Can Nutritional Supplements Help You Look Younger?

Why do we need nutritional supplements? Many of us, in today’s hurried lifestyle, do not eat a well balanced diet. Because of this we need nutritional supplements to boost our daily diet. We have seen numerous commercials for overweight bodies. When was the last time you saw a commercial about getting nutritional supplements, not just broad spectrum vitamins? We have become a nation of over fed and under nourished citizens.Eating the right foods is great…BUT. The nutritional value of our food has diminished considerably in the last 50 or so years and this makes it necessary to take nutritional supplements. Our diet contains too much refined food and not enough pre-processed food. Unless you grow your own fruits and vegetables you will need to get your nutrients from another source, like nutritional supplements.Nutritional supplements fill the holes that processed foods leave in our diet. Not having enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,
Speeds the aging process
Contributes to poor cardiovascular health
Helps cause poor eyesight
Produces a weakened immune system.
Many factors cause degeneration of your body’s cells. Some factors are
Radiation exposure
Cigarette smoke
Overexposure to the sun’s rays.
Some nutritional supplements work at cell level, some do not. Make sure your nutritional supplements work at cell level. The nutritional supplements must contain enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to supplement our daily diet. Combining a good diet with nutritional supplements and regular exercise will provide us with the basics to fuel our bodies. Adding nutritional supplements and exercise to our busy lives will give us more energy. The use of nutritional supplements can also slow the aging process.For the past 5 years or so we have heard much about antioxidants and free radicals, and for a good reason. If the free radicals in our systems are not neutralized they will run rampant in our bodies. The free radicals will damage our bodies at the cellular level. Here is where nutritional supplements can help. This damage over time will escalate and eventually lead to the acceleration of the aging process. The aging process usually manifests itself as heart disease, cancer, or osteoporosis. Diets alone do not supply enough antioxidants to combat this process. That is why your nutritional supplement must contain these antioxidants.Health and nutrition experts say that the basis for good cardiovascular health is a nutrient rich diet, exercise, watching your cholesterol level, and monitoring your blood pressure. The cholesterol and blood pressure levels should be periodically checked by your health provider. Nutritional supplements added to your diet can help improve these factors. Your nutritional supplements should contain a garlic extract (unless you are a garlic lover like me and eat it every day!). Garlic has been shown to be of great benefit in decreasing cardiovascular disease.Nearly all eye damage and loss of vision can be linked to poor nutrition! Poor nutrition can be directly linked to blood shot eyes, blurred vision, and nearly EVERY eye irritation we suffer. Nutritional supplements can help here too. To help reduce vision problems the nutritional supplements needs to contain Vitamins A, B, C, and E, in large enough quantities. Natural food sources for these are in dark green leafy vegetables (Kale and mustard greens, etc) orange fruits and vegetables (like carrots and oranges).I have only listed just a few factors here to show how important nutritional supplements are. Nutritional supplements are normally a combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Taking one of the nutrients (like Vitamin C for example) and or one antioxidant and ignoring the rest isn’t good. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all work together to promote a healthy body.Get a list of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from your health care provider. Armed with this information read the labels of the nutritional supplements that you are considering (check several). Your health is too important to not check these. Get high quality nutritional supplements and you are on your way to a healthier life!Find a game plan and if it works, stick with it. I did!

