Is a fabric belt preferable, or perhaps a strong tape?  If you’ve any
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Helga Walters (Housekeeper)

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NutriCounter

Here is a sample article.

Michael Janson, M.D.

Look for updates in Health, Nutrition,
and Alternative Medicine at www.drjanson.com

Ask for a free copy of my Healthy Living Newsletter
*************************************************************************** *
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2.        Acetyl L-Carnitine and Aging
=================================================================

Recent research coming out of the Linus Pauling Institute reveals some
exciting information that gives you new tools to protect your brain and
other tissues from aging and degenerative diseases. The amino acid
derivative acetyl-L-carnitine, which provides both the fatty acid transport
of L-carnitine and a portion of the acetylcholine neurotransmitter molecule,
appears to help aging tissues in several ways.

Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) acts as a fatty acid carrier in the mitochondria,
the subcellular "generators" that produce energy from fats. The fats must be
transported across the mitochondrial membrane by L-carnitine or ALC where,
with the help of coenzyme Q10, they are converted to energy.

In aging animals, mitochondrial function declines, and the level of
L-carnitine in the mitochondria is half the level seen in young animals. The
recent studies in rats show that ALC (especially when combined with the
antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid) can protect the brain from the oxidative
damage related to aging, and can protect the mitochondrial membranes.

In practical terms, when older animals are supplemented with ALC and lipoic
acid they are more physically active, have better short-term memory, and
overall enhanced cognitive function. (They also have better liver function
because of the same protection of the mitochondria, with increased
mitochondrial metabolism and reduced oxidative damage.)

Studies over the past 10 years have shown that supplementing the diet with
ALC is likely to help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Although in numerous studies the results have not been completely
consistent, most of the evidence points to at least short-term benefits from
supplements of about 3000 mg daily. Anything that might help to reduce
Alzheimer’s disease is worth trying if it is as non-toxic as ALC.

=================================================================
3.        ALC and Alpha-Lipoic Acid
=================================================================

It appears that these nutrients also help the heart, especially when taken
together. While ALC helps restore cardiac carnitine levels, and improves
cardiac energy, the aging heart also becomes sensitive to oxidative stress.
For protection from such stress, you need to combine the ALC with
alpha-lipoic acid (LA). This is a sulfur-containing antioxidant that works
in both the water- and fat soluble compartments of cells. The combination
works better than either taken alone. In this way, you can reduce the
effects of aging on the heart (the typical dose of alpha-lipoic acid ranges
from 200 mg for general antioxidant benefits to 1000 mg per day for diabetic
neuropathy.

It is apparent that the accelerated aging that results from lifestyle
choices, stress, and oxidative exposures, can be slowed or even reversed.
With this in mind, it is hard to understand why some gerontologists have
recently come out with a dogmatic statement that "Anyone who claims that
they can stop or reverse the aging process is lying to you-even if they are
a doctor." Apparently they are complaining about practicing doctors who take
the research other scientists are doing and apply it for their patients’
benefit.

At a recent conference, a leading and well-respected antioxidant researcher
from Massachusetts, Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, was talking to doctors who
practice complementary/alternative medicine. He pointed out the
gratification for researchers when their work is applied clinically, so that
doctors like those in the audience were making reality out of the laboratory
work, and adding practical value to it.

It is therefore somewhat of a surprise when other researchers make light of
the practitioners, who necessarily have to make decisions about patient care
with imperfect information.

You can also help yourself preserve brain and heart function with other
health practices. Daily exercise, and a whole, natural foods diet, mostly
vegetarian, with lots of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts
and seeds (rich sources of essential fatty acids), fish, and small amounts
of organic eggs, provide lots of intestinal-cleansing and
cholesterol-lowering fiber, as well as a variety of antioxidant vitamins and
flavonoids.

In addition to ALC and LA, include coenzyme Q10-an antioxidant that is also
essential for mitochondrial energy production, vitamins C and E and ginkgo,
which have been shown to help preserve brain function and circulation, and
mineral cofactors, such as zinc, selenium, magnesium, and B complex. You can
slow and reverse some aging, even if "top" scientists cannot.

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What is Qi?

That’s the question, isn’t it?

The standard answer: Qi is energy, life force, which flows through all of us
and gives us life.

The reality: Qi must be experienced. Words fail.

Oriental medical philosophy is based on the belief that an invisible energy
exists throughout the universe. This vital energy sustains all life, and
permeates the human organism. our bodies and minds are fields of energy and
this energy supports and maintains all the vital structures and functions of
the body. This life energy is referred to as Qi ("chee"), Chi or Ki.

It is a higher vibrational energy from the mental and spiritual planes.
Current technology is inadequate to directly measure Qi because it is beyond
the physical plane. Disturbances in Qi is what causes all the problems in
the physical world, including our health.
Internally it is influenced by our emotions, Qi from inspired air, and
ingested food. Externally it is affected by climateric forces, mental
influences of other people, as well as energy from other living organisms
and inanimate objects.

Qi can be thought of as basic life force. Mantak Chia describes it as "the
glue between our body, mind, and spirit, the link between our perception of
the inner and outer worlds." Qi can’t be seen, yet it can most certainly be
felt.

In some ways, it is the very stuff of life. It is what animates us, what
gives us life in the energetic sense. It warms us, keep our organs in their
places, and directs all of our movements.

There are different kinds of Qi with different jobs to do. There is
protective Qi , or Wei Qi , the Chinese version of the immune system. It
lies like an invisible electrical shield between the skin and the muscles.
Its job is to keep out invading pathogens. When our Wei Qi is low, our
resistance to colds, flus and more serious viral invasions is weakened.

Another type of Qi is organ Qi . This type of qi is responsible for
maintaining the strength and integrity of each organ in our body. When this
type of qi is weakened, our organ functions suffer and we are likely to have
trouble breathing, digesting our food or sleeping. We may also feel a
general feeling of fatigue.

Yet another type of Qi is meridian Qi , which travels the pathways (called
meridians or channels) throughout our bodies, linking organs with each other
and to organ systems and helping the blood move and stay within its
channels. Meridian qi is what acupuncturists tap into when they insert their
needles.

The human body is in reality an energy system. You can even think of the
body’s meridians as an electrical system, complete with junctions, fuse
boxes and miles of wiring, all connecting up in one great multi-dimensional
energy circuit.

Since the entire universe itself is made of the very same qi of which we are
made, we can utilize the energy of the universe in our own healing work.
This is the premise of qigong , the ancient Taoist art of energy work. By
tracking and building up our own internal energy and then mixing it with the
"heavenly" energy as well as the "earthly" energy, we can become more vital,
more healthy and more spiritually realized beings.

Sincerly

Christopher
(My sites: http://kranich.ch.vu)