Researchers emphasize the importance of taking care of our digestive health. What we put in our mouths truly matters. One of the ways to maintain a good digestive health is by taking probiotics. They are beneficial bacteria that live naturally and over centuries they were used to preserve and prepare our food that provided raised immunity response. When taken internally they help 400 other species of bacteria living in the intestinal flora do their job. Probiotics solve digestive problems naturally and without side effects. There are so many probiotic products on the market and you have to do some research to find the best ones. This article will show the benefits of taking probiotics and what are the top rated probiotics on market today.

Benefits of taking probiotics:

• Aid digestion through production of enzymes.
• Support normal gastrointestinal balance of good and potentially harmful bacteria. Compete against harmful microorganisms — deterring pathogenic invasion and growth. Help fortify the population of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Support healthy lactic acid bacteria count and healthy pH levels in the gut.
• Maximize the benefits of a healthy diet by supporting normal absorption and assimilation of nutrients in the gut.
• They produce antimicrobial substances like hydrogen peroxide.
• Protect from bacterial infections, yeast and fungal.
• Detoxification and protection from toxins. (In the beginning of starting a regimen with probiotics detoxification might cause some discomfort which will improve with time).
• Promote regular bowel function by establishing healthy intestinal elimination regularity and consistency.
• Prevent gastro-intestinal afflictions, such as gas, bloating and intestinal cramps, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), leaky gut syndrome, colitis, colon cancer and Crohn’s disease.
• Reduce or completely eliminate allergic reactions and food intolerances.
• Help to balance cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
• Stimulate the immune system which is beneficial to overall health. Experts say that 70% of our body immune response originates in the intestines.

Many consumers (including me) and Natural Health professionals give high ranking to Primal Defense and Bio-K Plus probiotics. Both Primal Defense and Bio-K Plus contain live cultures of probiotics, with the emphasis on word “live”. So many products on the market are low potency probiotics because those microorganisms are barely alive.

Primal Defense maybe ideal for the both colon (large intestine) and small intestine, however Bio-K Plus has larger number of probiotic species for the balance and health of small intestine. The small intestine is where sugar and carbohydrates are processed and absorbed. This product is a live culture that helps the body process sugar and simple carbohydrates and guarantees the population number of those organisms in counts of billions. This is a unique property of Bio-K and it stands alone to be superior to all probiotics for the small intestine.

Neither Primal Defense nor Bio-K Plus has sugar or artificial flavors added which puts their ranking high above other probiotics.

Primal Defense is produced in US and Bio-K Plus in Canada. These are top rated probiotics available on the market today.

The act of driving a vehicle today is the single most dangerous thing that people do regularly! So why is it that so many people don’t pay attention to their driving?

Several reasons actually:

1. Those same people don’t take it seriously enough.
2. People in general don’t really care about the other drivers on the road.
3. Most drivers have very little if any training on how to drive defensively.

So there you have a recipe for disaster, and guess what? That’s exactly what our roads have become, a disaster! There are in an average year in Ontario, approximately 230,000 vehicle accidents each year, with over 1,000 fatalities, and 100,000 injuries! That is totally unacceptable, and yet we have come to accept it. The vast majority of these are preventable accidents. They could have been prevented with more training, more attention to driving and more adjusting of the motorists attitude.

Let’s face it, the shocking accident rate will never improve unless drivers change their attitude about their own driving, and how they view other drivers on the road. After all safety is an attitude. If you want to take the time to work safely, because you view safety as important, than chances are good that you will avoid an injury at work.

The same principle applies to driving. Take the time to learn the rules of the road, study defensive driving techniques, analyze traffic patterns and the errors of other drivers as well as your own, be willing to use this knowledge to improve your driving skills, and you will reduce your chances of having an accident dramatically. I have done just that and it’s no coincidence that i have driven approximately four million miles accident free. Yes, i said accident free! That’s commercial truck driving experience, in every type of weather imaginable, through the U.S. and Canada. There is a very good reason why i have never had an accident all that time. It’s because, among other things, i tried very hard not to take chances while driving. Of course i had many close calls, but after each one i would spend the next few miles analyzing what had happened, and examining my actions to see if i could have done anything different to prevent or avoid the situation.

How many drivers do you know who do that? Do you do that? If not, why not? How serious are you about your driving? If you are serious and are determined to improve your driving skills and habits so as to not only survive but to become a safe, professional driver, here are a few suggestions:

1. Be absolutely determined to be serious about your driving. Don’t let anything cause you to be diverted from this goal. Think about the areas of your driving that need improvement, and be honest with your self. Don’t blame the other driver for almost colliding with you when you were distracted by looking for a CD to put in the radio, and you drifted into his lane!
2. Eliminate distractions while you are driving. Wait until you get where you are going before you decide to do your makeup, or shave, or write notes for something at work. You may get away with it nine times in a row, but the tenth time..whammo!
3. Learn what defensive driving means and start to use it! Defensive driving means to use safe driving techniques to avoid collisions by practicing them regularly as you drive.

