Magnesium To Sooth Muscle Spasms

Magnesium is the mineral to sooth the muscle spasms in your bronchi that mark an attack. Doctors have used one form of it — magnesium sulfate – to treat asthma. My cardiologist has me use it to increase the electro-conductivity to the heart. Natural sources of magnesium can be mined from seafood, nuts, legumes, and dark green vegetables. A handful of sunflower seeds, a side of pinto beans or a sliced avocado can put you on your way to an asthma-free day. To get a hearty dose of magnesium, try this delicious soup full of beans and vegetables:
Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup salad spinach
2 cans (15 oz.) Navy or Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained and divided
2 cans (15 oz.) Fat free chicken broth
2 cups broccoli florets
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme leaves
Saute’ onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in oil in large saucepan 3 - 4 minutes. Add 1 can beans, chicken broth, broccoli florets, and herbs to saucepan; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender, 5 - 7 minutes.
While soup is cooking, process remaining beans in food processor or mash until smooth, Stir pureed beans and spinach into soup; simmer until hot, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 6. Per serving (1 cup): 242 calories; 3 g total fat; 40g carbohydrate; 16g protein; 0mg cholesterol; 3g dietary fiber, 884 sodium; 145 mcg folate. You can change the sodium content by rinsing out the canned beans.
All living creatures depend on magnesium to maintain the health and functioning of their component cells. The process is complicated but all you need to know is that magnesium produces muscular energy, essential in the operation of our hearts and vascular systems. Magnesium deficient patients may experience depression, agitation, confusion and disorientation according to J. Daniel Kanofsky, M.D., in the International Journal of Neuroscience in 1991.

Since I have increased magnesium in my daily intake, I have had no more arrhythmia and that is since 1996.
Clinical symptoms of low magnesium levels affect the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and cardiac system, resulting in depression, seizures, psychosis, weakness, muscle tremors, arrhythmias, according to Joseph R. Dipalma, M.D. in the July 1990 issue of AFP Journal. Diuretics, antibiotics, cancer chemotherapy and immunosuppressive agents also increase the risk of a magnesium deficiency, he said.
Arrhythmias have been treated with magnesium supplementation (I take 500mg of manganate daily). Recommended amounts of magnesium range from 350 - 450 mg/day, with grains and nuts being good food sources of the mineral.

Cabbage A Dieter's Dream

Ancient Roman healers believed they could cure breast cancer by rubbing poultices made from cabbage on the chest. While this may seem absurd, Jon Michnovicz, M.D., Ph.D., President of the Foundation for Preventitive Oncology in New York City, says "studies have shown that if you make cabbage into a paste and rub it on the backs of laboratory animals, you can prevent tumors from developing. Don't go covering yourself with cabbage paste, just yet, because human cells have not yet been tested to prove or disprove this. To profit from cabbage's anti-cancer prowess, all you need to do is eat it.

A dieter's dream-- a cup of green cabbage contains just 20 calories -- this cruciferous SuperFood is an excellent source of vitamin K (for blood clotting and bone health), vitamin C, (with 45% of the Daily Value in just one serving) and a bushel of antioxidants.

In particular, green cabbage has the highest levels of two anti-cancer glucosinolates, which are converted upon consumption into a compound that may inhibit tumor growth. Research from the British Institute for Food Research (IFR) showed this compound disrupting the cell division of colon cancer cells in vitro. Unlike some chemotherapeutic drugs that also harm healthy tissue, this natural compound appears to selectively target tumor cells. Another cabbage glucosinalte is converted into indole-3-carbinol, which several studies have shown to lower risk of developing estrogen-related cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer.

Yet a third compound released with cabbage consumption could inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer cells, according to research from the University of California at Berkeley. Investigators believe the indirect antioxidant is the first plant-derived chemical found to act as an anti-androgen (androgens are male hormones).

Further evidence of cabbage's cancer-fighting capacities is found in a review of 94 studies evaluating the bio-effects of brassica vegetables, published in the September 1996 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Researchers found that in 70% of the studies, cabbage consumption was associated with a lower risk of cancer, especially of the lung, stomach and colon. Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts had only 56, 67, and 29%, reductions, respectively.

As you can see, cabbage is a head of the rest of the cruciferous cousins. For a delicious way to prepare this multi-layered leafy, look at this recipe for "Unstuffed Cabbage."

