Secret Recovery Tip Used By Top Endurance Athletes

Interested in enhancing recovery from training or injuries? I am sure you have heard of Epsom salt baths to ease pain and relieve inflammation, but have you heard of transdermal magnesium chloride mineral, also known as topical magnesium oil?

Muscle injuries, stiffness and tightness can be helped by nutritional support with topical magnesium oil because contraction and relaxation of muscle are dependent on adequate cellular levels of magnesium. Simply spray and rub the oil into a sore Achilles, Hamstring, or calf to decrease swelling. Soaking the feet in a magnesium chloride footbath is the single best thing-apart from stretching-that you can do to protect yourself from or recover from hamstring and other injuries.

I recommend rubbing the oil into an injured muscle a few times a day. For recovery, I recommend applying and the end of your training session.

A common complaint in a lot of runners and cyclist is muscle stiffness and tightness (mostly in the calf). Many times transdermal magnesium chloride mineral is the missing link when deep tissue therapy, electric muscle stimulation and ultrasound has failed to offer relief.

I even had transdermal magnesium chloride in my Special Needs Bags during my last Ironman Triathlon.

I also suggest trying to increase the amount of magnesium in your diet.This is because it has been reported that a stunning 19% of adults-one in five-consumes less than half of the US RDA for magnesium.

According to USDA food charts the five foods with the highest magnesium per typical serving are:

Halibut

Mackeral

Boiled spinach

Bran breakfast cereal

Almonds

Foods with highest magnesium per milligram, regardless of typical intake, are:

Cocoa

Bran breakfast cereal

Almonds

Cashews

Pumpkin seeds

Factors can impair your ability to get magnesium from the foods you eat, including:

Lowered magnesium availability in foods due to industrial farming practices

Dietary habits leading to low magnesium uptake, such as consumption of sodas and carbonated beverages

Excess stress or illness, which lowers the ability of the body to utilize magnesium

Mineral imbalances, such as excess calcium, which blocks cellular magnesium activity

Metabolic differences in individuals, such as excess magnesium excretion by the kidneys, sometimes resulting in magnesium losses and deficiency.

So, if you are interested in reducing muscle tightness and also increasing recovery time, increase the magnesium in your diet and rub some magnesium oil on those tired muscles after your training session.

Humans on a Cafeteria Diet

In the 1970s, as the modern obesity epidemic was just getting started, investigators were searching for new animal models of diet-induced obesity. They tried all sorts of things, from sugar to various types of fats, but none of them caused obesity as rapidly and reproducibly as desired*. 1976, Anthony Sclafani tried something new, and disarmingly simple, which he called the "supermarket diet": he gave his rats access to a variety of palatable human foods, in addition to standard rodent chow. They immediately ignored the chow, instead gorging on the palatable food and rapidly becoming obese (1). Later renamed the "cafeteria diet", it remains the most rapid and effective way of producing dietary obesity and metabolic syndrome in rodents using solid food (2).

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Primal Docs

Chris Armstrong, creator of the website Celiac Handbook, has designed a new non-commercial website called Primal Docs to help people connect with ancestral health-oriented physicians.  It's currently fairly small, but as more physicians join, it will become more useful.  If you are a patient looking for such a physician in your area, or an ancestral health-oriented physician looking for more exposure, it's worth having a look at his site:

Primal Docs

Update 9/22: apparently there is already another website that serves a similar purpose and has many more physicians enrolled: Paleo Physicians Network.

Knee Pain : Causes and Home Remedies

Knee pain is a common complaint for many people. There are several factors that can cause knee pain. The knees are the largest and among the most complicated joints of our body. It is also a highly vulnerable joint which is prone to injuries and even overuse. Knees are weight bearing joints which help us in everything right from standing up to running and walking. They twist, turn and roll in order to accommodate our movements.

Causes

There are many different factors that could lead to mild, moderate or even severe knee pain. Given below are some of the most common causes for knee pain:

� Injuries:  Some of the most common types of injuries that are known to affect the knee include Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), knee bursitis, torn meniscus and patellar tendinitis.

� Mechanical Problems: Some of the common mechanical knee problems include dislocated kneecaps, knee locking and pain in the hips. At times, a bone or cartilage may get degenerated, break off and float about in the joint space, causing excruciating pain in the knees.

� Arthritis: There are different types of arthritis that have been known to affect the elderly. Some of the knee pain-causing arthritic conditions include gout, pseudo-gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and septic arthritis.

� Obesity: You are at a much higher risk of suffering from knee problems, in case you are overweight. Excess weight increases the amount of pressure applied on to knee joints.

� Other Health Conditions: Some of the most common conditions include Osteochondritis dissecans, chondromalacia patellae and Osgood-Schlatter disease, to name a few.


