Health Care and Medical

The summer holiday season is over in the northern hemisphere; the days are shortening; and the nights getting longer and cooler. While you cling on to any remnant of summer you can find, through the odd warm day, the remaining summer flowers, and the holiday snaps you are now having printed, the remorseless progression into autumn and winter will continue.

For those of you who are overweight or borderline weight, you are now entering the danger zone. Autumn spills into winter and the winter holiday season, and the holiday season brings with it a lure to binge on all the traditional foods of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. So, as your outdoor activity is likely to decline, and your indoor activity likely to include lifting a lot of food and drink to your mouth, but not otherwise increase, it is a period of the year when you will be in danger of tipping your weight over the edge or up the scale.

If you are on, or should be on, a weight loss diet, or are on the brink of needing one, then now is a great time to take stock and plan ahead with fortitude. By being prepared for the diet battle of the Christmas holiday season, it can be a battle you will win with comfort. I do not say ease, because nothing comes easily when it means resisting some of your favourite foods; especially at a time when those around you are overindulging.

Once the summer holiday period is over, you have 3 months to get ready for the winter holiday season. So, what can you do to ensure you do not steadily put on weight during the autumn and then put your weight gain into overdrive from Thanksgiving to New Year? Here is the skeleton of a plan:

Prepare Your Mind For The Onslaught of Gluttony

Put against the perspective of the whole year, keeping to a sensible diet through the holiday season should not seem so difficult. Ask yourself, why on earth should you change so drastically over a few short weeks, especially over the Christmas holiday? Is it not possible to maintain a good diet through the whole of the winter, without spoiling your Christmas? Of course it is.

Much of any potential weakness will come from habit, peer pressure, boredom and stress. All of those things can be dealt with comfortably by a steady programme of meditation and relaxation. Inevitably, you will not be so encouraged into outdoor activities once the days cool down and the nights lengthen. From September, plan a regular yoga session, or other form of relaxation and meditation, that will help strengthen your resolve, and set you apart from peers in terms of individual mental strength. You will slowly assert your individuality in a way that will help you sail through the holiday season without succumbing to external pressures. You will be asserting control, which you can then apply to anything.

During meditation sessions, give regular attention to your diet. Not just your short term diet but long term, beyond Christmas. See yourself happily on a healthy diet all year; not just healthy, but a diet that you enjoy. Your Christmas diet can then just merge into that; the holiday season can be similar to the rest of the year without taking away from your enjoyment.

Get To Know Your Favourite Diet Foods

Being on a diet does not mean all enjoyable foods are out; that is just not so. It will depend of course what sort of diet you are on, but even if you are calorie counting, as the weeks pass you can prepare in your mind, or even on paper, all the treats that are a normal part of Christmas festivities yet very healthy.
Here are some that come to mind:

1. That Christmas turkey is not off the menu in most cases; lean white meat is likely to be acceptable. And is turkey not the symbol of Christmas lunch in some countries?

2. All the vegetables that go with the turkey can be delicious if you buy good quality and cook them well. Why not set your mind on organic vegetables only for the holiday season? That may seem an indulgence cost wise, but better to indulge in that than junk foods.

3. Fresh salmon is great for special occasions; how about fresh Scottish salmon delivered to your door. A treat, but one that should not damage your diet.

4. In the months leading up to Christmas, experiment with your own salad dressings, and try different olive oils. Salads with a difference can be healthy but still a treat.

5. Aim to have plenty of fruits around the house during the Christmas period. Want to indulge as it’s Christmas? What about your favourite fruits, something you regard as a treat? Can they not be fitted in to the Christmas spread?

6. There are a variety of nuts which make delightful snacks. In fact, my favourite food of all, and always a Christmas treat in England, is cashew nuts. Are you a cashew addict too? Keep lots of nuts around the home too over the holiday period.

7. As the evenings get darker, try finding some recipes for snacks that are within your calorie range but a little bit different, so they are special for Christmas. Select the best, and have them on hand over the holiday.

