. . . but it’s never too late to start reversing repair deficits Although I feel better now in my mid-seventies than I did in my forties, I want to continue to thrive for many more years to come. So I thought it was time to study old age and see what I might be up against. The result is my new book on aging, Never Feel Old Again, which was published in October 2013. The good news, and the major message of this book, is that the kind of aging that’s common today involving disability, frailty, pain, dependence, fatigue and pill-popping for a host of chronic degenerative diseases is entirely preventable. You can be vital, able-bodied, independent, pain and disease-free, and energetic until the day you die. As long as the body gets the right raw materials and is protected from toxins, it is a self-repairing organism. However, when it doesn’t get what it needs, repair deficits accumulate. If they’re allowed to accumulate year after year, by the time you hit old age you’re in seriou…

. . . years of research show indoor air quality is a serious threat to your family’s health Scientists have warned for years that outdoor air is contaminated with harmful pollutants. Indeed, dozens of the most dangerous chemicals—from vehicles, power plants, homes, manufacturing and agricultural facilities, dust, and forest fires—are systematically spewed into the air we breathe. While extensive research and effective public policy have helped reduce outdoor air pollution in the US compared to the rest of the world, these toxins are still causing significant health issues here and abroad. In fact, numerous studies suggest air pollution contributes to respiratory disease, childhood asthma, lung dysfunction, heart disease, cancer, and even premature death. And now—after previously classifying numerous individual air pollutants as carcinogenic—the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has finally concluded that outdoor air pollution as a whole is a carcinogen (can…

. . . proof there’s a strong connection between heart health and brain function Dozens of studies in recent years have suggested a close connection between heart health and brain function. Now, two newer studies appear to confirm that link. Published recently in the journal Neurology, researchers found that both hardened arteries and high blood sugar are closely associated with changes in the brain regarding memory. This is encouraging news for seniors. It shows that changing to a heart-healthy lifestyle—using foods, exercise, stress reduction techniques, and more—also benefits brain health. And that could mean less risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Stiffer arteries linked to increased brain plaques At the beginning of the first study, University of Pittsburgh scientists scanned the brains of volunteers, who were aged 83-96 and showing no signs of dementia. These scans recorded the levels of beta-amyloid plaques—a substance previously associated with Alzh…

. . . nutrients work as a team, and all are needed for health In all the excitement about glucosamine and MSM for arthritis, it’s important not to forget that nutrients work as a team.  No matter what part of the body you’re talking about, all the vitamins and minerals are needed for good health and function. According to United States Department of Agriculture data, 4 out of 5 Americans are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is a major contributor to our epidemic of chronic and degenerative disease, including arrhythmia, chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, heart disease, and osteoporosis . . . and now a new report links it with osteoarthritis of the knee. Researchers at the University of North Carolina x-rayed the knees of 2,112 men and women aged 45 or older and also assessed how much magnesium they were getting in their diets. Almost 40% of these men and women showed evidence of osteoarthritis of the knee. Among Caucasians, those who got the least amount of…

. . . Sweat is a beautiful thing! A lot of people don’t like to sweat.  Women may feel it’s unladylike; it’s certainly spoiled many a carefully styled hairdo. Then there’s the possibility of body odor, and just feeling wet or damp. But sweat is a beautiful thing, and here’s why. It’s one of your main avenues for eliminating toxins, and scientists are even studying its natural antibiotic components in hopes of finding a remedy for superbugs that have become resistant to conventional antibiotics. Sweating is simply one of the best things you can do to support your immune system! One of the benefits you get from exercise is sweating, but you can amplify those benefits many times over with nary a huff nor puff by simply luxuriating in an infrared sauna. Infrared rays penetrate deeply into the tissues, encouraging cells to yield up hard to get at stored fat-soluble toxins that are then eliminated in sweat. These healthful rays also stimulate circulation: your heart beats faster,…

. . . can be an act of self-love, as long as you don’t force it Science has validated that feeling and expressing gratitude may be one of the simplest and best ways to improve our health and general well-being. It's all too easy to pay attention to what we don't like about our situation, what we want and don't have, what limits us and worries us. But research has found that focusing on, and being grateful for, the good things in our lives can make us healthier, happier, less stressed, and more effective at solving problems. Disease symptoms have become less intense. Sleep is improved, and this is associated with having more positive than negative thoughts before hitting the pillow. Gratitude helps to build relationships with others. Acknowledging people for the contributions they make to your life creates a positive context in which to deal with any problems that come up. However, like all good things, gratitude can be misused. As therapist Ken Page points out, we can begin…

