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Optimum nutrition is considered to be a revolution in health care. When you fuel your body with optimum nutrition, you are giving yourself the best possible intake of nutrients to enable your body to function and be as healthy as possible. The nutrition is what helps your body perform all sorts of basic functions…detoxification, strengthens your immune system, provides natural antioxidants, and provides digestive enzymes…to name a few.Preventing or reversing disease-states is but one more function of optimum nutrition. Science is showing us every day that nutritional deficiency is contributing largely, if not actually causing, illness and disease in our bodies. But optimum nutrition is about more than just keeping disease and illness at bay. It is about living optimally, where we have room to stretch our physical, mental, and spiritual “muscles” to the full, without overstepping the threshold at which cellular health in any of the systems of the body becomes threatened.Your nutritional goal should be to give yourself the best possible intake of nutrients to enable your body to function and be as healthy as possible. Optimum nutrition consists of eating the right amounts of nutrients on a proper schedule to achieve the best performance and the longest possible lifetime in good health. When you are providing the proper balance of nutrients to your body, your daily diet will consist of the right quantities of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber to maintain a healthy body and to sustain the desired level of activity for the best quality of life.Apart from being essential to general good health, optimum nutrition is so fundamental and powerful that it can speed healing and improve weight, energy, immune functions, sleep, mental acuity, feelings, attitude and just about any aspect of your being. It is a state of profound physical, mental and emotional well-being. Optimum nutrition is within all of our grasps; it starts with a commitment to a lifestyle.HEALTHHealth is not merely the absence of pain or tension, but it is a joy in living; a real appreciation of what it is to have a healthy body with which to experience the many pleasures of this world. While it may sound simple…this isn’t an easy task.Because of the nature of processed food and depleted soils, most nutritional experts believe that the current diet provides enough vitamins and minerals for survival, but not for optimal health. Minimizing the intake of processed foods is essential for restoring your digestive health.Many health benefits are due to another group of health-promoting nutrients called phytochemicals, which are found in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Now, that’s coming back to the basics. Yet many people continue to be surprised that something as simple as coming back to basic nutrition, balancing your diet, and keeping healthy can go a long way to relieving daily aggravations such as skin problems, slowing down signs of aging, and keeping you looking better year after year.QUALITYSo, the fact is that food is not only vital fuel, but also fundamental “medicine”…and it is vital that we pay attention to the quality and quantity of fuel that we feed our bodies. Optimum nutrition helps the body to cleanse and repair itself, restore energy levels, rebalance hormones, the blood sugar level, brain chemicals, and generally improve one’s quality of life. The quality and balance of our food intake is therefore a key factor in determining our overall health.In whole foods, you will find the greatest concentration of quality nutrition per calorie of intake. Research has shown that optimum nutrition is achieved through the eating of a variety of natural foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals. It is about finding the foods and nutrients that will help you achieve better health and vitality, and avoiding those that may not suit you. Once optimum nutrition is in place, you can look forward to a consistent high level of energy, emotional balance, alertness, physical fitness, resilience against infectious diseases, and longevity.SUMMARYIn short, optimum nutrition is about providing the body cells and tissues with the vitamins and minerals they require to function to their best ability. I am now completely convinced that the concept of optimum nutrition is the greatest step forward in “medicine” for over a century, no less important than Louis Pasteur’s discovery of disease-causing germs or the discovery of genes. If this lifestyle of optimum nutrition is applied from an early age, it is likely to be your best guarantee for a long and healthy life.You should, of course, consult with your health care professional before starting any diet, exercise, or supplementation program. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your health care provider. Just make sure that you do your own health research as well…it will be a learning experience for which your body will thank you with improved health if you diligently fuel it with optimum nutrition on a daily basis.

