It’s winter and if you’re like me, everywhere you go people are coughing or sneezing or have runny noses.  You get the picture.  Sick people everywhere.  Add to all that the H1N1 scare and it’s almost enough to make you not want to leave the house.  Building a strong immune system is important so that you can be healthy and stay healthy while everyone else around you seems sick.

Ayurveda is a science of preventing things before they happen.  Meaning, you want to build your immune system before you get sick….not treat it once you’re already sick.  Here are some tips for building and maintaining a healthy immune system:

• Wash your hands frequently.  Not only does this help you but also those around you.
• Drink plenty of water.  Water will flush things through your system.
• Don’t touch your eyes, mouth, ears or nose as these are typically portals of entry for germs.
• Get lots of sleep.  Sleep will give your body some down time from stress, etc. so that you are stronger and therefore less likely to get sick.
• Refrain from eating sugar.  Sugar creates the growth of bacteria.
• Try our herbal Immune Support.  A natural way to boost your immune system.

How do you stay healthy?

Use Referral Code 83SPWS at checkout to receive $5 off your first purchase.

You will also want to check out our rewards program.  It’s easy.  Earn 10% just by referring your friends!  After you make your first purchase with Himaacala.com, you will be eligible for our rewards program. Once you have made your first purchase, you can go into your Himaacala.com account and click on “My Rewards Referral Code”. There you will find your referral code. Feel free to give this code out to anyone you know. You can send it via Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Anyone who uses your referral code will receive $5 off their first purchase and you’ll make 10% off anything they purchase. It’s that easy.

Make sure to read our information on the following products:

• Cholesterol Support
• Immune Support
• Joint & Bone Support
• Memory & Cognitive Support
• Prostate Support

We offer a satisfaction guarantee on all our products.

Americans consume between two to three pounds of sugar every week. The sugar is being processed in so many foods we eat. These foods are not just sweets.  Sugar in large quantities can be found in peanut butter, mayonnaise, bread, ketchup and many other categorically “non-sweets” products.

So why is refined sugar so bad for us?

Refined sugar can raise insulin levels in your blood.  Raised blood insulin levels depress the immune system. If your immune system is depressed then your ability to fight disease is weakened.  Raised blood insulin levels can also cause weight gain. Insulin promotes the storage of fat; so, when you eat foods high in refined sugar, you increase fat storage and therefore have a chance of rapid weight gain.

Refined sugar also contains no vitamins or minerals so in order for sugar to be metabolized it must draw on the body’s reserve of vitamins and minerals. When these reserves are depleted, metabolization of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid storage around organs.

In summary here are ways that refined sugar can affect your health:
• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body’s mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delat, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind’s ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Source: http://www.nancyappleton.com

View our full line of natural herbal supplements including Cholesterol Support, Immune Support, Prostate Support, Memory & Cognitive Support and Joint & Bone Support at Himaacala.com.  We offer a full satisfaction guarantee on all our products.  Use Referral Code 83SPWS at checkout to receive $5 off your first purchase.

Commonly known as Arjuna, Ayurvedic system of medicine considers it necessary to maintain basic health and has a reputation as a heart medicine. It grows as tall deciduous trees in the Indian subcontinent. Its bark and fruit are used in traditional medicine. The bark is considered to be a cardiotonic and used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as angina, myocardial infarction, hypertension, congestive heart failure, coronary artery diseases and hypercholesterolemia. The major chemical constituents are triterpenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols. Its documented medicinal and pharmacological activities include:

Read more about Arjuna.

Arjuna can be found in our Qolest Cholesterol Support.  Qolest helps maintain normal levels of cholesterol in healthy people.  Save $5 off your first purchase at Himmacala.com when you use Referral Code 83SPWS.

Amla is one of the oldest Indian fruits. It is a rich source of vitamin C and its content of ascorbic acid is next to only that of Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra L.). It is one of the three constituents of the famous ayurvedic preparation, triphala, which is prescribed in many digestive disorders. The medicinal properties of amla have been mentioned in old ayurvedic texts, such as Charaksamhita and Sushrutsamhita. It is said to be the native of tropical South-Eastern Asia, particularly central and southern India. It is found in dry deciduous forests of India and Burma, except in the and regions and in the extreme north-west, ascending to 1,450 metres in the Himalayas. It is also found in Ceylon and the Malayan Islands of China. It contains gallic acid, ellagic acid, phyllantidine, phyllantine, punigluconin, pedunculagin, some amino acids, and some flavanoids. The fruit of Amla is commonly used in the treatment of burning sensation anywhere in the body, anorexia, constipation, urinary discharges, inflammatory bowels, cough, hemorrhoids, fever, thirst, and toxicity of the blood. The juice of the fresh bark mixed with honey and turmeric is given in gonorrhea. The leaf infusion with fenugreek seeds is given in chronic diarrhea. Acute bacillary dysentery may be treated with syrup of amalaki and lemon juice. The exudation from incisions made into the fruit is used as a collyrium in inflammatory eye conditions; the seeds are powdered and used to treat asthma, bronchitis, and biliousness.

