Sugar is really Bad for Our Health ???????????????

Is Sugar Bad for You?

Is sugar bad for you? Can it really have a head-to-toe impact on the human body? When we’re talking about added sugar, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Although the sugar industry has actively fought to change public opinion about the health effects of sugar, we now know today that sugar impacts just about every organ system in the body. And not in a good way. I’m hoping the latest science on sugar will help inspire you to deal with sugar addiction. Let’s take a look at the top ways added sugar destroys your body. Is Sugar Bad for You? Here’s How It Destroys You Health Ticker Trouble Most people blame dietary fat for heart disease. And while certain industrial, inflammatory fats like trans fats do cause heart attacks, sugar is the real culprit. In fact, in 2016, researchers unearthed a huge sugar industry scandal, proving that the sugar lobby sponsored phony Harvard research in the 1960s. Turns out the sugar lobby paid Harvard researchers to take the heat off of sugar’s health effects, instead turning the focus on naturally-occurring fats’ supposed role in heart disease. (1)
This faulty “research” concluded there was “no doubt” that the only dietary intervention required to prevent coronary heart disease was to eat less cholesterol and to eat polyunsaturated fat instead of saturated fat. (2) We now know this is not true. In 2014, researchers were able to scientifically show that ingesting too much added sugar could significantly increase your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. In fact, people getting 17 to 21 percent of calories from added sugar face a 38 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who got just 8 percent of their calories from sugar. The relative risk was more than double for those who consumed 21 percent or more of their calories from added sugar. (3) Is sugar bad for you - Dr. Axe Today, most U.S. adults consume about 22 teaspoons of added sugars a day. That’s way more than what the American Heart Association recommends. AHA says: • No more than 6 teaspoons or 100 calories a day of sugar for most women • No more than 9 teaspoons or 150 calories a day for most men. (4) Fatty Livers Here’s another reason to reduce sugar intake. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise in the U.S. And guess what’s largely to blame? Sugar! High-fructose corn syrup hiding out in drinks and processed foods has been called a “weapon of mass destruction.” (5) Nonalcoholic fatty liver occurs when fat builds up in the liver. According to a study conducted at the University of Sydney at Westmead Hospital in Australia, NAFLD is present in 17 percent to 33 percent of Americans. This growing percentage parallels the frequency of obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And many Americans with the disease don’t experience any symptoms. Tuft University researcher discovered people who drink one sugar-sweetened beverage a day face a higher risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease compared to those who steer clear of beverages containing added sugars. (6) Interestingly, the microbiome is at play, too. You see, the microbiome serves as the interface between diet and the liver and modifies dietary effects. Scientists are actively investigating our guts’ role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. What is clear? Drastically backing down on added sugar intake does seem to improve this disease to some extent. (7) Leaky Gut & Other Metabolic Diseases Is sugar bad, particularly when it comes to the gut? You bet. Knowing that the microorganisms that live in gut actually act similarly to a metabolic “organ,” researchers now believe sugar changes the gut microbiota in a way that increases intestinal permeability, AKA leaky gut symptoms. This means the chronic, low-grade inflammation that sugar triggers can lead to the transfer of substances from the gut into the bloodstream.

