Healthy Prism Store

2011-10-17T09:50:00.000-04:00

Lemon Facial Cleanser

Unleash the anti-aging power of lemons with this homemade facial cleanser. The acid from the lemons will rid your skin of outbreak-causing bad bacteria while the healthy probiotics from the yogurt will infuse your skin with good bacteria.

Ingredients

1 tbsp natural yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

2 drops essential lemon oil

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Soak a cotton wool pad in mixture and remove makeup. Repeat with fresh cotton wool pads until make up is removed.

Note: This mixture will not keep, so it should be used immediately.

Dr Oz and Artichoke Extract

2011-04-24T12:18:00.000-04:00

In our times of chronic stresses, poor nutrition and bad eating habits, lasting working days and a tendency to end them up in the closest fast food restaurant, many of us have started noticing harmful and destructive effects of this lifestyle on our health. Upset stomach, colic, meteorism, bloating, stomach cramps, indigestion and other more serious digestive problems became a very common health condition, familiar to millions of people around the world, from London to LA, from Oslo to Capetown. According to Doctor Oz, such natural remedy as artichoke extract is highly recommended (along with artichoke tea) for improving the function of our digestive system. Recently, artichoke extract and artichoke tea benefits became a topic of discussion in one of Dr. Oz’s TV show.
Artichoke extract is an excellent natural product received from artichoke plants, which are nowadays being cultivated in many countries of the world. Artichokes are considered to be among the healthiest natural foods as they are known for their high nutrient content. In particular, they can provide our body with a range of vitamins, including A, D, C, E, B1, B2, B6, B9 and K, as well as microelements like zinc, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and others. Artichokes are valued for their high content of dietary fiber. But the most important thing is: artichokes are very rich with flavonoids and other natural antioxidants, which are vital for cancer prevention, slowing down aging processes in our body and protecting us against many harmful effects of the environment.

Artichoke extract can be used to treat various digestive problems including dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome symptom, upset stomach and so on. Healing properties of artichoke extract include an important property to stimulate bile flow, which was discussed by Dr. Oz and his colleague, Bryce Wilde, Alternative Health Expert from Toronto Canada. He pointed out that artichoke extract is a great remedy to promote bile release and lower the risks of having many symptoms and discomfort related to problematic digestive system.

As it was mentioned in the show, artichoke extract can be used to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Actually, artichokes have a number of heart-protecting benefits which were researched by many scientists around the globe. In particular, a group of specialists in Germany studied the results of administering artichoke extract to a group of volunteers. 143 participants of the experiments were given 1,800 mg of artichoke extract on a daily basis for 6 weeks. It was found out that the level of cholesterol dropped down by an average of 18 percent, and the best results were achieved by those participants who had increased levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol before the experiment.

Other important healing properties of artichoke extract include improving the function of kidneys and liver, relieving abdominal pains, boosting the function of the immune system, lowering the risks of atherosclerosis, making the skin look fresh and healthy, and many more. It is important to note that using artichoke extract is not linked to any unwanted side effects or complications, though in rare cases some allergic reactions are possible. The recommended dose of artichoke extract is 30-40 drops, which should be added to 100-150 ml of water. Or, Dr. Wylde suggests taking this extract by placing the dropper filled with the extract to the back of your tongue. According to the specialist, this is the fastest way to deliver this herbal remedy to your gallbladder and provide fast digestion relieve.

Check out this interesting article on Prostate Cancer

2010-11-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Men with prostate cancer, get colon exam
United Press International

10-25-10

Men who have prostate cancer should not miss having routine colonoscopies because they have significantly more abnormal colon polyps, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Ognian Pomakov of the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a gastroenterologist at the Buffalo VA Medical Center and first author Madhusudhan Sunkavalli, a University at Buffalo medical resident, say the study involved 2,011 men who had colonoscopies at the Buffalo VAMC.

The researchers reviewed patient records, colonoscopy reports and pathology reports, as well as data on the prevalence of abnormal colon polyps, or adenomas, advanced adenomas, cancerous adenomas and their location within the colon.

The study compared the colonoscopy findings of 188 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer with the rest of the patients, who served as controls.

The study found the prostate cancer patients had a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal polyps and advanced adenomas, compared with the control group.

The findings were presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

Copyright United Press International 2010

NEW Look to our Webstore!!!

2010-08-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

Come and see the new look of our webstore. We have added many new products and have a promotion going on too!!

Http://www.HealthyPrism.com

Fibromyalgia and obesity

2010-05-16T08:52:00.000-04:00

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found an association between the level of leisure time physical exercise and a future risk of developing fibromyalgia. The research team also identified BMI as an independent risk factor for fibromyalgia. Details of the study appear in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (see also Fibromyalgia).

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain lasting more than 3 months, and tender point sites in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. Associated features often include unexplained fatigue, sleep disturbances, headache, cognitive difficulty, and mood disturbances. The prevalence of FM increases with age and is considerably higher among women than men. Although the etiology of FM is poorly understood, many authors have suggested that a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system involving deficiencies in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system contributes to the development of FM by altering pain perception and endogenous pain inhibition.

Kate Spade Bali Bound Sweepstakes

2010-05-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

Kate Spade Bali Bound Sweepstakes: "Kate Spade Bali Bound Sweepstakes"

Two great Diet aids

2010-04-08T08:53:00.002-04:00

Irvingia comes from a West African tree known as the wild mango. Natives there think it’s a health food. In some of the jungle regions where it’s used a lot, natives don’t get fat. Their diet consists of breads, soups, and stews made with crushed irvingia seeds.

Researchers in Cameroon, West Africa, recruited over 100 volunteers to see if Irvingia had any effect on weight. For 10 weeks, volunteers took a capsule containing Irvingia or a placebo. They didn’t make a single change to their eating or exercise habits.

Volunteers who took Irvingia dropped an average of 28 lbs., and their health dramatically improved. The placebo group dropped only one pound.1

How does it work?

By turning off your leptin switch.2 Leptin is your appetite hormone. This means you stop eating too much, and your cravings go away. When you have less leptin, your body uses up more fat, even if you don’t change your exercise and eating habits.

Fucoxanthin comes from Japanese seaweed. Like the kind you get in miso soup. Fucoxanthin kicks your metabolism into high gear. And then it changes your DNA, so your metabolism stays that way.3

Marine biologists first noticed that fucoxanthin caused thermogenesis in animals. Thermogenesis is the kind of body heat that makes your body fat melt away.

So researchers decided to study fucoxanthin’s effect on women. It increased fat-burning, even while the women were eating 1,800 calories a day. They dropped pounds and shed inches off their waistline.

Then in a second study, women who took fucoxanthin dropped an average of more than 15 pounds while the placebo group dropped three.4

Women lost subcutaneous fat. This is the fat you see. But fucoxanthin also reduced their visceral fat. Visceral fat is what wraps around your organs and causes heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.5

The best discovery of all? Fucoxanthin prevents new fat cells from forming.6 Fucoxanthin stops your fat cells from reaching maturity. So you don’t gain more body fat in the future.

If you’d like to lower your weight, I suggest adding Irvingia and Fucoxanthin to your supplement regimen. Both are natural antioxidants that work like magic to keep you lean.

Take 150 mg Irvingia gabonensis twice daily before meals.

Take 300 mg Fucoxanthin twice daily before meals.

To Your Good Health,

Healthy Prism Store

Sleep and it's importance

2010-03-10T11:01:00.002-05:00

U.S. researchers suggest a good night's sleep may help fight deterioration due to aging. Researchers at the Oregon State University in Corvallis linked poorer health and earlier deaths to the absence of a key gene controlling the biological clock regulating the sleep cycle. The fruit fly study, published in the journal Aging, found the flies without the gene lived just about as long as normal flies -- unless they were subjected to stress. When the researchers exposed the flies to a mild metabolic stress for 24 hours, they found no change in young flies, but middle-age and older flies showed significant damage beginning to occur. "We're beginning to identify some of the underlying mechanisms that may help explain why organisms age," Natraj Krishnan said in a statement. "This study suggests that young individuals may be able to handle certain stresses, but the same insults at an older age cause genetic damage and appear to lead to health problems and earlier death. And it's linked to biological clocks."

Chronic fatigue Syndrome

2010-02-16T10:45:00.002-05:00

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome, is a mysterious medical condition that affects approximately 500,000 Americans (CDC 2005a). CFS is defined as a set of symptoms that include prolonged, overwhelming fatigue that begins on awakening and lasts throughout the day. The fatigue may worsen with exercise or physical activity. Other symptoms associated with CFS include mood swings, muscle spasms, pain, headache, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite (Afari N et al 2003; Balch PA et al 2000).

Several nutrients have been suggested to be deficient in CFS patients, including B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin C, magnesium, sodium, zinc, L-tryptophan, L-carnitine, CoQ10, and essential fatty acids. Nutritional deficiencies influence the symptoms of the syndrome as well as the recovery process (Bounous G et al 1999; Grimble RF 1994; Vecchiet J et al 2003).

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a potent antioxidant that aids in metabolic reactions, including the process of forming adenosine triphosphate, the molecule the body uses for energy.

In one study of 20 female patients with CFS (who required bed rest following mild exercise), 80 percent were deficient in CoQ10. After three months of CoQ10 supplementation (100 mg/day), the exercise tolerance of the CFS patients more than doubled: 90 percent had reduction or disappearance of clinical symptoms, and 85 percent had decreased post-exercise fatigue (Judy W 1996).

In the University of Iowa study, CoQ10 emerged as the leading therapy for CFS, with 69 percent of patients saying it was helpful

Flu and wellness suggestions!

2010-02-09T10:47:00.001-05:00

You can’t turn on a TV or pick up a magazine or newspaper these days without seeing the latest, scary statistics about this season’s flu epidemic.

But what can you do about it?

Well, first, you can try to prevent getting sick in the first place. You can take advantage of something you probably already have in your own kitchen … garlic. Raw garlic has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties which provide both prevention and treatment of illness by killing many of the pathogens responsible for it.

Plus, a new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that eating garlic appears to boost our natural supply of hydrogen sulfide, which acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular signals that relax blood vessels and increase blood flow. This process may be the reason a garlic-rich diet appears to protect against various cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer.

If you do happen to catch a cold or flu, you won’t find much help from over-the-counter drugs—even the FDA warns of the ineffectiveness and risks of these drugs, especially in children.1 So it’s only natural that people would try to find something else that will work.

The good news is there are some natural, home remedies that can provide significant relief.

Garlic is something I also recommend to help recharge your immune system. Brew a bedtime elixir of four mashed garlic cloves steeped in eight ounces of hot water and flavored with the juice of a lemon.2 To ward off garlic’s tendency to make your breath smell “garlicky,” eat some neutralizing fennel seeds, like those served at Indian restaurants.

For additional relief, it’s as easy as taking a quick trip to your local grocery store. Here are a few more things you can do to help ease cold and flu symptoms:

For nasal congestion: Go for a bowl of chicken soup. Since the 12th century, this soothing soup has been a staple cold remedy. Now scientists have put it to the test and discovered that it relieves colds in two ways: (1) it acts as an anti-inflammatory and, (2) it relieves nasal clog.3
For lung congestion: Rub castor oil or dry mustard (mixed with water to make a poultice) on your chest, cover with muslin or flannel, and lay a hot-water bottle on top to open up your airway and boost circulation in your lungs.4
For sore throat: Drink hot lemonade, made with real lemons, several slices of ginger root, and honey to taste.5 Herbal teas, such as slippery elm, cherry bark, or licorice (not anise) can also be soothing. You can also gargle with turmeric mixed in warm water to reduce inflammation in your throat.
For stomach ache: Drink chamomile tea, fresh ginger tea, or ginger ale (made with real ginger), to sooth an upset stomach. Ginger is also an antiviral and can help you recover from viral infections.

Wanted to share tis weight loss discovery!

2010-02-08T10:45:00.003-05:00

A Universite de Montreal research team is developing a pill composed of leptin, the protein that tells our brain to stop eating. "Mice deprived of leptin will not stop eating. They become so big they have trouble moving around," says Moise Bendayan, a pathology professor at the Universite de Montreal Faculty of Medicine who has studied the leptin protein extensively (see also University of Montreal).

Leptin regulates appetite in mammals and its levels decrease when fasting and rise during meals. It has been proven to be an appetite suppressant when administered intravenously to pathologically obese people.

Postdoctoral student Philippe Cammisotto is leading the charge for a leptin-based, appetite suppressing pill with Dr. Bendayan and Emile Levy, a professor from the Department of Nutrition. "Taken orally, such a pill would provide obese people with the sensation of being full. They would eat less and in turn lose weight," says Dr. Cammisotto.

"We hope to start animal testing in 2010," says Bendayan. "The molecule is easy to synthesize and the protocol is ready."

After decades of building his reputation in fundamental research, Bendayan is happy to collaborate on something more tangible. "Obesity is a big problem in our society, no pun intended," says Bendayan. "To develop medication to combat obesity would be a great way for our laboratory to contribute to public health."

The new pill is being created based on a startling Universite de Montreal discovery from 2006: leptin isn't only secreted by fatty tissues. "From the first bite of any meal, leptin levels skyrocket in the bloodstream. Yet this has nothing to do with the leptin stored in the fatty tissues," says Bendayan. "In the lab, we proved that up to 80 percent of cells in our stomach also produce leptin. Those are the ones that regulate appetite."

The Universite de Montreal finding led to a different understanding of how the protein works, since leptin alone can't survive in an acidic stomach without assistance. Indeed, leptin protects itself with an accomplice that acts as its bodyguard and accompanies the protein through the digestive system until it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine, Animal Testing, Bariatrics, Obesity, Pathology, Therapy, Treatment, Veterinary Research, University of Montreal.

This article was prepared by Obesity & Diabetes Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Obesity & Diabetes Week via NewsRx.com.

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

Lower Cholesterol may lower Prostate Cancer risks

2010-02-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

BALTIMORE, Nov 03, 2009 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- Men with lower cholesterol are less likely than those with higher levels to develop high-grade prostate cancer - an aggressive form of the disease with a poorer prognosis, according to results of a Johns Hopkins collaborative study. In a prospective study of more than 5,000 U.S. men, epidemiologists say they now have evidence that having lower levels of heart-clogging fat may cut a man's risk of this form of cancer by nearly 60 percent.

"For many reasons, we know that it's good to have a cholesterol level within the normal range," says Elizabeth Platz, Sc.D., M.P.H., associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-director of the cancer prevention and control program at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. "Now, we have more evidence that among the benefits of low cholesterol may be a lower risk for potentially deadly prostate cancers."

Normal range is defined as less than 200 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter of blood) of total cholesterol.

Platz and her colleagues found similar results in a study first published in 2008, and in 2006, she linked use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to lower risk of advanced prostate cancer.

For the current study, Platz, members of the Southwest Oncology Group, and other collaborators analyzed data from 5,586 men aged 55 and older enrolled in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial from 1993 to 1996. Some 1,251 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer during the study period.

Men with cholesterol levels lower than 200 mg/dL had a 59 percent lower risk of developing high-grade prostate cancers, which tend to grow and spread rapidly. High-grade cancers are identified by a pathological ranking called the Gleason score. Scores at the highest end of the scale, between eight and 10, indicate cancers considered the most worrisome to pathologists who examine samples of the diseased prostate under the microscope.

In Platz's study, cholesterol levels had no significant effect on the entire spectrum of prostate cancer incidence, only those that were high-grade, she says.

Platz cautions that, while the group took into account factors that could bias the results, such as smoking history, weight, family history of prostate cancer, and dietary cholesterol, other things could have affected their results. One example is whether men in the study were taking cholesterol-lowering drugs at the time of the blood collections, a data point the researchers expect to analyze soon.

Results of the current study are expected to be published online Nov. 3 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Also in the journal is an accompanying paper from the National Cancer Institute showing that lower cholesterol in men conferred a 15 percent decrease in overall cancer cases.

"Cholesterol may affect cancer cells at a level where it influences key signaling pathways controlling cell survival," says Platz. "Cancer cells use these survival pathways to evade the normal cycle of cell life and death."

She says that targeting cholesterol metabolism may be one route to treating and preventing the disease, but this remains to be tested.

Funding for the study was provided by the National Cancer Institute.

Authors of the study include Cathee Till, Phyllis J. Goodman, Marian L. Neuhouser and Alan R. Kristal from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Howard L. Parnes, William D. Figg, and Demetrius Albanes from the National Cancer Institute; Eric A. Klein from the Cleveland Clinic; and Ian M. Thompson Jr., from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center.

Soy Shows Promise

2010-02-06T10:19:00.002-05:00

An article featured in the December 15, 2009 issue of the journal Cancer Research reveals the discovery of a team at Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, California of compounds occurring in soy that could help prevent and possibly treat colon cancer.

Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute Cancer Center director Julie Saba, MD, PhD and her associates discovered that natural lipid molecules called sphingadienes may be responsible for some of the cancer-preventive benefits found for soy products. They first identified the compounds in fruit flies and found that they had the effect of inducing the death of mutant cells. The molecules were determined to be similar to sphingadienes that occur in soy sphingolipids.

When the researchers compared the effects of sphingadienes from flies or soy with those of another soy compound in experiments with cultured human colon cancer cells, sphingadienes were demonstrated to reduce cell viability dose and time-dependently by increasing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagy, while the other soy compound was less effective. Nonmalignant human colon cells were shown to be less sensitive to sphingadienes' effects. In another experiment utilizing a mouse model of intestinal tumorigenesis, animals given sphingadienes averaged 35 percent fewer polyps (benign colon tumors that can become cancerous in humans), and polyps tended to be smaller compared to those detected in untreated animals.

"It's very exciting," enthused Dr Saba. "First, we are encouraged to find a natural molecule that could be consumed through soy products as a strategy to help prevent colon cancer. Second, this information is important because we can build on our understanding of the structure and metabolism of sphingadienes in terms of developing new drugs to treat people who already have colon cancer. Uncovering how sphingadienes exert their effects also helps us to find the most likely combinations of drugs that may work synergistically to eliminate cancer cells and mutant cells that could give rise to cancer."

"I would be comfortable recommending soy products as a change in the diet that could protect against cancer," she added. "The more that soy is studied, the more of these protective agents are found, so it's a very healthy diet choice."

How to Speed up Metabolism

2010-02-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

In the old days, your “appetite control system” was in better shape.

Today we have all sorts of additives and genetically modified “anti-nutrients” that interfere with our body’s hunger signals.

By your “appetite control system,” I mean a complex set of chemical interactions between your brain, nervous system, metabolic hormones, special cells and your immune system. These days, too many additives in your food get in the way of these delicate signals.

So what are some of these anti-nutrients that throw our appetite control system out of whack and make us hungry all the time?

Trans fat. It is bad for so many reasons. Trans fat gets into your cells and your brain. And, it blocks the receptor that controls your metabolism. Bottom line, eating trans fat will cause diabetes, weight gain, inflammation and even cancer.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This is an extremely bad sugar. It produces high levels of insulin. And, it blocks an important hormone, leptin, that is responsible for appetite control.
Unfortunately, thousands of different products in the grocery store contain HFCS and trans fat.

Did you know that if a product has .5 mg or less of trans fat per serving the manufacturer can put “zero trans fat” on the label? For example, even though the Oreo cookie package says “zero trans fat” you are still getting trans fat. So, if you have 6 Oreo cookies you could be getting up to 1.5 grams of trans fat.

Did you also know that HFCS can be found in bottled salad dressings, ice cream, yogurt, prepared tomato sauce, ketchup, sports drinks…even breads and cereals? Frightening huh?

Here’s a few things you can do to make sure these anti-nutrients don’t interfere with your appetite control system.

Read labels on everything.
Go to your refrigerator and cabinets and look for products that contain HFCS and trans fat and throw them in the trash.
Avoid bottled, canned, and frozen prepared meals…they are some of the biggest culprits.
Stay on the outer aisles of the supermarket where you will find whole foods—fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats (organic, grass-fed and free range if possible).
One of the benefits of a balanced appetite control system is a “geared up” metabolism.

Gear up YOUR metabolism and lose weight today!

Oral Health and You!

2010-02-02T09:38:00.002-05:00

Plenty of evidence now shows that the state of your teeth and gums have a serious impact on your overall health, writes DR MERVYN DRUIAN. Gum disease, for example, is linked to a raised risk of heart disease, stroke and premature birth. Here's why you should make sure you are up-to-date with your dental appointments.

HEART DISEASE

It sounds unlikely, but bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease.

Several studies confirm a link between gum disease and atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the blood vessels that can lead to heart attack.

The problem is that bleeding gums provide an entry into the blood for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in the mouth. Microbiologists at the University of Bristol have discovered that when bacteria get into the bloodstream, they stick to tiny fragments called platelets, causing them to clot.

This can lead to partial blockages of blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease and heart attack.

So it does not matter how fit, slim or healthy you are, your chances of getting heart disease are increased by having bad teeth.

STROKE

Brush your teeth well and floss regularly to protect your brain. Poor tooth brushing and bleeding, infected gums raises your risk of stroke in the same way as it does heart disease - by allowing bacteria into the bloodstream.

A study published in the journal Stroke found that stroke risk increases with the severity of gum disease. Astonishingly, those with severe gum disease had more than four times the risk of suffering a stroke than those with mild gum disease.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Research has long associated oral health with a raised risk of dementia, although studies have not made it clear how the state of the teeth affect mental function.

Last year, researchers found a link between mild memory loss and gum disease. A major health grant, welcomed by the British Dental Health Foundation, has recently been given to help scientists study this link.

OBESITY

Bacteria in our mouths could play a direct part in causing obesity.

A study in the Journal of Dental Research found that one species of bacteria - selenomona noxia - was present at above-average levels in all overweight women. Whether or not this bacteria helps to cause obesity or hinders weight loss is being researched.

DIABETES

Last month, research published from a study at New York University showed that the overwhelming majority of gumdisease sufferers were also found to be at high risk of developing diabetes. The link was so strong and significant that researchers concluded that dentists should offer diabetes screenings in their practices.

PREMATURE BIRTH

Pregnant women with high levels of oral bacteria linked to tooth decay and cavities are at risk of giving birth to lowweight or premature babies.

The study, in the Journal of Periodontology, adds to a growing body of research which shows a link between a pregnant woman's oral health and the health of her newborn.

Dr Dasanayake, professor of Dentistry at New York University, who conducted the research, hypothesises that cariescausing bacteria can travel to the uterus in the blood, where they trigger a reaction that leads to contractions and early birth.

The good news is that research at Columbia University College found that dental care before or during pregnancy can significantly lower the risk of premature birth.

TIPS FOR HEALTHY GUMS...

Research indicates that inflammation of the gums and bleeding - which allows oral bacteria to spread around the body in the blood - is linked to a raised risk of serious health problems.

Unfortunately, gum disease is common, yet unless severe, it often goes unnoticed. In mild gum disease, you may have inflamed gums but little bleeding.

Only once it gets worse do people tend to take notice. At this stage, your risk of health problems elsewhere is already higher. Meanwhile, the infection in your gums will be causing gum recession and bone loss, increasing the risk of cavities and tooth loss.

Good gum health is maintained through regular tooth brushing - twice daily - and tooth flossing, ideally after every meal to remove food trapped between your teeth. Crucially, you should see a dental hygienist every six months.

Professional tooth cleaning removes plaque, calcified deposits that build up on teeth and beneath the gums. Preventing the build- up of this plaque is vital as bacteria thrive on it.

Left in place, even thorough tooth brushing and flossing is unlikely to keep your gums healthy.

Green Tea and it's amazing properties!

2010-01-13T08:52:00.001-05:00

Green tea contains anti-bacterial properties, and has also been shown to:

• Zap harmful free radicals.3
• Promote joint comfort and mobility.4
• Support healthy DNA, leaving cells stable and healthy.5
• Boost your exercise capacity by up to 30%.6
• Offer 25 to 100 times the potency of vitamins C and E.7
• Change the way your body reacts to LDL to maintain healthy arteries.8
• Fight against the damaging effects of toxin exposure.9,10
• Guard against cancer.11
• Increase the length of telomeres to reset your biological clock.12
• Prevent bad breath and maintain healthy skin.13

But stay away from green tea drinks that contain sugar, aspartame, or chemical additives. These additives counter the effects of the tea.

Instead, brew your own…

To brew a cup of green tea, bring water to a boil and combine with tea leaves in a teapot. Steep for one to four minutes, depending on the tea you use and the strength you enjoy. Drink it hot or pour it over ice. Try drinking green tea throughout the day for the best effects.

You can’t entirely isolate yourself from infection. But you can do something else right now to start building up your immune defenses.

Cholesterol and how to control it

2009-12-17T08:01:00.001-05:00

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States. According to the CDC, "About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one." One per minute works out to over half a million people dead from heart problems per year.

One of the leading causes of heart disease is cholesterol. The fact that cholesterol is the leading cause of the leading killer makes cholesterol important. So let's take a look at how cholesterol works.

What is cholesterol? It is a chemical that is essential to the cells in your body. If you were to hold a blob of pure cholesterol in your hand, it would look and feel waxy. Cells use cholesterol to make their membranes (the outer envelope that holds each cell together).

Because cholesterol is essential to your body, your liver and several other organs make the cholesterol you need - on the order of a gram per day. Then you add some extra cholesterol to the mix in your food - maybe 300 milligrams a day. Therefore plenty of cholesterol is floating in your bloodstream for your cells to use. When cells need it, cholesterol is readily available from a nearby capillary.

If cholesterol is essential to your body, how can cholesterol be bad? The very simplest explanation: cholesterol collects on artery walls and eventually clogs them up. When it clogs up the arteries on the heart, you have a heart attack which is frequently fatal. Why, you might ask, are the arteries on the heart so susceptible? They are not - all the arteries are clogging. It's just that the heart is one place where a clog causes an immediate and often deadly effect. If an artery in your leg clogs, it is known as peripheral artery disease. It's a problem, but not one that will kill you in a few minutes.

Because of the troubles associated with cholesterol, it is something your doctor thinks about. After all, a doctor's goal is to keep people from dying, and cholesterol is a leading cause of death. This is why you get tested for cholesterol. It used to be there was just one number - the amount of cholesterol in the blood, measured in milligrams per deciliter - and you needed to keep it below 200. Then came the differentiation between "good" and "bad" cholesterol, and then all the stuff with density and triglycerides, to the point where today a cholesterol report looks like a confusing bowl of alphabet soup.

But it is interesting, because it is the result of a better and better understanding of what actually seems to be going on with cholesterol inside the human body. The lipoproteins are there to transport things like cholesterol in the blood. Remember that cholesterol is waxy, and blood is watery. Wax and water don't mix, so cholesterol can't flow in the bloodstream and get where it needs to go without help. Lipoproteins provide the help. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are what cause artery walls to clog, and are therefore "bad". High-density lipoproteins (HDL) seem to prevent clogging, and are therefore "good". So you doctor is trying to keep overall cholesterol in the good range while decreasing LDL and increasing HDL.

What can you do about cholesterol? Your doctor can prescribe drugs like statins. Statins break a chain in the liver that creates cholesterol, so the amount of cholesterol goes down. They also can lower LDL levels.

In addition you have some dietary steps you can take. Eating low cholesterol foods and avoiding high cholesterol foods can help to some degree, although the body continues making cholesterol and will sometimes make more when you eat less.

There are also several foods you can start eating that affect cholesterol levels. You have probably heard about oat bran. It lowers LDL because it contains soluble fiber. So do fruits like apples. Walnuts also help. In some people, walnuts make a big difference. They contain "good fats" that push cholesterol numbers down. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in things like salmon, flax seed and fish oil pills, also help. And olive oil is a good thing to eat, especially if it is replacing unhealthy fats.

The forgotten Vitamin

2009-12-16T07:57:00.000-05:00

This “forgotten” vitamin can prevent cancer and destroy certain types of cancer cells.

Its anti-cancer properties were first discovered by accident.

Researchers in Japan were studying this vitamin’s role in the prevention of bone loss in women with cirrhosis.

It’s well known that those with cirrhosis of the liver due to viral infection (like Hepatitis C, for example) are at a much higher risk of developing cancer.

The study followed 40 women over the span of two years. One group supplemented with 45 mg a day of this vitamin. The other did not. Almost half (47%) of the women in the placebo group developed liver cancer. But here’s what amazed the researchers: The rate of liver cancer in the group of women taking this vitamin was less than 10%!1

Preventing liver cancer isn’t the only thing this vitamin can do.

Another study, published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, found this vitamin can literally kill off leukemia, pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells.2,3 It does this by programming the cells to “self destruct.”

And to think, this vitamin hasn’t been given much attention for almost a century.

I’m talking about vitamin K.

For decades, it’s only been thought of as a blood coagulant. Most doctors overlook its significance and the critical roles it plays in your body.

Truth is vitamin K is one of the most unique vitamins of all. It is produced in your gut by “good” bacteria.

Normally, you get your daily requirement through a combination of diet and what your body produces.

And that’s good news. It’s pretty easy to incorporate vitamin K-rich foods into your diet.

Here’s a quick list*:

Food (1 Cup Serving Size) Vitamin K (mcg) Food (1 Cup Serving Size) Vitamin K (mcg/100g)
Spinach 1,027
Collard Greens 836
Kale 1,062
Mustard Greens 419
Broccoli 220
Beet Greens 697
Brussels Sprouts 218
Asparagus 144
Turnip Greens 851
Sauerkraut 135
Egg Yolk, Raw 15.5
Ground Beef 8
Raw Chicken Liver 12.6
Barbeque Chicken 22

*(source: USDA.Gov)

It’s most common in dark, leafy greens. But you can get smaller amounts of vitamin K in organ meats such as chicken liver and in raw eggs. You can also take a supplement.

Long term exercise can help cell rejuvenation!