Really, there is an enormous amount of scope to make your holiday food a treat for you and those around you, without overflowing the tables with fattening foods. Mix in your mental preparations with the food selection, and over the next couple of months you will have a vision of a non-gluttonous, non-fattening Christmas indulgence. There is no need to indulge in quantity; just in the variety and quality.

Keep Up Summer Activity Levels

Without thinking about it, you have probably been more active physically in the summer months than you would normally be in the winter. Be aware of that fact, and plan regular exercise sessions throughout the winter. Visiting the gym twice a week would be great, but you can also build walking and swimming into your routines. Walking part of the way to and from work, or to the local stores, or taking the dogs on longer walks; all these things can contribute to your weight control, and make you feel better. If you feel better, coupled with your mental strength, keeping your weight down over Christmas will not be as difficult as you might have thought.

This Christmas weight control article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website. Roy also owns the Christmas gift website, Gifts For Xmas.

This compound is a perfect example of the extremes that some bodybuilders will go to be the “biggest”. Not content to have 20 or 22-inch arms, bodybuilders found a way to push the limits up to the 27-inch barrier. Yes you read correctly there are freaks walking around now sporting thigh-sized arms from their shoulders!

Synthol has its origins in the 1980’s when a drug called Esiclene was all the rage. For those who missed the 1980’s, Esiclene, was not used to build muscle mass like traditional steroids but instead was used as a quick fix to bring up weak bodyparts before a contest. The drug acted primarily by causing a localized swelling. Bodybuilders found it very useful in bringing up such small muscles as the calves, rear shoulders, and arms. The only drawbacks were that Esiclene was very painful to use and very short-lived.

In the mid 1990’s a researcher took the next logical step and invented an oil-based compound that could be injected directly into the muscle.
The initial name he chose was Synthol, but he later learned that this was already registered and trademarked by a pharmaceutical company. So he renamed his product Pump N’ Pose, but as with steroid trade names the first name stuck. It has now reached the point that Synthol is as well known as such bodybuilding compounds as creatine, Dianabol, and whey protein.

Chemically the drug is composed of 85% medium-chain triglyceride oils (a fatty acid), 7.5% lidocaine (painkiller), and benzyl alcohol. The oil is injected straight into the muscle where it becomes trapped between the muscle fibers. With each injection, a larger volume of oil builds up, and the muscle swells up just like a balloon. It is estimated that about 30% of what is injected is broken down by the body while the remaining 70% breaks down slowly over three to five years. Users report incredible muscle pumps during training, but this could be a result of the extra pressure generated by the trapped oil.

Is it safe?

Although some bodybuilders consider Pump & Pose relatively safe to use, there are numerous health issues to consider. Injecting any amount of fatty-acid material intramuscularly can be dangerous. This is compounded by the fact that most bodybuilders have any medical training. It’s very easy to hit a major nerve and if you do hit one by accident you can easily cause permanent paralysis of muscle fibers in that area.

The repeated injections cause other problems. As bodybuilders have discovered from long-term steroid use, sticking a needle into the same are results in the build up of painful scar tissue that may require surgery to remove. And it gets worse. Should you inject into a vein or artery by mistake the fatty acids could be carried to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. They may also reach the heart and induce a heart attack. They might even make it to the brain and lead to stroke. As you might guess all three cases are potentially fatal. Oh and did we mention that if you strike a larger artery such as the femoral artery you could bleed to death in minutes!

The safe and legal way to build muscle mass!

Hopefully we’ve convinced you about the many perils to using Synthol. That short-term fix may put you in the big training gym in the sky. We don’t think a few extra inches are worth risking your life over; certainly not when there are safer ways to do it. Unless you’ve been training for decades, odds are you’ve haven’t given natural training a chance to maximize your genetic potential just yet. You don’t build 20-inch arms in three or four months. It takes years. There is also a good possibility that you haven’t explored the many facets of healthy eating yet. The late Vince Gironda said bodybuilding was about 90 percent nutrition. While Vince’s number may be high, he was definitely on to something there.

Finally have you tried any of the legal steroid analogs yet? These powerful compounds are safe, legal, and highly effective.

