Fight Eye Fatigue And Improve Your Memory With This Little Blue Fruit

By Russ Anderson

I don't know about you, but after a long day at work staring at the computer screen my eyes are sore and my brain hurts. Until recently, I simply accepted these dull but throbbing pains as the rewards of working during the technology revolution of the 21st century. That was until I read an interesting story about World War II British Air force pilots who improved their bombing accuracy by eating blueberry jam on their bread. As I read the story I learned those pilots who ate the jam were far more accurate in their bombing missions than other pilots. I was intrigued to say the least.

I decide to conduct more research about the blueberry and see if any "real" research actually supported the experience and claims of these pilots from over 50 years ago. After a few minutes searching the Internet, I was amazed to read about the amazing eye and brain benefits offered by blueberries. This fruit has a well documented history of helping to reduce eye fatigue and irritation, night blindness and improving vision and memory.

Research has been conducted across the globe on this tiny blue fruit. Several studies from Europe document the benefits of bilberries, which is the European cousin of the blueberry, on improved eyesight. Japanese research has shown blueberries can help ease eye fatigue which is great news for the billions of red-eyed office workers across the globe.

What Makes the Blueberry an Effective Eye and Brain Food?
Research indicates the blueberry has high amounts of a natural compound called anthocyanins. In fact, anthocyanins is what gives the fruit is blue hue. These anthocyanins have an amazing effect in the human body such as strengthening capillaries and peripheral circulation. This may mean it helps to increase the blood in and around the eyes and this improved blood flow may be responsible for the countless claims of improved vision and the reduction of eye related irritations and problems.

However, the good news doesn't stop with the eyes, upon further research I also learned that blueberries help the brain function better too. In 1999 a study funded by the USDA and published in the September 1999 edition of Journal of Neuroscience indicated that a diet rich in blueberry extract improved short term memory and reversed some loss of coordination and balance in aged rats. In 2003, a study from Tufts indicated that daily supplementation of blueberry phytochemicals can improve age-related temporal processing speed in the primary auditory cortex. In other words, blueberries can improve brain function.

Once I learned this amazing blueberry secret I soon became my local grocery store's best customer. I bought all of the blueberry products I could find and I must say my eyes and brain did feel better. However, my waistline soon began to suffer. The reason for my increasing belly size was I was eating blueberry jam, frozen blueberries, blueberry syrup and nearly anything else that was made with blueberries. I soon realized I needed a more concentrated form of blueberry without all of the added sugar and I soon found it.

A friend recommended Fruit Advantage Brain Support formula made from 100% Wild Blueberries. www.fruitadvantage.com Each daily serving of Fruit Advantage Brain Support delivers a 10 to 1 concentration of wild blueberries. This means it would take a whooping 10 lbs of fresh wild blueberries to make just one pound of the blueberry powder used to make the blueberry capsules. Fruit Advantage Brain Support delivers a highly concentrated form of the phytochemicals naturally found in the blueberry. My eyes, brain and waist line has thanked me since I started taking these blueberry supplements.

So the next time you visit the grocery store, make sure to pick up some fresh blueberries to fill the candy dish next to your computer instead of the sugar-rich candy. Or if you can't find fresh blueberries locally contact Fruit Advantage toll-free at 1-877-746-7477 and order some of the Fruit Advantage Brain Support. The company will even ship the product to you free of any shipping and handling charges.

Tony Anderson is a entrepreneur and fitness and nutrition writer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Russ_Anderson

The Single Most Important Thing To Improve Your Health

By Greg Brookes

There are some things that a person can do on a day to day basis that will revolutionise their health. I'm not talking about the latest bunch of exercises or eating more superfoods rather something far more basic and natural. Just by implementing this one simple change to your schedule will almost immediately revolutionise your life for the better. So what is this daily miracle? The answer is sleep.

Everybody knows that sleep is important and I'm sure most people agree that they don't get enough of it. Sleep is such an important part of our lives that without it we would die.
Experiments conducted on rats have shown that sleep deprivation leads to death in just a matter of weeks. Without adequate sleep we get a fall in our immune system, reduced concentration levels, memory impairment, mood swings, energy dips and much more.

Sleep isn't just about how much we get but also about when. As human beings we are still naturally attached to the environment and the rising and setting of the sun. As the sun rises the light stimulates our eyes and activates the stress hormone cortisol. This particular hormone is responsible for stimulating movement and preparing the body for action, and will peak during the day and start to reduce in the afternoon. During the evening cortisol levels should be at a minimum and this releases melatonin and subsequently growth and repair hormones for the impending sleep. As we sleep our body gets repaired first physically and then mentally.

Unfortunately, this pattern of hormonal release isn't how most of us live our lives. We go to bed too late and feed our body full of stimulants resulting in stress hormones in the evening and no physical repair during the night. If you are not sleeping by 10.30pm then your body is missing out on vital growth and repair that happens for approxamately 4 hours during this time.
Remember you are influenced by the sun not when you choose to go to bed.

If you choose to feed yourself stimulants like caffeine, alcohol or sugar any later than early afternoon this will elevate you cortisol levels, a stress hormone, at a time when it should be reducing and in turn will not release melatonin and repair hormones when you most need then during your sleep. So if you are overdoing the coffee or alcohol in the evening then you are not repairing your body for the next day. The result is general fatigue, headaches, muscle aches and pains, joint problems, infections etc.

