Rather Be Healthy

By Dr. Mercola

A little-known carotenoid called astaxanthin is now believed to be the most potent antioxidant nature has to offer. Astaxanthin’s benefits are so numerous, I’ve written several articles to cover its many activities, from UV-radiation protection, to eye- and heart health, to improved athletic performance.

It is one of the very few supplements I recommend to virtually everyone, for its overall health benefits. It’s really one of the most profoundly beneficial supplements I’ve ever encountered.

In terms of antioxidant power or potency, astaxanthin is 550 times stronger than vitamin E, and 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C!

Dr. Gerald Cysewki, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering and served as an assistant professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering at UC Santa Barbara, is recognized as a leading authority on large-scale production of microalgae, including the microalgae Haematoccous pluvialis, from which astaxanthin is produced.

Dr. Cysewki is also the founder of Cyanotech, the first company to produce natural astaxanthin—first for aquaculture use, and later, for human consumption.

Why the Best Astaxanthin Comes from Hawaii

Initially, the company was just seeking to provide a natural form of astaxanthin for use in fish farms—a healthier alternative to the synthetic version produced from petrochemicals. That astaxanthin had such remarkable benefits for human health was a rather serendipitous discovery, after the fact.

Cyanotech was founded in 1983. Its first product was the algae spirulina. The following year, the company identified the Natural Energy Laboratory on the Kona Coast of Hawaii as an ideal spot to grow Haematococcus microalgae, from which astaxanthin is produced.

According to Dr. Cysewki:

“It’s probably the best place in the world to grow microalgae. There’s a warm climate 12 months a year, so I can produce 12 months a year. There’s very low rainfall, only 12 inches a year. We also have access to a very unique resource: cold, deep seawater pumped up from a depth of 2,000 feet.

The center point out on the Kona Coast gets more sunlight than any other coastal location in the United States. It’s a very pristine environment. There are no other agricultural operations around for many miles.”

Cyanotech therefore takes great care to grow the microalgae without herbicides or pesticides, and they’ve developed advanced culture techniques to allow them to produce it very efficiently without contamination.

“We’ve been very successful in doing that. Others have not been successful,” he says.

The production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus microalgae is very difficult. It requires unique environmental conditions, plus some very advanced technology. If you compare production of astaxanthin or Haematococcus with another microalga like spirulina, it’s about 10 times more difficult to produce. One of the major reasons is because Haematococcus grows in a very neutral environment – essentially, freshwater with a small amount of nutrients added. It’s also very susceptible to contamination by unwanted microalgae, amoeba, or protozoa.

How Astaxanthin Became a Super-Nutrient

The first studies of the health benefits of natural astaxanthin were done on astaxanthin produced from krill oil. Cyanotech became aware of those studies as some of their customers started requesting supplement-grade astaxanthin for human consumption.

“It really caught our attention,” Dr. Cysewki says. “We started doing our own investigations, scouring the literature. And indeed, the first thing we found was that natural astaxanthin is probably the most potent natural antioxidant known.”

The combination of its high-potency antioxidant- and anti-inflammatory properties allows it to address a vast array of health concerns, including joint problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow, and protection from UV radiation by acting like an internal sunscreen.

“That’s actually one thing we had no idea that it would do,” Dr. Cysewki muses. “When we started producing astaxanthin for human consumption, our employees started taking it. Those that surfed came back to us and said, “Hey, I’m not getting sunburned anymore. I’m not putting my suntan lotion on. I’m not getting burned. This stuff seems to help protect me from the sun.” And the sun is more intense in Hawaii.

We said, “Boy, this is very interesting.” We did a clinical trial, and sure enough, taking astaxanthin – the study we did was only four milligrams, over two weeks… actually did provide significant protection against UV radiation.”

An important distinction is that, unlike topical sun block, astaxanthin does not block UV rays, so it doesn’t prevent UVB from converting into vitamin D in your skin. It simply protects your skin against damage. Dr. Cysewki explains how:

“One of the first reactions, of course, is that UV radiation produces free radicals. The astaxanthin, as a potent antioxidant, can neutralize or quench those free radicals and stop them from causing damage, which eventually [would] lead to sunburn or to inflammation of the skin.”

What Makes Astaxanthin so Unique

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, related to beta-carotene, lutein, and canthaxanthin, but it has a unique structure, and works in some very unique ways. For example, most other antioxidants are depleted after they’ve transferred their free electrons. But astaxanthin has a massive surplus, allowing it to remain “active” far longer—at least one order of magnitude more than most other antioxidants. It donates electrons to neutralize free radicals, and then rejects the excess energy primarily as heat. But the astaxanthin remains intact—there are no chemical reactions to break it down, which is what occurs in most other antioxidants.

“It has these two polar heads, which are hydrophilic (water-loving), and then the long backbone that is hydrophobic [water-repelling]. It can actually expand cellular membranes and provide antioxidant protection right in the cellular membrane, which is very important,” Dr. Cysewki explains.

Astaxanthin also acts on at least five different inflammation pathways, and maintains balance within the system. Another major difference is in the number of free radicals it can handle at any given time. Most antioxidants, such as vitamin C, E and various others, can typically only handle one free radical at a time. But astaxanthin can handle multiple free radicals simultaneously – in some cases more than 19 at the same time. It does this by forming an electron cloud around the molecule. This is known as the electron dislocation resonance. When free radicals try to steal electrons from the astaxanthin molecule, they’re simply absorbed into and neutralized by this electron cloud, all at once.

“Astaxanthin can also cross the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier, and provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to both the brain and the eyes. That’s where you need a carotenoid. “

Health Benefits of Astaxanthin

In fact, astaxanthin appears to be one of the best ways to not only prevent the most common cause of blindness in the United States, which is age-related macular degeneration, but also seem to be a really effective therapy for treating it. Work done by Dr. Tso at University of Illinois, shows astaxanthin can accumulate in the retina, and provide protection against oxidation in the retina. According to Dr. Cysewki, it can be very therapeutic. Another surprising benefit is its ability to improve athletic performance.

“We have a number of very intense athletes coming back to us time and time again. [They] just love astaxanthin,” he says. “It allows them to recover much quicker from strenuous exercise. It protects them when they’re out in the intense sun, exercising. They just absolutely swear by it.”

Two areas of astaxanthin research that are gaining massive momentum are cardiovascular- and brain health.

Over the last few years, there have been at least 17 studies on brain health showing that astaxanthin protects neurons, and can slow the effects of age-related cognitive decline, as well as decline in psychomotor functions. In one study, they found is that people taking astaxanthin had significantly decreased accumulation of phospholipid hydroperoxides, a compound that has been shown to accumulate in people with dementia or age-related forgetfulness. It may therefore also have therapeutic benefit against Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, according to Dr. Cysewki:

“Studies have also shown that it improves blood flow and decreases blood pressure. It’s very beneficial to your heart’s mitochondria membranes, [and] can have a positive effect on blood chemistry, increasing HDL (the good cholesterol), and decreasing triglycerides.”

Toxicity Data Shows Astaxanthin is One of the Safest Antioxidants

If you’re worried about potential toxicity, I have good news for you. Unlike other antioxidants, especially synthetic carotenoids, astaxanthin lacks the ability to turn into a pro-oxidant, even at high levels. The reason for this is mainly due to its molecular structure, discussed above.

“We really have not seen any kind of adverse reactions or negative effects on people taking astaxanthin,” Dr. Cysewki says. “There have been some acute toxicity studies done [with] as high as 50 or 75 milligrams dosage per day. No bad effects.”

It can however provide a slight coloration to your skin at higher levels. But most studies suggest that this coloration is actually perceived as cosmetically beneficial or desirable, in that it gives you a healthy “tan glow”—opposed to the sickly orange coloration you might end up with if you consumed too many carrots. According to Dr. Cysewki, about 15 different Japanese studies over the past five years have also demonstrated that astaxanthin has beneficial effects on skin health parameters such as wrinkles, moisture levels and so on.

“People consuming astaxanthin actually have an improvement in the way they look. It’s beauty from within,” he says.

Keep in mind that astaxanthin will not work miracles over night. It typically takes two weeks to one month to see the benefits. I personally take astaxanthin every day, as does Dr. Cysewki—and every other astaxanthin researcher I’ve spoken to. We both take about 8 mg per day, but you may receive benefit from as little as 4 mg per day. As mentioned earlier, this low does is sufficient to provide you with some UV protection after about two weeks. Those seeking to improve their heart health, or take it to improve athletic performance may want to take anywhere from 8-12 mg daily.

For comparison, four to six ounces of salmon—which contains some of the highest levels of astaxanthin—would provide about 2-3 mg. However, unless you’re eating wild caught salmon, beware that what you’re getting is synthetic astaxanthin, which is produced from petrochemicals. In fact, the synthetic astaxanthin fed to farmed salmon is not approved for human consumption, which is yet another reason to abstain from farm raised fish—especially salmon.

“You can actually grab salmon off of the shelf, run an analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography, and determine whether that salmon was derived from a fish farm and has synthetic astaxanthin, or wild-caught and has a natural astaxanthin,” Dr. Cysewki says.