Don’t fall for the quick fix. Play it safe!

The previous information has been created by experts to help you increase your knowledge base about anabolic steroids and bodybuilding supplements. Be knowledgeable. Be informed. Make the right choice!

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and legal
steroid analogs. Are you looking for
more of his Synthol
articles?
http://www.bodybuilding-news.net
©Article Bob Howard 03/22/2006

Gaining weight is something most people try not to do. On every corner, in every store, on every magazine cover, and whatever direction you turn, people are obsessed with weight loss. Fat loss, fat loss, fat loss. Even 95% of all fitness related sites on the Internet are geared towards losing fat.

However, there are some people, who struggle their whole lives trying to pack on extra pounds and are underweight. I was one of those people. People, pre-dispositioned to skinniness, are commonly referred to as “hard gainers.” This is the cool way to label your scrawny frame despite the fact that your body turns into a Number 2 pencil when you wear yellow!

It’s not totally your fault you are skinny…

In the skinny guys defence, the reality is that some have been cursed with traits like Lamborghini type metabolisms, giraffe like limbs, and the strength of a senior citizen. These people have to fight with every bone in their body to do something about their small frame and to keep up to their male buddies who seem to grow muscle just by sneezing.

Even though you might think that your genetic deficiencies have sentenced you to a life of frailty and surprised looks when you tell others you lift weights; I am living proof that hard gainers with very ‘muscle-unfriendly genes’ can fight back against their genetics and gain muscle weight.

Skinny guys must play by a different set of rules.

If you are underweight than your first step to gaining weight is to understand that you must play by a different set up rules. You must think outside the box and give up the excuse of being a ‘hardgainer.’ It is time to stop listening to all the naysayers who have told you that is impossible to gain weight because of your genetics. It is time to give up the eating habits and workouts that have not delivered the results you have been looking for. Regardless of what you have been lead to believe, you do have the potential to build an impressive physique that turns heads and build a new level of strength that intimidates!

Below I have provided four very practical and straight forward tips that you can apply today. If you have attempted to bulk up and are still on the light side of the scale it is because of one main reason – you are trying to build a house without the cement and wood. You are trying to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. Both scenarios are literally impossible.

Four tips to growing like a skyscraper!

Let’s take a look at the relation to building muscle and calories. Your muscles grow on calories and require more than you are currently eating. If you are underweight and no longer wish to resemble a microphone stand than you must overload your metabolism to ensure growth. Start following these simple steps to gain an extra 10 pounds of muscle weight in the next month guaranteed.

1. Double it up.

One of the most practical steps you can take is by doubling what you are currently eating in the kitchen right now. If you are eating one chicken breast per meal than cook up two. If you are only eating two slices of bread than make it four. If you are eating one handful of nuts than make it two. If you are using only two scoops of protein powder than make it three. Pretty simple? Most likely you are only a few dozen meals short of filling out those underdeveloped body parts. I assume you are already in the kitchen and have the food out. Perhaps finding the time to get in extra meal is your next challenge to overcome but for right now you have to excuse not to shovel down a greater percentage of calories by doubling it up!

2. Live your life around food.

Sure you know that you must eat every 2-3 hours but how well do you execute? Set your clock around or a countdown timer to go off every 2 and

These days, you can’t be too concerned about your health. With possible toxins and lower nutritional values found in the foods we eat and the things we drink, many people have taken to buying supplements to help aid their health. Here’s a list of natural health supplements that can lead you to a more sound and healthy way of life:

Saint John’s Wort: Used for over 2,000 years, this supplement is a simple plant that can greatly aid depression. One of the most widely used natural health supplements, in a double-blind clinical study, Saint John’s Wort was proven to be equally as effective as pharmaceutical antidepressants, while giving less side-effects then their drug company counterpart.

Bee pollen: People take bee pollen in supplement form to help increase energy and vitality. In addition to offering several required vitamins and minerals, bee pollen acts as an enhancer to the immune system, as well as being a useful tool in cleansing the body of harmful toxins.

