What is Diabetes?Decades ago, type 2 diabetes used to be called "sugar diabetes." There was a reason for this. Eating sugar causes diabetes. Too bad we have moved away from that accurate description of this disease. However, sugar causes another form of diabetes—diabetes of the brain. We call it Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes is the condition where your body’s response to insulin is weakened, and sugar is no longer adequately transported into cells. Insulin resistance is the result of constantly assaulting your body with the dangerous toxin known as sugar. Excessive sugar, especially fructose, and grain consumption are the driving factors behind insulin resistance. Grains, even whole grains, will flood the body with too much sugar and cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance contributes massively to inflammation, and inflammation will damage and degenerate your brain.Your brain is almost totally dependent on sugar to make the energy it needs to function. Constantly assaulting t…

With statistics showing their risk of heart disease increases with age, seniors are constantly reminded to go easy on their heart. So it may seem counter-intuitive, even dangerous, to get more active in retirement.But can adding in a bit of daily activity or exercise lower that risk and improve overall heart health in aging seniors? That’s what a team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the University of Porto in Portugal recently set out to determine.As part of a larger community-based study on heart disease risk factors called the Cardiovascular Health Study, 985 adults aged 65 and older wore heart monitors 24 hours a day for 5 years. In the new study, researchers analyzed recordings of their heart rate variability, those time differences between one heartbeat and the next during normal daily activity.According to researcher and lead author of the study Dr. Luisa Soares-Miranda, when monitoring changes in heart rate variability, scientists can predict…

. . . is vitamin D deficiency the primary cause of winter colds and flu?Some vitamin D experts believe vitamin D deficiency may be the root cause of winter colds and flu. They point out that we get far less sunlight in the winter (our skin makes vitamin D from UV rays from the sun), and that although vitamin D can be stored in the body for long periods of time, most people don’t make enough during the summer months to last through the winter. The result is that low blood levels of vitamin D are almost universal during the winter months, coinciding with the flu season.While we need all the vitamins and minerals to build a healthy immune system, and some in particular (vitamins A, C, E, and many of the B vitamins, in addition to zinc and selenium), there is evidence that vitamin D is critical to immune function.A 2012 study in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology showed that vitamin D levels are lowest in those of us over sixty (the ability to convert the sun’s rays into vitamin D decreases…

We haven’t taken sides on whether or not you should get the COVID vaccine. Following in Raymond Francis’ footsteps, we are skeptical about vaccines in general and continue to maintain that the best defense against disease is making the effort to achieve optimal health with what we’ve called “the Beyond Health Lifestyle.” There are also many unknowns about the new technologies used in the COVID vaccines, and enough is known about the older vaccines and the drug companies making the new vaccines to cause concern. Still, even with the best of intentions, not everyone will be able to achieve optimal health. The vaccines appear to be saving lives and allowing a return to something approaching normality, and the pressures to be vaccinated in order to fully participate in the new world that’s being created are intense. With that in mind, we’ve been reading what various experts in nutrition recommend for making vaccinations as safe and effective as possible. Would it surprise anyone if we star…

. . . vitamin D beats depression year-roundIt’s not just in the winter that sufficient vitamin D beats the blues. Large amounts of vitamin D are found in areas in the brain (the hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum) involved in emotion and cognition, so a deficiency could be expected to impact both emotional and cognitive function. A 2006 study in older adults found that it did just that. Those with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/DL were 11 times more likely to be depressed, and they also suffered from more cognitive impairments.This past June, Dr. Sonal Pathak, an endocrinologist, reported successfully treating three chronically depressed women, all on antidepressant medications, with high dose vitamin D. She had previously observed that many of her patients with depression were also deficient in vitamin D, and that when she corrected the deficiency, they “unanimously experienced an improvement in mood and energy.” So she decided to do a small formal study in hopes of winning financing…

. . . and more nutrition in our very special traditionally made olive oilIn this study, volunteers were fed salads with three different types of fat-based dressings made from saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. Their blood was then tested for absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.Monounsaturated fat-based dressings won hands down at promoting absorption of carotenoids (like beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin) in fruits and vegetables.All of the fat-soluble vitamins -- A, D, E and K, and the carotenoids -- need to be taken with fat in order to be well-absorbed.  You might as well make it a healthy fat AND a delicious fat like our olive oil, high in monounsaturated fat.Although canola oil is also touted for being high in monounsaturates, it is just one more toxic oil and best avoided.Our very special Beyond Health olive oil is grown, harvested and milled with traditional methods that preserve all of olive oil's inherent nutrients (and health be…

