Entries in Articles (64)
Genetics...How big a role do they play in your Health?
The content of this article is not based on any wonderful scientific study but rather is written from a common sense point of view and personal experience.
What has prompted me to write it is the recent death of my sister who at 64 years of age was 2 years older than me.
I have always maintained that genetics are overrated when it comes to determining how long you will live and/or whether you will enjoy good health or not as you age. In fact, in previous articles I have been criticized when I have suggested that I think the influence that genetics have on your health is only about 10%. (specific genetic disorders excluded).
When I stated that figure I was referring to the normal things that people get ill and die from such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc.
The 10% figure was based on an educated guess from my own general observations. I admit that I may be well out…perhaps it is 20%, maybe 30. I don’t know and neither does anyone else. But, I do believe that many people who suffer from so called inherited diseases do so not because of their genes but because they may follow a similar lifestyle, mental attitude and diet as their parents did.
I feel very sad for those people who resign themselves to a ‘predetermined’ death or disease simply because they expect to have that problem because their mother, grandmother and great grandmother all suffered from it.
Fish oil conservation...
Quite frequently we are asked by customers about the impact that the increased consumption of fish oil is having on stocks of fish world-wide.
These questions are usually triggered after reading an article about how the demand for Omega 3 fish oil is depleting the fishery stocks. Naturally people are concerned about this.
Is it true?
Absolutely not! In my opinion the people responsible for circulating these 'news articles' are acting in a most unethical manner. Without being to direct I can say that there are interested parties who extract DHA from algae have very much a vested interest in spreading this myth.
Why do I say it is a myth?
Quite simply because the statistics support what I am about to say. I will explain.
A must read article for statin drug users!
From time to time I either come across an article that is so good and ties in with my own views that I like to share it with you. The following article by Tom Jacobs is excellent and is well worth reading. If you are on a statin drug or being pressure to go on one by your Doctor then this article should be a must read.
Cholesterol Contrarians Question Cult of Statins
By: Tom Jacobs
The near-breakdown of the international financial system and the deep recession it helped create has been attributed to many causes. Greed, of course. A lack of rigorous regulation. An everyone's-doing-it mentality in which traders took bigger and bigger risks as they search for bigger and bigger payoffs.
Now, a Florida physician proposes an alternative explanation. Perhaps many of those supposedly sophisticated speculators who believed the party would never end were acting under the influence of drugs.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs.
"There's a damn good possibility it's related!" said Mark Goldstein, who has been observing his patients' reactions to statins formore than twodecades. He noted these widely prescribed drugs can produce a wide array of side effects, including a variety of cognitive disturbances. One reported effect is an increase in impulsive behavior.
"I think it's a real issue, a significant issue — especially in the case of middle-aged and older men," he said. "Aren't those some of the people that were making some of these economic deals?"
Warren Matthews
in Articles, General Health
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Malnourished…with fruit and veges!
A reader made a comment on one of the posts in which he felt that you can get all your essential nutrients from food. As some people still believe this, which is a myth, I thought that it would be appropriate to post a copy of an article I wrote about seven years ago. The principles still apply today; in fact, even more than ever before.
XTEND-YOUR-LIFE
Issue - 21th August 2002
Malnourished...with fruit and veges? This will shock you!
This is a concept that you may have difficulty in accepting. Nonetheless it is one that I have been ‘preaching’ for years and has now been confirmed by studies showing people in the US, Canada and the UK are amongst the most malnourished in the world. This is the case in spite of obesity reaching epidemic proportions in the US. Malnourishment is without doubt a leading factor in a wide variety of health problems including cancers.
Does this mean that overweight people are eating all the food to the detriment of the rest of the population? Not at all! In fact, obese people figure prominently amongst those people who are malnourished.
I can sense you thinking... ”That’s a crazy statement”. After all, when you think of someone being malnourished your mind flashes to pictures which you have seen on TV of starving children in Africa. How can an overweight person be malnourished? Much easier than you think... please read on and I will explain.
