Search Term: " Fusion "

	The Role of Vitamin B12 in Energy Production	Darrell Miller	5/29/24
	Introducing another great product to the Now Foods Family: Balance Facial Oil	Darrell Miller	9/10/22
	The Kidneys and Your Health: Everything You Need to Know	Darrell Miller	4/29/22
	No to Pain Pills and Yes to Safe and Effective Curcumin	Darrell Miller	9/4/20
	The Differences Between Hemp Seed Oil and Hemp CBD Oil	Darrell Miller	4/29/19
	A natural sugar molecule, D-ribose, found to improve heart function and blood flow	Darrell Miller	7/4/18
	Discover why Peppermint is the most powerful herb, ideal for cleansing the liver	Darrell Miller	9/20/17
	These Natural Remedies Will Help You To Remove The Stones In The Kidneys!!	Darrell Miller	9/11/17
	Help, and hope: Could cannabis possibly help fight cancer?	Darrell Miller	7/21/17
	Healthy Eating: Clearing up the cooking oil confusion	Darrell Miller	7/18/17
	Vasculitis: Inflamed Blood Vessels + 4 Natural Treatments	Darrell Miller	7/15/17
	What Is Taurine? Separating Myth from Reality	Darrell Miller	6/3/17
	Does your hair need more nourishment?	Darrell Miller	5/8/17
	Omega-3s are more important than you think	Darrell Miller	4/3/17
	This Is What Doctors Will Never Tell You About The CLOVES So You Do Not Use Them. AMAZING!	Darrell Miller	3/19/17
	Niacin has proven effective in lowering cholesterol	Darrell Miller	3/14/17
	10 Health Benefits of Drinking Dandelion Tea	Darrell Miller	2/22/17
	All you need to know about fatty liver	Darrell Miller	2/17/17
	Fewer grains and more fruits and vegetables may keep your bones strong	Darrell Miller	2/7/17
	Oregano Plant Is the Most Potent Antimicrobial In The world	Darrell Miller	11/15/16
	Diet soda harms your body, does far more harm than good	Darrell Miller	11/6/16
	Chamomile: What You May Not Know!	Darrell Miller	9/16/16
	I eat Good, Do I Need Trace Minerals?	Darrell Miller	7/17/14
	How Hyaluronic Acid Benefits The Skin	Darrell Miller	5/20/14
	Importance of Magnesium in the body.	Darrell Miller	5/8/14
	What Does Iron Do For The Body	Darrell Miller	5/3/14
	Phosphatidyl Serine is Good For Memory improvment	Darrell Miller	3/23/14
	Importance of Chlorophyll in human Body	Darrell Miller	3/22/14
	The Health Benefits Of Cypress Oil	Darrell Miller	2/16/14
	Melatonin Overdose	Darrell Miller	12/27/12
	Benefits Of Blue Cohosh Root	Darrell Miller	12/27/12
	Diet To Lower Cholesterol	Darrell Miller	12/26/12
	Benefits Of Blue Cohosh Root	Darrell Miller	12/21/12
	The benefits of the hawthorne berry	Darrell Miller	6/27/12
	History And Uses Of Xylitol	Darrell Miller	2/7/12
	Is Sulfite Sensitivity And Vertigo Linked?	Darrell Miller	10/17/11
	What Supplements Are Useful In Combating Blood Clots?	Darrell Miller	10/4/11
	What are the Essential Amino Acids we must get from our Diet to Survive?	Darrell Miller	8/17/11
	Using Strontium as a Supplement For Bone Health	Darrell Miller	6/2/11
	stroke, what is it?	Darrell Miller	9/28/10
	Corn Silk	Darrell Miller	10/16/09
	Horehound Herb	Darrell Miller	9/21/09
	Red Clover Blossom	Darrell Miller	8/29/09
	Mustard Extract	Darrell Miller	8/14/09
	Senna Leaf	Darrell Miller	8/6/09
	Saffron	Darrell Miller	7/28/09
	Fight Hypoglycemia With Fiber	Darrell Miller	7/17/09
	Strengthen The Liver and Kidneys With Leucine	Darrell Miller	4/27/09
	Passion Flower	Darrell Miller	3/26/09
	Cat's Claw Bark	Darrell Miller	12/19/08
	Pain Relief	Darrell Miller	6/13/08
	Oregano oil hi in Carvacrol	Darrell Miller	4/25/08
	Ubiquinol Reduced CoQ10	Darrell Miller	4/7/08
	Artichoke Promotes Healthy Fat Digestion and Metabolism	Darrell Miller	1/30/08
	Exotic Herbs From The Amazon Basin	Darrell Miller	6/22/07
	D-Ribose Powder Benefits!	Darrell Miller	4/10/07
	Oil of Oregano – The Natural Antiseptic	Darrell Miller	3/8/07
	The Power Plant of the Amazon	Darrell Miller	3/2/07
	Q. What is cat’s claw?	Darrell Miller	11/22/06
	<B>Pycnogenol: Heart, Blood Sugar and Cellular Health</B>	Darrell Miller	11/3/06
	Interview on symptoms of Fibromyalgia and one mans story	Darrell Miller	8/9/06
	Excedrin	Darrell Miller	6/14/06
	Balestra and Mech La Decottopia	Darrell Miller	5/6/06
	Perplexed about Protein? immunoglobulins to boost the immune system.	Darrell Miller	4/29/06
	Vitamin B-1, C prove Worthy Complementary Therapies	Darrell Miller	3/31/06
	Phosphatidyl Serine - HEALTHY COGNITION BRAIN FUNCTION	Darrell Miller	12/21/05
	The Refreshing Feeling of All Things New	Darrell Miller	12/5/05
	What is cat’s claw?	Darrell Miller	11/11/05
	Results of GM Foods...	Darrell Miller	10/18/05
	Organic Life Vitamins	Darrell Miller	10/13/05
	Re: Magnesium	Darrell Miller	10/6/05
	Energizing Intimacy - The foundation of a loving relationship is built on communication	Darrell Miller	7/27/05
	Doctors Reject Dietary Supplement as Diabetes Treatment	Darrell Miller	7/27/05
	THE FDA AND STEVIA	Darrell Miller	7/15/05
	References	Darrell Miller	7/15/05
	BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS	Darrell Miller	7/15/05
	ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES OF ST. JOHN'S WORT	Darrell Miller	7/15/05
	HAWAIIAN NONI (Morinda citrifolia)	Darrell Miller	7/11/05
	LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE - Essential Nutrients to Support Your Low Carb Lifestyle..	Darrell Miller	6/29/05
	Hoodia Gordonii - 20:1 Extract VS 1:1 Powder – The Whole Story	Darrell Miller	6/29/05

Date: May 29, 2024 11:28 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Role of Vitamin B12 in Energy Production

The Role of Vitamin B12 in Energy Production

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is crucial for red blood cell production, DNA synthesis, and nervous system health. Among its many roles, one of the most vital is its contribution to energy production and metabolism. This article delves into how Vitamin B12 affects energy levels, with a particular focus on its importance for vegetarians and vegans.

Understanding Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally found in animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs. It is primarily responsible for converting food into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which the body uses for energy. B12 is also crucial in the formation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to every part of the body, and in maintaining the health of nerve cells.

The Science Behind Energy Production

Role in Metabolism

Vitamin B12 is a key player in metabolism, a complex set of chemical reactions in our body that convert food into energy. One of the primary ways B12 contributes to metabolism is through its involvement in the Krebs cycle, a series of reactions that produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the body's primary energy currency. During the Krebs cycle, Vitamin B12 helps convert fats and proteins into energy, ensuring that the body has a constant supply of fuel to perform everyday tasks.

DNA Synthesis and Cell Division

Vitamin B12 is also essential for DNA synthesis and cell division. It works closely with folate (Vitamin B9) to synthesize DNA during cell division. Rapidly dividing tissues, such as red blood cells, require an adequate supply of B12. A deficiency in this vitamin can lead to megaloblastic anemia, a condition where red blood cells are larger than normal and not as effective in transporting oxygen, thereby causing fatigue and weakness.

The Challenge for Vegetarians and Vegans

B12 Sources

One of the significant challenges for vegetarians and vegans is getting enough Vitamin B12, as it is predominantly found in animal products. Plant-based diets generally lack this vitamin, putting individuals at risk of deficiency. However, several fortified foods and supplements can help prevent this deficiency.

Fortified Foods and Supplements

Many plant-based milk alternatives, breakfast cereals, and nutritional yeasts are now fortified with Vitamin B12. For instance, a cup of fortified soy milk can provide about 50% of the daily recommended intake of B12. Additionally, B12 supplements are readily available and can be an effective way for vegetarians and vegans to ensure they get their daily dose. It's crucial to choose a supplement that meets the dietary needs and preferences of the individual.

Symptoms of Deficiency

A lack of Vitamin B12 can result in various health problems like fatigue, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, and weight loss. In severe cases, it may lead to neurological issues such as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, balance difficulties, depression, conFusion, and memory loss. Given these risks, it's essential for vegetarians and vegans to monitor their B12 levels.

Benefits of Adequate B12 Intake

Enhanced Energy Levels

Adequate intake of Vitamin B12 can significantly enhance energy levels. Since B12 is involved in converting food into ATP, sufficient levels of this vitamin can help ensure that the body efficiently produces and uses energy. Individuals who maintain appropriate B12 levels often report feeling more energetic and less fatigued.

Improved Metabolic Function

By ensuring a sufficient supply of B12, vegetarians and vegans can support their metabolic functions. A well-functioning metabolism is crucial for maintaining body weight, supporting muscle function, and ensuring overall vitality. Improved metabolic function also means better handling of the foods consumed, leading to more stable energy levels throughout the day.

Better Mental Health

Vitamin B12 is essential for producing neurotransmitters that regulate mood. Adequate levels of B12 can help prevent mental health issues such as depression and brain fog, which are often associated with fatigue and low energy levels. Regular intake of B12, either through diet or supplements, can contribute to better mental clarity and emotional well-being.

Optimal Nervous System Function

B12 is crucial in maintaining the myelin sheath, a protective coating around nerves. A healthy nervous system ensures that signals travel efficiently between the brain and the rest of the body. This not only helps in preventing neurological issues but also ensures that the body's energy systems operate smoothly.

How to Ensure Adequate B12 Intake

Regular Blood Tests

For vegetarians and vegans, regular blood tests are an effective way to monitor B12 levels. These tests can help identify a deficiency early on, allowing individuals to take corrective measures before any severe symptoms manifest.

Balanced Diet

A well-rounded, balanced diet that includes fortified foods can help meet the daily recommended intake of Vitamin B12. Incorporating a variety of B12-fortified foods into every meal ensures a steady supply of this vital nutrient.

Considering Supplements

For those who struggle to get enough Vitamin B12 through diet alone, supplements are an excellent option.

Choosing the Right Supplement: Methyl B12

When selecting a Vitamin B12 supplement, methylcobalamin, or methyl B12, is often recommended as the best form. It has superior bioavailability compared to cyanocobalamin, making it easier for the body to absorb and utilize. Methyl B12 doesn't need conversion in the body to be effective, leading to quicker uptake and immediate benefits.

For vegetarians and vegans at higher risk of B12 deficiency, methyl B12 is especially beneficial for maintaining optimal B12 levels effectively. Including this form in your supplement routine can boost energy, mental clarity, and support metabolic and nervous system functions.

Awareness and Education

Raising awareness about B12 is key for vegetarians and vegans to prevent deficiencies. Health programs can educate on maintaining adequate levels through diet and supplements.

Are You Ready For More Energy?

Vitamin B12's role in energy production and metabolism is indisputable. Vegetarians and vegans can struggle to get enough B12 from plant-based diets, but fortified foods and supplements offer solutions. Understanding B12's importance and taking action can boost energy, metabolism, and well-being. Regular monitoring, a balanced diet, and appropriate supplementation are key strategies to prevent deficiency and maintain optimal health.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6604)

Date: September 10, 2022 09:54 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Introducing another great product to the Now Foods Family: Balance Facial Oil

We are so excited to introduce another Now Foods product: Balance Facial Oil. This perfectly blended facial oil leaves the complexion soft, smooth, and hydrated while diminishing the appearance of fine lines through a natural Fusion of soothing skin care oils (featuring pure plant botanicals, essential oils, and fatty acids). Keep reading to learn more about this amazing new product!

How Balance Facial Oil Works

Balance Facial Oil is packed with nutrients that your skin needs to look its best. Shea Butter Ethyl Esters and Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Oil work together to deeply moisturize the skin while simultaneously reducing redness and inflammation. Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil* hydrates and balances the skin, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil (tree nut)* protects against free radicals, and Vegetable Squalene keeps the skin looking plump and youthful. Rosa Damascena (Rose) Absolute, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil (tree nut)*, Jasminum Grandiflorum (Jasmine) Oil, and Tocopherol (Vitamin E) (non-GMO soy) work together to create a radiant, healthy glow. Finally, Rosa Moschata/Rubiginosa (Rose Hip) Seed Oil* helps to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Why You Need Balance Facial Oil in Your Life

If you are looking for a product that will deeply moisturize your skin without feeling heavy or greasy, then Balance Facial Oil is perfect for you! This light-yet-powerful facial oil is quickly absorbed by the skin, leaving you with a hydrated, balanced complexion. In addition to providing long-lasting moisture, Balance Facial Oil also diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for a youthful look.

In Summary:

We are so excited to introduce our newest product: Balance Facial Oil. This perfectly blended facial oil leaves the complexion soft, smooth, and hydrated while diminishing the appearance of fine lines through a natural Fusion of soothing skin care oils (featuring pure plant botanicals, essential oils, and fatty acids). If you are looking for a product that will deeply moisturize your skin without feeling heavy or greasy, then Balance Facial Oil is perfect for you! Order now and see the difference for yourself!

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6438)

Date: April 29, 2022 03:10 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Kidneys and Your Health: Everything You Need to Know

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that sit in the lower back, on either side of the spine. They play a vital role in your health, filtering toxins from the blood and regulating fluid balance in the body. We will discuss everything you need to know about the kidneys, including common kidney problems and how to keep them healthy!

What are the common kidney problems

The kidneys are a pair of organs that filter waste products from the blood and excrete them in urine. They are also responsible for regulating fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. Kidney problems can range from mild to severe, and can be acute or chronic. Common kidney problems include kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and Nephrotic Syndrome. Kidney stones are small, hard deposits that form in the kidney when there is an imbalance of minerals in the urine. Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria enter the urinary system and multiply. Nephrotic Syndrome is a kidney disorder that causes the body to excrete large amounts of protein in the urine.Kidney problems can often be treated with medication, but in some cases, surgery may be necessary. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent serious complications.

Acute renal failure

Acute renal failure is a sudden onset of kidney failure that can be life-threatening. The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste from the blood and balancing fluids in the body. When they are not working properly, waste can build up in the blood and cause serious health problems. Acute renal failure can be caused by a number of factors, including dehydration, infection, and certain medications. Symptoms include decreased urine output, swelling, fatigue, and conFusion. If left untreated, acute renal failure can lead to coma and death. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential for a successful outcome.

Chronic renal failure

Chronic renal failure, or CRF, is a serious medical condition that affects the kidneys. In this condition, the kidneys become damaged and unable to function properly. As a result, toxins can build up in the body, causing a variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms may include fatigue, bloating and swelling, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, poor appetite, changes in urination frequency or color, and anemia. Diagnosing CRF involves examining several factors like blood test results and overall medical history. Treatment for the condition typically involves managing any associated symptoms with medication or dietary changes. In some cases, dialysis may also be necessary to support patients with severe CRF. Overall, chronic renal failure is a serious but manageable condition that requires careful monitoring and management by patients and their healthcare providers.

Renal artery stenosis

Renal artery stenosis refers to a condition in which one or more of the arteries that deliver blood to the kidneys becomes narrowed or blocked. This can lead to a number of adverse health effects, including increased blood pressure, chronic kidney failure, and possibly even heart attack or stroke. While there are a number of possible causes for this condition, including genetic factors, certain lifestyle choices such as smoking can also increase the risk of developing renal artery stenosis. Fortunately, treatments are available for this condition, including medications and medical procedures like angioplasty. For those who are diagnosed with renal artery stenosis, early and effective treatment is essential for maintaining overall health and wellbeing.

Renal cancer

Renal cancer begins in the kidneys, which are a pair of bean-shaped organs that filter waste from the blood and produce urine. The most common type of renal cancer is clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which accounts for about three-quarters of all cases. RCC typically affects middle-aged adults and is more common in men than women. Other types of renal cancer include papillary renal cell carcinoma, chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, and collecting duct carcinoma. Treatment for renal cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy. The type of treatment will depend on the stage of the cancer and the patient's overall health. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential for the best possible outcome.

Polycystic kidney disease

Polycystic kidney disease, or PKD, is a complex condition that affects the kidneys and other organs in the body. This disorder occurs when small cysts grow in the kidneys, gradually interfering with their ability to filter waste products from the blood. As these cysts start to expand, they can cause a number of severe symptoms such as high blood pressure, chronic pain, nausea and fatigue. In some cases, PKD also results in serious complications such as renal failure or a stroke. However, there are treatments available that can help people manage this disorder and slow its progression over time. By working closely with a medical team and making lifestyle changes to support kidney health, it is possible for people living with PKD to have long and healthy lives.

Urinary tract infection

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that can occur in any part of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. UTIs are most commonly caused by bacteria, but they can also be caused by fungi or viruses. Symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning during urination, increased frequency or urgency of urination, cloudy or blood-tinged urine, and pelvic pain. If left untreated, a UTI can lead to serious complications, such as kidney damage or sepsis. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential for preventing serious health problems. UTIs are typically diagnosed through urinalysis, which can detect the presence of bacteria or other organisms in the urine. Treatment usually involves antibiotics to kill the infection-causing bacteria. In some cases, hospitalization may be necessary to treat a severe UTI. Additionally, drinking plenty of fluids and emptying the bladder frequently can help to flush out bacteria and prevent reinfection. Wiping from front to back after using the restroom can also help to reduce the risk of UTI development. Avoiding masturbation devices would good idea if you get frequent urinary tract infections because they can introduce new bacteria into the urethra.

UTI and D-Mannose

A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is a common medical condition that can cause symptoms such as painful urination, abdominal discomfort, and sometimes even fever. While conventional treatments typically involve antibiotics, these medications often come with unwanted side effects like nausea and diarrhea. Fortunately, there is another alternative in the form of D-Mannose, a naturally-occurring sugar that has been shown to help treat UTIs by eliminating bacterial biofilms and relieving symptoms. Unlike antibiotics, which can damage gut health by killing off beneficial bacteria along with the harmful ones, D-Mannose does not disrupt this critical ecosystem. As a result, D-Mannose is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for UTIs, offering an effective and safe alternative to antibiotics.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones are one of the most painful medical conditions to experience. These small, hard deposits form when there is an imbalance in the levels of certain minerals in the body. As they grow larger, kidney stones can cause severe pain as they move through the urinary tract. Treatment typically involves drinking plenty of fluids and taking pain medication. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the kidney stone. Prevention is the best way to avoid kidney stones, and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is the best way to do this. Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, and eating a diet high in fiber can help to prevent kidney stones from forming.

Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis is a serious kidney condition that occurs when the tiny filtration units in the kidneys, known as glomeruli, become inflamed and damaged. This can disrupt normal kidney function, causing a buildup of waste products in the bloodstream, resulting in numerous symptoms such as swelling and joint pain. While there is no cure for glomerulonephritis, treatment options can help to reduce inflammation and manage symptoms. These may include medications to control blood pressure or reduce harmful inflammatory chemicals, along with lifestyle changes to support overall kidney health. With proper medical care and close monitoring, many people with glomerulonephritis are able to live healthy lives despite this chronic condition.

Kidney disease is a serious condition that can lead to a variety of health problems. If you have kidney disease, it is important to monitor your symptoms and seek medical treatment as soon as possible. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing kidney disease, but by working with your healthcare team and following their recommendations, you can help improve your health and quality of life. Remember, knowledge is power, so be sure to educate yourself about kidney disease and its treatment options. With the right information and support, you can live a full and productive life despite this serious condition.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6399)

Date: September 04, 2020 11:05 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: No to Pain Pills and Yes to Safe and Effective Curcumin

Many people turn to over the counter (OTC) drugs when they experience pain, the common ones are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, better known as NSAIDS. The problem with NSAIDS these drugs reduce an enzyme associated with pain called COX-1 and COX-2. There are a lot of hidden dangers behind prescription and OTC pain killers. Some of the most common ones consumed are Ibuprofen an d Acetaminophen.

Ibuprofen: a popular OTC pain reliever can cause stomach pain, nausea, gastric bleeding, ulcers, conFusion, hypertension, increased heart attack and stroke. Also, swelling, rapid weight gain, reduced urination, which is a sign of kidney dysfunction, kidney failure, fever, sore throat, headache, rash, bruising, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, chills, light sensitivity, and seizures.

Acetaminophen: also known as Tylenol, is classified as an NSAID, but is also unsafe. The number one cause of liver failure in the United States is caused by acetaminophen next to alcohol consumption. If combined with alcohol, the damage to the liver is increased significantly. It also depletes glutathione, an important antioxidant needed by the liver to protect and detoxify the body. Over use of this OTC drug can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal tenderness, and it can interfere with blood clotting, weaken kidney function, and with severe over dose can cause death.

The alternative: Curcumin is a safe and effective pain reliever

Curcumin is a compound from Turmeric Root, unstandardized turmeric powder contains only two to three percent curcumin. It is important to get a standardized curcumin so that you can get a therapeutic response from consuming this herb. Not all curcumin is the same, look for a brand that blends turmeric essential oil with curcumin to enhance the absorption of the product because the product is hard to absorb.

Curcumin is one of the worlds best studied herbs, it works by reducing a COX-2 response to inflammation the same target as many prescription and OTC drugs that cause organ damage and side effects. Fortunately, Curcumin can target the same in a safe and natural way with no side effects. It can prevent a wide spectrum of inflammatory and oxidative damage, relieve chronic pain as effective and much more safely than drugs like NSAIDs.

Taking OTC or prescription pain relieving drugs are not a long term solution for pain. With the side effects associated with common pain relievers, one should only take them as a last resort and consider using a safer alternative that is as effective to relieving pain. Terry Naturally offers BCM-95 a patented curcumin that is blended with turmeric essential oils, BCM-95 has been the subject of many clinical studies demonstrating its effectiveness in relieving pain. We at VitaNet offer free shipping on any product in Terry’s brand. If you are struggling with pain, consider trying Terry Naturally to help relieve pain safely.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6363)

Date: April 29, 2019 02:49 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Differences Between Hemp Seed Oil and Hemp CBD Oil

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=6213)

Date: July 04, 2018 09:54 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: A natural sugar molecule, D-ribose, found to improve heart function and blood flow

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5654)

Date: September 20, 2017 12:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Discover why Peppermint is the most powerful herb, ideal for cleansing the liver

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5265)

Date: September 11, 2017 12:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: These Natural Remedies Will Help You To Remove The Stones In The Kidneys!!

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5241)

Date: July 21, 2017 04:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Help, and hope: Could cannabis possibly help fight cancer?

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=5012)

Date: July 18, 2017 07:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Healthy Eating: Clearing up the cooking oil conFusion

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4992)

Date: July 15, 2017 04:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Vasculitis: Inflamed Blood Vessels + 4 Natural Treatments

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4978)

Date: June 03, 2017 09:14 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What Is Taurine? Separating Myth from Reality

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4759)

Date: May 08, 2017 06:44 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Does your hair need more nourishment?

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4562)

Date: April 03, 2017 06:44 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Omega-3s are more important than you think

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4345)

Date: March 19, 2017 11:44 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: This Is What Doctors Will Never Tell You About The CLOVES So You Do Not Use Them. AMAZING!

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4221)

Date: March 14, 2017 08:59 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Niacin has proven effective in lowering cholesterol

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=4142)

Date: February 22, 2017 10:59 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Dandelion Tea

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3996)

Date: February 17, 2017 12:59 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: All you need to know about fatty liver

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3962)

Date: February 07, 2017 07:59 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Fewer grains and more fruits and vegetables may keep your bones strong

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3900)

Date: November 15, 2016 07:24 PM
Author: Darrell Miller
Subject: Oregano Plant Is the Most Potent Antimicrobial In The world

Features of Oregano

Uses of Oregano

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3451)

Date: November 06, 2016 01:04 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Diet soda harms your body, does far more harm than good

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=3397)

Date: September 16, 2016 09:52 AM
Author: Darrell Miller
Subject: Chamomile: What You May Not Know!

Chamomile is a plant resembling the daisy that has been used for centuries to calm and east stress. It is available in tea inFusions, tinctures, capsules and in a variety of oils and creams. Drinking chamomile tea comes with these great benefits:

1. Sleep aid:  it calms the nervous system and slides you into a deep slumber, making it a good treatment for insomnia.
2. The anti-inflammatory compounds contained in chamomile can ease joint, muscle and head pain.
3. It provides relief from menstrual cramps by reducing muscle spasms. Drinking chamomile tea raises the levels of glycine in the bloodstream, a compound used by the body to control muscle spasms.
4.  Managing stress and anxiety:  It has a soothing effect on the nerves, providing a natural solution for mental discomfort, stress and anxiety.
5. Immune boost:  chamomile has antioxidants properties, antioxidants can  boosts your immune system and helps the body recover from damage.
   

Chamomile is an excellent tea that everybody should have at their disposal when you need to relax and calm down from a busy stressful work day.  The Tea is great tasting and easy to make.

REFERENCES

//www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/chamomile-topic-overview

https://www.drugs.com/npc/chamomile.html

//www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3090937/Is-chamomile-tea-secret-long-life-Herbal-brew-slash-risk-early-death.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamomile#Tea

//naturalsociety.com/9-amazing-health-benefits-of-chamomile-tea/

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Date: July 17, 2014 08:49 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: I eat Good, Do I Need Trace Minerals?

Minerals

A few carbs, a slice of bacon or two, a glass of milk and later a bottle of mixed tropical fruit juice. Sounds like quite a balanced meal. A good meal most definitely doesn’t lack the chemical elements or minerals that are in abundance in the human body. These major elements in order of proFusion are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, chlorine and magnesium. But are these the only minerals we require?