Make Sure Your Astaxanthin is Extracted Using Non-Toxic Methods

The Haematococcus microalgae are initially grown in darkness. The algae are then “stressed” by exposing them to harsh ultraviolet light (which is plentiful in Hawaii). Other stressors can also be used, such as changing the pH of the water. These stressors make the algae grow spores with large amounts of astaxanthin, as a protective mechanism. These spores are then put through a process to extract the astaxanthin. The spores are very tough, making extraction difficult.

“If you take and try to extract the astaxanthin from the spore, it won’t come out. If you put it into a fish or a human, it goes right through the digestive tract and no astaxanthin is bio-absorbed,” he explains.

Cyanotech has developed a mechanical process that breaks up and dries the spores. After that, harmless super critical carbon dioxide is used to extract the astaxanthin. No solvents are used in their process.

Few Supplements Can Compete in Terms of Overall Health Benefits…

Astaxanthin is clearly one of the most amazing supplements I have ever learned about. The only one that exceeds it in importance to be taking every day, from my perspective, is vitamin D. It is one of the most vital supplements I take, and one that I would not want to be without.

As an antioxidant, astaxanthin has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, which makes it useful for a number of diseases associated with inflammation, such as arthritis. However, it’s not a magic cure. Not mistaking astaxanthin for a cure is an important point. However, it can effectively relieve symptoms when taken consistently over several weeks (effects are usually noticeable after about two to four weeks). And in many cases it can do so more effectively than far more expensive and potentially toxic prescription anti-inflammatories and over-the-counter pain killers.

If you decide to give astaxanthin a try, I recommend starting with 2 mg per day, and working your way up to about 4 mg per day, or more if you’re an athlete or suffering from chronic inflammation.

If you are on a krill oil supplement, which naturally contains astaxanthin, take that into consideration. Different krill products have different concentrations of astaxanthin, so check your label. Another factor to keep in mind is that astaxanthin is a fat soluble supplement. So unless you take it with a small amount of fat, it’s not going to absorb well. Butter, coconut oil, or eggs would be ideal complements to ensure optimal absorption.

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Think you might someday get breast cancer? There’s a quick fix for that: Chop ’em off! It’s called a “preventive double mastectomy” and surgeons are right now successfully convincing women who don’t even have breast cancer to have both their breasts surgically removed.

Is your government drowning in debt? There’s a quick fix for that: Print more money! Don’t worry about currency debasement and the long-term blowout collapse of the U.S. dollar that will bankrupt the nation. We need another hit of that bailout money!

Is your kid too hyperactive at home and at school? Don’t bother changing his diet, removing corn syrup and artificial food colors from his daily intake. No, that would take too much time. Instead, turn your kid into a pill-popping psych drug patient by having him diagnosed by a psychiatrist!

Welcome to the “quick fix” culture of America. For every problem that demands a mature, well-planned solution, there’s a much more seductive quick-fix solution that completely ignores the problem but temporarily makes the symptoms go away.

Are you eating way too much food to the point of runaway obesity? Don’t worry, we can have most of your stomach surgically removed!

Are you dying from cancer tumors? Don’t bother changing your diet, increasing your intake of vitamin D, or reducing your exposure to synthetic chemicals and pesticides. Nope, we can visibly shrink your tumors thanks to chemotherapy! Never mind the fact that chemotherapy will cause yet more tumors to grow all over your body because the No. 1 side effect of chemotherapy is, admittedly, cancer.

Got a problem in your community with whacko kids shooting up schools? Don’t address psychiatric drug abuse, bad parenting, violent video games and other behavioral causes. Just blame all the gun owners and make everybody turn in their guns! Problem solved, right? It’s yet another quick fix snow job.

Worried about your kid getting the flu or the whooping cough? Don’t bother giving them more nutrition: vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and superfoods. Nope, just jab them with a needle, call it “immunization” and be happy with the quick fix!

Why the “quick fix” culture will destroy America
If you look around America today, everything is a quick fix solution; sweeping the problem under the rug; ignoring the causes and treating the symptoms. Whether you’re talking about banking and finance, agriculture, public health, foreign policy, government spending or even public education, it’s all one grand quick-fix snow job.

This quick-fix approach is, of course, childish and immature. It is the abandonment of mature, adult planning for the future. A successful society (and nation) needs wisdom, foresight and planning. It needs leaders who have the courage to address core solutions rather than settling for short-term symptom reductions.

But America has become the land of the quick fix, and the quick fix inevitably leads to collapse. That’s because quick fixes do not solve underlying problems, and so the problems only get worse and worse.

For example, instead of solving the underlying causes of health problems, Obamacare merely handed Big Pharma and the health insurance companies an illegal monopoly that makes everybody in the nation pay for yet more “disease management.”

Instead of working on ways to actually pay down the U.S. debt, Obama has blown the national debt sky high by trillions of dollars in just the last four years.

Instead of decriminalizing marijuana and ending the police state prison culture that only breeds more crime, Obama signed the NDAA, authorizing yet more secret arrests and indefinite detainment of American citizens. He made the police state even worse than Bush did!

Obama is a quick-fix President ruling over a quick-fix culture that’s dying thanks to quick-fix medicine and going broke under a quick-fix economy. Yep, the fix is in, and we’re all royally screwed!

The quick fix is an abandonment of responsibility
It’s important to note that a quick-fix approach represents the complete abandonment of responsibility. In spending trillions of dollars of money that we don’t have, President Obama has abandoned the responsibility of his office has actually placed America in grave economic danger. His actions, like the actions of nearly every President before him, put us all at risk.

On a personal level, quick-fix health care decisions are also an abandonment of personal responsibility. Instead of addressing their diet and exercise, most patients would rather just surrender their responsibility to their doctor, effectively “offshoring” their health to a person who is usually accepting bribes from the pharmaceutical companies to push high-profit chemicals while calling it “treatment.”

For every problem in America, there’s a quick fix solution that sounds good on the surface but actually makes the problem worse. And this is how we have found ourselves in the downward spiral of insanity and ruin that now characterizes our nation.

What would a mature, wise society actually look like?
Many of those reading this have never seen anything other than quick fixes, and so they may not even recognize what mature, wise solutions look like. Here’s a quick overview of what a mature society might do:

• “Too big to fail” banks would have been allowed to fail. Capital needs to flow AWAY from failures and toward economic successes, not the other way around.

• The health care system would be focused on increasing quality of life instead of increasing corporate “sick care” profits.

• The education system would have been completely overhauled with the intention of producing intelligent, independent-minded entrepreneurs and innovators instead of conformist slave workers.

• Pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and other poisons in the food would have been banned long ago.

• The advertising and promotion of cigarettes, sodas, pharmaceuticals and junk food would be outlawed.

• The government would act with humility and honor, abiding by its oath and doing its best to serve the betterment of society. Instead, government today is arrogant, violent, threatening and oppressive.

• The manufacturing base of America would not have been exported to China. Jobs would remain in the USA and people would be collecting paychecks, not food stamps.

• Foreign policy would be based on the desired outcome of establishing long-lasting peace rather than encouraging wars and conflicts that provide the “terrorism” back story the government needs to expand its power.

• Free speech would be openly encouraged. Public protests tolerated. Criticism of the government invited for the purpose of improving government. Instead, what we see today is the characterization of anyone who doesn’t worship government as a “possible homegrown terrorist” according to the Department of Homeland Security which is, itself, another quick-fix cover story.

• The money supply would be owned and operated by the People, not by a private banking cartel known as the Federal Reserve. Money would not be endlessly created, driving price inflation ever skyward. Zero-interest loans could be made to entrepreneurs to build new businesses and create new jobs. Instead what we see now is the government destroying private sector jobs and then claiming to have “created jobs” by hiring more government workers. (Economic insanity!)

• In a wise society, we would not poison our children with vaccines. Rather, we would nourish our children with superfood nutrition.

As you can see from this list, America today is nowhere near a wise society. It is a quick-fix culture of people taking shortcuts in their own lives and electing professional shortcut-takers to run the government. This does not produce a healthy, happy society in the long run. It only leads to cultural, economic and intellectual ruin.

If we don’t turn this around and start engaging in long-term planning instead of short-term fixes, America is finished.

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It used to be thought that your brain was hard-wired, like a computer, and incapable of changing or recovering function that was lost.

We now know that this is not true and, in fact, your brain has a great deal of “plasticity,” meaning it is a dynamic, changeable structure capable of recovering, repairing, and regaining functionality that had previously been lost.

One of the ways you can “change” your brain is actually through thought itself, and emerging research is showing that mental effort can actually result in physical changes to your mind and body.

Even Thinking About Exercise Can Increase Your Muscle Strength

As the ASAP Science video above shared:

“Imagining an action and doing it require the same motor and sensory programs in the brain.”

When translated to real-life scenarios, like playing the piano or exercising, research shows that many of the same benefits exist for imagined or physical actions. For instance, those who mentally practiced playing the piano achieved the same accuracy level as those who physically did it.

Likewise, people who simply imagined doing strength-training exercises increased their muscle strength by 22 percent, compared to 30 percent among those who physically did the exercises. Now I don’t recommend making all of your workouts “imaginary,” but the power of your thoughts to evoke changes in your brain and body is truly fascinating.

Along these lines, research recently revealed that when you focus your mind on a specific muscle during a workout, you work that muscle 22 percent harder.1 By harnessing your brain as a workout tool, you may, in fact, be able to get in better shape, faster.

