For a full detailed explanation of how to calculate your BMI score or what your score means, visit our BMI Information page.

Alternatively, use our BMI calculator. Simply select your height and weight to find out your BMI.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

You need vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It helps the body make collagen, an important protein used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, along with vitamin E, beta-carotene, and many other plant-based nutrients. Antioxidants block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which occur naturally when our bodies transform food into energy. The build-up of free radicals over time may be largely responsible for the aging process and can contribute to the development of health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.

Evidence suggests that many people may be mildly deficient in vitamin C, although serious deficiencies are rare in industrialized countries. Smoking cigarettes lowers the amount of vitamin C in the body, so smokers are at a higher risk of deficiency. Signs of vitamin deficiency include dry and splitting hair; gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and bleeding gums; rough, dry, scaly skin; decreased wound-healing rate, easy bruising; nosebleeds; and a decreased ability to ward off infection. A severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy.

Low levels of vitamin C have been associated with a number of conditions, including high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, stroke, some cancers, and atherosclerosis (the build-up plaque in blood vessels that can lead to heart attack and stroke). Getting enough vitamin C from your diet (by eating lots of fruit and vegetables) may help reduce the risk of developing some of these conditions. The evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help or prevent any of these conditions is lacking, however.

Vitamin C plays a role in protecting against the following:

Heart Disease

Results of scientific studies on whether vitamin C is helpful for preventing heart attack or stroke are mixed. Vitamin C doesn’t lower cholesterol levels or reduce the overall risk of heart attack, but evidence suggests that it may help protect arteries against damage.

Some studies — though not all — suggest that vitamin C, acting as an antioxidant, can slow down the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It helps prevent damage to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which then builds up as plaque in the arteries and can cause heart attack or stroke. Other studies suggest that vitamin C may help keep arteries flexible.

In addition, people who have low levels of vitamin C may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, all potential results of having atherosclerosis. Peripheral artery disease is the term used to describe atherosclerosis of the blood vessels to the legs. This can lead to pain when walking, known as intermittent claudication. But there is no evidence that taking vitamin C supplements will help.

The best thing to do is get enough vitamin C through your diet. That way, you also get the benefit of other antioxidants and nutrients contained in food. If you have low levels of vitamin C and have trouble getting enough through the foods you eat, ask your doctor about taking a supplement.

High Blood Pressure

Population based studies (which involve observing large groups of people over time) suggest that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C, have a lower risk of high blood pressure than people who have poorer diets. Eating foods rich in vitamin C is important for your overall health, especially if you are at risk for high blood pressure. The diet physicians most frequently recommend for treatment and prevention of high blood pressure, known as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, includes lots of fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with antioxidants.

Common Cold

Despite the popular belief that vitamin C can cure the common cold, the scientific evidence doesn’t support the notion. Taking vitamin C supplements regularly (not just at the beginning of a cold) produces only a small reduction in the duration of a cold (about 1 day). The only other piece of evidence supporting vitamin C for preventing colds comes from studies examining people exercising in extreme environments (athletes such as skiers and marathon runners, and soldiers in the Arctic). In these studies, vitamin C did seem to reduce the risk of getting a cold.

Cancer

Results of many population based studies (evaluating groups of people over time) suggest that eating foods rich in vitamin C may be associated with lower rates of cancer, including skin cancer, cervical dysplasia (changes to the cervix which may be cancerous or precancerous, picked up by pap smear), and, possibly, breast cancer. But these foods also contain many beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, not only vitamin C, so it’s impossible to say for certain that vitamin C is protecting against cancer. Taking vitamin C supplements, on the other hand, has not been shown to have any helpful effect.

In addition, there is no evidence that taking large doses of vitamin C once diagnosed with cancer will help your treatment. Moreover, some doctors are concerned that large doses of antioxidants from supplements could interfere with chemotherapy medications. More research is needed. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin C or any supplement.

