I recently came across a comment on someone’s webpage about olive leaf extract solving digestion issues.  After some research around the web, I wanted to post for you excerpts from 2 of those articles as I was amazed at what I found. 

According to the Nutritional Supplement Educational Centre, the use of olive leaf extract for health benefits has been common to the Mediterranean culture, though more recently popular in the nutritional supplement industry. Olive leaf extract gained international attention when studies showed it to have an antioxidant capacity almost double green tea extract and 400% higher than vitamin C. (2)

Here is a sampling of olive leaf extract benefits listed by the NSEC:

1.  Boosts weakened immune system by neutralizing free radical cell damage.

2.  Naturally kills pathogens such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi, by preventing them from reproducing.

3.  Lowers blood pressure.

4.  Lowers high cholesterol.

5.  Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients report it boosts their energy.

6.  It has been used to treat cold and flu viruses, yeast infections, Epstein-Barr disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and shingles.

7.  As with other herbal supplements, NSEC recommends not to use if pregnant or nursing. (1)

Olive Leaf Extract is also an effective detox agent.

Detoxing is a necessary and beneficial process to improve one’s health.  If one has chronic levels of harmful pathogens, a person may experience some symptoms from the detox such as fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, muscle and joint aches, pimples, rashes, and flu-like symptoms when starting on olive leaf extract. These symptoms are due to the number of dead microbes being so high that the kidneys and liver are temporarily overloaded.  If this is your situation, NSEC suggests drinking 4 glasses of water between doses. (1)   It is rare for people to have any symptoms, as Dr. Ray Sahelian states in his article (below).  I and my spouse have been on 1500mg, a high mg extract, and have not had any negative side effects.

How to choose a good quality extract

NSEC says be sure your supplement is produced using only standardized herbal olive leaf extract so it has the highest amount of oleuropein possible.  

Dr. Ray Sahelian also advocates olive leaf extract as a widely beneficial nutritional supplement.

Dr. Sahelian has numerous pages of valuable health-related research on the web; we have referenced his pages several times in past posts.  A couple of additional points that he mentions is that olive leaf extract has been tested for health benefits in studies with rats in years past but has just, in recent years, started being studied in humans.  In his research, he has not come across any side effects from olive leaf extract.

Here is a list of the main health benefits of olive leaf extract as provided by Dr. Sahelian.

1.  Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol- A 2008 study on humans receiving 1000mg per day for 20 weeks showed significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as cholesterol. 

2.  Anti-inflammatory

3.  Immune System Support

4.  Improvement for Diabetics – Studies have shown olive leaf extract to have anti-diabetic qualities at 16mg per kg of weight per day.

5.  Anti-viral benefits (inhibits reproduction of virus) (3)

Benefits We’ve Experienced

Our relatives who have recently started on olive leaf extract have noticed almost immediate benefits of:

-increased energy
-improved digestion
-less joint pain

Recommended Dosage

Dr. Sahelian offers his own line of olive leaf extract (The NSEC article has recommended brands as well.), suggesting two 835mg pills per day.  That is how we chose the dosage we are using.  The Vitamin Shoppe locally has their own brand of liquid extract for $11.99.  The eye dropper in the bottle will equal 1500mg if you take 4 a day (two in the morning and two at night).

If you know that you have chronic illnesses or have a high level of toxins, you may want to ease into the recommended dose over a period of several days due to the detox response mentioned above by the NSEC.  As with beginning any supplement, you should check with your doctor, especially if you are on prescriptions. 

 1. Benefits of Olive Leaf Extract by Nutritional Supplement Educational Centre
2.  Dr. L. Stevenson, Report on Olive Leaf Australia’s Olive Leaf Extracts, Southern Cross University, 2005 (footnote 5) 3.  Olive Leaf Extract supplement benefit and side effects by Dr. Ray Sahelian

An spf 30 sunscreen rating sounds good but it may not be as good for your health as it sounds.  I compiled some lists of safe options for sun protection, whether you wear sunscreen or prefer other alternatives.

First is the easiest option for you. Use the Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen database.

 According to several sites I searched through, the FDA is not updating its sunscreen standards until 2012.  The EWG tested over 700 sunscreens and gave them a score of 0 to 10, 0 to 2 being the safest ones recommended by the EWG.  The EWG’s study found that 60% contain oxybenzone a potentially harmful hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream and 41 % contained retinyl palmitate which accelerates skin damage and increases skin cancer risk when applied to skin exposed to sunlight. (1) .