. . . could this be the most powerful nutrient for preventing neurodegenerative diseases? In anti-aging circles, acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) has been the subject of much discussion. With many so-called diseases of aging reaching epidemic proportions, we’re not surprised. We’ve previously written on the powerful healing effects of this brain “food”. Including its ability to neutralize up to 70% of the dangerous advanced glycation end products (AGEs) inside the body, including the brain. Plus, multiple studies show it’s effective in protecting your cells against age-related diseases like obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, diabetes…to name just a few. As a powerful natural antioxidant, it fights against the harmful effects of alcohol, dangerous excitotoxins, environmental stress, nutrient deficiencies, prescription and recreational drugs, and more. So what exactly is ALC? Acetyl L-carnitine is one of several forms of carnitine hard at work in the body, especially the…

. . . in 2013 Beyond Health introduced two new important antioxidant formulas Beyond Health is proud of two new products we introduced this year, Age Defense Formula and Carotene Formula. Both of them supply critical antioxidants, which are needed today more than ever before in history. Oxidation is a major cause of aging and disease. One way to understand it is to think of a rusty fender. The rust occurs because of a chemical reaction with oxygen. Many chemical reactions in our bodies use oxygen and produce oxidation. This would cause our bodies to “rust” away if it weren’t for antioxidants – chemicals that stop the oxidizing process from doing damage. Our bodies make some antioxidants, but we also need to get ample antioxidants from our diet. We’ve always needed antioxidants, but today the need has skyrocketed. Not only has the antioxidant content in our food declined, but our polluted environment has vastly increased the need, so virtually everyone is dealing with two big p…

. . . new study shows how your brain flushes itself of toxic waste while sleeping Wish you had an extra hour or two of sleep every night? If so, you’re not alone. Recent statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 50-70 million US adults don’t get an adequate amount of good quality sleep. Yet with increasing sleep deprivation, Americans pay a heavy price. Those surveyed reported significant problems with memory and concentration. So much so, that it adversely affects their relationships, commuting for work or pleasure, handling of finances, and job performance. In fact, lack of sleep is increasingly being blamed for car crashes, workplace accidents, marital problems, as well as a variety of health issues including depression, weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, increased mortality, skin aging, and more. Just how serious is it? We’ve already warned about the negative impact of insomnia on health and safety. And even though Americans admit…

. . . you may be putting your health at risk by buying counterfeit nutritional products from third party sellers Word is out that Amazon.com is selling counterfeit nutritional supplements to unsuspecting customers. As reported by NaturalNews.com, third-party sellers have hijacked Amazon in three big ways by: Selling counterfeit dietary supplements under the guise of brand name manufacturers’ products. These fraudulent companies repeatedly and successfully sell numerous fake nutritional products. How? By unlawfully using the copyrighted or patented names of popular supplement companies and their products to market their counterfeit formulas. Receiving a high user rating from Amazon for its fake products. These counterfeit operations exploit the customer’s trust when Amazon unknowingly assigns their products high star ratings. Customers assume these fake products are rated on use. But in fact, Amazon has a policy of assigning the same high-star rating to ALL products it belie…

Gourmet Flavor Doesn’t Require Complicated Recipes The most powerful healing foods are often the simplest. When high-quality ingredients meet intentional preparation, even a humble bowl of soup can become a cell-nourishing, metabolism-supporting, detox-friendly meal. These two recipes are designed around a foundational Beyond Health principle: Remove what harms. Provide what the body needs. Why Soups Are One of the Most Powerful Healing Meals Well-constructed soups deliver: concentrated nutrients easy digestion hydration support mineral availability metabolic stability Unlike heavy meals, soups allow your body to absorb nutrients efficiently without digestive overload. Recipe #1 — Fiber-Rich Split Pea Cellular Support Soup Why This Soup Matters Split peas provide over 16 grams of fiber per cup cooked, making them one of the most effective plant foods for: digestive health toxin binding and elimination blood sugar stability satiety Soaking reduces phyta…

Finding Calm Through Mental Imagery in an Anxiety-Filled World Mental imagery—the practice of allowing images or a subtle “felt sense” to arise from the subconscious—has been used across cultures and throughout human history as a way to access insight, wisdom, and healing. It has helped people solve problems, understand emotional patterns, and restore inner balance. I’d like to share a recent experience with mental imagery as an invitation for you to explore it yourself—especially in the context of our anxiety-laden COVID-19 world. It does take some time and patience to learn, but in my experience, the rewards can be profound. Entering the Inner Landscape To better understand a background feeling of anxiety that had been present since the start of the pandemic, I set a timer for 20 minutes and sat cross-legged on a cushion in my living room. With my eyes closed, I focused on my breath, allowing it to settle me into stillness and bring my awareness f…

