Saturday 26 November 2011

10 Ways to Build Explosive Power for Any Sport

By Robert Rousseau, Bodyomics.com

American football players need to de-cleat players with blocks and pulverize them with tackles. Basketball competitors need to be able to lift off of the ground with enough power to navigate and sometimes go right through defenders on their way to grabbing a rebound or going up for a score. Mixed martial artists must have the explosive power to drop a man with one punch or put them on the canvas with an explosive single or double leg takedown. So what can help all of these people do their jobs?

Explosive power. In other words, the ability to gather maximum strength in a very short period of time. In fact, the gap between maximum power (developed in milliseconds) and maximum strength (a second or more) is the explosive differential gap as outlined in this article.

Just in case you want to get technical.

The good thing is that there are several ways for athletes or would be athletes to gain explosive power while training. In fact, here are 10 of them (these exercises are often done in sets-3 sets of 8, for example-check with a professional to determine what would be best for you).

Disclaimer: Never attempt any exercise without first consulting a physician to determine if the exercises or program you are attempting are right for you. In addition, contact weight lifting professionals to determine if you are executing lifts correctly as it can be highly dangerous not to.

Barbell Quarter Jump Squats: Barbell Jump squats involve performing a quarter squat. Then the practitioner explodes up during the concentric phase of the lift to the point that his/ her hips and knees propel them into the air. In other words, they jump. Upon landing the lifter should stop downward motion as soon as possible and then jump back into the air.

At first, lifters should probably use no weight at all until they get used to the movement. During this stage, they may utilize an arm swing. Then low weight may be added.

Barbell Sub- Maximum Impact Plyometric Jump Box Squats: This exercise involves a box and one must practice it with extreme caution. In fact, if you have any spine problems or are worried about such, don't practice this exercise.

Basically, a lifter must drop to a parallel squat where they merely touch the box and then explode up when doing a Barbell Sub- Maximum Impact Plyometric Jump Box Squat. Then repeat.

Given the nature of this lift, however, practitioners might just want to try the Barbell Non- Impact Plyometric Jump Squat, which is basically the same as above but with no box.

Depth Jumps: Depth jumps involve stepping off boxes-heights can vary- and upon landing on the floor with both legs at the same time, practitioners must explode into the air. The use of arm swings adds power to this exercise.

Dumbell Jerk: Start with a shoulder width stance and point the toes straight ahead. While doing this, hold dumbbells in each hand up to your shoulders with your elbows pointing straight ahead. One end of each dumbbell will actually rest on each shoulder.

From there, one should drop straight down a few inches and then explosively jump and extend up. Then-and speed is of the essence, here-one should drop straight down into a lunge position with one leg forward and the other back. The weight should be caught with one's arms fully extended in the bottom position. Stand up with the arms extended until you are upright and be careful not to take elongated steps (these should be small). The arms should be fully extended and behind the ears in the catch position.

Finger Clean: This is an interesting take on the clean. Hold a barbell out in front of you with only your fingers (no thumbs) while standing upright. When descending keep your knees in the same place. In other words, let the bar go straight down while the legs are pushed back (the lower back should stay flat) until you reach knee level. Then extend your hips, knees, and ankles but do not lift the bar yet.

Then in an explosive movement, bend down and explosively throw your elbows forward and up, catching the weight on your shoulders. Your fingers will be under the bar in the end.

Load Release Jumps: Get a sturdy bench or something similar that can hold your weight because you will be jumping on it. It's probably appropriate to once again start with no weight until you are used to the exercise. However, when you have dumbbell weight, here's what you do.

Hold the weight in front of you and quickly drop into a squat (the weight will be between your legs). Just prior to jumping up onto the bench, release the weight. Some use a weight vest while performing this exercise.

Long Box Jumps: No weight and no small boxes. Find your self a sturdy and rather high and jump as quickly onto it as possible. This tends to be a good warm up exercise.

Ravers: This one is simple. Put a barbell across your shoulders as if you were going to execute a standard squat. The difference is that you will have one foot forward and the other back. Bend your knees slightly and then quickly switch foot positions with a small jump. Do this back and forth rather forcefully.