Osteoarthritis

Vitamin C is essential for the body to make collagen, which is a part of normal cartilage. Cartilage is destroyed in osteoarthritis (OA), putting pressure on bones and joints. In addition, some researchers think free radicals — molecules produced by the body that can damage cells and DNA — may also be involved in the destruction of cartilage. Antioxidants such as vitamin C appear to limit the damage caused by free radicals. However, that said, no evidence suggests that taking vitamin C supplements will help treat or prevent OA. What the evidence does show is that people who eat diets rich in vitamin C are less likely to be diagnosed with arthritis.

Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lower your levels of vitamin C. If you take these drugs regularly for OA, you might want to take a vitamin C supplement.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Vitamin C (500 mg) appears to work with other antioxidants, including zinc (80 mg), beta-carotene (15 mg), and vitamin E (400 IU) to protect the eyes against developing macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in people over 55 in the United States. The people who seem to benefit are those with advanced AMD. It isn’t known whether this combination of nutrients helps prevent AMD or is beneficial for people with less advanced AMD.

Pre-eclampsia

Some studies suggest that taking vitamin C along with vitamin E may help prevent pre-eclampsia in women who are at high risk. Pre-eclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure and too much protein in the urine, is a common cause of pre-term births. Not all studies agree, however.

Asthma

Studies are mixed when it comes to the effect of vitamin C on asthma. Some show that low levels of vitamin C are more common in people with asthma, leading some researchers to think that low levels of vitamin C might increase the risk for this condition. Other studies seem to show that vitamin C may help reduce symptoms of exercise-induced asthma.

Other

Although the information is limited, studies suggest that vitamin C may also be helpful for:

• Boosting immune system function
• Maintaining healthy gums
• Improving vision for those with uveitis (an inflammation of the middle part of the eye)
• Treating allergy-related conditions, such as asthma, eczema, and hay fever (called allergic rhinitis)
• Reducing effects of sun exposure, such as sunburn or redness (called erythema)
• Alleviating dry mouth, particularly from antidepressant medications (a common side effect from these drugs)
• Healing burns and wounds
• Decreasing blood sugar in people with diabetes

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

Bentonite clay is an effective colon cleanser. Consuming this will help eliminate the toxins and other agents that are difficult to digest to prevent clogging in the colon. The bentonite clay actually absorbs the toxins and works like a sponge. This method has actually been used in many places for a long time now like in Africa, South America and Australia. Bentonite clay is found in the soils which will be ingested. This actually improves health and makes one feel better and cleaner.

For detoxification purposes, you can purchase some bentonite clay from online stores. You must also drink at least 8 glasses of water all throughout the day to keep you hydrated. After two weeks, you will feel a big improvement in your health and wellness. This will even get better if you combine it with a healthy diet and lifestyle. You will notice a big improvement in your energy, sleep and bowel movements.

There are also other health benefits that one may gets from adding bentonite clay to their daily diet. This actually helps in neutralizing acidity, reducing heartburn and stomach ulcers. The clay can absorb and get rid of the internal parasites and metals in the bloodstream. This can also turn into a paste for healthier skin. You can combine the paste with honey then apply to your skin. The formula will absorb all the toxins from the pores of your skin. Try this after a hot bath or sauna.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

The knee is composed of two bones ( the femur and the tibia)  balancing on one another and lashed in place on all sides by muscles and connective tissue.
It is the only weight-bearing  joint in the body with this design.  And that makes the knee prone to arthritis, injuries,  and pain.

While it is important to check with your doctor about any suspected knee injury or long lasting pain to rule out serious damage to the knee, effective treatment may not necessarily need to focus on the knee joint.

Proper pain-free function of the knee relies on the balance of all muscles, tendons and ligaments that wrap the knee joint.

When one or more of these elements is tighter or more restricted than the others,  knee pain is often the result.

First evaluate the alignment and balance of the ankle joints. If the ankle joints do not support the weight of the body evenly, by rolling either inward or outward, the bone of the lower leg becomes twisted,  leading to strain in the soft tissues at the knee joint.

