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Television is constantly filled with memorable characters. Some of these characters are highly likable, such as Charles Ingalls, and some are characters you love to hate, such as Mr. Burns (excellent). Some leave you questioning the government, like Jack Bauer, and others leave you wondering who shot them, like JR Ewing. Then, there are some character who are completely unparalleled. No matter how many times we change the channel, they won’t ever be forgotten.

The following is our list of the top ten television characters of all time.

Cliff Huxtable, The Cosby Show: Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable was the father we all wanted. Funny, smart, and filled with a youthful playfulness, Bill Cosby fitted this character to a tee. He helped set a new standard for primetime television, catapulted NBC’s Must See TV, and left every child in America wishing they too were one of the Cosby kids.

Al Bundy, Married With Children: On the opposite end of the spectrum sat Al Bundy, the bitter, defeated shoe salesman whose greatest accomplishment in life was his stint as a Polk High Football star. Played to absolute perfection by Ed O’Neill, Al Bundy wasn’t the same kind of father as Cliff Huxtable, but he was highly original, adorably pathetic, and incredibly funny. Whoaaaaaaaaaaa Bundy!

Phoebe Buffay, Friends: The quirkiest of the Friends’ characters, Phoebe Buffay was drowning in obscurities: her real-mom-turned-fake-mom committed suicide, she had a twin sister whom she rarely talked to, she grew up on the streets, she sang a song about a smelly cat, and, of course, she gave birth to her brother’s triplets. In a show where the entire cast was strong, Lisa Kudrow made Phoebe Buffay stick out like a loveable, and eccentric, thumb.

Karen Walker, Will and Grace: Megan Mullally obtained a feat similar to Lisa Kudrow’s: she set the bar on a sitcom where everyone was great. Playing Karen Walker, the drunk, sharp-tongued, condescending, hardly working assistant to Grace, Megan Mullally took this show to a new level. The duo of Jack and Karen was unforgettable as was the love/hate relationship Karen and her maid Rosario perpetually shared.

Dr. Perry Cox, Scrubs: Take a dollop of ego, a dash of narcissism, a sprinkle of heart, saut? it in sarcasm and you have Dr. Cox. Played by John C. McGinley, Dr. Cox serves as the mentor of J.D., the main character on Scrubs. He’s cruel, he’s arrogant, and he has a penchant for calling his employees by demeaning names, but, in all fairness, Dr. Cox is hilarious. He also tends to shed his tough exterior and reveal humanity at the most appropriate, and poignant, moments.

Newman, Seinfeld: While Wayne Knight’s portrayal of Newman didn’t do much for the stereotypes attached to postal workers, it did make us laugh. As Jerry Seinfeld’s nemesis, Newman was the sugar on top of an incredible show. Whether he was cooking up hair brained schemes with Kramer or foiling one of Jerry’s endeavors, a scene with Newman was always great. Hello, Newman.

Archie Bunker, All in the Family: Before Archie Bunker came along, the term “lovable bigot” seemed impossibly oxymoronic. But, Carroll O’Connor proved it could exist. A blue-collar man with outspoken views, Archie Bunker was portrayed as being biased, but he was also portrayed as a man whose views were formed by the era in which he was raised and not by an evil heart. Ultimately, as the series went on, Archie Bunker became a more decent person. Filled with audacity ahead of his time, this character changed television forever.

Dr. Tobias Funke, Arrested Development: Arrested Development was filled with oddball characters that all added flavor to the show, but Tobias Funke was particularly appealing. A psychiatrist turned actor who was both an overzealous braggart and swimming in oblivion, Tobias Funke was a man conflicted by a never nude syndrome and a homosexual laden vernacular. All of this worked together to make his character ridiculously funny; when he mirrored the plot of Mrs. Doubtfire by dressing up as Mrs. Featherbottom, he went from ridiculously funny to tear-in-the-eyes hysterical.