In fact, just believing that your daily activities are exercise has also been shown to improve physical fitness. Harvard researchers informed one group of hotel housekeepers that their daily work qualified as exercise, whereas a control group did not receive this information. Four weeks later, those who believed their work was a form of exercise had a decrease in weight, blood pressure, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index, even though their behaviors hadn’t actually changed at all.2

How to Harness Neuroplasticity for Your Health and Well-Being

The ASAP Science video is based on a book – The Brain That Changes Itself — by psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge, MD. In it he describes how your thoughts can literally alter brain anatomy by switching your genes on and off, and how brain exercises can not only help you improve cognition and learning, but also help you develop muscle strength, recover movement lost due to a stroke, or even overcome pain, depression or anxiety. As stated in the video:

“Each thought actually changes the structure and function of your brain by affecting the neurons at the microscopic level.”

Likewise, Dr. Michael Merzenich, professor emeritus at the University of California, who has pioneered research in brain plasticity for more than 30 years, describes brain plasticity as follows:

“It’s simple in concept. The brain changes physically, functionally, and chemically, as you acquire an ability or as you improve an ability. You know this instinctively. Something must be changing as your brain advances, as it progresses. Actually what it is doing is changing the local wiring, changing the details of how it’s connected. It’s also changing itself in other ways, physically, functionally, and those changes account for that improvement, or account for the acquisition of an ability. You don’t realize it but as you acquire an ability – let’s say, the ability to read – you actually create a system in the brain that does not exist, or that’s not in place, in the non-reader. It [the ability] actually evolves in the brain.”

Stimulating Your Brain is Key

As Dr. Merzenich explains, your brain is designed and constructed to be stimulated and challenged, and to carefully examine, resolve and interpret your environment. What research into brain plasticity shows us is that by providing your brain with appropriate stimulus, you can counteract this degeneration. A key factor or ingredient necessary for improving brain function or reversing functional decline is the seriousness of purpose with which you engage in a task.

In other words, the task must be important to you, or somehow meaningful or interesting — it must hold your attention.

Rote memorization of nonsensical or unimportant items will not stimulate your brain to create new neurons – but imagining the act of exercise or playing a musical instrument might. Dr. Merzenich has been instrumental in the development of a kind of “brain gym” environment — a computer-based brain-training program that can help you sharpen a range of skills, from reading and comprehension to improved memorization and more. No matter what your age or current level of brain function, your brain can likely improve to some degree or other by engaging in brain exercises, but there are other ways to harness the power of your mind as well …

Improving Your Physical and Mental Self Through Proper Brain Fitness

Aside from engaging in a computer-based brain exercise program, Dr. Merzenich lists several things you can do on a daily basis, as part of your day-to-day lifestyle, to help maintain optimal brain fitness:
•Get 15-30 minutes of physical exercise each day. When exercising, think about using your brain to control your actions. That means, skip the iPod and instead take in the details of your environment.

“Reconstruct it in your mind. Basically, we are constructed to take in the details of our physical environments, and to interpret and reconstruct them. That’s a critical form of exercise for us basically to refine our navigational skills and abilities in this sense – to basically look at the landmarks, to look at the details, to record them in detail,” he says.

Also, be sure to pay attention to your physical body. “You should feel yourself again. When’s the last time you actually thought about the feelings of your movements?”
•Spend about five minutes every day working on the refinement of a specific, small domain of your physical body. Dr. Merzenich explains:

“That is to say, move in a very variable and controlled way – variable in speed, variable to reach a target, for example, with your big toe or your little finger. Do that every day. I do that in a systematic way, because I’m trying to maintain the fidelity of the neurological control movement. I know that I’m very much thinking about the feeling in my movements as I do that.”
•Find ways to engage yourself in new learning as a continuous aspect of your life, such as taking on new hobbies, learning new skills
•Stay socially engaged
•Practice “mindfulness,” in which you’re attentively focusing on the world around you again, as if you’re seeing it for the first time.

“Look at the wonder in the flower. Look with curiosity again at the movements of the lizard. Engage in the details of the world and in life. Associate what you hear with what you feel on your skin,” he suggests. “It’s incredibly important that you engage the brain and all of its details of how it’s drinking in information, because this again relates to the fidelity with which it will represent it for all of its operations.”

Your Mind is Intricately Linked to Your Physical Activity …

Just as your thoughts may be able to alter your physical body, physical exercise also protects and beneficially alters your brain. In fact, while staying engaged mentally and socially are known to be important for brain health, research suggests physical activity may actually be even more important to keep your brain healthy and prevent brain shrinkage as you age.

Among people in their 70s, those who were the most physically active had less signs of aging in their brains than those who weren’t, while engaging in intellectually challenging or social activities appeared to have no effect, one study found.3

The bottom line is … you can very well harness the power of your thoughts to create real physical changes in your body. And on the flipside, physical activity can also lead to positive changes in your brain. A lifestyle that encourages both of these modalities is likely going to give you the most benefit now and in the years to come.

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Exercise is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle, and it can be a part of your life no matter what your age. In fact, staying active becomes increasingly important as you get older.

Even frail seniors of advanced age can improve muscle strength and agility with exercise, which is important for preventing falls and injuries.

For seniors who have a hard time performing aerobic exercise, using a Whole Body Vibration (WBV) platform (such as The Power Plate) can help them improve performance, allowing them to become stronger, faster and more agile, according to recent research1.

As explained by Dr. Keith DeOrio, M.D2., WBV stimulation affects your entire body musculature, as well as your internal organs and glands.

Your muscle spindles fire secondary to the mechanical stimulation produced by the vibrating plate, and this rapid firing of the muscle spindle causes a neuromuscular response that leads to physiological changes in your brain as well as your entire body.

How Whole Body Vibration Can Improve Fitness in Those Over 65

The featured study was funded by the Spanish government, and while small in scale, it suggests Whole Body Vibration (WBV) training can stimulate muscle growth and improve overall fitness in the elderly. As reported by Reuters:

“Twenty-four men and women over 65 performed 10 squats held for 45 seconds on the vibrating platform, with a minute rest in between, three times per week for 11 weeks. The study also included 25 people who did not take part in the vibration exercises.

… Those who did the exercises were, on average, able to do two more reps of upper and lower body strength exercises, had almost half an inch more lower body flexibility, and walked 33 yards one second faster than before the vibration training…”

Other studies have also demonstrated significant gains in most measures of muscle performance in sedentary and elderly individuals when using WBV. It has also been shown to provide a number of additional health benefits in the elderly. For example, one study, performed by the University of Liege in Belgium3, investigated the effects of controlled whole body vibrations exercises on overall health in elderly patients and found that after six weeks (performing 4 one-minute sessions, 3 times a week), the participants experienced:

143 percent improvement in physical function

57 percent improvement in the quality of walking

77 percent improvement in equilibrium

41 percent reduction in pain

60 percent improvement in vitality

23 percent improvement in general health

Reduce Bone Loss with Whole Body Vibration

Loss of bone mass is one of the common signs of aging, because as you age your existing bone is absorbed by your body while new bone is created to replace it. In the case of osteoporosis, the formation of new bone falls behind the rate of bone absorption, leading to weakened, thinner and more brittle bones.

A thinning hipbone is a major concern if you are elderly, because any fall increases the risk of a broken hip, which always carries a great risk of complications and usually requires prolonged specialized care for recovery. It’s estimated that 25 percent of elderly people suffering a hip fracture die as a direct result4.

Weight-bearing exercise, like resistance- or strength training, can go a long way to prevent brittle bone formation, and can help reverse the damage already done. WBV training can also be helpful here, especially in the elderly.

In a study5 by Medical College of Georgia researchers, using vibration therapy 30 minutes daily for 12 weeks improved bone density in mice, a finding that adds support for their use in humans, especially the elderly. It’s thought that the vibrations prompt movement of the cell nucleus, which may trigger the release of osteoblasts to build bone. Previous studies have also found that WBV training increases bone density in the hip and inhibits bone loss in the spine and hip areas.

Vitamin D and K2 Are Also Critical Factors for Bone Health Throughout Life

For optimal bone health you also need to optimize your vitamin D levels, and make sure you’re getting enough vitamin K2. Both of these nutrients are essential for healthy bone formation and maintenance, and they work in tandem. This is why, if you take high doses of vitamin D3, you also need to take extra vitamin K2.

The biological role of vitamin K2 is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, such as your bones and teeth. It also helps remove calcium from areas where it shouldn’t be, such as in your arteries and soft tissues. Vitamin K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which includes inappropriate calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries.

So remember, if you take supplemental vitamin D, you’re creating an increased demand for K2. Together, these two nutrients help strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

While the ideal or optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be elucidated, Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, author of Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life, suggests that for every 1,000 IU’s of vitamin D you take, you may benefit from about 100 micrograms of K2, and perhaps as much as 150-200 micrograms (mcg). So, if you take 8,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 per day, that means you’d need in the neighborhood of 800 to 1,000 micrograms (0.8 to 1 milligram/mg) of vitamin K2.

Insulin Resistance and Age-Related Muscle Loss

In related news, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group has released a scientific review6 that examines the role of nutrition in the development of sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass).