Trace minerals

While the above are the main ones, there are other minerals that are essential to good health but are required in very small quantities. These minerals include iron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, iodine, bromine and selenium; collectively known as trace minerals. Though in small amounts, they are crucial for immune system function, metabolism and antioxidant protection. A number of health complications such as senility, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and depression have been linked to trace mineral deficiency.

Despite society having more nutritious than ever before, the quality of food has declined as seen in the dwindling quantities of these trace elements in our diet. This can be mainly attributed to lack of these nutrients in the soil due to years of erosion and aggressive farming embraced by farmers in order to meet the demands of the population. Soils have become depleted, resulting in deficiency of trace elements in our meals. So much for modern practices working against mankind.

All is not lost though. There are supplements readily available to tackle this need and come recommended for preventing and managing a number of conditions. They can be taken to address ailments such as Osteoporosis, a disease that causes weakening of bones. Copper, iron, magnesium zinc and manganese help increase bone mass and density and reverse such bone deterioration. Iron also happens to be important in making blood components. The benefits of these supplements can therefore not be underestimated.

Sources

1. //nutrition.about.com
2. //www.traceminerals.com/
3. //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_element

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Date: May 20, 2014 09:19 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: How Hyaluronic Acid Benefits The Skin

What is hyaluronic?

Hyaluronic corrosive is found in a great deal of hostile to maturing items. It helps your skin by enhancing the tone and composition. It is discovered characteristically in the body and serves to grease up specific territories.

Regularly Occurring

Your skin produces hyaluronic corrosive regularly. This happens in the deeper layers and keeps the skin stout and smooth. As we get more seasoned, our body thinks that it is hard to hold dampness so the skin starts to lose its tone and suppleness. Without sufficient dampness, the skin is inclined to hang and as it loses flexibility, wrinkles and scarcely discernible differences show up.

Hyaluronic Acid's Function

This corrosive functions as  against maturing element by helping your body to transform collagen. Collagen is an exceptionally imperative connective tissue found in the skin, which helps it to keep its structure. Surveys Hydroxatone has indicated that including this as a segment the skin gets back its sound shine and energy.

Hyaluronic corrosive additionally helps the skin to repair itself from natural harm, for instance the climate or airborne poisons. Audits Hydroxatone has indicated that this cream works well in light of the fact that the Hyaluronic corrosive can infiltrate profound into the skin. Notwithstanding decreasing wrinkles, it has been indicated to support with skin aggravation and in lessening pimple inflamation scars.

Superior to Botox

There is other mainstream approaches to lessen wrinkles, for example, Botox or plastic surgery. Then again, the principle issue with these systems is, separated from being considerably more exorbitant; they are extremely equivocal on the body and can have awful reactions. Hyaluronic corrosive is not dangerous: it is even generated regularly by the body. It is much less expensive to utilize and has not been indicated to have any significant symptoms. Likewise, dissimilar to Botox inFusions, creams holding this corrosive might be utilized anywhere on the face.

Hydration Properties

Hyaluronic corrosive can hydrate the skin successfully. Truth be told, it can hold 100 times its weight in water. One reason for wrinkles is skin dryness, so by holding more dampness in your skin, you can diminish the appearance of wrinkles as well as keep more from showing up.

Hyaluronic corrosive works successfully in against maturing. A substance discovered regularly in the body, it could infiltrate profound into the skin and serves to hold dampness. A cream holding this corrosive is a much more secure strategy than surgery and its belongings are longer enduring.

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Date: May 08, 2014 08:48 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Importance of Magnesium in the body.

Importance of magnesium

Magnesium is an important element that is essential for hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body. Its functions is to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, regulates blood glucose levels and aids the production of energy and protein, helps bones remain strong, supports a healthy immune system and lastly, keeps the heart beat steady.

Cause of lack in magnesium

Lack of magnesium causes many diseases. Substantial magnesium deficiencies have led to deaths caused by coronary diseases, diabetes, cancer and strokes. On the other hand mild magnesium deficiency causes nervousness, mental depression, increased sensitivity to noise, conFusion, insomnia, twitching and trembling and apprehension.

Sources of magnesium are from foods we eat

• Dark green, leafy vegetables
• Fruits or vegetables e.g. bananas, dried apricots avocados
• Whole grains e.g. brown rice, millet
• Nuts e.g. almonds and cashews
• Peas and beans
• Soy products e.g. soy flour

Symptoms indicating lack of magnesium are: sleepiness, muscle weakness and hyperexcitablity.

Magnesium works in the brain miraculously as remarked by many scientists through researches. Magnesium L-Threonate has the capability to cross into the brain and boost magnesium levels. Magnesium L-Threonate boosts magnesium levels in the brain in that, it maintains a state of healthy sustained action. Through maintaining this healthy homeostasis, mental demands in the brain can respond well and perform cognitive responsibilities with less stress and fatigue.

The blood-brain barrier is a difFusion barrier, which impedes influx of most compounds from blood to brain. It is composed of high-density cells that prevent passage of substances from the blood stream, but in a more action than the endothelial cells in the capillaries do in other parts of the body. Due the reasons, why most magnesium supplements do not cross blood barrier magnesium Threonte was introduced. Threonate is a vitamin C metabolite that acts as a carrier to help magnesium to penetrate into the brain.

Sources

1. https://www.naturalhealthadvisory.com/daily/cognitive-decline-and-memory-issues/the-best-magnesium-supplement-for-reversing-memory-loss-in-alzheimers/
2. //blog.lef.orh/2012/01/brain-helath-magnesium-theonate.html
3. //www.healthindeed.com/magnesium-l-threonate/

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Date: May 03, 2014 05:33 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What Does Iron Do For The Body

Heath benefits of iron to the body

Iron is a naturally occurring mineral found in numerous nutritious foods. Usually, our body requires it for a variety of functions such as proper growth and development. It hardly exist in the body system as free ionic and all of it present is either in the iron storage proteins or the hemoglobin, hence the need for the body to acquire from an external source, that is, food or otherwise serious health problems and complications may result. Food varieties such as meat, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables contain iron capable of maintaining its optimum level in the body system.

Health benefits of iron are numerous, they include-

A) Muscle function.
Iron is usually found in a muscle protein called the myoglobin and is very important for a good or proper muscle health. Myoglobin is responsible for the transportation and difFusion of oxygen from the hemoglobin to muscle cells, a process needed for muscle contraction.

B) Hemoglobin formation.
It is considered as the main health benefit of iron consumption since hemoglobin transports oxygen to all the other different parts of the body.

C) Iron deficiency anemia.
Iron is so vital to the body that in the case of very low levels, one develops anemia. It is also used to treat anemic conditions as well as associated symptoms like headaches, body weakness, fatigue and many more.

D) Brain function.
The human brain uses approximately 20% of the bloodstream oxygen, which is supplied to it by iron making it very necessary for proper brain health.

E) Strengthening immunity.
Iron also improves the body's immune system and therefore diseases cannot get in easily.

F) Body temperature regulation.
Being present in the hemoglobin, which gives the blood its dark red color, iron regulates the body temperature keeping it suitable for various enzymatic as well as metabolic reactions to occur efficiently.

Source

1. www.newsmax.com

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Date: March 23, 2014 06:05 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Phosphatidyl Serine is Good For Memory improvment

Brain memory

In order to remember things in a proper order and to have sharp memory, brain uses a lot of chemicals for its functioning. Out of all these chemicals Phosphatidyl serine is one of the most important chemicals for better memory. Although body can make this chemical by itself, but it gets most of this chemical from food only.

Effects of Phosphatidyl serine

If we talk about the effect of Phosphatidyl serine on memory, doctors use this chemical to against Alzheimer disease. Also, doctors recommend the same chemical as a medicine for those old people that stay in conFusion or lose their capability of remembering things for a longer time. Also, many experts believe that if people will use this chemical as a supplement then it can help them to get a better memory.

Talking about the base of these beliefs, many studies found that Phosphatidylserine is highly effective on memory enhancement and all the researches received only positive result from it. In these researches experts and researchers found that all those people or animal that used Phosphatidyl serine had great visible improvement in their memory.

In case you are wondering about the side effects of this chemical, then it is safe for everyone and researchers did not find any kind of side effect on people after its consumption. In order to make sure they get accurate results about its side effect, they did an extensive experiment study of six months and they found that it is safe to use for any person.

So, we can say that Phosphatidyl serine is highly effective in the improvement of memory and if you are planning to take this chemical for your memory improvement, you can easily take it. However, you need to make sure that you buy it from a manufacture that is known to provide high quality medicine and supplements and has a good reputation among all the experts of related field.

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Date: March 22, 2014 08:37 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Importance of Chlorophyll in human Body

What Does Chlorophyll Do For The Body?

Chlorophyll is a green molecule found in plants and plays major roles in human body. It is ingested in its raw form while eating vegetables.

Its role in human body

Despite of being vital molecule in plants; it also plays a vital role in human body in that; it acts as a blood cleanser, blood builder and also an oxygen booster. It does this by delivering energy transFusion in the bloodstream thereby restocking and increasing red blood cell count.

Disease prevention roles

The chlorophyll provides alkaline environment in human body in addition to being an oxygenator therefore helping our bodies fight off disease causing bacteria.

Detoxification roles

Chlorophyll helps the body to cleanse itself of toxic substances. In larger perspective it is linked with cancer prevention through its cleansing roles. By helping the body to detoxify itself; it plays a major role in removing the impurities that may lead to development of cancer in human body.

It is also known to be a source of amino acids which are important part of human health. It also plays a part in promoting quick rejuvenation of human cells. It also improves liver functions by extracting the blood impurities. It is also a high regulator of calcium. This helps in building ions in the blood. It is also known for its effects of reversing protein deficient anemia which is common in children in low developed countries.

Where can it be found?

It is usually found in green plants though in different levels. It gets to human body through consumption of these green plants especially the leafy part. The highest chlorophyll containing plant is the wheatgrass. To obtain it you have to juice the plant and for detoxification it may require regular juicing. It is the only component in a plant that has so many benefits to human body.

Source

1. sacredsourcenutrition.com

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Date: February 16, 2014 02:30 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Health Benefits Of Cypress Oil

What is cypress

Cypress oil is extracted from a plant animal types that is local to the Mediterranean district. The taxonomic name of the plant is Cupressus Sempervirens. It is an enduring bush, which develops to something like 28 meters in tallness and is described by a tapered shape and dim takes off. The oil is concentrated from the twigs and stems of the tree, through a procedure reputed to be steam refining. Cypress oil justifies a wide show of health profits, and has been utilized since time immemorial to treat various sicknesses and health issue. Give us a chance to elucidate some of these profits.

Health Benefits of Cypress Oil

Diuretic – Cypress oil holds diuretic lands, which animate the excretory framework and thusly wipes out the gathered poisons from the form. If not uprooted, these poisons can prompt the onset of life undermining maladies and issue, which turn lethal with time. Cypress oil encourages the sound stream of pee and guarantees that all the advanced poisons in the figure are flushed out of the framework before they make inside conFusions.

Circulation – Cypress oil has been discovered to be extremely gainful in controlling and pushing the productivity of the form's circulatory framework. The oil controls haemostatic and styptic lands, which empower the optimal conveyance of supplements all around the figure. The haemostatic lands held in the oil are a characteristic coagulant that accelerates the clotting of blood. The styptic lands avert the constriction of veins for standardized blood flow.

Cosmetic - Cypress oil has regenerative lands and has been discovered to be exceptionally restorative for the skin. It is extremely powerful in mending scars and appalling imprints brought on by pimple inflamation on the face. Its extraordinary astringent lands assistance lessen extreme sleekness in the skin. Skin contaminations, for example, perpetual pimple inflamation, which emerge because of the over emission of oil from the sebaceous organs can in this manner be regulated utilizing Cypress oil.

Pain Relief - Cypress oil is a common pain relieving and is extremely powerful in alleviating ache. The oil is adequately used to assuage constant ache initiated by ailment or osteoarthritis. Its pain relieving lands are upgraded when it is mixed with helichrysum.

Weight Loss – Cypress oil has been found to advertise weight reduction in ladies by lessening the gathering of cellulite in the form. Being a common diuretic, the oil invigorates and increments the recurrence of pee and thus flushes out the overabundance fats from the figure through the pee.

Detoxifier – Cypress oil is a common detoxifier. It disposes of the development of unsafe poisons in the form through discharge and sweat. In spite of the fact that overabundance sweat is destructive for the form, breaking into a sound sweat through activity has dependably been energized by M.d.s and health specialists for the support of great health. Cypress oil invigorates the sweat organs, consequently flushing out the poisons in the form through the pores of our skin.

The range of health profits inferred from Cypress oil had been known since medieval times when the Greeks and Assyrians misused its healing lands to treat an assortment of disquietudes. Today, analysts keep on disentangling its restorative uses and have made noteworthy revelations relating to the enthusiastic and mental health profits got from the use of this wonderful oil.

Caution:

Please evade Cypress oil throughout pregnancy because of its circulatory and hormonal impacts. When you would like to utilize Cypress oil while you are pregnant please counsel a qualified proficient aromatherapist, as it might be particularly gainful in certain circumstances.

There are numerous modest, manufactured duplicates of sweet-smelling oils, yet these are not proposed for remedial utilization. For best comes about buy the most noteworthy quality oils you can conceivably find. Use confirmed natural fundamental oils, or oils that have been tried and are free from pesticide.

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Date: December 27, 2012 01:59 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Melatonin Overdose

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant/hormone secreted by a small endocrine gland in the human brain. The hormone is responsible for sleep-wake cycle modulation and fine tuning of your body's "internal clock". In other words: when it gets dark, your pineal gland increases melatonin production, which induces drowsiness and makes you sleepy. When light conditions change (e.g. daytime), your body decreases melatonin production. If you expose yourself to an intense source of light during the night, or keep spending time in a dark environment during the day, you can confuse your body and disrupt melatonin production.

The hormone was also observed to affect the production and the discharge rate of female sex hormones.

As one gets older, his pineal gland produces less and less melatonin, which leads to a conclusion that melatonin is age dependent (children have the highest concentration of melatonin). The fact that our body produces melatonin to "sedate" itself when the sun goes down, implied that the hormone could be used to help people suffering from sleeping disorders, desynchronosis (jet lag) or similar conditions.

This served as a basis to study and use positive health effects of the hormone. Melatonin is not a miracle-cure, but it CAN improve the sleep quality of insomniacs, women in menopause, benzodiazepine (valium) withdrawal patients and people who suffer from ADHD. Melatonin also improves the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents in breast cancer treatments and increases the chance of survival in prostate cancer patients.

If you are a healthy middle-aged person, your body will produce between 5-25 micrograms of melatonin per night (80 times less than a single melatonin capsule). This is a good indicator of recommended dosage. In fact, you should start with 0.1 - 03 mg per night, an hour before bedtime. If that doesn't help, you may increase the dosage up to 10mg a day. However, do not exceed 10 mg per night before consulting your doctor, as that may cause an overdose.

Anything above 10 mg is risky without a professional guidance . If you consider the fact that you can overdose even with a sufficient amount of vitamins, melatonin is not an exception, and should be used with caution. Typical overdose symptoms include drowsiness, upset stomach, headache, conFusion, lethargy, psychotic thinking, tremors, seizures and liver issues. If you experience multiple symptoms at the same time, you should visit your doctor as soon as possible.

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Date: December 27, 2012 10:38 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Benefits Of Blue Cohosh Root

The Blue Cohosh Root is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the family 'Berberidaceae'. It is also known as 'Squaw Root' and produces fruits that resemble blue-berries. The foliage too has a bluish hue to it.

History Of The Blue Cohosh

Blue Cohosh is the native plant of North America. In the ancient times, it was commonly referred to as the 'Womens Herb' believed to bring relief during menstruation, relieve cramps, regulate erratic periods and facilitate or induce labour before delivery. Studies suggest that women consumed an inFusion of the root a couple of weeks before they were due for giving birth.The plant, supposedly, acted on the uterus in some way. Also, the root was decocted into a strong drink which was then used as a contraceptive.

Health Benefits

Blue Cohosh root may be used for certain medicinal purposes though its safe use is still a contentious issue. It might have a role in stimulating the uterus or acting as a laxative and relieving painful colic conditions. Some people believe it to be a beneficial remedy for sore throat, hiccups, muscular spasms, epileptic cases, joint problems etc. The root has similarities to the hormone called 'estrogen' which is found in the female body. The root can be used in its fresh or dried form both. It can be used alone or as a blend of other herbs. Some people also use it as a coffee bean substitute. 

Those who should avoid blue cohosh are:

However, it is recommended that it should be taken under professional advice and supervision of a physician to prevent any untoward side-effects. People suffering from heart ailments, diabetes or diarrhoea and pregnant women should avoid the root. There are incidents that prove the negative effect of the Blue Cohosh on the kidneys if used excessively. It is best to use the Blue Cohosh in a controlled and supervised manner.

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Date: December 26, 2012 12:07 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Diet To Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol is found naturally within the human body, particularly, in skin, internal organs, nerves, brain, cell membranes and bloodstream. This wax like compound is very important for the body's normal functioning. However, when there is excessive cholesterol buildup within the body, your health is at risk, because it gets deposited within the blood vessels. This article will talk about how to lower cholesterol levels through diet.

Consequences of Excessive Cholesterol Levels

Excessive cholesterol levels can cause dangerous ailments. Food habits as well as lifestyle changes are a few of the main reasons behind its rising level. Presented below are a few of the medical problems associated with high cholesterol levels within the body. When excess cholesterol is deposited on the inside of the arteries, flow of blood is interrupted which leads to inadequate supply of blood to the body. One of the organs that are mostly affected by high cholesterol levels is the heart. Extreme cases might lead to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. Blocked arteries and reduced blood flow may lead to blood coagulation. Also, if blood supply to the brain is impaired, it can lead to conFusion and stroke.

Research And Foods

Research has indicated that a diet which includes a daily consumption of oats, sterol based foods, nuts, soya based products and fish is extremely effective in decreasing the amount of cholesterol within the body. In fact, it is as effectual as taking cholesterol medication, and definitely a preferable as well as less costly option, with very little or no side effects. However, if you suffer from any special health condition, make sure you first speak with your healthcare professional before you go on a diet that is low in cholesterol. If you are currently taking some medication, you should check with your doctor to make sure the drugs are okay with the low cholesterol food.

Different Foods that Can Lower Cholesterol

Oats

Oats provides your body with soluble fiber that is beneficial in decreasing bad low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Foods that contain oat bran, whole oat flour and oatmeal are extremely healthy as well as filling. Oat bran cold cereal and hot oatmeal porridge have been traditionally been eaten for breakfast, however you can include ground oatmeal to casseroles, baked foods and soups as well.

Nuts

Nuts contain lots of fiber, protein, vitamins, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, phytonutrients, antioxidants and plant sterols. They are not difficult to eat. All you need to do is remove the shell and put a handful in your mouth, lengthy preparations are not necessary.

Foods Rich in Soluble Fiber

You can keep your cholesterol levels low by regularly consuming foods that contain high amounts of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber adheres to cholesterol within the blood to flush it out. It also promotes healthy digestion.

Aside from oats, other examples of foods rich in soluble fiber:

• peas
• beans
• barley pulp
• apple
• citrus fruits

Other foods that can lower cholesterol levels in the blood

• fish
• soy
• avocado
• sun flower seeds
• black tea
  
• foods with plant stanols and sterols

However, you must bear in mind that even though eating foods that contain low cholesterol is definitely beneficial, these foods will not cure existing problems. Eating the foods mentioned above regularly in moderation and doing sufficient exercise is the secret to enjoying good health.

Herbal Supplements

There are some supplements known to help lower cholesterol as well:

• guggul
• red yeast rice
• Beta-sitosterol

These are safe and effective ways to help reduce unwanted cholesterol.

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Date: December 21, 2012 05:04 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Benefits Of Blue Cohosh Root

The Blue Cohosh Root is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the family 'Berberidaceae'. It is also known as 'Squaw Root' and produces fruits that resemble blue-berries. The foliage too has a bluish hue to it. History Of The Blue Cohosh Blue Cohosh is the native plant of North America. In the ancient times, it was commonly referred to as the 'Womens Herb' believed to bring relief during menstruation, relieve cramps, regulate erratic periods and facilitate or induce labour before delivery.

Studies suggest that women consumed an inFusion of the root a couple of weeks before they were due for giving birth. The plant, supposedly, acted on the uterus in some way. Also, the root was decocted into a strong drink which was then used as a contraceptive.

Health Benefits

Blue Cohosh root may be used for certain medicinal purposes though its safe use is still a contentious issue. It might have a role in stimulating the uterus or acting as a laxative and relieving painful colic conditions. Some people believe it to be a beneficial remedy for sore throat, hiccups, muscle spasms, epileptic cases, joint problems etc. The root has similarities to the hormone called 'estrogen' which is found in the female body.

The root can be used in its fresh or dried form both. It can be used alone or as a blend of other herbs. Some people also use it as a coffee bean substitute. However, it is recommended that it should be taken under professional advice and supervision of a physician to prevent any untoward side-effects. People suffering from heart ailments, diabetes or diarrhea and pregnant women should avoid the root. There are incidents that prove the negative effect of the Blue Cohosh on the kidneys if used excessively.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=2769)

Date: June 27, 2012 12:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The benefits of the hawthorne berry

It is in the autumn that the hawthorn flowers will give way to the red berries which are a very rich source of antioxidants and of course, flavonoids. The benefits of using them are numerous and most of the times people will get eat them because they can prevent the damage caused by free radicals, they will protect the blood vessels, they will stimulate the circulation and also strengthen the heart.

The hawthorne berry benefits: Dilates blood vessels,Reduces LDL levels (bad cholesterol), Prevents damaging effects of free radicals, Strengthens the heart, Regulates the heart beat.

Uses

The main reason to why people are using hawthorn berries is because they have a lot of heart benefits. People who have heart problems will certainly have chest pains as well associated with them and these pains are one of the things that these berries can help with. People who have a high blood pressure will also respond positively most of the times when using these berries. Because these berries will improve the blood circulation, there is going to be less strain put on the heart.

By using hawthorne berry preparations, the harmful plaque that forms around the arteries and blood vessels will be diminished. Mainly, this extract is going to help people in having the damaging LDL cholesterol in the body reduced.

Antioxidants

Hawthorn berry contains two main heart benefitting constituents and they are the OPCs and the flavonoids. They are both very rich in protective antioxidant properties, which will prevent the oxidation caused by the free radicals. This is not only going to be beneficial for the capillaries and heart, but also for the entire body.

Benefits

Flavonoids can easily dilate the blood vessel, strengthen them and also protect the entire blood vessel system in order to eventually increase the blood flow. People who are exposed to inflammatory agents or are suffering from inflammation, will be happy to know that the OPCs and the antioxidant properties of Hawthorne berries will help them in this regard. For instance, the astringent hawthorn preparations can be used externally in order to soothe skin irritations, bug bites, minor cuts and acne. On top of that, using the extracts created from hawthorn berries will strengthen the heart and regulate the heartbeat.

Preparations

For those who want to prepare a tincture, they will only need to soak some Hawthorne berries in alcohol for several weeks. What this will do is draw out their properties and concentrate them in the alcohol. More to that, the berries can be made into syrups, jams and jellies. Most of the times though they are used to flavor brandy or into wine Fusions. Also, tea made using the berries of hawthorn trees are the best for enjoying a great healthy state for the heart.

History

The preparations of hawthorn berries have a long history of use and mainly their benefits were concentrated in heart tonics. Dioscorides, a green herbalist from the I (first) century recorded that hawthorn was used back then as a strengthener and as a tonic. In the sixteenth century, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician reported that he used Hawthorne's cardio-tonic effects. A few centuries later, it was used by American doctors in order to treat circulatory and heart disorders. Even today, Hawthorne is used a lot and studied even more to unravel more of its beneficial secrets.

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Date: February 07, 2012 07:50 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (support@vitanet.net)
Subject: History And Uses Of Xylitol

Xylitol is the 5-carbon sugar which is found within the birch tree sap and it's naturally found in the fibers of various vegetables and fruits. This is a sugar-alcohol sweetener commonly used as the sugar substitute.

History of xylitol

Although discovered in the 19th century during the Second World War, Xylitol has been recognized ever since the tardy 1800s. The researchers from Germany and France were the first individuals to try to produce this product approximately 100 years ago, but ended up creating syrup-like consistency mixture. This product became commercially available in the 1960s and the commercial process is still the same as it was during the 1960s.

Before 1943, the scientists' categorized this sugar with various sugary carbohydrates (polyols) and it lingered so till the beginning of the war-associated deficiency of sugar which initiated the call for an alternate sugar. This initiated further research in to the xylitols insulin-independent properties, this resulted in discovery of its other biological benefits. In 1962 this chemical was introduced in the inFusion therapy demonstrating that it can be introduced to ill individuals.

The commercial production process involves extraction of Polysaccharides rich in Xylose from various agricultural by-products and hardwoods. These are hydrolyzed with various intense acidic treatments and then it is purified before hydrogenation is done. This process needs a lot of harsh chemicals and is quite expensive and inefficient.

It was until 1970 that the odontological benefit of xylitol was ascertained in Finland, Turku. The initial study of the effects of this sugar on the dental plaque began during the same year. This resulted in large scale production of xylitol, in 1974 by the Finnish sugar company. Sugar-free dental product was first launched in Finland which was a xylitol chewing-gum.

How xylitol works

This sugar can prevent cavity in various ways by actually blocking the tooth decaying process. The bacteria causing decay cannot ferment this sugar into acids as it does with other sugars including dextrose, fructose, glucose and sucrose. This results in production of less acidic by-product thus interfering with the dental plaque environment which favors decaying. This results in prevention of tooth demineralization.

The high pH condition caused by xylitol sugar is not favorable for the cariogenic bacteria which are responsible for decaying. This results in fewer bacteria in the plaques and long-term exposure has an effect on which type of bacteria will prevail within the plaque. This also inhibits the growth of specific xylitol-sensitive bacteria strain. Since they cannot breakdown this sugar, they end up not reproducing and growing in population. The lack of fermentable sugars results in creation of anti-cavity effect.

