. . . do what smart people have done for millenniaThere is a natural way to protect your skin from the sun, one that has been used effectively for millennia. While it’s true that some things have changed – depletion of the ozone layer has made the sun’s rays more intense; also, in times past people stayed in one place for generations, and pigments in their skin adapted to the intensity of the sun where they lived – the same principles still apply.1.  Maximize Antioxidant Intake. Antioxidants protect skin from potential sun damage, making diet the single most important factor in skin protection. Getting your 10-12 servings of fruits and vegetables daily will go a long way towards supplying the antioxidants you need. Most culinary herbs as well as green and white tea, garlic and olive oil are also high in antioxidants. However, because environmental pollutants nowadays chew up antioxidants faster than you can say “free radical damage,” we need more antioxidants than ever, making sup…

Every year at about this time I start warning people about flu shots. From all I’ve read in scientific journals about flu and flu vaccines, I’m convinced flu shots are both ineffective and dangerous, and that they increase your chances of getting the flu or other infections. You can read more in my previous articles “Vaccinations” and “Flu Shots – Ineffective and Dangerous.” Now a new study from a Canadian influenza expert indicates that flu shots actually do improve your chances of getting the flu!Dr. Danuta Skowronski and her research team at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control observed that Canadians who got flu shots during the winter of 2008-2009 seemed to be more likely to become infected with the pandemic H1N1 virus than those who didn’t. This observation was followed up by five studies in different locations which came to the same conclusion. However, it was thought at the time that it might have been caused by a bad batch of flu vaccine.But this past year, Dr. Skow…

It is now considered normal to lose cognitive function as you age -- to experience diminished memory, reasoning and speed in processing information. This "normal" age-related cognitive decline is contrasted to dementias, like Alzheimer's, which are much more debilitating and include severe nerve cell damage and death of nerve cells. In fact, age-related cognitive decline and dementia are the same thing. What you call it is a matter of degree, and it is primarily a product of our unhealthy diets and lifestyles.Maintaining a youthful brain does, however, require superior nutrition from both diet and high-quality supplements. A brain support program would include the B vitamins and the antioxidant vitamins A, C, D and E. Fish or flax oil is a must, and the need for it increases with age.By middle age, it's best to be supplementing with CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine, and multiple B vitamins. (Deficiencies in vitamin B12 are common and often misdiagnosed as dementias or…

. . . for a longer, higher-quality of lifeA double-blind, placebo-controlled study has found that ALCAR has a significant impact on improving and prolonging life for those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.ALS destroys motor neurons. While patients continue to see, hear, feel, touch and taste, they gradually lose control of their movements leading to paralysis and eventually death, usually due to respiratory failure. Average survival time after diagnosis is 2-5 years, although 5% will live 20 years, and there are some who have managed to halt and even reverse the process. The only medication shown to have some effect on ALS, riluzole, may increase survival time, but only by a matter of 3-5 months.While ALS is a serious illness, remember that all disease is caused by deficiency and toxicity; therefore, there is much you can do to remedy and possibly even reverse the situation by taking control of your health.ALCAR is called a “brain superfuel”…

Product OverviewAcetyl-L-carnitine maintains and improves brain function. It energizes and rejuvenates brain cells. It's been called "brain superfuel!" It improves learning ability, reaction time, accuracy, mental performance, verbal fluency, attention, memory, and even your mood! It facilitates repair of brain cells damaged by poor nutrition, stress, toxins and trauma. Many people report less confusion, brain fog, enhanced alertness and focus, and feeling mentally sharper within hours of taking it. It slows the rate of deterioration in Alzheimer's disease and significantly improves mental functioning in those who suffer from this illness. A host of scientific studies have shown that acetyl-l-carnitine prevents age-related cognitive decline through various mechanisms at dosages of 1-3 grams a day. A meta-analysis of 21 studies found a cumulative effect, suggesting that long-term use may provide the greatest benefit.Complimentary Supplements Because it's naturally found in the b…

BHN has received many emails and phone calls from people concerned about the radiation leaking from the Japanese nuclear reactors. There is no question that dangerous amounts of radioactive particles have been released and have been carried in the prevailing jet stream winds impacting the west coast from Los Angeles to Alaska and the rest of the world as well. While government officials try to play down the danger, radiation researchers say there is no such thing as a safe level of radiation.Radiation generates massive amounts of free radicals, which do oxidative damage to DNA and cause cancer years later. This is why it is a good idea to maximize your overall antioxidant defenses. The problems with radioactive iodine are well known. Japanese health authorities are passing out iodine tablets to those in the vicinity of these reactors. Because most Americans are deficient in iodine, absorbing the radioactive iodine isotopes can be a real problem. The body will absorb the isotopes when i…

