Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that require keeping carbohydrates as low as 3% and never more than about 25 to 30%. This is much lower than the 50 to 60% recommended by most good scientists and valid research. Low carb diets include programs like Atkins, Protein Power, The Zone, Sugar Busters and the South Beach diet.

As you can see by the chart below, the Ornish and Pritikin diets at 70% and 80% carbs, are definitely high carb. One means used to distract people’s attention away from the fact that the Atkins diet is basically an unhealthy food plan is to compare a “low carb” diet to a “high carb” diet. However, neither one is the best solution.

Although the in-depth research of Dr. Dean Ornish, using his high carb/low fat diet, has uncovered some amazing findings and produced phenomenal results in reversing heart disease, as a weight loss program and regular eating plan, it has some drawbacks. The Ornish diet, as with Pritikin, is proving to be too low in healthy oils from fish, olives, nuts and seeds. Plus, it may also raise triglycerides and lower HDL (good) cholesterol.

This chart shows you carb, fat and protein comparisons:

                 Carbs  Fat     Protein
Atkins		 3-20% 	45-65%  25-35%
South Beach	 10-25% 50-70%  20-30%
Healthy		 50-60% 20-30%  20-25%
Ornish/Pritikin	 70-80%  5-15%  10-15%

Diets at both the top and bottom extremes have their problems. Anyone can lose weight on a diet - fad or otherwise - for a week, a month or even six months. But, for a weight loss program to be truly effective, your diet must become part of your lifestyle and the basis of everyday food choices. Besides health concerns, too many people find both low carb and high carb diets difficult to stick with for a lifetime. Your best bet is to develop a low calorie, healthy eating lifestyle that includes regular moderate exercise.

About The Author

Moss Greene is the Nutrition Host at Bellaonline.com. Visit her web site at http://www.bellaonline.com/site/nutrition to find out how to look better, feel your best and have more energy -naturally. Join her free health and fitness newsletter by going to http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2919.asp

nutrition@bellaonline.com

Sometime back, liposuction was the most popular method to reduce fat among the people worldwide. But now there are alternatives. Ultrasonic liposelection treatment is one such alternative to the traditional liposuction. With the ultrasonic technologies, the liposelection specialists can break up and extricate the fatty tissue from the areas that you think you should do something with. Fat cells are here altered to be removed with a Vasar cannula and you will get for a clear, visible result instantly. The process is called LipoSelection as in the method the right tissue are selected to be worked on. The main target of the liposelection process is the fat tissues. The process is much safer as other tissue like nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels remain untouched.

Generally the ultrasonic liposelection treatment is done without admitting the person undergoing treatment. This is performed with general anesthesia. Liposelection is for you if you possess a good health and healthy weight and you want to reduce the fats deposited in some specific areas. And this is the most suitable fat reduction method for you if you are someone who cannot bear any pain. With liposelection you are free from any pain, bruises and discomforts. As no other tissues are hurt with the treatment, you can get back to your normal active life quiet easily.

With ultrasonic liposelection treatment, you are now free from all those disturbing fats that have made you look ugly and created limitations for the fashion wear. The weapon is in your cosmetic surgeon’s hand and he has complete control over your fatty areas and the beauty hidden in you. The treatments can do wonder in the body areas like the thighs, tummy, arms, hips, back. You will hardly find any experts recommending the treatment for weight loss. But this is one of the most effective for the body areas that really need some help. The treatments is said to be more effective than liposuction as far as removal of fat tissues are concerned.

Are you making weight loss mentally harder than it has to be? In order to succeed with losing weight, you want to ensure that your mindset supports your efforts.


The following are five mental attitudes that will sabotage your weight loss success.


“I want it now.”

One of the hallmarks of being an adult is the ability to delay gratification; in other words, you must be able to say ‘no’ to yourself when it comes to eating foods that are not healthy for you. Or if you can’t say no, you should at least be able to say “not right now.”


By now, you probably realize that you can’t keep doing the same things and expecting different results. The reason that you are battling excess pounds now is because you have made errors in judgment regarding your health and allowed them to compile.