What is Mental Health?:Perhaps there is no clear-cut absolute definition, but of course many thorough descriptions are available through well-known and reputable web sites. A general description could be that mental health involves a broad range of medical illnesses that have symptoms involving disorders of thought, feeling and behaviour, and/or impairment in functioning in relation to a social, psychological, genetic, chemical or biological disturbance.While thinking of mental health, many people will immediately recognise disorders/ illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar, and other disorders such as dementia. But of course there are hundreds of different disorders (including the more serious illnesses) as listed in the DSM4.There are particular theories which believe that mental health (disorders etc.) is not a brain/chemical based means of contributing to (or even partly the cause of) disorders in general. Others certainly do recognise mental disorders or illnesses as having some biological element or similar contributions (chemical etc.), which strongly relates to any given mental health diagnosis. Others may interpret mental health as being mentally ‘healthy’. Whatever any particular theories may suggest and without delving into scientific reasoning and the like, mental health can be interpreted as maintaining or striving to improve mental, cognitive and emotional well-being and maintaining homeostasis (or balanced well-being).Whatever the exact actual causes or reasons may be, mental health issues are a very real and relevant topic of concern in our society and indeed in all of man-kind. Many people nowadays do perceive mental health disorders as genuine medical disorders. Perhaps we could look at mental health (disorders/ illnesses) as being mentally unwell, or maybe not having any clinical diagnosis as being seen more as ‘mentally well’, but I personally like a theory which suggests that mental ‘health’ or ‘illness’ are not complete opposites. It covers a much broader area than just not having any given diagnosis.So, regardless of varying definitions and beliefs, it may be useful to look at ideas from different angles, but one may assume that we would generally agree that mental health is a very in-depth field, and the reality is that many people do have a clinical diagnosis.Mental Illness- It’s Not Your Fault:From my own point of view, I remember when I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (later to become severe), it was a relief to be told that it was not my fault. My brother who is a doctor told me this, and coming from a professional, I felt quite relieved in that I knew that I was not responsible for being born with a biochemical imbalance.There are theories that state that situational or circumstantial elements can lead to a disorder such as depression. Many argue though that in many or even all cases of a mental health disorder (such as depression), numerous elements may contribute to the cause. However, in disorders (whether it is OCD, depression, dementia, schizophrenia or practically any disorder or illness) there is quite proven medical evidence that there are biological or neurobiological contributions or causes in relation to mental illness.So, by no means is acquiring a disorder anybody’s fault, and certainly not yours if you are battling with a psychiatric problem.Prognosis of Recovery:What are the chances of recovering? What disorders or illnesses have a better prognosis? What about chances of relapse? How long might it take to feel ‘normal’ again? These are some common questions yet none of them have a simple answer. To put it briefly, some disorders are recognised as having a better success rate in the recovery of ill health than others. Illnesses such as Paranoid Schizophrenia are regarded as serious conditions and generally do not have as high of a success or recovery rate of say someone battling Depression (Ref. PEMH). Generally, Depression is regarded as treatable and having a very good prognosis whereas other illnesses such as Schizophrenia have estimations as high as one third of sufferers who remain unwell, therefore the prognosis of recovery with particular illnesses such as this have a lower rate in the expectation of reduced symptoms or recovery (Ref. PEMH). Recovery may include several factors, not only including the diagnosis itself, but also including other inter-twined theories of causes of psychiatric problems such as the debate of nature versus nurture. Also, some people appear to recover, only to find themselves relapsing, whereas others may be in remission and cope quite well for long periods of time or perhaps the rest of their lives. Generally though, different diagnosed conditions have varying prognostication.References:PEMH- Practice Essentials Mental Health.

Cell phones, high tech devices, fast food, microwaves, plastics… These are just a few of the many modern day lifestyle conveniences we use every day. Our lives have changed dramatically over the past 100 years. Science and technology have advanced in such a way as to be able to create some amazing products that have enhanced our lives in many beneficial ways.But all these advances and conveniences have not come without a cost. Due to the technological advances since the Industrial Revolution, industries have continued to pour dangerous chemicals and pollutants into our waterways, soil and into the air we breathe. Science has continually discovered cheaper and better ways to create synthetic materials that mimic what we could get from nature.We are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of new synthetic materials many of which are highly toxic. Much of our water, food and air is polluted by chemicals that are not biodegradable or take many years to break down. Every day we are exposed to thousands of toxins that slowly accumulate in our bodies.The scary part is we don’t have to work in a factory or live next to a landfill to be exposed to these toxins. We get exposed to thousands of toxins everyday in our own homes and just by going about our modern daily lives.Many of the chemicals are ingested through our food and food containers. Pesticides have become a staple