PreDisease.com Blog

Hot flashes. Sleepless nights. Ugly mood swings. The “change of life” certainly brings does bring about changes, doesn’t it? The problem is most of them are changes women can do without. As a matter of fact, many times they are so unbearable women will do just about anything to get rid of them, including taking medication. The problem with that is that synthetic hormones, those usually prescribed by doctors, come with their own set of perils.

Synthetic menopause hormone therapy can lead to bloating, blood clots, sexual dysfunction, stroke, and the risk of cancer. Because of this frightening list women who decide to try hormone treatment usually do so for a short period of time and take the lowest dose possible. Once their symptoms disappear or become more manageable, they stop taking the drug.

For some women synthetic hormone therapy isn’t even an option. Women who have had breast or uterine cancer, have a history of blood clots, have liver or heart disease, or problems with vaginal bleeding are not candidates for this type of therapy.

Perimenopause

Even women who have not fully entered menopause have worrisome menopause symptoms and seek relief. Perimenopause is when women began their transition into menopause and lasts 2 to 8 years. Usually menstrual irregularities begin sometime in the 40s, however, some may start noticing changes in their mid-30s.

During this time women experience menstrual irregularities, hot flashes and insomnia, irritability or depression, vaginal and urinary problems, and decrease libido. Even though medication is often prescribed to treat the symptoms, it’s important to understand that menopause is not an illness. It’s a natural stage of life where women’s ovaries stop producing estrogen. This causes her reproductive system to slowly cease functioning.

A natural alternative to synthetic hormone therapy

Natural hormones contain products derived from plants. The body actually recognizes them as being a natural substance and will therefore readily utilize the product. The side effects seen with synthetic hormones do not exist when natural hormones are used. Even better, natural hormones deal with more than hot flashes, water retention, or insomnia. They combat many of the different symptoms menopause can bring about.

Why take a chance, even for a short while, on a synthetic hormone that carries such risks as cancer and heart disease? Luckily, there is an alternative, one that many authorities believe to be superior to synthetic hormones.

Preemptive Meds’ PreMenora™ eases symptoms safely and naturally

PreMenora™ is an all-natural supplement based on a formulation that contains 10 botanicals acting together to relieve the symptoms of perimenopause. Doctors from across the United States and Canada have recommended treatment with PreMenora™ so women can find relief from their symptoms without having to resort to synthetic hormone therapy. That way you can have your symptoms in control before the onset of full-blown menopause.

With PreMenora™ hot flashes, night sweats, bloating, insomnia, vaginal dryness, tiredness, and irritation decrease up to 80%. Libido, attentiveness, memory, and bone and joint health increase.

Now you have a choice. If you’re suffering through the symptoms of perimenopause or you are already in menopause, you don’t have to rely on dangerous synthetic hormones. PreMenora™ is 100% natural and safe with no known side effects. And it’s extremely affordable at only $9 per week, which is less than many prescription co-pays.

You can find out more about PreMenora™ by visiting this website.

Every woman will experience menopause at some point during her lifetime. While it is a very natural phase of a woman’s life cycle, it can also bring with it some uncomfortable and in some cases, serious, symptoms. Right now, it is estimated 6,000 women reach menopause every day in the US, that’s about 2 million women every year.

Menopause is essentially the time when a woman ceases to have a menstrual cycle. As a woman ages, her estrogen levels naturally decrease and her ovaries slowly stop producing eggs. A woman typically reaches this menopausal state between the ages of 35 and 50, although in 10 percent of cases, doctors are now finding women do not experience changes in their menstrual flow.

Prior to menopause, women go through a stage called perimenopause. During this time, a woman’s body begins the transition into menopause. Typically, perimenopause lasts anywhere from two to eight years, plus another year following her final period. Estrogen levels rise and fall at irregular intervals during perimenopause. A woman’s menstrual cycles may increase or shorten, and she could begin to have menstrual cycles in which she doesn’t ovulate, so she would be unable to become pregnant during this time. For the most part, a woman will start to notice signs of impending menopause sometime during her 40s, although in some cases, a woman may actually enter this cycle during her early or mid-30s. According to the North American Menopause Society, the average age for perimenopause is actually 47.5 years.

As a woman goes through this natural change, her body also undergoes a myriad of changes brought on by the gradual loss of ovarian function. This action triggers dramatic shifts in four hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle: estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). These hormonal changes can bring about numerous symptoms, which include a slowing of her metabolism, often resulting in weight gain, a loss in bone mass and strength, mood swings, fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, irritability, headaches, hot flashes accompanied by heart palpitations and dizziness, increased sweating, muscles aches and pains, water retention, vaginal dryness, a loss of muscle tone and changes to her breast size, shape and firmness and even depression. Not all women will experience every symptom and some women may experience more intense changes than others depending on a combination of her genetic makeup and lifestyle.

