Milk Thistle TinctureEncyclopedia of Alternative Medicine -  AcneFri, 06 Apr 2001 07:00:00 GMT
April 6, 2001 -- 
Definition
Acne is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by pimples on the face, chest, and back. It occurs when the pores of...
breastfeeding
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:17:24 EDT
Blessed Thistle (cnicus benedictus)reason: increase milk supplypart used: leafpreparation: ... tincture: 20 drops, 2-4 times per day3 capsules 3x per day3) Borage (Borago officinalis)r...
Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine -  Milk thistle
Fri, 06 Apr 2001 07:00:00 GMT
April 6, 2001 -- 
Description
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum or Cardus marianum) is a plant used for treating liver disorders, breast feeding...
Milk Thistle TinctureTop 10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet
M.Sall 
1. What is Atkins Diet?
Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972, is strictly 
focused on limiting carbohydrate consumption. 
That is why it is called a low-carb, high-protein diet or 
sometimes simply a low-carb diet, together with other 
diets such as South Beach Diet, Power Protein Diet etc...   
2. What are carbohydrates, and where can they be found?
Carbohydrates provide your body with its basic fuel, very 
much like a car engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly 
into the cells, which convert it into the energy they need. 
There are two types of carbohydrates: 
Simple carbohydrates (also called "sugars" on food 
package labels): glucose, fructose and galactose are 
referred to as monosaccharides. Lactose, sucrose and 
maltose are called disaccharides (they contain two 
monosaccharides). 
Complex carbohydrates ("starches"), made up of chains 
of glucose molecules, which is simply a way plants store 
glucose. 
Starches can be found in great quantities in most 
grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice) and things like potatoes 
and plantains. 
Your digestive system breaks a starch back down into 
its component glucose molecules so that the glucose 
can enter your bloodstream. 
A complex carbohydrate is digested more slowly than 
simple carbohydrates because it takes longer to break 
down a starch.
Complex carbs can be either high in fiber such as 
broccoli or low in fiber such as bananas or potatoes. 
But carbohydrates are not the only substances the body 
uses: it also needs proteins and fats.
3. What are proteins and where can they be found? 
A protein is any chain of amino acids. Carbohydrates 
provide cells with energy, proteins provide cells with the 
building material they need to grow and maintain 
their structure. 
Protein can be found in both animal and vegetable foods. 
Most animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) provide "complete 
protein": they contain all of the essential amino acids. 
Vegetable foods usually have few or none of the essential 
amino acids. Example: rice is low in isoleucine and lysine. 
Some vegetable sources contain quite a bit of protein -- 
things like nuts, beans, soybeans, etc. are all high in protein. 
4. What are fats and where can they be found?
Fats are also an important part of our diet. Many foods 
contain fat in different amounts. High-fat foods include  
dairy products like butter and cream as well as mayonnaise 
and oils. 
There are two kinds of fats: saturated and unsaturated. 
Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature, 
while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. 
Vegetable oils are the best examples of unsaturated fats, 
while lard and shortening (along with the animal fat you 
see in raw meat) are saturated fats. 
We can further distinguish the unsaturated fats between 
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Unsaturated fats 
are currently thought to be more healthy than saturated fats, 
and monounsaturated fats (as found in olive oil and peanut oil) 
are thought to be healthier than polyunsaturated fats. 
Fat is necessary because: the only way to get certain 
fat-soluble vitamins is to eat fat, your body has no way to  
make certain essential fats, so you must get them in your 
food. 
Another reason is that fat is a good source of energy, 
in fact it contains twice as many calories per gram as 
do carbohydrates or proteins. Your body can burn fat as 
fuel when necessary
5. and how can I loose weight by reducing carbohydrate 
consumption? 
Atkins diet and other low-carb diets are based on the theory 
that certain carbohydrates have a greater impact on blood 
sugar levels than others. 
So you count these carbs. They are the ones that matter. 
To figure out the net carb count of a food item, you need to 
identify the carbs that don't have a high impact -- those from 
fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total from the 
overall carb count
Just regulate your blood sugar levels (from carbohydrates) 
and you'll be able to better regulate your appetite... and 
your weight.
Therefore, say Atkins diet proponents, the culprits are  
carbohydrates and there is nothing wrong with eating as 
much meat as you want! 
What you should do is restrict  carbohydrate consumption, 
specially starchy foods such as bread, rice, corn etc..., 
except for what they consider as "good carbohydrates" 
such as high fiber vegetables (broccoli etc...) 
According to them, the energy we need should be taken 
from proteins, and sometimes fat, but as few carbohydrates 
as possible, hence the name: low carbohydrate diet.. 
 