2009-12-15T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ulrich Laufs, MD of Saarland University in Homburg, Germany and his colleagues report an association between long-term intense exercise and a reduction in the shortening of telomeres that occurs with aging. Telomeres are protective segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with cell division. Shorter telomeres limit the number of cell divisions, and have been linked with conditions associated with aging of the whole human organism, such as high blood pressure and dementia. Activation of an enzyme known as telomerase elongates telomeres.

The researchers assessed white blood cell telomere length in blood samples from 32 professional runners whose age averaged 20, middle-aged athletes of an average age of 51 who had engaged in continuous endurance exercise since youth, and young and old groups of healthy nonsmoking untrained athletes who did not engage in regular exercise.

Not surprisingly, the athletes in the study had slower resting heart rates, lower blood pressure, a lower body mass index, and improved lipids compared with those who did not exercise regularly. Age-dependent telomere loss was found to be lower in the middle aged athletes who had engaged in endurance exercise for several decades compared to the older, untrained men. "The most significant finding of this study is that physical exercise of the professional athletes leads to activation of the important enzyme telomerase and stabilizes the telomere," noted Dr Laufs, who is a professor of clinical and experimental medicine at Saarland University's department of internal medicine "This is direct evidence of an antiaging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle."

"Our data improves the molecular understanding of the protective effects of exercise on the vessel wall and underlines the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related disease," he added.

Grow your own body parts?

2009-12-14T07:49:00.000-05:00

Amid all the noise of health care reform, a real revolution is happening.

Medical advancements that sound like science fiction -- growing your own organs, being cared for by robotic nurses, popping anti-aging pills -- are either at or near reality already. No matter what is decided about how we deliver and pay for health care in the future, the manner in which bodies and diseases are treated is about to change dramatically.

At least that's the opinion of the innovators in medicine and technology -- scientists, doctors, engineers and philosophers -- who gathered last month at a TEDMED, (that's Technology, Entertainment, Design Medicine) conference in San Diego to unveil solutions to some stubborn health care problems. These innovations are likely to be embraced not only because they could save money, but also because a large, vocal group is going to want them -- the baby boomers.

DIY body parts

Don't wait for an organ donation -- grow your own. Here's how.

Cells from an organ to be replaced are put into nutrients, where they multiply and create a "soup," explained Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina. The "soup" of cells is "painted" on a form or scaffolding in the shape of the organ, say a bladder, and placed into an incubator. A new bladder grows in about six weeks.

"It used to be that the patient's pelvis was extensively X-rayed to get the right-sized bladder," Atala said, "but now [scientists are doing so many that] bladders come in three sizes: small, medium and large."

Ears, arteries, heart valves, fingers and toes are being grown in this manner. Recent news stories have described the successful growing of new penises in lab animals. Atala's group is experimenting with the ink-jet technology of a printer/scanner that will be able to "print out" a copy of skin, or even a heart, for replacement.

This could spell the end of transplant organ shortages and, because they use the patient's own tissue, make organ rejection a thing of the past.

How soon will you be able to grow your own parts? Lab-grown bladders have already been transplanted into patients in the United States, a precursor to FDA approval, said a Wake Forest Institute spokeswoman. In 10 years, it could be out with the old and in with the new, at least with some organs. And they'll be your own organs.

Monitoring the boomers

An age wave is about to hit health care. Baby boomers are graying, developing chronic diseases, disabilities and just plain wearing out. About 70 million aging boomers could mean bulging nursing homes and depleted resources.

It doesn't have to be that way, said Eric Dishman, director of Health Innovation at Intel's Digital Health Group. Put smart phone technology to work in medicine and people stay independent longer, he said. Intel's Health Guide, a laptop-like device already in use in some parts of the country, monitors patients' health from home.

With a touch screen and side ports for attachments, the device uses a friendly female voice to prompt users to measure blood pressure, blood sugar, lung function and more. Results go directly to a health care provider. If a follow-up call is necessary, a camera allows the patient and care provider to see each other as they talk. Closer supervision means better results for the patient, who can avoid trips to the doctor, hospitalizations and nursing home stays.

Other smart, button-sized devices can be worn on the body to sense gait, tremors and other vital signs, telling doctors if medication is working or if patient's condition is changing, without having to wait for a crisis.

"It's about aging gracefully in the home," said Greg Hooper, with Intel Digital Health Group.

Look for more medical home-monitoring products and services to hit the market soon.

Nurse robot

How about an in-home helper who never gets tired?

The iRobot company, the one that put robotic vacuum cleaners into homes, is working on creating Grandma's little helper -- a robot nurse. Just getting underway, the idea is a helper strong enough to carry Grandma up a flight of stairs, but gentle enough to hand her the proper medicine at the right time. If Grandma doesn't answer the phone, the robot could roam the house, looking for her.

Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot, said a family caregiver can easily put in three hours a day caring for an elderly person, and more than six if the person is frail. "Elder care and a full-time job are not compatible," he said.

Robotic help in the home could add years to independent living. Development of the robot nurse might come in stages, with a robotic arm or other devices debuting before the full-fledged robot.

Beyond red wine

"Aging is a disease and it's mainly treatable," says David Sinclair, a Harvard professor and a leading researcher on aging who discovered resveratrol, the anti-aging ingredient in red wine, in 2002. Now, a newer compound, many thousands of times stronger than resveratrol, is being studied. It works on genes that regulate aging.

The substance, in pill form, is being studied as a treatment for the diseases of aging: diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cardiovascular disease and many cancers. The results are promising, Sinclair said, and there appear to be no side effects.

More will be known in the next two years. If current results are any indication of the outcome, "anti-aging drugs will permeate the public," he said. "Aging is a set of diseases. If we can slow them down or cure them, we will live longer healthier lives."

It may well be that the boomer generation will be the last generation with a "natural" life span. It's the children and grandchildren of boomers who are likely to reap the most benefits.

Living well is the best revenge, it's said -- and what could be better than living well longer?

Low cholesterol not linked to cancer

2009-12-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

Low cholesterol may be a result of underlying cancer, challenging a concern that lower total cholesterol may lead to cancer, a U.S. researcher suggests.

Dr. Demetrius Albanes of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues looked at data from 29,093 men from the Alpha-Tocopheral, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study.

Low cholesterol was linked -- as in previous studies -- to an 18 percent higher risk of cancer overall. However, this risk disappeared when the researchers excluded cases in the early years after the original blood draw. Also, higher levels of high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol, were associated with a 14 percent decreased risk of cancer even after excluding nine years of early cases.

"Our study affirms that lower total cholesterol may be caused by undiagnosed cancer," Albanes said in a statement. "In terms of public health message, we found that higher levels of 'good cholesterol' seem to be protective for all cancers, which is in line with recommendations for cardiovascular health."

The finding is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Obesity and it's toll on us

2009-12-12T07:44:00.000-05:00

Americans are falling into three gaps that threaten personal health and national solvency. Unless we reverse the trend, 43 percent of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2018, and the nation will spend $344 billion to address health-related problems.

The fat gap, a term coined by British researchers, refers to the discrepancy between how individuals see themselves and the number on the bathroom scale. Evidently, our notion of what constitutes being overweight or obese has been supersized because those around us -- friends, family and colleagues -- have similarly supersized their bodies.

In a British study reported Sept 2009, in the Telegraph, only 1 person in 10 identified themselves as being obese, when in fact 1 in 4 was obese (roughly 30 or more pounds overweight). As a result, "Ten million Brits are unaware they are obese because being fat is now seen as the 'norm.'" This lack of awareness unwittingly places the individual at risk for medical problems triggered by obesity.

In the United States, 2 out of 3 adults are overweight or obese. And since there is no reason to believe that our self-perception skills are more acute than those of our cousins in England, we can assume that millions of Americans are unaware that they are similarly at risk for medical problems associated with surplus weight.

Lest you think I am judging these individuals for their lack of self-awareness, I hasten to add that when, at 5 feet 1 inch, I tipped the scales at 183 pounds, I did not see myself as obese. Even though I was 60 pounds overweight, I saw myself as slightly pudgy. Besides, I didn't think I looked any worse than the people around me. I was trapped in the fat gap and was in the 90th percentile for risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. If I hadn't lost weight and got fit, I would likely have become disabled or died.

I'm not alone in my self-deception. Dr. Nick Yphantides, author of My Big Fat Greek Diet, fell into a similar massive fat gap because of an inaccurate self-perception. Just before his own radical, nonsurgical weight-loss adventure of 270 pounds, Nick estimated and told others that he weighed around 350 pounds. Not until he straddled two scales did he discover that he actually weighed 467 pounds. One of Nick's core messages is "you have to change the way you see before you can change the way you look, and this certainly applies to how we see ourselves."

These anecdotes explain why the fat gap is triggering a generation gap that is reversing decades of improvements in the health of seniors. For the first time in decades, Americans currently in their 60s are going to suffer more disabilities and medical problems -- leading to a loss of independence -- than did the preceding generations.

Researchers report this disturbing trend in a study funded by the National Institute on Aging reported in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Seniors who grew up in the 1920s and 1930s enjoyed healthier food (junk food had yet to be introduced) and regularly participated in physical exercise in schools. They may also have worked in jobs that required physical effort. These and other factors have tended to protect their health.

In contrast, the biggest factor contributing to the declining health of the next generation of seniors is the expanding rate of obesity. Those who are overweight or obese strain their joints and cardiovascular systems, and they are more susceptible to diabetes and stroke. Consequently, even if the members of this generation survive a heart attack or stroke, they may be left with disabilities.

The decline in health may increase as future generations with even higher rates of obesity reach their senior years. In 2018, researchers predict that 43 percent of Americans will be obese.

Diabetes has already reached epidemic proportions among children, and 70 percent of adults 65 and older are either diabetic or prediabetic, which means they are on their way to being diabetic unless lifestyle changes are undertaken.

The explanation for the rising incidence of obesity may be related to yet another phenomenon -- the appetite gap. The appetite gap is the discrepancy between what the body needs to maintain a normal weight and a sense of satiety that triggers an end to eating. If food doesn't trigger a sense of having eaten enough, individuals keep eating even though they may already have consumed more calories than required to maintain their weight.

The results of an experiment with rats, reported in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, attempt to explain the chemistry behind appetite gaps. Rats fed a diet high in saturated fat for only three days -- comparable to a human eating cheeseburgers and French fries for three days -- showed a reduction in the hormones that trigger a sense of satiety.

Eating a diet high in saturated fats increased the appetites of the rats and these findings raised an interesting question: why would consuming saturated fat trigger a craving for more fat? Logic tells us that the opposite should occur: if the rat ate copious amounts of fat, the rat should feel satisfied. That the biochemical mechanism would trigger a craving for more fat seems counterintuitive. (Interestingly enough, healthy fats, such as those found in olive oil, did not suppress the satiety hormones.)

If a diet high in saturated fats produces weight gain in rats and the body chemistry of rats is similar to that of humans, then the growing epidemic of human obesity would be understandable. Saturated fats are common in many American foods -- from fatty cuts of meat, bacon and processed meats to cookies, cakes, ice cream and muffins. Consuming these foods may be triggering a craving for even more fatty food and contributing to the rising level of obesity.

The mystery of the appetite gap remains unsolved pending further investigation. Although pieces of the puzzle are being put in place, it's unlikely that scientists will quickly determine the precise cause (or causes) of obesity and mass-market a simple, safe solution that will help us bridge the gap. It's more likely we'll need to modify our own behavior.

Dr. Yphantides considers behavior modification to be a key issue. "In order to achieve and sustain an ideal weight, people need to rediscover the importance of eating to the point of appropriate satisfaction and satiety rather than packing themselves like a cannon or a Thanksgiving turkey."

Besides moderating portion size, individuals who want to avoid falling into the fat gap may want to replace junk food with the Mediterranean-based diet suggested by the Mayo Clinic. The diet recommends the following:

--Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables

--Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil

--Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods

--Eating small portions of nuts

--Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some

--Consuming very little red meat

--Eating fish or shellfish at least twice a week

Besides including the food groups from the Mediterranean diet, individuals can also benefit from regular exercise and meals with family and friends.

We have choices, and we must make them in full knowledge that our future is at stake. If we want to enjoy longer, healthier lives and reduce our burgeoning medical expenses, we'll have to find or create ways to close the gaps.

Dubbed "An Apostle for Fitness" by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson was the inspiration behind the Nevada County Meltdown, where more than 1,000 people lost nearly 8,000 pounds. Carole is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction and serves as the national coach for the AARP Fat to Fit Community Challenge, a free weight-loss program welcoming all ages.

Disturbing: Obesity Rate For 2 To 5 Yr. Olds Between 8.5 percent And 13.4 percent

30,000 Premature Cardiovascular Deaths Per Year--Preventable

Olympia Dukakis Urges Diabetic Screening: 7 Of 10 Aged 65+ At Risk

-----

To see more of Basil & Spice or to subscribe to this content provider, go to http://www.basilandspice.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Basil & Spice

Take the Potassium quiz

2009-12-11T07:41:00.000-05:00

Folks who like bananas may not know the fruit is a rich source of potassium, an essential nutrient. So what say we peel the skin and examine all things potassium?

1. How much potassium does the average person consume in a day?

a) 5,000 mg

b) 3,000 mg

c) 1,000 mg

2. Cooking or draining vegetables and fruit can eliminate up to what percentage of potassium?

a) 40 percent

b) 62.4 percent

c) 70 percent

3. Which vegetable has the highest level of potassium per 100-gram serving (6,299 mg)?

a) carrots

b) shiitake mushrooms

c) parsley

4. Which fruit has the highest level of potassium per 100-gram serving 1,850 mg?

a) bananas

b) apricots

c) peaches

5. Which fruit has the lowest level of potassium per 100-gram serving 8 mg?

a) olives

b) pear nectar

c) maraschino cherries

ANSWERS: 1: b; 2: c; 3: c; 4: b; 5: a

Green Vibrance is the best green food...See why you need it!

2009-12-10T07:38:00.000-05:00

Spirulina is the oldest food on earth. It’s a kind of blue-green algae. It’s the world’s richest source of vitamins, minerals, iron, protein and a host of other nutrients.

Studies show that spirulina is a powerful detoxifier:

“Not only has spirulina been shown to improve circulation and maintain healthy blood pressure, but Japanese scientists have discovered that it can also help detoxify the blood and maintain energy levels…”3*
“Important to note in the area of prevention, spirulina is richly supplied with the blue pigment phycocyanin, a biliprotein which has been shown to support normal cell growth…”4

Barley grass is made up of unique amino acids. They create a type of cage around deadly toxins and carry them out of your body. *

Barley grass is a well-balanced food. It has the exact blend of amino acids, proteins, enzymes, vitamins and minerals that you need for optimum health. Its healing powers are so historic, you find it mentioned in the Bible.

Chlorophyll connects to toxins in the gut and prevents them from being absorbed. And it sweeps free radicals and chemicals out of your system:

"In an Oregon State University study, lab animals were exposed to a poisonous substance. The animals given a chlorophyll supplement prior to exposure maintained normal tissue mass more than the animals who were not given the supplement. The researchers believe that chlorophyll may help to remove free radicals and other chemicals that may cause DNA damage…”5

Newsweek calls green foods “Better than Vitamins.”

Vitamin D and Lymphoma

2009-12-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

A presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology held December 5-8 this year in New Orleans reveals the finding of researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa of an association between higher levels of vitamin D and greater survival in individuals being treated for lymphoma.

In a study funded by the National Cancer Institute, researchers participating in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 374 patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The team chose to study lymphoma due to the higher incidence of the disease in northern latitudes, a finding that may be related to decreased exposure to sunlight which results in lower levels of vitamin D. The study is the first to evaluate lymphoma outcome in relation to vitamin D levels.

Half of the patients were found to have deficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of less than 25 nanograms per milliliter. This group had a 1.5 times greater adjusted risk of disease progression and twice the rate of dying over the course of the study compared to those with optimal levels.

Vitamin D has been found to regulate numerous genes involved in prostate, breast, colon and other cancers. A deficiency of the vitamin may be involved in the genesis of some cancers as well as influencing the outcome of the disease. "The exact roles that vitamin D might play in the initiation or progression of cancer is unknown, but we do know that the vitamin plays a role in regulation of cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting cancer," explained lead investigator, Matthew Drake, MD, PhD, who is an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "It is fairly easy to maintain vitamin D levels through inexpensive daily supplements or 15 minutes in the sun three times a week in the summer, so that levels can be stored inside body fat."

"These are some of the strongest findings yet between vitamin D and cancer outcome," Dr Drake concluded. "While these findings are very provocative, they are preliminary and need to be validated in other studies. However, they raise the issue of whether vitamin D supplementation might aid in treatment for this malignancy, and thus should stimulate much more research."

Resveratrol info from Dr Sears

2009-12-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

I just saw a new study that shows why women especially love how resveratrol makes them feel. It may combat the symptoms of menopause as effectively as hormone replacement drugs. And it does it without the cancer and other risks.

This is a remarkable discovery. It gives you one more weapon to combat the hot flashes, night sweats, and worse that come with “the change.”

Are blood sugar problems sneaking up on you?
I treat people with blood sugar problems all the time. Most don’t even know they’re at risk.

But you can safely and easily treat it… without jabbing yourself with insulin shots every day. There’s a combination of herbs and minerals that are very effective. I’ve used them for over 20 years. My friend Layne Lowery, President of Health Resources™, has a great formula that gives you all of them combined in exactly the right dose.

Join the thousands of people who have already found success with these seven natural blood sugar wonders. Folks like Mavis A. from Greensboro, NC: "I want to thank you for this miracle. My blood sugar has dropped 30 points in less than a month. And "Eleanor S. of Rockport, ME, who says: "My original blood sugar was over 300. My blood sugar now stays about 100–120. I feel great, eat well and don’t worry. You saved me!"

Layne’s free report reveals a new natural breakthrough for balancing your blood sugar, Click Here to read it online now!

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, found that resveratrol mimics the benefits of estrogen. In other words, it fakes out the body into thinking it has the estrogen levels of your youth.1

Plus, the study showed it helps keep cells healthy. And when cells function properly, there’s less chance that cancer will form.

The study’s authors concluded, “Resveratrol might be the most promising candidate for HRT and chemoprevention of breast cancer due to its estrogenic activity and high antitumor activity.”

You can get resveratrol from certain foods – red wine, red grapes, cranberries, blueberries, and peanuts. But you’d have to eat a lot of these foods to get the equivalent of 100 mg. So a supplement is your best bet.

I recommend all my patients – men and women – take 100 mg of resveratrol daily. It’s an antioxidant, anti-aging powerhouse.

It’s safe and natural. You can take it any time of day, with or without food.

Also consider bioidenticals. Bioidentical hormones are another natural alternative to HRT drugs. Bioidenticals are exact replicas of your body’s missing hormones. They’re not synthetic imposters. Your body naturally and easily responds to them.

I’ve treated hundred of patients with bioidenticals. I’ve never seen anything but positive results. It’s hands down the best treatment I’ve found.

Start by taking resveratrol. If you don’t find complete relief, consider bioidenticals. You can take them along with your resveratrol. You would still get the estrogenic and anti-cancer benefits of resveratrol.

The Importance of Zinc in your daily Routine!

2009-12-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

Every hour of the day, your cells are under attack. Normally, this is okay because your cells have a built-in DNA repair system that fixes any damage. But when your cells are undernourished, they can lose the ability to repair themselves. And that’s bad news.

Part of the reason for the explosion of cancer in modern times is because we’re not repairing our DNA. Our bodies aren’t getting enough of the nutrients we need to make this process work.

But you can help protect yourself with a simple mineral. I’m talking about zinc.

I just finished reading a new study that shows you can easily prevent – and reverse – this damage to your DNA. An Aug. 2009 study by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University1 shows that supplementing with zinc reverses cell damage.

Add this latest finding to zinc’s list of health benefits:

Heart-health booster
Essential to your prostate and sexual performance
Can prevent pneumonia and speed the recovery from colds
Promotes wound healing.

As many as 40 percent of older people in the U.S. are deficient.2

But it’s easy to get the zinc you need for healthy cells. Zinc is in many foods we eat. Some good food sources of zinc are:3

Food
Mg per serving
% of DV

Oysters, 6 medium
76.7
513

Beef shanks, cooked, 3 ounces
8.9
59

Crab, Alaska king, cooked, 3 ounces
6.5
43

Pork shoulder, cooked, 3 ounces
4.2
28

Chicken leg, roasted, 1 leg
2.7
18

Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce
1.6
11

Yogurt, low fat, 1 cup
1.6
11

Unfortunately, your body can only absorb 15% - 40% of the zinc in food. Relying on food alone means you’re just not getting the minimum amount to prevent deficiency related disease - let alone enough to repair any mutation in your genes. You need to take a supplement.

Zinc picolinate is the most absorbable form of zinc. I recommend 30 mg a day to promote good health and reverse DNA damage and mutation.

Take your zinc supplement 1 hour before your meal or at least 2 hours after your meal. Certain foods can block the absorption of zinc. Stay away from these foods for at least 2 hours after taking zinc: bran and other fiber-rich foods, foods that contain phosphorous such as milk and poultry, and whole grain breads and cereals.

And if you take other mineral supplements, such as copper or iron, space them about 2 hours apart. Zinc can interfere with the absorption of these minerals. To avoid any of these problems, I simply take my zinc supplement before I go to bed.

Store it in a dark place at room temperature.

A Note from Dr Sears to Share

2009-12-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

All of the doctors I know are well trained and well intentioned. But sometimes putting your faith in the system gets you in trouble.

The pharmaceutical giant Wyeth is being sued over its synthetic hormone drugs Premarin and Prempro. They are alleging the drugs cause can cancer and heart disease. During the discovery process, they uncovered a scam.

And what a doozy this scam is!

Wyeth paid ghostwriters to create scientific review articles. These articles were then published in leading medical journals. And these articles are full of misleading data that led doctors to believe they were safe.

Doctors prescribed these medications and women died as a result.
Here’s how Wyeth’s deception worked:

The ghostwriters wrote the journal articles. The articles touted the benefits of synthetic hormone replacement therapy. And downplayed all the risks. Serious risks, like invasive breast cancer, stroke, heart disease and even dementia.

Then, the ghostwriters paid top physicians to sign their name as the author of the article. It didn’t matter that the physicians hadn’t contributed anything or very little to the writing or scientific review of the available studies. And the doctors didn’t know that the drug company was paying for the study.

The final versions of these articles didn’t mention Wyeth’s financial ties. Even the respected journals that published them had no idea.

The plan worked. Doctors rely on medical journals. As a result, thousands prescribed synthetic hormones to their patients, thinking it was perfectly safe.

It’s no wonder sales of Premarin and Prempro spiked to almost $2 billion in 2001.1 At one time, Premarin was the #1 moneymaking prescription in the U.S.

If you can’t trust the medical journals, what are you left with? I’ve always been skeptical that drugs are the only answer. I always ask myself these questions: What did nature intend? What did it create? Are there natural alternatives to man-made drugs?

Synthetic, chemical-based drugs that try to mimic a hormone can lead to real trouble. And in this case, even cancer. But if you try to recreate what nature intended using compounds that your body recognizes as safe, you’ll get relief without the risk.

Instead of dangerous synthetic HRT drugs, here’s what I use to treat my patients.

Black Cohosh. Black cohosh works to normalize your hormones and gently helps you regain your sex drive. Studies show it can be nearly as effective as HRT to reduce hot flashes, night sweats, depression and anxiety. I recommend 250 mg three times a day.2,3

Maca Root. Found high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, maca root has been used for 8,000 years to relieve hot flashes, night sweats, improve your mood, and rev-up your sexual desire. Take 200 mg daily.

I also recommend that you see your doctor and get your hormone levels checked. This includes checking your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels.

Consider bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Unlike synthetic HRT, bioidenticals are exact replicas of your own hormones that are easily identified by your body. When it comes to hormones, one size does not fit all. Everyone’s needs are different. With bioidenticals, your doctor can prescribe a custom blend of naturally occurring hormones that are specific to your needs.

You’ll need a compounding pharmacy to fill your prescription. They are usually independently owned and easy to find in your state.

Vitamin D and Sun Exposure

2009-11-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

When it comes to vitamin D, consumers are bombarded with mixed messages about the best source for this essential nutrient. While some may argue that small doses of intentional sun exposure are safe, dermatologists point out that the risk of developing skin cancer from ultraviolet (UV) radiation far outweighs the benefit of stimulating vitamin D production - particularly when enriched foods and supplements are safe and effective sources of this vitamin (see also Skin Cancer).

Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology's SKIN academy (Academy), Washington, D.C., dermatologist Elizabeth L. Tanzi, MD, FAAD, clinical faculty in the department of dermatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital Center in Baltimore, addressed common myths about sun exposure, sunscreen and vitamin D, and announced the Academy's increased recommendation on the minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of sunscreen.

"Despite years of ongoing public education efforts on the dangers of UV radiation, a number of misconceptions remain as to how to best protect ourselves from this known carcinogen and whether or not we absolutely need sun exposure for vitamin D production," said Dr. Tanzi. "The fact is these myths are harmful because sun exposure is the leading cause of skin cancer, and the consequences of this misinformation could be potentially fatal."

Myth: Sun exposure is the best source of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that is vital for strong bones and a healthy immune system. Deficiency of vitamin D is associated with bone softening in adults, rickets in children and, more recently, with high blood pressure, arthritis, type I diabetes and certain cancers.

While UV radiation is one source of vitamin D, dermatologists argue that it is not the best source because the benefits of obtaining vitamin D through UV exposure cannot be separated from an increased risk of skin cancer. Instead, the Academy recommends that an adequate amount of vitamin D should be obtained from a healthy diet that includes foods naturally rich in vitamin D (e.g., dairy products and fish), foods/beverages fortified with vitamin D (e.g., fortified milk and fortified cereals), and/or vitamin D supplements.

"Although studies showing the benefits of increased vitamin D intake have caused some to propose 'sensible sun exposure' or intentional sun exposure as a cost-effective method for preventing vitamin D deficiency, increased sun exposure is not the answer," said Dr. Tanzi. "UV radiation is the most preventable risk factor for the development of skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in this country. There are more than an estimated 1 million new cases of skin cancer every year. Despite this fact, there remains a tremendous amount of misinformation about UV exposure - especially in relation to vitamin D."

Myth: All sunscreens are created equal.

While on the surface most sunscreens may look the same, they are in fact quite different. One of the things that makes sunscreens different is the level of protection from UV exposure that they provide. Dr. Tanzi explained that a common misconception is that the SPF rates the degree of protection from both UVA rays (which pass through window glass, penetrate into the deepest layer of the skin and are associated with premature aging and melanoma) and UVB rays (the sun's burning rays, which are blocked by window glass, are the primary cause of sunburn, and also are linked with skin cancer). In fact, the SPF number on sunscreens only reflects the product's ability to deflect the sun's burning rays (or UVB). Sunscreens labeled broad-spectrum provide coverage against both UVA and UVB light.

"SPF may create a false sense of security about the level of protection a person is getting, because many sunscreens do not adequately protect against harmful UVA rays," said Dr. Tanzi. "The main challenge in providing effective protection from UVA rays is that traditional chemicals used in sunscreens that absorb UVA light degrade quickly and become ineffective."

Fortunately, there are ingredients that can be added to traditional sunscreen ingredients to keep them stable and provide broad-spectrum protection. For example, Dr. Tanzi noted that the ingredient oxybenzone can help stabilize avobenzone (one of the best absorbers of UVA rays that, while highly effective, breaks down quickly), which provides a longer duration of effective protection from UVA rays. Other effective ingredients that help provide broad-spectrum UV coverage include ecamsule, cinoxate, menthyl anthranilate, octyl methoxycinnamate, octyl salicylate, and sulisobenzone.

For those with sensitive skin, sunscreens with non-chemical ingredients work best and will prevent irritation. Dr. Tanzi said the ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide provide both UVA and UVB protection.

Myth: Using a higher SPF will ensure you don't burn.

Dr. Tanzi explained that those who use sunscreen with a higher SPF may think they will not burn when exposed to UV light, but she said that is not true. In fact, actual sunscreen protection depends on many other factors - including skin type, the amount and frequency of sunscreen application, and the impact of activities (such as swimming and sweating). As a result, sunburn can occur even when wearing a higher SPF sunscreen.

Another important factor Dr. Tanzi emphasized is that UVB protection does not increase proportionately with a designated SPF number. For example, an SPF of 30 screens 97 percent of UVB rays, while an SPF of 15 screens 93 percent of UVB rays and an SPF of 2 screens out 50 percent of UVB rays. However, not applying enough sunscreen or not covering all exposed areas may result in a lower SPF than the product contains.

"For adequate protection, sunscreens are best applied 15-30 minutes prior to going outside, approximately every two hours or immediately after swimming or sweating," said Dr. Tanzi. "Research demonstrates that most people only apply 25 to 50 percent of the recommended amount of sunscreen, which is one ounce for the entire body or enough to fill a shot glass. Therefore, if only half the proper amount of SPF 15 is applied, the SPF has been reduced to an SPF of approximately 5, which is then inadequate protection.

Back Pain and Long Periods of Sitting

2009-11-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Do you get lower back pain from sitting in your office chair for hours on end?

Sitting for long periods can be a pain as you age. Long drives, bleacher seats at a football game or working at your computer can trigger back pain.

Ninety percent of Americans have some back pain at some time in their lives. It’s one of the first things I learned in my rehab studies during my residency in med school. In fact, back pain is the number two reason people visit the doctor, second only to upper-respiratory infections.

Stretching the right muscles is one of the best solutions for chronic back pain, especially if you have trouble sitting for long periods of time.

But you don’t need to spend an hour a day doing boring stretching exercises to be flexible or ease your nagging back. Today, I’ll show you an easy stretch for lower back pain, and I’ll tell you about a remarkable invention that’s helping thousands of people sit comfortably for long periods.