Standing Triple Jump: With a shoulder width stance, start with a horizontal jump. Then, landing on one leg, explode up again, this time landing on the other leg. After exploding into a jump once more, practitioners will land on both legs softly and repeat.

Uphill sprints: Remember this back in high school (for all of you former high school wrestlers and football players)? Uphill sprints. Simple and it works to build explosive strength.

Put a uniform on and it works even better, or worse, depending on your outlook.

Original article can be found here

Sunday 20 November 2011

How to avoid food poisoning

How to avoid food poisoning: Health24: Digestive Health:

Food poisoning is highly unpleasant, and when severe will land you in hospital. As we've seen with the latest serious E.Coli outbreak in Europe, it can even be fatal. Make sure you always take the precautions given here to avoid it happening to you.

“Food poisoning” is a general term for infections contracted through food. Typical symptoms of food poisoning include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Bacteria are the most common cause of food poisoning, followed by viruses and parasites.

There are several hundred food-borne diseases, many of which cause other symptoms besides food poisoning. Poisonous chemicals that get into food can also make you ill.

People with HIV/Aids or other immune suppressive diseases are particularly vulnerable to infections from germs in food and water, and need to take extra care. You can’t always tell if food or water is contaminated by how it looks, tastes or smells, but you can greatly reduce the risks by following the simple steps outlined below.
The table below lists the micro-organisms most commonly associated with foodborne illness and examples of foods that are typical vehicles for those illnesses:
CAUSE FOODS MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROBLEM
BACTERIA
Bacillus cereus Reheated cooked rice, cooked meats, starchy puddings, vegetables and fish.
Improper handling after cooking is a common feature of foods causing B. cereus associated foodborne illness.
Clostridium perfringens Reheated foods including buffet dishes, cooked meat and poultry, beans, gravy, stews and soups.
Clostridium botulinum Improperly canned (home-preserved) foods such as vegetables, fish, meat and poultry.
Escherichia coli
(E.coli)
Salads and raw vegetables, undercooked meat, cheese, unpasteurised milk.
Campylobacter jejuni Raw milk, poultry.
Listeria monocytogenes Unpasteurised milk and milk products such as soft cheeses, raw meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, paté, smoked meat and fish, coleslaw.
Salmonella Undercooked poultry, meat, shellfish, salads, eggs and dairy products.
Staphylococcus aureus Ham, poultry, eggs, ice-cream, cheese, salads, custard and cream-filled pastries and gravies, are the most common sources. Improper handling of food or poor hygiene could help S.aureus spread into food.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus and other marine Vibrio Raw and undercooked fish and shellfish.
PARASITES
Trichinella spiralis Undercooked pork or game.
Toxoplasma gondii Undercooked meat and poultry and raw milk.
VIRUSES
Hepatitis A virus Shellfish, raw fruits and vegetables can be the uncommon cause of hepatitis A. Hepatitis A can be spread by contaminated food handlers inadvertently transferring the virus to the food they handle.
Source: The European Food Information Council (www.eufic.org)
Personal hygiene
  • Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water, particularly:
    • after going to the toilet
    • after touching animals
    • after sneezing or blowing your nose
    • before and after food preparation
    • after touching raw meat, fish or poultry
  • Try to avoid coming into contact with animal faeces. If you do, wash your hands very well - with anti-bacterial soap if possible.
  • Cover wounds on your hands to prevent contamination when working with food. Make sure bandages or plasters are clean. Rubber gloves are useful for keeping both wounds and food clean.

