About me

I've been a network engineer for the past 10 years. Mostly, Microsoft based but I have experience with most other operating systems. I've always worked with computers. Prior to actually making this a career I was going for Pharmacy. I was a pharmacy tech for 6 years and I was very good at it. I ended up focusing more on computers though. I worked on/completed several certifications including two Microsoft Engineer certs (NT/2003 server). I have always been involved in health too but I found Pharmacy a little more stressful than networking. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of stress at my job but at least as a network engineer/consultant I get a change of scenery as I visit each of my client's businesses.

Using my skills in the two fields this past year I have been searching for natural ways to lower my cholesterol. It turns out that my family history is playing against me and I have to do something otherwise they put me on prescription medications. This worries me because several of my family members have been put on a couple of the available prescription meds and they have all had some sort of side effect like bad leg pain.

In the past year I found a product at my local store called cardio care. It is derived from plants. I've been taking this and it seems to be helping but not enough according to my cholesterol levels. Which are over the desired amount but not critical yet. I think my total is around 230 for total cholesterol level.

So continuing my search I came accross another natural health source, Shaklee. My friend is the distributor. From what I learned at college while going for pharmacy/ working as a pharmacy tech I decided to research the cholesterol item shaklee has. And to my happy suprise it appears to have a couple of ingredients that clinical trials/research shows positive for me. So now I'm trying this out because it makes more sense.

With this I decided to help my friend promote her business as I help my health. The natural health products on her site are worth checking out. If anyone cares to do the research like I have I would venture that they come to the same conclusions I have when it comes to natural health sources being better for you and natural health in general being the way of the future for society. My friend's site is Natural Health Products at YourHealthyPlace

Cholesterol In Review

As someone who is affected personally with the task of lowering my own cholesterol levels, I would like to share some of the steps you can take to decrease your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol. I have a B.S. in Biological Science with a minor in Human Physiology. Although I offer educated information and research, the information in this article should not be used in substitute for a doctors recommendation, and is not intended to cure any disease.

Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein. This cholesterol-protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are either high density or low density, depending on how much protein they have in relation to fat. Lipoproteins with more protein than fat are called high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Lipoproteins with more fat than protein are called low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol is sometimes called good cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps remove LDL cholesterol from the body by binding with it in the bloodstream and carrying it back to the liver for disposal. A high level of HDL cholesterol appears to lower your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is sometimes called bad cholesterol. LDL cholesterol collects inside the walls of the arteries and often contributes to the formation of plaque. LDL cholesterol is calculated from the total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride levels.
A high LDL cholesterol level is considered a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) because, under certain conditions, it can cause hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).Cholesterol is measured either in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) or in millimoles per liter of blood (mmol/L).An LDL cholesterol level of less than 100 mg/dL (less than 2.6 mmol/L) is considered optimal.100 to 129 (2.6 to 3.35) is considered near optimal. 130 to 158 (3.35 to 4.10) is considered borderline high.160 to 189 (4.12 to 4.88) is considered high.190 and above (4.90 to 4.88) is considered very high.**

With this in mind there are factors that work against lowering LDL bad cholesterol:

1. Your family history can play into your cholesterol equation (Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, June 11,2005). Since high cholesterol runs in my family I have genetics working against me as well.
2. Stress may lead to an increase in blood cholesterol (Pharma Marketletter, Dec 12, 2005)
3. Smoking may raise LDL cholesterol (http://www.indiana.edu, March 15, 2006)
4. Foods with Saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol (http://www.indiana.edu, March 15, 2006)

Factors that can lower LDL bad cholesterol

1. Exercise raises HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol
2. Reduce the stress in your life
3. Stop smoking
4. A high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish (but low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol) improves cholesterol levels

Most of what I have listed should be of no surprise to you. However, there are two more options to reducing your cholesterol levels. The first one is to take prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol. I have heard of good results with this method to drastically lower cholesterol. Although this method seems effective it is not without a price. For example, my brother and both of my parents have tried a couple of different prescription drugs for cholesterol discovering side effects. Their cholesterol was lowered significantly but they had unbearable muscle and joint pain while taking the medication. These side effects lead me to looking for alternative health products. I found that there are a number of naturally based health products that significantly lower cholesterol. I have personally tried a couple of products and have not experienced any side effects like my family members. I can say that I have been able to successfully avoid the prescription drugs at this time, and I am hoping to maintain my current good status by eating right, exercising and supplementing with natural health products like the ones found at Natural Health Products at YourHealthyPlace. I am finding that I will either need to continue supplementing naturally or take prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol since my family history is playing a major factor in my high cholesterol levels.