Tony Soprano, The Sopranos: I didn’t put him on this list for fear that exclusion would leave me sleeping with the fishes; I simply did it because Tony Soprano was one of the greats. Played by James Gandolfini, Tony Soprano allowed us to see everyone, even mob bosses, have problems. Forced to juggle his personal life, his family, and his penchant for whacking people, Tony Soprano made crime families human and, oddly enough, even likeable.

Lucy Ricardo, I Love Lucy: It’s hard to think of television without paying homage to Lucille Ball. A woman with an unrivaled talent for physical comedy, Ball gave Lucy Ricardo a permanent place in pop culture. A housewife with big ambitions and an ability to get into trouble, Lucy Ricardo was the meat of I Love Lucy; just watching her once led us all to agree with the show’s title.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for www.iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture - and a gift for stalking - she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

AP - Kicker Jay Feely has been cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, a day after signing a one-year deal. Feely was an eight-year veteran who kicked for Miami last season. He was brought in to challenge Connor Barth and Nick Novak for the starting job.

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If you’re wondering how to copyright software, the good news is you’ve probably already done it. At least you have if you have ever written software. Most people get confused over exactly what having a copyright for their software means. Only those things that can be seen (when it comes to software) can be copyrighted. If you want to protect the abstract, look into patents. Otherwise if it is original, fixed, and tangible you can copyright it. Essentially you already know how to copyright software if you’ve put it into a finished form. Once you’ve written the source code, the copyright belongs to you.

Copyrighting software doesn’t offer the protection that many people hope it will. The idea of software and anything about the finished product that wasn’t available in a tangible (visible) form isn’t protected by copyright. In fact, the only thing undeniably protected by software copyright is the source code. The question you should ask yourself is not how to copyright software, but how to patent your software.

What Is A Software Patent?

A “software patent” has no universal understanding. In general, owning a patent allows a company certain rights (or exclusivity) for a prescribed amount of time. Individuals or corporations seeking a patent must apply for a patent in each country in which they wish to have one. Unlike copyrights, patents are not automatically granted to applicants and can take a while to be approved.

The growth of Internet business and e-commerce has led to many patent applications for software, particularly software designed for specific business applications. While the cases are granted and successfully tried and defended in some countries, other countries offer no enforcement or legal recourse for those who do not honor the software patent, even if the patents were granted in those countries. The fine line between nations about what is and isn’t patentable is another challenge to establish and honor patents.

Patents differ greatly from copyrights, which are issued automatically and recognized and enforced internationally. Copyrights protect the source code of software from being copied and registration is generally not required to protect your work.

Lately there is a new term, “Copyleft,” which is an obvious play on words and represents the rights to not only redistribute the copyrighted works, but also to modify and freely distribute those modifications. This term is very much in the spirit of many open source types of software and music. The catch for copyleft protection is that the newly created work be distributed in the same manner and spirit in which it was received. In other words if you were freely given the software, then you must freely provide the improvements and modifications you made to that software.

One unfortunate circumstance surrounding patents is the unequal and obvious disparity between the haves and the have not’s. Patent enforcement for software, unlike literature and music, is largely subjective. In literature and music, it is obvious that the copyright has been abused or that the work has been copied; this isn’t as simple with software.

How to Obtain a Patent

To obtain a patent for your software, you must apply for a patent in each country that offers patents for software and in which you wish to have the protection a patent can offer. There is no universal legal definition of what a software patent is. Each country that offers patents also has a different definition for what is protected by that patent, as well as for why a patent will be granted. Also consider the fact your software may be given a patent in one country where you applied and none of the others.

Of course, if this is not enough fun for you, you can try to deal with the red tape involved in dealing with multiple governments to resolve any issues or disputes that may have arisen from your software patents.

If you are applying for international patents (which can secure a profitable future for you and your business), you need to find a good patent lawyer and have him walk you through the entire process. Patents are complicated. When you’re not exactly sure of what you’re doing, whom you need to talk to, and what the next step is, you stand to waste a lot of time while taking a bigger risk. It is much easier to deal with how to copyright software on your own than it is to work out the complicated world of software patents.

