How WHOLE Turmeric Heals the Damaged Brain

Brain regeneration: long considered a feat impossible to accomplish, compelling research now reveals ...

Posted on: 

Sunday, August 18th 2019 at 12:15 pm

Written By: 

Sayer Ji, Founder

This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2019
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Brain regeneration: long considered a feat impossible to accomplish, compelling research now reveals how a simple spice might contribute to stimulating the stem-cell mediated repair of the damaged brain

Turmeric is hands down one of the, if not the, most versatile healing spice in the world with over 800 experimentally confirmed health benefits, and an ancient history filled with deep reverence for its seemingly compassionate power to alleviate human suffering. It may also represent the pharmaceutical industry's single most existential threat, given that the preliminary science signals turmeric is at least as effective as 14 drugs, and orders of magnitude safer as far as toxicological risk.

That said, most of the focus of turmeric research over the past decade has been centered on only one of its many hundreds of phytocompounds: namely, the primary polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin which gives the spice its richly golden hue. This curcumin-centric focus has lead to the development of some very good products, such as phospholipid bound curcumin concentrate (e.g. Meriva, BCM-95) which greatly helps to increase the absorption and bio-activity of curcumin. But, curcumin isolates are only capable of conferring a part of turmeric's therapeutic power - and therein lies the limitation and hubris of the dominant model where the focus is on isolating the presumably primary "magic bullet ingredient."

Indeed, it has become typical within the so-called nutraceutical industry to emulate the pharmaceutical model, which focuses on identifying a particular "monochemical" tree within the forest of complexity represented by each botanical agent, striving to standardize the delivery of each purported 'active ingredient' with each serving, as if it were a pharmaceutical drug. These extraction and isolation processes also generates proprietary formulas which are what manufacturers want to differentiate their product from all others and henceforth capture a larger part of the market share; a value proposition that serves the manufacturer and not the consumer/patient.

Truth be told, there is no singular 'magic bullet' in foods and herbs responsible for reproducing the whole plant's healing power. There are, in fact, in most healing plants or foods hundreds of compounds orchestrated by the intelligent 'invisible hand' of God or 'Nature,' or whatever you wish to call it, and which can never be reduced to the activity of a singularly quantifiable phytocompound or chemical.

Beyond The Curcumin 'Magic Bullet' Meme

Not long ago, a highly compelling study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy provided additional support for the concept that curcumin alone is not enough to explain the healing power of turmeric as a whole plant. The study found that a little known, fat-soluble component within turmeric - Ar-tumerone - may make "a promising candidate to support regeneration in neurologic disease."

Titled, "Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo," German researchers evaluated the effects of this turmeric-derived compound on neural stem cells (NSCs) - the subgroup of brain cells capable of continuous self-renewal required for brain repair.

The study found that when brain cells were exposed to ar-tumerone, neural stem cells increased in number through enhanced proliferation. Moreover, these newly formed neural stem cells also increased the number of fully differentiated neuronal cells, indicating a healing effect was taking place. This effect was also observed in a live animal model, showing that rats injected with ar-tumerone into their brains experienced increases in neural stem cell proliferation and the creation of newly formed healthy brain cells.

This study did not go unnoticed by major medical news channels. Here are some good reviews if you wish to explore the implications in greater depth:

• Newsweek: Curry Power: Turmeric Compound Boosts Growth of Brain's Stem Cells
• Guardian Liberty Voice: Turmeric Cure Evidence Grows
• Monthly Prescribing Reference: Turmeric May Help Regenerate Brain Cells
• Times of Malta: Turmeric Link to Brain Cell Repair
• Medical Daily: Turmeric Helps Your Brain Heal Itself: Spice Up Your Brain

The GreenMedInfo.com Turmeric Database Confirms It's Brain-Saving Power!

As you may already know, our database is the world's most extensive open access natural medical database on over 1,600 different natural substances, with over 2700 study abstracts on turmeric's healing properties indexed thus far: view the Turmeric research page here to view! (Watch the video below for more details about our public resource).

If you take a look at the laundry list of over 800 diseases that this spice (or its components, e.g. curcumin) has been studied for to prevent and/or treat, the sheer volume of supportive literature is astounding. Amazingly, we have identified over 270 physiological pathways - according to their conventional pharmacological characterization, e.g. COX-2 inhibitor, Interleukin 6 down-regulator - by which turmeric or its components heals the human body. In addition, you will find over 217 articles on turmeric's neuroprotective properties on this page: Turmeric as a Neuroprotective agent. (Find out how we generate these results in the video below)

The research clearly indicates that turmeric is a great brain supportive plant. For a more layperson oriented review, read the following articles:

• How Turmeric Can Save the Aging Brain From Dementia
• Turmeric Produces 'Remarkable' Recovery in Alzheimer's Patients
• The Spice That Prevents Fluoride From Destroying Your Brain

How To Get The Most Out of Your Turmeric

One of the most frequent questions we field is 'what is the best type of turmeric or curcumin to use'? Obviously, given the aforementioned research, the whole plant is going to carry a wider range of therapeutic compounds than curcumin alone. And yet, most have been heavily enculturated to focus entirely on the 'how much' question, opting to identify the molecular weight (i.e. how many milligrams in a serving) of a particular compound as more important than the qualitative dimensions (e.g. is it organic? It is delivered within its natural context as food or a whole plant?) which reflect the type of nutrigenomic information the substance contains, and therefore the 'intelligence' it embodies. 


To learn more about the intelligence of food watch my e-course with Ayurvedic master herbalist KP Khalsa, which is available (along with a database of educational videos) for free as a member.
And really, there is no generic answer to a generic question about the best way to take turmeric/curcumin. The question always comes from an individual with a particular need, and so, recommendations must be bio-individualized.

For instance, if you have colonic inflammation or polyps, and you are trying to use turmeric to reduce inflammation there or regress precancerous growths, then using the whole plant is best versus a highly bioavailable form of curcumin in capsule form (e.g. Meriva), for instance, which will likely be absorbed by the small intestine and mostly pass through the liver never getting adequate quantities to the large intestine. So, in this person's case taking a teaspoon of relatively difficult to absorb turmeric may result in painting the diseased surfaces of that person's intestinal or colonic lumen with exactly the form needed to reverse disease.

But what if you have someone who wants to experience a systemic effect, say, for arthritis or for brain cancer? In these instances, getting turmeric compounds such as curcumin through the glucuronidation barrier in the liver with a phospholipid-bound or black pepper (piperine) combination could be ideal. There is certainly a place for the 'nutraceutical' model when properly applied, especially when provided as an adjuvant to the pharmaceutical model within an integrative medical setting.

