Types of Meditation and Benefits - Summary [Infographic]

Sumary of Meditation : Meditation Types, Hindrances, Effects and Benefits
Infographic from Information is Beautiful
Meditation is Everywhere

Have you noticed that, recently, everywhere you turn, someone is talking about or recommending meditation?

Whether you need to lose weight, have some emotional or mental upset, or perhaps a medical condition, or want to make more money ... meditation is almost always now suggested as part of the process.

Meditation is everywhere.

But, what exactly, is meditation?


Types of Meditation

Just as with yoga, there are many types of meditation.

Although there are some basic "rules" or guidelines, like assuming the correct posture or practicing at certain times of the day, there really is no single or right way to meditate.

Some of the most popular types of meditation include:

Mindfulness Meditation
☯ Concentration Meditation
☯ Loving Kindness Meditation
☯ Attending Meditation
☯ Silent Gratitude Meditation
☯ Breath Meditation
☯ Silent Meditation
☯ Mantra Meditation
☯ Walking Meditation


Summary of Meditation

This infographic from Information is Beautiful summarizes certain key aspects of meditation including the effects and health benefits of meditation, qualities of mind that are thought to be developed as an outcome from a regular meditation practice, common hindrances, and the many types of meditation from several traditions, disciplines or schools including Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Dzogchen (Tibetan Buddhism), Sufism, Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Kundalini Yoga.


Infographic Source

Meditation Summary - Information is Beautiful


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All About Avocados, Health and Weight Loss Benefits [Infographic]

All About Avocados - Varieties, Nutrients, Health Benefits
and Beauty Uses - Infographic from FIX

Avocado - a Health Food

Avocados are incredibly nutrient dense.

They are rich in about 20 micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals aka phytonutrients), dietary fiber and the "good" monounsaturated fat.

Specifically, avocados are very high in:

 Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
❤  Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
❤  Vitamin B9 (Folate)
❤  Vitamin C
❤  Vitamin E
❤  Vitamin K
❤  Potassium
❤  Copper

Adding avocados to a well-balanced diet has been linked to a variety of health benefits including lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lowering the risk for cancer, lowering the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, helping to relieve symptoms of arthritis and helping weight loss and/or healthy weight maintenance and management efforts.


Avocado - a Weight Loss Food

In spite of being a high fat food, avocados are actually thought to promote natural, safe and healthy weight loss because they are high in fiber, very low in carbohydrates, rank very low on the Glycemic Index (GI) while ranking relatively high in terms of satiety level, which can lead to less snacking and overall calorie consumption.

Additionally, the healthy fats in avocados can naturally raise insulin sensitivity, lower and help regulate blood sugar levels.   A well balanced blood sugar level is considered crucial to overall health and an important factor in metabolism.

SEE: FIBER FOR FAT LOSS
SEE:  GET YOUR FAT RIGHT AND LOSE BELLY FAT


Infographic

This infographic from Fix.com describes eight varieties of avocado, how to peel and remove an avocado seed, the key vitamins in avocados, and several different uses of avocados in foods and alternatively, as a natural skin and bad breath treatment.


Infographic Source

Infographic source and to learn more about the health benefits of avocados, and how to select, ripen, cut, pit, skin and prepare an avocado (including a few easy recipes), please go to Avocados - More Than Guac.


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Cultao Premium Thyroid Support Supplement - My Review on Amazon

Cultao Premium Thyroid Support Supplement 
Product Review





Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Testing and Diagnosis

Several years ago, my Mom was diagnosed by her doctor as having Hypothyroidism based on the results of one blood test (TSH levels) and given a prescription for Levothyroxine. Over time, and again based on that one TSH blood levels test, her dosage of Levothyroxine was increased several times.

Then, in one of my holistic healing courses, I learned about Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (aka Autoimmune or Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis) and the drawbacks and limitations of running just the one TSH test to assess thyroid function. So, I had her do a complete Thyroid Test Panel, which includes testing TSH, Total T4, Total T3, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3 (rT3), T3U, Free T4 Index, and very importantly, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). As it turned out, she has Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is actually an autoimmune disease and more than just hypothyroidism.


An Excellent Patient Guide

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis:
Lifestyle Interventions for
Finding and Treating
the Root Cause
We then read an excellent, highly recommended and best-selling book on the subject, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause by Dr. Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP.  

This book is basically a public, patient and health professional educational guide which covers in great depth and detail the root causes, symptoms, testing and appropriate diagnosis, prescription medication management, supplements, diet and other lifestyle and integrative medicine interventions for Hashimoto's.


In the book, Dr. Wentz writes that certain supplements (Selenium, Zinc Picolinate, Chromium, B-Complex Vitamins, Iodine, NAC, Biotin, Magnesium, Vitamin D3, Probiotics) may be helpful with managing and healing Hashi's. Certain herbs are also thought to help, most notably Ashwangandha.


