The Electrical Body’s Biorhythms

Posted on May 29, 2008
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You may not be aware of this, but all creatures on planet earth and especially human beings, have natural patterns of three daily body cycles. These laws of biorhythms are so precise they follow exact time patterns. Here they are:

From approximately 4 am to 12 pm we have the Elimination Cycle. During this time the body likes to purge itself of toxic waste materials and unnecessary food metabolisms including salts, proteins and acids. You should consume adequate amounts of fresh seasonal fruit during this cycle. Not only does this supply raw materials to cleansing unwanted substances, but it also makes sure the colon is well hydrated and fed. Fresh raw fruit is a great staple in verifying this Cleansing and Elimination Cycle works like clockwork.

From about 12 pm to 8 pm we have the Energy Cycle. During these hours nutrients are processed from the food you ate and allows for the creation of energy. And like the Elimination Cycle, fresh, organic vegetables and fruit are invaluable in supporting your body to maintain a natural biochemical and electrical body balance.

The third and final cycle is called the Regeneration Cycle and as you probably guessed by now affords the body to take the time it needs to heal and make repairs. This is when the body should receive plenty of quality sleep. During this third cycle, the body absorbs the nutrition from all the food you’ve consumed during the day and then uses these nutriments to rebuild each living cell. If the sleep cycle is disrupted by irregular work patters, night feeding of your baby, travel across time zones or other reasons, the cells do not regenerate and this eventually leads to quick aging. For the body will both feel and look the part.

Thus you may see the importance of balanced dieting, regular sleep times and sufficient exercise. This will reduce the amount of toxins your body absorbs and aid a more happy and peace state of mind.

Do your homework and you’ll be sure to find general diet suggestions based on the body’s natural biorhythms. And it must be pointed out at this stage of the discussion, that getting rid of constipation is also important in any validated health program. Understanding and following these principles are vital for improving and then maintaining any measure of health and vitality.

Buy organic if possible. Or even locally grown is better than store bought produce for the most part. This will help ensure the purity and nutritional content of your foods and helps to avoid pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and other unsavory elements.

Along with fruits and vegetables, you can add raw seeds, nuts and sprouted grains. Flour isn’t the best ingredient in our foods and probably should be avoided when doing a serious cleanse. That means flour of all kinds – even whole grain – as it becomes acidic when crushed into flour from the original grain.

If you haven’t been exposed to much raw and organic produce it may be a stretch for you to make the transition from cooked, fried and denatured processed foods. Take it slowly and start by eating fresh fruit daily. Maybe after you’ve become accustomed to that you can think about eliminating one toxic food and beverage per week. Sure, it may take you months to accomplish this, but it’s a goal worth achieving.

Herniated Intervertebral Disc – What It Is & What You Can Do For Relief

Posted on May 29, 2008
Filed Under Pain Relief | Leave a Comment

A back bulging disc can be one of the most difficult spinal conditions to heal, and can cause quite a bit of pain and disability. Fortunately, there are some good solutions available, even for the person suffering with the most severe herniated disc pain.

This article will discuss what a bulging disc / herniated disc is, as well as the causes, symptoms, and therapies available for relief. But before we discuss this information, we need to have a basic understanding of what a spinal disc is, as well as how it works.

The discs of the spine are like shock absorbers that separate each set of vertebrae in the spine. They are very important, because they separate the vertebrae and prevent them from rubbing together when you move (which would be very painful). They also absorb shock so the vertebrae don’t break when force is applied to the spine.

Each disc is composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. When a person suffers from a bulging disc / herniated disc, the annulus of the disc tears, and the jelly begins to shift through where the disc is damaged. This will create a bulge in the disc.

If you look closely at the spine, you will see that the spinal nerves are located directly behind each spinal disc. This is an important point to understand when we begin to discuss the symptoms associated with bulging vertebral discs, because the spinal nerves are truly what cause most of these symptoms.

In fact, the discs of the spine are actually designed to not feel pain. I realize that this may sound odd at first, but if you think about it, this actually makes sense when you consider their function of shock absorption. If the discs could cause you to feel pain directly, you would be hurting all day long, with every movement you make.

So, if this is true, why does this condition cause so much pain? The reason is because of the spinal nerves – when the disc bulges, it tends to bulge where the nerve is located, and will apply pressure on the affected nerve.

You have to understand that the spinal nerves control everything in the body, so this condition will not only cause pain, but also malfunctioning of whatever parts of the body the nerve controls.