Ultimately, the goal is not to wait to have such a serious health problem that you have to force yourself to take a 'heroic dose' of any herb or food extract. Better is to use small amounts in culinary doses in combination with ingredients that synergize on a physiochemical/informational and sensual basis (producing the all important vitamin P [pleasure] as well!). Recently we actually featured a study that showed culinary doses of rosemary helped improve memory whereas higher 'heroic' doses impaired it!

This is why exploring the use of turmeric in curries, or by adding a pinch in a smoothie, may be an ideal daily supplementation approach, versus capsules, whose questionably 'natural' capsules and excipients all can add up to cause some stress on the liver you are trying to protect with these natural interventions. Just remember quality is everything and less can be more!

Originally published: 2018-11-20

Article updated: 2019-08-18

https://www.greenmedinfo.health/blog/how-whole-turmeric-heals-damaged-brain-1

Safe, Natural Tips for Cancer Patients! - Video

Information Time: 11:55
Added: 10/24/2012 Views: 4835

 They're also things than anyone can do to improve overall health. Naturopath and nutritionist David Getoff goes through a number of steps that he uses with his own cancer patients to help them try and improve their health while battling the disease.

http://www.ihealthtube.com/aspx/viewvideo.aspx?v=127c3d19997a7ae0

Dr Mercola's Thanksgiving Message

This Thanksgiving, I Give Thanks to You and All of Our Health Liberty Partners

Story at-a-glance

• This Thanksgiving, as you consider what you’re truly thankful for, I would like to thank you and all of our phenomenal Health Liberty partners, and share some of our joint successes
• Health Liberty is a nonprofit coalition formed by Mercola.com, National Vaccine Information Center, Fluoride Action Network, Institute for Responsible Technology, Organic Consumers Association, and Consumers for Dental Choice
• We are committed to taking a leadership role in removing many of the corporate barriers to you and your family achieving optimal health
• We hope that with our continuous service, you will stay motivated to take control of your health. Because ultimately, “having your health” is something that will fill you with gratitude for the rest of your life!

By Dr. Mercola 

Besides sharing time with family and friends over food, the primary ingredient of the American Thanksgiving holiday is, of course, gratitude.  

This year, Thanksgiving Day is also the first day of Hanukkah¹ — an extremely rare convergence that will not occur again for 79,043 years! The last time it happened was in 1888. So for Jewish Americans, November 28 may be doubly festive this year. 

As you take a moment to consider what you’re truly thankful for, and share it with those you love, I would like to share my gratitude for you, and all of our phenomenal Health Liberty partners.  

Health Liberty is a nonprofit coalition formed by Mercola.com, National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), Fluoride Action Network (FAN), Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), Organic Consumers Association (OCA), and Consumers for Dental Choice. 

Each partner-organization has a rich history of advocacy and active campaigning for change and better access to truly empowering health information. Together, we’re making great strides toward improving a number of broken systems and health-harming practices:

• The outdated use of dangerous mercury in dentistry
• Water fluoridation
• Forced vaccinations
• Unlabeled genetically engineered foods
• The agricultural and food system that promotes unhealthy processed foods while trying to literally outlaw healthy whole organic foods  

Throughout the year, we’ve spearheaded and supported a number of fundraising events for our partner organizations in order to help them continue with their mission to improve people’s health. In return, they’ve been dogged and tireless in their efforts to do just that. I cannot imagine where we’d all be without them. 

I  Am Thankful for a Treaty Where Every Signing Nation Must Act against Amalgam 

For starters, the Campaign for Mercury-Free Dentistry, organized and led by Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice, beat tremendous opposition to get dental amalgam into the international mercury treaty this year. 

The treaty, named the  Minamata Convention on Mercury, requires action against mercury in many fronts -- mining (including gold mining, which uses mercury), power plants, industrial uses, and products.  In a decade’s time -- if the treaty is enforced; always a big “if” -- our world can see a substantial diminution of man-made mercury.  

Importantly, the treaty is being hailed as marking the beginning of the end for dental amalgam around the world, as it mandates that each nation phase down amalgam use. Specifically, each country must do at least two phase down steps listed in the treaty. The most constructive and efficient of those phase-down steps include:

• Promoting mercury-free alternatives
• Changing dental school curriculum and re-train dentists
• Encouraging insurance programs to favor mercury-free dental restorations over amalgam

It took three years; encompassing five negotiation sessions with all the nations, 15 regional sessions, dozens of papers and reports, and hundreds of meetings with individual governments to make sure dental amalgam made it into the treaty.  

The treaty will take effect once it’s been signed by 50 nations—a task that can typically take three or four years. In this case, the Zero Mercury Working Group has launched a campaign to get it ratified by 50 nations (and hence take effect) in just two years.  

Three weeks ago, the United States became the first nation to ratify this treaty.  What a stunning turnaround, since the US generally does not ratify treaties on toxins at all!  This action bodes well for speeding up the ratification process in other nations-- and for accelerating the worldwide campaign against dental mercury.

Thank You for Raising GMO Awareness Across the United States! 

Two of my partners, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), have been instrumental for helping raise awareness about the dangers of genetically engineered foods and their prevalence in the market place.

And even though two state initiatives were lost—California and Washington State—to the very deep pockets of the food industry and producers of genetically engineered seeds, the amount of discussion and awareness those two campaigns have raised is priceless.  

Since the inception of genetically engineered seed, the food industry has avoided discussion about these unnatural alterations to our food supply, and these state labeling initiatives have forced the issue, placing it front and center in the mind of millions.   

In many ways, we’re actually “winning by losing.” With each state ballot, more and more Americans are being educated on this issue, and are becoming savvy to the unsavory, and sometimes illegal, activities these companies engage in just to keep you in the dark about what’s in your food. It’s only a matter of time before this war is won, and we vow not to quit until it is. Some of the state initiatives currently in the works include:

• New Hampshire: HB 660² would require labeling of “any human or animal food offered for retail sale” as of July 1, 2014.
• Oregon: GMO Free Oregon has plans to begin collecting signatures to get a GMO labeling initiative on the 2014 ballot.³
• Hawaii County, Hawaii: Bill 113⁴ would ban GMO crops from being grown on the island, with exceptions for some GE crops that are already being cultivated. 
• Richmond, California: The Richmond city council is drafting an ordinance that would require genetically engineered foods sold in its jurisdiction to be labeled.⁵

 

I’m Grateful for Our Tireless Advocates for Safer Drinking Water  

After generations of misleading propaganda about the benefits of water fluoridation, the truth is finally getting some traction. Contrary to popular belief, the science clearly demonstrates that fluoride is a toxic chemical that accumulates in your tissues over time, wreaks havoc with enzymes, and produces a number of serious adverse health effects, including neurological and endocrine dysfunction. Children are particularly at risk for adverse effects of overexposure. 

Yet despite the scientific evidence against the practice, the United States lags far behind other nations in acknowledging the mistake and ending this tragic “public health” measure. As usual, the big lie must continue to protect faith in long term public health policies and agencies... 