6 . What else does the human body need? 
Mainly vitamins and minerals. These can be found in various 
foods, fruits, etc..It seems the "Standard Western Diet" is 
deficient in vitamins and minerals. This has led to the 
creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.
7. Is Atkins diet efficient?
Anybody can note the simple fact that cutting back on 
carbohydrates works, at least for a quick drop in body fat 
and body water. 
However, for most dieters the problem is the long-term 
effects on the body due to such a drastic reduction in 
carbohydrates. 
Whatever Atkins diet proponents have said, this remains a 
real problem and people like those at South Beach Diet have 
tried to solve it by introducing carbohyfrates after the 14 days 
initial phase.  
8. What about the "fat makes you fat" theory?
According to Anthony Colpo, one of the most articulate of the 
Atkins diet defenders: 
"Some folks have been so inculcated with the simplistic 
"fat makes you fat" theory that they just cannot believe 
a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat. 
The fact is, high fat diets can result in spectacular fat loss 
- as long as carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that 
is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your bodyfat 
percentages will head north real quick!  "
9. Does Atkins diet cause coronary heart disease (CHD)? 
On May 26, 2004 A Florida businessman filed suit against 
the makers of Atkins diet. 
The man claimed as a consequence of following the low-carb 
diet, he suffers from severe heart disease, necessitating 
angioplasty and a stent
One of the fiercest opponents of Atkins diet, the Physicians 
Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) President 
Neal Barnard, M.D, said that the diet proponents "push dieters 
to avoid healthy foods, like rice, beans, and pasta, while 
ignoring the risks of high-cholesterol, high-fat meat and 
cheese. The idea that cholesterol and saturated fat dont 
matter is a dangerous myth.  
But what does the other side say? As expected, we hear 
a totally different story. 
Here is Anthony Colpo's take on the CHD issue: 
"A low carb diet based on paleolithic food choices, that is, 
a diet based on free-range animal products and low 
carbohydrate, low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite 
nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!" 
10. Are there any other health risks?
In additon to CHD - coronary heart disease - Atkins diet has 
also been blamed for a number of other "atrocities", such as: 
colon cancer, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis, 
complications of diabetes, and to cap it all: constipation, 
headache, bad breath, muscle cramps, diarrhea, general 
weakness. 
A few quick answers to some of these accusations from 
Anthony Colpo: 
Kidney disease: "Bodybuilders and strength athletes have 
been consuming high-protein diets for decades. Given the 
widespread global participation in these activities, if the 
claims of kidney damage were true, by now there would be 
an enormous number of case studies of ex-bodybuilders 
and strength athletes afflicted with kidney disease," which 
is obviously not the case. 
Osteoporosis: "a low-carbohydrate, high fat, high protein 
diet is a far better choice for building strong bones than 
a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet." 
 
A.M.Sall, Publisher/Editor
http://www.health-beauty-wellness.com 
 
 
 
 About the author: 
  Drawing from his 30-year experience as a medical translator, teacher, traveler, musician, writer, deep multicultural awareness plus worldwide ancient spiritual traditions, A.M.Sall helps people 
"turn all their living days into quality time" in his self-development community at: 
http://www.health-beauty-wellness.comSign-up for free lifelong membership and claim your free "Healthy Foods" minicourse.     
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