Swine Flu - cause for concern or just more nonsense?
During this week I have watched, with some amusement, news reports about the “dreaded swine flu”.
I say with amusement because indirectly many people are reveling in it. I am specifically referring to the news media, Health Officials and related organizations in various countries along with the World Health Organization. Oh, and let’s not forget about the makers of Tamiflu - although they keep quiet and we cannot hear them rubbing their hands in glee.
Last night on the news here in NZ half of the news was devoted to swine flu and all the headlines were about swine flu. It’s been like that for the last few days.
We in New Zealand have had an extra dose of it because a group of school children arrived back in NZ from Mexico earlier this week with flu symptoms. Some of them have tested positive for the swine flu.
But they are ALL recovering well and most of them will be going back to school today.
So, why all the fuss and why do I suggest it may be just more ‘nonsense’?
Omega 3 Fish Oils - How do you really select the best?
If you are interested in preserving your health naturally, then I am sure that I don’t have to tell you about the importance of ensuring that omega-3 fish oils are part of your supplement regime.
The benefits of essential fatty acids found in fish oil have been extensively promoted by not only companies in the industry but also the government and interested organizations such as the heart foundation, as well as many others. If you would like to refresh your knowledge about these benefits please click here.
Usually when the benefits of fish oils are discussed they are generally focused around two components in omega-3, namely DHA (Docosapentaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). Up until recently most the research was focused on EPA, probably because it was easier to concentrate in fish oils as well as being cheaper.
However, over recent years more research has revolved around DHA and it is now generally accepted that this is the most valuable component of omega-3. It is the essential fatty acid that is found in the brain and there is no disagreement that it is the most important nutrient that an unborn child can have in assisting with their brain development.
An additional benefit of DHA is that it is possible for the body to change it to EPA - IF the body needs it. It just simply has to drop-off part of its molecule; in this case, two double carbon bonds. DHA has 22 double carbon bonds whereas EPA only has 20 double carbon bonds.
Beware...the Drug Companies strike again!
Once again a concerted, coordinated approach to mislead the public into believing in the existence of a miracle pill in the form of a statin drug is underway. Don’t fall for it!
What is all this about?
Over the last few days there have been headlines all over the world about what I am going to tell you. If you haven’t seen them yet, it won’t be long before you do, or, hear about them. Here are a few examples.
“Statin cuts stroke risk in healthy folk: Study”
"It's a breakthrough study, it's a blockbuster. It's absolutely paradigm-shifting."
"A highly anticipated study has produced powerful evidence that a simple blood test can spot seemingly healthy people who are at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke and that giving them a widely used drug offers potent protection against the nation's leading killers."
“Heart attack risks cut by 50%”
These headlines are not limited to the USA. They are world wide. I was on an airplane between New Zealand and Singapore a couple of days ago and I picked up newspapers from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and they were all singing the same tune and obviously had been receiving the same news releases from the public relations firms coordinating the ‘assault’.
If nutrients need to be protected with enteric coated tablets why are they OK in food??
From time to time we have both customers and readers ask why we enteric coat our Total Balance and some of our other products.
The following question from Keith is quite typical. He says:
“On the subject of enteric coated, I am puzzled why that is necessary. All of the natural food we eat, which presumably has essential nutrients, pass through the stomach before reaching the upper intestines. If stomach acids destroy the nutrients contained in Total Balance (and other enteric coated products), why don't they also destroy the nutrients in natural food?”
This is a pretty logical question, so I will attempt to answer it the best way I can.
Some ingredients in food are also affected by stomach acid.
Firstly it is well proven that some of the nutrients that we use in Total Balance (not all) are particularly susceptible to stomach acid and they are either damaged or rendered useless by stomach acid or the structure of them is altered by the exposure to hydrochloric acid. This can have an impact on their efficacy and may well be one of the reasons why many people have nutrient deficiencies particularly as they age. These same nutrients are adversely affected whether they are within a supplement or in food.