Alas, the dam is starting to break, and fed up with government stonewalling, individual communities around the US have taken up the fight to end water fluoridation in their own local areas. Tirelessly aiding such communities is Dr. Paul Connett PhD, a chemist and executive director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). He’s a recognized leader in the fluoride education movement, spearheading the organized efforts to remove fluoride from our water supply in the US and elsewhere.  

Earlier this year, we’ve seen a number of victories, both in the US and abroad, including Wichita, Kansas, Portand, Oregon, where water fluoridation was ousted. Portland is so important because it is the largest city in the US that remains unfluoridated. In Australia, 15 regional Queensland councils have decided to either stop fluoridation or have refused to start.

Thank Heavens for Vaccine Liberty Fighters 

When it comes to fighting for your right to informed consent and be warned of vaccine risks, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is without equal in the US. If it wasn’t for the dedication of the NVIC team, far more people would likely suffer the unspeakable tragedy that is vaccine damage. 

The power of personal choice is part of the definition of liberty, and the removal of choice—especially when it comes to medicine, which can have long-term health ramifications—is part of the very definition of tyranny. Today, there is no greater threat to liberty in America than the government enforced use of pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines, sold by corporations for profit. 

The large gaps in scientific knowledge about the damage that repeated vaccination from day of birth throughout life could be doing to a child’s brain and immune system has turned current vaccine laws into a forced, uncontrolled scientific experiment on the American population. But matters would likely be far worse if it wasn’t for NVIC’s continuous advocacy for your right to be informed about the risks and to choose whether those risks are acceptable in your, or your child’s, case. In many instances the NVIC is the only pro-choice group present at important meetings relating to proposed vaccine rules. 

Mercola.com recently sponsored the NVIC multi-state billboard campaign, which involved placing educational vaccine awareness ads in several cities including Chicago, Phoenix, Tucson, Portland, Olympia, and Austin, allowing us to reach over 10 million people. But there is so much more to be done in this arena, so I invite you to get involved. Nothing could possibly express your gratitude for these “liberty fighters” more than to join them.  

YOU—The Greatest Gift of All 

Last but certainly not least, I am grateful for you—for reading, absorbing, implementing, and sharing the information in this newsletter each day, and for time and time again responding to the call to action from all of these partner organizations. It is with YOUR support that their work is being accomplished. It is through YOUR participation and engagement in important issues that change is being manifested. YOU are the ones changing the world—one Facebook post, Twitter share, and donation at a time.  

Never underestimate the impact you’re having. By itself, a singular voice may not be heard, as it can easily be drowned out by paid opposition. But add together the sound of millions of concerned, dedicated voices, and eventually it will become a deafening roar that cannot be ignored even by the most callous and corrupted decision makers. We have significant problems within our political system, our health system, and our food and agricultural systems. Some seem to be broken beyond repair. But the answer is not to give up, but rather to know that you can make a profound difference.  

Take heart in knowing that there are in fact people and organizations already hard at work to change these systems for the better. Let’s be thankful for them. And let’s not take them and their hard work for granted. Instead, join them and share the load. That’ll ease the burden for everyone.  

As for myself and my Mercola.com team, our social responsibility is to promote valuable health information, and it’s a mission we will never cease to fulfill. With your help, we have been able to help educate the public and to help you make informed health choices for yourselves and your families. We hope that with our continuous service, you will stay motivated to take control of your health. Because ultimately, “having your health” is something that will fill you with gratitude for the rest of your life!

[-] Sources and References

• ¹ Kansas City Star November 11, 2013
• ² New Hampshire House Bill 660
• ³ Northwest Public Radio November 6, 2013
• ⁴ Big Island Video News November 5, 2013
• ⁵ Richmond Confidential November 6, 2013

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/28/thanksgiving-2013.aspx?

How to Cut Your Risk of Cancer in Half - MUST WATCH

How to Cut Your Risk of Cancer in Half  - Dr Mercola


Uploaded on 27 Mar 2007

http://www.mercola.com/ Internationally renowned natural health physician Dr. Joseph Mercola talk about the amazing no cost way to radically reduce your risk of cancer and completely free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdSfuawgDiE

4:15 Never user commercial sunblocks or sunscreen - they contain toxic chemicals.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Shocking Update -- Sunshine Can Actually Decrease Your Vitamin D


Uploaded on 11 May 2009

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art... As you no doubt know, exposure to sunlight causes vitamin d to be produced in your skin. but it is only a portion of the solar spectrum known as uvb that has this effect. other parts of the solar spectrum can have very different results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1sTYuL-QsU

Stop Doing This with Your Cookware

You’re conscientious about keeping your kitchen clean. You wipe down countertops, clean crumbs off the table, and don’t let the dirty dishes pile up. It’s not just for looks – you also want to avoid harmful bacteria coming in contact with your food.

 

But while you’re busy keeping your kitchen free of germs, you may not be thinking about bone-damaging toxins that can get into your food no matter how clean you keep your kitchen.

In fact, if you use the most popular kind of cookware, you are exposing yourself to a dangerous bone-damaging chemical.

The Non-stick Cookware Revolution

When “non-stick cookware” came out in the 1960s, it was all the rage. Created by the bonding of aluminum and polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, this slick cooking surface was touted as the best innovation to come along for home cooks.

PTFE was trademarked as Teflon in 1945, and was used in the creation of the French product Tefal (known as T-fal in the US). In 1960, the FDA approved its use in American cookware.

Today, non-stick pots and pans are standard kitchen equipment. Health-conscious people have been especially attracted to this kind of cookware, because very little oil or fat is needed to keep food from sticking. But the sad irony is that the non-stick coating is anything but healthy; it can damage your health and your bones.

Fluoride: the Hidden Toxin in Your Kitchen

When you look at the chemical formula for common non-stick coating, you’ll notice that fluoride is lurking among the chemical terminology: polytetrafluoroethylene C2F4, or polytetrafluoroethene F2CCF2.

“Savers” already know that fluoride is used in pesticides and fertilizers and that its harmful effect on bones has been well-documented. Throughout the 80s and 90s, researchers confirmed over and over that fluoride accumulates in the bones and causes harm. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed these studies in 1993, it concluded that fluoride ingestion specifically increases the risk of hip fracture.¹

In The Missing Link, a detailed report on water included with the Save Our Bones Program, you’ll learn more about fluoride and the body of research that points to its detrimental effect on bones. The bottom line is, fluoride is a poison that has no place in food or water.

More Toxic Effects from Non-Stick Cookware: Pet Birds

Ask anyone who has birds in their home, and they’ve likely heard about the lethal outgassing of non-stick cookware. When heated, Teflon emits numerous toxic gases, some of which (like perfluoroisobutane) are actually used in chemical warfare. And studies have shown that the non-stick coating does not have to be heated to excessively high temperatures to start giving off these fumes – Teflon has been shown to begin degradation at temperatures below 400 degrees F.²

In the not-so-distant past, canaries were used in coal mines to test the air quality. People have known for a long time that if a bird can’t breathe, it indicates an unsafe environment for humans as well. Perhaps we should take the same wisdom and apply it to our kitchens!

