Even if You Have the Flu, Ignore This Much-Heralded Flu Remedy

Since 2009, Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, has refused to release data from eight of 10 clinical trials on the drug. To address the dangers inherent with withholding of clinical trial data, the Cochrane Collaboration group in collaboration with the British Medical Journal has created the BMJ Open Data Campaign

There is currently no scientific basis for the worldwide recommendation to use Tamiflu for the prevention or treatment of influenza. It is believed, however, that the missing trial data may reveal potential harms, and/or verify the drug’s ineffectiveness

Researchers are calling for an end to the “culture of haphazard publication and incomplete data disclosure,” the implementation of more robust regulation, and full access to the raw trial data to ensure transparency

For more information: Science Behind Tamiflu Recommendations “Missing in Action”

How To Get Six Pack Abs (Part 2)

If you have not read the first part to this article, do so here:  How To Get Six Pack Abs

Okay, after having everything in place that I mentioned from the last article, it’s time to build up your abs so you can see that shield of muscle you have built up.  There are lots of different abs exercises one can do, but you mainly just need to make sure you are working every section of your abs.  When you break it down, you basically have the top (the part people think of with a sixpack), the sides (obliques) and the lower abdominal area.  You want to work all three of these sections.

To work your upper abs, there is nothing better than the classic crunch.  You just need to be careful and not pull your own neck when performing these.  Your abs themselves should be handling moving your body.  You can see how to perform a proper crunch here:  How to do a perfect crunch  When you are a little more advanced, you can perform a crunch on a swiss ball or use weighted resistance as well (by holding a weight plate behind your head).

To work your obliques, you can do what is called a Side Bend.  For your lower abs, perform a Leg Raise  When you are more advanced with these you can switch to a hanging leg raise (same movement, you are simply hanging vertical from a pull up bar).

Follow what I gave you in the last article, along with these exercises and you will be on your way to a six pack in no time!

Mario Sperry Vale Tudo DVD I: Takedowns

Today I am going to review the first video in a series of six from Mario Sperry’s original Vale Tudo (MMA) series.  Though this series is pretty old at this point, it is one of the first places I learned some grappling technique and strategy from.  Mario Sperry is a legend from the grappling world and had a pretty solid MMA career as well (even though he was older).  He trained several MMA legends, including the Nogueira Brothers and Ricardo Arona.

This first video is actually the weakest in the series, not because it’s full of terrible information, it’s just dated at this point.  It’s focus is on securing the takedown.  While some of the strategies used in this video would never be used in today’s MMA world, it still has some good pointers and offers a few worthwhile techniques.  Again, this first video is the only one that doesn’t hold up that well over time, the rest of the series is better.

While some of it is dated, Mario Sperry does offer some great advice that will help anyone secure some takedowns.  Tips like putting your opponents back into a wall, cage, car, etc., so he can’t sprawl back, and using punches to set up your takedowns are still very worthwhile.  This video also ends with a segment on escaping from a standing guillotine (still one of my favorite escapes).

I wouldn’t recommend buying this video by itself, but as part of the series of six videos in the the Vale Tudo series, it’s okay to have.  I’d give this video 2 out of 5 stars.

Prepare for Emergencies!

Be prepared for emergencies!  1 out of 3 Americans can’t even cover a $5,000 emergency (this is even worse now because this stat came before the economic collapse).  Money management is a skill like any other and unfortunately most people in the U.S. have not been taught to develop that skill.  Everyone knows they are supposed to save money, but almost no one actually does it!

Just like our Government, most people are spending more money than they are actually bringing in.  Unlike our Government, you can’t take your neighbors money by force to keep paying for all of your wasteful spending.  You need to take control of your own situation and stop spending money you don’t have.  Stop piling on tons of credit card debt for things you don’t even really need.

Your basic plan is going to be a simple one, but one that will require you to start living a disciplined life.  You either do this now or you are going to end up old and broke in debt for the rest of your life.  Your intermediate goals are going to consist of:
1. Having an emergency fund
2.  Paying off your debt
3.  Saving for your future

I’m a big fan of the Dave Ramsey approach so I see no reason to change anything here.  Your first and only goal after reading this article is to save up $1,000 for an emergency fund.  This money is to never be touched, it is what it’s called, for emergencies only.  If something breaks in your house, your car breaks down, etc.  Start it in a different bank account if necessary, but never touch this money for any other reason.

Now, you might be thinking, how am I supposed to save up $1,000?!  Glad you asked, it’s easier than you think.  You can save up $1,000 by having a yard sale, getting a part time job, don’t eat out for the next month, whatever it takes!  This should only take you about a month to do.  This first step is an important one.  It will start you on your path to discipline and you can build from there.

Get this step finished quickly because next time we are going to start tackling debt.

New Goal – Financial Fitness

Physical fitness is a good thing to have on your side.  It will help you through your entire life and makes tackling the struggles of each day easier.  Just as important is your financial fitness.  If your finances are not in order your entire life will be thrown off because of it.  Divorce, stress, you name it, can all come from a lack of financial fitness.

