What’s the difference between people who contract the COVID virus and have either a mild respiratory illness or no symptoms at all and those who need to be hospitalized and develop multiple organ failures? One Korean researcher has recently reviewed accumulating evidence pointing to poor gut health as a possible explanation.Professor Heenam Stanley Kim of Korea University cites recent studies showing that those patients who go on to develop severe COVID—the elderly and those with certain chronic health conditions—have one thing in common: they are both likely to have altered gut bacteria (a lack of bacterial diversity and an unfavorable ratio of harmful to beneficial bacteria—a situation called “gut dysbiosis”) and a “leaky gut.”A healthy gut has a lining composed of cells tightly packed together (called “tight junctures”) and a thick layer of mucous. Such a lining allows only beneficial substances to pass through the gut wall into the bloodstream. The rest gets excreted. But certa…

A large proportion of our society (36.9% at last estimate) now suffers from “metabolic syndrome.” Metabolic syndrome, which greatly increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is defined as having at least three of the five following conditions:abdominal obesity (waist circumference greater than 102 cm in men or 88 cm in women)high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure at least 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure at least 85 mm Hg or taking hypertension medications)high blood sugar(fasting plasma glucose level at least 100 mg/dL or taking diabetes medications)high triglycerides (greater than 150 mg/dL)low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women)Epidemiological studies link fructose found in table sugar (a combination of fructose and glucose) and high fructose corn syrup with metabolic syndrome, but it’s been hard to prove causality. Obesity…

Uncontrolled diabetes increases risk for severe illness with COVID-19. If you are diabetic, or pre-diabetic, your doctor may have recommended taking metformin to lower your blood sugar.There is almost always a better natural alternative to pharmaceutical medications, and metformin is no exception. According to renowned alternative doctor Jonathan W. Wright, MD, berberine, a botanical found in plants like goldenseal, barberry and Oregon grape, can do everything metformin can do with far fewer side effects.Like many pharmaceuticals, metformin has its origins in botanical medicine; it is derived from goat’s rue, also known as French lilac. Like berberine, metformin activates AMPk (5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), an extremely powerful enzyme in every cell in the body that’s been called the “youthinizing enzyme.” AMPk is a “master regulating switch” for energy metabolism. Want more energy? Boost your AMPk! Want to reduce body fat, especially belly fat? Boost your AMPk…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, along with chronic diarrhea, constipation, or both—either mixed or in alternation. Its impact ranges from mild inconvenience to severe debilitation. The economic burden of IBS to our country was estimated at $30 billion yearly in 2007. It affects 25-45 million people in the US, about 10-15% of the population worldwide. Studies indicate IBS is rare in underdeveloped countries and increases as countries (and their diets) become westernized. Women are twice as likely as men to be afflicted with IBS.Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) isn’t restricted to adults. It’s been estimated that up to 25% of school-aged children worldwide suffer from RAP, and that about 60% of RAP is actually IBS. Although factors such as stress, hormonal fluctuations, and food allergies and sensitivities can trigger IBS and RAP, their causes are unknown.However, research done in the last twenty years indicates that for anywhere…

For years, Beyond Health has recommended limiting fruit consumption to two pieces of fruit per day and avoiding fruit juice altogether. Although fresh fruit is a good source of nutrients, it’s also high in sugar, and sugar, even from healthy sources, can be detrimental if you get too much of it.Although a diet high in fruits and vegetables is often recommended for lowering blood pressure, studies have found that high fruit consumption is not associated with lowered blood pressure and can even cause elevations in blood pressure.How would eating fruit lead to higher blood pressure? It’s the sugar in the fruit that’s the problem.Fruit contains two kinds of sugar—50% glucose and 50% fructose. And they each impact blood pressure. High fructose corn syrup is also composed primarily of glucose and fructose—42% glucose and 55% fructose. Under normal, healthy circumstances, if you eat a piece of fruit, the glucose will cause sugar levels in your blood to rise somewhat. In response, the body pr…

Fructose is a form of sugar found naturally in fruits and vegetables. It’s also a component of refined table sugar, or sucrose, which is half glucose and half fructose, and of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has a ratio of 55% fructose to 42% glucose.When it was discovered that fructose, unlike glucose, didn’t raise blood sugar levels or insulin and was significantly sweeter than glucose, it was hailed as a boon to all diabetics who could now satisfy a sweet tooth with impunity.But then a dark side of fructose came to light. Scientists discovered that while the body can handle reasonable amounts of fructose from fruits and vegetables without serum fructose concentrations rising to dangerous levels, it can be overwhelmed by large quantities of fructose, especially refined (man-made) fructose. Unfortunately, our steadily increasing consumption of refined sugar and HFCS seems to have done just that.In the 19th century, average refined sugar consumption was about 7 pounds per year p…

