Zen Motivation: The Stress Free Way To Get Things Done

(NaturalNews by: Mike Bundrant) During my high stress years as an executive in corporate America, my least favorite part of the day was hearing the alarm clock go off in the morning. Getting up to face a new day of tough work challenges and even tougher office politics wasn't exactly a walk in the park for me. So, I needed a little extra motivation in the morning to put my feet on the floor and head for the coffee pot. How did I do it? Easy. I scared the hell out of myself.

Here's the scenario. I am awakened from sweet slumber by the alarm clock. Naturally, I hit the snooze button. It goes off again five minutes later. You know the deal.Snooze. Alarm. Snooze. Alarm. Snooze. As I keep this up, an image begins to grow in my mind of the consequences of being late for my morning meetings. With each passing moment, the pressure increases until I am imagining the utter embarrassment of being 30 minutes late to a meeting that I am supposed to facilitate. Soon, I am witnessing my whole career flash before my eyes. With a shot of pure adrenaline, I bolt out of bed, bypass the coffee and rush to save my job.

You can imagine after a few years with this self-motivational style, my adrenal glands were not happy. Burn out was inevitable. We all know the benefits of high stress - a lower immune system, poor sleep, high blood pressure - I could go on. My way of motivating myself came at a high price.

Actually, negative motivation styles are common and they are all inherently stressful and ineffective. NLP trainers have narrowed down four typical negative self-motivational styles. I'd like to mention each one and then show how Zen motivation transforms them all.

The Four Negative Motivational Styles

1. The Negative Motivator: You become motivated to act only after imagining the horrible consequences of waiting any longer. This was my getting out of bed strategy.

2. The Dictator: You give yourself "orders" in a stern, commanding voice, much like a military commander. The commands often contain words like: must, have to, should, etc...Not many people like to be ordered around. It is fascinating that many people who report ordering themselves around also report "rebelling" against their own orders.

3. Imagine Doing It: You imagine doing an unpleasant task and feel bad, rather than imagining the task completed and feeling compelled to get that result so you can feel good. If you need to do the dishes and don't enjoying washing, rinsing and drying, then imagining yourself doing just that will not be very motivating.

4. Overwhelm: You imagine an entire project, for example, as one global mass of work and do not chunk it down into one step at a time. The feeling of overwhelm is discouraging.

These four common, stressful and unproductive self-motivational strategies tend to defeat their own purpose. Even when they "work" they do not promote health and productivity in the long run.

Secret of Zen Motivation

Amazingly, Zen motivation overcomes all four negative motivational styles in one stoke. The key is getting to a Zen-like state. Again, NLP offers some handy tools for accomplishing this.

Zen has much to do with being present and being present has much to do connecting to what is going on in your environment right now. Tuning in to the external world in a particular way automatically calms the mind and eases bodily tensions, allowing a peaceful, grounded, present state of mind to emerge. To prepare for Zen motivation, experiment with some alternatives from among the following.

1. Look at your surroundings, but only notice colors, textures and shapes.

2. Listen to sounds in your immediate environment, but not voices. Tune into mundane sounds like the hum of your computer, the whirl of a fan or the running refrigerator motor. You can also listen to the sound of the wind blowing or the distant traffic, even crickets etc...

3. Feel outside textures and temperatures, such as the fabric of a piece of furniture or the carpet. Perhaps the coolness of a glass of ice water, etc...It also works to feel environmental pressure, such as the pressure of your body against the seat or the general feeling of gravity pulling you toward the earth.

Pick just one external sensory experience such as those listed above and merely tune into it for 20-30 seconds. If your attention wanders, that's fine. Just return to noticing the particular external sight, sound or feeling you had been noticing. After several moments, you will feel yourself "settle" a bit. You will relax and your bodily tension will ease. This is the beginning of a more present, Zen-like awareness.

From here, it's simple. While in this state, gently consider what you need to do, then follow your natural instinct! The steps to Zen motivation are simple:

1. Enter a Zen-like state using your external senses
2. Gently consider what you need to do
3. Follow your natural instinct to act.

Zen motivation is a wonderful alternative to forcing yourself, psyching yourself out or pumping yourself up. These attempts at self-motivation can work, but the pressure put on your mind and body is enormous. So, instead of hitting the snooze button until you just know the world will end if you don't get up, why not gently feel the texture of the sheets against your skin as you awaken? Then, tune into the sounds within your awareness, allowing your mind to settle into each one. These experiences will welcome a new day and actually make getting out of bed a pleasure.

