New Approach to Fighting Cancer

New Approach to Fighting Cancer

 

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Blocking autophagy – the process of “self-eating” within cells – is turning out to be a viable way to enhance the effectiveness of a wide variety of cancer treatments.

Autophagy increases in cancer cells. Normally, it serves as a survival pathway, allowing a cell to recycle damaged proteins when it’s under stress and reuse the damaged parts to fuel further growth. It is believed, that cancer cells might be addicted to autophagy, since this innate response may be a critical means by which the cells survive nutrient limitation and lack of oxygen commonly found within tumors. And, it is likely to explain how some cancer cells evade chemotherapies by using, essentially, a work around.

Ravi K. Amaravadi, MD, an assistant professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that adding hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) – an FDA-approved drug used commonly for malaria and rheumatoid arthritis – to many cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, can enhance the antitumor activity of these drugs in laboratory models of treatment-resistant cancers, and ongoing clinical trials.

Nearly 30 phase I and Phase II clinical trials involving HCQ have been launched or are in planning stages in many different malignancies, including melanoma, multiple myeloma, renal cell carcinoma, colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and others.
 
Preliminary results for most of the trials are encouraging. “Our assays performed on human blood and tissue samples indicate that high doses of HCQ are required to block autophagy in patients, and in some cases, such as in a brain tumor trial, these high doses, in combination with specific anticancer agents, can lead to toxicity for the tumor,” says Amaravadi. “As the first phase I trials of HCQ are being completed, it is clear that in most cases the high-dose HCQ, in combination with existing cancer therapy is well tolerated.”

Randomized controlled trials using HCQ combinations to truly determine the effectiveness of the approach are planned. While these are being considered, the team will conduct additional laboratory experiments to identify more potent and specific inhibitors of autophagy and to identify biomarkers that can predict which patients are most likely to respond to this approach. To that end, Amaravadi’s lab has identified a compound called Lys05, which is 10-fold more potent than HCQ at blocking the cell from giving the cancer cell a source of raw energy.

“While our knowledge of the role of autophagy in cancer is still in its infancy, the opportunity to learn about autophagy, both at the bench and the bedside, could accelerate the translation of basic advances in this field into clinical benefit for patients with cancer,” says Amaravadi.

SOURCE: Annual American Association for Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, February 2012.

B12 Deficiency

The Good News is Your Terminal Disease Was a Misdiagnosis- The Bad News is You’re Going to Die From it; Dr. Jeffery Stuart and Sally Pacholok R.N. Speak Out on Hidden Health Epidemic PrimeNewswire 02-22-12   DETROIT, Feb. 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An epidemic of misdiagnoses are killing and crippling people, according to physician Jeffery Stuart and Sally Pacholok, R.N., mostly because the real, easily correctable problem imitates a variety of terminal diseases, then turns lethal itself when ignored: vitamin B-12 deficiency. Millions of people needlessly suffer and even die from this common vitamin deficiency. Doctors mistakenly think their patients have multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, autism, anemia, depression, chronic fatigue, or some other disease or condition mimicked by B-12 deficiency. “The shame is that the problem is easy to spot, easy to treat, easy to cure, and costs very little money,” say Stuart and Pacholok, co-authors of the only book on the subject. “But that’s only if your doctor diagnoses you before it’s too late. Unfortunately, that frequently doesn’t happen.” Their message is catching on. Dr. Oz just did an entire show on B-12 this January, 2012. Stuart and Pacholok say the entire health crisis (and the related financial burden from expensive treatments for misdiagnosed disease as well as malpractice lawsuits) could be solved with a simple change in the standard of care that would encourage health care professionals to test for B-12 deficiency whenever people show symptoms of the diseases it mimics. “If insurance companies and our government knew how much money they were needlessly spending they would be on board immediately,” Pacholok says. “Standardized testing and treatment of people found to be deficient, as well as those who are symptomatic and in the gray zone (B-12 levels between 200-450pg/ml, considered normal by many doctors), would save them billions of dollars.” Pacholok, a leading authority on B-12 deficiency, warns that if you are B-12 deficient, standard multivitamin pills won’t help. The reason? Most people are deficient because their digestive systems do not effectively absorb the vitamin. “If you’re deficient, swallowing a multivitamin is like adding a teaspoon of water to an empty swimming pool,” Pacholok says. The preferred way to take an oral vitamin B-12 supplement, Pacholok says, is by sublingual or micro-lingual absorption, where the vitamin dissolves under the tongue and directly enters the bloodstream. Some patients, however, may still require B-12 injections. Available for Interview: Pacholok has done dozens of TV, radio and print interviews including CNN Headline News and Redbook. She is co-author of the newly released second edition Could It Be B-12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses, Quill Driver Books, (2nd Ed. 2011) (1st Ed. 2005). Contact: Chris Kelley, publicist, at 406-333-9999 or chris@polestarcom.com A file archive accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/cache/19143/file/12626.jpg This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com Copyright PrimeNewswire 2012 Articles featured in Life Extension Daily News are derived from a variety of news sources and are provided as a service by Life Extension. These articles, while of potential interest to readers of Life Extension Daily News, do not necessarily represent the opinions nor constitute the advice of Life Extension.   Related Forum Topics My trials with THRTBy leoaloha, Tags: Pharma bTRT health 2/16/2012 1:23:24 PMLast Post macdog2 High PSA (6.75) – want testosterone replacement anywayBy spy1 2/16/2012 12:57:41 PMLast Post toledojoe How to reverse grey hairBy DDye 2/15/2012 6:02:11 PMLast Post Snoodely New Yahoo group for those using BHT to treat viral diseaes…By oscar2u, Tags: new BHT group 2/6/2012 8:51:00 PMLast Post oscar2u PQQ and Mitochondrial bio-genesis questions?By skyorbit, Tags: pqq pyrroloquinoline quinone 2/6/2012 10:33:39 AMLast Post DDye

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Preventing and Treating Drug Use with Smartphones

Preventing and Treating Drug Use with Smartphones

By University of Massachusetts Medical School

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

 

UMass Medical School iHeal project uses emerging technologies to detect drug cravings and intervene.

Worcester, MA — Clinical researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) are combining an innovative constellation of technologies such as artificial intelligence, smartphone programming, biosensors and wireless connectivity to develop a device designed to detect physiological stressors associated with drug cravings and respond with user-tailored behavioral interventions that prevent substance use.

Preliminary data about the multi-media device, called iHeal, was published online first in the Journal of Medical Toxicology.

According to the study’s authors, many behavioral interventions used to treat patients are ineffective outside of the controlled clinical settings where they are taught. This failure can be attributed to several factors, including a patient’s inability to recognize biological changes that indicate increased risk of relapse and an inability to change their behaviors to reduce health risk.

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Edward Boyer, MD, PhD, professor of emergency medicine at UMass Medical School and lead author of the study, worked with colleagues at UMMS and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to design a mobile device using so-called “enabling technologies” that could be used to make behavioral interventions for substance abusers more effective outside the clinic or office environments.

The result of their work, iHeal, combines sensors to measure physiological changes and detect trigger points for risky health behaviors, such as substance use, with smartphone software tailored to respond with patient-specific interventions.

Individuals with a history of substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder were asked to wear an iHeal sensor band around their wrist that measures the electrical activity of the skin, body motion, skin temperature and heart rate – all indicators of stress. The band wirelessly transmits information to a smartphone, where software applications monitor and process the user’s physiological data.

When the software detects an increased stress level, it asks the user to annotate events by inputting information about their perceived level of stress, drug cravings, and current activities. This information is then used to identify, in real-time, drug cravings and deliver personalized, multimedia drug prevention interventions precisely at the moment of greatest physiological need.

Boyer and his teams examined the iHeal system architecture, as well as preliminary feedback from initial users, to identify key attributes and assess the device’s viability. Their analyses suggest a number of technical issues related to data security, as well as the need for a more robust and less stigmatizing version before the device could be worn in public.

For more information visit www.umassmed.edu.

fMRI Detects Brain Changes in MS Patients Following Cognitive Rehabilitation

fMRI Detects Brain Changes in MS Patients Following Cognitive Rehabilitation

 

By Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN | February 22, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

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Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) demonstrated changes in brain function and cognitive performance in patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) after they participated in a cognitive rehabilitation program, Italian researchers found. Their study was published today in the journal Radiology.

