The Antioxidant Process

November 27th, 2011 by No comments »

Every time an antioxidant neutralizes a free radical, it is no longer an antioxidant and does not provide any cellular protection. This is why you have to resupply your body with vitamins minerals and trace elements. Supplying your body with a good quality antioxidant dietary supplement will help keep your antioxidant levels up and reduce the damage from free radicals.

Antioxidants Work In Two Different Ways

One way is they break the chain of damage produced by free radicals. The free radicals are unstable molecules in our bodies and they try to stabilize by attacking the healthy stable cells around them. The cell that was attacked is now unstable and attacks other cells continuing the chain reaction.

The chain reaction continues until the unstable cells decay into a harmless product only after wreaking havoc in our bodies or the free radical becomes stable. A good quality antioxidant such as Vitamins C and E or beta-carotene from either fruits or vegetables or a high-quality dietary supplement will help break the chain.

The other way that antioxidants protect the body is by finding and neutralizing those enzymes that start the oxidative chain reaction. This way the entire damaging chain reaction due to free radicals never gets started. In this way, your immune system stays strong which keeps your body strong and free from any illnesses.

Due to the differences among individuals such as body type and lifestyles, the type and level of antioxidants needed to keep your immune system strong and healthy will be different as well. What works well for one person may not work well for another. It is for this reason that you should try to get an extensive range of antioxidants from many different sources. Dietary supplements or crisp fruits and vegetables can provide you with a diverse amount and type of antioxidants needed to keep your body healthy.

Antioxidants and Serious Disease

Too much oxidative damage for prolonged periods can cause serious damage to the body. Cells are damaged because of enzymes not working as they should, cell membranes deteriorating, protein breakdown and ultimately damage your DNA. All of these can lead to a weakened immunity system and dramatically lower the body’s ability to fight diseases. Damage to your DNA can lead to a higher chance of cancer or serious diseases such as diabetes. If significant damage occurs to the arteries that supply the blood to your heart it could lead to heart problems.

The cumulative effects of the oxidation of cells in our bodies are an increase in illness, lower quality of life because of health concerns and premature aging. Currently there is no definitive evidence that antioxidant supplements can multiply longevity or help to slow the effects of the aging process.

In spite of this, there has been enough research and investigation into the advantages of antioxidants and ways they can help to improve your health and well-being. Antioxidants may be able to help reduce and prevent damage from toxins and free radicals, keeping your body strong and healthy, this we know. The amount of research evidence indicates that antioxidant supplements have the potential to improve the quality of your health and well-being and decrease the development of certain diseases.

Antioxidant Sources

In light of the role free radicals play in the process of aging and illness it is important to ensure our diets include a rich, diverse and constant supply of antioxidants.

It is highly recommended that you consume a wide variety of fresh fruits vegetables whole grains lean meats and dairy products on a daily basis. Healthy nutritious meals must include five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. One serving is a medium-sized piece of fruit or a half-cup of cooked vegetables.

Research is divided over whether or not dietary antioxidant supplements offer the same health benefits as antioxidants in foods. Evidence suggests that antioxidant dietary supplements do not work as well as the naturally occurring antioxidants in foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. In spite of this if your diet is lacking in that department taking a high quality antioxidant nutritional supplement is a very good option.

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Do You Know What Free Radicals Are?

November 27th, 2011 by No comments »

Everybody has free radicals in their system to a certain amount. It is when our bodies hold too many of them that we grow sick.

Think of free radicals as an imbalance in your body. They are volatile elements in the body seeking to become stable by attacking the other strong cells of your body. The cells under attack become unstable as well and damage and assault additional healthy cells in an ongoing chain reaction that can result in more damage to the body.

How Free Radicals Function

The creation of free radicals is a normal part of everyday life. It is due to breathing in oxygen. Naturally, the body’s natural defense mechanism takes charge and function to reduce their effect and preventing them from triggering too much damage to our cells. However, the surroundings we exist in and the lives we lead may amplify their production and limit the body’s ability to neutralize them. If permitted to go unchecked they will inflict harm to the body’s cell structure and have an effect on their normal healthy function.