Losing flexibility as we age is the rule, especially if you never stretch. You make it worse if you sit at a desk all day. But some regular exercise and proper stretching can slow the decline.

An intelligent stretching regimen can prevent or even reverse stiffness and loss of range of motion. Done properly, these movements can ease your back pain and provide long-term relief. This solution is simple, pleasant and takes only a couple of minutes.

Here’s an easy one. To relieve lower back pain, stretch the front of your hips daily (or every other day).

Hip Flexors: You need to do this stretch, particularly if you sit all day at work. Sitting all day puts pressure on the hip flexor muscles. This is a major cause of minor low back pain. Stretching your hip flexors muscles several times a week will prevent this kind of lower back pain.

How To: Stand in a modified runner stance, with right foot forward and left foot back, feet flat on floor. Put your hands on your hips and keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Push forward with your hips, while maintaining your erect posture. Slowly, push your hips forward only until you feel a comfortable level of tension. Hold for a 10 count. Switch sides by reversing your leg stance and repeat.
If you have back pain and sit for long periods I have an excellent tool for you. It was invented by an office worker, Cathleen Woodall, who spends 8 hours a day sitting in front of a computer.

After years of lower back pain she created a portable seat that slopes from back to front, keeping your pelvis at the correct angle. The groove down the middle prevents impact on your spine and coccyx.

It has a layer of visco-elastic memory foam making it both supportive and comfortable.
It’s called the G-Seat. Here’s what people are saying about it:

“I like to do email on the weekend at my kitchen table. The GSeat allows me to work comfortably for hours, even while seated on an oak chair.” – J. Bloom, Ottumwa, IA

“I spend 9 to 12 hours a day sitting in front of a computer. And even though I have a nice ergo chair, it was not until I got my GSeat that I felt my sitting posture really improve. I no longer have that nagging lower back pain from sitting all day in a chair. Thanks to my GSeat, on my last trip to Arizona, a 7-hour drive, I did not experience the ‘rump fatigue’ I usually do.” – C. Watson, Orange County, CA

My friend Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD told me about the G-Seat and I want to pass it on to you.

I think it could be a real solution for back pain caused by long periods of sitting.

Vitamin treatment improves ED in men with elevated homocysteine

2009-11-20T10:38:00.002-05:00

An article published online on August 17, 2009 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine describes research conducted at the University of Rome which found that it may be necessary to reduce homocysteine before treatment with erectile dysfunction (ED) can be effective.

The study included 75 men aged 25 to 65 with erectile dysfunction who were treated with sildenafil citrate (“Viagra”) for 2 months. Nonresponders to the drug were treated with a course of 600 milligrams vitamin B6 per week and 15 milligrams folic acid per day along with sildenafil for 6 weeks. Questionnaires concerning erectile function were administered before and after treatment.

Participants were evaluated for the presence of the MTHFR 677T mutation which is present in a higher percentage of heart disease patients than in those without the disease. Individuals with two copies of the mutation have levels of homocysteine that average 25 percent higher than the rest of the population, and which increase significantly when blood levels of folate are low. Twenty-seven percent of the subjects had both copies of the MTHFR 677T mutation and 48 percent had one copy, which is a greater frequency than the general populace.

All of the 18 patients who initially failed to respond to drug treatment had high levels of homocysteine and low folic acid levels. Subsequent to the 6 week course of vitamin therapy, folic acid levels increased, homocysteine concentrations declined, and all but two participants experienced improvement in ED.

The association of hyperhomocysteinemia with vascular disease supports the mechanism for homocysteine-reducing agents in improving ED, which is caused primarily by the same factors that affect the coronary arteries. “Measurement of plasma homocysteine and folic acid levels and molecular analysis of the MTHFR genotype should be added to the ED diagnostic procedure, especially in young patients or in those with a family history of cardiovascular disease," the authors conclude. "When this mechanism is implicated, treatment should first aim to reduce homocysteine levels through administration of folic acid, alone or in combination with vitamin B6 or B12, and then proceed to treatment with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.”

Botox isn't just for movie stars and wrinkles

2009-11-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

Botox is naturally occurring and when used properly can do more than take the wrinkles off an aging movie star.

It can end migraines, prostate problems, and muscle spasms. That’s what studies using Botox are showing. We are finding that Botox is not only good for cosmetic anti-aging; it may also ease some very irritating conditions.

Today, I’ll tell you how a cosmetic tool has the potential to alleviate migraine, prostate, and muscle pain. And I’ll give you some tips for Botox safety.

Did You Catch My Colleague On
The Today Show?
Foods can heal you in ways drugs never can. Our bodies evolved over millions of years to thrive on foods – they are nature’s way to repair, restore and rejuvenate.

My colleague, Victor Marchione, MD, has been featured on NBC’s Today show for his expert advice on “functional foods” – foods that can reverse and prevent disease.

This free special report shows you the functional foods he prescribes in his medical practice. They can help you relieve pain, reduce blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. They can also make you feel more happy, relaxed and energized. I recommend you check it out today.

You are probably most familiar with Botox as a cosmetic procedure. For years, doctors have been using Botox to diminish their patients’ facial wrinkles. And since the FDA approved Botox as an anti-wrinkle serum in April of 2002, its use has become common.

Botox is a natural toxin. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces it. Doctors use a purified form of the toxin. We inject small amounts of this substance into muscle, which temporarily weakens it. Botox blocks a chemical in the muscle that causes it to contract.

Less contraction means less wrinkles. This is why Botox is widely used to eliminate facial wrinkles. But this same mechanism can eliminate pain from some medical conditions.

Headaches: We have now come to understand that Botox can treat and even prevent some of the most severe headaches. The journal Headache published a now landmark study that looked at the effectiveness of Botox in treating headaches.

Researchers analyzed several studies performed over 3 years. They evaluated 271 subjects with severe, frequent headaches. Botox treatment reduces the average number of days per month in which subjects experienced headaches by 56%. Headache intensity and frequency dropped by over 85% with Botox injections.1

Muscle Spasms: Botox was actually first approved for treating muscle disorders. And I have used this technique in my practice with much success. One of my patients had been suffering from spasms of the neck muscles for years. Botox injections eliminated most of his pain and spasms.

Prostate: The most recent unique use for Botox has been in the relief of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) symptoms. Researchers have been performing some preliminary tests on the topic for a few years. Now a recent study shows promise.

Researchers at the University Hospital in Rome treated 30 men with swollen prostates with either Botox injections or a placebo solution injection. The men taking Botox had a significant reduction in frequent painful urination after two months. These men also experienced a drop in PSA levels. Better yet, their prostates shrunk by almost half!2

Remember Botox is a nerve toxin, it can be dangerous if used the wrong way. Botox is a prescription. Only let a doctor experienced with Botox treat you. There are very few reported side effects from proper administration.

Botox injections for wrinkles, headaches and muscle spasms can work for up to 3 months. After that, you may need a repeat treatment.

Remember, the study regarding Botox for prostate relief is preliminary. I wouldn’t inject your prostate with Botox just yet. We still need more evidence proving that Botox is safe for the prostate over time. None-the-less, more research could yield more promising results.

Check out what the Buffalo News had to say about brain power!

2009-11-13T10:17:00.000-05:00

Buffalo News

11-09-09

We all know the benefits of exercise -- health, body image, athletic ability, endurance. But new research links physical activity to expanded brain power.

Exercise, in other words, may make you smarter.

"Physical activity helps with focus, and improves concentration and scoring on standardized testing. Results can happen in minutes. The brain will respond to oxidative stresses of exercise by growing more blood vessels and by altering the neurochemistry and chemical markers that support brain function," said James Velasquez, assistant professor in the Exercise and Sports Studies program at D'Youville College.

Memory, too, can benefit from physical exercise, research suggests. Regular exercise can boost the brain for the long term, increasing volume in the frontal lobes and keeping Alzheimer's disease at bay.

Short-term effects -- the ability and speed of thought processing -- occur immediately and may last up to two hours, studies conclude. Long-term benefits may take months to surface, according to one medical expert.

"In four months, you can reduce your vascular risk," said Dr. Linda Hershey, chief of neurology at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "We know that dementia increases if you have diabetes, hypertension, obesity. It doesn't take extreme exercise. Walk around the block for 30 minutes four times a week. It's never too late to start. If you're 60 years old, it's still beneficial to get out there and get moving."

Brain power

By triggering an immediate increase of oxygen to the brain, exercise helps remove toxins and reawakens your metabolism immediately, according to Dan Mitchell, a certified personal trainer who has developed exercise programs to facilitate cognitive growth. Mitchell's 30-day program "Your Health in Motion" incorporates a DVD, manual and interactive Web site.

"Test results are higher within two hours after exercise," said Mitchell, owner of Soap Box fitness on Franklin. "After those two hours, test scores fall back to pre-exercise levels."

A research team from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois determined that aerobic exercise increases both mental acuity and the speed of thought processing. Brisk walking, it was found, also adds to the volume of brain tissue.

The hippocampus, part of the body's limbic system located at the top of the brain stem, is a critical component in the learning and memory processes, according to Velasquez, who teaches exercise physiology at D'Youville.

"As a result of increased blood flow, and the increased metabolic activity that exercise provides, the hippocampus adapts," Velasquez said. "The hippocampus is also sensitive to dopamine, serotonin and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). In the science community, BDNF is called 'miracle grow' for the brain. It helps the brain develop new neuroconnections."

Only recently has attention been paid to the brain's ability to grow, Velasquez said.

"For years people have thought the nervous system and the brain were these static things once we reached full maturity," Velasquez pointed out. "The brain has the ability to grow, too. Neuroplasticity -- the brain changes and molds."

Locally, some elementary schools have become innovative in their use of physical activity, noted Velasquez, whose children start their school day at Ellicott Elementary in Orchard Park with morning announcements that feature calisthenics.

"It prepares them for the day and sort of wakes them up," said Velasquez. "Many schools use that to help meet their mandatory physical education time. It helps with focus and improves concentration."

>Memory function

As you grow older, you'll probably lose friends, hair, maybe a tooth or two, but there's one function lost in the aging process that befuddles the best of us: Memory.

"People wonder about their memories," said Leilani Pelletier, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association, Western New York Chapter. "One of the most frequent questions we get is: Is memory lapse normal?"

Memory lapse -- misplacing keys or "losing" your parked car -- crosses the line to memory loss when help is required to carry out your daily routine, according to Pelletier.

"A memory lapse is if you have forgotten something," she said. "You know you went to the basement for something, but you can't remember what. Or you know your keys are in the house somewhere because you remember unlocking the door. That's a lapse. Eventually you'll get it back, when someone cues you.

"In memory loss, the memory is gone and is not going to come back," Pelletier explained. "Memory lapses are common. Memory loss is not. It's not normal to lose a memory entirely. That means you need to look into it. Not all memory loss is Alzheimer's related. It can be caused by [vitamin] B12 deficiency, thyroid problems, depression."

A good way to distinguish between absent-mindedness and permanent loss? Misplacing keys is one thing, but looking at your keys and wondering what they are used for is another.

"What is good for your heart is good for your brain," said Pelletier. "Exercise does help your cerebral vascularity. It's not just memory but spatial distance, too."

>Cerebral swimming

Retired English professor Vic Doyno swims daily at the University at Buffalo, where he introduced a generation of students to the beauty of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Doyno was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's six years ago. But 20 laps in the UB pool each day help clear his mind of the fogginess that marks the disease, he said.

"I feel fresher when I finish swimming," said Doyno. "It's a form of concentration. I feel younger than 73, or I feel younger than I thought 73 would feel."

"There's nothing good about Alzheimer's, but you do the best you can," he said during a recent visit to the Alzheimer's Association's office in Williamsville. "I was quite surprised, somewhat angry and disappointed. To my knowledge, neither my mom nor my dad had Alzheimer's. They were peculiar, but they didn't have Alzheimer's."

This year, it is estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, including 5.1 million people age 65 and over and 200,000 people under age 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer's.

Doyno believes the physiological benefit derived from swimming has helped fend off symptoms that signal disease progression.

>Puzzle therapy

Hershey, who treats veterans suffering from dementia, worries about her own brain health. She realizes that cell loss is part of normal brain function, and that aging spurs that loss. That's why she times herself daily at sudoku puzzles.

"Some days it takes forever to do those puzzles, and I worry and fret about it," Hershey said. "When those days come, I need to just relax. I know that I have too much on my mind. I need to spend more time on my Schwinn bicycle.

"There's pruning going on all the time in the brain," Hershey said. "We just have to make sure we're constantly making new connections. When you exercise, you make new connections, new motor memories."

Check this Out!

2009-11-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

Bloomberg News

Dieters eating food high in carbohydrates and low on fat improved their mood longer than those on a low-carb, high-fat regime similar to the Atkins diet, researchers say.

A study of 106 overweight or obese people in Australia found those on the low-fat diet, which included bread, pasta and rice, were less angry, depressed and confused after one year than those who ate fewer carbs and more meat and dairy products, according to the study published this week in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Both diets were equally effective at reducing weight, the research showed.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings by researchers from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation contradict earlier studies that showed no mood changes in people linked to different diets.

"This outcome suggests that some aspects of the low- carbohydrate diet may have had detrimental effects on mood that, over the term of one year, negated any positive effects of weight loss," scientists said in the latest study.

Can you listen your way to good health?

2009-11-12T09:06:00.001-05:00

As you read this Blog, your brain is sending out electrical impulses through its network of neurons and synapses. These electrical impulses can be measured by a device called an electroencephalograph (EEG), and seen on a monitor as brain wave patterns.

The speed of the electrical impulses moving through your brain cells is called frequency, and is measured in hertz or cycles per second. The frequency of your brain waves determines your state of mind and how you react to the situation around you.

It can mean the difference between feeling stressed, alone and separate from your environment or feeling calm and centered.

During your day-to-day activities, your brain waves are in the beta range (14 to 32 Hz). But at the high end of this scale, you start to feel stress, pain and anxiety. When you’re relaxed and focused you move into the alpha range (7 to 14 Hz).

As you fall asleep, your brain waves slow down and enter the theta range (3.5 to 7 Hz). When you’re awake, theta ranges are places of deep meditation and spiritual insight. Slowing down even further takes you into the deepest, delta range (0.1 to 3.5 Hz). Most people cannot stay awake during this state. It’s usually associated with dreamless sleep.

But my yogi friend made me realize that it’s possible to alter the frequency of your brain waves. You can do it yourself without any formal training.

By meditating and focusing your mind, you not only slow down your brain waves; you can actually synchronize the two hemispheres of your brain. And by balancing both sides of your brain you bring about a sense of peace and well being.

Most people have one side of the brain that becomes dominant. And the brain waves from this side will have a different frequency that the other side. As these two frequencies clash, confusion and chaos result. It’s like listening to two different radio stations at the same time. This is called brain lateralization.

When you live like this every day, you tend to feel tired, weak and overwhelmed. But you can re-harmonize the two sides of your brain so they are both tuned to the same frequencies. As you progress, you can move deeper and deeper into the alpha, theta and delta ranges.

The technique I learned from the yogi is very simple. Start by sitting in a comfortably. Rest the fingers of your left hand on top of the fingers of your right hand and bring your thumbs together. It almost feels as if you’re holding a small bowl. This is one of the classic “mudras” or hand positions for meditation.

Sit with your spine upright and slightly tuck in your chin. Think about the place at the base of your skull and imagine you’re lifting upwards. This allows your top seven vertebrae to straighten. Then simply count each inhalation and exhalation and let your awareness settle on the movement of your breath. Inhale and count “one.” Exhale and count “two.” But don’t count out loud, just to yourself.

Try this for 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised at how difficult it is at first. Your mind will race and thoughts and feelings will flood your mind. But don’t hold on to them. Just let them go.

Back in the old days, this form of meditation (along with yoga, tai chi, etc.) were the only tools people had to slow their brain waves and feel a sense of calm and joy. But today, new technologies allow you to take a kind of short cut.

One such system is called HoloSync. It uses a technology called “binaural beats” to create a specific frequency that harmonizes both hemispheres of your brain. Binaural beats are pulses of a certain frequency that happen simultaneously – one on the left side and one on the right. You listen to it with headphones and over time it actually slows down your brain waves!

Your ears hear a very soft and relaxing music. But underneath, there is a “carrier frequency” that helps your brain creates slower, deeper brain waves.

I’ve used Holosync for over a year now… and I get a good result every time. Now I rarely feel upset or stressed out. And I’m more productive, too.

Cure a Migrane with a Dishtowel?

2009-11-08T08:16:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine curing a 2-day migraine with lemon rind and a dishtowel?

How about wiping out arthritis pain by eating gin-soaked raisins?

These “food cures” not only work, they’ve been demonstrated on national television. The health researchers behind these remarkable remedies are Joan and Lydia Wilen.

The Wilen Sisters are known throughout the world for food remedies that outperform prescription drugs. Very often they’re formulated from the odds and ends you have in your fridge right now.

The Wilen Sisters appear on CBS This Morning and NBC’s Today show. And they always prove the effectiveness of their cures while they’re on the air.

During one of their TV appearances they talked to a man who had a 2-day migraine. The Wilen Sisters rubbed lemon rind on his temples, then tied a dishtowel around his head. At the end of the show the man turned to the camera and said his headache was gone.

Of course, one man’s story won’t get you written up in a medical journal but the principle behind their food cures is sound, tested and real. It’s part of a natural healing tradition that’s thousands of years old.

I found out about the Wilen Sisters through their publisher. He knew about my own research into food cures and passed along their amazing story. I have to say I’m impressed. Their winning strategies are simple and practical. And they work.

Here’s one you can try right now. It’s the “gin-soaked raisin cure” for arthritis.

1 lb golden raisins

Gin (approximately 1 pint)

Glass bowl (Pyrex is good – crystal is bad)

Glass jar with lid

Spread the golden raisins evenly on the bottom of the glass bowl and pour enough gin over them to completely cover. Let them stay that way until all the gin is absorbed. Occasionally stir the mixture to make sure all the raisins are covered. It may take 5 to 7 days.

When the gin is absorbed, transfer the raisins to the jar, put the lid on and keep it closed. Do not refrigerate. Dosage: Each day, eat nine raisins – exactly and only nine raisins a day.

In case you’re wondering, there’s almost no alcohol in the raisins by the time you start eating them. A pharmacologist who tested the remedy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, confirmed this.

The Wilen Sisters demonstrate the raisin remedy on TV and get great feedback. One lady who tried it had constant pain and no mobility in her neck. Two weeks after trying the gin-soaked raisins she wrote a letter to the sisters reporting no pain with complete mobility.

In their book, “Secret Food Cures” the Wilen Sisters give you 1,714 more remedies for fixing, arthritis, sore throats, memory problems and hundreds more.

Whey protein and it's benefits!

2009-11-07T08:18:00.000-05:00

Scientists have begun to investigate the ability of certain biological components of whey protein to enhance immunity. Those include: lactoferrin, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptide, and immunoglobulins. Years of scientific research have resulted in the development of a specially designed whey protein that can boost immune function, protect against free radical attack, and maintain lean muscle mass.

Life Extension® offers whey protein powders in four flavors that contain added lactoferrin. Life Extension uses a production method that produces a high quality whey protein isolate. Using a low temperature microfiltration technique, it is possible to produce a 98% undenatured whey protein isolate that acts as a powerful immune stimulant and retains all the important sub-fractions, such as lactoferrin, a strong antioxidant with immune-stimulating properties.

Mediterrnean Diet!

2009-11-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

Oct. 25--Eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish and cereals is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in adults 65 years and older.

Journal of the American Medical Association, August

People who live in neighborhoods with access to parks, safe walkways and public transportation and fresh fruits and vegetables are 38 percent less likely to develop diabetes than people who live in more unhealthy neighborhoods.

Archives of Internal Medicine, October

A daily supplement of 700 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D reduces older people's risk of falling by 19 percent.

British Medical Journal, October

For women past menopause, at least seven hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week during the previous 10 years is associated with a 16 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

BMC Cancer, October

Men who engage in moderate exercise are significantly less likely to receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer. If they do receive a diagnosis, they are less likely to have aggressive disease.

Journal of Urology, September

Women who are obese in middle age are 80 percent less likely to be healthy and free of chronic disease at age 70.

Antioxidants can protect your lungs! H1N1 News!

2009-11-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

A report published in the November 2009 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal revealed the discovery of researchers at the University of Alabama and Southern Research Institute in Birmingham of a protective effect for antioxidants against lung damage caused by the influenza virus.

Sadis Matalon of the University of Alabama's Department of Anesthesiology Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center and colleagues demonstrated that the virus damages the lungs via its M2 protein, which attacks the cells of the lungs' inner lining by disrupting their ability to remove fluid, resulting in increased susceptibility to pneumonia and other conditions. The M2 protein accomplishes this by decreasing the expression and function of ameloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs).

The researchers conducted a series of experiments using frog eggs and human airway cells. Airway cells transfected with M2 revealed increased levels of damaging molecules known as reactive oxygen species. Co-administration of M2 with glutathione ester (an antioxidant compound) prevented M2 from causing damage. "In this study we show for the first time that an influenza virus type A protein, M2, down-regulates the function of a major epithelial ion channel, ENaC, both in oocytes microinjected with human ENaCs and in human airway cells . . . by increasing levels of reactive species and activating specific isoforms of protein kinase C," the authors write. "These novel findings suggest a mechanism for the influenza-induced rhinorrhea and life-threatening alveolar edema in humans."

"The recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza and the rapid spread of this strain across the world highlights the need to better understand how this virus damages the lungs and to find new treatments," Dr Matalon remarked. "Additionally, our research shows that antioxidants may prove beneficial in the treatment of flu."

"Although vaccines will remain the first line of intervention against the flu for a long time to come, this study opens the door for entirely new treatments geared toward stopping the virus after you're sick," added Gerald Weissmann, MD, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "As Thanksgiving approaches, this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health."

Osteoporosis isn't Helped by Calcium alone!

2009-11-04T07:33:00.001-05:00

Doctors and drug companies push the idea that the best way to treat and prevent osteoporosis is by taking lots of calcium. This simply isn’t true.

Osteoporosis isn’t caused by a lack of calcium.

Studies come to the same conclusion: calcium intake does not prevent fractures due to bone loss.

The Harvard Nurses’ Study is one of the most complete and well-conducted studies in science. The study followed 77,761 nurses. For 12 years, researchers examined the association between dietary calcium and bone fractures.

Results showed there was no protection from fractures with any dose of calcium intake. Nurses who had the highest calcium intakes actually had an increased risk of bone fracture.1

An Australian study confirms the result of the Harvard Nurses’ Study. This study also looked at the association between calcium and fracture risk. The study looked at lifetime calcium consumption in over 400 elderly participants. The study concluded that calcium consumption in early adulthood actually increased the risk of bone fractures as the person aged.2

Doctors in the UK found that calcium and vitamin D did not prevent fractures.3 Their two-year study showed that neither calcium nor vitamin D lowered the number of fractures in women over age seventy.

So, what controls bone loss? Hormones and exercise.

Bone building is hormonal. In women, estrogens are the main regulators of bone health and breakdown. Progesterone controls the rate of new bone deposition. But the most powerful bone builder in both men and women is testosterone. Testosterone is central for achieving maximal bone mass and strength.

Taking calcium supplements will give you a short-term boost in bone density, but that’s it. Over time, your hormones will work against the extra calcium and actually leave your bones more brittle than before.

Consider this: The US has the highest intake of calcium, yet our rates of osteoporosis are the highest in the world. Countries with lower intakes of calcium have lower rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis.4

Maintaining healthy levels of hormones in your body is one way to keep your bones strong.

There is an easy and inexpensive hormone precursor shown to improve the levels of other sex hormones. It’s called DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone). It is involved in the manufacturing of most major sex hormones in the body, like estrogen and testosterone. DHEA treatments are becoming more common.

You can get it over the counter but I don’t advise anyone take DHEA without having their blood levels checked. You will have to ask your doctor to measure it.

Physical inactivity will also lead to weakening of your bones. Your bones need to bear weight in order to become strong. When you do weight bearing activities, you are telling your bones that they must become strong in order to continue these activities.

You do this by encouraging them to push more weight. Challenging your muscles and bones with weight bearing exercises is crucial. Walking, cycling, weight training or playing tennis or golf will help.

In spite of what you hear on TV, calcium supplements have little to do with the strength of your bones. If you want strong bones for life, here are six things you can do right now:

Exercise: The best to increase bone density and reduce fractures is body weight exercises (like calisthenics) and resistance training. Make a habit of doing these exercises two or three times a week. Thirty minutes of walking a day will lower your risk of fracture by 30 percent.4

When you exercise, your muscles pull on your bones. This pressure creates a challenge that your body responds to by increasing bone density. This will ensure that you stay mobile and independent.

Skip calcium supplements: Get your calcium in your diet. Eat a variety of small fish, dark, leafy green vegetables, almonds and cashews, or dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. You should be aiming for about 400 mg per day.

Take a vitamin D supplement: I recommend 400 IU per day. It helps your body absorb calcium and maintain bone density. Without vitamin D, calcium supplements are worthless. The best source of vitamin D is the sun – 10 to 15 minutes of exposure a day should be enough. During the winter, take cod liver oil. It’s by far the best supplemental source of vitamin D.

Eat your greens: Vitamin K found in dark leafy greens regulates calcium while stabilizing bones in addition to regulating blood clotting. Eat at least one serving of green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts or broccoli every day. One study found people eating just 0.1 milligrams of vitamin K daily (about one large serving of greens) were 30% less likely to break their hips than people who ate less than that amount.

Another university study showed that vegetables and herbs improve your bone metabolism. Researchers found that rats that missed out on their veggies had much lower bone density.5 Another showed that fruits and vegetables increase your bone density. The same study found that dairy products did nothing.6

Eat foods rich in B-complex vitamins: Your body also uses a variety of B vitamins in bone building. The best sources are liver, eggs, lean meats, yeast, fish, raw nuts, asparagus, broccoli and bananas.

Get a blood test: A simple blood test will tell you how your hormone levels affect your bone health. This is the best way to determine the health of your bones and your risk for fracture. Women may need to take natural progesterone. For both men and women testosterone is the most powerful controller of your bone density.

To arrange for your own blood test, talk to your doctor. Or contact Quest Diagnostics at 1-800-377-8448 for a location near you.

Check out this news on Avacados!

2009-11-03T07:30:00.002-05:00

LOS ANGELES, Oct 30, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- New research published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reported that University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers were able to identify four additional carotenoids in the California Hass avocado, which had not been quantified until this study. In addition, the researchers reported that the total carotenoid concentrations were greatest in the dark green flesh of the avocado closest to the peel. Carotenoids are a class of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases.

The research, led by David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, studied California Hass avocados harvested in January, April, July and September 2008 from San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Riverside and San Diego and analyzed the fruit for total fat content, fatty acid profile, carotenoids and vitamin E.

Avocados are virtually the only fruit that has monounsaturated fat, the fruit also contributes polyunsaturated fat (0.5 grams poly- and 3 grams mono- per 1 oz. serving). According to the American Heart Association, mono- and polyunsaturated fats (good fats), when consumed in moderation and eaten in place of saturated or trans fats, can help reduce blood cholesterol levels and decrease risk for heart disease.

"Consumers should be reassured that avocados from different growing areas in California have a remarkable constancy of carotenoid content per gram of fat during the growing season," said Heber. "And, that they can get the most nutrients out of an avocado by peeling the fruit before slicing it in order to capture the maximum amount of carotenoids from the darker green flesh found directly under the skin."

The carotenoids that were uniquely characterized in California Hass avocados through this study include trans neoxanthin, neochrome, lutein-5, 6-epoxide and chrysanthemaxanthin. The scientists also confirmed the presence of lutein, zeaxanthin, b-cryptoxanthin, a-carotene and b-carotene.

The researchers noted that California Hass avocados grown in different regions of California have a similar phytochemical profile. However, there are increases in both total fat and carotenoids in fruit harvested later in the season. Ninety-five percent of American avocado production is located in California.

This research was supported by the California Avocado Commission through an unrestricted educational grant.

About the California Avocado Commission

Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to increase demand for California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities that benefit the state's 6,000 avocado growers. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry.

SOURCE: California Avocado Commission

CONTACT: GolinHarris Jennifer Baker-Asiddao, 213-438-8712 jbaker@golinharris.com

Switch your Corn oil Spread and watch your waitline shrink!

2009-11-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this ad for one of those fake butter spreads?

It features a 1950s family called the “Buttertons.” The mother serves the family entire sticks of butter shoved into baked potatoes. The voiceover says something like, “Back then we didn’t know much about cholesterol and saturated fats… Today, we know better.”

That means they’re telling you that you shouldn’t eat fat. It’s remarkable that this message is still dominant in the mainstream media.

The truth is we don’t eat a high fat diet. We eat less fat than our ancestors did. And yet we’re the ones with obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, clogged arteries and high blood pressure.

In direct contradiction of what you commonly hear in the media – like in that ad – real butter is good for you. Saturated fats are a natural part of your diet and are essential to life. Fat makes up the basic building blocks of compounds that help your body perform everyday functions. This includes things like regulating blood pressure, blood clotting and bolstering your immune system.

Saturated fats have been on the media hit list for over 50 years. Butter is just one example. Red meat is another. But one of the worst victims of this low-fat propaganda is coconut oil. Like butter, it’s been vilified for decades.

But a new study shows that coconut oil can lower your total cholesterol, boost your HDL “good” cholesterol, lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol, and shrink your waist size. Compare that to soybean oil, which did the opposite – lowered HDL, raised LDL and total cholesterol, and did nothing for your belly size.

And it’s not the only study to reach that conclusion. Several other studies back up those findings and find even more benefits of coconut oil.

Coconut oil can protect your heart, boost your immune system, and help you lose fat faster and easier than ever before. And today I’m going to show you how to use it.