Athletes have been known to take bee pollen regularly to help enhance their endurance, stamina, recovery time from exercise, and more. It may also prove to be helpful in alleviating the pesky symptoms of hay fever. With all these possible uses of bee pollen, it’s amazing to find out that it can also be used to aid in weight loss. A substance in the pollen known as lecithin helps to stimulate your metabolism and flush fat from your system. This is another one of the most widely used natural health supplements.

Fish Oil:
Harvested from the bodies of fish, fish oil is purified through a scientific process and turned into supplement form. Containing Omega-3 fatty acids, these natural health supplements can have numerous effects on your body for the better. For one, fish oil can aid in preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been associated with better memory, clearer thinking, and health of the heart.

One of the best nutrients for brain health, this supplement’s effect on your body can be vast. Be sure to only purchase pharmaceutical grade fish oil, however, since this is the process which removes the heavy metals found in fish due to pollutants. If your fish oil is not pharmaceutical grade, you run the risk of consuming such dangerous materials as mercury.

Why not check out our nutrition guide at http://www.nutritional-supplement-guides.com/nut-ebook.html

This no nonsense book will tell you everything you need to know about nutrition.

Ans also, what supplement we personally use for our nutrition needs at http://www.nutritional-supplement-guides.com/what-we-use.html

John Gibb is the owner of Nutrition guides, a website offering free nutrition advice and a quality nutrition book for newsletter subscribers.

Has your fitness progress seemed about as swift as a bill crawling through congress? Don’t get discouraged. John H. Bland, M.D., a professor of rheumatology at the University of Vermont, and a cross-country skier in the 75 to 79 age group, has some great news for you.

Dr. Bland has come up with some information that will make the young jocks green with envy. The fitness level of older adults doesn’t slip away as quickly as it does for younger exercisers. It takes a while longer for the mature body to reach its peak but it will hold onto this level much longer.

Though researchers don’t know the precise chemical reasons for it, they do know that the young athlete who stops training is going to start slipping as soon as one to three weeks, whereas someone over 60 who has to cancel his workouts because of injury or other reasons might not see a dramatic difference for as many as twelve weeks.

The older body also has a few other advantages. We’ve known for sometime that the “mature” brain works better because it has more experiences to draw upon. Our muscles also get “smarter” as we age. Although they may not get as big from training, they efficiently increase their strength by “recruiting” more muscle fibers into action. There’s also the same “holding bonus”-if we stop, the conditioning stays with us longer. There’s more good news! Older exercisers get the same aerobic training effect at a lower percentage of maximum heart rate than younger athletes do.

Getting in shape takes some effort, especially if we’ve put it off longer than we should, however the benefits of increased energy, strength, vitality, improved heart health and a smaller clothes size make it well worth the effort!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The cardiologist looked up from the treadmill report and grimly stated, “You are a walking time bomb. You need to go to the hospital immediately.” Two days later a heart surgeon sawed open Gene Millen’s chest and stitched in bypasses to six clogged arteries.

“A six way heart bypass isn’t a record” said Gene, “but it’s not bad for a skinny 59 year old with normal cholesterol and blood pressure. The villains and heroes in the heart attack melodrama may surprise you as they have me.”

Gene Millen reviews new research on heart attack risks that are more dangerous than high cholesterol… and how natural supplements and heart vitamins can send them packing! Check out The Heart Health website at http://www.heart-health-for-life.com

Need a free article for your newsletter or website? Go to…

I believe that we need to create a new attitude toward aging
in the United States. We do not do senior citizens a favor by
attempting to make life easier for them. Many of the health
and mobility problems experienced as we age are caused
from immobility and in our society we make it easy to be
immobile. The idea of taking it easy as we get older should
be discarded and replaced with a new outlook.
I spoke recently with a 30-year-old acquaintance and told
her that I taught resistance training classes for senior
citizens. She said, “Oh, that’s wonderful. You can have them
play games and pretend to be animals.” When I replied that
we did squats and shoulder presses just like she does at
the gym, her eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Why does our society assume that when we become
“senior citizens” we should be treated like children? Her
attitude is what’s wrong with the general public’s beliefs
about aging.

