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Introduction

Unfortunately, the experts estimate that around a billion people in the world are deficient in vitamin D. Something that you probably don’t know is that vitamin D is not really a vitamin. It is actually a prohormone.

A prohormone is a substance that your body will transform into a hormone. All of the cells in your body have a receptor for this prohormone which is not the case with other vitamins. For ease of reference, we will refer to this prohormone as its most common name which is vitamin D.

Your body needs to break down a prohormone into a form that it can use. When this happens, vitamin D will circulate through your body and it performs several different functions. It is critical for healthy bones and helps to promote bone growth and the health of your muscles.

In this special report, we will explain why vitamin D is so essential for your body, what causes a vitamin D deficiency and the symptoms of this that you need to watch out for, and the things that you can do to ensure that you have the right levels of vitamin D.

So, let’s get right into it…

Why Vitamin D is essential for your Body

As we mentioned in the introduction, vitamin D is essential for good bone health. It helps in the development of strong bones and this becomes very important as you age. Vitamin D will also take calcium from your blood and will use it to create and repair muscle tissue and bone. You need vitamin D to help your parathyroid gland to properly regulate the levels of calcium in your blood as well.

Vitamin D Deficiencies

You may have heard of “rickets” before as it is the most common kind of vitamin D deficiency. Children can suffer from rickets if their bone tissue doesn’t mineralize correctly. This usually results in their bones being too soft and becoming deformed.

But rickets is not the only type of vitamin D deficiency. There have been several studies that revealed that there are several other health problems that can result from vitamin D deficiency. We will discuss these later on in this special report.

Vitamin D is also important for your immune system. Your immune cells all have a receptor for vitamin D and they are able to synthesize the active vitamin D hormone or metabolite. This means that there is definitely a connection between them.

A lack of vitamin D is also associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. When the right level of vitamin D is in your blood, your immune system will function properly and protect you from autoimmune disorders and possible infections.

Vitamin D is required for communication within your body

It is important that the calcium levels in your body are correct and vitamin D will communicate between your skeleton, your kidneys and your intestines to ensure that this is the case. Healthy and strong bones are the result of your body having the correct levels of calcium. If your vitamin D levels are low or there is not enough calcium for your bones, your parathyroid gland will borrow calcium from your skeleton which has the overall effect of making your bones weaker.

In the next section, we will discuss what causes vitamin D deficiency.

What Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?

There are actually several causes of vitamin D deficiency. The main problem is that vitamin D deficiency is not always easy to spot. You need to know what the symptoms are so that you can detect it. This probably explains why the experts think that more than a billion people across the globe have a deficiency in vitamin D.

We will discuss the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in detail in the next section. Here we will look at some of the most common causes of vitamin D deficiency.

Your Diet can cause a Deficiency in Vitamin D

If you do not eat the types of food that enable the development of vitamin D then this can cause you to be deficient in the vitamin. The foods that help to develop vitamin D are animal-based and include:

• Beef liver
• Fish
• Egg yolk
• Fish oils
• Fortified milk products

Vegans are more prone to vitamin D deficiency as they do not consume any of these foods. There are supplements available that vegans can take to make up for the vitamin D that they are losing out on.

You have Very Dark Skin

If you have very dark skin then the pigment or melanin can prevent the formation of vitamin D when you are out in the sun. This can apply if you have a tan as well as if your skin is naturally dark.

The bottom line here is that the darker your skin is, the less chance it will have to form vitamin D with exposure to direct sunlight. Even if you spend a lot of time sunbathing this can still be a problem.

You have a Problem with your Digestive Tract

Some people have a problem with their digestive tract which means that they cannot absorb dietary fat or vitamin D. If you have a medical condition such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or Crohn’s disease these can limit the ability of your intestines to absorb the vitamin D that you consume.

These medical conditions can restrict the absorption of dietary fats as well and because vitamin D is fat-soluble, this can result in the same problem occurring.

You are not getting enough Sunlight

Your skin can only make vitamin D when you are exposed to direct sunlight. If you do not venture outdoors very often, your chances of being deficient in vitamin D will rise significantly.

You may work a job that prevents you from getting much sunlight or you could be homebound. If you live in a northern latitude country you can be deprived of enough sunlight. Wearing head coverings and robes for religious purposes can also limit exposure to the sun.

Living in an area that has a lot of pollution or smog can also restrict your sunlight exposure. Where you live can really make a difference as can the season and the time of day that you venture out into the sun. In some parts of the US such as Cleveland, Ohio, there will be no UV-B light for 6 months of the year due to the sun’s position and the ozone layer.