Post menopause typically brings some relief to symptoms. Once the body has completed the menopausal cycle and a woman has not had a period in over one year, symptoms tend to subside, although there are serious health risks linked to decreased estrogen levels. Post menopausal women are at higher risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer and ovarian cancer for example. In 2000, there were 45.6 million postmenopausal women in the US, 39.9 million of which were over 51. According to the International Menopause Society, over half of all women over 50 will experience a bone fracture caused by osteoporosis. As well, menopausal women are 33 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a condition in women researchers are now linking to menopause.

By 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 1.1 billion women will be over the age of 50. This being the case, it is currently suggested a woman will actually spend 33 – 50 percent of her life in post menopause, so it becomes increasingly important she starts to take care of her body now, especially during the time leading up to post menopause.

Conventional medicine tends to look to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a way to treat menopause. Synthetic estrogen and progesterone are typically used in an attempt to even out declining hormone levels. In many cases this therapy may reduce climacteric symptoms such as flushing, insomnia and sweating and osteoporosis but many women on synthetic estrogens may suffer from irregular vaginal bleeding and studies now show there is an increased risk of breast cancer and/or endometrial cancer when using HRT.[1] Other studies suggest HRT also dramatically increases a woman’s risk of heart disease and thrombosis especially in women who start the therapy years after menopause.[2]

As studies continue to uncover the risks of HRT, many women are now turning to natural HRT and menopause relief. Studies repeatedly show there are many herbs, vitamins and supplements that can help provide natural relief from vaginal dryness, hot flashes and other bothersome symptoms of menopause without the risks associated with synthetic HRT.

Saraca indica, for example, is a herbal menopause treatment shown to decrease symptoms of menopause through its natural steroidal properties. Shatavari, also known as asparagus racemosus, is a widely used herbal treatment for menopause. It is essentially considered an aphrodisiac or fertility enhancer in women and has beneficial effects on the female reproductive system during menopause. This natural herbal remedy also has considerable cooling effects on the body, which makes it an effective natural treatment for hot flashes.

Another helpful herbal treatment for menopause is actea racemosa or black cohosh. This natural treatment is widely used in Germany as a natural treatment for hot flashes, depression and sleep disturbances often experienced during menopause. Ashwagandha (withania somnifera) is a very popular herbal remedy for menopausal symptoms such as insomnia and mood swings. It is also known as Indian Ginseng. Other helpful herbs include bacoppa monnier (brahmi), Celastrus paniculata (jyotismati), Cyperus rotundus (Xiang fu), Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) and aloe vera. There is also increasing evidence that nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and wheat germ are effective natural treatments for menopause, especially for bone loss associated with decreased estrogen levels.

Today, women have more choices than ever when it comes to treating menopause symptoms. Evidence clearly shows synthetic HRT is increasingly dangerous and any benefits are far outweighed by the risk associated with this type of treatment. Natural remedies are just as effective for most symptoms and are clinically proven safe. When looking for a natural herbal treatment for menopause, look for a supplement that incorporates a variety of herbs and nutrients that will treat a wide range of symptoms. It is also important to find a supplement that uses the proper ratio of therapeutic properties of each specific herb so that it can be effectively assimilated by the body.

For more information about natural herbal treatments for menopause, visit: www.premenora.com.

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[1] Koukoulis GN. Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;900:422-8.

[2] British Medical Journal, 2007; 335: 239-44

At one time or another, we have all experienced some form of joint and or muscle pain. Imagine now, feeling that same pain every day for the rest of your life. Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69.9 million Americans do. In fact 1 in every 3 people is now diagnosed with arthritis. It is further estimated that by 2030, this number will rise by another 40 percent with 25 percent of the population being so afflicted with the disease, they will be forced to limit their regular daily activities.[1]

Arthritis is the general name for over 100 different diseases that affect the joints, the surrounding tissues and other connective tissues. The three most common forms of the disease are osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia. People suffering from OA and RA typically show signs of degeneration in the joints of the hands, knee, foot, wrist, hip and/or spine. As well, as of 2005, an estimated 5 million people were diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disease that is still not well understood.[2] People who suffer from this very debilitating condition also tend to exhibit symptoms such as insomnia, headaches, morning stiffness and problems focusing and remembering, often referred to as “fibro fog.”