The starvation effect created by this sugar prevents accumulation of cariogenic bacteria in the plaques. Long term xylitol exposure results in change of predominant cariogenic bacteria to xylitol-resistant strains from xylitol-sensitive. This xylitol-sensitive strain of bacteria cannot colonize the plaque since they have less adhering capabilities.

The less acidic condition in the dental plaque interface created by this sugar can initiate demineralization. Demineralization occurs when the plaque interface is at a pH of 5.5 or below since fewer bacteria live in the plaques. Studies have showed that demineralized tooth samples immersed in a solution containing 20% xylitol experienced a great remineralization degree. This is noted in the deep and middle tooth layers.

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Date: October 17, 2011 03:40 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Is Sulfite Sensitivity And Vertigo Linked?

Sulfites are chemical compounds which occur naturally in several animal and plant products. These chemicals are sulfur - based which is commonly used as food enhancer or preservative. Sulfites can effectively prolong the shelf life of food and also prevent discoloration of food. Foods which may contain sulfite include baked products, canned goods, junk foods, vegetable juices, fruit juices, apple cider, some teas and other processed food items. Sulfite - containing ingredients may include sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite or potassium metabisulfite and sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, or sodium sulfite.

Allergic reaction to sulfite is not that rare. In fact, the Food and Drug Authority have established "1 out of 100 people" prevalence rate that is hypersensitive to sulfite and its products. Any person may develop allergic reaction to sulfites any time of his/her life. Studies revealed that the cause of such hypersensitivity is still unknown. More studies are still ongoing. Initial results have stated that the allergic effects can be mild or life – threatening. In late 1980's, the FDA released a memorandum on prohibiting the use of sulfite on fruits and vegetables that are commonly eaten fresh and raw such as lettuce, apples, guavas and the like. Regulations are also released for manufacturers to put labels on sulfite – containing processed food items. Sulfites also occur naturally among wines and beers.

One theory revealed that sulfite allergic reaction may be caused by a significant insufficient amount of the enzyme necessary for the breakdown and elimination of such compound known as sulfite oxidase. This enzyme works hand in hand with the element molybdenum which acts as a cofactor. Nonetheless, asthma, nasal and sinus congestion, rhinitis, postnasal drip, headache and bronchospasm may also be experienced by the individual as an effect of sulfite consumption. In addition, vertigo may also be a manifestation of sulfite hypersensitivity.

Studies have found that the allergic reaction brought about by the compound sulfite can significantly lower blood pressure thus resulting to decreased cardiac output which can eventually lead to insufficient tissue perFusion. Thus, dizziness is experienced or even loss of consciousness. Vertigo or dizziness is a kind of feeling in which your surroundings seem to be moving around even though there is no actual movement. In cases of severe vertigo, the person may experience nausea and vomiting. This will greatly affect your daily functioning since the person with vertigo may have difficulty walking or even standing on his/her own. This will significantly result to loss of balance and increase the risk of fall.

There is no direct treatment of sulfite sensitivity. However, the symptoms can be alleviated in a palliative manner. The one and only way to prevent the occurrence of allergic reaction is to avoid food products with sulfites or food items which are likely to have sulfite content. Therefore, if you have sulfite allergy, you must be vigilant on what you eat. Carefully check labels of processed and preserved foods and when eating out, politely as the waiter or chef if the food you like contains sulfite or ingredients which contain such chemical compound.

Foods to avoid:

Alcoholic beverages, Baked goods (pastries), Beverages fruit based, Condiments, Relishes, Confections, Frostings, Modified Dairy Products, Drugs, Fish, shell fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, gelatin, puddings, grains, jams, jellies, nuts, plant proteins, snack foods, soups and soup mixes, sweet sauce, and instant teas. To name a few. Look online to view a more details list of foods to avoid.

This practically eliminates most of our favored junk foods we love to eat. Avoiding these foods may be hard but it is a healthier choice.

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Date: October 04, 2011 03:14 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What Supplements Are Useful In Combating Blood Clots?

Vitamins And Your Health

As we know for a fact, one of the properties of blood is its ability to coagulate in order to stop bleeding. This coagulated blood is commonly known as a clot. Blood clot is important to the body to prevent excessive bleeding and serves as a vital part in the process of inflammation and wound healing. However, if a clot occurs abnormally it can cause significant danger to the body. A blood clot can cause obstruction in the circulation and may result to life - threatening health conditions such as heart attacks, cerebrovascular accident or strokes and pulmonary embolism. It can also cause poor tissue oxygenation and perFusion which can damage the affected cells and might cause disability or inability to function of certain organs or body part.

There are many traditional modalities in preventing and treating abnormal blood clot formation. One of the most commonly used is the medication called Aspirin in low – dosage. This conventional drug is popularly prescribed by doctors to decrease the clotting property of the blood. However, in emergency cases, a surgical procedure may be deemed important to remove the blood clot which significantly interrupts proper blood circulation.

Aside from medications, there are many supplements that have the capacity to decrease the risk of abnormal blood clotting. These include supplements high in:

1. FISH OILS. Fish oils are rich in omega-3 fatty acid which has the capacity to thin the blood. Therefore, if the blood is not viscous, the pressure inside the blood vessel is lesser as well. A high blood pressure can cause damage to the walls of the blood vessels, thus activating blood clot formation. Also, a non – viscous blood can also better circulate into smaller blood vessels than that of a viscous blood, therefore, enhancing tissue oxygenation. Clinical studies also revealed that omega – 3 fatty acids can effectively decrease Thromboxane A which is one of the clotting factors found among platelets.

2. CHAMOMILE. This herb has an anti – platelet property. It has a mild to moderate effect in regulating clot formation.

3. GINGER. Ginger has many health benefits. One of its promising benefits is its mild anti – platelet property and its ability to dissolve fibrin. This herb is widely used as a supplement to enhance blood circulation all over the body.

4. CATECHIN AND QUERCETIN. These chemical compounds are classified as antioxidants. They can effectively reduce the adhesion property of platelets.

5. CURCUMIN. This chemical comes from the spice called turmeric. This is considered to be an anti – thrombotic, as well as a potent anti – inflammatory agent.

6. DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA). This substance is primarily an anti – aging agent. However, studies reveal that it can significantly reduce the process of inflammation by preventing the substance that can generate inflammation within the veins, arteries and capillaries called Cytokines. With decreased production of cytokines, it will result to lesser coagulation and clumping of platelets and reduced movement of bad cholesterol or Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) into the walls of the blood vessels, thus decreasing the chance of clot formation and atherosclerosis.

7. VITAMINS C AND E. These vitamins are important for preventing abnormal collagen – induced platelet activation by inhibiting the production of hydrogen peroxide. Vitamins C and E are also important in many enzymatic actions that regulate blood cholesterol levels.

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Date: August 17, 2011 12:13 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What are the Essential Amino Acids we must get from our Diet to Survive?

Amino acids or the building blocks of protein are very important in overall functioning of the body. Proteins, to mention, are responsible for the build up of most of our body parts specifically our muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, tissues, glands, nails and hair. Moreover, the repair and preservation of those parts still rely on proteins. Amino acids can be of two different forms which are the non-essential and essential. On this selection, we will be focusing more on the latter.

Essential amino acids are those which cannot be produced by the body therefore it has to be supplied through our diet. This category of amino acids includes tryptophan, lysine, methionine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine and phenylalanine.

Tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, can be acquired from peanuts, meat, turkey, fish, milk, dried dates, cottage cheese, banana, oats and chocolates. A deficiency of this can bring up serious neurological problems, depression, anxiety and sleeping difficulties.

Another essential amino acid is methionine. The production of sulfur and other compound needed for a healthy growth and metabolism depends on the presence of this amino acid. Fish, whole grains and dairy are its sources.

Lysine, which is effective in the treatment and prevention of herpes, is present in soybeans, green beans, lentils, spinach and amaranth. Low levels of lysine can also compromise the levels of niacin and this leads to pellagra.

Tissue healing, muscle metabolism and keeping the equilibrium of nitrogen levels in our body are the functions of valine. It has proven to be efficient in the treatment of liver and gallbladder disorders. Deficiencies that results from drug addiction are can also be reversed by this amino acid. Its sources are peanuts, soy proteins, dietary products, grains, meat and mushrooms.

Leucine can be obtained from chicken, fish, cottage cheese, lentils, peanuts and sesame seeds. It functions in muscle protein build up and is the main medium in tissue building process. Inability to acquire such makes a person prone to protein wasting since leucine, together with valine and isoleucine, serves as energy and protein reservoirs.

In boosting energy levels, blood sugar regulation, muscle build - up and repair as well as hemoglobin development, isoleucine has shown its relevance. Its dietary sources are fish, poultry, beef, dairy, eggs, lentils, seeds, soy, almonds and wheat. Isoleucine deficiencies may result into neurological disturbances such as conFusion, depression, irritability, fatigue, headache and dizziness.

Threonine is significant in synthesis of antibodies. Beans, nuts, seeds, dairy, poultry, eggs and beef are rich in threonine. A low level of this amino acid causes disorders of the skin and weakness.

Adrenaline and noradrenalin which are stimulates the central and peripheral nervous system requires phenylalanine to perform their function. Phenylalanine can be acquired from peanuts, seeds, almonds, lima beans and dairy. Liver damage, weakness, skin lesions, lethargy and slowed growth are results of its deficiencies.

In summary, our body needs networks of essential amino acids for its proper functioning. Eating healthy foods and living a healthy lifestyle is the secret towards maintaining your optimum general health.

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Date: June 02, 2011 03:10 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Using Strontium as a Supplement For Bone Health

Strontium is an essential ingredient in the formation of bone. It is not an element that many are familiar with, although Strontium 90 was a 1977 British band that first brought together Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers before they formed Police. That information, however, will not help your arthritis or osteoporosis. What will help is a supplement of strontium.

This element is an essential component of bone, even though it is present in very small quantities. What it does is to catalyze the Fusion of calcium that forms bone structure, and if your bones are weak a supplement of strontium should generate fresh bone from the calcium in your diet and help reduce the potential for your limbs to fracture.

Along with strontium, you should take foods or supplements containing calcium, potassium magnesium and vitamin D. All of these are involved in building strong bones, although strontium is often the one that is missed.

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Date: September 28, 2010 03:05 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: stroke, what is it?

A stroke occurs when a clot forms inside an artery that blocks the flow of blood to the brain. This is also called a thrombus. Embolism, which is a wandering clot, is carried in the bloodstream until it wedges in one of the arteries that lead to the brain. Aneurysms are blood-filled pouches that balloon out from weak spots in the artery wall and burst. A hemorrhage results when a defective artery in the brain that bursts, flooding the surrounding tissue with blood.

A mild attack can lead to temporary conFusion and light-headedness, along with difficulty in speaking clearly, weakness on one side of the body, visual dimness and conFusion, severe speech difficulties, and/or sudden or gradual loss or blurring of consciousness. Additionally, amnesia can occur, but it is not typically permanent. A coma can even result for short or long periods.

It is important to watch for early warnings of stroke. Although they may only last a few moments, early warnings include fainting, stumbling, numbness or paralysis of the fingers of one hand, blurring of vision, seeing bright lights, and loss of speech or memory. It is much wiser and significantly less expensive to start improving health in order to prevent this disease. Some doctors who have treated thousands of people suffering from stroke believe that most strokes can typically be prevented.

The Chinese often view strokes as being caused by blood stasis and stagnation of the liver. Chinese medical practitioners attempt to prevent strokes and treat them by treating constipation. Constipation causes a poisoned bloodstream, setting the stage for a possible stroke. Poisoned blood flows through thousands of miles of arteries, veins, and capillaries. The walls of the arteries are made up for cells, which are subject to the same injury from toxins as the cells in the kidneys. The kidneys degenerate at the same time that the arteries do and even from the same causes. When the walls thicken and harden, degeneration results. As they harden they become more brittle, causing them to burst more easily under pressure. Pressure increases as the hole through the arteries grows smaller. AS the walls become more brittle, the extra pressure causes the blood pressure to rupture. This, in turn, causes a stroke. The brain cells rely primarily on oxygen-rich blood in order to get nourishment. If they don’t receive this nourishment, the brain cells will die. Other causes of this are poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, and smoking.

Emotional health is an essential part to any healing. Strokes are often associated with resistance to change, giving up on life, and getting tired of doing all the same things over and over. It is important that we learn to accept changes and are able to go with the flow of life. Life can be exciting. Changes provide us with a new perspective on living.

Some herbs and supplements have been used to help as a preventative. These include vitamin E, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, garlic, evening primrose oil, lecithin, chlorophyll, flaxseed oil, and germanium. For additional information on any of these, please contact a representative from your local health food store.

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Date: October 16, 2009 03:57 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Corn Silk

Cornsilk is an herbal remedy that is made from stigmas, which are the yellowish thread-like strands, found inside the husks of corn. Stigmas are found on the female flower of corn and are a member of the grass family. This part of the corn plant measurers four to eight inches long and is collected for medicinal use before the plant is pollinated. Cornsilk can also be removed from corn cobs for use as a remedy. If fertilized, the stigmas will become dry and brown, with yellow corn kernels develop. Native to North America, corn now grows around the world in warm climates. Cornsilk is also known as mother’s hair, Indian corn, maize jagnog, Turkish corn, yu mi xu, and stigmata maydis.

Once used by the Inca tribe, cornsilk is thought to have originated in Central America. Traditionally, this herb was used to treat urogenital infections. Cornsilk is also used for bladder complaints, as it has a great cleansing effect on the urea as it circulates. This herb is also extremely valuable for the treatment of renal and cystic inflammation. Cornsilk helps with kidney problems, inflamed bladder, and prostate gland problems. This herb may be helpful for bed-wetting that is caused by an inflamed bladder. Additionally, it works to rid the body of morbid deposits by using the antiseptic properties that it is equipped with. Cornsilk has been used by physicians as a diuretic for conditions of cystitis.

Some herbalists believe that cornsilk is best when it is used fresh. However, it also can be found in dried forms. Although cornsilk is typically collected from the female flower or from corn cobs, cornsilk is available commercially in powdered and capsule form and as an extract. Cornsilk is often brewed as a tea and is considered to be very soothing as a beverage. This tea or inFusion can be made by pouring one cup of boiling water over two teaspoons of dried cornsilk. Then, the mixture is covered and steeped for ten to fifteen minutes. It is recommended that this tea be consumed three times each day. Additionally, a tincture of one teaspoon of cornsilk can be taken three times each day. This tincture can be purchased over the counter or made at home. At home, it is made by mixing the herb with water or alcohol at a ratio of 1:5 or 1:10. Cornsilk can also be purchased in capsule form with the usual dosage for 400-mg capsules being two capsules with meals three times daily.

The silk of cornsilk is used to provide alterative, antilithic, antiseptic, cholagogue, diuretic, demulcent, lithotriptic, mucilant, and mild stimulant properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are silicon, PABA, and vitamins K and B. Primarily, this herb is extremely beneficial in dealing with heart conditions, kidney problems, urinary incontinence, and urinary problems.

Additionally, this cornsilk has been proven to be extremely helpful in treating arteriosclerosis, bed-wetting, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cystic irritations, gonorrhea, obesity, and prostate problems. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by cornsilk, please contact a representative from your local health food store.

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Date: September 21, 2009 11:12 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Horehound Herb

Horehound has been around for thousands of years. The Romans used this herb in a combination as an antidote for poison. The horehound plant is a bushy plant that produces numerous annual branching stems. The plant is a foot or more in height and has whitish flowers. The leaves are much wrinkled, opposite, petiolate, and about an inch long. They are covered with white, felted hairs that give them a wooly appearance. The leaves have a strange, musky smell that can be diminished by drying the plant. Horehound is known to flower between June and September.

An ancient Greek physician by the name of Galen first recommended horehound for use in treating respiratory conditions. Early European physicians also used horehound to treat respiratory ailments. Early settlers in North America brought horehound with them to treat coughs, colds, and tuberculosis. The herb was also used to treat hepatitis, malaria, and intestinal worms. Horehound was also used to promote menstruation and sweating. Most commonly, the herb is used to treat colds and coughs, to soothe the throat and loosen mucus in the chest. Horehound is a well-known lung and throat remedy.

Warm inFusions of horehound are able to relieve congestion and hyperemic conditions of the lungs. They do this by promoting an outward flow of blood. In large doses, horehound will work as a mild laxative. Applying the dried herb topically is a great way to treat herpes simplex, eruptions, eczema, and shingles.

The Romans praised horehound because of its medicinal purposes. Its Latin name Marrubium is derived from the word Maria urbs, which is an ancient town of Italy. The plant was called the ‘Seed of Horus” or the ‘Bull’s Blood,’ and the ‘Eye of the Star’ by the Egyptian Priests. Horehound was a main ingredient in Caesar’s antidote for vegetable poisons. It was recommended, in addition to its uses in coughs and colds, for those that had drunk poison or had been bitten by serpents. Horehound was once thought of as an anti-magical herb. Additionally, horehound is a serviceable remedy against cankerworm in trees. Some believed that if it is put into new milk and set in a place where there are a lot of flies, it will quickly kill all of them.

The marrubiin content of horehound is believed to be the responsible component, giving it its ability to stimulate bronchial mucosa secretions. This information was obtained by German research done in 1959. Horehound can be used as a safe and effective expectorant.

The entire horehound plant should be used to provide alterative, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, aromatic, bitter, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, mild purgative, stimulant, and stomachic properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are iron, potassium, sulfur, and vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, and F. Primarily, horehound is extremely helpful in dealing with asthma, colds, coughs, croup, lung ailments, excessive mucus, phlegm, and respiratory problems.

Additionally, this herb is beneficial in treating bronchitis, infectious diseases, earaches, external eczema, fevers, glandular problems, jaundice, absent menstruation, and external shingles. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by horehound, please feel free to contact a representative from your local health food store.

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Date: August 29, 2009 01:51 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Red Clover Blossom

Red clover is also commonly referred to as wild clover, purple clover, meadow clover, honeysuckle clover, or cow grass. This herb is a member of the pea family. It is commonly found in pastures, lawns, along roadsides, and in meadows. Many consider this herb to be a nuisance and, thus, they try to eliminate it from their lawns. However, this is not easily accomplished due to red clover’s hearty nature.

The use of red clover most likely originated in Europe. There, it was used as an expectorant and a diuretic. Additionally, it was burned as incense to invoke the spirits of the deceased. Some people even wore the leaves of red clover as charms against evil. The red clover was revered by early Christians because they associated its three leaves with the Trinity. The flowers of this plant were dried by the ancient Chinese and then put in pillows to help relax both the body and mind. The Native Americans used red clover as an inFusion gargle for sore throats, whooping cough, and asthma. Additionally, they used it on children because it was a milder, safer way to fight debilitating childhood diseases.

This herb has been used for treating cancer, bronchitis, nervous conditions, spasms, and toxins in the body. It is considered by herbalists to be a blood cleanser. Herbalists also recommend this mild herb in formulas when using a cleansing program. Red clover is often mixed with honey and water to make a cough syrup and act as an expectorant. The herb is a mild sedative and is useful for spasmodic conditions, bronchitis, wheezing, and fatigue. Because red clover is mild, it can often be used by children.

Research has determined that red clover contains some antibiotic properties that are beneficial in fighting several kinds of bacteria. Among these types of bacteria is the one that causes tuberculosis. Additionally, red clover has a long history of use in treating cancer. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute have uncovered some anticancer activity in red clover, including daidzein and genistein activity. Even though the findings are preliminary and the use of red clover as a cancer treatment has not yet been validated, research is continuing to show promising results.

Externally, red clover has been used to treat skin problems such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, and even vaginal irritation. It can also be applied topically to burns, boils, sores, and ulcers. Red clover has also been documented for use in treating AIDS, syphilis, and leprosy. This herb can be applied externally to help soothe lymphatic swelling and as an eyewash.

In short, the flowers of red clover are used to provide alterative, antibiotic, antispasmodic, blood purifier, nutritive, sedative, stimulant, and vulnerary properties. The primary nutrients found in red clover are calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel, selenium, sodium, tin, and vitamins A, C, B-complex, F, and P. Primarily, red clover is extremely beneficial in dealing with acne, AIDS/HIV, athlete’s foot, blood impurities, bronchitis, cancer, eczema, leukemia, liver disorders, nervous disorders, psoriasis, skin disorders, spasms, and the effects of toxins.

Additionally, this herb is very helpful in treating arthritis, asthma, boils, burns, childhood diseases, colds, constipation, coughs, muscle cramps, fatigue, flu, gallbladder, gastric disorders, indigestion, leprosy, lymphatic irritations, rheumatism, sores, syphilis, sore throat, tuberculosis, ulcers, urinary infections, vaginal irritations, whooping cough, and wounds.

For more information on red clover, look for this wonderful herb at your local heath food store. Remember to always look for name brands to ensure quality and purity of the product you purchase.

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Date: August 14, 2009 11:49 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Mustard Extract

Mustard is also referred to as mustard greens, Indian mustard, and leaf mustard. This herb is a species of the mustard plant. One of its sub-varieties includes Southern Giant Curled Mustard, which is very similar in appearance to headless cabbage such as Kale. However, it has a distinct horseradish-mustard flavor. It is also known as green mustard cabbage.

The leaves, seeds, and stems of the mustard plant are edible. The plant can be found in some forms of African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Soul food cuisine. The leaves are used in African cooking, and the leaves, seeds, and stems are used in Indian cuisine. The plant has a particularly thick stem, it is used to make the Indian pickle and the Chinese pickle. The mustard made from the seeds of this plant is called brown mustard. The leaves are also used in many Indian dishes.

This species of mustard plant is more pungent than closely-related greens like kale, cabbage, and collard greens. It is often mixed with these milder greens in a dish of mixed greens, which may even include wild greens like dandelion. Mustard greens are high in both vitamin A and K. Mustard greens are often used in Chinese and Japanese cuisines. Asian mustard greens are typically stir-fried or pickled.

The ancient Greeks used mustard for its medicinal value. Additionally, it was used for its flavoring. The Romans also used this herb. They added crushed seeds to wine for a spicy flavor. John Parkinson and Nicholas Culpeper, English herbalists, both recommended mustard for ailments like epileptic seizures and toothaches. The herb was used by Native Americans and early colonists for rheumatism and muscle pain.

Mustard is a strong stimulating herb. It is responsible for promoting the appetite and stimulating the gastric mucous membranes to aid in digestion. An inFusion of the mustard seed stimulates urine and helps to promote menstruation. Additionally, it is a valuable emetic for narcotic poisoning, as it empties the stomach without depression of the system. Mustard is often used externally as a plaster or poultice for sore, stiff muscles. A plaster of mustard can also be used to treat congestion, warm the skin, and clear the lungs.

The seeds of the mustard plant are used to provide alterative, analgesic, blood purifier, caminative, digestive, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, irritant, rubefacient, and stimulant properties. The primary nutrients found in mustard are calcium, cobalt, iodine, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B12, and C. Primarily, mustard is extremely beneficial in dealing with indigestion, liver disorders, and lung disorders.

Additionally, the herb is very helpful in treating appetite loss, arthritis, blood impurities, breath odor, bronchitis, emphysema, sore feet, fevers, gas, hiccups, kidney problems, pleurisy, pneumonia, snakebites, sprains, and sore throat. Before supplementing with this, or any other nutrient, it is important to consult your health care provider. In doing so, you will ensure yourself optimum health benefits. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by mustard, please feel free to contact a representative from your local health food store.

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Date: August 06, 2009 12:58 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Senna Leaf

The American senna has been used widely for its mild purgative abilities. Native Americans used this as a drink to reduce fevers, for sore throat, and as a laxative. The herb was official in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1882. Senna was used in Chinese medicine. This herb, along with other laxatives, has been used since prehistoric times in order to treat colonic and menstrual obstructions. Senna can be found along the Nile River. The herb was used in Arab medicine as an effective and safe laxative. Nicholas Culpeper, the seventeenth-century herbalist, claimed that senna was able to clean the stomach and purge melancholy and phlegm from the head, brain, lungs, heart, liver, and spleen.

The senna plant held a major role in herbalism and folk medicine for millennia. The herb was and still is a significant item of trans-national trade by the Ababdeh people. It is grown both commercially and traditionally along the middle Nile. However, more generally, it is found in many regions around the northwestern Indian Ocean. Senna is similar to aloe and rhubarb, as it has similar active ingredients such as anthraquinone and their glucosides.

This herb is considered to be a useful laxative. It is responsible for intestinal parasitic movements. The herb has a strong effect on the entire intestinal tract, especially the colon. A lot of people believe that a clean colon can prevent autointoxication and may be an underlying cause of many diseases. Usually, senna is combined with other herbs, such as ginger or fennel, in order to prevent intestinal cramping and get better results. The herb should not be used if there is inflammation of the stomach. This is because it may aggravate the problem. Senna helps to tone and restore the digestive system through cleansing. The herb has been used throughout history and today, it is still used throughout the world.

Senna acts on the lower bowel. It increases the peristaltic movements of the colon. Most often, the plants are prepared as an inFusion. The long-standing use of senna is reflected by its presence in many herbal remedies and tonics. Today, senna is still used as the primary ingredient in certain commercial stimulant laxatives. However, it is also the primary ingredient found in dieter’s teas. However, the combination of acting as a stimulant, which reduces a dieter’s appetite, and the laxative properties that cause food to move through the system before many calories can be absorbed is a combination that can lead to rapid and even dangerous weight loss.

Senna is a powerful laxative. The anthroquinon glycosides that are found in senna are believed to be responsible for the stimulatory effect it provides on the colon. Laxative should not be used for extended periods of time or dependency may occur.

The leaves and pods of the senna plant are responsible for providing anthelmintic and mild purgative properties. The primary nutrients found in this herb are calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, vitamins A, B-complex, and C, and zinc. Primarily, senna is extremely beneficial in treating constipation, jaundice, and worms. Additionally, this herb is very helpful in dealing with acne, excessive bile, breath odor, colic, gallstones, gout, menstrual symptoms, obesity, rheumatism, and skin disease.

