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Kidney transplant without a lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent the problems that come with a mismatched donor and recipient, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Louisville harvest bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. Those stem cells are then subjected to an 18-hour process in the lab to remove problematic cells thought to be responsible for rejection. “We developed a way to process bone marrow to take up bad cells and leave in good cells,” said Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, a study co-author and director of the Institute of Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Louisville. The stem cell concoction is then frozen and set aside for the kidney transplant recipient. The next step for Porter and other patients involved in the study was to get a low dose of radiation and a drug cocktail. The combination effectively destroyed some of their own bone marrow to create room for the donor’s stem cells to commingle with their own. After the kidney transplant, patients receive an infusion of the concoction containing the donor’s stem cells. “By having these new cells in the bloodstream, it is like a draw at the OK Corral,” said Atala, also chairman of the urology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Neither cell type in the bloodstream will attack the other and tolerance of the cells in the bloodstream, and also of the organ, occurs.” At least, that is what happened for Porter. After her transplant, she spent six months on a full slate of immune-suppressing drugs and then was slowly weaned off them. For the past seven months, she has been free of immune-suppressing drugs. Another patient involved in the study has been off of immune-suppressants for two years, said Leventhal.

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Kidney transplant without a lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent the problems that come with a mismatched donor and recipient, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Louisville harvest bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. Those stem cells are then subjected to an 18-hour process in the lab to remove problematic cells thought to be responsible for rejection. “We developed a way to process bone marrow to take up bad cells and leave in good cells,” said Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, a study co-author and director of the Institute of Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Louisville. The stem cell concoction is then frozen and set aside for the kidney transplant recipient. The next step for Porter and other patients involved in the study was to get a low dose of radiation and a drug cocktail. The combination effectively destroyed some of their own bone marrow to create room for the donor’s stem cells to commingle with their own. After the kidney transplant, patients receive an infusion of the concoction containing the donor’s stem cells. “By having these new cells in the bloodstream, it is like a draw at the OK Corral,” said Atala, also chairman of the urology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Neither cell type in the bloodstream will attack the other and tolerance of the cells in the bloodstream, and also of the organ, occurs.” At least, that is what happened for Porter. After her transplant, she spent six months on a full slate of immune-suppressing drugs and then was slowly weaned off them. For the past seven months, she has been free of immune-suppressing drugs. Another patient involved in the study has been off of immune-suppressants for two years, said Leventhal. “I really do have to remind myself that