If this is your first time designing your own software, you have every right to be nervous. Remember: lawyers went to school much longer than you to know what to do in this situation, so you should not be expected to know how to copyright or patent software when you’ve never done it before.

Richard Cunningham is a freelance journalist who covers copyright law for www.ResearchCopyright.com http://www.ResearchCopyright.com . Download his free e-book, Copyright Basics at ResearchCopyright.com http://ResearchCopyright.com .

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With the daily challenges posed by economic difficulty and other threats, governments in developing countries are working very hard to ensure that their educational institutions continue to provide a standard of education that can make its citizens at part with the educated people in more economically sound countries. To a certain extent, these Third World countries have succeeded in their crusade for quality education. The problem is that a good education comes with a price and it is often a price that many people in Third World countries are not able to pay. So, although quality education is available, it is still unreachable for a large segment of a developing country’s population.

Certainly, it is impressive to see that developing countries have educational institutions that are world-class and which offer education that can rival that provided by wealthier nations around the world. There is a clear recognition of the role that education plays in overcoming hardship and poverty. However elusive it may be, a good education is still viewed as the best way to a better life.

Among the developing countries that have superb educational systems are such “emerging markets” as Mexico, India, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Egypt, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, much of South America and several of the Persian Gulf Arab States.

Obviously, the poorest of the poor in these countries will have a hard time getting into the best schools in their vicinity. Of course, there are always scholarship programs available but these are few. Besides, people at the lowest spectrum of the economic scale are more concerned with more pressing issues related to their mere survival such as where to find food and money for clothing and shelter. After these basic needs are met, that is the only time that parents can really focus on their children’s schooling. In fact, studies indicate that once their basic economic needs are met, the first priority of most poor families is how to send their children to a good school.

India recently launched EDUSAT, an educational program aimed at giving quality education to even its poorest citizens. Among the group’s first initiatives is the development of a $100 laptop which the government hopes to distribute by 2007 to public schools all over the country.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for 4educationinformation.com/ http://4educationinformation.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for 4kidsandteens.com/ http://4kidsandteens.com/ and iweatherworld.com/ http://iweatherworld.com/ .

AP - The government said Thursday that the salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 1,440 people appears to be over, but its ultimate source may never be known, partly because of shortcomings in the nation’s food safety system.

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This is a simple children’s Christmas party game. I deal for young children due to the simple rules and it’s all round good fun.

Preparing the game

Draw a large reindeer to pin on the wall or to stick to a table. Try not to leave indented drawing lines on the paper, we don’t want any cheating!

Make a red nose and cut it out. Or you could paint a Ping-Pong ball red and use that for Rudolf’s nose. Stick some blue tack on the back of the nose so that it easily sticks to the large reindeer drawing.

How to play

Blindfold your first contestant with a scarf. Give them the nose and then turn them round 3 times and then guide them to the reindeer picture.

The contestant must then stick the nose on where they think Rudolf’s nose should be in the picture whilst still blindfolded.

Once the nose is stuck in place, the contestant can remove their blindfold to see the result. The referee should mark the spot with a small ‘x’ and then label it with the contestant’s name. Blindfold the next contestant to repeat the process.

Once everyone has taken a turn, the winner is the contestant whose ‘x’ is closest to the correct place for Rudolf’s bright red nose.

Download a printable Rudolf at SantasPostbag.co.uk http://SantasPostbag.co.uk

S. Roberts is one of Santa’s little Helpers. She is always busy working on Santa’s new website at www.santaspostbag.co.uk http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk where Santa writes FREE letters to children. If you would like to make the printable Rudolf available on your website, please save it to your server do NOT hotlink image is here www.santaspostbag.co.uk/rudolf-print-and-play-party-game.html http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/rudolf-print-and-play-party-game.html If you use this article Please link back to www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-articles.html http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-articles.html

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Fashion is a powerful cultural feature that means different things to different people. To some, it is a strong emotion bordering on fanaticism while to others it is a non-event. People the world over - just like you - have often wondered why they find themselves thumbing through fashion magazines, concerned about the seasonal wardrobe revamp and why it has to be done every three months. Those in the Fashion business create clothes and styles for all sorts, and their market depends on consumers replacing their wardrobe periodically. Interestingly Fashion is rarely an original creation. Rather it follows a periodic cycle with styles constantly repeating over the decades.