The world was still dealing with radioactive waste from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, when a 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan along with a massive tsunami decimated Japan's Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant. Both Chernobyl and now Fukushima have littered the earth's air and water with radioactive isotopes, increasing disease and death on a global scale. Health problems associated with radioactive fallout include cancer, heart attack, respiratory damage, bone and joint pain, immune suppression, reproductive and urogenital disorders, and chromosomal aberrations. Based on Center for Disease Control mortality data for 122 US cities, toxicologist Janette D. Sherman, MD, and Joseph J. Mangano, MPH, MBA, projected 13,983 extra deaths (including 822 infant deaths) in the US during the 14 weeks after the arrival of Japanese fallout. But unlike Chernobyl, which was brought under control within several months, more than a year later, damaged reactors at Fukushima ar…

. . . correcting a vitamin D deficiency may lift your winter depressionNewsclips readers already know that vitamin D is crucial to immunity and helps to prevent winter colds and the flu. You may also know that vitamin D deficiencies contribute to cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, neurological disease and many other health problems.But can vitamin D ward off winter blues?Also called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the winter blues can make you feel lethargic, fatigued, unmotivated and depressed. You can crave carbohydrates and want to sleep all day.Clinical experience and preliminary scientific investigation have found that low levels of vitamin D correlate with a higher incidence of SAD, and that when patients with SAD and low blood levels supplement with vitamin D, their depressive symptoms improve.Since SAD is associated with lack of sunlight, our main source of vitamin D, and since vitamin D levels decline in the winter months, it is reasonable to hypothesize that vi…

. . . especially in the absence of omega-3 fatsDo you sometimes wonder how "people can be so stupid?" We now have a clue as to why. Some unfortunate California rats were taught to negotiate a complicated maze. They were then deprived of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet and given water laced with high fructose corn syrup to duplicate two prominent features of the standard American diet. After six weeks on this regime, when placed back into the maze, they had become bumbling idiots, unable to recall what they had previously learned.The UCLA researchers who devised this torture did it to prove a point -- that the standard American diet, which now includes 40 pounds a year of high fructose corn syrup (found in sodas and in almost all processed foods) -- causes brain dysfunction, and possibly permanent brain damage. Such a high-sugar diet produces "diabetes of the brain" -- too much insulin and consequent insulin resistance in the brain. This leads to "synaptic decline," or difficulti…

Imagine if there were a magic potion that was: nontoxic, inexpensive, had no side effects, and worked to prevent aging, colds, depression, diabetes, flu, multiple sclerosis, obesity, and osteoporosis and was proven to prevent four out of five cases of cancer.  Most of us would take such a potion daily if it existed. Vitamin D is that amazing magical potion.  -- Raymond Francis, Never Fear Cancer Again, pp. 311-312.Around this time of year, Newsclips is usually talking about vitamin D and immunity. Keeping you cold and flu-free throughout the winter months has been shown to be one of vitamin D’s most useful and remarkable abilities. But did you know that this antioxidant vitamin can also prevent cancer?According to scientific studies, vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as in causing many, many other diseases, while levels of vitamin D up to around 60-80 ng/ml have been shown to virtually eliminate breast cancer.Unfortunat…

A friend of ours recently took an over-the-counter medication for intestinal gas. The results were amazing, and not in a good way. Although she got minor relief, it was followed by a splitting headache, and that night she had horrible, violent nightmares. While we were still musing about the power of what we ingest to affect the body-mind, we noticed the cover of the new issue of The Intelligent Optimist. It announcedan article within on “Why taking supplements leads to enlightenment.” While we’ve noticed being happier and more clear-minded since cleaning up our diet and adopting a program of high-quality supplements, we were especially intrigued that this article’s author is a modern-day shaman. While he has academic credentials, Alberto Villoldo, PhD, reports spending thirty years in the high Andes and the Amazon, training with master shamans. Yet, as we read his article, we found him recommending a similar diet and many of the same supplements Beyond Health recommends. Alth…

Phytosterols, also called plant sterols, are plant fats that are the counterpart of sterols found in animals, including humans. The most important animal sterol is cholesterol. Due to a similar, but slightly different, chemical structure, plant sterols compete with cholesterol for absorption in the intestine. Thus, they reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed from the diet. They also appear to reduce cholesterol levels in other ways.Phytosterols do a lot more than lower cholesterol levels. They reduce inflammation, improve immunity, and control blood sugar in diabetes, among other things. So it's highly beneficial to include a lot of them in your diet.However, if you're eating a healthy diet -- 10-12 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, mostly raw, along with plenty of nuts, seeds, legumes, and healthy oils from avocados, flax oil, olive oil, coconut oil and Udo's Choice -- you will be getting plenty of phytosterols. In fact, each one of these foods is known as an excellent sou…