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Kidney transplant without a lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent the problems that come with a mismatched donor and recipient, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Louisville harvest bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. Those stem cells are then subjected to an 18-hour process in the lab to remove problematic cells thought to be responsible for rejection. “We developed a way to process bone marrow to take up bad cells and leave in good cells,” said Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, a study co-author and director of the Institute of Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Louisville. The stem cell concoction is then frozen and set aside for the kidney transplant recipient. The next step for Porter and other patients involved in the study was to get a low dose of radiation and a drug cocktail. The combination effectively destroyed some of their own bone marrow to create room for the donor’s stem cells to commingle with their own. After the kidney transplant, patients receive an infusion of the concoction containing the donor’s stem cells. “By having these new cells in the bloodstream, it is like a draw at the OK Corral,” said Atala, also chairman of the urology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Neither cell type in the bloodstream will attack the other and tolerance of the cells in the bloodstream, and also of the organ, occurs.” At least, that is what happened for Porter. After her transplant, she spent six months on a full slate of immune-suppressing drugs and then was slowly weaned off them. For the past seven months, she has been free of immune-suppressing drugs. Another patient involved in the study has been off of immune-suppressants for two years, said Leventhal. “I really do have to remind myself that I had the transplant,” said Porter. “I feel so normal, and the more normal I feel, the more amazing the whole thing seems.” “To free someone from the specter of lifelong immunosuppression is very gratifying,” said Ildstad, who has equity interest in a start-up biotech company involved in the study. “I’m getting more and more optimistic that we really will have impact on quality of life for transplant recipients.” For the past seven months, Porter has not had to take any immune-suppressing drugs. Porter is among five patients for whom the stem cell therapy worked. The other patients involved in the study were not able to fully give up their anti-rejection drugs, but remain on a lower dose, according to Leventhal. “It’s another big step towards understanding how to achieve tolerance, so that’s good,” said Dr. Bryan Becker, spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and chief medical officer at the University of Illinois. “With that said, this is a lot to put a patient through. You’re talking about the same type of treatment you’d give a patient who has leukemia. … That’s not usual for a patient with kidney failure.” It is not known why the therapy works for some patients and not others. But the possiblity of offering a life without immune-suppressing drugs for the more than 100,000 patients awaiting organ transplants is what drives scientists like Ildstad and Leventhal. “Immunosuppressants increase risk of cancer, certain infections and have other side effects,” said Leventhal, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “They can promote diabetes, hypertension and bone disease. They’re toxins.” According to an editorial accompanying the study, if this method works for kidneys — and other complex organs like the liver, heart and lung — it could be a game-changer. “Although only a taste of things to come, few transplant developments in the past half-century have been more enticing than these that put transplantation tolerance within our grasp,” wrote James F. Markmann and Tatsuo Kawai, transplant experts at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Kidney transplant without a lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent the problems that come with a mismatched donor and recipient, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Louisville harvest bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. Those stem cells are then subjected to an 18-hour process in the lab to remove problematic cells thought to be responsible for rejection. “We developed a way to process bone marrow to take up bad cells and leave in good cells,” said Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, a study co-author and director of the Institute of Cellular Therapeutics at the University of

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Kidney transplant without a lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent the problems that come with a mismatched donor and recipient, researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Louisville harvest bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. Those stem cells are then subjected to an 18-hour process in the lab to remove problematic cells thought to be responsible for rejection. “We developed a way to process bone marrow to take up bad cells and leave in good cells,” said Dr. Suzanne Ildstad, a study co-author and director of the Institute of Cellular Therapeutics at the University of Louisville. The stem cell concoction is then frozen and set aside for the kidney transplant recipient. The next step for Porter and other patients involved in the study was to get a low dose of radiation and a drug cocktail. The combination effectively destroyed some of their own bone marrow to create room for the donor’s stem cells to commingle with their own. After the kidney transplant, patients receive an infusion of the concoction containing the donor’s stem cells. “By having these new cells in the bloodstream, it is like a draw at the OK Corral,” said Atala, also chairman of the urology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Neither cell type in the bloodstream will attack the other and tolerance of the cells in the bloodstream, and also of the organ, occurs.” At least, that is what happened for Porter. After her transplant, she spent six months on a full slate of immune-suppressing drugs and then was slowly weaned off them. For the past seven months, she has been free of immune-suppressing drugs. Another patient involved in the study has been off of immune-suppressants for two years, said Leventhal. “I really do have to remind myself that I had the transplant,” said Porter. “I feel so normal, and the more normal I feel, the more amazing the whole thing seems.” “To free someone from the specter of lifelong immunosuppression is very gratifying,” said Ildstad, who has equity interest in a start-up biotech company involved in the study. “I’m getting more and more optimistic that we really will have impact on quality of life for transplant recipients.” For the past seven months, Porter has not had to take any immune-suppressing drugs. Porter is among five patients for whom the stem cell therapy worked. The other patients involved in the study were not able to fully give up their anti-rejection drugs, but remain on a lower dose, according to Leventhal. “It’s another big step towards understanding how to achieve tolerance, so that’s good,” said Dr. Bryan Becker, spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and chief medical officer at the University of Illinois. “With that said, this is a lot to put a patient through. You’re talking about the same type of treatment you’d give a patient who has leukemia. … That’s not usual for a patient with kidney failure.” It is not known why the therapy works for some patients and not others. But the possiblity of offering a life without immune-suppressing drugs for the more than 100,000 patients awaiting organ transplants is what drives scientists like Ildstad and Leventhal. “Immunosuppressants increase risk of cancer, certain infections and have other side effects,” said Leventhal, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “They can promote diabetes, hypertension and bone disease. They’re toxins.” According to an editorial accompanying the study, if this method works for kidneys — and other complex organs like the liver, heart and lung — it could be a game-changer. “Although only a taste of things to come, few transplant developments in the past half-century have been more enticing than these that put transplantation tolerance within our grasp,” wrote James F. Markmann and Tatsuo Kawai, transplant experts at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Transplant without lifetime of drugs?