Check out the safety of your favorite sunscreens using this database link below and find new, safer options here.  Remember a 0-2 score are recommended ones:

Click here for EWG’s Safe Sunscreen Database

Green Living Ideas.com  offers these simple, safe sunscreen choices:

1. Use common sense and stay out of the sun during peak sun hours, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when sunburn is most likely to occur.

2. If you cannot avoid being out during peak hours, try to find a shaded area, an umbrella, wear a wide-brimmed hat, or wear sun-protective clothing.

3. Use natural ingredients found at health food stores to create your own sunblock lotion.  Purchase plain zinc oxide ointment at a drugstore and mix it into your favorite skin lotion to make your own sunscreen. [Think safe when choosing your lotion, too, such as an organic type that is paraben free.]

4. Consume plenty of deep green and red produce; the antioxidants provider sun-protective benefits and add extra defense against skin cancer.

5. If your budget allows, consider clothing made of sun-protective fabric. In Australia, where two out of three people will be treated for skin cancers during their lifetime, a common choice is sun-protective clothing made with a tighter weave to block the harmful rays of the sun and offers the equivalent of approximately SPF 30.

     -Australia-based Coolibar is a company that offers sun-protective clothing, swimwear, and hats.

     -Other companies offering clothing with sun-protective fabrics include: Solar Eclipse & Solartex. (2)

Dr. Joseph Mercola likes to clear up sunscreen myths.

I myself have heard some health advocates promote just being out in the sun in early morning or late evening as a safe alternative from commercial sunscreens and a way to still absorb vitamin D from the sun.  According to Dr. Mercola, here’s the problem with that idea:

1. UVB helps your skin produce vitamin D.
2.  UVB waves are low in morning and evening and high at midday.
3.  UVA waves are the harmful ones.
4.  If you’re out early in the morning or late in the day, you get lots of UVA (bad guy) and not much UVB (good guy). Not a good way to produce vitamin D.  Plus you increase your risk of cancer, and you fail to protect your skin.

Dr. Mercola does promote safe sun alternatives such as:

-wearing a hat that shields your face
-wear other protective clothing
-decreasing your sunburn risk by increasing raw vegetables loaded with skin protecting antioxidants
-decreasing your sunburn risk by avoiding processed foods and sugars
-using a safe sunscreen made of zinc oxide in the following situations

A safe, natural sunscreen is recommended by Dr. Mercola if you cannot avoid the following three scenarios:

• You’re forced to be in the direct rays of the sun for a longer time than is safe…
• You must go into intense sunlight without having the opportunity to gradually build up to it…
• You’re in a situation where blocking the sun with strategic clothing or sunshades is impractical…

Here is the list of commercial sunscreen chemicals to avoid as provided by Dr. Mercola:

• OMC is present in 90 percent of sunscreen brands!  Throw it out. It has been found to kill cells in mice at low doses and becomes more toxic in sunlight.
• Para amino benzoic acid…
• Octyl salicyclate…
• Avobenzone…
• Oxybenzone…
• Cinoxate…
• Padimate O…
• Dioxybenzone…
• Phenylbenzimidazole…
• Homosalate…
• Sulisobenzone…
• Menthyl anthranilate…
• Trolamine salicyclate…
• Octocrylene (3)

Related Post: 6 Steps to Sunburn Relief

(1) The Daily Green “21 of the Best Natural Sunscreens”
(2) GreenLivingIdeas.com “Natural Sunscreen- Not Always From a Bottle.” 
(3) Mercola.com “Summer Survival Kit”

This list consists of abbreviated, paraphrased excerpts from an article called, “Summer Travel (see footnote),” by Dr. David J. Foreman, Herbal Pharmacist, who writes a monthly newsletter for the Vitamin Shoppe chain of stores. You can find more of Dr. Foreman’s articles at www.VitaminShoppe.com, click on Health Info, then on Herbal Pharmacist.

1. Treat it with ice as you would any other burn.  Don’t soak in ice water all at once; apply towels soaked in ice water to sections of your body for 20 minutes at a time, then rotate to another section.

2. Relieve the pain an inflammation naturally with white willow, or take an aspirin.

3. Treat the burn topically with aloe or calendula.  A stabilized aloe gel or calendula cream will soothe the burn and help repair the skin. 