This can trigger obesity and other chronic, metabolic diseases. (8, 9) Eliminated excess added sugar is a key part of any effective leaky gut treatment plan. Added sugar feeds yeast and bad bacteria that can damage the intestinal wall creating a leaky gut. A Diabetes-Prone Body A 2013 study published in the journal PLOS ONE found for every 150 calories of sugar a person consumes a day (about the equivalent of a can of soda), they increase their risk of type 2 diabetes by 1.1 percent. This increased risk held true even considering researchers adjusted for the other types of foods people eat (including , meat, oils, cereals, high-fiber foods, oils). Researchers also found the impact of sugar on diabetes held true regardless of a sedentary lifestyle and alcohol use. (10) A Number of Cancers Does sugar impact cancer risk? When the National Institutes of Health set out to investigate sugar’s link to 24 different cancers, they didn’t find tons of published research, noting more is needed. But the were able to find some associations between different types of sugar and certain cancers. For instance, added sugars increase the risk of esophageal cancer, while added fructose (think high-fructose corn syrup dangers) appeared to increase the risk of cancer in the small intestine. (11) Other research hints at a connection between high intake of added sugars and colon cancer. This higher risk remained even after adjusting for other colon cancer risk facts like being overweight or obese or having diabetes. (12) Dietary sugar could also increase the risk of breast cancer tumors and metastasis to the lungs. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published a 2016 study finding high amounts of dietary sugar in the typical Western diet seem to effect an enzymatic signaling pathway known as 12-LOX (12-lipoxygenase) in a way that increases breast cancer risk. . “We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumor growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet … Prior research has examined the role of sugar, especially glucose, and energy-based metabolic pathways in cancer development. However, the inflammatory cascade may be an alternative route of studying sugar-driven carcinogenesis that warrants further study.” — Peiying Yang, PhD, assistant professor of palliative, rehabilitation and integrative Medicine. The researchers pinpointed fructose, a component of table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, as the responsible sugar facilitating lung metastasis in the breast tumors studies. Previous epidemiological studies have shown that dietary sugar intake has an impact on breast cancer development, with inflammation thought to play a role. In the animal study, 30 percent of mice on the starch-control diet exhibited tumors. The sucrose-enriched diets? Fifty to 58 percent had mammary tumors. (Sucrose is the main component of table sugar). The breast cancer was more likely to spread to the lungs in mice fed the sucrose- or fructose-enriched diet compared to the starch-control diet. (13, 14) Is Sugar Bad for You? Yes, and Here Are Sugar Ingredients to Avoid Added sugars can fall under all sorts of different names on ingredient labels. While it’s currently nearly impossible to tell the percentage of sugar comes from natural or added sources right now, better labeling is right around the corner. By mid-2018, we should expected to see an “Added Sugar” line on the Nutrition Facts label.

(15) One rule of thumb to find these hidden sugars is that any ingredient ending in “ose” is a type of sugar. Don’t be fooled by more natural-sounding names either. Sweeteners like cane juice, beet sugar, fruit juice, rice syrup and molasses are still types of sugar. Check out their place in the ingredients, list, too. The higher up an ingredient is on the list, the more of it is included in a product. Other names for added sugar include: Anhydrous dextrose Brown sugar Confectioner’s powdered sugar Corn syrup Corn syrup solids Dextrose Fructose High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) Invert sugar Lactose Malt syrup Maltose Molasses Nectars (for example, peach or pear nectar) Pancake syrup Raw sugar Sucrose Sugar White granulated sugar (16) Final Thoughts on the Question: “Is Sugar Bad for You?” Is sugar bad for you? Yes, indeed. Added sugar can significantly increase your risk of early death. Sugar impacts brain function, can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increases your risk of heart disease. Added sugars appear to increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs. There are dozens of names for added sugar on ingredient labels. However, natural versus added sugars are not differentiated on those labels.

That’s all supposed to change in mid-2018, when added sugars are expected to land on Nutrition Facts labeling. Simply dialing back on processed foods and drinks can lower your sugar intake. If you do use sugar, use less processed forms, but use them sparingly. Alternatively, I recommend using green stevia for sweetening purposes. Getting enough high-quality protein, fiber and fermented foods can help you lose your sugar cravings over time.

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Top Three Benefits of Having Health Insurance

A lot of people, when their parents forced them to eat vegetables as a kid, would say something like, “why?,” or, “I don’t want to!”

The Affordable Care Act’s mandate that requires most people to buy health insurance or pay a penalty tax can have a similar effect.

After all, if you’re being forced to buy something you probably want to know why.

Ask and you shall receive. eHealth compiled the “top three list” of ways people may benefit from having health insurance.

#1: Negotiated rates – In 2013, Steven Brill wrote an article for TIME Magazine that – among other things – highlighted some of the absurdly high prices that hospitals and doctors sometimes charge.

For example, Brill writes about hospitals charging $1.50 for one Tylenol (an entire bottle costs $1.49 on Amazon.com); $6 for a marker used once to mark their bodies before surgery; $77 for a box of gauze pads ($10.15 on Amazon); and $1,200 an hour for a nurse’s services.