Sarcopenia affects about 10 percent of those over 60, with higher rates as age advances. It may seem like common sense that if you don’t use your muscles, they’ll eventually atrophy away, yet so many people fail to apply this information. The older you get, the faster your muscles atrophy if you’re not regularly engaging in appropriate exercise. However, dietary factors are also at play. According to the authors:

“A loss of fast twitch fibers, glycation of proteins, and insulin resistance may play an important role in the loss of muscle strength and development of sarcopenia.”

As I keep repeating, insulin resistance caused by excessive sugar consumption is at the root of virtually every disease and health ailment you can think of, and that includes age-related muscle loss. In fact, if your insulin receptors are insensitive, the mTOR mechanism, which is part of the insulin pathway and builds protein in your muscles, remains inactivated, making muscle wasting more or less inevitable. So, needless to say, it’s very important to keep your insulin levels low to avoid becoming insulin resistant — not just for your overall health, but also to maintain healthy muscle.

Nutritional Factors that help Preserve Muscle Mass, Strength and Performance in Seniors

The IOF review identified a number of important dietary factors shown to have a beneficial impact on the maintenance of muscle mass with advancing age, as well as the treatment of sarcopenia. These include:
•Protein: The authors suggest an intake of 1.0-1.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day to maintain optimal muscle and bone health in seniors who do not have severely impaired renal function.

This is more than the recommendations issued by Dr. Ron Rosedale, who believes one gram of protein per kilo of lean body weight is sufficient for muscle maintenance and repair without detrimentally triggering the mTor pathway, which he believes ma play a role in the development of cancer.

So if you are really lean, the recommendation is close but if you are obese you could be consuming far too much protein based on the IOF recommendation. However if your goal is to increase muscle mass, then the extra protein would make sense.

Whey protein is an excellent choice of protein for a number of reasons, but in part because it increases GLP-1, a satiety peptide that promotes healthy insulin secretion, and helps your insulin work more effectively. Just use the dose of protein you feel is appropriate for your needs. 20 grams if you want to follow lower protein Dr. Rosedale approach and double that if you want to increase muscle growth.
•Vitamin D: The authors recommend optimizing vitamin D levels through exposure to sunlight and/or supplementation if required.
•Avoiding dietary acid loads: Acid-producing foods such as meats and grains can have a detrimental impact on musculoscletal health when consumed in excess, and especially in combination with insufficient intake of vegetables and fruits, which have an alkalinizing effect. The authors recommend increasing consumption of vegetables to help prevent sarcopenia
•Vitamin B12 and/or folic acid

According to Dr. Ambrish Mithal, co-author and Chair and Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes division at Medanta, New Delhi7:

“Strategies to reduce the numbers of falls and fractures within our ageing populations must include measures to prevent sarcopenia. At present, the available evidence suggests that combining resistance training with optimal nutritional status has a synergistic effect in preventing and treating sarcopenia.”

Other Beneficial Supplements for Optimal Muscle Performance

Two additional supplements that can help optimize muscle performance, regardless of your age, are:
1.Carnosine in the form of beta-alanine: Carnosine is a pluripotent dipeptide composed of two amino acids (beta-alanine and histadine), found most notably in your muscles, where it helps buffer lactic acids and serves as a potent antioxidant that can help quell muscle inflammation. Most studies find that if you want to increase athletic performance with carnosine, your best bet is to use beta-alanine instead, since beta-alanine appears to be the rate limiting amino acid in the formation of carnosine.

While you can easily purchase these as supplements, I do NOT recommend doing that. It is far better to get them from whole foods. The foods with the highest amount of useful dietary dipeptides like carnosine would be animal proteins, like eggs, whey protein, poultry and beef.
2.Astaxanthin: A phenomenally potent antioxidant that has been shown to help improve muscle endurance, workout performance and recovery. It also reduces inflammation from all causes, including workout injuries, and even enhances your ability to metabolize fat.

How Whole Body Vibration Training Prevents Muscle-Wasting

Jumping back to where we started, by stimulating your fast- and super-fast muscle fibers, Whole Body Vibration training using a Power Plate appears to be very helpful for preventing and/or reversing age-related muscle wasting. It will also kick-start your pituitary gland into making more human growth hormone (HGH), which plays an important part in promoting overall health and longevity.

WBV is a truly revolutionary approach to fitness because it addresses your neuromuscular system as a whole, rather than one limb or muscle group at a time. Not to mention it’s time efficient, allowing you to trim off several precious hours per week from your workout time. When used together with my Peak Fitness program, which includes high intensity interval training; a series of powerful high-intensity burst-type exercises, you can complete your entire workout a fraction of the time you’d have to spend on traditional workouts.

WBV training using the Power Plate is really the perfect complement to high intensity interval training to build strength, shed excess fat, and improve athletic performance. Both of these techniques also help you produce growth hormone (HGH) naturally. To learn more, please see this previous article.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Exercising

As you can see, age-related muscle wasting and bone loss doesn’t have to happen to you… Following the advice detailed above can go a long way toward maintaining healthy bones and muscle mass as you age.

The earlier you start, the better, but remember, you are never too old to start exercising. Research shows that, no matter your age, you stand to gain significant improvements in strength, range of motion, balance, bone density and mental clarity through exercise. My mom didn’t start working out until she was 74 and now, at the age of 78, she has gained significant improvements in strength, range of motion, balance, bone density and mental clarity.

And, if you’re presently incapable of engaging in aerobic exercise, using Whole Body Vibration training may be just the thing to help you get more active… If you’re still on the fence about starting an exercise program, there’s no time like the present. I guarantee it will make a major difference in your energy level, self-esteem and probably your entire outlook on life. It is really THAT powerful, whether you’re 18 years old or 80!

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

20 Billion Pounds of Plastic Makes its Way into Our Oceans Every Year

We live in a throwaway society. The next time you’re in a grocery store, take a look around you and note the number of items packaged in plastic.

The problem is, these petroleum-based plastics are designed to last forever. So you have products for short-term consumption packaged in materials that survive for centuries.

This throwaway mindset is a relatively recent phenomenon. Your parents and grandparents used products in reusable, recyclable or degradable containers made from glass, metals and paper. But today, discarded plastics are circling the globe at a significant human and environmental cost.

This “out of sight, out of mind” mentality is suffocating our oceans and choking our wildlife — but the damage doesn’t end there.

Plastic chemicals are finding their way into your body and accumulating over time. The potential for catastrophic biological consequences for the human race is growing with every discarded bottle or bag.

Plasticizing chemicals like BPA disrupt embryonic development and are linked to heart disease and cancer.

Phthalates dysregulate gene expression and cause genital anomalies, especially in baby boys, that may pass down several generations. DEHP may lead to multiple organ damage. So, whether you look at environmental or biological effects, our careless use of plastics has created a monster needing immediate attention.

20 Billion Pounds of Plastic Makes its Way into Our Oceans Every Year

According to Greenpeace, the world produces 200 billion pounds of plastics every year. Ten percent of that ends up in our oceans. Seventy percent sinks (Polycarbonate, Polystyrene, and PETE), causing damage to the ocean floor, and the remaining 30 percent that floats (LDPE, HDPE, Polypropylene and foamed plastics) accumulates into massive islands of trash that many consider an embarrassment to the human race.1

Virtually every molecule of the six billion pounds of polycarbonate tossed into landfills each year, stays there forever. Only a very small percentage of plastic waste is remade into durable goods. In spite of our green campaigns, we currently recycle only five percent of the plastics we produce. Consider the following:
•Americans discarded more than 22 billion water bottles in 20062 and about a billion plastic shopping bags every year, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste3
•More than seven billion pounds of PVC are thrown away annually in the U.S., and only about one-quarter of one percent is recycled
•Approximately 50 percent of plastic waste goes to landfills where it will sit for hundreds of years due to limited oxygen and lack of microorganisms to break it down; the remaining 45 plus percent “disappears” into the environment where it ultimately washes out to sea, damaging marine ecosystems and entering the food chain
•A United Nations report claims there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean4

You Mean Fish and Turtles aren’t Supposed to Eat Plastic?

Fish and other sea creatures are being found with plastic in or around their bodies. Forty-four percent of all seabird species, 22 percent of Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), all sea turtles and a growing list of fish have been found contaminated with these materials.5

Why would any creature knowingly EAT plastic?

All plastic starts as “nurdles,” or little plastic resin beads. These nurdles appear to sea creatures like fish eggs or other food sources, so they simply mistake them for food. Loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their favorite food. And the effects are disastrous, including internal blockages, dehydration, starvation, and potentially death. Albatrosses are frequently found strangled by the plastic rings that hold six-packs of soda together. Other creatures meet a painful end by getting tangled up in plastic netting.

Debris also blocks sunlight from which plankton and algae sustain themselves, and this has negative implications on up the food chain. In some ocean waters, plastic exceeds plankton by a factor of six to one.1

Not only do sea creatures suffer the effects of consuming chunks of plastic, but they’re also at risk from the organic pollutants plastic absorbs. Plastic particles are like “sponges” for waterborne contaminants such as PCBs, pesticides like DDT, herbicides, PAHs, and other persistent organic pollutants. When PCB concentrations in resin pellets were compared with the surrounding seawater, the accumulation factor was found to be one million. This phenomenon makes plastics far from benign, and scientists have yet to determine the full extent of the dangers posed by their consumption or the effects higher up the food chain. We have more questions than answers.

