Fat Kills You

The quality of one’s life to a large extent is determined by the quality of our relationships with others. When we feel we have no choice but to face the world alone, we suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and no degree of outward success can replace or repair the lonely feeling in our heart. No matter how talented, wealthy, or trim and fit we might appear to be, without supportive relationships it is a difficult challenge for any one of us to maintain physical and emotional health. Children, pets, loved ones, mentors, colleagues, and teachers, can all help us fulfill our need for connection to other sentient, limbic beings.

Our nervous system is an “open loop learning system” that draws on energetic connections with others in order to continually adapt and hopefully flourish. This concept of “open loop learning” is very much a part of the theory of Aikido. When being attacked in an Aikido class we are hoping to move towards “joining with” our adversary and creating the energetic connection that can lead towards stabilization of both parties emotions, and a sense of physical and emotional completion. We come to understand each attack as a physical expression of loneliness and alienation, and the desire for connection. A sense of separation from others leads to fear, and fear can easily lead to feeling like you are about to be attacked, and thus attacking others preemptively. In Aikido we gain a direct understanding of how a physically and emotionally healthy person requires ongoing enrichment, stabilization, and support from the nervous systems of others.

When we talk about the interaction of nervous systems amongst mammals, we are pointing to the fact that the nervous systems of two people in relationship very definitely communicate with, inform, and change each other. Our emotional connection with others clearly affects our moods, emotions, hormonal flow, digestion, body clock, and even the structure of our brains. Without conscious direction and without the need to think, our nervous systems are always learning from and adapting to our interactions with the nervous systems of others. Not all that surprising once you think about it. At the very least, for millions of years mammals have had the need to intuit which other mammals are safe, and which are predators. As mammals we have a limbic-emotional connection with each other that leads to procreation and family structures, and these relationships do not necessarily require the capacity to think, analyze, or rationalize. Emotional understanding of our self, others, and our relationships, comes prior to thinking.

We can easily find numerous examples of the importance of supportive limbic-emotional contact with others. It is fascinating to note that baby monkeys who have lost their mothers at an early age, not only wind up with various developmental problems, but they also find it hard to live successfully with the rest of their community. The same tends to be true for children forced to grow up in harsh, sterile conditions. Indeed with children growing up in orphanages that show little in the way of human contact and emotional bonding, the mortality rate of the children is dreadfully high. High quality health and emotional well-being requires supportive limbic relationships.

Our nervous system needs to locate and be nurtured by other nervous systems in order for us to have a sense of stability and completion. A limbic connection with others helps us to develop a deeper sense of safety, calmness, and dignity. Our need to live our life in supportive limbic relationships is very much a wonderful fact of life, and not at all a weakness to be overcome. As mammals we all require “a little help from our friends.”

Charlie Badenhop is the originator of Seishindo, an Aikido instructor, NLP trainer, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist. Benefit from a new self-help Practice every two weeks, by subscribing to his complimentary newsletter “Pure heart, simple mind” at http://www.seishindo.org/anger/index.html

Lose Weight - Get A Break
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The American Obesity Association (AOA) wants to give new meaning to getting a deduction. Losing weight should get you a deduction. The non-profit advocacy organization is trying to change IRS policy to allow taxpayers to deduct the cost of weight loss treatments.

The AOA and 10 other organizations (including Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, several pharmaceutical companies, professional societies, and consumer advocate groups) petitioned the IRS last year to reverse the revenue ruling that includes weight loss among such other non-deductible categories as cosmetic surgery and health clubs, and until recently, smoking cessation programs.

Weight Loss Programs Should Get The Same Break as Smoking Cessation Programs
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The AOA would like to see weight loss treatments included in the same category of allowable medical expenses like treatments for heart disease or stroke. According to Downey, the IRS responded to the petition last October by saying consideration would be given to reverse the revenue ruling if facts were provided establishing either that obesity itself is a disease, or weight loss by an obese person could prevent the onset of disease.

The AOA responded with an “exhaustive submission covering both of those bases,” Downey says. “It almost gets to the point, why did we ask this question in the first place, it’s so obvious, but of course, it isn’t, there’s still a lot of misunderstanding about obesity.”

The AOA wants the reversal to allow deductions for the costs of comprehensive obesity treatment, including surgery, pharmacology, behavioral counseling, and programs for the specific purpose of weight maintenance and loss. Downey says he’s “optimistic” the IRS will rule in their favor based on the strength of the evidence in their 58-page submission to the agency.

