I have a subscription to ConsumerLabs.com, which is an independent testing agency for health supplements. Every few weeks I will try to give a report on a category of health supplements for my subscribers.
This week, I want to talk to you about Magnesium.
What Does Magnesium Do?
Magnesium is absolutely essential for a well-functioning body and is a vital nutrient for metabolism and proper functioning of the nervous system. As with most nutritional supplements, the exact benefits of magnesium are debated, but it most likely benefits the absorption of calcium into your body and has cardiovascular benefits such as reducing blood pressure and regulating heartbeat. Magnesium may also reduce headaches, menstrual pain and PMS symptoms.
Supplements That did NOT Pass CL’s Test
Much to my surprise, one of my favorite supplements did not pass the ConsumerLabs.com test! There is some debate between the two companies regarding the accuracy of the tests and whether or not ConsumerLabs.com is truly as impartial as they claim to be.
Nonetheless, I was shocked to see literally my favorite supplement on the “not approved list” for lead content (Peter Gillham’s Natural Calm). Here’s what they said about the 3 supplements that did not pass:
* Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality® Natural Calm, a powder, was found to contain 0.295 mcg of lead per teaspoon. It suggested a daily dose ranging from 1/2 teaspoon to 3 teaspoons per day which, at the higher end of the range, would exceed the State of California’s limit of 0.5 mcg of lead – above which a warning label is required. Such lead exposure can be easily avoided when taking magnesium, as evidenced by the many other products that did not exceed this limit.
* Total Nutrition Natural Amino Acid Chelated Magnesium provided only 28.8 mg of magnesium per tablet rather than the expected 100 mg.
* Tropical Oasis™ Liquid Calcium Magnesium Orange Flavor contained only 45.4% of its labeled amount of magnesium. Instead of one tablespoon providing the promised 115 mg of magnesium, it provided only 52 mg. CL found the same problem with this product in 2007, when it was found to contain only 46.4% of the magnesium claimed. Ironically, at both times the product has boasted a “GMP” seal (suggesting that it was made under Good Manufacturing Practices) around which was written “Certified by an independent laboratory.” The back label on this product noted, “Tropical Oasis believes in giving the consumer the most accurate information to allow the consumer to make informed choices.”
I will keep you abreast of any details I discover regarding whether or not the results for Natural Calm are accurate, but for the time being, these are a few magnesium supplements that you will want to stay away from in your selection, should you choose to supplement your diet with magnesium.
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What began in early April as isolated incidences of swine flu (H1N1 virus) in Mexico has quickly propelled itself into an epidemic that has the world hoping for the best but anticipating the worst. Ten states in the United States have reported swine flu cases, and at least one known death from the virus has been reported on U.S. soil (Texas, March 29). There have been many deaths in Mexico, which is being called the epicenter of this virus. The World Health Organization at the time of this writing says that the swine flu is at level 5. Level 6 is considered a truly global pandemic, as opposed to the current status of epidemic.
What is the H1N1 Virus or Swine Flu?
The influenza virus (which has hundreds of strains) causes what we normally think of as the flu. In typical conditions, different strains of influenza viruses infect only one species of mammal (including humans), making the human influenza virus a separate virus from those of birds or pigs. When a pig or bird influenza virus swaps genes or mutates with a human influenza virus, then a new virus is born – which is exactly what happened with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.
The H1N1 virus contains genes from human, bird, and pig (swine) influenza viruses. It is a completely new virus that has never been seen before, which means that there is no immunization for H1N1. Historically, bird influenza or swine influenza is difficult to transfer from human to human, and humans that become ill with bird flu or swine flu usually are isolated cases. H1N1 is different because it has developed the ability to be spread from human to human easily, which is why the WHO and world governments are so eager to contain H1N1. H1N1 has all of the probabilities of becoming a disease of pandemic proportions.
How Bad Could an H1N1 Pandemic Get?
Although many global pandemics have been relatively moderate as far as the number of people who fell ill and actually died, one pandemic that is often referred to is the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919. This pandemic affected around 1/3 of the human population around the globe, and killed no less than forty million people in a one year period. The economic fallout from the Spanish flu pandemic is considered among the different occurrences that caused a deep recession in the global economy during the same time period.
How is the H1N1 Virus Transmitted and Who is At Greatest Risk?
Scientists are unsure how this new strain of influenza is spread amongst humans, and from person to person. It is believed that transmission of the H1N1 virus occurs when infected persons sneeze or cough (airborne), or by direct skin to skin contact, such as when an infected person kisses or shakes hands with someone.