Lindsay Porter’s kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Study: Donor and recipient cells can coexist in one person In some patients, the method tricked immune system into accepting donated kidney When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera This is only a preliminary study; more research needs to be done (CNN) — By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging — covered in cysts — and together weighed 16 pounds. Her abdominal area was so distended, “I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due,” Porter said. As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings — relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs. “You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it,” said Porter. But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body. The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient’s immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own. When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera. “Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail. “This has been the holy grail for solid organ transplantation for more than half a century,” said Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and study co-author. “It has been an elusive goal to be able to do this in mismatched donor and recipient combos.” In order to circumvent

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Lactose Intolerance Simple Health Tips

Lactose Intolerance Lactose is a sugar found in milk and some dairy products. We need lactase enzyme to digest lactose. People who has insufficient level of lactase in their digestive system, to metabolise lactose, are classed as lactose intolerant individuals. Lactase is produced by the cells lining the small intestine. Lactase breaks down lactose into two simpler forms of sugar called glucose and galactose, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Not everyone shows symptoms of intolerance when they consume smaller quantities. When they consume a large quantity, the symptoms can be visible. It is important not to confuse lactose intolerance with milk allergy. Milk allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system to one or more milk proteins and can be life threatening when just a small amount of milk or milk product is consumed. Milk allergy most commonly appears in the first year of life, while lactose intolerance occurs more often in adulthood. Lactose intolerance is a normal state for most adults worldwide and is not yet classed as a disease and there is no treatment as such available at this stage. Since every person is different, only through trial and error anyone can determine how much lactose they can consume and still avoid further discomforts. Do you know that Lactose is also used in some prescription medicines, including birth control pills, and over-the-counter medicines like products to treat stomach acid and gas. These medicines very likely cause symptoms in people with severe lactose intolerance. The cause of lactase deficiency could be either genetic or environmental. Symptoms of Lactose intolerance: Abdominal bloating and cramps Flatulence Diarrhoea Nausea Rumbling stomach and/or vomiting Things to look for when reading labels of food products if you have lactose intolerance. These products will contain Lactose: milk lactose whey curds milk by-products dry milk solids non-fat dry milk powder Lactose content of dairy food: FOOD SERVE LACTOSE(grams) CALCIUM(mg) MILK – regular 1 cup/250 ml 12 285 MILK – reduced fat 1 cup/250 ml 13 340 YOGHURT – regular 200 gm 9 340 YOGHURT – low fat 200 gm 12 420 CHEESE – cheddar 30 gm 0.02 260 CHEESE – creamed cottage 30 gm 0.1 22 BUTTER 1 tsp 0.03 1 ICE CREAM 2 scoops50 gm 3 55 To confirm the intolerance you can approach a medical practitioner and request a few tests. Hydrogen breathe test Blood test Stool acidity test Intestinal biopsy List of Lactose free milk : Soy milk. Rice milk. Almond milk. Hazelnut milk. Oat milk. Hemp milk. Peanut milk. Horchata. The main disadvantage in consuming less or no milk is the absence of calcium. As we all know Calcium is essential for the growth and repair of bones at all ages. A shortage of calcium intake in children and adults may lead to fragile bones that can easily fracture later in life, a condition called osteoporosis. Resources and Recommendations: Take a Health check to find out how strong is your Immune System To order products to build your Immune system Hope you have found these tips useful. If so please leave me a comment and let me know. Or if you have a question, or something of value you can add I’d love to hear it. Sharing is Caring, share this on Facebook, and tweet this. Your friends and followers will thank you. And I thank you in advance.

