1. How to identify the contaminants in your home tap water
2. How to choose a filter that works
3. Why you should skip the bottled water
4. How to find safer reusable water bottles

Vitamin C Helps Prevent Heart Disease

So get your FREE copy of Vitamin C: The Real Story today. See our special offer below on how to get your copy and four free issues of The Blaylock Wellness Report absolutely FREE.

Which Herbal Colon Cleansing Ingredients should I avoid?

With the surge of interest in natural health, herbal colon cleansers and detoxifiers, big business is cashing in. They've developed infomercials to advance their products. People have been sold on the idea and are using them because they're all natural.

The National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, and similar organizations are reporting dangerous results from taking some of these ingredients. The fact that they're found in nature does not make them effective at ridding the colon of toxins. In fact, virtually all of them are reported to fall short of their goal. Most often, these are formulated with lesser quality ingredients which are cheap and potentially dangerous.

The following three ingredients commonly present in herbal colon cleansers, may pose a serious health threat - Psyllium, Cascara Sagrada, & Senna.

Psyllium

Psyllium is the fleawort plant seed and is a very popular bulk-forming laxative that contains high quantities of fiber and mucilage (a thick, gooey substance that many plants produce). The husk of this fiber swells when water is introduced to it. Because of the bulk, it behaves like a hard sponge and stimulates contractions in the bowel, often causing the bowel to empty.

• Skin irritations or hives
• Anaphylaxis - An acute multi-system allergic reaction that can lead to death in severe cases. Constriction of airways (resulting in choking) is a common symptom.

Senna

Senna is toxic to animal muscle tissue and yet this herbal stimulant laxative is an ingredient commonly found in herbal teas, vitamins, weight-loss supplements and laxatives. Its serious toxicity is known to the product developers and yet they continue, knowing the threats of diseases and death are possible with use over time.

Cascara sagrada, the third one that we're looking at, is an herbal stimulant laxative which is also quite dangerous. It's known to intensify symptoms of constipation and diarrhea (what it's supposed to relieve), and cause serious digestive problems.

This is another one that you definitely want to avoid in any form it may appear. Remember when you are researching the product right for you:

• Dangerous ingredients are often substituted with derivatives that you may not readily recognize — be sure to investigate the ingredients completely
• Look for products that will stimulate your body's ability to cleanse and heal itself

Laxatives are dangerous and often the damage they do to the body far outstrips any short-term benefit you may see. And there are many other potentially dangerous herbal combinations in many herbal colon cleansing formulas. The infomercials are going to tell you their best part of truth. Be sure you investigate everything before you take it. It can be a fatal decision to take any of these.

FOR SAFE ORGANIC COLON CLEANSING CLICK BELOW

http://www.speakthewordnow.com/naturalorganichealth.htm

Posted by Dr. Mercola | March 09 2010

Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month.

Confidential government reports say that about 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure would be averted every month if patients switched away from Avandia.

One report, by Dr. David Graham and Dr. Kate Gelperin of the FDA, argued that Avandia should be withdrawn from the market.

READ MORE

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/09/warning--is-your-diabetes-drug-the-one-found-to-kill-thousands.aspx

by Dr. Mercola | March 06 2010

A livestock drug banned in 160 nations and responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs has been approved by the FDA.

The beta agonist ractopamine, a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis, was recruited for livestock use when researchers found the drug, used in asthma, made mice more muscular.

Ractopamine is started as the animal nears slaughter.

How does a drug marked, "Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask" become "safe" in human food? With no washout period?

The drug is banned in Europe, Taiwan and China, and more than 1,700 people have been "poisoned" from eating pigs fed the drug since 1998, but ractopamine is used in 45 percent of U.S. pigs and 30 percent of ration-fed cattle.

Ractopamine, aka Paylean and Optaflexx, is banned in 160 countries, including Europe, Taiwan and China. If imported meat is found to contain traces of the drug, it is turned away, while fines and imprisonment result for its use in banned countries.

Yet, in the United States 45 percent of pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys are pumped full of this drug in the days leading up to slaughter.

Why?

This drug, manufactured by Elanco Animal Health, increases protein synthesis. In other words, it makes animals more muscular … and this increases food growers’ bottom line.

Adding insult to injury, up to 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox. Yet this drug is marked “Not for use in humans,” and is known to increase death and disability in livestock.

