It’s a new year! Whatever your age or health status, here’s to making 2019 healthier than 2018! We know it’s possible to keep getting healthier each year because we’ve been privileged to work with thousands of people who’ve recovered from serious health concerns and continue to get healthier and healthier as they learn more and integrate more healthy practices into their lives. And others who started out in reasonably good health, who keep reaching higher and higher levels of wellness.  A common factor in these success stories is the right supplement program.  While good diet, exercise, stress release, healthy relationships, detoxification, and avoiding toxins are all necessary for optimal health, if your body doesn’t have all the raw materials it needs for building healthy new cells, you simply cannot prevent or reverse disease.  In fact, if you’re chronically deficient in even one vitamin or mineral, you will get sick; that&…

Recent research out of the Mayo Clinic has found that rheumatoid arthritis is on the increase among Caucasian women and that vitamin D deficiency is a factor. While there are many factors that influence arthritis, the researchers concluded that the most likely cause of the increase we are seeing is vitamin D deficiency, which has been rising, especially among women. Smoking is also commonly associatedwith causing rheumatoid arthritis. Another factor may be that the composition of female oral contraceptives has changed over the years. Oral contraceptives used to have more estrogen in them than they do today, which provides a protective benefit against rheumatoid arthritis. With less estrogen, there is less protective benefit. The best way to get vitamin D is through regular exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D3 supplements such as Beyond Health’s Vitamin D3 Formula are also a good option.…

A few years back, Spanish researchers followed more than 12,000 European university graduates and their diets for 6-1/2 years.  The researchers found that diets rich in trans fats increased the risk of depression by 50%. On the other hand, those whose diets were high in fish oil had a low risk of depression. Fish oil is a rich source of fatty acids called Omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). Omega-3 deficiency has been linked with a diminished ability to cope with stress and with increases in anxiety, depression, hostility and aggression. In a study on medical students, EPA/DHA lowered anxiety 20%.  In the US, we consume much more trans fat than Europeans do, and it’s been estimated that up to 90% of us are deficient in Omega-3s.  Could that explain why so many Americans are in a bad mood? A recent paper by eminent nutrition researcher Bruce Ames, PhD , Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biol…

You can significantly reduce your risk of getting many of the chronic diseases that plague our times by including more dietary fiber in your diet. These diseases include coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer.  An enormous new study in the prestigious medical journal, Lancet, showed a 15-30 percent reduction in cardiovascular-disease and all-cause mortality in people who got the most fiber versus those who got the least.  Those study participants who ate the most fiber, versus those that ate the least, reduced their risk of stroke by 22 percent, their risk of type 2 diabetes or colorectal cancer by 16 percent, and their risk of death from coronary heart disease by 30 percent Interestingly, fiber was also found to be a better way to control spikes in blood sugar after eating than eating a low-glycemic diet.  And although a low-glycemic diet also reduced the risk of getting type…

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 this test…

. . . enough to get the job done Often customers say to us, "I don't have enough money to take all the supplements in your kits -- just tell me the ones I really need to have." Well, the answer to this question is "You need enough to get the job done."  For most people in fairly good health who want to prevent disease, that would be the Ultimate Wellness Kit, plus Vitamin D if testing shows it's needed. If you have a diagnosed disease, you would need this kit plus one or more of our Support Kits. For example, if you're recovering from food allergies, rebuilding digestive, immune and adrenal health requires quite a few different supplements. (Call our office for details.) However, when health has been restored, you can stop taking most of them. (Maintaining digestive health usually requires ongoing probiotic supplementation, and may require ongoing hydrochloric acid and enzyme support.)   Our kits were designed based on my clinical experience. Apart from the work I did to…

Calcium, once lauded as a superstar for preventing and curing osteoporosis, now seems to be a nutrient-non-grata among both conventional and alternative “experts.” Vitamin C researcher, Thomas E. Levy, has even entitled a book Death by Calcium! How did an important nutrient, in which most Americans especially the elderly are deficient, come to such a sorry pass? The calcium saga goes back several years to a time when it was anointed a “magic bullet” to solve the problem of osteoporosis. Need more bone? Just take lots of calcium! When that didn’t work as well as hoped, the experts said well you should probably take your calcium with vitamin D. This worked a little better, but was still less than ideal. In fact, calcium needs a whole “team” of nutrients for its absorption and proper utilization. Vitamins D and K (especially K2) and the mineral magnesium are star players on the team, but check the label on Beyond Health’s Bone Mineral Formul…