Make the Switch from Corn Oil
and Watch Your Waistline Shrink
Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are tiny enough to enter your cells’ mitochondria directly.

This means your cells use the fat from coconut oil for energy instantly, instead of storing it for later use.

A Boston University study gave one group corn oil (longer-chain fatty acids) and the other medium-chain fatty acids.

After 90 days, those that got the medium-chain fatty acids lost weight, increased their insulin receptivity and even lowered their overall cholesterol.1

Another study published this year in the journal Lipids compared coconut oil with soybean oil. The women taking coconut oil saw their waist lines shrink and their HDL “good” cholesterol levels increase. Meanwhile, the women taking soybean oil didn’t see any change in their waist size. Plus, LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels rose and HDL levels dropped.2

Another study found that coconut oil can help reduce the symptoms of type-2 diabetes and that “people who incorporate medium-chain fatty acids, such as those found in coconut oil, into their diets can lose body fat.”3

Coconut oil can help turn your body into a fat-burning furnace.

Plus, it can help you eat less. It controls your hunger by leaving you feeling satisfied, longer.4

Boost Your HDL Levels
Contrary to what mainstream medicine tells you, eating high amounts of fat does not automatically equal higher cholesterol.
And that’s certainly the case with coconut oil.

The War Against
Saturated Fat
The war against saturated fats started way back in the late 1950’s.

A researcher by the name of Ancel Keys was investigating cardiovascular disease. His goal was to prove eating high amounts of saturated fat was linked to heart disease.

He published the “7 Countries Study,” successfully showing fat as the major cause of heart problems.

His research was praised and soon became gospel. He even became known as the “father” of the Lipid Hypothesis. That’s the theory that high cholesterol causes heart disease… and in turn, eating a lot of fat causes high cholesterol.

But there was a slight problem with Keys’ research. Something he deliberately ignored. Keys only chose to use data from seven countries that matched exactly what he wanted to prove.

The truth is there were at least a half-dozen other countries with examples that proved the exact opposite. Countries where people routinely ate tons of fat – yet rarely experienced heart disease. When it didn’t fit his hypothesis, he ignored the data.

Unfortunately, Keys’ research caught on over the years. One group in particular -- the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) – ran with Keys’ ideas. They launched what began an all out-war against all saturated fats. In fact, CSPI coined the term “artery-clogging” fat.

Sadly, coconut oil got caught up in it all.

Decades ago, food manufacturers used tropical oils like coconut oil in their baked goods. Movie theatres used it for their popcorn.

CSPI argued that coconut oil was terrible for your health. It was laden with saturated fat.
Instead, they demanded that these companies use vegetable oils instead (this of course benefited the American Soybean Association, who in the past has made generous donations to CSPI).

The food industry gave in. Coconut oil became taboo. Even the government joined in.

The National Cholesterol Education Program even issued a statement, encouraging margarine and partially hydrogenated fats, stating that “…coconut oil … should be avoided.”

Today, we know better.

The truth is it does the exact opposite. It helps improve your HDL to LDL ratio (“good” vs. “bad” cholesterol), lower overall blood levels of serum cholesterol, and reduce the amount of fat your body stores.5

In fact, in Sri Lanka, about 50% of calories from the typical diet come from coconut oil. Yet, heart disease there is virtually non-existent.

Researchers, perplexed by this, decided to see what happened when they took a group of young men and had them substitute coconut oil for corn and soybean oil.

The results weren’t pretty.

Their HDL level plunged 42 percent – which put them far below what’s considered healthy. Their LDL/HDL ratio increased 30 percent.6

That’s a recipe for heart disaster.

These results simply confirm what countless studies are finding. Coconut oil is good for your heart and helps increase your good HDL cholesterol.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition studied 25 women. They were given three different diets. A diet high in coconut oil, a low-fat diet with small amounts of coconut oil, and a diet high in polyunsaturated fats. Each diet lasted 3 weeks.

As you might guess, the highest increase in HDL was when the women ate the high fat, coconut oil diet.7

Bulletproof Your Immune System
Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a powerful immune system booster.

Lauric acid has antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties that help bullet proof your immune system against everything from free radicals, to a latent virus that’s waiting to wreak havoc.

It’s so powerful, in fact, that preliminary research suggests it’s effective against lipid-coated viruses, such as HIV.

A recent study took a group of 15 men with HIV. They had not received any prior treatment. After 3 months of supplementing with coconut oil, half of the patients showed a decrease in viral load.8

Good Health Can Taste Great
It’s pretty easy to get all the coconut oil you need in your diet.

Just follow any one of these simple tips:

Fry with it. Coconut oil has a high smoke point. That means that it won’t degrade at high temperatures – leaving all the fatty acids intact. It’s especially great for pan searing. If you do cook with it, consider getting it with no flavor. This is known as “expeller-pressed” coconut oil.

Take it to go. If you’ve got a very busy schedule, you can eat a snack with coconut oil already in it. My Primal Force Power Bars are great for this. Every bar is made with a healthy dose of coconut oil, and gives you plenty of protein to boot. It will give you the steady, long lasting energy you need.

Another great favorite of mine is to grab one banana. Dip it in plain yogurt. Then roll it in finely chopped coconut. Afterwards I put it in the freezer and eat it whenever I want a quick snack.

Make a smoothie. Scoop a healthy serving of coconut oil (it’ll probably be solid, but that’s okay) into the blender. Mix in your favorite fresh fruits. Maybe even add some protein powder. Add organic milk and a little ice. Blend it all and enjoy a tasty, heart-healthy smoothie.

Bake with it. It’s okay to have your favorite foods from time to time. And if you like to bake cookies, brownies, or anything else, go for it. Just substitute expeller pressed coconut oil for vegetable oil. Not only will everything taste better, but most of the fat you’ll be eating will get burned off right away.

Turkey Day May be Healthier than you think!

2009-10-30T11:10:00.002-04:00

SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct 28, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- For those who think cranberries are nothing more than a turkey side dish, new research revealed this week confirms that the crimson berry may be small, but its health benefits are large. Leading scientists from throughout the country and abroad convened today in Savannah, GA, for the Fourth Cranberry Institute Health Research Conference to review the latest findings on the potential health benefits of cranberries, including studies that reveal an eight-hour protection against certain harmful bacteria and significant improvements in biomarkers for many chronic diseases.

More than 30 nutrition scientists from leading research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a variety of prestigious universities, presented new findings about the cranberry's antibacterial and anti-adhesion properties, as well as promising new areas of research in anti-aging, anti-cancer and protection against cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.

"New studies are continually finding how unique cranberries are, and that their potential health benefits are impressive," said Jere Downing, executive director, Cranberry Institute, the nonprofit organization dedicated to cranberry health research. There seems to be no denying that cranberries are antioxidant-rich and deliver unique proanthocyanidins (PACs) that are responsible for cranberries' beneficial anti-adhesion properties.

Cranberry Juice Cocktail Offers Eight-Hour Urinary Tract Protection

Cranberries may offer help to more than 11 million American women each year who contract urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs cost some $1.6 billion in healthcare and the only known treatment is antibiotic therapy, which increasingly contributes to creating bacterial resistant strains of pathogens.

Cranberry PACs have been shown to protect against P-fimbriated Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is thought to be responsible for as much as 95% of urinary tract infections, and other strains of E. coli bacteria through anti-adhesion properties, so that pathogenic bacteria are unable to adhere to our cells, multiply and cause an infection. New research presented by Amy Howell, Ph.D., associate research scientist at Rutgers University, Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, examined the anti-adhesion effects of 16 oz. of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) versus water on subject urine samples exposed to E. coli bacteria. The researchers, including lead researcher Terri A. Camesano, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, reported that CJC provided protection against the pathogen for up to eight-hours.

"The potential for cranberry juice cocktail to help prevent urinary tract infections is significant, especially since we know that the berry's unique proanthocyanidins offer at least an eight-hour anti-adhesion benefit," said Howell. "Based on this and other studies, we recommend that drinking cranberry juice twice daily can help maintain a healthy urinary tract," she added.

Pathogen Protector

The same anti-adhesion benefits studied in urinary tract health are now being identified in other areas of the body, such as the oral cavity, stomach and small intestine. Studies at the conference identified that cranberry PACs help prevent oral bacteria from adhering to tooth and denture surfaces, thereby helping to protect against gum disease and cavities. In addition, researchers from the University of Maine conducted trials to determine if cranberry PACs can help protect against E. coli 0157:H7, the strain responsible for serious--and even life-threatening--cases of foodborne illnesses.

While more studies are needed, the preliminary studies suggest that cranberry PACs may play a role in oral health, gastrointestinal health and protection against bacterial, fungal and even viral illnesses.

Heart Health

Emerging research suggests that cranberries may also play a role in cardiovascular health. A University of Scranton study presented one way in which the cranberry provides cardioprotection. In the study, animals fed a high-fat diet with two doses of cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) daily had significantly decreased atherosclerotic development, compared to animals fed a high-fat diet without CJC. The mechanism of the effect of CJC on atherosclerosis is currently under examination, but is thought to be from the potent antioxidant capacity of the berries.

Anti-Cancer

Numerous ongoing and recently completed studies are evaluating the role cranberries may have in preventing certain cancers. Preliminary in vitro studies conducted at the University of Massachusetts found that compounds in cranberries limit the proliferation of human breast, colon and prostate tumor cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario presented research showing that cranberry extracts impaired the growth of eight different human cancer cell lines.

The Cranberry Institute

The Cranberry Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1951 to further the success of cranberry growers and the industry in the Americas through health, agricultural and environmental stewardship research, as well as cranberry promotion and education.

Lower your risk of Heart Attacks!

2009-10-29T13:34:00.002-04:00

Here’s a tip I bet you’ve never heard of… you can lower your triglyceride levels with white bean extract! This simple vegetable blocks sugars from being absorbed and digested. One study showed that it lowered triglycerides by an average of 26 mg/dL.

Plus, white bean extract has an added benefit. Those who took it lost on average four pounds. Dr. Cutler suggests you take 1,500 mg of white bean extract twice a day.

He recommends other breakthrough treatments you can use to strengthen your heart, including:

How a certain tree resin from India prevents the build-up of plaque in your arteries.
The “sugar cane cure” that helps lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
The ginger spice that blocks cholesterol absorption in your intestines.
And, how a tasty “lemonade cleanse” can lower your blood pressure.
Dr. Cutler’s medical briefing A Doctor’s Treasury of Hushed Up Natural Heart Cures and Deadly Deceptions of Popular Heart Treatments blows the lid off mainstream medicine’s popular assembly line heart treatments. In his urgent report, you’ll find little known ways you can avoid a heart attack, unclog your arteries (before you experience a heart or brain related disaster), reverse heart disease, and even restore a failing heart without surgery, doctors, or drugs.

Plus, get the tools you need to see if your heart’s at risk, such as:

The heart attack predictor—this test accurately predicts whether or not you’ll have a heart attack in the next five years. It measures the presence of a seemingly harmless mineral that sticks to the walls of your arteries. Score above 400 and I suggest you see your doctor immediately!
The simple and safe blood test that helps you diagnose heart failure.
Plus, why allergies can increase your risk of having hardening of the arteries and what exactly what you can do about it.
In Dr. Cutler’s special medical briefing, he’ll explain in detail the six deadly heart deceptions you must know about if you want to keep your heart pumping for years to come. Don’t listen to conventional medicine… there are alternatives to dangerous surgery and harmful medications.

A good read for fat loss!

2009-10-20T11:56:00.001-04:00

You can cut calories and still gain weight. And you can work out till you pass out and still have that spare tire.

You can slim down fast if you know this one thing.

Here it is: Hormones make you fat. And you can beat them if you know how.

Case in point: insulin is your #1 fat builder. It tells your body to pack on the pounds.

That’s why I tell my patients to stick to foods low on the glycemic index. The higher a food is on the GI, the more insulin your body pumps into your body. As a general rule of thumb, carbs are the foods highest on the GI.

It surprises my patients when I tell them what the highest GI food is that the clinic has ever tested. Care to guess? It’s corn bread.

So every time you take a bite of corn bread, insulin pours into your blood. And it tells your body to store the calories as fat.

Protein and fat, on the other hand, don’t activate this fat builder. If you want to lose fat, eat foods high in protein and rich in healthy fats such as grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon. And skip the grains and potatoes.

Insulin’s not the only culprit, though. Other hormones also get in on the act. Fortunately, my friend has put together a complete manual on how to lose stubborn fat.

He gets it. He really understands what causes you to get fat, unlike most other doctors I’ve met.

You may have read his book, The Warrior Diet. I read it and loved it. His name is Ori Hofmekler. In fact, I just sent Ori an advanced copy of the new edition of PACE to get his valued opinion.

In The Stubborn Fat Solution, Ori gives you the combination of supplements and foods that, when taken together, virtually never fails in taking the fat away. You get specific meal plans targeted to your condition. And you’ll know exactly what to eat – and what to avoid – for the best results.

Flu...H1N1 and the Myths

2009-10-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

Even when the flu does not reach pandemic proportions, it is the source of misery, illness, and death every flu season, which runs roughly through the fall and early winter months in North America. Since the early 1970s, researchers estimate that influenza has caused more than 40,000 deaths in the United States every year (Dushoff J et al 2006). It is estimated that flu outbreaks cost about $12 billion annually in the United States (Kasper DL et al 2004).

Everyone is susceptible to infection with the flu virus, which is usually spread by direct contact with contaminated secretions (Nicholson KG et al 2003). It can also be spread when the virus is sneezed or coughed into the air, although influenza is not typically spread by aerosol (being dissolved in air), as are other respiratory viruses (Bridges CB et al 2003; Goldmann DA 2000). This means that the flu can spread only short distances between people—simply being in a room with someone who has the flu is not a major risk factor. The severity of the infection and the duration of the illness, however, depend on several factors, including:

■Resistance of the respiratory tract to oxidative stress associated with influenza infection, as well as its ability to mount a local immune/inflammatory response and its ability to manufacture and secrete antibodies (Beck MA et al 1998; Mileva M et al 2002b; Muller F et al 2000; Nicholson KG et al 2003).
■Level of immunity against that particular strain of influenza (Dolin R 2004; Glezen WP 2004; Nicholson KG et al 2003; Wareing MD et al 2002; Zambon MC 2001).
■Overall health of the person’s immune system (Brandtzaeg P 2003; Chandra S et al 1986; Nicholson KG et al 2003).
■Antioxidant status (Hennet T et al 1992).
■Overall nutritional and general health status.
Nutrition has recently been singled out as the most important factor in resistance to influenza infection (Beck MA et al 2004).

Infection: The Flu Virus at Work
There are two main types of flu viruses: influenza A and influenza B. The most serious and deadly flu outbreaks are caused by influenza A because of its ability to genetically shift into new forms against which no person has developed immunity. H5N1, the avian flu, is caused by an influenza A virus. Influenza B generally causes less severe infection. Outbreaks of influenza B commonly occur in schools and military camps, where many people live or work in close contact.

Infection with the flu begins with exposure of the upper respiratory tract to the virus. In infected cells, viral replication occurs 4 to 6 hours after infection, after which time the infected cell bursts, spreading the virus to nearby cells. The cycle then repeats, infecting more and more cells each time. This accounts for the incubation period for the flu, which ranges from about 18 to 72 hours, depending on the strain and the effectiveness of the body’s immune response. The more virulent the strain, and/or the weaker the host's immunity, the sooner the cycle of cell death and viral spread produces noticeable symptoms. People who have weak immune systems, such as the elderly, sick people, or young children, can therefore be quickly overwhelmed by strong strains of the virus.

The immune response to the flu is complex and comprehensive. Almost immediately after sensing the virus, the body mounts a response that calls upon all facets of the immune system. This includes natural immune responses, such as the release of proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced natural killer cell activity, which includes the release of antiviral interferons. White blood cells called neutrophils and macrophages also flood the site of infection, producing yet more proinflammatory and fever-causing cytokines. This rapid, indiscriminate immune response is responsible for the sudden onset and continuation of symptoms, which usually peak by the second day of infection (Wright PF et al 2001; Yuen KY et al 2005).

At the same time that this nonspecific response is occurring, the body is creating specific antibodies to recognize and destroy that particular strain of flu virus in the future. The body’s immune system relies on T-cells and B-cells, which are coded to identify specific antigens (invaders) and stimulate a more effective and rapid immune response in the event of future infection. In the case of the influenza virus, antibodies against the flu are detected in the second week after primary infection. These antibodies will help protect against similar strains of the flu in the future. New strains, such as those created by genetic shifting, retain their full power. For more information on a healthy immune system, please see the chapter "Immune System Enhancement."

Ideally, the best approach to the flu is to avoid getting sick in the first place. This may mean using a vaccine to help bolster the immune response against specific strains, or taking nutrients such as lactoferrin that have been shown to enhance the immune system.

Once infection has occurred, the goal of flu therapy is to stop the virus before it replicates enough to cause illness. Flu vaccines, which contain dead or inactivated flu viruses, help people ward off illness by enabling their bodies to recognize and fight a specific strain of flu virus early in the infection process. Every year, doctors try to determine which variety of the flu is likely to cause an outbreak, then vaccines against that particular strain are manufactured. Vaccination against influenza is often recommended for at-risk populations, especially the elderly (Cox RJ et al 2004; Glezen WP 2004; Kilbourne ED 2004; Langley JM et al 2004; Munoz FM 2003; Nicholson KG et al 2003; Pfleiderer M et al 2001; Sandhu SK et al 2001; Wareing MD et al 2002). Additionally, animal studies suggest that supplementing with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may restore the aging immune system sufficiently to allow normal response to the vaccine (Daynes RA et al 1994).

In many cases of flu infection, the onset of symptoms is so abrupt that people can pinpoint the hour when they began to feel ill. Body temperature rises rapidly, and can reach 100ºF to 106ºF within the first 24 hours; a sharp headache may occur (Dolin R 2004). These symptoms are not characteristic of other, less serious, respiratory infections such as the common cold, so they are reliable indicators that the person is infected with the flu. Respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and congestion, appear later in the illness. In the absence of complications, influenza symptoms typically resolve within a week, although, in a significant number of elderly people, general weakness and fatigue may persist for several weeks (Dolin R 2004).

The most common and dangerous complication of influenza is pneumonia, which can affect people of all ages and may be life-threatening. The people most commonly affected by complications of influenza are 65 years or older or those who have chronic disorders such as diabetes. Newborn infants, like the elderly, are at increased risk of serious complications because of their incompletely developed immune systems. These complications include pneumonia and other lung conditions, as well as occasional heart diseases such as myocarditis. Minor complications of influenza in infants and young children can include ear infections, while the fever itself may be responsible for febrile convulsions in children 6 months to 6 years.

You Should Get a Flu Vaccine If You …
■Are age 65 or older.
■Have a chronic medical condition, such as a cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, or renal disease.
■Have a weak immune system.
■Are a pregnant woman in her second or third trimester (Cox RJ et al 2004).
■Smoke.
■Are a health-care provider or a volunteer in a health-care setting.

Conventional Antiviral Drugs
Although good nutrition and flu vaccines are first-line treatments for the prevention of the flu, antiviral drugs also may be given to prevent infection or reduce the severity of illness. If given quickly enough, antiviral drugs have been shown to reduce the duration of symptoms by about 50 percent, although some people experience unpleasant side effects of the central nervous system with these drugs. Some of the adverse effects from using these drugs can include nervousness, jitters, insomnia, or difficulty concentrating (Kasper DL et al 2004). Everyone (including people who have been vaccinated against the flu) can receive antiviral drugs.

Common antiviral drugs include:

■Amantadine and rimantadine. In the United States, amantadine and rimantadine are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of influenza infection. Amantadine is approved for prevention and treatment in adults and in children older than 1 year; rimantadine is approved for prevention and treatment in adults and for prevention in children (Jefferson T et al 2004). The effectiveness of amantadine in the treatment of influenza in people who are at high risk of complications has not been proved in clinical trials. Also, influenza A rapidly develops resistance to amantadine (Dolin R 2004; Nicholson KG et al 2003).
■Oseltamivir. In October 1999, the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) was approved in the United States for treatment of uncomplicated influenza in adults. People who take oseltamivir usually recover 1.3 days (30 percent) faster than those who do not. The most common adverse effects are mild to moderate transient nausea or vomiting. Other side effects include bronchitis, insomnia, and vertigo. Less than 1 percent of people who take oseltamivir in clinical trials discontinued the drug early because of nausea or vomiting (McClellan K et al 2001; Treanor JJ et al 2000).
In 2000, oseltamivir was approved for prevention of influenza in people who have been exposed to the virus. It is up to 92 percent effective in preventing influenza when taken once daily (Peters PH Jr et al 2001). In one clinical trial involving 548 patients (276 taking oseltamivir, 272 taking placebo), a daily dose of 1.75 milligrams (mg) of oseltamivir was given for up to 42 days to a group of elderly nursing home residents. In the placebo group, oseltamivir reduced the incidence of influenza from 4.4 to 0.4 percent (Peters PH Jr et al 2001). Oseltamivir shortened the duration of influenza by 1.5 days (26 percent) in children age 1 to 12 years when given within 2 days of symptom onset (Whitley RJ et al 2001).

■Zanamivir. The antiviral zanamivir (Relenza) is delivered through an inhaler. In the United States, zanamivir is approved only for prevention of influenza. Several clinical trials have demonstrated efficacy comparable to that of oseltamivir. Seasonal prevention with 10 mg of zanamivir daily in unvaccinated healthy subjects reduced the incidence of influenza from 69 to 81 percent (Nicholson KG et al 2003).

Take the nutrition quizz!

2009-10-17T13:42:00.002-04:00

The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

10-16-09

Broccoli gets a bad rap. If it's not then-President George H.W. Bush disparaging the veggie, it's Homer Simpson getting killed by eating a sprout on "The Simpsons." Clearly, broccoli needs a better agent. Take our quiz about the positives of this member of the cabbage family.

1. A recent study by London researchers found that the compound sulforaphane found in broccoli activates a protein that reduces inflammation ... where?

a) Liver

b) Arteries

c) Large muscle groups

2. University of Illinois researchers found that broccoli with enhanced bioactive contents helps detoxify enzymes and might result in what breakthrough?

a) Preventing cancer

b) Preventing heart disease

c) Preventing kidney failure

3. Broccoli sprouts, according to UCLA researchers, can reduce the incidence of which condition?

a) Kidney stones

b) Asthma

c) Gout

4. In addition to helping reverse heart damage in diabetics, according to researchers in Britain, broccoli consumption helps people suffering from what?

a) Liver disease

b) Crohn's disease

c) Kidney disease

5. According to the Web site www.groovyvegetarian.com, Tom "Broccoli" Landers holds the world record for eating a pound of broccoli in how many seconds?

a) 14

b) 67

c) 92

ANSWERS: 1: b; 2: a; 3: b; 4: c; 5: c

Exercise at Your OWN Pace!

2009-10-17T12:27:00.000-04:00

Conventional exercise, like aerobics, jogging, marathon running are not the best exercises for weight loss. That type of exertion actually trains your body to make and store more fat.

When you exercise for long periods at a time, like most people do when they go to the gym, you push your body into its “fat burning zone.” Most fitness gurus tell you to get into your fat burning zone and stay there for as long as you can take it… but that’s a problem. You don’t want to burn fat during exercise.

Burning fat during exercise tells your body it needed the fat. This trains your body to make more fat for the next time you exercise.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t use exercise to lose fat. In fact, it’s one of the most effective tools you can use to hit and maintain your ideal weight. I use it myself and I recommend it to my patients.

However, if you want to burn fat and keep it off, exercise in short bursts of high intensity. This is the basis of my PACE program.

How does it work? It has to do with what your body uses for fuel during exercise. For the first two or three minutes of a workout you burn ATP, your body’s cellular energy source. Then you start burning carbs from muscle tissue. After about 20 minutes you switch to fat.

Are You Destined to Lose Your Mind?
Statistics now show that 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of brain, mood or behavior disorder during their lifetime (poor memory, chronic stress, brain fog, etc).

Are we all simply destined to lose our focus, concentration and memory while at the same time becoming depressed, anxious and tired all of the time?

New research from Mark Hyman, MD outlines how the problems you may be having with your brain come from your gut.

Discover how to fix your broken brain by healing your gut first, inside Dr. Hyman’s new DVD.

Exercising for short periods will use these carbs during exercise. Then you start to burn fat after your workout – while you replenish the carbs.

This is known as your “after burn.”

Researchers at Laval University in Quebec divided participants into two groups: long-duration and repeated short-duration exercisers.2 They had the long-duration group cycle 45 minutes without interruption. The short-term interval group cycled in numerous short bursts of 15 to 90 seconds, while resting in between.

The long duration group burned twice as many calories, so you would assume they would burn more fat. However, when the researchers recorded their body composition measurements, the interval group showed the most fat loss.

In fact, the interval group lost 9 times more fat than the endurance group for every calorie burned. Doesn’t this defy the laws of physics? No, it just illustrates that exercise continues to affect your metabolism after you stop. The short bursts stimulated a greater after burn.

You might think burning fat during exercise makes sense. But your body will adapt to any routine you give it, including exercise. And if you burn fat during a workout and you do that workout consistently, your body will make sure you have new fat to burn each time you go to the gym.

After a while your body becomes efficient at building and preserving fat necessary for long aerobic sessions in preparation for the next endurance workout. In doing so, it sacrifices muscle and preserves fat.

So don’t bother trying to use this strategy to lose body fat. Your body will fight you in the effort and you can only do it by sacrificing lean tissue like muscle and internal organs.

Durational exercise tells your body to build fat. That’s how your body adapts to this kind of activity. Then, if you stop your cardio routine, you’ll put on even more fat very rapidly. This is common as your body gets into the routine of making the extra fat.

It’s an endless cycle. And eventually, everyone stops doing cardio. Many just get bored. But many find they have to stop cardio because this unnatural activity has caused degeneration of their joints.

And another point: If you persist through middle age and beyond, cardio accelerates some very negative effects of aging. It lowers testosterone and growth hormone, boosts destructive cortisol levels and robs you of muscle, bone and internal organ mass and strength.

But short-duration exercise – like PACE – actually increases levels of growth hormone. Researchers from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England tested growth hormone levels in sprinters and endurance athletes. On average, the sprinters had 3 times as much growth hormone as the endurance runners.3

The biggest point they missed is this: The most important changes from exercise occur after, not during, the exercise period. The way you exercise affects your metabolism for several days. The important changes begin after you stop exercising.

This is good news. It means all you have to do during your exercise is stimulate the adaptive response you need – like reducing your need for fat or building reserve capacity in your heart. Your body will continue making the important changes afterwards – while you rest.

You don’t need to go to the gym to get started. Even if you’re out of shape you can start with a challenge that’s within your reach.

Let’s take walking as an example. This is the easiest way to get started if you’re de-conditioned or facing a physical challenge.

Here are a few points to consider: When you’re walking, you need to start at a comfortable pace and slowly speed up until you feel your heart rate increase. When you feel this extra bit of exertion, maintain it until you start to feel winded. Then stop and catch your breath. Take a few minutes to recover and focus on your breath until you’re breathing normally. This will be your first “set.”

It may look something like this: You put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes and some loose-fitting clothes. You start off on the sidewalk or on a quiet street. You could also go to the gym and work on a treadmill.

You warm up by walking at a normal, comfortable pace for 1 to 2 minutes. Then you slowly start to walk faster. As you increase your speed, pick a target and then maintain it. This is a little subjective, so you’re going to have to get a feel for it.

For example, when you start off walking at a normal pace, imagine your top walking speed and then work back from there. So tell yourself, “I’m going to walk normally and then increase my speed by about 15%.” Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.

If you don’t feel like that increase is giving you a challenge, go up a notch until you’ve increased your speed by 20 to 25%. Then hold that speed and maintain it for a few minutes.

This is how you gauge your exertion level. You know you’re getting close when you feel your heart rate go up. And when you feel this extra exertion, look at your watch and see how long you can sustain it. If you can do it for 2 to 3 minutes, great. If not, it doesn’t matter. Just follow this pattern.

After you’ve challenged yourself for a few minutes, stop and rest. Ideally, you should feel winded. You should be breathing heavier than you usually do and you should feel your heart beating faster. Now begin your recovery period. Allow your heart rate and breath to return to normal.

When you’ve completed your first set, try another. At this point, repeat your first set without increasing your intensity. If you want to ramp up the challenge, increase the amount of time you walk at a faster speed.

By walking and first gauging your exertion capacity, you can do a productive PACE routine at your own level. It doesn’t matter how quickly you can walk. Even if your top exertion speed is just above your normal walking speed, you can give yourself enough of a challenge to expand your lung volume and build reserve capacity in your heart.

This gradual build up in cardio-pulmonary power will get you to higher levels and extend your endurance. Little by little, you’ll become more and more conditioned and better able to handle more intense challenges.

When you feel you’ve improved your exercise capacity - or if you want to start with something more challenging than walking - use this same formula with swimming or biking. Both give you a good heart and lung workout.

Swimming is helpful if you have a disability as the water’s buoyancy will take the strain off your joints and make it easier to move. Biking is also very effective for de-conditioned beginners and you have the option of doing it outside or in the gym.

Like walking, take it slow and evaluate your exertion level. Don’t strain yourself. Take small, deliberate steps and stay with your program. Within the first week, you’ll start to see progress.

By gently encouraging your heart and lungs to maximize their output, you’ll be able to improve right away. What’s more, you’ll be able to successfully start a productive PACE routine, no matter what your age, condition or personal history.

As you progress, do less walking and put more focus on swimming and biking. And when you feel ready, try some of the basic routines in your PACE book. Once you’ve made headway with your heart and lungs you’ll be able to increase your challenge and activate your native fat burner.