From Heart Valves to Hula-Hoops, Massive Plastic Islands Float upon Our Oceans

What has become of all the plastics humans have casually discarded? Scientists have discovered massive accumulations of plastic trash in each of the world’s five major oceanic gyres. Gyres are large, slowly rotating oceanic whirlpools, driven by global winds and ocean currents.6 Garbage and debris is funneled into the center of these gyres, in a kind of toilet bowl effect.

One of these gyres, the North Pacific Gyre, is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about a thousand miles from the Western coast. In its midst is a huge mass of trash (90 percent plastics), which floats in a soup of smaller pieces that have been broken apart by wave action.

Some call it the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and others the “Pacific Trash Vortex,” but regardless of its name, it’s the largest “landfill” in the world. In it you will find everything from plastic netting to bottles and bags and buckets, paint rollers, hula-hoops and medical equipment. Most of the garbage patch, however, is not made up of large items but rather microplastics you can’t see with the naked eye, such as the nurdles previously described.

No one knows exactly how vast these garbage patches are because so much of them can’t be visualized.7 The garbage-laden gyres are all located in remote areas, out of public view, which contributes to the “out of sight, out of mind” problem. As a side note, we’ve learned a good deal about ocean current patterns and the gyres they create — believe it or not — from 28,000 rubber duckies lost at sea in 1992, which continue to wash ashore in surprising locations!8 Rubber duckies notwithstanding, the chemicals in plastic have a number of problematic biological effects.

Dangerous Levels of BPA Found in More than 95 Percent of People Tested

Perhaps the most well known plastic chemical is BPA (bisphenol-A), widely used in the lining of food cans, dental sealants, paper money, receipts and other products. Unfortunately, BPA is so prevalent that 95 percent of people tested have potentially dangerous levels in their bodies. BPA leaches out of can linings and into the foods they contain, such as soups and sodas. BPA is not the only chemical that does this — science has recently discovered that melamine, once thought stable, leaches chemicals as well, particularly when heated. Consistent low-level melamine exposure has been linked to kidney stones in children and adults.9

Studies show that adults with the highest levels of BPA in their urine are more than twice as likely to develop narrowed arteries and coronary heart disease as those with the lowest levels. A British health survey correlated higher levels of urinary BPA with an increased risk of heart disease. One study found that eating canned goods increases urinary BPA concentrations more than 1,000-fold.

BPA is an endocrine disrupter, which means it interferes with your body’s hormonal system. An animal study found that BPA damages chromosomes and interferes with egg development, which could lead to spontaneous miscarriage, birth defects, and Down syndrome. In other studies, BPA has been linked to obesity, insulin resistance and cancer. According to Texas A & M geneticist Dr. David Busbee, less than one trillionth of a gram of BPA per one milliliter of food is sufficient to change the functioning and development of cells in your body.

BPA studies have captured the public’s attention, and there is growing legislation to limit its use, as a result. The state of California just declared BPA a reproductive health hazard10. The message is clear: BPA is harmful and should be avoided.

BPS May Be Even Worse than BPA

As the public has grown increasingly wary of BPA, a slew of BPA-free plastics have hit the market, from water bottles to plastic toys. However, many companies are simply swapping out BPA for another bisphenol, bisphenol-S (BPS), which is now showing up in human urine at levels similar to those of BPA. Research suggests BPS has hormone-mimicking characteristics similar to BPA, but it may be significantly less biodegradable, and more heat-stable and photo-resistant, which means it may be even more toxic than BPA over time.

Phthalates: The Plastic Gender-Benders

Another group of toxic chemicals coming from plastic are the phthalates. Phthalates function as plasticizers in everything from vinyl flooring to detergents, hoses, raincoats, adhesives, air fresheners, medical supplies, shampoos and even toys. Phthalates belong to “gender-bending” chemicals group that causes males of many species to become more female. Phthalates have been linked with chronic diseases such as allergies, asthma and autism, and can cause inflammation for at-risk infants. Children have been found to absorb phthalates from crawling around on soft, flexible plastic flooring and plastic play mats.

One of the more pervasive phthalates is DEHP, used primarily in the medical industry. Manufacturers add it to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make plastic equipment more flexible. In PVC, DEHP extends the shelf life of red blood cells, so you’ll find it in IV tubing, catheters, blood bags, nasogastric tubing and the like. Familiar with that “new shower curtain smell”? That’s the aroma of offgassing DEHP.

Groundbreaking research just published in PLoS One and Reproductive Toxicology11 found that rats exposed to phthalates produced offspring with higher rates of kidney and prostate disease, and their great-grandchildren showed greater obesity and diseases of the reproductive organs. This is the first time environmentally induced inheritance of disease has been demonstrated scientifically. The authors write12:

“This is the first study to show the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease, such as obesity.”

Unfortunately, every single person may have measurable phthalates in their bodies. In 2000, the CDC discovered high levels of phthalates in all 289 adult Americans tested. Dr. Busbee reports that every phthalate tested disrupts gene expression. This disruption is not only harmful to the person exposed, but the effects may be passed on to future generations, as the latest scientific study reveals.

Are Bioplastics the Pollution Solution?

Numerous companies have jumped onto the plant-plastics bandwagon in fervent efforts to come up with the perfect bioplastic material. As of 2010, more than 2.5 billion plant-plastic bottles were already in use around the world, including the PlantBottle by Coca-Cola Co.13 Despite all of the buzz, plant-based bottles are largely non-biodegradable, so they do nothing to relieve the garbage problem.

But even when bioplastics are compostable and made from “renewable resources,” they fail miserably when you look at their carbon footprint. Plant-based plastics run into the same problem as plant-based fuels — they have an impact on food production, turning valuable farmland to cornfields.14 There are concerns over the harmful effects of the pesticides and genetically modified crop strains used to create many of these bioplastics. And many require intensive chemical processing that is even dirtier than petroleum-derived plastics15.

So what is the answer?

The featured documentary, Addicted to Plastics, presents several examples of truly eco-friendly solutions that take all of the above factors into consideration — for example, making biodegradable plastics from chicken feathers.16 But perhaps the most important thing is what you can do TODAY to reduce your own plastic footprint.

What You Can Do Right Now

Discarded plastics are clogging up our oceans and threatening marine life from plankton on up. Massive islands of plastic waste now occupy the centers of the five major oceanic gyres. Our “disposable culture” has left a trail of destruction, in terms of both environmental and human impact. Chemicals like BPA, BPS, and phthalates disrupt the reproductive function and genetic expression of multiple species — including humans — causing infertility and potentially disastrous health effects like metabolic dysfunction, organ damage, and cancer.

There is no single solution to the plastic waste problem. But you can do your part by taking the following action steps that reduce your plastic consumption, which will benefit your health as well as the environment.
•Reduce plastic use: Purchase products that are not made from or packaged in plastic. Here are a few ideas… Use reusable shopping bags for groceries. Bring your own mug when indulging in a coffee drink — and skip the lid and the straw. Bring drinking water from home in glass water bottles, instead of buying bottled water. Store foods in the freezer in glass mason jars as opposed to plastic bags. Take your own leftover container to restaurants. Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning. These are just a few ideas — I’m sure you can think of more.
•Recycle what you can: Take care to recycle and repurpose products whenever possible. For example, here’s a video demonstrating a simple way to turn your plastic shopping bags into very strong rope.

•Support legislation: Support legislative efforts to manage waste in your community; take a leadership role with your company, school, and neighborhood.
•Be Innovative: If you have a great idea, share it! Your capacity to come up with smarter designs and creative ideas is limitless, and many heads are better than one. Innovations move us toward a more sustainable world.
•Assist Recovery: Return deposits on bottles and other plastic products, and participate in “plastic drives” for local schools, where cash is paid by the pound.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Can You Really Build a Brand New Body
—and Create a Dramatically Improved
and Healthier Version of You…
in Less than 365 Days?

Little-known secret supercharges your health and wellbeing… Supports Graceful Aging… Nourishes prevention and healing of chronic diseases… and even enables you to live longer!

hat if you could trade your present body for a much healthier one… just like trading in your old car for a newer and better model? Imagine how much better your life would be!

Imagine how many health problems you’d avoid… how fast your supercharged immunity would allow diseases to disappear from your body… how much more energy you’d have… how vibrant and alive you’d feel… and how many more years you’d add to your lifespan.

If this sounds like a fantasy to you, I ask that you suspend your disbelief until you’ve read the entire story. You’ll be amazed, intrigued and fascinated by the extraordinary information you’re about to discover.

But first, let me ask you a question.

Which of the following describes you?
[Check all that apply to you.]

You’re someone who has been living an unhealthy lifestyle—and wants to “start over” with a clean slate… erase the “ghost of your body’s past”… and usher in a new healthier you.

You suffer from a chronic or degenerative disease, and are seeking complete health restoration.

You’re seeing and feeling the symptoms of “getting older”—such as aches and pains, debilitating diseases, wrinkles and saggy skin, loss of vitality, poor memory—and wish to regain your lost youth — and look and feel young again.

You’re someone in fairly good health who wants to maximize your health and well-being, slow down your aging process, and live a long life.

If you checked one or more of the above, this will be the most exciting information you’ll ever encounter.

As you read this article in its entirety, you will discover the recipe for creating a brand new body—a body that is capable of rebuilding itself and dramatically improving your health and longevity.