Although we recommend eating most of the diet raw, a number of studies have shown that steaming preserves more nutrients than other forms of cooking, and in certain instances can even increase or release nutrients over and above what you’d get from eating the vegetables in question raw. Glucosinolates are compounds found in cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) that protect against cancer. Scientists suggest that 3-5 servings a week of cruciferous vegetables provide a substantial cancer protective benefit. But to become properly activated, glucosinolates need to be mixed with the plant enzyme myrosinase. This mixing happens when you bite into your broccoli or Brussels sprout and crush the cellulose walls that otherwise keep the glucosinolates and myrosinase separated. But cooking can destroy myrosinase, and who wants to eat raw broccoli? Fortunately, according to a recent article in Tuft’s Health and Nutrition Letter, scientists at the Un…

Although experts agree that diet and lifestyle are the keys to preventing and reversing diabetes, the ballooning number of diabetics and pre-diabetics (estimated at over 10% and 1/3 of our population respectively) is too big a market for drug companies to ignore. With one toxic drug after another, they’re trying to convince the public that blood sugar regulation is a problem pills can solve. However an all-natural alternative approach is both safe and effective. Introduced last year, canagliflozin (Invokana) is the first in a new family of diabetes drugs called sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors to be approved by the FDA. However, consumer advocate group Public Citizen has put it on their “do NOT use” drug list as having minimal benefit and dangerous side effects. Nonetheless, Forbes predicts it will reach $416 billion in sales by 2016. Although Invokana lowers blood sugar somewhat, it does so by doing what drugs always do—interfering with normal…

By now, you know about the huge health benefits of eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Rich in essential nutrients, previous research shows fruits and veggies help promote mental well-being, control weight, improve digestion and vision, lower blood pressure and more. But how much is enough? The latest U.S. dietary guidelines for fruits and vegetables suggest consumers eat 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups per day—or about 5-13 servings—depending on calorie requirements. Yet, Americans get a paltry three servings per day on average.Now, according to a new study from the University College London, you need to eat 7 or more daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables if you want to live longer. Using the Health Survey for England, British researchers analyzed the eating habits of 65,226 adults, age 35 and older. They discovered that the more fruits and vegetables they ate, the lower their chance of dying prematurely. In fact, compared to those eating less than one serving of fru…

. . . garbage removal may be one of exercise’s primary benefits Each one of our cells is busily engaged in self-renewal. As new parts are built, debris from worn-out parts must be disposed of.  While toxins are continually pushed out through the cell’s membrane, larger trash is handled by a process called “autophagy” or “self-eating.” Through autophagy, shreds of used material, inactivated microbe invaders and other waste is broken down and burned by the cell as energy. This tidy cleaning process appears to become less robust with age, and faulty autophagy may contribute to many chronic degenerative diseases and to aging itself. In animal models, healthy autophagy has been shown to protect against cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, infections, inflammatory disease, aging and insulin resistance. A mouse study from the University of Texas has shown yet another benefit of exercise: it accelerates autophagy. Further, this accelerated autophagy was…

Question:  I noticed that the Multi-Vitamin does not contain iron. Why is this? H. B. – New York, NY Answer: There is a simple reason for not including iron. Iron is a prooxidant and will destroy antioxidants in a supplement formula (like vitamin C, D, E, selenium, zinc and others). Iron should always be taken separately. If you find iron in a multi, it is a good indication that the supplement manufacturer either doesn’t know what they’re doing or that they are pandering to consumer ignorance. At one time I worked as a consultant to supplement companies. One company I worked for asked me to evaluate their multi. Their multi contained iron, and I told them it should be removed as it was contaminating the pill. After checking with their marketing people, they decided not to remove it. Their marketing department told them that consumers are looking for a complete multi, including iron, and omitting it would affect sales. Most people in advanced countries don’t…

