Tag Archives: healthy living

Electronic Devices Harming Sleep Quality and Patterns

A new study shows the prevalence of smartphones, tablets and laptops are causing a problem among children with sleep patterns and quality.

The devices emit what scientists call “blue light” that works against the sleep process by hampering the body’s ability to produce melatonin, the chemical that causes the body to feel tired and enhances sleepiness.

The National Sleep Foundation has released a study showing that youth who use smartphones or computer devices before bedtime have a lower quality of sleep and sleep less than peers without the heavy use of electronic devices.

“To ensure a better night’s sleep for their children, parents may want to limit their [children’s use of] technology in the bedroom near or during bedtime,” Orfeu Buxton, PhD, of Harvard Medical School told The Fiscal Times.

The study also showed that the sleep patterns of parents have a direct impact on their children.  If the parents are using electronic devices in the evening before bedtime, the children will follow their parent’s patterns.

Two States Consider Raising Smoking Age

Two western states are looking to fight the health battle by raising the age for legally smoking.

Utah and Colorado has both voted for proposals that essentially treat tobacco the same way they treat alcohol.

The new laws are being proposed because a new study showed that many people develop their addictions to tobacco during their teenage years.  A study from the Annals of Internal Medicine says that 9 out of 10 daily smokers had their first cigarette by 19 years of age and that 90 percent of cigarettes bought for minors are bought by 18 to 20-year-olds.

“By raising the age limit, it puts them in a situation where they’re not going to pick it up until a much later age,” Marla Brannum of Utah told legislators.

New York City rose the age for cigarettes to 21 last year.  Several other states are considering 21-for-tobacco bills including Hawaii and New Jersey.

Changes that can Save Your Life in 2014 (Pt. 2)

There is a lot of pressure in the responsibility for a Christian television show seen daily by millions. Occasionally, that pressure can be overwhelming, especially when you’re sick! Most people that saw the show in December and now in January had no idea that I was very sick when we filmed most of them. But, as they say in Hollywood, “the show must go on.” So, it did.

The only way I was able to continue to meet the demands of our taping schedule, was by giving my body everything it needed to help me through the sickness – and, of course, by the prayers of the saints. I added action to faith and the Lord saw me through it.

If it were not for all the nutritional products that God has brought into our lives and that we offer all of you, I would not have made it in December when I was so very sick – or any other time, for that matter. We ‘practice what we preach’ when it comes to the things we offer and you can be sure that I used every single thing I could to give me the strength I needed to get through the days. Continue reading →

Cholesterol Linked To Alzheimer’s Disease

A new research study has linked “bad” cholesterol to Alzheimer’s disease.

The study showed patients with high levels of “bad” cholesterol in their blood were more likely to have tangles of protein inside their brain cells, a common physical symptom of Alzheimer’s.  The tangles, called beta amyloid plaques, interfere with the function of brain cells.

The exact causes of the build up are not yet understood and will be undergoing further testing.

However, the study showed that “good” cholesterol actually had a preventative effect on the brain and reduced the plaques on the brain.

The doctors noted the cholesterol that can be linked to Alzheimer’s is the same as the kind that increases heart disease and the risk for a heart attack.

Parallel research is showing that the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia could be reduced by a third if cholesterol is brought under control.  A healthy diet with organic foods and natural sweeteners contributes to increasing good cholesterol.

Anxiety Connected To Stroke Risk

A new study is suggesting that men and women with severe stress in their lives run a much greater risk of stroke than the average person.

The study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed a direct connection between stroke and the level of stress in someone’s life. The study followed men and women for 16 years to track stress along with blood pressure and other health issues.

“Assessment and treatment of anxiety has the potential to not only improve overall quality of life, but may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, later in life,” Dr. Maya Labiase told Reuters.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

The study also showed that people with high stress in their lives tended to choose activities which increase stress on the body like smoking and alcohol abuse.

Dietary Supplements Linked To Liver Damage

A 17-year-old’s attempt to accelerate weight loss ended up causing so much liver damage he is now awaiting a transplant.

Christopher Herrera had bought concentrated green tea extract at a nutrition store as a “fat burner.” Herrera ended up weeks later at Texas Children’s Hospital with his chest, face and eyes so yellow that his doctor called it almost “highlighter yellow.”

A new study is showing that dietary supplements not regulated by the FDA account for almost 20 percent of liver injuries in hospitals. The number is more than double the 7 percent rate from a decade ago. Investigators say they were only counting “severe” cases of liver damage and were deliberately undercounting the total number of cases.

The FDA is banned from approving or evaluating most supplements before they enter the market because of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The FDA can only act until the items are on sale and in many cases only if people have been reported to be harmed by a supplement.

The FDA estimates 70 percent of dietary supplement companies do not follow basic quality control standards.

Study Says Obese People Cannot Be Healthy

A new study shows that being obese increases the risk of death calling into question the idea that someone can be obese and still be considered “healthy.”

The study showed people who were obese but did not have a metabolic problem such as high blood pressure or cholesterol problems were still 24% more likely to experience heart problems over a 10-year time frame when compared to people of normal weight.

The researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto declared “there is no ‘healthy’ pattern of obesity.”

Dr. Holly Wyatt of the University of Colorado said the findings are consistent with the idea that obesity itself is a disease. The American Medical Association first agreed with the idea earlier this year.

Critics accused the study researchers of misinterpreting their results.

Prayer a Priority in the Last Days

So often, the attitude of many Christians today is:  “When all else fails, pray.”  Or how many times have you heard this:  “Well, brother, just pray about it.”  Just pray?  How about starting with prayer?  How about believing that if anything good is going to happen in the church, it must begin with prayer!

To the first-century Christian community, prayer was their first choice, not their last resort (Acts 2:42).  They prayed about almost everything:  spiritual direction, food, finances, and supernatural healing.  Throughout the Scriptures, we are encouraged to pray, even commanded to pray, yet prayer continues to be one of the last resources we turn to when problems, decisions, or opportunities arise.

I was greatly encouraged when one of the prophetic words that I was privileged to hear at a conference concerned the prayers of the body of Christ.  The prophet shared a message that clearly proclaimed God planned to restore divine healing in the last days.  Not contrived or manipulated “healings”; not psychosomatic healings (although mental and emotional healings will no doubt be included); not sweeping, broad generalizations regarding healing; not the sort of “pay-per-prayer”  manipulation of people’s sincere faith that has been so prevalent among healing ministries.  But God is going to restore genuine, supernatural healing on a widespread basis.

The prophet shared a vision he had received from the Lord, in which hundreds and hundreds of people were praying for each other and multitudes were being healed.

Interestingly, the prophet reported that, in the vision, the people who were praying appeared to be “faceless”.  He interpreted this to mean that the healings would not take place through “high-profile,” well-known ministers, but through common, everyday folks.  Furthermore, the message implied that God will continue to do miraculous healings so long as we do not care who gets the glory.  And when we really stop to think about it, all the glory for any genuine healing belongs to our Lord God, not to the vessel through which He chooses to bring about the miracle.

As you know, Lori and I believe in doing all you can to take care of yourself so that you will be healthy.  As much as you can affect your health by eating right and making other healthy choices, you should do it.  But when you need a supernatural healing, don’t hesitate to call on the Lord in prayer!  He is the Healer and all those times recorded in the Bible of supernatural healing are for today as well.

Love,

Jim