The Amazing Health Secret of a
Beverly Hills Millionaire

ave you ever come across those rare people who never get sick—even with advancing age… those who always have high energy… who always look years younger than their actual age… who seem to be “born healthy” and never struggle with health problems—even while their friends and relatives suffer from a diverse array of diseases?

“Mister B” is such a person.

A 65 year old self-made millionaire who lives in Beverly Hills, Mister B, is at the peak of health.
His biological age is proven to be that of a 31-year-old man! (verified by a recent biological age test in 2012)
He’s disease-free and never gets sick (doesn’t even get a cold or the flu)—and has normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
He has a laser-sharp memory.
He looks decades younger than his chronological age.
He has an inexhaustible supply of energy—and can outperform, outdance and outlast people half his age.
He has amazing stamina and continues to do all the physical activities he did in his twenties.
He’s never been hospitalized in his life!

In 2010, Mister B attended his 45 year college reunion. Many of his fraternity brothers—men his own age—didn’t recognize Mister B at all… mistaking him for a man no older than 40. When he told them who he was, they stared in amazement because Mister B’s face showed no signs of wrinkles or sagging skin—and he actually looked younger than the last time they saw him… just 10 years prior!

Furthermore, Mister B had a youthful physique… while most of his fraternity friends were overweight and out of shape.

They demanded to know the name of his plastic surgeon… the doctor who had “renovated” his face and body—and they didn’t believe him when he swore he’d had no cosmetic surgery!

Mister B is not only a real-life Beverly Hills millionaire entrepreneur… he’s also the poster child for optimum health and anti-aging. But it wasn’t always that way.

Earlier in his life, Mister B was just like everyone else. In his mid-40s, he began to face the health challenges and aging symptoms so common among middle-aged people. He started rapidly losing his hair, getting wrinkles and gaining weight and flab… especially in his mid-section. He developed gum disease… suffered from undiagnosed prostate pain and even… a lymphatic disorder characterized by excessive mucous and occasional swelling of the lymph nodes.

Mister B was forced to realize, “He was over the hill, and going downhill fast!”

But one fateful day—that ultimately changed his life—a naturopathic doctor said these words to him:

“Your Body Tomorrow = What You Put in It Today”

This same wise doctor shocked Mister B when he told him… “your entire body has the miraculous ability of rebuilding itself in less than a year!”

“Every cell in your body dies and is replaced by new cells,” his doctor explained…

Your body builds…
A new brain in 1 year…
New blood in 4 months…
An entire skeleton in 3 months…
New DNA in 2 months…
A new liver in 6 weeks…
New skin in 1 month…
And a new stomach lining in 5 days!

“Your body has the power to literally rebuild itself from the way it is today… to a brand new body tomorrow,” said the doctor, pointing to an illustration of the body’s rebuilding mechanism.

Mister B’s mind began spinning with amazement over his newfound knowledge of the human body’s self-regenerating ability.

“But…,” he asked, “if it’s true that the body rebuilds itself, why are people still unhealthy, sick and deteriorating with age?”

The doctor replied, “The reason people continue to suffer from the same problems of aging… debilitating disease and sickness is because… people continue to recreate the same body by putting the same unhealthy food in it.”

That’s like tearing down a dilapidated house with a weak foundation—and rebuilding it with the same inferior building materials—that caused the weak foundation in the first place!

Upon hearing that… a light bulb went on in Mister B’s head.

“Let food be thy medicine
… and let thy medicine be food.”

— Hippocrates, Father of Medicine

He spent the next 5 years seeking out the most nutrient-dense foods in the world to supply his body with the right raw materials to rebuild itself better than it was. After extensive research and grueling documentation, he was finally able to distill the long list of nutrient-rich foods down to the 8 most powerful super foods…
#1: Is the world’s greatest anti-aging super food…
#2: The miracle tree that prevents and treats over 300 diseases…
#3: A super herb with spectacular health benefits more prized than gold…
#4: The most nutrient dense food on the planet…
#5: The No. 1 superfood for youth and longevity…
#6: The absolute best for rejuvenation of aging cells…
#7: A superfood that contains 600 times more Vitamin C than oranges (and provides an extraordinary boost to your immune system…)
#8 And lastly, “the most antioxidant-rich superfood on the planet.”

Obviously, you’re eager to discover the names of these 8 amazing and nutrient dense superfoods—and the recipe that made such a startling difference in not only Mister B’s health but also his appearance! And don’t worry because the recipe appears below. But first, you need to know one of the most important things Mister B discovered during his extensive research…

You Cannot Build a Healthier Body by Simply Eating More Vegetables and Fruits

f you’re like most people, you’ve been told to “eat your fruits and veggies” since you were a child. Mainstream media including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, most health and fitness publications, National Public Radio, as well as countless university studies have long proclaimed that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can increase your energy levels… boost your immune system… reduce your risk of illness… and recharge your body.

But here’s the rub… although fruits and vegetables are indeed good for your health… eating them is no longer good enough to promote anti-aging and lasting health—let alone help build a better body. Here are 4 big reasons why:

WARNING: Vegetables and Fruits That Are
Conventionally Grown Are Nutritionally Depleted
— and May Even be Hazardous to Your Health

1. Today’s produce is significantly lower in essential nutrients than foods produced 50 years ago because modern farming practices have depleted our soils of minerals. Many organic agricultural scientists agree, depleted soils yield nutrient-poor produce. You now need approximately 10 servings of vegetables and fruits to obtain the nutritional equivalent of 1 serving from 50 years ago.

2. The long shipping and storage time between harvest and market degrades the nutrient content further. As a result, most vegetables and fruits sold in commercial establishments are even more nutritionally depleted.

3. The use of pesticides and other chemical additives in non-organic farming yield not only nutritionally deficient—but potentially poisonous produce—that may put you at even higher risk of long-term health problems.

4. An estimated 80% of food crops including corn to tomatoes and alfalfa to sugar beets are now genetically engineered and snuck into much of the processed food we eat. These genetically modified (GMO) crops have had their genetic material altered using complex engineering techniques. Genetically engineered produce has been shown to cause serious health problems to those who consume them. And lack of food labeling regulation makes them even harder to identify in our food supply.

The first-ever long-term study of the health effects of GMO foods (conducted at the University of Caen in France) shows that a lifelong diet of genetically modified foods may be associated with tumors, organ damage and premature death in lab mice.

Knowing the drawbacks—and dangers—of consuming conventionally grown vegetables and fruits, Mister B had to look harder to find the exact nutritional value he was looking for. He turned his attention to the vast array of vitamins and supplements that flooded the market. Again, he was dismayed by what he found.

Why Multivitamin Supplements Are Not
the Solution for Promoting
Long-Term Health and Wellness

ccording to the world’s largest study on multivitamins, people who take multivitamin supplements may not be gaining actual health benefits. Instead, most vitamins and minerals are actually excreted during a well-known bodily function… earning them the nickname: Expensive Urine!

That’s because the food nutrients found in vitamin and mineral supplements are isolated and extracted, and then put into a synthetic chemical structure the body does not recognize as food.

“Taking multivitamins doesn’t solve the problem—it is impossible to capture all of the vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting [nutrients]… in a pill.”

— Source: National Cancer Institute

It became clear to Mister B that only real food—not vitamin pills—can provide all of the health-enhancing factors needed to build a better body.

But clearly, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, blueberries and tomatoes, to name a few) were not the answer!

Only real, raw and organic superfoods could provide the fuel the human body needs to rebuild a healthier version of itself!

Continued below…

What is a superfood?

Superfood – def: A food with a high concentration of various nutrients and phytochemical content that delivers exceptional health benefits. The best superfoods are usually scientifically proven foods (also called “functional foods”) that can be used in a targeted way to support natural healing of specific health problems and to enhance health and well-being.

Yet, All Superfoods Are Not Created Equal

here are dozens of so-called “superfoods” in existence. Unfortunately, many claim health benefits and effects that are not supported by solid scientific studies. And some are only backed by pseudo-scientific research, exaggeration, misrepresentation and even old wives tales—and many have no track record of verifiable success… no real-life case studies of real people who have experienced real results in improving real conditions.

Mister B conducted intensive investigative work to catalog and document all the potential superfoods one by one into a huge master file—discarding those that had no substantiated merits—and doing more in-depth research on those that showed promise. And, after over 5 years of commitment and research, he finally distilled his list down to the…

Mega-8 Superfoods: The “A-Team”
for Rebuilding Your New Body

t was a monumental day when Mister B discovered the “Mega-8” superfoods that have remarkable health-enhancing and life-extending properties. Little did he know that those 8 superfoods would change his life forever.

However, no matter how impressive the 8 superfoods appeared on paper, the question still remained: Would these 8 superfoods actually promote health and wellness that one could see and feel?

There was only one way to find out.

Mister B proceeded to buy bulk quantities of the raw and certified organic powder form of those 8 superfoods. He mixed each of the superfood powders into a glass of water, stirred the mixture—and drank his very own superfood concoction every single day for over 7 years!

Although he could certainly afford to buy any nutritional or dietary supplement on the market—he chose to ingest only the mega-8 superfoods daily. He did not change his diet or lifestyle—he rarely went to the gym to work out, he still continued to drink beer, wine and other liquor—and he still binged on junk food every now and then.