It’s Not Just Teflon…

There are additional hazards lurking in various other kinds of cookware, too.

Ceramic Cookware and Lead Poisoning

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University discovered an alarming fact: ceramic cookware imported from China has dangerous levels of lead in the glaze. When foods are cooked in these ceramic vessels, lead leaches into the food at frighteningly high levels. In fact, the researchers found high levels of lead just from swabbing a lead-detecting solution on the glaze itself.³ Ceramic cookware imported from Mexico is also suspect.

Another popular and relatively high-end type of cookware is made of copper. But this, too, has been shown to be problematic.

 

Copper is No Longer the “Cadillac” of Cookware

Professional chefs and gourmets have long touted the use of copper for cooking, because it conducts heat evenly. But when you use pots and pans made of copper (not the kind with a copper coating on the bottom), the copper comes in contact with your food. The metal can then leach out in high amounts, causing significant digestive upset and a host of other health problems.

There’s yet another kind of cookware material that “Savers” will be familiar with: aluminum.

Aluminum Cookware Harms Bones

When you cook in aluminum pots and pans, the aluminum contaminates your food. And the higher the temperature, the higher the aluminum levels, especially when you cook high-acid foods like tomatoes.

Aluminum weakens bones. When it accumulates in the body, it wreaks havoc on bone remodeling and building. Aluminum actually impairs your body’s ability to absorb calcium into your bones, resulting in high blood calcium levels.

What Type of Cookware is Safe?

I recommend using stainless steel pots and pans for a variety of reasons. Stainless steel is nonporous, and it won’t leach any metals into your food. There is no coating on stainless steel cookware, making it scratch-resistant and very durable, and free from chemicals. You can use about any kind of utensil from metal spatulas to wooden spoons and not cause damage.

Look for These Features When Buying Stainless Steel Cookware

Not all stainless steel is the same. Look for pots and pans that have aluminum or copper cores inside, or copper lining on the outside. In both of these designs, the aluminum or copper does not come in contact with your food, but it still helps conduct and distribute heat. Another tip for purchasing stainless steel – make sure the handle feels sturdy and solid. Handles should also be heatproof.

 

It’s Easy to Prepare Bone-Healthy Foods!

Using stainless steel pots and pans is an easy way to ensure you’re not harming your bones and your health. And believe it or not, simple, home-cooked meals, rich in bone-building Foundation Foods, are a cinch to prepare. In the Save Our Bones Program you’ll find the complete Foundation Foods list, and the Recipe Sampler, which is included with the Program, has delicious bone-healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Here’s to your home cooked bone healthy meals!

Source:  http://saveourbones.com/stop-doing-this-with-your-cookware/

Also read from Healthwise:

1. Cookware That Won't Leech Poison into Your Food
2. Best Tips for Avoiding Toxins in Pots and Pans
3. Six Risky Chemicals You're Carrying in Your Body
4. Your Cookware Could Be Making You Sick!

What’s in Your Green Tea?

July 03, 2013                    

Story at-a-glance

• An analysis of green tea products found that antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) levels in bottled green tea can range from just 4 milligrams (mg) per cup to 47 mg, while brewable green tea (from tea bags, loose tea or a K-cup) contained levels ranging from 25 mg to 86 mg per serving
• Green tea brewed from loose tea leaves appeared to offer the most potent source of antioxidants like EGCG
• The analysis also found tea sourced from China contained up to 2.5 micrograms of lead per serving compared to no measurable amounts in brands that got their tea leaves from Japan
• When selecting tea of any kind, it should preferably be certified organic (to avoid pesticides) and grown in a pristine environment because tea is known to accumulate fluoride, heavy metals and other toxins from soil and water

By Dr. Mercola

Green tea, prized for many generations in China, Japan and even Britain, has made a name for itself in the US, where many now drink it daily due to its many associated health benefits. 

However, while green tea is recognized as an abundant source of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol, and other antioxidants, not all green teas are created equal. 

If you’re drinking green tea hoping to increase your antioxidant levels, you should know that some green tea brands contain very little antioxidants, while others may contain significant amounts of lead.

 

One Variety of Tea Tested Contained Almost No EGCG

EGCG is easily the most talked-about green tea compound. As one of the most powerful antioxidants known, the health benefits of EGCG include a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, glaucoma, high cholesterol and more. Several studies have also found that EGCG can improve exercise performance, increase fat oxidation, and may help prevent obesity, as it’s known to have a regulatory effect on fat metabolism.  

If you drink green tea, you probably assume you’re getting a healthful dose of EGCG with each cup, but new research shows that’s not necessarily the case. An analysis of the strength and purity of more than 20 green tea products by ConsumerLab.com found that EGCG levels in bottled green tea can range from just 4 milligrams (mg) per cup to 47 mg, while brewable green tea (from tea bags, loose tea or a K-cup) contained levels ranging from 25 mg to 86 mg per serving.¹ 

One variety, bottled Diet Snapple Green Tea, reportedly contained almost no EGCG, while Honest Tea Green Tea with Honey contained only about 60 percent of the 190 mg of catechins claimed on the label.² Added sugars or artificial sweeteners were also common in the bottled tea brands. 

 

This Type of Green Tea Contained the Most Antioxidants 

Green tea brewed from loose tea leaves appeared to offer the most potent source of antioxidants like EGCG. One variety, Teavana contained 250 mg of catechins per serving; green tea sold in bags from brands like Lipton and Bigelow contained lower levels, although represented a more cost-effective alternative. 

The different tea brands also varied significantly in the amount of caffeine the products contained. While some contained virtually none, others contained 86 mg per serving, which is similar to the amount of caffeine in a regular cup of coffee.

One green tea supplement even contained 130 mg of caffeine in a single capsule, which is more than is found in a cup of coffee! But higher antioxidant levels is only one reason why you may want to choose loose tea over bags…

 

Some Tea Bags May Leach Hazardous Compounds Into Your Tea  

Some tea bags are made with synthetic polymers, such as nylon, thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene. While these compounds have high melting points, the temperature at which the molecules in polymers begin to break down is always lower than the melting point, which could allow the bags to leach compounds of unknown health hazards into your tea when steeped in boiling water.  

Paper tea bags are also potentially problematic, as they are frequently treated with epichlorohydrin, which hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD when contact with water occurs. 3-MCPD is a carcinogen associated with food processing that has also been implicated in infertility and suppressed immune function. I recommend purchasing tea from manufacturers who can certify that their tea bags do not contain epichlorohydrin, and avoid plastic tea bags. Alternatively, you can opt for loose tea instead.