For example, if you have a bulging disc / herniated disc in your neck, not only will you experience neck pain, but you may also develop problems with your arms and hands, chest pains, heart problems, headaches, and even blurred vision and ringing in the ears.

Bulging Discs In Back in the middle back will cause mid back pain, traveling pain around the rib cage, chest pains, and even digestive problems (because the nerves in the middle back control the gall bladder and liver, which are important for digestion).

In the lower back, a bulging disc / herniated disc will cause low back pain, pain traveling down the legs, weakness in the legs and problems walking, as well as problems with your bowel and bladder.

In fact, these other symptoms associated with the nerves of the spine tend to be even more frustrating than the back pain associated with a bulging disc / herniated disc because they really interfere with a person’s normal ability to function.

The cause of bulging discs is usually a trauma of some sort. Whether it be a car accident, or lifting something heavy, these are the types of traumas that may cause this problem to develop.

There are other situations that cause this problem as well. Genetics plays a role, so if you have a family member (or members) who have developed a spinal condition, you may have a hereditary predisposition to develop a bulging disc / herniated disc.

Your lifestyle also plays a role in the development of bulging discs. Smokers, for examples, tend to have a higher likelihood of developing a bulging disc / herniated disc because toxins will destroy the strong wall of the disc. Poor diet also plays a role, as well as a lack of exercise.

The therapies available for bulging discs are often somewhat discouraging, unfortunately. Most physicians will begin by prescribing medications (usually pain killers and muscle relaxers), pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery as a last resort.

These therapies will tend to only provide temporary relief, at best. The reason for this is because they are primarily designed to numb the affected nerve. Although this may sound good on the surface, because the nerve is what causes you to experience the pain, if you don’t address the cause of the problem (which is the bulging disc / herniated disc), the pain will return.

Some may say, “Well, wait a second – doesn’t surgery address the disc?” And the answer would be, not exactly. The surgeries that are available for bulging discs will either remove the bulging area of the disc, or remove the disc completely and fuse the vertebrae above and below together.

In the first case, the disc will typically bulge again after a short period, because even if they remove this area of the disc, the disc does not heal with the surgery and the problem will tend to return after a period of time. A spinal fusion is even worse – this causes the discs above and below this area to work harder than they normally do, and the problem will then spread to other areas of the spine.

There are other treatment options available that are more effective, however most physicians are not familiar with them. In fact, it is really a combination of therapies that I have found to be most successful with this condition.

If you would like to learn more about the most effective therapies for a bulging disc / herniated disc, as well as the combination of those therapies that I recommend for the best results, you can click here (back bulging disc) to get all the details.

2 Fantastic Quick Weight Loss Solutions

Posted on May 29, 2008
Filed Under Weight Management | Leave a Comment

Many people strive everyday to lose a little bit to a lot of weight. Other individuals would like to lose a lot of weight and keep it off for the rest of their lives. In some cases, people are just looking for a quick drop in weight and are not worried about keeping the weight off permanently. There are varying reasons for this with one being a special event of some sorts coming up and you just want to look your best. Although it would be beneficial to lose weight in the long term, there is nothing wrong with wanting a quick solution to your problem. So you may be asking, “Is it possible to attain quick weight loss?”

Quick Weight Loss Tips
The short answer is yes, it’s totally possible. As a matter of fact, it is probably easier to lose weight quickly than to sustain weight loss over a long period of time. This is due to the fact that there are so many methods you can utilize for a quick drop in weight but don’t expect it to stay off. OK, now let’s take a look at two methods you can utilize to drop a few pounds quickly and do so in a healthy manner. With these two rapid weight loss ideas you’ll be able to drop anywhere from five to thirty pounds in a limited amount of time.

Rapid Weight Loss Ideas
The first way to rapidly lose weight is to cut out carbohydrates totally from your current lifestyle. I am sure you have heard about this one, the Atkins Diet which is still very popular to this day. It’s popularity is due to the fact that it’s easy to implement and the results are very quick. The Atkins diet works by putting your body into a state know as ketosis. This is typically experienced by diabetics. What actually happens is that your body begins using up fat for fuel instead of the carbohydrates that it typically uses. By using this method, your body will be forced to lose a lot of weight by eating up it’s fat stores for energy. Using this method can bring about some side effects like slight sickness and headaches but the end results can be nothing short of astonishing.