Please be aware that the sun is strongest between 10am and 3pm.

You are Overweight / Obese

Being overweight or obese can leave you vitamin D deficient. If you have a body mass index of 30 or more then your fat cells may not be efficient enough to extract the required vitamin D from your blood and circulate it around your body.

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Introduction

The health benefits of CBD are well publicized and you may already be aware of how CBD can be used to manage pain. What you may not know is why CBD is so effective and the different health issues that it can help with.

CBD is now available in a range of different formats. If you are new to using CBD then the choice can be overwhelming. By reading this special report, you will know what format of CBD you need to use to manage your health issues.

This report is ideal for you if you are a beginner with CBD. We will cover all of the most important issues about CBD in this report so that you will know exactly what you need to do. CBD often gets a bad rap because of the myths that surround it. These myths are all untrue and we will explain why.

You deserve to know the truth about CBD and how it can help you so please read all of this short report. Do not deprive yourself of the lifechanging properties of CBD. Let’s get right into it!

In the first section, we will explain what CBD really is.

What CBD Really is

It is essential that you fully understand what CBD is and what it isn’t. A lot of people will not use CBD because they do not really understand it. We will avoid using too much technical jargon in this section so that it is easier for you to learn what CBD is.

CBD is short for Cannabidiol. It comes from the cannabis plant and is just one of around 100 compounds found in the plant. The cannabis plant has buds or flowers on it and this is where the gooey like CBD resin is located. Flowers on the cannabis plant are covered by mushroom like small structures which are called trichomes.

The role of these trichomes is to provide protection against UV radiation and excessive heat. These trichomes have glands and they contain some very effective medical compounds such as aromatic terpenes, THC and CBD. Trichomes also have properties which protect the plant from bacteria, fungus and insects. Insects become trapped in the gooey resin.

CBD will not make you “High”

One of the major misconceptions about CBD is that it will make you high. This puts off a lot of people from using it and it is totally untrue.

The component of the cannabis plant that makes people high is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Another misconception about CBD is that it is addictive. This is not the case so you do not need to be concerned about creating an addiction in your life by using CBD. A lot of people do not understand what CBD is and think that it is the same as smoking weed. Now that you know the truth you can make the right decision about CBD.

Different Strains of the Cannabis Plant

The cannabis plant has a number of different strains. As you now know, CBD is found in the trichomes of the plant. But the amount of CBD available in the trichomes depends on the strain of cannabis plant. For example, industrial hemp which is low in resin has a lot fewer trichomes (and less CBD oil) than cannabis plant strains that have a high resin content. A high resin strain of cannabis plant usually contains high levels of THC and very small amounts of CBD so it is very important that you choose the right strain.

Once you have found the right strain of cannabis plant that is high in CBD oil, the oil needs to be extracted. There are different ways to extract CBD oil and the aim of these extraction methods is to produce CBD and other components that are beneficial to health in the most concentrated form.

CBD Extraction Methods

When CBD is separated from a cannabis plant it is in the form of a thick oil which is very potent. As CBD is soluble in both alcohol and oil, the extraction process normally involves the use of a chemical agent that will dissolve an alcohol or oil-based compound.

The most common, and probably the safest method for CBD extraction, is using CO2. When CO2 is placed under high pressure and temperatures that fluctuate it turns to a liquid which separates out the active ingredients in the cannabis plant. Using specific temperatures, the CO2 extraction methods can extract CBD purely rather than it being mixed up with other compounds.

Another method of extraction is through the use of ethanol. This method has been used for a very long time and in the 1800s it was used to create “Indian Hemp” which a lot of people used to overcome a number of health issues such as muscle spasms, pain, depression and anxiety. The use of ethanol for extraction was banned in the US in 1937 but now it has come back again as an efficient extraction method.

Alcohol that is deemed food-grade is also used to extract CBD oil for the cannabis plant. This process creates very high-quality CBD oil which people can ingest orally. Another effective method of extraction is the use of hydrocarbons. Here propane, hexane or butane is used for the extraction. Extracting with hydrocarbons can be very effective as it can separate the valuable terpenes and cannabinoids from components that are unwanted such as chlorophyll.

Hydrocarbon extraction can be dangerous though because they are very flammable. If a user of hydrocarbon extracted CBD vapes the substance, then this can cause them harm especially if they have a compromised immune system.