 

Why Your Green Tea Should Come From Japan, Not China 

Green tea plants are known to be especially effective at absorbing lead from the soil, which is then taken up into the plant’s leaves. Areas with excessive industrial pollution, such as China (where nearly 90% of the world’s green tea is produced),³ may therefore contain substantial amounts of lead.⁴

According to the ConsumerLab.com analysis, tea from brands like Lipton and Bigelow contained up to 2.5 micrograms of lead per serving compared to no measurable amounts in Teavana brand, which gets its tea leaves from Japan. 

While the lead in the tea leaves is not thought to leach very effectively into the tea you end up drinking, if you’re consuming Matcha green tea, one of my favorites, it’s especially important that it comes from Japan instead of China. Matcha tea contains the entire ground tea leaf, and can contain over 100 times the EGCG provided from regular brewed green tea.

That said, because you’re consuming the entire leaf, you want to be sure it comes from a non-polluted, high-quality source. The best Matcha green tea comes from Japan and is steamed, rather than roasted or pan-fried. As a result, Matcha green tea retains all the nutrient-rich value possible from the tea leaf, without additives or contaminants.

 

A Word of Warning About Fluoride in Tea 

Both black and green teas are naturally high in fluoride, even if organically grown without pesticides. This is because the plant readily absorbs fluoride thorough its root system, including naturally-occurring fluoride in the soil. According to fluoride expert Jeff Green, there are reports of people who have developed crippling skeletal fluorosis from drinking high amounts of iced tea alone.⁵ 

If you live in an area with fluoridated drinking water, as the majority of Americans do, then you could be getting a double dose of fluoride when you drink tea. When selecting tea of any kind, it should preferably be organic (to avoid pesticides) and grown in a pristine environment because, as mentioned, tea is known to accumulate fluoride, heavy metals and other toxins from soil and water, so a clean growing environment is essential to producing a pure, high-quality tea.  

 

What Does the Research Say About Drinking Tea? 

Although I still believe pure water should make up the majority of your daily fluid intake, high-quality tea has numerous health benefits to offer, which vary by type. In addition to Matcha tea, I personally enjoy Tulsi tea (aka Holy Basil tea), which is a powerful adaptogenic herb that provides important therapeutic benefits. There is also growing evidence that the polyphenols in tea, including EGCG and many others, may be protective against cancer. Beyond this, the beneficial properties in tea have been known to:

• Neutralize the effects to your body of harmful fats and oils
• Inhibit bacteria and viruses
• Improve digestion
• Protect against oxidation in your brain and liver
• Help promote healthy gums

Drinking tea has also been linked to: 

Improved mental alertness and slowing of brain-cell degeneration	Reduced blood pressure	Protection against type 2 diabetes
Lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels	Lower risk of breast, colon, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers	Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke

 

How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Loose-Leaf Tea 

Choosing high-quality tea is extremely important. As the ConsumerLab.com analysis showed, the type of tea you purchase can make all the difference in the amount of beneficial antioxidants it contains, with loose-leaf teas appearing to provide the most.  

There is an art to brewing tea using loose tea leaves, but once you find your “sweet spot” you may never go back to bagged tea again. Here are a few simple guidelines for making the “perfect” cup of tea:

• Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle (avoid using a non-stick pot, as this can release harmful chemicals when heated)
• Preheat your teapot or cup to prevent the water from cooling too quickly when transferred. Simply add a small amount of boiling water to the pot or tea up that you’re going to steep the tea in. Ceramic and porcelain retain heat well. Then cover the pot or cup with a lid. Add a tea cozy if you have one, or drape with a towel. Let stand until warm, then pour out the water
• Put the tea into an infuser, strainer, or add loose into the tea pot. Steeping without an infuser or strainer will produce a more flavorful tea. Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea, or follow the instructions on the tea package. The robustness of the flavor can be tweaked by using more or less tea
• Add boiling water. Use the correct amount for the amount of tea you added (i.e. for four teaspoons of tea, add four cups of water). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped:
• White or green teas (full leaf): Well below boiling (170-185°F or 76-85°C). Once the water has been brought to a boil, remove from heat and let the water cool for about 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves
• Oolongs (full leaf): 185-210°F or 85-98°C
• Black teas (full leaf) and Pu-erhs: Full rolling boil (212°F or 100°C)
• Cover the pot with a cozy or towel and let steep. Follow steeping instructions on the package. If there are none, here are some general steeping guidelines. Taste frequently as you want it to be flavorful but not bitter:
• Oolong teas: 4-7 minutes
• Black teas: 3-5 minutes
• Green teas: 2-3 minutes
• Once the desired flavor has been achieved you need to remove the strainer or infuser. If you're using loose leaves, pour the tea through a strainer into your cup and any leftover into another vessel (cover with a cozy to retain the heat)

[-] Sources and References

• ConsumerLab.com May 16, 2013
• NYTimes.com May 23, 2013

• ¹ ConsumerLab.com May 16, 2013
• ² NYTimes.com May 23, 2013
• ³ Tea Fact Sheet
• ⁴ Environ Pollut. 2006 Jan;139(1):125-32.
• ⁵ Am J Med. 2005 Jan;118(1):78-82.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/03/green-tea-benefits.aspx

The 10 worst toxins hidden in vitamins, supplements and health foods

Tuesday, March 26, 2013
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com



(NaturalNews) I'm absolutely shocked at how many people don't investigate what's really in the products they swallow. When something is sold as an herb, vitamin, superfood or supplement, they think it's automatically safe. And while the natural products industry has a truly remarkable safety record -- especially in contrast to the massive number of deaths caused by pharmaceuticals -- it still suffers from a lot of hidden toxins that are routinely used throughout the industry.

I know this because I've been an investigative journalist and activist in the natural health industry for over a decade. Natural News is arguably the most-read natural health news website in the world, reaching millions of readers a month. I've walked the floors of countless trade shows, conducted hundreds of interviews and spent tens of thousands of dollars on laboratory tests to determine what's in these products. On top of that, I'm deep into organic product formulations and certified organic food production, serving as the supervisor of a USDA-certified organic food production and packing facility.

When I look around the natural products industry, I see examples of super honest, high-integrity companies like Nature's Path and Dr. Bronner's. I also see an alarming number of cheats, crooks and charlatans who are only involved in the industry to profit from the explosion of interest in health supplements. In truth, some nutritional products are downright dangerous to your health. My role as a journalist and activist is to help you tell the difference between products that are GOOD for you vs. products that might actually be toxic. Because ultimately, I want you to be healthy, vibrant, intelligent and active. I want you to enjoy life and improve the quality of your life.

Be prepared to be shocked in reading what follows. After reviewing this list, you will probably throw out quite a few products in your refrigerator and pantry. Very few people are willing to tell you the truth revealed here, so some of this may come as a complete shock (see #1 and #2, below).

