Best Heart Rate Monitor – Alzheimer’s – Rosemary Helps Protect Against This Disease
Alzheimer’s – Rosemary Helps Protect Against This Disease
For several years we have been aware that the plant compound, rosmarinic acid has anti-Alzheimer’s properties. Now, a recently published research paper has described how carnosic acid (a compound that occurs in the common culinary herbs, rosemary and sage) also has the capacity to prevent and possibly treat this distressing disease.
In ground-breaking research, scientists from Iwate University in Japan and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in California have found that the antioxidant, carnosic acid protects the brain from free radical damage.
Oxidative damage, caused by excess free radicals is a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Writing in the November 8 edition of the Journal of Neurochemistry the scientists involved in this research describe the novel way in which carnosic acid works to protect the brain from free radical damage.
Unlike many other plant compounds, antioxidants and drugs, carnosic acid is able to cross the blood-brain barrier – a physiological barricade that protects the brain from harmful agents such as microorganisms and toxins.
Moreover, carnosic acid does not have any undesirable effects on normal brain cells and is only activated in the presence of free radical damage. In other words, this extraordinary compound lies dormant until sparked into action by the same disease process that it then neutralizes!
This remarkable feature of carnosic acid stands in stark contrast to that of many other naturally occurring antioxidants that do not have this phenomenal property. The others all tend to neutralize free radicals as they come into contact with them.
The problem here is that the body actually uses some free radicals to kill cancer cells and invading microbes. A high concentration of one or more antioxidants may eliminate too many free radicals leaving none available for the cell’s defensive processes to use to destroy tumor cells, bacteria, viruses and other organisms.
Carnosic acid, on the other hand waits innocuously until the damage caused by the excess free radicals triggers its protective response.
The property whereby a therapeutic agent works only in the presence of
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the pathological process that it is capable of acting against is called pathological-activated-therapy (PAT). It is one of the goals of modern science to develop drugs that exhibit PAT properties as they will produce far fewer toxic side effects than medicines that do not have this attribute. Carnosic acid is one of the first naturally occurring compounds to demonstrate this valuable characteristic.
Carnosic acid has two other properties that make it a vital neuroprotective agent:
1. It protects against the narrowing of the left and right middle cerebral arteries – two of the major arteries carrying blood to the brain. Narrowing of these arteries with age is a common and important factor contributing to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
2. Carnosic acid increases the body’s production of the antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione is one of the most important antioxidants that help to protect the brain against free radical damage.
This landmark research has unearthed yet more pieces of a fascinating jigsaw puzzle. The picture that is emerging is one composed of many common culinary herbs and spices that can help to prevent and treat these ubiquitous neurodegenerative diseases.
While scientists continue to look for ways to produce more powerful drugs based on phytochemicals like carnosic acid, we should avail ourselves of herbs and spices like rosemary, sage and others that contain carnosic acid, rosemarinic acid and many other compounds whose neuro-protective properties have yet to be discovered by the scientific world.
Furthermore, as many of the compounds in culinary herbs and spices work synergistically with one another, we need to eat a wide variety of these vitally important foods on a daily basis.
For those who do not eat a diet rich in herbs and spices it is imperative that they use a balanced spice supplement in order to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes that are all associated with free radical damage, inflammation and the aging process.
By: Keith Scott MD
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Keith Scott is a medical doctor with a special interest in the healing properties of spices and phytonutrients. He has written several books including “Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing Power of Spices”. To download a free pdf copy of his book, “Medicinal Seasonings” and read more about the health benefits of spices go to: => www.medspice.com
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Every athlete that has ever looked in the mirror and flexed their bicep can identify with the alpha type personality that lives within each of us. We want to be better, stronger, and faster than anyone else. For those that look at working out not just as a hobby but more as a way of life then here is a workout specifically designed for you.
First of all, just because you “think” you have an Alpha type mentality, don’t jump into the workout listed below unless you have some serious training and conditioning of 1-3 years under your belt. Jumping into the exercises that follow without being in pretty good shape may see you lying in a hospital sucking on an oxygen mask with needed high strength pain killers… certainly not the main goal of any alpha type workout fanatic.
Okay, so you’re in pretty good shape and you’ve decided to proceed. Well, turn on your heart rate monitor and lace up your cross trainers because that’s the minimum equipment you’ll need to complete this high intensity workout.
Warm-up
Begin by warming up with a light dynamic stretch and fast walk to jog for about 4 to 5 minutes. Get the blood flowing to your extremities and warm-up those tight muscles.
Calisthenics
Next, ramp up your heart rate by doing some simple 15-four count windmills, hi jack-hi Jill’s, press-press flings to warm up shoulder girdle and jumping jacks for five minutes with no rest. As soon as you have completed these movements, get started on eight count bodybuilders. Again, with no rest, standup and began performing a set of 50 body weight lunge squat combos. As soon as you have completed the squats, knock a set of 25 push-ups. Repeat 2-3 times.
Stairs
Running stairs is the next exercise and if your thighs are beginning to burn because of the squats, it should be no limitation for you. You want to aim for a set of stairs that has about 30 steps to get the maximum effect. Running 2 stairs at a time up the steps at a medium to fast pace and once you reach the top, do a light jog down single steps to the bottom. Repeat this exercise for a total of three to 5 sets.
Sprints
Getting tired yet? Nah, alpha types don’t get tired, they just get pissed off. Good. Pissed off is fine, you can use that energy for the sprints you are about to do. Your body should be more than warmed up at this point so get ready to complete a high intensity interval sprints 5-10 reps. Sprint at your highest level of intensity for 20-30 seconds and do a light jog back to the starting point between each set. Once you have completed five-ten full sprints, begin jogging at a medium pace for about five minutes to allow your heart rate and breathing pattern to normalize.
Core
Get into a plank position and hold it for about two minutes. While most people would be shaking uncontrollably after about a minute, the body will adapt as you become stronger and allow several more advanced variations like the alternating foot raise technique. Repeat this exercise two more times aiming for 90 seconds and then 60 seconds for the last two sets. Add a set of alternating bicycles and super vee’s and this intense core workout will help you complete your exercise routine.
As stated previously, this workout is not for the beginner. If you had difficulty completing the exercises as described, simply aim for improvement the next time around. There is no question that if you can get through this routine without stopping for long rest durations beyond the suggested, then you truly are an Alpha type workout fanatic and your efforts will be rewarded with a lean ripped physique that will be the envy of everyone else who simply isn’t in your league.
About The Author
http://www.MrFatLoss.com, aka, Emile Jarreau is 31 year veteran fitness professional and co-owner of M2FitnessPros.com in Long Beach, California. Also having 19 years of bodybuilding and figure coaching experience, he specializes in fat loss and all its aspects and freely shares online resources to the world.
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