The small study from the San Raffaele Vita-Salute University in Milan involved 20 patients with MS. Along with many physical symptoms, MS also can cause memory loss and other cognitive effects. Ten patients were controls and the other 10 were assigned to a 12-week computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation program that worked on attention and information processing, and executive functions.

All 20 patients underwent baseline neuropsychology assessments and fMRI; this was repeated after 12 weeks. Among the patients who participated in the rehabilitation program, the researchers found changes in activity in several brain regions that were not seen in the controls. The researchers did not, however, find any structural changes in the gray matter or normal-appearing with matter.

“The findings demonstrated that computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation in patients with MS results in an improvement of the trained cognitive functions,” said the study’s lead author, Massimo Filippi, MD. “However, the structural integrity of the brain’s gray matter and white matter showed no modifications in these patients, suggesting an impairment of structural plasticity.”

Ancient extract to maintain weight

“Study: Dropped 28 Pounds in 10 Weeks
– Using 150mg of This*”

All they did was take 150mg of this ancient extract while maintaining the same diet and exercise level – and they shed an average of 28 pounds (the placebo group shed just 3 pounds).* Also tested in rats – dropped their caloric intake by almost half…*

Have you ever wondered why – despite all your dieting and exercise efforts – you keep gaining weight?

There could be many reasons for your frustration. I believe one of the most critical factors in keeping off the pounds is a smart eating plan to match your particular nutritional type (NT)… not just any old “diet-of-the-month” plan.

And when you complement your smart NT eating plan with an effective regular exercise regimen, you should be well on your way to curbing some of your weight control frustrations. There are plenty of examples and articles on my Peak Fitness site to help you get started.

But despite all this, as you age, it becomes more challenging to keep excess inches off your abdomen. Let me assure you, abdominal fat is fat you don’t want hanging around. “Belly” or abdominal fat is the fat that surrounds your organs.

Abdominal fat promotes the release of “cytokines” – cell-signaling protein molecules associated with less-than-optimal health. Belly fat can be the most difficult fat to lose, being resistant to many of the best diet and exercise programs.

Now, breakthrough research has finally discovered a way to help reduce this stubborn belly fat.*

Why Belly Fat Develops Hand-in-Hand with Middle Age

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression “middle-age spread”. As you reach middle age and beyond, your body begins to store and release fat differently. And this all happens out of sight at your body’s cellular level. Your fat cells control their size and number by secreting three different ‘command signals’:

• Leptin
• Adiponectin
• Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

These command signals tell your brain whether to stop or to continue to eat. And you’ll soon discover that it’s because of these three substances that many young, physically active people can consume what seems like endless calories without packing on pounds.

The Commander of Your Fat Cells

No more starvation diets.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re trying your hardest to control your weight, all you can think about is food?

What if you could go about your day (and evening) focused on things besides dieting and eating?*

Wouldn’t that constitute a major personal breakthrough? And, best of all, healthy signals to your brain regarding eating would just happen, without undue thought or action.*

You’d help reduce some of the distraction.*

Ideally, you would simply sit down at the table and eat only enough to satisfy yourself.*

Here’s the thing… When you allow your brain — and your body – to go about its normal task of controlling your eating, it becomes easier to achieve and maintain your normal body weight.

And this can happen without excessive willpower or starvation diets.*

Meet Leptin, What I Consider to Be Your Best Friend When it Comes to Eating

The hormone leptin is key for helping your body maintain its lean composition. Here’s how it works… The fat cells in your body secrete a hormone called leptin. Leptin works as a chemical signal in your blood that tells your brain you have eaten enough.

When things are working optimally, you “hear” that message and you stop eating. Your body really doesn’t want to pack away more pounds than it needs. Your body naturally seeks to stay within your ideal weight zone.

Not only does leptin help shut down your hunger, it also helps you burn more calories. Leptin stimulates the breakdown of stored triglycerides from your fat cells. But, as you’ll soon see, all doesn’t always work perfectly.

The Vicious Cycle of Leptin Overload

Here’s the problem…

Most overweight individuals already have high levels of leptin circulating in their bloodstream. And because of this overload, their fat cells become less sensitive to leptin – that is, cells do not receive and respond to leptin signals optimally.

Researchers now understand how leptin resistance can lead to weight gain and stubborn weight loss.

When you’re overweight, your fat cells also increase in size. They pump more and more leptin into your bloodstream in an attempt to better get their message through to your brain. But, unfortunately, your brain does not “hear” the message in an optimal way.

In response, two things happen.

• First, your body burns less fat.
• Second, your fat cells soak up fewer free fatty acids from your bloodstream. The overabundance of fatty acids in your blood causes your muscles to become less responsive to insulin than they ideally should, ultimately leading to a rise in blood sugar. This in turn only leads to more free fatty acids, more fat stores and a vicious cycle.

But That’s Not All. There are Still Two More to Go…

We’ve talked about leptin and how it’s an important chemical signal that commands your brain to cease eating.

The second signal produced and released by your fat cells is adiponectin – a hormone that helps to maintain your body’s normal insulin sensitivity. As the amount of fat tissue increases, the level of adiponectin decreases. Larger fat cells naturally produce less adiponectin. Levels of adiponectin also appear to be directly related to belly fat.

Overall, levels are lower in overweight people and higher in lean people. When you lose weight, more adiponectin is available to promote health.

Last but not least, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is the third command signal that your fat cells produce. This is an enzyme that helps convert starch and sugar calories to stored body fat.

I probably don’t need to state the obvious, but I’m sure you’re beginning to see why maintaining healthy, normal levels of these three substances may be helpful for not just a lean and trim body, but for total health.*

Just to summarize how these three substances can help contribute to maintenance of your ideal weight… in my opinion, the perfect weight loss tool would help:

• Increase adiponectin
• Decrease glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
• Allow leptin’s natural signals to be “heard” optimally

Promoting Your Cells’ Normal Response for a Leaner, Trimmer You*

There are several things you can do to help promote your cells’ ideal sensitivity to leptin and support the second two important command signals:

• Avoid processed foods
• Avoid high fructose corn syrup, sugars, grains, fruit juices, and sweetened and diet drinks
• Supplement with high quality omega-3 fatty acids (Krill oil is a good, highly absorbable form to use)

In my opinion, one of the most important steps in helping your cells to respond ideally to the three command signals is to choose foods that are right for your body type.

You see, your body responds to food – which ultimately becomes your fuel – based on your genetics, biochemical makeup, family history, and everyday interactions with your environment.

The idea is that by determining your unique Nutritional Type, you can then select foods that work best for your body. As you probably know already, I’m a huge advocate of Nutritional Typing and believe it’s clearly one of the most critical things you must do to support good health. Here’s why… The science of Nutritional Typing is one of the only systems that customizes nutrition based on the way your body reacts to food.

And that might help explain why certain foods make you feel bloated, sluggish, and generally not great after you consume them. Even if they are so-called “healthy” foods…

Nutritional Typing May Help You Trim Unwanted Pounds and Inches, Too

In my opinion, eating for your Nutritional Type benefits you
in many different ways.

Beyond promoting good health, I have also found that Nutritional Typing (NT) is a very effective strategy to achieve good weight management.

The idea is that NT helps promote your optimal weight based on your personal metabolism and genetic makeup.

Not only does NT provide recommendations as to which foods are best for your body, it shows you how to eat your foods at each meal in a certain order!

Once you start using Nutritional Typing I’ll bet you’ll soon start to notice:

• Greater meal satisfaction
• Less desire for between meal snacks
• Food cravings diminish

So, even though you may be frustrated trying to keep the pounds off by dieting, if you don’t focus in on a program that truly has a healthy strategy for weight management, then you’ll most likely continue to be frustrated. And that’s why I believe eating to your specific NT is so important.

And here’s…

Another Important Way to Promote Your “Had Enough!” Messages

Exercise helps your body hear its
natural command signals.

Of course, no discussion about promoting your cells’ optimal ability to respond to leptin’s signals would be complete without mention of exercise.

If you’re not accustomed to exercising, I advise you to start slowly. Even something as simple as rebounding on a mini trampoline or a brisk walk or bike ride around your neighborhood will help you get started.

Find something you like to do – and commit to doing it regularly.

Can’t get motivated? Enroll an accountability partner and help each other be consistent. I cannot stress enough the importance of eating nutritiously and a regular exercise plan to help better manage your weight.

