Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 3-18-16 Edition

Health
Are You Vitamin D Deficient?
11 Amazing Benefits Of Lemon Water
Here are 7 warning signs you shouldn’t ignore...
1. Your Bones Ache - Peo- ple with aches, pains, and tired- ness are often diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fi- bromyalgia. However, these symptoms are also typical mani- festations of a vitamin D defi- ciency. The lack of this vitamin results in less calcium absorption by the skeletal system. Mounting evidence also points to vitamin D being effective at preventing tooth cavities.
2. Your Muscles Are Weak - Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with muscle weakness,
3. You’re Depressed - Sero- tonin is the hormone linked to mood and well being. It is stimu- lated by sunlight and drops with lessened exposure. In recent studies, people with the least amounts of vitamin D were more likely to be depressed than those who had ample doses. Studies also link low vitamin D levels in the blood with other mood disor- ders besides depression, like pre- menstrual syndrome and seasonal affective disorder.
4. Your Head Sweats - Ac- cording to medical professionals, a sweaty head is one of the classic symptoms of vitamin D defi- ciency.
5. You Have Chronic Health Problems - If you have chronic health problems and are prone to seasonal illnesses, your vitamin D levels may be too low. Actually, recent research indi- cates that vitamin D plays a much bigger role in fighting disease than once thought. Being defi- cient can increase your risk of cancer and other deadly diseases.
6. You Feel Exhausted - A lack of vitamin D has been iden- tified in patients with fatigue in some studies, and once vitamin D levels were corrected, patients felt considerably more energetic. In actual fact, medical re- searchers suspect that vitamin D deficiency and chronic fatigue syndrome are closely linked. A simple blood test can determine if you are getting enough vitamin D each day.
7. You Have Dark Skin - African Americans and people with dark skin are significantly more likely to be vitamin D defi- cient, say professionals, because the skin’s pigment acts as a natu- ral sunscreen. In fact, a person with dark skin is said to need ten times more sun exposure to pro- duce the same amount of vitamin D as someone with a light com- plexion. A SPF30 sunscreen can reduce the skin’s ability to pro- duce the vitamin by over 95 per- cent.
Lemons are full of beneficial nutrients including vitamin C, B- complex, calcium, iron, magne- sium, potassium and fiber to name but a few. In fact they actually con- tain more potassium than grapes and apples!
Everyone should try drinking a large glass of lemon water first thing in the morning. For optimal health benefits you should drink it before any tea/coffee and at least 30 minutes before eating any breakfast.
Here are a few reasons why you should be drinking lemon water:
1. Reduces joint inflamma- tion. By drinking lemon water every day, your body will feel alive as it will remove any acidity in your body. One of the main causes of joint inflammation is uric acid, which accumulates in the joints. Lemon water has the ability to re- move this uric acid from your joints, therefore reducing inflam- mation and pain.
2. Promotes a healthy di- gestive system. Do you suffer with heartburn, burping and bloating? Lemon juice can help to relieve all these symptoms. It is also a great cleanser, and will en- courage a healthy digestive system by loosening up and cleansing any toxins which have accumulated in your digestive tract.
3. Promotes weight loss.
Lemon juice is a great promoter of weight loss. It contains pectin fiber, which makes you feel fuller for longer, therefore keeping your hunger at bay.
Drinking a glass of lemon water half an hour before your meals every day will stop you from over eating at mealtimes and you’ll soon see a difference.
4. Detoxifies your system.
Lemons are well known for their detoxifying properties. Drinking lemon water will help to flush out your system, by enhancing the en- zymes in your system, which will stimulate your liver to work at op- timum performance, ridding your body of toxins.
5. Promotes beautiful clear skin. Lemons are full of antioxi- dants. Did you know that your skin is your biggest organ in the body? It needs to be kept hydrated from within and the lemon water drink will do that beautifully. It will keep your skin fresh and glow- ing and blemish free. You can also try applying a little diluted lemon juice on any blemishes to reduce the inflammation. It is also great for treating any scars, dark skin spots and wrinkles.