READ MORE

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/06/why-does-fda-allow-banned-drugs-to-be-fed-to-livestock.aspx

Sources:

  AlterNet February 2, 2010

Fundamental differences

Unrefined sea salt

• Natural salt is a prime condiment that stimulates salivation and helps to balance and replenish all of the body's electrolytes.
• The natural iodine in these salts protects against radiation, atomic fallout, and many other pollutants.
• Unrefined sea salt supplies all 92 vital trace minerals, thereby promoting optimum biological function and cellular maintenance:
  • Here is a partial list of the minerals found in unrefined salt and their function in human metabolism:
    • Sodium: Essential to digestion and metabolism, regulates body fluids, nerve and muscular functions.
    • Chlorine: Essential component of human body fluids.
    • Calcium: Needed for bone mineralization.
    • Magnesium: Dissipates sodium excess, forms and hardens bones, ensures mental development and sharpens intelligence, promotes assimilation of carbohydrates, assures metabolism of vitamin C and calcium, retards the aging process and dissolves kidney stones.
    • Sulfur: Controls energy transfer in tissue, bone and cartilage cells, essential for protein compounds.
    • Silicon: Needed in carbon metabolism and for skin and hair balance.
    • Iodine: Vital for energy production and mental development, ensures production of thyroid hormones, needed for strong auto-defense mechanism (lymphatic system).
    • Bromine: In magnesium bromide form, a nervous system regulator and restorer, vital for pituitary hormonal function.
    • Phosphorus: Essential for biochemical synthesis and nerve cell functions related to the brain, constituent of phosphoproteins, nucleoproteins and phospholipids.
    • Vanadium: Of greater value for tooth bone calcification than fluoride, tones cardiac and nervous systems, reduces cholesterol, regulates phospholipids in blood, and a catalyst for the oxidation of many biological substances.

Refined table salt

• Inorganic sodium chloride upsets your fluid balance and constantly overburdens your elimination systems, which can impair your health.
• When your body tries to isolate the overdose of refined salt you typically expose it to, water molecules must surround the sodium chloride molecules to break them up into sodium and chloride ions in order to help your body neutralize them. To accomplish this, water is taken from your cells, and you have to sacrifice the water stored in your cells in order to neutralize the unnatural sodium chloride.
  • This results in dehydrated cells that die prematurely.
• Refined table salt contains added iodine, which may indeed have helped eliminate the incidence of endemic goiter, but has conversely increased the incidence of hypothyroidism.
• Refined table salt lacks all trace minerals.
• Refined salt contains anticaking agents such as ferrocyanide, yellow prussiate of soda, tricalcium phosphate, alumine-calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate. All work by preventing the salt from mixing with water, both inside the box and inside the human body. This prevents the salt from doing one of its important functions in the organism: regulating hydration.

YOU MUST GO HERE AND READ THIS IMPORTANT NEWS

http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lsalt.htm

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
March 02 2010

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will rebrand the sweetener as “AminoSweet”.

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.

Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:

• Headache
• Change in vision
• Convulsions and seizures
• Hallucination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Joint pain

It can cause many, many other problems as well.

  FoodBev 2010

The Dangers of Aspartame (Artificial Sweeteners Sugarfree Diet Coke Zero No Sugar Added E951)

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
January 28 2010

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become thinner, more porous and break more easily. Osteopenia is different from osteoporosis -- it is a slight thinning of bones that occurs naturally as women get older and typically doesn't result in disabling bone breaks.

Osteopenia is a condition that only recently started to be thought of as a problem that required treatment. Until the early 1990’s, only a handful of people had even heard of the word. But osteopenia has transformed from a rarely heard word into a problem that millions of women swallow pills to treat.

The term “osteopenia” was never originally meant to be considered as a disease -- it was a research category used mostly because some thought it might be useful for public health researchers who like clear categories for their studies.

But in 1995, a man named Jeremy Allen was approached by the drug company Merck. The pharmaceutical giant had just released a new osteoporosis drug called Fosamax. Since osteoporosis is a serious problem that affects millions of women, the potential market for Fosamax was enormous. But the drug wasn’t selling well.

Allen persuaded Merck to establish a nonprofit called the Bone Measurement Institute. On its board were six of the most respected osteoporosis researchers in the country.

