Parsley is perhaps one of the most commonly used but therapeutically under-rated of herbs. How often one sees a dish in a restaurant garnished with parsley, and the waiter leaves the parsley on the serving dish or the customer rejects it as mere decoration.

Parsley contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary vegetable, with 166mg per 100g (4oz). This is three times as much as oranges and about the same as blackcurrants. The iron content is exceptional with 5.5mg per100g (4oz), and the plant is a good source of manganese (2.7mg per 100g) and calcium (245mg per 100g). It is also exceptionally high in potassium, with one whole gram of potassium in 100g (4oz) .

In the Middle Ages parsley was used for many conditions including ‘fastening teeth’ (because scurvy which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C makes the gums spongy and the teeth loose) and for ‘brightening dim eyes’ (bad eyesight is a sign of shortage of vitamin A). The old herbalists often had good results without their knowing the chemistry involved. The old Greeks were in awe of parsley because the herb was associated with Archemorus who was eaten by a serpent having been put on a parsley leaf as a baby by his careless nurse. Henceforward he became the harbinger of death.

On the bright side, they decorated the heroes of the isthmian games with parsley garlands and decorated the many maidens that sang at feasts in the same way. This last use may be associated with the great effectiveness of parsley in increasing menstruation and helping in regular process of monthly periods. This action is due to the presence of apiol which is a constituent of the female sex hormone estrogen. The plant was used against the effects of malaria with some success and Father Kniepp said it was one of the most proven of all remedies as a diuretic to cure water retention or dropsy.

Today parsley is a valuable therapy for kidney stones, as a diuretic, for rheumatism, menstrual insufficiency and as a general stimulant. It settles the stomach and improves the appetite. The high content of vitamin C is not only useful in its own right, but also assists the absorption of the valuable quantity of iron.

Parsley juice, being a herbal drink, is quite powerful and is usually taken in quantities of about 2 fl oz (50ml) three times a day and is best mixed with other juices. The leaves can be deep frozen and are easily stored. It is a good idea to use parsley in cooking as well as in the form of juice. Dried parsley is not a very satisfactory alternative to fresh and has a coarser flavor.

In this fast-paced world, it’s easy to push our educational plans to the back burner. But if you desire to work in the holistic health industry, you might be surprised at the many holistic health programs that you can complete in less than a year; and in some cases, you can perform your studies from your own home desktop.

Why holistic health programs? As some conventional medicine treatments have the potential to pose serious health risks, individuals have begun turning to holistic health and alternative healthcare remedies to resolve common health conditions.

A typical curriculum in some holistic health programs entails alternative theories in healing, aromatherapy, energy healing therapies, flower essences, holistic fitness and nutrition, hypnotherapy, kinesiology, and life coaching, among others.

Other holistic health programs may be more focused on bodywork modalities, which result in massage therapy certification. In these courses, students learn the healing art of touch, and basic instruction in deep tissue massage, Swedish massage, and sports massage. These particular studies also integrate basic health sciences like anatomy, physiology, and pathology; as well as CPR and first aid.

With popularity growing in natural health sciences, a number of holistic health programs can lead to a degree. For example, if you would like to earn your Associate or Master of Science degree in nutrition or herbal sciences, there are some healing arts schools and colleges that offer course-intensive studies that allow aspiring natural health practitioners to earn valuable credentials.

There are a number of correspondence holistic health programs as well. Today, students can earn their Bachelor’s or Master’s in sciences of holistic health from the comfort of home; or if they choose, can opt to pursue a Doctor in philosophy in holistic health, too.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about these or other healing arts programs, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore holistic health programs near you.

Holistic Health Programs and You
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In this article, we’ll look at a couple of the healthiest foods that you can incorporate into your diet to start burning body fat faster and eat healthier.  I’m confident that once you start to incorporate healthy foods on a daily basis, you’ll not only look better, feel more energy, but also lose fat easier.

1. The first food that helps to burn body fat and lose weight permanently is any type of raw nuts.  Although most people view nuts as a “fatty food”, nuts contain so many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that they help to keep your body functioning properly.

Raw nuts are better for you than roasted nuts because the roasting oxidizes some of the healthy fats in the nuts and destroys some of the nutritional value. Raw nuts on the other hand help to preserve the vital nutrients that aid in giving your body what it needs to maintain proper fat burning hormone levels and appease your appetite.  The end result — faster weight loss by eating these healthy fats.

