Every summer we warn against using sunscreens. First, sunscreens contain toxic ingredients. Some are better than others, but we haven’t found a single one we’d want to use or recommend. Second, sunscreens are designed to block out the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This prevents sunburn, but it also blocks out many of the sun’s benefits. We’ve been sold a bill of goods on sunlight being dangerous. Sunlight is essential to our health and well-being. While too much sun can give you a sunburn, too much of anything can be harmful. Used intelligently, sunlight is nourishing and energizing. Our bodies convert the sun’s rays into vitamin D. Sunlight increases production of the “happy hormones” that prevent anxiety and depression, it enhances immunity, and increases the oxygen content in our blood. It helps to prevent and reverse cancer. Sunlight has even been shown to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, and to heal wounds and any number of skin diseases. So what is “intelli…

Our bodies are designed to maintain us at a weight that is perfect for us (although perhaps not perfect by fashion model standards) by telling us when we’re hungry, what we’re hungry for, and when we’ve had enough. But while some people just naturally eat this way, many of us have become desensitized to our body’s signals and need to relearn Intuitive Eating (IE).In the past twenty years, IE has been the subject of many of scientific studies. They’ve found that rejecting diets, being supported to love and accept ourselves as we are and learning to trust our own intuition when it comes to food choices lead to substantial gains in emotional well-being and quality of life. IE also greatly reduces risks for compulsive eating, binge eating and other eating disorders, and it’s been linked to lower weight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels independent of weight loss, and increased glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. For those who are re-learning IE, Dr. Steven C. Straus, MD, sugge…

The strongest and most hard-working muscle in your body, your heart is also associated with vulnerability . . . and for good reason.  Powerhouse though it may be, the heart is living tissue that requires proper nourishment. A nutrient called coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is essential for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Yet it’s quite possible your CoQ10 levels are suboptimal, leading to a condition that underlies many heart problems called “energy-starved heart.” Every cell in your body contains hundreds of little energy factories called mitochondria. CoQ10 facilitates various chemical reactions in the mitochondria’s energy-producing process. Simply put, when you lack CoQ10, you lack energy. Your muscles, including your heart, may be ready, willing and able, but there’s just not enough fuel in the tank. Even minor deficiencies in CoQ10 can impair heart function and eventually damage the heart itself. CoQ10 plays yet another crucial role in cardiovascular health: Keeping…

If you’re someone who thinks you don’t have to worry about getting a heart attack because your cholesterol levels are within the desired range, think again. Half of those who’ve had a heart attack had exemplary cholesterol levels at the time! A much more meaningful number to be aware of and to control is your level of oxidized LDL cholesterol, and a new test can tell you that all-important number.     LDL (low-density lipoprotein), sometimes referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, can’t cause heart attacks or strokes unless it becomes oxidized.  While doctors have been measuring LDL for a long time, it’s only been recently that a test that measures oxidized LDL has become widely available.  Chemically, oxidation occurs when an electron is stolen from a molecule by a “pro-oxidant.” Oxidation can become quite damaging in our bodies if it isn’t balanced by the presence of compounds called “antioxidants,” which supply missing electrons and protect molecules…

We’ve been praising coconut oil for almost a decade now, and we searched the world to find the very finest coconut oil available, which we carry Beyond Health Coconut Oil. So, we were pleased to see an article online listing 20 benefits of this amazing stuff. Apparently coconut oil has “come into its own,” since the article begins, “You’ve no doubt noticed that coconut oil is on everyone’s lips . . . and in their frying pans, smoothies, hair, and in a little jar on their nightstand. What underlies coconut oil’s recent popularity is the sheer amount of benefits to mind, body and soul that it promises, and research shows that adding coconut oil to your diet and your person could be one of the easiest ways to improve your health, well-being, appearance, and even your sex life.”So without further ado, here are author Grant Stoddard’s 20 benefits of coconut oil: Capric acid in coconut oil increases energy and reduce food consumption. Lauric acid in coconut oil kills bacteria,…