Other types of arthritis include such things as gout, lupus, bursitis/tendonitis and even Lyme disease. Right now, arthritis is the most widespread cause of disability among Americans over 15. According to the CDC, almost 41 percent of people diagnosed with arthritis also report limited ability to participate in normal activities such as walking, climbing stairs and bending or kneeling.[3] Further, over 30 percent also have limited work ability.[4] Studies show people with arthritis have over 50 percent more sick days than otherwise healthy people and 33 percent more days in which they experience limited ability to function both at home and in the workplace.[5]

Almost 50 percent of all cases of arthritis are in people under the age of 65, 70 percent of which tend to be women.[6] Sadly, an estimated 294,000 children under 18 also currently suffer from some form of arthritis.[7] This puts considerable strain on not only these individuals but also caregivers, employers and ultimately, the economy. In 2003 alone, arthritis cost the US economy over $128 billion, a jump of almost 33 percent since 1997 and a number that is only expected to rise over the next few decades.[8]

Fortunately, arthritis does not simply appear without warning. People who eventually develop diagnosable arthritis have likely shown symptoms such as fatigue, unexplained weight loss, persistent pain, swelling, stiffness and difficulty moving one or more of their joints for some time. Often in the early stages, these symptoms can come and go so people tend to dismiss cautionary signs once they subside, which is unfortunate because this is the time when preventive care is most critical. Once arthritis sets in, there is no cure for the disease. Symptoms such as inflammation and pain can be treated with medications but the majority of these drugs also cause side effects including kidney disease, heart attack and even death.

Fortunately, there are many natural treatments, vitamins and supplements for arthritis that offer many of the same healing properties of medications, without the damaging side effects.

Rosemary, for instance, is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it is often used in natural arthritis remedies. Tumeric is another clinically proven natural remedy for such things as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia as it is shown to work directly on the neurotransmitters that cause pain.[9] Tumeric is further shown to lower histamine levels, which can prevent the overproduction of COX-2, an enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain.[10] Other studies show ginger is also an effective natural remedy for fibromyalgia since it can help reduce the inflammation that causes pain.

Other less recognizable herbs such as eriobotrya japonica are also proven to be a natural herbal remedy for rheumatoid arthritis.[11] Polygonum cuspidatum, or Hu Zhang, is an excellent anti-inflammatory, shown in some studies to be more effective than several medications.

Further beneficial supplements for arthritis include Chinese goldthread, oregano, skullcap and green tea. Clinical studies demonstrate that when combined in the correct proportions, all of these natural herbal remedies can effectively treat and help prevent the onset of arthritis. The key however, is to recognize the warning signs of the disease and act quickly. Ignoring symptoms such as pain, swelling and joint stiffness can ultimately lead to serious chronic disease.

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[1] Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, USA(2006)

[2] Arthritis Rheum 2008;58(1):26–35.

[3] MMWR 2006;55(40):1089-1092.

[4] MMWR 2005;54(5):119–123.

[5] J Rheumatology 2003;30(1):160–6.

[6] MMWR 2006;55(40):1089-1092

[7] Arthritis Care Res 2007;57:1439-1445

[8] MMWR 2007;56(01):4-7.

[9] J Ethnopharmacol. 1991 May-Jun;33(1-2):91-5.

[10] Deodhar SD, Sethi R, Srimal RC. Preliminary studies on antirheumatic activity of curcumin (diferuloyl methane). Ind J Med Res 1980;71:632-4.

[11] Mix, K. S., Mengshol, J. A., Benbow, U., Vincenti, M. P., Sporn, M. B. and Brinckerhoff, C. E. 200. A synthetic triterpenoid selectively inhibits the induction of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 13 by inflammatory cytokines. Arthritis Rheum. 44: 1096-1104.

Do you know your numbers?

The first step in getting your cholesterol under control is to know what the normal ranges are. That way you can know when you are in or out of the danger zone. Total cholesterol levels should be less than 200. HDL cholesterol should be greater than 50. LDL cholesterol should be less than 70. Those are the optimal numbers. And while it’s important to lower your bad cholesterol, doctors are now telling us we need to really concentrate on raising good cholesterol or HDL, too.

Here are five tips for boosting your good cholesterol level.

1. If you smoke, quit. Everyone knows smoking is bad for you in so many ways. But what you may not know is that smoking also decreases your HDL cholesterol. Not only that, it actually changes the chemical composition of HDL which entirely wipes out the beneficial effects of it anyway. It’s been shown that quitting smoking can raise your good cholesterol by 10%.

2. Shed the pounds. Extra weight is detrimental to good cholesterol. Just losing a few pounds can turn this around. There are so many reasons to take off excess weight — knowing you can increase your HDL and take better care of your heart should be even more motivation.

3. Get moving. If you are a couch potato here’s a good reason to get up and start moving. Within just a couple months consistent aerobic exercise can raise your HDL cholesterol as much as 5%. The best way to do that is to engage in some kind of brisk exercise five days a week in 30-minute sessions. Try walking, swimming, playing basketball, dancing, running  — whatever will get your heart pumping.

4. Pay attention to the fats you eat. Fat is essential for a healthy but body but that doesn’t mean you can go overboard. You should concentrate on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Where can you find those? Olive oil, canola oils, and peanut oil all contain monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. These fats are important because they actually increase HDL’s ability to reduce inflammation. Also, make sure you include foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

5. If you drink, use moderation. Even though research shows that occasional use of alcohol may actually raise HDL cholesterol levels, the benefits aren’t substantial enough to suggest you start drinking if you don’t already. The ruler of thumb is to drink only in moderation. Moderation means no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one a day for women.