Read more about Amla.

Check out all our natural supplements at Himaacala.com.  Cholesterol Support, Immune Support, Prostate Support, Memory & Cognitive Support, and Joint & Bone Support.

When your doctor told you that you need to lower your cholesterol levels and that you need to stop eating food with too much cholesterol, he may have not explained exactly what this means.  You may or may not know that there is such a thing as “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol”  When we are told we need to lower our cholesterol levels, what exactly does that mean?  Do we want high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL or vice versa?  Now let’s add Triglycerides into the picture.  How does this all make sense and what should we be on the lookout for? 

First off, LDL cholesterol is bad and HDL cholesterol is good.  In an article entitled “Good Cholesterol vs Bad Cholesterol” the author simply explains it like this:

“Both are used by the body to produce things that are needed to live: hormones, bile salts, and vitamin D, to name a few.  But the main difference is LDL’s tendency to stick to the walls of your arteries as it travels through your bloodstream.  As more and more of it clings to the walls, your blood has a harder and harder time pumping through ever increasingly crowded arteries.  This is why high cholesterol and high blood pressure are so closely linked.  When a chunk of LDL cholesterol breaks off and lodges itself someplace downstream, that’s a stroke, which is something you want to avoid.”

According to the American Heart Association:

“Cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol. These two types of lipids, along with triglycerides and Lp(a) cholesterol, make up your total cholesterol count, which can be determined through a blood test. 

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

HDL (good) Cholesterol
About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup.

Triglycerides
Triglyceride is a form of fat made in the body. Elevated triglycerides can be due to overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and a diet very high in carbohydrates (60 percent of total calories or more). People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including a high LDL (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level. Many people with heart disease and/or diabetes also have high triglyceride levels.

Lp(a) Cholesterol
Lp(a) is a genetic variation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. A high level of Lp(a) is a significant risk factor for the premature development of fatty deposits in arteries. Lp(a) isn’t fully understood, but it may interact with substances found in artery walls and contribute to the buildup of fatty deposits.”

Eating right and exercise can also help keep your cholesterol levels in check. 

Qolest Cholesterol Support  is a natural way to help maintain normal levels of cholesterol in healthy people.

Just how powerful are our minds?  According to Norman Vincent Peale in “The Power of Positive Thinking” , “It has been computed that from 50 to 75 percent of present-day people are ill because of the influence of improper mental states on their emotional and physical make-up.”  He goes on to say, “Many people suffer poor health not because of what they eat but from what is eating them.  Emotional ills turn in upon yourself, sapping your energy, reducing your efficiency, causing deterioration in your health.  And of course they siphon off your happiness.”

A study in the Circulation: Journal fo the American Heart Association there is an article entitled, “Optimism appears to lower women’s risk of death, heart disease.”  DALLAS, Aug 10, 2009 – Optimistic women have a lower risk of developing heart disease or dying from any cause compared to pessimistic women, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers also reported that women with a high degree of cynical hostility — harboring hostile thoughts toward others or having a general mistrust of people — were at higher risk of dying; however, their risk of developing heart disease was not altered.

“As a physician, I’d like to see people try to reduce their negativity in general,” said Hilary A. Tindle, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. “The majority of evidence suggests that sustained, high degrees of negativity are hazardous to health.”

It has been said that we are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be.  The power of positive thinking can change our lives.  What do you do to stay positive and be happy?

Stressed out, check out our Memory & Cognitive Support.  This natural supplement supports healthy memory, focus, concentration.

We hear about “cholesterol” every day.  “I can’t eat that because I’m trying to reduce my cholesterol levels.” Or, “That food is so high in cholesterol.”  Or, “If your cholesterol levels are too high it can cause strokes, heart attacks, etc.”  We read about it and we hear about it.  So what is cholesterol?  According to the American Heart Association, “Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells.  It’s normal to have cholesterol.  Cholesterol is an importan part of a healthy body because it’s used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other bodily functions.  But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and for stroke.”

Our Qolest Cholesterol support helps maintain normal levels of cholesterol in healthy people.  To read more about this product, click here.

How do you keep your cholesterol levels in check?  We’d love to hear from you.