Who Wins Bodybuilding Contests?

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
If you think that you win bodybuilding contests by taking supplements and eating special diets, you've been reading too many magazines for bodybuilders. Champion body builders are born, not made; and exercising against resistance, not eating, enlarges muscles. Many bodybuilders also use steroids or other banned substances, even though they will deny that in public.
The best body builders have the largest muscles. How large your muscles can grow depends on the size of your bones and the ratio of the length of muscle to tendon. Large muscles attach on large bones. Muscles that are too strong for bones can break them when they contract forcibly. Most people have a calf muscle that ends half way down the back of the lower leg to become a tendon that extends to the bottom of the heel. That's why most people can never be champion bodybuilders. If your calf muscle extends from the back of your knee to your ankle, you may have the potential to be a champion body builder.
Muscles enlarge only when you exercise them against progressively greater resistance. Many bodybuilders think that the more time that they spend in the gym, the larger their muscles will be. You do not have to spend many hours lifting weights. The greater the resistance, the larger your muscles become.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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Obesity And Emotional Trauma

By Nick Arrizza, M.D.
It has been said by many a therapist that we hide our pain and hurt behind our fat. It has been my experience working with a new process that in fact the fat "is" the pain and hurt. Let me explain.
As I mentioned, many therapists have believed that individuals unconsciously make themselves unattractive or unappealing to others by putting on the pounds. Although this may have some truth to it, it has been my experience working with individuals that in fact the emotional trauma actually "materializes" in a manner of speaking.
A new process called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) which I have written about extensively about here in this ezine has the ability to permanently release negative beliefs and traumatic memories from one's mind/body in a relatively short time.
One of the unexpected and recurring surprises I have had over the last several years facilitating change in people's lives is that as they release their trauma they also in a very short time shed huge amounts of weight and all without dieting or any change in their daily routine. The fat essentially disappears!
One example of an individual shedding over 40 lbs in a matter of 2 to 3 weeks was not only a surprise to me but also to her. After close questioning she noted that there had been no change in her diet, exercise routine, or eating habits.
At first I was not sure what to make of this and wrote it off. After many other clients started experiencing the same thing I began to realize the connection between emotional trauma and obesity.
I explain it as follows.
When an individual experiences a trauma and it becomes "embedded" in their mind/body whenever they recall it they often will re-experience the hurt that goes with the trauma. What they also experience are feelings of tiredness, emotional gravity (i.e. heaviness) and a draining of their vital life energy.
It literally feels to them as if they are carrying something that is dragging them down. This is not dissimilar to carrying extra weight on board. In fact now it turns out that the "extra weight" is actually the trauma in "material form".
When an individual experiences the MRP process and releases the trauma they repeatedly feel emotionally lighter, less burdened, more energized, more peaceful, and more joyful. In addition they feel physically lighter. As strange as this may seem this latter feeling is almost spontaneously associated with a measurable weight loss.
The conclusion I am coming to may sound strange but it is something that I am in the process of researching. It is as follows:
Emotional trauma not only brings one "down" emotionally" it also brings one "down physically" by literally turning into fat.
When the trauma is released (which occurs in minutes with MRP) the fat is transformed into energy. In other words what is happening here is that mass density is decreasing while energy density is increasing.
If you'd like to know more or experience MRP for yourself kindly visit the web link below to download a free audio session.
Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.
Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com
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Spot Reduction is a Myth

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Sit-ups, crunches and other exercises can strengthen your belly muscles, but there is no such thing as spot reduction. Exercising a muscle does not get rid of fat over the specific muscles that are exercised. If it did, tennis players would have less fat in their tennis arms, but they don't.
When you take in more calories than your body burns, you store them as fat. You store more that half the fat in your body underneath your skin and over your muscles. Some people store fat primarily in their hips and are at low risk for heart attacks and diabetes, while others who store their fat primarily in their bellies are at increased risk for heart attacks and diabetes.
The "ab" exercises can strengthen sagging belly muscles, but they will not remove extra fat from your belly. The only way to lose fat from the place where you store most of your fat (whether it's your belly or your hips) is to lose weight overall.
One study from Duke showed that lack of exercise causes excess fat to accumulate in your belly, and vigorous exercise can reduce belly fat in just a few weeks. You get rid of belly fat with any kind of vigorous exercise and a sensible weight loss diet.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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Is Accutane Safe?

