. . . PLP, the bioactive form of vitamin B6, can make a world of difference If all it did was support methylation, vitamin B6 would be a very valuable nutrient. But it does a lot more. It’s a “neuronutrient” that feeds the brain and nervous system and is used to make important neurotransmitters. It is needed in blood sugar regulation and protects against glycation reactions. It’s an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that supports immunity. It’s used in the synthesis of CoQ10. It’s helpful in preventing and treating allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, heart disease, edema, food cravings, PMS, ADHD, carpal tunnel syndrome and kidney disease. A recent review of 9 different studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that having high levels of vitamin B6’s active form, PLP, in your blood (130-140 pmol/ml) could reduce your risk of colon cancer by 49%. However vitamin B6 can’t do any of these good things unless it’s converted into its bioactive form, pyridox…

. . .  a unique garlic supplement higher in antioxidants than fresh, raw garlic If you have heart disease, or are worried about developing heart disease, there are a number of factors you may be monitoring: cholesterol and triglycerides, blood pressure, and abnormal blood clotting. Did you know that AGE has been shown to have a powerful positive impact on each of these factors? If your doctor takes a more sophisticated approach, you may also be looking at inflammation, heavy metal chelation, stress levels, homocysteine, lipoprotein (a), and oxidative stress. AGE has also been shown to powerfully impact all of these factors as well! Many of these same factors are also risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and play a role in age-related cognitive decline (memory problems and slowed thinking). AGE is a unique garlic supplement developed and sold by Kyolic, a division of Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Company in Japan. It is produced by extraction and…

. . . it’s absolutely critical to bone health Many people, including many doctors, believe all you need to build bones is calcium and vitamin D — and more recently vitamin K. But you need all the nutrients working together as a team to produce the health that supports healthy bones, and none is more important than vitamin C. One of the symptoms of scurvy (caused by extreme vitamin C deficiency) is deteriorating bones and teeth. Most animals produce their own vitamin C (humans, along with apes, guinea pigs and fruit bats have lost this ability), but animals who through some genetic defect can’t, develop severe osteoporosis. Vitamin C is critical to building healthy bone because it is needed in forming collagen. The most abundant protein in the body, collagen is a stiff, jelly-like substance found in all body tissues, including bone (yes, bone is considered a tissue). Collagen is, in a sense, what holds us together. It is what forms the matrix in bone where minerals are embedded…

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…

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…

Curcumin: A Powerful Ally for Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention If heart disease runs in your family—or if you’ve already been diagnosed—you’re likely living with the constant concern of a sudden heart attack or stroke. That concern is understandable. But it’s also important to know this: Heart attacks and strokes are largely preventable. Prevention requires attention and commitment, but the rewards are profound—and the consequences of inaction can be severe. One natural compound that deserves special attention for cardiovascular protection is curcumin, the primary active component in turmeric. Research shows curcumin supports heart health by addressing multiple major risk factors simultaneously, something no single drug can do. How Curcumin Protects the Cardiovascular System 1. High Blood Pressure Curcumin lowers blood pressure through multiple complementary mechanisms: Anti-inflammatory & antioxidant protectionReduces oxidative and inflamma…

Olive oil is good for us. Studies have shown that olive oil is an especially healthy food that is good for the heart, protects against cancer, reduces pain, lowers blood pressure, protects against oxidative damage, prevents gallstones, protects against ulcer development, controls cholesterol and protects against cognitive decline. The road to getting healthier includes incorporating natural olive oil into your diet. So you probably have some “extra virgin” olive oil in your cupboard that you use to make “healthy” salads. But what if you found out that your olive oil was a sham—a fake food designed to fool both regulators and the public, made from a mixture of olive oil and processed sunflower, soy or hazelnut oil? That it wasn’t healthy at all; in fact it wasn’t any better or less toxic than the processed supermarket oils you must avoid. You’d probably be pretty angry about it. Well, if you don’t already know about the olive oil scandal, be prepared to be outraged. One of the…