Although most influenza viruses are more dangerous to very young or very old people, or those with weakened immune systems, scientists say that a majority of the deaths in Mexico from the H1N1 virus have been of young people who were very healthy. This is one aspect of the H1N1 virus that is puzzling to those studying the virus. Of particular worry to health authorities is that the Spanish flu pandemic of the early 1900s also saw more deaths among this group of people.
What are the Symptoms of the H1N1 Virus?
The H1N1 virus initially causes the same symptoms that are experienced with regular cases of the flu, including fever, sore throat, runny nose, and muscle aches. More common with the H1N1 virus, however, is nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. In adults, teenagers, and children from ages three through twelve, the most dangerous symptoms of H1N1 include shortness of breath, confusion, dizziness, and persistent vomiting. For children two years of age and under, the most dangerous symptoms are very rapid breathing, high fever, rash, bluish color of the skin and lips, abnormal behavior such as not drinking normally, unusual irritability or being more sleepy than usual.
How is H1N1 Treated?
The H1N1 virus is currently treated with two antiviral medications – zanamivir and oseltamivir. Optimal results from treatment are achieved when the medications are taken with a couple of days of the person becoming ill. There has been no proven benefit of taking either of these medications before being exposed. There is no current vaccine against the H1N1 virus. Diagnosis of the H1N1 virus is made by taking a throat swab of the suspected infected person, or by analyzing the sputum that is “coughed up” by the person.
How You Can Protect Yourself and Your Family from H1N1
There are some basic steps that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to avoid contracting the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, including:
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Use alcohol based hand cleaners like Germ-X when you are not around hot water and soap. It is a good idea to send some of this type of antibacterial hand wash with your children to school in their backpack and instruct them on proper usage.
• Avoid being around people who are sick or appear sick.
• If you become sick, protect others from contracting the virus by covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze with a clean tissue, and discard used tissues into the trash. You should also avoid being around others as much as possible until you are better again. Sick children should be quarantined at home and the school notified.
Those who are infected with H1N1 will be contagious for as many as 14 days after the onset of symptoms. For updated information on the H1N1 and the possible coming global pandemic, visit the Centers for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu or contact your physician or other medical practitioner.
]]>“Two years ago I was diagnosed with the disease ulcerative colitis at age 21. It’s an inflammatory bowel disease that affected my entire colon and rectum, causing me uncontrollable diarrhea, intense abdominal pain, and bloody stool. Not knowing much about this disease, I did what the doctors told me to do in the beginning. I tried the medicines they prescribed but nothing worked. I tried the gambit of colitis medication to little effect.”
“My symptoms continued to persist and I was out of options. In June 2008 I underwent surgery to remove my colon. With no colon, no ulcerative colitis. I then lived with an ileostomy for six months, which was created by pulling the end of my intestine out through my abdominal wall. Waste collected in a plastic bag continually attached to my skin, which I emptied periodically throughout the day.
Now I live with an internal pouch, a j-pouch, created using part of my intestine. I no longer wear an ileostomy bag and instead I am trying to train my j-pouch how to function. It’s capacity is far lower than that of a colon and rectum, so I go to the bathroom 4-6 times during the day and 1-2 times during the night. While my bowels will never work the same again, the life is live now is much better than my life of colitis.
Determined not to render my life with colitis meaningless, I have since started an educational video website, the Ulcerative Colitis Vlog. Here I show what it is like living with colitis, living with an ileostomy, and living with a j-pouch. Through this project I have realized that ulcerative colitis was one of the best things to happen to me, since it has forever changed my attitude towards life and myself. In spite of the pain, embarrassment, and frustration that has come from ulcerative colitis, my life is now better.”
- Dennis
]]>With this free report, we tell you what the Acai berry CAN do, what it certainly CANNOT do, and how to make your decision should you be interested in integrating the Acai berry into your dietary routine.
“Acai Berry: True Lies” is a completely free report created by the founders of CureYourBody.com.
Download with this link (right-click and “Save as”):
Acai Berry: True Lies (.PDF file)
Acai Berry: True Lies (.ZIP file)
Feel free to pass the report on to any health conscious friends or family in your life. This is a completely free report.
A Canadian study from the University of Manitoba showed that rats fed the pea protein hydrolysate from the yellow garden pea showed a 20% drop in blood pressure.
