Depression/stress and Omega-3s, plus L-Arginine

It's no doubt that a majority of us gets depressed now and then, or more often than others, especially stressed. According to nimh.nih.gov/health, 20.9 million of American adults, 9.5% are diagnosed with a mood disorder. It could be just depression, or manic depression, or bipolar 1 or 2, maybe personality disorder, anxiety, etc, many mood disorders. Kids are even labeled as having ADHD or ADD. Depression is simply imbalances of chemicals and the ability to transmit neurotransmitters between nerv cells such as serotonin. Either your brain can't produce enough neurotransmitters or the nerves don't respond to them. People are given drugs to try and counteract their disorder either temporary or long term. Sometimes a wrong diagnosis can be made too. In our brain we have seratonin that helps with our mood, appetite & body temp. which also happens in the hypothalamus along with more functions like our hormones, autonomic nervous system, & thirst, of the brain, and we also have dopamine that causes us to have sexual drive and muscle movement to name a couple, and these get imbalanced at some point in time by themselves or from us being whacked out all the time. All these chemicals are known as neurotransmitters that pass through our nerves to out body, to our muscles to cause muscle action, cause brain action, everything.

Antidepressants are given to correct these imbalances. Some antidepressants are serotonin inhibitors or for dopamine, or they could be to slow everything down. I'm not a doctor but there is too much of everything that's given unless we really need it or if we don't know any better. I've battled depression most of my life I realized, my mood would be up and down, not being happy, not focused. I always knew I wanted to help people and be into health. I wanted to be a trainer but never knew I'd come this far with my holistic interests, my holistic approach to things. I was actually counseled and I actually filled out symptoms I've had on a form at a doctor's office. This cheap doctor's office I went to gladly put me on some off brand antidepressants. After only two weeks I decided to get off them and realized it's not like me to be on pills. I couldn't feel any different. I've exercised and kept myself in shape but that didn't make me feel good long term during the day. 

My mom's always been into herbs and taking her vitamins, more than me. She's tried Omega-3 fish oils too. Not too long though, she did more research about Salmon oil. It turned out it was a lot better for you than regular fish oils. So she started buying Alaskan Salmon capsules from SAMsclub. She's been taking them for years for her inflammation & other problems. At age 25, in January 2014 I begin taking them also. I thought I was young and didn't need them still but another guy I got to know my age who was a trainer was taking fish oils too. So that influenced me to take them. Within a few weeks I started noticing my sleep improving and my mood. During sleep you have better dreams, they're not as scary or weird because your attitude is better. Dreams are usually about what you're dealing with in your life.  I wasn't dragging my feet, I wasn't depressed, my mind wasn't shut down, I didn't feel like giving up like I've felt before, nothing. My mind felt clear & focused, and I felt more energized. I get tired at night faster because I'm not thinking about anything. They really help balance all your chemicals/ hormones out or if you're a woman, it'll balance out any woman issues. Even ADHD or ADD adults & kids should be considering taking these. They also maybe equipped with DHA for your brain.  Ask your doctor first and/or do research incase you're on any kind of medications. I recommend this. I'm a naturalist. These pills I have pictures are from Samsclub but you can pick up Salom Oil in a health food store too. Make sure you get them with DHA for your brain function. These will just help with eye health, brain, joints and any inflammation in the body such as arthritis.

You should know that our diets have lots to do with it along with environment. And foods with GMOs, sugar and any diet food or drinks because they're filled with other things to make up for what was taken out that aren't healthy.. We don't get enough Omega-3s either.. Omega-3 fish oils are polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids are your canola, sunflower, grapes we'd oils, etc. Try to avoid excessive Omega-6 acids because they increase inflammation in the body. Which makes anything disorder or disease worse. The American or Western diet is strong with Omega-6 acids, and with baked goods or sweets.

The 100% Alaskan Salmon oil is recommended because they're the darkest & strongest capsules sold at Same Club.

    

Research also shows on Webmd and Bodybuilding.com that L-Arginine is powerful in increasing blood flow/circulation, decreasing heart disease & cholesterol, it can help with mood, & many more things. Had healing power. It's because of the blood flow that brings nutrients to the brain & muscles, etc. It's what converts into nitric oxide which is a type of neurotransmitter. It's also one of the essential amino acids. Different companies make it. 