Conversely, if you make wise decisions about your health and allow them to compile, then you will have a better body in the future. You must be willing to keep rejecting the unhealthy habits (even if it hurts for the moment) long enough for the new, healthy actions to stick.


The outward changes won’t happen overnight, but they will happen. If you trust that, then ‘now’ will show up sooner than you think.

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Procrastination is the enemy of any successful endeavor. Each day that you continue to eat unhealthy foods and avoid exercise is a day that you are choosing to remain sick and tired. Decide that this is the day that turns your life around.

“When I lose weight, then I’ll…”

When it comes to doing nice things for yourself, don’t delay. If you have a “When I lose weight, then I’ll…” attitude, it is like saying to yourself that you aren’t worthy of nice things because you aren’t a certain size or don’t weigh a certain amount.



You are worthy no matter what size you are, so start doing nice things for yourself now. Have fun and treat yourself well now. Buy that new pair of earrings. Go on that trip. Talk to that cute guy. Tomorrow is not promised to you, so decide that you are worth the best, which includes having the healthiest habits around.

“I am in control.”

A recipe for frustration is attempting to control those things you cannot change, yet failing to control those things you can. A popular prayer illustrates this point:



God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.





When it comes to weight loss, you can control the actions you take, such as choosing healthy foods to eat or choosing to exercise on a particular day. However, you only set yourself up for frustration when you attempt to control those things you can’t control, such as the rate at which your body loses weight.



For most of us, weight loss comes in spurts: Some weeks you will lose a lot and some weeks you will lose a little. But you will eventually reach your goal if you continue to do the right things regarding your body.



So relax and let your body decide how it wants to drop the weight. It’s going to anyway, whether you fret about it or not.

“This is too hard.”

If you believe that losing weight is too hard, then it will be too hard. Instead of complaining, try asking yourself, “How can I make this easier?” Is it hard for you to set aside 30 minutes to exercise in the morning? Then try breaking up your exercise routine into 3 10-minute segments. You will get the same benefit.



If it is too hard for you to stop trying to clean your plate at restaurants, then ask for a “to-go box” at the beginning of your meal. Put aside half of your food in the box and then eat the remainder on your plate. Your plate will still be clean, but this way you will get to enjoy the meal later when you become hungry again.



Focus your attention on seeking solutions to your health obstacles instead of arguing for them. If you argue for them, you get to keep them.

I hope this series has been helpful for you in identifying possible problems you might face in your weight loss quest. If you stay the course and stay away from these pitfalls, you will be fit and fabulous in no time.

A Registered Nurse for many years, Kimberly Floyd battled obesity for much of her adult life. She was finally able to achieve her ideal weight and is currently writing a book that is designed to help others win their weight loss battles entitled ‘Take Back Your Temple’.

Kim has written articles for the Georgia Nurses Association publication and Nursing Spectrum Online. Now a technical writer, she has written training programs for corporate clients, including IBM, U.S. Bank, and Cingular.

Kim also teaches an online course called ‘Goodbye to Shy’. This course is distributed to over 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Australia through Thomson Learning. An accomplished speaker and trainer, she delivers presentations on health-related topics to enthusiastic audiences.

Have you ever suffered from a horrible headache when you thought the best remedy might be for someone to bash you over the head, or to pull your hair out? Then you might have some experience with alternative medicine!

In all seriousness, alternative medicine is not about hurting yourself, but involves investigating other potential methods to treat an ailment besides synthetic drugs. A good purpose for alternative medicine is to avoid developing a dependence on drugs of any type, which can supersede any medicinal or curing effects they might have. Searching for different ways of dealing with your physical or emotional issues or conditions can end up being better for you in the long run.

A great deal of alternative medicine treatments come from ancient medicinal knowledge and insight. Many different types of remedies used by different cultures through the years, including the use of needles for pain relief, herbs for medicinal treatments, or even massage therapy, are considered a form of medicine by the respective users because they work to some degree. However, many alternative treatments are unknown to the general public, as they are not in conformity with the mass marketed treatments and pharmaceuticals.

The definition of alternative medicine

There is really no one ultimate definition of alternative medicine. There are so many various methods and treatments that have been and continue to be investigated and promoted that it is hard to firmly define it.