While you may not be fortunate enough to be able to hop from city to city or from country to country to pick up high-end fashion from your chosen designer, you can pay attention to the reviews and ratings posted in the news, and find advice on creating your own high-fashion wardrobe. Most trends in women’s high-end apparel fashion start in the ever popular Paris, London, Milan, and New York City. These hubs of the fashion industry are great forecasters of the cutting edge styles and materials that will be adapted for mainstream shoppers years down the road. For a long time, Paris was the Mecca of fashion for cutting-edge couture. Now, several cities throughout the world have earned just about the same respect and provide eye-popping fashion-forward designs. In general, as long as the designer and district has caught the attention of forecasters, the industry and a market, the designer’s work can withstand competing with nearly any big name in the world.

Pants, for instance, came into vogue in the Middle Ages and their invention stemmed from women farm workers. Traditionally they wore long skirts, and in order to prevent them from getting muddy, the back of the skirts were pulled up between their legs and tucked into their waist. And so pants were created! Much later, pants came to Europe and became the normal choice for men. Pants are usually referred to as a pair of pants , for until the 17th Century they were made using a separate sheath of fabric for each leg, then tied by a belt at the top. Each legging was called a pantaloon . The Americans coined the term pants in 1840’s and it was considered a vulgar term at that time. In the early 1900’s, Denim Pants came into vogue to act as tough coveralls for mine workers. It was only in the 1940’s that demin became fashionable.

No fashion forecaster is naive or vane enough to predict which clothing designs are sufficiently influential to change how the entire industry makes apparel. Or how long today’s fashion will last. In fact, few fashion forecasters are willing to bet on what direction apparel fashion will take even for the next season…

Whether you sport blue jeans and a tee shirt or a power suit and tie, you can be sure that it was a fashion statement in the past and will be a again soon. Fashion is here to stay for as long as man has bodies and culture. Our need will be ever present to drape our frames in fabrics, add color to our faces and nails and futher decorate ourselves with stones attached to precious metal chains and ringlets. Many will see fashion as the way to reflect their identity and position in the community.

Copyright 2006 Astel Mannering. All rights reserved. Astel Mannering is proprietor of Fashion Stylz, providing a wealth of fashions and style information. More info at www.fashionstylz.com/newsletters/ http://www.fashionstylz.com/newsletters/ .

AP - Almost 12 percent of the deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives are alcohol-related - more than three times the percentage in the general population, a new federal report says.

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The root is the most important factor for any business to flourish. If you are planning to start a business of your own, first make the root stronger by having a strong financial ground. New business loans will help your business attain heights. When you are starting a new business, this loan will help you solve most of the financial problems that arise while setting up an enterprise.

New business loans can be used for various business related purposes like buying machines and equipments, vehicles, and other resources that are essential to startup a new business.

Before taking any step forward you should first of all prepare a business proposal in order to apply for a business loan. This requires a lot of research and estimations. It should bring out a clear idea about how much money you will need, how much money you hope to make, what competition you will face. It should also give details about what equipments and training you will need and other information depending on the requirements. With these details, lenders will get to know the feasibility of your business and whether it is sustainable or not. You should always keep in mind that a well prepared business proposal increases the chances of getting a business loan.

Finding a new business loan is not a tough task. With coming up of more and more online lenders, internet provides you with the fastest and the simplest procedure to avail new business loans. All you need is to just click on the mouse button and you can access various websites offering new business loans. At the time of filling the application form, lenders will ask you for certain information about your personal credit history and business plan.

New business loans are offered in both secured and unsecured forms. With a secured new business loan, you are required to put a security against the loan. Security can be anything such as your home, car or a kind of valuable property. Since the presence of security covers the risk of lending money, thus you can avail these loans at a lower interest rate. On the side, unsecured loans do not ask for any security, but the interest rate is charged comparatively a bit higher.

