It seems that many people are now discovering the health benefits derived from drinking green tea. Known to the Chinese and other Asiatic peoples for centuries, green tea, found to contain high amounts of Catachin Polyphenols, otherwise known as anti-oxidants, not only are excellent fighters of Cardio Vascular disease, but have also been found to be effective in the treatment of many kinds of cancer.

One of the most important of these antioxidants, Epigallocatechin Gallate, usually known by the initials EGCG, appears to not only inhibit the growth of many cancer cell, but actually destroys them. In comparison with people in western cultures, Asian people who drink large amounts of green have been found to have reduced risks in contracting diseases like cancer of the esophagus by as much as 60%. In a manner very much comparable to French and other Southern Europeans who drink large amounts of red wine, green tea reduces blood cholesterol levels dramatically and helps prevent the formation of plaque in the arteries, as well as blood clots – one of the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes.

Why is green tea much healthier than regular processed tea? The secret is found in the processing of the Camellia Sinesis plant from which the tea is made. The leaves are steamed, preventing the loss of the important EGCG anti-oxidant. While still containing caffeine, green tea retains the vital anti-oxidants that enable it to provide its beneficial health value.

Other Chinese teas, such as black and oolong tea, also contain levels of EGCG antioxidants. But their benefits as much less due to losing much of the EGCG levels during processing.

Besides fighting cardio-vascular disease and cancer, green tea is also effective against rheumatoid arthritis, infections, and impaired immune functions.

How much green tea should be drank per day to achieve the most benefits? There are many theories on the quantity of green tea consumption; but studies have found that drinking at least 10 cups of green tea per day prevents the formation of cancers for several years longer than for people drinking fewer than 5 cups per day. It has also been found that older people drinking similar quantities of green tea have less problems with rheumatoid arthritis, a common disease in old age. Japanese women who drink higher quantities of green tea are less likely to have breast cancer than those who do not.

When brewing a cup of green tea, it is recommended to let the bag steep in just boiled water for at least 3 minutes. After removing the bag, the liquid should be allowed to cool a bit before drinking. If this seems like a bit too much to do for many people in our modern, rushed society, it’s worthwhile in the end, in order to achieve the tea’s maximum benefits.

In addition to the standard or ‘classic’ version, green tea can also be purchased with flavors including, mint, lemongrass, cinnamon, apple, and other flavors.

Many people remember when their mothers made them take a disgusting tablespoon full of cod liver oil daily. Though it was said that this preparation, made from the livers and other parts of codfish was supposed to be good for you, the ordeal of having to swallow this foul tasting stuff was something many children could only endure if given a small bribe.

It’s only been recently that the benefits of fish oil containing an ingredient known as Omega 3, is very beneficial for maintaining good health. Eating fish has been shown to be an excellent source of both protein and two important non-saturated fatty acids, Eicosapentcenoic Acid (EBA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), which are very beneficial in helping to reducing cholesterol levels and helping to prevent heart disease. Though nutrition experts recommend that people eat fatty fish such as cod, mackerel, sardines, and tuna, for many, these fish are either not readily available or just not desirable (many people simply cannot stand eating fish). Omega 3 is also rich in vitamin E, a powerful anti-oxidant which not protects the body against cardio vascular disease but many forms of cancer as well.

Omega 3 is now available in gel capsule form, making it easy to take by everyone, including those who are disgusted with the thought of eating fish. By taking at least two 500 mg capsules a day, either during of after meals, the benefits of Omega 3 will work its wonders in our system. Studies made have shown that taking Omega 3 capsules are beneficial in the following manners:

1. they decrease the risks of blood clots which can lead to sudden cardiac deaths such as embolism
2. they decrease tryclyceride levels (fats in the blood)
3. they decrease the risks of atherosclerotic plaque which restrict blood flow through the arteries to the heart

Since Omega 3 also is a blood thinner, people with blood clotting problems should consult as physician before taking it. Despite this problem, the benefits of taking Omega 3 fatty acids far outweigh any cautions for their use.