When you are in the shower, pay attention to the feeling of the water running down your back. Enjoy the scalp massage you give yourself while washing your hair. Listen to the water going down the drain. Give into your senses! It's a much richer experience than the usual mind wanderings of the average shower taker.

The sights, sounds and feelings of the world are always with you. Use them to your advantage. Get out of your head and tune into your environment. Once you are grounded in the present, motivating yourself is as simple as considering what needs to be done.

About the author:
Mike Bundrant is a retired mental health counselor, NLP trainer and publisher of Healthy Times Newspaper.

Mike offers online NLP training and certification with the iNLP Center. Visit the iNLP site to receive a free alternative health articles. For more on the Healthy Times printed newspaper in Southern California, visit Healthy Times Newspaper.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033444_stress_zen.html#ixzz1WX0NklZP

Beat Stress And Improve Health By Cycling

(NaturalNews by: Shona Botes) Many health and fitness experts agree that cycling is one of the best forms of exercise available. Bicycles were first introduced in Europe during the late 19th century. Shortly thereafter, they made their way to the US. Not only does cycling burn a significant amount of calories, but it also helps to improve fitness levels and overall health.

Studies have shown that cycling is able to promote circulation in the body, eliminate the appearance of cellulite from the thigh region and even lower blood pressure. It is also able to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by up to 50%. Those who cycle regularly display fitness levels equivalent to that of being ten years younger.

Cycling helps to strengthen the immune system and can even decrease the formation and activity of tumour cells within the body. It also has the ability to reduce one's Body Mass Index (BMI). Middle-aged women who took up cycling for just a few minutes each day gained approximately 1.5 pounds less over a 16 year period than those who didn`t. Those who only used cycling as a form of commuting experienced a significant improvement in their overall health.

Cycling is able to increase bone density and strength. It also helps to relax mind and body, which makes it an ideal way to fight against depression and other psychological conditions. It can also be beneficial to those suffering from any form of hormonal imbalance. It provides the balance between relaxation and exertion, which is important in maintaining the body`s inner equilibrium. It also greatly improves stamina levels to promote an overall sense of well-being. Those who cycle experience less strain on back muscles as well as reduced impact on knee and ankle joints. This makes it the ideal form of exercise for those who are slightly overweight.

Cycling can be a highly social activity because of the fact that you sometimes meet fellow cyclists along the way while cycling. It is also a lot cheaper to maintain a decent bicycle than a car. Those who cycle help our environment by reducing the amount of carbon monoxide emissions and other pollution created by driving.

It should be taken into account however, that you should always consult with a physician if you suffer from any form of back problem, joint condition or arthritis before taking up cycling as a form of exercise.

About the author

Shona Botes is a budding blogger, as well as a fabulous frugalist. Her spare time is spent engaged in blogging, cycling, photography, as well as green living and natural healing and remedies.
Her blog may be viewed here
Some of her photography work may be viewed here
Other articles written by her may be viewed here

Sources:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/bike-to-work-week_n_863152.html

www.24hrfitness.co.uk/fitness/cycling.html

cyclehelmets.org/1015.html

www.losethattyre.co.uk/the-mulitple-health-benefits-of-cycling/
Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033430_stress_cycling.html#ixzz1WUA0svDn

Pregnant Women and Strokes

(NaturalNews by: Mark Sircus., AC, OMD)We have known for a while that increasingly, children are having strokes, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. In a study of over 200 children who had suffered a stroke, nearly 80 per cent were found to have abnormalities in the brain's arteries. These abnormalities were due to an inflammation, a narrowing or a tear in the artery walls and researchers believe they were caused by a variety of infections or diseases. Now we have to sadly look at what's happening to pregnant women.

Women rarely have strokes during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, but researchers have seen a big jump in such events over the past 12 years, according to a U.S. study published the 27th of July. A total of 4,085 pregnancy-related stroke hospitalizations were documented in the United States in 1994-95, and that number rose 54 percent to 6,293 in 2006-07, said the study inStroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Of course medical officials and doctors have not the slightest idea of what might be the most basic cause of this alarming rise. They speculate that more women are overweight when they become pregnant, which can add to the likelihood of complications from diabetes and high blood pressure.