But the institute itself had a rather slim staff: Allen was the only employee.

In 1997 the institute and several other interested organizations successfully lobbied to pass the Bone Mass Measurement Act, a piece of legislation that changed Medicare reimbursement rules to cover bone scans. More and more women got bone density tests (at Merck’s urging), and the very existence of the word "osteopenia" on a medical report had a profound effect.

Millions of women were worried by the diagnosis. And when clinicians saw the word 'osteopenia' on a report, they assumed it was a disease. Merck did not disabuse them of the notion.

There are no long-term studies that look at what happens to women with osteopenia who start Fosamax in their 50’s and continue treatment long-term in the hopes of preventing old-age fractures. And none are planned.

READ MORE

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/28/Did-Merck-Trick-You-Into-Buying-Fosamax-With-an-Imaginary-Disease.aspx

Fats
Fat is probably the most misunderstood macronutrient of the three. People just refuse to believe that it can be healthy and actually help them lose their own body fat. Even when the high carb, low fat diet phase proved to be a failure of monstrous proportions, people still couldn’t grasp the fact that dietary fat is an ally of a fit body. Dietary fat increase your chance of getting fit and staying fit. It is so important if your goal is to become truly healthy. Fat regulates our hormone levels. Fat is absolutely essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. Fat controls our appetite by regulating leptin response. Fat also lowers insulin response when we eat carbohydrates with it. Fat also burns fat, at least some fats do, and do it well and that is the main point of this article. Now that we know we need to eat fat, how much fat to eat for our specific body and what kind of fats are best? All fat is not created equal and some fats are bad, just as some carbohydrates are bad and some proteins not ideal either. Here is a list of the best fats we can eat.

10.) Organic, unpasteurized butter & cream: A little taste of the French Paradox here! Definitely worth it if you can find these, as they contain enzymes and CLA and are easy on the palette. Even better if they come from certified grass-fed cows.

9.) Olives: I typically prefer whole food sources to their somewhat refined counterparts, but in this case, I prefer extra virgin olive oil to actual olives. That isn’t to say olives are a bad choice. They are a fine choice, but salted brines and a lower antioxidant levels keep this down the list of healthy fats. But feel free to use them on salads, vegetable trays or right out of the jar for a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat. Cured olives have been a treat enjoyed by the masses throughout the ages.

8.) Peanuts and natural peanut butter: Peanut butter is one of my personal favorites, even right out of the jar. With a high dose of monounsaturated fat, some minerals and a bit of fiber, this is a wonderful addition to any sound diet, as long as you are not allergic of course.

7.) Organic flaxseeds and high lignan flaxseed oil: Most people who are already fitness conscious are probably surprised this isn’t number one. A vegetarian source of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant lignans sure make this an attractive option when it comes to choosing oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are important, but there are better sources listed below and because it can’t be used in cooking, its use is limited. Try it in salad dressing or mixed into a bowl of yogurt or cottage cheese. Fresh ground flaxseed does contain a good dose of fiber and is a great addition to nutrition shakes or sprinkled on yogurt. Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil both have a shelf life and are photosensitive, so make sure you store it them dark containers, such as amber glass, and refrigerate upon opening. Just because these aren’t number one, doesn’t mean it is not a terrific food.

6.) Organic, extra virgin olive oil: The “extra virgin” means from the first cold pressing, meaning that it also retains all the nutrients of the olive, but even more concentrated, yet no salty brines. Besides being loaded in hormone regulating monounsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil contains high levels of antioxidant polyphenols that are both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. That means they are anticancer and heart healthy. The polyphenols in olive oil have also been shown to improve skin health by reducing oxidative stress from sunburn and other environmental factors.

5.) Raw nuts, cold pressed nut oils and natural organic nut butters (excluding peanuts): Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamias, etc. are tremendous healthy fats. Good sources of protein and fiber, while also a rich source of healthy monounsaturated fat, minerals, and Vitamin E. Try the nut butters if you don’t like nuts, just make sure there is no roasting or commercial processing involved. Dip apple slices or celery in them for a healthy and filling treat.