4. Take antioxidants to help your body repair the free-radical damage caused by the burn from the inside out.  Supplements such as lutein, lycopene, or zeaxanthin are Dr. Foreman’s recommendations.

5. Fish oil is an anti-inflammatory and will also help produce new skin cells.

6. Drink plenty of water.  Not only will you have dehydrated from the burn, but increasing your daily water intake will decrease peeling and speed the rate of healing.

Related Post: Sunscreen- Here’s Some Safe Options

Excerpts from “Summer Travel,” by Dr. David J. Foreman, Herbal Pharmacist, Vol. 5, Issue 4.

I came across a study by Dr. Harry K. Wong that has beneficial insights on food allergies causing intestinal diseases due to the intestinal track damage they create over time.  The article made a great deal of sense considering the people I know with these ailments have not found relief from conventional medical treatments.  If one’s intestinal disease is food allergy triggered, then the problem will continue without relief until the food allergies are dealt with.

Be aware that many people are unaware of any allergic reaction to food allergies.

In my own experience, I discovered that a person can have food allergy reactions and not notice a reaction.  Over time, especially when there has been has been an overload of stimulus from an allergen, the body stops reacting to it in a noticeable way.  My doctor explained it to me this way.  The first time you put a ring on, your mind is consciously aware of the feeling.  Eventually, because of the constant stimulation of those nerves, the body tunes it out.  Those nerves are still working, still being affected by the pressure of the ring, but you are mentally unaware of it.  Dr. Wong also discusses that your immune system can be so overwhelmed by the allergen that it’s literally giving up and not producing many antibodies.

How do food allergies cause intestinal diseases?

Dr. Wong describes:

Food allergies can be acquired because the gut becomes “leaky” and undigested foods enter the blood stream causing an antibiotic reaction.  Thus you have acquired food allergies. This is why rotation of foods (eating different types of foods consecutively) minimizes these acquired sensitivities. This is the most dangerous and insidious sensitivity because if you are allergic to Gliadin [a protein in the gluten of several bread flours], it slowly erodes and damages the intestinal tract. This process can take decades to occur leading to: Celiac disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, liver toxicity, adrenal stress, and even other food allergies.(1)

According to Dr. Wong, food allergies can create a variety of symptoms such as:

-fatigue
-muscle pain
-fibromyalgia
-lack of vitality
-stomach pains
-bloating
-bowel pains
-diarrhea
-constipation (1)

Discovering Food Allergies

Though there are a variety of blood and saliva tests for allergies, Dr. Wong specifically recommends a salivary IgA, IgM test for Gliadin, Milk Proteins, Soy, Rice and Corn.  This type of test shows the quantity of antibodies in your intestinal tract.  You will show antibodies to those foods if you are allergic to them.(1)

My doctor uses a type of testing done through acupressure (not acupuncture—no needles, just hand pressure) developed by a doctor from India, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, who herself suffered from severe allergies.  It is quick, painless, involves no lab work, and can be done in about 15 minutes.  Once the food allergy is identified, the food must be avoided for 25 hours.  A short series of pressure points in the body are adjusted and that is it.  My aunt had immediate, severe allergic reaction to wheat products her whole life.  She was about 70 when she had this test and treatment in one doctor’s appointment and is now allergy free.  Several friends and family members have also experienced great success from this technique called NAET.  You can click here to go to the Doctor Search page on Dr. Nambudripad’s site.  It opens to the search for North America, but if you hover over the link in the left column of her site that says, “Find a Practitioner,” you will see the links for the Doctor Searches for South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

You may also just want to Google your city name and NAET, as there are many doctors trained in it who are not listed on Dr. Nambudripad’s site.  We know 2 doctors locally who have took the training but developed and now use a modification of her technique so they are not listed on her site.  If these searches do not help you, you could also try calling kinesiologists or chiropractors in your area and ask if they do the NAET testing.

What is the hope for recovery from allergy triggered intestinal diseases?

Obviously, recovery time will vary with the individual depending one’s overall health and the extent of the damage.  However, Dr. Wong says that even in people with Gliadin sensitivity, a person removing the trigger foods from his or her diet will feel better within a couple of weeks and typically sees healing in the gut in 3 to 6 months.(1)  I would assume that it would be a similar recovery time for those cured of allergies through the NAET treatment, though the people I know personally who have been cured through it were experiencing other chronic symptoms, not chronic intestinal trouble.