"Now, more and more women entering pregnancy already have some type of risk factor for stroke, such as obesity, chronic hypertension, diabetes or congenital heart disease," reported Dr. Elena Kuklina, the study's author. The question remains, what is the underlying condition or conditions that lead to chronic hypertension, diabetes or congenital heart disease?

What good is the medical press when they publish an article like this without going further to address the underlying causes of these strokes pregnant woman are suffering from? This recently published information about strokes fails to mention, for example, the detriment of drinking diet soda and the increased risk of stroke that comes from drinking products from Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola and many other companies. Researchers found that people who said they drank diet soda every day had a 48 percent higher risk of stroke or heart attack than people who drank no soda of any kind. The beverage findings should be "a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas," said Dr. Steven Greenberg. He is a Harvard Medical School neurologist and vice chairman of the International Stroke Conference in California, where the research was presented on Wednesday. A simple solution, health experts say, is to drink water instead. Aspartame, a toxic chemical, is found in over 6,000 diet products and is being consumed by an estimated two-thirds of the population.

The National Institute of Health tells us that magnesium deficiency can cause metabolic changes that may contribute to heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Tavia Mathers and Dr. Renea Beckstrand from Brigham Young University published in theJournal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitionersin 2009 that magnesium has been heralded as an ingredient to watch in 2010 and noted that magnesium is helpful for reduction of the risk of stroke.

Dr. Saver and colleagues investigated the neuroprotective effect of early magnesium infusion in ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke in the field; three quarters of the infarct cohort were treated with magnesium within two hours of onset, and nearly one-third within one hour of onset. Dramatic early and good results were reported in the early (42% of According to the current European treatment guidelines, no
neuroprotective treatment is recommended for stroke patients.

Dr. Jerry Nadler says, "Higher dietary intake of magnesium was among the factors associated with a reduced risk of stroke in men with hypertension. In a survey of almost 45,000 men ages 40 to 75,the overall risk of stroke was significantly lower for men in the highest quintile of intake of potassium, magnesium, and cereal fiber, but not of calcium, compared with men in the lowest quintile of intake. A similar relationship was reported this year by Meyer and colleagues, who observed that a diet rich in magnesium, grains, fruits, and vegetables reduced the likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes in a group of almost 36,000 women. While no consistent effect of magnesium on blood pressure has been noted among persons with diabetes, a significant blood pressure reduction was noted in diabetic patients with hypertension after dietary sodium was replaced with potassium and magnesium."

The results of a 10-year study published in the August 28, 2008 issue of theNew England Journal of Medicinefoundthat magnesium administered to women delivering before 32 weeks of gestation reduced the risk of cerebral palsy by 50 percent.The Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium (BEAM) trial was conducted in 18 centers in the U.S., including Northwestern Memorial, and is the first prenatal intervention ever found to reduce the instance of cerebral palsy related to premature birth. Magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride are used in obstetrics to stop premature labor and prevent seizures in women with hypertension.

Pregnancy cannot be normal unless magnesium levels are adequate. The concentration of magnesium in the placental and fetal tissues increases during pregnancy. The requirements for this element in a pregnant woman's organism generally exceed its supply; hence, pregnancy should be considered a condition of "physiological hypomagnesemia."

Magnesium is Always Good for Mother and Fetus

Magnesium is used intravenously to prevent hypertensive crises or seizures associated with toxemia of pregnancy. Magnesium is needed for reproductive fertility and the use of pharmaceutical contraceptives is known to diminish magnesium stores in our body. The rate of premature births has increased more than 30 percent since 1981, but a central obvious cause is ignored by doctors. Magnesium plays a crucial role in fertility, pregnancy, and in early newborn life and many of the problems associated with pregnancy and birth can be resolved by magnesium supplementation.

In 1991 Dr. Jean Durlach said, "Primary magnesium deficiency may occur in fertile women. Gestational magnesium deficiency is able to induce maternal, fetal, and pediatric consequences that might last throughout life. Experimental studies of gestational Mg deficiency show that Mg deficiency during pregnancy may have marked effects on the processes of parturition and of postuterine involution. It may interfere with fetal growth and development from teratogenic effects to morbidity: i.e. hematological effects and disturbances in temperature regulation. Clinical studies on the consequences of maternal primary Mg deficiency in women have been insufficiently investigated." Magnesium is frequently used as the treatment for stopping premature labor and the seizures of eclampsia at the point it starts, but might be more helpful in preventing these if supplemented throughout the course of pregnancy.

