Calcium
We�ve heard it not only once or twice or even thrice but a lot of times. If you want healthy bones and teeth then pack up on the Calcium intake. While it is true that calcium is absolutely necessary to the health and strength of bones and teeth, this essential mineral also serves several other important purposes in the body. Yet, many people still routinely fail to consume enough calcium in their daily diets.
In addition to the benefits to teeth and bones, calcium plays a role in blood clotting, muscle functions, and the cell membranes maintenance. It is also important to the prevention of debilitating bone diseases, such as osteoporosis.
Despite the known importance of consuming adequate amounts of calcium daily, some research have found that as much as 75% of Americans do not have a sufficient daily intake of calcium. Comprising most of these numbers are those who are following strict vegetarian diets.
Fortunately, there are several varieties of calcium supplements available on the market. Adults need between 1000 mgs and 1300 mgs of calcium per day and should not exceed beyond 2500 mgs as overdose in daily calcium intake can cause other health problems. Your health care professional can help you to choose the amount that you need daily as preexisting conditions, such as bone loss or damage due to previous deficiencies, can make a difference in how much you should be taking daily. The most common calcium supplements include calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, oyster shell or bone meal based calcium supplements, coral calcium, and calcium gluconate and calcium lactate based supplements.
In choosing your supplement, you should be aware of how to read the label to ensure that you are getting the amount of calcium that you think you are. Elemental calcium is the term used for the calcium that your body will be able to absorb. Some supplements have this and other types of calcium, but it is only the elemental calcium that can count towards your daily intake. Calcium is absorbed best in acidic circumstances, which is why many supplements are recommended for use after meals, when the stomach acids are at higher levels.
Current research has found that calcium citrate is the most efficient of the supplements because it can be absorbed easily by the system. However, although it is absorbed easier and can be taken at any time of day, whether or not there is food in the stomach, this type of calcium supplement often contains less of the elemental calcium, and thus more pills daily will be needed. On the other hand, calcium carbonate is the most common over the counter calcium supplement. It has a special instruction though and that is it should be taken only after meals when there is increased stomach acid production. These, however, should be watched for sodium content.
Calcium is needed by our system to enable us to live healthy and normal lives. Insufficient daily supply of this mineral in our body can lead to numerous health problems causing not only a lot of damage in the pockets but also an abnormal lifestyle. To avoid these complications and inconvenience, it is therefore essential to intake the right amount of calcium needed daily by our body. A little research and consultation with a nutritional specialist can help you to plan your daily diet so as to be able to obtain the healthy amount of daily calcium.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Real Disease
Is ADHD A Real Disease?
The vast majority of Ritalin and Adderall is given to school children in America to treat an alleged disease called ADHD. Children who suffer from ADHD are said to be inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive. They often get bored easily in class, squirm in their seats, are always on the go, or don�t get along with other students or the teacher.
In other words, many children diagnosed with ADHD may simply be bright, normal kids, full of energy and bored out of their minds sitting in public-school classrooms.
In his testimony to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee, Bruce Wiseman, National President of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, stated that �thousands of children put on psychiatric drugs are simply �smart.�� He quoted the late Sydney Walker, a psychiatrist and neurologist, as saying,
�They�re hyper not because their brains don�t work right, but because they spend most of the day waiting for slower students to catch up with them. These students are bored to tears, and people who are bored fidget, wiggle, scratch, stretch, and (especially if they are boys) start looking for ways to get into trouble."
Boredom is not the only reason children can exhibit symptoms of ADHD. Perfectly normal children who are over-active (have a lot of energy), rebellious, impulsive, day-dreamers, sensitive, undisciplined, bored easily (because they are bright), slow in learning, immature, troubled (for any number of reasons), learning disabled (dyslexia, for example), can also be inattentive, impulsive, or hyperactive.
Also, many factors outside the classroom can stress or emotionally affect children. Some of these factors are: not getting love, closeness, or attention from their parents; if a parent, friend, or sibling is sick or dies; if the parents are divorcing and there is anger, shouting, or conflict at home; domestic violence at home; sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by parents or siblings; inattention and neglect at home; personality clashes with parents or siblings; envy or cruelty directed at a child by classmates or by siblings at home, and many other factors.
Also, many other medical conditions can cause children to mimic some or all of ADHD�s symptoms. Some of these conditions are: Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), allergies, learning disabilities, hyper or hypothyroidism, hearing and vision problems, mild to high lead levels, spinal problems, toxin exposures, carbon monoxide poisoning, metabolic disorders, genetic defects, sleeping disorders, post-traumatic subclinical seizure disorder, high mercury levels, iron deficiency, B-vitamin deficiencies (from poor diet), Tourette�s syndrome, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, early-onset diabetes, heart disease, cardiac conditions, early-onset bipolar disorder, worms, viral and bacterial infections, malnutrition or improper diet, head injuries, lack of exercise, and many others.