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this healthy side dish:

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Makes 4 servings

16 oz. of Cole Slaw

2 tablespoons of olive oil

5 green onions, finely chopped

1 can (15 oz.)diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups whole grain rice, cooked

1/2 teaspoon salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons grated Peccorino Romano Cheese

Chopped parsley for garnish

Cook onions in olive oil in large saucepot. Stir in coleslaw; let brown slightly. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes or until coleslaw is tender. Spoon hot rice into serving bowl, spoon coleslaw mixture over rice. Sprinkle with Peccorino cheese and parsley.

GOOD SUGARS - BAD SUGARS

Like fats, there are "bad" and "good" sugars, and the difference can transform you health in days—or even minutes.
Sugar isn’t only sweet to us—germs love it too. The sugar you are attracted to is a magnet for germs as well. The sugar in your body sends out chemical signals that draw them like moths to a flame. By reading the "sugar code" on your cell walls, these pathogens target cells all over your body. But what if you could turn that secret code against you microbial enemies?
Good sugars aren’t found in table sugar, but they do show up in small quantities in certain fruits, like cranberries. Their molecules are just a little different, but it makes a huge difference to germs. Instead of just waiting to be eaten, these good sugars overwhelm germs by jamming their chemical "radar" and blocking the cellular receptors these pathogens grab hold of — like coating your cells with Teflon. Germs have a hard time finding your cells—but if they do manage to locate a few, they’re too slippery to cling to. Because they can’t hang on, your body fluids wash these germs away harmlessly.
Sugar X in a nose spray can prevent the harmful bacteria from living there. Now there is a natural process for cleaning this nest that will regularly help to remove infection causing bacteria as well as the irritants that trigger allergies and asthma. Cleaning the nose regularly should be a part of our everyday maintenance—like brushing our teeth, washing our hands, cleaning our bodies and ridding them of bacteria so that we can get on with the other things we have to do. This vehicle is the only one you have to travel this road.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, obtained commercially from wood sugar, xylose. It is a natural substance and the body makes about 10 grams every day. It is not a drug. It is commonly used as a sugar substitute in many foods, especially chewing gum, because it prevents tooth decay. Most people are not aware of this benefit because such a claim makes xylitol into a drug, crossing a boundary not allowed by the Food and Drug Administration.
There are three reasons Nasal Xylitol Works:
Xylitol decreases the adherence of harmful bacteria to the cells in our nose and selects for bacteria that cause fewer infections.
The concentration of xylitol stimulates our own defensive washing of the nose.
The xylitol decreases the concentration of salt in the airway surface fluid which helps our own antibiotic substances there to be more effective—the problem with saline.
All of these totally are new concepts in medical practice. But they are concepts whose time has come because they provide a safe and reasonable option to some of the major health problems that we now face with infections and allergies.
The most common and accepted way of dealing with bacteria is to kill them with antibiotics. But we have to use the more expensive and potent newer antibiotics because the bacteria have become resistant to the earlier generations of antibiotics. The more antibiotics we use, the more problems we have with resistant bacteria.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FACING US TODAY as we deal with infections. We need other options—and we have them, but they don’t make any money for our profit oriented health care system so there is no motive for studying them and few people know about them.
Before bacteria can cause an infection they have to be able to attach to our body. What they hold on to are specific sugars or sugar complexes that are on the surfaces of our cells. Putting these sugars, or other similar looking sugars, in with the bacteria fills up their binding sites and decreases the ability of bacteria to hold on to our body’s cells.
A runny nose is our body’s attempt to clean irritants from the nose. The increases we have experienced in airway problems, both infectious and allergenic, coincide with our harmful use of drugs that block our normal defensive nasal cleaning. Stimulating this defensive nasal washing is a better idea that blocking it. Supporting other defenses is also a more healthy approach.
Allergies and asthma are triggered by irritants in the nose. Regularly cleaning these irritants removes the triggers and reduces the problems.
Now you know the rest of the story. Xylitol is available at health stores and can be searched on the web. It comes in nasal sprays, sugar substitutes, toothpaste and gum.
Your local health food store is realizing that it is rapidly becoming the best selling item at our country's health food stores. You or they can order some by calling Xlear, Inc., at toll-free 1 (877) 599-5327 within the US (they can also tell you about the gum xylitol). Xlear also maintains a web site at http://www.xlear.com./ or search xylitol on the internet.
Disclaimer: All material provided is for educational purposes only in the hope of improving our general health. No attempt is made to create a doctor-patient relationship nor should the information contained be considered specific medical advice.