Dr. Durlach has also shown the increased safety of using magnesium chloride over magnesium sulfate. There is also evidence that magnesium deficiency/depletion is involved in the etiology of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The evidence is clear that inadequate magnesium intake is common
during pregnancy and that the plasma levels of magnesium tend
to fall, especially during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.
Dr. Mildred S. Seelig

It really is a crying shame that contemporary medicine cannot put its shoes on and tie the laces when it comes to magnesium medicine. When it comes to helping pregnant mothers weather the stress of pregnancy, and navigating around the potential risks of strokes, seizures and many other complications associated with pregnancy and birth, there is nothing like magnesium.

Doctors who practice pharmaceutical-driven medicine are like builders who forget to build the foundation. They prescribe medicines that further strip the body's cells of their magnesium stores without paying any attention to the deficiencies that are there. That's medical negligence and malpractice all rolled into one.

For all the references, sources and more articles please visit Dr. Mark Sircus blog.

About the author:
About the author:
Mark A. Sircus, Ac., OMD, is director of the International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA)http://www.imva.info/.

Dr. Sircus was trained in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Sante Fe, N.M., and at the School of Traditional Medicine of New England in Boston. He served at the Central Public Hospital of Pochutla in Mexico, and was awarded the title of doctor of oriental medicine for his work. He was one of the first nationally certified acupuncturists in the United States. Dr. Sircus's IMVA is dedicated to unifying the various disciplines in medicine with the goal of creating a new dawn in healthcare.

He is particularly concerned about the effect vaccinations have on vulnerable infants and is identifying the common thread of many toxic agents that are dramatically threatening present and future generations of children. His book, The Terror of Pediatric Medicine, is a free e-book offered on his web site. Humane Pediatrics will be an e-book available early in 2011 and then quickly as possible put into print.

Dr. Sircus is a most prolific and courageous writer and one can read through hundreds of pages on his various web sites.

He has recently released a number of e-books including Winning the War Against Cancer, Survival Medicine for the 21st Century, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rich Man’s Poor Man’s Cancer Treatment, New Paradigms in Diabetic Care and Bringing Back the Universal Medicine: IODINE.

Dr. Sircus is a pioneer in the area of natural detoxification and chelation of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. He is also a champion of the medicinal value of minerals and seawater.

Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, his first published work, offers a stunning breakthrough in medicine, an entirely new way to supplement magnesium that naturally increases DHEA levels, brings cellular magnesium levels up quickly, relieves pain, brings down blood pressure and pushes cell physiology in a positive direction. Magnesium chloride delivered transdermally brings a quick release from a broad range of condition. His second edition of Transdermal Magnesium Therapy will be out shortly. In addition he writes critically about the political and financial crises occurring around us.

International Medical Veritas Association:http://www.imva.info/
http://publications.imva.info/

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033402_pregnant_women_strokes.html#ixzz1VzDHalg3

New research: Moving For Just 15 Minutes A Day Can Save Your Life

(NaturalNews by: S. L. Baker,) Imagine a Big Pharma prescription that will slash your risk of dying by 14 percent and give you at least an extra three years of life. How much you would be willing to pay for it? Many people would find a way to take this disease-preventing pill, no matter what the cost. Although there is no such drug, there is a free non-chemical prescription that can provide you with the amazing health benefits described above. There's just one catch: you have to take responsibility for your health and get moving for 15 minutes a day.
That's the dramatic conclusion of a study just published in the online version ofThe Lancet. Dr. Chi-Pang Wen of the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan and China Medical University Hospital, and Dr. Jackson Pui Man Wai of the National Taiwan Sport University, headed a research team that investigated a large range of physical activity levels to see just how much exercise produces important health benefits. Previous research has come up with unclear results about whether exercising less than 150 minutes a week can help you live longer.

The new study involved over 400,000 Taiwanese people who participated in standard medical screening in Taiwan between 1996 and 2008, with an average follow-up of 8 years. Based on how much the research subjects said they exercised each week, the study participants were placed into one of five categories of exercise: virtually no exercise (inactive), or low, medium, high, or very high physical activity. Next, the scientists calculated hazard ratios (HR), a statistical measurement used to figure out the odds of an event occurring within a group at a particular time, to see what the risk of death was for every group that was active compared with the inactive group. Then the research team calculated life expectancy for each research participant group.