. . . all drugs are dangerous -- even OTC Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are usually considered safe when in fact they're not. A study done in 2006 showed that of those taking the maximum recommended dosage of acetaminophen -- present in Tylenol and hundreds of other prescription and OTC medications -- over 30% experienced severe liver damage. ALT is an enzyme present in liver cells. When the liver is damaged, ALT levels in the bloodstream rise. In this study, 31-44% of those taking 4g of acetaminophen daily for 2 weeks had ALT levels that were more than 3 times the upper limit of normal, indicating considerable liver damage. Acetaminophen is metabolized in the liver, where about 5% of it breaks down into an extremely toxic compound called N-acetyl-parabenzoquinoneimine. This chemical can be neutralized by glutathione. But if the amount of toxin exceeds the available supply of glutathione, damage is done to the liver. Because virtually everyone living in the US today is in toxic overload…

Question:  I wish you offered a separate strontium product. I notice that you have included strontium in both your bone and joint formulas, but I want to take amounts far greater than what I would get in either of these formulas. Also I’ve read that strontium should be taken separately from calcium and vitamin D, etc. since they interfere with one another’s absorption. I am a 51-year-old, healthconscious woman who does not appear to have appreciable bone loss except for substantial bone loss in my gums due to early orthodonture. The bone loss has been stable for decades, but I’m now preimenopausal, so I want to stay on top of it. At this point I am seeking a way to both build some bone in the jaw and protect my overall bone structure going forward. A few months ago I bought a strontium supplement from another company, but had some weird reactions every time I took it (a sudden feeling of nausea during the day, and in the middle of the night horrible – and I…

by Raymond Francis Deficiencies in vitamin B12 and its partner folate are extremely common, and these deficiencies can show up in a vast array of health issues. Too often people suffer for years with illnesses that might be alleviated simply by taking enough B12 and folate, or at least by addressing B12/folate deficiency as part of a more comprehensive treatment plan. Before a government-sponsored study that surprised everyone was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000, it was assumed that most B12 deficiency occurred among the elderly. But this study, which spanned ages 26-83, found 40% deficiency across the board, regardless of age. Very severe deficiency was found in 17%. The situation with folic acid (or folate) is even worse. Most Americans get considerably less than half the RDA – a standard set to avoid severe symptoms and not to achieve optimal health or prevent chronic illness. Many authorities believe folic acid is tied with essential fatty acid…

. . . well, it’s really NOT “all in your head” You may not know this, but you have two brains. That’s right. One in your skull…and one in your gut. Of course, you’re quite familiar with the brain in your head. Previous research shows this brain sends signals to your gut. Which explains why you get “butterflies”—or experience other physical symptoms in your gastrointestinal tract—when you are stressed or anxious. Now, studies done on animals and humans suggest the exchange of information between brain and gut is a two-way street. Of mice and men…what the studies prove One such animal study compared mice bred with no digestive bacteria to “control” mice with normal gut flora. Scientists discovered that the “no-bacteria” mice displayed increased hyperactive and risky behavior as adults. However, if given normal bacteria early in life, they grew up with the same normal behavioral traits as the contr…

. . . because most olive oil products fail to provide the health benefits Everyone seems to know that olive oil is healthy. Numerous studies have found it to be protective against everything from heart disease and stroke to cancer and Alzheimer's. What very few people know is that it's really difficult to find olive oil. Most “olive oil,” even some high-priced olive oil, and certainly most of the olive oil on store shelves, including Whole Foods, isn’t “real” olive oil! Most olive oil is processed in a way that robs it of health-giving properties and, worse, it’s mixed with inferior processed oils like sunflower or hazelnut oil to lower production costs. While real olive oil is one of the best choices you can make if you want to be healthy, processed oils are toxic and are one of the worst. Unfortunately that’s what you’re getting when you purchase most olive oils. I discovered the scandal in the olive oil industry back in 1998, and I was…

By Raymond Francis Like any other so-called disease, hypothyroidism has two fundamental causes: deficiency and toxicity. Although all of the fundamental nutrients are needed for optimal thyroid health, there are particular nutrients that are central to thyroid function. For example, thyroid hormone is made up of a tyrosine compound to which atoms of iodine are added. Iodine deficiency is common. Tyrosine is made from the amino acid phenylalanine. The best sources of phenylalanine are dairy, meat and eggs, so it’s very possible that vegans can become deficient in phenylalanine, especially if their gastrointestinal absorption is poor. However phenylalanine is also found in almonds, avocados, bananas, brown rice, oats, mustard greens, seaweed, fish, lima beans, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Phenylalanine and tyrosine can also be taken as supplements. Selenium is needed to activate the thyroid hormone, and many people don’t get enough of this antioxidant mineral. Aga…