If you have time, this quick weight loss method can be used to sustain permanent weight loss. What you want to do is stick to eating foods that are low on the Glycemic index. You will want to eat vegetables in connection with quality protein like fish of chicken, eat legumes and either lentils or black beans. All you have to do is eat a variation of these three things at every meal and you’ll be amazed at how much you can lose in a month’s time.

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Fast Weight Loss Diet.

Posted on May 29, 2008
Filed Under Weight Management | Leave a Comment

Would you like to loose weight fast? If your answer is yes, how urgent is this need to you? Notwithstanding that it has been suggested never to lean much on fast weight loss, also called rapid weight loss, there are many people who do otherwise. If you are desiring to loose weight as quickly as possible, you might want to finish reading this about quick weight loss.

One of the many ways that you can realize a fast weight loss is by cutting down on the food that you consume. At the time of reducing your food intake, it is imperative that you only cut down your consumption just a bit. However, many men and women desiring to achieve fast weight loss are of the opinion that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for a while. That is one thing that you do not want to do. As soon as you resume eating again, you will most probably gain back all of the weight lost, almost automatically. It is also important to say that depriving yourself food is unhealthy to your wellbeing.

In addition to reducing your food intake, it is necessary that you reduce the amount of unhealthy food that you consume. For fast weight loss, you should endeavor to entirely remove sweets from your menu, even if it is only for a moment. This by implication means that if you want something to eat between meals, you should grab an or any other fruit instead of a sweets and other junk foods. With candy and other sweets high in calories, you may see a significant cut back in your calorie consumption by eliminating them from your menu.
You will learn more about fast weight loss diet as you explore opportunities for a more fit and healthier you.

Workouts are another way that you can go about bringing about fast weight loss, also know as quick weight loss. One thing about the use of exercise to achieve fast weight loss is that it is kind of tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a noticeable weight loss immediately. For instance, it usually takes individuals a minimum one or more weeks to observe an improvement in their looks with the use of exercise. All in all, the more obese you are, the sooner you may see a reduction in your weight quickly.

In agreement with exercise to lose weight, it is important to note that exercise accomplishes weight loss by limiting your calorie absorption. As you burn off your calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight. Although your initial thought may be, to begin exercising as much as possible, immediately, it is probably better to keep from doing so. If you aren’t usually physically active, it is more advantageous to begin a little at a time. This will considerably minimize your risk of injuries.

Another one of the many ways that it may be possible to achieve fasts weight loss or quick weight loss is with the use of a cleanse. These cleanses are commonly referred to as colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses. Cleanses work by flushing out toxins, from your body. It has been suggested by experts that masses of peoples have not less than seven or eight pounds of toxins those waste from your body. Colon cleanse is on the natural side of weight loss as it rids the body of wastes and toxins thereby increasing the body’s opportunities for a healthier and natural weight loss. Also natural weight loss are other ways to loose weight naturally.

In case you decide to try a colon cleanse or a weight loss cleanse, to help you achieve a fast weight loss, it is paramount that you read all directions given to you. Some cleanses have a restrictive menu that you must adhere to. For the fastest weight loss, you may want to choose liquid cleanses, instead of those in pill formats, as they frequently give the fastest outcomes.

The preceding fast weight loss tips may help you reach your goal of fast weight loss, even if it is only a minute weight loss. Just so you remember , it is important to proceed with due diligence. Though it is more than feasible for you to achieve your fast weight loss goal, it can also be risky to you and your health.

Ending Constipation Is Important

Posted on May 28, 2008
Filed Under Healthy Living | Leave a Comment

One of the more common conditions that wreak havoc on a person’s peace of mind and general well being is constipation. True, being constipated isn’t considered to be a serious health problem, if left untreated for a considerable length of time, it may lead to other more serious consequences. Besides, who wants years and months of poisons in your body? That in itself should make one ponder the importance of the stop constipation process.

Serious or not, constipation is no picnic and the fact that we haven’t been to the bathroom as often as we’d like, tends to weigh down on one’s mind. And in reality can slow our thinking and cognitive abilities as well as sap our energy.

The lack of fluids (especially purified water) and fiber in the diet is a key factor in becoming constipated. When these vital components are absent or present in insufficient quantities in your daily food intake, the waste matter accumulated in the large intestine becomes hard and small which is difficult for your body to expel. The situation gets worse when the body is forced to retain the hard stool it cannot expel, which then dries out even further and is worked further up the colon where it may block the passage for additional waste material to pass through.