for the modern day farmer. They are continually sprayed onto our land and subsequently make it into our food supply. Pesticides can hang around in our environment for decades. For example, DDT, which was banned in the 1970′s, can still be found in foods such as our dairy products.These pesticides not only don’t break down in the environment, they don’t break down within our bodies. They get stored in our fatty tissues and in the tissues of animal fat. So the chicken, beef and pork we eat is supplying us with even more toxins. (Most animals are also given lots of other chemicals like antibiotics during the time they are being raised.) And don’t forget our brains are about 60% lipid (fat) material so the toxins within our body are affecting us mentally as well as physically.Our modern processed foods have so much added to them. These food additives include preservatives, bleaching agents, emulsifiers, texturizers, humectants and ripening agents. And scarier still many of these additives are made from petroleum or coal tar!We also ingest toxins through the water we drink. Pretty much anything sprayed on our land or in the air ends up in the water supply. Municipal water treatment plants don’t detoxify water from most the chemical pollutants. In fact they add chemicals, like chlorine, to try to kill dangerous bacteria and parasites but that also form toxins for our bodies.We breathe in toxins from the air. Solvents are everywhere. In 1993 alone more than 1,672,127,735 pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the air we breathe. (EPA – Toxic Release Inventory of 1993) They are used in almost all cleaning products and in materials we use every day. Formaldehyde can be found in building materials, carpets, curtains and even make-up (cosmetics).You can even absorb all these toxins through your skin. The solvents that don’t out gas into the air can be absorbed when you come in contact with them in the solid form. Every time your baby crawls across the floor they are absorbing toxins from the carpet and the cleaners you sprayed around the house. Every time you use lotion, hand sanitizer, perfume, shampoo and put on your clothes you are absorbing toxins. And for many women, the morning routine of putting on make-up is a routine of applying toxins to their bodies. Cosmetics are some of the worst and most toxic products you can use.Toxins are everywhere. They are pretty much unavoidable in our modern day lifestyle.But before you throw in the towel and give in to all the doom and gloom, let me tell you that you can still live a long and healthy life.Our bodies are amazing machines. They are actually made to handle toxins and rid them from our bodies. The liver and the kidney along with various other organs in our body actually remove toxins from the blood and the cells and send it back out as waste.So there you go, problem solved. A hundred years ago yes, problem solved. Today, there is just so much toxicity in the environment and the nutrition level of the foods we eat has been diminished so much that our body just can’t keep up.But I am here to tell you that it is still possible to live a long and healthy life. The secret is to avoid some of the toxins by understanding where they are and which are the worst. You don’t have to completely change your life and check out of your modern day lifestyle, you just need to change some little things.You also MUST supplement your diet. It is virtually impossible to get the nutrients you need from the foods available. Even the medical establishment has finally broken down and most doctors will agree that at least a multivitamin is necessary in today’s diet. (Beware which one you choose, remember many supplements have additives and toxins in them so they really aren’t helping if you choose these brands.)And it is a big deal when I say that the medical establishment has started agreeing with the fact that supplementation is necessary. Most doctors are not ever taught the ill effects of chemicals and fewer still learn the importance of nutrition. They really just aren’t aware of how pervasive synthetic chemicals are.Doctors are trained to believe chemicals (known to most of us as prescription drugs) are the answer, not the problem.Some solutions offered by doctors, pharmaceutical drugs, include highly toxic chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals that may actually add to the problem.The health of pharmaceutical industry has never been better, but the health of the general public has continued to plummet and really has never been much worse.The consequence of our modern lifestyle and the constant poisoning it has placed on the human population has been linked to the development of an ever increasing number of diseases. These include things like obesity, asthma, a variety of autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and thyroid disease.All of these ailments have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. In fact the generation being born right now is predicted to be the first generation to actually have a shorter lifespan then the previous generation.Millions of dollars are spent each year to combat these diseases but most research is geared towards finding treatments. This research has resulted in the development and MARKETING of an increasing number of drugs designed to tweak the system and CONTROL SYMPTOMS but usually NOT CURE the disease.Like I said before, the pharmaceutical companies are not hurting. It is like they are just throwing band-aids on the problems and covering them up. Take this drug or that one and if it causes another symptom, just add another drug to help hide it. It is a never ending cycle.Now is the time to break the cycle. A few companies are taking another path; a path of health and nutrition and disease prevention. Why wait until the body is so rundown and overrun with the toxins and poisons only to add more drugs and chemicals to try and hide the symptoms.Start taking care of your body now by giving it the nutrition it needs to take care of itself. Your body truly is a miraculous thing that can heal and take care of itself when it is given what it needs.Don’t wait; your health is truly your greatest wealth!