Obesity Is Considered A Chronic Disease
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Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RD says obesity is considered a “chronic disease, it has actually been classified a disease. It’s probably the biggest chronic health problem that we have in the United States.” Rosenbloom is an associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Rosenbloom says obesity can lead to high blood pressure, increased risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and possibly even certain types of cancers. According to the AOA, about 55% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. The health care costs for treating diseases caused by obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, was over $100 billion in 1999 alone.

Medicare And Medicaid Next?
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Downey says the AOA is “working with some of the managed care associations and Medicare. We’re going to be looking at Medicaid hopefully in the near future. We obviously want to see them provide better coverage.” But Downey says the IRS and the insurance industry are two very different issues. The IRS is more cut-and-dry, and the questions associated with it are not as complex.

The IRS has to interpret obesity as a medical problem. Until it does, it is doubtful that tax relief will come. Even though medical deductions qualify after seven and a half percent of your adjusted gross income. If you were making $100,000 a year, you would have to have over $7,500 before you could deduct it. Most people don’t.

Downey agrees “it’s a very small category, but in our view, particularly for people who need bariatric [obese-specific] surgery, which is going to be $8,000 to $12,000, or so and frequently is not covered by insurance plans, that probably is the individual who is going to benefit from this change. Most middle class people would have to go to a lot of Weight Watchers meetings to get up to that level.”

There has been a 40% increase in the number of obese people since 1980 and the incidence of obesity in children is rising. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.

Original URL (The Web version of the article)
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Losing Weight: Healthier Wallet

About The Author
Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for http://www.ageforce.com and several otherwebsites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at Michael@AgeForce.com If you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at AgeForce.com.

Diets, diets, diets… every where you go, anything you read you can’t miss them, they are almost everywhere. And if you have weight problems you are really annoyed by the huge number of ads or commercials promoting one or another type of diet.

That’s why we asked on your behalf and we went to the best specialist to find the answer for the most charged topic: low fat versus low carb diets. First of all let me tell you about how this study was made, in order to understand its accuracy. It went over a period of 10 years, involving 2700 of people that were on one of those diets. Some of the most important universities involved in this study: University of Colorado in Denver, the University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University in Providence, R.I. Their purpose was to collect data from people who have lost at least 30 pounds and more than that, they were able to maintain their weight for at least a year.

Most of the subjects were women with an average age of 47. But the results of the studies show that there was no difference between the diet–low-fat and the diet low-carb in what regards the way that people initially lost weight.

Even though the percent of those how were on a low-carb diet increased, the results proved that after a while most of them regained weight. Even if they ate less carbohydrate and the amount of protein was the same this didn’t changed the situation. The ones that conducted the study reported that only a small number of successful weight losers are on a low-carbohydrate diet.

One of the disadvantages in the race low fat versus low carb diets is that the blood lipid levels can get worse. In what regards a long period other studies have proved that low-carb diets have as a result higher levels of healthy HDL cholesterol than the low-fat diets, which in the most cases reduce the HDL levels.

The competition it is very strong, but somebody has to win it. The low fat versus low carb diets contest has to have only one winner and you are the one that will decide!

If you find this information useful you should visit the site http://www.free-online-diet-plans.com where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic, all original and wrote by Andreea Dinescu.

HGH is produced naturally, in everyone, by the pituitary gland. After the age of 23, your natural HGH levels begin to decline and you may start to experience the affects of aging. This includes weight gain, decrease in energy, lack of sex drive, low endurance, muscle atrophy and more.

HGH therapy comes in several forms. The first is by injecting Human Growth Hormone directly into your bloodstream. This invasive procedure can only be prescribed by a physician. Injectable HGH therapy was originally intended for children with stunted growth but physicians soon correlated the benefits to be helpful in trying to offset or delay the aging process and resulting health risks associated with getting older. Doctors are now liberally distributing this substance to elderly patients seeking to slow the effects of aging. The main problem associated with injectable Human Growth Hormone is that it often costs upwards of $3000 a month. That’s $36,000 a year and it is not covered by insurance. Additionally, this invasive therapy comes with some health risks. Side effects such as allergic reactions, fever, and swelling are just a few of the risks associated with the injectable form of therapy.