If you’re looking for a type of exercise that will give you maximum reward for your time spent, then I believe you should check out my Peak 8 Fitness Routine.

Just like implementing the right nutrition plan (NT) is vital to keeping off the pounds, such is the case with exercising as well. But if you’ve not exercised in some time, I recommend you begin slowly and build up to more intense levels over time. It would also be wise to double-check with your healthcare professional prior to starting any exercise program.

The West African Herb That Helps Support Optimal Leptin Sensitivity in Overweight People*

Once you’ve got eating for your Nutritional Type and adequate exercise covered, there’s something else that may help you quiet your excessive “let’s eat!” messages.*

An extract from a West African herb called Irvingia gabonensis may help support optimal leptin sensitivity in overweight people.* And by promoting your body’s ideal sensitivity to leptin, you can better know when your body has eaten enough food.* In a recently published study, Irvingia demonstrated positive effects upon leptin blood levels and resulted in weight loss and inches off the waistline.*

Over a 10-week period, one double-blind study group received 150 mg of Irvingia extract twice daily while maintaining the same diet and exercise level. This group lost an average of 28 pounds whereas the placebo group lost less than three pounds.*

The Irvingia group also maintained healthy blood glucose, cholesterol, and LDL levels that were already within the normal range, and experienced a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels.* Plus, there was a significant reduction overall of circulating leptin and a significant increase in adiponectin.*

Irvingia Targets ALL Three Signals That May be Involved in
Age-Related Weight Gain*

Irvingia targets the important factors that I mentioned above that may be involved in age-related weight gain, such as responding to your fat cells’ command signals.*

In addition to supporting healthy leptin sensitivity*, Irvingia also helps:

• Reduce the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase which may help reduce the amount of starch and sugar calories that turn into body fat.*
• Support a slowing of the rate of carbohydrate absorption from the intestines and a reduction of the caloric impact of starchy and sugary foods.*
• Support healthy adiponectin levels while helping to maintain healthy insulin sensitivity.*

Of course, I must carefully caution you that if you eat more calories than your body can utilize, weight loss can’t occur. Excess calories are stored as fat in your fat cells. It’s just that simple. In my opinion, you simply can’t consume unlimited calories and expect to shed fat pounds by taking a product that might happen to show weight loss in a research study.

What You MUST Avoid If You Want to Lose Weight…

Diet drinks and foods may
cause weight gain instead of
weight loss.

Many people turn to diet drinks and foods when they want to shed extra pounds and inches. Artificially sweetened beverages and foods are NOT the answer to losing weight.

They contain synthetic and what I believe to be harmful ingredients. Not only that, the latest research very clearly shows that artificial sweeteners actually cause weight GAIN rather than weight loss.

I’ve detailed their hazards in my book Sweet Deception, as well as in numerous articles on the Mercola.com website. Your best alternative, in my opinion, is to replace any type of soda with pure filtered water.

Aspartame in particular is of extreme concern to me. Also known as Equal™ or NutraSweet™, its use has been linked to cancer, premature birth, and developmental and cognitive problems in kids.

Added to over 6,000 foods and beverages, you must read labels carefully to detect its presence.

What About OTHER Weight Loss Options?

You may already know my opinion about many of the other options out there. Please don’t go there. Often, the risk of side effects is simply much too great.

Physical risks are only part of the risks involved with many common approaches. There is also a huge potential for emotional fall-out as well.

Why? It might shock you to know that the majority of weight loss programs fail a whopping 95 percent of the time.

And when you fail, it’s not uncommon to blame yourself – and then find your self-esteem plummeting and your weight rising.

Not exactly the goal you were in search of…

Introducing… BioTHIN with Irvingia™

BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is an all-new and all-natural supplement that I formulated to help better support your weight loss when combined with diet and exercise.* And thisproduct is intended to help harmonize with the way you were designed to lose weight – and with overall healthy living.*

And as I mentioned previously, a healthy eating plan using NT, and a regular exercise plan are critical keys for success in helping to manage your weight and overall wellness. BioTHIN with Irvingia™ was formulated as a natural complement to all this… to help you even more.*

You may be familiar with our previous BioTHIN product. We’ve had great success with that product and it has helped many people take control of their weight management.*

But to be honest, once I learned about Irvingia and heard about the tremendous benefits it offers, I knew I had to add it to BioTHIN.*

In my opinion, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is now one of the most complete weight management supplements available.*

BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is formulated to give you the edge you seek, to make a long-term difference in your weight loss and consequently, overall health.*

Preliminary evidence suggests that it works deep down at one of the sources of the issue – at the command level that controls your fat cells.* And with BioTHIN, you get much more than just Irvingia. BioTHIN with Irvingia™ contains seven other powerful botanicals traditionally used to support normal weight loss and weight maintenance functions, such as this one…*

BioTHIN with Irvingia™ contains six other powerful botanicals traditionally used to support normal weight loss and weight maintenance functions, such as this one…*

Fucoxanthin – The Gift From the Sea

In my opinion, Fucoxanthin is one of the most exciting substances to hit the weight loss market in quite some time.*

A natural carotenoid (natural pigments found primarily in plants and algae), Fucoxanthin exists naturally in brown seaweed, a type of kelp. Preliminary animal research performed in Russia and Japan suggests that fucoxanthin may help burn fat.*

Also, here’s a huge plus for you and others searching for an effective yet natural option that doesn’t disrupt your activities and sleep. Fucoxanthin revs up your metabolism without stimulating your central nervous system.* Although it’s not fully understood how fucoxanthin works, it appears to target a protein called UCP1 that increases the rate at which belly fat is burned.*

Evidence is emerging showing that the fucoxanthin component is a powerful antioxidant that can protect your cells from free radical damage*. It also may support your:

• Cardiovascular health*
• Healthy immune response*
• Maintenance of healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels that are already within the normal range*
• Maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range*
• Healthy liver function*

So, for natural weight loss, along with eating a healthy diet according to your Nutritional Type plus exercising, I urge you to consider BioTHIN with Irvingia™ that includes fucoxanthin to help jumpstart your weight loss efforts.*

But wait! That’s just part of the story…

An Ancient Source with Modern Applications – Pomegranate

The pomegranate has been a staple of Asian diets since ancient times. The rich ruby fruit was mentioned in Egyptian papyrus scrolls dating back to 1550 BC. And in ancient Greek myths, the pomegranate represented life and regeneration.

Its traditional use dates back more than 3,000 years. Modern science is actively rediscovering its potential for a more healthful life.* Recent studies reveal a surprising host of benefits for consuming pomegranate.*

Pomegranates contain powerful antioxidants that help quench free radicals in your body.* One study suggests that pomegranate shows triple the amount of antioxidant activity of either green tea or red wine.*

Other studies suggest that pomegranates contain bioflavonoids to help maintain healthy capillary walls.*

BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is enhanced with pomegranate extract standardized to 40 percent punicosides, which are the most powerful antioxidants in pomegranate.

Research suggests other benefits from pomegranate:

• Contributes to tissue health*
• Supports heart health*
• Supports healthy blood lipid levels that are already within the normal range*
• Supports the immune system*
• Helps maintain proper oxidative balance in your body*

As if that’s not enough, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ includes another plant that’s just now becoming popular in weight management* – though it has existed for a long, long time.

The Ancient Spice Revered for its Health-Promoting Qualities*

Ginger root offers many health benefits.*

Sought after for more than 5,000 years by the ancients of China and India for its health-promoting properties, ginger remains highly in demand by spice traders.*

Today, it continues to be a component of a full half of all traditional herbal products.

Research suggests that it may have the ability to help offset some of the less desirable effects of a high-fat diet.*

With 12 different antioxidants, ginger provides powerful free radical protection.*

In addition, ginger…

• Supports optimal cell division*
• Supports cardiovascular health*
• Promotes a healthy immune response*
• Supports digestive system health*

The Indian Fruit that May Help Assist Your Battle of the Bulge*

Garcinia Cambogia (also known as “gambooge”) is a small fruit resembling a miniature pumpkin. Naturally found in India and parts of Asia, it has a long and popular history as a condiment. The dried rind is used as a flavoring in many dishes.

Preliminary research suggests that its biologically active compound, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), can inhibit the body’s ability to store lipids and fatty acids.* This natural extract may also inhibit conversion of excess calories to body fat.*

And it may suppress appetite by signaling your brain that enough food has been eaten, possibly through its effect on neurotransmitters.* When you get a dose of Garcinia in BioTHIN with Irvingia™, you receive it in its preferred, active form – standardized to 50% HCA.

The Wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been used for centuries as an energizing tonic and elixir.* which is why we put it in the BioThin with Irvingia™.

ACV is a completely natural product resulting from a two-step fermentation process of apples, from which it retains all the nutritional benefits of the apples plus gaining the extra acids and enzymes from fermentation. While the research is only preliminary, there are four suggested ways ACV may help you lose weight*:

#1. ACV May Increase Satiety*

A hormonal reflex that sends a “full” message from your digestive system to your brain is also triggered by ACV*. Scientists think that satiety – or feeling “full” – occurs more quickly with acetic acid* (the ‘sour’ part of ACV).

A preliminary Swedish study suggested that higher intake of ACV before meals was associated with significantly lower glycemic responses and an increased satiety score.*

#2. May Suppress Appetite*

Preliminary evidence suggests that pectin, the water-soluble fiber in apples and ACV, may absorb water and make your stomach feel a little full before beginning your meal.*

#3. May Improve Digestion*

Improving your digestion means fats stay in your digestive tract for a shorter time, with less absorption of those fats into your system. A number of other health benefits you may receive from ACV include:

• Helps support bone health through minerals (calcium, magnesium, silicone, plus a number of vitamins).*
• Helps maintain healthy lipid levels that are already within the normal range.*
• Helps maintain healthy heart and circulatory system.*
• Support healthy immune response.*
• Aids in normal detoxification of your body.*

Many people don’t care for the taste and smell of apple cider vinegar by itself. We solved that problem for you by adding it to our all-natural weight-loss formula, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ without its taste or smell!

Cayenne – The Fiery Catalyst that May Help Burn More Calories*

Capsaicin in fiery cayenne pepper may
deliver metabolism-boosting benefits.*

The powder from the cayenne pepper has been honored as both a food and for its health-promoting properties for over 9,000 years.

A substance in cayenne pepper, capsaicin, gives cayenne its hot and spicy taste.

Scientists believe that cayenne may act as a Health-promoting catalyst when combined with other herbs* – a reason I’ve included it in BioTHIN with Irvingia™.

Some animal and human studies suggest that cayenne may increase the body’s production of heat for a short time.*

This increase in body heat may possibly burn more calories and increase metabolism.*

Additionally, research is ongoing about whether cayenne can help regulate blood sugar and break down carbohydrates after a meal.*

What else might both ginger and cayenne do for you? They’re reported to:

• Support cardiovascular health*
• Support digestive health*
• Help regulate normal detoxification*
• Help promote a healthy immune response*
• Provide energy*

Now These Seven Amazing Plants and Herbs Can Be Yours

You don’t need to struggle alone with weight management any longer. And you don’t need to expose your body to alternative, potentially dangerous weight loss options.*

Now you can say goodbye to those fad diets. Instead, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ may help you reach your weight-loss goals when used in combination with exercise and a healthy diet.*

Along with sensible eating for your Nutritional Type and getting your body moving every day, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is your all-natural partner in achieving the new body you desire.* Whatever your reason for wanting to shed those unwanted pounds, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is ready to help.*

Plus, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ gives you so much more than ‘just‘ support for weight loss.* It can also give you nutritional benefits – antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that all contribute to your optimal health.*

So, you’ll be working toward not only looking great – but also feeling your best, too.*

“The Silent Deficiency Robbing Your Heart, Brain, and Other Systems of their Vitality”

“The Silent Deficiency Robbing Your Heart, Brain,
and Other Systems of their Vitality”

Preventing a deficiency in this essential nutrient should be top priority on your list of age-defying strategies.* It’s definitely on mine. Your body silently demands this to fight off free radicals and to energize every cell in your body.* Avoid coming up short…

 

CoQ10 by itself is also known as ubiquinone. To benefit from the form of the nutrient needed to produce cellular energy and help you reduce the typical signs of aging, your body must convert the ubiquinone to ubiquinol.

Ubiquinol exists everywhere there is life… it’s ubiquitous!

The challenge you face as you age is this — your body levels of CoQ10 continue to diminish.

In addition, your capability to convert CoQ10 to ubiquinol also declines. It becomes more and more difficult for you to produce the ubiquinol you need due to:

• Increased metabolic demand

• Oxidative stress

• Insufficient dietary CoQ10 intake

• Deficiency of factors required for biosynthesis and ubiquinol conversion

• Potential effects from illness and disease

• Age-related changes in your genes

• And any combination of these factors

Some reports say your CoQ10 level decline becomes apparent as early as your 20′s.

Critical CoQ10 levels decline as you age. So I believe this is a must-have supplement!

The good news is with the Mercola Advanced Nutrition supplement, you now can have the ubiquinol formula direct… the active form of the CoQ10 nutrient*.

Your added benefits from the ubiquinol formula can be significant as you…

• Potentially absorb more CoQ10 — as shown in studies by enhanced blood plasma levels*

• Become less dependent on your body to convert ubiquinone to ubiquinol… In the plasma of healthy humans, more than 90% of CoQ10 exists in the reduced form (ubiquinol).*

• Absorb CoQ10 that’s already in the active state your body needs*

• Receive the reduced (unoxidized) form of CoQ10 for added cellular energy*

• Get a strong first stage defense against oxygen free radicals to help you reduce the typical signs of aging and optimize your health*

However, not everyone needs the ubiquinol formula. If you’re younger than 25, your body should absorb regular CoQ10 just fine.

In fact, research studies show that younger people don’t absorb ubiquinol as well as older folks. So if you’re young, sticking to a regular formula makes more sense.

That’s why I decided to offer both regular CoQ10 and ubiquinol-based CoQ10 in my line of Mercola Advanced Nutrition supplements.

Plus, I’m so convinced of the reduced aging and energy-boosting capabilities, I personally recommend Mercola Advanced Nutrition Ubiquinol to family and friends over 25.

And let me show you more on…

How to Help Turn Your Declining CoQ10 Levels into a Healthier YOU*

The Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements can help you in many different ways to complement your healthy diet and energize your life.

• Help you produce more energy for your cells*

  • Act as a catalyst in your body’s various chemical reactions, leading to the production of energy.*

  • Ignite your body’s engine by jump-starting energy production in your cells.*

  • You’ll enjoy your new-found energy and stamina levels.*

• Boost your heart health*

  • Help strengthen your overall cardiovascular system.*

  • Help maintain and balance the critical energy level needed in your body’s most vital muscle… your heart.*

  • Since you’re passionate about life, you need an optimally-functioning heart.*

• Act as an antioxidant to help protect you from free radicals*

  • Provide your body with added defense against oxidation stress to your cells, tissues, and organs.*

  • Help recharge other antioxidant nutrients to their active states — and keep them working for you.*

  • You’ll feel good about yourself, knowing you’re taking steps to live a healthy life.*

• Help you reduce the signs of normal aging*

  • Help you potentially feel more alert and responsive.*

  • By keeping blood levels high in CoQ10, help you maintain your vitality.*      

  • You’re determined to feel young and full of life… don’t let aging get the best of you.*

• Help you maintain blood pressure levels within the normal range*

  • Promote healthy blood circulation in your body and a more efficient heart.*

  • Research indicates maintaining proper levels of CoQ10 can help you maintain normal blood pressure levels.*

  • Just by knowing you’re taking more steps to take control of your health, you could feel more relaxed and less stressed out.*

• Provide a boost to your immune system*

  • Help promote your healthy immune system.*

  • Help support your immune system by providing a defense against free radicals.*

  • You’ll feel great about yourself knowing you’re taking action to potentially boost your immune system.*

• Support your nervous system*

  • Help promote an active mind.*

  • Your brain is one of the most active organs in your body and requires uninterrupted energy.*

  • Nothing beats having an active mind to help you deal with all of life’s challenges — and to help you make healthy decisions for your family.* 

By now, you should see the power of CoQ10 and ubiquinol, and understand why I believe they provide you with extraordinary benefits to complement your healthy diet.*

There’s another very strong reason to take CoQ10 supplements…

Why You Should Replenish Your CoQ10 Levels When Taking Statin Drugs

If you or anyone you know is taking a statin drug, I truly believe it is absolutely essential to start taking a CoQ10 or ubiquinol supplement immediately to replenish your CoQ10 levels.

If you take statin drugs to lower cholesterol, I believe it’s essential for you to replenish your CoQ10 levels!