** Healthwise: MSN HEALTH & FITNESS; Retrieved March 10,2006 from http://health.msn.com/encyclopedia/medicaltests/articlepage.aspx?cp-documenti...

A Comparison Between Natural and Synthetic Products

There is growing concern regarding the use of natural products over synthetically engineered products. Many of todays ailments may be linked to the lack of natural products in our lives. It may be beneficial to detoxify your environment to promote overall health and wellness. Natural Health Products, for example, may be more effective at being absorbed into the body. Synthetic products may have extra ingredients that are not necessarily healthy. Many synthetic products contain dyes, preservatives, and a multitude of other ingredients that do not offer any health benefit. These same ingredients may also contribute to allergies. Natural products offer the possibility of avoiding the chemicals contributing to allergies and other illnesses.
Take note that there is very little supporting documentation in support for either type of product. However, it is logical to conclude that utilizing natural health products in your life can only benefit you. Most natural health products come at a higher cost. This higher cost is no comparison to the possible health benefits in your life. Think about how nice it would be to control your allergies or illness using products that are all obtained from the highest quality sources and natural sources instead of synthetically created products. For example, I have discovered personally that medicines prescribed for cholesterol management come with many side effects. Such as muscle pain and leg pain. Where as, I have found a couple of naturally based products that are helping me personally and I have seen no side effects to date. Ive been taking the natural products for about a year now. There are a couple of natural products that I have found. They are derived from plants and/or soy protein. Another finding which supports the concept that natural sources are better than synthetic is the research done on Vitamin E.
It was found that naturally obtained Vitamin E was absorbed and retained better than synthetic Vitamin E. Researchers have long known that natural vitamin E, milligram for milligram, is about 36 percent more potent than the synthetic form of the vitamin. In fact, the "international unit," or IU, standard was developed to compensate for these differences. But two studies using different groups of people - not laboratory animals - have found that natural vitamin E is utilized twice as efficiently as the synthetic form. "Natural vitamin E may cost twice as much , but you get twice as much bang for your buck," Graham W. Burton, PhD, told The Nutrition Reporter. Burton, a researcher at the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, directed one of the studies.(Retrieved from The Nutrition Reporter March 25,2006, http://www.thenutritionreporter.com)

I can only speak from personal experience, but what I have learned so far is that the more natural you can make your environment the better. Remove the toxins from your environment it can only benefit you in the long run. How often have you heard about various everyday chemicals in our environment found to cause cancer? If we all work towards utilizing natural health products and household items containing more natural ingredients we might be able to prevent illnesses like cancer or control conditions like asthma and high cholesterol.

(Author Rich Marsiglia, Natural Health Products at YourHealthyPlace)

Stress Effects In Life

I have learned that stress can really have harmful effects on your body and life. A couple of years ago I was in the middle of a very important project at work. With regard to work there was a lot riding on this particular project. In addition there was about 7 other work related events coming down the pipe which all needed to be addressed in the same period of time. Towards the end of that big rush I started getting intense abdominal pain. At first I didnt want to eat anything but then I found that when I ate it felt better. I thought without a doubt that I had developed an ulcer. I went to the emergency room later that evening to find out that I was affected by acid reflux. The stress in my life was raising the acid in my stomach and burning the lining away. I had to start taking Zantac to ease the immediate issue. My next step was to work on reducing the stress in my life. Im sure many people have had or seen similar occurrences in their own lives. You get so caught up in your work at your job you forget about what is really important. Think about it, why are you at your job anyway? Isnt it to make money so that you can support your life outside of your work day? So that you can enjoy your life? However, so many people get immersed in their day to day routine that they forget what is really important.