The catch was that the costs mentioned above would be applicable to people who were uninsured. When you have health insurance, your insurance company has already negotiated the prices for you (and for themselves) and that usually changes the out-of-pocket costs for you.

Insurance companies are experts at negotiating with hospitals so if you go in network, or even outside of their network, the hospital has an incentive to come to an agreement with your insurance company on prices.

These negotiations between hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies are common and expected, and can lower the initial bill anywhere from 20 to 50 percent.*

#2: Avoiding the ER – Visiting the emergency room for a sprained ankle can cost you anywhere from $4 to $24,000, according to an NIH-funded study of 8,303 ER visits that occurred between 2006 and 2008. The study found that the average emergency room visit was $1,233.

If we assume ER visits have not become cheaper since 2008, the average cost of an ER visit would be at least 50 percent higher than the average month’s rent in the United States, which is $821 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

The good news is that, according to the Wellness Council of America, 40 percent of emergency room visits are unnecessary. Still, too many Americans (even those with health insurance) use the ER as an entry point as soon as they encounter a health issue.

The emergency room is intended for medical emergencies, and patients who seek help in an ER typically should know that:

• Emergency roomss are not first come first serve – the sickest get served first.
• ER visits are more expensive.
• Doctors in emergency rooms do not know patient history.
• The ER may not have the best care options for each case.

With health insurance, you can go to a a primary care physician (or PCP) or even a specialist instead of the ER. And, in many cases your doctor can address minor health problems before they become major ones.

It’s also worth pointing out that many new insurance plans require a patient to pay for ER visits in full before they have reached their deductible. When we looked at a sampling of bronze plans coverage in 11 markets across the country, we found that the average deductible was $5,490. You could avoid paying the deductible, depending on your insurance plan, by visiting your doctor instead.

If your plan doesn’t cover anything before you reach the deductible, you may still be better off because doctor’s visits usually cost less than visits to the ER. Most plans cover doctor visits before the deductible, either in full or with a co-payment.  Choosing to see a PCP or even a specialist for non-emergencies will save patients both money and stress.

#3: Preventive services – A key feature of Obamacare is that all qualified health insurance plans must cover the following list** of preventive services without charging a copayment or coinsurance.  This applies even if a patient’s yearly deductible has not been met, but the services must be done by a provider within network.

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked
• Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
• Aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease for men and women of certain ages
• Blood pressure screening for all adults
• Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk
• Colorectal cancer screening for adults over 50
• Depression screening for adults
• Diabetes (Type 2) screening for adults with high blood pressure
• Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
• HIV screening for everyone ages 15 to 65, and other ages at increased risk
• Immunization vaccines for adults – doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Herpes zoster
• Human papillomavirus
• Influenza (flu shot)
• Measles, mumps, and rubella
• Meningococcal
• Pneumococcal
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
• Varicella
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• Obesity screening and counseling for all adults
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk
• Syphilis screening for all adults at higher risk
• Tobacco use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users

*Statistic courtesy of Bills.com

**List courtesy of Healthcare.gov

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The Depth Factor Meditation Product

          The Depth Factor Meditation Product

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Simple Ways to Make Yourself Happy Every Day

 Simple Ways to Make Yourself Happy Every Day

Want to be happier? Begin by being good to yourself. That may sound self-evident, but too many people skip this step and try to make themselves happy by chasing ever-higher goals, or holding themselves to ever-greater standards of perfection.

Ironically, being good to yourself instead will bring you closer to achieving those lofty ambitions, says Daylle Deanna Schwartz, speaker, columnist, and author of 15 books, including "The Effortless Entrepreneur." "The more you value yourself, especially at work, the more you build confidence," she says.

In fact, the happiest people go out of their way to treat themselves right and they do something nice for themselves each day. They set appropriate boundaries and take care of themselves by saying no to things when they need to. "When you love yourself, you understand that saying no to something you don't want to do is an act of kindness, and you don't walk around with negative feelings toward the person who asked you to do something you didn't want to do," Schwartz says.

Not only is being kind to yourself good for your career, it's good for your relationships too, she adds. "The more you build self-love, the more you have to give to others."

