McCain Bill Threatens Access to Dietary Supplements

Beware of Senator John McCain's freedom-destroying dietary supplement regulatory bill. McCain described his bill as a “no-brainer.” For libertarians, it’s a “no-brainer” that it should be rejected for the dictatorial, power-grabbing, choice-limiting attack on the nutritional marketplace and individual freedoms that it is.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has introduced a new bill called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) of 2010 (S. 3002), that, if enacted, would severely curtail free access to dietary supplements. Cosponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the bill would essentially give the FDA full control over the supplement industry.

Most of the industrialized world has incredibly restrictive laws governing supplements. People worldwide often purchase supplements from the U.S. because they are freely available at low costs.

All of this could change, however, if DSSA passes. DSSA would change key sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C), undoing protections in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, effectively eliminating free access to supplements. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,health freedom,health rights,John McCain

Get Smarter: Take That Power Nap

A midday nap dramatically boosts your brain power, according to a California study.

It may not make you popular with your boss but a snooze in the middle of the day dramatically boosts your brain power.

Medical researchers have shown that the power naps favoured by Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Margaret Thatcher not only refresh the mind, they also make people smarter.

They found snoozing for just one hour in the day is enough to increase the brain's ability to learn new facts in the hours that follow. Read more

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Posted in: better sleep,brain health,intelligence increase,naps

Vitamin D: Miracle Nutrient for Your Immune System

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The cause of Crohn’s is thought to be impairment in the way your immune system handles intestinal bacteria. Vitamin D is the miracle nutrient for your immune system.

A new study has found that Vitamin D can counter the effects of Crohn's disease.

Researchers found that Vitamin D acts directly on the beta defensin 2 gene, which encodes an antimicrobial peptide, and the NOD2 gene that alerts cells to the presence of invading microbes.

Both beta defensin and NOD2 have been linked to Crohn's disease. If NOD2 is deficient or defective, it cannot combat invaders in the intestinal tract. Read more

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Posted in: dietary supplements,immune system boosters,vitamin D

Mental iIllness Breakthrough: Fish Oil Prevents Psychotic Disorders

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils have been found to prevent heart arrhythmias and treat depression. Now, a new study finds that people at prone to developing a psychotic disorders were less likely to develop them after just 12 weeks of taking fish oil capsules containing omega-3 fatty acids.

... According to a report just published in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, people at extremely high risk of developing a psychosis were found to be less likely to develop psychotic disorders after just 12 weeks of taking fish oil capsules containing omega-3 fatty acids. The study authors pointed out that omega-3 supplementation may be effective because individuals with schizophrenia have an underlying dysfunction in fatty acid metabolism. Read more

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Posted in: fish oil,mental illness,omega-3 fats,psychotic disorders

Sleep Yourself Thin

It's not only leaving us sick and tired, but experts say too little sleep is making us fat.

For women, lack of sleep is so common that the standard reply to ‘How are you?’ is: ‘Shattered!’ But a growing body of evidence indicates that chronic tiredness isn’t just affecting our ability to function well - it’s also making us fat.

Around 60 per cent of British adults are overweight or obese, and research suggests that the cause may not be overeating or lack of exercise, but sleep deprivation.

As you will see, the reason that singer Jennifer Lopez looks ten years younger than she is may be due to her ability to get eight hours of sleep a night. Read more

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Posted in: better sleep,insomnia,Weight Loss

Live Longer without Calorie Restriction

The right antioxidants help us store less fat, decrease inflammation, and protect the heart, says Margaret Durst.

... Scientists are discovering more and more about our genetic makeup – and more importantly, how to control it, or at least limit the worst aspects of it as it applies to our health. One interesting aspect that has come out of this research is the ‘longevity’ genes or sirtuin genes which decrease chances of heart disease, diabetes and other inflammatory processes.

These longevity genes are turned on and off by certain factors in our diet and environment. The favorable condition is to have these longevity genes turned on and active. Calorie restriction has long been understood to increase the chances of a long and healthy life, and now has also been found to turn on certain longevity genes.

The exciting part of this research has focused on how to turn these genes on without starving. This does not mean that you can take these supplements and eat anything you want to. The longevity genes are turned off by certain factors such as smoking and eating too many refined carbohydrates, so a healthy lifestyle is still recommended. Read more

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Posted in: antioxidants,long life,longevity,longevity genes,resveratrol

Drink Beer for Healthy Bones

Scientists have kept the secret to strong bones bottled up for years, but now the good news is pouring out: beer builds bones.

Drinking beer especially pale ale strengthens your bones and could stop them becoming brittle, a study suggests.

Researchers found that the drink contained a substance that boosts bones and could mean they are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis.

They discovered that beer, especially pale ales, contains high levels of silicon known to slow down the bone thinning that leads to fractures and boosting the formation of new bone. Read more

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Posted in: beer,osteoporosis,silicon

The Benefit of Long-Term Marijuana Use

Another health benefit of marijuana has been found: it reduces the risk of developing head and neck cancer. Notice that it's smoking marijuana that confers the benefit.

For some time it has been acknowledged that the cannabiniods in marijuana smoke have potential antitumor properties. Now an epidemiological study conducted at Brown University has found that the practice of long term marijuana smoking reduces the risk of developing head and neck cancer (HNSCC). Read more

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Posted in: cancer prevention,cannabis,marijuana

Sunbathing Increases Men's Testosterone

Sunbathing increases the male sex drive, according to a new study, which establishes that testosterone is boosted by vitamin D. Low testosterone levels are known to adversely impact a man's libido as well as reduce energy levels. Testosterone also helps maintain muscle strength and bone density in both men and women.

A spot of sunbathing may be just the thing to lift a man's libido, say experts after an Austrian study finds testosterone is boosted by vitamin D.

The bulk of this essential nutrient is made by the skin on exposure to sunlight. The rest comes from the diet.

A study in Clinical Endocrinology journal of 2,299 men found those with enough of the vitamin had more of the male sex hormone than those with less.

Blood levels of both dipped in the winter and peaked in the summer.

Low testosterone levels can impact on a man's libido as well as zap energy levels. Read more

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Posted in: increase testosterone,libido,sex drive,sunbathing

Is This the Biggest Medical Breakthrough Since the Discovery of Antibiotics?

Harvard researchers say that resveratrol could be the biggest medical breakthrough in 30 years.

ome Harvard-educated researchers believe they’ve discovered a proverbial “fountain of youth.”

They’re talking about resveratrol, calling it a miracle ingredient, and the greatest discovery since antibiotics.

Resveratrol is a compound found in the skin and seeds of grapes. Read more

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Posted in: anti-aging,fountain of youth,Purple Defense,resveratrol

Coffee Break Boosts Memory

Taking a coffee break helps your brain digest new information and improve recall.

A coffee break after an important meeting or class may be just the thing your brain needs to digest new information and improve memory.

A new study suggests that resting while awake aids in memory consolidation and improves memory recall, much like getting a good night’s sleep has been shown to do. Read more

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Posted in: coffee break,memory improvement