Researchers discovered this interaction by accident while investigating whether alcohol (masked with grapefruit juice) would interact with the drug that was under testing at the time.   They instead realized that the grapefruit juice caused higher levels of the drug to be absorbed several times more than in previous tests.  After the discovery, further research found that an active compound (called bergamottin) found in grapefruit juice was the cause for the drug interactions.

This compound in grapefruit juice interferes with crucial enzymes inside your body which are relied upon by many medications to allow their active ingredients to be absorbed by the body in a controlled fashion.  The absence of these special enzymes often makes it easy for these active ingredients to enter the blood stream at a faster rate than intended.  The danger then comes about as high levels of certain drugs can lead to severe side effects or fatal overdose.

Interactions With Medications

The following popular medications are known to interact adversely with grapefruit juice:

• Statin medications such Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor;
• Drugs used to treat high blood pressure such Lisinopril;
• Psychiatric and anti-anxiety treatments such as Zoloft, Valium, and Abilify;
• Prescription strength pain relievers;
• Various Anti-HIV medications

For a more complete list of medications, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_drug_interactions

Should You Stop Using Grapefruit Juice?

If any of your medications belong to the class of drugs listed above, then you should talk with your health care provider so that he/she can provide proper confirmation and advice.  If your treatment is known to be severely affected by Grapefruit, your doctor may prescribe an alternate drug which doesn’t interact with the juice.  While alternatives for many of these drugs are available, in most cases, it might be best to cut back on your consumption of grapefruit while on your drug treatment regimen.

If your treatment does not interact adversely with Grapefruit then there is no reason stop consuming it, especially since grapefruit juice is a great source of Vitamin C and can improve your heart health.

Always consult with your doctor or pharmacist before starting or making changes to your treatment plan.

About the author:
Kevin Clarke is a pharmacist and publisher of Side Effects Hub.

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Instead our bodies are bombarded with processed food packed with fat, sugar
and salt, deliberately engineered to make us crave more of the same.

Millions of people in the developed and developing world are fat, sick and nearly
dead, like Joe Cross was before his juice fast. Instead he turned his life around
and that of many others with juicing.

Whether you are undertaking a full-on juice cleanse or simply adding juices
into your life gradually, smooth out the bumps on your journey to better health
through juicing with the following tips.

1. PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.

This includes simple day to day practicalities such as working out the
juices you are going to have and making sure all ingredients are to hand.
Carey’s fantastic eBook “25 Healthy Juice Recipes” makes this easy.

Think about anything that might come up that could push you off track.
How can you go up, over or around the obstacle?

I had an ‘aha’ moment the other day when I realized that I could accept an
obstacle (and wallow around feeling sorry for myself) or choose to move
past it.

What obstacles are you coming up against in your juicing journey? How
can you move around them?

2. Identify, assemble and surround yourself with a support team.

Set up some accountability. Now is not the time to be shy. This could be
friends or family and these days with technology they may live in the
same town or be on the other side of the world. Forums, blogs and
facebook communities can also be a wonderful source of support and
encouragement.

3. Identify saboteurs.

Unfortunately this may include your nearest and dearest. You may be
able to transform them into your supporters simply by telling them what
you need and how they can hep you. They may be unaware of how they
are undermining your efforts, have the best of intentions and are really
happy to support you. If this is not the case, can you minimise their
impact? Aim to have your supporters far outnumber your saboteurs.

4. Redefine normal.

In our society today it has become the norm to have a diet high in
processed food, fat, sugar and salt. Similarly with weight, our view of
what is a healthy weight has changed (upwards) over the last 20 years.
Remind yourself that normal for you now is nourishing your body with
micronutrients from beautiful juices.

5. Enjoy the feeling!

Focus on what you’re gaining, not what you’re giving up. Revel in the sparkle in your eyes, your clear skin and that gorgeous feeling of lightness. Relish that feeling of accomplishment.

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About the author:
Claire Kerslake is a diabetes educator and founder of Loving Life with
Diabetes, a website and blog for anybody at risk of diabetes, with
prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. She believes that good health is essential
for us to live a life that makes our hearts sing.

When it comes to juicing, pretty much all fruits and vegetables are superb. When you add up the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and all the other good thing that take refuge in fresh produce, you end up with a powerful and super-nutritious drink.

If you’re new to juicing, you’ve probably had a lot of fun juicing fruits and (if you’re a little adventurous) perhaps a few vegetables. But I’ve got to tell you – vegetables are where it’s at!

Fruits are often high in sugar so while nutritious aren’t the perfect thing to juice too much. This is where vegetables come in. They are very low on sugar and very high on health-charging and vitality increasing nutrients.

And of the vegetables you can juice, beetroot stands out like nothing else. If you haven’t started juicing beetroot yet, then here are five massive reasons why you can’t wait any longer.