For example: How much room do you leave when following another vehicle? One car length, two? Well if you are doing sixty you need at least 5 car lengths between you and the vehicle in front or you will either slam into him or be forced to swerve and lose control of the vehicle if something happens to him. That is the physics of the situation. And that is on dry pavement with perfectly working brakes. Wet pavement will add at least another car length to your stopping distance. Oh i know, nothing will happen to you because you are such a good driver, and your reflexes are so much better than everyone Else’s. Guess what? That’s what most of those 230,000 drivers thought as well, that is, until they had an accident!

Another situation you may have encountered. Have you ever had your right front wheel slip off the pavement onto the shoulder? What did you do? Yank it back on the road, and swerve and almost lose control? Or hit the brakes so hard that you slid into the ditch? The proper procedure is to back off on the accelerator, hold the wheel steady and slowly ease it back onto the pavement. Some people have that happen and then complain about the road conditions, and how the shoulders should have those rumble strips, or better guard rails or whatever. Anything but face up to the fact that they made a mistake while driving! Yes, I’ve said it. They screwed up. Get over it, learn from it, don’t do it again, and move on!

Another situation: Your driving, the roads are wet, the temperature is right around freezing. You see sections of the road that look a little glazed, but you are in a hurry so you keep the pedal down. All of a sudden you lose traction when coming around a curve. You start to slide and in a panic you steer into the skid, but too hard and now you are fishtailing right off the road and into the median. Your car catches a culvert and flips over slamming your head into the window and knocking you out. Do you think all this could have been avoided if you had just slowed down when you saw the road conditions? Or did you even see the road conditions? Or were you in so much of a hurry that you didn’t take the time to think about what might happen if you didn’t respect the danger there? Preventable? Of course! But to prevent such an accident we have to first of all think about our driving and what we must do to be safe. Then be willing to do it, even if it makes us late, or makes us concentrate on our driving, or makes us not fiddle with the radio, talk on the cellphone or whatever.

We must discipline ourselves to pay attention to our driving and take responsibility for our own actions, not someone Else’s. Never mind them and what they are doing, focus on your own driving first, then watch out for them and you will avoid so many problems on the road. You must learn how to leave space around your vehicle in case of emergency situations, you must pay attention to your driving and be willing and ready to correct any errors you make, and you must take your driving very seriously, every time you drive. EVERY TIME! Unfortunately in today’s traffic you cannot afford to relax your guard for even an instant or disaster can strike in the form of an accident with the possibility of severe injury or death. That’s the bottom line here folks. Your survival on the roads. It’s your choice.

Flu defense is an ayurvedic health supplement geared towards immunizing the body against all types of flu. The medicine is based on ayurveda the oldest system of medicine known to mankind and the company is fully confident of the efficacy of the medicine and is offering a full money back guarantee in case it does not produce the desired results. Let us find out more about flu defense and find out how it can possibly help you keep away from swine flu.

Let us first have a look at the herbs used in making flu defense elderberry extract, Echinacea extract, vitamin c

Out of all the ingredients the most important is probably Echinacea which has been traditionally used in protecting the body against cold, flu and sore throat. It also acts as a natural antibiotic and also helps boost the immune system. A recent study in Canada also confirmed the above facts. Other ingredients like zinc oxide and elderberry are also helpful in improving overall immunity and it seems like the makers of flu defense have concentrated on improving the overall health of the person and not just protecting against the flu.

Products Website
There is a whole lot of information on the website about how you can keep away from swine flu, its symptoms, and things to do once you are diagnosed with swine flu. There are also some positive consumer feedback from people who have tried flu defense which is a good sign for any product.

Final Analysis
Looking at all the customer testimonials and the combination of potent herbs used in making flu defense it indeed looks like a herbal medicine which can make your body immune against swine flu or any other flu. It is therefore a very helpful medicine for people who are looking for alternative system of medicine to prevent swine flu. The price is also very much affordable at $39 a bottle. All in all it is worth giving a try. Be healthy be happy.

Pepper spray comes to the minds of many when they think of women’s self defense. It is highly popular with Law Enforcement and individuals because it is portable, easy to conceal, highly effective and easy to use.

Pepper spray is very extremely powerful. If you choose to use it, do so with care.