Natural supplements to lower your total cholesterol

There are many prescription drugs on the market today that help lower cholesterol levels. However, they been proven to sometimes have negative side effects and in some cases can even be dangerous to your health. That’s why the best defense against high total cholesterol is a natural supplement.

In the best-case scenario, a natural supplement is designed to treat cholesterol before it has a chance to reach the higher levels. In other words, the supplement treats the pre-disease state. Pre-lipid™ and Pre-lipid+™ do exactly that.

The pre-disease level for cholesterol is 200- 239. The pre-disease number for HDL cholesterol is less than 50. Prelipid™ effectively lowers your total cholesterol so that all cholesterol components fall within a healthy range.

PreEmptive Meds

Intervention within the pre-disease state is the pillar of the PreEmptive Med philosophy.  As a matter of fact, it’s the only pre-disease therapeutics company that focuses on the pre-disease condition.  And with America’s health care crisis, taking care of problems before they reach full-blown disease is a timely issue indeed.

The cost of Prelipid™ is only $9 per week.  You’ll save approximately 70% the cost of prescription meds.  It’s 100% safe, 100% natural and hundreds of doctors across America and Canada have successfully treated thousands of patients with it.

If you’re concerned about your cholesterol level but aren’t willing to risk your health on dangerous prescription drugs, you really need to check out this powerful cholesterol supplement.  You can find out more information at website.  Go ahead and check it out here – it could actually help prolong your life.

As of 2007, the International Diabetes Federation estimated over 246 million people worldwide were diagnosed with diabetes. Sadly, like most chronic diseases, diabetes rates are only expected to rise in the next few decades, reaching 380 million by 2025.  Right now, approximately 10 percent of all women and 11 percent of all men over 20 in the US are diagnosed each year with diabetes. As well, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), diabetes was the fifth leading cause of death from disease, costing taxpayers $174 billion in direct and indirect costs in 2007 alone. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning since statistics further show another 57 million Americans are currently suffering from prediabetes, a condition that is dangerously close to becoming full-blown diabetes.

People with diabetes can no longer effectively metabolize sugar. Instead, sugar normally used to feed the cells and provide energy to the body, builds up in the blood where it eventually causes irreversible damage to the kidneys, nerves, eyes and heart.  Diabetes is also the most recurrent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations. Research further shows people who are diagnosed with the disease essentially have an average life expectancy of 15 years less than those without diabetes

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 33 percent of all people with diabetes are not even aware they have the disease. At this point, there is no cure for diabetes and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates it could take until at least 2030 before such a discovery is made.  Apart from daily insulin injections, which translates to approximately 1,460 needles a year (based on four per day) and 2,190 finger pokes yearly to test blood sugar levels, the most permanent medical treatment for diabetes is a pancreas transplant, which doctors can only hope will eliminate, if not, reduce the need for insulin injections and help lower blood sugar levels.

In cases of pre diabetes, blood glucose levels are abnormally high, but still not high enough to cause full-blown diabetes, yet, if the condition is left unchecked, statistics show over half of people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 8-10 years.

Essentially, there is no medical treatment for pre-diabetes. And in all likelihood, most people who suffer from this condition are not even aware they have it or are at risk for developing such things as Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and or stroke as a result of their chronically elevated blood sugar levels. In fact, if we continue down the same road, making no changes to our current lifestyles and health regimes, by the year 2050, it is estimated 1.46 million U.S. adults will be unable to work, another 597,000 will be considered work disabled and 780,000 will have work limitations, all attributed to diabetes.[1]

Research shows the best intervention at this point is simple lifestyle changes, which some studies show can actually reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to as much as 71 percent in some cases. Things like exercise, diet and proper nutrition are key factors in whether someone will ultimately develop diabetes. In order to prevent prediabetes and eventually diabetes, we need to become more aware and proactive in our healthcare. Regular checkups to test glucose levels are essential, especially if you are to determine if you are at risk or currently suffer from prediabetes.

Once you determine your blood glucose levels, you will be able to establish whether you fall into the prediabetes range and are at risk for developing diabetes or even other conditions such as metabolic symdrome, a group of metabolic risk factors that essentially predispose someone to heart disease and diabetes. Typically, someone who is at risk for metabolic syndrome will have high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, excess stomach fat, low HDL (good) cholesterol, and high triglycerides (another type of fat). So, if you suffer from any of these, it is even more important to have your blood sugar tested routinely.

Fortunately, there are ways to help lower your blood sugar levels naturally. Many studies show various herbs and nutrients are an effective way to treat rising blood sugar. For example, cinnamon has been shown in numerous studies to increase glucose metabolism, prevent free radical formation and it may also be useful in cases of insulin resistance.