Here are 11 acts of kindness happy people perform for themselves--and so should you:

1. Commit to doing one nice thing for yourself every day.

Schwartz invites visitors to her site to sign a 31-day pledge to "do my best to do something loving for myself, however big or small." Whether you feel like signing or not, making the commitment means you'll remind yourself on a daily basis to treat yourself with loving kindness.

Keeping that commitment will bring real benefits, she says. "It motivates you to take better care of yourself, go after your dreams, and not let people treat you poorly."

2. Listen to yourself.

That is, listen to how you talk to yourself, and the internal tone of voice you use. (Mine tends to resemble my mother's in a lecturing mode.) "We often criticize ourselves in our own heads and that brings down our confidence," Schwartz says. "When you love yourself, you know you're good enough that you have to stop talking to yourself in negative terms."

3. Forgive yourself.

"Forgiveness is a big part of it," Schwartz says. "It's hard, because most of us have been getting angry at ourselves for all the things we do wrong all our lives. People get into trouble because they try so hard to be perfect and then they beat themselves up when they're not. Loving yourself means accepting that you're stuck inside your own imperfect skin."

Schwartz recommends this exercise to start forgiving yourself: "Look in the mirror and say, 'I love you and I forgive you.'"

4. Accept yourself as you are right now.

For starters, that means accepting the body that you have today. "Body image is a big stumbling block, and so is age," she says. "When you love yourself, you try to be the best person you can be in the body that you have, and that's as much as you can do."

Self-acceptance also means accepting your income and success level as they are, she says. "It's OK not to be making a certain amount by the time you get to a certain age," she says. "Entrepreneurs get a lot of criticism when people say, 'Why are you wasting your time doing that?' or 'You're not successful enough!'"

Instead, she recommends asking yourself a simple question: "Am I happy with what I'm doing?" She herself sold a successful summer recreation business when she found it was becoming too stressful. "I wound up with less income but I was happier."

5. Eliminate toxic people in your life and workplace.

This may be easier said than done, but avoid tying yourself to clients, business partners, investors, or employees who make you unhappy. It's obviously harder to take the same approach with family members, but Schwartz says there's no reason to put up with people saying or doing things that are unkind. "If people say mean things to me, I let them know if they talk to me like that I'm going to walk away or hang up the phone," she says.

6. Prioritize your health.

"I take supplements and vitamins, I exercise, and I recently cut out sugar for seven weeks as an act of self-love," Schwartz says. But be careful--don't let caring for your health turn into a reason to beat yourself up if you slip. "Yesterday, I had Twinkies," she says. "I've been wanting them ever since they temporarily stopped selling them. So I bought some and I ate them. I don't beat myself up when I have a treat."

7. Stop skipping meals.

"People say, 'I've been so busy I had no time to eat today,'" Schwartz says. "That's a very unloving thing to do. Grab something, even if it's just a salad."

Neuroscience tells us that letting your blood sugar sink sends stress signals to your brain. So if you truly can't stop and grab a meal, make sure you have healthy snacks at your desk.

8. Breathe!

Don't forget that when you're feeling stressed, overworked, or upset, simple breathing exercises can up your happiness quotient dramatically, Schwartz says. "If you do some deep breathing during the day, you can calm yourself down and not let stress get to you or make you sick."

9. Give yourself a welcoming space.

For years, Schwartz never made her bed, simply throwing the covers over it. Now she makes it every day for a simple reason: "Walking into my bedroom when my bed is made makes me smile."

Take the same approach with your workspace, she advises. Make it as orderly as you can. Neatening up your workspace and getting rid of stuff you don't need will make you feel calmer and more in control, she says. But don't limit yourself to just decluttering. "Make sure you have your environment and office space the way you like it and that it's a pleasant place for you to work," she says. "Have fresh flowers on your desk. Take it seriously."

10. Get some sunlight.

"A lot of people work in dark spaces. That's very unhealthy and unloving," Schwartz says. Try to work in a place where you have access to natural light, she advises. If that's not possible, invest in full-spectrum light bulbs. Either way, make sure to get outside for a walk as often as you can.