The results? Compared with individuals in the inactive group, those who were active had dramatic health benefits.Even the research participants in the low activity group who only exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week (about 15 minutes a day) had a 14 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality, a 10 percent reduced risk of dying from any type of cancer and, on average, a three year longer life expectancy.

What's more, every additional 15 minutes of exercise each day beyond the minimum amount reduced death from all causes by another four percent and reduced death from cancer by another by one percent. These benefits were found across all age groups and among both men and women. The benefits were even applicable to the people with risks for cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, those in the inactive group who had a 17 percent increased risk of mortality compared with individuals in the low exercise group.

"In Taiwan, if inactive individuals engage in low-volume daily exercise, one in six deaths from all causes could be prevented," the scientists said in a statement to the media. "If the minimum amount of exercise we suggest is adhered to, mortality from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer could be reduced. This low volume of physical activity could play a central part in the global war against non-communicable diseases, reducing medical costs and health disparities."

In commentary about the study, Dr. Anil Nigam and Dr. Martin Juneau of the Montreal Heart Institute and Universite de Montreal in Quebec, Canada stated: "The knowledge that as little as 15 minutes per day of exercise on most days of the week can substantially reduce an individual's risk of dying could encourage many more individuals to incorporate a small amount of physical activity into their busy lives. Governments and health professionals both have major roles to play to spread this good news story and convince people of the importance of being at least minimally active."

For more information:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...

Learn more:http://www.NaturalNews.com/033333_exercise_lifespan.html#ixzz1VJdNrsNQ

In IVF Treatment, Mind/Body Program Increases Pregnancy Rates

There is no doubt that undergoing infertility treatment is stressful, with high rates of anxiety and depression reported by many patients. Mind/body therapies designed to help women reduce stress earlier in the treatment process result in higher pregnancy rates, but little is known specifically about the impact of these therapies on women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

A new study published June 1 in Fertility and Sterility, a publication of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, shows that women who participate in a mind/body program for stress reduction while undergoing IVF treatment have a significantly higher pregnancy rate than those who do not (52% versus 20%).

"The intersection of stress and fertility is a controversial one, but we do know that stress can reduce the probability of conception," said principal investigator Alice Domar, Ph.D, OB/GYN, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Executive Director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF.

In 1987, Domar introduced the Mind/Body Program for Infertility at the BIDMC main campus in Boston, later moving it to Boston IVF in Waltham in 2002. The goal of the program is to help couples learn effective relaxation and stress management strategies while attempting to conceive. The ten week stress management program focuses on "cognitive behavior therapy, relaxation training, negative health behavior modification and social support components."

To study the effects of the Mind/Body Program on IVF pregnancy outcomes, Domar's team approached women who were about to begin treatment at Boston IVF and who met the study criteria: 40 years or under with normal hormonal levels. None of the participants had previously participated in a mind/body group.

Participants were randomized into a study group that entered the Mind/Body Program for Infertility or a control group who received no mind/body intervention. All patients underwent IVF treatment. Domar tracked the groups through two IVF cycles.

In the first cycle, there was no difference in conception rates between the study group and the control group. "We noticed that only half of the study group had begun the Mind/Body Program and those who had started the program were only a couple of sessions in," said Domar. "This seemed to rule out the possibility of a placebo affect. The mere suggestion of help with stress, it seems, does not increase the pregnancy rate."

In the second cycle, the majority of the patients in the study group had at least five sessions under their belts. "By that point, they had acquired some real life skills to deal with their stress," said Domar. "And that's when we saw the significant increase in pregnancy rates."

Domar found that 52 percent of the women participating in the Mind/Body Program for Infertility became pregnant compared with 20 percent of the control group participants, a statistically significant difference.

"The study supports the theory that psychological distress may be an important detriment to IVF outcome," the authors write.

"We worked with a small group, about a 100 women total, so we'll need to continue with a larger group of patients to see if the results bear out," said Domar. "But there is a strong indication that stress levels and IVF outcomes are linked and that intervening with mind/body therapies can help."

The study was funded through a grant by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc.

