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FARMINGDALE, NY– December 17, 2008 – As cough and cold season arrives; Integrated Beverage Group, Ltd. (IBG), a manufacturer of innovative sports and nutraceutical products has launched its newest product– Children’s Throat Cooler®. This non-medicated ready-to-freeze liquid product is a perfect choice for parents who wish to choose a 100% drug free product to help hydrate and rejuvenate their young children’s dry, scratchy throats. Throat Cooler® is made with honey and 100% Vitamin C in each serving and is meant to be consumed frozen.

Children’s Throat Cooler® is an extension of IBG’s already widely popular Throat Cooler® product line. IBG has developed multiple product lines using its ready-to-freeze flexible pouch-packaging concept. All of the products use the highest quality ingredients and do not contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. Children’s Throat Cooler® is just another example of IBG creating a cutting edge product that addresses the current needs in today’s competitive market.

In the past year, over-the-counter cough and cold medicines have been under scrutiny by doctors and consumer advocates who believe these medicines are unproven and potentially dangerous for young children. These medications have long been sold to fight against coughs and congestion, but recent research shows an increase in the risks of stroke, seizure and other complications, often by taking the wrong doses. As a result, companies have voluntarily stopped selling over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for babies and toddlers. In response to these current events, IBG has created Children’s Throat Cooler. It is100% drug free and safe for children ages 2 and older.

Children’s Throat Cooler® contains pure honey and 100% of the RDA of Vitamin C for children ages 2 and 3 (66% of the RDA for children 4 years and older) to help support a child’s throat health and immune system. When consumed frozen and allowed to dissolve slowly, Children’s Throat Cooler’s® icy cooling action provides cooling and soothing. Each Throat Cooler® is pre-portioned in .8 fl. oz/25 ml pouches which can be stored anywhere prior to freezing for compact, affordable and convenient use.

Children’s Throat Cooler® is provided in two delicious child-friendly flavors of Strawberry and Grape and sold in multi-packs of six pre-portioned single-serve pouches for $3.99 to $4.99. It is currently sold in drugstores and supermarkets nationwide including CVS, Rite Aid, Longs Drugs, Bi-Lo, Duane Reade, Albertson’s, Pathmark, Costco, Meijer, and Amazon.com. For more information about Children’s Throat Cooler, visit: www.throatcooler.com.

IBG is a manufacturer of innovative sports and nutraceutical products designed to meet the needs of a wide range of consumers. IBG has developed and launched its two flagship products: Throat Cooler® and Power Ice®. In 2008, the Company extended its product line to also include a Children’s Throat Cooler® product and Skinny Dippers™, a zero calorie treat.

IBG is led by an experienced management team including seasoned veterans across the food, beverage, consumer products, retail and wholesale distribution sectors. Through their efforts, IBG has forged many successful relationships with leading distributors, retailers and online marketers nationwide. For more information on IBG and its products, visit: www.ibgltd.com or call: 631-694-8560.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Tags: cold medicines, cold season, coughs, nutraceutical products, rda for children, rda of vitamin c

GREEN BAY, DECEMBER 16, 2008-A new study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, has shown that Cran-Max(r), a proprietary cranberry concentrate in ActiFruit(tm) cranberry chews by Enzymatic Therapy, was comparable to the commonly prescribed antibiotic trimethoprim for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections in older women.

This randomized controlled clinical trial enrolled 137 women who experienced two or more antibiotic-treated UTIs in the previous 12 months.

They were randomized to receive either 500 mg of Cran-Max or 100 mg of trimethoprim for six months. The researchers found that the time to first recurrence of UTI was not significantly different between the groups. Lead researcher Marion E.T. McMurdo concluded:

“Our trial is the first to evaluate cranberry (Cran-Max) in the prevention of recurrent UTIs specifically in older women, and the first head-to-head double-blind comparison of cranberry versus antibiotic prophylaxis.

Trimethoprim had a very limited advantage over cranberry extract (Cran-Max) in the prevention of recurrent UTIs in older women and had more adverse effects.”

The study comes on the heels of another landmark study sponsored by an EU Government Agency that commenced in 2005 on 560 women (18yrs and older) which will be completed this month.

It compares Cran-Max to a 480mg dose of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for a one-year period.

Earlier research on ActiFruit with Cran-Max published in Can J Urol. 2002;9:1558-62 showed the product increased urinary health by approximately 50 percent but was more easily tolerated than cranberry juice and half the cost.

According to Sherry Torkos, pharmacist and author of The Benefits of Berries, “McMurdo’s research is a landmark study for ActiFruit with Cran-Max and the nutritional supplement industry demonstrating the benefits of a natural product for prevention.

Prevention of UTI with antibiotics is effective but undesirable due to side effects (most commonly diarrhea, upset stomach and yeast infection).

In some cases, a potentially fatal superinfection with the bacteria Clostridium difficile can occur due to antibiotic use.”

