Living Life Abundantly

Did you know omega 3 fish oil has been shown over and over again in thousands of studies from all over the world to be nature’s most potent and effective anti-inflammatory agent?

Do you also realize that omega 3 fatty acids have also been found effective, actually more effective in most cases then the top three prescription drugs on the market today, not to mention a whole lot safer and less expensive?

For some reason however, Americans spend nearly $30 billion dollars on the top three classes of drugs; antidepressants, high blood pressure drugs and anti-inflammatory arthritis and headache pain relievers as compared to only $300 million on fish oil supplements.

But, like all pharmaceuticals, these three drugs are highly controversial and possibly dangerous. To begin with, they’ve never cured anyone and they’re only really effective in treating the symptoms of a small percentage of people who take them.

And they have serious side effects that may do more harm than good. They often require patients to take yet another questionable drug to counteract the damaging effect of the first. Some of these drugs, such as Vioxx, were even taken off the market because they were found to cause heart attacks and strokes.

When you get right down to it, almost all bad health is caused by poor lifestyle choices. Lousy diet, smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of exercise and excess weight gain. It has nothing to do with a deficiency of drugs.

Do you realize there are safer, more natural ways of dealing with and even preventing depression, high blood pressure and inflammatory pain without resorting to prescription drugs? One of the best and safest alternatives is to eat fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, herring or tuna at least two or three times a week and take a good quality daily fish oil supplement.

When you take a look at the evidence, it is quite clear.

Studies have shown that depressed peoples omega 3 levels are significantly lower (Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 26, No. 38, 35-46), while omega 3 supplements showed significant benefits in just three weeks of treatment (American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 159:477-479). In addition, other studies have found that omega 3 fatty acids can be an effective treatment for bipolar disorder (Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 56 No. 5) and borderline personality disorder patients (American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 160:167-169).

Fish oil has also been shown to be highly effective at lowering blood pressure. That’s one major reason why the American Heart Association (AHA) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend everyone eat cold water, fatty fish at least a couple of times a week.

The AHA and NIH also recommend people with heart disease symptoms (for example, high blood pressure) take daily fish oil supplements providing at least one gram of combined omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids.

Omega 3 fish oil has also been found to be the safest and most effective of the natural cures that help alleviate the pain from headaches as well as inflammatory arthritis when compared to over the counter NSAIDs such as Advil, Motrin, Nuprin and Aleve and other anti-inflammatories (Arthritis and Rheumatism, Vol. 38: 1107-14.)

In fact, in many of the scientific studies reviewed, patients were able to greatly reduce and even totally eliminate prescribed pain medications after starting an omega 3 fish oil treatment program.

And, if you’re concerned about toxins in fish oil, the Harvard University School of Public Health says you can sit back, relax and enjoy your broiled salmon dinner. After reviewing all the relative studies, they recently confirmed fish oil benefits far outweigh the threat of mercury or other toxins in fish by as much as 500 to one. (Journal of the American Medical Association 2006, Vol. 296: 1885-99)

Besides, if you look, you can find high quality omega 3 fish oil supplements that are fully guaranteed to be absolutely pure and totally free of all toxicity (www.omega-3.us).

So before starting on a program of either of these drugs or if you are already on a program, consider eating more fish and taking omega 3 fish oil supplements. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get equal or better results, avoid side effects and save a lot of money at the same time. That sounds pretty good, don’t you think?

Can you be summoned to court in the future for bad eating habits formed in childhood?

Scenario: Two or three decades from now, scores of adults with health problems like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity will be suffering serious self esteem issues and spending tons of money on medicine and treatment. This will have been caused by what they were fed in their daily activities during their childhood.

In their frustration, they form support groups with other adults who share the same health problems and humiliation due to being obese. Eventually they look for something to blame and finally decide and point their accusing fingers at the ones that played a major role in their developing years- their parents. They might even take Mom and Dad to court and win; as the judge will likely be one their own- himself a victim of bad diet and lack of exercise during childhood.