Drinking water
  • Boil drinking water first if you are unsure about whether it is safe to drink. Tap water is usually safe, but water from other sources, such as rivers and wells, is not. If boiling isn’t possible, treat the water with bleach, as follows: Mix 1 teaspoon (5ml) of bleach with 25 litres of water (a large basin-full). Leave it to stand at least two hours before drinking.
  • Store safe water in a clean, covered container, preferably in the fridge.
  • Make sure cold drinks and ice cubes have been made with safe water.
  • Remember not to swallow unsafe water while bathing or swimming.
Food shopping
  • Buy foods in amounts that can be eaten before they go off.
  • Don't buy or use dented, bulging or leaking cans.
  • Pre-packaged, sealed cold meats and cheeses are safer.
  • Don't buy cracked eggs: the cracks allow germs to enter.
  • Don't buy foods after their “sell by” date. Throw out foods at home that have reached their expiry date, and don't even taste food if you suspect it has gone off.
  • Avoid foods that have been home-bottled.
Choosing, preparing and storing food
  • If you’re not sure where food comes from or how it’s been prepared, don’t eat it.
  • Keep food away from animals.
  • Cover food to keep insects off it.
Fruits and vegetables
  • Peel fresh fruits and vegetables or wash them with clean water.
  • Throw out moldy or rotten fruits or vegetables.
Milk and milk products
  • Use pasteurised milk. (Milk is heated to high temperatures to destroy germs.) Home-produced milk should be boiled before use.
  • Throw out moldy cheese. Avoid cheeses that contain live molds, like blue cheese, Brie and Camembert.
  • Don't eat wild mushrooms, unless you are absolutely sure they are safe.
Meat
  • Never eat raw meat, poultry or fish.
  • Cook meat thoroughly. (It shouldn’t be pink inside.) Ask to have your meat well done when eating at restaurants or friends’ houses.
  • Avoid seafood that does not come from a known, safe source.
Eggs
  • Never eat raw eggs. Cook eggs until the white and yolk are firm.
  • Don’t use cracked eggs.
  • Wash eggs before breaking them.
Frozen food
  • Food should be kept either hot or cold. Keep cold foods cold:
  • Keep frozen foods frozen until you’re ready to eat them.
  • Pick up frozen foods last, and hurry home with them or pack them with ice in a cooler bag.
  • Don’t keep foods in your freezer longer than a month.
  • Once food has defrosted, it should be used as soon as possible, and not refrozen.
  • Don’t defrost frozen meat at room temperature, which is warm enough to give germs the chance to grow. Defrost frozen meat or other frozen foods in a fridge. If you don’t have a fridge, defrost food in a cool place. Microwave ovens are also good for quick defrosting.
Keep hot foods hot:
  • Eat food as soon as possible once it’s been cooked. Don’t store foods that have cooled down at room temperature.
  • Don't keep food at room temperature for more than two hours. After this time period, bacteria start multiplying. Be suspicious of cold cooked food that has been kept at room temperature for longer.
  • Refrigerate leftovers. If you don’t have a fridge, keep food covered in a cool place.
  • Store foods in airtight containers or cling wrap.
  • When you eat cooked leftovers, reheat them to a high temperature to kill germs.
Take extra care when travelling: you are likely to come into contact with new germs that your body isn’t used to.
  • Only drink bottled or boiled water, or canned drinks. Avoid ice in drinks, unless you know it has been boiled first.
  • Don’t eat raw fruits and vegetables unless you have peeled them yourself.
  • Make sure that food has been properly cooked.
  • Don’t eat food sold by street vendors.
Kitchen hygiene
  • Wash surfaces like the kitchen table, counter or sink, before and after preparing food there. Keep food storage areas (like shelves and fridges) clean.
  • Clean up spills immediately.
  • Use separate cleaning cloths for the kitchen and other parts of the house.
  • Disinfect kitchen cloths, sponges and scourers with bleach, and dry them in sunlight, which helps kill germs. If you have a microwave, heating cloths and sponges for 60 seconds helps kill bacteria.
  • Wash the kitchen floor at least once a week, with cloths that are only used for that purpose.
  • Wash dishes, cutlery and cutting boards well – preferably in hot soapy water that you replace when it gets too dirty. Rinse dishes with clean water, if possible.
  • Replace cracked or badly scratched utensils. Germs live in cracks in cups and dishes and scratches in plastic containers and cutting boards.
  • Use a cutting board for raw foods. Preferably, use one cutting board for meat, poultry and fish, and another for other foods. Or, clean the board well with hot water soapy after cutting each food type. Plastic or stone cutting boards are safest for raw meat.
  • Don’t reuse utensils after they have touched raw meat, fish or chicken, until you have washed them very thoroughly.
  • Keep rubbish in a covered bin that you empty and clean regularly.
  • Keep the kitchen door and windows open as much as possible to provide good ventilation; this helps prevent the growth of mold and fungus.
- Updated by Olivia Rose-Innes, Health24, June 2011