2. The second food I want to mention that can help you burn fat and lose weight faster is whole eggs.  I say whole eggs vs egg whites because despite popular belief, the egg yolks actually contain the majority of the nutrition in the eggs in terms of vitamins and minerals and trace nutrients.  The nutrition of egg yolks actually accounts for over 90% of the vitamins and minerals in whole eggs.

Whole eggs contain protein that’s vital to building lean muscle throughout your body, which increases your metabolism to aid in weight loss.  It’s important to note that the egg yolks contain amino acids that make the protein of the whole eggs more bioavailable compared to just egg whites.

The combination of the high quality protein along with the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals helps to control your appetite for longer periods of time to prevent overeating. They also keep your body functioning at peak levels to help with long term weight loss.

3.  The third type of food that can help long term weight loss is berries.  In the first two foods above, I talked about good sources of healthy fats and proteins, so with this example, we’ll talk about a quality healthy carbohydrate source — berries.

Berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, acai berry, goji berry) are such a good quality source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even fiber, that they help to control blood sugar and cravings. Try to eat several servings a day of any type of berries to make sure you’re getting optimal nutrition for weight loss. Berries have a higher fiber to sugar ratio than most fruits so can be more conducive to healthy weight loss compared to high sugar fruits.

I could talk about dozens more healthy foods that help to burn body fat and aid with weight loss, but I hope these 3 examples will help you for now.

When we did a Whois Search on Health First Technologies, we noticed that the company domain was originally registered in January 2003, so the company has been around a while. The CEO of this company is Michael Bianco and it’s headquarters is in Carson City Nevada. Their primary business is offering Nutritional Products through MLM Marketing. When I first visited their websites, I noticed a popup right in my face that wanted me to reserve a position at their 1st Leadership Empowerment Summit through a website link or an 800 number.

On the left side of their website, it dynamically displays the last 10 Enrollees. Right under that there are two testimonials, one from Tony Short and Rick Erickson about how HFT has changed their life for the better. As far as the products go, we first noticed the Healthier You Product Pak which consists of Goji, Noni, Mangosteen and Acai which all have created major Network Marketing Buzz in the last few years. After viewing some of their other products it appears this company has a pattern of using a combination of these types of ingredients so what they have when used together in combination is positive effects on the body. They also mention that they sell only 100% Fruit Juice with nothing artificial added, including sweeteners, colors, sugars or waters.

Health First Technologies has a unique compensation plan that offers no money down and no interest for a year and you can still receive their products for a full year through their unique Product Finance Program. On the company website they offer more information on their Finance Program. They also give you the ability to earn 2D and 3D bonuses, Powerline Power Pools and Leadership Bonus Pools. The company calculates and pays commissions each five days once you reach $20.00 or more. If you’re an International Rep, they’ll send the money you earn to your PayPal account. If you’re in the United States, they will send you a check through the mail and only charge 55 cents each to process it.

One of the things we liked about the Health First Technologies MLM Compensation Plan is that you can break even with just 2 active referrals and if you bring in 3 people you can profit over $100.00. So the key to coming out ahead with this program is to make sure you get your 3 people as soon as possible. The company has training calls five times a week which will give you a chance to find out what some of their successful MLM Reps are doing to build their enterprises. This company even has a revolutionary Web 2.0 System in place to drive lots of autopilot traffic to your website.

They claim that this system is one of a kind and nothing like it exists anywhere else. The traffic is driven to your Personal HFT Marketing Website you can send your prospects to so they can get started with HFT as well. And there are no minimums of recruiting so many people every pay cycle just to get paid. Even if you get your 3 referrals over 3 months, you’ll still receive a commission check at the end of the pay period in which you made the sale.

Carrot juice has a number of health benefits. The carrot provides what is certainly the most important basic juice. The yellow color is due to carotene. Another name for this form of carotene, the transform, is pro vitamin A. Many authors write that carrots contain a lot of vitamin A. This is not actually true; what the carrot does contain is the pro vitamin. That means a substance that is converted by the body into the vitamin itself.

Carrot juice plays the most important part in an infant’s supply of vitamin A. When carrot juice is consumed jointly with milk, the utilization of carotene as vitamin A is considerably increased. A carrot and milk juice is the ideal vitamin A source for infants and can in no case lead 10 the risk of the child having too much A.

Carrots are widely used. Indeed it is estimated that in Germany carrots account for 10% of the total vegetable consumption. From the carrot juice point of view, the varieties to be employed are ideally those with the most carotene. It is fortunate that the pro vitamin is strongly colored for this means that so long as you use good colored carrots they are likely to be the best nutritionally speaking too.

As a general rule, early carrots are pale and low in carotene. Because carotene is not water soluble, but is fat soluble, there is not a very great deterioration in the vitamin content on storage.