It takes effect immediately and works by making the eyelids shut or spasm. If breathed, it constricts the bronchial tubes causing the recipient to cough and choke. It also causes a great deal of pain if it is sprayed into the eyes and face of the attacker.

This is enough to temporarily disable most people, even those who are drunk or mentally deranged. It is also used against dogs and bears.

Oleoresin capsicum, the oil of hot peppers, is the main ingredient of pepper spray. It is mixed with a propellant and put into a spray canister. Pepper sprays come in a variety of concentrations. These concentrations are measured in Scoville Heat Units or SHUs.

The amount of heat for the purpose of women’s self defense should be at least 1 to 2 million SHU. Concentration should be between 1-5%. Concentrations above 5% do not atomize well.

To put this into perspective, an oil made of habanero peppers produces up to 325,000 SHU.

A standard pepper spray canister can shoot pepper spray far enough to reach an attacker up to 10-12 feet away. Many pepper spray containers are designed to look like everyday objects such as rings and pens to make concealment easy.

Some pepper sprays contain an ultraviolet dye to make identification of the attacker easier for Law Enforcement.

Because the OC is not water soluble, it doesn’t wash away easily. The best way to neutralize its effects is to blink vigorously to encourage tears which will flush it out of the eye. Rubbing, scratching or touching the affected areas will only prolong the burning sensation.

Pepper spray can be purchased in hardware stores and outlets that sell firearms as well as the internet. But before you make the decision to purchase it, it is highly recommended that you check your local laws governing its use. While individuals can use it in most parts of the US, that is not the case in Canada and many countries in Europe where it is limited to Law Enforcement.

Many factors will affect its effective use such as specific conditions such as wind and wind direction. While Law Enforcement is generally trained in its use, most civilians are not. And, like any weapon, pepper spray can be used against you if your attacker is able to wrestle it away.

But if you are going to use pepper spray, keep in mind it is far more effective when you hold it in your hand ready to use rather than lying on the bottom of your purse.

First of all, let us be clear. If you want to learn life or death survival self protection, there are five key characteristics that describe without a doubt that you are in the right place to learn immediate and practical technique.

The 5 Things That Describe Reality-Based Street Self Defense:

#1 – A Reality-Based Street Fighting System Only Takes A Couple Of Days Or Weeks To Learn – Modern-day combative training schools are usually shorter and more intensive. No belts. No tests. Training systems such a TACT Self Defense as taught by Norm Bettencourt of Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Christopher “Bob” Roberts of The Extreme Measures Fighting System in Frankfurt, Germany and Damian Ross of The Self Defense Company, headquartered in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with branches all over the United States are excellent examples of reality-based programs. The head instructors are usually black belts, but ironically they don’t require that you become one in order to learn their systems.

#2 – These Fighting Schools Usually Involve Very Few But Highly Effective And Easy To Execute Techniques – For the streets, you are trained to develop your most important asset, that is, your ability to respond without thinking. In reality-based combative training, less is more. It is much better to learn a handful of 100% effective and easy-to-execute techniques than having your brain try to absorb an encyclopedia of every move possible.

#3 – Reality Based Fighting Techniques Could Never Be Used For Sport – By the fact that these techniques are too dangerous for sport makes them the best for self protection.

#4 – It Is Only Taught With Immediate Practicality In Mind – You can learn it today, and were it necessary, use it tonight.

#5 – These Training Systems Are Almost Never Associated With Any Unmodified Or Unchanged Ancient Or Archaic System Or Style – Though every fighting systems has its roots from somewhere, reality-based and combative programs modify and incorporate fighting styles and techniques to fit modern-day life and modern-day situations. A true reality-based fighting system rarely if ever try to maintain any particular tradition or martial art if it does not serve and have an immediate and practical use for you to defend yourself and to protect your life.

Who else in the world has vehicular intoxication problems that require the services of drunk driving lawyers? The answer to that question is that drunk driving is a problem on continents far and wide. Here are a few examples of global issues regarding excessive intake of alcoholic beverages.

* Britain is well known for its pubs and tasty pints of ale. It’s not just for the common folk either. There was recently an arrest of the boyfriend of Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter who had downed a few too many pints and ended up being penalized with a costly fine and the loss of his driving privileges.

* Canada has creatively come up with a unique sobriety check point: fast food drive through windows. Plain clothed policemen work the drive through windows of fast food restaurants at times that bars would be releasing the drunk drivers to the streets. If the burger serving cops notice signs of intoxication, they can take the keys right then and there.

* In Japan, it is illegal to ride a bicycle while intoxicated. The penalty for this offense is a hefty monetary fine and up to five years in jail.