At a meeting recently I heard a representative of AARP
describe in glowing terms how AARP is helping seniors by
giving them items to make their lives easierequipment
like grab bars in the bathtub. I am not saying that this is a
bad idea. Grab bars in the bathtub are an excellent idea.
Probably all bathtubs should have them because seniors
have no monopoly on slipping in the tub.

But I have a problem dealing with the concept that we
should make life easier for senior citizens as they age. And I
am preaching to anyone who will listen that we need to
rethink our attitude toward aging.

In their book, Biomarkers, William J. Evans and Irwin
Rosenberg say, “when you arrive at age 55 or 60, it is not
time to put your feet up and take it easy for the rest of your
life. In truth, at no time during your lifetime is putting your feet
up and resting for extended periods of time a good idea.”
Dr. Walter M. Bortz II, who studied the deleterious effects of
bed rest, came to the conclusion that “at least a portion of
the changes that are commonly attributed to aging are, in
reality, caused by immobility. As such, they’re subject to
correction by mobilitymeaning activity and exercise.”

Not being able to take care of themselves is one of the
biggest fears of the elderly. I heard recently from a friend that
his 87-year-old mother had fallen while she was in her yard
alone. She was unable to get up and had to lie there for
several hours until someone came along to help her.

What if we didn’t encourage seniors to move to homes with
no stairs? What if there were more physical events
designed specifically for older people? What if there were
more strengthening classes available to help seniors
regain and retain strength and independence?

What if seniors in assisted living homes weren’t treated like
children and told to sit in chairs and exercise by placing their
hands on their heads and then on their shoulders and back
again? What if they were asked to exercise as do younger
peopleby lifting weights for upper body and doing squats
for lower body strength?

What ifinstead of building chairs that lift seniors to a
standing position they learn to exercise so their leg
muscles are strong enough to lift them onto their feet?
Why not work on keeping seniors strong as they age–so
they will remain independent and not need the aids that are
so accepted in our society? Why don’t we attempt to change
the mind set that has produced this problem?

The answer for most of us is that we don’t know any better.
We are not aware that we can choose to remain
independent as we age because we have been told all our
lives that we should take it easy as we grow older.

To illustrate how deeply embedded is the idea that we
should slow down as we get older, here are a few quotes
from a book published a few years ago about preparing for
being unable to live independently as you age.

“…Eliminate the need for strenuous physical exertion where
possible, especially the need to climb stairs”
“A dining table in the kitchen saves walking and reduces
fatigue.”
“meal preparation can also be tiring. Guarding
against overexertion requires attention to the following
guidelines:
“Reduce physical exertion: Keep bending, lifting, and
reaching to a minimum. Replace heavy iron cookware with
lighter weight pots and pans.”

This mind set enables seniors to progressively become
weaker as the muscles in their arms and legs atrophy. Why
not encourage seniors to climb stairs as long as they are
able? Why not suggest that lifting heavy pans can help keep
your arm muscles strong? Why not stress that being active
actually causes you to have more energynot the
opposite?

The truth is that the more you exercise, the more energy you
will have. Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s the
way our bodies were designed. I see it every day in the
senior strength classes I teach. Every student I have ever
had states that they have more energy when they work out
regularly.

Of course, some seniors have diseases such as
Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, and that is a different
story. They are truly not able to remain independent.
However, they should exercise as much as they are able.
Exercise can help delay the onset and progression of many
diseases.

My mother is 96 years old and still lives alone in her own
home. She’s an amazing lady who gets around without a
cane or walker. When I visit her, I find myself wanting to wait
on her, to go get items that she needs, and in general, to
take care of her so that she never needs to get up from her
chair.

This makes no sense at all. We need to give up
“enabling” seniors to become more and more dependent.
Tufts University in Boston has done much research into the
aging process. They have proven that even 90-year-olds can
become stronger just by doing resistance training. Muscles
do not forget how to be strong, they atrophy because they
are not used.