4.) Wild salmon and other fatty fish: These are still primarily a protein food, but the healthy fat inside cannot be understated. They key word here is wild, and this typically comes from Alaska. There are several varieties like Sockeye, Copper River and King and all are amazing foods. The difference between wild Alaskan salmon and farmed salmon (Atlantic salmon) is night and day. Wild salmon are free and active, eating their natural diet of algae and krill and the pink to red color is 100% natural. The wild salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids and the powerful antioxidant and carotenoid, Astaxanthin. Other good choices are sardines and anchovies. There is one drawback and that is that the oceans are becoming quite polluted and salmon is not as safe as it was several years ago. PCBs and heavy metals are wreaking havoc on our oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. Unfortunately, toxins and chemicals tend to store themselves in fat and these are fatty fish. To be safe, eat these fish and/or salmon maybe 2-3 days a week maximum. You can also take a high quality purified fish or krill oil supplement.

3.) Organic, extra virgin coconut oil: There was a time, not long ago, this would have been considered a dangerous, artery clogging food recommendation. That’s because it is a tropical oil, and although vegetarian, a saturated fat. We have been programmed over the last 30 years to shun any and all saturated fats, mostly as a means to keep cholesterol levels under control. What has been discovered is that some saturated fat is not the health enemy it once was portrayed to be. The fatty acids in coconut oil are actually very different than in other foods in that they are primarily in the form of medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. MCTs are fats that burn fat and provide energy. They act as a metabolic primer, stoking your internal fat burning furnace. The primary MCT in coconut oil is Lauric Acid, and this MCT is extremely healthy in that it has potent antimicrobial properties. This helps not only give the oil a long shelf life, preventing rancidity, but also helps protect our immune systems upon eating. You want to be lean and healthy, eat extra virgin coconut oil! It is also a great oil to cook with!

2.) Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil: Most of the same benefits as salmon and other fatty fish, yet much more concentrated in Omega-3 fatty acids. Full of the long chain Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, fish oil is one of the most anti-inflammatory and heart healthy supplements available. The key here is the pharmaceutical grade, as many fish oil supplements are not pure, even dangerous. Oceans are polluted and if precautions aren’t taken, PCBs and heavy metals stored in the fish fat will carry right over into the supplement. Make sure you can find a trusted brand of this grade and your health will reap tremendous benefits.

1.) Neptune Krill Oil: Another supplement, as opposed to a food source, but one worth talking about. Krill are shrimp or prawn-like creatures that are a primary food source of large ocean fish and great whales. Blue whales, the largest animals on earth, may eat as much as 4 tons of krill a day. Neptune krill oil is cold processed from Antarctic krill. Like fish oil, krill oil is full of the Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. Long chain omegas are more bioavailable than vegetarian sources containing smaller chain ALA. However, unlike fish oil, krill oil’s Omega-3 fatty acids are even more bioavailable due to phospholipid carriers inherent in them. Also unlike fish oil, krill oil is full of two powerful antioxidants, Astaxanthin and Canthaxanthin. In fact, the free radical absorbance capacity of these in Krill oil surpasses that of Lycopene, Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q-10, Lutein and Vitamin A combined TIMES FOUR. In fact, it has over 30 times the antioxidant power of costly and highly respected Coenzyme Q-10 alone. The critical thing to remember here is NEPTUNE krill that are cold processed from the icy pure waters of the Antarctic.

Now, I would suggest 50% or more of your total fat intake come from above preferred foods list. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat other fats like those inherent to protein sources, such as meat, poultry or dairy fat. It just means you should eat those foods more sparingly now and refocus on the healing nature of the fats above.

I hope this article was helpful. I believe you can have terrific health and active lifestyles well into your latter years.

Consider the following headlines, all of which appeared within one week:

• Exposure on Tap: Drinking Water as an Overlooked Source of Lead
• Even if you’re careful, drugs can end up in water
• Human placenta cells die after BPA exposure
• Lead exposure may contribute to ADHD
• Tests show top tuna brands have high mercury levels
• Agricultural chemical spray linked to birth defect risk
• EPA targets chemical often dumped in Chicago sewers
• Cleaning Agent Tied to Parkinson’s in Study
• 2 stores pull necklaces on toxic cadmium concern
• Much higher tritium levels found at nuclear plant

On February 4, 2010, Keri Powell, an attorney for Earthjustice, told a New York state judge that members of his environmental firm “want access to the information [i.e., what chemicals household products contain] so they can determine the kind of chemicals they are introducing into their homes”.

How many chemicals do you wear each day?