#1) Maltodextrin (from GM corn)

Let's start out with the big one first: If you pick up a natural product and the ingredients list says "maltodextrin," chances are very high that the maltodextrin in the product is derived from Monsanto's GM corn.

Virtually all the maltodextrin used throughout the natural products industry is genetically modified. Products that are certified USDA organic, however, are not using GMO maltodextrin.

The non-GMO, non-corn replacement for maltodextrin derived from GM corn is tapioca maltodextrin, and you'll find tapioca starch / maltodextrin in many certified organic, non-GMO products. Corn maltodextrin should be avoided unless it's certified USDA organic. Look for tapioca maltodextrin instead (or no maltodextrin at all).

#2) Vitamin C / acorbic acid (from GM corn)

Here's another whopper that's sure to open some eyes: Nearly all the "vitamin C" sold in vitamins across America right now is derived from GMO corn.

This means that many of the supplements sold at Whole Foods, the vitamins sold on Amazon.com, the pills at your local pharmacy, and especially the products at the grocery store are (nearly) all routinely made with genetically modified vitamin C. It's typically called "ascorbic acid," and nearly 100% of the ascorbic acid used in the natural products industry is derived from GMOs.

Sourcing non-GMO vitamin C requires you to go outside the United States. There is no existing supply chain of certified organic, non-GMO ascorbic acid available anywhere in America (at least not to my knowledge). You can't even run batches of non-GMO ascorbic acid production in the USA because all the facilities are contaminated with residues of GM corn.

Rest assured that all those cheap "vitamin C" pills sold at retail are derived from genetically modified corn.

#3) Hexane-extracted soy and rice proteins

Nearly 100% of the "natural" soy proteins sold in the USA are extracted in China using a hexane extraction method.

CLARIFICATION (updated): The primary manufacturer and distributor of brown rice protein in the USA, which imports brown rice protein processed in China, insists that hexane has never been used in the extraction of their product, not in the conventional brown rice protein nor their organic brown rice protein.

Their brown rice protein is a "hexane-free, non-GMO, Prop 65 compliant, Gamma Oryzanol-rich whole grain Oryzatein powder" and the manufacturer is Axiom. They supply a lot of the brown rice protein to numerous sources in the USA, and this is the best brown rice protein product available today, partially because it is NOT hexane extracted.

There is brown rice protein that's hexane extracted in China, however, but that's not carried by Axiom. So if you're buying anything with brown rice protein, make sure it's sourced from Axiom and not from another source that uses hexane. I also encourage you to eat only certified organic brown rice protein, not conventional brown rice protein.

Anything from China, by the way, should be double checked for metals content just to make sure it's all clean. This is true across the board for all food products from China, not just brown rice protein. We have consistently found nutritional products from China to be contaminated with worrisome levels of metals, which is why I personally won't put my brand name on anything from China other than a few exceptions that are well-tested such as goji berries (grown in the Himalayas). The Axiom company says their brown rice protein tests completely clean, but until I run those tests myself, I can't say for sure whether I concur with the claims.

What the industry really needs right now is a U.S. manufacturer of brown rice protein, for which a multi-million dollar market already exists. If Axiom would find a certified organic U.S. grower for its brown rice protein, the company would receive a huge endorsement from Natural News and probably find a whole new wave of demand from consumers who want U.S. grown products. Texas, by the way, produces a lot of organic brown rice. Surely there must be a way to extract the protein in America and not have to go all the way to China to find this.

On the issue of soy protein, no one disputes the fact that it's routinely extracted with hexane. Here's a list of many of the protein bar brands currently using soy protein:
http://www.naturalnews.com/032862_soy_protein_food_bars.html

Hexane is a highly explosive chemical. It is not only extremely hazardous to the environment, there may also be trace amounts of hexane left remaining in the resulting protein products. My understanding is that hexane extraction is not allowed in certified organic proteins, so if you have a choice, go for certified organic instead of just "natural" (which means nothing anyway).

Hexane extraction, by the way, is also used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein (TVP). Read more about TVP here:
http://www.naturalnews.com/033728_TVP_textured_vegetable_protein.html

#4) High levels of Aluminum in detox products

Natural News helped expose high aluminum levels (over 1200ppm) in a popular detox liquid, causing the main U.S. distributor to issue a "recall" notice and provide over $1 million in refunds to customers.

The manufacturer of this product, Adya Clarity, intentionally and knowingly deceived consumers by mislabeling the product and not mentioning the 1200ppm of aluminum it contained. The FDA seized some of the products and ran its own lab tests, confirming the high aluminum level as well as identifying multiple labeling violations.

Adya Clarity is just one of many so-called "detox" products containing alarming levels of aluminum and other metals. Ingesting these in order to "detox" your body may be harmful to your health. This experience also proves you can't always trust health products sold through online webinars, where manufacturers can ignore labeling laws and fabricate false claims. Buyer beware when it comes to metals in detox products that claim seemingly magical results.

#5) Lead and arsenic in herbs from China

China is the most polluted nation on the planet (by far), yet many fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown in China and exported to North America for use in natural products.

High levels of lead and arsenic are routinely found in various food, supplement and herbal products from China. I'm not concerned about 1ppm or lower, by the way, of heavy metals like lead and mercury. Even aluminum isn't necessarily a problem when found organically grown inside foods that test at higher levels such as 150ppm. But when lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium get to high saturation levels (or are present in inorganic forms), it makes the products potentially a source of heavy metals poisoning for consumers.

Astonishingly, many of the small and medium-sized companies that import and retail products from China conduct no metals testing whatsoever. I know this as a fact because I've talked to people doing this.

For the record, everything packed under my own brand name (Health Ranger Select) and sold at the Natural News Store is independently tested by us to ensure full product safety and regulatory compliance.

#6) Inorganic minerals in cheap vitamins

Would you eat iron filings and call it nutrition? The majority of people don't know that most of the cheap vitamins sold today are made with iron filings. "Scrap metal," almost.

The calcium found in cheap vitamins is often just ground-up seashells, and magnesium is often sold as cheap magnesium oxide which may be completely useless to your body's cells. If you're buying mineral supplements, you may be wasting your money unless the minerals are in the right form: Magnesium orotate or malate, for example.

When it comes to mineral supplements, you'll often find trace levels of scary things like barium and lead in liquid supplements, but these are typically at such low levels (ppb) that they are no real concern. But the No. 1 best source for all minerals is, not surprisingly, fresh plants. If you really want to boost your minerals, feed 'em to sprouts or garden plants, then eat or juice those plants. Your body wants "organic" minerals from plants, not inorganic minerals from rocks.

#7) Carrageenan?

The Cornucopia Institute, a highly-effective food activism group that we've long supported, recently published a warning about carrageenan in foods. Cornucopia says carrageenan is linked to "gastrointestinal inflammation, including higher rates of colon cancer, in laboratory animals."

