Understanding Nutrition

With release of new dietary guidelines, in form of new food pyramid, I still find that many people don't actually understand what nutrition actually means. Because of this, dietary choices can seem overwhelming. Even greater confusion can be generated by prime time news specials which only strive to educate through clever sound-bites and diet fads which lead some to believe that all of their answers are found in one single "magic food." So what is nutrition and how can you understand it in a way that helps you apply it to your life and to benefit of those you know and love? Here's an analogy I have found helpful in teaching those who attend my free Sunday Night Wellness Call.

Your body functions in a manner similar to a car assembly plant. At that plant, a steady stream of new parts, correct parts and parts in right ratios to each other are absolutely necessary in order to keep that plant open for business and running smoothly.

What would happen if someone in purchasing forgot to provide that plant with steering wheels? The cars would be almost functional. But because of a single part deficiency, that car would not be able to carry out its intended function.

If this only happened to a few cars, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. You wouldn't see any symptoms of a parts deficiency. But what if that plant had no steering wheels for an entire month? How about year? First plant would probably close, community would fail. Good people would move away and "bad elements" would most likely take over town. The lack of balanced parts would eventually lead to dire conditions.

Stop Snoring. Learn How To Stop Snoring. No More Loud zzzzzzz Period

You probably know at least one person who snores. It could be your partner, parents, grandparents, or even YOU that snore at various noise levels. Some laugh and make jokes about it, but it can be a symptom of a serious disorder called obstructive sleep apnea. And if it is obstructive sleep apnea, then it is no laughing matter; that individual needs to get evaluated by a sleep specialist. what is snoring? Snoring is a noise produced when an individual breathes (usually produced when inhaling) during sleep, which in turn causes vibration of soft palate and uvula (that thing that hangs down in back of throat). An estimated 45% of normal adults snore at least occasionally and 25% do so habitually, according American Academy of Otolaryngology. Problem snoring is more common in men and in people who are overweight. And snoring usually gets worse with advancing age. The word "apnea" means absence of breathing. Unfortunately, men are hit with more bouts of disruptive snoring than women. Sorry guys, but even if you don't think you snore, you probably do. treatment for snoring The most important point to make about treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), or Snoring Syndrome, is that effective treatment requires several related problems to be treated simultaneously 6 Factors That Can Cause Snoring Lifestyle factors In some studies is growing concern is in, many cases of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring may be related to Western culture. The risk of increased obstructive sleep apnea grows with many factors described below, many of which are problems currently rampant in our society. Correction of OSA generally requires that these factors be eliminated. At times, elimination of these factors completely resolves problem. Weight Excessive weight brought about by a sedentary lifestyle, too many rich foods, or by medically related situations such as thyroid problems, is probably leading factor contributing to OSA. Bed partners almost invariably make observation that larger their snoring spouse becomes, louder snoring sounds, and more often they hear snoring pauses followed by snorts, and a continuation of breathing (i.e., apneas -- episodes of obstructed breathing). Conversely, in a large percentage of patients, weight loss down to an ideal weight has reversed process. Smoking Smoking has numerous undesirable effects on body. Most pertinent to OSA are obstructions to airway which cigarette smoking causes: swelling of mucous membrane in nose, swelling of tissue in throat, and blockage of small vessels in lungs. Therefore, add this to another list of reasons why you should stop this nasty habit. Alcohol It is partial collapse of airway (breathing tube between nose, mouth and lungs) that is immediate cause of snoring, and its complete collapse that is immediate cause of apnea. Alcohol causes too great a relaxation of airway during sleep. This, and other effects of alcohol on body, means that it can either cause or greatly contribute to development of loud snoring and apnea. Organization of sleep There are two periods of sleep which, given right circumstances, are especially vulnerable to development of unstable breathing. These are Stage 1 sleep, which should only occur when a person is first falling asleep but can occur many times during night if sleep is poor; and REM sleep, which is time when dreaming most frequently occurs.