Four Keys to Mental Health Recovery

Mental illnesses can be crippling and demoralizing. One can find endless advice on maintaining one’s mental health and on recognizing a mental illness, but today I would like to distill the critical factors for mental health recovery into four succinct points. The four most critical factors in mental health recovery are: housing, employment, stabilization of medication and symptom interference, and the development of a social network.Housing is one of the most basic human needs, regardless of whether one has a mental illness or is considered entirely healthy. When one reviews the statistics, the rate of homeless individuals who suffer from an untreated mental illness is positively alarming. What is even worse is if these individuals cannot afford basic shelter, there is little hope that they are receiving proper medications, meaning a continual downward spiral is about to take place. Obtaining stable housing is likely the most important factor for mental healthcare consumers on the road to recovery.Now it is time to explore what practitioners and consumers alike can do to obtain housing. For mental health practitioners, one must focus upon finding affordable or government subsidized housing for the mental healthcare consumer, ideally in a situation which removes them from their immediate environment (as it is prone to lead to relapses or continued substance abuses, etc.). Most major cities have government subsidized low-income apartment complexes that you can look into for such consumers. For the mental healthcare receiver, one must recognize that housing is critical to almost every function in life and seeking out housing in a shelter is far better than winding up on the streets. Also, an address will be required to find employment and to receive social security insurance payments if the qualifications for such payments are met, thus making housing crucial to mental health recovery.Once one finds housing, employment is essential on the road to empowerment and self-sustainability. One point is critical however: do not take on too much too fast. It is OK to re-enter the workforce slowly. Take a part time position, adjust to that, and if you feel you are ready after a month or two, take on a full-time position. This is also a great time to go back to school if you have been looking into that. Anything with a technical skill will put you in much better standing so lean towards that if you can.For mental healthcare practitioners interested in enrolling their consumers in higher education as part of their treatment plans, a great place to guide them is into computer courses dealing with Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL, C++, Java, C#, or Python programming. Such jobs are in huge demand, have good salaries, and can even be done remotely from home in many situations.With employment comes concern of money management. If an individual with a mental illness cannot responsible manage their money, a family member or treatment center fund should be given control of the individual’s funding. Now this is a very touchy subject so if a mental health consumer is in fact relinquishing control of funding to insure no purchase of illegal substances occurs, one must insure the controlling program is reputable, in good standing, and competently managed.Medication and symptom stabilization is the third of the four keys to mental health recovery. The proper ratio of medications can take time and does alter one’s chemical and hormonal balances, thus can be a rather painful process, but it is worth the battle. So many breakdowns are due to mental health consumers going off their medications or improper medication balances, which is a travesty considering the avoidability of said occurrences. Take the time to find the right combination, this will allow for stabilization of symptom interference levels, which will then contribute to one’s ability to maintain adequate employment therein ability to afford appropriate housing and independence.The fourth and final key to mental health recovery is building a strong, proactive social network. Isolation and alienation are very common among those with a mental illness who have experienced a severe psychotic break. One must seek out a supportive network, be it consisting of family, friends, or other individuals on the road to recovery from their own mental illness. The American Clubhouse model for mental healthcare facilities is great for finding an active social network. While some consumers complain that such groups solely sit around and talk, over time this talking will turn into productive, employment oriented endeavors. One must, however, remove themselves from any social network that could contribute to a relapse of the original mental condition.Housing, employment, stabilization, and social network development are the critical keys to mental health recovery. Housing drives employment, employment makes housing affordable. Employment allows for the ability to afford proper medications, which leads to stabilization. Stabilization consequently aids employment, thus making housing an even greater reality. All of this is dependent upon the loving support of a social network. These are the keys to mental health recovery. For access to a recovery-based clinic, click on the links below!

Life After Retirement – How to Enjoy Your New Lifestyle

There is no denying the fact that when you retire your lifestyle too changes. This does not in anyway mean that you will no longer lead a happy and contended life. Retirement can be beautiful if you plan it well. Unlike in years gone by, planning for life after retirement requires much more thought and more money simply because our expectations are much higher today.  The desire to lead a carefree lifestyle after retirement is certainly uppermost in the minds of most people.Some priority areas you should consider are:Health:Your health should be your first major concern after retirement. How best you can maintain good health and remain active will determine the lifestyle you will be able to enjoy in the years to come. Proper diet and a daily walk for about forty five minutes will keep you fit and healthy. Additionally joining a Senior Citizens Club and participating in their social activities and regular exercise programs will be helpful.Part-Time Work or Voluntary Work:Let us face the fact that all of us humans possess a certain amount of ego and pride and our jobs gave us the opportunity to display them.  That has all disappeared now. This happens to everyone who retires from active service and this is what life is all about.Instead of worrying, think of ways and means of adopting yourself to the changing circumstances.If you are fit and active and if you need an additional income, you can find a part-time job that you will be happy with. If you are unable to get one, the next best thing is to look for a voluntary job. Many organizations are manned by retired personnel whose work ethics are greatly valued and appreciated.  Doing a voluntary job, helping people can be very satisfying and gives you the added satisfaction of continuing to be in the public eye even after retirement.Computer and the Internet:Today the computer and the internet provide you with a wonderful opportunity to keep yourself occupied for several hours in your new lifestyle. This is indeed a blessing for many retirees who are knowledgeable about the use of the computer. News from around the world, music, videos, complete novels are all right there at your finger tips. You could also be in touch with your kith and kin by e-mail. Those not conversant with the use of the computer can easily gain proficiency by attending special classes conducted for senior citizens.The computer and the internet also provide you with a great opportunity to earn an additional income while keeping yourself mentally active. Thus life after retirement can be financially remunerative too.You can enroll yourself with online paid survey companies and participate in online surveys for which you will be remunerated. Participating in online auctions by enrolling yourself with e-Bay or other auction sites is another popular way of earning an additional income. An easy way of getting started is to sell your own items that you have discarded and stored away in the basement or attic.Starting a Blog is another way of keeping yourself occupied and giving expression to your views and thoughts online while at the same time monetizing your Blog with Google AdSense and other affiliate programs.Conclusion:With better living standards and the improved quality of life, the present perception of life after retirement is not about age but more about the state of your mind. It is what you think you are. So dump your fears about age and retirement and start enjoying your new lifestyle.