In order to obtain the best results when supplementing with this, or any herb, it is important to consult your health care provider before beginning any regimen while on prescription medications. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by senna, please feel free to consult a representative from your local health food store with questions.

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Date: July 28, 2009 11:32 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Saffron

Saffron was used by the Greeks and Chinese as a royal dye because of its yellow color. Wealthy Romans used this herb to perfume their homes. In Europe, it was used medicinally between the fourth and eighteenth centuries. It was also being used in the kitchen to cook with.

In the book The Complete Herbal, Nicholas Culpeper recommended using saffron for the heart, brain, and lungs. The herb was also suggested for acute diseases like smallpox and measles. It was also recommended for hysteric depression. Dr. David Culbreth characterized the herb as a pain reliever and was said to promote perspiration and gas explosion and ease painful menstruation in the book Materia Medica and Pharmacology. Saffron was also said to relieve eye infections and encourage sore eruptions.

This herb is soothing to both the stomach and colon. It is responsible for acting as a blood purifier. Saffron helps stimulate circulation and regulate the spleen, heart, and liver. It is also helpful in reducing inflammation; treating arthritis, gout, bursitis, kidney stones, hypoglycemia, and chest congestion; improving circulation; and promoting energy. Small doses should be taken internally for coughs, gas, and colic and to stimulate appetite. The herb can also be applied externally in a salve for gout.

It has been shown that saffron may even help to reduce cholesterol levels. It neutralizes uric acid buildup in the system. Recent research determined that rabbits, which were fed crocetin, which is a component of saffron, had a significant reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Saffron is eaten daily in Valencia and Spain, resulting in little heart disease occurring among inhabitants. The evidence has shown that saffron increases oxygen difFusion from the red blood cells. Not only does it discourage uric acid buildup, it also inhibits the accumulation of lactic acid. Therefore, it may help prevent heart disease.

Other research done on saffron suggests that the crocetin ingredient may have the potential to act as an anticancer agent in studies done both in vitro and in animals. On study that was done using saffron extract in vitro found that tumor colony cell growth was limited by inhibiting the cellular nucleic acid synthesis. Additional research on cancer has found that saffron that was given orally helped in increasing the life span of mice with variety of laboratory-induced cancers.

The flowers of the saffron plant are used to provide alterative, anodyne, antineoplastic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, blood purifier, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, sedative, and stimulant. The primary nutrients found in this herb are calcium, lactic acid, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and vitamins A and B12. Primarily, saffron is extremely beneficial in treating fevers, gout, indigestion, liver disorders, measles, excessive perspiration, phlegm, psoriasis, rheumatism, scarlet fever, and stomach acid. Additionally, this herb is very helpful in dealing with appetite loss, arthritis, blood impurities, bronchitis, cancer, colds, conjunctivitis, coughs, fatigue, gas, headaches, heartburn, uterine hemorrhages, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, insomnia, jaundice, kidney stones, menstrual symptoms, skin disease, tuberculosis, ulcers, water retention, and whooping cough.

In order to obtain the best results when supplementing with this, or any herb, it is important to consult your health care provider before beginning any regimen. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by saffron, please feel free to consult a representative from your local health food store with questions. Saffron is available at your local or internet health food store. Note: Saffron should not be consumed internally.

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Date: July 17, 2009 03:46 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Fight Hypoglycemia With Fiber

Symptoms of hypoglycemia can be very subtle and difficult to recognize. Many people with hypoglycemia have become so used to their symptoms that often, they don’t even recognize their own abnormality. This is especially true when it comes to behavioral changes.

There is a whole variety of symptoms that can be caused when the body cells are deprived of sugar or when blood sugar drops too quickly. The most common symptom of hypoglycemia is fatigue. When referring to fatigue, the normal kind of fatigue that occurs after hard work or exercise is not what is being discussed. Hypoglycemic fatigue affects the muscles and nerves and usually can’t be relieved with rest or sleep. The brain is extremely dependent on glucose for its energy source. Once blood sugar levels have dropped, hormones kick into action. The release of adrenaline can cause sweating, tremors, hunger, and weakness. It should also be kept in mind that if your blood sugar levels drop at a more gradual pace, the patient may not even recognize the symptoms as those of hypoglycemia. Those experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia may feel dizzy, confused, clouded, and emotionally unstable without any visible tremors. Symptoms such as anxiety or panic attacks can become a part of hypoglycemic mood swings.

Other mental symptoms of hypoglycemia include melancholy, irritability, hostility, conFusion, and paranoia.

Along with the above, there are many other symptoms that can result from hypoglycemia. These symptoms include amnesia, anxiety, antisocial behavior, breathing difficulties, conFusion, constant worry, crying jags, depression, digestive disorders, drowsiness, emotional instability, exhaustion, headaches, heart palpitations, impatience, inability to cope, insomnia, intense hunger, internal trembling, irritability, lack of concentration, nervousness, dizziness, seizures, severe sweating, fainting, tingling, and tremors.

Nocturnal hypoglycemia is when blood sugar levels are low at night time, causing insomnia. Eating a whole grain snack or small piece of cheese 30 minutes before going to bed can help to reduce occurrences of this scenario.

There are, unfortunately, hundreds of people that struggle with low-blood sugar symptoms and are unaware as to why. By simply switching for a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates to one that is comprised of protein and complex carbohydrates, one can bridge the gap between a dysfunctional life and a rich one. In order to determine whether you have hypoglycemia, you must first examine your eating habits. Simple facts like what and when you eat can directly affect how you feel. Anyone who has unexplained fatigue, depression, crying spells, anxiety, or apprehension should investigate low blood sugar levels as a potential culprit. You should also look into your family history, as hypoglycemia tends to run within families.

Those people who are chronically stressed and often find themselves on a roller coaster of blood sugar going up and down are especially prone to dips in energy at certain times of the day. These people have adrenals that are not functioning optimally, causing them to want sugar when they hit a real low point. Usually, in the mid-afternoon, adrenal glands are at their lowest level of functioning. If you do, in fact, suffer from hypoglycemia, you will feel good right after you eat and then your mood and physical status will deteriorate from two to six hours after eating.

Keeping your glucose levels stable is important to maintaining good health. Snacking on complex carbohydrate foods can help regulate the amount of sugar that is released into your blood system. Consuming large quantities of fiber can also slow down the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract and level out blood sugar.

Look for great advice and fiber supplements at your local or internet health food store. When purchasing products, always buy name brands to ensure quality and purity of the supplements you buy. Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Lycopene is not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult with your professional health care provider before changing any medication or adding Vitamins to medications.

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Date: April 27, 2009 02:08 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Strengthen The Liver and Kidneys With Leucine

L-leucine is an amino acid that is used by the body to fuel exercise and muscle-building to provide you with that athletic edge that gets you ahead of your opponents. It does so in a number of ways, none of them specifically by the direct generation of energy as such.

It is also an essential amino acid, since it cannot be manufactured by your body and hence must be taken as a supplement or as part of your diet. Foods rich in leucine include nuts, whole wheat products such as wholemeal bread, and brown rice. It is a hydrophobic amino acid, meaning that it does not like water.

It is also one of three essential branched chain amino acids, the other two being L-valine and L-isoleucine, and offers many benefits to athletic performance that shall be discussed below It also helps to preserve the body's stores of glycogen, used as an emergency energy source. Other than these properties, it possesses others, such as the maintenance of the nitrogen balance in the body.

So how does it work to fuel your body while you are exercising? The answer is not as you might think. L-leucine doesn't increase your energy levels as creatine does when it elevates your ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels. ATP is the molecule of energy that is synthesized in your body cells, and is then converted back to ADP, the diphosphate, with the release of energy in the form of muscular contractions.

This amino acid is what is referred to as a 'limiting' substance, in that the other amino acids cannot do their jobs in your body unless you have sufficient L-leucine in proportion to them. Specifically, you need two parts of L-valine and two parts of L-leucine to one part of L-isoleucine for optimum usage of the food that you eat.

Therefore you cannot just take the supplement without considering how much should be taken to ensure this balance. Excess will be wasted and a deficiency would fail to make proper use of the protein content of your food.

If you suffer from a deficiency, therefore, your body cannot make best use of the protein in your diet to the extent that muscle tissue will not be generated during exercise. In fact it causes catabolism, or the breakdown of muscle tissue, resulting in a loss of performance and possible increase in fatty tissue as opposed to lean muscle. The only way to build muscle is take in sufficient nitrogen in the form of amino acids and protein, along with L-leucine to put that protein to best use.

One of the major properties of L-leucine is in stimulating the synthesis of skeletal muscle tissue and by using a supplement, the protein balance can be positive after a workout. It has been shown that this protein balance is generally negative until specifically L-leucine is consumed.

The way it works is to activate a muscle-generating pathway known as mTOR (mammalian Target of Rapamycin). mTOR is normally activated when the levels of ATP in the muscle cells is high, and when these levels drop then mTOR is deactivated. The activity of mTOR is sensitive to the concentration of L-leucine, and when the concentration of the amino acid in the body rises it informs mTOR that the protein in the diet is sufficient to manufacture skeletal muscle tissue, and so mTOR s activated.

Exactly how this is done is unknown, but is a fact the mTOR depends upon both L-leucine concentration and also ATP levels. This amino acid also decreases catabolism through a number of different mechanisms, one of which involves increasing insulin levels.

In fact, when insulin and L-leucine levels increase at the same time, there is a synergy that promotes the synthesis of new protein. Not only that, but the response of insulin to the presence of carbohydrates is enhanced, this resulting in an enhancement of your body's metabolism.

The amino acid can also be used to help those suffering from kidney and liver problems because it increases liver protein synthesis. It is therefore a useful adjunct both to diabetics and those suffering from liver and kidney disease.

However, because L-leucine is an essential amino acid with so many important properties, a deficiency can have specific consequences. Catabolism has been stated earlier as one such reaction to a deficiency, and others include decreased energy levels and irregularities in the levels of blood sugar.

Everything about this substance is not good however, and when taken by itself in excess, it can reduce the amount of the other amino acids in the blood, particularly of the other two branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). This in turn upsets the balance of amino acids, and reduces further the ability of the body to produce muscle tissue until a balanced supplement is taken.

Leucine also helps to maintain the nitrogen balance. It is essential for the human body to maintain a positive nitrogen balance, and L-leucine supports this. In fact, one study has demonstrated that after 12 hours inFusion with L-leucine, nitrogen balance was improved by as much as 23%.

A supplement alone is not always sufficient to maintain a positive nitrogen balance. It is generally essential that you rest your body for a sufficient length of time to allow protein to be generated. If you don't take the required amount of rest, a surplus of protein could be used to maintain energy levels rather than replace lost protein and maintain a good nitrogen balance.

A positive nitrogen balance is essential for the generation of muscle tissue, such as in bodybuilding for example, since all proteins contain nitrogen and the net nitrogen intake must exceed the excretion rate. Not in gaseous form, of course, but in the intake of amino acids and proteins. The more positive your nitrogen balance is, the faster you will recover after exercise. It is essential for anabolic exercise.

L-leucine, therefore, is a supplement that can help to maintain your current muscle mass while undergoing strenuous exercise, in addition to increasing it while resting. It offers other health benefits, one being helping to maintain clarity of thought in the aged. However, it is for its effect on muscular build-up and the athletic edge that provides that the supplement is most commonly taken.

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Date: March 26, 2009 03:13 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Passion Flower

Passion flower has been long known and appreciated for its nervine abilities. The Aztecs used this herb as a sedative as well as for pain. From 1916 until 1936, it was listed in the National Formulary as a sedative. During the early twentieth century, passionflower was included in many over-the-counter sedative and sleep aids. Today, passionflower is available as an over-the-counter sedative in Germany. It is also used in many German homeopathic medicines to treat pain, insomnia, and nervous restlessness. Professional herbalists use passionflower today in combination with other calming herbs to help treat insomnia, tension, and other health problems that are related to anxiety and nervousness.

Passion flower is a perennial climbing vine that grows to a length of nearly ten meters. Each leaf on the passionflower has petals that vary in color from white to pale red. It possesses a fruit that is orange-colored, multi-seeded, and egg-shaped. This fruit is edible, containing a sweetish yellow pulp. According to folklore, the passionflower was given its name because it resembles the crown of thorns worn by Jesus during the crucifixion.

Recent research on passion flower has concluded that it is also useful for insomnia, fatigue, spasms, and nervous tension. The majority of the research done on this herb has focused on its sedative action and found good results. Studies have even found that an extract of passionflower can reduce locomotor activity and prolong sleeping. Some additional tests indicate that this herb has pain reliving abilities as well as sedative effects. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties which make it useful for those who are suffering from arthritis.

This plant contains passiflorine, which is thought to be the active ingredient, as its principles are similar to that of morphine. This herb is even occasionally referred to as the nonpoisonous, safe opium of the natural physician. It is extremely soothing to the nervous system. It is a good way to treat hysteria, anxiety, and hyperactivity. This herb possesses the ability to depress the central nervous system and also lower high blood pressure. Herbal combinations that contain valerian and passionflower are considered to be very useful as a natural tranquilizer. Additionally, passionflower contains calcium and magnesium, both of which are essential for the nervous system. This herb has been proven safe for both children and the elderly.

Passion flower remedies are made from either fresh or dried flowers as well as other ground parts of the plant. Whole and raw plant materials are used. The flowering shoots, which grow 10 to 15 centimeters above the ground, are harvested after the first fruits have matured. They are then either air-dried or hay dried. Passion flower is available as an inFusion, tea, liquid extract, or tincture. For adults taking an inFusion, the recommended amount is 2 to 5 grams of dried herb three times a day.

Fluid extracts should be taken three times a day, using about 10 to 30 drops, while a tincture should also be taken three times a day using 10 to 60 drops. For children, the recommended adult dose should be adjusted to account for the child’s weight. Since most herbal dosages for adults are calculated on a 150 pound adult, a child who weighs 50 lbs should receive an appropriate dose of passionflower of 1/3 of an adult dosage. Generally speaking, passionflower is considered to be safe and nontoxic. Passionflower should not be taken if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Passion flower can be found at your local and internet health food store and available in capsule, tablet, and powder form. When looking to purchase this supplement, stick with name brands such as Solaray and Source Naturals. Name brand companies back their product for any reason and put in pure quality ingredients in each bottle.

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Date: December 19, 2008 09:54 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Cat's Claw Bark

We are currently living in a time when vital health issues that greatly affect our families are a huge concern. Cat's claw has been shown to offer a huge array of therapeutic actions, as it is currently drawing a huge amount of attention in health-care. Because cat's claw has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral capabilities, it is currently being widely used in Europe for the treatment of cancer, aids, arthritis, and several other degenerative diseases.

Cat's claws emergence could not have been better timed, as many people feel that the war on cancer is being lost, with new potentially fatal viruses continuing to evolve and the over-prescription of antibiotics making us even more vulnerable to infection. Recently, taking supplements such as cat's claw is becoming more of the rule than the exception.

It is safe to say that almost all of us want to know how to reduce our risk of cancer, protect ourselves from toxins and pollutants, boost our immune system to fight off new viral strains and bacterial diseases, and prevent premature aging and degenerative diseases. Additionally, many of us have found that treating the disease after the fact is much less desirable than the protecting our immune systems, as a well-nourished and healthy immune system can keep us from developing diseases, including cancer. Cat's claw has the ability to fortify immunity, works to scavenge free radicals, and eases inflammation.

Cat's claw was traditionally used by Peruvian natives in a variety of applications. They apply its leaves for headaches, use teas for infections including influenza, and have placed plants in antipyretic baths for fevers. Additionally, gargles are used frequently and poultices of the boiled crushed bark have been applied to affected areas. Peruvian tribal medicine has also vigorously rubbed inFusions of the raw bark on parts of the body, such as the limbs. The vines of cat's claw are often macerated with a pestle or stems are allowed to stand in water for several hours. In Peruvian culture, snuffing or smoking the dried leaves or bark occurs on occasion. Also, enemas are used in some regions of the tropical South America, but they are relatively rare in the Amazon.

Cat's claw can be taken in many forms including a dried, powdered form that is usually available in gelatin capsules; compressed tablets; a decoction or tea; or a liquid suspension that are in the form of gels or extracts, which can often be taken in soft gelatin form. Some experts seem to think that cat's claw extracts have not yet proven their potency and therefore, they recommend taking reliable sources of the plant which use the inner bark of the vine. The alkaloid content of some plants can vary significantly because of many different factors, so only reputable sources of cat's claw are recommended to be purchased.

Many studies that have taken place in Europe have shown that cat's claw has extremely low toxicity, even when it is taken in large doses. Anyone who has had a transplant or any pregnant or nursing women should not take cat's claw. Taking cat's claw can potentially cause diarrhea or adjust bowel consistency in some people.

If one is looking for a immune boosting herb from the Amazon look no further, cat's claw can help the sick get well and keep the healthy person free from disease by boosting the immune system.

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Date: June 13, 2008 12:18 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Pain Relief

DL-Phenylalanine has been found to work in conjunction with the body’s natural ability to relieve pain. It helps to lengthen the lifespan of the chemicals in the brain that ease pain. It is especially effective in relieving pain from arthritis and aching muscles.

Some chronic pain can be treated with DL-phenylalanine through the stimulation of nerve pathways in the brain that control pain. Enhanced pain relief has been discovered when D-phenylalanine is used in conjunction with prescribed pain killers. This manufactured form of phenylalanine is used to block an enzyme in the nervous system that increases pain signals. The interruption of pain signals allows the healing mechanisms of the body to begin working faster.

DL-Phenylalanine is a chemical combination of half L-phenylalanine and half D-phenylalanine. L-Phenylalanine is the natural form of phenylalanine found in proteins all over the body. It is found in foods like beef, poultry, pork, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, nuts, seeds and certain soy products. D-Phenylalanine is a synthesized form of the chemical, which means it is produced in a laboratory.

Phenylalanine as an Amino Acid:

Amino acids perform various major functions in the body. They assist in fulfilling the body’s basic needs from minerals and vitamins. They can act as neurotransmitters, which carry signals to and from the brain. They also aid in other parts of the body for communication between nerve cells.

Phenylalanine is one of the essential amino acids found in protein. This means it is required for human health, but cannot be manufactured by the human body. Therefore it has to be supplied through food consumption. It can also be found and taken in the form of powder, capsule, tablet or a topical cream. In the body, phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine, which is another amino acid needed to make protein. It is also needed to make certain brain chemicals and thyroid hormones. Phenylalanine deficiency signs include:

* ConFusion
* Decreased alertness
* Lack of energy
* Diminished appetite
* Decreased memory

Phenylalanine Warnings:

A rare disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) happens in humans who are missing the enzyme required to metabolize phenylalanine. Symptoms of this disorder tend to appear between the ages of 3-6 months. These include:

* Eczema
* Developmental delay
* Abnormally small head circumference
* Hyperactivity

If PKU is not treated within the first three weeks of life, it can cause severe and irreversible mental retardation. Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid taking phenylalanine as a supplement in any form. DL-Phenylalanine may cause hyperactivity, jitteriness and anxiety in children.

Phenylalanine is the major ingredient in the artificial sweetener known as aspartame. Products containing this sweetener are required by law to carry warnings on their labels for phenylketonurics. People who have PKU can be severely injured by ingesting the sweetener. Products containing this artificial sweetener include diet sodas, sugarless gums and some sugar substitutes. Some sugar-free versions of Jello, puddings, ice creams, candies and various other items also contain aspartame.

Other Phenylalanine Uses:

Some individuals have reported that taking DL-phenylalanine has improved their mood and aided in treating depression. This is the result of a higher rate of production of the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals, when out of balance, cause depression, stress and frustration. Elevation of the levels of these chemicals have an anti-depressant effect in the body.

One study suggests that D-phenylalanine has been shown to improve some symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. These include: depression, rigidity, walking problems and speech problems.

The combination of L-phenylalanine and UVA radiation may be used to treat the symptoms of vitiligo. This condition involves de-pigmentation (white patches) of skin. The use of L-phenylalanine may help to re-pigment these patches, but further study is necessary.

DL-Phenylalanine has many uses and benefits if taken correctly. As with any new dietary supplement, consult your physician before beginning a new routine.

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Date: April 25, 2008 02:27 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Oregano oil hi in Carvacrol

VitaNet ®, LLC is pleased to distribute Nature’s Answer Oil of Oregano—one of the finest quality oregano oils available today. Nature’s Answer offers you a concentrated oil of true oregano, Origanum Vulgare, steam-distilled in a base of extra virgin olive oil. There is a lot of conFusion about oregano, because many plants throughout the world are called oregano. For example, marjoram (origanum marjorana) is a close cousin to true oregano, and Spanish and Mexican oregano are actually different plant species. It is important to be aware of these differences, because only Origanum Vulgare contains high amounts of the active ingredient, carvacrol. This is the exact species that Nature’s Answer uses in its products.

It takes approximately 200 pounds of oregano to produce two pounds of Nature’s Answer Oregano Oil. This highly concentrated form yields a quality plant product, retaining all the important volatile oils intact, true to Nature’s Answer’s philosophy of maintaining the plant’s Holistic Balance.

Holistic Balance guarantees that the natural constituents of our herb products are in the same synergistic ratio as those found in the plant; an herb of this type reflects the natural balance of the plant, and all of its many micronutrients.

Oregano is rich in nutrients including vitamin A and C, niacin, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, copper, boron, and manganese. It also contains the active chemical constituents, thymol and carvacrol. These components have shown strong activity in protecting cells against foreign organisms.

The protective properties of oregano have been recognized by traditional herbalists throughout history as well as supported by modern scientific research. Oregano is also a powerful antioxidant, offsetting the adverse effects of free radicals on out bodies. Oregano oil has been shown in scientific studies to support intestinal, digestive and respiratory health and can also be used topically for minor skin irritations.

Each four-drop dose of Nature’s Answer Oil of Oregano provides 13mg of oregano oil, which is guaranteed to contain a minimum of 7mg of carvacrol. Nature’s Answer Oil of Oregano liquid and its high quality oregano oil in softgel form are always on deal at VitaNet ®, LLC Health Food Store.

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Date: April 07, 2008 01:05 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Ubiquinol Reduced CoQ10

Ubiquinol, which is the reduced from of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), has been recently added to the supplement offerings of many companies and has generated a lot of conFusion along with its excitement. As a supplement, ubiquinol is somewhat new, but as a critical part of human metabolism, our knowledge of ubiquinol goes back to the discovery of CoQ10. Although CoQ10 is often thought of as a “static” nutrient in the context of nutrition, it actually interchanges between two useful states: the oxidized ubiquinone, and the reduced ubiquinol.

Coenzyme Q10 is a member of a family of important biological compounds which are referred to as ubiquinones. It is a lipophilic, water-insoluble substance, which takes part in a large array of biochemical oxidation and reduction reactions. It was first identified in 1957 as an essential component of the energy production system in cells. CoQ10 and other members of the ubiquinone family have, since then, been identified as critical metabolic compounds in a range of aerobic organisms. Because of its crucial role in metabolism, humans have the ability to make their own CoQ10, although small amounts can be obtained through diet and as supplements.

In humans, CoQ10 is found in each cell in the body, but is particularly abundant in tissues which have large energy requirements such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and skeletal muscles. Smaller amounts can be found in the brain, lungs, and intestines. There are also substantial amounts that can be found in circulation, which are most often associated with lipoprotein particles. In total, CoQ10 in a normal adult has been estimated to be between 0.5 and 1.5 grams. Inside cells, about half of the CoQ10 is found within the mitochondria, where the final steps of CoQ10 production occur.

CoQ10 which is not located in areas of the cell and are not charge with producing cellular energy can amount to about 50-60 percent of the total CoQ10 pool. CoQ10 can be found throughout cell membranes and in other cellular structures such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, and endoplasmic reticulum. Some experimentation has also concluded that, while the final steps of CoQ10 production occur in the mitochondria, it can be exported to other sub-cellular locations.

While participating in various oxidation and reduction reactions, CoQ10 is cycled between two stable states: a fully oxidized form referred to as ubiquinone, and a fully reduced form called ubiquinol. CoQ10 cycles through these oxidated/reduced forms in order to achieve its metabolic goals. The cycle of CoQ10 is simple. Ubiquinone picks up electrons and then becomes ubiquinol. Ubiquinol then release its electrons and becomes ubiquinone again. Therefore, it would seem that CoQ10 has a very simple function of moving electrons, as the transfer of electrons is a fundamental step in the production of energy, the regeneration of antioxidants in cell membranes, and the construction of other important biological molecules. Each cell that is in the body needs a source of energy in order to survive. Therefore, sugars, fats, and amino acids are broken down in order to make energy.

In the mitochondria, CoQ10 is abundant, as it carries electrons to aid in the chemical reactions that burn cellular fuel and produce chemical energy to form ATP. Since substantial amounts of ATP are needed to power our cells, the importance of CoQ10 in human metabolism is easily understood. Both forms of CoQ10 are needed to transfer electrons between energy-producing reactions. Outside of the mitochondria, CoQ10 performs a slightly different role as a membrane and antioxidant. About half of the human body’s total CoQ10 pool may be functioning in this capacity. CoQ10 is one of the major antioxidant elements of the LDL particles and is also one of the first to be depleted when LDL is subjected to oxidation.

A discussion of CoQ10 would not be complete without mentioning its documented health benefits. Supplemental CoQ10 has been the subject of a lot of studies over the last half century, especially in applications for cardiovascular health. Many studies have shown benefits of CoQ10 in patients who are diagnosed with chronic heart failure, exercise-induced angina, hypertension, or those who have recently experienced infarction. There is also early evidence showing that CoQ10 may protect the heart from damage during chemotherapy, bypass surgery, or in diabetes. Aside from its cardiovascular uses, CoQ10 has been studied for its benefits in other conditions involving dysfunctions in cellular energetics, neurological degeneration, or oxidative stress damage. Although the clinical evidence for the potential benefit of CoQ10 in many of these applications shows promise, the variability in study outcomes proves it necessary to further research these areas for a more definite answer.