Another well documented herb is gurmar, commonly referred to as the sugar killer. This well known plant has been used worldwide to lower blood sugar naturally by essentially supporting the vital cells in the pancreas. Bitter melon is another plant clinically shown to help naturally lower blood glucose levels and in some cases, it is even proven as effective as prescription medications without the side effects these drugs often cause.[2]

Pterocarpus marsupium (also known as Indian Kino) is another clinically proven natural remedy that can not only help protect, but also facilitate regeneration of the important insulin producing beta cells found in the pancreas. In fact, to date, no other drug or even natural remedy has been shown to do this.

When choosing a natural remedy, it is extremely important to find one that is clinically tested and synergistically proportioned to contain the proper ratio of active ingredients. There are countless all natural products on the market today, but sadly the majority have not been widely tested.  Always look for a reputable company that can provide you with supporting evidence. This will assure you not only get a highly effective and safe product, but also that you are not throwing your money away on something that simply doesn’t work.

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[1] Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice Volume 83, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages e23-e25

[2] http://www.gmanews.tv/story/35962/Ampalaya-tablets-out-soon-for-diabetics

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic disease now accounts for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States. In fact, statistics show as many as 133 million, or an astounding 45 percent of all Americans, currently suffer from at least one chronic disease such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer or diabetes, with 53 percent of those suffering from two or more these illnesses. While these statistics are staggering, what is even more alarming is that we now know up to 90 percent of these illnesses are actually preventable.

The question then is why, if the majority of these diseases are indeed preventable, are so many people still developing chronic illnesses? The answer is simply that traditional medicine alone has no way of treating something that has not yet happened. Traditional or conventional medicine as it is often termed is based on removing and treating symptoms. If there are no real and treatable symptoms, modern medicine is at a loss. There are no drugs or surgical remedies for something like pre-diabetes for example. When a patient comes to their doctor with a general complaint of “just not feeling well”, without a specific diagnosis, in all likelihood and based on their training, the doctor will either order a whole battery of often unnecessary and costly tests in order to identify a disease that can then be treated, or simply tell the patient to go home and come back in a few weeks if things don’t improve. The bottom line is that modern medicine is not equipped to deal with a patient who is in a “pre-disease” state (somewhere between optimal health and diseased) and it isn’t until they have actually reached a diseased state, when they are beyond the prevention stage, that they are finally treated.

For this and many other reasons, people are now turning to alternative or complimentary medicine. Practitioners such as naturopaths, chiropractors and herbalists for example can suggest a variety of holistic and less invasive approaches to treat illness. And while many people will find improved health with these natural approaches, there are still those who aren’t 100 percent comfortable with the lack of clinical evidence many of these approaches provide. Fortunately, a third option now exists.

Integrative medicine, an incorporation of both traditional and alternative medicines, offers all the benefits of a more natural approach that so many Americans are now turning to, backed up by substantiated evidence based on clinical trials and ongoing research. In essence, it provides people with the best of both worlds.

Like alternative approaches to healthcare, integrative medicine promotes prevention and healing of the whole individual. Conventional medicine on the other hand, typically seeks to treat specific symptoms. As well, integrative medicine looks more to the body itself as a mechanism for healing whereas conventional medicine tends to look outside the body at such things as medications and surgery as a way to heal the individual. Interestingly, the key tenet of integrative medicine stems from the beliefs of such ancient healers as Hippocrates, known today as the Father of Medicine. As a medical visionary, Hippocrates and other physicians of his time, taught that given the proper tools (things like optimal nutrition and exercise), the human body has the innate ability to heal and balance itself. Integrative medicine promotes this natural equilibrium known as homoeostasis and strives to support the body in the best way possible so it can use its own resources to induce healing.

One of the key resources in integrative medicine is the use of standardized nutritional supplements. While the body is indeed designed to heal itself, when it is in a weakened and unbalanced state, natural plant-based formulations are often the best way to enhance the body’s ability to restore balance. These formulations are also effective when used in concert with prescription medications in cases of progressive disease. Integrative medicine further promotes supplementation as a preventative. Simply living in today’s fast-paced world with its various stresses, pollutants and toxins can eventually drain the body’s immune system. Scientific evidence has shown various plants contain healing compounds that help reduce such things as inflammation and oxidative damage, both of which lead to many chronic illnesses. And while they are also shown in many cases to significantly bolster the immune system, many people make the mistake of waiting until they feel fatigued or sick before they turn to supplements. The truth is, by the time your body shows symptoms of illness, it is already overwhelmed.  If you continue to ignore these often minor warning signs, as most of us do, they eventually result in chronic disease.

The best way to assure your health in the future is to become proactive now. This often entails making lifestyle changes and includes such things as drinking plenty of water, getting regular exercise and sleep, eating properly and when necessary, taking clinically based and standardized nutritional formulations before symptoms become critical.

One of the biggest mistakes people can make is not monitoring their blood sugar. If blood glucose levels get too high or low, the consequences are serious indeed, and for diabetics, can sometimes be fatal.