11. Buy premium products for yourself.

Does this sound like you? If you're bringing a bag of coffee to someone else, you pick out a luxury brand in a nice package, but if you're buying it for yourself, you pick the store brand or another inexpensive option. That's fine if you're one of these people to whom all coffees taste alike. But if you prefer the more expensive brand, you should go for it, Schwartz says.

"Very often we spend money on others but we're cheap with ourselves," she says. "The better brand is only a few dollars extra, and every time you use it you're reinforcing to yourself that you're worth more."

By Minda Zetlin

 

Co-author, 'The Geek Gap

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Meditation Benefits for YOUR Health

Meditation Benefits for  YOUR  Health

We hear it all the time: Meditation can improve our creative thinking, our energy, stress levels and even our success. Prominent artists, businessmen and politicians cop to the practice. Would it work for you?

“It did to my mind what going to the gym did to my body — it made it both stronger and more flexible,” said Dr. Hedy Kober, a neuroscientist who who studies the effects of mindfulness meditation, which she has practiced for 10 years, at her lab at Yale University. She admitted during a TED Talk that she started meditating to deal with a break up, but found that it helped her handle stress and unpleasant feelings in all areas of her life.

Studies show that meditation is associated with improvement in a variety of psychological areas, including stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, eating disorders and cognitive function, among others. There’s also research to suggest that meditation can reduce blood pressure, pain response, stress hormone levels and even cellular health. But what does it actually do to the body?

For one thing, it changes our brain. The cells and neurons in the brain are constantly making new connections and disrupting old ones based on response to stimuli, a quality that researchers call experience-based neuroplasticity. This affects the neural circuits of the brain, which in turn affects how we respond to situations. It also affects the actual structure of our brains — thickening some areas and making others less dense.

“Think of the end of a neuron as a hand, with thousands of ‘fingers,’” said Dr. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital who studies mindfulness meditation. “The number of fingers relates to the number of interconnections between neurons and that number can change — one reason it can change is due to stress.”

Want to learn more? We put together an illustration to help break down the many benefits of meditation.

This story appears in Issue 47 of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store, available Friday, May 3.

Top 10 Healthy BENEFITS To Regular MEDITATION

Informations from huffingtonpost

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Types Of Meditation : Which One U Like

7 Types of Meditation: Which One Is Best for You?

Thousands of people have begun the journey of personal health. To achieve the maximum level of health one must eat well, exercise regularly, and improve their mental well-being.

People struggle most often to improve their mental well-being because it is the most ambiguous and hardest to see tangible results. Meditation is the best way to mentally reduce stress and develop an air of peace and tranquility.

The following are our seven favorite types of meditation:

1. Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Maharishi, an advocate of Transcendental Meditation defines the purpose, “The goal of Transcendental Meditation is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy.” In this Hindu tradition you sit in Lotus, internally chant a mantra, and focus on rising above the negativity.

However, to effectively learn how to practice this form of meditation, expert guidance is recommended. There is internet resources, classes, or even meditation retreats to better learn this form of meditation

2. Heart Rhythm Meditation (HRM)

Heart rhythm meditation is downward meditation, because it focuses energy on developing the application of consciousness.This form of meditation concentratesprimarily on the heart, with an emphasis on breathing, and the purpose is to experience the mystics’ mantra, “I am a part of all things and all things are a part of me.”

HRM is a triple threat form of meditation because individuals experience physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. It helps the individual better handle stress and develop an appreciative and joyous spirit.

3. Kundalini

Unlike HRM, Kundalini is a form of upward mediation, which focuses on the rising stream of energy. This form of meditation has roots in both Buddhist and Hindu teachings, and in Sanskrit translates to ‘coiled’. Many believe this to be a metaphoric form of mediation, however those who are able to access the dormant energy can attest to its healing benefits. To access this energy the individual must concentrate on their breathing as it flows through the energy centers in the body. Once that energy is felt, the individual can experience an altered state of consciousness.

4. Guided Visualization

Guided visualization is a newer technique that can be used for spiritual healing, stress relief, or personal development. The inspiration comes from Buddha, “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” Among other factors that set this form of meditation apart, the emphasis on one specific goal is defining.