As we have previously seen, CoQ10 functions by cycling between two stable forms, ubiquinol and ubiquinone. This cycle results in the generation of cellular energy and the protection of membranes and lipids from oxidation. Dietary or supplemental CoQ10 also takes part in this cycle. Supplemental ubiquinol may have a distinct advantage over ubiquinone in its facility of absorption. Like many fats and lipophilic nutrients, CoQ10 is usually taken up by the intestinal electrolytes, packaged into lipid particles, and then released into the lymphatic system. From there, these particles are transferred into circulation where they are free to be transported throughout the body as needed.

The absorption of dietary CoQ10 is actually quite poor since it has limited solubility in lipids and depends on other contents of the gut. Some studies have measured that absorption is as low as 2-3 percent of the total dosage. One of the most thrilling consequences of the development of a stabilized dosage form of ubiquinol is its ability to be absorbed more efficiently than ubiquinone. There is evidence that CoQ10 must be reduced in intestinal enterocytes before the release into the lymphatic system. This, paired with absorption/reduction, may be a rate-limiting step of CoQ10 assimilation.

Dietary ubiquinol avoids this reduction reaction, and is directly available for absorption, which explains why ubiquinol-based CoQ10 supplements exhibit enhanced bioavailability over ubiquinone supplements. Preliminary studies in humans have shown that absorption of ubiquinol is at least double the absorption of ubiquinone. Comparisons of blood levels between trials also estimate the improvement in absorption to be significantly higher. Future studies are necessary to more accurately determine ubiquinol’s enhanced absorption, and what effect the patient age or medical condition may have on these results.

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Date: January 30, 2008 10:37 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Artichoke Promotes Healthy Fat Digestion and Metabolism

In discussing the health benefits of the artichoke, and the way it promotes healthy fat digestion and metabolism, we are talking here about the true artichoke: the globe artichoke. The alternative Jerusalem artichoke is not an artichoke at all, but a member of the sunflower family. The globe artichoke is a type of thistle.

It is in fact a perennial thistle that originated in the Mediterranean area and is now cultivated world wide. The edible portions are the lower parts of the bracts and the base of the buds, known as the heart while the inedible portion in the center of the bud is known as the ‘choke’. Globe artichokes were introduced to the USA in the 19th century by French and Spanish immigrants who settled in Louisiana and California respectively. Contrary to popular opinion its name did not come from the ‘heart’ and the ‘choke’, but from the Arabic for ground thorn: ‘ardi shauki’.

In today’s world of fast foods, a high consumption of fats and red meat and excessive alcohol consumption, your liver is put under a great strain. Its main function is as a chemical factory, to produce the chemicals, such as enzymes and other proteins, needed to maintain life and also to metabolise the nutrients we need from the food we eat. If you overtax your liver it will not work as it should, which results in poor digestion and assimilation of the nutrients in your food and an increase in the toxins in your blood.

You will feel tired and run down, with digestion problems and many other health complaints. Liver abuse can result in malnutrition, which also results in cirrhosis which is not curable. You should seriously appraise your diet, and identify the eating and drinking habits that are causing the problem, and give your liver a rest. Artichoke extract is a great liver tonic, and your liver will respond well to a break from alcohol and fatty foods, and a course of artichoke leaves and extract.

The main active ingredient of the artichoke is cynarine (1,5-dicaffeylquinic acid), a substance that stimulates the production of bile, and hence renders the artichoke an excellent starter for any meal. This is yet another example of science finding a logical reason for people eating artichokes for centuries in order to promote the health of their liver and digestive system. It is not only for its cynarine content that the globe artichoke is useful, however, but also the luteolin and chlorogenic acids that it contains.

The stimulation of bile production by the cynarine is one the more important of the effects of artichoke on your well being. Bile emulsifies fats and renders them into an easily digested form. Most of the digestive chemicals are water soluble, and without this emulsification of the fat with water then most of the fats we consume would pass through the body unchanged. We would the vats majority of the fat soluble nutrients in our food, including vitamins A, D, E and K.

Bile enables us to digest fats and to absorb vitamins from our food, and also promotes the general health of our digestive system. It is biosynthesized in the liver from various enzymes and triglycerides and then stored in the gall bladder until needed. Its use is prompted by the presence of fats in the system, and this is stimulated by the cynarine in the artichoke leaves.

Its ability to improve bile flow has been recognized by scientist’s world wide, and artichoke juice has been used by the French for many years as a liver tonic. However, it is not just for the liver and the digestive system that artichokes are useful in maintaining good health. They also have an effect on the cholesterol levels in your blood. This is believed to be due to the inhibition of the activity of enzyme HMG CoA Reductase that helps the liver to generate cholesterol. Inhibiting the activity of this enzyme reduces the amount of cholesterol produced.

This can have the effect of reduced the possibility of you developing atherosclerosis, a condition caused by deposition of low density lipid (LDL) cholesterol through the effect of free radical oxidation of the lipid. The less cholesterol to be transported by your blood, then the lower levels of the low density lipid needed to do this. This effect is also possibly due to the fact that bile is formed from cholesterol and triglycerides, and so stimulated bile production would possibly leave less cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Artichoke also possesses antioxidant properties that would contribute even further to this effect by preventing the oxidation of the LDL by free radicals. These free radicals, formed in the body both naturally and by the effects of pollutants such as pesticides, cigarette smoke and traffic fumes, are destroyed by antioxidants. In atherosclerosis the LDL lipids are oxidised and deposited under the surface cells of the blood vessels, and are then digested by certain blood cells forming a hard fatty deposit that can eventually block the arteries affected.

The result can be a heart attack or a stroke, depending on where in the body the blood vessels are affected, and if the cholesterol levels in the body are decreased through it being used to produce bile, then the concentration of LDL lipids used to transport it will also be reduced and the condition will be less likely to occur..

Apart from the liver, the gall bladder is also given a boost by artichoke because that is where bile is stored, and a regular flow to and from the gall bladder maintains its health. The only thing you should be aware of if is that if you are prone to gallstones then the increase in bile flow could cause the stones to be stuck in the bile duct. You should therefore refer to your physician before embarking on a course of artichoke extract if you have a propensity to develop gallstones.

Apart from the phytonutrients already discussed, the globe artichoke also contains a good supply of fiber and minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus, and also some trace elements that your body needs. It is therefore more than just a bile stimulant, but provides a wide range off essential nutrition to your body. It is know to aid conditions such as gout, high blood sugar, and digestive complaints such as flatulence, bloating and abdominal cramps.

Apart from cooking and eating the tender parts of the leaves, or bracts, you can make an inFusion of the parts that you don’t eat. Chop up the tougher leaves and pour boiling water over them as if making tea. Leave it to infuse for a few minutes and then drink. Honey can be used to take away the bitter taste; honey rather than sugar due to its greater nutritional content.

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Vitanet ®

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Date: June 22, 2007 05:07 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Exotic Herbs From The Amazon Basin

Although many traditional herbal medicines have yet to find complete scientific corroboration in the West, it follows logically that people wouldn't use an herbal product for centuries if it didn't work.

Many of the popular herbs we all recognize as having great health benefits were only recently considered pretty exotic. Even green tea - a staple in China for centuries -has only lately gone main stream.

So it will likely be with herbs from the Amazon basin and its environs. The Amazon basin is one of the most bountiful environments on the planet. Explorers and botanists from the West have looked to this region for generations for the "next big thing." Of course, in many cases, the "next big thing" has already been in use for centuries.

In this issue of Ask the Medicine Hunter, we're going to look at some energizing and life- stimulating herbs that also happen to have great antioxidant properties, too. Best yet, many of them are available to us here from companies that practice fair trade policies.

Let's take a look at some of the herbal powerhouses coming out of the Amazon (and its nearby neighborhoods):

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) has been cultivated for a long time at least 2000 years. Related to brassica family plants like radishes, mustard and cabbage, its foliage does actually look somewhat radish-like, but grows close to the ground.

Maca is cultivated by the Andean people in Peru's central highlands, and contains a plethora of beneficial compounds that enhance overall health and vitality. The tradition of cultivating maca is an old one some strains have been found in Incan sites that date from 1600 B.C. During early European colonization, maca was used by the local native culture as a form of currency, much of the way cocoa was used by the Aztecs, further north in pre-Columbian Mexico.

Maca thrives in high altitudes - between 10,000 and 16,000 feet. The harsher the conditions, the better it grows, or so it seems. In fact, efforts to grow the plant in Central Europe haven't been as successful - maca seems to enjoy its home turf the best. In Peru, maca is a popular and beloved nutrient-packed superfood, and is commonly powdered and mixed into drinks at roadside stands throughout the Andes.

Q. I've heard of maca being used for healthy libido - are there any other benefits?

A. Maca is a natural energizer, and although it is recognized for it's libido enhancing abilities, it has other uses, too, acting as an adaptogen - similar to rhodiola or ginseng. In fact, in South America, maca is known as "Peruvian Ginseng." Though maca is not ginseng at all, some of the benefits of both plants are similar.

In any event, maca is recommended for boosting the immune system, menopause support, and hormonal balance in general. For daily use, maca is most recognized as a great source of energy and all-day endurance. Alkaloids from maca root may be partially responsible for both maca's energizing and libido boost. Research shows that maca affects the hypothalamic-pituitary (HPA) axis - boosting energy and overall aphrodisiac prowess in men and women. Maca contains novel compounds called macamides and macaenes, which have been proven in animal studies to significantly enhance energy, stamina and sexual function reasons people have been so consuming maca for 2000 years.

There are other serious reasons why maca is such an excellent plant. One group of compounds in maca is the isothiocyanates-aromatics constituents that are responsible for the "hotness" of mustards and radishes - fellow members of the brassica family. Isothiocyanates from other members of the brassica family may reduce the risk of breast and stomach cancer. Although the same constituents specifically from maca haven't beentested, it's plausible that they could have the same effects.

Q. I've heard a little about guarana extracts - is it just caffeine?

A. Guarana is widely loved for its mild stimulating effect, which is due to caffeine. But this is by no means this Amazonian herb's sole beneficial compound. Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is so logically ingrained in the culture of Brazil that it's practically a rival (actually out-sells) Coca-Cola in its soft-drink form. Like many other indigenous herbs, guarana was in use locally well before European settlement. Its Latin name comes fromthe German botanist C.F. Paullini, who first encountered the herb in the 1700s. This evergreen vine typically climbs fairly far up the Brazilian forest trees. The seed is the part that gets used. In one clinical study, guarana boosted the memory alertness of participants, even when the caffeine level per dose was a low 9 mg., as compared with approximately 100 mg for a cup of coffee. This effect suggests that other agents than caffeine contribute to a feeling of well being.

Guarana also contains powerful antioxidants including catechin, epicatechin and proanthocyanidins, which protect cells against destruction from free radicals, and impart benefits to the body's tissues and blood. The small seed of this plant is powerful in its health benefits.

Catuaba Bark:

Catuaba (Erythroxylum catuaba) is a common tree found in South America from Brazil to Peru, in the same genus as the coca plant. Catuaba contains components known as alkaloids. These alkaloids (called catuabine A, B, and C) are probably responsible for themental boost most people get when they take catuabe-based supplements or mixes.

There may be little conFusion regarding catuaba, because various species and genus typesuse the common name. As a result, "catuaba" gets bandied around a lot, and one person'scatuaba may not be the next. Read labels carefully. The catuaba I've had the best luck with is Erythroxylum catuaba.

Coffee Fruit:

One of my favorite drinks in the world is coffee, and I'm sure at many people reading thisconsider it the essential part of their morning, too.

The part of coffee that we use the most is the seed of the coffee fruit - which appears as a bright, red berry. Most of the time, this fruit is sloughed off and left behind in the process of making coffee - it's really too delicate to last long in hot conditions.

But advances in technology have tapped a previously discarded resource. Though the fruit of coffee is available in any coffee-growing economy, a high antioxidant commercial extract of "coffee cherry" is now available from the fruits of coffee plants in Mexico.

Coffee fruit has many of the attributes of other dark-colored, anthcyanin-rich fruits. Coffee fruit (also referred to as "coffee cherry") appears not to be just another antioxidant, however. Current research on this once-forgotten, former castoff shows impressive abilities to decrease tumor size, and possibly even prevent their formation in the first place. It seems that the elements in coffee berry activate T-lymphocytes in such a way that mammary tumors are shrunk or simply put on hold. It will be fascinating to see how this science plays out.

Muira Puama Bark:

Muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides) grows between 15 to 45 feet high. Native to theAmazon basin of Brazil, the dried bark has been used for centuries as a traditional energysupport. Components include beta-sitosterol, campesterol and lupeol.

Muira puama, like other central nervous stimulants has been researched lately for its ability to boost memory retrieval and protect neural (brain) tissue. Who knows? Maybe this traditional ingredient could someday be on the cutting edge of natural medicines fighting Alzheimer's, much the way green tea and turmeric are currently. In one unpublished French study of 262 men with low libido and poor erectile function, 62% experienced significant improvement after taking an extract of Muira puama for two weeks.

Acai Berry:

Acai (Euterpe acai) berry is a traditional favorite (and readily available) food source for people in the Amazon. The tree is a tall-growing palm with berries that provide - a rich source of anthocyanins, potent purple pigments with extraordinary high antioxidant activity.

Once harvested, acai fruits decay rapidly. As with coffee fruits, special processing is the surest way to make certain the nutrients of acai berry make it to those of us outside the Amazon basin.

However, these wonderful fruits not only fight against free radical damage, but help our natural digestive enzymes and boost natural immune defenses, too. In fact, current research is investigating whether compounds in acai may have a fighting effect on leukemia, too. So far, the results have been very positive.

Look for supplements made using organically-grown, fair trade acai berry. The best companies ensure that the local people harvesting acai and the communities where they live gather more than just short-term benefits. The best companies work not just to provide jobs, but better lives for generations to come.

Q. What is sustainability and fair trade, anyway?

A. Sustainability refers to a set of naturally occurring circumstances, or intentionally designed practices and principles, which ensure that all parts or members of a situation are adequately nourished to promote their healthy continuance. In current parlance, sustainability often refers to practices and programs designed and implemented to keep natural systems healthy and flourishing. Many such programs focus on environmental protection and preservation of traditional cultures. In the world of medicinal plants, sustainable practices include organic agriculture, species management, fair trade, and benefit-sharing programs.

In other words, sustainability pays people fair wages, puts resources back into their communities, and ensures that the resources that benefit us all are going to be around for a long time. It is an earth-friendly, people-friendly concept of commerce that happily, is taking root around the world.

Conclusion:

The traditional cultures that use - and have used - these ingredients for generations wouldn't have done so if they hadn't been effective. Fortunately we live in an era when formerly locally-used herbs are now available far beyond their previous range. We are also fortunate to have companies and individuals working hard to make sure that the people who tend and care for these precious resources are paid fairly for their efforts, andthat their families and communities benefit from this commerce as well.

The great thing about using traditional herbs and ingredients that have been gathered in this manner is that you know they'll be around for a long time.

--
Exotic Herbs at Vitanet

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Date: April 10, 2007 11:57 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: D-Ribose Powder Benefits!

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Date: March 08, 2007 02:39 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Oil of Oregano – The Natural Antiseptic

Oregano is an aromatic herb that grows in the Mediterranean region, and is cultivated in many areas of the world. It is a member of the Lamiaceae or mint family, a plant family recognized for square stems and opposing pairs of leaves. The ancient Greek’s original name for this plant, “oreganos”, translated to “Delight of the Mountains”. It earns this name because the fragrance that is exuded, which has been described as complex, warm and spicy. The Greeks believed that if their cows ate oregano, it gave the meat a better flavor. Today, Oregano is recognized internationally as a culinary spice. It is a popular herb with Americans, especially in the distinctive aroma of Italian style cooking. Aromatic spices have been used through out the world for centuries for both their distinctive flavor and aroma as well as for their medicinal qualities.

Oregano is rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamin A and C, niacin, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, copper, boron and manganese. In addition, the herb contains many active chemical constituents that provide beneficial support to our bodies, such as thymol and carvacrol these components strongly discourage the growth of microorganisms, as action recognized by traditional herbalists throughout history as well as supported by modern scientific research. Oregano additionally provides antioxidant activities, useful to offset the effects of free radical damage.

There is a lot of conFusion about oregano, because there are many plants throughout the world that are called oregano. Marjoram is often referred to as oregano, because it is a close cousin to the “true” oregano, and the genus and species name of marjoram is Origanum marjorana. To add to the conFusion, the plant called oregano in Spain, Thymus nummularius, is different than Mexican oregano, Lippia graveolens. It is important to be aware of this because different species have different chemical constituents. The active ingredient, carvacrol, is found in high amounts only in “true” oregano, origanum vulare, the exact species that vitamin supplement manufacture use.

It takes approximately 200 pounds of oregano to produce 2 pounds of oregano oil. This highly concentrated form provides you with a quality plant remedy containing all the important volatile oils intact, thus remaining true to maintaining the plant in its holistically balanced state.

Oregano oil is exceptional in its ability to destroy many different kinds of pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms. It has a stronger effect than commercial preparations of phenol, a well-recognized medical antiseptic. Disease causing microorganisms including bacteria, fungus, virus and parasites are involved in illnesses ranging from colds and flues to gingivitis of the gums, athlete’s foot and candida. Oregano oil has been shown in scientific studies to actively inhibit and destroy E. Coli, candida albacans and the bacteria’s that cause strep and staff infection. It has been used for diarrhea, intestinal gas and digestive problems, as well as sore throats and minor breathing difficulties in traditional herbology. Oil of Oregano can act as an immediate first aid for insect bites and minor cuts and scrapes as well as dandruff, diaper rash and other skin disorders.

Unlike pharmaceutical drug antibiotics, Oregano oil does not cause the development of resistant strains of bacteria. Although it is always possible for an individual to have an allergic reaction to any substance, there are no known adverse effects to Oil of oregano.

Try Oil of Oregano on the skin for external conditions such as athlete’s foot. A few drops can be diluted in a teaspoon of water and used to brush the gums to help with gingivitis. Due to its high concentration, suggested internal use is just four drops (Start with one drop) in a full glass of water, three times per day. Each four drop dose of Nature’s Answer Oil of Oregano provides 13mgs of Oregano oil, which is guaranteed to contain a minimum of 7mg of Carvacrol. It is also available from Nature’s Answer in soft gel form.

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Buy Oil of Oregano at Vitanet ®

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Date: March 02, 2007 11:34 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Power Plant of the Amazon

Enzymatic Therapy Amazon Herbs

It may surprise most Americans to know that rainforest plants are the original source for one-fourth of the chemotherapy medications used today. Plants offer a plethora of beneficial compounds, and rainforests contain a superabundance of beneficial plants.

In fact, plant medicines are the most widely used medicines of all types in the world. Over eighty-five percent of the world’s population uses plant and herbal medicines as their primary medicines. That’s 5.1 billion (5,100,000,000) people worldwide! While Americans overwhelmingly use synthetically manufactured pharmaceuticals to cure their ills, the vast majority of Earth’s inhabitants use healing plant medicines instead.

One of the most powerful healing rainforest plant medicines is cat’s claw, or Uncaria tomentosa. This high climbing woody vine grows at the base of tall trees in the Peruvian rainforest. The plant’s claw-shaped thorns latch onto the trees and spiral further upward, nourished by the lush rainforest environment. For over 2,000 years, the Ashaninka, a tribal people of the Peruvian rainforest, have used the root of U. tomentosa to treat illnesses in the tribe, including asthma, bladder infections, infected wounds, arthritis, bone pain, bowel inflammation, and cancer.

Q. I’ve heard about cat’s claw, but what does it do and how do I know which one is right for me?

Cat’s claw might be one of the most confusing (and most effective!) nutritional supplements available in health food stores today. One reason that it’s so confusing is there are so many kinds of cat’s claw supplements-there are cat’s claw leaves, cat’s claw bark, and even cat’s claw twigs. While each of these supplements claim to help the immune system, it is the root of Uncaria tomentosa that is proven to impart the true cat’s claw health benefits.

Scientists, who have extensively studied every part of the plant, discovered that extracts made from selected cat’s claw roots possess the healing power to treat and prevent diseases like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers and degenerative diseases. In addition, it demonstrates anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-microbial benefits.

Adding to the conFusion is the fact that not all Uncaria tomentosa roots actually contain healing properties.

Healers in the Ashaninka tribe attribute the healing properties in cat’s claw to the “good spirits” that live in the plant’s roots. The Ashaninka healers, or sancoshi, are able to actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root of the plant before they harvest them.

Some cat’s claw plant roots have the good spirits. Some don’t. If the good spirits are mixed with any cat’s claw root without good spirits, the healing power is lost. While there are no apparent differences in the plants or the roots to the untrained eye, only certain cat’s claw roots possess the power to heal. And, for a very long time, only the Ashaninka tribal healer seemed to be able to identify them. They call the good spirit cat’s claw Saventaro, or “powerful plant”.

However, scientists who were given cat’s claw roots by the Ashaninka to study in the laboratory discovered that they could “see” the good spirits, too! Using high performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, a laboratory process that identifies various chemical compounds, the good spirits of cat’s claw roots were revealed to be important medicinal compounds called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs). Research has learned that POAs provide powerful benefits for the human immune response.

Q. Why are good spirits, or POA’s, good for the immune system?

Cat’s claw POAs work to keep us healthy by directly interacting with white blood cells, the backbone of our immune system. Our white blood cells are the disease fighting cells of the human body. These highly specialized cells fight diseases we catch, such as colds and flu, as well as diseases that start within our own cells, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. There are many kinds of white blood cells; each has a specific job to do in fighting diseases.

Certain POAs help white blood cells called macrophages work faster. The macrophages’ job is to engulf and digest foreign material. This means that macrophages can ingest m ore bacteria and disease causing microbes when they are exposed to POAs. The scientists also discovered that POA cat’s claw extract increases the production of a chemical protein called interleukin that is secreted by macrophages. This macrophage-secreted interleukin (IL-1) has important immune enhancing properties. IL-1 alerts resting white blood cells and spurs them into action. It also helps make other biochemicals that are essential to an activated immune system.

POAs also help B cells. B cells are white blood cells that make antibodies that kill germs. Each B cell is programmed to make one specific antibody that is effective against one specific germ (such as a bacteria, virus, or fungus). When scientists looked at the number of B cells after they were exposed to POA cat’s claw root extract, they found that the B cells had increased significantly, resulting in an increased supply of antibodies. And perhaps most importantly as they relate to cancer, the POAs in cat’s claw root extract help increase the number of T cells, the true soldiers of the immune system. There are many different kinds of these white blood cells, including Helper T cells, Suppressor T cells, and Killer T cells. Increased Helper, Suppressor, and Killer T-cells can more effectively destroy cancer cells. Increasing the number of circulating T-cells is very important in a disease like AIDS as well.

Q. Can cat’s claw and other plants in the rainforest really cure diseases? Isn’t that just folklore?

It’s folk use and modern science combined-plants have long been known for their ability to kill cancer cells. In fact, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has identified over 3000 plant extracts that can kill cancer cells. More than 70 percent of these plants are found only in the rainforest.

Q. What is it about the rainforest that gives plants like cat’s claw these cancer killing compounds?

Most of the time when we talk about rainforests, we’re talking about the tropical rainforests. While other forests, like the old-growth temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest, also have high rainfalls and tall trees, the tropical rainforests located near the equator are where most plant medicines come from.

The Amazon rainforest in South America is the world’s largest, covering an area about two-thirds the size of the continental United States. Depending on the elevation and distance to the equator the Amazon rainforest receives between 160 and 400 inches of rain per year. The rain is spread pretty evenly from January to December-it’s always the rainy season-and the temperatures remain between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit all year.

This fertile environment continually recycles itself. When leaves fall from the trees, flowers wilt, and animals die in the rainforest-all of the nutrients are recycled back into the roots of the trees and plants. Because the rainforest reuses almost everything that falls to the ground, the plant growth is amazingly rich in alkaloids and other medicinal compounds. Researchers think these compounds and alkaloids, like POAs, protect the plants from illness and insect attacks. These are the very same compounds that protect us from disease.

Q. When the Ashaninka harvest the cat’s claw roots, does it impact the rest of the plant?

No. The Ashaninka work intelligently to keep rainforest cat’s claw plants perpetually healthy. The Ashaninka employ responsible and innovative harvesting techniques to keep the plants alive and tribal members healthy. Individual cat’s claw plants are never completely harvested. Only one third of the lateral roots are collected at any one time to allow re-growth by the remaining root. Once a plant’s lateral roots have been partially harvested, that plant is left to regenerate, and no more root is harvested from it for 10 years.

Q. Why are the Ashaninka willing to share their cat’s claw?

They are generous people. The Ashaninka see no benefit in hoarding cat’s claw for themselves alone. They also want to make sure that the plant’s healing properties continue on. As their homelands continue to be destroyed by deforestation, rainforest peoples are also disappearing. There were an estimated ten million tribal and indigenous peoples living in the Amazonian Rainforest in 1510. Today there are less than 200,000.

Since the 1900’s more than 90 indigenous tribes have died out and disappeared. Each time a rainforest medicine man or woman dies without passing their arts on to the next generation, the tribe and the world loses thousands of years of irreplaceable knowledge about medicinal plants. With them, centuries of accumulated knowledge of the medicinal value of rainforest species have been lost.

A good example of the impact of this loss can be seen in cat’s claw. When European explorers began venturing into the Amazon River basin, t hey were skeptical of the stories the Ashaninka people told them of U. tomentosa’s amazing healing powers. But when the explorers became sick with colds, flu, or other illnesses, they harvested cat’s claw root for themselves and gave the plant a try. Sometimes the explorers got better when they used the cat’s claw root, sometimes they stayed the same.

Q. Why didn’t the cat’s claw root help all the explorers?

Because some cat’s claw plant roots have good spirits-POAs-and some cat’s claw plant roots have tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids, or TOAs. While the POAs have very powerful effects in the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none of which help the immune system cells at all. All U. tomentosa plants look virtually identical, so it’s hard to tell if they have the healing POAs or non-helpful TOAs.

What makes cat’s claw identification even more challenging is the fact that plants with POAs one year will have TOAs the next. Cat’s claw plants seem to change their alkaloid chemotypes at will, an incredibly powerful accomplishment for a plant to possess. Harvesting of cat’s claw roots that contain POAs is very tricky. Unless the person gathering the root extract is an Ashaninka sancoshi. These medicine men know which cat’s claw to use; they can actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root. When scientists studying cat’s claw discovered they could “see” presence of TOAs using HPLC technology, they were able to harvest cat’s claw root extracts with POAs that consistently helps people get and stay healthy.