For those of you interested in following up on possible recovery through these non-invasive methods, I want to direct you to one last part of Dr. Wong’s article.  He has a paragraph discussing treatment for those who become ill after experiencing a great recovery from Gliadin removal in their diets due to parasites in the damaged intestinal parts.  Take a look at that so you will be aware of the symptoms and treatment if you experience it after recovery.

1. Click here to read Dr. Harry K. Wong’s full article on Food Allergies Triggering Crohn’s Disease, Celiac, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and other Intestinal Diseases.

A recent newsletter article by Dr. Joseph Mercola explained the results of these different studies. Use this link here or the footnote at the end of the post to read his full article.

The key factor resulting from the studies that Dr. Mercola brings out is that it is the lowering of insulin levels as a result of calorie restriction which helps to extend one’s life.

Calorie restriction equals lower insulin levels. On the reverse side, high insulin levels speed up the aging process. Though eating fewer calories overall does affect most people’s longevity, even more important is that the foods you are eliminating are ones that raise your insulin levels, such as sugar and grains. Dr. Mercola says that beverages with high fructose corn syrup are devastating to your insulin resistance; sodas with high fructose corn syrup are the number one source of calories in the US.

One research on people who lived to be over 100 focused on the type of food which lowered insulin levels as centenarians have lower blood glucose than those who die younger.

Fats: The diet surprisingly included unlimited amounts of these fats and oils:

•  Raw nuts and seeds
•  Avocados
•  Olives
•  Olive oil

Proteins: Centenarians participating in the research who did not exercise were limited to protein intake of 1 gram per kilo of body mass per day; those who exercised were allowed 1.25 grams/kg of body weight per day, approximately 50 to 80 grams of protein per day for most participants. Proteins allowed were:

•  Fish, sardines, and other seafood
•  Eggs
•  Tofu
•  Chicken and turkey
•  Wild game
•  More in link below

Carbs: Only non-starchy, fibrous vegetables were allowed:

•  Lettuce and other greens
•  Broccoli and cauliflower
•  Cucumbers
•  Mushrooms
•  Onions
•  Peppers
•  Sprouts
•  Asparagus
•  Seaweed

Sugars: Participants limited their beverages to six to eight 8oz glass of water and/or herbal tea daily. No sugary sodas or even fruit juices.

Dr. Mercola cautions that we’re all different in our nutritional needs. For discovering your nutritional type, he has a free optimized nutrition plan.  He also believes that some protein sources used in the study are unhealthy. However, Dr. Mercola believes the key result of the research to be that the elimination of starch carbs created major health benefits for all participants in the study.

Specific notable health results were 40% lower insulin levels and 50% reduced triglyceride/HDL ratio.

For more details on health benefits, food lists, and nutritional supplements used in the study, see Dr. Mercola’s full article here.

 Most of us have probably used acidophilus supplements, or more specifically, lactobacillus acidophilus.  However, now there are more choices of probiotics on the market than ever, in a wide variety of price ranges, and in an even greater variation of bacteria amounts.  Does it really matter which you take?

 You will want to make an informed decision based on your personal need.  I have used plain L acidophilus as well as some inexpensive probiotic combinations from Walmart.  If you have tried them, you, too, probably noticed an overall good experience of just feeling that your stomach is more settled, digesting easier, and less bloated after eating.  These simple inexpensive types are fine for those who feel that their digestion is healthy.

 Why would someone with good digestion want to take any probiotics at all? 

 As the digestive enzymes that occur naturally in foods are mostly destroyed by cooking, and many cultures eat too high a percentage of cooked food to maintain a good level of natural probiotic intake solely from food, a simple supplement is helpful.  However, if you or a family member have consistent bloating, constipation, inconsistently formed bowel movements, yeast buildup, ulcers, or consistent gut pain after eating, you will want to implement the information I recently came across.

 Though 1 million bacteria per pill sounds like a huge amount, these typical doses are not sufficient if you are having digestive issues.

Experts in probiotics say that you need a 10 billion bacteria per day probiotic intake to achieve any health benefits in a fairly healthy person.  On the other hand, those with yeast infections or candida, ulcers, or other more troublesome digestive issues actually need 50 billion bacteria per day or more. (1)

 Here’s the history on how the necessity of these amounts came to be discovered.