Im a computer engineer, so on a day to day basis I have to assist other people in completing their jobs. Making sure my clients can effectively use their computers and network system. Everyday I see how angry people get when they cant do something as simple as print a document. I too would get caught up in this. I care so much about my job that I would feel the pain my client was feeling except it was redirected as pain in my stomach when the day was over. Is not being able to print something for a 10 minute period of time really worth all of the stress it brings outside of your workday? Little by little I have taught myself how to cope with the daily issues I am presented. I still provide my clients with good service and keep them running smoothly. However, I do not let myself get caught up in the stress like I once did. I feel the urgency of fixing the issues presented to me, but I continue to tell myself this is just a job. I know that I have a life to come home to at the end of the day. The only reason I work now is to provide for the family, as opposed to getting all worked up because I need to meet a deadline. I found that my health and happiness is more important than allowing the stress to take over my life. This doesnt mean that I work any less, I work because I have to. It just means that I realize that it is just a job and I cant let the stress hurt me anymore. Since taking control of my stress the stomach issues have gone away and I do not need to take medicine anymore. In the end just realize that the important things in life should be taking care of your health and your family, try not to get stressed by your daily routine. Your health is worth more than that.

This is just one example of the negative effects that stress has on your life. Stress can adversely effect your health in many other ways. If youre an American between the ages of 18 to 49, there's a 1-in-2 chance that you experience everyday stress. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75-90% of all doctor visits are stress-related. Its important to find a healthy way to deal with stress. You can find a way to relieve stress and explore other quality health products by Natural Health Products at YourHealthyPlace.

Green Tea Health Benefits

For many centuries people of China used green tea for treating various diseases. However with the advancement of time, today people of west use green tea, realizing its several benefits. Green Tea has long been esteemed in China for its involvement to good health. Fame of Green tea in the United States persists to develop, viewing that green tea is an innate foundation of antioxidants. These antioxidants aid defend the body from accelerating aging and augmented danger of ailments. Years of research reveal that green tea restrains the expansion of objectionable cell colonies, thus building it the healthiest tea obtainable.

Let us take a look at the benefits of green tea:

Green tea has many health benefits, and it can be used for avoidance of the diseases: Cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis, High Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Disease, cataracts, Infection, and Impaired Immune Function.

Green tea helps in weight loss course. The green tea leaves augments metabolism in the body there fore consumption green tea helps you burn more calories.

Green tea has the capability to fight bacteria and this can be counted as one of the chief benefits of green tea. This boosts your immune system thereby increasing the resistance power. It also helps kill bacteria that cause plaque and succeeding tooth decay. Green tea can help in fight food poisoning.

In addition, green tea can help lessening blood sugar level and cholesterol level in your blood.

Also green tea helps in getting rid of bad breath. Some element is present in green tea that stunts the growth of bad odor causing bacteria. Therefore a cup or two of green regularly can help in maintaining fresh breath.

If you are a chain smoker and also you consume around six cups of green tea a day then the propensity of risk caused due to the toxins emitted by cigarette smoke is reduced to a great extent.

Green Tea also contributes to maintain your beauty. With the help of green tea you can freshen up your face and apply around your tired eyes to get soothing feeling. If you have freckles or blemishes on your face you can apply the green tea to get rid of the spots. The green tea also has benefits for antiseptic purposes. It can be used to treat minor cuts, rashes and also can be treated to cure sunburn.

Green Tea is organically grown and the customary drying method used with Green Tea prevents the tea from the harmful effects of fermentation.

Products of green tea are available in different strength levels. Some supplements are comprised of low strengths of the active polyphones, whereas others go as far as using un-standardized green tea leaf powder.

It has been confirmed that green tea is stuffed with health benefits. It acts as a influential antioxidant, which has been identified to assist prevent cancer, pull through from the harmful cholesterol, and guard against harm caused by free radicals.

It has been reported by National Cancer Institute that Green Tea has Cancer avoiding aptitudes and components for fighting against insert fresh life to the market. People who have depended on costly anti-oxidant products are finding that Green Tea is very cost-effective and organic. Tea is one of the foremost selling fresh drinks, only after water.

However you manage to incorporate green tea in your diet, as well as it on a standard basis will help you receive utmost results. Put in green tea to a vigorous, balanced diet and exercise schedule for general fitness. Rich Marsiglia at YourHealthyPlace

Natural Health is the Future

In today's world with all of the chemicals that we come in contact everyday you never know what adverse reactions you could have. Natural products could be our future for health.