Q. Do some cat’s claw root extract supplements contain TOAs?

Yes they do. And buying those products will only benefit the cat’s claw distributor; they won’t help you stay healthy. When cat’s claw root is harvested from the rainforest, responsible supplement maker examine the root with HPLC to make sure that only POA roots are collected. But, this identification of the chemotypes takes significant time and costs money. For these reasons, many cat’s claw distributors don’t include this important process in their harvesting. The POAs and TOAs are simply just mixed together and sold as a cat’s claw product with no mention of any alkaloid content on the label.

Q. Why should I avoid TOAs?

While the POAs in cat’s claw root extracts have numerous benefits to the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none helping the immune system cells. Most importantly, however, when POAs and TOAs are mixed together, the TOAs actually work against the POAs. TOAs reduce the capacity of POAs to beneficially modulate the immune system.

Q. How can I be sure the cat’s claw I buy is POA cat’s claw?

Read the label of the cat’s claw root extract product you are considering buying. If it does not clearly state that it is the high POA cat’s claw, then chances are that it’s not.

Q. What do the Ashaninka receive in return for the cat’s claw harvesting?

The Ashaninka and reputable distributors of cat’s claw root extract have established a mutual and ethical relationship. Both groups benefit from the sale of the plant material. Maintaining this relationship is important for both the tribe and the distributors.

The distributors are paying a fair price for the raw material directly to the tribe. No intermediary is involved. This payment covers the raw material itself, a license-fee for the k knowledge of the plant, and a guarantee (from both sides) of a lasting relationship. Payment is also made for the protection of the rainforest. No deforestation is allowed. The area where the cat’s claw materials are processed is also leased and payment is made for this, as well.

This arrangement allows the Ashaninka to make independent decisions in how to spend this income from sale of their cat’s claw plants. They have been able to make improvements in the tribe’s water supply and in their living areas. They are also able to obtain outside medical aid as needed and provide for education of their children.

The partnership with cat’s claw distributors has created a sustainable resource for the Ashaninka. The tribe has been able to not only preserve their rainforest, but also compete financially with unsustainable income sources offered by timber and agricultural firms.

Q. Why is it important to preserve the rainforest?

The most amazing fact about these impressive medicinal plants is the vast number that5 has yet to be discovered. In fact, the rainforest’s abundance is one reason it is home to so many healing plants. Within a four square mile patch of rainforest, you could see 1500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 reptile species, 60 amphibian species, and 150 different species of butterflies.

Unfortunately, not everyone looks to the rainforest for the same reasons. Many consider its real value in board feet and cultivated acreage. The forces pushing industrial development move quickly; experts estimate that we’re losing over 130 plant, animal, and insect species every day/ That amount to almost 50,000 species a year.

A combination of logging, petroleum interests, cattle grazing operations, and, of course, our own consumer appetites are putting pressure on rainforest resources. The consequences are sobering:

• Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s land surface; it’s only 6% today
• The last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.
• Nearly half of the world’s species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.

By leaving the rainforest intact, however, and harvesting its many nuts, fruits, oil-producing, and medicinal plants, the rainforest has more economic value than if it was cut down for timber or to make grazing land for cattle. If managed properly, the rainforest can provide the world’s need for sustainably harvested natural resources on a perpetual basis. That’s what the Ashaninka are doing with their cat’s claw harvesting.

Conclusion

The discovery of medicinal plants is dependent upon healthy rainforests. When an acre of tropical rainforest is lost due to deforestation, the impact on the number of plant and animal species lost and their possible uses is staggering.

We can all help the development of sustainable rainforest industries. By purchasing renewable and sustainable rainforest products, like POA type cat’s claw root extract, we are keeping rainforests alive and well. By benefiting from the innate wisdom of the Ashaninka people we are keeping ourselves just as alive and well. By honoring the science and the sacred of the world’s rainforests, like my friend the oncology nurse, the massive wealth and diversity will be there for generations to come.

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Buy Herbs to boost health and sex drive at Vitanet ®

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1476)

Date: November 22, 2006 01:37 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Q. What is cat’s claw?

A. Cat’s claw might be one of the most confusing (and most effective!) nutritional supplements available in health food stores today-with some fairly good reasons.

First its mere name can be bewildering. Currently, there are at least 16 plants in the world that are called cat’s claw. Sometimes these plants are referred to as “Una de Gato”, Spanish for cat’s claw. While Uncaria tomentosa is the Latin name of the plant most frequently sold as cat’s claw supplements, these products vary vastly. Some cat’s claw nutritional supplements contain cat’s claw bark, some contain cat’s claw stems, and others contain compounds from the leaves of cat’s claw. All of these claim to help the immune system. However, it is the root of Uncaria tomentosa that actually contains the true cat’s claw health benefits. Scientists, who have extensively studied every part of the plant, discovered that only extracts made from cat’s claw root possess the healing power to treat and prevent disease. While it would seem that this vital understanding might help clear up some cat’s claw conFusion, not all Uncaria tomentosa roots actually contain healing properties.

To determine which cat’s claw roots do have healing properties, we have to go to the rainforests of Peru. This is where Uncaria tomentosa thrives. It’s a woody vine that’s found at the base of tall trees in the rainforests. As the plant grows, it winds up and around the tree, attaching itself to the trunk with curved cat-like claws found at the junctions of its leaves. The Ashaninka Indians, who make these rainforests their home, have used the roots of the cat’s claw plant for thousands of years to cure illness and maintain health in the tribe.

Healers in the Ashaninka tribe attribute the healing properties in cat’s claw to the “good spirits” that live in the plant’s roots. In order to obtain these healing properties, the correct cat’s claw root must first be harvested. The Ashaninka healers know which cat’s claw to use; they can actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root of the plant before they collect them. Some cat’s claw plant roots have the good spirit. Some cat’s claw plant roots don’t. If the cat’s claw root with good spirits is mixed with any cat’s claw root without good spirits, the healing power is lost. While there are no visible differences in the plants or the roots, only certain cat’s claw roots possess the power to heal. And, only the Ashaninka tribal healers seem to be able to see them.

Amazingly, however, scientists who were given cat’s claw roots by the Ashaninka to study in the laboratory discovered that they were able to “see” the good spirits, too! Using high performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, a laboratory process that identifies various chemical compounds, the good spirits of cat’s claw roots were revealed to actually be important medicinal compounds, called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (or POAs).

At the same time, the scientists studying cat’s claw found they could “see” the non-healing properties as well. Again, using HPLC, they also discovered the presence of tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (or TOAs) in certain cat’s claw roots. While the POAs have very powerful effects in the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none of which help the immune system cells at all.

And, if the TOAs and POAs are mixed together (as so often happens in the vast majority of cat’s claw products), the resulting product is useless to healing and health. The TOAs cancel out the action of the POAs, making the cat’s claw root extract ineffective. Even as little as 1% TOA content can cause POAs to lose their ability to beneficially modulate the immune system.

This means that cat’s claw supplements that contain only POAs (in other words, cat’s claw that is 100% TOA-free) from the root of the plant will provide powerful effects in the immune system.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1423)

Date: November 03, 2006 12:16 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Pycnogenol: Heart, Blood Sugar and Cellular Health

Pycnogenol (pronounced pic-nojen-all) is a natural plant extract originating from the bark of the maritime pine that grows along the coast of southwest France. Pycnogenol® consists of particularly bioactive flavonoid species and its purity is in strict accordance with the United States Pharmacopoeia. Pycnogenol® was initially developed 35 years ago in Europe. During the past years it evolved as one of the most thoroughly researched nutritional supplements, with over 200 studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Seventy of these studies were clinical with in total more than 4,000 patients. Pycnogenol® taken in dosages from 25mg to 300mg is well tolerated and Pycnogenol® was attributed “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) by the FDA.

Pycnogenol® supports healthy capillaries

The “Career” of Pycnogenol® began in Europe, where it was first used to maintain vein and capillary health. Pycnogenol® has been shown to strengthen blood vessel walls, with 15 clinical trials showing fast relief from ankle and foot discomfort. A recent study with 200 passengers on long-haul flights showed that Pycnogenol® taken before departure and again during the flight supports foot comfort and healthy circulation. Travelers typically comment that with Pycnogenol® it is much easier to put shoes on again upon arrival. Clinicians in Germany discovered that Pycnogenol® also supports healthy capillaries in the eyes. Retinal capillaries may be affected by imbalanced blood sugar levels. In a multi-center field study with 1169 subjects Pycnogenol® supported healthy capillaries in the retina and improved visual acuity to some extent.

Pycnogenol® benefits the cardiovascular system

More detailed investigation of the interaction of Pycnogenol® with blood vessel walls at the University of Florida, Tampa led to an amazing discovery. Pycnogenol® stimulates an enzyme in blood vessel walls that is responsible for generating the most important vascular mediator, known as “nitric oxide” (NO). NO triggers relaxation of the arteries and supports clear blood flow. Hence, NO is the body’s mediator for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and circulation. NO plays such an important function for cardiovascular health that Dr. Louis Ignarro (UCLA) and his co-workers received the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1987.

A number of factors, including aging, can interfere with the body’s efficient production of NO. Supplementation with Pycnogenol® for four weeks was shown to restore NO production and improve blood supply to the fingertips of elderly people in a Japanese study. Microscopic evaluation of blood vessel diameter at the root of fingernails showed an increased diameter of capillaries allowing better blood perFusion. Specific sensors applied to the legs showed increased oxygen and decreased carbon dioxide presence. Better blood, nutrient and oxygen supply with Pycnogenol® benefits everybody. Italian researchers were able to show that regular intake of Pycnogenol® helps defy muscle cramps and minor pain in athletes.

The relaxation of arteries has a favorable effect on blood pressure. In two clinical studies Pycnogenol® taken for at least eight weeks was found to significantly support normal blood pressure.

Pycnogenol® stimulated NO generation directly translates into clear blood flow. This was first demonstrated at the University of Arizona, Tucson in smokers. Pycnogenol® dose-dependently, starting at a single dose of 25mg, countered the typical effects of cigarette smoking on the blood. Also, Italian vascular specialists found that Pycnogenol® supported the circulation of individuals on flights between New York and London.

Pycnogenol® supports healthy blood sugar levels

Pycnogenol® can support normal glucose levels when taken as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle plan. A clinical investigation has confirmed the significant glucose-lowering effect of Pycnogenol®. It was noted that Pycnogenol® did not affect insulin levels. Pycnogenol® appears to facilitate previously insulin-resistant cells to uptake sugar from the blood stream by yet unknown mechanisms.

Pycnogenol® limits cellular irritation

Two clinical studies carried out in Germany this year with student volunteers demonstrated that Pycnogenol® has a potent effect in preventing cellular irritation. Pycnogenol® inhibits a molecular “main-switch” in immune cells that triggers the onset of cellular irritation in any part of the body. Moreover, Pycnogenol® was found to inhibit so-called COX enzymes, which are involved with minor pain-sensation related to cellular irritation.

Pycnogenol® sooths menstrual pain

Japanese gynecologists discovered in 1999 that regular supplementation with Pycnogenol® soothes the normal discomfort of menstrual pain, particularly during cramping. Another clinical investigation of 47 women in year 2004 confirmed the effect of Pycnogenol® in addressing menstrual pain. This year a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center field study with 116 women again confirmed these results. Pycnogenol® is not suitable for on-demand relief during menstruation. The studies show that Pycnogenol® reached highest efficacy when taken regularly for months.

Pycnogenol® helps to support respiratory health

Challenges to normal respiratory function may result from incidents the immune system perceives as harmful. Pycnogenol® offers valuable help in supporting respiration due to its immune-modulating effect and its ability to limit cellular irritation. A study at the University of Arizona found that Pycnogenol® supports clear breathing and lowers mediators of cellular irritation in the blood stream. More recently, a placebo-controlled clinical study at the University of California, Loma Linda described how Pycnogenol® supported healthy respiration in 60 children aged 6-18 years. Pycnogenol® needs to be taken continuously for prolonged periods of time for maximum benefit to the respiratory system.

Pycnogenol® is investigated in clinical trials all over the world. New findings are posted on the website www.pycnogenol.com.

Frank Schonlau Ph.D. is a biochemist who has spent nine years in medical research at the University Clinic of Munster Germany. His area of expertise covers vascular disorders, inflammation and dermatology. He has published more than 20 studies and review articles in the medical literature. Since entering the dietary field in 1999 he was involved in numerous studies on Pycnogenol® and communication of new health discoveries.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1414)

Date: August 09, 2006 03:25 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Interview on symptoms of Fibromyalgia and one mans story

Interview with Todd Williams from Source Naturals

Todd: Michael, many of us know someone with fibromyalgia, but many of us don’t know what FM is. Can you help explain the disease?

Michael: Yes. Fibromyalgia (pronounced Fie-bro-my-AL-ja) is a complex chronic pain illness that challenges patients and health care professionals alike. It is estimated that fibromyalgia affects 8 – 10 million women, men, and children in the U.S. alone. Symptoms include: extreme fatigue, sleep abnormalities, cognitive problems, difficulty speaking clearly, memory loss, brain fog, and so on. There’s also irritable bowel syndrome, restless legs, migraine headaches, neurological symptoms, anxiety and environmental sensitivities. Ninety percent of those afflicted with fibromyalgia are women. Ten percent are men. What activates fibromyalgia within a person can be anything from a thyroid condition to an auto accident, or some type of trauma or emotional stress. There is often a compromised immune system, hormonal imbalance, and even a possible enzyme deficiency. Because the stomach and intestines are made up of muscles, fibromyalgia affects the entire digestive tract. The members in my fibromyalgia support group in Santa Monica all have stomach problems. One of the doctors believes that the fibromyalgia I have to battle with daily is a result of a thyroid problem. Thyroid problems run in my family and, not surprisingly, my brother, who lives on the other side of the country has fibromyalgia as well. We correspond and share with each other what does and doesn’t work. My ten-year career as a schoolteacher came to an end due to having fibromyalgia. I lost the energy I needed to work non-stop ten-hour days. I was forced by necessity to go into early retirement. As a result, I had to find a new manageable way to live. So I then went to Los Angeles to pursue a part time acting career. Now, regardless of whether a task is big or small, I just try to do my best, one day at a time.

Todd: Michael, how did you experience the onset of Fibromyalgia?

Michael: although I’ve really had fibromyalgia for fifteen years, I wasn’t actually diagnosed by my doctor until 1996. I was very energetic and athletic while growing up. During my twenties, I first went to University of Arizona in Tucson, and then to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and later to Point Loma University in San Diego, where I received a Master’s Degree in education. I followed that by moving to Florida to teach and to spend some time with my family. During summer breaks from teaching, I would go down to Florida Keys and visit Miami for fun. I had plenty of energy up until I was 28-30 years old, when I noticed a drastic drop in my energy level. At that time, when I would exercise, it was very difficult for my muscles to recover after a workout, even if it was a light workout. By the time I was thirty, the muscles in my feet became unbearably tight. It became very difficult to stand or even walk very far. I had my feet X-rayed, and the reports would say that nothing was wrong. When I was thiry-five, I took some antibiotics to get rid of a cold and I ended up with severe reaction to the antibiotic, erythromycin. My stomach swelled up like a balloon and felt unbearably tight. This was my first experience with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I could no longer digest my food. I developed severe food and chemical sensitivities. I could no longer digest vitamin B properly. I would be in excruciating pain for several hours after eating almost anything. I had to leave my teaching position and I ended up being mostly bedridden for two years due to exhaustion and the inability to digest food. During this time I went to twenty doctors. I had colonoscopys, endoscopies, barium x-rays and thyroid tests, but the results were always indicating a normal range. I knew that I was horribly sick but the doctors and the tests repeatedly said that nothing was wrong with me. nevertheless, the doctors did provide more prescription medicines, especially antibiotics. It’s strange that not one of these doctors mentioned or prescribed probiotics in any form for rebuilding the flora in my intestines that was destroyed by the long antibiotic regimen. Eventually I would end up spending a large sum of money and going to 40 more doctors, with each helping just a little. It was a relief when I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, because it helped me narrow in on what was really going on. Which everything falling apart, it was a relief to know it wasn’t a rare foot disease, or a stomach parasite, or AIDS. I wanted to encourage men and women who are finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia to not see it as a death notice, but rather a step in recovery. In 2002, I tried something new. I went online and submitted my medical history to Dr. Teitelbaum’s Diagnosis Program, which you can find at www.vitality101.com. His incredible program spat out about 200 pages of very insightful information on what my body was deficient in. I began taking some of his recommended supplements and began to see some definite results. In spite of my poor track record with medical tests, he also recommended thyroid testing for fibromyalgia suffers, even though it is well known that thyroid tests are frequently wrong. Dr. Teitelbaum believes that many people who have fibromyalgia were actually having a thyroid problem, even though their thyroid tests come out in the normal range. I’ve had numerous thyroid tests over the years, and they’ve all been normal. I trekked back to my doctor and pleaded with him, even mentioning that there was a history of thyroid problems in my family. At first, he refused, simply because the tests said normal. I think doctors, fearing litigation, are reluctant to try a treatment path unsupported by test results. When you think about it, test ranges are really averages. What happens if your physiology falls outside the normal average? The tragic answer is: you can fall through the cracks! Finally, after much debate and arguing, I was able to get my doctor to provide a prescription for a small dosage of thyroid medicine. I began taking it immediately after two days I began to notice that the tight muscles in my stomach and legs began to loosen up. This seemed miraculous. Unfortunately, I also had some negative side effects from the medicine, so I stopped taking it. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how my body responded to such a small does of thyroid medicine. I think Dr. Teitelbaum is onto something. If you are fortunate enough to have an open minded doctor, perhaps that avenue is worth exploring. In Dr. Teitelbaum’s book, From Fatigue to Fantastic, he also advocates supplements for helping people with Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I can verify that supplements have absolutely becomes part of my program and helped with restoring my systems to their natural balance. Some supplements that really helped me are: NADH, Glutathione, L-Carnitine, Acetyl L-Carnitine, revitalizing sleep formula, daily inFusion powder and calcium D-Glucarate. Please feel free to check out the full list of supplements on my website. If you are fatigued, you should really read Dr. Teitelbaum’s book. To fibromyalgia sufferers, I highly recommend checking this list, visiting these doctors’ web pages, and trying their protocols. Thanks to these doctors and various regimens, including supplements, my health is much, much better. Most people would have never guessed I went through such an ordeal. I still have to pace myself, and not push the limits. Staying healthy and maintaining my energy is a priority, so I’ve learned not to over-extend myself. I’ve learned to say no to some projects and activities and not feel guilty about it.

Todd: Wow! That’s a lot to go through. Facing such huge obstacles, how did you keep your ship facing forward?

Michael: Well, living and healing are spiritual events. I am fortunate to have a degree in theology and I have a strong daily spiritual practice, which has helped me to survive and thrive with complications of fibromyalgia. That’s not to say there haven’t been some very dark days, but faith in God and the support of my spiritual network, including my wonderful family and friends have made all the difference. After arriving at LA, I had moved into a little apartment across the street from Warner brothers. My roommate and I had decided to start a little bible study. We invited our neighbors and we prayed for many things including for my health to improve. One of our requests was for a door to open at Warner Brothers. Within a short time, our Bible Study group grew and our home couldn’t contain all the people. A year later, the doors opened for me at Warner Brothers, and I was working on the West Wing.

Todd: that’s Great! Can we tell the folks about your new show?

Michael: My web page has a new category called, “Nutrition Show”, which will provide all the details.

Todd: Thanks Mike! For more about Mike and fibromyalgia, please visit his website at: www.captainhastings.com

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Vitanet

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1348)

Date: June 14, 2006 09:44 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Excedrin

Side Effects:

Excedrin – difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, and face; hives; liver damage; yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)l nausea; abdominal pain and discomfort; sever fatigue; blood problems (easy, unusual bleeding and bruising); black, bloody and tarry stools; vomiting; uncontrolled fever; blood in the urine and vomit; decreased hearing and ringing in the ears; seizures; dizziness; conFusion and hallucinations; heartburn; indigestion; nervousness; anxiety; panic attacks; difficulty sleeping.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1313)

Date: May 06, 2006 01:19 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Balestra and Mech La Decottopia

A century of herbal excellence

An innovative herbal extraction and preservation process developed and modified over a century of careful product formulation. Originating in Italy’s Piedmont region, the history of the Decottopia liquid herbal tonic formulations can be traced back to the 18th century. Over the years, the Decottopia tradition eventually became the trusted legacy of the Balestra & Mech brand. Their flagship product was a natural digestive aid launched in 1911 named “Fernet Balestra.”

Decottopia highlights an old, proprietary process, used to extract active components from a minimum of ten herbs and maintain them in a balanced liquid solution without the use of alcohol, sugar or preservatives!

The herbs used are carefully selected and combined for maximum synergistic effects. The actives are extracted using water and gentle procedures such as inFusion, maceration and decoction and then concentrated in liquid suspension allowing its conservation.

Today, the descendents of the formulation founders have turned an ancient herbal craft into a thriving and fully modern enterprise. Balestra & Mech is poised to bring a century of herbal excellence to the American consumer.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1259)

Date: April 29, 2006 01:58 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Perplexed about Protein? immunoglobulins to boost the immune system.

The Wellness Revolution

Perplexed about Protein?

As protein and whey powders have advanced in popularity, the conFusion about them has grown. In particular, protein processing technology has advanced by leaps and bounds; consumers are being presented with protein claims and counter-claims that are highly contradictory.

The conFusion is part of a rapid growth. Little Miss Muffet’s quiet dish of curds and whey has expanded from a minor sideline aid for weight lifters, with sales increases around to percent a year, into an explosive $1 billion a year industry, with some companies announcing sales growth of 110 percent in just the last year.

The increase in market is from whey’s expanding appeal. As new technology has made whey’s nutritive value beneficial to a wide range of consumers, more people are using whey, and whey is being added to more products. The problem is, those advanced nutritive qualities are not included in all whey products. The fantastic immune benefits, for example, apply to only the top tier of whey products.

Protein Quality

The standard of protein quality—the ability to provide indispensable amino acids—is judged on the basis of digestibility, nutrients, and amino acid composition. Whey has historically been acknowledged as on of the best sources of high quality protein.

With the increasing popularity of whey, attention on new processing methods has raised the bar on quality, and new products have greatly expanded nutritional values. What may have been an acceptable high-quality whey protein a few years ago, no longer makes the grade. Tony Lucchesi, Natural Sales Trainer at Source Naturals says, “The different processing methods have changed the entire protein market.”

He explains, “In separating casein from whey, (a process used to make cheese), most processing methods use heat, chemical modification, or pH adjustments. These all damage the native protein structure. The result is little or no biological activity in the whey product. All the low temperature drying and micro-filtration won’t help if the raw material is denatured before a protein is dried and brought to market.”

Damaged Proteins

Damaged protein may have been acceptable a few years ago, but it isn’t now. Lucchesi continues, “Animal experiments have shown that polypeptides—whole, non-denatured proteins—have greater nutritional value than protein isolates.”

Protein isolates are what is left after the pasteurization process. The protein has traditionally been “Cross cooked” out of its normal balance. “What you have left are incomplete bits and pieces of whole protein,” he says. These protein bits have only partial nutrients.

New Whey

The latest introduction to the protein category are concentrates, which are intact, biologically-active whole proteins. The entire difference is in the processing; high heat, acids, and traditional methods of separating the caseins from the whey are no longer used. The new processing preserves the nutrients of the protein. This is the method that is the basis for a new Source Naturals whey product, True Whey.

Lucchesi says, “TRUE WHEY is different in that it was designed to provide nutritional support for enhanced immune function. The entire process was designed for nutritive value. The preservation of these nutrients—lactoferrin, glutamine, immunoglobulins—give TRUE WHEY a huge benefit to athletes, children, and anyone interested in boosting their immune system.”

Per serving, TRUE WHEY offers 8 grams of un-denatured protein that includes 900 mg immunoglobulins and 190mg of lactoferrin. Its vanilla flavoring has gotten very high reviews, and it has a two-year shelf life. It appears that the bar has truly been raised in the whey protein category!

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Buy True Whey at Vitanet

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1256)

Date: March 31, 2006 06:30 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Vitamin B-1, C prove Worthy Complementary Therapies

An increasing number of healthcare experts are calling for conventional and alternative treatments to be used together, an idea supported by a growing body of research. For example, British scientists found that taking one gram of supplemental vitamin C a day for 10 weeks helped 92 adults with asthma reduce the medication they needed for symptom control (respiratory Medicine 2006; 100:174-9). Inhaled asthma drugs have been associated with severe side effects, such as bone loss, cataracts and suppressed immunity. Increasing Vitamin Intake (in this case B-1) may also prove vital to people undergoing gastric bypass surgery, an increasingly common option for obesity. The December 27, 2005 issue of Neurology reported on a 35-year-old woman who suffered numerous difficulties after gastric bypass, including fatigue, conFusion and an inability to coordinate eye movement. Her condition improved after she received 100mg of intravenous B-1 every eight hours.

Other supplement news:

Substance abuse –and the problems it causes-may be amenable to supplementation. At a meeting of American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (12/5), researchers claimed that hospitalized cocaine addicts experienced reduced desire for the drug after taking the supplement NAC (N-acetylcysteine); they said more study is needed. In another investigation presented at the same meeting, fish oil helped reduce anger among male substance abusers, possibly reducing the risk of aggressive behavior.

(https://vitanetonline.com:443/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=1&Message_ID=1243)

Date: December 21, 2005 11:04 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Phosphatidyl Serine - HEALTHY COGNITION BRAIN FUNCTION

“To the dull mind, nature is leaden. To the illumined mind, the whole world burns and sparkles with light.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

From the moment we rise to the moment we rest, our brain is in a decision-making frenzy. When we’re thirsty, our brain tells us that we need water. When we’re hungry, it reminds us that we have a refrigerator full of food. When we’re tired, it lets us know that we need to sleep, and so on. But despite the thousands of decisions we make everyday, our brain still hasn’t figured out a way to let us know what it needs to func¬tion.