Harry Bronozian was a chemist and a chemical engineer who suffered from ulcers for about a year and candida for 10 years.  Both health issues were under control within five months of regular use of his ultra-high potency probiotics.  After taking 500 billion probiotic bacteria per day, a biopsy showed the ulcer-causing were completely eliminated from his stomach and intestine.(1) 

Why is such a large amount necessary?  Look at this quote from a web article on custom probiotics:

Think about this for a minute. If you have roughly 100 trillion bacteria in your intestines, and different acidophilus species make up about 30 to 35% of that, you have lost 30 to 35 trillion good bacteria. If your test comes back showing no bifidobacteria then you have lost 65 to 70 trillion bacteria. That is 35,000 and 65,000 billion. Now do you think taking a probiotic with 1 billion live bacteria is going to do you any good? Do you think 10 billion will work? (1)

According to the same article, some patients with chronic yeast issues had stool tests reveal that there were no acidophilus or bifidobacteria in their digestive systems at all!  So you can see that if you are trying to restore a level of 100 trillion bacteria, the typical 1 million bacteria hardly makes an impact.

Let’s look at suggest instructions for those trying to restore a healthy digestive system.  These instructions are from the footnoted site below:

-Take 1 custom probiotic 2 times a day for 2 days with clean water, morning and night on an empty stomach.

-After the 2 days, take 2 capsules 2 times a day.

-After 4 days, take 4 capsules 2 times a day.

-There may be slight cramping due to cleaning out the digestive system.

-Raise the doses until you have 2 bowel movements a day, showing you’ve reached the optimum level for you. This usually occurs between 2 to 10 capsules.

-Continue this dose until the yeast infections no longer occur. Or, you can slowly back down to where you maintain one or more healthy bowel movement a day.

A probiotic blend is preferable as you want to use probiotics that fit the digestive needs of your stomach.

Though many people are only familiar with L. acidophilus, here is a list of probiotics to look for in a good blend.

Lactobacillus acidophilus makes up 20% of the intestinal bacteria.

Lactobacillus Rhamnosus is found primarily in the small intestine and stomach with smaller amounts in the large intestine.

Bifidobacteria is the most prevalant species of bacteria in the large intestine with sub-strains such as Bifidobacteria and Bifidobacteria Bifidum.

Lactobacillus Plantarum  is in human saliva and has been found to clear up to 95% of the symptoms associated with IBS in high doses.

I recommend using the link below on Custom Probiotics to read in more detail.

Click Here to go to Custom Probiotics

The study by the University of Minnesota was done on 60,000 people in Singapore and published this month in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. As Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care, doctors believe that the results readily apply to other industrialized nations. It appears that as insulin is made in the pancreas, soda interferes with insulin levels, then contributing to cancerous cell growth in the pancreas. Similarly, diabetes, a disease in which the body’s insulin production is compromised, is also known to increase pancreatic cancer risk.

Natural sugar in fruit juice did not create the same cancer risk.

Dr. Mark Pereira, the study’s lead researcher, believes a possible explanation is that soda drinkers usually have other poor health habits which also increase their risk level, such as smoking and eating red meat, two lifestyle factors already linked to cancer.

230,000 people are diagnosed each year with pancreatic cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that only 5% survive for 5 years. Identifying risk factors such as the soft drink correlation could save thousands of lives. Other known causes of pancreatic cancer (in addition to diabetes, smoking, and eating red meat) include:

• genetics
• ethnicity
• old age
• obesity
• excessive alcohol consumption

Where should you draw the line with sugar consumption?

A single can of soda contains 13 teaspoons of sugar. The American Heart Association says women should have less than 6 ½ teaspoons of sugar a day and men 9 1/2 teaspoons.

Excerpts from:
Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study
Sugar Fuels Tumor Growth, Says Major New Study

Anti aging is a hot topic as more people realize that you do have the option not to succumb to all the typical ailments of aging and, especially, not to feel the affects of aging as early.

My grandfather decided to make major changes to his health when he turned the age of 39. I am not sure what all food related changes he made, but I know he stopped drinking alcohol, cut back to one cup of coffee a day, and began taking supplements and power walking a mile a day. He enjoyed incredibly good health throughout his senior years. He had a brief bout of severe arthritis in his early 70’s but through research on supplements and faithful prayer it soon disappeared completely. He still had none of the typical old age illnesses, rarely even a cold, when he passed away at the age of 89. On the other hand, I have known people who eat the typical American diet of almost no fruits, vegetables, or water and never exercise. They have already had diseases common to old age in their late 30’s, 40’s, or 50’s.

