What is Causing Your Energy Drain?

This is such a busy time of year, isn't it? Whether it's school or after-school commitments, social or philanthropic organizations that start meeting again after the summer, end of the year plans at work, or all of the above, fall activities are demanding!

If you're like me, you know you plan too much, but you still want to be efficient, accomplish everything, and do it well. There is no time in the schedule for running out of energy or getting sick, and "Collapse From Exhaustion" is not on the TO DO list. But your body will stop you if you don't stop it first. How will you know if you are running on empty?

The number one warning sign is fatigue. Abnormal fatigue can be a sign from your body that you are overworking, overthinking, underresting, or undereating. (I don't know if all those are words, but they should be.) A variety of illnesses and medical conditions can cause fatigue, including hormone disorders, depression, and pregnancy, so if you notice a dramatic or persistent change in your energy level, it's wise to consult your physician.

The good news is that if it's your hectic agenda that's leaving you drained, you can give yourself the best chance of staying well by looking at a few key areas - sleep, nutrition, hydration, and relaxation. As with many beneficial life habits, these four staples of health do not have catchy slogans or expensive promotional campaigns.

Bottled water brands and sleep number beds are starting to change that, but they're based on the premise that you need a very extravagant bed or water purification system, rather than the idea that you need sleep and water to be healthy. (Common sense, you say? How long has it been since you got eight hours of sleep and drank two liters of water in the same day?)

Most nutrition-related marketing promotes one food or food group over another, rather than the guiding principle that you faithful readers know by now: eating frequent, small amounts of a variety of foods. On the other hand, I'm sure you've seen and heard multiple advertisements for energy bars, energy drinks, and energy boosting supplements, promising more energy if you eat or drink the magical concoction of chemicals.

Remember what you learned in Nutrition 101: Your body can only make energy from three things: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. ONLY. Other nutrients help your body USE energy, including iron and B vitamins, but nothing you get in a pill can actually give you more energy than eating actual food. Caffeine, ginseng, guarana, ma huang, ephedra, and xenedrine are all stimulants that make your heart beat faster, so your brain gets more oxygen, so you FEEL like you have more energy?but it's a trap.

When the effects wear off, you will be more tired than you were before. If you use the chemicals again, you perpetuate the cycle, or in other words, you're hooked! Quick Tip: Real energy means calories. If a product contains 0 calories, it's a fake. The good news (yes, there's more!) is that although no supplement can make up for poor habits, changing habits can eliminate the need for these potentially harmful chemicals in your body. Easier said than done, I agree. But start in one area, and experiment with a small change.

If you see results, you will have proved to yourself that the change is worth it! In the coming weeks, we'll look at each of the key areas, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and relaxation, with the goal of maintaining exceptional energy throughout your day. If you need an energy makeover, why not keep an energy log? On 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days write down the following:

What time it is each time you eat (you don't have to write down WHAT you eat); what time it is when you go to sleep and when you wake up; what beverages you drink throughout the day; any relaxing activities you did that day; and a description of your energy (highs or lows) throughout the day. In two weeks we'll meet back and see what your results mean and where to improve! To be continued?

Jessica Setnick is a registered dietitian in Dallas, Texas who travels the world spreading nutrition wisdom. As an accomplished speaker and writer, Jessica's passion is promoting a positive relationship with food and eating as a key component of a healthy and happy life.

Find out more or contact Jessica to speak at your event by visiting her website at www.understandingnutrition.com.© 2004 Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to www.understandingnutrition.com.
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Know What Your Medical Insurances Covers Before You Get Sick.

Ok….. What is wrong with the damn medical system in the U.S.A.?

This billion dollar a year industry is letting people die on the street. I recently found out that my insurance company would not cover my surgery to remove the fibroid tumors I have in my uterus, if I choose to go that route.

They informed me that I had a lapse of 180 days of not having coverage so they class the illness has a pre existing condition.

What is amazing is if you show up at the hospital with a bullet in your gut and a pitch fork in your head they may consider treating you has an emergency, but God forbid you should have a disease that may slowly be eating away your insides. Well come on now that’s not classed has an emergency because it may take me a few years for you to check out instead of 10 minuets.