Home Remedies

Fortunately, there are many ways by which you can gain relief from knee pain. While there are quite a few over the counter and prescription painkillers easily available in the market, many individuals choose to opt for home remedies for knee pain, mainly because they want to avoid the adverse side effects associated with most medications.
There are many home remedies too, through which knee pain can be alleviated for a while. Given below are some of the most common remedies for knee pain:

� Wrap a couple of ice cubes in a towel and apply it on to your knee for around 15 minutes or so. However never apply ice to a particular spot for more than 20 minutes, as it could damage the skin and the nerves in that area

� Heat therapy is as effective in dealing with pain, as cold therapy is. You could sit in a steamy bathtub so that your knee soaks up the warmth from the water, which is excellent for alleviating the pain. Alternately, you could apply a hot water bag on your knee too.

� Gently massage your knee area with some warm olive oil around two or three times a day. Make sure that the massage lasts for at least 5 to 10 minutes at each time.

� Resting is one of the most important, yet commonly overlooked factors. However, it is absolutely essential that you refrain from putting too much pressure on your knees at all times.

� You could reduce the swelling in your knee by keeping it raised. Prop your affected leg on a couple of pillows, or sit on a recliner chair, which allows you to keep your legs elevated.

. Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder and apply it on the knee. This mixture is very warm and may burn the skin if left for long. Remove it the moment you start feeling uncomfortable.

. One spoon of mustard oil should be mixed with a spoon of olive oil and the knee should be massaged gently for some time.

. Organic vinegar when applied at night before going to sleep directly on the knees can be very beneficial for treating pain.

. Powdered seeds of omum can be mixed with water and drunk twice a day for instant pain relief from knee pain.

. You can also make a warm paste by using wheat flour, castor oil and turmeric mixed in goat's milk or ghee on the affected area.

. Fenugreek seeds soaked in mustard seed oil are a great remedy for knee pain. Smear these seeds on the knees and allow them to dry for some time.

. Take higher quantities of vitamin D, E and B3. Cod liver oil, peanuts and flaxseed oils are excellent. Glucosamine sulfate and niacinamide are some of the other nutritional supplements that can help in the slowing down of the degeneration of the knees.

. Swimming, biking, and rowing helps to shed extra weight, without affecting the knees.

. Mix coconut oil with clove oil and rub this gently over the affected knee muscle to get relief from knee pains.

. Include liberal amounts of ginger in your daily diet as it has excellent pain killing properties.

. Applying wintergreen lotion to the knee can work great in relieving pain. What it does is
produces heat which eases the affected area.

. Sit on a chair with the foot resting on another chair. Lift the foot slowly and hold it for 10 seconds. Then, resume resting position.



~source:home-remedies-for-you.com~

Fat Tissue Insulin Sensitivity and Obesity

In this post, I'll discuss a few more facts pertaining to the idea that elevated insulin promotes the accumulation of fat mass.

Insulin Action on Fat Cells Over the Course of Fat Gain

The idea that insulin acts on fat cells to promote obesity requires that insulin suppress fat release in people with more fat (or people who are gaining fat) to a greater extent than in lean people. As I have written before, this is not the case, and in fact the reverse is true. The fat tissue of obese people fails to normally suppress fatty acid release in response to an increase in insulin caused by a meal or an insulin injection, indicating that insulin's ability to suppress fat release is impaired in obesity (1, 2, 3). The reason for that is simple: the fat tissue of obese people is insulin resistant.

There has been some question around the blogosphere about when insulin resistance in fat tissue occurs. Is it only observed in obese people, or does it occur to a lesser extent in people who carry less excess fat mass and are perhaps on a trajectory of fat gain? To answer this question, let's turn the clocks back to 1968, a year before Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon.

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Jock Itch : Symptoms, Prevention and Home Remedies

Jock itch, also called tinea cruris or ringworm of the groin, is an infection of the groin area caused by fungus. Jock itch occurs when a particular type of fungus grows and spreads in the groin area. Jock itch occurs mostly in adult men and adolescent boys. It can sometimes accompany athlete's foot and ringworm. The fungus that causes jock itch thrives in warm, moist areas.

Jock itch can be triggered by friction from clothes and prolonged wetness in the groin area, such as from sweating. It may be contagious. It can be passed from one person to the next by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with unwashed clothing.


Symptoms

Symptoms of jock itch include the following:

.Itching in groin, thigh skin folds, or anus

.Red, raised, scaly patches that may blister and ooze -- The patches often have sharply-defined edges and are often redder around the outside with normal skin tone in the center

.Abnormally dark or light skin.


Prevention

.Keep the groin area clean and dry.