Why?

Statin drugs work to lower your cholesterol in the same pathway your body uses to produce CoQ10.

Now you might ask: “Why would you take a statin drug in the first place?”

Good question.

Normally, I believe well over 99% of people placed on statin drugs do not need them (although you should always consult a physician before stopping any medication).

I believe people should be able to easily optimize their cholesterol levels with simple lifestyle changes.

However, I have been practicing medicine for far too long to know the journey to good health can be long and complex for many. Some people simply require more time to make the transitions in weaning off these dangerous drugs.

So if you or someone you care about is taking a statin, I recommend (based on your age) you start using a high quality CoQ10 or ubiquinol supplement right away.

But not just any CoQ10 supplements.

To be in line with my mission to provide you only the best, you should…

Never, Ever Settle for 2nd Best

As with any supplement I recommend on my site, I established stringent criteria to find you the ultimate CoQ10 and ubiquinol formulas.

This thorough process ensures you can take full advantage of all the benefits the supplements have to offer.

My strict criteria for selecting top-notch CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements for you?

They must:

• Deliver high-absorption formulas regardless of your age*

• Be all-natural with NO synthetic ingredients   

• Come from a highly reputable company with some of the strictest quality control and safety standard practices in place

So far, I believe the Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements deliver high-absorption formulas*. That’s why I offer both regular CoQ10 for those under 25 years old, and ubiquinol if you’re over 25.

I’ll cover more on my selection criteria later on. But first, here are even more advantages you’ll get from using these supplements and…

Why These Formulas Stand Above the Rest

As you’ve already seen, using a high-quality CoQ10 or ubiquinol supplement provides you great benefits:*

And in my opinion, statin drug users should begin taking the supplement immediately to help replenish their CoQ10 levels.

With my Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements, there are even more possible advantages for you in the way they…

• Support healthy gums*
• Boost your body’s immune system*
• Help maintain normal blood sugar levels*
• Support muscle recovery from intensive workouts*
• Promote normalization of your weight*

It gets even better, as my Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements are…

100% Natural, Without Any Synthetics

A very exclusive process drives the creation of these supplements. A unique manufacturing process using biological fermentation delivers a 100% pure and natural CoQ10 and ubiquinol.

This is right in line with one of my most stringent selection criteria.

This process not only ensures you get a 100% natural product, but a stabilized, high-absorption formula as well.    

One of the biggest challenges faced by any manufacturer of ubiquinol is how it easily oxidizes in the air. This adds to the instability of the nutrient.

To overcome this issue, the manufacturer of the Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements actually established technology that enables the production of ubiquinol in stable bulk quantities.

This results in a 100% natural formula that achieves higher elevations of circulating CoQ10 in your bloodstream.*  

With all the amazing benefits of the Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements…

New “Caplique®” Technology Provides Purity and Increased Absorption

In my promise to always bring you the best products, we’ve replaced our Ubiquinol softgels with new Capliques®. Sealed with an airtight band, these innovative 2-piece capsules provide outstanding benefits over traditional gel technology:

• Contains no plasticizers — chemicals capable of disrupting your endocrine system.*

• Drastically improves bioavailability by promoting absorption.*

• Protects oil contents from heat and moisture.*

• Airtight band protects contents against oxidative damage.*

• Translucent technology allows you to actually see your product’s purity.

• Reduces the need for inactive, potentially allergenic ingredients.

• Resists tampering.

Why Would You Settle for Inferior Quality?

As you probably already know from other supplements I offer on my site, it’s not enough that the product itself is superior to others.

The developer and manufacturer of CoQ10 and ubiquinol must also demonstrate proven quality practices. 

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of CoQ10 supplements on the market today… but there are only a few great ones out there… and even fewer provide the advanced ubiquinol formula.

If the importance of using CoQ10 is convincing to you, then I would strongly encourage you to do your homework, and make sure a GREAT company produced it.

When I first started my investigation, the low quality demonstrated by so many companies absolutely shocked me.

That’s why I spent many long months researching to identify what I believe is one of the top CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplement manufacturers in the U.S. today.

In fact, research on their unique ubiquinol formula spanned 10 years. It only recently became available in the last 2 years.

Here’s why I firmly believe the manufacturer of the Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements clearly stands apart in quality standard practices:

• Completed FDA notification of ubiquinol product as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) — unique position by this CoQ10 manufacturer

• Follows strict Pharmaceutical GMP standards in its manufacturing processes

• Awarded and filed applications on at least 24 US and international patents — including 10 for its CoQ10 ubiquinol manufacturing process

• Announced self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status

  This manufacturer performed all necessary research and provided supporting materials regarding production methods, quality assurance, and safety — no objection letter was issued.

You should clearly see why I chose this manufacturer to provide you with the highest quality Mercola Advanced Nutrition supplements.

Don’t ever settle for a supplement unless it is solidly backed by a manufacturer practicing the highest quality standards.

To you, quality means a consistent top-of-the-line product every time you use it.

How High-Quality Means Exceptional Value You Can Rely On

The scientific community continues to conduct many research studies using CoQ10 in both ubiquinone and ubiquinol forms.

To date, the safety and reliability reports on the supplement remain solid.

This should always be important to you when considering taking any supplement… I know it is for me.

• From the American Cancer Society: “Few serious reactions to CoQ10 have been reported.”

• From the University of Maryland Medical Center: “Coenzyme Q10 appears to be generally safe with no significant side effects…”

• From the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “No serious side effects have been reported from the use of coenzyme Q10.”

I bet you agree — this is excellent feedback on CoQ10 safety.

With the superior high-quality practices in place for the Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements, I feel these are true winners.

And here are…

5 Clear-Cut Reasons For You to Act Now

Now you should understand why I’m so excited to bring you these extraordinary CoQ10 supplements. They passed all of my stringent selection criteria for supplements to be offered on my site.

Let me quickly summarize all this for you with 5 clear-cut reasons why you should take action and order these supplements without delay.

The Mercola Advanced Nutrition CoQ10 supplements can:

Boost your energy and stamina levels*

Support the health of your cardiovascular system*

Help you feel younger and reduce the normal signs of aging*

Enhance the support of your immune and nervous systems*

Replenish your CoQ10 levels if you’re taking a statin drug*

How Two Different Types of Antioxidants Work Together
to Neutralize Free Radicals*

Antioxidants are generally classified into two broad categories…water soluble (hydrophilic) and lipid soluble (hydrophobic).

Your body needs both types of antioxidants because each one targets different types of cells and tissues for free radical scavenging…

• Water soluble antioxidants – These are present in aqueous fluids, such as blood and intracellular and extracellular fluids. They react with oxidants in the cell cytosol (fluid portion of cytoplasm) and the blood plasma. Examples of water soluble antioxidants include… vitamin C, glutathione, and catechins.
• Lipid soluble antioxidants – These are localized to cellular membranes and lipoproteins. They protect cell membranes from lipid peroxidation.* Examples of lipid-soluble antioxidants include… vitamins E, A, and beta carotene.

The bottom line… to fight and help neutralize pesky free radicals, you need both types of antioxidants from as many sources as possible.*  When taken together, the efficacy of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants is enhanced even more.

The antioxidants found in Purple Defense (anthocyanins, polyphenols, resveratrol) are water-soluble antioxidants. Both Astaxanthin and Ubiquinol contain lipid-soluble antioxidants.

Each type of antioxidant has its own special function in helping repair and protect your cells from free radical damage.* Water-soluble Purple Defense helps repair the interior of cells… Lipid-soluble Astaxanthin helps repair fat/cell membranes… Lipid-soluble Ubiquinol acts as an antioxidant recycler for vitamins C and E.*

Should Pregnant Women Avoid Using Cell Phones?

Should Pregnant Women Avoid Using Cell Phones?

Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 23 2012 | 15,487 views

 

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• A new study by Chinese researchers evaluated the intensity of oxidative stress and the levels of neurotransmitters in the brains of fetal rats chronically exposed to radiation from cell phones and revealed that the irradiated groups exhibited significant neurological differences
• Researchers concluded that receiving a certain dose of microwave radiation from cellular phones during pregnancy results in certain harm to the brains of fetal rats
• Past research has also found pregnant women using handsets just two or three times a day have increased risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions and relationships by the time they reached school age
• There is growing scientific evidence that cell phones and other wireless devices pose significant health risks to all of us, and especially to children and pregnant women. So while these findings are not being widely publicized as of yet, it makes sense to take precaution now to protect yourself, your children and unborn fetuses

 

By Dr. Mercola

Cell phones have been used widely for only about a decade, and unfortunately their use became commonplace before their true health effects were revealed.