Benefits of Fatty acids Omega 3s such as Salmon oil

Some of you may know what monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are, others just know there's saturated and Trans fats in the food.. If you pay attention to food labels you'll notice those two big worded fats if it's the right foods with them.. Monounsaturated fatty acids are the olive oils, canola oils, grape seed oils, etc, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids are Omega 3s such as from cold-water fish such as Salmon.. You either get it from food or have to supplement with it like the capsules I use.. You can get a stronger dosage from capsules. Supposedly they have antioxidants and flavonoids, which you want.  These are good for the heart, helps with all hormones in the body especially in females with hot flashes according to research & my mother. It wipes everything clean! Salmon oil also helps dogs, we give a capsule a day to one of our female shih-zue, with humans it indeed helps increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain (your feel good hormones). Therefore helps depression & stress. It balances out your chemicals or neurotransmitters. It's helped me sleep better & deeply, I dream better, wake up earlier and fresher!  It all benefits us in some way.. Salmon oil is stronger than regular fish oils. Omega 6 will increase inflammation in the body, so avoid those!  In the Salmon oil capsules as below is DHA and EPA, both good for the brain, which is why it's been helping my mood & memory.

Osteoarthritis in joints

Osteoarthritis: symptoms/signs, causes, treatments, prevention, prognosis and massage therapy

(Most of the information is by me (Adam), but I used some research just for proper wording or extra info).

Osteoarthritis

What is it?  Wear and tear on joints or a certain joint, or deterioration/degeneration of articular cartilage within the joint. This occurs over time and can worsen depending on what you do from day to day. Drink plenty of water to keep your muscles and joints moisturized, and keep your synovial fluid in your joints up. 

Signs & symptoms: You’ll feel pain in your joints during movement. It may be tender in the joint area when being touched with light pressure. Pain can also transfer from the actual pain area. So it may be painful all around your knee or elbow, or whichever joint it is. Also you may feel pain a little distal from the area as well. You’ll have joint stiffness; no flexibility like you did before, and bone spurs (extra bone, bumps) may form around the affected area. If arthritis occurs in the spine, the discs will be compressed and bone spurs will form as well. With all of the plus the pain, will probably affect upper body posture. Mayoclinic.com

Tests: When you decide to go to your doctor, he or she will examine the joint and check for redness, tenderness or swelling, and also your range of motion. X-rays and MRIs are taken to see inside the joint; and a blood test and fluid test maybe taken as well, where the doctor will stick a needle through the affected joint area to see what kind of fluid is in there. Mayoclinic.com

Causes: The wear and tear over time, with the cartilage that cushions our joints will wear out. Instead of feeling slick smooth movements, everything becomes stiffer, like a grinding pain. Mayoclinic.com

What also cause this could be the way we walk and the type of movements we do. If you walk with a weak gait where your knees internally rotate in or rotate out or supinate, and when your feet (Evert in) or (Evert outward) like duck feet. This will cause wear and tear on the medial side when the knees rotate inward and feet pronate, or if your knees and feet turn outward. When you walk like that, you’re placing stress & pressure on the knees. Even when you do your squats with your knees and feet turned out. However, if your knees supinate outward, that’ll cause the wear & tear on the lateral side of the knee also because of the stress. So overtime, having these bad habits will do us in. Mayoclinic.com

Treatment: Treatment includes joint replacement parts that provide better comfort and support. Some people may only need a partial knee replacement; others may need the full joint replacement. Some people also just need orthoscopic surgery to suck out extra tissue, fluid or old cartilage perhaps. You need a good orthopedic doctor to do it, and you need good therapy and to complete your therapy program. Then after that, people need to keep doing your exercises and do newer & better exercises to make the joint stronger again. Some people don’t complete their rehab or once they complete it, they never continue exercising, so things may occur again. If the surgery wasn’t good, the artificial parts can fall apart and need fixed. You may experience pain still because of a bad surgery too.  Exercising and stretching muscles, keeping everything lose, will help your posture and prevent more arthritis pain, and other problems. Mayoclinic.com

Realigning bones may also help. I don’t believe a cortisone shot is the right treatment like people get. I do believe elderly people should try getting a hyaluronic injection (haylgan synvisc), to lubricate their joints temporarily or long term, it's actually found in the tissues & cartilage, so it could help. You also can buy glucosamine and chondroiton supplements with hyaluronic acid in it. You want all that. I know people may get chicken fat injected into the joint like my grandma’s sister did. I think if people learned to walk with their feet straight, their back straight and head up after therapy, they would have lesser pain and problems. Mayoclinic.com

Prevention: Drink plenty of water and keep your synovial joint fluid levels up, in your joints, so it keeps your cartilage fresh. Everything in your joints, as well as muscles, will dry out and wear away! Oxygen and nutrients are carried through your blood and into the joints and cartilage, it's important! 

