. . . glucosamine addresses arthritic pain by healing joints There isn’t a single drug for relieving arthritic pain that doesn’t have serious adverse side effects.  Yet there is a natural substance that has been shown to alleviate pain as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS). Because it is a normal body constituent, it has few side effects (mild stomach upset is usually alleviated by taking it with food). Best of all, it reduces osteoarthritic pain primarily by addressing and healing its cause – deteriorating joints. This substance is glucosamine. The bones in our joints are cushioned by cartilage bathed in lubricating fluid. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage breaks down faster than it can be produced, becoming thin, stiff and dry. The bones begin to rub against each other, causing pain, inflammation and further damage to cartilage, as well as to other tissues, nerves and bone. Glucosamine, found in almost all body tissues, is a basic building block for both c…

. . . epidural steroid injections lead to significant bone loss It’s estimated that 8 out of 10 people will experience back pain at some point during their lives, especially with age. Physical therapy together with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) is conventional medicine’s approach to alleviating back pain. If this fails, epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are often suggested. However any benefit derived from ESIs comes at a cost to your health. A new study confirms that one of these costs can be significant bone loss. In a study published last December in the journal Spine, 28 postmenopausal women aged 65 and older with lower back pain were given ESIs. Their bones were then evaluated over the next six months. Although half of the women dropped out for various reasons, by the end of the study the remaining 14 were found to have lost a significant amount of bone at the hip – six times as much as age-matched controls. Steroids are extremely powerful drugs. While th…

by Raymond Francis Building a healthy immune system, so that it’s there when you need it, means fortifying yourself with all the basic vitamins and minerals every day. It’s also important to keep inflammation under control. Chronic inflammation is a constant tax on the immune system, weakening immunity. It tends to increase with age; however it can be controlled with good diet, supplements and other healthy lifestyle choices. Zinc is one of the foundation nutrients needed for building a strong immune system. It’s been proven to reduce excess inflammation and to restore vigor to immune cells. It seems to condition immune cells so that they’re ready to meet the challenge of flu. Even a small deficiency of zinc can significantly impair immune function. Unfortunately a United States Department of Agriculture study found 73% of Americans are deficient. The average American diet supplies about 10 mg a day of zinc, while the RDA is 15 mg. But your need for zinc can be much higher tha…

by Raymond Francis Have you got allergies? Any one of a number of digestive complaints and disorders? A chronic sinus infection? Arthritis? Brain fog? Unexplained rashes? Fatigue? Headaches? All of these symptoms and many more may have a single cause — a leaky gut. A leaky gut is a situation in which the “tight junctures” between the cells of the lining of your intestines develop spaces between them. This creates a diseased condition in which undigested food particles as well as pathogens and toxic by-products get through holes in the gut and are admitted into the bloodstream. Such a flood of intruders sends the immune system into red alert ultimately leading to systemic inflammation, autoimmune disease, and immune exhaustion. The effects on your health are catastrophic. This condition is epidemic today, and is causing massive amounts of disease. Alternative practitioners have been diagnosing and treating it for decades, yet conventional medicine is skeptical that it even exis…

Question: : I have a six-year-old son who has just tested positive for a skin TB test. I am not happy with the antibiotic treatment recommended by the doctor, and I am looking for other options. Do you have any suggestions? S. S. – Fort Lauderdale, FL Answer: First you have to determine if any treatment is needed. The skin reaction could be a false positive and no treatment is required. The first thing to do is ask for a blood test. Ask to have a MELISA test. If the test is negative, there is no need for further action. If the test is positive, then you need to look further. If there is an active infection, then there are a variety of treatments available that do not involve dangerous prescription drugs like antibiotics. Vitamin C is always essential, and treatment with intravenous vitamin C would be one option to consider. Another option is vitamin D. A study in Indonesia cured 100 percent of the patients, with several forms of active tuberculosis, by using 10,000 IU per day…

Question: Winter is coming.  I am sure this is when people will be in the need for vitamin D.  What do you recommend people should take every day? L. O. — Baltimore, MD Answer:  People should take the amount they need. The health benefits of vitamin D are growing as more research is published, and more experts are recommending higher doses. I advise that people should ask their doctor to measure their 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and then keep their serum vitamin D at the high end of normal. Supplement with whatever amount is necessary to achieve this. A new study out of China showed that 94 percent of people between the ages of fifty and seventy were deficient in vitamin D. Research published in a recent Journal of Nutrition recommends an intake of 2100 and 3100 International Units(IUs) per day during the winter months. The anti-cancer properties of vitamin D appear to click in at daily doses of about 1,100 IUs. The current official recommendation is 200 IUs per day for those…

. . . the case has been made for treating arthritis and its symptoms with MSM Although plenty of people swear by MSM (often taken along with glucosamine and chondroitin) for alleviating their arthritis symptoms, the kind of large studies that convince doctors have not yet been done. No surprise here. MSM is not a patent medicine, so there’s little incentive to pour millions of dollars into investigating it. But smaller studies have gradually built a convincing case for the efficacy of MSM in treating arthritis and reducing symptoms of pain, stiffness and loss of function. A recent animal study out of Japan used mice bred to develop osteoarthritis to duplicate MSM’s effects on human arthritic joints. They found that when the mice took MSM at a dose comparable to what’s recommended for humans for 13 weeks it “decreased degeneration of the cartilage at the joint surface in the knee joints in a dose-dependent manner” – meaning the more MSM the mice received, the less their joints det…