You need not worry about your credit score if you are seeking for new business loans. If you have a bad credit, look for lenders providing business loans for borrowers having bad credit. You will get cheap loan with low interest and easy repayments which will satisfy your financial situations.

With all its advantages, business loans can help you make your dream come true. Now you can start a new business of your own without any financial crisis.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed his LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. He is currently working with BadDebtBusinessLoans as a financial advisor. To find New business loans, online business loans, bad credit business loans, secured business loans , unsecured business loans, cheap business loans, bad credit instant business loans, bad credit cheap business loans in UK that best site’s you need visit www.baddebtbusinessloans.co.uk/ http://www.baddebtbusinessloans.co.uk/

AFP - Palestinian refugees in Lebanon should not be permanently resettled in the country, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Thursday after talks in Beirut with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.

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Finance, Money and internet scams are everywhere. When shopping for online work at home, which home based businesses are real? It sounds like a straightforward question with a straightforward answer: just use common sense. But hold on a second. Not so fast. Do you think you can separate the scams from the legitimates? Have you seen all the various home based business offerings on the web?

O.K. Sure. If someone is offering you the Brooklyn Bridge for $1.99–It’s a scam. But beyond that, how can you tell? These job opportunities are often counter-intuitive. What seems too good to be true is often real, and the legitimate-seeming businesses are a scam. But most people don’t have the time or money to check them out.

I’ve spent the past five years researching and actually implementing many of these money making schemes on the internet, the ones most people tend to dismiss out-of-hand. And that’s the problem. Most people dismiss them first, without giving a serious second thought to them. They think they know. But they don’t. It’s not as straightforward as people first assume.

Here I’ve compiled four rules to keep in mind when shopping for a home based business opportunity. This list is by no means comprehensive, but is a good thumbnail starter for those interested in home based businesses.

1. Look For Money-Back Guarantees.

Reputable companies will always offer money-back guarantees–most within 60 days–some with no time limits at all. Some companies (I’m thinking PaidSurveysOnline and Survey Scout) offer money-back guarantees, but must be contacted.

2. Avoid Excessive Join-Up Fees.

It’s O.K. to pay for the initial program fee, but avoid companies that continue to ask for dues bonuses, or club memberships after you’ve purchased their program.

3. Do Your Homework.

Find out how well the product is selling and what percentage of people ask for their money back. Go to Clickbank.com for the stats on thousands of products online.

4. Expect Some Extravagance and Exaggeration in the Ad Copy.

People aren’t stupid. Ad copy writers know this. They know most intelligent adults can make adjustments for hyperbole in an ad.

Keep these four rules in mind and use common sense. If you keep an open mind, approach these offers seriously, and implement their strategies, many of them can make money for you.

John Buckley has owned a home based internet business for five years, and also reviews home based businesses for various publications. See more of his reviews at: www.Gojacksonia.com http://www.Gojacksonia.com

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Having an offshore bank account is one thing, using it is quite another matter.

Corporate Account - When you have a corporate account the money belongs to the corporation not you personally. When the corporation is an anonymous bearer share Panama corporation your anonymity is further protected since establishing ownership of the corporation is about impossible so you would have to see who is recorded at the bank as the beneficial owner of the bank account and this requires you to convince a court in Panama to open up the bank records (something that is very rarely done) to reveal who the beneficial owner is. Even in the unlikely event a court did this this it would be of little value since the money still belongs to the corporation. So if you had a financial enemy pursuing you personally they would not be able to transfer a personal debt to the corporation very easily. They would need to show that you transferred funds to the corporation to make sure debtors could not recover the funds; it is called a fraudulent conveyance. The court cases pertaining to this are far from simple, they are expensive and time consuming and can take years to get heard in court. When wires are sent to an anonymous bearer share Panama Corporation no one knows who the owners of the corporation are, thus they do not know what natural persons are actually receiving the funds. When wiring funds into your Panama corporate bank account it is not revealing in terms of what the wire is for versus wiring money into a personal account. The Anonymous Panama Corporation adds in a nice thick layer of privacy protection.