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NAmazing Natural Health Tips | agilecyprus.org

Eggs are protein powerhouses that provide 13% of your daily protein and only 4% of your daily calories. These excellent, inexpensive protein sources fight frailty. Rich in choline, they also reduce inflammation in the brain, which has been linked to Alzheimers. Cook up a weeks worth in advance and take them with you on the go. If youre not a fan of hard-boiled eggs, eat one a day scrambled, poached or any other way you like it. Keep studying the rest of the guidelines below. Whether you need to brush up on your basic health knowledge otherwise you need to decide if the topic of tria laser hair removal reviews is worth your time, you’re positive to find the information here to be beneficial. You might be surprised. You simply might end up saving some money when you implement a number of the free suggestions mentioned here. In their pre-flight instructions, flight attendants demonstrate how to use the oxygen mask if needed, and tell passengers to put on their own mask first before helping others with theirs. The same applies to self-care.Its a distortion to think that self-care is selfish, Lyon said. Realistically, you will not be able to help anyone else unless you first take care of yourself. Okay no ones diet is 100% perfect and sometimes we need a little help, yes okay you are nodding, good we are on the same track. I believe in taking proper supplements to help support your body if you need them. I get regular blood tests to see what is low and will adjust my diet accordingly and then take supplements to support if I need too. Try and introduce a regular exercise into your daily routine. There are simple ways to get exercise without really trying. You could try walking home from work if it’s not too far, don’t take the elevator all the time – try using the stairs. When your kids are outside playing, take a few minutes to go and play with them. Not only will you be getting fit but you’ll be spending more time with your children. Everyone wins! Yoga is also a great way to stay toned and supple. This can be done in the home with a minimal investment in equipment. There is lots of free info. on the internet related to yoga. A simple cheap way to stay healthy. Get plenty of quality, restful sleep. Most adults need a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep but some feel rested on as few as 6 hours while others will require 9 hours. The number of hours is important but not as critical as the time you go to bed. Every hour of sleep before 12 midnight is worth twice that of each hour past midnight. You will feel a big difference if you sleep from 10 pm to 6 am versus if you sleep from 12 am to 8 am. According to Lyon, Give and receive four hugs a day. Why? Research shows that hugging makes you live longer. Human beings need touch. It soothes and calms us, Lyon said. It brings down that reactive arousal system that can get activated when we feel threatened in any way and especially in stressful situations. And hugs dont have to be just of the human type dogs and cats count too. Meditation is an art which forms a vital step towards top 10 health tips. While performing this, close off the light in your room and shut the door. Make an environment to perform this exercise. It requires complete peace and concentration on your part. This is extremely essential for the stressful mind and body. It helps you get rid of your tensions and worries and make you feel relaxed and vibrant. Performing it for 15 minutes 2- 3 times a day can give useful results. Fresh Fruits and Fresh Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which are vital to a strong immune system and when your immune system is strong and healthy, so are you! Leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, are particularly beneficial. Also yellow and orange veges such as carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes as they all contain disease fighting antioxidants. Whole Grains provide fiber and nutrients that support a healthy immune system, such as brown rice, whole oats. Weil noted that most people, even doctors, are limited in their capacity to describe what true health is. In his words: “Health is a state of balance and wholeness that allows you to move through the world and not get sick. You’re exposed to toxins, but they don’t cause cancer. You’re exposed to germs but don’t get ill. You’re surrounded by allergens but have no allergies. More than anything, it’s about an inner quality of springy-ness andresilience- like a child’s knockdown toy that won’t stay down.”

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