It goes on to report:

Given its effect on gastrointestinal inflammation, Cornucopia urges anyone suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome/IBS, spastic colon, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, etc.) to consider completely eliminating carrageenan from the diet to determine if carrageenan was a factor in causing the symptoms.

Personally, I have never had any problem with carrageenan, and given that it's derived from seaweed, I also didn't mind the source. I actually consume quite a lot of carrageenan in Blue Diamond almond milk, which I drink when I'm too busy to make my own raw almond milk. And I've never had a problem with it whatsoever. So from my personal experience, I don't see carrageenan as a worrisome ingredient, but I do understand that some people experience it differently, and it may be troublesome for people whose digestive systems are more sensitive than my own.

For the record, I definitely don't consider carrageenan to be anywhere near as worrisome as, say, aspartame, GMOs or MSG.

#8) Acrylamides

Acrylamides are cancer-causing chemicals produced during the cooking of carbohydrates. Fried snack chips, for example, contain acrylamides. They don't have to be listed on labels because they are technically not "ingredients." They are chemicals produced during cooking or frying. Consuming acrylamides increases kidney cancer risk by 59 percent.

The FDA has published an extensive reference guide on acrylamide levels in foods, revealing that french fries have the highest levels of all. But they are also present in prune juice and even breakfast cereals.

A bag of organic snack chips can have just as many acrylamides as a bag of conventional snack chips. This is why fried snack chips should be eaten only sparingly, or never at all. I'm guilty of eating some of these chips myself from time to time, but I limit the quantity and make sure I'm taking chlorella or other superfoods at the same time to counteract the acrylamides.

Interestingly, it turns out that vitamin C blocks acrylamides from causing damage to your body. But if your vitamin C is from a GMO source (see above), you may want to rethink that strategy. Natural citrus juice, rose hips or even camu camu berry powder is a much better choice of natural, full-spectrum vitamin C.

If you eat fried foods of any kind, make sure you ingest a lot of vitamin C, astaxanthin and chlorella before and after your meal or snack.

#9) Hidden MSG / yeast extract

Hidden MSG is a huge issue across the natural products industry. Pick up almost any veggie burger, and you'll find it's made with yeast extract, a hidden form of MSG (monosodium glutamate).

Yeast extract is unbelievably prevalent in the food industry because it looks nicer on the label than "MSG." Most people are trained to avoid MSG, but yeast extract slips by, so food manufacturers put it into canned soups, dip mixes, snack chips, microwave dinners and especially in vegetarian products, many of which are so loaded with chemicals and additives that I won't dare touch them. Just because a food says "vegetarian" doesn't mean it's healthy.

Hidden MSG is also labeled as "autolyzed yeast extract" or "torula yeast" or even "hydrolyzed vegetable protein."

#10) Fluoride in green tea

Green tea is famous for being contaminated with high levels of fluoride. This is frustrating, because green tea is phenomenally good for your health. It has been proven to lower "bad" cholesterol levels, and it may even help prevent cancer and neurological disorders. It's probably one of the healthiest beverages you can ever drink.

The tea plant that produces green tea just happens to uptake a huge amount of fluoride from the soils. So when there's fluoride present in those soils, the green tea will have a surprisingly high concentration, sometimes as much as 25ppm.

An interesting article on this issue is found at Toxipedia.org:
http://toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Fluoride+Content+in+Tea

While this fluoride in green tea might not be a health hazard all by itself, the governments of the world seem insistent on pumping even more synthetic, chemical fluoride into the water supplies, thereby creating a high risk for fluorosis. Adding green tea to the fluoride consumption you might experience from tap water is a recipe for disaster: brittle bones, discoloration of teeth and even cancer.

The final "dirty little secret" of the natural products industry

Finally, there's one more secret you need to know about. Most importers, packers, vendors and retailers of natural products foolishly trust the lab results provided by the manufacturers and exporters!

So a typical U.S. company that sells, for example, pomegranate powder on the internet may never conduct their own tests for lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum. They will simply take the lab tests provided by the manufacturer and consider those to be absolute fact!

This is extraordinarily foolish. Growers and exporters routinely lie about their lab tests in order to pull the wool over the eyes of importers, formulators and retailers. The lab tests are easily faked or simply bought off in their home country. Contaminated products can be easily sold and exported because the FDA doesn't routinely check imported raw materials for heavy metals contamination.

On the good news side, I do know for a fact that all the higher-end retailers such as Natural News, Mercola, Gary Null, etc., all routinely test their raw materials for contaminants. I'm pretty sure Gaia herbs (www.GaiaHerbs.com) routinely tests all their batches, and I know that VitaCost, before it changed hands a few years ago, was running their own lab to test raw materials on-site (for their in-house formulations). But I also know of smaller retailers who absolutely do not test anything and are far more interested in moving boxes than knowing what's really in them. I also know that some operations are claiming to sell "organic" products even though they do not have any kind of organic certification, and that's an irresponsible practice that should be rectified. (Look for the USDA organic logo when you buy "organic" products. If they don't have the logo, they aren't really organic.)

So once again, buyer beware. You need to be asking for lab test results on anything from China, and it's good to ask for them on just about everything else as well. For our part, Natural News Store is already in the process of building a mechanism where we can post lab results for all the batches we import, pack and retail. We reject anything with high levels of metals, which is why it took us so many months to secure a really clean source of chlorella.

http://www.naturalnews.com/039638_toxins_ingredients_nutritional_supplements.html

5 Health Myths that May be Cutting Your Life Short

March 2013

 

By many accounts, conventional medicine is based on a set of ingrained and misleading beliefs that continue to be practiced by thousands of doctors that, rather than preventing disease or preserving good health, often actually promote illness or disease.

 

Here are five such health myths that could be negatively impacting your health.

 

1. Drink Milk for Strong Bones

 

For decades, physicians and government agencies have drilled into our heads that calcium is the key to strong, healthy bones—and that milk is the best dietary source of this all-important mineral. And how can we not truly believe that milk and other dairy products are the be-all and end-all for good bones? Along with medical professionals touting dairy’s supreme benefits, the “Got Milk?” campaign has been advertising the powers of cow’s milk for bone health for almost 20 years—with great success.

 

Various minerals and other nutrients make up bone, with calcium being a main player. However, if our bones were made strictly of calcium, they would not provide nearly the support necessary to get us through life’s everyday tasks. Bones are made of a variety of substances—including magnesium, vitamins A, D and K, and substances like chondroitin sulfate—that work together synergistically to provide strength, flexibility and resilience.

 

Not only that, but when it comes to calcium sources, dairy is not your only—or even your best—option. In fact, dairy could have the opposite of its intended effect and actually deplete your bones of important minerals.