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Isotretinoin, sold under the brand name Accutane, is the only drug that can cure acne, but it can cause horrible birth defects when taken by pregnant women. Reports from Britain and Israel show that Accutane otherwise is much safer than we used to think.
Acne is a condition in which normally colorless, liquid skin oils are converted to solid white material. Then the skin responds to the trapped solid oil by turning red and swelling. A three- or four-month course of Accutane damages the oil glands and markedly reduces the amount of oil that your skin produces, making Accutane the most effective drug to treat acne. Having less skin oil should not cause any serious side effects as its only known function is to keep you from feeling too cold in the winter, because it slows evaporation of sweat. Dry skin is associated with lack of water, and aging of skin is associated with lack of collagen, not with lack of oil.
In the British study, ninety-three per cent of the people taking Accutane reported no long-term side effects. The British researchers reported that two percent suffered muscle aches at follow up, and 5 percent suffered from dry mouth. Fewer than one percent claimed that they had dry eyes and skin and joint pains. Higher doses were not associated with more side effects. The authors concluded that their study showed that isotretinoin is a safe drug with no serious long-term side-effects. However, it causes birth defects when taken during pregnancy.
A study from Israel also shows that Accutane is far safer than many doctors think. Many doctors refuse to prescribe Accutane for severe acne because they are afraid that Accutane will damage livers, raise triglyceride levels and cause heart attacks. In this study, none of the patients had liver tests that were abnormal enough to stop treatment. Only 1.5 percent of patients had serum triglyceride levels above 400 mg%, but all continued treatment. Only 3.5 percent of patients required a second treatment.
I insist that all women who take Accutane do nothing that could cause a pregnancy while they take it. Three months after stopping Accutane, a woman has no increased risk for birth defects.
I check liver tests and triglyceride levels and if normal, prescribe 40 mg of Accutane twice a day for 14 weeks. I check liver tests every four weeks and stop the drug immediately if the liver tests become abnormal. I repeat liver tests two weeks later, and if normal, restart Accutane. Eighty-two percent of those who follow this regimen are cured of acne for life. If the acne returns months or years later, I usually prescribe 40 mg of Accutane four times a day for one month. Check with your doctor.
For Journal references on Accutane see http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/G200.htm
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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What Does Healing from Childhood Experiences Mean?

By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD
The impact of child emotional, physical and sexual abuse can last a lifetime, unless the survivor has completed a healing process. The impact includes mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, relational and sexual aspects of your life. Abuse affects the very core of our being, as well as:
• your self-worth, self-esteem and self-trust
• your ability to love yourself and others
• your ability to experience true intimacy • your belief in your ability to manage your life • your belief in our own power • your belief in the validity of our personal values and perceptions • how we are treated by those we are in relationship with • how we treat our children
These and many other areas of your life are directly influenced by the recorded experiences of your early life as well as the interpretations (or misinterpretations) you have made of those experiences. In the healing process you will work directly with the emotions, traumas, relationships and sometimes distorted life perceptions associated with child abuse. You will complete a seven step process to determine the main limiting patterns, beliefs and traumas that are holding you back from having a happy life.
In the Healing process you will learn to: • Identify and release negative beliefs and thought patterns that no longer serve you
• Free yourself from old self-perceptions that no longer serve you • Create and maintain the positive intention to change your life • Break the karmic patterns that negatively influence your life • Let go of fear, anger and guilt • Identify your boundary issues in relationships and change them • Understand how early life perceptions and decisions influence your current life • Understand how your past beliefs create your current reality • Free yourself from the controlling influences of your unconscious mind • Turn the seemingly meaningless events of abuse into opportunities for learning and growth • Practice a variety of self-healing methods and meditations • Communicate with your spirit guides • Consciously move into the realm of your personal power • Open your heart in relationships and trust your own inner guidance • Map out a positive course for your life and your relationships
Traditional psychotherapy/psychoanalysis focuses on symptoms and better coping strategies and fails to address the all-important relationship to one's true spiritual nature.
Traditional religious practice often bypasses -and thus fails to transform - the psychological conditional patterns and unconscious beliefs that arise from our personal histories and adaptations.
Both, in general, neglect the fact that we feel, sense, and experience global political mass consciousness, as well as our individual consciousness, like never before. A healing process addresses all three, therefore opening the door to true balance and transformation. Well-being comes from the understanding of the Self and others. We are each one heart of the Whole; each heart here to express its unique piece of the Whole. Knowing Self creates a sense of "I as a piece of this Whole," different and one at the same time.
The healing process is direct, focused, and combines healing the past while creating the future. You will make a subtle and effective transition to self-discovery and empowerment.
Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, If I'd Only Known...Sexual Abue in or out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention, specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention/Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net
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