This is big news for the increasing number of people, who are suffering from hypertension due to malfunction of the kidneys, estimated to be at 13% of American adults. Not only does the study show that it helped alleviate high blood pressure in animals who are already suffering from kidney disease because of hypertension, but it will also help those with hypertension prior to kidney damage.
It’s important to note however that that the research showed that the peas in their natural state could not produce the same effect as that of the purified protein, which was activated with an enzyme treatment in the lab. But the extract is a natural approach rather than a pharmacological approach to lowering blood pressure. The final product is an edible rather than a drug.
Researchers at Manitoba said they are currently working on studying the effects in human volunteers and expect to show the results this fall.
More information here.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when you’re talking colon health. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 150,000 Americans were diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer and approximately 50,000 people died from the disease. The saddest part is that as many as 60% of the cases could have been prevented with proper screening, and pre-emptive measures.
Cancer advocacy groups and the Center for Disease Control have declared March the National Colon Cancer Awareness Month because Colorectal cancer is the #3 killer in the US, it’s time to stop thinking about colon health as a taboo subject. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all people over 50 years of age get a full colonoscopy every 10 years and a short or Sigmoid Colonoscopy every 5 years, as well as regular blood tests. This will allow your doctors to see if you are at risk due to the development of polyps inside your colon or rectum, which are precursors to the disease. This is especially important if you have certain risk factors for the disease, such as having a relative diagnosed with colon cancer.
Simple Changes You Can Make
Simple changes in the ways you live and eat can really significantly reduce your risk:
1. Get regular screenings beginning at age 50 –Start a conversation with your healthcare provider.
2. Eating a diet high in Fiber, Calcium, Vitamin D and Selenium –All of these have been shown to significantly reduce your risk of developing polyps
3. Cut back and quit using alcohol and/or tobacco -A no-brainer as far as cancer prevention goes
4. Exercise at least 20 minutes per day –Maintaining a healthy weight has been shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
This disease is preventable treatable and in most cases curable if detected in early stages. It’s never too early or too late to make changes in your lifestyle to help reduce your risk factors and get healthy. A great way to jumpstart a new health regimen is an internal cleanse. Cleansing internally helps you to unclog the colon so you can absorb nutrients and more efficiently eliminate waste and flush toxins from your body.
You should employ a cleanse that uses all-natural and gentle ingredients that help your body do what it’s meant to do over a period of time, without stimulants or laxatives.
A Special Gift for Your Health
We have provided a recipe for a delicious treat that can somewhat benefit your colon health; everyone needs a treat! ]]>
Coffee Intake Reduces Incidences of Disease
Of all of the preventative measures that you can take to make your body healthier in the years to come, none may be easier (or taste as good) as drinking coffee. For many years, different studies have been conducted to determine the link between coffee consumption and the incidence of these and other diseases - and now their startling findings point to the reduction in the rate of disease and the healthy benefits that can be derived while imbibing with your favorite cup of java.
Coffee Halts Diabetes
With the rates of diabetes on the rise, coffee may very well be your first line of defense to keep yourself healthy. In one study, Harvard researchers analyzed data on 126,000 people over a time period of eighteen years. Their findings: among those that drank a moderate amount of coffee (one to three cups), their reduced their risk of developing diabetes by single digits; their more astute coffee-guzzling peers that knocked back six or more cups lowered their risk by an amazing 54% in men and 30% in women.
Coffee and Antioxidant Connection
This Harvard study is just one of over 19,000 that have been conducted over the past few decades that point to coffee’s possible lure for those looking for optimal health. The secret to coffee’s potential to reduce disease lies in its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect our bodies from damage from free radicals – including diseases like diabetes and cancer. With the Western diet being full of fats and sugars that contain or produce free radicals and fewer people eating healthy foods that contains antioxidants, an increase in free radical damage by way of disease and illness is prevalent. Drinking antioxidant rich coffee provides an easy way to ‘beef up’ your antioxidant intake. Both regular and decaffeinated coffees contain antioxidant properties and it doesn’t matter which roast you prefer. Both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans are plentiful with disease fighting antioxidants.
Once considered a favorite morning ritual, coffee drinkers in the U.S. receive most of the antioxidants in their daily diets from coffee. According the National Coffee Association, 80% of Americans drink coffee, while 57% of them drink coffee at least once a day. Coffee sales worldwide netted more than $70 billion just last year alone, with nearly $20 million of that being sold to coffee-gulping Americans. With so many benefits to be reaped from a mug of your favorite blend of coffee, perhaps the only guilt that you should feel when pouring your next cup is that you haven’t drank enough coffee lately.