Even if you are not diabetic, it is still necessary to maintain a healthy, normal glucose level so that you can avoid the risk of developing diabetes. Normally, your body takes care of this regulation for you. After a meal your pancreas produces insulin to lower your blood sugar. If your blood sugar gets too low your pancreas releases glucagon which increases blood sugar levels. However, this system fails in diabetes, which is why diabetics often have to take medication to control their blood sugar. But even healthy individuals can help this system out by not allowing their blood sugar to get too high or low in the first place.

Here are 5 smart ways to keep your blood sugar in check.

Watch what you eat

Foods that are a little more difficult to digest help stabilize glucose. These foods include high fiber foods such as oatmeal, wheat, and barley. Also, vegetables such as peas and legumes, and fruits such as pears, apples and oranges are more difficult to digest.

Of course, there are foods you should avoid as well. Stay away from those high in carbohydrates such as white flour, potatoes, white rice, pasta and sweets. These foods are high in carbohydrates that your body will convert to sugar and therefore raise your glucose level. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid carbohydrates altogether.

“Good” carbohydrates such as broccoli, green leafy salads, green beans, and asparagus are encouraged. You can also have lean poultry and fish. Whole grains such as whole oats and whole wheat bread are great for helping maintain a steady glucose.

Studies have shown that adding a little cinnamon to your foods can help maintain a consistent glucose. Try sprinkling a little cinnamon on your morning oatmeal. Not only will that make it tastier, but healthier for you, too.

Exercise

Exercise has been proven to lower your blood sugar levels. Not only does it help control your weight but also helps prevent a spike in insulin during the day.  Find an exercise you enjoy such as bike riding or walking.  Not only will exercising help you control your blood sugar, but every organ in your body will thank you!

Each small meals during the day

Whenever you eat your blood sugar rises up. When you go a long time without food, your blood sugar drops. The goal is to maintain a steady, consistent glucose level without any sharp rises or falls. The best way to make sure this happens is to eat several small meals during the day. This is also a great strategy for dropping unwanted pounds.

Watch over-the-counter and prescription medications

Some medications may actually raise your blood sugar. Make sure you read the list of ingredients or even better, talk to your doctor before you take them. Whenever a medication has been prescribed for you, make sure the prescribing doctor realizes you are trying to watch your glucose levels.

Take an all-natural supplement specifically designed to control blood sugar

Pre-Crea™ is an all-natural herbal supplement specifically developed for people with prediabetes or a higher than normal blood sugar levels. PreCrea™ is only available by doctor recommendation. If you take this powerful supplement two times a day, follow all of the strategies discussed above, plus your doctor’s recommendations on diet and exercise, you can substantially lower your risk of developing diabetes.

Pre-diabetes most always precedes the development of full-blown diabetes. A fasting blood sugar level between 99 — 126 mg/dl means you are in the prediabetes range. That’s why it’s so important to get a tight reign on your blood sugar levels now. Pre-Crea™ has been shown to lower blood glucose 20-30 points.

Preemptive Meds is a strong believer in treating the pre-disease state. Their supplements such as PreCrea™ are designed to attack pre-disease before more serious problems can develop. If you would like to find out more about PreCrea™ or any other of the Preemptive Meds’ natural supplements, you can find insightful information this website.

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By all estimations, we are quickly reaching epidemic levels when it comes to high cholesterol levels in North America. Statistics tell us close to 50 percent of the population has a total blood cholesterol level over 200 mg/dL with 17 percent of adults over 20 having levels reaching over 240 mg/dl, a number that puts them at serious risk for heart disease and stroke.

In a healthy person, about 80 percent of your total cholesterol is naturally produced by your liver. The remaining 20 percent comes from dietary sources. Although a certain amount of cholesterol is necessary to help your body produce specific hormones, repair cells, metabolize vitamin D and create bile acids required for healthy digestion, when your cholesterol levels get too high, this fatty substance begins to accumulate in your arteries where it eventually restricts blood flow, causing heart attack and/or stroke (atherosclerosis).

While we are consistently told high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) is bad, the truth is most of us don’t understand the role this fatty like substance plays and the true impact it has on our health. There are essentially two types of cholesterol. Bad cholesterol, also called low density lipoprotein (LDL) is the cholesterol that circulates throughout your bloodstream accumulating in your arteries as plaque. Good cholesterol, or high density lipoprotein (HDL), attaches to these LDL molecules, returning them back to the liver where they can then be broken down and metabolized. The problem today, a result in part caused by the typical Western diet of high trans fat foods, is that most people have more LDL cholesterol than can be naturally eliminated by the liver so it begins to build up within the blood vessels and arteries. This slow narrowing and constricting of these vital passageways quickly becomes a ticking time bomb and because there are no outward warning signs for hypercholesterolemia, until it may be too late of course, the only way to know if you are at risk is to get a simple blood test.

