Preventing Absorption of Radioactive Iodine from Japan

It was reported yesterday that Radioactive Iodine had made its way over from Japan to the UK, being detected in Oxford and Glasgow. http://snipurl.com/27ppv6   [www_newscientist_com]

It is only a small amount of Radioactive Iodine, so there is no need to panic, however it may be wise to limit the possibility of absorption by ingesting sufficient amounts of uncontaminated iodine to saturate the thyroid. You don’t need a lot despite what you may read elsewhere, as excess iodine will cause its own set of problems. The best way to provide the iodine is through food or food supplements.
Twenty grams of kelp contains a daily dose of iodine to protect you from the Japanese radiation.  It also contains the main synergistic nutrients essential for interactions with iodine, selenium, zinc, and iron, which allow iodine to function properly in thyroid metabolism.  Because the half life of the escaped radiation is about 60 days, you need to take the kelp from today each day for 60-90 days.
Other seaweeds in addition to kelp are also loaded with iodine, and its main interactive nutrients. You can add 20 grams of several different whole seaweeds to your daily diet.  The main kelps sold as food are, Fucus, Sargassum, and  Hiziki.  The main red seaweeds are Dulse, Nori, and Irish moss.  You can eat seaweeds in soups, or salads; or crumbled and sprinkled onto any food as a condiment.To make the iodine more available to the body, it’s best not to cook the seaweed.

If you choose to use supplements, much easier in my opinion, try to find a multi-vitamin/ mineral that contains approximately:

Potassium iodide   300 mcg providing 250 mcg iodine
Vitamin A (Retinol)  5,000 IU
Ferrous gluconate  100 mg providing 12 mg elemental iron
Selenomethionine  200 mcg
Zinc gluconate  50 mg providing 5 mg elemental zinc

Disquieted Dieting, Cocaine Snorting, Chocolate Chowing, Yo-yo'ing Women

Its an often trotted out line that women love chocolate and that a (large) percentage prefer it to sex. Without offending the performance of the womens other half, there may be another (or at least partial, other half's, you're not off the hook yet) explanation.

Two recent studies that at first glance do not seem related, are inextricably joined at the hip, at least to my little brain.

The first study showed that dieting is linked to lasting alterations in stress hormone patterns, including prolonged gene expression that continues after the diet.(1)  These alterations in the brain likely promote binge eating and cravings for high fat or high carbohydrate foods once the diet is done.  This is the first clear evidence that yo-yo diet patterns are likely related to stress hormones and stress gene expression.

Despite the health risks associated with being overweight, low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets are notoriously difficult to maintain over long periods.  Most individuals, especially those who lose weight at more than about two pounds per week, regain the weight lost. This pattern occurs with all the calorie restriction strategies offered by diet centers and online food plans.  The evidence is stacking up to show that successful weight control may hinge more on controlling stress. There are numerous studies showing that even people of normal weight eat high-fat and high-sugar foods to relieve stress.

The second study suggested that women become addicted to cocaine more easily than men and find it harder to give up. It appears that the motivation of female rats to work for cocaine is much higher than males.

Researchers from the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, found that rats bred to have an elevated stress response and increased impulsiveness are more easily trained to reward themselves with cocaine.(2) They are also more determined, than similar rats with low impulsivity and lower stress responses, in pursuit of their next fix.

While cocaine dependency has something to do with thrill seeking and impulsivity, it is also affected by the differences between males and females. At a low dose, for both sets of rats, it was the females who were quickest to learn self-administration and were the most willing to work harder for their next fix. At higher doses, the differences in behaviour between the male and female rats were less obvious.

The link? Both the studies focused on subjects that were either bred to evoke an elevated stress response or were environmentally stimulated to express the same genes. In an attempt to control their genetic response the high-stress individuals used various substances to create a chemical support system. As I've shown in previous articles, there are many ways to alter body chemistry, especially in the brain. In the above studies the stimulants sought out by the subjects were cocaine, sugar and chocolate, all three stimulating neurotransmitter release, principally Dopamine.

The evidence shows that females need to be careful how they approach weight loss as they are genetically predisposed to a high-stress response and the subsequent associated behaviour anyway, and the usual dieting strategies are a sure-fire way to realise this genetic heritage.

References:

1. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12, 65 (February 2011), doi:10.1038/nrn2985.
2. Jennifer A. Cummings, Brooke A. Gowl, Christel Westenbroek, Sarah M. Clinton, Huda Akil, Jill B. Becker. Effects of a selectively bred novelty-seeking phenotype on the motivation to take cocaine in male and female rats. Biology of Sex Differences, 2011; 2: 3

Apples...not only good at keeping the Doctor away, but maybe the Grim Reaper too

Recent evidence showing that consumption of Apples can extend lifespan by 10%...at least if you're a Fruit-fly....
http://snipurl.com/26nqzu 

A Model of Sustainable Weight Loss

When working with clients focused on fat loss, why not use the time honoured tradition of indiscriminate rapid weight loss that is the basis of all popular 'programs'? After all we could quite easily place clients on a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD), especially combined with inordinate amounts of Physical activity to reduce bodyweight. To up the ante we could use beta-adrenergic agonists to really ramp up metabolism. If we were really reckless we could use a by-product of explosive (TNT) manufacturing, however the potential for literally cooking yourself alive isn't too appealing to most clients or to the marketability of a health based business.

However, disregarding the last factor, most programmes use one or a combination of the above strategies to achieve a result with their members. Does it work? In the short term, absolutely, members will lose 'weight' at often quite considerable rates (usually the more overweight the individual the quicker or more 'impressive' the 'weight' lost).

Depending on the resolve of the dieter, this restrictive living can continue for a fair amount of time, usually 8-12 weeks. However, when their iron-will breaks, and it always does, the body has made a semi-permanent metabolic shift, that will not only regain all the fat lost, but will add some more for insurance. The body has multiple mechanisms to do this including but not limited to Leptin, Adiponectin, Glycerol and numerous other biological processes that will defeat a dieter EVERY SINGLE TIME. Not to mention, the muscle and bone loss that comes with rapid loss of bodyweight, which decreases the ability to control bodyfat.

Why do these companies use this strategy considering the futility and transient nature of the system? For two main reasons;

1- Ignorance of the physiology of the human body and the science of fat loss

2- A Genius Business Model. Whilst on the system, the dieter loses weight, emphasising the 'successfulness' of the strategies and products endorsed by the business. As soon as the member breaks down and cannot continue, as mentioned above, the weight piles back on. However, psychologically the dieter remembers that the system was successful and they personally failed by being too weak to adhere to the program. In reality it is the opposite, the program is an abysmal failure, but on the surface it appears the reverse is true. So they continue to oscillate between returning to the 'effective' system and when they inevitably fail, regaining weight plus 'insurance' when off the system. Each successive cycle causes a slight weight gain in itself plus a scenario where the body is set up to gain body fat at an increased rate.

There is no need to restrict food, or spend unendurable amounts of time exercising. Done correctly, a nutritional program, plus a minimal but strategic exercise component, that tweaks a few key components, will melt off the bodyfat while simultaneously building or at least maintaining muscle and bone mass. It will also allow a client to eat as much as they want of real, great tasting meals, at the same time enabling a client time to enjoy their precious (and ever decreasing in the current economy) leisure time.

If you would like to learn how to get lean for life, private consultations are available. Also look out for HPC-UK's Fat Loss Seminar coming up which will detail and provide resources for the HPC-UK Fat Loss Program.