. . . both supply needed building and repair materials to joints Last week we wrote about how taking glucosamine supplements feeds the joints the molecules they need to rebuild and heal.  Although glucosamine is produced in the body and is found in almost all body tissues, in disease conditions like osteoarthritis, not enough is produced, so joints benefit greatly from replenishment. The same is true for sulfur (which is supplied by MSM). Sulfur is indispensable for the formation of connective tissue, including joint tissue, and Usha (2004) reports that the concentration of sulfur in arthritic cartilage has been shown to be about 1/3 that of normal cartilage. The assumption that everyone gets enough sulfur without supplementing has recently been questioned. At Beyond Health, we believe sulfur deficiency may be a widespread problem. Certainly the above finding suggests that arthritics aren’t getting the amount of sulfur that they need. Therefore it is not surprising that the…

. . . beat food-guilt with these simple, proven tips for getting post-Thanksgiving relief Holidays can be a curse when it comes to food. And Thanksgiving is especially tough as millions of Americans work through feelings of guilt and lack of self-control from eating too much food. For some—overeating creates painful consequences. Like indigestion, gas, heartburn (acid reflux)…or the more severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We’ve talked previously about the role of digestion in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease. And more importantly—if you already suffer its wrath—some natural ways to relieve GERD. But for most people, Thanksgiving overindulgence—or any holiday for that matter—is a simple case of eating too much food. Still feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and guilty after employing these 13 ways to outsmart the holidays? Then we think you’ll get back on track much faster using these 7 additional tips for getting post-Thanksgiving relief from overeating. 1.…

You’ve heard us say before—“health is not chance, it’s a choice.” So to start the New Year, we’re challenging you—our Beyond Health family—to take the steps necessary and dedicate 2014 to improving health for yourself and your loved ones. And, we’re going to make it easy for you to get started. How? By giving you seven practical and proven ways to finally make the leap from the outdated, complicated, ineffective, and often dangerous conventional system of healthcare to the simpler, safer, and more effective approach we call our Beyond Health Model. But this worthwhile journey will require some effort and motivation. Yet, we’re confident our superior model for wellness offers just about anyone the easiest and quickest path toward finally living disease-free. Truth is…what we already know is sufficient to prevent—even heal—today’s most common and serious health issues. This is why you can experience a complete turnaround when you too choose to join us in this new health revoluti…

. . . food freedom is a constant struggle A review of 2013 shows we are at a pivotal moment regarding our food supply, currently under serious assault by the biotech industry and Big Agriculture. Our access to nutritious food has been in a long-term downtrend. Compared to even 50 years ago, we now have to eat twice as many vegetables to get the same amount of calcium, four times the amount of carrots to get the same magnesium and twenty times the amount of carrots to get the same amount of zinc. Modern farming techniques that have depleted our soils, as well as picking produce before it is ripe to be shipped long distances, have greatly reduced nutritional content. And then there are processed foods, fast foods and fake foods, all of which have lost even more nutrition while toxins have been added. The age of pesticides began in 1939 when Swiss chemist Paul Muller discovered that DDT could kill a wide range of insect pests inexpensively, greatly boosting crop yields worldwide.…

Question:  There has been a lot in the news lately about Vitamin E and its link to prostate cancer. However, you recommend it for individuals with cancer. Why is this? C. K. – Ashland, OR Answer: Rest assured that the vitamin E you get from Beyond Health will help to prevent cancer, not cause it. The news items about vitamin E causing prostate cancer referred to a particular study using a synthetic form of vitamin E. This study, conducted under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2011, was looking at the potential benefits of vitamin E and selenium for preventing prostate cancer. It was terminated when researchers found 400 IU of vitamin E daily was actually increasing the risk of prostate cancer. But what form of vitamin E were these scientists using? The wrong kind! Synthetic alpha tocopherol acetate! Gazillions of taxpayer dollars are spent on meaningless studies like this that u…

. . . you just have to do it longer Brisk walking, especially through beautiful terrain with a good friend, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Many of us would prefer it to more vigorous forms of exercise, but doubt it is as beneficial. However a new study comparing data on the 15,945 participants in the National Walkers’ Health Study with data on the 33,060 participants in the National Runners’ Health Study II found something surprising. Both of these large studies followed men and women who were healthy at the beginning of the study for about 6 years looking for possible risk reductions for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. Significant risk reductions were found for all of these potential problems, . . . and they were essentially the same whether people walked or ran! The catch was that walkers took more time to spend the same amount of energy or cover the same distance, and these were the crucial elements in deriving the health bene…

. . . here’s why staying informed is the best approach for staying healthy As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this coming week, we thought it fitting to recognize the importance of freedoms when making health care choices. When most people think of Martin Luther King, Jr., they think civil rights. Known for his efforts in fighting racial inequalities—like segregation, work inequalities, ineligibility to vote, among others—among African Americans during the 50’s and 60’s, King actually advocated peaceably for the basic rights of all minorities.. But King’s life of activism goes well beyond civil equalities. At his core, Martin Luther King Jr. stood for the rights of all people to live life free of oppressive institutions, governance, and ideals. And to make choices about their life—including their own health—as they see fit. King could easily have been referring to our own government’s unjust assault on both the food and supplement industries. As well as their reckle…

. . . 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…