* The age for legal consumption of alcohol in India is twenty-five years old. Many portions of India have gone back and forth between prohibition and legalization of alcohol. A congressman in India must abstain from alcohol in order to be elected. Media advertisements of alcoholic beverages are illegal in India. In the Hindu religion, alcohol is equated with crimes such as murder and adultery.

* The U.S.A. has one of the highest minimum drinking ages of twenty-one years of age, along with Fiji, Palau, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Some countries have no minimum age at all, including Vietnam, Albania and Jamaica. The youngest minimum drinking age is 16 years of age, which is law in countries of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Spain, among others. The age of eighteen years of age is the minimum drinking age in the vast majority of the world’s countries.

* Interestingly enough, while the United States has the highest minimum age for drinking, it conversely has the lowest minimum age for driving. Many countries around the globe set the minimum age to obtain at driver’s license at the age of eighteen.

It’s pretty obvious that issues with alcoholic beverage consumption are global concerns rather than merely an American phenomenon. Drunk driving lawyers are obviously necessary all over the planet. If you’ve made the mistake of driving while intoxicated, minimize the unfortunate consequences by calling a reputable lawyer right away.

We all know that hockey is a great sport. What many of us do not know is that actually hockey presents different types such as indoor, field, mini (requesting minimum 5 members), inline (single bladed wheels), ice, roller, street, unicycle, shinty, hurling and others. However, when people use the generic term “hockey”, they are referring to the field or ice hockey game. The field hockey was invented and played in the 16th century. The first indoor hockey game is registered in 1875 and soon after few countries such as Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, United States and Russia were the leaders of this sport. As any other sport, hockey has to respect certain rules. Hockey in Canada respects the same rules as the one played in different other countries. The identical rules allow Hockey Leagues to successfully organize various international tournaments.

The Rules of Hockey

The first rule is related to team composition. Any hockey team is composed from six players, except the mini hockey which presents only five players. However, the requested criterion for international or national games is the six member teams. The players have to belong to a certain position such as three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. Usually, the forwards play similarly with the defensemen, at lines. Most times, when a substitution is requested, the changes are made by set. The second rule refers to the playing basics explaining how the game should be played. The scope of the game is of course to score. To score, you need to send the puck into opponent’s net. The player can redirect the puck with the stick while using a special body technique. However, there should be no pushing or kicking motions. As well, the team players can help each other through forward passes that make the play vital to everyone.

The next rule should be applied to “icing the puck” which actually means to shoot the puck over the red lines from the center and the goal mark. Usually, when this thing happens, the game is interrupted to continue with a face-off in defensive zone. The other rule describes the “offside”. This means that a player of the opponent team places the puck in the attack zone. When this rule violation takes place, a face-off is requested as well. One more rule refers to the “offside pass” and means that a pass is completed from the defending zone of a team and results in crossing the red line.

The last rule is actually referring to the way the players should behave while playing the game. The rule includes specifications related to the body contact such as pushing and hitting that are actually allowed as far as they are the natural result of body movement on the field. In case that there are any intentional slams, hits or stick-body contacts, the player is going to be penalized. The penalized player is always send to penalty box and stays there until the term is off. The term is always set upon offense seriousness.

Vitamin D deficiency has a bearing on the working of the immune system and how it reacts to a pathogenic invasion. The human immune system is very complex and has a number of entities, each with a different function. Vitamin D is important to activate the T-Cells which are the killer cells of the immune system. A deficiency of Vitamin D means these T-Cells are not activated and the pathogen will have a free run.

Activated T cells can perform two functions. They can become Killer T-Cells and destroy the pathogens or the cells which have been invaded by the pathogens. The activated T-Cells can also become Helper T-Cells and acquire in their memory details of the invading pathogens. If the T-Cells remain inactivated it is known as naive T-Cells.

Delving deeper into the actual working of Vitamin D researches studied in detail the expression of a specific molecule PLC-Gamma 1 which facilitate the T-Cells to respond to the antigen. It was found that activation of the T-Cells led to an increase in PLC-Gamma 1 expression by almost hundred times. This activation is dependent on Vitamin D.

When any pathogen invades the body a Vitamin D receptor site is activated and it searches for Vitamin D. If the T-Cells cannot find enough Vitamin D in the blood the T-cells will not be activated and the pathogen can easily overcome on the bodies defenses.

It is a well known fact that Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of Calcium. Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in cancer and multiple sclerosis. It is for the first time that Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in poor immune system. Thus it has been concluded that Vitamin D is crucial for proper functioning of the immune system

These finding will throw more light on the functioning of the body’s defenses. The new information will help to fight epidemics. The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed that it will finance the research into the role of Vitamin D in the fight against infections, particularly swine flu.