Due to the steep costs and risks of certain side effects associated with this invasive form of therapy, explorations of alternatives have become popular. Alternative HGH therapies include "All-natural supplements, including capsules, powders, and sprays. There is one very important point to understand about these types of Human Growth Hormone therapy. They do not offer "actual" HGH. The only way to get actual Human Growth Hormone is by having it injected directly into your bloodstream via syringe, physician, and prescription. I have seen, in this crowded marketplace, several products promoting themselves as "HGH" in a spray. This is impossible because HGH is a large unstable molecule that cannot pass thru the membranes in the mouth. Furthermore, it is illegal to provide true-form HGH without a prescription. The goal of alternative therapies is to stimulate your own body’s pituitary gland to produce more Human Growth Hormone on its own. These all-natural therapies have several benefits. Whether the HGH therapy is termed "all-natural", "homeopathic", or spray form, the fact is that these alternatives are only around 2% of the cost of the injectable Human Growth Hormone.

What should I choose?

With HGH alternative supplements saturating the market, it is very difficult to make a decision as to what is right for you. What is the most effective, safe, practical, and affordable solution available? Sprays remain suspect because of the premise behind them. As stated earlier in our report, we have found that is impossible for a spray to deliver actual HGH sublingually. Furthermore, administering accurate doses sublingually presents a challenge for sprays. Additional drawbacks are the potential binders and fillers that are present in this form of therapy. Lastly, taste remains a concern with all sprays. Powders are less popular and prevalent on the market. Having to measure proper mixes and portions is a hassle that I would prefer not to deal with but may be a preference for those that find pills and capsules intolerable.

Most of the "all-natural" capsules, pills, and tablets are similar in what they promise to offer. I have found that Ultimate HGH? and GenF20? HGH releasers are two of the more popular and effective HGH supplements, in capsule form, that stimulate your own pituitary gland to produce more HGH naturally. Neugenisis? is new to the market but offers its HGH releasing formula infused with rich antioxidants promoting additional Wellness benefits. Additionally, Neugenisis? is promoted in a package that includes another logical Antiaging product, a topical anti-wrinkle cream. Neugenisis?, on its own (individually) measures up well to all the stand-alone HGH releasing products available. Neugenisis? is different in that it provides additional antioxidant properties and is an effective product in a system that was created to offer the most Antiaging benefits available. New research suggests the benefit of combining all-natural HGH releasing compounds with skin rejuvenating topical crèmes.

The Longevity System

With higher HGH levels come improved elasticity of the skin, strengthened nails, and enhanced skin rejuvenation. One of the main ingredients in all the HGH releasing products mentioned is L-Arginine. L-Arginine is involved with the production of new skin and connective tissue. It is essential to the formation of collagen and boasts many benefits that relate to skin repair and rejuvenation. NeuLife Laboratories has brought a new combination to the market and offers the "Longevity System", featuring a high-grade HGH releaser in caplet form, Neugenisis? (with active ingredient L-Arginine), and an aggressive topical anti-wrinkle crème, Neuderma?. Neuderma ?compliments the HGH benefits provided by Neugenisis?. Neuderma? is an aggressive topical anti-wrinkle cream which includes the benefits of Pentapeptide technology (Matrixyl and Argireline). In my research, I have established that both products, Neugenisis? and Neuderma? , can stand individually as "A" list products but as a system, Neulife Laboratories has created a niche that, up to this point, has not been filled. Both, HGH releasing supplements and skin crèmes, can run upwards of $100.00 each. With this new system, you get the all-natural HGH releasing supplement and the topical Antiaging, anti-wrinkle crème, for approximately the same cost of some individual products.

If you can tolerate the costs and potential side effects of invasive HGH injections, this form of therapy may provide the quickest benefit of Human Growth Hormone. If you seek alternatives, sprays and powders have more limits than potential benefits. It is my opinion that a system of therapy, including a HGH releaser and a topical wrinkle crème, can provide the ultimate package for those seeking Antiaging benefits. NeuLife Laboratories has introduced the "Longevity System" to provide the comprehensive benefits that many seek but seldom find.

Ms. Bardley frequently submits her opinion-based columns to Longevity focused health forums. She sits on the Longevity advisory board for nutritional sciences and contributes to National publications centered on Anti-Aging developments.

It is amazing to be able to say I am a whole, happy, healthy, loving woman. I was sick for the first 40 years of my life. Like millions of other human beings I grew up immersed in the family disease of alcoholism. For generations it has plagued my family. The unbalanced life I led is so common in our society; I didnt know anything was wrong. I was a participant in the chaos, confusion, neuroses, pain and suffering which is present in dysfunctional families. I call it The Dance of Death.

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri in the community of Clayton. The only memories I have of my father are when he would beat my brother and me with his belt so severely my clothes would cling to the bloody strap marks on my legs. He would make us wait for our punishment in our room before he dealt the ugly blows. My mother closed her eyes to what was happening. Both of them partied on weekends where I would find empty highball glasses scattered all over the living room. I had holes in th e soles of my shoes while my mother would model a new diamond cocktail ring, winnings from a weekly poker game. My dad was also a compulsive gambler. He died at the age of 45 when I was nine years old.