What Causes Free Radicals

Oxygen. It is somewhat ironic that the oxygen we inhale in order to exist is needed to create them. When an oxygen molecule becomes radicalized or unstable it tries to grab hold of what it requires to become stable from other cells and damages that cell. Over time, the damage to the cells in the body that make up our tissues and organs can come to be so bad that it is irreversible. The end result can be anything from a poor health or a loss of vitality to a disease or serious illness such as heart disease or diabetes.

The function of an antioxidant is to neutralize the effects of the free radicals and restrict the damage they create in the body.

All the time they are running around in our bodies because of cellular oxidation. They are a natural byproduct of the regular biological processes such as breakdown of our meals. The quantity ofthem that your body produces also rises significantly after you put contaminants into your body from things such as alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. Furthermore, the contaminants in the oxygen we inhale and a lot of exposure to the sun (sunburns) will increase the level of their production in the body.

The oxidative stress and resultant byproduct are a substantial part of the escalation of a lot of the infections and diseases we develop today. Muscle and tissue damage heart problems illnesses like diabetes and possibly even cancer are affected by their levels in your body. They harm and destabilize typical healthy cells leading to a lot of health problems and enabling lots of diseases.

Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress

Many studies have publicized that antioxidants may reduce and possibly even stop the damage to cells caused from oxidative stress by reducing the effect of free radicals created.

Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute has stated that initial antioxidant research has revealed that they may help stop the harm begun that is linked to cancer. In addition, many medical professionals believe that maintaining increased levels of antioxidants in the body may possibly be able to help to slow down the aging process and can possibly enhance longevity.

If you hope to prevent the harm begun by free radicals in your body and live a better life then think about improving the quality of your meals or even supplementing a good quality antioxidant dietary supplement to your diet.

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Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers Attack Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues

November 27th, 2011 by No comments »

There are many individuals who depend on drugs and alcohol to get them through their daily routine. However, it is the same drugs and alcohol that can cause other problems that the addict also has to deal with on a daily basis such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and panic attacks. With that being said, it will be more difficult for these individuals when they go into dual diagnosis treatment centers for help because they don’t have to deal with one problem, but two.

A person who is heavily abusing drugs or alcohol is mentally and physically challenged and has a compounded problem that will give them much challenge. So recovery for this person is even more difficult as they try to steer clear of two evils. In the dual diagnosis treatment centers, the individual who is an addict will find that there are professionals to help them who are qualified and who understand what they are going through.

There will be tested and definitive methods and techniques used by these professionals to assist the person in getting well. Of course, the journey may be a little longer, but it certainly doable as long as the person is ready to face the facts and be determined to be recovered.

The dangers of alcohol and drug abuse are apparent, but so are all the mental and physical ailments that come with it. Living on prescribed medication is not easy for an addict, who already exhibits addictive tendencies. Prescription pills can also become addictive. The person who can still take prescribed medication and dealing with drug or alcohol abuse without being addicted to both at the same time, is to be commended, but it is hardly ever so.

At the dual diagnosis treatment centers, the person is usually intensely evaluated to find out the root of the problem, but this is not done until the person goes through detoxification of the system where toxins have to be removed due to the heavy use of drugs or alcohol.

The addict has a chance to interrelate with the therapist on a professional and personal level when it comes time to share pertinent information about their experience, medical history and background. The therapist identifies with the client because he or she has probably dealt with many such cases over time and it is likely that the therapist will know exactly what type of treatment plan to administer and recommend.

People are driven to drugs or alcohol for different reasons. Whatever the reason may be, it is still important to treat the person without being judgmental and the therapist knows this. The addict will shut down and not want to give relevant information, if he or she feels as if they are belittled in any way or anything negative is portrayed at any time.

The addict will continue to receive support from the therapist as long as the person continues to cooperate. They will also receive support from their peers, friends and family. It is up to the person to be forthright, and responsible for their own actions.

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