How safe is imported food?: Health24: Enviro Health : News

How safe is imported food?: Health24: Enviro Health : News:

Last week 22 tonnes of imported Irish cheddar were destroyed when found to be contaminated with deadly E.coli bacteria. How safe is imported food really?

According to Gareth Lloyd, Managing Director of Ecowize, a leading hygiene and sanitation company servicing the South African food and healthcare sector, the cheddar contamination incident highlights the issue of safety standards of imported foodstuffs.

He says that as more components are added into the supply chain, it becomes more difficult to guarantee the hygiene and safety of the end product.

By “supply chain”, food industry specialists mean the length of time and the number of steps it takes to get a foodstuff from the farm to your plate: the longer the route, the greater the potential for it to become contaminated. Imported food has a much longer supply chain, involving complex crucial elements like longer periods of refrigeration, than food sourced locally.

Says Lloyd: “With a longer supply chain, logistics and hazards become harder to control. In developing countries, with poorer infrastructure, the hygiene levels may be lower and the hazards of the longer supply chain higher.”
But the increased risk for imports being contaminated extends to those from the developed world too. The “cheddar incident” involved a first-world product, after all.
“Some countries have excellent food safety standards – Australian meat products for example. But standards for poultry and pork in Europe, let’s say, are really only just standard.”
What about checks done on imports when they arrive? We simply do not have the capacity and infrastructure to test all food imports, says Lloyd.
“It’s one in a million products that are tested. Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is only able to inspect about 1% of imports.”
“I’m not saying that it’s bad to buy imported – there are some great products – but just that we need to be aware of the risks and keep demanding better regulation.”
How to avoid contaminated food
Consumers and retailers should make sure a foodstuff looks and smells “OK”, read labels and check expiry dates.
Unfortunately, says Lloyd, that may not always be sufficient.
“Not all bacteria change the smell and taste of food. There will always be bacteria on food, but it’s a matter of safe and dangerous levels. The shelf-life is related to how long it takes before bacterial growth gets to levels that will cause illness. With E.coli, for example, you only need a low level to make you sick. In the case of some other food-borne bacteria, like Salmonella, you need a higher level of exposure.”
The process of bacterial growth continues in your fridge too:
“People often don’t check to see if a product should be frozen or just refrigerated. In the food industry, we need to measure and maintain refrigeration temperatures very accurately, and home fridges aren’t too accurate. They should be set at between 0 and 4 degrees; I’d be surprised if most home fridges are below 4. At 5-20 degrees – that’s like fertilizer for bacteria.”
More on how to avoid food poisoning

Coffee A Day May Reduce Liver Cancer Risk

Coffee A Day May Reduce Liver Cancer Risk | Before It's News:

There have been numerous studies about the many benefits of coffee. I even discussed some of them which includes stroke risks and aging. In recent studies in Japan and in some part of Europe, coffee has been identified to reduce the risk of liver cancer to humans. This article will give you an insight regarding the truth about this great news.

Coffee has an abundant source of antioxidants which has the potential to help inhibit cancer development particularly in the liver. Hepatocellar carcinoma (HCC), is the primary cancer compound of the liver which results to the third largest cancer deaths in the world behind only to lung and stomach cancer.

Various studies which includes Milan (Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri), Finland (University of Helsinki) and Japan (National Cancer Tokyo) have all similar outcome with regards to the effects of coffee to liver cancer. They concluded that a cup of coffee or two a day can lower your risk of liver cancer.