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WARNING: Take caution if you are currently considering a product
that instructs the user to perform a cleanse month after month. At
best, the repetition can deplete the body of vital nutrients, and
at worst it can be abrasive to your system and cause health
problems.
Many experts believe a cleanse should be done 2 to 4 times per
year, depending on an individual’s personal needs. It is also often
recommended that first-time cleansers perform two cleanses in a
row; however this is based on personal preference and tolerance for the process.
What You DO Need Every Month
While internal cleansing should not be done month to month, one
thing you should ABSOLUTELY ingest daily as a regular part of your
life is Probiotics.
Probiotics are the good bacteria that live in the digestive tract
that stimulate digestive health and a promote a healthy immune
system and may help:
* Stimulate digestive health
* Promote a healthy immune system
* Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diarrhea, vaginal yeast
infections and urinary tract infections
* Reduce bladder cancer recurrence
* So Much More…
There are thousands of enemies in our modern world that kill off
these healthy bacteria, from processed foods to chemical-laden
beverages.
If you have taken antibiotics, you really should use probiotics,
since those antibiotics will have wreaked havoc on your good
bacteria - note that “probiotic” means “for life” in Greek - so
guess what “antibiotic” means!
Probiotics are absolutely vital in a world where so few of us eat a
proper, healthy diet on a regular basis. You should supplement your
diet with probiotics to ensure healthy digestion.
Conclusion
1) Cleansing should be done a few times per year in order to
repeatedly experience the benefits of a clean digestive system, but
one should not cleanse every month.
2) Probiotics should be considered a regular part of your life that
you can and should use every day, all year long.
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BUT – and this is a big but – before you whip out your credit card to buy the latest Acai berry product, you need to know that there are about a zillion Acai scams out there.
So, how do you know what to look for and what to avoid? Keep a wary eye out for Acai products that claim celebrity, or physician, endorsement. Many Acai scam sites post photos of popular celebrities, like Oprah or Angelina Jolie, on their site to make you think that these people are recommending their product, when in actuality, they only mentioned the Acai berry – NOT this specific product. It’s the same thing with celebrity doctors too.
A lot of the scams also have logos for popular authority websites or companies, like About.com or NBC, on their site – again trying to make it look like these are endorsements or recommendations. Most of these sites have only mentioned Acai berry in general, and not specific products, and some of them don’t even mention them at all.
Another thing to watch out for is labels that list acai as the last ingredient. Labels are set up to list the ingredients by how much of each is actually in the product. If acai is last, it means there is the least amount of it in the supplement.
Don’t accept these claims without checking them out to make sure they’re real. The easiest way to check out if anybody really is endorsing their product is to search around. Google it and read the reviews. See what people who have actually tried the product are saying. If they claim that Oprah is representing them, go to Oprah’s site and try to find a link – any products she truly endorses will be there. Search the NBC site to see if they have a link, or any mention of the product at all.
Additionally, use your own good sense, just as you would with any other site you’re buying from. If you are uneasy about ordering online, any legitimate company will have a VALID phone number and customer service that can place your order for you. In addition, this customer service should be willing to answer any questions or resolve any difficulties.
In fact, the lack of customer service or valid telephone numbers is one of the biggest complaints that people have made about acai berry scams. Companies will charge your credit card and disappear, leaving you with no money and no product.
Another thing – BEWARE of FREE TRIALS! The biggest Acai berry scam going right now is centered around a free trial. You pay shipping and handling only, which comes to around $5, and you get a free 14-day trial of their Acai supplement. However, they only send you a 7-day supply – if you get anything at all – and you are automatically enrolled in their monthly plan.
But many of these scam companies aren’t even waiting until the trial period is up before charging you for the first month – and it has a hefty price tag. The LOWEST amount that people are reporting was fraudulently charged is $79.82, but for most people it was over $100. Unfortunately, a lot of these people had no recourse, because they failed to read the terms and conditions of the trial period, and in some cases, there weren’t even any terms available on the website.
BE SURE to read anything and everything you can before giving your credit card numbers away – and if a company or website doesn’t have any terms or conditions – DO NOT buy anything from them.
It is only a matter of time before the FTC comes crashing down on these deceptive companies—but until then, you need to protect yourself.
Now, with all of that said, don’t be discouraged from buying Acai berry supplements. Acai berry truly is beneficial, and there are reputable companies offering excellent products.
Just be smart and check out all the facts before you buy anything, and you’ll be doing everything you can to be safe from these scams. We also have a bunch of other reviews about various product currently on the market.
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