Some of these alternative names to alternative medicine include holistic medicine, natural medicine, integrated medicine, and complementary medicine. They are all variations of the same idea, which is natural and alternative medicine. The design of alternative medicine is to ensure that all parts of a person’s life and being are well and strong.

The point of view of the alternative medicine collective

A standard of those who advocate alternative medicine is that health isn’t only the absence of illness or disease. Alternative medicine works to ensure that one’s purpose in life is sustained, because a person without a purpose is not able to achieve his fullest potential. There needs to be inspiration and motivation to allow life to be lived to its fullest.

It is thought that illness might not be the end of one’s world. Infection is not the only cause of sickness. The mind has the power to change one’s personality completely. Take the great warrior king Asoka, for example. He was so stirred by the death and devastation brought about by the Kalinga war that he became a Buddhist reformer. In this respect, illness has the capacity to bring about change, to make us better human beings. For that reason, alternative medicine strives to consider not only the physical health of a person, but also his personality and emotions in treating ailments and bringing about total well-being.

Sometimes, when you aren’t feeling that great, it might be better to relax by listening to calming music, taking a walk, or just thinking about life, rather than taking a pill to treat something momentarily. Discovering your purpose will give you a feeling of strength and the realization that life is worth living!

If you would like to learn more about alternative medicine visit http://www.discover-alternative-medicine.info

America is in a health care crisis. More than 60 percent of US adults are overweight
and 25% are considered obese. One in four children are overweight and are headed
for a lifetime of chronic illness. These numbers have nearly doubled in the last
twenty years.

Excess body weight has been linked to many common conditions affecting
Americans. These include: heart disease, high blood pressure, back pain, certain
cancers, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes, gall
bladder disorders, sleep apnea, Syndrome X (insulin resistance), and others. Health
care costs directly related to obesity are second only to smoking and are increasing
at an alarming rate.

Consistent weight loss can be accomplished by understanding and implementing
some simple truths. Total caloric intake must be less than the amount of calories a
person burns. This is known as the base metabolic rate (BMR). Low calorie high
glycemic (carbohydrate) diets cause an increase in insulin which will virtually lock up
fat making it impossible to burn. High insulin levels will lead muscle wasting when
eating less than the BMR.

Moderate resistance training exercise is also required to insure lean muscle is
retained. Maintaining muscle mass while burning fat improves body composition
(increases lean muscle and decreases fat) and maintains or increases the BMR. Long
term weight loss and/or maintenance is very difficult if a person has an uncontrolled
appetite and/or problem with emotional eating.

These concepts are simple to understand but often difficult or impossible for the
overweight person to implement. Another little known fact further explains why so
many people are overweight. Ninety percent of overweight people are deficient in
serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and/or epinephrine. These are important
brain and nervous system chemical messengers called neurotransmitters (NTs) that
affect every system in the body including the appetite and satiety centers in the
brain. Most people have heard of serotonin because those suffering from depression
and/or anxiety disorders are commonly prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitor (SSRI) class drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Welbutrin, etc.

Although these drugs sometimes provide temporary symptomatic relief, they DO
NOT add a single molecule of serotonin to the system. In fact, SSRI drugs cause an
increased rate of excretion of serotonin which further depletes a NT deficient
person. The solution is to evaluate NT levels with a simple urine test and then
optimize the NT by providing amino acid therapy. The amino acids provide the
building blocks to rebuild the neurotransmitters. Serotonin, dopamine,
norepinephrine and epinephrine are appetite suppressors.

In addition to their emotional/psychological functions, serotonin, dopamine,
norepinephrine, and epinephrine are also natural appetite supressors. When a
person has therapeutic levels of these NTs in their system, they go into a state of
safe appetite control. This allows them to follow their reduced-calorie diet while
eliminating emotional eating and carbohydrate and chocolate cravings.

Another benefit of this elegant approach is that not only are there no side effects,
but there are significant side benefits. Optimizing NT levels can help with many
other symptoms of low neurotransmitters such as depression, anxiety, insomnia,
chronic fatigue, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, pms, fibromyalgia,
migraines, hormonal dysfunction, adrenal fatigue, digestive disorders, and many
others.