Though ironic, this raises a very serious issue. The human brain, like every other organ in the body, demands nutrition - period. Unfortunately, it leaves that up to us to figure out. Thanks to notable advance¬ments in research, we’re finally learning which nutri¬ents are most important for optimal brain function. Phosphatidyl Serine (PS) is a perfect example. This naturally occurring phospholipid has been the subject of numerous studies regarding its ability to boost cognitive function and delay (or potentially reverse) memory deterioration, and suggests that PS may be able to increase the effectiveness of neural transmissions. Interestingly, PS accounts for roughly 15% of the brain’s phospholipid supply. This is enor¬mous because phospholipids play a significant role in the billions of neurotransmissions that take place every second. Yes, billions.

Brain cells are constantly communicating with one another, and send astonishing amounts of impulses throughout the nervous system. This is accomplished via neurotransmitters - chemical messengers that send and receive impulses over the synapses of the brain and throughout the body. Mentally, we’re function¬ing at our best when these cells are well nourished. We can think more clearly, recall memories with ease and operate with greater efficiency. However, a de¬ficiency in neural-nutrients can prevent these mind messengers from functioning as they should. For¬tunately, PS has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier to deliver critical nutrients and remove mind-slowing waste.

Consider this. The brain functions in the same man¬ner that a major airport does around the holidays. There are millions of actions taking place. Impulses departing, nutrients arriving, endless communication, the occasional problem and more reactions than any¬one could possibly count. There’s conFusion, delay and emotion, not to mention the endless series of transmissions that take place every second. Imagine PS as that ultra-motivated employee who shows up to work everyday anxious to expedite everything in sight. It helps neural travelers get to and from their respec¬tive gates, ensures that they have everything they need, simplifies processes that could result in breakdown, and clears isles that are cluttered with junk. Simply stated, PS is the brain’s overachieving go-getter.

PS can help us think more clearly.

It’s 3:06 in the afternoon and you’re scrambling to get to a meeting that you’re already late for. That fluster could be the result of poor neurotransmission caused by a deficiency in essential nutrients like PS. Moreover, these innocent brain-bursts can exhaust our PS reserves, leaving us somewhere hovering be¬tween frantic and sluggish. Every impulse, thought, action, reaction, movement, emotion and desire is the end result of neurotransmitters in action. PS is a major supporter of these actions. Therefore, as we increase the amount of PS in our system, we gain the ability to think and act with greater ease.

PS can reduce the adverse impacts of stress on our body and mind.

What do we do when we’re down in the dumps? While plopping down on the sofa with a snack might be an easy solution, it comes with a price. Not only does stress interfere with mood, but it can also inspire inactivity, over-eating and sluggishness. This is due largely in part to cortisol - a catabolic hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to emotional stress. Studies done to determine the effectiveness of PS on cortisol suppression have shown that it works by suppressing the hormones that produce cortisol. As a result, supplementing with PS may be able to help reduce the amount of stress related hormones that ultimately leave us singing the blues.

PS can expedite post workout recovery time.

Endurance athletes who carefully monitor their body’s response levels are increasingly turning to PS. Immediately following strenuous activity, the body responds by releasing adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) – a hormone that discourages testosterone and encourages cortisol. By limiting ACTH pro¬duction, PS reduces the amount of muscle tissue breakdown that occurs during exercise. A common misconception is that muscles grow during exercise - wrong. In fact, muscles are torn down during ex¬ercise and grow in-between workouts – hence the term recovery. During recovery, PS helps prevent the activity of growth-inhibiting hormones. This helps athletes recover faster so their gains are realized more quickly.

In short, Phosphatidyl Serine appears to be a completely safe and beneficial dietary supple¬ment that can offer a wide range of physical and mental health benefits. NOW® Phosphatidyl Serine is derived from soy leci¬thin, and includes Choline and Inositol – two metabolites that work synergistically to help in¬crease circulation and cognitive response.

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Buy Phosphatidyl Serine at Vitanet

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Date: December 05, 2005 07:07 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: The Refreshing Feeling of All Things New

The Refreshing Feeling of All Things New.

Springtime! We realize it's time to open the windows and let the fresh air in once again after a season of having everything shut up tight. More time spent indoors through the winter can mean months of recireculated air, less time spent outside, and overindulgence in holiday food. That's a recipe for toxic build-up. As you start to think about spring cleaning you will do inside your house, don't forget about the cleansing that is good for the mind and body. Decker Weiss, NMD To cleanse and detoxify the whole body, rely on Enzymatic Therapy's Whole Body Cleanse†. The National Cancer Institute recommends eating 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, yet most Americans get only 15 grams. It's clear the right amount and the right type of fiber can make a real difference in cleansing our system and maintaining regularity day by day.† Taking Whole Body Cleanse for thorough periodic detoxification and Fiber Fusion to tone and renew your system on a daily basis is a great way to greet Spring.†

A Time for Rejuvenation.

Every day we are exposed to toxins in our food, water, and the air we breathe. The natural variation in volume and variety of today's environmental contaminants is a challenge for your body's built-in detoxification systems. Toxins Come from Many Sources: Foods that may have been exposed to pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Hormones used in raising livestock.

The burning of fossil fuels in automobiles and utility power plants which can affect air quality.

Treated wastewater that flows into rivers, lakes and streams which can contain unwanted pollutants.

Whole Body Cleanse† and Simple Cleanse † from Enzymatic Therapy handle the environmental toxins you take in from the environment (like pollutants) as well as toxins that you make yourself (like free radicals), without depleting your body's store of beneficial nutrients.† Which on is right for me?

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Date: November 11, 2005 05:30 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: What is cat’s claw?

Q. What is cat’s claw?

A. Cat’s claw might be one of the most confusing (and most effective!) nutritional supplements available in health food stores today-with some fairly good reasons.

First, its mere name can be bewildering. Currently, there are at least 16 plants in the world that are called cat’s claw. Sometimes these plants are referred to as “Una de Gato”, Spanish for cat’s claw. While Uncaria tomentosa is the Latin name of the plant most frequently sold as cat’s claw supplements, these products vary vastly. Some cat’s claw nutritional supplements contain cat’s claw bark, some contain cat’s claw stems, and others contain compounds from the leaves of cat’s claw. All of these claim to help the immune system.

However, it is the root of Uncaria tomentosa that actually contains the true cat’s claw health benefits. Scientists, who have extensively studied every part of the plant, discovered that only extracts made from cat’s claw root possess the healing power to treat and prevent disease. While it would seem that this vital understanding might help clear up some cat’s claw conFusion, not all Uncaria tomentosa roots actually contain healing properties.

To determine which cat’s claw roots do have healing properties, we have to go to the rainforests of Peru. This is where Uncaria tomentosa thrives. It’s a woody vine that’s found at the base of tall trees in the rainforests. As the plant grows, it winds up and around the tree, attaching itself to the trunk with curved cat-like claws found at the junctions of its leaves. The Ashaninka Indians, who make these rainforests their home, have used the roots of the cat’s claw plant for thousands of years to cure illness and maintain health in the tribe.

Healers in the Ashaninka tribe attribute the healing properties in cat’s claw to the “good sprits” that live in the plant’s roots. In order to obtain these healing properties, the correct cat’s claw root must first be harvested. The Ashaninka healers know which cat’s claw to use; they can actually “see” the good spirits hidden inside the root of the plant before they collect them. Some cat’s claw plant roots have the good spirits. Some cat’s claw plant roots don’t. If the cat’s claw root with good spirits is mixed with any cat’s claw root without good spirits, the healing power is lost. While there are no visible differences in the plants or the roots, only certain cat’s claw roots possess the power to heal. And, only the Ashaninka tribal healers seem to be able to see them.

Amazingly, however, scientists who were given cat’s claw roots by the Ashaninka to study in the laboratory discovered that they were able to “see” the good spirits, too! Using high performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, a laboratory process that identifies various chemical compounds, the good spirits of cat’s claw roots were revealed to actually be important medicinal compounds, called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (or POAs).

At the same time, the scientists studying cat’s claw found they could “see” the non-healing properties as well. Again, using HPLC, they also discovered the presence of tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids (or TOAs) in certain cat’s claw roots. While the POAs have very powerful effects in the immune system, the TOAs have different effects in the body, none of which help the immune system cells at all.

And, if the TOAs and POAs are mixed together (as, so often happens in the vast majority of cat’s claw products), the resulting product is useless to healing and health. The TOAs cancel out the action of the POAs, making the cat’s claw root extract ineffective. Even as little as 1% TOA content can cause POAs to lose their ability to beneficially modulate the immune system.

This means that cat’s claw supplements that contain only POAs (in other words, cat’s claw that is 100% TOA-free) from the root of the plant will provide powerful effects in the immune system.

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Date: October 18, 2005 12:37 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Results of GM Foods...

In a study in the early 1990’s rats were fed genetically modified (GM) Tomatoes, the rats refused to eat them. The rats were force fed and Several rats developed stomach leasions and seven out of 40 died within two weeks.

Whats is GMO?

GMO, Genetic Modified Organism, definition Genetic Modified Organisms according to the Gentechnikgesetz (GenTG)from 20.06.90 (Genetic Technique Law) in Germany are organisms whose genetical material were modified in a way which is not found in nature under natural conditions of crossbreed or natural recombination. The genetic Modified Organism must be a biological unit which is able to multiply itself or to transmit genetic material. Examples of modifications covered by this law are DNS recombination techniques in which vector systems are used; techniques by which genetic material prepared outside of the cell is introduced directly in the organism. These techniques include microinjection, macroinjection and micro encapsulation, cell Fusion as well as hybridization procedures by which living cells are formed with a new combination of genetic material using methods which are not found under natural conditions.

Rats fed GM corn had problems with blood cell formation and rats fed GM soy had problems with liver cell formation and livers of rats fed GM Canola had were heavy.

Cows in germany were fed GM Corn died with out reason and pigs fed GM corn became steril.

The more awareness a population has on GM foods the less the population trusts these types of foods, many Americans believe they have never eaten GM foods but little did they know they eat it daily, the long term effect of this sort of foods may take a decade of more to show up, do you want to take that chance? Not me.

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Date: October 13, 2005 11:09 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Organic Life Vitamins

Peter Gillham has formulated a key nutritional step toward obtaining outstanding health and vitality—Organic Life Vitamins. This is a complete liquid multi-vitamin and mineral with some exciting pluses you won’t find elsewhere .

THE LIQUID ADVANTAGE

Liquids absorb better. Organic Life Vitamins has been designed for maximum absorption, thereby allowing your body to assimilate vital life-giving nutrients in just minutes!

Another benefit of this liquid formulation—with its delicious berry taste—is that you don’t have to purchase and take numerous pills and capsules in ord e r to give your body what it needs. And, unlike pills, Organic Life Vitamins contains no binders and fillers.

PUTTING AN END TO CONFusion

Nutritional supplements range from A to Zinc with a lot of specialized products addressing specific conditions in between.

Our belief is that good health doesn’t have to be complicated or something for which you need five graduate degrees in various disciplines in order to understand.

Organic Life Vitamins is a power-packed premium formulation that supplies the body with the essential nutrients it requires—missing as a result of deficient diets and the stresses of today’s busy lifestyles. It’s that simple.

WHAT’S IN ORGANIC LIFE VITAMINS?

Organic Life Vitamins is a complete multi-vitamin— but it is more than that. Along with 16 key vitamins, Organic Life Vitamins supplies a full range of amino acids, vital minerals and 72 trace minerals (which work in combination with Natural Calm or our Cal- Mag products).

A word about trace minerals. These are crucial to good health, a high energy level and nutrient assimil ation. They also affect the functioning of hormones and enzymes and help protect against toxic reactions and heavy metal poisoning.

All of the premium nutrition in Organic Life Vitamins is combined in a base of organic Noni juice concentrate (a story in itself), and organic whole leaf Aloe Vera juice (a well-known immune booster and, like Noni juice, another nutritional “Swiss Army Knife” with many health benefits).

HOW YOU BENEFIT

Let’s take a closer look at the vitamins in Organic Life Vitamins and what they do: Vitamin A— p romotes good eyesight, healthy skin, shiny, healthy hair, a strong immune function and more.

Vitamin B complex—O rganic Life Vitamins contains 11 essential B vitamins! The B vitamins are necessary for everything from energy and sleep to a full head of hair!

Vitamin C—necessary for a strong immune system, strong bones and healthy skin. Vitamin D—necessary for the proper formation of bones and helps calcium to absorb properly.

Organic Life Vitamins

Formulated for your lifestyle

Vitamin E—necessary for supplying oxygen to the brain, creating hormones, healthy skin, proper muscular function and more .

Vitamin K—supports natural blood clotting.

Minerals

Now let’s look at the minerals. O rganic Life Vitamins contains Selenium, Zinc, C h romium, MSM (organic sulfur), and a full spectru m of trace minerals. These minerals are essential for keeping off unwanted pounds, for a sharp mind, and for maintaining a strong immune system.

Amino Acids

An exciting plus that comes as part of Organic Life Vitamins is the inclusion of amino acids. Amino acids are the “building blocks” of the body. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria and viruses; they are part of the enzyme and hormonal systems; they build nucleoproteins (RNA and DNA); they carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity.

Organic Life Vitamins is the only liquid multi-vitamin that contains 20 different amino acids to help bring you to a whole new level of health.

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Date: October 06, 2005 10:08 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)

Magnesium is a dietary mineral with a wide array of biological activities in the body. Magnesium participates in numerous life-essential processes that occur both inside and outside cells. Magnesium deficiency impacts normal physiologic function on many levels. Adequate magnesium is a fundamental requirement for optimum function of the cardiovascular system, the nervous system and skeletal muscle, as well as the uterus and GI tract. Magnesium deficiency can affect health of the heart, bones and blood vessels and alter blood sugar balance [1].

Magnesium–Important for Everyone, Deficient in Many The average person living in a modern country today very likely consumes less than the optimum amount of magnesium [2]. An abundance of data collected over the last two decades shows a consistent pattern of low magnesium intake in the U.S. This pattern cuts a wide swath across various age-sex groups. The USDA’s Nationwide Food Consumption Survey found that a majority of Americans consumed less than the recommended daily magnesium intake [3]. Twelve age-sex groups were studied and this low magnesium intake was true for all groups except 0 to 5 year olds.

An analysis of the nutrient content of the diets of 7,810 individuals age four and above included magnesium among several nutrients where the amounts supplied by the average diet "were not sufficient to meet recommended standards" [4]. The FDA’s Total Diet study examined the intakes of eleven minerals, including magnesium, among eight age-sex groups. Data was collected four times yearly from 1982 to 1984. Levels of magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and copper were low for most age-sex groups [5]. Surveys conducted in Europe and in other parts of North America paint a similar picture. Loss of magnesium during food processing is one explanation for this global lack of adequate dietary magnesium [6].

In particular, the elderly may be susceptible to magnesium deficiency for a variety of reasons, including inadequate magnesium intake, poor absorption due to impaired gastrointestinal function and use of drugs such as diuretics that deplete magnesium from the body [7]. It has recently been theorized that magnesium deficiency may contribute to accelerated aging, through effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as muscles and the kidneys [8].

Women who take both synthetic estrogen and calcium supplements may be at risk for low blood levels of magnesium [9]. Estrogen promotes the transfer of magnesium from blood to soft–tissues. Low blood magnesium may result if the ratio of calcium to magnesium intake exceeds 4 to 1. Magnesium supplementation is thus advisable for women taking estrogen and calcium.

Young adults are not immune to magnesium deficiency. The University of California’s Bogalusa Heart Study collected nutritional data from a cross-sectional sample of 504 young adults between age 19 and 28 [10]. The reported intake of magnesium, along with several other minerals and vitamins, was below the RDA.

Glycine is a highly effective mineral chelator. This is because it is a low-molecular-weight amino acid, hence is easily transported across the intestinal membrane. A study conducted at Weber State University found this particular magnesium glycinate was absorbed up to four times more effectively than typical magnesium supplements.

Magnesium-the Versatile Mineral

The average adult body contains anywhere from about 21 to 28 grams of magnesium. Approximately 60 percent of the body’s magnesium supply is stored in bone. Soft tissue, such as skeletal muscle, contains 38%, leaving only about 1 to 2% of the total body magnesium content in blood plasma and red blood cells. Magnesium in the body may be bound either to proteins or "anions" (negatively charged substances.) About 55% of the body’s magnesium content is in the "ionic" form, which means it carries an electrical charge. Magnesium ions are "cations," ions that carry a positive charge. In its charged state, magnesium functions as one of the mineral "electrolytes."

Magnesium works as a "co-factor" for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Metabolism uses a phosphate containing molecule called "ATP" as its energy source. Magnesium is required for all reactions involving ATP [11]. ATP supplies the energy for physical activity, by releasing energy stored in "phosphate bonds".

Skeletal and heart muscle use up large amounts of ATP. The energy for muscle contraction is released when one of ATP’s phosphate bonds is broken, in a reaction that produces ADP. Phosphate is added back to ADP, re-forming ATP. ATP also powers the cellular "calcium pump" which allows muscle cells to relax. Because it participates in these ATP-controlled processes, magnesium is vitally important for muscle contraction and relaxation. By controlling the flow of sodium, potassium and calcium in and out of cells, magnesium regulates the function of nerves as well as muscles [12].

Magnesium’s importance for heart health is widely recognized. The heart is the only muscle in the body that generates its own electrical impulses. Through its influence on the heart’s electrical conduction system, magnesium is essential for maintenance of a smooth, regular heartbeat [13]. Magnesium appears to help the heart resist the effects of systemic stress. Magnesium deficiency aggravates cardiac damage due to acute systemic stress (such as caused by infection or trauma), while magnesium supplementation protects the heart against stress [14]. This has been found true even in the absence of an actual magnesium deficit in the body.

Evidence suggests that magnesium may help support mineral bone density in elderly women. In a two-year open, controlled trial, 22 out of a group of 31 postmenopausal women who took daily magnesium supplements showed gains in bone density. A control group of 23 women who declined taking the supplements had decreases in bone density [15]. The dietary intakes of magnesium, potassium, fruit and vegetables are associated with increased bone density in elderly women and men [16]. In an interesting animal study, rats were fed diets with either high or low levels of magnesium. Compared to the high magnesium-fed rats, bone strength and magnesium content of bone decreased in the low-magnesium rats, even though these rats showed no visible signs of magnesium deficiency [17]. While this finding may or may not apply to humans, it raises the possibility that diets supplying low magnesium intakes may contribute to weakening of bone in the elderly.

Maximizing Absorption––Chelated Minerals Explained Mineral absorption occurs mainly in the small intestine. Like any mineral, magnesium may be absorbed as an "ion," a mineral in its elemental state that carries an electric charge. Mineral ions cross the intestinal membrane either through "active transport" by a protein carrier imbedded in the cells lining the membrane inner wall, or by simple difFusion. The magnesium in mineral salts is absorbed in ionic form. However, absorption of ionic minerals can be compromised by any number of factors, including: 1) Low solubility of the starting salt, which inhibits release of the mineral ion, and 2) Binding of the released ion to naturally occurring dietary factors such as phytates, fats and other minerals that form indigestible mineral complexes [18].

A second absorption mechanism has been discovered for minerals. Experiments have shown that minerals chemically bonded to amino acids (building blocks of protein) are absorbed differently from mineral ions. This has given rise to the introduction of "chelated" minerals as dietary supplements. Mineral amino acid chelates consist of a single atom of elemental mineral that is surrounded by two or more amino acid molecules in a stable, ring-like structure.

Unlike mineral salts, which must be digested by stomach acid before the desired mineral portion can be released and absorbed, mineral chelates are not broken down in the stomach or intestines. Instead, chelates cross the intestinal wall intact, carrying the mineral tightly bound and hidden within the amino acid ring. The mineral is then released into the bloodstream for use by the body. Research by pioneers in the field of mineral chelation and human nutrition indicates that the best-absorbed chelates consist of one mineral atom chelated with two amino acids. This form of chelate is called a "di-peptide." Compared to other chelates, di-peptides have the ideal chemical attributes for optimum absorption [19]. Dipeptide chelates demonstrate superior absorption compared to mineral salts. For example, a magnesium di-peptide chelate was shown to be four times better absorbed than magnesium oxide [20].

Consumer Alert! Not all "amino acid chelates" are true chelates. In order for a mineral supplement to qualify as a genuine chelate, it must be carefully processed to ensure the mineral is chemically bonded to the amino acids in a stable molecule with the right characteristics. The magnesium bis-glycinate/lysinate in High Absorption Magnesium is a genuine di-peptide chelate ("bis" means "two"). It has a molecular weight of 324 daltons, considerably lower than the upper limit of 800 daltons stated in the definition of "mineral amino acid chelates" adopted by the National Nutritional Foods Association in 1996 [21].

Bioperine® For Enhanced Absorption Bioperine® is a natural extract derived from black pepper that increases nutrient absorption.* Preliminary trials on humans have shown significant increases in the absorption of nutrients consumed along with Bioperine® [22].

Scientific References 1. Abbott, L.R., R., Clinical manifestations of magnesium deficiency. Miner electrolyte Metab, 1993. 19: p. 314-22. 2. Durlach, J., Recommended dietary amounts of magnesium: Mg RDA. Magnesium Research, 1989. 2(3): p. 195-202. 3. Morgan, K.e.a., Magnesium and calcium dietary intakes of the U.S. population. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1985. 4: p. 195-206. 4. Windham, C., Wyse, B., Hurst, R. Hansen, R., Consistency of nutrient consumption patterns in the United States. J AM Diet Assoc, 1981. 78(6): p. 587-95. 5. Pennington, J., Mineral content of foods and total diets: the Selected Minerals in Food Survey, 1982 to 1984. J AM Diet Assoc, 1986. 86(7): p. 876-91. 6. Marier, J., Magnesium Content of the Food Supply in the Modern- Day World. Magnesium, 1986. 5: p. 1-8. 7. Costello, R., Moser-Veillon, P., A review of magnesium intake in the elderly. A cause for concern? Magnesium Research, 1992. 5(1): p. 61-67. 8. Durlach, J., et al., Magnesium status and aging: An update. Magnesium Research, 1997. 11(1): p. 25-42. 9. Seelig, M., Increased need for magnesium with the use of combined oestrogen and calcium for osteoporosis treatment. Magnesium Research, 1990. 3(3): p. 197-215. 10. Zive, M., et al., Marginal vitamin and mineral intakes of young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Adolesc, 1996. 19(1): p. 39-47. 11. McLean, R., Magnesium and its therapeutic uses: A review. American Journal of Medicine, 1994. 96: p. 63-76. 12. Graber, T., Role of magnesium in health and disease. Comprehensive Therapy, 1987. 13(1): p. 29-35. 13. Sueta, C., Patterson, J., Adams, K., Antiarrhythmic action of pharmacological administration of magnesium in heart failure: A critical review of new data. Magnesium Research, 1995. 8(4): p. 389- 401. 14. Classen, H.-G., Systemic stress, magnesium status and cardiovascular damage. Magnesium, 1986. 5: p. 105-110. 15. Stendig-Lindberg, G., Tepper, R., Leichter, I., Trabecular bone density in a two year controlled trial of peroral magnesium in osteoporosis. Magnesium Research, 1993. 6(2): p. 155-63. 16. Tucker, K., et al., Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 69(4): p. 727-736. 17. Heroux, O., Peter, D., Tanner, A., Effect of a chronic suboptimal intake of magnesium on magnesium and calcium content of bone and bone strength of the rat. Can J. Physiol. Pharmacol., 1975. 53: p. 304-310. 18. Pineda, O., Ashmead, H.D., Effectiveness of treatment of irondeficiency anemia in infants and young children with ferrous bisglycinate chelate. Nutrition, 2001. 17: p. 381-84. 19. Adibi, A., Intestinal transport of dipetides in man: Relative importance of hydrolysis and intact absorption. J Clin Invest, 1971. 50: p. 2266-75. 20. Ashmead, H.D., Graff, D., Ashmead, H., Intestinal Absorption of Metal Ions and Chelates. 1985, Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 21. NNFA definition of mineral amino acid chlelates, in NNFA Today. 1996. p. 15. 22. Bioperine-Nature's Bioavailability Enhancing Thermonutrient. 1996, Sabinsa Corporation: Piscataway, N.J.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Doctor's Best•1120 Calle Cordillera•Suite 101, San Clemente, CA 92673

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Date: July 27, 2005 04:17 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Energizing Intimacy - The foundation of a loving relationship is built on communication

Energizing Intimacy

The foundation of a loving relationship is built on communication.

Mars/Venus. He said/she said. Action movies/chick flicks. However you choose to characterize differences between the sexes, one this is clear: We tend to see men and women as irreconcilable opposites, people who need each other deeply yet who often don’t know how to live with one another. The stress that ensues when the love connection breaks down aches not only our hearts but the rest of our bodies as well…to say nothing of what it teaches our children about the nature of relationships.

This issue of Energy Times is primarily devoted to offering advice and guidance on how to rebuild that love connection; how committed, loving couples can energize intimacy in their relationships. You can find valuable information in stories on the incredible herbs around the world that aid and enhance libido; tips on how women can use natural cosmetics to rev up a partner’s sexual engine; and how couples can create passion in the kitchen, through mutual back massage and after menopause.

But those articles offer little help if the foundation of your relationship is not primarily built on communicating your needs and desires- whether inside or outside of the bedroom- and listening, really listening, to the other person in your life. Communication is the holistic way to view sexual health and healing because having a clear understanding with your partner about love and life is the way your relationship can truly be whole.

With our national divorce rate hovering around the 50% mark, it is clear that American adults still have an immense learning curve when it comes to talking about sex and intimacy. Sensual images and situations bombard us from books, television, films and Internet sites, yet we seem to be as clueless as ever, not knowing how to talk intelligently about intimate relationships to each other or to our children.

Part of the problem stems from the constant barrage of verbal and visual messages- whether from our parents, friends or corporate advertising- that make us incredibly self-conscious about sensuality and our bodies. Many women fight to come to terms with self-images of their bodies as not thin or beautiful enough, while a lot of men struggle to overcome fear and insecurity over their sexual prowess. Carrying such baggage around can’t help but negatively affect the way people relate in a relationship. After all, before you can share love with your partner, you must learn to love yourself.