Over and over in my classes I watch people in their
seventies and eighties become stronger. I watch them
become more independent and self-sufficient. I see their
self-esteem increase as they begin to realize that they are
not doomed to a continuous spiral of becoming weaker and
weaker with every passing day.

Class participants tell me that they can get in and out of the
car easier, that going up stairs is easier, that the arthritis is
their knees is gone, that the creaky shoulder is without pain.
And most of all they tell me that they feel better and have
more energy. They work at exercising. They come to class
barely able to lift three-pound weights. In only a few weeks,
they move up to five pounds. Then they laugh at how three
pounds used to feel heavy. They move up to eight pound
weights for some of the exercises. They feel better about
themselves. I love hearing their stories about how strength
training has changed their lives.

Encourage your loved ones to remain independent, to get
up and move around their homes, to take care of
themselves. If you have a parent living with you, encourage
him or her to be self-sufficient. Don’t try to alter the living
space so they hardly need to move. Make sure they
understand that they need to be active.

If you are a health care provider, encourage your patients or
residents to do things for themselves, to walk, to participate
in exercise classes, to do anything that will cause them to
move and stretch. Investigate how strength exercise might
be included in the lives of those for whom you are
responsible.

If you are a senior, get moving and get lifting. Climb up and
down stairs, carry bags of groceries, work in the
gardenmake your body work. Get involved in a exercise
program or set up one of your own. Include walking,
stretching and strength training for a complete program. If
you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them.

Let’s all work to change our attitude toward aging. No longer
let us sit and rock while our muscles atrophy. We can work
together to help all of us learn how keep strong and
independent for as long as we live.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of “Over 40 &
Gettin’ Stronger” which contains an easy to learn strength
workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at
home. She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for
older adults Her web site is http://www.StrongOver40.com. She
can be reached at fitness9@mindspring.com.

The aging process does increase the need to strengthen the immune system. Aging is not synonymous with
illness. However, getting older does increase the risk for many diseases and disorders. Overall, elderly people have an
increased rate of chronic disorders, arteriosclerosis, infections, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.

This increased risk may be caused, in part, by the nature of these disorders. Most of the chronic disorders such as
arteriosclerosis are slowly progressive and do not show symptoms until they have been progressing for years.

Another significant part of this increased risk is probably related to aging changes in the immune system. The immune
system protects against diseases. It seeks out and destroys viruses, bacteria, fungi, and cancerous cells before they
can damage the body. It learns to tell the difference between “self” tissue and “non-self” particles. If you
strengthen the immune system you enhance your protection against those diseases.

Strengthen the immune system to respond to aging changes

The thymus, one of the organs of the immune system, is the site where certain immune cells called T lymphocytes or
T cells mature. The thymus begins to shrink (atrophy) after adolescence. By middle age it is only about 15% of its
maximum size.

Some of the T cells directly kill foreign particles. Others help coordinate other parts of the immune system, which
are specialized to attack different types of infections.

Although the number of T cells does not decrease with aging, T cell function decreases. This causes a weakening of
the parts of the immune system controlled by these T cells. If the T cell function are enhanced this will strengthen
the immune system.

Strengthen the immune system to counter the effects of aging changes

There is a slow, steady decrease in immunity after young adulthood. When the body is exposed to bacteria or other
microorganisms (by an actual exposure or by immunization), fewer protective antibodies may be formed or they may be
formed at a slower rate.Flu shots or other immunizations may be less effective, and protection may not last as long
as expected.

Later in life, the immune system also seems to become less tolerant of the body’s own cells. Sometimes an autoimmune
disorder develops — normal tissue is mistaken for non-self tissue, and immune cells attack certain organs or tissues.

The immune system becomes less able to detect malignant cells, and cancer risk also increases with age as a result.

The immune system also becomes less able to detect foreign particles, and infection risk is greater.

Other things also increase the risk of infections. Sensation changes, gait changes, changes in the skin structure,
and other “normal aging changes” increase the risk of injury in which bacteria can enter broken skin. Illness or
surgery can further weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to subsequent infections. Diabetes,
which is also more prevalent with age, can also lead to decreased immunity.

