Consumer Guide Online

Ventrilo is a VOIP program for your computers that allows you to talk to other people over the internet in real time. This program is commonly used by gamers who play games such as World of Warcraft because it allows them to organize themselves easier.

UGT-Servers offers ventrilo hosting which means they host the ventrilo servers you talk on. The service is very affordable, starting at $2.69 a month for unlimited talk.

Motion sickness is a condition that occurs in some people when boating, flying or driving. It is estimated that as many as 80 percent of the population has experienced motion sickness at some time. Most people suffer only mild to moderate symptoms. For example, they may have a feeling of uneasiness or a slight headache in mild cases whereas they may experience nausea, dizziness, sweating, vomiting, disorientation and an inability to function in stronger cases. The motion of a boat on the ocean often causes the most severe symptoms. Natural therapies and valuable self-care techniques go a long way in controlling and even eliminating symptoms of motion sickness.

Motion sickness often begins in the inner ear, which is responsible for the body’s sense of balance. Projecting upward and posteriorly from the vestibule in each ear are three rings called semicircular canals that are filled with fluid. When your head and body move in an atypical manner, the fluid inside these canals moves in patterns that are not typical of our normal “feet on the ground” sense. When your head experiences constant, pronounced movement, this fluid stimulates the nerve fibers that monitor balance, causing dizziness, nausea, sweating and vomiting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cholesterol is a material that is derived from animal fats in food and that is also produced by the body. A certain amount of cholesterol is essential to health-it forms two per cent of the weight of the brain, for example—but too much cholesterol builds up in the arteries and may play a part in causing coronary disease or stroke. Most doctors advice moderating the animal fat content of our diet as a wise precaution. And this applies to lean men as well as plump ones.

Cholesterol-rich foods include fat meats, pork, sausages, egg yolk, butter, cheese, pastry, cream, meat drippings, and other animal fats. So it is wise to avoid too many of these foods and to trim away the visible fat from your meat. Since eating vegetable fats will actually reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood, try to include in your diet some vegetable oils (such as corn, sunflower, and olive oil), fish oils, or polyunsaturated margarines.
Read the rest of this entry »

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis almost 30 years ago, and I’ve also been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and short bowel syndrome. I’ve done research, but everything I’ve found stresses the need to have a high-fibre intake. I’ve had to drastically reduce my fiber intake on medical advice because of constant diarrhoea.

answer:
Diet plays a major part in the management of diverticular disease. When you have a flare-up, you will be advised to reduce fibre for a month or so, but once symptoms settle down, it is advisable to gradually resume a high-fibre diet. New thinking suggests that changes in the balance of bacteria in the bowel might contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation, and this is almost certainly the case after a lot of antibiotics. Treatment with therapeutic probiotics is the latest direction in preventing recurrence of diverticulitis. Probiotics are also being used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

What is the difference between nuclear cataracts and cortical cataracts?

answer:
A cataract is a clouding or opacity of the lens in your eye, which is normally clear. It comes from the Latin word cataracta, meaning waterfall, because having a cataract has been likened to looking through a sheet of water. It is considered a common, if not normal, part of aging. As cataracts progress, they can cause blurred vision, sensitivity to glare, increased nearsightedness and distorted vision.The terms “nuclear” and “cortical” cataract refer to the position of the cataract on the lens. The nuclear cataract occurs in the center of the lens, while the cortical cataract starts as wedge-shaped spokes around the periphery of the lens. Higher risk groups for cataracts include people with diabetes, people who have taken corticosteroids over a prolonged period, heavy drinkers, those over-exposed to the sun and smokers.

I have a question about that memory-enhancing natural drug. Can it be taken by anyone or only people who are experiencing memory loss? I am a 28-year-old woman, and I would like to know, as my mother is suffering from dementia. I would also like to know if memory loss is hereditary and if anything can be done to prevent it.

answer:
This is unlikely in someone so young, although Alzheimer’s disease does have a familial association.

There are actually several “natural drugs” for memory, if you mean that in the sense of naturally occurring substances that improve memory. The major one, so far as dementia is concerned, is ginkgo biloba.

A number of experimental double-blind and clinical studies have been done during the past dozen years on standardized ginkgo biloba extract in dementia. (The extract is actually a registered drug in Germany for the treatment of brain dysfunction.) The studies are virtually unanimous in documenting improvement in such parameters as short-term memory, attention, basic learning rate, cognitive efficiency, performance speed, problem-solving, vigilance, mood and sociability. People without dementia who take ginkgo also report improved mental function.

Ginkgo appears to work by increasing blood flow to the brain. It also enhances glucose utilization, the brain’s energy source. In addition, it has membrane-stabilizing and antioxidant effects. The usual dose of the extract, standardized to contain 24 percent ginkgo flavone glycosides, is 40 mg three times a day.