There study were based on quantitative estimation from thousands of coffee drinkers and its association with hepatocellar carcinoma. The presence of hepatocellar carcinoma have at least 41% reduction for coffee drinkers which are also said to help prevents cirrhosis.

Caffeine, a substance commonly found in coffee, has been shown to activate some liver enzymes which helps block carcinogenic detoxification in the liver. But uncontrolled consumption of coffee may spell disaster for your health as it can cause palpitations, intensifies the side effects of antibiotics, hypertension and many others.

Although these studies suggests the positive effects of coffee to liver carcinomas, they are quick to note that the research should continuously be repeated in other groups to achieve concrete results.

Whether these studies are just speculation of the true nature of coffee or not, it certainly help proves that there is a link between coffee and liver cancer through various drinking behaviors around the world. This includes Americans, Europeans and Japanese (who less patronize coffee). The results seems justified based from how they performed their research. However, the discussion is up for the public's own point of view.

What is more important is that we already know that drinking coffee a day can give positive health benefits and over-consumption may pose health risks.

For more news and information on health and wellness, please make sure to visit www.healthtalkbuzz.com.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com, www.rediff.com, www.sacrededenblog.com, www.cbsnews.com, www.msnbc.msn.com.

Vaccines Never Worked, Never Will, But You'll Never Hear This From Mainstream Medicine

Vaccines Never Worked, Never Will, But You'll Never Hear This From Mainstream Medicine | Before It's News:

They have single digit success rates, they're full of toxic chemicals and they cause diseases to a greater percentage of the population that receive them than those who don't. It's time to reassess the reality that vaccines do not work and never have.

The main advances in combating disease over the last 200 years have been cleaner drinking water (until they added fluoride), improved sanitation, less overcrowded and better living conditions. Vaccines have never been proven to prevent any disease ever. The have not advanced the health of human beings in any way.

The reality of two centuries of mortality graphs, and disease declines and vaccine effectiveness vs. dangers is always in stark contradiction to the claims of government health officials.

My typical 9 questions which receive only ludicrous answers from the conventional medical community are as follows:

1. Could you please provide one non-biased, independently monitored, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that can prove the safety and effectiveness of vaccines? It's quite laughable, but there have some pathetic attempts to answer the question with mainstream medical journals controlled by the pharmaceutical industry.

2. Could you please provide scientific evidence on ANY study which can confirm the long-term safety and effectiveness of vaccines?

3. Could you please provide non-biased, independently monitored scientific evidence which can prove that disease reduction in any part of the world, at any point in history was attributable to inoculation of populations?

4. Could you please explain how the safety and mechanism of vaccines in the human body are scientifically proven if their pharmacokinetics (the study of bodily absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of ingredients) are never examined or analyzed in any vaccine study?

5. Could you please provide scientific justification as to how injecting a human being with a confirmed neurotoxin is beneficial to human health and prevents disease?

6. Can you provide a risk/benefit profile on how the benefits of injecting a known neurotoxin exceeds its risks to human health for the intended goal of preventing disease?

7. Could you please provide scientific justification on how bypassing the respiratory tract (or mucous membrane) is advantageous and how directly injecting viruses into the bloodstream enhances immune functioning and prevents future infections?

8. Could you please provide scientific justification on how a vaccine would prevent viruses from mutating?

9. Could you please provide scientific justification as to how a vaccination can target a virus in an infected individual who does not have the exact viral configuration or strain the vaccine was developed for?

One of the most critical elements which defines the toxicity potential of any vaccine are its pharmacokinetic properties. Drug companies and health agencies refuse to consider the study, analysis or evaluation of the pharmacokinetic properties of any vaccine.

There is not one double-blind, placebo-controlled study in the history of vaccine development that has ever proven their safety, effectiveness or achievements (unless those achievements have underlined their damage to human health).

There are also no controlled studies completed in any country which have objectively proven that vaccines have had any direct or consequential effect on the reduction of any type of disease in any
part of the world.

Every single study that has ever attempted to validate the safety and effectiveness of vaccines has conclusively established carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic or fertility impairments, but they won't address those.