Many of the lifestyle changes to create a extended, healthier life are easy to make!

I wanted to include abbreviated lists from a couple of different organizations on anti aging. Each website has vast amounts of information to surf through, so please make use of their links to click through and read more ways to have a long, satisfying life.

These 8 tips are from Simply Anti Aging’s pages on health and nutrition. Many more tips on their site.

1. Laugh More. Recent research has shown that laughter really does help us in managing stress. Adopting a humorous view of life’s difficulties can take the edge off everyday stressful situations. Laughter stops the release of damaging stress hormones into the body. (A)

2. Improve Cardio Fitness with Dance. Combining cardio exercise fitness with dancing is a great way to keep fit over 40. (A)

3. Swim Your Way to Core Strength. You need to improve core strength through exercise as you get older to firm up abdominal flab, build flexibility, and prevent back problems. Swimming offers you both aerobic exercise — flooding your brain with oxygen and raising your pulse rate – and greatly improves core strength. (A)

4. Get Antioxidants by Eating Raw. Raw foods are one of the keys to a great anti aging diet. Its shown great benefits on some of the worst modern diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer. (B)

5. Eat Ketchup, Tomato paste, Tomato sauce. Tomatoes contain more lycopene than any other food and protects against many cancers including: digestive tract, colon, prostate, and lungs. (B)

6. Transfat Triples Your Risk of Heart Disease. Monunsaturated and polyunsaturated are the “good” fats. We also need to keep our saturated fat as low as possible. Trans fat is simply hydrogenated fat – a man made fat for longer shelf life. Even tiny amounts of hydrogenated fat clog up your arteries, putting you at much greater risk of heart disease or stroke. (B)

7. Juicing Delays Brain Aging. One of the worst aspects of aging for many people is the possibility of dementia, memory loss or even Alzheimer’s ruining the quality of life. Studies have focused on diet protecting our brain cells from oxidative stress. 2006 study on mice showed the group of senior mice given apple juice were fully protected from oxidative stress. Not only that but the “seniors” who consumed the human equivalent of 2-3 cups of apple juice – around 2-4 apples per day – had significantly higher levels of “mental acuity”. A 10 year study using 1,800 Seattle seniors (humans) showed those who drank fresh fruit or vegetable juice three or more times per week were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who only drank the juice once a week. (B)

8. Have You Inherited Your Stress Response? Children of stressed parents learn the tendency to get stressed out to life’s challenges…Since stress accelerates the aging process, so learn to manage stress more positively. (A)

The online organization, Anti Aging Guide 2009, has a graph showing which lifestyle changes add the most years to your life! Here’s a sampling. Use the link in the footnotes to see the full chart.

Note: If you make all the types of changes shown in their chart (not all listed here) and begin in your 20’s, you can add 60-80 years to your life. If you start at 45-50, you can still gain 30-40 years. (C)

1. Periodic fasting and calorie restriction can add 40-50 years.

2. Good nutrition can add 15-25 years.

3. Quality of life – prosperity, relaxation, regular vocations – can add 15-25 years.

4. Regular exercise can add 10-20 years. (C)

The organization, My Health Span, has a list of over 80 Lifestyle Anti Aging Factors, some of which are often unheard of. It is well worth using the link to read the whole list. Here are 13:

1. Calm, but alert temperament

2. Short commute to work

3. Walk 2 miles a day

4. Eat red meat once a week or less

5. Use sunscreen

6. Have a pet

7. Have a regular daily routine

8. Work no more than 40 hours a week

9. Take a yearly vacation of at least 6 days

10. Set new goals and look for new challenges

11. Expect good things to happen

12. Not constantly critical of yourself or others

13. Avoid regretting sacrifices made in life (D)

(A) Find many more great tips at Simply Anti Aging’s Health page
(B) Find many more great tips at Simply Anti Aging’s Nutrition page
(C) Online Anti Aging Guide 2009 graph of Proven Methods for Life Extension Full List
(D) My Health Span’s list of over 80 Lifestyle Anti Aging Factors

Table of contents for Swine Flu

1. Why You Should be Concerned about the Swine Flu Vaccine and Your Family
2. Empower Yourself with Knowledge of the Flu Vaccine Types
3. Improve Your Body’s Natural Defense Against Swine Flu and Other Infections

There are natural ways to optimize your body’s natural health defenses through supplements and some common health practices.