The chemical bisphenol A is implicated in a long list of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and it is found in the lining of almost every metal food and drink can on supermarket shelves. And unfortunately, it probably isn't going to go away anytime soon.

Bisphenol A (BPA), which is a synthetic form of estrogen, is not inert. It leaches into liquids such as sodas, baby formulas, and soups.

Consumer Reports tested 19 canned foods and found almost all of them contained BPA, and government reports estimate that the chemical is in the urine of 90 percent of Americans.

Several studies during the past decade have hinted that levels of BPA lower than those declared safe by the Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for numerous health problems.

Some municipalities have responded by banning baby bottles that contain BPA, and Congress is considering banning it from baby bottles, food can liners, reusable food containers, infant formula liners, and sports water bottles.

BPA is still found in many items made from plastic, including water bottles, but many manufacturers have substituted BPA-free polypropylene in their products. Unfortunately, manufacturers of canned foods don't have a simple replacement.

In light of public pressure and impending legislation, some food manufacturers have been trying to switch to BPA-free cans, but are finding the goal to be expensive and elusive. "We don't have a safe, effective alternative, and that's an unhappy place to be," an anonymous source within the food industry told The Washington Post.

Adding to the problem is the fact that manufacturers aren't required to disclose if their products contain BPA, and many refuse. Even the FDA doesn't know which companies are using the chemical.

"Trying to determine what was in the can linings that I was purchasing to put food in was a daunting task," Michael Potter, chief executive of Eden Foods, which makes organic canned products, told The Washington Post. "Inevitably, you end up speaking to a large law firm inside the Beltway that says you don't have the right to know."

Bisphenol A is in thousands of products other than food in places most people would never expect. For instance, it can be found in the thermal paper used for credit card and ATM receipts, dental sealants, and compact discs.

So, what can a consumer do to reduce exposure to BPA? Use these tips:

• Choose powdered baby formula over liquid, advises the Environmental Working Group. If you do choose liquid formulas, buy those packaged in glass bottles.

• Rinse canned vegetables and fruits. Better still, use fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.

• Buy as many canned food items as possible — especially tomato-based pasta sauces — packaged in glass.

• Avoid heating plastics.

• Buy baby bottles and sippy cups marked BPA-free.

• Use glass, stainless steel containers, or porcelain containers, especially for heating, advises eHow.com.

• Don't buy plastic containers that have the recycling numbers 3 or 7 on the bottom. They contain BPA.

• Throw away old, scratched, and cracked plastic bottles and containers. Old plastic leaches more BPA.

The Proven Dangers of Microwave Ovens

In short, microwaves distort the moleclular structure of the foods. They destroy much of the nutrients and cause many other problems with the immune system over a period of time. If you love your family read this and take the extra couple of minutes to heat the food up the right way.

Radiation Ovens

The Proven Dangers of Microwaves

Is it possible that millions of people are ignorantly sacrificing their health in exchange for the convenience of microwave ovens? Why did the Soviet Union ban the use of microwave ovens in 1976? Who invented microwave ovens, and why? The answers to these questions may shock you into throwing your microwave oven in the trash.

Over 90% of American homes have microwave ovens used for meal preparation. Because microwave ovens are so convenient and energy efficient, as compared to conventional ovens, very few homes or restaurants are without them. In general, people believe that whatever a microwave oven does to foods cooked in it doesn't have any negative effect on either the food or them. Of course, if microwave ovens were really harmful, our government would never allow them on the market, would they? Would they? Regardless of what has been "officially" released concerning microwave ovens, we have personally stopped using ours based on the research facts outlined in this article.

The purpose of this report is to show proof - evidence - that microwave cooking is not natural, nor healthy, and is far more dangerous to the human body than anyone could imagine. However, the microwave oven manufacturers, Washington City politics, and plain old human nature are suppressing the facts and evidence. Because of this, people are continuing to microwave their food - in blissful ignorance - without knowing the effects and danger of doing so.

READ MORE

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/health-products/cpcaff.php?ref=168056&url=www.globalhealingcenter.com/microwave-ovens-the-proven-dangers.html

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
February 06 2010

This is the movie that Pepsi and Coca Cola don't want you to see.