Effects of Diet Modification and Supplements

My Mom modified her diet, started taking her supplements and ... lo and behold ... she felt better and her subsequent thyroid panel and antibodies tests reflected a marked improvement - enough that her doctor lowered her Levothyroxine to the lowest dosage.


Thyroid Support Supplements

My Mom started off taking NOW Foods Thyroid Energy, 90 Vcaps because she trusts this brand. But, she likes to change things up once in a while and try new brands and so she asked me to get the CulTao Thyroid Support for her. Her main reason for wanting to try CulTao was that the formulation was significantly different than the NOW brand and seems to be more complete in that it also includes Vitamins A, C and D, Magnesium, Green Tea extract, patented Bacopin leaf extract and twice as much Selenium.

Although she has not been in for testing since taking CulTao, she says she feels great, and what better indicator is there than that? Other aspects of CulTao Thyroid Support that my Mom really likes include:

1. Its easy to take (swallow)
2. Vegetarian capsule
3. Its made in the U.S.A. under cGMP standards, according to the marketing literature.Why we are giving CulTao Thyroid Support four stars instead of five stars:

* Both my Mom and I are of the opinion that information concerning country of origin or manufacture, and manufacturing facility certifications should be right on the label and on the company's website. We find CulTao lacking in this.

* CulTao's Thyroid Support contains Folic Acid (as does the NOW brand). Folic Acid is a synthetic form of Vitamin B9 (Folate). There is some controversy about supplementing with Folic Acid for certain individuals, particularly those with a MTHFR genetic mutation. It is my understanding that progressive supplement companies are now beginning to leave Folic Acid out of their formulations.

Disclosures

Disclosure: I purchased this product on behalf of my Mom at a discount in exchange for my (our) honest and unbiased review, feedback and opinion.

Disclosure:  I am an Amazon affiliate and may earn a small commission if one of my readers clicks through a link to Amazon and completes a purchase.


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Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking [Video]

How Not to Die
Best-Selling Book by
Michael Greger, MD

Living to 100

Do you want to live to be 100 years old?  Or, at least, do you want to potentially extend your lifespan and improve the quality of your health and life, especially in your later years, by lowering your risks for cancer and other chronic diseases?


Animal Protein and Cancer Risk

This recent video from Dr. Michael Greger, M.D., author of the best-selling book, How Not to Die, summarizes the latest studies and scientific research on consuming animal protein versus plant protein and its associations with mortality rates.

Dr. Greger does not advocate cigarette smoking.  The comparison of the effects on health from eating animal protein (i.e., meat and dairy) to the effects on health from cigarette smoking, including second-hand smoke, was actually taken from a press release sent out by USC University of Southern California, titled "Meat and Cheese may be as Bad as Smoking - Eating Animal Proteins During Middle Age Makes You a Candidate for Cancer."

The USC press release begins with “That chicken wing you’re eating could be as deadly as a cigarette,” and then goes on to explain explained that eating a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age makes you four times more likely to die from cancer than someone with a low-protein diet—a mortality risk factor comparable to smoking cigarettes.

Dr. Greger adds that, "when they say low protein diet, what they actually mean is just getting the recommended amount of protein."



To view this video on Dr. Greger's website, NutrionFacts.org, including the transcript, sources cited and related topics, please visit:  Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking (NutritionFacts.org)

Other notable videos from Dr. Greger:

This 4-1/2 minute video from Dr. Michael Greger explains the impact of eating conventionally grown produce that is laden with pesticides on the health of ...
Recently, Dr. Michael Greger (NutritionFacts.org) released two related videos discussing how the unique fat-burning properties of brown adipose tissue can be  ...
For example, Dr. Michael Greger recently released two videos explaining how the fat-burning properties of brown adipose tissue can be boosted by eating foods ...

5 Health Benefits of Biotin [Infographic]

5 Health Benefits of Biotin (Vitamin B7 aka Vitamin H)
Infographic from NutraBusiness


The Beauty Vitamin

Biotin aka Vitamin B7, Vitamin H and Coenzyme R is best known as the "beauty vitamin" because of its popular association with healthy skin, hair and nails.


Other Health Benefits

But, according to the latest research, Biotin does more than revitalize skin color, strengthen nails, and helps with dry scalp and hair loss.

Biotin, which is a water-soluble nutrient and a part of the B vitamin complex family, is essential to maintaining a healthy liver, eyes, and nervous system.

Biotin is also thought to help support adrenal function, help to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol), help to regulate blood sugar levels when taken in combination with Chromium Picolinate.



Biotin and Weight Loss

Biotin has also been implicated in potentially assisting with weight loss and/or healthy weight maintenance due to its role in helping to break down macronutrients, especially carbs and fats, during metabolism.