My mother attracted another alcoholic to her life soon after my fathers death. They had a symbiotic, codependent and addictive relationship. Every ten days they would consume a case of scotch which was delivered to our apartment from the local liquor store. My mother never appeared drunk but she was distant, selfish and narcissistic. My step fathers disease had progressed to the point he was visibly inebriated most evenings. His attitude was condescending, nasty and self righteous. He was verbally abusive and drove his car while intoxicated on many occasions. When I think back to that period of my history I remember keeping my personal life secret!!! I was ashamed of their behavior. I pretended all was well and I began developing neurotic habits for self preservation.

In my teens I danced several days after school, participated in theater groups, worked in a department store and had creative life in my head. I imagined the way I wanted my world to be and was in denial as to the truth in front of me. I became obsessive, compulsive and an over achiever. Because I worked so hard I accomplished a lot for a young girl but the reality was it was inspired by fear, insecurity and a need for control.

In college I devoted myself to art and earned a B.S. in Education and a M.A. in Painting and Ceramics from the University of Missouri. I was hired as a college instructor soon after graduate school. I felt happy for a time because I was away from home and involved in teaching. I took my job very seriously but the loneliness I felt when I was by myself was debilitating.

I longed for love . . . any kind. I didnt realize it at the time but I had never felt affection. I became preoccupied with thoughts of men. I had guys on my mind constantly! I was popular and had many choices but I picked the ones who I thought needed me. Most often they were from dysfunctional families. I dated a lot of drunks during my 20s. It felt familiar. In spite of my success as an artist and a teacher, I had low self esteem and I knew something was wrong with me.

In l969 I began a new life in another city. Within a week of moving to Boston, Massachusetts, I was brutally raped and hospitalized. I never received help with this trauma and didnt properly grieve until years later. I pushed down the pain and was then, more than ever, resolved to create the perfect life for myself, (as if it were in my hands?)

This was made easy for me when Joey Haudel entered my life. He filled the position of my Knight in Shining Armour, albeit, distorted. He was young, handsome, and alcoholic and had just been released from prison. We needed each other like ducks need water. We bonded in a codependent relationship that lasted 12 years.

Our experiences together were astounding. What I learned about myself was profound. Our journey is almost unbelievable. I have told this story in a dramatic narrative, I Survived: One Womans Journey of Self Healing and Transformation on DVD. It is filled with the dark world of illness and moves to the light of wellness. I reached my bottom after years of suffering. I was contemplating suicide but was saved by the Grace of God and the dear voice of a telephone operator who kept me on the phone for over an hour.

I spent years in recovery; beginning with Al-Anon meetings in 1973, several series of Adult Children of Alcoholic Therapy Sessions, individual therapy with numerous therapists and devouring self help books. I had the courage to look within and face the demons. It wasnt easy and many times I wanted to quit. I often felt I was too depressed to get well. One step at a time I forged ahead and never looked back! I visualized a healthy prognosis. Today I am living that beautiful picture!

I am happily married to a man 19 years my junior. What makes our relationship extraordinary is that my husband was born in 1960 the year after I graduated from high school. I am older than his mother. We recently celebrated our 17th anniversary and continue to share the most fabulous life. The secret of our success is our deeply committed love for one another. We enjoy a passionate romance. I wish what Bryan and I have could be sprinkled over the world like angel dust.

We met in 1985 during a rainy winter in San Francisco. We were neighbors on a tiny street near the historic Mission Dolores. The worst storm of the season was on its way and my roof was leaking profusely. I was in dire straits financially, having been newly divorced. I was preparing to fix it myself. Unfortunately my ladder wasnt tall enough. I needed help. None of the folks I knew were home that Saturday morning but I noticed an open door directly across from my house. I hurried upstairs to the second story flat in the azure painted duplex and walked down the long corridor to the living room. There on the sofa was a guy watching the football game on T.V. I introduced myself and then proceeded to ask for his assistance. He looked at me like I was nuts. The silence was deafening. How often does a stranger enter your apartment with a request for help with a major repair? I was flushed with embarrassment but was in too deep to recover. Fortunately he agreed to help me.