With a sufficient challenge, you’ll start to burn fat after your PACE routine. This fat burning will last as long as 16 to 24 hours after you finish. But your first goal will be to build cardio-pulmonary power by establishing a PACE routine that accommodates your current situation.

This in itself is a major victory. A lot of folks can’t get past the false assumption that they’ll never be able to do it. With PACE, you never have to make excuses, as you can always find a routine that perfectly matches your current level.

Exercise After Weight Loss...If you want to keep it off!

2009-10-16T12:15:00.000-04:00

Oct 09, 2009 (Voice of America News/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- DATELINE: Durham, North Carolina

Paul MacLean raises a lot of fat rats. MacLean is a professor at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine where he studies the metabolisms of rats to learn about the metabolisms of people.

He says one of the biggest problems doctors face in treating fat patients, is getting them to keep weight off after they've lost it. MacLean's fat rats may hold a clue as to why that's so.

The experiment called for rats to eat like people

MacLean says the best way to learn about gaining weight is to get rats to act as much like people as possible.

"We give them too much fat, and we put them on an energy restricted low-fat diet just like humans go through," MacLean said.

"Once we have a weight reduced rat, we model the holidays and allow them to go off of their diets and we look at various aspects of their metabolism," he added.

After allowing the rats to gorge on food and regain weight, MacLean divided them into two groups. One group remained sedentary. The other exercised daily.

After weight loss, exercise suppresses appetite

What MacLean found was that when he exercised the animals by giving them a daily bout of treadmill exercise, similar to what a lot of people do, it changed their metabolism.

"It lowered their hunger that they were experiencing on a daily basis," MacLean said. "And it reduced the amount of weight gain early on, as they relapsed to obesity and ultimately lowered the body weight. So it changed their biology," he said.

MacLean added that the exercising rats didn't stay thinner because they were burning calories every day. That might have played a part in their weight control, he said, but the exercise program actually changed the biological drive to eat, and suppressed it.

"We were changing how they regulated body weight," he explained. MacLean says that may mean exercise can help people stay on their diet and resist the temptation to, "succumb to those biological urges of hunger pains that they feel on a daily basis after they've lost weight."

Of course, MacLean pointed out, people are different from rats; humans don't just eat because they're hungry. They eat to socialize, or when they see delicious looking food or when others pressure them to just try a little bite. But he said, people could react just like rats in that when they exercise, they might keep that weight off.

MacLean's research is published in the American Journal of Physiology " Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

Ritalin and Healthy Kids...It's effects!

2009-10-15T12:12:00.002-04:00

A new study reveals that healthy kids who take Ritalin have a whopping 500 percent greater risk of sudden death. These aren’t kids with pre-existing heart conditions. The results would have been worse if they were included.

Here’s proof that what you’ve been told for decades – that Ritalin is safe for kids – couldn’t be further from the truth.

Ritalin is a stimulant. It causes the heart to beat faster. And that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Ritalin acts exactly like amphetamines such as crystal meth and cocaine.

In spite of evidence that it could stunt their growth1, and cause irreversible brain damage2 and that it is linked to serious cardiovascular events, the FDA remains silent.

Still, the FDA refuses to take action. No new warnings are planned and prescriptions for Ritalin continue to spiral upward.

Objections to the FDA’s sluggishness are even starting to appear in conservative medical journals like JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. In a recent editorial, they criticized the FDA by saying the FDA is “interpreting the results cautiously.”

Plus, JAMA notes that the FDA funded and approved the design of the study. Only when the results came out did they have a problem with the design of the study. I guess the FDA didn’t like the results their own design produced.

This is the big point for all of us: Doctors hand out Ritalin prescriptions every day. And too often you aren’t told of the dangers.

ADHD is still the most commonly diagnosed disorder in children.

What’s more, studies show that the drugs don’t work. The same study that found Ritalin stunts kids’ growth also found that it has no beneficial effect on behavior over a three-year period.

So what do you do for children who have trouble concentrating, focusing, or calming down? Here are a few easy, safe, and natural ways to bring kids “to attention” without endangering their mental and physical health.

1. Ramp up the amount of omega-3 in their diet. Studies show that many children with ADHD don’t get enough omega-3. Cod liver oil and fish-oil capsules deliver the two kinds of omega-3s the body needs.

You can also get them to eat more lean meats, eggs, and nuts, preferably free-range, grass-fed and organic. These are all great sources of omega-3. I recommend 1,000 mg of omega-3s daily.

2. Pine bark extract is another natural supplement that works. One European study using pycnogenol, an organic compound found in the bark of the French maritime pine tree, showed that after only one month, children’s behavior improved significantly on as little as 1 mg per day.3

3. Finally, certain naturally occurring amino acids can treat ADHD.

One of them is 5-HTP. It’s a precursor to serotonin, one of the chemicals in the brain that relieves anxiety and depression (popular antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro all boost serotonin levels). I recommend 50 to 100 mg three times per day with meals.

Another is tyrosine. It works like 5-HTP, increasing levels of various chemicals in the brain connected to mood and the ability to concentrate. The optimal dose is 5,000 mg per day for children and up to 10,000 mg per day for adults.

These are natural and safe alternatives that I use in my medical practice every day. They aren’t harmful or addictive, and unlike all those ADHD drugs, they actually work. They are easy to find at health food stores.

New Hope for Eternal Youth?

2009-10-13T22:51:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, Oct 9, 2009 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Methuselah Foundation awarded Z. David Sharp, Ph.D. with a special "Mprize" for the first pharmaceutical intervention to successfully extend the life of laboratory mice. The study, published this summer in the journal Nature, showed that when aging mice were given the drug rapamycin, they lived longer than other mice. Dr. Sharp is from the University of Texas.

Methuselah Foundation presented the special Mprize Lifespan Achievement Award to Dr. Sharp at a ceremony on Thursday, October 8th at the Friars Club in New York City. Presenters included Dave Gobel, CEO Methuselah Foundation, Roger Holzberg, CEO My Bridge 4 Life, Huber Warner, University of Minnesota and Keith Murphy, CEO Organovo. Dr. Max Gomez, broadcast journalist, served as emcee for the event.

Dr. Sharp said he was "honored, thrilled and humbled by this recognition." He went on to thank Methuselah Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and its Board of Directors for this "tremendous honor."

Dave Gobel, CEO of the Foundation said, "Methuselah Foundation is happy to honor Dr. Sharp's work because it begins to shed light on the potential for late-onset interventions via a pharmaceutical and has the potential for some very positive public messaging about the importance of aging research."

Methuselah Foundation is a non-profit medical charity dedicated to extending healthy human life. Supported by the donations of individuals and organizations, the programs of Methuselah Foundation include near, mid and long term strategies that advance the mission of ending age-related disease through awareness, education, scientific research and direct community outreach. For more information please go to: www.methuselahfoundation.org

Vision Can be Maintained and Corrected!

2009-10-12T08:52:00.001-04:00

American WWII fighter pilots had sharp, crystal-clear vision.

Before taking to the air they ate handfuls of a certain type of berry to improve their long-distance and night vision.

Today you can use the same winning strategy to sharpen your vision.

In the 1940’s it was known as a “folk remedy.” But today we know there’s real science behind it. Powerful micronutrients called carotenoids nourish and protect the parts of your eye that create your experience of color, sharpness and contrast.

In a study by the American Journal of Public Health, 97% of patients experienced significant improvements in their eyesight – just from taking an extract of this simple berry.1

That kind of success rate is unheard of in medicine. No drug could ever hope to perform like that.

See Sharper Lines and Vivid Colors
Get the right dose of this simple nutrient and you’ll see brighter colors, sharper lines and drive with confidence – even at night.

But there’s more. Today we have new research that at least 12 other minerals and nutrients that make the boost to your eyesight even better.

I’ll show you how to get the best vision protectors. They’re safe, well-tested and help you:

Refresh tired eyes that don’t function well at the end of the day.
See better at night… Enough to make you feel safe behind the wheel.
Help you adjust to dim lighting and deal with the problem of glare.
Improve your experience of color and contrast – especially while you’re reading or watching TV.
Lessen your dependence on glasses or contacts.
You don’t to rely solely on prescription drugs or expensive surgery. And there’s no risk of side effects. Today, better vision is easy and painless.

Give Your Eyes the Good Nutrition They Need Everyday
The nutrients that helped our war heroes came from the humble bilberry. Not only does bilberry help your night vision, it increases healthy circulation in your eye’s tiny capillaries and gives you optimum support for your retina and surrounding eye tissues.

Your eyes are very delicate and need a steady stream of very specific nutrients to keep them healthy. I call them “targeted nutrients” because they are specially designed by nature to help your eyes function at full power. And once they’re in your bloodstream, they go right to their targets – right to the places in your eyes that need it the most.

The nutrients in bilberries play a key role in your eye health. But the latest research shows there are other minerals and nutrients that help you see. When your eyes don’t get these critical nutrients, your vision suffers.

Not only are your eyes very sensitive, they’re under constant attack and strain from outside forces:

Powerful UV rays from the sun pound your lens and cornea every day of your life.
Free radicals constantly erode your macula, the part of your retina responsible for clarity and reading fine print.
Poisons from your environment (like car exhaust, pollution, chlorine, dust, etc.) cause dryness, eyestrain and inflammation.
These are just a few of your eyes’ enemies. With such powerful forces working against you, it’s no surprise that problems like macula degeneration are so common.

You probably already know this, but macula degeneration is the leading cause of blindness. There’s no cure, but you can take action to protect your vision. Giving your eyes the nutrition they need lowers your risk of vision loss. It should be your first step towards optimum eye health.

Mainstream medicine is slow to recognize the role nutrition plays in your eyesight. But that shouldn’t surprise you. Their conventional approach is limited to drugs, surgery and corrective lenses. And they don’t have any drugs to cure (or even prevent) macula degeneration.

Stop and think about this for a moment… Doesn’t it make sense that giving food to a starving man would make him healthier? Your eyes are similar. They starve for the nutrients they need for daily repair and maintenance. When you give them what they need, they stay healthier longer.

Go to your local drug store or health food store and look at the labels of other eye formulas. You’ll see what I mean: Low doses of key ingredients.

And the problem doesn’t stop with lutein and zeaxanthin. Many of the other eye supplements either ignore or don’t know about the latest research on eye health.

Here’s a partial listing of what the other guys are missing. You’ll find each and every one in my own formula:

Zinc and copper to help you focus and read fine print.
Eyebright to build healthy blood vessels in your eyes and eyelids.
Vitamin C to fight free radicals and prevent oxidative damage in your eyes.
Lycopene, another powerful antioxidant and free radical fighter.
L-taurine to strengthen the cells of your retina and protect your lenses from drying out.
Ginko biloba and vinpocetine to boost healthy blood circulation to your eyes and lower inflammation.

Live Past 100!

2009-10-09T11:56:00.002-04:00

Cutting-edge research is revealing the power of a “master antioxidant” – a tripeptide molecule called glutathione (GSH).

People with the highest levels of GSH are the ones who routinely live past 100. Plus, it may prevent a host of chronic diseases like arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and diabetes – just to name a few.

Best of all, boosting your levels of GSH is easy. Today, I’ll give you an effective strategy that may add decades to your life. I’ll tell you exactly how to get the most powerful forms of GSH and how much to take.

When scientists at the University of Louisville gave mosquitoes a GSH booster, their levels went up by 50 to 100 percent. And, their life spans increased by a remarkable 30 to 38 percent.1

Doctors at the Montreal General Hospital Research Institute in Canada then repeated the experiment with mice. They were able to duplicate the results – boosting levels of GSH and increasing life spans.2

Their success prompted others to investigate the effects of GSH in humans. Odense University in Denmark compared levels of GSH in centenarians (age 100 to 105) and people age 60 to 79 and found that GSH was higher in the centenarians. And among the centenarian group, those who were the most active had the very highest levels.3

In the same way that high levels of GSH increase life spans, low levels of GSH show a direct link to chronic degenerative diseases. Here’s just a partial list:

Heart Disease
Cataracts

Arthritis
Renal Failure

High Blood Pressure
Leukemia

Diabetes
Hearing Loss

Cancer
Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD)

Macular Degeneration

And high levels of GSH are associated with fewer illnesses. A University of Michigan study found that those with higher GSH levels reported a greater sense of well being along with lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and reduced body fat.4

The most natural way to get more GSH is eating foods high in glutathione. These include horseradish, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts.

These nutritional supplements will also boost your GSH:

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Melatonin

Bilberry

Grape Seed Extract

Turmeric

There are also two reliable GSH precursors – substances that stimulate the production of GSH. These are whey protein5, commonly found in protein powders and N-acetyl cysteine6 (in a dose of 1,800 mg to 2,400 mg a day) – both are available at your local nutrition and/or health food stores.

Finally, you can take GSH supplements (1 to 2 grams per day). The latest reports show that up to 80 percent of most GSH supplements are absorbed and used by your body.

Vitamin D and Elderly Woman!

2009-10-07T09:36:00.001-04:00

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older. The study found that older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease at greater rates that those with adequate levels of the vitamin (see also Massachusetts General Hospital).

"It's likely that more than one-third of older adults now have vitamin D levels associated with higher risks of death and few have levels associated with optimum survival," said Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine's Division of Emergency Medicine and lead author on the study. "Given the aging population and the simplicity of increasing a person's level of vitamin D, a small improvement in death rates could have a substantial impact on public health."

Older adults are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency because their skin has less exposure to the sun due to more limited outdoor activities as well as reduced ability to make vitamin D.

The study analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The research team analyzed vitamin D in blood samples of more than 3,400 participants that were selected to be representative of the 24 million older adults in the United States. Compared to those with optimal vitamin D status, those with low vitamin D levels were 3 times more likely to die from heart disease and 2.5 times more likely to die from any cause.

Dr. Ginde says the findings suggest that current daily recommendations of vitamin D may not be enough for older adults to maintain optimal health. The research team has applied for research funding from the National Institutes of Health to perform a large, population-based clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation in older adults to see if it can improve survival and reduce the incidence of heart disease.

"Confirmation of these results in large randomized trials is critically important for advancing public health," says Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH, of the MGH Department of Emergency Medicine, the senior author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The study looking at elderly death rates is the second of two studies by the same team of researchers on vitamin D and general health. The first study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine earlier this year, identified vitamin D as playing a significant role in boosting the immune system and warding off colds and flu.

"Vitamin D has health effects that go beyond strong bones," says Ginde. "It's likely that it makes a vital contribution to good health."

Low cholesterol isn't always a good thing!

2009-10-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

Low cholesterol doesn’t necessarily mean healthy veins and cardiovascular system.

Research done at the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University found that those with low cholesterol didn’t have any better heart health than those with high cholesterol.1

One of the most well-known and publicized heart studies is the Framingham study. The findings are nearly identical to the Yale study. Half the people had no better heart health than those with higher cholesterol.2

Cholesterol on its own is harmless. It’s the oxidation of cholesterol that can impact overall cardiovascular health. When cholesterol mixes with oxygen, it causes free radical damage.

You can support the health of your blood vessels from oxidation and promote normal levels of inflammation naturally.

First, measure your homocysteine. I do this for all my patients. It’s not only a predictor of arterial health, it is also important to keep homocysteine down to keep your arteries healthy.

Homocysteine is a simple amino acid. It gets cycled with other amino acids to facilitate the exchange of atoms between your cells. But when this cycle breaks down, homocysteine has nowhere to go and gets backed up, just like a drain that gets clogged.

Keeping homocysteine levels down helps promote normal levels of inflammation, which helps promote the health of your blood vessels.

There are a number of studies supporting this connection:

Research from the Physician’s Health Study, which tracked 15,000 male physicians, found that those with low levels of it had overall better heart health than those with higher levels.3

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms these findings. They discovered that keeping lower levels of homocysteine is associated with better overall health. More so than any other measured factor – including cholesterol.4

I’ve seen at least 20 more studies like this, indicating a strong link between levels of homocysteine and heart health.

Lower your homocysteine – The irony is that you can easily manage your homocysteine. A simple blood test will tell you if you have high homocysteine levels. I like to keep my patients’ levels at 7 or below to maintain arterial health.

I have not had a single case of elevated homocysteine that couldn’t be corrected with the right combination of natural supplements. Here’s what I use with my patients (amounts are daily):

Vitamin B12 – 500 mcg

Folic acid – 800 mcg

Vitamin B6 – 25 mg

Riboflavin (B2) – 25 mg

TMG (Trimethylglycine) – 500 mg

You can find these at your local health food store.

Reduce oxidation – The other key is to protect your blood vessels with powerful antioxidants. The most heart healthy warrior is omega-3s. I also recommend resveratrol.

Resveratrol inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, promotes healthy, flexible arteries, and keeps your heartbeat steady. I recommend getting 200 mg of resveratrol daily. You can find resveratrol at your local health food store.

Get Omega-3s – Researchers found that the cell membranes of heart cells store omega-3 from fish oil. This storage promotes health heart rhythms, promotes healthy triglyceride levels, and raises HDL, your good cholesterol.

Alzheimer's and it's Effects!

2009-10-05T14:48:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON - More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain-destroying illness - and it's an ominous forecast as the population ages.

The new count is about 10 per cent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimated Alzheimer's growing impact in developing countries.

Barring a medical breakthrough, the World Alzheimer Report projects dementia will nearly double every 20 years. By 2050, it will affect a staggering 115.4 million people, the report concludes.

"We are facing an emergency," said Dr. Daisy Acosta, who heads Alzheimer's Disease International, which released the report Monday.

The U.S. and other developed countries long have been bracing for Alzheimer's to skyrocket. But the report aims to raise awareness of the threat in poorer countries, where finally people are living long enough to face what is mostly a disease of the 65-and-older population.

While age is the biggest driver of Alzheimer's, some of the same factors that trigger heart disease - obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes - seem to increase the risk of dementia, too. Those are problems also on the rise in many developing countries.

In poorer countries, "dementia is a hidden issue," Acosta said, and that's complicating efforts to improve earlier diagnosis. "You're not supposed to talk about it."

For example, the report notes that in India, such terms as "tired brain" or "weak brain" are used for Alzheimer's symptoms amid widespread belief that dementia is a normal part of aging - when it's not.

That mistake isn't confined to the developing world. Even in Britain, the report found, just over half of the families caring for someone with dementia believed the same thing.

The new study updates global figures last reported in 2005, when British researchers estimated that more than 24 million people were living with dementia. Using that forecast, scientists had expected about 31 million people would be struggling with dementia by 2010.

But since 2005, a flurry of research on Alzheimer's in developing countries has been published, leading Alzheimer's Disease International - a non-profit federation of more than 70 national groups - to ask those scientists to re-evaluate. After analyzing dozens of studies, the scientists projected 35.6 million cases of dementia worldwide by 2010.

That includes nearly 7 million people in Western Europe, nearly 7 million in South and Southeast Asia, about 5.5 million in China and East Asia and about 3 million in Latin America.

The report puts North America's total at 4.4 million, although the Alzheimer's Association of the U.S. uses a less conservative count to say more than 5 million people in the U.S. alone are affected. The disease afflicts one in eight people 65 and older, and nearly one in two people over 85.

The report forecasts a more than doubling of dementia cases in parts of Asia and Latin America over the next 20 years, compared with a 40 per cent to 60 per cent jump in Europe and North America.

The report urges the World Health Organization to declare dementia a health priority and for national governments to follow suit. It recommends major new investments in research to uncover what causes dementia and how to slow, if not stop, the creeping brain disease that gradually robs sufferers of their memories and ability to care for themselves, eventually killing them.

There is no known cure; today's drugs only temporarily alleviate symptoms. Scientists aren't even sure what causes Alzheimer's.

But major studies under way now should show within a few years if it's possible to at least slow the progression of Alzheimer's by targeting a gunky substance called beta-amyloid that builds up in patients' brains, noted Dr. William Thies of the U.S. Alzheimer's Association. His group is pushing for an increase in U.S. research spending, from just over $400 million to about $1 billion.

Weight and Middle Age Women.....Consequences!

2009-10-04T14:05:00.000-04:00

LONDON - Being fat in middle age may slash women's chances of making it to their golden years in good health by almost 80 per cent, a new study says.

American researchers observed more than 17,000 female nurses with an average age of 50 in the U.S. All of the women were healthy when the study began in 1976. Researchers then monitored the women's weight, along with other health changes, every two years until 2000.

For every one-point increase in their Body Mass Index, women had a 12 per cent lower chance of surviving to age 70 in good health when compared to thin women. Researchers defined "healthy survival" as not only being free of chronic disease, but having enough mental and physical ability to perform daily tasks like grocery shopping, vacuuming or walking up a flight of stairs.

Experts consider people with a BMI between 19-25 to be healthy, while those from 25 to 30 are considered overweight and those over 30 are obese.

For every 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) gained since age 18, women's odds of surviving past 70 dropped 5 per cent, researchers found. Women who were already overweight at age 18 and then gained more than 10 kilograms later in life only had about a 20 per cent chance of surviving to age 70 in good health. The most commonly reported diseases were cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

The study was published online Wednesday in the medical journal, BMJ. It was paid for by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center.

"People may think they can safely gain weight through their 20s, 30s and 40s, but there is no evidence that gaining weight is natural," said Aviva Must, professor and chair of the public health and community medicine department at Tufts University School of Medicine. Must was not linked to the study. "These results suggest that small weight gains are not innocuous," she said.

A British study published earlier this year found people with a BMI from 30 to 35 die about three years earlier than normal while those who were morbidly fat, with a BMI above 40, die about a decade earlier.

Other studies have found similar trends in men. Qi Sun, a research associate at Harvard University and one of the study authors, said men were probably equally at risk, since fat acts largely the same way in both genders.

Experts said the findings underlined the importance of preventing obesity in the first place.

"If you are on the obesity track early in life, it could get very dangerous by the time you are middle-aged," said Stephan Rossner, an obesity expert at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. He said it was uncertain if people could regain the health benefits of being thin if they lost weight later in life.

While average life spans have increased in recent years with scientific advances in treating illness, experts warned the obesity epidemic could ultimately undo those gains.

"We know we're extending life span, but we don't know if we're extending healthy survival," Must said. "If one is going to spend the last three decades of one's life with compromised physical and mental function, that may not be the picture of aging we have when we think of living into our 90s."

Vaginal Infection linked to Prostate Cancer

2009-10-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers has found a strong association between the common sexually transmitted infection, Trichomonas vaginalis, and risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer in men (see also Harvard School of Public Health).

The study appears online on September 9, 2009, on the Journal of the National Cancer Institute website and will appear in a later print edition.

"Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in western countries, and the second leading cause of cancer-specific mortality. Identifying modifiable risk factors for the lethal form of prostate cancer offers the greatest opportunity to reduce suffering from this disease," said Jennifer Stark, an HSPH researcher and lead author of the study.

One potential risk factor is inflammation, which appears to play an important role in the development and progression of prostate cancer, but the source of inflammation of the prostate is not clear. Trichomonas vaginalis, which infects an estimated 174 million people globally each year and is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection, can infect the prostate and could be a source of inflammation. With respect to prostate cancer prevention, it is noteworthy that up to three-quarters of men infected with Trichomonas vaginalis may not realize they are infected, since they may not have any symptoms.

A previous study had found an association between risk of prostate cancer and Trichomonas vaginalis infection, but was not large enough to determine if there was a link between the infection and advanced and lethal disease.

In the present study, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 673 men with prostate cancer who were participants in the Physicians' Health Study and compared infection status based on antibody levels to 673 control subjects who were not diagnosed with prostate cancer. The blood samples were collected in 1982, on average a decade before cancer diagnosis.

The results showed that Trichomonas vaginalis infection was associated with a more than two-fold increase in the risk of prostate cancer that was advanced stage at diagnosis, and a nearly three-fold increase in prostate cancer that would result in death.

"The fact that we found a strong association between serologic evidence of infection with Trichomonas vaginalis, a potentially modifiable risk factor, and risk of advanced and lethal disease represents a step forward in prostate cancer, especially given that so few risk factors for aggressive prostate cancer have been identified," said Lorelei Mucci, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at HSPH and senior author of the study.

The authors note that further research needs to be done to confirm the findings. If confirmed, the findings from the large-scale, prospective study would identify infections as one of the few known modifiable factors for aggressive prostate cancer. Moreover, since the infection is easily treated with an inexpensive antibiotic regimen, the results from the study suggest that prevention or early treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis infection could be a target for prostate cancer prevention.

Keywords: Infectious Disease, Inflammation, Oncology, Prostate Cancer, Prostatic Neoplasms, Public Health, Sexually Transmitted Disease, Trichomonas Vaginitis, Trichomoniasis, Harvard School of Public Health.

This article was prepared by Disease Risk Factor Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Disease Risk Factor Week via NewsRx.com.

Vitamin K forLong Term Health Benefits!

2009-10-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

An analysis conducted by Joyce C. McCann, PhD and Bruce N. Ames, PhD at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute provides support for Dr Ames' triage hypothesis, which proposes that our bodies have evolved to allocate often scarce micronutrients to functions that are critical to short term survival rather than to those which protect long term health.

Chronic insufficient intake of many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids causes DNA damage, mitochondrial decay and cellular aging, which, while not affecting immediate survival, can lead to degenerative diseases later in life. "Natural selection favors short-term survival at the expense of long-term health," explained Dr Ames in an introduction to his hypothesis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. "I hypothesize that short-term survival was achieved by allocating scarce micronutrients by triage, in part through an adjustment of the binding affinity of proteins for required micronutrients. If this hypothesis is correct, micronutrient deficiencies that trigger the triage response would accelerate cancer, aging, and neural decay but would leave critical metabolic functions, such as ATP production, intact."

Drs Ames and McCann reviewed hundreds of articles concerning vitamin K and its 16 known dependent proteins for the current analysis. Studies of mice in which vitamin K-dependent proteins were rendered inoperative revealed that five of these proteins have functions that are essential to survival, and 5 are less critical. The body preferentially distributes vitamin K to the liver to preserve coagulation when vitamin K levels are reduced; however, suboptimal vitamin K intake and anticoagulant-induced vitamin K deficiency have been linked with such age related conditions as bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer. "A triage perspective reinforces recommendations of some experts that much of the population and warfarin/coumadin patients may not receive sufficient vitamin K for optimal function of vitamin K-dependent proteins that are important to maintain long-term health," the authors write.

The report, which appeared online on August 19 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was published in the October, 2009 issue. The analysis is the first in a series conducted by Drs Ames and McCann to test the triage hypothesis. "Encouraging support for the triage theory from our vitamin K analysis suggests that experts aiming to set micronutrient intake recommendations for optimal function and scientists seeking mechanistic triggers leading to diseases of aging may find it productive to focus on micronutrient-dependent functions that have escaped evolutionary protection from deficiency," Dr McCann stated.

Hair Loss and Woman

2009-10-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

Most female-pattern baldness is inherited. Other causes of hair loss include:

Disease. Illnesses such as diabetes, lupus and thyroid.

Poor nutrition. Having inadequate protein or iron in your diet or poor nourishment in other ways can cause hair loss. Fad diets, crash diets and certain illnesses, such as eating disorders, can cause poor nutrition.

Medications. Certain drugs used to treat gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems and high blood pressure may cause hair loss in some people. Also, the acne medication Accutane contributes to hair loss. Taking birth control pills also may result in hair loss for some women.

Medical treatments. Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy may cause you to develop alopecia. After your treatment ends, your hair typically begins to regrow.

Recent high fever, severe flu or surgery. You may notice you have less hair three to four months after events such as an illness or surgery. These conditions cause hair to shift rapidly into a resting phase, meaning you'll see less new hair growth. A normal amount of hair typically will appear after the growth phase resumes.

Childbirth. Some women experience an increase in hair loss several months after delivering a baby. This is because during pregnancy the hair is shifted into an active growth state that then goes back to base line soon after delivery. This increased hair loss usually corrects itself.

Hair treatments. Chemicals used for dyeing, tinting, bleaching, straightening or perming can cause hair to become damaged and break off if they are overused or used incorrectly. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair too tightly also can cause some hair loss.

Scalp infection. Infections such as ringworm can invade the hair and skin of your scalp, leading to hair loss. Once infections are treated, hair generally regrows. Ringworm, a fungal infection, can usually be treated with a topical or oral antifungal medication.

Source: Mayo Clinic.

Cancer and How to Protect yourself!

2009-09-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

Cancer. The thought of fighting for your life is enough to keep you up at night. Especially if it runs in your family. But you’re not helpless; you can take action.

Studies show certain nutrients help prevent cancer. I’ve put together some of the top cancer blockers:

Quercetin protects against lung, skin and prostate cancers. A study in the journal Carcinogenesis found quercetin could stop cancer-causing changes in prostate cells. It flushes away carcinogens and can block tumor development and growth. The most quercetin is in onions, apples, peppers, berries, grapes, tomatoes, black tea and garlic.

Catechins can prevent tumors in almost every organ in your body, from your esophagus and stomach to your colon and liver — even your breasts. They fight tissue-attacking free radicals and protect your cells against tumor development and growth.

In fact, studies show they can reduce your cancer risk between 30% and 60%. Substitute your morning cup of coffee for a mug of catechin-rich green or black tea a couple times a week.

Folate can protect against a dozen different cancers.1 Vegetables with the highest folate content are dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale and romaine lettuce. But, your body only absorbs half of the folate you consume, so taking a supplement is a very good idea.

The supplement form of folate is folic acid. Most multivitamins contain folic acid. Check yours to make sure it has at least 400 mcg. You should be certain to take it if you've had cancer or are at risk.

Carotenoids. These five cancer fighters are alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene and zeaxanthin. These colorful ‘fab five' can protect against breast cancer2, prostate, colon, bladder, pancreas, skin, lung, colon3, and cervical cancers.4

I recommend a minimum of 6 mg a day of each carotenoid. The best way is to eat more orange, red and yellow fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes, cantaloupe, peaches, oranges, and yellow, orange or red peppers are good sources. And when you're on the go, drink vegetable juices instead of fruit juices or sodas.