Although current scientific evidence does not support the use of dietary or supplemental Biotin to help with weight loss, many weight loss experts believe that keeping your blood sugar levels stable and in balance is one of the keys to successful weight loss.


Biotin (Vitamin B7) Deficiency

Biotin dietary deficiency is not very common in the U.S. and daily requirements are small as  food sources of Biotin (Vitamin B7) are abundant and the body generally uses and recycles Biotin efficiently.  Symptoms of Biotin deficiency can include hair loss, brittle nails, a scaly red skin rash, depression, lethargy, numbness or tingling in extremities.


Vegetarian and Vegan Food Sources of Biotin (Vitamin B7)

Plant foods rich in Biotin including almonds, walnuts, peanuts, sweet potato, onions, oats, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, bananas, raspberries and strawberries.


Infographic Source

This infographic is from NutraBusiness.

Related 
  1. Periodic Table of Vitamins
  2. Craving This ... Means You're Missing This ...
  3. 10 Daily Nutrients
  4. Supplements vs. Food Visual Guide
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Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract 20% Oleuropein - My Review on Amazon


Oleuropein, a Polyphenol with Antimicrobial and Antifungal Properties to Fight Bacterial Infections (C Diff) and Candida Albicans (Yeast) Overgrowth

Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract
20% Oleuropein
 

The Mediterranean Diet, Olives, Olive Oil and Oleuropein

So, we've all heard about the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, a which is characterized by a high consumption of plant foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts) ... and olive oil.

One of the main phenolic compounds in olive oil is Oleuropein. Oleuropein is a polyphenol. Polyphenols are phytochemicals found in natural plant foods which have been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties.

Polythenols are thought to provide a wide range of health benefits including fighting free radicals, reducing inflammation, fighting cancer cells, protecting the cardiovascular system, promoting normal blood pressure and brain health, and supporting normal blood sugar levels.

The active ingredient in Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract is Oleuropein.




Top 10 Natural Antibiotics
Infographic from Top 10 Home Remedies
Powerful Antimicrobial to Help Fight Clostridium difficile aka C. difficile or C. diff. Infections

I first started using Olive Leaf Extract about 11 months ago based on the recommendation of a microbiologist who suggested using it for Clostridium difficile aka C. difficile or C. diff infection. C Diff is a very nasty, invasive and opportunistic bacteria. My C diff infection is antibiotic resistant, and has been particularly stubborn, with many relapses. This is not uncommon, by the way. At any rate, my research of reputable sources confirmed that Olive Leaf Extract with 20% Oleuropein has been shown to be very effective in treating many virulent bacterial diseases including MRSA, SIBO, strep throat, colds and flus. This is why I chose to take it, along with other "natural antibiotics" like garlic, Oregano Oil, Goldenseal, Echinacea, Manuka honey and Pau D'Arco.


Powerful Antifungal to Help Fight Candida Albicans (Yeast Overgrowth)

I am continuing to take Olive Leaf Extract now for candida overgrowth - as Oleuropein also has anti-fungal properties and shown positive results in studies to help with yeast overgrowth.


Product Comparison

So far, I have tried two different brands of Olive Leaf Extract, including this one, Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract. The other one is Pegasus Nutrition Olive Leaf Extract - 20% Oleuropein 750 mg.

Comparing the two brands:

1. Each capsule of both brands is 750 mg Olive Leaf, standardized to contain 20% or 150 mg of Oleuropein.
2. Both brands are made with NON-GMO ingredients.
3. Both brands are made in the U.S.A. in a GMP registered facility.
4. Both brands are easy to take, i.e., the capsule is easy to swallow.
5. Insofar as "other ingredients" both brands contain Cellulose, Vegetable Magnesium Stearate and Silicon Dioxide.
6. Based on my personal experience, both brands are equally effective. I cannot give 100% credit to Olive Leaf Extract for the improvements that I see and feel because I use other anti-microbial and anti-fungal herbs as well, but I can say that Olive Leaf Extract is a key component in my protocol.

So, why will I buy Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract from now on over the other brand?

That's easy! With all other things being equal, I look at the price point of each product and, currently, Noble Wellness Olive Leaf Extract costs 40% less than Pegasus Nutrition. In my mind, that is very significant, especially since I take 2 capsules of Olive Leaf Extract every single day.


Disclosures

Disclosure: I requested and purchased this product at a discount in exchange for an honest, unbiased review, feedback and opinion. Before I requested this, I had seen the price point on Amazon and really wanted to try it. I am so happy I have had this opportunity. Thank you!

Disclosure:  I am an Amazon affiliate and may earn a small commission if one of my readers clicks through a link to Amazon and completes a purchase.

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