Insomniacs: Stop the Sheep! :: Holistic Healing :: Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals :: M-R

> Holistic Healing > Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals > M-R > omega-3 (linolenic acids)

Insomniacs: Stop the Sheep!

Counting sheep doesn’t help you nod off to sleep after all, say scientists at Oxford University. They conducted a study on 50 people with insomnia, trying different methods to help them sleep. One group went with the traditional sheep-counting technique, another conjured up blissful scenes of tranquil waterfalls and sunny holidays, and another was left to ruminate on their own. The results? Those who pictured a relaxing scene fell asleep 20 minutes earlier than usual, and the others were awake longer than ever. "Picturing an engaging scene takes up more brain space than the same dirty old sheep," says scientist Allison Harvey. "Plus it’s easier to stay with because it’s more interesting."

Source: alive #I

Beans, Beans
North Americans now recognize the importance of fibre in the diet. Legumes in their most simple, whole state are substantially nutritious and fill the need for a high-fibre, low-fat diet. Most require minimal preparation.

Catch of the Day Keeps Heart Failure Away
When women think of their health, they worry about breast cancer and osteoporosis--not heart disease. Heart disease is an issue for their grandfathers, fathers and husbands.

Catching Good Zzzz
The secret for a good night's sleep is a complete digestion of all the day's dietary, mental and emotional experiences. Over 40 million sleeping pill prescriptions are handed out in America each year.

Snooze Away Insomnia
The poet Robert Frost saw sleep as a reward for our earthly endeavours and as a blessed release from the travails of our conscious life. Still sleep, that most natural of states, remains a mystery to science.

Are You Overdue For A Brain Lube?
The consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids-the beneficial fat found in fish and fish oil-can reduce the symptoms of, and even prevent, a variety of psychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, severa.

Bean Cuisine
What can you buy for just two dollars per kilogram that will provide 8 to 10 servings, as well as an abundance of protein, fibre, iron, thiamin, and riboflavin? Dried beans, of course! Also known as legumes or pulses, they provide an essential source of daily nourishment for millions of people.

Soothe Inflammation
Inflammation is associated with a wide range of chronic and acute diseases.

Reel in Some Fish Oil
Although best known for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and arthritis, one of the hottest areas of omega-3 fatty acid research is related to brain health and behaviour.

Food Allergies: The EFA Connection
Healthy fats help give your body the natural defence mechanism it need.

The Importance of Fats for a Healthy Heart
Recent landmark studies have highlighted the important way in which long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils protect against cell membrane dysfunction and disease.

Beat the Blues
Higher fish consumption is associated with a decreased risk of depression, postpartum depression, and suicidal thought.

Really Restful, Really Relaxing
In this age of massive noise pollution and increased levels of stress, sleep disorders have become rampant. Many people are chronically sleep deprived.

Omega-3s
Most North Americans are familiar with the term "winter blues and some are affected by the decreased daylight hours of winter. This condition is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Mood Boosters
Some people are almost always in a good mood. They're happy, even-tempered, and always see the bright side of situations. They don't take themselves too seriously and they love to laugh. Keeping on the sunny side of life seems to come naturally..

The ABCs of Hypothyroidism
Thyroid hormones affect every cell in the body. In hypothyroidism, the amount of hormone secreted by the thyroid gland does not meet the body's demands.

Shopping List for a Healthy Heart

Vitamin E (100 percent natural source mixed toco.

Boost Your Brain Power
Memory loss can happen to anyone. Children with attention deficit disorder, parents under stress, students cramming for exams, and aging seniors all experience a degree of forgetfulness and lack of concentration.

Alkalinity
Your brain and body are extremely sensitive to the slightest change in the pH level of your body's vital fluids. A pH of less than seven is considered acidic, and more than seven is considered alkaline.

Omega-3 Fats
Although the trend over the last 20 years has been toward a more "fat-free diet, we now understand that the body needs essential fatty acids to control a large number of cellular processes.

Hear the Hemp Oil Buzz
My friends often ask me why I'm high on hemp. I respond by explaining the many nutritional merits of hemp foods. After suffering through their witty jokes about its distant cousin, marijuana, I pour emerald green hemp seed oil on their salad. One taste and they're hooked.

All Aglow
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in most skin conditions. As nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that a diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids from fish can influence inflammation and promote healthy skin.

Full of Beans
Blood sugar levels are easy to manage with a diet that focuses on whole foods and beans, which consistently appear on the low end of the glycemic index (a measure of how a given food will raise blood sugar when compared to pure glucose). Beans are an excellent source of protein, but they also contain protective fibre; for example, one cup (250 mL) of chickpeas provides 11 grams of fibre.

Omega-3s for Good Health
A daily balance of omega-3 essential fats is necessary for good health. Thanks to the news media and health advisors, fat-consciousness has become a part of daily life. In contrast to popular opinion that all fat is bad, there is such a thing as good fat.

We're Pregnant! Now What?
"How do I ensure a healthy pregnancy? You can have a healthy pregnancy by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet augmented with the right supplements for baby and maternal health, making sure exercise is part of your weekly routine, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Marvellous Sleep, Naturally
Insomnia is a plague in our busy lives. Trouble is that the consequences of sleep deprivation spiral beyond simple fatigue. People who are sleep starved have difficulty remembering and concentrating. Irritability rises and sense of humour evaporates. If all that weren't bad enough, recent research has connected chronic insomnia with depression, hypertension, and obesity.

Healthy Fats for Healthy Children
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required for good health by everyone, and they are especially important during infancy and childhood. This is because the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and, to some extent, the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) are critical for nervous system, brain, and retinal development.

Food and Mood
The relationship between food and mood is mediated by both psychological and physiological factors. It is clear that food can influence mood while mood can influence food choices. It is a complex relationship and based on taste, experience, expectations, culture, stressors, and nutritional status.

Moving on Up!
Just about everyone goes through an occasional bout of feeling down. Along with a better diet and daily exercise, adding a few tried and true mood boosters to your nutritional and herbal supplement program often makes a noticeable difference in a short period of time.

Legumes Lower Heart Disease Risk

Fish Oils for Heart Health

Breakfast Energizers

Stressful skin reflections

Smoking isn't pretty

Ironing out wrinkles of EFAs

Improve Your Memory

More Than Just Brain Food

Can't Sleep?
Do you have difficulty falling asleep, sleeping through the night, getting back to sleep after waking, or waking refreshed? You're not alone-lack of sleep affects about one in seven Canadians. (Makes you tired just thinking about it!)

Melatonin
Not only is melatonin the biological timekeeper for our bodies, responsible for the wake/sleep cycles, but it also has a close relationship with cortisol, our stress hormone. Insomniacs, shift workers, and travellers may want to know more about this essential hormone.

Making Sense of Soy
Soy is the Jekyll and Hyde of the plant world. With reported benefi ts often contradicted by accounts of negative effects, confusion about soy's true nature abounds. This month we explore the many faces of soy-the good, the bad, and the unknown.

Acne's Oily Secret
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in unwanted skin conditions. Now, as nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that dietary choices can influence inflammation in all parts of the human body, including the skin.

Comfort Cuisine
These colder months call for comforting hot stews. Not only does it feel wonderful to cozy up to a warm soup, but when you fill that soup pot with healthy ingredients, you'll cozy up to a bowl bursting with nutrients!

Stress Less
Many Canadians suffer from stress. It’s the root cause of numerous health challenges we experience. Finding ways to reduce stress is essential to improve our health and our quality of life.

Back in black
“Eat the rainbow” may be good advice, but in the name of good health and a pampered palate, consider occasionally looking to the dark side.