Nutritional Supplementation

Nutritional supplements consist of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, or amino acids.  They are intended to supplement nutrients that are missing or are not in the diet in sufficient amounts.  In the US the Food and Drug Administration regulates supplements as a food category and not as drugs.

Americans are said to have the richest urine in the world because many people take nutritional supplements in a form the body cannot utilize, causing them to be excreted in the urine.  Despite this, many Americans improve their health by taking nutritional supplements their bodies can utilize.

• Purchase supplements only in forms that are more readily absorbed.
• Powders: rapidly absorbed, contain no fillers or binders.  Excellent form for those who have difficulty swallowing capsules or tablets.
• Liquids: useful for children and for people who cannot swallow capsules or tablets.  Absorbed rapidly, but may contain sugars, coloring agents, and additives.
• Chewables: suitable for children, but may contain sugars, coloring agents, and additives.
• Time-release tablets: nutrients released over a period of time.  Sufficient stomach acid necessary to dissolve the tablet coating and release the supplement.
• Tablets: longer shelf life, but not absorbed as rapidly as powders, liquids, or capsules.  Be cautious of binders (frequently corn starch) and fillers.
• Capsules: easier to swallow and generally contain fewer binders and fillers.  Capsules may be made from pork, beef, or vegetable gelatin.

Bioavailability varies with the brand, and the quality of the nutrient depends on the source material from which it is extracted.  Choose brands that are free of the common allergens such as milk, corn, wheat, egg, soy, sugar, and yeast.

Smoking Damages DNA

 Smoking tobacco products causes damage to DNA that may last as long as 30 years.  While much of the damage from smoking may be healed within the first five years after stopping smoking, some DNA damage does not appear to revert to normal.  Some people use e-cigarettes in an attempt to find help to stop smoking.  There are also those who believe e-cigarettes are a healthier alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes.  However, vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes has a list of negative health effects, trading one serious health risk for another.

Smoking affects DNA methylation.  Genes are made up of DNA.  Changes to DNA called methylation affect how genes are expressed and may modify the way the genes affect health.  This can also affect the way the body responds to the environment.  Smoking can change DNA and increase risk of disease.  This type of DNA change has been linked to the development of cancers and the expression of cardiac disease.  DNA methylation is also linked to prenatal cigarette exposure and development of chronic disease when a child reaches adulthood.  Breathing secondhand smoke triggers health conditions that can be much like actual smoking.  It is also believed that nicotine from the air is absorbed through the skin.

Little Known Facts

Little Known Facts

·         Studies suggest that children have stronger, more satisfying relationships with pets, especially their dogs, than with their siblings.

·         Because of overpopulation that strains both food supplies and living spaces, some researchers predict that in the future flesh-and-blood pets will be replaced by companion robots.

·         Drilling holes in the skull to “let the madness out” was once a common treatment for mental illness.

·         Ten percent of pedestrian injuries involve people who are texting or otherwise focused on cell phones.

·         Hot air hand dryers in public restrooms disperse bacteria laden water droplets than can spread disease.

·         Oils, fats, coffee grounds, eggshells, flour, rice, and pasta can clog the drains of garbage disposals.

·         The cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is currently $233,610, or $14,000 per year.

·         For some people home sleep apnea tests have been shown to be as reliable as over-night sleep lab testing.

·         A new study has shown that psychoactive chemicals have been found in children exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke.

Did You Know That?

·         An anti-inflammatory diet protects women against fractures and bone loss.

·         Drinking wine is associated with increased possibilities of melanoma.

·         Half of adults and two-thirds of children drink one or more sugary drinks every day.

·         Processed food and fast food tend to be high in salt and sugar and low in fiber.

·         More than a third of injury-related emergency room visits are attributed to falls.

·         Peppermint oil has been shown to reduce tension headaches when applied to the temples.

·         Sesame oil has significant cardiovascular benefits.

·         Urinary bladders can hold more than two cups of urine.

·         Most people blink about 15 times a minute, which amounts to around 15,000 times a day.

·         Although used culinary as grain, amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat are not grains. Grains are seeds of the plants in the grass family, and these plants are not in the grass family.  They are more accurately classified as pseudo-grains.

·         A berberine herbal supplement works as well for lowering blood sugar for some diabetics as metformin.  Research suggests it may also reduce risk in developing diabetes.

·         Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

E-Cigarettes

 Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.  It accounts for 1 out of every 5 of these deaths.  Damage to DNA caused from smoking stays with a person for decades and in some instances does not revert to normal even after they stop smoking.  Many people believe electronic cigarettes are a healthier alternative than smoking.  Vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes that produce vapor instead of smoke, has its own list of negative health effects.   People are just trading one serious health risk for another.

