The life expectancy in the United States is currently 77 years of age. Yet the quality of life for senior citizens in this country is one of the poorest in the world.
There are a host of different reasons why this is so, but I believe there is something to be learned from the example of people in other countries and cultures who are consistently living much longer lives with a much higher quality of life to boot.
Anti-aging is the new “niche” in medicine and treatments, including supplements and “superfoods.” It’s a big market: 90% of our health care funds are spent on the last 2-3 years of life and 50% of all health care monies are spent on the degenerative and chronic conditions associated with aging.
Doctors are still arguing about what “anti-aging” means. Some believe that it means extending the life span; others believe it is about quality of life in later years. More and more, people understand “anti-aging” treatments and research to mean improvements in both quality and quantity of life.
Currently, protocols rely on a mouse model to choose what drugs and treatments to fund for cancer research. Former cancer researcher Homer Pearce says that these models are “woefully inadequate” and points out that “if you look at the millions and millions and millions of mice that have been cured, and you compare that to the relative success, or lack thereof, that we’ve achieved in the treatment of metastatic disease clinically, you realize that there just has to be something wrong with those models.”
A million and a half Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2009, not including 1 million unreported cases of squamous skin cell cancer. Half a million Americans will die of cancer this year, about 1500 a day.
The crazy thing is…cancer research has been going on for about 35 years! As Clifton Leaf pointed out in his 2004 Fortune Magazine article “Why We’re Losing the War on Cancer [and How We Can Win It]”: it took only 6 years from the time the theory of nuclear fission was presented to the bombing of Hiroshima. It took only 11 years from the creation of NASA to get our men on the moon and it took only 18 years for scientists to sequence the entire human genome!
If you have followed my recent articles, you’ve heard me talk about endocrine-distruptors. They are compounds that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body and throw off hormonal balances. Today, it seems that sources of endocrine-disruptors are everywhere: our food, our water and household products we use everyday.
The endocrine system is delicately balanced and intricately arranged. Every hormone is affected by the level of another. Hormonal imbalances have wide-ranging health effects.
Make sure you have read Raw Milk Myths Part 1 and Raw Milk Myths Part 2. If you have, we’ll move onto the 3rd myth:
Myth #3: Pasteurization is in everyone’s best interest.
This argument is the one legislators and health officials used in the early 1900’s when sanitary regulation of dairy producers was lacking. Today, the practice of pasteurization helps mega-farms to maintain inhumane animal practices, produce inferior product and preserve plenty of profit and power.
1. Vitamin D is inextricably linked to your overall health.
“Low vitamin D status is linked to a number of different conditions. These include certain cancers, muscle weakness and types I and II diabetes—possibly even schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis,” says Professor James Fleet, of Purdue University.
Vitamin D isn’t just about strong bones. It plays a role in cardiovascular disease, estrogen excess, brain cell growth and the inflammatory immune response.
We hear a lot about how important it is to include fiber in our diet but many of us don’t understand why we don’t get enough, what good sources of fiber are, or how fiber can help us.
The “Western diet” is made up of mostly highly processed and refined foods. White bread, white rice and processed pastas are stripped of dietary fiber. Canned vegetables instead of fresh and raw, fruit juice instead of whole fruit, refined cereals instead of whole grains…our bodies are literally starving for fiber.
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
Many of you may not realize that I have been passionate about exercise for 41 years. Ever since I first read Dr. Ken Cooper’s book Aerobics, I was hooked. Unfortunately, for over 30 years I primarily pursued aerobic type of exercises. Nevertheless I have been exercising regularly since then.
By Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD
Originally printed at Weston A. Price
Hypercholesterolemia is the health issue of the 21st century. It is actually an invented disease, a “problem” that emerged when health professionals learned how to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. High cholesterol exhibits no outward signs–unlike other conditions of the blood, such as diabetes or anemia, diseases that manifest telltale symptoms like thirst or weakness–hypercholesterolemia requires the services of a physician to detect its presence. Many people who feel perfectly healthy suffer from high cholesterol–in fact, feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol!
By Alan C. Logan, ND, FRSH
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are considered essential because they cannot be synthesized by the human body. Dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids include plants (particularly flax, canola, walnuts and hemp) and fish (particularly ocean fish such as sardines, anchovies, salmon and mackerel). Plants contain the parent omega- 3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which can be converted into eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).
When a study revealed that mercury in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands of kids, the government rushed to conceal the data — and to prevent parents from suing drug companies for their role in the epidemic.
by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In June 2000, a group of top government scientists and health officials gathered for a meeting at the isolated Simpsonwood conference center in Norcross, Ga. Convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting was held at this Methodist retreat center, nestled in wooded farmland next to the Chattahoochee River, to ensure complete secrecy.
Got milk? It does a body good, right? Milk is likened to a super-food. In fact, it is considered a nearly perfect food because of its abundance of protein (which contains all of the essential amino acids,) carbohydrates, fats and array of vitamins.
The Masai tribe in Africa consume up to 7 quarts of the stuff a day and have virtually no heart disease, diabetes, arthritis or atherosclerosis. The French eat plenty of cheeses, creams and other dairy products and have one of the lowest rates of coronary heart disease among industrialized nations.