Money management has been a hobby of mine for a number of years.  I’ve helped numerous people get their finances in order and just like with working out, it’s not as hard as one might think.  It does require putting in the effort though.  After a while you come to a point where you love it and couldn’t imagine your life without it.  Also, as with working out, you start modestly and work your way up over time.

On top of the free workout routines, health tips and product reviews you have come to expect I am also going to start writing articles on how to get your finances in order.  So I hope to see you soon and if you have any questions feel free to send them to me, I’d be happy to help you.  Happy Thanksgiving!

How To Get Six Pack Abs

Virtually everyone wants a six pack.  Six pack abs are probably the most common thing people will think of when they think of what it means to be in shape.  Before I get into any specific exercises one needs to do in order to get a six pack, I need to clear up some misunderstandings most people have.

1.  There is no such thing as spot reduction.  You can’t get rid of fat in a certain area by doing exercises for that area.  Most people still believe if you want to get rid of fat on your stomach, you have to do exercises for your stomach.  This is completely untrue.  Any exercise you do will remove fat from your entire body, but your body has certain areas where it stores the fat the most.  Simply doing crunches won’t target fat from that area.

2.  In order to lose weight to become lean enough to see your abdominal muscles you need to take in less calories.  You can do all the exercises in the world, but if you are taking in more calories than you need, you still won’t see your six pack because it will be covered in a layer of fat.  You have to reduce the amount of calories you are taking in everyday so you become more lean.  I don’t recommend drinking any at all, but just by cutting out 1 Pepsi a day, you can lose about 15lbs in a year.

3.  Working big muscle groups builds the most muscle, which in turn burns the most calories.  If you had to choose between doing squats or crunches to become lean, squats would win without question.  Doing compound exercises (squats, deadlift, bench press, pull ups, etc) will work multiple muscle groups at the same time and build the most muscle.  Muscle is a fat burning material, the more you have, the more fat you burn all day, even when you aren’t even exercising.

4.  Change your cardio.  Instead of doing low intensity exercise like walking on a treadmill for hours, switch to The Tabata Method.  This type of exercise will not only get you into better shape in much less time, but it’s not as boring and has other benefits like increasing your growth hormone production.

Next time I will get into specific exercises one can use to build up the muscles in the abdominal area.

Dr. Mercola’s Top 3 Recommended Supplements

Dr. Mercola Discusses Super Slow Workout

Also read my article on slow weightlifting: Slow Weight Lifting for Fast Results

Toxicology Expert Explains Why Aspartame is so Dangerous to Your Health

• Aspartame is the most dangerous food additive on the market today, accounting for over 75 percent of adverse reactions reported to the FDA, including seizures and death

• Even though aspartame is touted as natural it has a synthetic methyl group on one of the amino acids that rapidly breaks down to methanol (wood alcohol). The sweetness associated with aspartame is largely the result of methyl alcohol bonded to the amino acid phenylalanine

• Methyl alcohol is metabolized differently in the human body compared to other animals, and is FAR more toxic in humans which is why studies have trouble nailing down the hazards related to aspartame, because most rely on animal not human studies

• Methyl alcohol, after it is taken up by the body as a “Trojan Horse” into susceptible tissues like the brain, converts rapidly into formaldehyde,. This causes severe damage to proteins and DNA that can contribute to many serious and chronic diseases, such as cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis

• Fresh fruits and vegetables contain minute amounts of methanol, but there’s a natural mechanism that makes it harmless. Pectin firmly binds to methanol, allowing it to simply pass through your body and be excreted, because the human body does not have the enzymes to break that bond

For more information, check out this link: Toxicology Expert Explains Why Aspartame is so Dangerous to Your Health

Farmageddon – The truth about the food and dairy industry

This is a much watch if you care about your health.  Please repost to get the truth out:

Where to Find Real Milk

For those of you who are tired of drinking milk that has been loaded with hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, I have some good news.  On the following website you can find local farmers who have products the way they are supposed to be.  It doesn’t take much study to find out how bad for you store bought (non-organic) milk is, you are better off not to drink it honestly.

If you saw the condition most of the cows are in from being pumped full of female hormones, so they will produce milk more quickly, you wouldn’t want to drink it.  These cows typically die from tumors after a few years (being pumped full of artificial hormones can give you cancer – something you ladies on the pill should think about) but they HAVE to use loads of antibiotics just to keep them alive as long as possible.  It’s bad all the way around.

Where can I find real milk?  http://www.realmilk.com/where.html

Hospital Errors Kill Well Over 180,000 Americans Annually

“Infections, surgical mistakes, and other medical harm contributes to the deaths of 180,000 hospital patients a year, according to projections based on a 2010 report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Another 1.4 million are seriously hurt by their hospital care. And those figures apply only to Medicare patients. What happens to other people is less clear because most hospital errors go unreported and hospitals report on only a fraction of things that can go wrong.