.Don't wear clothing that rubs and irritates the area. Avoid tight-fitting and rough-textured clothing.

.Wear loose-fitting underwear.

.Wash athletic supporters frequently.

.After bathing, apply antifungal or drying powders if you are susceptible to jock itch.


Home Remedies

Most of the time, jock itch is something that can be taken care of with home remedies. Do keep in mind that, most of the time, the jock itch home remedies can also be used to keep jock itch from coming about in the first place.

. The best home remedies for jock itch include bathing daily. Although this sounds simple, some people forget to do it.

. Keep moist and warm areas of the body clean and dry. Change your undergarments daily.

. Lather the affected area with dandruff shampoo leaving for 15 minutes then rinsing.

. Apply tea tree oil on the infected skin, it is a natural antifungal.

. Dust on some antifungal powder before donning any clothing.

. Include good quantity of garlic in your food. Garlic has antifungal qualities.

. Apply honey and garlic alternatively on the infected skin.

. Soak a washcloth in 2 tablespoons of bleach diluted in 16 ounces of hot water. Apply this to the affected area 3-4 times a day.

. Simply fill up the tub with hot water and add a large amount of salt. Soak yourself in the water for about 15-20 minutes, allowing the salt to dry out the blisters and soaking up excess moisture from the area. Repeat this twice daily for three days.

. Blend two cloves of garlic with one cup of olive oil. Dip some paper towels into this mixture and apply to the infected area.

. Apply freshly squeezed aloe gel from the aloe vera plant to the affected area to find relief from itching and burning, as well as to prevent further spreading of the rash.

. Apply a thin layer of tea tree oil, a germ- and fungus-fighting antiseptic, to affected area twice daily.

. Put 10 drops of tea tree oil into 2 tablespoons of Calendula cream and apply this mixture twice a day.

. Stir 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried thyme leaves into 1 cup of boiling water and steep for 20 minutes. Apply cooled thyme tea to affected area twice daily with a cotton ball.

. Stir 6 teaspoons of licorice powder into 1 cup of boiling water, steep for 20 minutes, cool and apply to affected area. Store remainder to use daily.

. Apply Listerine mouth wash to a jock itch with a cotton ball twice a day.

. Soak a teaspoon of sliced ginger root and a teaspoon of dried thyme in a cup of warm water. Keep it aside for a few minutes. When it cools down, apply on the infected area using a cotton ball.

. Simply add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a cup of water, and mix well. With the use of a clean washcloth dipped in the solution, gently dab the area with this vinegar mixture.

. Mix 2-3 drops of coconut oil with 4-5 drops if olive oil. Apply this over the affected area. It will work great combat fungal infection.



~source:primehealthchannel.com~

Hyperinsulinemia: Cause or Effect of Obesity?

Is Elevated Insulin the Cause or Effect of Obesity?

The carbohydrate hypothesis, in its most popular current incarnation, states that elevated insulin acts on fat cells to cause fat storage, leading to obesity. This is due to its ability to increase the activity of lipoprotein lipase and decrease the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase, thus creating a net flux of fat into fat cells. I'm still not sure why this would be the case, considering that fat tissue becomes more insulin resistant as body fat accumulates, therefore insulin action on it is not necessarily increased. Total fat release from fat tissue increases with total fat mass (1), demonstrating that insulin is not able to do its job of suppressing fat release as effectively in people who carry excess fat. But let's put that problem aside for the moment and keep trucking.

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Catered Paleo Dinner with Yours Truly

Gil Butler, organizer of the Western Washington Paleo Enthusiasts group, has organized a catered "paleo" dinner on Sunday, October 9th.  He will be screening the first episode of "Primal Chef", Featuring Robb Wolf and others.  He invited me to give a short (20 minute) presentation, which I accepted.  There are still roughly 30 spots remaining [update 9/21-- the event is full].

The event will be in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and the price is $15.76 per person.  I will not be paid for this talk, it's just an opportunity to share ideas and meet people. 

Click here to register.

Book Review: The End of Overeating

The End of Overeating was written based on the personal journey of Dr. David A. Kessler (MD) to understand the obesity epidemic, and treat his own obesity in the process. Dr. Kessler was the FDA commissioner under presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton. He is known for his efforts to regulate cigarettes, and his involvement in modernizing Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food. He was also the dean of Yale medical school for six years-- a very accomplished person.

Dr. Kessler's book focuses on 1) the ability of food with a high palatability/reward value to cause overeating and obesity, 2) the systematic efforts of the food industry to maximize food palatability/reward to increase sales in a competitive market, and 3) what to do about it. He has not only done a lot of reading on the subject, but has also participated directly in food reward research himself, so he has real credibility. The End of Overeating is not the usual diet book.
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