. . . more centenarians per capita than anywhere else on earth In making decisions about our own diet and lifestyle, it would probably be wise to take some hints from a culture that boasts more centenarians per capita than anywhere else on earth. Many people on the island of Okinawa, off the coast of Japan, follow a traditional diet and way of life that makes them among the happiest, healthiest, and longest-lived people alive today. There’s a very worthwhile documentary called “Happy.” It interviews social scientists who’ve been studying happiness and travels the earth to find examples of truly happy cultures, trying to answer the question “what makes human beings happy?” (Hint: the common assumptions that lots of money, beautiful appearance and status can make us happy turn out to be wrong!)  One group that brims over with joy in the film are the Okinawans, both young and old, who have a strong sense of community and a simple diet and way of life (they grow food and then they ea…

. . . new study could prove it helps prevent or reverse symptoms of dementia Recent data estimates 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Plus another 30 million across the globe. Chances are, you know someone who has this dreaded disease, or are worried that you might be a likely candidate for Alzheimer’s. You can go here to read more on why Alzheimer’s is on the rise. But today, there’s reason for hope. A new study is underway to test the affects of coconut oil on volunteers with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. University of South Florida researchers know the stakes are high. In fact, previous studies at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute using other treatment options have come up empty. But while nothing currently exists that can cure or slow down the progression of the disease, Dr. Mary Newport and fellow researchers have reason to feel optimistic. A compelling case study on Alzheimer’s Mary’s husband, Steve, has been battling Alzheimer’s…

. . . 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…

. . . 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…

. . . 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…

Fatigue is the number one complaint made to doctors, and it’s been that way for decades. The body is a complex system, and lack of energy can be caused by all kinds of things. It’s a symptom in many disease diagnoses. Low functioning thyroid and/or adrenal glands are a common source of fatigue. Chronic infections, allergies or an overworked liver can cause fatigue. Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, too little potassium (and too much sodium), systemic acidity and dehydration are all factors that can lead to fatigue. But, the fundamental causes of fatigue are our old friends, nutrient deficiency and toxins. The two biggest obstacles to improving our national health status are Americans’ widely held, and erroneous, beliefs that 1) they are eating a “pretty good diet” that is giving them the nutrients they need, and 2) their health is relatively unaffected by toxins. Nothing could be further from the truth. Government surveys continue to document the fact that just about every America…

Question:  I have been hearing a lot about Vitamin K. What exactly is Vitamin K good for and what products contain it? How would I know if I were deficient in Vitamin K? C. G. – Larkspur, CA Answer: There’s been a lot written about vitamin K recently. It’s similar to where vitamin D was a few years ago. It turns out that vitamin K is lot more important than we thought; it has many roles in the body we never knew about, and we need quite a bit more than was previously thought. Until recently, Vitamin K was known only for its ability to help blood clotting. In fact people on anticlotting medications (blood thinners like Coumadin) are still often given some bad advice by their doctors: they’re told to avoid green vegetables because they’re high in vitamin K. Green vegetables are of course among the healthiest foods on the planet, and we now know that vitamin K is a lot more than just a “clotting vitamin.” It’s even vital to prevent the very heart disease blood thinners are prescr…

Question:  I have enjoyed reading your books Never Be Sick Again and Never Be Fat Again, and wanted to let you know I have been feeling much better and have lost 6 pounds since I began implementing your suggestions earlier this year. I have eliminated almost all processed foods, eat mostly organic and raw, especially salads and green smoothies, and have become a more conscious consumer of bodycare and household products. One thing I have not yet done, however, is to reduce my intake of salt. I do purchase your unrefined Celtic salt, but I seem to just love the taste of salt and find it hard to stay within the ½ teaspoon a day that you recommend. What is your opinion of salt substitutes like Morton Salt Substitute, No-Salt or Nu-Salt? Are they a healthy alternative to regular salt? S. R. – Internet Answer: You’ve probably already reduced your salt intake more than you think. Most salt in the American diet, 80-90%, comes from processed and restaurant foods, so if you’ve eliminated…

. . . happiness is a key to improved physical function in aging adults Scientists already showed that aging adults who enjoy life live longer and suffer less illness. Now, a new study published last month in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) suggests happier seniors maintain better physical function as they age. Researchers at University College London analyzed eight years of data on 3,199 men and women who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants were separated into three age groups of 60-69, 70-79, and 80-years-old and above. Then, study investigators assessed overall happiness in life using participant surveys that rated their agreement with such statements as: I enjoy the things that I do I feel full of energy these days I enjoy being in the company of others On balance, I look back on my life with a sense of happiness Researchers compared responses to these questions with the participants’ abilities to perform daily ph…

. . . which multivitamins are you talking about? Last December, Big Pharma, through the Annals of Internal Medicine, launched a major attack on multivitamins, essentially declaring them useless for preventing disease. But the truth is vitamins, minerals and other nutrients have been shown a thousand times over to prevent and reverse disease, whereas drugs primarily suppress symptoms, make overall health worse, and regularly kill thousands of people annually, even when properly prescribed and administered. In his recent article “Vitamins are a Waste of Money?” Raymond Francis exposed the fallacy in most of the huge studies that have purported to show multivitamins are useless: they use low-dose, low-quality multis like Centrum. Thus, these costly studies are designed to fail.  In fact, if you read Raymond’s analysis of the ingredients in Centrum Silver Adults 50+, you’ll wonder why more of the studies don’t show multivitamins cause disease! However, even Centrum, taken over 11…

. . . and impede the healing process Although flu vaccines cause far more injury and death than are caused by the flu, vaccine advocates argue that it is our social responsibility to get a flu shot to halt the spread of the disease. Well, these advocates might better take up arms against fever-reducing drugs like aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which have recently been shown to greatly increase disease transmission. In fact, according to mathematicians at McMaster University in Canada, eliminating these drugs entirely could prevent at least 700 deaths and many more serious illnesses annually. Alternative healthcare practitioners have pointed out for years that fevers are nature’s way of fighting viruses by reducing their ability to reproduce. Like other band-aid approaches to disease, anti-fever drugs are a short-sighted attempt to outsmart Mother Nature. But they interfere with healing, increase viral replication and often do long-term damage. They also encourage sick peop…

. . . recent study sheds light on benefits of fasting to overall health Historically, fasting has been associated with religious rituals, political protests, and fad diets. However, research over the past decade suggests a larger, more significant role of fasting—commonly referred to as intermittent fasting (IF)—for losing weight and improving overall health. Scientists have known since the 1940s that IF promotes weight loss. Yet, it has only recently become popular as a diet plan since it’s re-introduction to the public in 2012 after the release of a book on the subject. Intermittent fasting does not equal “skipping a meal” IF is a form of calorie restriction. The premise isn’t to simply reduce calorie intake daily, or skip a meal here or there. But rather, to alternate days of eating one’s normal food intake with days of eating a reduced amount of calories during a specific window of your day…while choosing not to eat during the rest of that day. Two popular types o…