Gerber, Playtex, Evenflo, Avent and Dr. Brown’s are the defendants in a billion-dollar class action suit filed in 2007. The suit is over bisphenol A (BPA), the harmful endocrine disruptor in hard plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, toys and the lining of infant formula containers.
Although the FDA claims that the BPA levels contained in the hard plastics that we commonly use are safe, the agency’s own scientific advisory board is criticizing the proclamation. Why? Because the claim is based on two studies funded by the American Plastics Council.
Probiotics are one of the latest health crazes and manufacturers are cashing in on the consumer trend. You can find “healthy probiotics” labeling on more than yogurt; this marketing ploy is appearing on products like relish and even pizza!
Probiotic purchases tripled from 1994-2003, sales in 2005 have been estimated at $764 million and the market is estimated to reach $1 billion by 2010.
Unfortunately for us, many of these products won’t give you the health benefits they claim. Of the hundreds of probiotic products in the supermarket today, only “15-20 have clinical studies behind them,” says a microbiology professor from Lawson Research Institute.
by Stephen Byrnes, ND, RNCP
One of the most healthy whole foods you can include in your diet is butter.
“What?!” I can hear many of you saying, “Isn’t butter bad for you? I thought margarine and spreads were better because they’re low in saturated fat and cholesterol?”
A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics (January 2005;146(1):105-11) uncovered another contributing factor to the rising childhood obesity rates: The amount of added sugars in your child’s diet. The well-being of preschoolers is being seriously compromised as those who consumed higher amounts of added sugars in their diets were reported to receive less calories from healthy food sources such as those rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. This means the more added sugars from sodas and sweets in kids’ diets, the fewer the number of good nutrients their bodies get in order to remain healthy.
Do you drive the extra mile or spend the extra buck to buy natural personal products? Organic toothpaste?Botanical shampoos? People have a tendency to believe that “natural” means “safe,” but this isn’t always true.
The Food and Drug Administration says labels that say “natural,” “safe,” “recommended” or “tested” are marketing terms that can “mean anything or nothing at all.” Manufacturers aren’t required to provide proof of these claims.
What brand of shaving cream do you use? Makeup? If its on the shelf it must be safe, right? Think again. According to the Environmental Working Group, “there are currently 10,500 ingredients documented by the FDA as being used in personal care products. Only 11% (or 1,155) have been assessed for safety by the cosmetic industry.”
This topic seems to be in the back of every man’s mind these days. With cases of prostate cancer on the rise, it’s great to know that what you eat will decrease your risk of ever getting prostate cancer.
I’m sure you’ve all heard the news reports about Michael Jackson’s abuse of prescription painkillers. Here’s a news report with all the basic info:
“Reports of prescription drug abuse have dogged Michael Jackson for much of his career, and now a close associate has come forward to talk about the late singer’s battle with addiction.
It blows my mind to see so many people, even in the “health” spectrum, still drinking sodas (much less the diet varieties which use toxic, artificial sweeteners). I know many people think the diet versions will help them lose weight, but the statistics actually show that GAINING weight is associated with drinking diet sodas.
In a recent post I talked about how fish oil works even better than Ritalin for the treatment of ADHD. I realize, though, that many people will still not be convinced to take their children off these meds if they see them working. Medications will treat the symptoms of the condition, and will admittedly work faster than a natural method, but they are not taking care of the root causes. And they are changing your child’s brain long term. Seems the risks are far outweighing any perceived benefits.
While birth control pills are indeed effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies, the risks far outweigh the benefits as far as your health is concerned. If you are currently using birth control of any kind (the pill, shots, the patch, etc.), I cannot urge you strongly enough to stop using them immediately. There are many other safer ways to prevent pregnancy.
So many children (and even adults) are being diagnosed with Attention-Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) these days. And almost all of them are being prescribed dangerous, mind-altering medications like Ritalin.
But fish oil actually improves the symptoms of ADHD without any of the side effects of drugs like Ritalin and Concerta–and does it even more effectively.
I’ve had many people ask me when is the best time to exercise. The answer to that question is: first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Here’s why:
Whether your goal is to win an Olympic gold medal or to have 120 years of incredible health running triathlons at 90 years old, eating healthy is key to living a maximized life. Most people think they are eating healthy, but truthfully are deficient in most aspects of their diet. If you want to live disease free and perform at the highest levels possible, here are some secrets to help you reach your full health potential.
by Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege
In recent years soy has emerged as a ‘near perfect’ food, with supporters claiming it can provide an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis, among other things. But how did such a ‘perfect’ food emerge from a product that in 1913 was listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product?
by Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon
Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet; they also provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances. Fats as part of a meal slow down absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat- soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption and for a host of other processes.
When it comes to feeding your baby, there is nothing more important to your child’s health than breastfeeding. Mother’s breast milk has the perfect combination of vitamins and minerals ideal for the health of your child. For years, doctor’s and manufacturers have tried to design a product equal to breast milk, but studies have shown that nothing compares to real mother’s milk.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.