Not to be overlooked are the proliferation of drugs and medications of all kinds, especially to stop pain. These really make the colon cleansing process a tedious job. There are also a host of other causes that can be attributed with causing constipation which include:

• Excessive calcium or iron in one’s diet.
• Sedentary Lifestyle.
• Excessive consumption of strong tea or coffee.
• Recent abdominal surgery causing weakening of abdominal muscles.
• Age related weakening of abdominal muscles.

Constipation is easily recognized, however and symptoms should be understood so as to prevent and treat the situation. These symptoms include stomach aches and cramps, bloating, nausea, headache, coated tongue, tiredness, loss of appetite, depression etc.

If you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms for more than a couple of days, it’s best to consult your doctor regarding the same. It’s important to do this because, some times, the onset of constipation may actually be the symptom of a serious illness.

However, if it’s only constipation that’s your problem, overcoming it can be as simple as plainly increasing the amount water and raw fruits and vegetables in your diet and fitting a light exercise regimen into your daily routine.

Drinking enough water and keeping your body hydrated sounds easy enough, but again it’s something that most people avoid. If you drink sufficient water, not only will you be able to eradicate constipation symptoms but you will also improve your overall health.

Another effective way to stop constipation is to include sufficient exercise in your schedule which can really be as uncomplicated as taking a brisk walk for half an hour at least once every alternate day.

Apart from these, if you are a victim of serious constipation, medication in the form of laxatives is advised. However, these are not to be used for lengthy periods of time as they will do more harm than good if used regularly. So, if you feel that you need to use laxatives regularly (even “natural” ones), visit your doctor immediately to diagnose your condition.

Intuitive Eating – Just Another Fad Diet

Posted on May 28, 2008
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With new diet schemes being introduced to the market constantly, there is a new approach to eating and losing weight that is quietly gaining a following. And, it seems that this approach has much less to do with lose weight diet fads and more to do with lasting principles. It is called intuitive eating. Eating spontaneously is all about getting in touch with the food and nutrition that your body truly needs.

Although this type of diet has yet to break into the worlds Top 10 Diets as monitored by the industry guide at www.top-10-diets.com it might well be worth keeping an eye on to see if it makes it into the top 10.

Rather than setting up a “battlefield” of you against your body, which typically takes the form of hating how your body looks, counting calories, restricting food choices and basically punishing yourself day in and day out, the intuitive approach to eating encourages you to “leave the battlefield.” This is accomplished by stopping, listening and paying attention to your inner voice.

Those who have struggled for years with weight and “body image” issues have no doubt encountered endless confusing and frustrating advice on how to diet, based on the current fad or latest research study. Intuitive eating essentially turns that tables and empowers people to tap into their inherent wisdom, giving them permission to ignore the fray of conflicting voices in the diet industry.

The main premise of eating intuitively is acknowledging and accepting that we are highly intelligent “machines” with an innate ability to perceive what out bodies need for health and vitality. It follows then that we should know how to achieve proper weight, if we can learn to tap into this intuitive wisdom and knowledge. Since this approach is so fundamental, and so simple, some have even called it dieting for dummies.

Through an intuitive approach to eating, you are allowed to eat when, what and how much you deem appropriate. Instead of manipulating your meal plans according to a lose weight diet and judging everything in terms of calories, fat grams, grams of carbs and other such measurements, the idea is to listen to the internal cues and recognize just what the body wants and needs.

As a result, daily food choices are based on real hunger and real satiety, as determined by you rather than some external set of standards that may have no relation at all to the status and function of your body. Stepping back and looking at this approach, it is easy to see that a typical lose weight diet and even a diet detox can easily be working against the inherent, intelligent, natural programming of your body.

One of the foremost researchers in the field of intuitive eating is Steven Hawks of Brigham Young University. Hawks has concluded that the “normal” approach to dieting in America does not result in any significant weight loss in the long term. In addition he states that the typical lose weight diet strategies contributes to unhealthy eating habits, food anxiety, and can even encourage the development of eating disorders.

In one study conducted by Hawks, he discovered that those who learned the approach of intuitive eating experienced many additional positive benefits, including decreased risk of cardiovascular problems, lower BMI ratings, and better triglyceride levels. He summarized his research by saying that the study supported the premise of using intuition to eat, and resulted in a positive and healthy way to control weight.

