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There is an abundance of information floating around the web that chromium picolinate is an effective supplement to take as an adjunct to a weight loss regimen. At the moment there appears to be some controversy over these claims so it is important to take a look at what it is and what it claims to do prior to supplementing with it to take pounds off.

One thing that ‘is’ known about chromium picolinate is that it does regulate the efficiency of insulin in the bloodstream. This has the immediate effect of helping to transport glucose to the mitochondria where energy is produced to provide the body with increased energy. But does this extra energy actually help you to lose weight? Perhaps it could if you used that extra energy to exercise more, but there is little evidence to substantiate that chromium can act as a fat burner.

Many trendy supplements that are on the market at the moment are touted as having the ability to actually burn calories literally like magic. A good percent of these products contain chromium picolinate which is supposed to be one of the ingredients that helps to magically burn fat cells. There does not appear to be enough conclusive scientific evidence to support those statements.

What you should know about chromium is that it does regulate insulin in the bloodstream which ‘can’ have the effect of increasing the metabolic rate at which calories are burned. However, for full effects it would be better to use this supplement in conjunction with an increase in exercise. Chromium may or may not help you lose weight, but one thing is for certain. There are no magic potions when it comes to weight loss. The key to success is a healthy diet, increased exercise, plenty of water and rest and if you feel like taking chromium supplements, go right ahead. Just don’t expect to wake up 20 pounds lighter. It just isn’t going to happen.

One of the current trends in weight loss programs is to utilize colon cleansing supplements as a means of losing weight. There are times when this could well be effective, but it should not be viewed as a means to an end. Colon cleansing, when used periodically to flush built up fecal matter and toxins from the system can promote weight loss through better digestion and metabolism of foods. However, when supplements are used daily to continuously flush foods though the body, it could become an unhealthy habit in more ways than one.

First of all, taking a daily colon cleansing supplement is no different from people with eating disorders taking laxatives to lose weight. It can become an obsession which is both physically and psychologically damaging. Secondly, there is the potential for the colon to get ‘addicted’ to cleansers and at some point peristalsis will just not be possible without external stimulus. (Peristalsis is the contraction of muscles along the intestines to keep food moving through the digestive tract.)

Both of the above scenarios are unhealthy because permanent damage could result and there is no need to take cleansing to extremes. There is too much hype surrounding these dietary aids and even homeopaths who are ardent advocates of cleansing will tell you that you should cleanse three to four times a year ONLY. In the end, cleansing can help your system to get back on track and to help you better digest and metabolize food, but it should not be used daily over long periods of time as it is unhealthy to do so.

For years we have been urged to eat more fruit, but is seems that we have not been apprised of all the healthful benefits which can be realized by eating pineapple! So much emphasis has been placed on berries, apples, oranges and grapes that somehow pineapple got lost in the shuffle. It’s about time that more information was made available about this amazing enzyme in pineapple called ‘bromelain.’

Although there are varying degrees of scientific evidence, it is generally held to be substantiated that bromelain can indeed reduce inflammation often associated with a broad range of illnesses, but most significantly in the osteoarthritis family of disorders. It can help to break down blood clots and there is ongoing research into bromelain as a treatment for the prevention of certain types of cancer. Other uses would include aiding in digestion, shortening the duration of labor, acting as a fat blocker, and in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Some proponents even say that bromelain can prevent urinary tract infections.

Of course it should be understood that holistic approaches to the prevention and treatment of disease is alternative ‘medicine’ and you should always consult with your own doctor prior to taking any supplements. This would be the case when taking bromelain, especially if you are taking any NSAID’s or blood thinning pharmaceuticals. Although it is 100% natural, dosages may interfere with those medications. Instead, try adding pineapple to your diet to reap the benefits without the risk of side effects.

With flu season just around the corner, there is a real need to understand influenza and vaccinations that can help to either prevent the onset of flu or to lessen the impact should a person contract the disease. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misunderstanding in the community when it comes to flu vaccine and as a result, many people either don’t get vaccinated. Also, there is a very real difference in the strains of influenza so one vaccine does not necessarily mean that a person will not get the flu! In order to ‘almost’ guarantee that, it would be necessary to vaccinate people with vaccine for every known influenza bug out there. This is just plain unrealistic.

Also, because each strain of influenza can mutate, a vaccine may not be effective in fighting that particular strain all the time! For instance, that was the concern of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in Atlanta last year because they feared that the much feared avian (bird) flu was in the process of mutating. Now add that concern to the fact that there have been major outbreaks with avian flu, Spanish flu, Asian flu among the best known, and you have what may be an impossible situation. Not all vaccines work against all known flu viruses. With that being said, the CDC and the WHO (World Health Organization) do their best to track which virus is spreading in order to issue orders for the most needed vaccines to be manufactured.

According to the ScienceDaily, there is significant risk of being infected with H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) because of duck feathers from infected birds! When these feathers fall from infected birds they continue to carry significant health risks after being shed for the bird and falling to earth. Studies have shown that the virus is able to replicate in the feathers and continue to grow, even devoid of the live host.

These findings as reported by the ScienceDaily were the result of studies in Ibaraki, Japan. Because of data collected by Japanese scientists, it is now believed that feathers on the ground do, indeed, pose a very real danger to the spread of the avian virus. What this means in terms of a global pandemic is yet unknown, but citizens worldwide are being told of the danger.

Further studies indicated that domestic ducks are the leading cause for concern and that these feathers act as fomites which can transfer the potentially deadly disease from one place to the next. At this time there is no need to panic as we are not yet into flu season, but consumers are being cautioned that there is a possibility that the disease may be spread through environmental contamination due to feathers dropping from afflicted ducks. They urge everyone to get their flu shot early and to keep apprised of any further findings. One ray of hope in all this is that Tamiflu was more successful than previously thought at helping to heal those afflicted.