This leaves the knee at particular risk for injury, especially in sports activities that put unusual strain on the knees, such as tennis, basketball and jogging.
When ankle alignment  problems are evident, choosing the following exercise of how to walk property and to help restore balance to the soft tissue of the knee.

Exercise:  walk a Tightrope-On the Floor

This exercise helps align the ankle over the foot and the knee over the ankle, eliminating the type of structural misalignment that can cause knee pain.
Use a long area in your home,  like the hall or lounge and put 2 parallel lines of masking tape 6 inches apart on the floor.

In your bare feet, walk on the lines of tape.  As you take each step,  align the centre of each heel and and the second toe of each foot with the inner edge of the tape.

Just walk back and forth for 5 minutes two or three times a day.

This gently corrects knee pain by educating you in a walking style that transfers weight more appropriately through the knee joint.

WALKING:  Watch Your Step

When you’re out for a walk,  look down every once in a while to see how your feet are “tracking”.Are your toes pointing outward ( a common habit) Consciously use the foot position that you use when you “walk the tightrope”.

REFLEXOLOGY:  Treat the Knee Reflex Point

Your feet have many reflex points, each of which corresponds to a particular part of the body.” Stimulating a reflex point with a therapeutic-grade essential oil can relieve pain in the corresponding body part”.

To find the knee reflex point,  run your finger down the outside edge of your foot. You’ll encounter a protruding bony area midway between your heel and little toe;  the reflex point is right below that spot on the bottom of the foot.

For ligament pain, mix 1 drop of lemongrass essential oil with 4 to 5 drops of vegetable oil.
Or to regenerate nerve tissue, substituting geranium oil for the lemongrass.
On the foot on the same side as your painful knee,  put a drop of the oil mixture on the knee reflex point and rub it in by gently rolling your fingertips over the oil.

If you have trouble finding the reflex point, you can apply the diluted oil all over your foot.
Use the oil once or twice a day until the pain has gone. After a few days,  the pain should be gone for good.

ACUPRESSURE:  Keep Your Pain-free

An acupressure point in the middle of the crease in the back of the knee, called the commanding middle point, releases a lot of inflammation from knee injuries,  speeds healing, and helps prevent subsequent injuries in people who have already injured a knee.

The results people have been getting with this point are tremendous,  lots of snowboarders,  who twist and turn more than most people and usually run into knee problems. When they use this point, their injuries heal more quickly, and they’re less likely to re injure themselves.

To find the point, bend your knee and place your thumb in the crease located exactly between the two sides of the knee. Apply firm,steady pressure-not so hard that it’s painful but not so gently that you don’t feel it- for 30 to 60 seconds.

You can also use your fingertips to rub gently in small circles around the area of the point. You should treat the points on both knees.

Do this throughout the day as needed to relieve discomfort.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.

See if the following description – either all or some of  it-sounds familiar.
You’re overweight and have been for many years,in spite of your best efforts to shed pounds.
You feel sluggish a lot of the time, especially first thing in the morning.
Your hands and feet often feel cold. Your skin and hair are dry. You’re constipated. You have trouble concentrating. You’re depressed.
All of those symptoms and many more can be caused by an underactive thyroid gland, or hypothyroidism.
The hormones pumped out by the thyroid gland regulate your body’s temperature, so when thyroid hormones are low
so is your temperature, usually by a degree or two.
When your temperature is low, many of the body’s energy producing enzymes can’t do their job.
When they don’t work, your body doesn’t work very well, either,and every system, from your brain to your bowels, is stuck in first gear.
Blood tests, which are used by doctors to screen for underactive thyroid, are not reliable for ruling out the problem.
Often people who have normal blood tests but who do have an underactive thyroid.
Healing your thyroid requires professional care, but there are alternative home remedies that you can use to assist your physician in the healing process.