E-cigarettes or e-cigs came to the US about 2007, and are not a safe alternative to smoking regular cigarettes.  An e-cig uses heat to create an aerosol that contains nicotine, flavorings, solvents, and other chemicals.  The flavorings were developed to satisfy taste buds.  Diacetyl is an artificial flavor also used for adding a buttery taste to microwave popcorn.  It can cause respiratory damage, including inflammation and permanent scarring of the airways.  It is just one of the many chemicals used to flavor e-cigarettes.  Vape flavorings like bubble gum, Dr. Pepper, and cotton candy entice young people to use e-cigarettes.  E-cigarettes may damage the lung tissue as well as affecting and damaging the brain.

Consequences of Smoking

The consequences of smoking include a higher risk for lung cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and many types of cancer.  Time is a factor in both ill effects of smoking and benefits in staying smoke free.  Both accumulate over time.  If you quit smoking at 30 years of age, you gain 10 years of life.  If you quit at 40 you gain nine years of life.  At 50 you gain six years of life and at 60 you gain three years of life.

Within 20 minutes of stopping smoking, heart rate and blood pressure drop to healthier levels.  After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels of the blood return to normal.  Within 48 hours, nerve endings begin to regrow and sense of smell and taste begin to return to normal.  Coughing and shortness of breath decrease in one month.  At two months insulin resistance normalizes, and  c   irculation improves and lung function increases in three months.   After a year of not smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.  In five years stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.  The risk of lung cancer is reduced to half that of a smoker and there is a decreased risk of mouth, throat, esophageal, bladder, cervical, and pancreatic cancers 10 years after stopping smoking.  In 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced to that of a non smoker.

When people stop smoking, there is a physical withdrawal from nicotine as well as the mental effects of quitting.  Irritability, anger, frustration, and difficulty concentrating are common challenges.  Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) includes gum, inhalers, lozenges, nasal sprays, and skin patches, all containing some nicotine.  These are of help to some people, but they must not smoke while using NRT.  Snacks, going for a walk, or lighting a candle can help avoid lighting up.  Your physician may be able to help with prescription medication as well as directing you to a support group.  There is a toll free QUIT line, 1-800-QUIT Now (1-800-784-8669).

The Shape of Ears

Some ears are described as being jumbo in size and may even protrude or stick out.  Other people have smaller, flatter ears.  The shape of the ear does have an effect on how a person hears.  Ears deliver sounds to the eardrum and eventually to the brain.  The outer flap of the ear is called the pinna and is the sound-gatherer.  Because the ear is pointed slightly to the front, it gathers more sound from what it is facing rather than from behind.  Large ear flaps should help drown out ambient noise from behind, whereas people with flatter ears may better pick up sound coming from behind.

Earlobe shapes, whether attached or free hanging, tend to be genetic and probably do not affect acoustic ability.  The swirly shape of the ear leads sound down to the auditory canal which acts as an amplifier.  At the end of the canal is the eardrum.  It is protected, hypersensitive to sound, and has the unusual ability to heal on its own, even if it is torn.  Eustachian tubes help equalize pressure, and the inner ear on the other side of the eardrum is a space filled with fluid that transmits sound waves ultimately to the brain.

The ear is a self-cleaning, self-oiling machine, eliminating the need for Q-tips.  Placing objects inside the ear can impact ear wax that is meant to capture and expel dirt.  Cleaning ears can actually dampen hearing.  Ear wax amount and type is inherited as a single gene.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is most often referred to as a vitamin.  However, it is really a steroid hormone obtained from sun exposure, food sources, and supplementation.  Common forms of vitamin D are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).  Vitamin D3 is supposed to be 87 percent more effective than vitamin D2.  Only a few foods contain vitamin D.  Salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, and fish oils are sources of vitamin D.  Cooked egg yolk and beef liver also contain vitamin D.  Milk is often fortified with vitamin D as are bread, juices, and other dairy products.  Some multivitamins may contain vitamin D.  Cooking foods variably reduces vitamin D content.  Boiled, fried, and baked foods may contain 69 to 89 percent of the original vitamin D content.  Animal sources of vitamin D are considered to be better than plant sources, which provide only vitamin D2.

Sun exposure may be the best source of vitamin D, as it provides UVB wavelengths that the body requires for vitamin D production.  However, when the temperature is lower than 50 degrees F, there is a scarcity of UVB rays.  The best time for exposure to the sun is as near to solar noon as possible.  You will produce more vitamin D more rapidly at this time.  It is recommended that you receive 20 minutes of direct sun on the skin of the arms for 4 to 5 times a week.  During the winter months, the sun may be too low in the sky to produce vitamin D in the skin.  It also may be hard to get adequate sun in cities with tall buildings.

 Skin pigmentation affects the production of vitamin D.  Fair skinned people can max out vitamin D production more rapidly than dark skinned people.  The skin around the eyes is thinner than it is on other body parts.  Skin protection is advised for this part of the body.  Excessive use of sunscreen can decrease vitamin D production by the skin as it prevents much of the ultraviolet rays from reaching the skin.