It is a scientifically established fact in literally hundreds of studies that the preservatives and chemical additives in vaccines damage cells. Neurotoxicity, immune suppression, immune-mediated chronic inflammation and carcinogenic proliferation are just a few of several effects that have been observed on the human body. See a list of chemicals in vaccines

Fortunately, the drug companies still tell us the damage vaccines have on the human body. People just don't read them. All you have to do is look at the insert for any vaccine, and it will detail the exact ingredients used. FDA approved flu vaccines and Health Canada approved flu vaccines are perfect examples of the toxic nature of what is being injected.

All promoters of vaccination fail to realize that the respiratory tract of humans (actually all mammals) contains antibodies which initiates natural immune responses within the respiratory tract mucosa. Bypassing this mucosal aspect of the immune system by directly injecting viruses into the bloodstream leads to a corruption in the immune system itself. As a result, the pathogenic viruses or bacteria cannot be eliminated by the immune system and remain in the body, where they will further grow and/or mutate as the individual is exposed to ever more antigens and toxins in the environment which continue to assault the immune system.

Despite the injection of any type of vaccine, viruses continue circulating through the body, mutating and transforming into other organisms. The ability of a vaccine manufacturer to target the exact viral strain without knowing its mutagenic properties is equivalent to shooting a gun at a fixed target that has already been moved from its location. You would be shooting at what was, not what is!

Flu viruses, may mutate, change or adapt several times over a period of one flu season, making the seasonal influenza vaccine 100% redundant and ineffective every single flu season. Ironically, the natural immune defenses of the human body can target these changes but the vaccines cannot.
I have never encountered one pro-vaccine advocate, whether medically or scientifically qualified, who could answer even 1 let alone all 9 of these questions with any credibility at all.

Five Myths to Keep in Mind About Flu Vaccines

Myth 1: The Flu Shot is very effective.
Statistically, you are less likely to get the flu if you haven't had a flu vaccine. A BCTV reporter in Vancouver, commenting on the overload in BC emergency rooms, said that out of 32 people who had received a flu shot, 30 got the flu.

Myth 2: The Flu Shot has a high success rate.
This is a vaccine that only has a 6.25% success rate. This is a pretty big under-achievement, considering that the average reaction to placebo injections of distilled water is 30%.

Myth 3: The Flu Shot is safe.
Hugh Fudenberg MD, who is the world's leading immunogeneticist, says that if a person had 5 flu vaccinations between 1970 and 1980 he/she is 10 times more likely to get Alzheimer's Disease than if he/she had only one or two shots. Fudenberg said that this was because of the aluminum and mercury, which almost every flu vaccine contains. The gradual accumulation of aluminum and mercury in the brain leads to cognitive dysfunction.

Myth 4: There are no harmful ingredients in vaccinations.
Flu vaccines consist primarily of 3 categories of ingredients. First there are viruses and cultured bacteria. The second ingredient is the way in which they can be cultivated. This includes aborted human fetal cells, chick embryos, pig blood, monkey kidney tissue, cowpox pus, and calf serum, and all of these foreign proteins get injected straight into your bloodstream. A bit repulsive just thinking about it, isn't it? The flu shot also contains neutralizers, stabilizers, carrying agents and preservatives such as mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is something that is used for embalming the dead and is known to cause cancer. There is no amount of formaldehyde considered safe when injected into a living organism.

Myth 5: The Flu Shot works.
The flu shot could actually weaken your immune system and make you more likely to catch this virus. It has absolutely no value and should probably be avoided for your own safety. Not only is it loaded with toxic chemicals, but many people actually get the flu shortly after getting the shot, because it weakens their immune system instead of making it stronger like it is claimed to do.

It's time to end vaccinating people of ANY age. If it's toxic and ineffective, why do we continue this outdated and dangerous practice?

Dave Mihalovic is a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in vaccine research, cancer prevention and a natural approach to treatment. preventdisease.com
Sources:
Vaccines Did Not Save Us! Two Centuries of Official Statistics
The 7 Myths of the Flu Shot