Are these people nuts!

A word of warning from my experience find out what your insurance covers before you get sick, because when a man is down the insurances companies will kick you to death.

Live, Love, Create.

Author: Tracy Braime
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Why Should You Use Iron Supplements?

Iron supplement - why iron?

Why people need to use iron supplement? Well, there are many reasons. Iron is very important for our bodies and our health and when you do not get enough iron with your foods, the iron supplement comes to help. Iron is a very important mineral. It is an important component of proteins involved in oxygen transport and metabolism. Many trusted health organizations state that about 15 percent of your body's iron is stored for your body's future needs. That stored iron will be used when dietary intake is inadequate.

Iron supplement - when to use.

There are multiple reasons that may require you to use iron supplement. You will have enough iron in you body if you are controlling the amount of iron that you get from food. Meat, fish, and poultry contain iron in them. That iron is easily absorbed by your body. The iron that is stored in plants (for example lentils and beans) is not as easily absorbed by your body as iron from meat and fish. If you don't intake enough iron with you foods, the iron supplement will definitely help.

Iron supplement - recommended dietary allowance for iron.

The recommended dietary allowance is the amount of iron (in foods, iron supplement, or both) that nearly everyone's body needs to receive daily. That amount varies with age and gender. For example, males in the age group of 19 - 50 years need to intake 8 milligrams of iron and females in the same age group need to intake 18 milligrams. For women who are pregnant the recommended dietary allowance will be different.

Iron supplement - facts.

Before you start taking some type of iron supplement, make sure that an appropriate diet is not enough to increase the intake of iron. Also consult with a doctor to see that using iron supplements is right for you. Iron supplements may cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal distress, or other effects. If you use some type of iron supplement, make sure that you use the correct dose.

For more information http://www.liquid-vitamins-4u.com/
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Who Has Fibroid Tumors?

Fibroid tumors are most commonly found in the uterus of women in their 20's, 30's and 40's. Between 20-50% of women of childbearing age have uterine fibroids. They are usually benign (non-cancerous) tumors.

These figures blow me away like a fish gasping for air out of the water. When I started to discuss my fibroid tumors with other women I found that a huge number of my friends had fibroid tumors or knew someone who had them.

I feel that we should not take these symptoms lying down. I am on a mission to help myself, my friends, and you to treat the tumors and get our life back to normal once again.

Imagine me has a pit bull clinging to your leg and the only way you can get rid of it is to enlist 20 guys to yank it off. That is me grasping onto the annihilation of fibroid tumors!

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What are Fibroid Tumors?

While fibroids can cause a variety of symptoms, they may not cause any symptoms at all—so you may not even know you have one. Heavy bleeding is the most common symptom associated with fibroids and the one that usually prompts a woman to make an appointment with her health care professional. You may learn you have one or more fibroids after having a pelvic exam.

Fibroids may cause a range of other symptoms, too, including pain, pressure in the pelvic region, abnormal bleeding, painful intercourse, frequent urination or infertility.

What actually causes fibroids to form isn't clear, but genetics and hormones are thought to play a big role. Your body may be predisposed to developing fibroids. They seem to grow or shrink depending on estrogen levels in your body, but researchers don't know why some women develop them while others don't.

Fibroids usually grow slowly during your reproductive years, but may increase in size with pregnancy. At menopause fibroids shrink because estrogen levels decline. Using menopausal hormone therapy containing estrogen after menopause may cause fibroids to continue to grow and cause symptoms.

Progesterone, growth hormone and prolactin are other hormones that may stimulate a fibroid's growth once it has already formed.

A variety of treatments exist to remove fibroids and relieve symptoms. If you learn you have fibroids, but you aren't experiencing symptoms, you usually won't need treatment.
Who is at risk for fibroids?