Humans may have other species beat when it comes to doing higher mathematics, but where food choices are involved, wild geese proved to be significantly more intelligent.Consider this report from anti-GMO activist Jeffrey Smith’s important book, Seeds of Deception.An Illinois soybean farmer had been plagued by a neighboring flock of soybean-loving geese which habitually made a feast of his fields, reducing plant growth to almost a stubble.Unwittingly, genetic engineering helped him to solve this problem. One year, he planted part of one field with genetically modified soybeans. When the geese arrived for their usual feast, they completely ignored this portion of the field and ate only the conventional soybeans, leaving a distinct pattern of growth that showed where each type of soybean had been planted.This solved the problem of keeping the geese away, but it’s just like the refined flour that no bugs want to eat. What are these animals, who are obviously smarter than we are in certain…

. . . shockingly widespread, some estimates say 2 out of 5 lack this vital nutrientWhile nutritional deficiencies are still more common in developing countries, some recent data suggests that it being mostly a third-world problem is simply a cultural myth.According to recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition data, 6% of the people in the US and the UK are vitamin B12 deficient by age 60. Plus, marginal deficiencies occur in another 20% of those surveyed, with significant deficiencies increasing substantially after age 60.While other studies show vegetarians and vegans are at even higher risk—including babies born to vegetarian mothers—clearly, they’re not the only ones making up these B12 deficiency statistics. Thus, it begs the question…Why are so many of us deficient in vitamin B12?Studies published in numerous medical journals show vitamin B12 is a critical component of brain function. They link deficiency to memory and thinking problems, dementias, and even brain shrinkage. So…

According to Tylenol manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is used by 50 million Americans each week to treat pain, fever, and the aches and pains associated with cold and flu. It’s become as common as aspirin.And like aspirin, this over-the-counter drug is assumed to be quite safe. In fact, it gained its reputation as being safer than aspirin and the other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) because it was, as a famous actress told us in a TV ad, “gentle on the stomach.” Translation: it doesn’t cause gastrointestinal bleeding, while NSAIDs do. Then why would neurologist and pain management specialist Aric Hausknecht, M.D., call it “by far the most dangerous drug ever made?”Perhaps because, although when used in low doses its side effects are generally mild, it is notoriously over-dosed when used to address pain. According to the National Institutes of Health, acetaminophen overdose poisons the liver and leads…

“Hello all...I will be answering your questions regarding health and supplements. Please feel free to send any questions you may have to [email protected]. Over the upcoming months, I will try to answer as many of these as possible.”  Question: I am taking St. John’s Wort for depression. Are there any downsides to doing this?M.P. — Delray Beach, FLAnswer: St. John’s Wort has been well studied and it is effective in treating depression. Regarding downsides, the one you should be most concerned with, especially living in Florida, is it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. So be careful of getting more than a little sun. It is also not good to take this herb with prescription drugs as it can interfere with their metabolism and make them even more toxic.Your best bet is to stop being depressed by getting on a good diet, getting off of sugar, taking our Basic Wellness Kit, getting adequate sunlight, and exercising. This will take care of most depression.…

For years, we’ve repeatedly warned that you can no longer get all the required nutrients your body needs from food, and we’re not alone. Researchers from four reputable institutions recently took issue with the latest claims that vitamin supplements are a waste of money.In a commentary published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Tufts University, and the Harvard School of Public Health asserted that while a proper diet is the preferred way to get nutrients required by your cells and necessary for optimal health, it’s no longer possible for most Americans. Current lifestyle and dietary choices create “nutritional gaps” that simply cannot be overcome by food alone.What are these nutritional gaps?Most Americans eat a typical diet of overly processed foods containing white flour, sugar, red meat, dairy, and processed vegetable oils. Yet, you may remember us mention…

. . . when it comes to bones, its quality, not density, that matters mostMany women are scared into taking toxic drugs when their Bone Mineral Density (BMD) tests show a thinning of bones after menopause. This bone-loss is a natural process caused by loss of estrogen. It's estimated to affect more than half of white, postmenopausal women in the US and generally plateaus in a few years as the body adjusts to lower estrogen levels. Yet it's been pathologized as "osteopenia," a supposedly pre-osteoporotic condition that increases risk of fractures.     In fact, the actual increased fracture risk associated with osteopenia is negligible. Even the conservative British Medical Journal has published articles questioning the validity of treating osteopenia as if it were a disease diagnosis. Although for avoiding fractures it's better to have thick bones than thin bones, quality of bone is much more important than quantity (density). Japanese women, for example, have thinner bo…