If you strengthen the immune system it will also reduce the risk of inflammation and slow wound healing. Inflammation
is an immune response, when the immune system thinks there is trouble, it sends more cells to the site of the problem
and this causes swelling, pain, redness, warmth and irritation, which are the hallmarks of inflammation. Inflammation
often indicates infection, but may also occur due to autoimmune attack on “self” tissue as well.

Many older people heal more slowly. This may be directly related to changes in the immune system, or it may be a
consequence of other problems such as diabetes or arteriosclerosis, which leads to decreased blood flow to some
parts of the body such as the lower extremities.

Also, many older people take anti-inflammatory medications (to control conditions such as arthritis) and these are
also known to slow wound healing.

How to strengthen the immune system

Just as routine immunizations are important to prevent illness in children, a few routine immunizations are important
as we get older. Adult tetanus (Td) immunizations should be given every 10 years (a booster may be given sooner if
there is a “dirty” wound).

Your health care provider may recommend other immunizations, including pneumovax (to prevent pneumonia or its
complications), flu vaccine, hepatitis immunization, or others. These optional immunizations are not necessary for
ALL older people, but are appropriate for some.

Maintaining your body in good physical condition is important to strenghten the immune system. Wheter you are in
good shape or not you should also give your system a little extra support with health supplements. Perhaps obvious,
here are the “must do’s” to strengthen the immune system:

• Exercise
• Eat a well-balanced diet
• Stop smoking
• Minimize alcohol use. Moderate drinking seems to have some health benefits, but excessive drinking can cause serious
  damage
• Use safety measures to avoid falls and other injuries
• Take good health supplements specifically created to strengthen the immune system

Marc Deschamps is the editor of Health Longevity Magazine, a free online publication, featuring articles full of information on various health topics such as common diseases, immune support, cardiac, mental & sexual health plus appropriate solutions to help you find the road to health longevity. More articles can be found at
http://www.health-longevity-magazine.com

The above article is free to distribute by any media as long as links are maintained.

Springtime and summer in all its abundance! A time of rebirth and blossoming all around us. Life energy flowing, first slowly, building imperceptibly, as we impatiently wait for the buds to blossom. We know the life force is rising and we want to see it in all its glory: the green, the flowers, the Earth rejoicing! How reassuring that nature is abundantly alive after such a long dormant winter, year after reassuring year. We too, are that. How long have parts of us remained dormant, just waiting to burst forth and blossom?

Yoga itself is a process of unfoldment. For centuries, one of the symbols of yoga has been the thousand petaled lotus, unfolding unfolding, unfolding; reaching deeper and deeper within. As we begin a yoga practice, the first challenge is to overcome the mental and emotional resistance to our inertia, getting our own life force flowing. We challenge the physical limitations of lack of strength and flexibility we feel after perhaps a long period of dormancy. The process of moving comfortably into and out of the poses, maintaining a consistent breathing rhythm and focusing the mind is our process of tuning into the flow of our own life energy. Patience is required, but that flow of life is as surely there within us as it is in nature’s springtime. Its our own personal springtime waiting for us to encourage our life force energy to rise and bloom into summer flower.

Just as different types of plants thrive in different conditions, so do each of us relate differently to different styles of yoga. There are as many different teaching styles as there are yoga teachers. Even those trained in the same traditions bring their own special approach to their classes. Shop around for a yoga teacher that feels nurturing to you and encourages you to unfold at your own pace, in your own way. As we master the physical challenges of yoga, we are also diving deeper into ourselves. The physical yoga is really only the beginning of opening the many layers of petals of our own personal lotus.

We, ourselves, are full of surprises. Our blossoming takes many forms, and a consistent yoga practice can be the springtime nurturing that brings hidden areas of our unfoldment into the summer sunshine. Focused and grounded in our physical form, we can integrate and balance the other areas of our lives into a blossoming of our true potential, an expression of our own powerful, peaceful, precious life paths.

Susan Winter Ward, internationally recognized yoga instructor, author, and video producer, is the creator of Yoga for the Young at Heart