 Now at last the enlightening film is available on the Internet, in its entirety.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS POISON

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/06/sweet-misery-a-poisoned-world-you-can-finally-view-free-online.aspx

Dr. Russel Blaylock discusses how our food today is adulterated with excitotoxins. Dr. Blaylock has written many books and does an excllent job explaining how these toxins affect our bodies. He cuts through the political and industry lies. This is a must see video. www.TheFoodIsHorrible.com

February 11, 2010 by Dr. Michael Cutler 

Unbalanced Body Chemistry Can Wreck Your Health

When you’re born, you’re at the height of your health… and your pH levels are in a nearly perfect alkaline balance. But if you’re like most folks, you pay very little attention to balancing your body chemistry. Yet to be healthy, you must be in acid/alkaline pH balance—and slightly on the side of alkalinity. An infant is highly alkaline… an 80-year-old person is highly acid… and death is 100 percent acidity.

This critical balance between acidity and alkalinity is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 known as the pH—or “potential of hydrogen.” On this scale, 0 to 7.0 is acid, 7.0 is neutral and 7.0 to 14 is alkaline. If you’re a healthy person with perfectly balanced pH, you would have a reading of about 7.4 in your blood and about 7.25 in your tissues. However, most people fall in the acid range of 6.2 to 6.4.

Why? Take a look at the three main reasons why we are so far below the healthy alkaline range:

• Stress—If you’re alive and working in America, you’re swimming in stress. This is a big reason for an increase in acid production.
• Dehydration—Seven out of 10 of us are chronically dehydrated. This means we suffer from dehydration fatigue, sluggish metabolism and an urge to eat all the time. Our thirst mechanism lacks strength and is often mistaken for hunger.
• Poor Diet—As you age you become more acidic because you build up more acid waste due mainly to a diet poor in nutrition. Most people eat 80 percent acid foods and only 20 percent alkaline foods. However, you should reverse that in order to be healthy.

Foods such as beef, pork, pasta, hamburgers, hot dogs, frozen snack foods, crackers, cookies, rice and most sugar cereals are acid-forming and commercially processed. These are the foods that most Americans live on. Sugar and artificial sweeteners (except Stevia) are even bigger culprits. And soft drinks are the real dangers with a high acid pH level of 2.5!

And while we devour the health-robbing acid-based foods, we turn up our noses at the good guys—alkaline-forming foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other foods high in fiber. This is a way of life that spells disaster for our health.

Just as acid can ruin your car battery, this is what acid overload can do to your body:

• Eats away at the linings of your arteries and increases your chances of both brain and cardiovascular problems
• Erodes cartilage and causes inflamed joints
• Damages skin cells which contributes to premature wrinkling and other aging issues

But that’s not the only damage you face. Excess acid can cause blood sugar problems… high blood pressure… calcium-deprived bones… low energy… poor circulation… sexual problems… sleep problems… leg cramps… and a host of other issues.

In fact, in his popular book, Alkalize or Die, Theodore A. Baroody, M.A., D.C., N.D., Ph.D., shook the scientific world with the statement, “The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause… TOO MUCH ACID IN THE BODY!”

However, by understanding the importance of the acid/alkaline balance in your body—and taking steps to reverse the acid dominance—you can halt your march toward poor health.

—By Michael Cutler, M.D.

Senator McCain Files New Bill That Attacks Your Access to Supplements and Repeals Key Sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act

TAKE ACTION AND TELL YOUR SENATOR NOT TO CO-SPONSOR THIS BILL

Senator McCain’s bill is called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA). It would repeal key sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). DSHEA protects supplements if 1) they are food products that have been in the food supply and not chemically altered or 2) if they were sold as supplements prior to 1994, the year that DSHEA was passed. If a supplement fits one of these two descriptions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cannot arbitrarily ban it or reclassify it as a drug.

These protections are far from perfect. They discourage companies from developing new forms of supplements. New supplements may be arbitrarily banned by the FDA or adopted by drug companies in a way that precludes their further sale as supplements.

McCain’s bill would wipe out even the minimal protections contained in DSHEA. It would give the FDA full discretion and power to compile a discreet list of supplements allowed to remain on the market while banning all others.

Everyone knows that the FDA is friendly to drug companies (which pay its bills and provide good revolving door jobs) and hostile to supplement companies. Under this bill, this same Agency could quite arbitrarily ban any supplement it wished or turn it over to drug companies to be developed as a drug and sold for multiples of its price as a supplement.