 

Like all animal protein, milk has an acidic effect on your body and lowers the pH of your blood. To get back to a healthier, slightly alkaline state, your body pulls calcium from your bones. Why? Because calcium and other minerals happen to have a great acid-neutralizing effect, and the majority of these alkalinizing minerals reside in your bones.

 

Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body through the urine, so the net result of consuming dairy is actually a depletion of calcium from the body, despite milk’s high calcium content. In fact, research confirms that long-term consumption of milk and dairy products does not reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures.¹

 

Rather than dairy, get your calcium from leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard and collard greens), raw seeds (particularly sesame and flax) and raw nuts (especially almonds and Brazil nuts). In addition, choose almond or rice milk, which provides calcium without acidifying effects. Finally, for extra assurance that you’re getting enough bone-building calcium, take a calcium supplement every day.

 

2. Save Your Skin By Avoiding the Sun

 

Yes, excessive exposure to the sun can cause age spots, wrinkles and skin cancer. No one disputes that fact. But avoiding the sun altogether is a mistake, as well.

 

When you expose your skin to ultraviolet radiation from the sun for mere minutes a day, your body produces vitamin D—one of the most underrated, yet incredibly important nutrients.

 

Unfortunately, the prolific use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer has interfered with the body’s ability to absorb ultraviolet rays. This, along with the mistaken medical advice to avoid the sun whenever possible, means that almost 50 percent of the worldwide population is deficient in D—an estimated one billion people!²

 

Research has only just begun to uncover the many benefits of adequate vitamin D in the body. It is necessary for the absorption of calcium, but also for the prevention of certain types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression and cognitive impairment.²

 

It is nearly impossible to get enough vitamin D strictly through diet. You can take a D supplement, which is effective, but sun exposure is the most reliable and certainly the cheapest way to ensure you have sufficient amounts of this nutrient in your system.

 

If you’re fair skinned, going outside for just 10 minutes in the midday sun and exposing as much skin as possible (sans sunscreen) can produce up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D! (Darker-skinned individuals may need up to 20 minutes of exposure.)

 

And don’t worry—your body self-regulates and produces only the D that it needs. So you can’t “overdose” on vitamin D that’s synthesized through sun exposure.

 

3. You Need Fluoride for Healthy Teeth

 

Research into fluoride began in 1901, but it wasn’t until 1944 that the first large-scale study of fluoridated water and its effect on tooth decay began in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During that 15-year study, researchers found that the cavities among children born after the city added fluoride to the water supply dropped by more than 60 percent.³

 

Even today, fluoride continues to be dental medicine’s main weapon in the battle against tooth decay. Almost every toothpaste on the market contains fluoride, and more than 200 million Americans drink fluoridated water.³

 

However, the safety of fluoride remains hotly debated, mainly because, in addition to preventing cavities, it also potentially causes a whole slew of negative problems. In fact, further research even challenges the notion that fluoride prevents tooth decay,⁴ and links it to oral, bone, liver and thyroid cancers,⁴ as well as infertility.^5-6

 

Depending on where you live, fluoride-free toothpaste can be hard to come by. One readily available brand is Tom’s of Maine. Just be sure to read the box carefully, as they make both fluoride and fluoride-free options. You can also choose to brush with warm water and baking soda.

 

4. Mammograms Prevents Death from Breast Cancer

 

Medical professionals advocate for yearly mammograms, claiming they can prevent breast cancer deaths. But, the research simply doesn’t pan out.

 

For one, mammograms not only give false positives, which spur additional testing (exposing the patient to more radiation) and biopsies (which often show no cancer is present), but new research finds that mammograms lead to overdiagnosis and hence overtreatment of breast cancer.

 

Researchers looked at data from 1976 through 2008 to track how many breast cancers were found early (still confined to the breast) using mammogram, versus those cancers found later, after the cancer had spread.

 

They discovered that while the use of mammograms did more than double the number of early-stage cancers detected, it didn’t fare so well when it came to late-stage cancer. In fact, late-stage cancer detections dropped by just eight percent.

 

The researchers concluded: “Despite substantial increases in the number of cases of early-stage breast cancer detected, screening mammography has only marginally reduced the rate at which women present with advanced cancer. Although it is not certain which women have been affected, the imbalance suggests that there is substantial overdiagnosis, accounting for nearly a third of all newly diagnosed breast cancers, and that screening is having, at best, only a small effect on the rate of death from breast cancer.”⁷

 

A healthy lifestyle—eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco and reducing your exposure to environmental toxins and estrogen mimics—really is the best way to prevent disease. Of course, if you are in the high-risk category for breast cancer (i.e. you have a strong family or personal history of cancer), screenings are critical. However, if you are healthy and lower risk, discuss your personal need for mammograms with your physician and make an informed decision with him or her.

 

5. Avoid “Fattening” Coconut

 

Coconut has an unfortunate reputation. Because it contains so much fat (90 percent saturated fat, in fact), most people think it’s on the list of “no-no” foods. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, coconut is a great source of many amino acids, vitamins and minerals, including potassium magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C and riboflavin.

 

There is a big difference between animal-based saturated fats and the saturated fats found in coconuts. Animal fats are made of short-chain triglycerides, while the fat in coconut is actually a medium-chain triglyceride. This type of fat gets transported directly to your liver, where it is converted into energy ready to be used immediately.

 

Also, 45 percent of the saturated fat found in coconut is lauric acid, which gets converted in your body to monolaurin. This compound, found in breast milk, strengthens a baby’s immune system, helps promote normal brain development and keeps bones healthy.⁸ Better yet, coconut has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.^9-10

 

There are many ways to enjoy coconut’s benefits. There’s the meat, water and milk (made from the meat and water puréed together), as well as the oil, which is great for sautéing and baking. Just be sure to choose organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil to avoid unwanted heat processing or chemicals.

 

References:

1. Feskanich D, et al. Am J Public Health. 1997 Jun;87(6):992-7.
2. Nair R and Maseeh A. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. 2012 Apr-Jun;3(2):118-26.
3. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/topics/fluoride/thestoryoffluoridation.htm.
4. https://www.litalee.com/documents/Fluoride%20-%20A%20Modern%20Toxic%20Waste.pdf.
5. Kumar N, et al. Toxicol Int. 2012 May-Aug;19(2):182-7.
6. Izquierdo-Vega JA, et al. J Appl Toxicol. 2010 Nov 19. doi:10.1002/jat.1600.
7. Bleyer A and Welch HG. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 22;367(21):1998-2005.
8. Verall-Rowell VM, et al. Dermatitis. 2008 Nov-Dec;19(6):308-15.
9. Intahphuak S, et al. Pharm Biol. 2010 Feb;48(2):151-7.
10. Ogbolu DO, et al. J Med Food. 2007 Jun;10(2)384-7.

http://www.wholehealthinsider.com/whole-health-update/five-health-myths-that-may-be-cutting-your-life-short/