. . .  Upping our need for antioxidantsWe now know that Fukushima is by far the worst nuclear accident in history. After Chernobyl, there was a related worldwide decline in health. How are we being affected by Fukushima? Although there have been no government warnings of excessive radiation levels, there is credible scientific evidence that there is no safe level of radiation.Suffice it to say that our health is under additional assault, and that it has never been more important to (1) make sure you are not deficient in iodine (most Americans are! call our office to find out how to test your iodine status) and (2) take antioxidant supplements. The more toxic our environment becomes, and this includes radiation, the more antioxidants we need to render the toxins harmless. For example, if you ingest more of the antioxidant vitamin C than your body needs, you get diarrhea. Someone who can normally take 6 grams a day may catch a cold and need 30, 40, even 50 grams a day before ge…

Can supplementary calcium cause a heart attack? At one time the main question we got about calcium was from women who weren’t sure they were getting enough to prevent osteoporosis. Today, both men and women wonder if taking supplementary calcium is going to give them a heart attack or get into their brains or other soft tissues.Taking calcium in Beyond Health’s Bone Support will NOT do these things, and here’s why.First, although calcium supplements have been called into question, calcium in food has never been shown to be a problem. The calcium in our supplements is identical to the calcium found in food.This is not true of most calcium supplements!We use only organic calcium, while calcium found in most supplements is usually inorganic. Our calcium is reacted with organic acids in such a way that the resulting molecules are identical to calcium found in food – organic calcium. The body doesn’t know how to handle the inorganic form, and it can easily be deposited where it shouldn…

. . . 96% of extra virgin olive oils tested were adulterated with cheap, inferior oilsWhen I’m invited out for the holidays, one of my favorite gifts for my host or hostess is a bottle of Beyond Health Olive Oil. I’m extremely proud of our olive oil. Not only has it won taste tests, but our olive oil is uniquely healthy. You see, unlike most olive oils on the market, it’s the real deal. That's why a study at the University of California found our olive oil to have the highest antioxidant content of any oil tested. The same study ranked Whole Food's olive oil near the bottom.How it's madeMade the traditional way with care on a family-owned estate, Beyond Health olive oil is unrefined and unadulterated with inferior oils. It’s what you might expect any high-quality olive oil to be. But here is what the consumer is up against. A 1996 study by the FDA found that 96% of the extra virgin olive oils tested had been adulterated with cheap, inferior oils. This means that 96% of the “qualit…

. . . don't underestimate the importance of stress-reduction strategiesHere's an interesting study that bears witness to the role stress can play in making us more vulnerable to the bad effects of environmental pollution.Traffic pollutants like nitrogen oxides can damage lung tissue and make asthma worse. Researchers at the University of Southern California wanted to know how stress combined with higher nitrogen oxide levels would affect lung function in a group of almost 1,400 children. They assessed how stressful the children's living environments were, then measured nitrogen oxide levels in the air where the children lived as well as several indicators of lung function in the children. When nitrogen oxide levels went up by 22 parts per billion, lung function in the kids from high-stress homes got 5% worse. However, the same increase in air pollution had no affect at all on the kids living in low-stress homes!An earlier study by some of the same researchers found that when exposed to…

. . . the mind is far more powerful than most of us appreciateCan thoughts prolong life? Absolutely! In a 2002 study that followed more than 600 people for 23 years, researchers at Yale University found that having a positive attitude toward aging extended average lifespan for more than 7 years. This makes thoughts and expectations more powerful in extending life than other factors such as low blood pressure, low cholesterol, maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercise!It’s not that other factors aren’t important, but the mind is far more powerful than most of us appreciate. Every thought and every feeling has biochemical repercussions, some good and some bad. Not surprisingly, positive thoughts and emotions like joy, compassion, optimism, love, gratitude and a sense of purpose bolster both immunity and general health, while negative thoughts and feelings, like anger, envy, apathy, gloom and resentment do the opposite.But how can you maintain a positive and hopeful expectati…

Like everyone else, children need water.  For one thing, the immune system functions best when well-hydrated. Mild dehydration in children can also cause constipation and behavior changes, for example acting tired, dizzy or slow to respond.Most kids do get enough; the problem is they’re getting it in the form of fruit juice, soft drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks – all high in sugar, and most containing additional toxins as well.Sweetened drink consumption is on the rise. Soft drinks are the single largest contributor of calorie intake in the US today. About 50% of the added sugars in our diets come from sodas, sports and energy drinks, coffee beverages and fruit juice. A recent article in Pediatrics noted that energy and sports drinks are being heavily marketed to children; that energy drinks are inappropriate because they contain stimulants; and that sugary sports drinks should be avoided because they contribute to obesity.Acknowledging that many kids today are hooked on f…