As a result, we are only now beginning to see the potential repercussions, which include a number of potential health concerns for adults, including brain tumors, cognitive impairment, DNA damage, fertility risks and more.

Children, due to their thinner skulls, smaller brains, softer brain tissue and far more rapidly dividing cells, are even more susceptible to damage from cell phone use than adults, which suggests that babies in the womb, who are perhaps the most vulnerable population of all, may be at similar or greater at risk.

In fact, new research sheds light on the impacts of chronic cell phone use on the fetal brain in animals, and the effects are clearly detrimental.

Cell Phone Use During Pregnancy Shown to Cause “Certain Harm” to Fetal Rat Brains

A new study in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine by Jing et al sought to evaluate the intensity of oxidative stress and the levels of neurotransmitters in the brains of fetal rats chronically exposed to radiation from cell phones.

Four groups of pregnant rats were exposed to different intensities of cell phone microwave radiation — one group that was left unexposed, and three groups that were irradiated three times daily for either 10, 30, or 60 minutes at a time.

After three weeks, the fetal rats were examined for changes in their brains. 

All of the irradiated groups exhibited significant neurological differences, with researchers noting:

“Through this study, we concluded that receiving a certain period of microwave radiation from cellular phones during pregnancy has certain harm on fetal rat brains.”

Should Pregnant Women Avoid Cell Phones?

It will be a long time before these findings are thoroughly explored or publicized, but in the meantime there is reason to believe that cell phones could have a negative impact on a developing fetus, just as they may have a negative impact on you and your children. In 2008, researchers analyzed data from nearly 13,000 children and found that exposure to cell phones while in the womb, and also as children, was linked to more behavioral difficulties.ⁱ

Pregnant women using handsets just two or three times a day was enough to raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions and relationships by the time they reached school age — and the risk became even greater if the children also used the phones themselves before age 7.

The 2008 study revealed that mothers who used mobile phones were in fact 54 percent more likely to have children with behavioral problems. When the children also later used the phones themselves, they were:

• 80 percent more likely to suffer from difficulties with behavior
• 25 percent more at risk from emotional problems
• 34 percent more likely to suffer from difficulties relating to their peers
• 35 percent more likely to be hyperactive
• 49 percent more prone to problems with conduct

Behavioral Problems in Children Exposed to Cell Phones in Utero Confirmed

In 2010, the researchers then looked at a larger group of children — nearly 29,000 — and also considered additional variables that could be swaying the results, and the association was found once again.ⁱⁱ

In that study, children whose mothers used cell phones while pregnant were 40 percent more likely to have behavioral problems, and this rose to 50 percent when the children also used cell phones themselves. The researchers even accounted for family history of behavioral problems, inattention of the mother, breastfeeding and time spent with the child — and the association remained.

Autonomic nervous system expert Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt has noted this radiation may easily flip certain genes in the mitochondria. If this gene sequence is altered in a pregnant woman, she can pass her damaged mitochondria on to her child. The child can then develop a mitochondrial disorder, which can include muscular atrophy and severe developmental problems.

UK Experts Call for Health Warnings for Cell Phones and Children

In a report published by Mobilewise, a UK charity, medical experts and Mobilewise call on government and industry to provide warnings and advice on ways to reduce the risk of health damage when using mobile phones, especially in order to protect children. 

The report, “Mobile Phone Health Risks: the case for action to protect children,” warns that children’s health is being put at risk by the failure of government and phone companies to respond to the growing body of evidence linking mobile phone use with health hazards.ⁱⁱⁱ It includes a chart of more than 200 peer-reviewed studies from numerous research institutions that link mobiles to serious health problems.

These include brain tumors and impact on fertility, genes, the blood-brain barrier and melatonin production, as well as other biological effects thought to have a role in the development of cancer. Endorsed by a number of prominent doctors and scientists, the Mobilewise report on the public health issue related to the impact on children highlights the body of evidence that has been “obscured in the debate over these risks,” according to Vicky Fobel, director of Mobilewise.

I encourage you to read this report, and to print the list of studies with summaries and links to the cited research, and to share these with your communities.

• ” … develop within different ministries (education, environment and health) targeted information campaigns aimed at teachers, parents and children to alert them to the specific risks of early, ill-considered and prolonged use of mobiles and other devices emitting microwaves

” …ban all mobile phones, DECT phones or WiFi or WLAN systems from classrooms and schools, as advocated by some regional authorities, medical associations and civil society organizations”

The European Parliament has also called for schools to be wireless free, in addition to hospitals, day care and retirement living facilities.^iv

And most recently, Russian researchers led by Yury Grigoriev, PhD of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection have demonstrated significant cognitive impairment in children after four years of exposure to wireless devices.^v Dr. Grigoriev says:

“The short-term and long-term potential consequences for society from exposing children to microwave radiation from cellular communication devices must be immediately acknowledged, globally, and responsibly addressed.”

My Top Tips for Cell Phone Safety

It’s worth remembering that the telecommunication industry is much larger than the medical industrial complex, and they have far more influence than the drug companies. They’re also mirroring many of the same tactics as the tobacco industry to pedal their wares. This includes attempting to discredit researchers who publish unfavorable cell phone studies.

According to Camilla Rees, MBA of ElectromagneticHealth.org:

“We have seen a recent steep increase in disparagement of scientific research where the research demonstrates risks to public health from telecommunications technologies. It is very clear that in the name of “debate” certain parties are aggressively creating confusion and doubt about the biological and health risks, shamefully supporting the interests of the telecommunications industry.”

There is already robust scientific evidence that cell phones and other wireless devices pose significant health risks to all of us, and especially to children and pregnant women. So while these findings are not being widely publicized as of yet, it makes sense to take action now to protect yourself and your children. You can help to minimize your exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones and other wireless devices by heeding the following advice:

• Children Should Always Avoid Using Cell Phones: Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cell phone, or a wireless device of any type. Children are far more vulnerable to cell phone radiation than adults, because of their thinner skull bones.
• Reduce Your Cell Phone Use: Turn your cell phone off more often. Reserve it for emergencies or important matters. As long as your cell phone is on, it emits radiation intermittently, even when you are not actually making a call. If you’re pregnant, avoiding or reducing your cell phone use may be especially important.
• Use a Land Line at Home and at Work: Although more and more people are switching to using cell phones as their exclusive phone contact, it is a dangerous trend and you can choose to opt out of the madness. SKYPE offers a portable number via your computer that can plug into any Ethernet port while traveling.
• Reduce or Eliminate Your Use of Other Wireless Devices: You would be wise to cut down your use of these devices. Just as with cell phones, it is important to ask yourself whether or not you really need to use them as often as you do. And most importantly, do not even consider having any electronic or wireless devices in the bedroom that will interfere with the quality of your sleep.

  If you must use a portable home phone, use the older kind that operates at 900 MHz. They are not safer during calls, but at least many of them do not broadcast constantly even when no call is being made.

  Note the only way to truly be sure if there is an exposure from your cordless phone is to measure with an electrosmog meter, and it must be one that goes up to the frequency of your portable phone (so old meters won’t help much). As many portable phones are 5.8 Gigahertz, we recommend you look for RF meters that go up to 8 Gigahertz, the highest range now available in a meter suitable for consumers.

  Alternatively you can be very careful with the base station placement as that causes the bulk of the problem since it transmits signals 24/7, even when you aren’t talking. So if you can keep the base station at least three rooms away from where you spend most of your time, and especially your bedroom, they may not be as damaging to your health. Another option is to just simply turn the portable phone off, only using it when you specifically need the convenience of moving about while on a call.

  Ideally it would be helpful to turn off your base station every night before you go to bed.

  You can find RF meters as well as remediation supplies at www.emfsafetystore.com. But you can pretty much be sure your portable phone is a problem if the technology is DECT, or digitally enhanced cordless technology.

• Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception is Good: The weaker the reception, the more power your phone must use to transmit, and the more power it uses, the more radiation it emits, and the deeper the dangerous radio waves penetrate into your body. Ideally, you should only use your phone with full bars and good reception.
• Also Seek to Avoid Carrying Your Phone on Your Body as that merely maximizes any potential exposure. Ideally put it in your purse or carrying bag. Placing a cell phone in a shirt pocket over the heart is asking for trouble, as is placing it in a man’s pocket if he seeks to preserve his fertility.
• Don’t Assume One Cell Phone is Safer Than Another: There’s no such thing as a “safe” cell phone.
• Keep Your Cell Phone Away From Your Body When it is On: The most dangerous place to be, in terms of radiation exposure, is within about six inches of the emitting antenna. You do not want any part of your body within that area.
• Respect Others Who are More Sensitive: Some people who have become sensitive can feel the effects of others’ cell phones in the same room, even when it is on but not being used. If you are in a meeting, on public transportation, in a courtroom or other public places, such as a doctor’s office, keep your cell phone turned off out of consideration for the ‘second hand radiation’ effects. Children are also more vulnerable, so please avoid using your cell phone near children.
• If you are using the Pong case, which redirects the cell phone radiation away from the head and successfully lowers the SAR effect, realize that in redirecting the radiation away from your head this may be intensifying the radiation in another direction, perhaps toward the person next to you, or, if in your pocket, increasing radiation intensity toward your body. Caution is always advised in dealing with any radiation-emitting device. We recommend cell phones be kept ‘Off’ except for emergencies.
• Use Safer Headset Technology: Wired headsets will certainly allow you to keep the cell phone farther away from your body. However, if a wired headset is not well-shielded — and most of them are not — the wire itself acts as an antenna attracting ambient radio waves and transmitting radiation directly to your brain.

  Make sure that the wire used to transmit the signal to your ear is shielded.

  The best kind of headset to use is a combination shielded wire and air-tube headset. These operate like a stethoscope, transmitting the information to your head as an actual sound wave; although there are wires that still must be shielded, there is no wire that goes all the way up to your head.

References:

---

• ⁱ Epidemiology. 2008 Jul;19(4):523-9.
• ⁱⁱ Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health December 7, 2010
• ⁱⁱⁱ Mobilewise report, Mobile Phone Health Risks: the case for action to protect children
• ^iv ElectromagneticHealth.org April 21, 2009
• ^v ElectromagneticHealth.org November 4, 2011

 

Source:  Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine January 23, 2012

Related Links:

  Doing This During Pregnancy Can Cause a 40% Increase in Behavioral Problems…

  Cell Phone Use During Pregnancy Can Seriously Damage Your Baby

  Why Where You Sleep Matters If You Want a Healthy Baby

Use Vitamin D3

If You Take Oral Vitamin D You MUST Avoid Making This Serious Mistake

Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 23 2012 | 239,423 views

 

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• A meta-analysis of 50 trials looking at mortality rates for “doctor recommended” synthetic vitamin D2 supplements versus natural vitamin D3 shows a six percent risk reduction among those who used D3, compared to a two percent increased risk among those who used D2
• Research shows vitamin D3 is approximately 87 percent more potent in raising and maintaining vitamin D concentrations and produces 2- to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D than does D2. D3 is also converted into its active form 500 percent faster
• Plant-based food sources that contain vitamin D provide vitamin D2. Only animal-based food sources, such as fish, egg yolk, and raw milk, contain D3.
• Optimizing your vitamin D levels may be one of the most important steps you can take in support of your long-term health. The ideal way to do this is by exposing large amounts of skin to sunlight or a safe tanning bed, but if you need to use an oral supplement, make sure you’re taking vitamin D3
• The most important factor is your vitamin D serum level, which should ideally be between 50-70 ng/ml. When taking an oral vitamin D supplement, you should take enough to reach and maintain this therapeutic level. As a generic guideline, adults need to take about 8,000 IU’s a day to reach this level

 

By Dr. Mercola

Did you know there are two types of vitamin D, and they are NOT interchangeable?

In fact, taking the wrong one could do you more harm than good…

Drisdol is a synthetic form of vitamin D2—made by irradiating fungus and plant matter—and is the form of vitamin D typically prescribed by doctors.

This is not the type produced by your body in response to sun or safe tanning bed exposure, which is vitamin D3. 

A recent meta-analysis by the Cochrane Databaseⁱ looked at mortality rates for people who supplemented their diets with D2 versus those who did so with D3, the form naturally produced by your body, highlighting the significant differences between the two. 

The analysis of 50 randomized controlled trials, which included a total of 94,000 participants, showed:

• A six percent relative risk reduction among those who used vitamin D3, but
• A two percent relative risk increase among those who used D2

According to the Vitamin D Councilⁱⁱ:

“You would think a paper that took a look at tens of thousands of subjects and analyzed the efficacy of prescription vitamin D (D2) and over-the-counter vitamin D (D3) would warrant a news story or two.

To my knowledge, these papers are the first to paint such a clear picture about the efficacy between D3 and D2.

While there may be explanations for D3′s superiority other than improved efficacy, for the time being, these papers send doctors a message: use D3, not D2.”

The Difference Between Supplemental Vitamin D2 and D3

The notion that vitamin D2 and D3 were equivalent was based on decades-old studies of rickets prevention in infants. Today, we know a lot more about vitamin D, and the featured study offers compelling support for the recommendation to take vitamin D3 if you need to take an oral supplement—which is the same type of D vitamin created in your body when you expose your skin to sunlight.

Supplemental vitamin D comes in two forms:

1. Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2)
2. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3)

I personally recommend getting your vitamin D from safe sun exposure (or a safe tanning bed), as there’s compelling reason to believe the vitamin D created in your skin in response to sun exposure has some slight but important differences that make it even more beneficial than supplemental vitamin D3. I will address this more in just a moment, but first, let’s review the differences between the two types of supplemental vitamin D. Aside from the featured findings that supplemental vitamin D3 reduced the relative mortality risk by six percent, while D2 actually INCREASED mortality risk by two percent, the two types differ in the following ways:

• According to the latest research, D3 is approximately 87 percent more potentⁱⁱⁱ in raising and maintaining vitamin D concentrations and produces 2- to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D than does D2.
• Regardless of which form you use, your body must convert it into a more active form, and vitamin D3 is converted 500 percent faster than vitamin D2.
• Vitamin D2 also has a shorter shelf life, and its metabolites bind poorly with proteins, further hampering its effectiveness.

What about Dietary Sources? Animal-Based versus Plant-Based Vitamin D

Aside from taking an oral vitamin D supplement, you can also obtain small amounts of vitamin D from your diet. Here too, it’s important to realize that not all food sources provide the same kind of vitamin D. Plant sources provide you with D2. The more beneficial D3 can only be had through animal-based sources such as:

• Fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
• Egg yolk
• Raw milk

Dairy processors producing pasteurized milk have also been fortifying milk with vitamin D since 1933. Today, about 98 percent of the milk supply in the U.S. is fortified with approximately 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per quart. While dairies used to fortify their milk with vitamin D2, most have now switched over to D3. But, if you still drink pasteurized milk (which I don’t recommend), check the label to see which form of vitamin D has been added. (If you drink raw milk, then you’re getting the naturally-occurring vitamin D in the milk fat.) Keep in mind that although milk is fortified, other dairy products such as cheese and ice cream does typically not contain added vitamin D.

Vitamin D Can Make or Break Your Health, So Get the Right Kind!

There’s overwhelming evidence that vitamin D is a key player in your overall health. This is understandable when you consider that it is not “just” a vitamin; it’s actually a neuroregulatory steroidal hormone that influences nearly 3,000 different genes in your body. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones.