ATM Cards - When you open a Panama bank account one can usually obtain an ATM card good for cash withdraws from ATM machines worldwide. These ATM cards will have your name on them and can be associated with the bank you are using. Some people obtain an ATM card from another unrelated financial institution. These cards typically have no name imprinted on them which right away adds to your privacy protection. These cards also do not leave a trail to your real bank. Money can be transferred to the ATM card by wire from your Panama or other bank account and then withdrawn as needed. Some people are fond of using these cards to cover corporate expenses like travel, entertainment and other business expenses. Usually the ATM card purchase requires a copy of a passport.

Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards - Watch it here. This can be a real privacy violator. The USA recently got a lot of MasterCard records by a court order served on MasterCard in Miami. This could happen again. The more private way of doing this is to get a Visa or MasterCard debit card from another bank, not your Panama bank. You load the card by wiring funds onto the card from your Panama bank. This eliminates any ties the card has to your real bank account. The card should come from an issuing bank in a bank secrecy country. The way these programs work is Visa and MasterCard do not know who the actual card holder is - no date of birth, no address, no tax id numbers etc. only the issuing bank has this information since they require a passport copy and a physical address to send the card to. So a subpoena to MasterCard or Visa would produce very little and since the bank is in a country with bank secrecy this avenue is going to be a long burdensome process that would be unlikely to be pursued and could only be pursued by a government in a criminal matter. You want to use a country where address verification is not set up on the debit cards or else use a mailing/billing address for the card in another country where you have a reliable mail drop box. This further protects your privacy and of course is a convenient way to guard against any potential identity theft associated with using the debit card in a restaurant, store, online etc.

Telephone Records - If you need to telephone your offshore bank consider using an anonymous prepaid cell phone so there is no record of any calls to the bank on your phone bill. Private detectives in USA can readily get copies of phone bills. A sharp divorce or collection attorney will look for international calls to isolate an offshore bank.

Online Banking - This is a great feature. Eliminate having statements sent to the house or office. Who knows who logs these statements being sent in the mail or even worse reads them, remember you could be a terrorist. Remember your ISP is a privacy nightmare. They are unregulated in general, unlicensed, and could be owned by felons, child molesters or whatever. These people can collect your entire internet transactions read them and save them forever. Rest assured all of the big ISP’s like MSN, AOL, ATT, COMCAST will save your log files for ever showing every website you ever went to, every file downloaded, every email sent and to whom, etc. Don’t assume they would require a court order to distribute this data, read your terms of service agreement and be prepared to be shocked. Now why should they know what online offshore bank you log into? So how do you stop it? You use an anonymous internet service provider. You log onto the internet then log onto their VPN which encrypts all your internet traffic going from your computer to their server and now your log files are basically encrypted and your ISP only has gibberish log files on you except he knows you connected to the anonymous internet provider but has no idea what you did or where you went. Make sure the anonymous internet provider does not save log files or only does so for a few days to track down hackers, spammers etc. Never bookmark your online bank. Save your passwords in an encrypted password folder. Use a hard drive cleaner like evidence eliminator to erase tracks, places visited, image files, cookies, downloads logs etc that windows saves. To protect from Trojans, attacks etc. use an anti-spy ware program like spyware doctor and Norton anti-virus. Do not trust one of them alone. If you get a keystroke logger or Trojan it can capture your passwords and they can rob your bank account online. Extra measures are an application based firewall so if a Trojan got in it would not be able to phone home without you giving the new application manual permission to connect to the internet and a wireless router that uses encryption. All of these steps should keep you safe if you keep them updated and turned on - beats having someone get your passwords.

Ronald Edwards is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.

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Herbal remedies, dietary supplements, and botanical medicines are part of the growing interest in alternative medicines and therapies that people are seeking today. When you walk into many large supermarkets you may see an aisle dedicated to natural medicines. Spend any time online researching health questions and you will be bombarded with advertisements for the next big thing in supplements that will claim to cure everything from earaches to diabetes to cancer.