Because these medical conditions can cause some or all of ADHD�s symptoms, it becomes next to impossible for any teacher, principal, or family doctor to claim with any certainty that a child has ADHD. To be certain, a doctor would have to test the child for all these other possible medical conditions. Since parents or doctors rarely do this, every diagnosis of ADHD is suspect, to say the least.
Any of these medical conditions, normal personality variations, emotional problems, or outside-the-classroom stress-factors can disturb a child�s attention, natural enthusiasm, or desire to learn in class, and make the child exhibit symptoms of ADHD. Yet, as psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, author of "Talking Back To Ritalin," and director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, notes, �These are the types of [normal] children who get diagnosed as suffering ADHD and who get subdued with stimulants and other medications.�
Many reputable authorities, such as Dr. Breggin, deny that ADHD, the disorder for which Ritalin is most commonly prescribed, even exists. Researchers have found no valid physical evidence of the disease or laboratory medical tests to prove it exists.
Parents, do not fall for the ADHD propaganda that public school authorities are now attempting to force on you and your children. While some children can have ADHD-type "symptoms" for various reasons, ADHD itself turns out to be a bogus or unproven disease. Many public schools now use this bogus disease as a convenient excuse to pressure parents to give their normal but bored or high-energy children mind-altering drugs. I also urge you to read Dr. Breggin's book, "Talking Back To Ritalin."
The vast majority of Ritalin and Adderall is given to school children in America to treat an alleged disease called ADHD. Children who suffer from ADHD are said to be inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive. They often get bored easily in class, squirm in their seats, are always on the go, or don�t get along with other students or the teacher.
In other words, many children diagnosed with ADHD may simply be bright, normal kids, full of energy and bored out of their minds sitting in public-school classrooms.
In his testimony to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee, Bruce Wiseman, National President of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, stated that �thousands of children put on psychiatric drugs are simply �smart.�� He quoted the late Sydney Walker, a psychiatrist and neurologist, as saying,
�They�re hyper not because their brains don�t work right, but because they spend most of the day waiting for slower students to catch up with them. These students are bored to tears, and people who are bored fidget, wiggle, scratch, stretch, and (especially if they are boys) start looking for ways to get into trouble."
Boredom is not the only reason children can exhibit symptoms of ADHD. Perfectly normal children who are over-active (have a lot of energy), rebellious, impulsive, day-dreamers, sensitive, undisciplined, bored easily (because they are bright), slow in learning, immature, troubled (for any number of reasons), learning disabled (dyslexia, for example), can also be inattentive, impulsive, or hyperactive.
Also, many factors outside the classroom can stress or emotionally affect children. Some of these factors are: not getting love, closeness, or attention from their parents; if a parent, friend, or sibling is sick or dies; if the parents are divorcing and there is anger, shouting, or conflict at home; domestic violence at home; sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by parents or siblings; inattention and neglect at home; personality clashes with parents or siblings; envy or cruelty directed at a child by classmates or by siblings at home, and many other factors.
Also, many other medical conditions can cause children to mimic some or all of ADHD�s symptoms. Some of these conditions are: Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), allergies, learning disabilities, hyper or hypothyroidism, hearing and vision problems, mild to high lead levels, spinal problems, toxin exposures, carbon monoxide poisoning, metabolic disorders, genetic defects, sleeping disorders, post-traumatic subclinical seizure disorder, high mercury levels, iron deficiency, B-vitamin deficiencies (from poor diet), Tourette�s syndrome, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, early-onset diabetes, heart disease, cardiac conditions, early-onset bipolar disorder, worms, viral and bacterial infections, malnutrition or improper diet, head injuries, lack of exercise, and many others.
Because these medical conditions can cause some or all of ADHD�s symptoms, it becomes next to impossible for any teacher, principal, or family doctor to claim with any certainty that a child has ADHD. To be certain, a doctor would have to test the child for all these other possible medical conditions. Since parents or doctors rarely do this, every diagnosis of ADHD is suspect, to say the least.
Any of these medical conditions, normal personality variations, emotional problems, or outside-the-classroom stress-factors can disturb a child�s attention, natural enthusiasm, or desire to learn in class, and make the child exhibit symptoms of ADHD. Yet, as psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, author of "Talking Back To Ritalin," and director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, notes, �These are the types of [normal] children who get diagnosed as suffering ADHD and who get subdued with stimulants and other medications.�
Many reputable authorities, such as Dr. Breggin, deny that ADHD, the disorder for which Ritalin is most commonly prescribed, even exists. Researchers have found no valid physical evidence of the disease or laboratory medical tests to prove it exists.
Parents, do not fall for the ADHD propaganda that public school authorities are now attempting to force on you and your children. While some children can have ADHD-type "symptoms" for various reasons, ADHD itself turns out to be a bogus or unproven disease. Many public schools now use this bogus disease as a convenient excuse to pressure parents to give their normal but bored or high-energy children mind-altering drugs. I also urge you to read Dr. Breggin's book, "Talking Back To Ritalin."
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