The final CBD extraction method is using olive oil. This is a simple method that is also cost effective. You can even do this at home if possessing the cannabis plant is legal where you are. The cannabis plant needs to be heated in an oven as this will convert CBDA into CBD and THCA into THC. Then you need to steep the plant ion olive oil and strain and sift the oil from the plant. There is one problem with olive oil extraction which is that the THC is not removed from the oil so when it is consumed it can make you high.

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Introduction

Blockchain is the technology that supports cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and this platform has the potential to be a revolution in the business world. There are many advantages that blockchain has to offer and more and more businesses and organizations across the world are taking a serious look at it.

Just because blockchain is associated with cryptocurrencies does not mean that there are not other applications for it. A lot of movers and shakers in the business world have already realized the potential that the blockchain technology has to offer. Some are using it for their business processes right now and seeing some spectacular results.

The use of blockchain in the business world can add different layers of security and fast transaction processing for example. Not only that, blockchain can be used for the processing of payments and reduce the costs of conventional methods.

There are almost unlimited possibilities with blockchain technology. Some businesses and organizations are already benefiting from it and there is no reason why you cannot do the same. Applying the blockchain platform to your business could be one of the best moves that you ever make.

In this powerful report, we will take a deep dive into blockchain and show you how you can benefit from applying it in your business. You can apply the technology to your existing business and by understanding how it works and what it can offer you may come up with some new business ideas.

In the next section, we will discuss the fundamentals of blockchain so that you have a good understanding of what it is and how it works…

The Fundamentals of Blockchain

You are probably aware that there are a lot of highly technical aspects to blockchain and we will not be discussing these here. What we will be doing is explaining what blockchain is so that you have the right amount of knowledge to consider how it can help you in your business.

What is Blockchain and how does it work?

So, what exactly is blockchain? In the simplest of terms blockchain is a digital record of who owns what that is updated continuously. With blockchain there are individual blocks of data that are encrypted and these are all joined together. Hence the name “blockchain”.

These data blocks can contain different types of information such as the owner of an asset, the date and time of transactions, the monetary amounts involved and a lot more. Every block is encrypted using cryptography which is where the name “cryptocurrencies” emanates from.

Imagine an everyday deal between two parties. There will be information about the deal that needs to be confirmed and all of this is stored in an individual block. A block can include a lot of different records about a deal or transaction which is part of the initial design of the blockchain.

A blockchain network will store details of many transactions conducted and each transaction has its own unique block. There could be millions of individual blocks in a blockchain and they are all linked together in a secure way.

In a cryptocurrency transaction there will be two parties that we will call party 1 and party 2. With a blockchain there will be records of these two people and the different coins that they own. So, if party 1 wants to sell some of their crypto coins to party 2, there are digital signatures in the individual blocks that require verification.

The job of the blockchain network is to check all of the details of the proposed transaction to ensure that everything is valid. There are computer nodes which perform these checks. If the nodes validate the transaction, then records are added to the blockchain.

All Blocks are Unique

Every individual block in a blockchain is totally unique and has a special code identifier known as a “hash”. As all of the blocks are connected together, the unique code will also include the hash of the block that previously connected to it.

Everything is done in order and the hashes are used to link all of the blocks together properly. There is a complex mathematical function used to create each individual hash. Using this function, a unique string of characters, including numbers and letters, is generated to create the unique hash.

A blockchain network uses a uniform hash system so it doesn’t matter how large or small an individual block is the hash codes used will always be the same length. There is a database used with a blockchain and this is distributed across a network of computers. It is designed so that no single computer has the same information stored on it.

Blockchain networks continuously check block information to ensure that every single copy of the database is fully up to date. There is no margin for error with a blockchain network. Records on a blockchain are immutable. This means that they cannot be easily changed. Any changes made by the legitimate owners will change the database and create new hash codes.

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It doesn't matter where you find yourself on your journey in life, whether it's your career or your personal endeavors – you know that the feeling of being overwhelmed is a natural by-product of success.

Achieving your goals doesn't come easy, as cliché as that may be to say.

Whether you're employed, you're in a transitioning phase for your own business, you're just starting out with your entrepreneurial journey, or you deal with any other kind of work, you deal with stress every single day. Sometimes even every minute.

Sure, being stressed, as in good stress is fine. Such as when it comes to getting things done and seeing positive results at the beginning of getting a new job or launching a new business. Stress can often drive you to work longer hours and push yourself to get things done.

However, after a while of working the long hours and giving it 210% of your efforts, replying to countless emails, clients, and phone calls that fly your way – it all starts to boil down and get to you.

Suddenly, you come to the realization that the passion you once had for your daily life is dwindling, and you start to question why you even began in the first place. You have lost your work and life balance. Maybe the stress has you waking up frequently throughout the night or giving you headaches during the day.