Ideally, you want to lower your LDL cholesterol while you increase your HDL cholesterol. Research tells us our total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dl. Unfortunately, most people today fall somewhere between 200-239 mg/dl (which puts them in the borderline high or “pre-disease” range) and 240 mg/dl or higher, which means they are already at serious risk for heart disease and/or stroke.

In these cases, drug therapy is commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol. In 2001 alone, patients filled over 57-million prescriptions for Lipitor. According to Consumers Reports Best Buy Drugs, as of 2006, this popular statin drug is now among eight prescription medications that make up the over 13-million prescriptions Americans fill every month in an effort to reduce their soaring cholesterol levels. In fact, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently reported the use of statin drugs increased 156 percent between 2000 and 2005. Drug manufacturers make over $20 billion a year on statin drugs, many of which are marked up over 4000 percent. And yet, despite all their claims that statin drugs lower cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease, it is still the leading cause of death in North America. How can this be?

The answer is simple. Statin drugs are risky. While they may in fact lower cholesterol levels, they also increase the risk of liver disease, peripheral neuropathy (nerve problems), muscle deterioration and kidney failure, cancer, and ironically, heart failure. In many cases taking statin drugs may be necessary in order to quickly reduce dangerously high cholesterol levels. But they are never without risk. In fact, researchers are only beginning to understand the side effects of statins.

The good news is there are several natural ways to lower your cholesterol. Ideally, you actually want to increase your HDL cholesterol while lowering your LDL level. For men, a perfect cholesterol balance is an HDL level of 40 mg/dL or above and an LDL level below 100 mg/dl. Women should shoot for an HDL level of 50 mg/dl or higher and again, a LDL level below 100 mg/dl. Essentially, studies show the higher your HDL level, the lower your risk for heart disease.

People who have a statin intolerance or simply want to lower their cholesterol without harmful medications, often ask how can I lower my LDL cholesterol naturally? Apart from lifestyle and dietary changes, there are supplements and vitamins that can help lower bad cholesterol safely, without the often devastating side effects of stain drugs. Plant sterols also known as phytosterols, are especially effective for hypercholesterolemia. In fact, more than 50 years of research and studies show plant sterols can lower total and LDL cholesterol levels by as much as 15 percent, especially when used in combination with dietary changes. This is significant when you consider researchers estimate a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol can lower the risk of heart disease by 20 percent over a lifetime. The problem with the majority of commercial phytosterol supplements however, is they are completely insoluble in water, which means they cannot be effectively absorbed by the body. It is imperative therefore, you purchase only products that use microencapsulation, a unique delivery system that allows the phytosterols to be dispersed and absorbed.
Many plants, herbs and vitamins are also clinically proven to lower cholesterol and reduce arterial inflammation, both of which reduce the risk of heart disease. For instance, studies show common plants such as coriander , fenugreek and garlic are very effective remedies when it comes to lowering cholesterol naturally. As well, less common plants like guggulu (a small thorny plant used in Ayruvedic medicine for centuries), terminalia arjuna (a South Asian ornamental tree), and a plant known as spreading hog weed each have significant healing properties useful in lowering LDL cholesterol and preventing heart disease. When used together and in the right proportions, they can be an effective alternative to Lipitor and other statin drugs.

The bottom line is you need to have your cholesterol level checked now. Treating high cholesterol early can help you avoid the need for costly drug therapy, which comes with many dangerous side effects. There are ways to lower your cholesterol naturally but you need to be proactive. Speak to your doctor and ask about clinically proven, all natural supplements designed to lower cholesterol safely.

These days people are paying close attention to their cholesterol number. And with good reason. Heart disease is the nation’s number one cause of death. As a matter of fact, approximately 1 million people will die from heart attacks or related heart disease each year. And often people are totally unaware that they are at risk.

When Angela Griffin received the lab results for her cholesterol level, she wasn’t expecting bad news. She watched her weight and followed what she assumed to be a reasonably healthy diet. So, when she heard her doctor say that her cholesterol was above normal range, she was shocked. With a level of 226 mg/dl, her cholesterol was higher than it should be – the desired number is below 200mg/dl.

Angela’s doctor told her she had two options – she could take a popular statin drug to bring down her cholesterol level or she could lower her cholesterol naturally. Because she had heard of the possible painful side effects and dangers of statin drugs, she chose the natural route.

What exactly is cholesterol anyway?

Cholesterol is a type of fat produced by the liver. It’s also found in many of the foods we eat. This fat is essential for certain hormone production, building healthy cells, and aids in digestion of fat. Your body is extremely efficient in producing cholesterol, so you don’t have to worry too much about getting enough from the food you eat.

As a matter of fact, you should be more concerned that you’re getting too much. Too much LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol, can cause serious damage because it’s a major player in the buildup of dangerous plague that can clog your arteries.