This uncommon beginning signaled the magic that lay before us. The sparks flew. We went on our first date within days of this meeting. Bryans car was broken so we took the bus across the city to an authentic Moroccan restaurant where we sat on paisley cushions and ate with our fingers. I remember clearly how primitive this felt and how natural it was to be with him. He didnt seem the least bit concerned about my age. I, on the other hand, was more sensitive. I was still healing from the codependent relationship of 12 years and had never experienced true intimacy. I wasnt sure it was the proper thing to do but I couldnt help myself; I was falling in love. I was scared because these feelings were coming so quickly.

Bryan moved in with me within weeks of our first meeting. I remember thinking if it didnt work out it would be easy to ask him to leave because all he owned was a T.V. For Valentines Day he created a hanging wire mobile in the shape of intertwined hearts and presented it to me with flowers and chocolate. This type of thoughtful gesture is typical of Bryan. He has never missed a special occasion and has often surprised me with jewelry when he returns from a business trip.

One evening in the spring we were waiting to board a dinner train in Mendocino. A drunken man approached us and said, How come you two are dressed up? Are you getting married? Bryan looked at me and said, Yes, we are arent we? That was his proposal. It was decided we would plan a wedding for later that year. But, first I needed to meet Bryans mother.

Just the thought of it terrified me! Bryan and his mother, Sharon, have a rare bond. He insisted he would not tell anyone about our engagement until she and I met. We drove to southern California where Sharon was visiting her sister, Bryans aunt. I felt sick the entire trip. I knew in advance he was going to take his mother shopping the next morning alone to break the news to her. I couldnt sleep at all that night. What felt so right to Bryan and me was unusual, especially in the eyes of a parent. When they returned from their excursion Sharon looked like she had just come from a funeral. Fortunately, for me, Aunt Toby accepted the situation and eased the tension by giving me a white angel ornament. His mother is a wonderful woman. In spite of her disappointment, she welcomed me into their family. Over the years our relationship has evolved into a unique friendship, a cross between a peer and a sister.

December 7, 1986, dressed in an ivory colored Victorian gown, I was driven to our wedding in a horse drawn carriage. I remember the sensation well. As I heard the clip-pity clop of the hoofs hitting the pavement I felt it was the happiest day of my life. The ride was several miles long and I enjoyed cars honking loudly at every turn. When we arrived at the elegant Alamo Square Inn Bryan was waiting to escort me inside to the nuptials. It was a good thing he took my hand, for as I exited the carriage, my knees collapsed from shaking so hard. The day was spectacular marking a lifetime of love.

Both Bryan and I had always wanted kids. By the time we met my biological clock had run out. He told me he would rather marry a woman he loved deeply than to wait for someone to bear his children. For several years we were content to be a unit of two. After my dear Aunt Letha died in 1992 I longed for a child. Bryan agreed to adoption. It was an arduous experience requiring patience and resilience. We had several birthmothers who changed their minds for different reasons. This process took three years and a great deal of money. Ultimately we were blessed with a baby girl we named Mariah. Our daughter is now 8 years old and the light of our life. I am grateful I am able to be a good parent and I relish every moment I spend with both of them as a family.

Bryan continues to be my rock, strength and loving support. During our years together I have had many tragedies including: my brother Johns suicide in 1988, my ex- husband Joeys death from alcoholism in 1989, and my girlfriend Debras suicide in 2002. I was hospitalized with a potentially life threatening blood clot in my lungs in 1998. Bryan stood by me through all of these. I married a great guy! I am a fortunate woman to have found true love in the heart of a younger man.

Each day I thank God for the gifts I have been given. I see my world as peaceful and balanced. My mission is to inspire people to their own healing and recovery. It is truly possible to find serenity, joy and love. If I can do it, so can you.

To learn more about Kay Kopit visit: www.isurviveddocumentary.com

Contact: Rhonda Boudreaux
Office: 510-236-2668
Mobile: 510-236-2668

About The Author

Kay Kopit, accomplished artist, actor, writer, speaker and gifted teacher.

Kay Kopit grew up in the Midwest town of Clayton, Missouri. At the age of sixteen she choreographed as well as designed and made costumes for several high school productions. Here she found her passion for art and theatre.

Kay attended the University of Missouri where she received a B.S. in Art Education and M.A. in Painting and Ceramics. While in college she continued her interest in theater production succeeding in choreography and costume design for several major productions, including Carnival and Once Upon a Mattress. After graduate school she taught Life Drawing, Design, and Ceramics at the very prestigious Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

In 1969 Kay was inspired to move to the East or West Coast. By the flip of a coin (literally) she decided to move to the East Coast where she made Boston, Massachusetts her home. She was immediately offered a position teaching art at Lexington High School. After several successful years teaching Kay was determined to pursue a career in the arts and theatre and moved to California.

