edible plants, have been used for centuries in treating and preventing various diseases.
In Africa, the African Wild Potato, (Afrika patat, "Hypoxis"), a bitter tasting plant, was used to start research on the qualities exhibited by phytochemicals. The African Wild Potato has been used as a herbal treatment by traditional healers for centuries, where the plant is boiled up as a tea.
These plant sterols and sterolins (phytochemicals) are known as beta sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. These compounds can be effectively extracted as a dietary supplement, at a relatively low cost.
Although these vitamin-like compounds occur naturally in vegetables, many of us do not consume a diet that includes a variety of fresh vegetables on a daily basis: it therefore makes good sense to supplement our diets with Phytosterols to improve our health and overall sense of wellbeing.
Phytosterols (sterols and sterolins) are found to be beneficial in treating many conditions, such as improving the immune system and helping in the fight against arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and high cholesterol amongst others.
- Immune System Boost
- Many people suffering from AIDS and other immune system problems find that Phytosterols help boost their resistance, as it seems that Phytosterols assist the T-cells in building up the body's defenses against immune system diseases.
- High Cholesterol
- Plant Sterols have been found beneficial in treating high cholesterol, as they compete for absorption sites with cholesterol (an animal sterol), thus reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis have reported greater mobility, less pain and less infection.
- Cancer
- Cancer patients have also reported benefits when taking plant sterols and sterolins since it seems that these phytochemicals help in containing the spread of cancer in the body. It has been reported that plant sterols are known to increase the production of enzymes that help the body dispose of potentially harmful carcinogenic substances Please note: this is not to be taken as a claim for a cure for cancer, but merely a statement of what patients found when using phytochemicals.
- Infections
- Some studies have shown that plant sterols are potentially beneficial in treating infections caused by fungi and bacteria and may be useful in treating tumors of the colon.
Special notes:
No large studies have been done to substantiate some of the above anecdotal claims made by users of phytosterols, although small studies have had promising reactions in South Africa and Germany.
Should you require any further information on Phytosterols, kindly visit www.anyvitamins.com/phytosterols.htm where you can also purchase these Phytosterols.
Fighting cellulite needs more than just simple massage, since massaging alone will not sort out the problem. To effectively get rid of this problem, you need to fight it on many different areas to regain your smooth curves.
A lot of people suffer from cellulite, a toxic build-up, manifested in orange peel skin and cottage cheese thighs. You don't even need to be overweight or fat to have cellulite. Thin and slender people suffer as much from cellulite as their overweight, fat or obese cousins.
No matter how perfect or sexy your body - cellulite is ugly and does not help the collagen, elastin, connective tissues or adipocytes in your body. The main remedy for fighting cellulite is to detoxify the body.
Getting rid of and fighting cellulite can be easy, but needs dedication and consistent work. Cellulite is mainly caused by a toxin build-up in your body. It is different from fat. Fat is smooth when pushed together, while cellulite forms a dimple effect - causing "orange peel skin "and " cottage cheese thighs".
Miracle cures are offered from many sources, but unfortunately there is no magic bullet - it does take consistent work and detoxification to get rid of cellulite. Detoxifying the body is vital when starting anti-cellulite treatment and therapy.
When detoxifying the body, all the toxins must be removed to enable the body to once again function properly.
Regular fat can be found anywhere on the body, while cellulite tends to settle on the following areas: Inner, upper and back of thighs; Upper back below the shoulders; Ankles; Inside and back of upper arms; Buttocks; Lower back; Hips; and Stomach. Where cellulite is present you may also experience further problems with broken blood vessels and/or varicose veins.
To ascertain if you have cellulite press tissue between your thumb and finger, or between the palms of your hands, if it is normal fat, it will appear smooth, with no ripples or bumps, but if you have any ripples or bumps, which look like orange peel, you have cellulite. The cellulite tissue is also sensitive.
- How cellulite is it formed
- All muscles in the body are covered with a padding of fatty, connective tissue, which varies in thickness, and is surrounded by a liquid, supplying this 'covering' with nourishment and removing waste products. There are some medical practitioners that do not believe in the term 'cellulite', but there are others that do subscribe to the term and the condition.
- This fatty tissue is held in place by a network of fibers, and when the system works well, ALL waste products are removed from this system, resulting in smooth body curves. When the waste removal system start to fail, waste products start building up, and the connective tissue becomes saturated with liquid, which then thickens and hardens, forming hard pockets that puff up to produce the 'orange peel' or 'cottage cheese' effect.
- Contributing factors in causing cellulite
- Insufficient water intake
- No exercise
- Constipation and digestion problems
- Tension and stress
- Pollution and incorrect breathing
- Fatigue
- Poor eating habits
- Estrogen when secreted before each menstrual cycle as estrogen tends to retain water
- Intoxication of the system
- alcohol
- coffee
- tea
- spices
- smoking
- crash diets
- fat and cream
- fried and oily food
- medication such as diet, pep or sleeping pills as well as diuretic pills
- Cellulite appears from around the age of 14, but can happen at any age, and although cellulite is not hereditary, you might be more prone to cellulite because of acquired bad habits from your parents.
- Cellulite sometimes happens after pregnancy, (or being on birth control pills) when the system is flooded with estrogen, or after a traumatic experience, since it interferes with blood circulation, or it can be simple toxin build-up, as listed above. Although largely a feminine problem, men can also have cellulite on their stomach and neck areas.
- Different types of cellulite
- Hard or solid cellulite can sometimes be difficult to identify right away, as it sticks to the muscle structure, and does not lift away very easily. This type is very common on active people, such as dancers.
- Soft cellulite is not as concentrated as hard cellulite but occupies large areas, is looser and more noticeable as it hangs and sags. Soft cellulite is less firm than hard cellulite, but soft cellulite results in poor muscle tone, and the skin dilates easily.
- How to fight cellulite
- In order to fight cellulite effectively a person must combine all the factors below:
- Diet
- Following a purifying diet and avoid toxic build-up foods.
- Breathing
- Proper deep breathing facilitates oxygenation of the blood and purification of the body.
- Exercise
- Doing exercise stimulates circulation and speeds up the metabolism, and improves muscle tone and firming of tissue.
- Proper elimination of waste
- The skin, (the largest organ) kidneys and intestines must effectively get rid of toxins. Kidneys can be aided by increasing fluid intake and thereby increasing volume of urine, while proper working intestines will prevent constipation. The skin should be boosted by sweating and perspiration to assist in elimination of wastes.
- Relaxation
- In order to get the entire body working correctly, stress must be reduced - body as well as mind must be in sync.
- Massage
- With massage, the cellulite areas are targeted to stimulate circulation, especially for areas not very well worked with exercise, such as the inside of the knee and upper thigh.
- It is a further boon if the massage is done with a product such as our Herbal Cellulite Gel, which contains active ingredients to assist in getting rid of the cellulite. Although the active ingredients will assist with the fight against cellulite, because of the exclusive mix of ingredients, it is mild enough, because of the herbal nature, not to cause any discomfort. To have a look at our Herbal Cellulite gel, please visit www.ageless.co.za/contouri.htm
Other articles of interest
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
You are as young as your faith, as old as your fear and as long as your heart receives messages of beauty, cheer,
courage, grandeur, and power - from the earth, from man and from the Infinite - so long will you stay
Ageless. |
|