“Antimicrobial resistance is another concern,” said Torkos. “In fact, resistance to trimethoprim in bacteria causing UTIs has been steadily increasing in Northern European and American countries from 10 to 15% in the 1970s to about 24% in 2004.”

Urinary tract infections are the most common infection in older adults, and the second most common infection in women. UTIs are not only painful and inconvenient but they account for the leading cause of lost work days for women.

About ActiFruit(tm) with Cran-Max(r):
ActiFruit with Cran-Max is the first branded whole-cranberry supplement shown to promote bladder and urinary tract health. Unlike cranberry juice or cranberry extract, ActiFruit with Cran-Max is made from 100% cranberry fruit solids through a patented process which intensifies the natural benefits of the whole cranberry by slowly releasing the key active compounds over an extended period.

Thirty-four pounds of fresh cranberries are used to produce one pound of ActiFruit, yielding an ultra-concentrated product with up to 7 times the antioxidant level, 25% more fiber, and less than 6% of the sugar found in a serving of cranberry juice cocktail. With ActiFruit’s patented BioShield extended release system, one tasty whole-fruit chew (500 mg) provides all-day protection.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Vitamin C is great for colds and flu 

And that’s about the extent of most of our knowledge of this substance, but there is actually a lot more to it. We’ll take a look at the benefits of this vitamin, as well as the dangers associated with too much and too little. It is also important to talk about the best sources of Vitamin C 

The orange is not the knight in shining armor we all thought it was! 

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid and while it is indeed found in oranges, this citrus fruit is by no means the only one to contain it and in fact there are others that contain far more.

Blackcurrants are an unsung vitamin C hero 

Vitamin C probably gained its first historical mention of note as a help in the dreaded disease of scurvy. This condition was prevalent amongst sailors during the 1400s – 1700s until the benefits of Vitamin C were properly discovered.  

Popeye knew what he was on about when he suggested spinach 

Fresh vegetables such as spinach, cauliflower, lettuce and green peppers as well as all citrus fruits, are rich in Vitamin C.  

Guavas are another particularly good source and contains your daily requirement of 200 milligrams of Vitamin C in 100 gram portions 

Pregnant women and asthmatics usually require more Vitamin C as it helps with the construction of the muscle greatly needed by both of these conditions. Smokers and those that drink more than two units of alcohol a day will also require more vitamin C as these substances lower its levels in our bodies.  

Vitamin C, like its counterparts, has scores of benefits for the human body.  Not least of these is the prevention of scurvy. But there are others worth mentioning: 

• It’s a great antioxidant and is used in a number of metabolic processes such as tissue and muscle generation and repair
• It can help protect against the negative impact of pollution
• As most of us know, its great for colds and flus and in actual fact reducestheimpact of symptoms associated with these conditions
• Its antioxidant properties mean that its great in the fight against cancer
• It’s also a big help towards the prevention of cataracts (so make sure you eat those carrots!)
• It’s even thought to be great for Parkinson’s – again this is due to its ability to assist in building muscle and tissue

But like all things – moderation is the key.  

It’s not advisable to take too much Vitamin C.  

Many people simply pop a Vitamin C pill hoping that it will rid their body of all evils and this is not the best idea. It is likely that constant recommendation of the substance for anything from a cold to a sore toe could be the reason for overdosing. 

Research conducted by the University of California in 2000, suggested that people who took a supplement everyday were more than twice as likely to hasten the progression of the thickening of the carotid artery.  It is important to note though that these supplements were taken in addition to having a healthy diet (which contains the daily Vitamin C requirement).  

The moral of the story – don’t pop pills if you can get in your daily diet! 

To support this assertion, it was also found that synthetic vitamins can cause deficiencies as they don’t always interact chemically with other substances as they would in a natural environment.  It is therefore important then to make sure that you don’t exceed your daily requirement of 200mg and don’t always pop a vitamin C tablet as they are typically 1000mg! 

Make sure that you eat a balanced diet and only take Vitamin C in supplements on the advice of your health practitioner

Popularity: 87% [?]

Tags: antioxidant, ascorbic acid, colds and flu, scurvy, vitamin c

Who would’ve thought that when Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta belted out their hit song Summer Loving all those years ago, that they were touching on an important life lesson.

 This does not refer to the fact that one shouldn’t give your heart away too quickly. 

The sun can have a devastating impact on the skin and it does “happen so fast”

It is an interesting exercise to compare the skin of someone say 30 years old living in a place such as Florida, compared to someone living in chilly Chicago. If the two individuals have both looked after themselves well, don’t smoke and don’t drink too much, their skin is likely to tell two different stories.

The Florida individual is likely to have far more skin damage than their Chicago counterpart and this is most certainly directly related to the amount of exposure they have had to the sun.

 Our skin is no match for a burning ball of gases millions of kilometers in diameter. Dry skin ages more quickly  

The sun emits harmful UV rays which have a very damaging impact on the skin. Firstly they are very warm so we perspire and consequently lose moisture in our skins, then and even more damaging, the rays burn our skin. This causes not only a nasty tomato or beet red (if you happen to be fair like me), but also causes the skin to contract as it tries to protect itself.