Ever feel like you’re aging faster than your years? For Baby Boomers, premature aging is cause for concern. According to a recent AARP survey, nearly 3 out of 4 adults age 48 to 66 fear they’ll need to work at least part-time into retirement to survive financially, while half anticipate never retiring at all. This highlights the importance of preventing chronic diseases in aging Boomers. Yet, if you’re like many Boomers, you regularly engage in unhealthy habits that produce dangerous free radicals and cause you to age faster than your years. As you probably already know, free radicals are highly reactive atoms or molecules that are produced in the body by natural biological processes or introduced from the outside. They can damage cells and tissues through a process called oxidation. Some free radical production is normal and your body is designed to handle it. Yet, excessive free-radicals damage your cell’s DNA, membranes, mitochondria and other structures, and over time, cau…

Most people aren’t. Most Americans get about 15 grams of fiber daily. In 2002, the US government recommended that the average adult get between 21 and 38 grams each day. These recommendations were based on several large studies that found people who consumed 14 grams of fiber for each 1,000 calories had significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Many nutritional experts believe 35-45 grams would be even better. What is fiber? It’s the indigestible portion of plant foods. Most people think of fiber as bulk that helps move the bowels, but there’s much more to know about fiber. There are two kinds of fiber—soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber becomes gelatinous in the intestines. It’s soothing to intestinal walls and helps make bowel movements easier. Studies show it also decreases cholesterol. Insoluble fiber acts like an intestinal broom. Both kinds ease elimination by increasing fecal bulk and making stools softer. Both kinds of fiber absorb and remove toxins,…

Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. Writing in the Townsend Letter, sports medicine experts Jason E. Barker and Chris D. Meletis say that using the large muscle groups at about 40-50% of your exercise capacity six days a week, with resistance training at least two days a week, has been shown repeatedly to reduce the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, obesity, depression, anxiety and other chronic diseases. But, they warn, exercise itself can have some hazards, especially when it comes to wear and tear on your joints. They recommend glucosamine, as well as vitamin C to maintain healthy muscles and joints if you engage in regular strenuous exercise. Glucosamine is the precursor for glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the building blocks of hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid. These lubricants protect the joints from friction. Glucosamine is also used to build cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Glucosamine stimulates the producti…

Although maintaining strong immunity is important during the winter to avoid colds and flu, a healthy immune system is one of the foundations for optimal health all year round. While necessary to every cell in the body, the antioxidant mineral selenium is particularly valuable to the immune system. Selenium plays a key role in our antioxidant system, helping to make glutathione, and regenerating major antioxidants like vitamins C and E so that they can be reused again and again. One way immune cells kill pathogens is with oxidative poisons. Without the protection of selenium, these poisons can harm the immune cells themselves, weakening them and making them less effective—sometimes even killing them. Selenium has also been shown to keep viruses from mutating into forms that are many times more destructive. Cumulative oxidative damage to immune cells over time causes the immune system to weaken with age. However selenium and other antioxidants can prevent and even reverse age-rel…

February is Heart Month, and an absolutely critical nutrient for the heart and cardiovascular system is vitamin E. When experimental animals are deprived of vitamin E, they die of heart disease. The two principle roles vitamin E plays in heart health are as an antithrombin, preventing clots inside blood vessels, and as an antioxidant, preventing lipid peroxidation, or oxidation of fats. While vitamin C is our body’s major water-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E is its major fat-soluble antioxidant. Maintaining healthy arteries, free of plaque, is key to maintaining a healthy heart. Plaque forms when cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL), which is a type of fat, becomes oxidized. Vitamin E plays an essential role in protecting LDL from such oxidation. Cell membranes are composed primarily of fats. As we age our cell membranes tend to become stiffer, primarily due to oxidation. The blood cells themselves become thicker, which increases blood viscosity and impedes circulation…

Could Magnesium Deficiency Be Affecting Your Health? Do you experience—or have you been diagnosed with—any of the following? Neurological & Mental Health ADD / ADHD Anxiety, irritability, nervousness Depression, apathy Confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory problems Insomnia or restless sleep Extreme sensitivity to noise or pain Autism Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s disease Muscles, Nerves & Movement Chronic muscle tension Muscle spasms, cramps, tics, or tremors (hands, legs, feet, face) Teeth grinding Tension or migraine headaches Clumsiness or poor coordination Chronic fatigue syndrome / fibromyalgia Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health Irregular or rapid heartbeat High blood pressure Blood clots Congestive heart failure Heart disease Insulin resistance, diabetes, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome Digestive & Immune Health Allergies or asthma Autoimmune disease Candida or yeast infections…

