You'll also combat candida, depression, and heart disease in the process.
It's no surprise that sugary foods increase the rates of diabetes and obesity. But did you realize that too much sugar intake can lead to chronic depression?
New European research with rats—animals remarkably like humans in many of their brain functions—links over-consumption of sugar with brain changes that resemble addictive behavior. Unlimited access to sugar in the lab makes animals vulnerable to reward-related psychiatric disorders.
Reviewing beverage consumption in this country, Harvard researchers also link sugary drinks—everything from soft drinks, sweetened teas and lemonade… Continue reading Categories
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Archive for February, 2010
Sugar Addiction? Detox To Cut Cravings
February 26th, 2010You'll also combat candida, depression, and heart disease in the process.
It's no surprise that sugary foods increase the rates of diabetes and obesity. But did you realize that too much sugar intake can lead to chronic depression?
New European research with rats—animals remarkably like humans in many of their brain functions—links over-consumption of sugar with brain changes that resemble addictive behavior. Unlimited access to sugar in the lab makes animals vulnerable to reward-related psychiatric disorders.
Reviewing beverage consumption in this country, Harvard researchers also link sugary drinks—everything from soft drinks, sweetened teas and lemonade… Continue reading Magnesium: A Must-Have Supplement for Your Heart and Bones
February 24th, 2010
This mineral also supports detox and cleansing big time.
An essential mineral involved in over 350 of the body's critical functions, magnesium doesn't get the attention it deserves. For starters, it helps coordinate the activity of the heart muscles and nerves that initiate heartbeat.
Magnesium appears to reduce high blood pressure, cutting the risk of heart attack and stroke. Because this mineral also lessens the risk of heart arrhythmia, it limits the complications of congestive heart failure.
Unfortunately, new research finds that women are getting less than 70% of the magnesium they need. Magnesium deficiency… Continue reading High-Tech Medical Scans: Help versus Harm
February 22nd, 2010
What are the safest screenings?
The average American's total radiation exposure—just from medical testing alone—has nearly doubled in the last 30 years. More than 250 patients getting CT scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recently received far more radiation than intended, burning their skin and causing them to lose hair.
These scans are increasingly popular because their three-dimensional images provide an almost surgical view of the body. But one CT chest scan has almost as much radiation as 400 chest X-rays.
Even scarier, recent research in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that… Continue reading At Least 7 Reasons to Go Vegetarian
February 19th, 2010
Hint: healthy weight loss is only one!
Clinical studies show that a plant-based diet combats the leading killers: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Type 2 diabetes. No wonder vegetarians live longer than meat eaters!
For heart health alone, giving up meat (including fowl) and seafood (including fish) can lower bad LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and hypertension, and body mass index (BMI). Most research finds that people following a plant-based diet eat fewer calories and weigh less than omnivores.
A vegetarian diet is also less expensive—and far more planet friendly—than eating meat… Continue reading What Your Smile Says About Your Health
February 17th, 2010
For beautiful, kissable lips, use natural products, detox, and take your daily multi.
Is there anyone who doesn't have chapped lips this time of year? Or even worse—dry, cracked lips that hurt and bleed!
The trouble is, what you put on your lips—even simple lip balm—may not help. All too many ingredients in lip products are actually hazardous to your health.
A high-tech (laser-induced spectroscopy) analysis recently applied to four different lipstick brands showed levels of cadmium and lead—toxic heavy metals—that were much higher than permissible safe limits for human health. Not only can these… Continue reading Type 3 Diabetes, What You Need to Know
February 15th, 2010
Overweight and invisible toxins can shrink the brain.
Most people understand that insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, is key to blood sugar control and diabetes. But did you know that it also plays a special role in learning and memory?
Numerous new studies suggest there's a third kind of diabetes—what investigators are calling Type 3—that impacts cognitive function. Not only can obesity and diabetes cause neurodegeneration, but they also appear to significantly reduce brain weight, basically shrinking the brain itself.
"Not long ago, it was thought that there was no connection between… Continue reading How a Hug Can Protect Your Heart
February 12th, 2010
What you really need for Valentine's Day.
Love does far more than make the world go around. It helps remove plaque from the arteries, boosts the body's immune response, relieves stress, and lengthens life.
Do you have high blood pressure? Close friends and family can lower hypertension. In fact, a new study at Brigham Young University shows that women who are "married with children" have the lowest ambulatory blood pressure of any group.
Family and close social networks are critical to mental health, an underlying factor in heart disease… Continue reading Headaches? Parasites May Be to Blame
February 10th, 2010
Migraine may be an early warning sign of worms.
Do you get migraine or sinus headaches? If you also have a cat, you may have picked up Toxoplasma gondii, a dangerous parasite from your pet.
At least two recent studies suggest that headaches are an early warning sign of this inflammatory infection that—if unchecked—can lead to more serious neurological and immunological problems. While abdominal pain, anemia, fatigue, watery diarrhea, and even constipation are common signals of a parasitic infection, headaches can be another important clue in discovering and eliminating these "unwanted guests."
Originally considered a… Continue reading Lower Blood Pressure and Slim Down with the Right Carbs
February 8th, 2010
Low-carb diet proven just as effective as leading weight loss pill.
Need to lose 10 pounds? A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that a low-carb diet is just as effective as a leading weight loss pill—even for people who are obese or have Type 2 diabetes.
What surprised researchers, though, was that cutting out sugary carbs lowered blood pressure—something the weight loss drug orlistat (better known as "Alli") did not accomplish! The carb-cutters in this randomized trial dropped about 6% in their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a… Continue reading When Chest Pain Really Is Heartburn, Not a Heart Attack
February 5th, 2010
Reflux disease is serious, but you'll be surprised how easy relief can be.
The most expensive digestive disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) inflicts with burning pain just under the breastbone on about 40% of American adults. Consumers spend over $1 billion on antacids and other heartburn medicines, which often make this problem even worse.
Normally, digestion moves food down from the mouth to the rest of the GI tract. But eating too much too fast and consuming certain foods and drink—alcohol, chocolate, coffee, mints, pepper, and too many refined foods (especially fatty and sugary… Continue reading 
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