 As a result, wrinkles are formed very quickly and there is a far greater chance of this than for people in colder climates.  

Skin cancer becomes a major concern

Although there is a wealth of information these days about cancer, many people still take chances by going into the sun without any form of protection of their skin.

It is really important that whenever you go into the sun you use a sunscreen not suntan lotion as a basic means of protection.

 We should all in fact include as part of our beauty routine – or use products that include sunscreen in them. Many moisturizers do this. There is a far greater chance of getting skin cancer if one doesn’t use sunscreen. Often a skin blemish is altered by the sun, it is therefore very important to closely monitor skin blemishes and check that the sun does not alter them!

An altered skin tag for instance could become a malignant growth.

Children and older people are the highest risk groups for this type of disease. Although this is beginning to change

Climate change and the increased harshness of the sun increase the dangers tenfold

Now it is not the idea to avoid going into the sun altogether. It is an important source of Vitamin D for the body which is one of our essential minerals. But don’t go into the sun without sunscreen and take a hat as well.

Be sure to reapply sun screen every 40 minutes for periods of lengthy sun exposure and also immediately after swimming

Sunbeds and tanning salons are also dangerous

 Not many people are aware that there is also some danger in making regular use of a tanning bed. Check with your practitioner about the levels of UV rays emitted by the tanning bed and treat as you would a trip to the beach. Take your sunscreen! So while summer loving is great, it is getting increasingly dangerous for our health and we need to make sure that we take the necessary precautions so that we can enjoy a healthy glow without paying the price

Popularity: 88% [?]

Tags: cancer, skin damage, sun, sunscreen, UV Rays

Did you see what I did there? A bit of a pun and the only reason I am able to be witty at this time of the day is as a result of a good stretch 

Stretching is central to all forms of exercise, one must stretch before and after any exercise 

Stretching increases your flexibility  

Regular stretching assists not only in increasing your range of motion, but also helps make you more flexible. This is a great benefit to those suffering from joint pain caused by arthritis or osteoporosis

 An ability to stretch the limbs will help ease some of the pain by lessening the stiffness in the joints  

Stretching lets your body know that you are going to engage in vigourous exercise and helps it prepare for the coming activity 

Stretch every morning before you get out of bed 

Raise your arms above your head and take a deep breath in. As you exhale gently, try to extend your arms as high as possible, by interlacing your fingers and pushing your hands, palms up, to the ceiling.  

Do this three times with three deep breaths 

Then sit up nice and straight and make sure that you are at a ninety degree angle to the bed with straight legs and back. Extend your legs so that they are as far apart as possible in shape of a V and point your toes. Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out gently, lean forward with your arms extended above your head. Try and place your forehead flat on the bed with your arms still extended. Repeat three times

Don’t worry, this will take a bit of practice, getting your forehead flat on the bed first time isn’t normal! 

Then bend one of your legs at a right angle to your other, so that you look as if you are a ballerina balancing on one toe (except sitting down). Again, take a deep breath in and extend your upper body over your leg, do this three times on both sides. 

By now you should be relatively awake and ready to do the last couple of stretches to really get your day off to a good start 

Get out of bed and stand up nice and straight on the balls of your feet. Take a moment to check that you are perfectly balanced. You can do this by ensuring that your feet are shoulder width apart and rocking gently back and forth a couple of times until you come to your natural centre. 

Take a deep breath in and then slowly exhale. As you breathe out, stand on your tip toes and stretch yourself as high as you can go. Breathing in, come down gently to rest on the ground again. Repeat this five times, trying to stretch a little bit further everytime. 

For extra impact you can raise your arms and your head as you go up on your tip toes. This will give you extra extension 

Lastly, let’s give the neck and back a bit of a tweak 

Standing up straight and still again, make sure that you have found your centre of gravity. Take a deep breath in and then again slowly, slowly exhale. Let your head drop forward slowly nice and relaxed. Then curl your neck, vertebra by vertebra until you are bent all the way over with your hands on the floor. 

This should take the form of a natural curling motion and as much as possible try to do it breathing out, it will take some practice to get this right. When you are ready, take another deep breath in and as you exhale, start to uncurl yourself slowly all the way up from the floor. Concentrate on feeling your back lengthen as you pull each vertebra straight.

Repeat this three times 

You should physically feel as if your back has lengthened a bit during the course of this exercise

It is likely that your heart rate will be up a bit as well as your temperature. This is a good sign, it means that you have got the blood circulating and are ready to face the day 

We want to do a series of these stretches and it would be great to target it to specific areas such as back and shoulders, torso and other areas of concern. Reader feedback would be a great way of getting this to be the most relevant to your needs, so drop me a line 

Popularity: 91% [?]

Tags: flexibility, muscle tone, range of motion, streching