You can also take a mixed carotenoid supplement. I recommend doubling the dose on the bottle if you have suffered cancer or have an increased family risk for the disease. For best results, store them in your fridge and take them with food.

If you have cancer, there are new breakthrough ways to treat it.

My colleagues at Health Sciences Institute are mavericks in the cancer field. Many of these natural solutions enhance traditional treatment, and they may just make cancer disappear. In this book, you'll find at least a dozen of the most effective alternative cancer treatments available today.

Diabetes and the Pancreas

2009-09-29T09:08:00.000-04:00

The pancreas functions as a linchpin in some of the biggest medical crises that we face, including with diabetes and obesity.

Should anybody in the reliably pestilent health care debate be casting about for a mascot organ to represent some of the biggest medical crises that we face, allow me to nominate a nonobvious candidate: the pancreas.

It may lie in the hidden depths of the abdominal cavity, and its appearance, size and purpose may be obscure to the average person. Yet the pancreas turns out to be a linchpin in two epidemics that are all too familiar.

As the organ entrusted with the manufacture of insulin and other hormones that help control blood sugar, the pancreas gone awry is a source of diabetes, which afflicts more than 23 million people in the United States. The World Health Organization estimated the global figure in 2000 at 171 million, and projected that by 2030, 366 million would be affected. And as the tireless brewer of digestive juices that help shear apart the amalgamated foodstuffs that we consume each day, the pancreas is at the frontlines of obesity.

Researchers are discovering that the pancreas helps mediate much of the appetite-related cross talk between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, the streams of chemical signals that say, I'm starving down here, how about some dinner, or, enough already, step away from that dessert cart and no one will be hurt. By better understanding the precise role of the pancreas in conveying sensations of hunger or satiety, suggested Rodger A. Liddle of Duke University Medical School, we may find new ways to combat obesity.

Other researchers are intrigued by the pancreas' ability to shield itself from harm, to churn out huge quantities of enzymes that can rapidly reduce a cheeseburger and fries to so many particles of amino acids, carbohydrates and fats, without digesting its own tissue in the process. They suspect that the organ's set of self-protective mechanisms has a terrible downside, and helps explain why pancreatic cancer can be so difficult to treat -- insights that are just beginning to offer hope in the fight against one of the most lethal of all malignancies.

Early anatomists were certainly aware of the pancreas but mostly ignored it, and the organ's name reflects that ho-hum attitude. Pancreas is Greek for all-meat, a reference to its seeming homogeneity from one end to the other.

Much of the neglect may well have been practical. "The pancreas has always been difficult to study," Dr. Liddle said. For one thing, it's hidden. Measuring some 6 to 8 inches, or 15 to 20 centimeters, in length, and slippery and lobular to the touch, the yellowish- brown pancreas is located deep in the abdomen, wedged between the stomach and the spinal cord and extending horizontally right above the waistline. Think of it as an oblong eel.

Add to that inaccessibility a prima donna sensitivity. "If you do anything to the pancreas, you initiate an inflammatory response," Dr.Liddle said. "It tends to become inflamed more easily than other organs."

In fact, inflammation of the pancreas, or pancreatitis, is a relatively common and often debilitating condition, brought on by excess alcohol, drug reactions, gallstones, genetic predisposition or other reasons. Unfortunately, said Dr. Anthony Kalloo, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the symptoms of pancreatitis, like chronic abdominal pain radiating into the back, could be misdiagnosed or dismissed as a hypochondriac's lament.

As a result, Dr. Kalloo said, patients do not always receive the right pain medications, the optimal diet, surgery when necessary.

For all the difficulty of studying the pancreas, researchers eventually came to appreciate the organ as a gland of many talents, serving both an exocrine role -- secreting its products through ducts, as the breast secretes milk and the sweat glands perspiration -- and an endocrine role, fabricating hormones and squirting them into the bloodstream, as the ovaries and testes dispense sex hormones and the thyroid thyroxine.

Roughly 90 percent of the pancreas is devoted to its exocrinic role of generating digestive enzymes and funneling them into the small intestine, a burbling broth that flows forth from the pancreas at a rate of perhaps a quart a day.

The other 10 percent of pancreatic tissue consists of so-called islet cells, the endocrine players that synthesize insulin and glucagon to manipulate and titrate blood sugar, the body's energy currency, as needed. In people with Type 1, or juvenile-onset, diabetes -- among them Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court - - an autoimmune reaction ends up destroying many of these islet cells, resulting in the need for lifelong insulin injections. Among sufferers of Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes, the reasons for insulin imbalance are more varied, and the condition can often be treated through diet and exercise alone.

Imagine the pancreas as a tree, Dr. Liddle suggested. The trunk and branches are the ducts that deliver digestive juices, the leaves the factories that make digestive enzymes, and the islet cells birds' nests scattered throughout -- in the tree but not of it.

When cancer strikes, it generally arises in the ductal tissue of the pancreas, the woody parts of our metaphoric tree, and intriguingly, they feel the part. "These tumors are rock-hard masses," said Peter Olson, an oncology researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. "They're white on dissection, very tough and fibrous."

Pancreatic cancer is almost impossible to cure. About 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with it this year, and nearly as many will die of it. As doctors have long known, some of that lethality is positional: There is no easy way to screen the deep-set pancreas for early signs of malignancy, and by the time symptoms arise, the cancer already has spread to other organs.

Another reason for the ferocity, however, might be the nature of the tumors themselves. Most cancers are thought to spur the growth of new blood vessels to supply them with the extra oxygen and nutrients necessary for frenzied cell division, but pancreatic tumors are markedly devascularized.

"The number of blood vessels in a pancreatic tumor is 10 percent what it is in normal tissue, of the pancreas or anywhere else," said David A. Tuveson of the Cambridge Research Institute in England. The results are devastating. In the anoxic microenvironment beneath the fibrous, bloodless capsule, any malignant cells that survive become increasingly unstable and virulent, like super-roaches proliferating in the wake of a pesticide bomb. Moreover, without blood vessels, nothing can get into the tumor to kill the renegade cells, so chemotherapy is almost useless.

Reporting recently in the journal Science on results with genetically engineered mice, Dr. Tuveson and his colleagues described a new approach to treating pancreatic cancer, in which the tumors were revascularized and thus made sensitive to cancer drugs. Clinical trials are now under way to test the basic strategy in people, and with all due caveats, Dr. Tuveson said, "I am cautiously optimistic."

Vitamin D and Cancer

2009-09-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

HIGH levels of vitamin D in the body may improve survival rates in cancer patients.

Two new studies say that people with more vitamin D - which is produced by the skin in sunlight - when diagnosed with bowel or skin cancer were more likely to survive.

Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to reducing the risk of multiple sclerosis.

In the first study, a team from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston followed more than 1,000 bowel cancer patients for about nine years.

Researchers estimated the vitamin D in their blood at the time of diagnosis, and found those with higher levels were 50 per cent less likely to die from the disease.

Professor Kimmie Ng, author of the study said: "Our study shows that levels of vitamin D after colorectal cancer diagnosis may be important for survival.

"We are now planning further research in patients with bowel cancer to see if vitamin D has the same effect, and to investigate how vitamin D works."

The second study, funded by Cancer Research UK looked at patients with malignant melanoma - the most deadly skin cancer, and linked low levels of vitamin D with higher rates of relapse. High levels of the vitamin were linked to thinner tumours.

Lead author Professor Julia Newton Bishop said: "It's common for the general public to have low levels of vitamin D in many countries."

Food Eye Fix?

2009-09-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

You can sharpen your vision and protect your eyes from aging, but you need the right formula.

Here’s the critical point. While most of these vision formulas contain two key ingredients – lutein and zeaxanthin – nearly all of them don’t contain enough.

You need at least 20 mg of lutein and at least one mg of zeaxanthin to make a difference in your eye health. And most eye supplements just aren’t potent enough to do you any good.

Without these nutrients, you wouldn’t be able to see sharp lines, bright colors, focus on your crossword puzzle or drive safely at night. They nourish the macula at the back of your eyes and are essential to vision clarity.

They can even help you fight the strain your eyes get from staring at a computer screen.
There are plenty of fresh foods that you can find in a local farmer’s market that will give your eyes the nutrients they need every day. Here are a few shopping suggestions:

Pick up some dark, leafy vegetables. Spinach, kale, collards and Swiss chard will do the trick. They’re full of lutein.

Eat whole eggs. The yolk provides another natural source of lutein.

Add some color to your meals. Pick a few orange peppers, zucchini and squash. Toss in a few kiwi fruit. All contain zeaxanthin.

In fact, the more colorful your food choices, the better your eye health may be. Consider adding these natural products to your daily diet:

Benefits of Colorful Fruits and Vegetables

Color
Foods
Benefits to the Eye

Orange and Yellow
Pumpkin, squash, yellow peppers, carrots, mango, peaches, apricots
Lutein & other carotenoids protect eye from sun & age damage.

Red and Pink
Tomatoes, red peppers, guava, watermelon, grapefruit
Range of carotenoids and vitamin C, protect eye from free radicals.

Green
Broccoli, Zucchini, green peppers, spinach, kale, asparagus, other “greens”
Potent antioxidants prevent age-related damage of the eye.

Blue and Purple
Purple cabbage, eggplant, plums, cherries, blueberries, grapes
Anthocyanin, which protects the eye from cancer.

If you need more help take a vision supplement. Just make sure it has at least 20 mg of lutein and 1 mg of zeaxanthin. I would also recommend bilberry extract – 100 mg, and gingko biloba – 50 mg.

Use Walnuts in your Holiday Baking!

2009-09-26T12:20:00.000-04:00

Abuja, Sep 18, 2009 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Nuts generally have become popular as all round source of nutrition and are favoured by those who exercise regularly as a good source of protein and energy. Walnuts which are popularly known as awusa or asala in Yoruba, arinsa in Igbira add extra nutrition, flavor and crunch to one's meal.

These nuts, which are harvested in December and are available all year round come from an ornamental tree that is highly priced for its beauty. The walnut kernel consists of two bumpy lobes that look like abstract butterflies. The lobes are off white in colour and covered by a thin, light brown skin. They are particularly attached to each other while the kernel is enclosed in round or oblong shells that are brown or black in colour and they are hard.

Although the nuts are said to have a high fat content, it plays a role in the provision of a balance diet; with beneficiary nutritional contents covering all the important food groups.

When it comes to their health benefits, walnuts definitely are regarded as a "brain food" not only because of the wrinkled brain like appearance of their shells but because of their high concentration of omega 3 fats.

A nutritionist, Dr Kabir az-Zubair, Director, Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics of National Biotechnology Development Agency, Federal Ministry of Science & Technology, said the human brain is made up of more than 60% structural fats and for the brain cells to function properly, these structural fats need to be primarily the omega 3 fats which are mostly found in walnuts.

"Walnut is an excellent source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, a special type of protective fat the body cannot manufacture. It has many health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function and the anti-inflammatory benefit that is useful for Asthma patients, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory skin diseases such as Eczema and psoriasis; walnuts also contain an anti-oxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anti-cancer properties," he said.

These nutritious nuts are also important source of monounsaturated fats amounted to 15% of the fats found in walnuts so adding it to ones diet is an important step in improving cardiovascular health. Studies on the dietary value of walnut show that increasing the dietary intake of walnuts as favourable effects on high cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors.

In addition to their heart protective monounsaturated fats, walnuts concentration of omega-3 essential fatty acids is also responsible for the favourable effects walnut consumption produces on cardiovascular risk factors.

Omega-3s benefit the cardiovascular system by assisting in preventing erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries (which is the proximate cause of most heart attacks) and improve the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to potentially harmful (LDL) cholesterol. Omega-3s also reduce inflammation, which is a key component in the processes that turn cholesterol into artery clogging plaques.

Walnuts also contain relatively high levels of L-arginine, an essential amino acid which becomes a special import in hypertensive persons. Human body according to experts converts l-arginine into nitric oxide, a chemical that helps keep the inner walls of blood vessels smooth and allows blood vessels to relax. Since individuals with hypertension find it difficult to maintain normal nitric oxide levels which may also lead to other significant health issues such as diabetes and heart problems, walnuts can serve as a great addition to their diets.

In a research published by the British Journal of Nutrition which identified several nuts among plant foods with highest total antioxidant content, suggests that walnuts and chestnuts have the highest antioxidant content of tree nuts with walnuts delivering more than 20mmol antioxidant per 3ounces (100gm).

The research concluded that, consumption of nuts at least 4 times in a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease while each additional serving of nuts per week shows 8.3% reduced risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, intake of a handful of walnuts at least 4times in a week is recommended for persons suffering from these diseases.

Prevention and control of high blood pressure is also one of the benefits derived from eating walnuts because it is gathered that individuals whose diets provide greater amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid have lower blood pressure than those who consume less and walnuts has been identified as an excellent source of this essential fats.

It also improves the cholesterol profile in persons with type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, a daily ounce of walnuts in a diet in which 30% of calories came from fat related into a significant improvement in subject's cholesterol profile. The nuts are found to reduce levels of several molecules that promote atherosclerosis.

Preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as having a handful of walnuts as part of ones diet or tossing some walnuts on salad because it helps in prevention of gallstones in women. For a better night sleep, sprinkling ones dinner with a handful of walnuts is good because it is a source of bio-available melatonin - a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and it's also a powerful antioxidant in bio - available form, making the perfect evening meal for a natural good night sleep.

Apart from the dietary benefit of walnuts, straw-coloured clear oil can also be extracted from fresh walnuts which must be protected from the light and oxidant agents because it becomes rancid easily. This oil is used as a tonic for children and aged people as well as a dry agent for painting for the rapidity by which colours dry in it.

The nutritional value of walnuts can be likened to that of cheese because of its high content of proteins and fats. Walnuts have a high source of essential unsaturated fatty acids such as alfa-linoleic acid and their contents in proteins and vitamins are good, especially in vitamins B and E groups.

Maintenance of healthy levels of melatonin is important for everyone over the age of 40 since the amount of the hormones produced by the human body decreases significantly as humans age. This reduction in antioxidant protection may be related to the development of free radical related diseases later in life; thus walnuts are highly recommended for everybody for healthy living.

by Romoke W. Ahmad

Copyright Daily Trust. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Pomology has an excellent anti-aging product

2009-09-25T09:10:00.002-04:00

Instead of sitting around hoping you inherited “good genes,” you can play an active role in your own future by turning on the genes that promote longevity – and turning off the genes that tell your cells to die.

This is very exciting news… There’s no need for excessive worry about your family history or whether good health “runs in your family.” For the first time in medical history you decide which genetic code gets played out.

How Do You Imagine Your Golden Years?

When you visualize your future, what do you see? Are you playing tennis with your grandkids, or stuck in a nursing home watching TV?

The difference may be as easy as switching on the genes that keep you young and active… In this letter, I’ll show you how it works and exactly what you can do to take advantage of this latest medical breakthrough.

Put the Brakes on Aging…

New research uncovered a gene that increases lifespan dramatically. Every living thing on earth carries this gene – including you. And there’s a nutrient that “turns it on.”

Modern science first discovered evidence of this “longevity gene” 20 years ago. It’s activated by a technique called caloric restriction. Researchers found that giving mice a nutritionally balanced diet with very few calories increased their lifespan.

Later studies revealed this effect wasn’t limited to mice: Calorie-restricted diets produced similar results across the board, from single-celled organisms to plants and mammals.

It wasn’t until recently that they found an explanation. They isolated a family of life-protecting genes called sirtuins (“silent information regulator proteins”). Sirtuins kick in under conditions of severe stress, bringing about a miraculous transformation.

They transmit signals to every cell in your body that literally cancel out the effects of aging. The process that leads cell death to slow to a crawl, buying your body more time to repair the DNA damage that brings life to an end.

This sounds great, but keep in mind that caloric restriction brings your daily calorie intake down to near starvation levels. Not exactly the kind of diet you can stick to.

The problem stumped scientists for years: How to “wake up” sleeping sirtuin genes (without caloric restriction)… Now we know these genes can be awakened and called upon to change your body in the course of a single lifetime – safely and naturally.

Here’s the Good News…

You don’t have to starve yourself to switch on your longevity gene. You can activate it with a simple nutrient. It’s called resveratrol.*

Switch on the Good… Turn off the Bad…

Resveratrol Lets You Choose which Genes to Express and which to Leave Silent

Some of the good anti-aging genes that get “switched on” with resveratrol are genes that:

Promote normal cell activity.*

Maintain healthy DNA.*

Enable insulin to assist glucose uptake into cells (promotes healthy glucose metabolism...)*

Help maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range.*

Some of the bad genes that get “switched off” withresveratrol are genes that:

Effect production of low density lipoproteins or LDL.

Override normal patterns regulating cell division (cuts off your body’s ability to regulate healthy cell production…)

Encourage production of insulin and inflammation.

Interfere with apoptosis.

Resveratrol shifts your cells into high gear, stimulating them to perform a variety of activities that promote health and longevity.*

Resveratrol also acts as a potent antioxidant, binding with “free radicals,” the molecules that cause cell damage and lead to death over time. And its power to enhance and prolong your life goes way beyond anti-aging. You could even say it’s nature’s wonder drug.*

During recent studies, resveratrol excelled across the board. Some of its benefits include:1

Promoting healthy glucose metabolism and optimal body weight.*

Supporting cardiovascular health.*

Enhanced mitochondrial energy production (the mitochondria are the tiny power plants inside each of your cells…)*

Improved motor function, including balance and coordination.*

That last benefit is worth repeating… Resveratrol improves your quality of life, by boosting your physical abilities. You would expect these daily skills to decline as you get older, right? Wrong. During the test of balance and coordination, those taking resveratrol made steady improvement as they aged.*

Resveratrol is found naturally in grapes, blueberries, cranberries, and other plants also make it. But it’s difficult – if not impossible – to get enough of it to create an anti-aging effect from food alone.

That’s why I tell my patients it’s possible to…

Turn Back Your Aging Clock with Powerful Antioxidants

Reseveratrol is a powerful, “high capacity” antioxidant. Not only does it protect the cells in your body from early death, it triggers the activation of your anti-aging genes.*

I’m sure you’ve heard of antioxidants. People throw that term around all the time. But they seldom tell you what they really are… or why you really need them.

Antioxidants protect every cell, tissue and organ in your body – keeping them healthier, longer. It’s just like a sandwich. If you leave it on the counter, the air makes the bread stale. And if you leave it out for a few days, the meat and cheese go rotten. (This destructive process is called oxidation. Oxidation is carried out by free radicals.)

But seal it in a zip-lock bag and throw it in the fridge, and it stays good for weeks. Your body is the same… Give your cells the right antioxidant protection and your body will last years – even decades – longer.*

Resveratrol is a major breakthrough. There’s no doubt about it… But there’s more to antioxidants. In fact, when you combine resveratrol with two powerful allies, you get a formula capable of real transformation.

Check out our anti aging products.

Viamin C and Skin Care

2009-09-24T12:10:00.002-04:00

Our skin consists of two main layers: the dermis and epidermis. The dermis is the inner layer of skin that contains nerve fibers, fat cells, blood vessels, sweat and oil glands, and hair follicles. The dermis also contains collagen and elastin, two proteins that are responsible for the structure and elasticity of the skin itself. These proteins are subject to the process of aging. The sweat and oil glands in the dermis protect the outer layer of skin with a thin coating of oil and perspiration.

Scientists now believe that the free radical theory of disease also applies to the aging of the skin. Free radicals are unstable small molecules generated by an oxygen environment which require stabilization by the body's antioxidant system. Free radicals occur throughout every cell in our body simply by virtue of the fact that oxygen is our principal metabolic fuel. Strong sunlight readily generates free radicals in the skin. Our hands, face, neck, and arms are the areas usually chronically exposed to light. These parts of the body, particularly the face, are where aging of the skin shows up.

The skin protein collagen is particularly susceptible to free radical damage, and when this damage occurs, it causes the collagen protein molecules to break down and then link back up again in a different way; this is known as cross-linking. Collagen cross-linking causes the normally mobile collagen to become stiff and less mobile.

Science clearly substantiates the role that free radicals play in causing skin aging and the fact that topically applied antioxidants confer significant protection and can even partially reverse some aspects of skin aging. Indeed, various animal and human studies have proven that low molecular weight antioxidants, especially vitamins C and E, as well as alpha-lipoic acid exert protective effects against free radical damage (oxidative stress) (Podda et al. 2001).

Oxygen can do more for you than you think!

2009-09-24T11:53:00.001-04:00

United Press International

09-22-09

LA JOLLA, Calif., Sep 21, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in California say they've discovered reactive oxygen plays a key role in cancer metastasis.

The researchers, led by Professor Sara Courtneidge, said they determined reactive species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, help form invadopodia -- cellular protrusions implicated in cancer cell migration. They found inhibiting reactive oxygen reduces invadopodia formation, thereby limiting cancer cell invasion.

"Reactive oxygen has a complex cellular role," Courtneidge said. "Normal cells use reactive oxygen to signal, grow and move. Immune cells, such as neutrophils, produce reactive oxygen to destroy bacteria. Now we find that reactive oxygen is necessary for invadopodia formation, which allows cancer cells to become metastatic."

Courtneidge said invadopodia facilitate cancer cell migration by breaking down the extracellular matrix that normally keeps cells in place.

Using invadopodia-rich mouse fibrosarcoma cells, Courtneidge and her colleagues tested a number of antioxidants and found both a marked reduction in invadopodia formation and invasive behavior. The scientists repeated the experiments with human melanoma, head and neck and breast cancer cell lines and also saw a marked reduction in invadopodia formation.

The scientists said their findings might lead to new cancer drug interventions.

The study appears in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal Science Signaling.

Tea the New Life Extension Brew?

2009-09-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

Now there’s a strategy you can use to extend your life…one cup at a time.

Imagine if you could extend your life by five years just by drinking tea. Would you do it?

When a large group of elderly Chinese men drank three cups or more of tea each day, they recorded significantly longer telomere lengths – nearly five years of added lifespan – compared with those who drank one cup or less.1

If you suffer from
back pain, neck pain, or sciatica, you should read this…
Jerry Tarman of Carlsbad, Cal. had suffered from chronic back pain and sciatica for over 50 years. Like most people, he had tried it all... chiropractors, physical therapy, he even overdosed on Tylenol®, but nothing gave him lasting relief until he discovered the secrets below:

The hidden cause of nearly every case of back pain, neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs and other conditions
2 words that you'll never hear from your doctor that are keeping you in pain
The 7 mistakes most back pain sufferers make that keep them from getting lasting relief

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, applies to black and green teas with the majority of the subjects drinking green tea.

Our ancestors have long touted the health benefits of tea, but never at the DNA level. Now we’re learning new ways where you may help maintain the length of your telomeres and increase your lifespan. That’s good news for tea drinkers and great news for fans of life extension.

You’ve heard me talk about telomeres – the “time keepers” that cap each strand of DNA. Each time your cells divide, your telomeres get shorter. And telomere length is a key indicator of your overall health and lifespan.

By lengthening your telomeres, you can extend your life. And that means for the first time, you can actually stop – even reverse – the aging process in your body.

Here’s the thing: Your telomeres are extremely vulnerable to oxidative stress … and that’s exactly what antioxidants protect you against. This helps keep your telomeres long. And that, in turn, will help you live a longer and healthier life. That’s where the healing powers of tea come in. The antioxidant properties of tea may be responsible for protecting the telomeres.

Green tea packs a powerful punch of antioxidants and phytonutrients that eradicates free radicals floating in your body. These are the primary culprits in aging.

The active ingredient in green tea is EGCG, which can prevent and repair cell damage. As a scavenger of free radicals, EGCG combats the effects of pollution, sunlight and smoking, which helps skin from wrinkling and aging.

The best way to receive the benefits abundant in green tea – including the EGCG – is to start with whole tea leaves (sold in specialty tea stores) or with a tea bag.

Most of the bottled green tea drinks contain additives like aspartame that counteract brewed green tea’s healing properties. I suggest you make your own to maximize the powerful, antioxidant-fighting benefits. You can also find ECGC supplements at your local health food store. I suggest taking 50 mg of ECGC daily.

And there are other ways to maintain your telomere length. Here’s what I recommend:

Vitamin B12 – Take at least 100 mcg per day. Although, I have advised my patients to take as much as 500 mcg per day or more for improving things like brain function and energy levels.

Vitamin C – Based on my own experience, taking up to 3,000 mg per day is a good amount if you're in good health. I always recommend pregnant women get at least 6,000 mg per day. And in times of stress or sickness, you can take up to 20,000 mg.

Make sure that you get the natural form of vitamin C and not the synthetic form. In one particular study, natural vitamin C was 148% more effective than the synthetic form. And it stayed in the test participants’ systems longer.2

Vitamin E – Look for a multivitamin with at least 200 iu of “mixed tocopherols” rather than just alpha tocopherols. Your body is better able to absorb them in their organic “d” form.

Fountain of youth?

2009-09-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Drugs That Might Lengthen Life Spans Are Being Tested; Writing a Prescription for the Fountain of Youth ; Researchers Are Testing Drugs That May Extenda Healthy Life Span
International Herald Tribune

09-09-09

Forget the fountain of youth: chemicals are more likely to someday be the source of a longer, healthier life.

It may be the ultimate free lunch -- how to reap all the advantages of a calorically restricted diet, including freedom from disease and an extended healthy life span, without eating one fewer calorie. Just take a drug that tricks the body into thinking it's on such a diet.

It sounds too good to be true, and maybe it is. Yet such drugs are now in clinical trials. Even if they should fail, as most candidate drugs do, their development represents a new optimism among research biologists that aging is not immutable, that the body has resources that can be mobilized into resisting disease and averting the adversities of old age.

This optimism, however, is not fully shared. Evolutionary biologists, the experts on the theory of aging, have strong reasons to suppose that human life span cannot be altered in any quick and easy way. But they have been confounded by experiments with small laboratory animals, like roundworms, fruit flies and mice. In all these species, the change of single genes has brought noticeable increases in life span.

With theorists' and their gloomy predictions cast in the shade, at least for the time being, experimental biologists are pushing confidently into the tangle of linkages that evolution has woven among food intake, fertility and life span.

"My rule of thumb is to ignore the evolutionary biologists -- they're constantly telling you what you can't think," Gary Ruvkun of the Massachusetts General Hospital remarked this June after making an unusual discovery about longevity.

Excitement among researchers on aging has picked up in the last few years with the apparent convergence of two lines of inquiry: single gene changes and the diet known as caloric restriction.

In caloric restriction, mice are kept on a diet that is healthy but has 30 percent fewer calories than a normal diet. The mice live 30 or 40 percent longer than usual with the only evident penalty being that they are less fertile.

People find it almost impossible to maintain such a diet, so this recipe for longevity remained a scientific curiosity for many decades.

Then came the discovery of the single gene changes, many of which are involved in the body's regulation of growth, energy metabolism and reproduction. The single gene changes thus seem to be pointing to the same biochemical pathways through which caloric restriction extends life span.

If biologists could only identify these pathways, it might be possible to develop drugs that would trigger them. Such drugs could in principle have far-reaching effects. Mice on caloric restriction seem protected from degenerative disease, which may be why they live longer. A single drug that protected against some or all the degenerative diseases of aging would enable people to enjoy more healthy years, a great benefit in itself, even if it did not extend life span.

The leading candidates for such a role are drugs called sirtuin activators, which may well be mimicking caloric restriction, in whole or in part. The chief such drug is resveratrol, a minor ingredient of grapes and red wine. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is now conducting clinical trials of resveratrol, in a special formulation, and of small-molecule drugs that also activate sirtuin but can be given in much lower doses. The resveratrol formulation and one of the small chemicals have passed safety tests and are now being tested against diabetes and other diseases.

The sirtuin activators have a strong scientific pedigree. They emerged as the surprising outcome of a quest begun in 1991 by Leonard P. Guarente of MIT to look for genes that might prolong life span in yeast, a single-cell organism. Working with David A. Sinclair, now at Harvard Medical School, he discovered such a gene, one called sir-2.

People and mice turned out to have equivalent genes, called sirt genes, that produce proteins called sirtuins.

Dr. Guarente then found that the sirtuins can detect the energy reserves in a cell and are activated when reserves are low, just what would be needed for a protein that mediates the effects of caloric restriction. Dr. Sinclair and colleagues screened a number of chemicals for their ability to activate sirtuin, and resveratrol landed at the top of the list. The chemical was already known as the suspected cause of the French paradox, the fact that the French eat a high fat diet without penalty to their longevity.

The two researchers and their colleagues thus argued that caloric restriction works by activating sirtuins, and so drugs that activate sirtuins should offer the same health benefits.

But despite the high promise and strong scientific foundation of the sirtuin approach, it has yet to be proved that a resulting drug will work. The first of many questions is that of whether caloric restriction applies at all to people.

Two experts on aging, Jan Vijg of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Judith Campisi of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, argued recently in Nature that the whole phenomenon of caloric restriction may be a misleading result unwittingly produced in laboratory mice. The mice are selected for quick breeding and fed on rich diets. A low-calorie diet could be much closer to the diet that mice are adapted to in the wild, and therefore it could extend life simply because it is much healthier for them.

"Life extension in model organisms may be an artifact to some extent," they wrote.

To decide whether life extension by caloric restriction is an artifact of mice in captivity, why not try it on wild mice? Just such an experiment has been done by Steven N. Austad of the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Austad reported that caloric restriction did not extend the average life span of wild mice, suggesting the diet's benefits are indeed an artifact of mice in captivity. But others interpret his results differently. Richard A. Miller of the University of Michigan says the maximum life span of the wild mice was extended, and so the experiment was a success.