Source:
Kelly Lawman
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/224787.php

Large Study Confirms That Omega 3s Produce Healthy Babies

(NaturalNews) Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is crucial for the development and maintenance of the brain and nervous system, especially in young children (http://www.naturalnews.com/016353.html). And a new study published in the journal Pediatrics adds to this, having found that pregnant women who supplement with Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) during their pregnancies produce children that are much healthier and less prone to sickness than those born to women who do not supplement with, or otherwise consume enough, DHA.

Dr. Usha Ramakrishnan, associate professor at Emory University's Hubert Department of Global Health, and her team conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial on 1,100 pregnant women and 900 infants from Mexico. Some women received 400 milligrams (mg) of DHA, while others received a placebo, during the 18 to 22 weeks of gestation through childbirth.

After all the women eventually gave birth, children born to mothers in the DHA group experienced less overall sickness, and shorter duration of sickness. Some of the results are as follows:

-At one month of age, babies from the DHA group were 25 percent less likely to catch a cold or have a cough with phlegm or wheezing.

-At three months of age, babies from the DHA group experienced 14 percent less illness time than those from the placebo group.

-And at six months, DHA babies had less fevers, nasal secretions, breathing problems, and rashes than babies from the control group.

"This is a large scale, robust study that underscores the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy," remarked Ramakrishnan. "Our findings indicate that pregnant women taking 400 mg of DHA are more likely to deliver healthier infants."

The form of DHA used in the study was derived from algae, which is not necessarily an ideal form. In some cases, companies are actually using genetically-modified (GM) algae to create omega-3 oils. Monsanto is even working on gaining FDA approval for a GM soybean that artificially produces omega-3s which is why it is important to know the source of your omega-3s before consuming them (http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon...).

DHA, as well as the entire gamut of omega-3s that includes arachidonic acid (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), can be found in natural foods like grass-fed meats, salmon, flax, and hemp. They can also be found from high-quality fish and cod liver oils, as well as salmon oil (http://www.naturalnews.com/omega-3.html).

Learn more:http://www.NaturalNews.com/033281_omega-3s_healthy_babies.html#ixzz1UeI1QcQ2

Sources for this story include:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/eu-ssp080111.php

Health Buzz: BPA Linked to Sperm Problems

Bisphenol A, or BPA, May Hurt Sperm

by Kurtis Hiatt

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in everything from plastic bottles to tin cans, may harm sperm, suggests a study of about 200 Chinese factory workers. The five-year study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, compared men who were directly exposed to the chemical on the job to men who were not; it found that those with high levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to have poor semen quality—including low sperm concentration and issues with sperm mobility—than those who had low levels of BPA in their urine, NPR reports. Although previous studies have linked BPA to reproductive problems in male rats, this study is among the first to suggest a negative effect on sperm in humans, according to a press release from Kaiser Permanente, which conducted the study. However, the workers in the study were exposed to much higher BPA levels than the average American, according to NPR, and it's unclear if the impact on sperm would affect their fertility. Still, "The general public should probably try to avoid exposure to BPA as much as they can," De-Kun Li, an epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanante's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., told the Washington Post. (Li and colleagues have published two similar studies linking BPA to sexual problems in men.)

BPA's potentially detrimental effects extend beyond sperm. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voiced concern about its adverse effects, especially on fetuses, infants, and young children. A 2008 study even linked the chemical to diabetes and heart disease. Here are some good rules of thumb for reducing your exposure to BPA, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz writes.

From: 5 Ways to Keep BPA Out of Your Food

1. Buy your tomato sauce in glass jars. Canned tomato sauce is likely to have higher levels of BPA because the high acidity of the tomatoes causes more of the chemical to leach from the lining of the can. Think beyond plain tomato sauce to any canned pasta—like ravioli and those fun-looking kids' meals.

2. Consume frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned. In addition to their BPA-free benefit, fresh and frozen produce usually have more nutrients, which often get lost in the process of canning. Eden Foods does offer canned beans that are BPA-free.

3. Purchase beverages in plastic or glass bottles. Canned soda and juice often contain some BPA. You don't need to worry, though, about disposable plastic water bottles. Most don't contain bisphenol A, and those that do are usually marked on the bottom with a number 7 recycling code.

4. Use powdered infant formula instead of ready-to-serve liquid. A separate assessment from the Environmental Working Group found that liquid formulas contain more BPA than powdered brands.

5. Think in terms of moderation. You don't need to avoid all canned foods. Just consult the chart below and follow a sensible approach, eating less of those foods that are high in BPA. Click here for the full report on canned foods.