I am a great believer in the efficacy and safety of natural products when used properly in a patient’s overall regimen. I also think it’s great that more and more people are interested in taking an active role in their own health plans, but as the old saying goes, A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when it comes to self-prescribing medicines. Here are three vital things every consumer should consider about botanicals and dietary supplements:

1) Just because a plant or herb is natural doesn’ t make it safe for you to take, even if it is sold as an alternative medicine.

2) Not all herbal remedies or natural medicines are created equal.

3) As always, if the claims about a product sound too good to be true, they probably are.

Let’s consider each of these points in a little more detail. First, just because a plant or herb is natural doesn’t make it safe for you to take, even if it is sold as an alternative medicine.

Since herbs and plants must be used in strong enough doses to make them effective in the treatment of many conditions, there can also be contraindications for the use of them. Contraindications can occur if the herb is taken over an extended period of time (1- 2 months) or in large doses that could result in side effects. Drug interactions may also occur when an herb is taken. Combining an herbal remedy with another drug can be problematic and possibly dangerous.

The combination of a pharmaceutical drug with an herb may interfere with the activity of the herb or drug, thus producing a decrease or increase in the effectiveness of the drug. For example, willow (salix) is used as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reliever) just as aspirin is used in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and for headache pain. Willow is also used for fevers. Like aspirin, willow is contraindicated in conjunction with other blood thinning agents ( such as coumadin). It is also contraindicated in patients with bleeding disorders like hemophilia. It is absolutely essential that you keep your primary care physician and all others who may prescribe medicines for you ( natural or pharmaceutical) aware of any and all medications you are taking.

2) Not all herbal remedies or natural medicines are created equal.

Pharmaceutical drugs are tightly controlled and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure standardization and quality in the products. However, herbal remedies and dietary supplements are classified as food by the FDA and therefore are regulated in a different way. The following is an excerpt from the web site of the National Center for Alternative and Complementary Health, a division of the National Institutes of Health:

Currently, the FDA regulates supplements as foods rather than drugs. In general, the laws about putting foods ( including supplements) on the market and keeping them on the market are less strict than the laws for drugs. Specifically:

*Research studies in people to prove a supplement’ s safety are not required before the supplement is marketed, unlike for drugs.

*The manufacturer does not have to prove that the supplement is effective, unlike for drugs. The manufacturer can say that the product addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or reduces the risk of developing a health problem, if that is true. If the manufacturer does make a claim, it must be followed by the statement This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

*The manufacturer does not have to prove supplement quality.

Specifically:

*The FDA does not analyze the content of dietary supplements.

*At this time, supplement manufacturers must meet the requirements of the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for foods. GMPs describe conditions under which products must be prepared, packed, and stored. Food GMPs do not always cover all issues of supplement quality. Some manufacturers voluntarily follow the FDA’s GMPs for drugs, which are stricter.

*Some manufacturers use the term standardized to describe efforts to make their products consistent. However, U.S. law does not define standardization.

Therefore, the use of this term (or similar terms such as verified or certified ) does not guarantee product quality or consistency.

(Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, nccam.nih.gov/health/bottle/ http://nccam.nih.gov/health/bottle/ )

The bottom line? Some manufacturers produce better products than others. The herb must be of sufficient potency and meet certain standards to be truly effective. I like to look at the research done on the herbs that I prescribe to my patients before recommending a particular herbal remedy or botanical medicine.

3) As always, if the claims about a product sound too good to be true, they probably are.

There are a lot of natural products on the market that are being hyped with some outrageous claims. It is true that I have seen some pretty amazing results with some botanical medicines, but use common sense when considering a new product. There is no cure all with herbal remedies. There are more scientific clinical studies being done every day on herbal products, and I try to stick with products that have been tested and proven effective. Used with a complete treatment program, botanicals can be very helpful in promoting the overall health of a patient.