Nursing mothers are well advised, for the sake of the quality of their milk, to take carrot juice throughout lactation. When the baby is on its way it is good sense not only to drink the juice but also to nibble a carrot when you feel hungry. For although a good sized one will provide your minimum requirement of vitamin A, 7oz (200g) of carrot contain only 50 calories, which cannot be considered to be a fattening snack.

The carrot is recorded as being used in medicine by the early Greeks and has been cherished ever since. Its juice is one of the most delicious and healthful, and alone or in combinations should be in every daily diet providing, as it does, the essential vitamin A, without the saturated fats with which this vitamin is associated in eggs and butter.

Technology spending for hardware, software and consulting services accounts for a significant portion of most health care providers budgets today, especially since the Obama Stimulus Plan and HITECH Act are incentivizing providers to implement electronic health records. In a perfect world, technology works perfectly, improves efficiency and the quality of care and makes life easier for the provider. However, the real world is not perfect and things can, and do, go wrong with technology products and services after you purchase and/or license them from third party vendors. Technology contracts generally are written by the vendors and consultants. Unfortunately, many technology contracts fall short of giving providers adequate protection and often contain hidden pitfalls and costs. Despite this fact, many providers never give these contracts to experienced health lawyers to help them negotiate better terms and protections for their high-tech investments BEFORE signing. This is a potentially costly practice. Every health care provider should be concerned with at least the following FOUR KEY ISSUES, which should be addressed in any technology contract:

Warranties and Limitations of Liability: Despite elaborate sales presentations, technology contracts typically disclaim most, if not all, warranties and limit the liability of vendors to only refunding all or part of the purchase or license price paid for the technology. Such refunds are inadequate to protect the average provider when problems arise. A technology vendor should be required to give a written warranty in the contract that its product will perform in accordance with documented standards and for a reasonable period of time. At a minimum, this time period should be long enough for the provider to evaluate the technology in its operations. A better solution is to require a warranty for the useful life of the technology, or as long as there is a support and maintenance service agreement in place. A vendor also should not be allowed contractually to limit its liability on default only to return of the purchase price. If a provider suffers actual damages caused by the technology, the vendor should be required, in writing, to stand behind its product and services and reimburse such damages. A reasonable compromise is to require the vendor at least to tender the limits of its insurance coverage, which creates minimal additional risk to the vendor while better protecting the provider.

Payments & Performance: A provider should not agree to pay the full purchase price up front, as is often a contract requirement, leaving the vendor with little incentive to complete its responsibilities. The parties should mutually agree in advance upon a project timetable with milestone targets for delivery and implementation of the technology. Payments should be made in installments conditioned upon reaching the targets. In addition, providers should build in testing rights, in order to evaluate whether the technology is performing as promised. The provider always should have the final say in whether a test provides a successful outcome and whether the final payment should be made to the vendor.

Support and Maintenance: A technology hardware purchase or software license is only as good as the support and maintenance that goes along with it. The vendor should be willing to provide support for at least a defined useful life of the technology. Several questions should be answered in a written support agreement. Are updates or upgrades provided without additional charge? Will the vendor perform on-site or off-site support and maintenance? Will the provider pay a monthly fee plus an hourly charge or is there only an hourly charge? Does the hourly charge differ depending on when or what level of support is needed? Do the charges increase over the term of the support agreement? What is the vendor agreeing to support? Will changes made to the technology by the provider automatically terminate the warranty or support obligations? Unless the contract is specific regarding essential issues, a provider may find itself paying for less or different support and/or maintenance services than needed or expected.

Confidentiality: Confidentiality of patient health information is a critical issue. Federal HIPAA law has a variety of privacy and security rules providers and their business associates must follow. In addition, some states, including Florida, have enacted legislation that requires entities that conduct business in the state and which maintain computerized data that contains personal information to provide notice to any resident if there is a breach of security. A technology contract should specify if the vendor will have access to any of the confidential patient information. A health care provider must require the vendor and its employees to maintain the confidentiality of such information under federal and many state laws. The technology contract also should expressly protect the confidentiality of provider trade secrets and other proprietary information to which a vendor or consultant may have access.

Although technology contracts may appear intimidating, as they frequently are presented by vendors in small print and columned format, leading providers to believe they are non-negotiable forms, this is not the case in most instances. Investing the time and resources to have a health law attorney experienced in technology contracting review and help to negotiate contracts for hardware purchases, software licenses, maintenance and support, as well as technology consulting services, can save providers significant expense, disappointment and damages should the technology products or services not perform as promised.