6. Promotes a healthy im- mune system. In order to main- tain a healthy immune system your body needs plenty of vitamin C. Well, good news – lemons are packed full of vitamin C. The lemon water will keep your levels of vitamin C topped up – remem- ber to drink an extra afternoon glass if you are feeling overworked and stressed, as stress is the most common cause of sharp plummet in vitamin C levels.
7. Provides potassium rich nutrition. Did you know that low
potassium levels are associated with a risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer, digestive disorders, and infertility. Lemons are an excellent source of potassium and will keep your potassium levels topped up, helping to prevent the above dis- eases and disorders.
8. Promotes fresh breath.
Lemon water is great for keeping your breath fresh. However, make sure that you don’t brush your teeth after drinking it, as the citric acid in the lemon juice can erode tooth enamel.
9. It’s an energy booster too. Lemon water will give you a great boost of energy, especially first thing in the morning – a great way to start your day. It can also help to reduce anxiety and depres- sion and has a calming effect on your nervous system.
10. Helps to reduce your caffeine intake. You’ll find that by replacing your usual cup of tea or coffee in the morning with a large glass of hot lemon water, you will feel refreshed and energized without the caffeine! You’ll also find that you will gradually stop your mid-morning craving for that caffeine filled drink too.
11. Helps fight off viral in- fections. A nice warm mug of lemon water will help to reduce any viral sore throats and coughs, soothing them to make you feel more comfortable. It will also boost your immune system, help- ing your body to fight off any in- fection.
10 Ways To Prevent Colon Cancer
Although there are certain fac- tors that can increase your colon cancer risk, experts agree that since diet and lifestyle also plays a huge role, there are things you can do, such as:
1. Get a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is the gold standard for detecting early stage colon cancer and is recommended at age 50 and then every ten years.
2. Consider genetic test- ing. Ask your doctor about a ge- netic test that looks for M2-PK, an enzyme specific to the colon cells that can be detected in the stool and is approximately 85 percent sensitive to detecting early stage colon cancer.
3. Pay attention to your stool. If your stool is black, make an appointment to see your doc- tor right away because it could mean that you have intestinal bleeding or cancer. Sudden con- stipation, diarrhea and narrow stool may also be an indication.
4. Eat the rainbow. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is a great way to get fiber in your diet which is good for colon health. A diet rich in colorful pro- duce also helps the diversity of your body’s microbiome, or the collection of billions of bacteria that inhabit it and play a role in colon health. In fact, colon cells are powered by a short-chain fatty acid known as butyrate, which isn’t produced by the body, only by the healthy flora in the colon. The only way to create that diversity is through diet.
5. Eat less meat. Studies show that red meat has been as- sociated with a higher risk of colon cancer. If you do eat meat,
watch your portions and limit it to four times a month.
6. Look for vitamin defi- ciencies. Adequate levels of cal- cium and vitamin D have been associated with a lower risk for colon cancer.
7. Lose weight. The risk for developing precancerous colorec- tal polyps may be linked to char- acteristics of obesity such as elevated levels of the fat hormone leptin, a higher body mass index and a larger waistline.
8. Quit smoking. Smokers have a higher risk for colon can- cer than non-smokers and the risk is significantly higher in both current and former smokers, a study in the journal What’s more, a recent study found that female smokers have a 19% higher risk for colon cancer than women who were non-smokers.
9. Limit alcohol. Alcohol has been linked to a higher inci- dence of colon cancer so limit it to two to three drinks a week.
10. Seek happiness. In ad- dition to diet and lifestyle modi- fications, having intention and purpose in your life have also been shown to reduce disease. Plus, those who are in committed relationships and who have a healthy support system are more like to make healthy decisions that will prevent colon cancer.
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-B