Such a story may be funny, but believe it or not, it might really happen. Young adults these days have been blaming Mom and Dad for their current problems and health and dietary issues might easily include this. One thing’s for sure, the US government or the American fast food industry won’t be taking the blame for it.

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association published a study recently which showed that the diets of toddlers and babies in these times are as bad as those of average unhealthy teenagers who live mainly on junk food.

The diet of 1/3 of the child respondents surveyed by researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine had vegetables and fruits absent from their diet. Most of those that did have vegetables present in their diet were under the impression that French fries qualified as a vegetable.

It’s bad enough that a lot of children these days aren’t getting much exercise sitting in front of the boob tube the whole day watching cable TV, but researchers also discovered that some parents were even pouring soda into baby bottles designed for milk. Cola drinks and other types of carbonated drinks are a major cause of obesity in adults.

No big surprise that over a quarter of the youngest members of today’s society have ailments that stem from obesity. Also, since the majority cases of diabetes and heart disease are linked to eating junk-food and less than healthy lifestyle habits, statistics are bound to get worse.

Can anything be done to curb this deadly trend? Things may look bleak but as parents, we ultimately have the power to affect the way our children eat and run their future lives by setting-up proper guidelines. Becoming fit, health-conscious role models ourselves can have dramatic effects on how they eat and go about their daily activities as they grow up.

You wouldn’t know it, but maybe a couple of decades down the road maybe babies of today will grow up as smart and healthy adults and give credit to and appreciation for their parents who’ve set-up proper guidelines and helped them form healthy habits during their early years. Wouldn’t this be far more desirable than a lawsuit?

Can you be sued in the future for what your child is eating now?

Imagine twenty to thirty years down the road when the millions of children today with bad diet and lifestyle habits will have grown into adults that suffer from obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. They’ll be swimming in medical bills and this will be caused by the establishment of poor eating habits and lack of exercise when they were young.

In their frustration, they form support groups with other adults who share the same health problems and humiliation due to being obese. Eventually they look for something to blame and finally decide and point their accusing fingers at the ones that played a major role in their developing years- their parents. They might even take Mom and Dad to court and win; as the judge will likely be one their own- himself a victim of bad diet and lack of exercise during childhood.

Funny as it sounds, this scenario can really happen. Sadly, some parents these days are being blamed by their offspring for the myriad of problems our society is suffering from. The numbers say it: scores of people a few decades from now will suffer a cacophony of ailments stemming from bad childhood diet and lifestyle habits.

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association published a study recently which showed that the diets of toddlers and babies in these times are as bad as those of average unhealthy teenagers who live mainly on junk food.

It’s sad, but most of the respondents that did report having a vegetable as part of their diet thought French fries qualified as one. A third of the children surveyed by researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine did not even have fruit and vegetables in their daily.

Quite shocking that in the survey, carbonated beverages, found to be the main cause of obesity along with the health complications it brings, were even given to infants poured in baby bottles. Since most of these soda-suckling kids spend most of their time being couch potatoes, all that sugar obviously doesn’t get burned-off.

As can be expected, 25% of preschoolers are obese and those numbers are increasing every year. Given that eating habits are formed during the ages of 2 and 3, you can bet the statistics will get worse. Most cases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease stem from unhealthy food and lack of exercise in a person’s formative years.

Can anything be done to curb this deadly trend? Things may look bleak but as parents, we ultimately have the power to affect the way our children eat and run their future lives by setting-up proper guidelines. Becoming fit, health-conscious role models ourselves can have dramatic effects on how they eat and go about their daily activities as they grow up.

We’d never know, but down the road, 20-30 years from now, babies that have had the good fortune on having parents that helped them form healthy eating habits and lifestyles will become smart, fit and successful adults. These healthy members of society may even recognize and show some appreciation for the thoughtfulness their parents had in helping them form healthy habits in their childhood. Doesn’t this sound like a way better alternative to a lawsuit?