How to lower cholesterol naturally

When you consider the alarming fact that 90% of people who have heart attacks have cholesterol levels between 200–250, the decision to take steps to lower any level within that range is certainly a smart one. However, since prescription drugs designed to control cholesterol are potentially dangerous, it’s far better to attack the problem with lifestyle changes and with a natural supplement.

Changing your lifestyle

The most obvious step to take is to monitor your diet. A diet high in soluble fiber works wonders for soaking up cholesterol before your body has a chance to absorb it. Some antioxidants help prevent plague buildup, so you want to make sure your diet includes plenty of these disease-fighting substances.

Also, you’ll want to incorporate “power” foods into your diet such as oatmeal, garlic, beans, apples, flaxseeds, and almonds.

You’ve undoubtedly aware that proper exercise is crucial to good health. Even 30 minutes of exercise a day can do wonders for your cholesterol. Bike riding or brisk walking increases arterial blood flow with diminishes the chance of plague buildup and inflammation.

Natural supplements

Because popular prescription meds are not a viable alternative for many people, for many doctors and patients natural supplements are becoming more and more the treatment of choice. But not all supplements are the same.

The best supplements are 100% natural, safe, and are based on proprietary physical combinations which get to the root cause of the problem.

Preemptive Medicine

Cholesterol supplements offered by Preemptive Meds are exactly like that. Prelipid™, their cholesterol supplement, is based on eight botanical formulas that reduce cholesterol and inflammation in the arteries.

As a matter of fact, hundreds of doctors in the US have successfully treated tens of thousands of patients – for over two years – with remarkable results. Prelipid™ cholesterol supplement has been proven to lower cholesterol levels 30 to 40 points on average.

Treating the Predisease State

The cornerstone of Preemptive Med’s philosophy is based on prevention. If intervention occurs in the predisease state, then the onset of frank disease can be prevented or significantly delayed. The doctors and professionals at Preemptive Meds believe this philosophy, aggressively treating the predisease state, is the answer to America’s healthcare crisis.

Remember Angela Griffin’s cholesterol level of 226? That number actually falls within the predisease range. By lowering her cholesterol now before it gets in the dangerously high levels, she can possibly avoid the tragic consequences of high cholesterol.

The good news is that now Prelipid™ is directly available to the public. The cost is totally affordable and actually saves up to 70% of the cost of prescription drugs. For about $9 a week, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re doing your best to treat your cholesterol the natural way.

You can find out more about Preemptive Meds and Prelipid™ here.

So much of our traditional medicine is focused on treating existing disease. Little, if any, thought is given to prevention, although as the number of people developing chronic illness continues to rise, some doctors are beginning to look to pre-emptive treatments. Unfortunately, however, it seems the majority of the medical profession still follows the belief that if there are no outward symptoms, there is no immediate problem.

So much of this thinking is brought on by the fact that we live in a fast-paced society where immediate gratification is not only demanded but expected. This philosophy often spills over to our attitudes about health care. If you have a headache for example, the first thing you do is reach for a bottle of Aspirin. If your stomach hurts, you take an antacid. And while these treatments may in fact work in the interim, they are simply not doing anything to actually fix the underlying problem. These quick-fix remedies are mere band aids for symptoms that are warning signs the body is unbalanced and heading for impending disease. They are nature’s signal that an intervention of some sort is required.

The latest statistics say chronic disease now accounts for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States. Close to half of all Americans currently suffer from at least one chronic disease such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer or diabetes. And most of these people actually have more than one of these debilitating illnesses. Sadly, research also says up to 90 percent of these diseases are in fact preventable. But still, the idea of prevention is a mere after thought in most people’s minds. “If I had only known I’d have diabetes, I would have done something about it”. Let’s face it, if anything even remotely close to these numbers applied to a business, you can bet the company would be doing everything it can to prevent the problem. So, why should it be any different for our health, the most valuable commodity we own?

It shouldn’t.

Never has preventative medicine been more important than it is today. Disease rates are skyrocketing. We all know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or heart disease for example. Maybe it’s even you. These diseases affect everyone. They not only affect you physically and emotionally, but they also affect you financially. They can add thousands of dollars to your monthly expenses and for those who simply can’t afford the mounting medical bills, treatment options quickly become limited. Disease is costing Americans dearly. Our healthcare system is overwhelmed and if the numbers continued to rise as expected, it won’t be long before the system is essentially bankrupt. And if that happens, we all suffer, no matter how much money you have.

There is an easy answer to this problem. It’s time we become proactive when it comes to our health. There are no quick fixes or drugs you can take to prevent disease, but nature does provide you with everything you need to assure you keep your body in optimal health. Countless studies show plants and various herbs along with vitamins and other nutritional supplements can help your body fight off disease. And for the most part, these natural and safe preventatives are far less costly than treating full-blown disease. There are now clinically proven remedies, tested and used by thousands of doctors throughout the US that are specifically designed to treat pre-disease naturally, safely and effectively. So, don’t become a statistic, listen to your body and let nature help you remain healthy for years to come.