If you are one of the millions of people who are researching and considering the use of herbal remedies, I congratulate you for wanting to take an active role in your own health plan. Be sure to be an informed consumer, and keep your health care providers abreast of all the medicines or supplements you may be taking, natural or otherwise.

Dr. Tina Marcantel is a naturopathic physician in Mesa, Arizona. Before entering medical school she was a registered nurse. Dr. Marcantel has over twenty-five years of experience in the health care field including diabetes management, women’s health, weight loss, and mental health. She practices holistic, integrative patient care. For more information please visit her site at www.drmarcantel.com http://www.drmarcantel.com .

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Antioxidants are becoming some of the most researched substances in health circles these days for good reason. They seem to be responsible for better quality of life, more energy, clearer skin, even tales of slowing the aging process. When free radicals and antioxidants are out of balance problems arise. Eating more dark-green, leafy vegetables, carrots, yellow and red fruits are strongly recommended. Some examples of antioxidant are Vitamins C, E, and Beta Carotene, to name just a few.

Some findings indicate that people who are low in antioxidants are more likely to develop arthritis and other diseases than those consuming higher amounts. Good sources of antioxidants are salmon, legumes, extra lean meat, leafy vegetables and colorful fruits.

Another important nutrient, the catechin shows they work well together with antioxidants, have fat burning and antibacterial qualities. In nature there are always numerous nutrients working together, and we are just scratching the surface deciphering those combinations. One thing is certain, you can never get too much of a good thing when it comes to antioxidants.

Supplements Are Necessary

Many dietary authorities agree we need to supplement with antioxidants. CoQ10 is one vitamin like supplement manufactured naturally in your body, but it’s never enough to combat the amount of free radicals you’re exposed to every day. Because of this daily free radical load, your best defense is to take antioxidants as a supplement as your food doesn’t provide enough.

Vitamin E has been an extremely popular antioxidant vitamin in recent years. Alpha-tocopherol is traditionally recognized as the most active form of vitamin E. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms which is a much more powerful combination compared to any single form of Vitamin E. Vitamin C is important for the function of the immune system, tissue repair, and is also an antioxidant. It has been found that vitamin C can reduce cold symptoms because of its antiviral and antioxidant effects. Vitamin A is an antioxidant necessary for good vision and has also been shown to have a protective effect against cancer.

The Powerful Antioxidant List

* Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is derived from plant or animal tissue. Proanthocyanidin, or OPC, is another powerful antioxidant.

* Vitamin K was been approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in Japan in 1995.

* Milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant for liver protection and body detoxification.

* Green tea is the most powerful antioxidant beverage known today.

* Olivus olive leaf tea is a good tasting tea with powerful antioxidant, anti-virus, anti- bacteria and anti- fungus properties.

* The whole fruit puree of the Mangosteen fruit is a powerful natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

* Fermented Papaya is the new body antioxidant from Japan. Grape seed extract is another antioxidant that’s easy to take.

With this list of powerful antioxidants you can choose one or more to suit your budget and taste.

Which One is Best?

Of all the available antioxidants, Mangosteen seems to hold the most promise. Originally from South East Asia, Mangosteen is a highly revered botanical and the most expensive fruit at the market when it comes in season. It is used to combat numerous ailments by local Physicians and is the most prominent medicine in most Doctors kits there. Mangosteen can be found in a few health food stores but only one company makes the a puree with the whole fruit.

To get the full benefit from Mangosteen the juice must be made with the whole fruit, otherwise it’s healing potential is about the same as apple juice. There is one nutrient in Mangosteen that is not available anywhere else, the Xanthone. Keep your eyes and ears open for that nutrient… Xanthone. You’ll be hearing more about it soon enough.

Karen Myton discovered good health by accident in the early 80’s when she was first introduced to Aloe Vera. Health benefits were apparent right away, and 4 years later the results of a good immune system saved her life. In early 2006 she found that Aloe Vera had a super nutrient called a Xanthone. Imagine her surprise when at the same time, she discovered another Botanical source with 43 Xanthones! Wow… just imagine what 43 Xanthones can do!!

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