Just one example of an important gene that vitamin D up-regulates is your ability to fight infections, as well as chronic inflammation. It produces over 200 antimicrobial peptides, the most important of which is cathelicidin, a naturally occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic. This is one of the explanations for why it can be so effective against colds and influenza.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels should be at the top of the list for virtually everyone, regardless of your age, sex, color, or health status, as vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an astonishingly diverse array of common chronic diseases, such as:

Cancer	Hypertension	Heart disease
Autism	Obesity	Rheumatoid arthritis
Diabetes 1 and 2	Multiple Sclerosis	Crohn’s disease
Cold & Flu	Inflammatory Bowel Disease	Tuberculosis
Septicemia	Signs of aging	Dementia
Eczema & Psoriasis	Insomnia	Hearing loss
Muscle pain	Cavities	Periodontal disease
Osteoporosis	Macular degeneration	Reduced C-section risk
Pre eclampsia	Seizures	Infertility
Asthma	Cystic fibrosis	Migraines
Depression	Alzheimer’s disease	Schizophrenia

The IDEAL Way to Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels

While this article is focused on the two types of oral vitamin D supplementation, it’s important to realize that the IDEAL way to optimize your vitamin D levels is through appropriate sun or safe tanning bed exposure. While your skin does create vitamin D3 in response to sun light, which is theoretically the same as the D3 you get from an oral supplement, there’s cause to believe that the vitamin D created from sun exposure may have additional health benefits, and here’s why:

• When you expose your skin to the sun, your skin also synthesizes high amounts of cholesterol sulfate, which is very important for heart and cardiovascular health. In fact, according to research by Dr. Stephanie Seneff, high LDL and subsequent heart disease may in fact be a symptom of cholesterol sulfate deficiency. Sulfur deficiency also promotes obesity and related health problems like diabetes
• When exposed to sunshine, your skin also synthesizes vitamin D3 sulfate. This form of vitamin D is water soluble, unlike oral vitamin D3 supplements, which is unsulfated. The water-soluble form can travel freely in your bloodstream, whereas the unsulfated form needs LDL (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) as a vehicle of transport. According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, there’s reason to believe that many of the profound benefits of vitamin D are actually due to the vitamin D sulfate. As a result, she suspects that the oral non-sulfated form of vitamin D might not provide all of the same benefits, because it cannot be converted to vitamin D sulfate
• You cannot overdose when getting your vitamin D from sun exposure, as your body has the ability to self-regulate and only make what it needs

So essentially, getting regular sun exposure has much greater health ramifications than “just” raising your vitamin D levels and preventing infections. Sun exposure also appears to play a role in heart and cardiovascular health, and much more!

If you cannot get your vitamin D requirements from sun exposure, I recommend using a safe tanning bed (one with electronic ballasts rather than magnetic ballasts, to avoid unnecessary exposure to EMF fields). Safe tanning beds also have less of the dangerous UVA than sunlight, while unsafe ones have more UVA than sunlight. If neither of these are feasible options, then you should take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. It will certainly be better than no vitamin D at all.

How Much Vitamin D Should You Take?

Some 40 leading vitamin D experts from around the world currently agree that there’s no specific dosage level at which “magic” happens; rather the most important factor when it comes to vitamin D is your serum level (the level of vitamin D in your blood). So you really should be taking whatever dosage required to obtain a therapeutic level of vitamin D in your blood.

That said, based on the most recent research by GrassrootsHealth—an organization that has greatly contributed to the current knowledge on vitamin D through their D* Action Study—it appears as though most adults need about 8,000 IU’s of vitamin D a day in order to raise their serum levels above 40 ng/ml.⁴ For children, many experts agree they need about 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight.

At the time GrassrootsHealth performed the studies that resulted in this dosage recommendation, the optimal serum level was believed to be between 40 to 60 ng/ml. Since then, the optimal vitamin D level has been raised to 50-70 ng/ml, and when treating cancer or heart disease, as high as 70-100 ng/ml, as illustrated in the chart above.

What this means is that even if you do not regularly monitor your vitamin D levels (which you should), your risk of overdosing is going to be fairly slim even if you take as much as 8,000 IU’s a day. However, the only way to determine your optimal dose is to get your blood tested regularly, and adjust your dosage to maintain that goldilocks’ zone.

For more information, including an in-depth explanation of everything you need to know before you get tested, please see Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.

References:

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• ⁱ Vitamin D Supplementation for Prevention of Mortality in Adults, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, July 6, 2011: (7); CD007470, G. Bjelakovic, et al.
• ⁱⁱ Meta-analysis Looks at Efficacy of D2 vs D3, Vitamin D Council, November 16, 2011: Dr. John Cannell.
• ⁱⁱⁱ Vitamin D3 Is More Potent Than Vitamin D2 in Humans, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, March 1, 2011: 96 (3);  E447-E452, Robert P. Heaney, et al.

Facts/Fallacies on Breast and Ovarian Cancer Screening

Facts/Fallacies on Breast and Ovarian Cancer Screening

By Gary Schwitzer,

Published: February 22, 2012

 

Breast cancer specialist Dr. Susan Love recently wrote an essay in the New York Times, “Real Race in Cancer Is Finding Its Cause,” in which she says the Komen/Planned Parenthood “furor misses an important fact: Women have been led to believe that screening is the best prevention.” She continues:

“…the original screening study done in the 1950s on postmenopausal women in New York demonstrated a 30-percent decrease in deaths from breast cancer. It also led to the conjecture that if we just carried out more screening at a younger age, and more often, we could improve these statistics and “win the war” on breast cancer.

But decades later, the success rate of screening remains nearly the same, even with much better imaging: routine mammography screening results in a 15- to 20-percent decrease in mortality in women over age 50.

Why hasn’t the situation improved? It turns out that there are at least five, and probably more, different types of breast tumors, growing and spreading at different rates. Some are so aggressive that they have almost always spread before they are visible on mammogram. But other tumors, if left alone, may never spread at all and do not need to be found.

This more complicated picture explains why mammography has not further decreased mortality. The X-rays find some cancers at a point that makes a lifesaving difference — but not all of them. British researchers estimated last year that one death from breast cancer is prevented for every 400 women ages 50 to 70 who are screened regularly over a 10-year period.”

On the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, Katie Hobson reports that “Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines.” Excerpts:

“…the benefits of the available tests — a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test that detects an antigen called CA-125 — haven’t been shown to outweigh their risks (such as complications from unnecessary surgery), or to reduce the number of deaths.

Despite that evidence, a new study finds that when presented with a scenario of a woman coming to her annual check-up, a significant percentage of physicians surveyed would screen for ovarian cancer.

Some 28.5% of the 1,088 primary-care docs  — OB/GYNs, family physicians and general internists — surveyed said they “sometimes” or “almost always” offered or ordered ovarian-cancer screening tests for low-risk women. When the vignette involved a woman at medium risk of the disease, that proportion jumped to 65.4% of physicians.

About a third of physicians reported believing that ultrasound or CA-125 blood testing is an effective screening test for ovarian cancer, the study found. It’s unclear why that is, and more research is needed to discover why, says Laura-Mae Baldwin, an author of the study and professor of family medicine at the University of Washington.

“We know that in medicine we have an enthusiasm for screening,” she says. “We want to find diseases before they can cause harm.”

The study also found that physicians were more likely to say they’d order screening for patients who requested it — even if the doctor herself didn’t believe screening was effective.”

Journalism plays a role in spreading misinformation about screening.  For example, we recently highlighted a strong push for ovarian cancer screening by the editor of Prevention magazine – an editorial stance that was not supported by evidence.

The iPad Access…

The iPad Accessory Tool Kit for Physicians

By Iltifat Husain,

Published: February 22, 2012

 

When my physician peers who know I’m the editor of iMedicalApps get their iPads, one of the most frequent questions I receive is not about the type of app to get — rather, it’s about the type of accessories.

I’ve decided to make a summary of the research we’ve conducted at iMedicalApps into a singular post, so it will be easy for physicians and other health care providers to quickly access this information.

We’ll start first with the hardware accessories. There are two key hardware accessories that physicians often ask about. One is a keyboard case, and the other is the type of stylus to use.

Keyboard case: It’s nearly impossible to type long medical notes with the iPad’s touch keyboard, necessitating an actual keyboard. I have a custom white coat that enables me to carry my iPad around, which is extremely useful when I’m doing consults or in other areas of the hospital. Although most hospitals, including mine, have plenty of computer portals, I prefer typing notes into my iPad since I can easily save my place and quickly reopen Citrix on my iPad.

We went through 9 various iPad keyboard cases at iMedicalApps, and David Ahn, one of our physician writers, concluded that finding the right case is dependent on how you plan to use your iPad. He recommended the ClamCase and the Crux30.  Personally, I favor the Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard since it gives me a full sized keyboard and easily fits into my white coat.  The full review and analysis can be found here.

The second key hardware accessory is a stylus. A stylus is extremely useful for marking up PDF files and taking notes, especially during Grand Rounds and at Journal Club. Again, David Ahn went through four popular iPad styluses, and tried to find the best one for annotating medical literature. He was a huge fan of the Adonit Jot stylus, and felt it was the best for annotating.  The detailed analysis of the various styluses can be found here.

We hope these recommendations help when trying to figure out the best hardware accessories to get with your iPad.