How To Make Better Food Choices

Current trends and statistics show that people are making healthier decisions at the grocery store. In fact, according to a recent survey by the Grocery Manufacturers of America, "73 percent of primary grocery shoppers reported they were buying more nutritious and healthy foods and beverages than in the past."

A major reason for this shift is a health consciousness in America, with millions of people looking to lose weight and get into shape. However, says nutrition expert Sherry Torkos, "consumers are frustrated with their lack of success with many of the fad diets that simply don't work. Consumers are also becoming better educated about how to make food choices by using tools such as the glycemic index (GI), which is a ranking of food based on the rate of carbohydrate absorption they trigger."

Carbohydrates are staples of the American diet. In fact, most Americans get about half of their calories from carbohydrates. However, simple carbohydrates such as potatoes, white bread and pasta are rapidly digested and raise blood glucose to high levels. Fortunately, there may be a way to lower the GI of carb-rich foods by taking a supplement containing an extract of the white bean.

"The GI of white bread was significantly decreased by the addition of 3,000 milligrams of the Phase 2 brand white bean extract in powder form. At that dose, the GI was reduced by 20.23 points, or 39.07 percent," says Jay Udani, M.D., medical director, Pacific West Research.

Though consumers have lowered their fat intake, experts agree that excess carbohydrate consumption remains a problem. Fat calories removed from the diet are usually replaced by even more troublesome carbohydrate calories, meaning increased consumption of high-GI foods. This sort of diet is considered a primary factor for "diabesity," or type 2 diabetes brought on by being obese. Besides diabetes, overweight and obese individuals are at an increased risk for numerous other physical ailments, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

"Consumers should steer towards the low-glycemic index foods, such as whole grains, most fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes because they digest more slowly and don't cause spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels," adds Torkos.

How Come Acupuncture Brings Perfect Results For All?

Acupuncture is the gentle insertion of extremely fine needles at specific points of the body. The theory behind acupuncture is that there are two thousand energy points on the body that are connected by twenty pathways [meridians] running throughout the length of the body. These pathways conduct flow of energy called “qi” or “chi”, meaning life force. Blockage of energy in any of these points can cause pain in the body. Acupuncture serves to clear any type of energy blockage in any of the pathways and thus reduce pain effectively.

Treatments offered by acupuncture schools

All the diseases prevalent in human body are the result of energy blockage in the pathways. So when these blockage points are removed, automatically you will be cured from all types of diseases. During an acupuncture treatment session performed by the acupuncture schools, almost one to twenty metallic needles are inserted into the body. While some of the needles rest on the surface of the skin, the others are inserted from one to several inches into the layers of fats. The needles are kept there in resting position for at least twenty to thirty minutes.

The acupuncturists to enhance the reduction in energy blockage often keep jiggling the needles. In certain instances like treating high blood pressure with acupuncture, electrified needles are used for fast and better cure. Often the practitioners also use an amount of burned herbs at the end of the needle to encourage negative energy to leave the body along with the smoke.

Acupuncture treatments for back pain, shoulder and neck pain

Atlanta schools of acupuncture follow some rigorous acupuncture techniques that promise sure results for all types of diseases. Back pain is a disease that can range from dull ache to a constant sharp pain that leaves people irritated. Even neck and shoulder pains can be equally disgusting as they continue to be acute and stop all your normal activities.

Acupressure is a wonderful remedy for back pain, neck and shoulder pain. The practitioner presses some acute points near the meridians of the body with the thumbs and fingertips to reduce pain. With the applied pressure the blocked energy starts flowing and all pains are reduced. Atlanta acupuncture for spinal injury is also effective as the blocked “chi” or energy in spinal chords gets released with application of acupressure and pains related to spinal injuries gets cured instantly.

Acupuncture treatments for smoking and skin diseases

Atlanta for stop-quit smoking is also effective, as permanent smokers have known to cease smoking completely with acupuncture. The treatment involves insertion of five needles into the ear [particularly in the cartilage and not in the ear canal] and a few on the hands and wrists. It also involves applying a mixture of oil of cloves and wintergreen extracts of Evodia fruits and Sichuan lovage rhizomes to quit smoking faster.

Acupuncture for acne, psoriasis and allergies are an effective treatment, as it reduces the diseases instantly. All these infections are autoimmune systems that occur due to inflammations in the blood vessels. So when the acupressure needles are pricked onto the skin, they are also manipulated through hands by rubbing the acupressure points or the ends of the needles are electrified to produce instant results.