1. Beetroot cools and purifies the blood.

2000 years ago the Romans caught onto the healing power of beetroot and its nutritious juice. They discovered that it had a super powerful ability to cool and purify the blood. This is due to the iron it’s bursting with (you’ll hear more about this below).

After a glass of beetroot juice, minerals and natural sugars surge into your blood and make you feel amazing. If I pay attention I can feel it in under five minutes.

2. Beetroot is a potent liver cleanser.

When your liver is blocked, dirty and otherwise not performing well you feel like crap. It saps your energy, can make you feel tired and has serious health complications if left unchecked.

At the other end of the spectrum, a clean and healthy liver will make you feel amazing. It’s not something which will sit in the background; instead, it’s like being hit with a massive energy and vitality boost.

And if you’re the sort that likes to drink lots of alcohol, beetroot juice is even more important.

3. Beetroot kick starts your digestive system.

When your digestive system is running on empty, it doesn’t do you any favors. You’re much more likely to put on weight as your body won’t be processing food properly.

And any food you do put in (no matter how good) will probably be wasted. If your digestive system is tired, it’s going to have a hard time pulling nutrients out of the food you eat. But this is why juicing is so amazing. It takes out the digestive process and gives health-enriching nutrients to the body in an easy to digest form.

The great thing about beetroot juice is that while it is easily digested, it also steps your digestive system up a few levels. The carbohydrates and natural sugars will give your digestive system a healthy wakeup call.

4. Say goodbye to iron deficiency.

Iron is essential to maintaining a healthy immune system, energy production and also the successful operation of many enzymes. An iron deficiency typically results in low energy, ulcers, poor digestion, arthritis and a whole host of other problems. It’s best if you fix this problem quickly.

Fortunately, beetroot is filled to the brim with iron. It’s got more than spinach even! This means it’s going to smash right through any iron deficiency that you may have.

5. Beetroot eliminates cancer.

As with all fruits and vegetables, beetroot prevents cancer. It’s loaded with tough little antioxidants which are the body’s personal bodyguard unit. Their mission is to dispose and eliminate cancerous growths caused by free-radicals in the body. The more antioxidants you have, the stronger you’ll be when cancer knocks on your door.

As for recipe ideas, try beetroot, celery, grapefruit, lemon, ginger, cayenne pepper and turmeric. I call it the liver cleanser and yes, it does exactly what its title says it does.

So get into it – go juice some beetroot and feel amazing already.

About the author: John McIntyre is the resident juicer of Healthy-Juicing.com and is on a quest to help people with the immense power of juicing.

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There are some forms of wealth that can be earned at any point in our lives, but when it comes to health, if you lose it once, it’s pretty hard to earn it back again. And for that reason alone, health remains the greatest kind of wealth we can possess. There’s no particular age to concentrate on health and fitness – the journey should be one you start from childhood and continue throughout your life. The fitter and healthier you are, the younger you feel, no matter how old you are. So if you’re looking for smart ways to boost your fitness and health, turn to juice for the answer. If you’ve never tried juicing as a way to good health, here’s why you should do so:

·Instant energy: If you want to energize yourself before your workout, the best and most efficient way to do so is to drink a glass of juice before you start. The nutrients and natural sugars are absorbed into your blood stream immediately and your body has enough energy to last through your workout. It does not waste energy in breaking down your food and all the goodness and nutrients in the juice are assimilated into your body in a matter of 30 minutes. And after your workout, a glass of juice is a great way to refresh and rejuvenate yourself.

·Wholesome health: We all know that a healthy diet is one that includes fruits and vegetables, and the easiest way to eat your fruits and veggies, especially in the raw form, is to juice them. Even if you don’t like the taste, you can just close your eyes and drink it up without having to chew them and endure their taste in your mouth for what seems like an eternity. You not only get the benefits of the fruits and vegetables you juice, but also find yourself eating more of this food group if it’s in the form of juice.

·Not just fruits and veggies: The best part about juicing is that it extends to all kinds of foods and is not limited to fruits and vegetables alone. You can put pretty much anything into your blender as long as it won’t break the blades. Since any workout requires complex carbohydrates as fuel, juicing the source of any such energy provider saves you the time and effort of cooking or getting ready a mini meal to fuel your exercise routine.

Remember however, that for juicing to be totally beneficial, your concoctions must be fresh and without any additives like sugar or milk. You’re not going to get the same benefits from pre-packaged juices as you would from the fresh ones because they contain additives like sugar and preservatives and because they’re pasteurized to kill germs. Essential enzymes and vitamins are destroyed during pasteurization, so it’s just not going to be the same as blending one or more fruits at home and gulping down the resultant mixture.

Also, if you’re juicing fruits with pulp, drink up without filtering if you want to retain the benefits of the fiber found in the fruit. It aids digestion and helps regulate your intestinal system. Remove the peel from citrus fruits and large seeds from any fruit. Also remember to wash the fruits and vegetables before you juice them to rid them of dust, dirt and preservatives.

This post is contributed by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of x ray technician schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com .