By imagining relaxing and positive experiences, the body will respond by releasing chemicals that generate feelings of positivity. This method can be done casually by imagining a certain situation in the brain. However, to achieve a more powerful experience, a guided visualization experience is key.

5. Qi Gong

This is a meditation favorite because this method improves posture, respiration, and the ability to relax with greater ease. Qi Gong is one of the oldest forms of meditation and derives from ancient Chinese society. This art form of health and wellness uses breath to circulate energy through the body and energy centers. The focused combination on breathing techniques, movement, and meditation helps the individual to control their reactions to stress.

6. Zazen

Zazen is the heart of Zen Buddhist practice and literally translates to “seated meditation.” This method is initially the easiest to engage in because it relies on self-guidance, however, the lack of guidance can make it difficult to progress in the future. Regardless, the mental benefits of Zazen are vast because you aim to forget all judgmental thoughts, ideas, and images.

After sitting in a comfortable position ensure that the back is completely straight and you are centered. Breathing is an essential element of Zazen and this position will allow the breath to deepen and enhance the experience.

7. Mindfulness

The final favorite method of meditation is mindfulness, which also comes from the Buddhist tradition. The Buddhist term sati translates to ‘mindfulness’ and breathes life into the practice. Conjuring mindfulness is essential in overcoming suffering and understanding natural wisdom. It is all about acknowledging reality by letting the mind wander, accepting any thoughts that come up, and understanding the present.

The practice is done by sitting with eyes close, crossed legs, the back straight, and attention placed on breathing in and out. For the period of meditation the individual focuses on his or her breathing, and when wandering thoughts emerge, one returns to focusing on the object of meditation, breathing. Research has found that a regimen of mindfulness can reduce anxiety, depression, and perceived distress.

Not every meditation method will be your favorite. Try these seven out and see which one helps you achieve that level of inner peace you are looking for. Once you have found your go to method, incorporate that into your daily schedule to best combat the enormous levels of stress synonymous with life.

This post was originally appeared at lifeadvancer.com and used here with permission.

About the author

Meghan Greene is a vital part of the SEO and Content Development team at Samahita Retreat. Meghan attends Elon University, double majoring in Marketing and International Business.

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Benefits of Yoga

Benefits of Yoga

My experience inspired me to pore over the scientific studies I’d collected in India as well as the West to identify and explain how yoga can both prevent disease and help you recover from it. Here is what I found.

1. Improves your flexibility

Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll also probably notice that aches and pains start to disappear. That’s no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shinbones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

2. Builds muscle strength

Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls in elderly people. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just went to the gym and lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

3. Perfects your posture

Your head is like a bowling ball—big, round, and heavy. When it’s balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for eight or 12 hours a day and it’s no wonder you’re tired. And fatigue might not be your only problem. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

4. Prevents cartilage and joint breakdown 

Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” areas of cartilage that normally aren’t used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.

5. Protects your spine

Spinal disks—the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves—crave movement. That’s the only way they get their nutrients. If you’ve got a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of backbends, forward bends, and twists, you’ll help keep your disks supple.

6. Betters your bone health

It’s well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, Los Angeles, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertebrae. Yoga’s ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol (see Number 11) may help keep calcium in the bones.

7. Increases your blood flow

Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Headstand, Handstand, and Shoulderstand, encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. This can help if you have swelling in your legs from heart or kidney problems. Yoga also boosts levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. And it thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.

8. Drains your lymphs and boosts immunity

When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells, and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning.

9. Ups your heart rate

When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you lower your risk of heart attack and can relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga exercises that don’t get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning. Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise—all reflections of improved aerobic conditioning. One study found that subjects who were taught only pranayama could do more exercise with less oxygen.

10. Drops your blood pressure

If you’ve got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana (Corpse Pose) with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number—and the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.

11. Regulates your adrenal glands

Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call “food-seeking behavior” (the kind that drives you to eat when you’re upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

12. Makes you happier

Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into King Dancer Pose. While it’s not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. More dramatic left-sided activation was found in dedicated, long-term practitioners.