The FDA will like this because it believes that it can more easily control a few industry giants. But isn’t it more likely that the industry giants will eventually gain control over the FDA?

The FDA is already misusing the adverse event reporting process that exists. Drugs rack up thousands of adverse event reports without any action. Just recently, the FDA yanked from the market a supplement product based on just a couple of alleged adverse event reports without even allowing the company (an old and respected firm) to provide any counter-evidence or counter-argument.

The bill also allows the FDA to yank a product (at the company’s expense) if there is a “reasonable probability” that it is “adulterated” or “misbranded”. Let’s remember that “adulterated” could mean there is a minor record keeping error on the producer’s part and “misbranded” can mean that the producer simply tells the truth about the product. An “adulterated” and “misbranded” supplement in Orwellian FDA speak may actually be both completely safe and effective.

We must prevent this bill from gaining traction! Protect your access to supplements by contacting your senators today and asking them NOT to co-sponsor the Dietary Supplement Safety Act but rather to oppose it.

The Pulse of Health Freedom, February 2, 2010

Posted by: Dr. Mercola  
January 16 2010

The Critical Role of Wheat in Human Disease  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/16/The-Critical-Role-of-Wheat-in-Human-Disease.aspx

The Awful Truth About Eating Grains   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/truth-about-eating-grains.aspx

METAL, IRON IN YOUR BREAD'S AND GRAIN'S

  Examiner.com December 23, 2009

The Pulse of Health Freedom, January 26, 2010

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
January 16 2010

The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of you have eaten since infancy was simply not part of the diet of previous generations.

Further complicating matters is that celiac disease often goes undetected for years because symptoms are not always present. And because celiac disease has been considered rare in this country until recently, it often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance.

If you do have celiac disease -- a blood test can let you know for sure -- it is imperative that you do not eat gluten in order to avoid further damage to your health.

Please be aware that gluten can be hidden in many foods including soups, soy sauce, candies, cold cuts, and various low- and no-fat products so you will need to be sure to check the labels before you eat it. Also watch out for malt, starches, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), texturized vegetable protein (TVP) and natural flavoring. Some pharmaceuticals, vinegars and alcohol can also contain gluten.

Should You Give up Grains?

In my experience, about 75-80 percent of ALL people benefit from avoiding grains, even whole sprouted grains. This is true whether you have gluten intolerance or not. This is because, in addition to the problems with anti-nutrients like lectin and proteins like gluten, grains rapidly break down to sugar in your body, which causes elevations in insulin which exacerbate health problems such as:

• Overweight

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Type 2 diabetes

• Cancer

The only consistent exceptions would be those whose nutritional type is a carb type and you don’t suffer symptoms of intolerance.

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to wheat flour to use in your cooking, try coconut flour instead and also check out these wheat-free baking tips.

  The Awful Truth About Eating Grains

  More Reasons to Avoid Wheat

  Why is Wheat Gluten Disorder on the Rise?

CSPI Asks FDA to Abolish Food and Supplement Health Claims: Act Now to Protect Your Access to Natural Health Information!
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to abolish health claims that fall short of full FDA drug approval. If these claims disappear, Americans will be even more in the dark about the health benefits of foods and supplements.

Thanks to All Who Took Action on Vitamin D Last Week. If You Did Not, Please Take Action Now!
Help us to persuade the CDC, FDA, NIH, and HHS to end their shameful silence and help educate the public about the critical role Vitamin D plays in preventing and treating flu and other health conditions.

Obama’s Healthcare Bill Unconstitutional?
People are beginning to ask: is it legal to require Americans to purchase health care insurance or face penalties including jail?

Deborah A. Ray, MT (ASCP), Editor
Stuart Kellog, Deputy Editor
Craig Smith, Deputy Editor

Study: Most Antidepressants No Better Than Placebos
Antidepressants don't help patients with mild to severe depression much more than sugar pills. Depressed patients might be better treated with alternatives such as exercise, psychotherapy, and even self-help books.
Read the Full Story — Go Here Now.

Which Drugs Cause Peripheral Neuropathy?
Most chemotherapy agents and anti-metabolite medications are commonly associated with neuropathy. Nutritional deficiency is a common precipitant for neuropathy as well as chronic alcohol intake.
Read the Full Response — Go Here Now.