We all want to keep our immunity strong these days, and if you’ve been around Beyond Health for long, you know that means staying away from sugar.Sugar hammers your immunity in two ways. First, it competes with vitamin C to get into your cells. Immune cells cannot function without vitamin C, and they need lots of it—in an infection, your need for C can multiply by a factor of ten or more. But taking extra vitamin C isn’t going to help if you can’t get it into your immune cells. Too much sugar in the bloodstream blocks C’s entry into the cells, creating an artificial vitamin C deficiency.Second, sugar can create dramatic blood sugar spikes followed by deep dips. Your immune system also needs oxygen, and an erratic blood sugar level can weaken your immunity by preventing oxygen from getting into your cells.Wouldn’t it be nice, then, to have a sweetener that didn’t compete for with vitamin C or affect blood sugar levels? Well, there is such a sweetener and its name is “agave nectar” or…

According to our friends at Beyond Pesticides, food insecurity how affects 54 million people in the United States! And with the continued surge in COVID cases, the problem promises to become worse before it gets better.Our current food system, which has become increasingly dominated by fewer and fewer mammoth multinational corporations, has been criticized by leading scientists and economists for some time as being neither environmentally, nutritionally, socially nor economically sustainable. In our current pandemic crisis, this food system has proved to be cumbersome and inflexible, with farmers being forced to dump products and kill their livestock due to supply-chain disruptions and lack of access to markets at the same time that 15% of our population is in dire need of food and we continue to import food from overseas. Even before the current crisis, scholar-activist Raj Patel had pointed out that worldwide while 800 million people starved, over a billion were becoming obese on…

On December 23, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation banning the use of glyphosate on public lands throughout the state of New York. It’s the first state to enact such a ban and one more chink in the armor protecting chemical giant Monsanto, one of the world’s most reviled corporations, in its bid to continue poisoning the world with glyphosate!Another chink: Earlier in 2020, German chemical company Bayer, who recently bought Monsanto, agreed to settle tens of thousands of cancer claims linked to glyphosate for $10.9 billion. What is glyphosate? It’s the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, and it will kill any plant in its path except those plants genetically engineered by Monsanto to be “Roundup Ready.” An acknowledged carcinogen and endocrine disruptor, glyphosate has also been shown to kill good gut bacteria while favoring yeast and pathogens, and to interfere with the body’s detoxification system. Scientist Stephanie Seneff, who has focused on glyphosate…

Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Most people know we don’t get enough. But fewer people know that the nutritional content of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables has been declining steadily since the introduction of chemical farming (sometimes called industrial agriculture) after World War II.Various studies using government data have documented significant nutrient declines in fruits and vegetables from 1930 to the present—declines up to 99% in one case!—in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin A, while data on other nutrients like zinc, vitamin B6 and vitamin E weren’t collected until more recently, so no comparisons could be made.Why is nutrient content declining? Partly it’s due to traditional breeding techniques, in which fruits and vegetables are bred for better appearance, sweetness, faster growth, or ease of transport, often at the expense of nutritional quality. But a much larger re…

The human microbiome—that 3½ to 4 pounds of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that live on and in us, primarily in our intestines, is finally getting the attention it deserves, and it’s now recognized how much these microbes, which number in the trillions, contribute to our health.They help us digest and absorb food, synthesize vitamins, produce amino acids, secrete mucus, prevent constipation by increasing motility, create food for intestinal cells, and, perhaps most importantly, partner with our immune system—60-80% of which is located in the intestines—by degrading toxins and competing with and killing off infectious bacteria and yeasts.However most of our microbiomes are in pretty bad shape, and in a recent article in the Townsend Letter, pharmacist Ross Pelton, who is also a nutritionist with a Ph.D. in psychology and holistic health, explains why.He compares the situation to a “perfect storm” of factors that have conspired to assault and damage…

Since the publication of his best-selling book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating, Jeffrey M. Smith has become a leading advocate for calling a halt to this potentially dangerous technology.  His organization, the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), has collected anecdotal reports from people who recovered from various health problems after they removed genetically modified (GM) foods from their diets on the advice of their doctors.  Some people felt better almost immediately, while with others it took up to 6 weeks to get the full benefit. More than 3,000 people have now reported 28 conditions getting better, including digestive problems, fatigue, obesity, overweight, brain fog, anxiety, depression, food, sensitivities, allergies, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, autism, cancer, high blood pressure, and ADHD. Of course, it‘s likely that people who eliminate GMOs…