And his results are nothing short of amazing! At age 65, his biological age is that of a 31-year-old man! And after much prodding he’s agreed to reveal his age-defying, fountain-of-youth recipe to you…

Continued below…

Mister B’s Secret Recipe Reveals the 8 Most Nutrient Dense Superfoods on Earth…

The nutritional properties of each of these nutritional powerhouses could fill an entire book. Every single one of them has been shown to single-handedly deliver powerful healthy aging benefits—but when combined, they produce a spectacular, synergistic boost to your overall health and well-being… like adding rocket-fuel to your car’s gas tank!

Superfood #1: Chlorella – The World’s Greatest Healthy Aging Food!

Chlorella is a single-celled, water-grown algae that contains more health-enhancing chlorophyll per gram than any other plant. It is extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and many other nutrients that are beneficial to your health.

Chlorella also has an abundance of nucleic acids, which have powerful rejuvenating properties that regulate the aging process, supports youthful looking and wrinkle-free skin, and helps you have a longer potential lifespan.

Dr. Benjamin S. Frank, author of The No-Aging Diet and Nucleic Acid Therapy in Aging and Degenerative Disease, offered his patients with foods rich in nucleic acids, and reported that such a diet helped his patient’s look and feel 6 to 12 years younger than their chronological age, and their overall health dramatically improved. They also experienced a substantial fading of the look and feel of lines and wrinkles, and developed healthier, younger-looking skin after only 2 months.

The raw and organic chlorella in Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood is “broken cell wall chlorella”—the most beneficial kind of chlorella. This means that the cellulose cell walls of chlorella have been pulverized or broken down, thereby making it bioavailable… or able to be easily absorbed and used by the body… giving it the power to deliver superior health benefits.

Superfood #2: Moringa – The “Miracle Tree” of Cell Rejuvenation and The Enemy of Abnormal Cell Growth

The moringa is a genus of trees indigenous to Southern India and Northern Africa, and now cultivated in Central and South America, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines. The leaves of the species called moringa oleifera, have become recognized in recent years as being highly beneficial to human health.

Moringa leaves are a healthy aging powerhouse because they contain several thousand times more of the powerful nutrient zeatin than any other known plant. A study published in Rejuvenation Research shows the undeniable youth-preserving effects of zeatin are due to its ability to regulate cell division and growth, and delay cell aging. With the zeatin contained in moringa, new skin cells grow at a faster rate than old skin cells die. This results in a marked reduction of look and feel of wrinkles on the face and other parts of the body, and a more youthful skin appearance.

Moringa leaves also have 90 essential nutrients and 2 compounds that have been shown to regulate abnormal cell growth (or a retardation of their growth). This has earned moringa the reputation of being a plant that supports health. India’s traditional natural Ayurvedic medicine currently uses moringa leaves to in the care of over 300 diseases.

A Bureau of Plant Industry report states that, gram per gram, moringa leaves contain: twice the protein content of 8 ounces of milk (and 4 times the calcium); the Vitamin C equivalent of 7 oranges; the potassium content of 3 bananas; 3 times the iron of spinach; and 4 times the Vitamin A of carrots.

Superfood #3: Maca – The Sacred Plant More Precious Than Gold!

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a hearty root vegetable that grows in the high Andean plateaus of Peru. It is full of essential nutrients drawn from the mineral rich soil of the high Andes and the ancient Inca worshipped it as a sacred plant.

Maca was so highly prized by the ancient Inca that Conquistadors often asked to be paid their tributes in maca rather than gold!

Maca has gained the reputation of being a super herb in recent years, but it has actually been traditionally used for over 2,000 years to address a variety of health conditions.

In 1960, Gloria Chacon de Popovici, Ph.D., a Peruvian biologist, isolated the 4 alkaloids responsible for maca’s reputed positive support for hormonal issues such as hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss—and even male impotence. Maca’s reputation for restoring physical strength and libido has been remarked upon by many South Americans.

Maca is not only a powerful libido enhancer, but it also…

promotes reproductive health
enhances fertility in both men and women
alleviates minor discomforts symptoms of menopause and PMS
supports normal bone retention during menopause
boosts energy levels and aids in athletic performance
helps strengthen the body’s immune system

promotes mental clarity
increases the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue
has a high iron content
helps maintain normal cholesterol levels

Superfood #4: Spirulina – The Most Nutrient-
Dense Food on the Planet!

Spirulina is a blue green algae, considered to be the most nutrient dense food on the planet.

Because spirulina’s nutrient profile is more potent than that of any other food, plant, grain or herb, it is considered a superior whole food alternative to isolated vitamin supplements. In addition to its contribution to the body’s nutritional needs, it has been shown to support beneficial outcomes when concerned about:

cancer (abnormal cell growth)
allergies
high cholesterol
anemia
elevated blood sugar

viral infections
cardiovascular diseases (heart concerns)
liver damage (problems)
inflammatory conditions
and immunodeficiency diseases (immune concerns).

Of course, no food, including spirulina, can treat any of these conditions,
but good nutrition can offer support for good health and healing.

Spirulina is the best source of vegetable protein, containing about 65% protein — higher than any other natural food — far more than animal flesh (20%), eggs (12%), whole milk (3%), soybeans (35%), peanuts (25%) or grains (8 to 14%). It is considered a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids, which are the amino acids the body cannot make, but must ingest.

Spirulina also contains extraordinary concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, such as beta carotene (10 times more concentrated than that of carrots), iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, calcium, chromium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, essential trace minerals, and gamma-linolenic acid. It is also the most abundant source of Vitamin B-12, and is also rich in phytonutrients and functional nutrients that have a demonstrably positive effect on health.

Superfood #5: Cacao – The No. 1 Longevity Food

Cacao comes from raw cacao seeds, the product of a fruit grown on the cacao tree (theobroma cacao), which grow naturally in the shade of tropical rainforests in South America and the West Indies.

Cocoa, a component of chocolate, is derived from cacao, which many researchers dub as “one of nature’s most fantastic superfoods.” Here are just a few of cacao’s far-reaching health benefits:
Increases blood flow to the brain and enhances brain function
Cacao is the No. 1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry… builds strong bones… helps regulate heartbeat and blood pressure… helps prevent constipation and even eases minor menstrual cramps.
Cacao beans contain certain compounds that can trigger weight loss, make you feel good and improve your mood considerably.
Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far—more than blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas.
Serotonin – Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain; thus acts to regulate mood, help with PMS discomfort, and promote a sense of well-being.
Endorphins – Cacao stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the “runner’s high” a jogger feels after running several miles.
Sulfur – Cacao is high in the beauty mineral sulfur. Sulfur builds strong nails and hair, promotes beautiful skin, detoxifies the liver, and supports healthy pancreas functioning.

The key to gaining the most benefit from the world’s No. 1 longevity food is to choose cacao that is organic, raw, and cold-processed, such as the cacao contained in the Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood blend.

Superfood #6: Wheatgrass – The Absolute Best Superfood for the Rejuvenation of Aging Cells

Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant, triticum aestivum. Its leaves are juiced or dried into powder for human consumption.

In The Wheatgrass Book, Ann Wigmore suggests that consuming wheatgrass juice promotes a healthy aging process because it cleanses the blood, thereby helping to rejuvenate aging cells and helping to tighten loose and sagging skin.

The high chlorophyll content of wheatgrass, as well as the amino acids, minerals, vitamins and enzymes it contains enable wheatgrass to provide a wide range of health benefits, as follows:
Regulates normal cell growth: Studies show that wheatgrass juice has a powerful ability to regulate cell growth.
Powerful detoxifier: Wheatgrass protects the liver and the blood, and neutralizes toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride.
Blood builder: The chlorophyll in wheatgrass is almost identical in chemical composition to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood.

Superfood #7: Camu-Camu – The Superfruit with
600 Times More Vitamin C Than Oranges!

Camu camu is a bush that grows in the black water rivers of the South American Amazon rainforest. Its purplish red berries are a rich source of antioxidants and powerful phytochemicals that support and enhance health.

Camu camu berries contain the highest amount of Vitamin C of any botanical source—30 to 60 times more than a fresh orange. But when they are dried and reduced to powder form (as they are in Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood blend), they deliver 600 times more Vitamin C than oranges! This amount of Vitamin C provides extraordinary immune system support and enhances mental health.

The berries also contain beneficial phytochemicals, such as leucine, serine and valine, as well as significant levels of beta carotene, calcium, iron, potassium, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamine—all of which provide these nutritional and therapeutic benefits:

Regulates soreness considerably
Supports healthy respiratory function (helps keep your lungs healthy)
Maintains healthy skin, hair and nails

Helps support vibrant eyesight
Strengthens tendons and ligaments
Helps to keep organs such as the eyes, brain, heart, skin and liver in good working condition

Dr. James Duke, Ph.D., the retired chief botanist for 30 years with the USDA (and author of several books on botanical medicine, including The Green Pharmacy) conducted an extensive study of hundreds of botanicals. He concluded that camu camu is one of the most outstanding natural mood support nutrients, and ranked it the No. 1 Natural Remedy for many traditional ailments.

Superfood #8: Acai – The Most Antioxidant-
Rich Superfood in the World!