Omega 3 capsules are available in pharmacies and stores setting vitamin supplements. It is recommended to store them in a refrigerator once the bottle has been opened.

Omega 3 fatty acids can also be found in flax seed oil, canola oil and in Soya products such as soya oil and tofu. These products contain alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) which the body can convert to Omega 3 fatty acids. A higher level is found directly in either fatty fish or fish oil, however.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore may not yet be running again for the Presidency, but his message is definitely clear, unless immediate steps are made to protect the environment and reverse global warming, our continued life on Earth is definitely at risk. Speaking during a recent hour long interview on CNN’s Larry King Live program, Mr. Gore related in depth his opinions on how lack of intense effort on the part of the present U.S. Administration is spelling disaster to our quality of life, if not life itself.

Mr. Gore’s Academy Award winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, gave a not very optimistic account on how the worlds’ eco-system has been severely damaged by Man’s obsession with the use of fossil fuels and other dangerous pollutants, which, in Gore’s opinion, is largely responsible for the state of our environment, including melting Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves at an alarming pace. Gore’s concern for world environment problems goes back many years when he became concerned with many species of animals becoming extinct including a small species of owl that used to inhabit the redwood forest regions of Oregon and Washington State. That concern as well as for the decrease in the atmosphere’s ozone layer (that protective layer against the sun’s damaging radiation) gave him the title of “Mr. Ozone” and made him the brunt of jokes by entertainment comedians including NBC’s Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

Judging from current realities regarding severe changes in our environment, particularly weather patterns, people are laughing less at “Mr. Ozone” and are now beginning to listen to his warning. Gore’s severe criticism of the Bush Administration’s lack of attention to this increasing problem is one the former VP’s main topics these days. That President George Bush has refused to have his country join the global effort to curtail use of fossil fuels “because it would be damaging to the U.S. economy” is most likely due the President’s own family interest in the oil business, as well as that of his Vice President, Dick Chaney, whose long career with the international oil well servicing company Halliburton has been in the news several times. The Bush family also appears to have close relations with the Saudi Royal Family, from whose country the U.S. still receives nearly 20% of its total petroleum supplies. Although some current attention is beginning to filter out of the Oval Office of the White House, especially in the aftermath of American eco-disasters like Hurricane Katrina, this attention is far less than it should be to help reverse what may become an irreversible ecological trend.

America isn’t the only ecological culprit though, as fast developing nations such as China are consuming fossil fuels in alarming amounts with little or no ecological controls. China’s number of private automobiles alone has more than quadrupled in past five years alone; and its heavy industries have become one of the world’s prime consumers of fuels such as coal and fuel oil, and has turned this country housing more than a fifth of the world’s population into one of the worst polluted.

The melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice is expected cause the worlds oceans to rise at least 7 to 10 meters in the next 10 to 20 years. That’s enough to inundate most world coastal towns and cities, in which at least a billion of the world’s population live. Outside of the possible extinction of many varieties of animal species, including polar bears, seals and walruses, and many species of birds, The oceans themselves will be less able to support marine animals and vegetation as they will become too acid in their content, thus killing the marine vegetation on which many marine animals thrive, and reducing the water’s oxygen content by as much as 25%.

Whether of not Gore does decide to throw his hat into the Democratic Party Presidential race, his message is certainly worth listening to and acting upon. Despite the current Administration’s apprehensions, a few years of ecological ‘adjustment’ is paramount, including drastic curtailment of the use of fossil fuels and switching over to more environmentally friendly energy sources, such as solar energy and hydrogen based fuels. If this doesn’t occur, our future on this planet, an “island we cannot leave”, may be very unpleasant indeed.

We simply have to listen before it will be too late.