The United States is falling further and further behind other countries in protecting our food supply. While our leaders curry favor with Big Pharma and Big Agriculture, both junk food and genetically modified food seriously undermine our health. The new Biden administration might take a few tips from our neighbors to the south in Mexico, who are standing up to the food industry by not only banning the sale of junk food to minors but also phasing out glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world’s most popular, dangerous and lucrative herbicide Roundup, which is used with genetically modified crops. Junk food sales have been booming as the COVID pandemic promotes more comfort eating at the same time it often limits access to healthy food.  But according to a report in The Washington Post, in Mexico, it has also led to an “explosion of awareness” about how factors like obesity and poor diet make people more vulnerable to COVID and other diseases. And it’s led to action. …

Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds found in plant foods that have myriad benefits for human health.  As powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, they’re protective against just about every disease imaginable through a variety of mechanisms. We suggest supplementing with one of our quercetin formulas, Quercetin Pro or Cell Repair, to boost your polyphenol intake. Another way to get more polyphenols into your life is to make a habit of drinking green or white tea.  Both of these teas are made from the same Camellia sinensis leaves, but white tea has gone through less processing and retains more polyphenols.  It also has less caffeine and more soothing theanine.  Camellia sinensis leaves contain four kinds of polyphenols called catechins, the most potent of which, where health benefits are concerned, is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).  EGCG and quercetin possess many of the same abilities, including one that’s relevant to the COVID epidem…

Cardiovascular disease is our leading cause of death by disease; quercetin is one of your best defenses against it. Quercetin is a type of antioxidant polyphenol called a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables. Research confirms its ability to prevent heart disease and promote overall health. Large population studies have found that diets high in quercetin are associated with reduced risk of developing heart disease. Further research has found that quercetin helps prevent heart disease in these eight ways. Quercetin supplementation in humans lowers total and LDL cholesterol while raising HDL. Laboratory and animal research indicate that quercetin triggers removal of cholesterol from artery walls leading to plaque regression.   LDL cholesterol doesn’t form dangerous plaque unless it becomes oxidized. It has recently become possible to get a blood test showing your level of oxidized LDL through standard laboratories.  We encourage everyone to ask for…

Although most people have trouble getting even the minimal 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Recommended by the USDA, it seems that everyone agrees that eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is very important for optimal good health. But why are fruits and vegetables so good for us?  Well, apart from being high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, plant foods are good for us because they’re a rich source of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols.  Polyphenols protect plants from the oxidative stress caused by the sun’s UV rays, and by environmental pollution and pathogens. Humans who eat these plants get many benefits from the polyphenols they contain, including protection from asthma, allergies, cancer, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, diabetes and infections, as well as inflammation and premature aging.     Over 8,000 different polyphenols have been identified. Quercetin, the most common polyphenol, is also one of the most important and…

In the last NewsClips we told you about a new test for oxidized LDL that should revolutionize cardiology.  It turns out that LDL cholesterol isn’t the problem—it’s only oxidized LDL that causes heart attacks and strokes.  And now a blood test for oxidized LDL has become widely available. But oxidation doesn’t just cause heart disease; it plays a role in all of the chronic diseases and in aging itself.  If you want to stay youthful and healthy, oxidation is something you need to address.  You can do that with antioxidants from food and supplements.  Oxidation is a normal biochemical reaction—it’s necessary to create energy from the food we eat; it’s also used to kill invading pathogens. But it can have destructive effects, creating something called free radicals ─ reactive molecules that damage DNA, cells and body tissues. Fortunately the body has a way of keeping oxidation in check: compounds called antioxidants.  Our bodies make antioxidants, li…

Oxidation in our bodies is a major cause of aging and disease. If you want to feel your best, avoid diseases down the line and maximize your healing potential, you need to keep oxidation under control. Fortunately antioxidants do just that.  Antioxidants are compounds made by our bodies and derived from our diets or supplements that curtail oxidation and its damaging effects. Unfortunately, however, the oxidizing effects of stress, environmental pollution and other toxins, chronic illness and excess body fat that characterize modern life have multiplied our need for antioxidants, so that most of us are suffering from “oxidative stress”—meaning we don’t have enough antioxidants to manage our level of oxidation.  For the vast majority antioxidant supplementation has become necessary.  Taking an array of different antioxidant supplements is the best approach since they work somewhat differently, complement and synergize with each other, and regenerate each…