Many different nutrients are involved in managing blood sugar. If you are deficient in even one, your blood sugar regulation will be impaired. This is why it’s so important to cover the basics by taking a good multivitamin, and getting the right fats (especially the essential fatty acids) and enough vitamin C and vitamin D, all of which are critical for healthy blood sugar regulation. Best of all would be our Ultimate Wellness Kit. If you have chronically high blood sugar, you are especially at risk for nutrient deficiencies in some of the very nutrients required for healthy blood sugar control. Even in controlled diabetes, blood sugar levels frequently spike to 160-170 mg/dL after meals. The body gets rid of high levels of sugar like these with excessive urination. This removes unwanted sugar, but also depletes the body of water-soluble vitamins and minerals (all the B vitamins, for example, which are so important in energy production). A seminal 1987 study found diabetics defici…

Old man winter is right around the corner. That means most of us will likely be hit by a variety of cold or flu viruses. However, just because we’re exposed to them does not mean we are destined to catch them. In fact, by strengthening our immune system, almost anyone can fight off seasonal viruses. What’s the best thing you can do to boost your body’s defenses? It’s no secret that reliable ol’ vitamin C is our perennial favorite for keeping you healthy in this change of seasons. And for good reason. This essential nutrient works nothing short of a miracle as it pumps antioxidant protection into your body’s cells. In fact, during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, scientist discovered antioxidants such as vitamin C held the key to preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs. And, other studies have shown vitamin C particularly effective at fighting both swine and avian flu. Of course, there is significant research including this study showing vitamin C can reduce ordina…

All parents want their children to be healthy. The question is: what’s the most important thing can we do to boost the immunity of our little ones so they stay disease-free? Hands down, our best recommendation is to provide the maximum amount of vitamin C in their daily diet. What makes Vitamin C so special? For starters, vitamin C is a powerful reducing agent, meaning it readily donates electrons to recipient molecules, making it a powerful antioxidant that works to keep disease out of cells in the first place. That’s critically important to the most fragile of us, our children. That’s why we recommend kids get plenty of vitamin C in their diet so seasonal viruses like colds and flus don’t put a damper on school and play. In fact, vitamin C ranks as one of the best defenders against cellular malfunction—the only “real” disease—caused by nutritional deficiencies or toxicity. Studies show that vitamin C can reduce the duration of colds up to 14%. In other words, it can boos…

How can you tell if you’re deficient in essential fatty acids (EFAs)? Here are some clues. There are two families of EFAs, the omega 6s and the omega 3s. Omega 6 Deficiency Dry, flakey skin is the cardinal sign that you aren’t getting enough omega 6, which maintains the skin barrier against excessive water loss. Your skin should be soft and velvety, but water loss can lead to “alligator skin,” “chicken skin,” thick patches of skin, cracked skin (especially on heels or fingertips), or frequent nosebleeds. Also look for brittle nails that break easily; dry eyes; dry, dull and unmanageable hair; dandruff or hair loss; itchy skin, eczema and other skin lesions. Canker sores in your mouth may be another sign. Water Loss can lead to excessive thirst. Other signs of deficiency include poor immunity, wounds that are slow to heal, PMS and other reproductive problems, kidney malfunction, joint pain and heart beat abnormalities. Omega 3 Deficiency Fatigue can be caused by many thin…

Necessary for the function of more than 300 different enzymes, zinc is “essential for virtually all processes in the human body.” But even though Mother Nature wisely put a little zinc into most foods, it’s still easy to come up short. Known as the cold-fighting mineral, zinc is needed for every aspect of immune function. Zinc is also used in the synthesis and function of DNA and RNA, making it essential for reproduction and growth. It’s needed for neurological, eye, and heart health, and for healthy bones and glucose metabolism. Vitamin A can’t function without it. Zinc reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, supports detoxification, and plays roles in digestion, metabolism and protein synthesis. But like other minerals, zinc is significantly depleted in US soils: A carrot today may have 95% less zinc than a carrot grown sixty years ago. Phosphate fertilizers and sewage sludge used in conventional agriculture are also highly contaminated with cadmium, which competes with zin…