Al Gore in an interview about Global warming …

Our modern society, especially in the United States and the U.K., often encourages people to become lazy and less likely to take care of their bodies. Improper diets of high levels of carbohydrates, sugars, and fats (particularly saturated fats) not only results and increased weigh gain, but can even shorten our very lives by as much as 10 or more years. The term “couch potato”, referring to people who spend their leisure time sitting in front of the T.V. and consuming quantities of snack foods, is an all too common phenomenon in today’s modern society. As a result, many children and adults have not only become grossly overweight, but are even obese; not only making their lives miserable but shortening them as well.

A number of things can be done to help alleviate this problem, without resorting to fad dieting, and spending large sums of money on weight loss dietary supplement products; which in the end may not only be ineffective, but health damaging as well. People can not only lose weight but tone up their bodies by making adjustments in their daily diets by consuming more green vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains, as well as becoming involved in a daily program of moderate exercise. Moderate exercise can be in various forms, including swimming (if available) fast walking in their neighborhood for at least half an hour per day (or in a shopping mall, if more convenient), and exercises at home.

While not everybody has a gym or health club available to them, especially due to logistical factors as well as sheer costs of belonging to one, everyone has the ability to walk or jog as well as do exercises at home, including push and sit ups, knee bends, and other floor exercises that can be done with a simple pad or small mattress laid out in one’s living room.

Another thing that can be done is simply to east less. Scientific studies have found that people who consume approximately 20% fewer calories per day, based on a normal diet, can add 5 or more years to their life. Many people eat more food than they should at a meal simply because the food is there, and not because they are actually hungry! It is amazing that by simply stopping to eat after a certain quantity is consumed will result in a person not feeling hungry after a few moments. By skipping that extra helping of potatoes, bread, and especially a heavy desert (eat something light instead like sherbet instead of ice cream, etc.) one can actually gain less weight, as well as feel better.

So instead to spending your weekends consuming pizza and other junk food while watching a ball game on your 40 ” LCD screen, go out and exercise a bit. You’ll feel better – and live longer!

How does one live in harmony with all the forces within nature? More suitably, what discipline is the right choice for “arranging” all of life’s locations to where the most will be gained; especially in the areas of health, peace and prosperity?

The answer to these questions can be found in applying an ancient Chinese discipline known to its followers as Feng Shui, or Fire and Water. This discipline, said to be more than 4,000 years old, teaches its followers to arrange the ’space’ within their lives in order to realize the most advantageous with the surroundings in which a person lives and works. Feng Shui is so much practiced in the Far East that businessmen will not make changes or open an enterprise in a new location without first consulting an expert in the practice of Fen Shui. For example, when designing a restaurant, office suite, store, or other business enterprise, the Feng Shui adviser will be brought to the location to advise what décor, furnishings, even plants and other greenery are needed to create the greatest harmony and benefit for the amount of space utilized. Without this assistance, these entrepreneurs feel they will not be successful in their venture.

Incorporating this discipline is an eight sided diagram known as the Bagua, derived from the book of Ching, or changes, which is actually a map to survey the parts of the floor plan which best correspond to the ideal sections of life; including wisdom and knowledge, family, health, career, and beneficiaries of all of these positive forces. The Bagua is like a ‘floorplan’, much like a blueprint or schematic diagram is used by a master builder to construct an edifice.

On each of the eight sides of the Bagua, a different design or Ching is drawn and laid out to correspond with the level of importance that is desired. If it is then indicated that something is missing from a particular area, then more changes will be introduced to make the weaker area stronger. Perhaps it is in the area of health or wisdom that needs to be strengthened, for example. The Feng Shui practitioner will then help to arrange the proper solutions, such colors, furniture fabrics, plants, etc. to help bring a more complete harmony to the whole.

Feng Shui societies are increasing in popularity everywhere, and this includes Western countries, especially North America. As this ancient discipline increases in popularity, it may help to bring more peace and harmony to an otherwise less complete life environment.

This is an amazing video and something you don’t see every day. Watch this until the end - it’s worth it.

Jackie Mason on the treadmill…