The clinical results using this approach are very promising. In a Minnesota clinic
with a patient base of 690 patients, the results are as follows. Average starting
weight: 211 pounds. Average total weight loss: 62.6 pounds. Average loss during
first month: 16.9 pounds. Average loss during active loss program: 8.4 pounds/
month. Average goal weight: 149 pounds. Percentage of active patients reaching
their goal: 90 percent.

William Nelson, NMD is a naturopathic medical doctor that specializes in the
treatment of thyroid disease and most chronic illnesses using a combination of
natural medicine and the latest advances in medical science.
http://www.theelementsofhealth.com 7500 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd. A207, Scottsdale, AZ
85255 (480) 563-4256.

The method know as 3d ultrasound is used when a woman is in early pregnancy, it provides 3d pictures of the fetus. Most times these ultrasound pictures are rapidly collected and combined to created a “4d ultrasound scan”.

Three dimensional scanning works in the same way to the traditional ultrasound except that the ultrasound pulses are directed from multiple directions. The ultrasound waves are redirected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3d picture in in the same way as 3d pictures. 3 dimesional ultrasound was devised in the usa.

It is important to understand that sonologists around the world have always pictured three-dimensional images of the body in their minds while doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was impossible to do this type of reconstruction on on patient information using ultrasound. With the introduction of 4d scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us see the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d/4d ultrasound imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none essential situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding that a risk may exist.

In the western world people are comparatively comfortable with ‘hypnosis’. In the east the word ‘meditation’ does not raise any eyebrows. Hypnosis has been used mainly for ‘directed healing’. Meditation has been used mainly for ‘general’ well-being.

In the West, visualisation and imagery have developed from hypnosis. This is a commonly known fact among practitioners of hypnosis. But visualization is also integral parts of meditation- is not commonly known.

Hypnosis and meditation have both been described as ‘altered states’. They are considered to be ‘altered’ because they transcend the conscious, reasoning mind. The conscious mind is mainly dependent on reason and logic for its activities. Unlike the ‘Unconscious’, it has to make effort to think. On the other hand the ‘unconscious’ is the ‘feeling’ part of the nervous system, is spontaneous and regulates all the internal organs of the body. This is the ‘effortless’ part of the mind.

In order to change our internal body physiology, we have to have access to the ‘unconscious’ that controls our heart rate, blood pressure and the secretion of various hormones and juices in the body. Hypnosis is a method by which access to the ‘unconscious’ is made by letting a person go into a relaxed state. Usually hypnosis is done by a hypnotherapist, though self-hypnosis can also be done by an individual in certain conditions.

Meditation is usually done by oneself without any instructions from another person. So once you have learnt self-hypnosis, you can go into a meditative state spontaneously. In deeper meditative states, visualization is an active process. It is theorized by the practitioners, that the human spirit then has access to dimensions that are beyond the reach of human senses in wakeful state.

Hypnosis is usually goal-orientated. People practice hypnosis to achieve something -the least is a relaxed state. The commonly known goal of meditation is relaxation only. Whatever follows from relaxation is spontaneous and not necessarily with a goal. Visualisation and imagery though spontaneous, are also integral parts of meditation.

Imagery is now considered a different state than hypnosis or meditation, though it is common to both. The reason for this is that one can experience the benefits of healing with imagery without going into a trance state. One has simply to close one’s eyes and start having images. Imagery is the language of the ‘unconscious’. All of our memories are stored in the form of images. If you remember the images of an event from the past, the body goes through the same physiological responses as it underwent when the event was actually happening. Using imagery, one can change the perception and thinking about various issues in life by changing the images one has.

In my own experience, changing the emotions associated with the events changes the images that the ‘unconscious’ carries. This reduces the stress experienced by the nervous system and the body in general. This enables the body to rid itself of various habits, behaviours, thinking and perception that are detrimental to the person. If someone is on psychiatric drugs, this reduction in stress helps the person reduce medication on a regular basis.

More details of this work can be obtained from my website.

Copyright Pradeep K Chadha 2006

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of The Stress Barrier-Nature’s Way To Overcoming Stress published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.His website address is http://www.drpkchadha.com