ENERGY EXERCISE: Express Yourself
The thyroid gland,  one of the seven organs of the hormone-generating endocrine system,is located in the throat just below the larynx, or voice-box.
This is also the location of the throat chakra, one of the seven centers of subtle energy in the body whose locations correspond to the endocrine glands.
To really bring the thyroid gland back into balance, a person must be willing to balance the energies associated with the throat chakra, which are the energies of expression.
Here’s a simple energy exercise to do just that.
Lie flat on a comfortable surface such as a bed or a blanket folded on a carpeted floor.
Relax and warm your diaphragm-the source of your breath and your voice-by gently massaging your upper abdominal area for a minute or so.
Next put one hand over your throat and as you exhale, start to make a sound-any sound-allowing it to emerge from your throat.
It might start as a groan or a grunt,like something constricted and caught that wants to be free. Continue to make a sound (it’s very important to remember that any sound is okay) with every exhalation.
At the same time, imagine that the sound is coming directly out of your thyroid and that the cells of the organ are vibrating with the sound like the strings of an instrument.
Do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes every day.

People with hypothyroidism often suppress their speech and natural expressiveness, fearing what others may think about them.
By doing this exercise, the suppressed energies of the voice are loosened and released, and the thyroid is nourished at a deep level.

SUNLIGHT: Catch it Early
In early morning, go outside and look at the sun.
Light stimulates the pineal gland (the endocrine gland in the center of the brain), which in turn positively affects the thyroid as well as all the other endocrine glands.
Go outside within the first hour after sunrise and look towards the sun (not directly at it) for 10 minutes.
This technique won’t work if you look through a window or through your glasses; the light has to directly enter your eyes.

FOOD:Choose Organic or Free Range
Most meat, dairy products, and eggs contain synthetic hormones that can affect the balance and functioning of the thyroid.
Choose free range or organic meats, dairy products and eggs which don’t contain synthetic hormones.

PROGESTERONE: Ease the Symptoms
If you have premenstrual syndrome or have entered perimenopause ( when periods are irregular but haven’t stopped), using a cream that contains natural progesterone can help reduce the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
(The hormones progesterone and estrogen control the menstrual cycle.)
A deficiency of progesterone,which is very common, can affect the thyroid gland and vice versa.
Follow the application instructions and dosage recommendations on the label, starting about 14 days before the start of your menstrual period.

TYROSINE: A Balance Approach
The amino acid tyrosine combines with iodine to make thyroxine, a thyroid hormone.
You should get 500 to 1000 milligrams of tyrosine from a pure amino acid supplement balanced with good protein in your diet,  since tyrosine by itself can cause side affects in large doses.
Use tyrosine for 3 to 6 months and then being re-evaluated by your doctor.

FATTY ACIDS: Help for Hormones
These components of fat are involved in the production of thyroid hormones.
Take either flaxseed oil or fish oil, both of which are rich in fatty acids.
Follow the dosage recommendations on the label, between 3000 and 6000 milligrams a day.
In colder weather you should take the higher dosage.

TAKE THE AT-HOME-TEST
Only a doctor with experience in treating  hypothyroidism can tell you for sure whether you have an underactive thyroid.
But if you have many of the common syptoms, such as overweight, constipation, dry skin and hair, fatigue, depression and cold hands and feet,  you can conduct a simple at home test to see if a thyroid problem is the likely cause.
Just take your body temperature every day for a few days.
Your thyroid regulates body temperature, so a temperature that’s consistently a degree or two below normal is a sure sign that your thyroid may not be functioning properly.
First you’ll need a glass mercury thermometer.
Before you go to bed shake it down and put it on your bedside table.Then when you wake up in the morning, don’t move; simply reach over, get the thermometer and tuck it in your armpit for 10 minutes.
This is the best measurement you can get of your body temperature.
Do this every morning for 6 days. If your temperature is consistently low-in the low 97 or 96 degrees range,  it’s a good indication that you have an underactive thyroid, even if previous blood tests have indicated that your thyroid is normal.
It’s time to see a knowledgeable doctor about treatment.

Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Specialist provider of Health and Fitness information and products including: DVDs and Supplements.