Laboratory mice are inbred, and researchers can get different results depending on the breed they use. To put the mouse data on a firmer footing, the National Institute on Aging has set up a program to test substances in three laboratories simultaneously. Its first round of candidate agents for reversing aging include green tea extract and two doses of resveratrol.

The resveratrol tests are still under way, but last month the results with another substance, the antifungal drug rapamycin, were published. Rapamycin was found to extend mice's lives significantly even though by accident the mice were already the equivalent of 60 years old when the experiment started.

Rapamycin has nothing to do with caloric restriction, so far as is known, but the study provided striking proof that a chemical can extend life span.

Another result, directly related to the caloric restriction approach, emerged last month from a long-awaited study of rhesus monkeys kept on such a diet. The research was led by Richard Weindruch of the University of Wisconsin. As fellow primates, the monkeys are the best possible guide to whether the mouse results will apply in people. And the answer they gave was ambiguous.

The monkeys who had spent 20 years on caloric restriction were in better health than their normally fed counterparts, and suffered less diabetes, cancer and heart disease, apparently confirming that caloric restriction holds off the degenerative diseases of aging in primates as well as rodents.

But as for life span, the diet extended life significantly only if the researchers excluded deaths that were apparently unrelated to aging, such as under the anesthesia used to take blood samples.

People may live so long already that no drug could make much of a difference. Probably because of reductions in infant mortality and other types of disease, human life expectancy in developed countries has been on a remarkable, unbroken upward trend for the last 160 years. Female life expectancy at birth rose from 45 years in 1840 to 85 years in 2000.

An important difference among experts on aging is whether there is an intrinsic rate of aging. Supposing there were cures for all diseases, what would one die of, if one died at all? Dr. Vijg and Dr. Campisi believe there is a steady buildup of damage to DNA and to proteins like the collagen and elastin fibers that knit the body together.

Damage to DNA means that the regulation of genes gets less precise, and this regulatory drift disrupts the stem cells that repair each tissue. Even if all disease could be treated, it is not clear that anything could overcome intrinsic aging.

Dr. Miller, on the other hand, said he believes that no clear distinction can be made between disease and other frailties of aging.

"Anything a doctor can charge for we call disease, but wrinkled skin, white hair or not feeling good in the morning, these we don't call disease," he said.

In the view of evolutionary biologists, the life span of each species is adapted to the nature of its environment. Mice live at most a year in the wild because owls, cats and freezing to death are such frequent hazards. Mice with genes that allow longer life can rarely be favored by natural selection. Rather, the mice that leave the most progeny are those that devote resources to breeding at as early an age as possible.

According to this theory, if mice had wings and could escape their usual predators, natural selection ought to favor longer life. And indeed the maximum life span of bats is 3.5 times greater than flightless mammals of the same size, according to research by Gerald S. Wilkinson of the University of Maryland.

In this view, cells are so robust that they do not limit life span.

Instead the problem, especially for longer-lived species, is to keep them under control lest they cause cancer. Cells have not blocked the evolution of extremely long life spans, like that of the bristlecone pine, which lives 5,000 years, or certain deep sea corals, whose age has been found to exceed 4,000 years.

In people the germ cells, the egg and sperm, do not age; babies are born equally young, whatever the age of their parents. The genesis of aging was the division of labor in the first multicellular animals between the germ cells and the body cells.

That division put the role of maintaining the species on the germ cells and left the body cells free to become specialized, like neurons or skin cells. But in doing so the body cells made themselves disposable. The reason we die, in the view of Thomas Kirkwood, an expert on the theory of aging, is that constant effort is required to keep the body cells going. "In terms of natural selection, there are more important things to do," he writes.

All that seems clear about life span is that it is not fixed. And if it is not fixed, there may indeed be ways to extend it.

Vitamin C Linked To Diabetes?

2009-09-21T12:25:00.001-04:00

A new approach to diabetes recognition and treatment is needed because the conventional wisdom has failed us. America is in the midst of a diabetes epidemic. Over the past 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled, and children are being diagnosed with diabetes in alarming numbers. Diabetes has rapidly emerged as a leading culprit in the epidemic of heart disease that is sweeping the country, and it is a leading cause of amputation and blindness among adults.

Oxidative stress is also central to the damage caused by diabetes. Diabetics suffer from high levels of free radicals that damage arteries throughout the body, from the eyes to the heart. It is important that diabetics understand their need for antioxidant therapy to help reduce oxidative stress and lower the risk of diabetic complications.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include aging, obesity, family history, physical inactivity, ethnicity, and impaired glucose metabolism. The development of type 2 diabetes is also a prominent risk of the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of conditions that includes insulin resistance along with hypertension, lipid disorders, and being overweight.

People who are obese have a far greater tendency to develop type 2 diabetes than those who are relatively slim. Therefore, weight loss accompanied by increase in exercise and a healthy diet is effective for diabetes prevention and treatment (Mensink M et al 2003; Sato Y 2000; Sato Y et al 2003).

Vitamin C has a role in reducing the risk of diabetic complications. In one clinical study, vitamin C significantly increased blood flow and decreased inflammation in patients with both diabetes and coronary artery disease (Antoniades C et al 2004). Three studies suggest that vitamin C, along with a combination of vitamins and minerals (Farvid MS et al 2004), reduces blood pressure in people with diabetes (Mullan BA et al 2002) and increases blood vessel elasticity and blood flow (Mullan BA et al 2004).

USDA Seeks to Define Natural

2009-09-21T09:36:00.000-04:00

The lack of a unified definition of the term "natural" has left the door wide open to abuses and misinterpretation, sometimes leaving consumers vulnerable to dishonest marketing practices. Now the US Department of Agriculture is seeking to remedy that, soliciting comments on the issue. Also up for debate is whether or not there even should be a definition of "natural" at all.

The last time the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) considered the labeling of meat products that claim to be natural, in December 2006, its Federal Register notice prompted 12,000 comments, many of them expressing concern about the use of seasonings, flavoring and tenderizing solutions in products labeled as ‘natural’. In addition, many of the comments disagreed that the FSIS should come up with a clear definition.

In the current notice, FSIS said: “The comments indicate that there is an overall lack of consensus on both the general or common understanding of what the claim ‘natural’ means to the industry and to the public and on the approach that FSIS should take to address issues associated with the use of ‘natural’ claims on the labels of meat and poultry products.

“Nonetheless, FSIS has concluded that a further solicitation of comments could produce information that would help to clarify and resolve the issues surrounding the ‘natural’ claim.”

The FSIS specifically also said it is seeking comments on whether it should establish a definition for the word ‘natural’. This is opposed to considering claims on a case-by-case basis and then requiring manufacturers to explain why their product qualifies for the claim on the label.

Chicken Caesar Salad by The Mayo Clinic

2009-09-20T09:13:00.000-04:00

Recipe: Caesar salad with grilled chicken
Dietitian's tip:
Romaine lettuce is flavorful and has more vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and calcium than does iceberg lettuce.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 3 ounces
3 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing

For the dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 cups romaine lettuce
1/2 ounce (about 3 tablespoons) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup whole-wheat croutons

Directions
In a sealable plastic bag, add the chicken and Italian dressing. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning the chicken over after 15 minutes.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the chicken breasts until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side (internal temperature should be 165 F for 15 seconds). Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing into strips.

To make the Caesar dressing, add mayonnaise, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic and water. Whip together until smooth. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, croutons and the Caesar dressing. Toss thoroughly until the lettuce is coated with the dressing. Transfer the salad to individual plates. Top each salad with the grilled chicken and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving) Calories 201 Cholesterol 57 mg
Protein 25 g Sodium 565 mg
Carbohydrate 13 g Fiber 4 g
Total fat 5 g Potassium 551 mg
Saturated fat 2 g Calcium 145 mg
Monounsaturated fat 1.5 g

Dr Sears Recommends Uncontaminated Fish Oil

2009-09-19T10:18:00.000-04:00

Do you take fish oil? If so, you may be putting your health at risk.

Most brands of fish oil – like the kind you find in your local drugstore or supermarket – make no disclosure on their labels. They don’t tell you what kind of fish they’re using or where the fish come from.

And that’s a problem. Fish from industrial areas are often contaminated. Even farm-raised fish are polluted. And there’s often no way to tell from looking at the bottle.

Experts from the Scientific Committee on Food – in a recent report for the European Union – said fish from fish farms and the region’s seas are regularly contaminated by mercury, dioxins and similar toxins.

Here’s the kicker… They went on to say that, “fish oils of European origin have dioxin levels up to 8 times as high as similar products from non-industrial regions, like the waters off Peru and Chile.”1

That is important when you’re choosing a fish oil supplement.

I Discovered an Easy Solution…

The Pacific waters – especially far south towards Peru and Chile – provide a pure, rich source of healing fish oil… without the threat of chemicals or contamination.

The Peruvian fish oil I developed has a “quality-dose” of life-giving omega-3s – from a clean, untainted source. It’s both safe and potent.

In today’s world you need a safe source of omega-3s. These are the “good fats” that power up your heart and brain. And your body needs a fresh supply every 24 hours.

I have reviewed evidence that these oils:

Strengthen your heart and blood vessels.*

Maintain blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.*

Help support joint and muscle health.*

Keep your triglycerides (blood fat) in the safe range.*

Sustain healthy HDL (good cholesterol) levels.*

Boost your memory and brainpower.*

Protect your blood vessels and nerves.*

Promote steady, regular heart rhythms.*

From my letters you probably know about my trip to Peru. But before I trekked into the Amazon basin I spent some time on Peru’s Pacific coastline. My hotel had a breath-taking view of a jagged cliff that jutted into the ocean waters. Beyond the cliffs I could see fishermen in their boats.

I listened to some of the fishermen’s stories. And on several nights I enjoyed a fillet cut from their freshest catch. It melted in my mouth. The quality was impeccable. Then I began thinking about how I could bring this back for you. And of course, I immediately thought of fish oil.

During my last evening on the coast I sat on the beach and watched the sun sink into the Pacific. I told myself that when I returned to the U.S., I would do some more research and bring Peruvian fish oil to the U.S.

A year and a half later, I have a formulation of Peruvian fish oil that simply can’t be matched by store-bought brands.

Just a single soft-gel capsule packs two to three times the omega-3s you find in leading brands. And five times more omega-3s than a can of tuna – without the mercury.

Omeganol – my Peruvian fish oil formula – is laboratory tested to have non-detectable levels of mercury, heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs and other unwanted contaminants.

Are You Taking Contaminated Fish Oil?

All industrialized countries have polluted waters… especially the United States, Europe and China.

Even worse, the law that requires fish oil manufacturers to tell you where their fish come from is often ignored. And there’s no way to tell if the manufacturers purify the oil they get from contaminated fish.

In some countries – like China – anything goes.

Some companies tell you their fish oil is the “finest” or “professional grade.” But these words have no precise or defined meaning. There’s no industry standard. These “feel good” words are used to make their products sound good.

Labels can be deceptive. And what you don’t see on the label can be just as threatening.
Would you put fish oil into your body without knowing if it’s been decontaminated?

Now you don’t have to.

In Today’s World, You Need a Good Source of Fish Oil

Your body needs a fresh supply of omega-3s every 24 hours.

That’s why doctors tell you to eat more fish.

There’s just one problem… Your food supply has been altered.

Salmon used to be a great source of omega-3s. But not anymore… the salmon you buy at your local grocery store are “farm-raised.” On these fish farms, salmon are fed cereal grains instead of their natural diet of algae and wild shrimp.

As a result, they develop very high levels of arachidonic acid. This is a fat from the omega-6 family and it can throw off the proper balance between the intake of omega-6 and omega-3s and impact your overall health.

Farm-raised salmon have no access to their natural diet. This changes their physiology. Their flesh simply doesn’t have the omega-3s that wild salmon does. The cereal grains they eat during their “captivity” prevent the natural production of omega-3s.2

What’s more, the high levels of omega-6s in farm-raised salmon make the remaining omega-3s almost unusable by your body. The omega-6s become overpowering and produce inflammatory compounds. The healthy omega-3s get ignored and are never converted into the anti-inflammatory compounds you really need.

This steady decline of omega-3s in your food can definitely impact your overall health and well-being and keep you from receiving the critical cardiovascular support that omega-3s offer you.

It’s Critical to Have a Safe, Powerful Source of Fish Oil

FACT: Substantial scientific evidence indicates that taking omega-3 fatty acids as part of a healthy lifestyle help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Fish oil is well researched. And clinical studies confirm its power to maintain optimum health.

Here are just a few…

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a study showing that fish oil lowers triglyceride levels.* Triglycerides are fats in your blood. And, for optimal heart health it is necessary to keep your triglycerides in the normal range.

In the study, people took a fish oil supplement or a placebo. Those taking the fish oil had a dramatic decrease in triglycerides.* Those taking the placebo showed no significant reduction.3

Cod Liver Oil helps your mental and emotional health, too. In 1999, The Archives of General Psychiatry published an intriguing study. Patients who reported feeling down-in-the-dumps took 10 grams of a fish oil supplement or a placebo for 4 months. An overwhelming 64% of patients taking the fish oil reported overall better emotional health.4*

Fish oil works by bringing omega-3s to your brain cells.* The higher the level of omega-3s, the easier it is for the chemical messenger serotonin to carry messages from one brain cell to another. (Your levels of serotonin have a direct impact on your sense of happiness and well-being.)

Researchers from the National Eye Institute found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supports the nerves in the retina.* DHA is one of the primary ingredients in fish oil. Over 4,500 people from the ages of 60 to 80 participated in the National Eye Institute’s now famous Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).

The results were clear: People with the highest intake of omega-3s were 50% more likely to keep their sharpness and clarity of vision than those who didn’t.*

You are What You Eat

2009-09-18T08:16:00.001-04:00

Creams are helpful on the outside, but don't count out what goes inside your body when you're looking to keep your skin clear and fresh. Here are some foods to pile on your plate .

Strawberries, red peppers, kiwi

These fruits and veggies are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant shown to prevent damage to the skin and possibly help prevent aging. Vitamin C also helps form collagen, which supports the skin's structure and keeps it smooth.

Other vitamin C-rich foods: Potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruit, broccoli.

Carrots, apricots, spinach

The antioxidant beta-carotene is in these fresh foods. Beta- carotene converts in the body to vitamin A, which we need to create new and healthy skin cells. It also protects your skin from bacteria and viruses and keeps it hydrated.

Other beta-carotene-rich foods: Collard greens, romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes.

Sunflower seeds, almonds, olive oil

Rounding out the antioxidants are the vitamin E-rich foods. This vitamin protects cell membranes from free-radical damage, especially brought on by UV rays. Of course, sunscreen helps, but a serving of nuts and seeds every so often can help strengthen your cells from the inside.

Other vitamin E-rich foods: Mangoes, peanuts, chicken breast.

Water

Not drinking enough water can dehydrate and give off that pruney look (no one wants that). Instead, keep skin radiant by sipping water throughout the day. No need to chug gallons - you also get water from other sources, such as fresh fruits and veggies.

Flaxseed, salmon, tuna

All rich in omega-3 fats, these foods help prevent inflammation. Their heart-healthy oils also keep skin nice and shiny. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that elderly folks who consumed higher amounts of fish and veggies throughout their life had fewer wrinkles. It could be the combo of the omega-3s in fish plus antioxidant-rich veggies, though researchers can't say for sure right now.

Other omega-3 foods: Sardines, walnuts, tofu.

Courtesy Toby Amidor of Healthy Eats on foodnetwork.com

- Food Network Kitchens

Study: Type 2 diabetics forgo dietary guidelines

2009-09-17T09:13:00.001-04:00

Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

09-04-09

Sep. 4--Many people with Type 2 diabetes may be jeopardizing their health by not following national dietary guidelines for the disease, according to a study from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The study, released yesterday, appears in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The connection between Type 2 diabetes and being overweight has been well-documented.

The American Diabetes Association said that in 2007, 23.6 million Americans, or nearly 8 percent of the population, had diabetes. About 24 percent of those with diabetes have undiagnosed cases.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 85 percent of Type 2 diabetics are overweight.

The Wake Forest study, conducted on a national basis, included 2,757 participants. It focused on food-intake recommendations outlined in the 2000 version of the Food Guide Pyramid.

"I thought we were going to find people who, because they have a chronic disease, were more educated about and more motivated than the average American to eat healthy," said Mara Vitolins, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology and prevention.

"But that's not the case. The most important thing about controlling diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes, is being able to manage energy in and energy out. The best way to do that is through the diet."

The Wake Forest study showed that 93 percent of participants exceeded the recommended percentage of daily calories from fat, while 85 percent exceeded the saturated-fat recommendation, and 92 percent consumed too much sodium in their regular diets.

The study also found that less than half of the participants met the minimum recommended daily servings of fruit, vegetables dairy products and grain. Those foods also have been shown to prevent heart disease -- the leading cause of death in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Only a limited number of participants met nutrient intake recommendations for total fat, saturated fat, sodium and fiber. Overall, the participants consumed a diet that provided about 44 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 40 percent from fat and 17 percent from protein.

Vitolins said that there are several reasons why Type 2 diabetics are overweight, including cultural food preferences, busy work schedules, and not having enough money to buy more nutritious foods.

Many studies have found positive results when Type 2 diabetics lost weight through diet and exercise.

For example, the Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing 5 percent to 7 percent of body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Vitolins said that the study "clearly illustrates a need to provide ongoing nutrition education for people with diabetes, regardless of the amount of time they've had the disease."

"Day to day, the foods they are eating should be considered a vital part of their treatment. A proper diet and exercise can be as powerful as medication."

Waist-hip ratio better than BMI for gauging obesity in elderly

2009-09-16T11:42:00.000-04:00

NewsRx.com

09-11-09

Body mass index (BMI) readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from UCLA endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70 (see also University of California - Los Angeles).

In a new study published online in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Epidemiology, researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that the waist-to-hip circumference ratio was a better yardstick for assessing obesity in high-functioning adults between the ages of 70 and 80, presumably because the physical changes that are part of the aging process alter the body proportions on which BMI is based.

"Basically, it isn't BMI that matters in older adults - it's waist size," said Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, UCLA assistant professor of endocrinology and the study's lead investigator. "Other studies have suggested that both waist size and BMI matter in young and middle-aged adults and that BMI may not be useful in older adults; this is one of the first studies to show that relative waist size does matter in older adults, even if BMI does not matter."

Using data from the MacArthur Successful Aging Study - a longitudinal study of high-functioning men and women between the ages of 70 and 79 - researchers examined all-cause mortality risk over 12 years by BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio. They adjusted for gender, race, baseline age and smoking status. The average age of participants was 74.

Obesity is often associated with premature mortality because it leads to an increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other major health problems, the study authors say.

The researchers found no association between all-cause mortality and BMI or waist circumference; the link was only with waist-hip ratio. In women, each 0.1 increase in the waist-hip ratio was associated with a 28 percent relative increase in mortality rate (the number of deaths per 100 older adults per year) in the group sampled. Thus, if the waist-hip ratio rose from 0.8 to 0.9 or from 0.9 to 1.0, it would mean a 28 percent relative increase in the death rate. Put another way, if hip size is 40 inches, an increase in waist size from 32 to 36 inches signaled a 28 percent relative death-rate increase.

The relationship was not graded in men. Instead there was a threshold effect: The rate of dying was 75 percent higher in men with a waist-hip ratio greater than 1.0 - that is, men whose waists were larger than their hips - relative to those with a ratio of 1.0 or lower. There was no such relationship with either waist size or BMI.

The study may have some limitations, the authors noted. For instance, participants' BMI may be underestimated because height and weight were self-reported and older adults tend to report those numbers from their younger, peak years. Also, waist-hip ratios, waist circumference and BMI numbers were based on single measurements, limiting the researchers' ability to gauge how changing body size in old age can affect mortality risk.

Is your Shower Head a Dangerous Breeding Ground?

2009-09-16T11:00:00.002-04:00

Study: Showerheads a Breeding Ground for Dangerous Bacteria
Chicago Tribune

09-15-09

CHICAGO - If your morning shower doesn't wake you up, this sure might: Dangerous bacteria may be spraying out of your showerhead, right into your face, according to a new study.

Healthy people probably don't need to worry. But the opportunistic microbes, which thrive in the most, dark and wet environment of a showerhead, might cause problems if you're pregnant, a substance abuser or otherwise immune compromised with cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS or a recent organ transplant, the researchers said in the findings published in this month's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The main culprit is an organism called Mycobacterium avium, a relative of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. M. avium infections are increasingly common, perhaps because we take more showers than baths. Unlike baths, showerheads deliver the microorganisms as aerosolized particles that are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs.

The research team from the University of Colorado, which previously warned us that M. avium was lurking in the soap scum on vinyl shower curtains, sampled 45 showerheads in homes, apartments and public places around the country. They found that the showerheads don't just harbor the potentially infectious microbes; they enrich their growth.

Unfortunately, showerheads have nooks and crannies that make them hard to clean. Products with bleach can temporarily remove many microbes, but they just grow back. An all-metal showerhead, which microbes have a hard time grabbing, might be a good option if you're immune compromised, the researchers said.

Filtered showerheads could be replaced weekly. Or try bathing, which won't splash microbes into the air as much as showers.

Detox Your body for a healthier you!

2009-09-16T10:45:00.002-04:00

Our environment has changed. The last 100 years has wiped out millions of years of pure, clean food and water.

And our bodies haven’t adapted quickly enough. We weren’t designed to live in our current world of man-made chemicals, toxins and pollutants.

You don’t even have a clean slate as a newborn. When tested, newborn babies have an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants already present in their blood.1

Then, as you make your way through life, a flood of new toxins enter your body through the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat every day, and even through your skin.

Getting rid of these toxins will help you live a longer, healthier life.

You can improve:

heart health

nagging pains

digestive troubles

mood

even poor eyesight

Detoxifying your body can boost your immune system, clear your mind, balance your hormones, and much more.

Chances are you have some level of exposure to heavy metals. Arsenic and lead are among the most common forms of heavy metal toxicity.2 These poisons are used in the manufacturing processes of things like pesticides, glass, wood preservatives, fertilizers, paint, batteries, plumbing, and ink. Not to mention hobby paints, hair coloring, and cosmetics.

The best way to detoxify your body is with chelation. The word chelate comes from the Greek word chele, which means claw. And it describes the process by which a molecule from a nutrient (or chemical) surrounds and binds (or grabs like a claw) to metal toxins such as mercury, lead, and arsenic, and carries them out of your body through your kidneys and out in your urine.

There are some safe, natural methods of chelation that I recommend for removing toxic metals from your body.

You can take chlorella, a form of dried algae. You can find it in most health food stores. Take one 500 mg capsule per day initially. Some people are sensitive to chlorella. If you start experiencing nausea or burping, it means your body can’t tolerate it and you should go for another option.

If you don’t have a sensitivity, work up slowly over one to two weeks to a dose of one teaspoon (ten tablets or capsules) per day until your levels come down.

Fresh cilantro has also been shown to remove mercury from the body. About a teaspoon a day should work.

Garlic is also a good option. Three cloves of fresh garlic per day should help.

Corn Chowder Poblano by the Mayo Clinic

2009-09-15T12:23:00.001-04:00

Dietitian's tip:
Dark green poblanos take on a smoky flavor when roasted. That smokiness makes them a perfect contrast for the sweet corn flavor of this filling main course.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Serves 4
Ingredients
2 poblano or Anaheim chilies, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 or 3 Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, about 1 pound total weight, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears corn) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
Preheat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Arrange the chilies skin-side down on the grill rack, or skin-side up on a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Grill or broil until the skins begin to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until the skins loosen, about 10 minutes. Peel the chilies, discarding the blackened skin, and chop coarsely. Set aside.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. With a potato masher, partially mash the potatoes and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in the roasted chilies and the partially mashed potatoes. Add the corn, vegetable stock, milk, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered until the soup thickens, 25 to 30 minutes.

Ladle into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the cilantro and oregano. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving) Serving size: About 2 1/4 cups
Calories 301 Cholesterol 3 mg
Protein 9 g Sodium 527 mg
Carbohydrate 52 g Fiber 4 g
Total fat 9 g Potassium 1,052 mg
Saturated fat 1 g Calcium 110 mg
Monounsaturated fat 6 g

Animal, vegetable, mineral, synthetic?What is Cholecaciferol, Vitamin D3, Anyway?

2009-09-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

Let’s start this discussion by saying pharmaceutically pure nutrients such as vitamin B1, vitamin D3, biotin, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) must meet very precise United States Pharmacopeia (USP) requirements for purity. In order to qualify as a pure nutrient, by definition there may be no other molecular substances present other than waters of hydration, and, occasionally, mineral ash in fractions of parts per billion or parts per million – i.e. essentially pure. As such, they cannot be certified organic.

Starting material for many B-vitamins is coal tar; for vitamin C, corn sugar. Some vitamins are “grown” in the laboratory by bacteria (bacterial fermentation.) In the case of vitamin D3, the starting material is usually lanolin taken from sheep’s’ wool. Although sheep lanolin is a common source, it is possible to use pig skin, cow skin, or other animal parts as a source of cholesterol. Our source is lanolin. No animals are destroyed to obtain our vitamin D3.

So it is legitimate to wonder whether commercial, USP grade vitamin D3 is animal, vegetable, mineral or synthetic. In brief, the process of synthesizing D3 from lanolin isolates and separates cholesterol. That cholesterol then is put through a conversion and irradiation process to be converted to D3 just as exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun produces D3 in human skin. In human skin, cholesterol is converted by enzymes to the sterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, 7-dehydrocholesterol is converted into vitamin D3. (Vitamin D3 can be stored in the tissue for a long time, and called forth for use as needed.)

Lanolin is the odiferous, pale-yellow, natural oil found on sheep's wool. It can be separated from wool by boiling the wool and/or squeezing it through a pair of rollers. As a waste product in wool processing, it's also known as wool oil, wool wax, wool fat, or wool grease. It is a natural water repellant to waterproof the sheep. Lanolin also has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties that protect the sheep's skin from infection. Derived from the animal's oil glands, lanolin is a mixture of wool fat and 25-30% water. It is about 20% cholesterol.

Lanolin serves as the starting material for commercial vitamin D3, yet a manufacturer of vitamin D3 material does not begin the process with raw lanolin. He uses USP grade lanolin, a material that has already been “cleaned up” to high levels of purity. It is a lanolin alcohol material that is 32.5% Cholesterol and 44.2% Isocholesterol. The cholesterol is chemically converted to 7-dehydro-cholesterol, and then 7-dehydro-cholesterol is irradiated with ultraviolet light to form Vitamin D3. It should be noted that once chemically pure, crystalline 7-dehydrocholesterol has been obtained, it is impossible to find undesirable chemical residues, and it is impossible to determine the original source. I have yet to uncover the precise chemistry of that process, but I have found reference to sodium hydroxide use in the early stages.

This is a classic illustration of a synthetic process, wherein one molecular structure is converted to another. USP vitamins, such as vitamin D3, B1 and others, are considered synthetic no matter what the starting material may have been, for the finished, pure material bears a distinctly different molecular identity. The application by man of chemical science to manipulate the molecular structure of one substance, converting it into another, is a clear definition of synthesis. Therefore, vitamin D3 is synthetic (and highly bioavailable).

The finished vitamin D3 material is extremely concentrated. It must be blended with and dispersed among any of a variety of carriers. Once diluted in this manner, it can be safely added to nutritional products to deliver even, consistent dosages with each serving.

At Vibrant Health, we disperse D3 into organic alfalfa grass powder and sunflower oil before blending it into Green Vibrance. In our D3 tablets, we disperse the vitamin into a base of certified organic maltodextrin, certified organic rice bran and certified organic gum Arabic in order to produce a clean, organic tablet.

New Czar for Obama my not be a Good Choice!

2009-09-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

President Obama recently selected Michael Taylor, former chief lobbyist for Monsanto, as the new “food safety czar” at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Think about that: The former lawyer and lobbyist for the company that manufactured Agent Orange will now make decisions about our nation’s food supply.

Taylor is the man most responsible for getting recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH) approved for use in dairy cows. That’s the stuff that fattens the cows to dangerously obese sizes, getting them ready for slaughter faster (By the way – Monsanto produces the growth hormone).

And the food safety concerns don’t stop there. The push for producing food faster extends to the produce you eat, too.

Genetically-modified seeds and hormones are now staples in the food you eat. You drink it in your milk, eat it in your cheese and yogurt, and ingest it each time you eat commercially-raised, grain-fed beef.

Since these seeds hit the market in 1996, we’ve seen:

Children reach puberty at earlier ages

A dramatic rise in asthma, autism, obesity and diabetes

A jump in food allergies, especially among children

Allergy-related emergency room visits double from 1997-2002

Your health is too vital to leave it in the hands of corporate lobbyists and their political cronies. It doesn’t have to be this way. Take charge of your own food choices.

Here’s how to do it:

Don't be fooled by beef labeled “organic”. The organic label only means that the cattle do not have obvious levels of antibiotics or hormones in their body at the time of slaughter. It does not mean that ranchers have never given cattle these treatments.

Get serious about eating grass-fed beef. There are many farmers who have pledged to raise their cows purely on the natural foods they are supposed to eat – grass, not grains. Visit www.grasslandbeef.com and www.eatwild.com for a list of grass-fed farms in the U.S. and Canada.

Become a locovore. There is a movement in place to eat and buy locally from farmer’s co-ops within a 100-mile radius of where you live. Visit your local farmer’s market and ask questions about how they grow their crops. Threats to small family farmers and co-ops may come from heavy-handed regulations by the food safety czar, so get the good stuff while it lasts.

Prostate Cancer and Weight Gain

2009-09-09T11:39:00.000-04:00

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- Unrestricted

09-03-09

Patrick Walsh, M.D., author of Guide To Surviving Prostate Cancer and Distinguished Service Professor of Urology--The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, is the world's foremost authority on prostate cancer. His book provides some striking news for men:

--More than 200,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year.