13. Founds a healthy lifestyle

Move more, eat less—that’s the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help on both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. Yoga may also inspire you to become a more conscious eater.

14. Lowers blood sugar

Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosts HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.

15. Helps you focus

An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores. People who practice Transcendental Meditation demonstrate the ability to solve problems and acquire and recall information better—probably because they’re less distracted by their thoughts, which can play over and over like an endless tape loop.

16. Relaxes your system 

Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath, and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight-or-flight response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rates, decreases blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs—comprising what Herbert Benson, M.D., calls the relaxation response.

17. Improves your balance

Regularly practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For the elderly, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all. For the rest of us, postures like Tree Pose can make us feel less wobbly on and off the mat.

18. Maintains your nervous system

Some advanced yogis can control their bodies in extraordinary ways, many of which are mediated by the nervous system. Scientists have monitored yogis who could induce unusual heart rhythms, generate specific brain-wave patterns, and, using a meditation technique, raise the temperature of their hands by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. If they can use yoga to do that, perhaps you could learn to improve blood flow to your pelvis if you’re trying to get pregnant or induce relaxation when you’re having trouble falling asleep.

19. Releases tension in your limbs

Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? These unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simply tune in, you may be able to release some tension in the tongue and eyes. With bigger muscles like the quadriceps, trapezius, and buttocks, it may take years of practice to learn how to relax them.

20. Helps you sleep deeper

Stimulation is good, but too much of it taxes the nervous system. Yoga can provide relief from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Restorative asana, yoga nidra (a form of guided relaxation), Savasana, pranayama, and meditation encourage pratyahara, a turning inward of the senses, which provides downtime for the nervous system. Another by-product of a regular yoga practice, studies suggest, is better sleep—which means you’ll be less tired and stressed and less likely to have accidents.

21. Boosts your immune system functionality

Asana and pranayama probably improve immune function, but, so far, meditation has the strongest scientific support in this area. It appears to have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the immune system, boosting it when needed (for example, raising antibody levels in response to a vaccine) and lowering it when needed (for instance, mitigating an inappropriately aggressive immune function in an autoimmune disease like psoriasis).

22. Gives your lungs room to breathe

Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as “complete breathing” to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation.

Yoga also promotes breathing through the nose, which filters the air, warms it (cold, dry air is more likely to trigger an asthma attack in people who are sensitive), and humidifies it, removing pollen and dirt and other things you’d rather not take into your lungs.

23. Prevents IBS and other digestive problems

Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation—all of these can be exacerbated by stress. So if you stress less, you’ll suffer less. Yoga, like any physical exercise, can ease constipation—and theoretically lower the risk of colon cancer—because moving the body facilitates more rapid transport of food and waste products through the bowels. And, although it has not been studied scientifically, yogis suspect that twisting poses may be beneficial in getting waste to move through the system.

24. Gives you peace of mind

Yoga quells the fluctuations of the mind, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. In other words, it slows down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, fear, and desire that can cause stress. And since stress is implicated in so many health problems—from migraines and insomnia to lupus, MS, eczema, high blood pressure, and heart attacks—if you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll be likely to live longer and healthier.

25. Increases your self-esteem 

Many of us suffer from chronic low self-esteem. If you handle this negatively—take drugs, overeat, work too hard, sleep around—you may pay the price in poorer health physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you take a positive approach and practice yoga, you’ll sense, initially in brief glimpses and later in more sustained views, that you’re worthwhile or, as yogic philosophy teaches, that you are a manifestation of the Divine. If you practice regularly with an intention of self-examination and betterment—not just as a substitute for an aerobics class—you can access a different side of yourself. You’ll experience feelings of gratitude, empathy, and forgiveness, as well as a sense that you’re part of something bigger. While better health is not the goal of spirituality, it’s often a by-product, as documented by repeated scientific studies.

26. Eases your pain

Yoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, asana, meditation, or a combination of the two, reduced pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions. When you relieve your pain, your mood improves, you’re more inclined to be active, and you don’t need as much medication.