We also have to overcome the energy flows that start getting blocked during childhood, when we learn to restrain our emotional energy for the sake of fitting in. Like water behind a crumbling dam, though, repressed energy leaks out in all sorts of extremely unhealthy ways: Anger, depression, irritability, stress- and sexual dysfunction.

Learning to Talk

According to Chris Frey, a Missouri-based psychotherapist and pet who has studies sexual relationships, our culture does a great job reaching people about the mechanics and “how-to” of intimacy and the dangers of unprotected sex, but few families or institutions talk about healthy sexuality with a partner.

“Culturally, the prevalent myth still is that loves means intuitively knowing what my partner wants,” Frey said in an interview posted on the website of the Missouri Lawyer Assistance Program (MOLAP). “People think if they have to talk, or worse yet, ask about it, then there must be something wrong with them. That’s incorrect. Instead of open communication, people often turn to innuendo, humor and guesswork. When couples break through that, the sensitivity and intimacy built as two uncertain people begin to communicate about sex builds an amazing amount of trust, and most likely, a much more pleasurable relationship.”

In fact, trust is a key part of a model of healthy sexuality developed by social worker, marriage and family therapist and author Wendy Maltz. Called CERTS, Maltz’s model requires that five basic conditions be met for a healthy sexual relationship: Consent, Equality, Respect, Trust and Safety.

• Safety means you feel secure and safe within the intimate setting. You are comfortable with and assertive about where, when and how the intimacy takes place. You feel safe from the possibility of harm, such as unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection and physical injury. According to Chris Frey, it is only when the CERTS model-what he calls “the attitudes of healthy sexuality”-exists as a foundation in the relationship that you can build on those attitudes with behaviors such as romance, affection, intimacy and sensuality. “The CERTS model is a guide for being more mature and loving in any adult relationship: marriage, dating, friendship. The opportunities to move away from shame, miscommunication, exploitation and conFusion are all present in this information. In Sexuality, CERTS is the work for an advanced course in having a healthy relationship. In life, CERTS is simply a great guide for how we can choose to interact with one another.” Once a couple achieves wholeness through communication, they can spend the rest of their lives exploring the limitless sensual possibilities.
-Steven Hanks and Lisa James

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Doctors Reject Dietary Supplement as Diabetes Treatment

Date: July 27, 2005 10:27 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Doctors Reject Dietary Supplement as Diabetes Treatment

Doctors Reject Dietary Supplement as Diabetes Treatment

(2/23) SUZANNE LEIGH c.1999 Medical Tribune News Service

Doctors say they will not be recommending a drug that has been found to improve insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics.

In a study published in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, patients with type 2 diabetes had less insulin resistance after undergoing an inFusion of the amino acid L-carnitine.

Oral and injectable forms of this amino acid _ which is produced naturally in the liver_ are already prescribed as the drug levocarnitine for patients with carnitine deficiency. The drug also is available as a dietary supplement. Makers claim it can enhance athletic performance and protect against liver, kidney and heart disease.

Unlike patients with type 1 diabetes, who do not produce insulin, patients with the type 2 variation may manufacture adequate levels of insulin but develop resistance to its effects. Insulin is essential for the transportation of blood sugar, or glucose, into cells so they can produce energy.

Dr. Geltrude Mingrone and colleagues from the Catholic University in Rome evaluated the effects of insulin and L-carnitine on 15 type 2 diabetics and 20 healthy volunteers.

Earlier studies cited in the report found that L-carnitine improved heart function in diabetics and increased the level of glucose oxidation, a process that helps cells make use of glucose. The researchers found that both the diabetic group and the healthy volunteers experienced an 8-percent increase in glucose use with L-carnitine compared with a placebo.

This 8-percent increase compares modestly with a previous study using a higher dose of L-carnitine that found glucose use was increased by 17 percent. Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, director of the New York Diabetes Center in Mamaroneck, said the study demonstrated benefits that were ``only slightly higher than marginal."

Bernstein said that he prescribed L-carnitine with some success to patients with poor circulation, but did not expect to recommend it for insulin resistance. ``If we were to see an increase of 50 percent in glucose utilization, then we might want to look at the study more closely,"

Doctors said they would continue to prescribe drugs like metformin and troglitazone for insulin resistance. Dr. David M. Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center and the General Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said he was satisfied with the safety and effectiveness of both drugs provided the patient was monitored at regular intervals for kidney and liver function.

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Date: July 15, 2005 12:45 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: THE FDA AND STEVIA

THE FDA AND STEVIA

While stevia in no way qualifies as an “artificial sweetener,” it has been subject to rigorous inquiry and unprecedented restraints. In 1986, FDA officials began to investigate herb companies selling stevia and suddenly banned its sale, calling it “an unapproved food additive.” Then in 1991, the FDA unexpectedly announced that all importation of stevia leaves and products must cease, with the exception of certain liquid extracts which are designed for skin care only. They also issued formal warnings to companies and claimed that the herb was illegal. The FDA was unusually aggressive in its goal to eliminate stevia from American markets, utilizing search and seizure tactics, embargoes and import bans. Speculation as to why the FDA intervened in stevia commerce points to the politics of influential sugar marketers and the artificial-sweetener industry.

During the same year, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) began their defense of the herb with the goal of convincing the FDA that stevia is completely safe. They gathered documented literature and research on both stevia and other non-caloric sweeteners. The overwhelming consensus was that stevia is indeed safe, and the AHPA petitioned the FDA to exempt stevia from food additive regulations.

Food Additive vs. Dietary Supplement

FDA regulations of stevia were based on its designation as a food additive. The claim was that scientific study on stevia as a food additive was inadequate. Ironically, extensive Japanese testing of stevia was disregarde—regardless of the fact that this body of documented evidence more than sufficiently supported its safe use. Many experts who have studied stevia and its FDA requirements have commented that the FDA wants far more proof that stevia is safe than they would demand from chemical additives like aspartame.

Stevia advocates point out that stevia not a food additive, but rather, a food. Apparently, foods that have traditionally been consumed do not require laborious and expensive testing for safety under FDA regulations. The fact that so many toxicology studies have been conducted in Japan, coupled with the herb’s long history of safe consumption, makes a strong case for stevia being accepted by the FDA as a safe dietary substance. Still, it was denied the official GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status and designated a food additive by the FDA.

The FDA Reverses Its Position

As a result of the Health Freedom Act passed in September of 1995, stevia leaves, stevia extract, and stevioside can be imported to the United States. However, ingredient labels of products that contain stevia must qualify as dietary supplements.

Stevia had been redesignated as a dietary supplement by the FDA and consequently can be legally sold in the United States solely as a supplement. Its addition to teas or other packaged foods is still banned. Moreover, stevia cannot, under any circumstances, be marketed as a sweetener or flavor enhancer.

SUGAR, SUGAR EVERYWHERE

Ralph Nader once said, “If God meant us to eat sugar, he wouldn’t have invented dentists.” The average American eats over 125 pounds of white sugar every year. It has been estimated that sugar makes up 25 percent of our daily caloric intake, with soda pop supplying the majority of our sugar ingestion. Desserts and sugar-laden snacks continually tempt us, resulting in an escalated taste for sweets.

The amount of sugar we consume has a profound effect on both our physical and mental well-being. Sugar is a powerful substance which can have drug-like effects and is considered addictive by some nutritional experts. William Duffy, the author of Sugar Blues, states,“The difference between sugar addiction and narcotic addition is largely one of degree.” In excess, sugar can be toxic. Sufficient amounts of B-vitamins are actually required to metabolize and detoxify sugar in our bodies. When the body experiences a sugar overload, the assimilation of nutrients from other foods can be inhibited. In other words, our bodies were not designed to cope with the enormous quantity of sugar we routinely ingest. Eating too much sugar can generate a type of nutrient malnutrition, not to mention its contribution to obesity, diabetes, hyperactivity, and other disorders. Sugar can also predispose the body to yeast infections, aggravate some types of arthritis and asthma, cause tooth decay, and may even elevate our blood lipid levels. Eating excess sugar can also contribute to amino acid depletion, which has been linked with depression and other mood disorders. To make matters worse, eating too much sugar can actually compromise our immune systems by lowering white blood cells counts. This makes us more susceptible to colds and other infections. Sugar consumption has also been linked to PMS, osteoporosis and coronary heart disease.

Why Do We Crave Sweets?

Considering the sobering effects of a high sugar diet, why do we eat so much of it? One reason is that sugar gives us a quick inFusion of energy. It can also help to raise the level of certain brain neurotransmitters which may temporarily elevate our mood. Sugar cravings stem from a complex mix of physiological and psychological components. Even the most brilliant scientists fail to totally comprehend this intriguing chemical dependence which, for the most part, hurts our overall health.

What we do know is that when sugary foods are consumed, the pancreas must secrete insulin, a hormone which serves to bring blood glucose levels down. This allows sugar to enter our cells where it is either burned off or stored. The constant ups and downs of blood sugar levels can become exaggerated in some individuals and cause all kinds of health problems. Have you ever been around someone who is prone to sudden mood swings characterized by violent verbal attacks or irritability? This type of volatile behavior is typical of people who crave sugar, eat it and then experience sugar highs and lows. Erratic mood swings can be linked to dramatic drops in blood sugar levels.

Hypoglycemia: Sign of Hard Times?

It is rather disturbing to learn that statisticians estimate that almost 20 million Americans suffer from some type of faulty glucose tolerance. Hypoglycemia and diabetes are the two major forms of blood sugar disorders and can deservedly be called modern day plagues. Hypoglycemia is an actual disorder that can cause of number of seemingly unrelated symptoms. More and more studies are pointing to physiological as well as psychological disorders linked to disturbed glucose utilization in brain cells. One study, in particular, showed that depressed people have overall lower glucose metabolism (Slagle, 22). Hypoglycemia occurs when too much insulin is secreted in order to compensate for high blood sugar levels resulting from eating sugary or high carbohydrate foods. To deal with the excess insulin, glucagon, cortisol and adrenalin pour into the system to help raise the blood sugar back to acceptable levels. This can inadvertently result in the secretion of more insulin and the vicious cycle repeats itself.

A hypoglycemic reaction can cause mood swings, fatigue, drowsiness, tremors, headaches, dizziness, panic attacks, indigestion, cold sweats, and fainting. When blood sugar drops too low, an overwhelming craving for carbohydrates results. To satisfy the craving and compensate for feelings of weakness and abnormal hunger, sugary foods are once again consumed in excess.

Unfortunately, great numbers of people suffer from hypoglycemic symptoms. Ironically, a simple switch from a high sugar diet to one that emphasizes protein can help. In addition, because sugar cravings are so hard to control, a product like stevia can be of enormous value in preventing roller coaster blood sugar levels. One Colorado internist states: People who are chronically stressed and are on a roller coaster of blood sugar going up and down are especially prone to dips in energy at certain times of day. Their adrenals are not functioning optimally, and when they hit a real low point, they want sugar. It usually happens in mid-afternoon when the adrenal glands are at their lowest level of functioning. (Janiger, 71) Our craving for sweets in not intrinsically a bad thing; however, what we reach for to satisfy that craving can dramatically determine how we feel. Stevia can help to satisfy the urge to eat something sweet without changing blood sugar levels in a perfectly natural way and without any of the risks associated with other non-nutritive sweeteners.

Diabetes: Pancreas Overload?

Diabetes is a disease typical of western cultures and is evidence of the influence that diet has on the human body. Perhaps more than any other disease, diabetes shuts down the mechanisms which permit proper carbohydrate/sugar metabolism. When the pancreas no longer secretes adequate amounts of insulin to metabolize sugar, that sugar continues to circulate in the bloodstream causing all kinds of health problems. The type of diabetes that comes in later years is almost always related to obesity and involves the inability of sugar to enter cells, even when insulin is present. Diabetes can cause blindness, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, the loss of nerve function, recurring infections, and the inability to heal. Heredity plays a profound role in the incidence of diabetes, but a diet high in white sugar and empty carbohydrates unquestionably contributes to the onset of the disease. It is estimated that over five million Americans are currently undergoing medical treatment for diabetes and studies suggest that there are at least four million Americans with undetected forms of adult onset diabetes. Diabetes is the third cause of death in this country and reflects the devastating results of a diet low in fiber and high in simple carbohydrates. Most of us start our children on diets filled with candy, pop, chips, cookies, doughnuts, sugary juice, etc. Studies have found that diabetes is a disease which usually plagues societies that eat highly refined foods. Because we live in a culture that worships sweets, the availability of a safe sweetener like stevia, which does not cause stress on the pancreas is extremely valuable. If sugar consumption was cut in half by using stevia to

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Date: July 15, 2005 09:52 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: References

ENDNOTES

1. Ritchason, Jack. Little Herb Encyclopedia. (Pleasant Grove, UT: Woodland Publishing, 1994; 208-9).
2. Diwu, Z. “Novel Therapeutic and Diagnostic Applications of Hy p o c rellins and Hypericins.” Ph o t o c h e m i s t ry - Ph o t o b i o l o gy, 1995, 61(6) 529-39.
3. Ritchason, 208.
4. Andreoni, A. et al. “Laser Photosensitization of Cells by Hypericin.” Photochemistry-Photobiology, 1996, 59(5): 529-33.
5. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1993: 8, p.21
6. Flynn, Rebecca, M.S. and Roest, Mark. Your Guide to Standardized Herbal Products. (Prescott, Az..: One World Press, 1995, 73-4.
7. Linde, et al. “St. John’s Wort for Depression — An Overview and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Clinical Trials.” The Br i t i s h Medical Journal. 1996, 313(7052): 253.
8. Lohse, Mueller et al. Arzneiverordnungreport ‘94. 1994: 354.
9. Linde, et al., 254
10. Witte, et al.
11. Jackson, Adam. “Herbal Help for Depression.” Nursing Times, 1995: 9(30): 49.
12. Ha r re r, G.; H. So m m e r. “Treatment of Mi l d / Mo d e r a t e Depression with Hypericum.” Phytomedicine. 1994, 1: 3-8.
13. Krylov, A., Ibatov A. “The Use of an InFusion of St. John’s Wort in the Combined Treatment of Alcoholics with Peptic Ulcer and Chronic Gastritis.” Vrach.-Delo. 1993 Feb.-Mar.(2-3): 146-8.
14. Lavie, G. et. al. “Hypericin as an Inactivator of Infectious Viruses in Blood Components.” TransFusion. 1995, May 35(5): 392-400.
15. Hudson, J.B., Lopez-Bazzocchi, I., Towers, G.H. “Antiviral Activities of Hypericin.” Antiviral—Res. 1991, Feb. 15(2): 101- 12.
16. Science, 1991, 254: 522.
17. Ibid.
18. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. 1994, 51(18): 2251-67.
19. Journal of Association of Nurses Aids Care. 1995, Jan-Feb.: 225.
20. Diwu, 34.
21. Schulz, H. “Effects of hypericum extract on the sleep EEG in older volunteers.” The Jo u rnal of Ge r i a t ry, Ps yc h i a t ry and Neurology. 1994, Oct., 7: S39-43.
22. Vander Werf, QM. et al. “Hypericin: a new laser phototargeting agent for human cancer cells.” Lanryngyscope. 1996, April, 106: 479-83.
23. Miskovsky, P., et al. “ Subcellular Distribution of Hypericin in Human Cancer Cells.” Photochem-Photobiol, 1995, Sept. 62(3): 546-9.
24. “Hypericin as an inactivator of infectious viruses in blood components,” TransFusion, 1995, May 35(5): 392-400.
25. Wagner, H. and S. Bladt. “Pharmaceutical Quality of Hypericum Extracts.” Journal of Geriatry, Psychiatry and Neurology. Oct. 7, 1994: S65-8.

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Vitanet ®

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Date: July 15, 2005 09:33 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: BLOOD TRANSFusionS

BLOOD TRANSFusionS

With the increasing rates of several blood-carried diseases (like AIDS), blood transFusion and blood donation rates are declining. Ensuring that donated blood is not “contaminated” by disease dictates that fewer people can donate blood, while fear of being contaminated by blood tainted by blood usually dissuades physicians from requiring blood transFusions unless absolutely necessary. Finding some sort of treatment of tainted blood would not only save money and time, but also calm fears about the possibility of being infected with a potentially serious disease through a blood transFusion. Hypericum is showing great promise in being able to treat blood contaminated by viruses. A recent TransFusion study states, Since hypericin is devoid of adverse action in most blood components and blood analyses, it is investigated as an additive with potential to inactivate infective viruses in blood components intended for transFusion. . . . Complete inactivation of 10 (6) tissue culture-infective doses of human immunodeficiency virus was obtained in whole blood and in diluted packed red cells after illumination with fluorescent light for 1 hour. Loss of viral infectivity to cultured CEM cells has been monitored by use of a detection assay for human immunodeficiency virus p55 in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and cytopathic assays. In physiologic media, hypericin interacts with albumin and lipoproteins, retaining the virucidal activity in bound form. . . . The apparent transfusibility of hypericin, taken together with the efficacy of the virucidal activity, the broad range of enveloped viruses affected, and the absence of adverse effects on stored red cells, may render hypericin useful for inactivation of infectious viruses in red cells.24

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Date: July 15, 2005 09:25 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES OF ST. JOHN'S WORT

ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES OF ST. JOHN'S WORT

As stated previously, hypericin has recently gained much of the medical world’s respect as an antiviral agent, with activity against a broad range of enveloped viruses and retroviruses. The effective virucidal activity emanates from a com-bination of photodynamic and lipophilic properties. A recent article in the journal TransFusion details exactly how hypericin works in inhibiting viral activity among cells:

Hypericin binds cell membranes (and, by inference, virus membranes) and crosslinks virus capsid proteins. This action results in a loss of infectivity and an inability to retrieve the reverse transcriptase enzymatic activity from the virion.14 Another recent study, carried out in 1991, focused on hypericin’s ability to inhibit virus activity, more specifically, in the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), Sindbis virus, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The Sindbis virus was significantly more sensitive than the MCMV virus. The inactivated MCMV, when used to infect cells, was incapable of synthesizing early or late viral antigens. In addition to the direct virucidal effect, when hypericin was added to cells infected with viable MCMV, inhibition was also observed, particularly when the compound was added in the first two hours of infection. The researchers also indicated that the effect was aided significantly by visible light, pointing again to the plant’s photodynamic property.

The study states that hypericin appears to have two modes of antiviral activity: “. . . one directed at the virions, possibly on membrane components, and the other directed at virusinfected cells. Both activities are substantially enhanced by light.”15 And there are other viruses that fall under St. John’s wort’s antiviral blanket. Contemporary research points to the equine infectious anemia virus, the lentivirus, the Sindbid virus, the radiation leukemia virus, and most importantly, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

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Date: July 11, 2005 08:50 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: HAWAIIAN NONI (Morinda citrifolia)

INTRODUCTION

In a time when we are more concerned than ever with issues of health, a tried and true tropical herb called noni needs t o be added t o our list of the best natural remedies. It susage over hundreds of years supports it s description as a veritable panacea of therapeutic actions. At this writing, noni continues to accrue impressive medicinal credentials, and its emergence as an effective nat ural healing agent is a timely one. Amidst rising cancer rates, the high incidence of degenerative diseases like diabetes, and the evolution of ant ibiotic resist ant bacteria and new viral strains, herbs like noni are sought after for their natural pharmaceutical properties. Unquest ionably, all of us want to know how to:

kidney disease menstrual

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Vitanet ®

Solaray - Ultimate Nutrition - Actipet Pet supplements - Action Labs - Sunny Greens - Thompson nutritional - Natural Sport - Veg Life Vegan Line - Premier One - NaturalMax - Kal

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LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE - Essential Nutrients to Support Your Low Carb Lifestyle..

Date: June 29, 2005 10:39 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE - Essential Nutrients to Support Your Low Carb Lifestyle..

Life Force Multiple

Taking care of your body is an especially important challenge in today’s stressful and hectic world. Choosing a low carb lifestyle is an increasingly popular way to seek better health. In fact, there are approximately 30 million U.S. adults counting their carbs right now. While effective for weight control and therefore having positive health effects, low carb approaches can also result in serious nutrient imbalances. Thus, adding the right multiple to your low carb approach is an enormously important next step for your good health. LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE, the top-ranked and award–winning multiple from Source Naturals, replenishes these nutrients and provides compounds that will help your body process the increased proteins and fats better while you are restricting carbs.

Low Carb Benefits

Restricting carbs can have many health benefits. And lowering your intake of refined simple carbs, such as sugar and white flour, can help you promote healthy blood sugar and insulin levels, which is critical for your good health. Insulin is used to move the glucose from carbs into your cells for energy. Ingesting too many refined carbs can greatly reduce your body’s ability to use insulin well, which can lead to short and long-term health concerns.

Replenish Nutrients with LIFE FORCE

LIFE FORCE contains optimal levels of many nutrients that might be deficient in low carb meals. Counting carbs can lead to restrictions of nutrient dense foods such as dairy products, grains, fruits and vegetables. LIFE FORCE contains many of the same protective antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as fruits and vegetables, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavinols, magnesium and selenium. It also contains high levels of the same vitamins found in grains, including all of the B vitamins, to support your body’s healthy energy metabolism. And it contains nutrients found in dairy products such as calcium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin D.

Support Healthy Fat and Protein Consumption with Life Force

Low carb lifestyles mean higher consumption of proteins and fats. Unfortunately, there are artery, heart, colon and many other health concerns associated with meals that are high in fat and protein and low in fiber and produce. However, the nutrients in LIFE FORCE can help you better process eating this way. LIFE FORCE contains high levels of protective fat-soluble antioxidants such as alpha lipoic acid, ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C ester) and vitamin E to protect your body from the free radicals generated by consuming more fats. It also contains many nutrients for liver health, such as silymarin, CoQ10, N-Acetyl Cysteine and turmeric to help support the fat metabolism your liver is responsible for. LIFE FORCE also contains a high level of the B vitamin biotin, which aids in fat, protein and energy metabolism.

Restricting simple carbs can do much more than help you maintain a healthy weight; it can also be the foundation for maintaining good health throughout your long life. But you need to develop a thoughtful holistic strategy for success. When you integrate LIFE FORCE MULTIPLE into your wellness plan, then you can benefit from decades of clinical research about the nutrients your body needs to support optimal health and a low carb lifestyle, long before this information becomes part of mainstream health recommendations. Join this wellness revolution by adding LIFE FORCE to your strategies for health and allow yourself to start feeling energized today!

References
Marchione, M. (2004). Eating Lots of Carbs May Raise Cancer Risk. Associated Pres. Available at com/news?tmpl=story&u= /ap/20040806/ap_on_he_me/fit_cancer___carbs . Warner, J. (2004). Have We Gone Carb Crazy? Experts Clear Up the ConFusion Over the Low-Carb Craze. WebMD. Available at ent/ Article/83/97595.htm?pagenumber=2 . Whitney, E. N., et al. (1998). Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition. Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, CA. 325-484.

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Vitanet ®

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Hoodia Gordonii - 20:1 Extract VS 1:1 Powder – The Whole Story

Date: June 29, 2005 09:51 AM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Hoodia Gordonii - 20:1 Extract VS 1:1 Powder – The Whole Story

Hoodia Gordonii - 20:1 Extract VS 1:1 Powder – The Whole Story

The hoodia landscape has been unnecessarily clouded recently thanks to the misinformation circulating about concentrated extracts and socalled “100%” hoodia powder. Most of the information is highly subjective, with no studies whatsoever to support claims that socalled “pure” powder is more efficacious than 20:1 concentrated extracts. In fact, purporting to offer 100% hoodia powder is a dubious claim at best, with some groups offering little in the way of solid evidence that theirs is actually authentic Hoodia gordonii grown in South Africa and imported to the United States legally with proper permits. Propagating the false notion that “more is better” is a risky, uncertain gamble if you’re not precisely sure what exactly you’re getting more of! At Source Naturals, a trusted company with years of experience and demonstrated excellence in nutritional supplements, we believe that nothing tops quality assurance.

Extraction – The Bottom Line

Much of the misunderstanding surrounding hoodia extracts directly corresponds to a common misperception that the word extract is mutually exclusive to standardization – a method of extraction that isolates and removes a constituent part of an herb or botanical for use in supplements to control potency. Unfortunately the ambiguity of the term “extract” in relation to hoodia products has led to uninformed claims that hoodia extracts somehow contain less essential Hoodia gordonii plant parts, which is patently false, and underscores the inherent conFusion as to how high-quality concentrated hoodia powder is actually produced. Simply put, many of the truly effective hoodia products on the market are, by their very nature, extracts – whether they claim to be or not. That is because the concentration process by which the whole parts of the hoodia plant become dried powder is an extraction. Calling it anything but an extract would be, frankly, disingenuous.

The Process

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent containing excess moisture that needs to be removed in order to make an effective, concentrated powder. The process by which that moisture is removed to yield the powder is called an extraction. This process, however, is different from standardized extraction. This process does not remove a single component from the plant; rather it separates the water from the solid parts of the plant, making a concentrated powder for a more powerful, effective product.

The End Result

The raw materials used to make HOODIA EXTRACT have not been added to, nor have we attempted to specifically extract any constituent parts of the plant to regulate potency. What we have done is taken high-quality, authentic, certified material from one of the industry’s most respected suppliers of Hoodia gordonii and held it to our own high standards of Total Quality Assurance (TQA™) in making a supplement with 20 times more functional hoodia than had we ground the plant up water and all. By putting it through stringent testing procedures in our quality control lab we have assured our product’s quality and efficacy. The Hoodia gordonii we receive is carefully scrutinized; put through High Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) analysis for authenticity, and microbiological screening for contamination, as well as other rigorous laboratory protocols.

Quality = Results

When you buy Source Naturals HOODIA EXTRACT, you can be assured that you’re not just getting an effective, natural dietary supplement, you’re getting part of an almost 25- year old tradition in providing quality products that support your good health. So before you buy into “more = better,” remember the Source Naturals edict: Quality = Results. Source Naturals – dedicated to excellence, committed to you.

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Vitanet ®

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