How To Lose Weight Fast

Posted on May 28, 2008
Filed Under Weight Management | Leave a Comment

If you want to lose weight fast, you must first know your ideal weight. The recommended weight is based on your body frame and height so every one is different. You need not be too overly concerned with the numbers on the weighing scale. Focus on the amount of body fats instead.

The best way to lose weight is through exercises. However, no one needs to overexert themselves in order to lose weight. To get extra help to lose weight, you may want to consider some weight loss supplements. These supplements usually contain ingredients that help to increase your metabolic rate, suppress your appetite or prevent fat accumulation. If weight loss supplements are not your cup of tea, opt for a weight loss patch instead. On the topic of meals, try replacing your regular meals with low calorie ones. That will help your body to tap on your fat reserves and ensure that you lose your fat and weight. For more effective fat loss secrets, please click on the link to read on.

Exercise And Arthritis

Posted on May 28, 2008
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Your bones hang out in a lot of joints. Knee joints. Hip joints. The joints in your fingers and the joints in your toes.

Wherever bones meet, there is also cartilage, a rubbery, protective layer that ensures your joints bend smoothly and painlessly. But even cartilage cannot do this tremendous job alone. A thin membrane called the “synovium” provides fluid that lubricates the moving parts of the joint. When the cartilage wears out of the synovium becomes inflamed, the result is generally a case of “osteoarthritis” or “rheumatoid arthritis.”

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage can be eroded so much that bone does rub on bone. Thos type of arthritis develops gradually over a lifetime as a simple result of the wear and tear placed on your joints over the years. Very few people escape some degree of osteoarthritis, though the severity varies a great deal.

As a matter of fact, if you are over the age of 50, you are likely to have at least one joint affected by osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis affects men and women equally and is by far the most common type of arthritis, with almost 16 million Americans in the list.

In rheumatoid arthritis, damage to the synovium is at the source of trouble. Doctors and researchers are not absolutely sure what causes it, but most think that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system actually attacks certain tissues in the body, including those that connect the joints and the synovium.

Rheumatoid arthritis begins with swollen, red, stiff, and painful joints, but it may progress until scar tissue forms in the joint or, in extreme cases, until the bones actually fuse together. Almost 75% of the 2 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States are women. The disease can hit as early as teen years.

Exercising Your Prevention Options

Investing a little time in developing a good weight-bearing low-impact exercise and stretching plan can add up to great results when it comes to staving off arthritis pain. Strong muscles help protect the joints from wear and tear, and the movement keeps joints flexible.

That is why the quest for fitness is at hand, even if you are 50 years and over. However, most Americans over 50 are still right where they always were sitting back and watching others jog by. Most of them contend that that is just for people who have been athletic all their life, or some say exercise is for young people and engaging into exercise will do them more harm than good.

There are still some that insist on excusing their selves in exercise routines because they do not just have time or they have less energy than ever before. These are all lame excuses. Hence, it is time to start to get rid of those pains. Start exercising.

Consequently, preventing arthritis is not an exact science, but physicians have discovered a few ways to lower your risk. Here is how:

1. Do not weight around

The single most important measure anyone can take to prevent osteoarthritis of the knee is to lose weight if they are overweight. Extra weight puts extra stress on your knees. If you are 10 pounds overweight, for example, you put 60 pounds per square inch of extra pressure on your knees every time you take a step. That extra pressure can slowly but surely erode the cartilage in your knees, leading to arthritis.

A study has clearly supported the theory that weight loss weighs in on the side of prevention. In the study, overweight women who lost 11 pounds or more over a 10-year period decreased their risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee by 50%.

2. Stretch those muscles

Any kind of stretching is good as long as you do not bounce, which can lead to a muscle pull. This is according to some of the professors of clinical medicine in New York City.

Try to hold a slow, steady stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then relax and repeat. It is best to flex up by stretching before any exercise, especially running and walking. But it is also a good idea to stretch each day. Ask your doctor to teach you stretches that focus on potential arthritis trouble spots, such as the knees or the lower back.

3. Walking is always the best exercise

Take a good long walk at least three times a week or participate in a step-aerobics or low-impact exercise routine maximum results. There is no proof that running is bad for the joints, but remember, it may aggravate an injury if you already have one. Just remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

The bottom line is that of all the healthful habits, exercise is the most important. This is because people are designed to be active. Hence, it is really important for people to exercise in order to stay healthy and keep those joints free from wear and tear.