Kay moved to San Francisco where she trained with Wendell Phillips of the well-known Stagegroup Theatre. For several years she studied acting, dance, public speaking, and playwriting with reputable names such as Elizabeth Huddle of A.C.T., Peter Layton of The Drama Studio of London at Berkeley, and Sue Walden of the Improvisational Workshop.

Kay had continued success in her acting and modeling career. She appeared in many national commercials including: Dreyers Grand Ice Cream, Hunt Wesson Foods, Totinos Pizza, Shaklee, and many more. She acted as the principal spokesperson for several Industrial Films including: Chevron, Firemans Fund, Zenger Miller Productions and American Protective Services. Her print work was extensive including: Ketchum Advertising, Safeway, and Emporium-Capwell.

Kays good business sense and devotion to teaching inspired her to open her own pottery in Marin County, California. She founded and operated, Clay In Mind, a ceramic school and gallery in San Rafael. This venture led to Clay In Mind II a manufacturing plant in San Diego, California. After many productive years the opportunity to sell came and Kay felt it was a good time to do so.

Most recently, Kay is the writer and producer of a documentary of her life story, I Survived: One Womans Journey of Self-Healing and Transformation which covers 15 years of living with an alcoholic. Although Kay was successful in her life, behind closed doors she endured pain, shame and emotional maiming. Her story is being told to help others overcome the debilitating disease of codependency.

Kay is now living an amazing life with her husband Bryan of 17 years (who just happens to be 19 years her junior.) To complete their family they adopted a daughter at birth when Kay was 54 years of age. Besides being a mother and wife she continues with her love of painting, writing, teaching and speaking on the subject of codependency. Her passion is not only the arts but to help people through her inspirational story. Her courage, stamina, and faith have given her direction and the gift of helping give others hope. Kay has several published articles and writing a monthly column for Recovery Times.

Read more about Kay Kopit at www.ISurvivedDocumentary.com.

Contact: Rhonda Boudreaux

Publicist

Kay Kopit Productions

510-367-5990

rdboudreaux1@aol.com

I am a Medical Intuitive in the San Francisco Bay area. As the name states, Medical Intuition is a science and art, where the practitioner uses a highly developed sense of intuition to “look” into the body and evaluate it on energetic levels.

My work is not a job, it is my true passion. It is the Way of the Healer. With my clients and in workshops, I listen and hear both with my rational mind, as well as my intuitive abilities. These abilities allow me to "see" and "hear" a wisdom that is beyond the physical body. This wisdom helps the client to understand the causalities of their health/medical concerns in a whole and complete way.

This knowledge may also take the form of specific recommendations as to treatments, practices and medicines that would be healing for them. I am not a medical doctor; however I do consult with medical doctors, psychiatrists and other medical practitioners.

These intuitive abilities have been with me for as long as I can remember. When I was a young child, I remember seeing what I thought was a spot of paint or something on a relative’s shirt. When I pointed it out to him, he did not see anything on the shirt and laughed. A few months later a tumor was discovered in that same spot. It was on his lung and it eventually killed him.

I was the child in school that felt the emotions of all the children and the adults in the class, as well as "talking" to all the animals who would follow me home. When I was in my early teens, I decided that I needed to learn how I could use the abilities I had. I read every book on psychics, healing, angels, saints, and heretics I could find at my local library.

When I was 20 years old, I experienced a series of energetic and emotional openings that gave me the insight and courage to delve deeper into this realm of healing. During this time, I began to study with Roslyn Bruyere, Olga Worrel and Paul Solomon. Their teachings and insights have helped to form my medical intuition practice.

Many times I am asked "Are you a psychic"? My answer is yes and no. Unfortunately the term psychic has become understood as those late night 1-900 numbers, or characters in films and TV shows that are really ‘out there’. What I do in my medical intuitive work is light years away from this. My clients trust me with their health, sometimes with life threatening illnesses such as cancer or heart disease. I work to provide the best information and insight that is reliable and accurate.

My work as a medical intuitive is different with each client or workshop I teach. However, the initial process remains the same. I scan the client’s energy bodies (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual), to access the information and insight that is stored there.

Usually I begin by looking at a specific area of the body, or area of concern that the client presents. These may be pains, aches, swelling or specific medical conditions. I scan all other areas of the body to look for additional areas of concern. During the session I work as a medical and healing intuitive, more than just an exchange of words and information takes place as energetic currents flow through the client’s energetic bodies. This can sometimes be felt by the client during the session.

With the information I gather from the reading, I prepare a specific, detailed treatment recommendation plan for the client. Many of my clients share these plans with their doctors or other medical/health professionals.

