The Skinny on CholesterolWritten by Thomas M. Manger, MD, PhD
There is always a fair amount of controversy surrounding cholesterol. It's in news, in our diets, and in our bodies. Let's start with some background.Cholesterol is a molecule that is in "sterol" family. This family of chemicals are building blocks for many important body compounds, including sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen), stress hormones (cortisol and cortisone), bile acids that are used in digestion, vitamin D, and other vital component of your cells' membranes. Your liver makes as much cholesterol as your body requires, and estimates how much to make based on your dietary intake of saturated fats (among other cues). As you can see, cholesterol is truly a vital need for normal body function and physiology. However, problems arise when liver makes too much cholesterol. Cholesterol is also one of components of athersclerosis. These are plaques and deposits that develop in arteries throughout body and can form in arteries that feed heart, brain, and limbs. If plaques become too large or thick, they lead to chest pain ("angina") and heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation. In United States, about 8 out of 10 people die from diseases related to athersclerosis! There other factors that influence your risk for athersclerosis, so don't think cholesterol is only culprit. Smoking is a huge risk, but that is for another time. So Doc, now we know it's bad, what can we do about it? How do we lower our blood cholesterol level? One way to influence your cholesterol level is by limiting amount of saturated fat you eat. Saturated fats, put simply, are those that are solid at room temperature. Examples include butter or margarine, lard, and many animal fats. Contrast these with unsaturated fats which are liquid at room temperature (olive oil, canola oil, and most plant fats). First and foremost, no matter what "diet" you eat, you should strive to keep saturated fats to a minimum. Too many saturated fats will cause your blood cholesterol to rise, putting you at greater risk for athersclerosis.
| | The Power of Personal DisciplineWritten by Donald Schnell
Article Title: The Power of Personal Discipline Author Name: Dr. Donald Schnell Contact Email Address: Donald@spiritualjava.com Word Count: 364 Category: Personal Development, Motivation, Self Help Copyright Date: 2003 ******************************************** Publishing Guidelines: Thank you for publishing this article in its entirety including resource box. When possible, please notify me of publication by sending either a website link or a copy of your ezine upon publication via email to Donald@SpiritualJava.com Thank You! ******************************************** The Power of Personal Discipline ©2003 Dr. Donald Schnell How can you use power of personal discipline to improve quality of your life today? What areas need your attention right now? Perhaps you've had a disagreement with someone you love or someone who loves you, and your anger won't allow you to speak to that person. This is perfect time to bring discipline into your life. Perhaps you are on brink of giving up, being frustrated, starting out, or even starting over. What lies between you and your future success? What is bridge that will allow you to cross over to your future? Discipline. Specifically, a special type of discipline - self imposed discipline. This new discipline will make you try harder and work more intensely then you ever thought you could. Don't wait until things deteriorate to point of disaster. Start your discipline today. Discipline for you, might mean getting up 30 minutes earlier to work on that special project, report, or other task that needs to be cleared.
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