Ginkgo may help delay deterioration in early stages of Alzheimer’s dementia, but the consensus is that it’s not much use later on. For full-blown Alzheimer’s, we turn to a second “natural drug,” acetyl-L-carnitine.

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a form of L-carnitine, an amino acid found in meat, and available as a nutritional supplement. Carnitine changes to acetyl-L-carnitine through the action of an enzyme that is woefully lacking in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims.

Acetyl-L-carnitine has been the subject of double-blind clinical studies in Alzheimer’s patients, with somewhat spotty results. Acetyl-L-carnitine reportedly improves behavior, memory, verbal fluency, attention, name learning, logical intelligence and digit recall, among other measures—or at the very least, it slows the progressive deterioration of such cognitive functions.

Acetyl-L-carnitine may help Alzheimer’s sufferers in at least two ways: It is a precursor to acetylcholine (a brain chemical involved in memory), and it acts as an energy carrier at the level of the cells’ energy factories (the mitochondria) where it is involved in fatty-acid metabolism. The dosage in these studies ranged from 2 to 3 gm a day.

A third natural substance, phos-phatidylserine (PS), has been receiving favorable attention recently. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 72 adults, a daily dose of 300 mg of PS with phosphatidic acid was given for three months. The PS group showed improved memorization of information, memorization of numbers and visual memory. This group also appeared not to experience depressed moods during the winter months.

I’ve heard that in a man older than 50, the body begins to produce a toxic hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a by product of testosterone. This hormone causes the prostate to swell up, which, in turn, produces uncomfortable symptoms such as multiple trips to the bathroom at night. I’ve heard that saw palmetto berries suppress DHT and help shrink the prostate. Is this true? I can say that saw palmetto has really worked for me.

answer:
You’ve got it mostly right. Saw palmetto extract has been shown in more than a half-dozen double-blind clinical studies to improve urine flow, decrease frequency of urination, lessen urinary discomfort and aid in more complete emptying of the bladder. It’s arguable, however, whether the prostate actually becomes smaller.

Saw palmetto is so good that I recommend it to my middle-aged and older patients with prostate symptoms. I also prescribe it to help maintain a healthy prostate. I find it works best when combined with certain amino acids, vitamins, herbs, bee pollen and zinc.

Saw palmetto extract reportedly blocks DHT activity, but is DHT really guilty as charged? It seems odd that the prostate enlarges just at the age when a man’s overall male hormone levels drop. Odd, too, that tissue samples of enlarged prostate glands don’t show unusual levels of DHT.

Some researchers believe that estrogen causes an enlarged prostate in older men. Estrogen, which is always present in a man’s body, assumes more influence as male hormone levels decline. To play it safe, I sometimes suggest a man increase his consumption of soybean products such as tofu, soy milk or soy protein powder because the genistein in soy will control estrogen.

Anyhow, DHT is a normal (physiological) form of male hormone, not a “toxic hormone.” It is necessary for normal male development. Unfortunately, it also promotes male-pattern baldness. I have been wondering whether a saw palmetto scalp tonic would actually help grow new hair.

Scientists say there’s no sight as sad as the corpse of a beautiful theory, slain by one ugly fact.

The ugly fact is that a high lysine/low arginine diet promotes atherosclerosis, which is a form of arteriosclerosis. Individuals on a diet high in  animal-protein, with lysine three to four times higher than  arginine, have an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Those who  eat vegetarian diets, with scarcely more lysine than arginine, have a reduced risk of heart disease.

The answer lies in the ratio between insulin and glucagon, two hormones that control blood sugar. Proteins like casein (milk protein), with high lysine levels, cause a high insulin-to-glucagon ratio, at least in people with high cholesterol. Soy protein, with relatively more arginine, causes that ratio to decrease. Lysine and branched-chain amino acids increase serum cholesterol; arginine and glycine reduce it.

Consume a vitamin C on a daily basis is important. Other antioxidants, including vitamin E, carotene and CoQ10, must be taken concurrently with vitamin C to protect arteries.

I’ve heard about osteoporosis and the need for calcium in your diet. Should I worry about this?

answer:
Worry may not be the right word, but you should definitely meet the recommended daily amount of calcium. Your bones actually take in the most calcium during your teen years and early 20s. Calcium is most prevalent in foods like milk, cheese and yogurt. It’s recommended that female teens choose four or more servings per day from the dairy group. If you’re not getting enough calcium in your diet, taking a calcium supplement will satisfy the requirement. (Be sure to take calcium supplements at night.)

There’s no evidence to suggest that these foods cause acne. Acne is related more to changing hormones and/or stress than to food choices. A well-balanced diet does, though, fit into the skin-care factor. By eating healthful foods and not skipping meals, you’ll have the energy you need to help ward off excess stress, so it’s best to limit your intake of sugary or greasy foods.