A gifted medical or healing intuitive can ’see’ and pinpoint specific illnesses, imbalances, weaknesses and preclinical disease states in the human body. They can also ‘read’ the strengths and positives of the client’s health and wellness. Simply, they can ’see’ things that even the most sophisticated medical and natural healing diagnostic tests can not reveal.

Due to the deep nature of the intuitive’s work, conditions can be detected and preventative work done to deter them from manifesting into outward physical disease or illness.

Further, the findings of many wellness oriented intuitive practitioners go well beyond the purely physical aspects of a client’s health challenge. Often, causal information is uncovered that details mental, emotional and energetic states within the client. Some practitioners can intuit beyond even these categories into deeper and more esoteric influences surrounding the client’s health status.

Each client’s level of understanding and each practitioner’s skill level will dictate the depth, breadth and focus of an intuitive session. Most practitioners will honor a client’s specific request to analyze some particular aspect(s) of the client’s situation. No specific preconceived outcome or ‘test results’ should be anticipated by a potential client.

People say to me, "I’m not sure I believe all this is possible?" Skepticism is common around any human endeavor that appears to exist beyond the five senses. However, medical intuition has proven accurate in countless cases. The proven reality of medical intuition transcends both belief and possibility. It is not a theory or postulation. Please investigate this field on your own to see whether this practice would be useful to you and those you care about. The cause of all illnesses and imbalances start at deep levels with human beings. The diagnostic equipment of modern and alternative medicine simply can not penetrate to the causal levels in human beings. A good intuitive can ‘get there’ and get the answers.

Unfortunately, the use of an intuitive to get healing or medical information is still considered ‘far out’ even by people within alternative medicine. As you might imagine, in ‘modern medicine’, a medical intuitive would be laughed out of 99.95% of all hospitals or clinics.

Sadly, this uninformed point-of-view limits the health professionals’ ability to fully assist their patients or clients. This closed minded stance eliminates an incredibly viable tool that could be used with great efficacy to treat and care for all patients. Fortunately, as we move into the 21st century, a few open minded medical doctors and other health professionals are beginning to use and benefit from the use of medical intuition.

Don’t be scared to try a ‘medical’ or ‘healing’ intuitive. Most individuals who practice in this field are highly evolved and professional people. A true ‘medical’ or ‘natural healing’ intuitive session has nothing to do with the infamous 1-900 psychic hotlines.

For me, this is my true calling. Even when my own heart has experienced hurt, my intuitive abilities have sustained me. Intuition is empowering. It is about listening to your own inner knowing and for me using that to help heal others.

Christopher Stewart is a Medical Intuitive assisting others in their healing process. His work is compassionate, uplifting and empowering. You can visit Christopher’s website at http://www.clairvoyantguide.com for further information and to schedule a private consultation. You can also look for frequent updates to his blog at: http://intuitiveliving.blogspot.com/ Publisher’s Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, however that is optional.

Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.

But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let’s look at that first, you all know that diets don’t work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.

Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.

Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.

Knowing this, you really don’t want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting. To do this you will have to perform a “Strength Train” workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.

The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked. One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.

While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.

The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.

The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal.

Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.

As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.

Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.

Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.

Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.

Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.

Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.

Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn’t recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.

I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 ? 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.

Remember, think long term here and that’s between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including “Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks” - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and “Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks” - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to “live in the gym”.

Visit Gary’s website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/

If you have always used free weights, then switch it up and try training with machines like “Hammer Strength” or “Nautilus”. These are excellent weight resistance machines and they will really work your muscles from different angles and different intensities. You should always strive to find new and exciting ways to workout your body. Try doing all body-weight movements, which are a really great way to build quality strength. The military uses mainly body-weight movements during their training. These include pushups, situps and pullups. The three main body-weight movements will really give you a great overall body workout!

You can also choose from many different forms of training such as using workout bands. If you’re just starting out, these are an excellent way to learn the basic movements and get the true “feel” to each exercise. Exercise bands allow you to get a full body workout with the convenience of only needing a very limited amount of space. You can review some exercises using workout bands below:

http://www.shapefit.com/quick-workouts-elastic-bands.html

These portable exercises are great for anyone who wants to workout at home or anyone who travels frequently. Using an exercise band, you can get a great workout in your hotel room, living room or anywhere else.

Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life!

More than 70% of US adults are overweight and that figure is rapidly increasing.

But by following three simple steps in your everyday life you do not have to become one of the above statistics. They are easy to follow without time constraints and don’t require a complete lifestyle change. These three steps are:

1. Strength Training - Nowadays you do not have to live in a gym to put on functional muscle. Short High Intensity sessions performed once a week is all that is required to elevate the metabolism for total fat burning.