To live a healthier life you must start to follow your natural sleeping cycle. This means getting out of bed early and going to bed early. Help to keep your stress hormones at a minimum during the afternoon by avoiding all stimulants and dimming lights in the evening and avoiding watching tv too late. Get to bed by 10.30pm and ensure that you sleep in full darkness, remember that light is what stimulates our stress hormones and gets us up in the morning. Get a good 7-9 hours rest each night at the right time and you'll be well on your way to a more productive and healthier lifestyle.

Good night!

Greg is a health and fitness professional and author of "the no gear workout" based in Hampstead, North London. He achieves fantastic results for his clients by using his indepth knowledge and the most up to date techniques. http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Brookes

How to Improve Communication Skills at Lightning Speed

By Peter Murphy

Talking is the easy part; really communicating so that you say something worthwhile and people listen to understand your message as well can be more of a challenge. If you are to exchange useful information and react with people who are resistant to your communication through fear, anger or frustration, you need to know how to improve communications skills.

1. Don't take what people say personally and strike back at them angrily. There are many other reasons why people react as they do and they are not likely to be linked to you as a person so remember that, take a deep breath, count to ten, then you can react in a more calm fashion.

2. It is fine to admit that you don't know something. Communication so often suffers from half-truths and misunderstandings; don't pretend you know something when you don't as you could be wrong and that will lead to further communication problems.

3. Respond with factual information that will help when you are asked something, rather than reacting emotionally, which is subjective and can often be negative.

4. Provide a safe, non-emotional opportunity for people to air their views without you dismissing them or getting upset or angry.

5. Communication is a two-way process; everyone in the conversation must share responsibility for making sure that the conversation works. That means that the sender of the message needs to speak clearly and simply and the receiver of the message needs to say if they do not understand and ask for clarification.

6. Listen to the other person. Give them chance to speak so that they will feel respected. People care most about being heard than they want people to agree with them. You can show that you are listening actively by asking them questions to draw out more information from them or by summarizing back to them what you think they said and asking for them to confirm if you have understood correctly.

7. Assumptions, presuppositions and judgments can all get in the way of good communication. That is because once you believe you understood something that someone is saying to you, there is tendency to stop listening well. That can distort your perception of the communication, so you can improve your communication by checking that you have understood correctly what has been said.

8. If you need to cooperate with others to complete a project, you need to be sensitive to their frustrations and priorities so that you can compromise. If you don't compromise there will be anger and resentment that will get in the way of successful communication and completion of the project.

9. Seek common ground rather than differences between you. This is another reason why it is good to state the aim of the communication early on in your conversation so that you can check out what you both want to achieve.

10. Listen to the other person. Let them feel that they are a real partner in the communication and they will be better disposed towards helping the communication succeed. Also, you will be ale to learn from them in a way you can't if you are not really listening.

It's important that you know how to improve communication skills because in your life you will need to communicate with all manner of different people for a variety of reasons.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report:
10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Murphy

How Colonic Therapy Can Improve Your Health

By Carmen Black

This subject may make some squeamish, but I'd like to shed some light on it. For a couple of years, I visited a colonic therapist. I don't anymore due to the cost, but I definitely plan to do it again in the future. Some people refer to this as having a "high colonic". The process is not at all painful, and one feels tremendously rejuvenated afterwards. A colonic is similar to an enema, but at a much more intense level. A stream of warm water is flushed into the colon, reaching as far as possible. The result is, of course, elimination of a lot of toxic material and old fecal matter, as well as parasites. Most adults don't realize that they carry parasites in their bowels, unless they do some sort of colon cleanse every few months. A colonic is just a much faster way to do it than taking herbs. Not that there's anything wrong with using herbs for cleansing the colon. In fact, I've done so and highly recommend it in conjunction with colonics.

My personal experience with it was an increased amount of energy and a feeling of well-being. It also is an important way to maintain one's colon health. With so many cases of colon cancer arising, colonic therapy is truly a Godsend. I can't emphasize enough how great it can make you feel, and with every session, on a regular basis, you will feel better and better.

A good colonic therapist will probably make recommendations for dietary changes as well. He or she may recommend certain supplements to maintain colon health between visits. This shouldn't be treated as a "magic bullet" but an overall lifestyle change. If you're eating a lot of meat and a low-fiber diet, your therapist may advise you to cut out so much meat and add more raw foods. If you eat a lot of junk foods, you're basically undoing the benefits of your therapy. If you are concerned about the safety of colonics, please be aware that all colonic therapists have to be certified to perform the function.

To summarize, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose with colonic therapy (except a lot of bad stuff you could do without). You will lose your feeling of never having enough energy.
You will lose parasites living in your body. You can even lose weight with colonics, since most people are carrying around a few pounds of undigested food that they're not aware of.

It may take a bit of psyching yourself up, since it's an invasive procedure. But once you do it one time, you'll be hooked on it. And it's good to be hooked on a healthy thing.

For more great free info and resources for writers, please visit: Carmen Blackhttp://www.biasonus.net