Just keep in mind that the unexercised body, even if free from the symptoms of illness or problems like arthritis, is not at its full potential. Hence, start exercising right now!

The Author also writes for Herbal Supplements like Herbal Ambien.

Raw Food Diets To Succeed With Your Natural Weight Loss

Posted on May 28, 2008
Filed Under Nutrition | Leave a Comment

These days, people are becoming more aware of the correlation between good nutritional choices and the consequences of making poor food choices, in terms of excess weight issues and a multitude of other health problems that plague our modern population.

Recently, raw food diets have gotten more attention because they provide people with an eating plan that is highly nutritional, while also minimizing additives and preservatives.

The organic and fruitarian diet has become a central part of many eating strategies for those who recognize the benefits that can be derived from eating living foods, or rather foods in their natural form. Many say that this is the way God or nature intended for people to eat, and is a fundamental principal to this approach of eating food raw.

fruitarian diet
One of the greatest benefits of eating raw food diets is that when food is eaten in its raw and natural form, all of the vitamins, enzymes and minerals are retained. It is a fact that a significant amount of these nutrients are lost when fresh and living foods, such as fruits and vegetables are cooked.

A “go raw” diet encourages people to simply eat food as it is, either out of the ground, off the vine, or from the tree, in order to reap the most benefits. And, naturally grown, organic foods are also recommended, as well as fresh grown produce that is harvested in it’s prime and consumed right away.

cleansing diet
It is also very important to the success of a raw vegan to know how the raw food in the meal plan was grown. If these living foods were grown in environments that were steeped with harmful pesticides, then this factor can counteract the benefits of living raw. Because it is a common practice for farmers to use chemical pesticides to protect their crops from bugs and to enhance growth, it is important to know the raw food sources.

Because a diet of this type increases the volume of fresh foods that you will be eating, this factor is even more important than it is for someone who is eating only a few daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

When you increase the quantity of foods that are in their raw and natural state in order to enjoy a raw living foods diet, you will also be increasing the chemicals that you ingest and put into your system, unless you diligently seek out organically grown produce.

eating raw food
The good news is that organically grown foods are more in demand these days and are more readily available than even a few years ago. More and more farmers are using innovative new ways to avoid using pesticides, or are returning to farming practices from the era before chemical fertilizers and insecticides. This makes it easier to eat raw food and have a good supply of high quality, organic foods to use as the foundation of a raw food diet for yourself, or for the whole family.

Growing an organic garden is a natural activity for many who live a raw food diets lifestyle. By growing most of their own fruits and vegetables, people who prefer to eat raw food know exactly what they are eating and that their food is free from pesticides.

Many people who live in warm climates, or who have greenhouses, are often able to enjoy their own fresh garden produce all through the year.

How Rainforests Work

Posted on May 28, 2008
Filed Under Alternative Medicine | Leave a Comment

The very conditions of warmth and moisture that are so favorable to the profusion of life in these forests are also responsible for rapid rates of decomposition. In contrast to cold or dry climates where decomposition is dramatically slow in comparison because of lack of warmth or moisture, in rainforests decomposition sets in almost the moment a leaf falls to the forest floor.
In a stark contrast to temperate forests, there is little accumulation of leaf litter as a consequence of this rapid decomposition. In fact right below the thin leaf litter is a vast network of tiny roots actively taking up the nutrients as decay releases them. That is why rainforests generally have the vast majority of critical nutrients in the living biomass (the living mass of plants and animals) itself. A tall grass prairie in contrast has enormous amounts of nutrients stored several feet deep in the soil. So rainforests present a paradox: the greatest expression of life on earth often occurs on very poor soils. The main exceptions are soils of volcanic origin and those that get annual deposits of silt on floodplains.
Indigenous forest dwellers for millennia have known how to practice agriculture despite the poor soils. It involves making a small clearing in the forest. When the felled trees are dry enough they are burned to release the nutrients that had been in the living mass, so the ashes act as fertilizer. (In some places indigenous peoples systematically enriched forest soils by composting). This can support agriculture for three years or so and then the forest agriculturalists move on and repeat the process elsewhere, while the previous area recovers drawing on the nutrients that were washed away by heavy rains but only as far as the neighboring forest. This works well as long as populations are small. Modern industrialized agriculture in contrast clears large areas that are slow to recover.

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