The acai berry (Euterpe Oleracea), the fruit of the Acai Palm tree which grows in the flood plains of the Amazon in Brazil, is a small, black-purple berry that is considered by many to be one of the world’s most nutritious foods. That’s because it’s the most antioxidant-rich superfood in the world, with a phenomenally high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value.

These berries contain a high concentration of beneficial anthocyanins—up to 30 times more anthocyanins than red wine! Anthocyanins are a group of polyphenols high in antioxidant value, and this gives them the ability to support healthy aging.

Acai berries are rich in dietary fiber, monounsaturated (healthy) fats and phytosterols that help promote healthy digestive and cardiovascular systems—and contribute to weight loss. They also have an abundance of essential fatty acids and an almost perfect essential amino acid complex and proteins that are essential for proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

Acai berries have been shown to support a graceful aging process… strengthen the immune system… regulate normal cholesterol levels in the body… reduce soreness… improve circulation and cardiovascular function… detoxify the body… improve vision… and help you sleep better, naturally.

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Gun control push causing mass awakening among conservatives about psychiatric drugs

Well, Natural News has been making the connection for some time now, and it appears that, finally, other media outlets are beginning to do the same thing: Other media outlets, including the so-called conservative press – which has been reluctant to do so until recently – are reporting that many of the mass murders committed over the past 10-15 years have involved shooters who were taking, or had been taking, some sort of prescription psychotropic.

Conservative commentator Alan Caruba, in a recent blog post, noted the connection in an essay entitled, “Making Little Murderers by Prescription,” in which he observed that one positive thing that could come out of the Newtown, Conn., massacre is, finally, “a national discussion of the role of various psychological medications that have been foisted on a generation or two of young Americans in the nation’s schools.”

More writers seeing the light

Like us, Caruba mentioned a specific class of drugs as being particularly dangerous and, perhaps, ultimately responsible: SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, which are psychotropic medications that work to alter chemical levels in the brain which impact behavior and mood.

Where you won’t hear this connection made is at the White House, the New York gubernatorial statehouse, in the city council chambers of Chicago and New York City, and scores of other places where statist gun controllers are completely ignoring the connection. Rather, they are blaming the guns, gun makers and you, the honest gun-owning American.

Caruba’s not the only one establishing the link between SSRIs and mass murder. Conservative columnist Harvard Ph.D Jerome R. Corsi wrote recently that dangerous psychotropics have had a role in about “90 percent of school shootings over more than a decade.” He cited British psychiatrist Dr. David Healy, “a founder of RxISK.org, an independent website for researching and reporting on prescription drugs.”

Corsi, who is a senior staff reporter for WorldNetDaily.com, said one of Healy’s websites, ssristories.com, contains more than 4,800 reports of violence where antidepressants are mentioned. (Note: The most common SSRIs include Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac, Lexapro and Luvox. (Dis)honorable mentions include Cymbalta, Remeron, Effexor, Anafranil and Prestiq.)

Others are catching on as well. Writing in CanadaFreePress.com, American Policy Center president Tom DeWeese said, “As communities reel from one massive act of student violence after another, most recently in Newtown, Connecticut, the nation looks for answers. How many are looking at the schools themselves as the conduit through which millions of students are drugged with mind-altering drugs?”

Continuing, DeWeese cited statistics:

Today more than 7,000,000 children have been labeled, stamped and registered as permanent patients of the school system. 10 to 12 percent of all boys between the ages of six and 14 in the United States have been diagnosed as having ADD. One in every 30 Americans between the ages of five and 19 years old has a prescription for Ritalin. And the fuse burns as the “patients” sit in the classroom.

Nationally syndicated columnist and multiple No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Coulter, talked about the 800-pound gorilla in the room few politicians, academics and pundits want to recognize, when framing the gun-control debate: “Consequently, whenever a psychopath with a million gigantic warning signs commits a shocking murder, the knee-jerk reaction is to place yet more controls on guns. By now, guns are the most heavily regulated product in America.”

We’ll continue to report on this heinous connection

Adds Healy on his website: “Antidepressants have been recognized as potential inducers of mania and psychosis since their introduction in the 1950s. Since the introduction of Prozac in December 1987, there has been a massive increase in the number of people taking antidepressants.”

As we have reported in the past, at least 14 recent shootings at schools have been committed by someone taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs. The results are telling: 58 killed, 109 wounded.

In other school shootings, “information about their drug use was never made public – neither confirming or refuting if they were under the influence of prescribed drugs,” the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International revealed.

It is well and good to see an increasing number of columnists, writers and news outlets report and discuss the connection between psychotropics and mass murder, because it’s about time. There are still too few of them doing so, but rest assured that we’ll continue to do our part.

Sources:

http://www.ammoland.com

http://abcnews.go.com

Home

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039011_gun_control_mass_awakening_psychiatric_drugs.html#ixzz2KJFUjwjw

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FDA approves first GMO flu vaccine containing reprogrammed insect virus

A new vaccine for influenza has hit the market, and it is the first ever to contain genetically-modified (GM) proteins derived from insect cells. According to reports, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the vaccine, known as Flublok, which contains recombinant DNA technology and an insect virus known as baculovirus that is purported to help facilitate the more rapid production of vaccines.

According to Flublok’s package insert, the vaccine is trivalent, which means it contains GM proteins from three different flu strains. The vaccine’s manufacturer, Protein Sciences Corporation (PSC), explains that Flublok is produced by extracting cells from the fall armyworm, a type of caterpillar, and genetically altering them to produce large amounts of hemagglutinin, a flu virus protein that enables the flu virus itself to enter the body quickly.

So rather than have to produce vaccines the “traditional” way using egg cultures, vaccine manufacturers will now have the ability to rapidly produce large batches of flu virus protein using GMOs, which is sure to increase profits for the vaccine industry. But it is also sure to lead to all sorts of serious side effects, including the deadly nerve disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GSB), which is listed on the shot as a potential side effect.

“If Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has occurred within six weeks of receipt of a prior influenza vaccine, the decision to give Flublock should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks,” explains a section of the vaccine’s literature entitled “Warnings and Precautions.” Other potential side effects include allergic reactions, respiratory infections, headaches, fatigue, altered immunocompetence, rhinorrhea, and myalgia.

According to clinical data provided by PSC in Flublok’s package insert, two study participants actually died during trials of the vaccine. But the company still insists Flublok is safe and effective, and that it is about 45 percent effective against all strains of influenza in circulation, rather than just one or two strains.

FDA also approves flu vaccine containing dog kidney cells
Back in November, the FDA also approved a new flu vaccine known as Flucelvax that is actually made using dog kidney cells. A product of pharmaceutical giant Novartis, Flucelvax also does away with the egg cultures, and can similarly be produced much more rapidly than traditional flu vaccines, which means vaccine companies can have it ready and waiting should the federal government declare a pandemic.

Like Flublok, Flucelvax was made possible because of a $1 billion, taxpayer-funded grant given by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the vaccine industry back in 2006 to develop new manufacturing methods for vaccines. The ultimate goal is to be able to quickly manufacture hundreds of millions of vaccines for rapid distribution.

Meanwhile, there are reportedly two other GMO flu vaccines currently under development. One of them, which is being produced by Novavax, will utilize “bits of genetic material grown in caterpillar cells called ‘virus-like particles’ that mimic a flu virus,” according to Reuters.

Sources for this article include:

Home

http://www.reuters.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039013_flu_vaccine_insect_virus_GMOs.html#ixzz2KJ55eYTw

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Who needs a doctor when you have drug commercials?

It used to be that a patient would tell his doctor what was wrong, and the doctor would come up with a diagnosis and a treatment based on those symptoms, and some tests.

These days, it’s the other way around: A patient sees a commercial for a drug and says, “I need that!” Then, he marches into his doctor’s office and demands a prescription.

In theory, that extra step — going to the doctor’s office — is supposed to stop people from self-medicating and taking drugs they don’t need, too many drugs, or dangerous drugs without a doctor to keep an eye on things.

In reality, once a patient asks for a drug he usually gets it. Usually, but not always — and it drives the drug industry nuts that at least some patients are being stopped by stick-in-the-mud doctors who worry about little things like health, safety, side effects, and necessity.

They want patients to be able to skip the middleman in the white jacket and get drugs on their own — without a prescription.

And right now, that drug-industry dream is about to become a reality. Under a nightmarish new plan, supposedly from the FDA, statins, diabetes drugs, asthma meds, and more could all be available over the counter.

I say “supposedly” because I don’t believe for a moment that the agency came up with this out of the clear blue sky. Behind the scenes, you can bet the drug industry has been pushing for this — and pushing hard.

Them, and insurance companies. Since insurers don’t usually cover over-the-counter meds, this could save them billions (and cause patients who really need those meds to pay more than ever).

The fact that the FDA is now actually proposing it should tell you everything you need to know about who really calls the shots in Washington.

After all, no one else is clamoring for this. I haven’t heard a patient yet say he wished he had easier access to statins.

And doctors hate the idea. The American Medical Association even testified against it at an FDA hearing, and not just because docs could lose money if patients no longer need to come in for office visits to get prescriptions.

It’s because they’ll be the ones left picking up the pieces when patients make bad drug choices — something that’s bound to happen when they’re choosing medicines based on TV commercials.

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http://youtu.be/wnlTYFKBg18