 Having good posture, sitting up straight when you sit at your desk or kitchen table, etc. Don't slouch your shoulders, back and/or neck! Exercise your back muscles, shoulder muscles & also your neck to strengthen your deep cervical neck flexors (scalenes, longus colli, longus capitas, and cervical erector spinae). The erector spinae runs from your neck a little bit and down your spine. Down your spinous and transverse processes. Also stretch your hips-gluteus muscles (gluteus medius/minimis and maximas (butt). Stretch your innerthighs if they're tight or if they're weak, strengthen them. When your knees supinate outward or turn outward or rotate inward, stretch those glutes and your piriformis muscles on each hip/leg. 

Stretch your hip flexors in the front and your quads too. You may have to stretch the innerthighs if your legs internally rotate inward. If your knees turn out/supinate out, then just stretch them! Walk with your feet straight, don't walk like a duck or pigeon toed! Everything should be lined up like a straight line, running down your spine (anteriorly, laterally and posteriorly). Sit on a ball chair or just a ball. You can buy ball chairs and other therapy equipment from Isokineticsinc.com.

Prognosis: The chances for arthritis to keep occurring later down the road for somebody, or the chance of new people developing arthritis aren’t bad. About.com

Massage can help osteoarthritis. What massage can do is relieve the pain/inflammation in the muscles/tendons/ligaments surrounding the joint, and help the muscles relax and take away stiffness, increase range of motion, mobility, increase blood flow to and around the area, which will bring oxygen to it and heal it better. Massage also flushes out toxins as well, just like the rest of the body. Everydayhealth.com 

Keep in mind that it's 33.5 lb of pressure put on you per sq inch. So if you learn forward or lean back, etc. 4 inches, take 33.5 lb x 4 in = 134 lb of pressure. 

     

 Ball chairs to help with your posture at home or at work, not just for exercising!

Products that can ease your arthritic pain probably 80%.. Omega-3s will help with any inflammation in your body for whatever reason, it also helps with hormones & chemicals in the brain & body, salmon oil one of the top oils in a capsule.. You get your amount you need, plus get some with DHA for your brain.. Also MaxFreeze gel tip, squeeze tube or spray. This is more natura than Bengay, IcyHot, Biofreeze, and other products with just menthol in it, artificial chemicals/ingredients. You don't want just menthol and the feeling of it! You need arnica, Vitamine E, Tee Tree Oil, and similar things to penetrate in your muscles & bones! These are sold in retail stores, natural ingredients! Of course avoid excessive Omega-6 which come from American or Western diets. Fattening foods, sweets and cakes/cupcakes. The older you get, the more you'll appreciate being pain free then eating junk! 

  Also try Arnica pills at CVS, The Vitamin Shoppr or may have to order them.

Stress, Anxiety and Sleep Relief

For any of you out there who've been suffering with stress, anxiety and insomnia, well you're not alone. I deal with it and so does millions of others. Stress can bog you down and cause the sleep insomnia; depression is another factor in it. Anxiety is just excess worrying, it can either be general or severe worrying over things like money, job loss, the job itself or your environment/negative people.

We all know that exercise helps with stress, BUT do you have time to exercise?? We also know that good sleep helps with stress and irritablness....but if you have insomnia like me, you can't sleep!!........Well I have a solution for you! Luckily I went to my health food store, looked around and found GABA, Natural Calming Effect herb supplements.... These are anxiety and stress herb supplements. In the GABA bottle, it includes 500mg in each capsule. That's right, it's a capsule, not a pill! It's full of the GABA herb and vitamin B which all aid in the anxiety and the nervous system to slowing it down. It relaxes you. It's been effective with me. They also have True Calm capsules out there on the market.....I've also tried Nutri-calm herbs as well. Some GABA supps will include Niacin in it, which couples with the GABA hormone in us.

 Pictures of these products are right below:  The company "Now" is only one manufacture but there are other companies you can buy from such as Meadosweet herbs or others. Also try taking Salmon oil capsules. Make sure they're dark with lots of oil. Fish oil has a mix of fish, which you don't know what you're getting. Avoid excessive Omega-6 fatty acids. That's why you supplement with Omega-3s to make up for it.