Dr. Kent Holtorf of the Holtorf Medical Group drew international attention after an interview with Fox News about why his own children will not be receiving the swine flu vaccine. People are not always aware of the ways to improve their health and the body’s own defense against the flu and other infections.

Dr. Holtorf posted a question and answer session online about the swine flu (dated April 2009). Here is a quote from his suggestions to prevent viruses and infections. Use the link in the footnote to read the full article.

Natural ways to prevent an infection include vitamin D 5000-15,000 per day (best to check levels), zinc 50 mg/day, vitamin C 3000 mg/day, licorice root extract and miataki mushroom D-fraction. There are good combination products available (Virunex, Immunostim). Nasal colloidal silver can be very effective. It is very safe, and no virus has ever been shown to develop resistance to silver. (1)

Dr. Joseph Mercola is also a strong advocate of optimizing your vitamin D levels, not just for flu prevention but daily health. It is also one of the least expensive ways to be proactive.

He makes 2 strong statements advocating vitamin D:

-Optimizing your vitamin D levels is the absolute best strategy for avoiding infections of all kinds.
-Vitamin D deficiency is the most likely true culprit behind seasonal flu, not the flu virus itself. (2)

Here are his 2 suggested standards for vitamin D supplements:

1. He strongly suggests that you have your vitamin D levels monitored to confirm that they are at a therapeutic level, which is between 50-65 ng/ml.
2. If you are coming down with flu-like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D, take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat acute infection. (2) [Notice this amount is for acute infection. Dr. Cannell says 5,000 units per day is an appropriate amount to maintain good health.]

Here are 8 Other Daily Health Practices to Build a Strong Immune System and Prevent the Flu. These are excerpts from Dr. Mercola’s newsletter. See the footnote for the full article.

Avoid sugar and processed foods-  Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately.
Get sufficient rest.
Effectively address stress.
Exercise-  Exercise increases your circulation and blood flow throughout your body. When the parts of your immune system have better circulated, your immune system has a better chance of stopping an illness before it spreads
Take a good source of animal-based omega-3 essential fats-  Dr. Mercola prefers krill oil. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils like the trans fats found in most processed foods.
Wash your hands-  Use a simple chemical-free soap.
Eat garlic regularly-  Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body.
Avoid hospitals and vaccines-  Dr. Mercola recommends staying away from hospitals unless you’re having an emergency during this flu season. (2)

Here are a couple of video clipe by other notable doctors on the benefits of increasing your vitamin D for flu prevention.

Use this link to hear Dr. Joe Prendergast explain why vitamin D is better than any vaccine and increases the immune system by 3-5 times as well as share testimonials of its amazing effect in reducing cancer.

Use this link to hear Dr. John Cannell on how 5000 units of vitamin D a day improves health, fight flu viruses, and destroy even encapsulated virus cells, bacteria, and fungus.

You may also want to check these prior posts on Building Your Immune System and Flu Prevention.

Immune System Boosters – 7 ways to boost your immune system

Flu Prevention – Virus blocker we use and other site’s suggestions.

Superfoods Boost Overall Health – Improve your health for a few dollars a day be adding superfoods into your diet.

This is Part 3 of a 3 part series on Swine Flu.  If you missed Parts 1 and 2 on why the concern over the vaccine and the 2 different types of vaccines, please use the series link at the beginning of this post.

1. Dr. Kent Holtorf’s questions and answer on swine flu. 
2. Dr. Mercola’s flu prevention methods. 

Table of contents for Swine Flu

1. Why You Should be Concerned about the Swine Flu Vaccine and Your Family
2. Empower Yourself with Knowledge of the Flu Vaccine Types
3. Improve Your Body’s Natural Defense Against Swine Flu and Other Infections

Knowledge of the Two Types of Flu Vaccines is necessary for an educated decision.

This post is Part 2 of a 3 Part Series.  In this post, we’ll discuss two different types of flu vaccines, how virus statistics are determined, and important label info from the vaccine manufacturer.

Part 1 discusses why some leading doctors are vocalizing concern over the swine flu vaccine. If you missed it, click the above series link.  Part 3 will give you easy, safe and natural ways to prevent the flu and other infections.  The purpose in this post is not to address the political issues involved regarding the swine flu and its vaccines, but only to make sure that you, my readers, are well informed for the safety and well-being of your own family.