Vitamin D deficiency has also been known to cause or aggravate muscle weakness, recurrent fractures, cancer and autoimmune diseases, ostopenia, and osteoporosis. It has been noticed that Vitamin D supplementation can reduce the symptoms of Type I diabetes and reduce insulin resistance.

Thus lower Vitamin D levels are associated with increased incidences of cold and flu. The risks are particularly higher in patients with chronic asthma and COPD. A vitamin D blood levels of less than 10 ng/ml was associated with a 40% increase RTI as compared to persons having a blood level of more.

In the State of Georgia, cancer rates are significantly higher in Colquitt County, than in other counties, according to one local newspaper report several years ago.

The article reported that, 441 did have some form of cancer between 1997 – 2001. Among men, particularly black men, lung and colorectal cancers led; among women, not surprisingly, breast cancer.

Interestingly, of the 175 cases of cancer seen in Colquitt County during 2005; lung, breast and colon cancer were the top three forms.

According to Oncologist, Dr. Aloba, who was interviewed for the article, “the higher rates of these cancer cases may partly be attributable to the type of lifestyle many in Moultrie and surrounding cities have followed for years.” Poor diets and other high risk behaviors can certainly contribute to a compromised immune system, resulting in a increased risk of immunodeficient ailments, like cancer.

The critical role of the immune system cannot be overstated. It is, after all, the body’s front line of defense against diseases, including cancers. It is a medical fact that, if you have a compromised, or, weakened immune system, your body is definitely more susceptible to cancer progression. On the other hand, an optimized immune system with has heightened defenses, will quickly recognize an errant cell and correct it, or, destroy it before it can progress.

Furthermore, under normal circumstances, a properly nourished immune system would eliminate antigens, or, other causes that could lead to cancer development. But, if you are immunodeficient, whether through lifestyle, or, heredity, your body may be unable to successfully fight cancer.

A Natural Approach that Can Help Defend Again Cancers

Unbeknowst to most folks in Moultrie, and Colquitt County at large, is that there is a natural, and well-respected approach to helping the body put up a stronger fight against cancer. What is it? Surprisingly, it is raising glutathione at the cellular level to optimize the immune system. More and more medical researchers are support this approach to disease prevention.

Strengthening your immune system by raising your body’s glutathione levels is a natural, yet, potent complement to conventional cancer treatment; as well as improving your chances of not getting cancer in the first place.

Unfortunately, the ‘catch’ to raising this vital natural antioxidant, glutathione intracellularly, depends largely on the availability of the “rate-limiting” amino acid, cysteine in an absorbable form.

For decades this had been a problem in North America, since cysteine was not readily available in a form that the body could utilize to make glutathione.

But, thanks to brilliant researchers like, Drs. Gustavo Bounous and Patricia Kongshavn, out of McGill University in Canada, in the U.S. since 1998, a clinically-proven cysteine-rich bioactive whey protein developed at McGill has been made commercially available throughout all of North America.

Residents in Moultrie and the rest of Colquitt County can search the internet, contact their local independent wellness consultants, general practitioners, or, consult the 2009 Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) for more information on this unique whey protein, it’s dosage and application.

Wayne Holloway [http://www.wjholloway.com] is an Independent Wellness Consultant, who became such after his wife, a breast cancer survivor, with the approval of her oncologist, experienced significant health benefits in connection with the use of a special, science-based, bioactive whey protein.

The Canadian Government spends a very small portion of its GDP on its military, and yet its borders are some 24,000 miles long. Of course, Canada enjoys it is border with the United States and understands that it is largest trading partner will protect them. Interestingly enough, many Canadian citizens bad mouth the United States on issues of humanity and social concerns. Especially tough on healthcare and critical that the US does not give free health care to all citizens.

Are the Canadians justified in their concerns for US citizens? The reason I ask this is that whereas the US does not provide universal health care, we do have the best health care in the world and the Canadian health care system is not without its own critics, many call it inferior in many ways. Additionally, the Canadian Government is not funding its military properly or protecting itself militarily in a sound way. Instead this huge burden is becoming more and more of a US military dilemma.

In the United States protecting the American People is amongst the highest priority and being the World’s only real superpower in the present period, we have a lot to lose. Canada is a trading partner with the US and sells some 80-100 Billion Dollars of products per year to America. Canada completely benefits from being a neighbor of the United States, but is it indeed taking advantage of such a lucky situation in such an interesting era?

Shouldn’t the Canadian Government foot the bill needed to protect their people rather than assuming that the US will go to bat for them if something goes terribly wrong in the world. After all, in WWII we watched nations fall, putting the rest of the free world at risk.