27. Gives you inner strength

Yoga can help you make changes in your life. In fact, that might be its greatest strength. Tapas, the Sanskrit word for “heat,” is the fire, the discipline that fuels yoga practice and that regular practice builds. The tapas you develop can be extended to the rest of your life to overcome inertia and change dysfunctional habits. You may find that without making a particular effort to change things, you start to eat better, exercise more, or finally quit smoking after years of failed attempts.

28. Connects you with guidance 

Good yoga teachers can do wonders for your health. Exceptional ones do more than guide you through the postures. They can adjust your posture, gauge when you should go deeper in poses or back off, deliver hard truths with compassion, help you relax, and enhance and personalize your practice. A respectful relationship with a teacher goes a long way toward promoting your health.

29. Helps keep you drug free

If your medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy, maybe it’s time to try yoga. Studies of people with asthma, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes), and obsessive-compulsive disorder have shown that yoga helped them lower their dosage of medications and sometimes get off them entirely. The benefits of taking fewer drugs? You’ll spend less money, and you’re less likely to suffer side effects and risk dangerous drug interactions.

30. Builds awareness for transformation

Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger. Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to—and there’s evidence that yoga speeds reaction time—but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach, reducing suffering for yourself and others.

31. Benefits your relationships

Love may not conquer all, but it certainly can aid in healing. Cultivating the emotional support of friends, family, and community has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve health and healing. A regular yoga practice helps develop friendliness, compassion, and greater equanimity. Along with yogic philosophy’s emphasis on avoiding harm to others, telling the truth, and taking only what you need, this may improve many of your relationships.

32. Uses sounds to soothe your sinuses

The basics of yoga—asana, pranayama, and meditation—all work to improve your health, but there’s more in the yoga toolbox. Consider chanting. It tends to prolong exhalation, which shifts the balance toward the parasympathetic nervous system. When done in a group, chanting can be a particularly powerful physical and emotional experience. A recent study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute suggests that humming sounds—like those made while chanting Om—open the sinuses and facilitate drainage.

33. Guides your body’s healing in your mind’s eye

If you contemplate an image in your mind’s eye, as you do in yoga nidra and other practices, you can effect change in your body. Several studies have found that guided imagery reduced postoperative pain, decreased the frequency of headaches, and improved the quality of life for people with cancer and HIV.

34. Keeps allergies and viruses at bay

Kriyas, or cleansing practices, are another element of yoga. They include everything from rapid breathing exercises to elaborate internal cleansings of the intestines. Jala neti, which entails a gentle lavage of the nasal passages with salt water, removes pollen and viruses from the nose, keeps mucus from building up, and helps drains the sinuses.

35. Helps you serve others

Karma yoga (service to others) is integral to yogic philosophy. And while you may not be inclined to serve others, your health might improve if you do. A study at the University of Michigan found that older people who volunteered a little less than an hour per week were three times as likely to be alive seven years later. Serving others can give meaning to your life, and your problems may not seem so daunting when you see what other people are dealing with.

36. Encourages self care

In much of conventional medicine, most patients are passive recipients of care. In yoga, it’s what you do for yourself that matters. Yoga gives you the tools to help you change, and you might start to feel better the first time you try practicing. You may also notice that the more you commit to practice, the more you benefit. This results in three things: You get involved in your own care, you discover that your involvement gives you the power to effect change, and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope. And hope itself can be healing.

37. Supports your connective tissue

As you read all the ways yoga improves your health, you probably noticed a lot of overlap. That’s because they’re intensely interwoven. Change your posture and you change the way you breathe. Change your breathing and you change your nervous system. This is one of the great lessons of yoga: Everything is connected—your hipbone to your anklebone, you to your community, your community to the world. This interconnection is vital to understanding yoga. This holistic system simultaneously taps into many mechanisms that have additive and even multiplicative effects. This synergy may be the most important way of all that yoga heals.

38. Uses the placebo effect, to affect change

Just believing you will get better can make you better. Unfortunately, many conventional scientists believe that if something works by eliciting the placebo effect, it doesn’t count. But most patients just want to get better, so if chanting a mantra—like you might do at the beginning or end of yoga class or throughout a meditation or in the course of your day—facilitates healing, even if it’s just a placebo effect, why not do it?

Informations from Yoga Journal

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