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Statins - Heads I Stay On 'Em, Tails I'm Off! 

5/28/2016

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So the great cholesterol debate rumbles on. After many years of being condemned as devil spawn, dairy products are now enjoying a better reputation as medical opinion shifts with the wind. 

I was in my late forties when my doctor decided my cholesterol level was too high, and put me on a diet.

After three months it hadn’t changed one jot! “You must be one of these people who makes a lot of cholesterol naturally – it’s nothing to do with your diet,” she said. So, the ubiquitous statins were prescribed, I went back to eating everything I wanted, and never looked back.

Now, according to the latest medical research, eating cholesterol-rich food is not dangerous, and doesn’t actually raise blood cholesterol. Apparently evidence now shows there is no appreciable relationship between consumption of cholesterol, and the amount of cholesterol in our blood.

These new findings state that the liver makes around 85% of the cholesterol we need to function, and that if we eat too much cholesterol our liver compensates by reducing its own production. 

Even more contentious, is this statement from the report’s author: “Research confirms that if you have a high cholesterol level you will live longer.” The report also says: “all-cause mortality is highest in the lowest cholesterol group,” and that “elderly people with the highest cholesterol level have the highest survival rates.”
  
Just what the...? Oh, I give up. But until my doctor suggests I come off statins, I intend to continue with them, thank you very much. Even more so now I’m 60 and no longer pay for my prescriptions. I’ve forked out for them for all these years, damned if I’m giving them up now they’re free! 
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But then, thinking about it, my dear old grandma drank copious amounts of full-fat milk and ate copious amounts of cheese…and lived until just a fortnight before what would have been her 100th birthday. Oh, I think I’ll toss a coin. Heads, stay on statins, tails, come off ‘em immediately.  
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The New Age Science Of Why Going Barefoot Is Right 

5/28/2016

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There may be something in this new-age style “earthing” after all. But to me, it’s simply something I’ve done most of my life, and that’s go barefoot whenever possible.

It’s been proven beyond doubt that being barefoot helps both physical and mental health – by stimulating blood circulation; helping your body eliminate a fair amount of fats and toxins; reducing stress, depression and neurosis, which strengthens the nervous system; preventing varicose veins; and improving posture and balance.

And, of course, when your bare feet are in direct contact with the ground, it’s also like a prolonged reflexology session, freeing accumulated energy, which, if not allowed to flow naturally, causes many types of disease. Reflexology simply stimulates certain parts of the sole of the foot which are connected to our organs and other parts of the body. Walking barefoot does this naturally.

While the philosophy and practice of earthing, or grounding, has been around since the dawn of human civilisation, the science behind it is a relatively new concept…and to be honest I’m not quite sure what to make of it. The principal is that by walking barefoot we absorb electrons from the earth through our skin. This raises the number of electrons in our bodies, which help with our health and wellbeing. It also increases the number of antioxidants, reduces inflammation and improves sleep.

Don’t ask me to explain the science behind it, but in a nutshell, absorbing these electrons balances what’s called the body’s energetic flow.

All of which, apparently, makes us fitter, both mentally and physically.
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And many podiatrists and the medical profession now recognise the enormous health benefits of going barefoot, when it comes to sleep disturbance, muscle and joint pain, asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, stress, heart rate variability, and immune system activity and response.

So there you go. I’ve known for decades that having bare feet gives me additional vitality and keeps me fit and healthy. I just didn’t know there was a scientific term for it that’s gaining credence in medical circles. 





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Don't Keep This A Secret  - Free Promotion

5/25/2016

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The Secret
 **Free**
 25th-26th-27th May
Talented writer Karen J Mossman's novel, The Secret, is FREE for three days -- May 25, 26 and 27.


Kerry O’Brien has a secret so terrible it burns inside her. All she wants is to be part of a normal family, but with a stepfather like Bill, that is impossible.
 
Set in the 1970s when secrets like this were only ever whispered about, Kerry somehow keeps her humour by pretending everything is fine. Then she meets biker Tommy, and he has his own secret; one that impacts on her.

 Kerry’s secret becomes harder to keep and the tell-tell signs are harder to hide. Can she keep it together? Can Tommy and Kerry get it together?
 
Then the worst happens and Kerry’s secret is a secret no more.

Grab Karen J Mossman's The Secret, while it's free on Amazon, on May 25, 26 and 27:  Mybook.to/TS


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 'As I walked over I knew he would take off his helmet and his hair would fall over his face. He would flick it back with his hand and I was excited with anticipation. I loved the way he looked.

I smiled and came towards him. He took off his helmet and it fell to his wrist like a basket handle, as his other hand flicked away his hair. Something inside pinged and that feeling I’d had for days came back with intensity.'
What readers of The Secret are saying:
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​The story is gripping and interesting, the romance warm and simmering. I absolutely loved the ending, which gives the story an almost fairy tale-like feeling. All in all, it was a very enjoyable two hour read, and I whole heartedly recommend it to fans of the genre.
S Anderson
 
I really enjoyed this book and I was automatically drawn into the characters world, from the very first page. Tommy treats Kerry like a queen and it's so refreshing to read a story where the man respects and truly loves the girl.
Jenna Hodge

The characters were so real and the story definitely so believable. These sort of secrets unfortunately still go on. Let's hope others can find the strength, just like Kerry to come out the other side.
Lindy-Lou

​Karen J Mossman lives in Anglesey in Wales with her husband. Her catalogue includes  three themed short story collections, The Missing, Behind The Music, Heroes and Joanna's Journey, a novel set in the 1980s.
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    Stewart Bint supports mental health charity Lamp Advocacy.

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    Author

    Stewart Bint is a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer. 

    He lives with his wife, Sue, in Leicestershire in the UK, and has two children, Christopher and Charlotte, and a budgie called Sparky.

    Usually goes barefoot.

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