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Iron:The Mineral You Might be Missing

By Kar Yan Cheung

Don't you wish that when ever you needed a burst of energy and strength you could guzzle a can of iron-rich spinach, like Popeye, to get that vital mineral to go to work instantly?

Unfortunately it isn't that easy to absorb the iron in most foods, which is a reason why iron deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in the world.

Though it is most prevalent in developing countries and in individuals suffering from malnutrition and parasites, iron deficiency also affects affluent countries. In the US, 75 percent of college-aged females report low dietary iron intakes (it's assumed to be similar in Canada). In Japan, it is estimated that 25 percent of all women suffer from iron deficiency.

Nutritional Bypass

By David Rowland

Cardiovascular disease still kills more people than all other diseases combined. The odds of getting a heart a heart attack or a stroke are about the same now as they were thirty years ago. Decades of low cholesterol and low fat diets, bypass surgery and angioplasty have done nothing to reduce the number of times these deadly epidemic strikes. Nor can they, because none of these measures does anything for the cause of the problem.

Fortunately, there is a solution. Arteriosclerosis- the narrowing of the arteries that leads to cardiovascular accidents- can be both prevented and reversed by entirely natural means. No drugs, no surgery. Over the last 16 years, thousands of people have used an incredibly effective self-help technique to re-open arterial restrictions and prevent their recurrence. Confirming photos taken within coronary arteries reveal significant removal of obstructions within a few short months. Many have used this method to get rid of angina, intermittent claudication and even gangrene. Others have used it as an alternative to bypass surgery. I call this technique the nutritional bypass. It works because it corrects causes.

Veggies to Go - The Right Snacks Might Save Your Life

By Carol Crenna

Dr. Robert Hatherill, Ph.D., a noted researcher at the University of Santa Barbara, states that 60 percent of all cancers are caused by food. Neglecting to eat the right foods is as damaging as eating the wrong foods.

Snacking is an inevitable part of our fast-paced lives. Nearly 75 percent of Canadians snack at least once a day and 16 percent prefer snacks to meals. The right snacks, those that include whole vegetables and fruits, and not the guilt-inducing variety, are part of a healthy diet. They keep blood sugar levels stable between meals, strengthen the immune system, thwart disease and dramatically delay the effects of aging.(1)

Fish for Brains

By David Kahng

When you think of fish oil what comes to your mind? The idea of a nasty fishy taste?

When you think of fish oil what comes to your mind? The idea of a nasty fishy taste? After you read this article I'll bet that the next time someone mentions fish oil, you'll think of brain food!

There is overwhelming evidence that fish oil can be beneficial in combating or preventing obesity, macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer and diabetes. However, for the purpose of this article I will focus on the impact fish oil has on brain health. Approximately 60 percent of the brain's dry weight is fat, 25 percent of which is made up of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A healthy adult brain contains about 20 grams of DHA.

The Deal With the D.H.E.A.

By Dr. Michael Colgan

The field of fat control is left mostly to modern-day carpetbaggers, who fleece the public with weight-loss schemes so blatantly false they would raise a blush on PT Barnum.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has a bad reputation in Canada. This essential natural hormone is contemptuously labeled a steroid by some medical bureaucrats. With vague references to its use by athletes, they dismiss DHEA as being akin to anabolic steroids, which have no normal function in the human body. These health officials seem to have little idea of what a steroid is, seem unaware that their bodies make DHEA (and dozens of other steroids) every day, and generally exhibit knowledge of human biochemistry that might qualify them to pare toenails.

Minerals - The Essential Building Blocks of Health

By Kar Yan Cheung

Processes such as muscle contraction, nerve conduction, cellular energy metabolism, protein synthesis, hormone regulation and immune system function are all supported by minerals.

Like other plants and animals, we humans rely on organic and inorganic nutrients to support our cellular processes and the structural components that keep us alive and kicking. Minerals are essential for our health and must be obtained from our diet since the human body can't produce them. Traditionally, plants have been a major dietary source of minerals for humans, however since topsoil has become depleted of nutrients due to poor farming practices, today's plants are not always a reliable source of minerals.

What Goes in Must Come Out

By Dr. Aleks Radojcic

Though we may not talk about it in polite society, balance in your bowel is vital to your health. And this doesn't simply imply taking a trip to the loo.

The balance between the rate you assimilate nutrients (digest your food) and the rate you eliminate toxins from your system (through feces, skin, mucus) is critical. At the root of all mankind's diseases are two things: nutritional deficiency and excess levels of toxins. With these problems comes excess sodium levels, which can cause a deficiency in potassium, an overburdened liver, a toxic bowel, a sluggish pancreas, and poor functioning of the immune system.

Emotional Stabilizers: Botanicals for mood, mind and stress

By Dr. Terry Willard

With this group of herbs, you can tackle most normal cognitive issues related to stress, mood, anxiety and the need for mental clarity.

Much has been written lately about herbs that can help improve your mood and that alleviate mental and emotional stress. How much of this is hype? Do these herbs really work? As a clinical herbalist, I wanted to focus on those botanicals that have a proven track record for my patients. Which of these botanicals have I seen give consistent success over the last 30 years? How do you tell which botanical medicine is right for you? The herbs we will concentrate on are a group of botanicals we call the "cognitive herbs". They are: reishi, ginkgo, St. John's wort, scullcap, and Siberian ginseng. Each of these herbs has a slightly different application for assisting with mood, mental alertness and stress, but used in the right condition can always be relied on for help. Let's look at each one individually.

My Aching Bonese

By Barrie Carlsen

We're told to drink milk to prevent osteoporosis, but is this really the answer?

Osteoporosis is a bone thinning disease that makes bones so pitted and fragile that even a hug or a sneeze can cause bones to fracture. Your spine and the top of your femur (large thigh bone) are most susceptible.

The number of North Americans diagnosed with osteoporosis has increased sevenfold over the past decade *, and it is second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading health care problem **. Worldwide, the lifetime risk for a woman to have an osteoporotic fracture is 30 to 40 percent, yet in seven major countries (France, Germany, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan) less than half of the women who already do have osteoporosis are diagnosed ***. In the next 50 years, the number of hip fractures for both men and women will more than double. This means the need for prevention is more urgent than ever.

Enzymes: The silent life force

By Ken Walter

"The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism. The increase use of food enzymes promotes a decrease rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential"
-Dr. Edward Howel, The Enzyme Nutrition Axiom

Sometime circa 1880, two scientists, Sullivan and Thompson, put forth the theory that the living body imparts a definite amount of vital force to enzymes, and that this force will act upon a substrate until exhausted.

Are you Deficient

By Angela Bronwyn

Scientific research shows that iron is not a factor in coronary heart disease, so there's no reason to fear taking iron supplements.

Iron Deficiency

Iron is essential for the proper formation of healthy bones and red blood cells. It is required for protein metabolism and for the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A. Iron deficiency, a lack of adequate iron in the blood, can have many negative effects on health. Signs of iron deficiency include: general weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, pale skin, lack of appetite, fluid retention, skin sores, decreased performance, slow cognitive and social development during childhood, difficulty maintaining body temperature and decreased immune function. During pregnancy, iron deficiency is associated with increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight and maternal complications.