Swine flu vaccines are available in both a nasal spray, which contains live virus, and the injectable vaccine which contains a dead virus.

Nearly all of the swine flu vaccines that made available in October are the nasal spray type that contains live virus’, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people over 50, or those with asthma, heart disease or several other health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s own website.  See the footnote below for the CDC’s full list of who should not get this vaccine. (1)

Dr. Joseph Mercola also cautions that the nasal spray causes a much greater immune reaction, and since it contains live virus, they may multiply too quickly if your immune system is already compromised. (2)

Dr. Mercola also explains that though the injectable vaccine will supposedly contain only killed and fragmented virus components, in order to “make it more effective,” it also contains adjuvants — ingredients designed to cause a greater immune reaction by lowering your immune function. Some of these adjuvants, such as thimerosal and squalene, are toxins that have already been shown to carry considerable health risks.(2)

As alarming as statistics of any deaths from viruses against which people feel powerless, it is important to grasp the flu statistics in perspective with other health statistics.

Here are excerpts of stats from Dr. Mercola’s site about death-related flu statistics:

1. More Americans die from asthma and malnutrition each year than the flu.
2. Death caused directly by the flu virus is very rare. The vast majority of flu-related deaths are actually due to bacterial pneumonia, a secondary illness resulting from an already compromised immune system. The actual number of people who died from the flu in 2005 in the US (most recent data available) was 1,806.
3. Elderly and people with other pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease are at higher risk of pneumonia after the flu.
4. Treatment for bacterial pneumonia is an antibiotic, so it would not be logical to take a flu vaccine to prevent pneumonia.
5. Before the CDC advocated vaccinating children under the age of five, the number of children dying from the flu was very low. In 2003, after children age five and under started getting vaccinated, the number of flu deaths skyrocketed. (3)

It may also assist in your decision to know how the flu strain in the vaccine is chosen.

In the first 2 months of each year, health officials from the US travel to Asia to study flu strains. They assume the strains in Asia in January will reach the US by fall. US vaccine manufacturers start producing the vaccine using the strains from Asia. If the viral strain in the US in the fall is not identical to the one from Asia, the vaccine is a complete “dud.” (3)

Another vital piece of information you usually won’t see is the flu vaccine manufacturer’s insert disclaimer.

It appears there would be no argument at all if flu vaccine’s insert was read by everyone. FLUAVAL’s insert for the 2009-2010 formula says that no trials have been done to prove that you are less likely to contract the flu after their vaccine:

FLULAVAL is an influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine. This indication is based on immune response elicited by FLULAVAL, and there have been no controlled trials demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with FLULAVAL. (4)

Last, let’s take a look at why, with regard to the recent presidential announcement, there are conflicting reports of pandemic flu emergencies versus normal yearly flu counts.

In a July 24, 2009 Press Release, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) stated that they are no longer requiring doctors to test to confirm swine flu among their patients. Basically, anyone with flu symptoms is being categorized as a possible swine flu carrier. Obviously, as there are also strains of seasonal flu and many other illnesses which can cause similar symptoms to the swine flu, the counts appear larger than reality. Here is the quote from the CDC’s own site:

This week we have posted the latest numbers for case counts, but I want to mention this will be the last where you will see that kind of reporting. …We’re no longer going to expect the states will continue this individual reporting…(5)

A three-month-long investigation by CBS News, released October 21, 2009, is what brought the above quote and other issues about the flu virus back to public awareness. CBS study found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:

If you’ve been diagnosed “probable” or “presumed” 2009 H1N1 or “swine flu” in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn’t have flu at all.(6)

We commend Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Kent Holtorf, Bill Sardis, CBS News and others who have championed the cause of public awareness on this topic.

1. CDC’s Nasal Vaccine Information. A partial list is on page 1 of this .pdf, but you need to read page 2 for the full list of who the Center for Disease Control says should not get this vaccine.
2. Excerpts by Dr. Mercola on both the nasal and injectible vaccines.
3. Flu-related death statistics and determining the virus strain. “Flu Virus Exposed.”
4. FLULVAL’s package insert
5. CDC’s Press Release on Ending Virus Testing
6. Results of CBS News 3 Month Flu Virus Study