. . . new study shows how quickly the brain benefits from physical exercise You’ve heard before that an ongoing exercise routine is good for your overall health. In fact, years of research show physical exercise lowers your risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and other diseases related to aging. Even cognitive skills—like memory, decision-making, visuospatial, and processing speed—benefit from consistent aerobic exercise. And if you exercise, you learn faster, remember more, and think clearer. The bottom line…exercise benefits the brain. Yet previous studies focused on the effects of longer-term (>6 months) fitness training. For seniors, maybe you’re starting to feel the effects of physical and cognitive decline. The prospect of taking months—even years—to benefit from regular exercise isn’t much of a motivator for getting started. Exercise works quickly to stop declining cognitive function due to aging Now, a new aging study from the Cente…

. . . recent study investigates the possible link between sleep deprivation and skin aging Chronic sleep deprivation has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. In the U.S. alone, estimates suggest up to 70 million adults are sleep deprived. We’ve already revealed a number of ways poor sleep adversely affects our lives, from relationships and safety to commuting in traffic and job performance. Plus, multiple studies have linked a lack of good quality sleep to significant health problems…including cancer, obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, and immune suppression. Here too, we show some of the most common causes of insomnia and how kids are especially vulnerable to sleep deprivation. Now, scientists say lack of sleep affects our skin health, making us look older than our years. Previously, scientists have shown that getting adequate restful sleep is critical in building and repairing the body’s immune and physiological systems. While our skin protects us fr…

Vitamin C and Viral Illness: A History Worth Understanding For decades, physicians practicing orthomolecular and integrative medicine have explored the use of high-dose vitamin C in severe viral illnesses—particularly in situations where conventional therapies offered limited benefit. This work often involved much higher doses than those used in studies intended to evaluate vitamin C for everyday immune support. In some historical reports, clinicians administered very large intravenous (IV) doses, sometimes recording outcomes in medical journals. Despite this documentation, much of the work remained outside mainstream clinical practice and was largely dismissed by conventional medicine. Renewed Scientific Interest During COVID-19 During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians worldwide urgently sought supportive strategies to reduce complications associated with severe respiratory illness. In China, physicians explored intravenous vitamin C as supportive care in ho…

. . . a Valentine’s gift for your loved ones, including yourself Every February we put L’huile de grace on sale so our customers can buy it for their loved ones. But apparently people use it as a good opportunity to stock up on it for themselves! That’s fine with us.  We encourage you to love yourself, and L’huile de grace is one way to pamper and indulge yourself without a trace of guilt. For when you massage this magical lotion into your facial tissues, you are doing yourself nothing but good.  L’huile de grace (“the oil of grace”) is pure, raw nutrition for your skin, devoid of any harmful chemicals – a truly unique skin care product unlike anything you’ve ever used, designed to make you feel and look your radiant best. This rich facial oil uses herbs and essential oils renowned for healing and nourishing the skin while uplifting the spirit. Frankincense, for example, considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, was valued more than gold in ancient times for all-pu…

. . . flavanols are good; sweeteners not so much As Valentine’s Day approaches at Beyond Health, our minds turn to thoughts of . . . chocolate! Now chocolate is full of antioxidants, and you know how much we love antioxidants. But a recent article in the Nutrition Action Healthletter, discussed some of chocolate’s limitations as an antioxidant health food. The Flavanol Hitch Phytonutrients in chocolate called flavanols make it more antioxidant-rich than even such antioxidant superstars as blueberries, red wine and green tea. The hitch is that these flavanols are very bitter tasting. The only way to make chocolate palatable is by adding sweetener, and most chocolate products add lots of it, whether refined or natural sugars or unhealthy sugar substitutes. While evidence accumulates that flavanols in chocolate are beneficial to the heart and brain, and reduce insulin resistance, blood pressure and lipid peroxidation, the studies generally use amounts that would be hard to get…

Question:  I heard that taking too much calcium is dangerous because it will settle in the soft tissues and organs. Is this true? What makes Beyond Health’s Bone Mineral Formula different? S. C. – Snowflake, AZ Answer: For years now, women have been encouraged to load up on cheap, synthetic forms of calcium as “the” way to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. But preventing osteoporosis is a complex task (see “Boning Up on Osteoporosis”), and taking calcium in the wrong form and without a whole team of supporting nutrients is a recipe for disaster. Calcium will not be incorporated into bone without vitamins D and K. If it’s not going into the bones, where will it go? The wrong places, such as arteries (arterial calcification) and joints (osteoarthritis). This is especially the case with inorganic forms of calcium – the kind of calcium found in most supplements. If you’re taking calcium in an organic form – the form found in Beyond Health supplements – your body will ge…