Eventually this kind of fatigue and pain drains you of all of your energy that you rely on for your business, job, and of course, your personal life in general. Even crazier is that you really can't go a day in life without encountering somebody else complain about being stressed or these kinds of symptoms. Especially with everybody being so connected on social networks.

The Ten Second Stress Tactic

Truthfully, we've all been there. We've all been stressed. You are probably stressed out right now, hence the reason you're going through this right this very minute.
Want to know something? There's not been a time in history where the level of overall stress for humanity has been greater than it is today. This is due in part to the fast-paced and ever-changing world of the internet, cell phones, emails, text messaging, and everything in between.

Yet, living with too much stress for too long can result in negative behaviors and even health issues. Both of which can prevent you from succeeding at your goals and achieving the things that you desire most in life.

Stress creates adrenaline. Which allows for spontaneous but reflexive responses to outside stimuli in your everyday life. The thing is an effective business leader and owner tends to do just the opposite. He or she may carefully consider and analyze each decision that must be made. That would be pro-active behavior, rather than reactive behavior, which is often the result of stress.

Obviously, just about everybody wants to be successful and live a life full of happiness. You would be hard-pressed to find somebody that wants to live miserably.

But through the process of life, you'll start to feel overwhelmed, stressed, tired, short-tempered and perhaps even burned out. You will come home from work, or finish your day off by feeling worn out, irritated, and lousy. In turn, your productivity will be down. And with that, you can't progress in life, to an extent.

If you let stress overwhelm your life and cause damage that you can't repair, it will prolong your goals and dreams, or maybe even crush them entirely. In all honesty, any career success, independent of your goal is truly not worth the negatives that the prolonged stress can create.

Countless people all around the world talk everyday about how they can't sleep at night because they find themselves overloaded with tasks to complete. Their stomachs are in knots as they try to juggle picking up the kids from school and picking up that extra hour or two at work.

At the same time, a lot of people stick to their guns and refer to this “overly busy” aspect of their life as a prideful achievement. Juggling all of it continuously but deep down actually falling apart from the stress and overwhelm.

Sure, it's not a bad thing to balance a ton of tasks for a few short days to meet a deadline or get a lot of things down in preparation for something. But the whole “heroic” and “noble” pursuit of taking on too many things at the same time is without a doubt detrimental to both your mental and physical health, and your business and goals as well.

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INTRODUCTION

Everyone suffers from fatigue and exhaustion in their lives for many different reasons. Whether it’s because they work too hard or don’t get enough sleep at night, or because they have a lot of mental baggage that drains their energy, or they maintain an unhealthy diet.

For too long we’ve been living in a society that has trained us to focus outside ourselves for the answers and expend our precious energy creating things externally.

This kind of results-focused mindset causes us to neglect our inner strength and power, which results in us being chronically fatigued and drained of energy.

One thing that everyone needs to get through the daily grind is energy. Without it, we just can't do what we have to do. The most significant difference between people who understand what they want and people who don't is energy. Everything that we do uses up energy.

We expend energy every time we think, perform, or express ourselves. Often, we associate the term energy with the physical variant. However, the fact is that energy is also used for other aspects of daily living.

Both mental and emotional energy is used daily, and in order to keep yourself productive and functional, you have to keep all three aspects energized. Unfortunately, energy is not something that you can hold onto forever.

With every single action that you take, you expend energy.

Every step that you walk, every moment you think, every ounce of emotion you use, cost you energy, and there will come a time when your energy will become depleted, and you'll become too exhausted to do anything.

If you don’t take care of yourself, there will become a time when you can’t go on physically, mentally, or emotionally. You’ll have exhausted yourself to the limit. This will result in what is known as burnout.

Burnout can have a devastating effect on your performance, including limiting the number of tasks you can complete in a day, the quality of those tasks you are able to complete, and you won’t be able to fulfill your commitments.

CHAPTER 1 – UNDERSTANDING FATIGUE

Before you can begin to overcome your fatigue, you need first to understand what fatigue is all about. Fatigue is often referred to as lethargy or exhaustion and is that feeling of tiredness and weakness, both physically and mentally.

You can experience temporary fatigue, which is a result of too much work or not getting enough rest. This kind of fatigue can be easily overcome. There is also chronic or medical fatigue, which is more long-term and requires more serious treatment to overcome.

According to research, 10 percent of the world population suffers from fatigue at any given time, with females being affected by fatigue more than males. Most cases of fatigue have underlying mental causes rather than physical causes and one out of five people who suffer fatigue in the United States, states that it affects their normal function and daily lives.