‘There is an epidemic of health-care harm,’ says Rosemary Gibson, a patient-safety advocate and author. More than 2.25 million Americans will probably die from medical harm in this decade, she says. ‘That’s like wiping out the entire populations of North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It’s a man-made disaster.’

… ‘Hospitals haven’t given safety the attention it deserves,’ says Peter Pronovost, M.D., senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. Nor has the government, he says. ‘Medical harm is probably one of the three leading causes of death in the U.S., but the government doesn’t adequately track it as it does deaths from automobiles, plane crashes, and cancer. It’s appalling.’”-Consumer Reports

I do find it interesting that the same Doctors who will tell you that one can overdose on vitamins are the same ones who will tell you take all kinds of medications loaded with very harmful side effects. Of course they take money/gifts from the pharmaceutical companies, not companies making vitamins. The U.S. spends more money on health care than any other, yet we are barely in the top 50 when it comes to being healthy.

People need to start thinking for themselves and not just do whatever some person they hardly know tells them. The facts speak for themselves, so does history. The medical community has historically been wrong about many, many issues and they tend to mock those who disagree with them (even though it’s the medical community who is wrong over and over again). Just do your research and look into the side effects of all of these medications Doctors are trying to put you on.

Natural Cures for Dry Skin

If you suffer from dry skin, don’t worry, there are things you can do.  First of all you need to make sure it’s not your soap or other products you are using that is causing your dry skin.  If you suspect it could be, simply stop using it for a little while and see if there is any improvement.  You can also do a search on that product online to see if other people complain about it causing dry skin.

Most of the natural cures for dry skin are things you need to be doing anyway for your general health, so if you are interested in turning your life around and getting healthy, you can kill two birds with one stone.  Start taking an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement (or even better, eat foods rich in Omega 3).  Fruits and veggies (which you need to eat anyway) rich in vitamin A & B should be eaten daily.  Fruits and veggies are full of antioxidants which will help you in many other ways as well.

Avoid alcohol!  Alcohol is a poison to the body, especially in the high amounts people drink it in these days.  In the past wine was watered down so much it wouldn’t have even been considered an alcoholic drink today because the content was so low.  Regular exercise helps promote blood flow which provides nourishment to the skin.  Again, this also provides many other benefits, so do it!  Aloe Vera gel is a great remedy as well.  Aloe has been used for thousands of years for all sorts of problems.

Implement these changes into your daily routine and you will not only help your dry skin, but your general health as well.  Who doesn’t want to look younger, have more energy and feel better?  Try it out.  If all of this seems like a huge lifestyle change for you, simply pick one of the above suggestions and start adding (or subtracting) one of these a week until you have changed it all.

Fedor: Undisputed King of MMA Review (Part 2)

If you have not read Part 1 of my book review, you may do so here: Fedor: Undisputed King of MMA Review (Part 1)

Picking up where we left off from the clinch, we now move to takedowns and throws.  These are different than wrestling based takedowns most wrestlers are used too.  Fedor is a master of Judo and Sambo.  He shows lots of throws in his book but he also mentions how to set them up with other throws or strikes.  When you combo some of these together it makes them that much harder to stop.  Another good thing about most of these takedowns is that you are left in an advantageous position.  You don’t have to follow someone down to the ground where you can be submitted.  These takedowns usually leave you standing over you opponent, free to reign down strikes.

Next we come to the ground game.  Fedor covers most of the main positions and how to escape them.  Like with the throws, he strings moves together, so if one fails you can immediately move to the next.  This method greatly increases your chance of success.  This is not a grappling only section, he will show you how to pass a guard using strikes to set up a guard pass.

I’ve read a lot of material on MMA, Jiu-jitsu and so on, and these moves are pretty simple yet very effective.  If someone would take the time to drill and perfect all of these techniques and never learned anything else, they would still be a very dangerous and well rounded fighter.  Something else interesting about many of these techniques are that they come from Sambo/Judo instead of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or wrestling, so many people may not be used to these particular variations.  You might be able to take people at your martial art gym by surprise with some of these.

I highly recommend this book.  You will learn all sorts of interesting variations of moves you have probably never seen, get some philosophy behind why he does things a certain way, and will learn how to string techniques together.  The only real thing missing from this book is some coverage of how Fedor actually trains.  There is no mention of how much he runs, lifts weights, spars, etc.  A conditioning section would have been nice but perhaps we will see some of that in the future.

Prop 37: Your Right to Know

The message is simple, just like Prop 37. A few words on a label to inform consumers if products contain genetically engineered ingredients. Let’s allow consumers to decide, and not the chemical companies or junk food industry.  Click on the pic to zoom in, you can see how many companies have given money to stop people from having the right to know if their products contain genetically engineered ingredients or not.

On the right side you can also see what companies supported a person’s right to know about genetically engineered ingredients.  You can bet if a company wants people to know what is in their product, they have nothing to hide.  I would recommend buying from those types of companies as often as possible to support them, after all, they support you.