Your risk for developing fibroids increases with age. African-American women are at least twice as likely as Caucasian women to have them. If women in your family have already been diagnosed with fibroids, you have an increased risk of developing them. Obesity and

high blood pressure also contribute to your risk of developing fibroids, but if you take oral contraceptives or have given birth your risk decreases.

Types of Fibroids

Fibroids form in different parts of the uterus:

Submucosal fibroids grow from the uterine wall into the uterine cavity. They can cause pain, abnormal bleeding and infertility.

Subserosal fibroids grow from the uterine wall to the outside of the uterus. They can push on the bladder, bowel or intestine causing bloating, abdominal pressure, cramping and pain.

Intramural fibroids are confined within the muscle wall of the uterus, and are the most common fibroid type. They can cause symptoms similar to those caused by fibroids in other parts of the uterus.

Pendunculated. These fibroids grow on stalks out from the uterus or into the uterine cavity, like mushrooms. If these stalks twist, they can cause pain, nausea or fever, or can become infected.

Content is provided to you by National Women's Health Resource Center. © 2007 National Women's Health Resource Center, Inc. (NWHRC). All rights reserved. Visit the NWHRC online at http://www.healthywomen.org/
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Fibroid Tumor Alliance For Women

Keep Your Chin Up!

You are never alone.

My Anemia Was Cured in 3 Months - Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap Molasses

One of the symtoms I have had to address since the invasion of fibroid tumors, and the fact that these things inhale blood like a blood bank in a drout season, is being anemic. If you are anemic then you may have some of the symptoms below.

Symptoms of anemia may include the following:

Fatigue
Trouble breathing
Chest pain
Abdominal pain
Weight loss
Weakness
Dizziness and passing out, especially upon standing

The main one for me was fatigue I would think nothing to sleeping a good nine hours a night. Upon rising I would feel like I had being out doing shots all night before coming home at 5 a.m. throwing up a few times, then falling asleep on the bathroom floor only to be awakened by the alarm clock getting me up for work 2 hours later.

I would love to say I sleep like a baby since I no longer have anemia but I am still working on this one. I think it is a screaming baby not a sleeping baby.

Because a low red blood cell count decreases oxygen delivery to every tissue in the body, anemia causes many signs and symptoms. It makes almost any other underlying medical condition worse. For example, if you have an underlying heart problem and become anemic, you are more likely to have problems associated with your heart disease than you would have if you were not anemic.

How severe the anemia is will determine how severe the signs and symptoms will be.
When I found out I was anemic my Doctor told me to get on the iron pills immediately and start eating a cow a day (red meat). Well that was all fine and dandy for her to say but those iron pills will blow you up like a balloon on the way to the moon. I mean come on I already have a couple of fibroid tumors in my gut the size of grapefruits and now she was telling me to throw in some exploding atomic bombs.

My recommendations are if you have to take iron pills slowly work your way into them and let your body get used to the fiber instead of loading up on the pills like you are leaving town for a month.

Blackstrap Molasses:

Blackstrap molasses has cured my anemia I take 2 table spoons 2x per day. It has all kinds of health benefits and I do not have to feel like I am 9 months pregnant like I did when I was just taking the iron pills.



This is how I like to take it....

MIX the following:

2 tbls blackstrap molasses
1/3 cup of hot water
1 tbls of fresh ground flaxseed (great source of fiber)
A little orange juice (helps your body to absorb the iron faster)
A floater of Kefir Milk

You can also just take it right of the spoon this is just one of my little creations. It actually tastes really good almost like a mocha. You mix of juices with it sometimes I will use pomegranate juice which is a great antioxidant. The kefir milk is live milk which helps to alkalize your system.
You can just play with it and see what recipes you can come up with.

You can use where ever you would normally use sugar your tea, coffee, or cereal.
I managed to raise my blood count back up to just above normal and that’s great. I still get tired but at least I know that it is not because of the anemia.

If you come up with any good recipes for using blackstrap molasses then please share them so other people can benefit from your creativity in the kitchen.

Take a look at the following links to find out more about the different types of iron supplements and blackstrap molasses capsuals.

Author: Tracy Braime

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Join Fibroid Alliance :

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