TWO TYPES OF FATIGUE

There are two kinds of fatigue that you can suffer from, physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Physical fatigue is when you have a hard time doing the things that you usually do, like carrying grocery bags or climbing stairs. Physical exhaustion is just not having enough physical strength to complete daily tasks.

Mental, or psychological fatigue, on the other hand, is when you find it difficult to concentrate on things. In severe cases, you may find even the prospect of getting out of bed to be too much work.

You may feel tired all the time and may also suffer from a lower level of consciousness, which can be extremely dangerous, especially when driving or operating heavy machinery. If you suffer from mental fatigue, you may be mistaken for being drunk or intoxicated.

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INTRODUCTION

If you’ve ever sat in awe watching children play, marveling at the immense amount of energy and flexibility they have, you know that it’s thanks to their healthy joints. But as you age, even bending down to pick something up from the floor can become an impossible feat. So how do you deal with this?

While you can’t really fight the process of aging, you can surely slow down the rate of damage inflicted on joints due to wear and tear. Learning how to nourish and take care of your joints will let you stay flexible for longer and yield relief for painful joints. Read on to see what it takes to keep yourself and your joints moving well even in old age.

CHAPTER 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF JOINT HEALTH

Every time you sprint to catch the bus, score a point against your opposing team, or shoot pool with friends, you’re using your extremely functional musculoskeletal system. This means a combination of bones, joints and muscles get you going where you want to go.

But muscles and bones don’t work alone. Instead there are joints that link these together. While bones support your body’s entire weight, your muscles pull your bones as you move. Joints are the connecting links that put both bones and muscles in motion.

Given the important functions of mobility and movement, it becomes crucial that you take good care of your joints. After all, you put them through so much wear and tear throughout your life.

Joints that aren’t well taken care of become susceptible to injury, inflammation and general dislocation. As age catches up with you, you can feel the effects of overuse weathering away your joints. So, keep your joints healthy at every stage of your life so they can keep you moving even in old age.

But before we look at ways to do so, here’s a quick look at the anatomy of a joint so you can better understand what goes into keeping your joints healthy.

What Are Joints?

Imagine if the skeleton had only one solid bone. That would make it very difficult to move. So instead nature solved this problem by dividing the skeleton into many bones and creating joints where the bones intersect.

Joints are also known as articulations forming strong connections that join bones, teeth, and cartilage to one another. Now you have the freedom of movement in different ways and directions.

Some joints open and close like a hinge such as your knees and elbows, allowing you to straighten or bend your legs and arms. You sit down, stand up, pick up, and put down stuff using these joints without giving it a second thought.

Other joints are meant for more complicated movements such as your shoulder or hip joint. These allow for forward, backward, sideways, and rotating movements. Just think of everything you can do with these joints and you’ll get an idea of how limited your movement can become if any of these joints suffer damage.

But not all joints are created equal. For instance, while joints like the knees provide stability, others like the wrist, ankles, and hips let you move, glide, skip, or run. And just as their functions vary, so does their anatomy. Which means that you also need to take care of them in specific ways.

Some joints are purely made of tough collagen fiber while others have cartilage binding bones together. Yet others have something known as synovial fluid in between cartilage pads at the end of articulating bones.

So, while you may think that all joints can be maintained using the same methods, you may need to rethink your joint-health strategy. Let’s first look at the different types of joints found in the body before discussing how to take care of them.

Types of Joints and Their Functions

Each joint is specialized in its shape and structure to control the range of motion between the parts it connects.

For easier understanding, you may classify joints based on the function they perform or how much movement they allow. You can also do the same based on the structure of the joint, or the material that is present in the joint. This means looking at how the bones are attached to one another.

Both categories will let you divide joints into three broad classes:

Immovable or fixed joints. These are typically fibrous joints that are held together by dense fibrous connective tissue. Think about the bony plates of the skull to get an idea. There are links or joints between the edges of these plates made of fibrous tissue. The point is to make them immovable to protect the brain.

Slightly movable or cartilaginous joints. Here bones are held together by cartilage and allow for some degree of movement. An example could be the spine where each vertebra is linked by cartilage. With this arrangement, every vertebra moves in relation to the one above or below it, giving the spine its flexibility. This lets you bend forward, backward, or sideways without straining your back.

Freely movable or synovial joints. This third type is the most abundantly found type in the body. Here, joints have a synovial cavity that contains a fluid. This synovial fluid lubricates the area and helps the joints move easily.