. . . many are contaminated and/or rancidMost fish and fish oil today are just too toxic to be beneficial. In addition, many fish oils on the market are rancid (oxidized). Omega 3 fats are extremely perishable, and great care and extra expense are needed to provide a fish oil product free of rancidity.Our seas and oceans are increasingly contaminated, and these contaminants find their way into many fish oil supplements. Several years ago, a report by the American Chemical Society found increasingly high levels of flame retardants, as well as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in several brands of cod liver oil.It pays to be selective when choosing a fish oil supplement. You can trust Beyond Health to supply clean fish oil supplements. Our Fish Oil Formula is purified of contaminants and handled carefully so as to protect them from rancidity.Also, often overlooked, fish oil can also oxidize after it is ingested. Anyone taking fish oil should also be taking vitamin E to…

. . . a misleading new study from CanadaAmericans keep getting fatter. In the past 15 years adult obesity has approximately doubled in 17 states according to a survey sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Twenty years ago, not one state had an obesity rate of more than 15%. Now, only Colorado, with 19.8% obese, has an obesity rate of less than 20%. In twelve states, the obesity rate is above 30%.As obesity becomes more normal, it's become more socially acceptable and less cause for concern. In the same way that many people consider themselves healthy even though they're taking several different medications, the overweight and even the obese now tend to see themselves as fundamentally healthy. A new study from Canada feeds this misperception.Published last August in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, this study used a new rating system called the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) to categorize the obese. It puts them into five categories according to the prese…

. . . understanding the science puts you in control!Most people attribute food cravings and binges to emotional eating. But although strong emotions can certainly be a factor in uncontrolled or compulsive eating, cravings have a biochemical basis. The more you know about what's happening to your biochemistry when you experience an "uncontrollable" craving, the more freedom you have to get back into the driver's seat. This week, we'll look at the connection between food allergies and food addiction.Is there a particular food you eat just about every day, and, when it comes right down to it, you wouldn't give up without a fight? Sorry, but you're probably addicted to it.You may wake up in the morning with a headache or feeling grouchy "until you've had a good breakfast" of cereal with milk and sugar, or bagel or croissant and coffee, or eggs, toast and orange juice. What are the most common food allergens? Wheat (and especially the gluten in wheat, also found in barley and rye), oats, co…

In our polarized country, anger is common.  Not that there aren’t legitimate reasons why many people are angry or ways that anger can be used constructively to make positive change. But often you can sense in people a kind of aimless anger, an angry mood just looking for a target. What if a lot of this anger had to do with diet?  It probably does.  Just like depression (which is described as anger turned towards the self), anger can be a mood disorder, and the Standard American Diet (SAD) fosters mood disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids—lacking in the SAD—are key to mental health and a feeling of well-being. One of the brain’s major components is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fat, and the association between low DHA brain levels and depression, suicide and violence is well established.  Receptors in the brain for the “reward” and “feel-good” neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin are made from DHA. If DHA isn’t available, the body will use inferio…

. . . plus, how skin is your body’s early warning system for recognizing diseaseBy now, you know skin is your body’s largest organ.And as you might expect, its size is a telling indicator of the important role it plays in our overall health. Because skin—all 22 square feet and 8 pounds of it—is made up of a complex system of cell layers, nerves, and glands that protects us, nourishes us, and helps us interact with the outside world.How your skin is a window to your overall healthScientists generally agree that the health of your skin is a reflection of your overall health. In other words, if you look healthy on the outside, you are likely healthy on the inside.In fact, there are many ways your skin provides clues that something is wrong internally. Inflammation, discoloration, swelling, numbness, wrinkles—to name a few—are “early warning signs” that can be used to identify hidden health risks, or the onset of serious disease conditions.Not surprisingly, such indicators of your body’s e…

Millions of Americans, especially older Americans, are on drugs called blood-thinners, usually the drug Coumadin (warfarin). Many more take a daily aspirin to thin their blood.Although these drugs are called blood thinners, what they actually do is make blood platelets less sticky and apt to form clots. Since sticky blood platelets and clots are a major factor in increasing blood viscosity, these drugs have the effect of thinning the blood.What’s wrong with thick, sticky blood? Is your blood too sticky? And if so, are drugs the answer, or are there more natural alternatives?Problems with Sticky BloodClotting is crucial to survival. Without good clotting ability, a small cut could lead to massive blood loss, and even death. However blood that clots too easily or fails to break down clots that are no longer useful is equally life-threatening: an undesirable clot that blocks an artery can cause a fatal heart attack or stroke. While some people suffer from genetic clotting defects that mak…