2. A Small Decrease in Daily Calories - Diets don’t work (everybody knows this by now) but by decreasing your daily calories by a small amount, the weight loss is body fat alone and not lean tissue and water that is associated with crash diets. Remember fat accumulates on the body over a long period of time so it must come off slowly.

3. More Incidental Activity - Instead of driving try walking, walk instead of taking elevators or escalators; take the stairs and so on. Just keep moving through out the day.

Lets have a look at the Three Steps in more detail below:

Strength Training

Between the ages of 20 and 70 the average person loses one quarter of their muscle mass. Running, cycling or other aerobic sports will not prevent this loss. This is very disturbing because the muscles are the engines of the body and every pound of muscle burns 100 calories every day.

By adding just 10 pounds of functional muscle to your body, you will burn off 60 pounds of fat over the next year. Providing you take in the same amount of calories it will keep burning those extra pounds year after year! The amount of fat the body can burn is directly related to the lean muscle your body has.

If you don’t perform weight training to maintain your muscle tissue, you will lose half a pound of the fat burning tissue per year after the age of 20 years. In simpler terms the more functional muscle you have on your body the more fat you will burn up.

Small Decrease in Daily Calories

For years now, we have been told to use dieting to rid the excess fat from our bodies.

The trouble with this concept is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body holding onto the fat and using precious muscle tissue for energy.

This would then lower the metabolism causing greater muscle loss and when the diet is broken the unwanted fat would not only return but actually increase because to the lowered metabolism.

The way around this is to cut your daily calorie intake by a small amount of calories only. This will stop any starvation mechanisms from clicking in. You can do this by making up a seven day eating plan and writing down every thing you eat for the week, and then work out the calories you have eaten with a calorie counter. Divide this figure by seven and you have your daily calorie value.

Decrease daily calorie value by a couple of hundred calories per day and no more. This will generate slow weight loss and the majority will be fat loss only. The daily calories should be consumed during the day with small frequent meals.

The calories should come from a balanced diet (no fad diets please) with the required amount of micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. As well as containing the required amounts of fibre, fat, protein and carbohydrates.

More Incidental Activity

Fat is burned from the body when cells oxidize to release energy in the form of exercise. When the exercise is done slowly to moderately then the majority of energy is taken from the fat stores.

The key to effective aerobic training that burns off maximum fat is long-term consistency not intensity. It doesn’t matter if you run a mile, jog a mile or walk a mile you will burn exactly the same amount of calories.

The best exercise by far for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Other aerobic activities are the treadmill, bike, climber or any other training gear found in or out of the Gym.

Start with 100 minutes of controlled incidental activity per week increasing this to 200 minutes a week or more. In all other activities try to move, move, move. Try parking the car further away from your destination so you can walk the extra distance, hide all your remote controls so you have to get up and change the channels manually. These all help burn those extra calories and body fat from your frame.

By incorporating these three simple fat loss steps into your everyday life you will not have to change your lifestyle or be subject to time constraints.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including “Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks” - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and “Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks” - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to “live in the gym”.

Visit Gary’s website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/

Do you want a flat stomach? I don’t know a person who doesn’t!

People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise devices out there. There’s the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab dolly, and so many more. You would think that with all of these amazing new products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean mid-section they’ve always wanted. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach. And that’s because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.

In order to be successful at thinning your waistline you must have a basic under standing of how the ab muscles function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that needs to be understood is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain fat. That’s what happens to most people.

So if your goal is to thin your waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have a flat stomach; it’s just some of oar’s are covered by excess fat.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training

The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.

If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:

? 1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)

? 1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)

? 1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)

The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism

Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.

Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).

Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes à Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible) à perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)à Repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes

3. Stable blood sugar is the key

And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).

Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there’s extra? where’s it going? Yup, you guessed it? body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional

Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, "Am I happy with my current progress or condition?" If you’re not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional. Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.

If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great! If you would like to receive more information on how to lose those love handles please call me at 240-731-3724 or e-mail me at jesse@achieve-fitness.com

About The Author

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer, post-rehab specialist, nutritionist, and a national fitness presenter. He is also the author of Burn Fat FAST and A Bride’s Guide To Fast Fitness + Weight Loss in addition to many other popular fitness articles. He is known for his hard-hitting and to the point style and offers a great free email newsletter called Fitness Success News, which you can subscribe to at his website http://www.achieve-fitness.com

jesse@achieve-fitness.com