--27,000 will die in the U.S. from it this year.

--Prostate cancer is the most common major cancer in men.

--Because prostate cancer is silent, generally without symptoms, early detection is the key.

--Men should begin being screened for prostate cancer at age 40.

--When prostate cancer is small, it is curable.

--More than 95% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are alive ten years later.

Dr. Walsh evaluates the three major risk factors--age, race, and family history. Prostate cancer is the scourge of older men (age 60-79) with a risk rate of 1 in 7 developing the cancer. The cancer frequently takes time to grow, over the course of decades.

The highest risk of prostate cancer hits African American men. Why this is, is not completely understood, but may involve genetic susceptibility, diet, and lack of vitamin D. Their cancers are also more likely to be severe types and recur.

Risk of prostate cancer grows higher with familial links. In fact, the risk is 2.5 times higher if your father or brother had prostate cancer. Hereditary prostate cancer, (possible risk of 50%) is believed to occur when three first degree family members had it, the disease shows itself in three generations, or if two relatives developed the disease earlier (less than age 55).

The most important action to take is to get screened, beginning at age 40. The PSA test can provide a baseline for later years. Dr. Walsh adds that those between the ages of 50 and 64 who die of prostate cancer, could very well have been saved if the disease had been caught while in their forties.

A recently released study from the online journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention (Sep 2009) has found that weight gain plays a major role in the development of prostate cancer.

Dr. Walsh includes a prevention chapter in his new second edition. He recommends men eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day, especially focusing in on the cruciferous vegetables as cited from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli are examples of the type of vegetables which contain sulforaphane--an important anticancer ingredient which helps to increase potent enzymes in the body. In turn, the body is assisted in creating its own antioxidants to help ward off cancer.

Exercise with Caution...If you are Over Weight

2009-09-08T12:26:00.002-04:00

Athletes in television commercials aren't shown to scale. Most are tall and slender, their muscles flexing as they swing a tennis racquet, cycle down a mountain or swim laps.

In real life, most adults are overweight or obese. The national obesity rate climbed to 26.1 percent in 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This means many adventure buffs are... well, not that buff.

Many outdoor and adventure participants are packing a few extra pounds. Obese adults can also join the fun but they need to take special precautions when starting a new sport or fitness program.

GETTING STARTED:

Obese participants should check with their physician to gauge their fitness level and understand what realistically can be performed, said Kathy Weber, a sports medicine physician and director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill.

Selecting appropriate gear is also important before beginning a new sport or fitness program. Shoes must be supportive and activity appropriate. "It's really important because they may have excess weight on their limbs, they need to make sure they have a supportive shoe to absorb the impact," Weber said.

Obese participants should consciously select activities that will be less strenuous on joints. Some movements create a tremendous force that is partly absorbed by the body. Walking, for example, generates a force that is about four times the person's body weight. Running creates a force about eight times greater.

"Your body is under a lot more stress when you have more weight so higher impact activities would not be the first choice for an overweight individual," Weber said.

Low impact activities such as swimming, walking or hiking are recommended. Weber also advises obese participants to consider the surface in which the activity is performed. Soft surfaces such as a treadmill or padded track will absorb more force than hard concrete.

Cycling or skating is an appropriate activity if the participant does not have a distorted center of gravity which could cause imbalance and risk of injury, Weber said.

Once an activity or fitness program is determined, obese participants should set realistic goals. Setting obtainable goals is helpful in creating an exercise habit, said Chuck Barnard, national fitness director for Tennis Corporation of America and general manager of Midtown Athletic Club in Palatine, Ill.

A goal of twice a week for the first two weeks, followed by three times a week for the next two weeks can help obese participants ease into the habit of exercising, Barnard said.

STAYING SAFE:

Obese participants should exercise during a cooler point in the day or take their workout indoors to a climate controlled setting. "They don't want to overheat, they have excess adipose tissue, they may overheat quicker," Weber said.

Hydration is important but water should be consumed instead of sports drinks. "We typically tell people 12-16 ounces every 20 minutes," Weber said.

Obese participants should also be aware of the activity's impact on their body and stop if joint pain is experienced, Weber said.

STAYING MOTIVATED:

Positive thinking is crucial for continuing with exercise or sport participation. Eliminate discouraging thoughts such as 'This won't make a difference' or 'I can't do it'. Barnard recommends replacing these thoughts with encouraging ideas. "'I'm going to enjoy it', 'I'm going to establish this as something I'm going to do', 'I can do this.' Just having a thought process of being positive, that goes a long way," he said.

Obese participants should also step off the scale and find other ways to measure their results. "The things I like to do in terms of asking people how they feel. Do you have more energy? Do you feel better about yourself? Those are positive outcome of exercise," Barnard said.

Also consider how muscle is significantly more dense and heavy than fat. "Muscle is the only thing that burns calories but muscle is dense," Barnard said.

Keeping records of hip, waist and chest measurements can demonstrate weight loss to participants who are trading fat for muscle and don't see movement on the scale. A loss of inches may provide the right encouragement.

Also consider the progress made. Can you now run a mile without stopping? Lift 20 pounds instead of five?

Another measure of success is the ability to progress into longer, harder workouts. Barnard advises against starting out with an intense, time consuming program. Instead, he said endurance and resistance should slowly be added.

Variety should also be added slowly, Barnard said. Variety may mean a combination of yoga, hiking and weights. Or it may mean the participant goes through phases such as a few months of cycling and weights, and then a few months of running and weights.

Variety is crucial to motivation and so is a realistic goal not tied to dramatic weight loss.

Barnard cites the show "The Biggest Loser" where contestants' success is measured solely by the scale. "They have great results but look at the mindset when they don't make it. They are deflated," he said.

---

(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

-----

Dr Sears on an Anti-Aging Break Through

2009-09-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

You know stress hurts. You worry, you feel anxious… you lose sleep. That’s old news. But now, through the discovery of telomeres, we can actually measure the effects of stress. And the wear and tear is more distressing than we even imagined.

Researchers at the University of California discovered that stress speeds up aging.1 This makes your cells die before their time – and produces all the terrible effects we think of as aging.

They compared women who felt a lot of stress to women under little stress. Using certain cellular markers, they discovered the high-stress women were up to 10 years “older” than women with low stress levels!2

The cellular markers they used are “telomeres.” Telomeres are the “time keepers” attached to every strand of DNA. As they wind down, you get older and your body breaks down.

What’s more, the effects of stress on telomeres get worse with age. A North Carolina study found that stressed women over 55 had significantly shorter telomeres.3 Therefore, the older we get, the more important it is to control the stress in our lives.

It’s not just women. An Ohio State University study linked shorter telomeres to high-stress occupations such as long-term caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. The Alzheimer’s caregivers showed a four to eight year shortening of life span.4

That’s why it’s so important for you to get rid of stress. “Toughing it out” could be the biggest mistake you ever make. But stopping stress in its tracks can help you add 10 years or more to your life.

In this month’s Health Confidential, I’ll give you the supplements you can take to help your body respond to stress. Plus, I’ll give you a way to repair the damage that stress has already done to your cells.

Slow Telomere Shortening with Antioxidants
When you’re under stress, your body needs more antioxidants.

Researchers in France studied the lifestyles of a wide range of men and women. They were looking to see which behaviors affected their ability to fight off free radicals. Not surprisingly, behaviors such as smoking and drinking lowered their bodies’ antioxidant ability. But the researchers found that psychological stress had the same effect.5

Scientists at Tokyo Medical and Dental University got similar results when they tested three groups of workers at a drug company. When the men were subjected to stress – making a speech in front of company executives – their bodies produced higher levels of a certain free radical.6

Perhaps more importantly, the French researchers also linked lower antioxidant capacity to a higher risk of cancer and heart problems. So building up your antioxidants when you’re stressed is particularly important.

A natural multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good place to start. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who took a multivitamin daily had 5.1 percent longer telomeres than non-users.7

Specifically, the study pointed to vitamins B12, C, and E for maintaining telomere length.

Vitamin B12 – I recommend taking at least 100 mcg per day. Although, I have advised my patients to take as much as 500 mcg per day or more for improving things like brain function and energy levels.

Vitamin C – based on my own experience, taking up to 3,000 mg per day is a good amount if you're currently in good health. I always recommend pregnant women get at least 6,000 mg per day. And in times of stress or sickness, you can take up to 20,000 mg.

You also want to make sure that you get the natural form of vitamin C and not the synthetic form. In one particular study, natural vitamin C was 148% more effective than the synthetic form. And it stayed in the test participants’ systems longer.8

Vitamin E – There are actually eight forms of vitamin E, divided up into two groups: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Almost all multivitamins use tocopherols, but make sure they use “mixed” tocopherols. That means they are using a combination of all four. Some manufacturers try and skimp by using just one of the four tocopherols. It’s also important to watch out for the kinds of tocopherols that are in it. Your body is better able to absorb them in their organic “d” form.

But many vitamin manufacturers use the inferior synthetic “dl” form. Studies actually show that natural vitamin E has twice the bioavailability of the synthetic form.9 That means your body is able to absorb more of the vitamin. So be sure to get the natural “d” form.

I recommend 200 to 400 IU of mixed tocopherols a day. Unlike vitamins B12 and C, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it needs fat to get absorbed in your body. So be sure to take it with food.

Also get plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, too. (Organic is best.) Nothing beats Nature’s own source of healthy nutrients.

Besides fighting off the effects of stress with antioxidants, you can also help your body adapt to stress. That’s where herbs come in.

Adaptogens: Your Secret Weapon Against Stress
In my experience, natural alternatives are usually superior to drugs. And my patients tend to agree. Herbs and other natural supplements are usually more effective and more economical than prescription drugs. And they rarely have the dangerous side effects.

Best of all, these natural alternatives don’t just mask symptoms the way most drugs do. Instead, they strengthen your body’s own natural defenses. And that means you’re dealing directly with the problem, not just covering it up.

This is the situation with some herbs called “adaptogens.” These herbs help your body adjust to stress – including psychological stress. And three of the best adaptogens are panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng (eleuthero) and Ginkgo biloba.

All three herbs are approved for use by Commission E, the German government’s official natural medicine committee.10 And with good reason, too. All three are effective in fighting stress.

For example, an animal study in India compared the effects of Ginkgo biloba and panax ginseng. The study found that both herbs show powerful stress-fighting properties. And ginseng was particularly effective against chronic stress – the kind of relentless pressure that’s so common in our society.11

European researchers also found that Ginkgo normalized the levels of stress hormones in rats exposed to stressful situations.12 And according to a recent article in Current Clinical Pharmacology, Siberian ginseng lowers levels of cortisol – the main stress hormone.13

What all this means to you is that you can get relief from stress, even if you can’t avoid it. Extracts of all three of these herbs are widely available.

I advise my patients to take 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba and 200 mg to 500 mg of Siberian ginseng and Panax ginseng daily if they are feeling stressed.

Finally, just a word of caution here… Although these herbs are generally safe, people with high blood pressure should avoid Siberian ginseng.

Repair the Damage from Stress
You can also reverse the damage done to your cells by stress. It just happens to be the most exciting advancement in anti-aging medicine ever.

For the first time, the emerging science of telomere biology has found a way to turn your genetic switch back on. It’s a ground breaking new therapy called TA-65. It’s a natural extract that comes from the Astragalus plant. It activates your telomerase gene, the switch that controls your genetic aging. That means you can actually stop, and even reverse your body’s aging process.

I am very excited about TA-65, and over the last several months have been spreading the word as much as possible. In fact, my Wellness Research Foundation recently hosted a special seminar with Dr. Bill Andrews, who is one of the leading telomere biology researchers in the world. He is one of the people who discovered telomerase activation with TA-65.

The turnout for this seminar was amazing. We had a packed house. There was limited seating and people paid $500 in advance to be part of this exclusive event.

Both Dr. Andrews and I explained this scientific breakthrough in fine detail to everyone. We presented over two hours of captivating information to the group. We discussed the steps leading to the discovery of TA-65, exactly how it works, and even shared our own personal story with it. We left absolutely nothing out.

An apple a day keeps kidney stones away

2009-09-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

NewsRx.com

08-28-09

Researchers have found another reason to eat well: a healthy diet helps prevent kidney stones. Loading up on fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, while limiting salt, red and processed meats, and sweetened beverages is an effective way to ward off kidney stones, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Because kidney stones are linked to higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, increased body weight, and other risk factors for heart disease, the findings have considerable health implications (see also American Society of Nephrology).

Eric Taylor, MD (Maine Medical Center) and his colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital conducted a large study to determine the effects of healthy eating habits on the formation of kidney stones. The investigators collected information from individuals enrolled in three clinical studies: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (45,821 men followed for 18 years), the Nurses' Health Study I (94,108 older women followed for 18 years), and the Nurses' Health Study II (101,837 younger women followed for 14 years).

Dr. Taylor's team assigned a score to each participant based on eight components of a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) style diet: high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains and low intake of salt, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats. Individuals with higher DASH scores consumed diets that were higher in calcium, potassium, magnesium, oxalate, and vitamin C and lower in sodium.

A total of 5,645 incident kidney stones developed in the participants in the three studies. In each study, participants with the highest DASH scores were between 40% and 45% less likely to develop kidney stones than participants with the lowest DASH scores. The reductions in kidney stone risk were independent of age, body size, fluid intake, and other factors.

Because a DASH-style diet may affect the development of hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases associated with kidney stones, the researchers also performed an analysis limited to study participants without hypertension or diabetes. Even among those individuals the DASH diet reduced the risk of kidney stones.

Many of the medications used to treat kidney stones have unpleasant side effects. This study indicates that adopting a DASH-style diet may be an effective alternative.

Keywords: Beverage, Food, Clinical Trial Research, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Kidney Calculi, Nephrology, American Society of Nephrology.

This article was prepared by Cardiovascular Device Liability Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Cardiovascular Device Liability Week via NewsRx.com.

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

Sleep IS important for your Health

2009-09-05T11:21:00.002-04:00

Sleep is an important and often underrated
component of your health
and wellbeing. A good night’s sleep
leaves you feeling refreshed, and
prepared to focus on the day and
tasks that lie ahead. And continuously missing
out on a proper night’s sleep will not only leave
you feeling tired, but it can have a serious effect
on your health; the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) report that chronic sleep
loss can have a negative effect on heart health,
weight, and mood.1
Yet it is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans
suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep
disorders, such as insomnia or sleep apnea (brief
interruptions in breathing during sleep).2 Adults
require 7-9 hours of sleep a night for optimum
health. However, in a 2008 CDC survey, 70% of
the respondents reported that they do not get
enough sleep.3
If you suffer from chronic sleep issues, speak
with your doctor to determine if your sleep problems
may be a symptom of a larger health issue.
Below are some helpful tips and lifestyle changes
to help you get a good night’s rest:
>>Gotobed andwakeupat the same time every
day (evenonweekends). Maintaining a regular
sleep schedule helps to improve your circadian
rhythm, an internal body clock that regulates the
body’s sleep-wake cycle.
>>Exercise regularly, butnot close tobedtime.
Regular exercise can help to improve the quality
of your sleep. But exercising before going to bed
can make it more difficult to fall asleep, so finish
your workout at least 3 hours before bedtime.
>>Avoid caffeine late intheday. Caffeine typically
remains in the body for an average of 3-5
hours, but can affect some people up to 12 hours
later. Avoiding caffeine 6-8 hours before going to
bed can help to improve your quality of sleep.
>>Make your bedrooma sleep-conducive environment.
Keep your bedroom quiet, comfortable,
and dark. Keep the temperature cool (though notcold), and use appropriate bed covers. Leave distractions
such as work materials, televisions and
computers out of your sleeping environment, and
don’t engage in activities other than sleep or sex
in your bedroom. This will help your mind and
body to associate your room with rest and sleep.
>>Create abedtime routine. Develop an enjoyable,
relaxing routine such as listening to soothing
music or reading to wind down and let your body
know it’s time to prepare for bed.
>>Trydietary supplements. The hormone melatonin,
which plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle,
may be helpful in supporting a good night’s sleep,
and help to alleviate jet lag.4,5 The amino acid 5-
HTP is converted by the body into serotonin, a
brain chemical that positively affects sleep.
Another amino acid, theanine, has been shown to
create a calming effect and promote slumber.6
1 www.cdc.gov/sleep/chronic_disease.
2InstituteofMedicineoftheNationalAcademies.Sleepdisordersand
sleepdeprivation:anunmetpublichealthproblem.Washington,DC:
NationalAcademiesPress;2006.
3McKnight-EilyLR,etal.MMWR2008;57(8):200-03.
4HerxheimerA.CochraneDatabaseSystRev2002;(2):CD0011520.
5KunzD,etal.JClinEndocrMetab2004;89(1):128-34.
6Theanine.AlternMedRev2005;10(2):136-8.
7www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.4813227/
k.2F67/Sleep_Tips.htm.
© 2009 Rebus LLC.

Dr Sears Take on Lipitor!

2009-09-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

If you buy Lipitor, you may see a new warning label.

Here's a proven fact: Cholesterol-lowering drugs – also known as statins – slash your levels of CoQ10. In fact, studies found that statin drugs lower CoQ10 levels by as much as 40 percent.1

Now, officials in Canada are finally blowing the whistle.

The Canadian government is now requiring all statin drugs to put a warning label on their box. And for good reason... The loss of CoQ10 can impact your heart health.

I couldn’t say it better than well-known CoQ10 researcher Dr. Peter Langsjoen:

“The depletion of the essential nutrient CoQ10 by the increasingly popular cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) has grown from a level of concern to one of alarm...”

I added the underline for emphasis.

While Canada has come to their senses … it seems that the U.S. is hell-bent on pushing statins on everyone.

Not long ago, the JUPITER study (funded by AstraZeneca, the makers of Crestor) was presented at an AMA conference.

The claim: Statin drugs save lives when given to people who show no signs of high cholesterol. There was even talk of putting statins in the water supply, so everyone could get their share – as if we’re all born with a Crestor deficiency.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to be fed statins… or any other drug… without consent.

For my part, I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing for many years - warning anyone who will listen to avoid statin drugs.

If you do take them, a CoQ10 supplement is vital to your heart, your strength and your vitality. It’s one of the most important nutrients in the world today, because it fuels your cells with energy.

Don't put your health at risk. If you're taking cholesterol drugs, you need Accel. Accel has the most absorbable form of CoQ10 available. It’s 8 times stronger than regular CoQ10, so it helps restore the energy you lose by taking cholesterol drugs that much faster.

And now, Accel has the added benefit of tocotrienols.

They are the rarest and most active forms of vitamin E. They provide an additional layer of heart support by:

Boosting heart arterial health to support healthy circulation

Bringing your cholesterol and soluble-fat blood levels into balance

Promoting normal response to inflammation

Fighting oxidative stress throughout the body

Together, CoQ10 and tocotrienols give you unmatched cardiovascular support.

Try Dr Sear's Meat for a Healthy Diet!

2009-09-04T11:44:00.002-04:00

Have you heard the news? Recently, nearly 900,000 pounds of commercial beef was recalled. And not long before that, a major supermarket chain recalled 466,236 pounds of ground beef.

Why the recalls?

The meat was contaminated with strains of antibiotic-resistant salmonella.

Sadly, we’ve gotten used to hearing about food items being contaminated and recalled. But it shouldn’t be the norm. And just two weeks apart? There’s definitely something wrong.

In this case, it all has to do with factory-farmed beef and the abuse of antibiotic products on the cattle.

Commercial farmers want to turn over as many livestock they can, as quickly as possible. The animals end up penned in crowded feedlots where they become stressed and diseased – and because of the crowded conditions, the disease spreads like wildfire.

So what do the farmers do? They dose the cattle with antibiotics... the same kind us humans use. The result: New antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

And the situation has gotten pretty alarming:

In 1980, less than one percent of livestock was resistant to five different antibiotics. That number grew to 34% by 1996.1 And according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) antiobiotic use in beef, pork and poultry is estimated at 24.6 million pounds annually. That’s almost five and a half times used in human medicine.2

It’s no wonder we’re having so many antibacterial resistant disease outbreaks!

When I was a kid, the meat we ate came from nearby farms where cattle were spread out on long tracts of pasture land. Cattle have successfully survived by grazing on grasslands, prairies, and hillsides for millions of years.

And that’s how it’s supposed to be. You shouldn’t have to worry about salmonella, antiobiotics and synthetic hormones in your beef.

That’s why I went on a mission a few months ago: To find a good source of quality grassfed beef for my readers.

I wanted to work with a small, family-owned farm, just like the ones my Dad and I used to go to.

In the hills of Virginia I found exactly what I was looking for.

I discovered a little known ranch where over 700 head of cattle spend their days grazing in lush, green pasture land.

When I talked to the owner, John, he told me that he rarely has a cow that gets sick. Because when cattle are grassfed, they have virtually no disease.

Instead of being penned up, pumped with antibiotics and fed an unnatural (and unhealthy) diet of grains, John’s cattle roams the countryside grazing on grass. They never get shot up with hormones or drugs of any kind.

I immediately wanted to work with John, but there was a stumbling block: John normally only sells whole, half or quarter steers.

When I asked if he could make an exception for my patients and readers, he agreed to provide a package a specially cut 20 lb. assorted meats... trimmed and packed under the Primal Force name, just for you.

Today, I’m pleased to tell you that the 20 lb. assortment packs are now available. They contain at least 6 lbs. of steak, about 5 lbs. of roast and ribs, and the remainder of the package is made up of ground beef and stew meat.

All the meat from John’s ranch is dry aged for several weeks to create a rich, juicy cut of meat – almost gourmet flavor. And since all of it is fresh, that means it won’t ship for a couple of weeks. But it’s well worth the wait.

Click here to try your Primal Force Grassfed Beef today. I know you’ll love it!

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

More Protein Can Help with Weight Loss

2009-09-04T09:07:00.005-04:00

In two words I’ll show you how to burn fat, build muscle and put an end to overeating.

More protein.

Protein gives you the feeling that you’re full, more so than carbs or fat. Protein boosts your sensitivity to a hormone called leptin. This hormone tells your brain that you’re full. As a result, you feel satisfied. Overeating stops.

Protein is important for both losing weight and gaining muscle. A very revealing study makes a point I always try to get across to my patients: People who increased their protein intake, lost fat and gained muscle.1

In fact, the people who ate a high-protein diet lost seven pounds in six weeks. The group who followed a standard diet didn’t lose any weight. And, the high-protein group simultaneously gained twice as much muscle.

Here’s the good news… Foods that are protein rich are the best tasting. Meat and eggs are your best sources. If possible, eat grass-fed beef. The flavor is great and it’s far better for you because it has the right kinds of fats. If you eat commercial beef, find lean cuts or trim the fat yourself.

Eggs are the perfect food. I eat them everyday. They are the “gold standard” by which we rate all other protein. This means that all of the amino acids are there in the ratios you need in one place. For best results, eat eggs that come from free-range chickens.

Health “experts” usually recommend 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. But Americans in general eat far too little protein. To reduce your appetite – and lose weight – try one gram of protein for every pound of lean muscle.

If you weigh 180 pounds, and have 20 percent body fat, you have 144 pounds of lean muscle mass. So shoot for 144 grams of protein a day. If you don’t know your body fat percentage, the average man can estimate between 15 to 18 percent and women 18 to 22 percent.

If you’re not getting enough protein, supplementing with protein powder can help. A protein shake especially after working out is a reliable way to boost your protein intake. Make sure the powder is pure protein. It should have no more than a few grams of carbs.

Here’s another option. I call it the “forgotten fat burner.” Every doctor has this in his arsenal but few understand or know about its fat-burning ability.

It works for both men and women and always gets results. I’ve never seen it fail. My friend and colleague Dr. Jonathon Wright tried it himself and lost 12 pounds in three weeks.

He calls it his “starvation-free and gym-free weight loss secret.”

He’s right. This little-known strategy has nothing to do with dieting or exercising. And it doesn’t miss.

Human chorionic gonadotrophin or HCG was written up in the medical journals back in the 1950s and 1960s as a treatment for obesity. Today you don’t hear a word about it. That should hardly surprise you. If it can’t be turned into a drug, it gets dropped like a hot potato. And that’s what happened with this “forgotten fat burner.”

You can find the details in a report by Dr. Wright. He gives you the inside story and what to do if you want to try it yourself.

It’s worth a read. I recommend it.

D-Ribose AMAZING!

2009-09-03T09:48:00.005-04:00

For millennia, people have believed that as we age,
we naturally lose energy and vitality, but increasingly
we're learning that lhose losses are not incvitablc.
Humans,like all living things, must maintain high levels
of ATP to support physical activity, and damagcd
or strcssed nruscle is slowcr at restoring those criticzrl
levels back to normal. And when ATP levcls drop and
cannoI bc restored quickly, wc do indeed fcel "drained"
or energy.
But remalkable scicntific progrcss has been rladc
in the past few decadcs. Scientists are discovcring
that sin-rply by providing injurc.d, ailing, or l-atigucd
muscle tissue wilh the ingredients for ATP, that tisslre
can be "rciuvenated," restoring cnergy levels and
boosting function. D-ribose, a natLrral sugar molcculc
rvith no known side effects, is one of those key ingredients.
D-ribose supplenrentation powers damaged
heart muscle back to near-normal levels of ftinction,
allowing victir-r-rso f cardiovascular diseasc to begin
the vital rehabilitation process. D-ribose can also
help restore ATP levels in skeletal muscle, relieving
pain and weakness post-exercise, and helping people
1o actually maintain the moderate level of increased
exercise that is so criLical to preventing heart disease
and to recovering from it if it does occur. D-ribose
can improve both cardiac energy and quality of lifea
winnins con-rbination

Inositol protects DNA from radiation

2009-09-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Research reported on November 5, 2007 at the American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine indicates that inositol as well as inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) helps protect the body’s genetic material from the damaging effects of ultraviolet B (UVB) and other radiation. University of Maryland School of Medicine professor of pathology Abulkalam M. Shamsuddin, MD reported that these antioxidant nutrients protect the cells’ DNA from radiation-generated free radicals. In addition to providing protection from UVB, inositol could be used to help decrease the side effects of cancer radiation therapy by increasing the treatment’s potency against malignant cells while protecting those that are healthy.

In one experiment, Dr Shamsuddin’s team treated human skin cells known as keratinocytes with IP6 while leaving others untreated before irradiating them with UVB. Treated cells were less likely to undergo genetically programmed self-destruction (apoptosis), indicating that they had less irreparable DNA damage. Dr Shamsuddin explained that the cells treated with IP6 take an extended pause at the point in their life cycle where DNA is repaired before cell division.

“IP6 certainly has some interactivity with DNA, but how exactly it works to repair DNA is still something of a mystery,” he said. “There are reports that IP6 binds with DNA repair molecule Ku to bring about the repair process. More importantly, we still don’t know how IP6 can appear to help healthy cells live while also enhancing the ability of radiation to kill cancer cells.”

In another experiment, the researchers gave drinking water containing two percent IP6 to part of a group of mice genetically engineered to have an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Tumors developed in 23 percent of these mice compared with 51 percent of those who did not receive IP6, and the number of tumors in the mice that received IP6 was half that of the untreated animals.

In yet another experiment, a cream containing inositol and IP6 helped to protect against the development of tumors in mice exposed to UVB radiation equivalent to sun exposure. “Both of these potent antioxidants have been shown to have broad-spectrum antitumor capabilities, and now our studies confirm the degree to which these molecules protect against the DNA-damaging effects of ionizing radiation,” Dr Shamsuddin stated. “Radiation damage is radiation damage, regardless of the source, so there could also be a protective role for IP6 in any form of radiation exposure, whether it is from a therapeutic dose or from solar, cosmic or nuclear sources.”

“It is possible that people regularly exposed to ionizing radiation, such as airline pilots, frequent fliers or people who handle radioactive materials, might take IP6 prophylactically to prevent possible long term effects of exposure,” he added. “It could also be advisable to use IP6 plus inositol as a cautionary treatment following a nuclear disaster or dirty bomb.”

Colorectal Cancer

2009-09-01T09:38:00.003-04:00

Colorectal cancer develops through a process involving genetic change in the epithelial cells of the colon lining. The main factors that initiate colorectal cancer are consumption of cooked red meat (due to heterocyclic amines) (Gerhardsson de V et al 1991; Reddy S et al 1987), high intake of refined carbohydrates (Franceschi S et al 2001), poor vitamin and mineral intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, bile acids, fecal mutagens (DNA-damaging agents), fecal pH, and compromised detoxification enzymes (Winawer SJ et al 1992). An example of one important detoxification enzyme is N-acetyltransferase, which catalyzes the formation of DNA-damaging products from heterocyclic amines that form in cooked meats. Differences in the activity of this enzyme classify individuals as slow or fast acetylators. The level of red meat consumption in fast but not slow acetylators is associated with risk for colorectal cancer development (Welfare MR et al 1997).

In industrialized Western societies, both polyps and colon cancer occur more frequently due in part to diets low in fruits, vegetables, vegetable protein, and fiber (Satia-Aboutaj J et al 2003). Fecal mutagens are produced by certain diets such as those containing overcooked or burnt meat or fish. Increased intake of fiber, on the other hand, shortens the intestinal transit time, which in turn reduces the exposure of the colorectal lining to mutagens within the stool (Johansson G et al 1997).

Low folate intake, especially when combined with alcohol consumption and a low-protein diet, increases colorectal cancer risk (Kato I et al 1999). Dietary folate influences DNA methylation, synthesis, and repair. Abnormalities in these DNA processes enhance cancer development, particularly in rapidly growing tissues such as the colorectal mucosa (Lengauer C et al 1997; Feinberg AP et al 1983). Higher folate intake from either dietary sources or supplements may protect against the initiation of colorectal cancer (Giovannucci E 2002, 1998).