Silymarin is the active component of the herbal plant known as milk Thistle.  It has been used for centuries for various diseases to include liver disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, digestion, and has also been indicated in various illnesses of different organs such as prostate, lungs, CNS, kidneys, pancreas, and skin¹. Silymarin can suppress inflammation of cells in the body similar to ways that exercise can help coordinate the response of stressors.  The results of the anti-inflammatory pathways that silymarin can signal leads to cellular repair and maintenance².

Properties of Silymarin include:

• Reduces inflammation
• Acts as an antioxidant reducing free radicals
• Stimulating the production of new liver cells
• Reduce the toxic effects of chemical exposures

Silymarin has been used to treat a range of disorders and is considered safe and well-tolerated. The most common use of silymarin is for the liver.  If the liver if functioning poorly, so is almost...

If you enjoy South Asian and Middle Easter cuisine, chances are you’ve come in contact with a spice called turmeric. It is one of the main ingredients in curry dishes and has a vibrant color and flavor¹. One of the main reasons why turmeric has been linked to its main health and medical benefits is due to its active ingredient known as curcumin. A typical turmeric root may contain 2-7% concentration of curcumin¹. There are over a million articles on the web and in journals supporting turmeric and its multiple pharmacological activities. Some examples of these benefits are listed below.

• Anticarcinogenic
• Anti-inflammatory
• Cardiovascular protectant
• Helps support the liver
• Supports the nervous system
• Cancer prevention and treatment adjunct

Anti-carcinogenic Effects:

An anticarcinogen is defined as a substance that counteracts the effects of a carcinogen or inhibits the development of cancer². Turmeric has demonstrated that it is capable of having an anti-carcinogenic...

What Is Ferritin?

Ferritin is a protein in the body that stores iron and releases it.  A simple blood test can determine this value for you.  When Ferritin builds up, iron overload is the result.  Over time, these excesses build up in major organs and if it is not removed, these organs can become diseased.  This can be a genetic trait, in which it is called Hemochromatosis.  However, this is the case only about 10% of patients with high Ferritin.  Elevated Ferritin is a lot more common for other reasons than you think and is to not be overlooked. Untreated hemochromatosis can be fatal.  More often though, the iron overload presents in patients with obesity, chronic inflammation, daily alcohol consumption, heart disease, liver disease, renal failure, joint paint, metabolic syndrome or diabetes, or even cancer.

Dr. Paul Adams of division of Gastroenterology University of Western Ontario, Canada says “it is important to remember that elevated...

• Migraine is one of the most common health conditions in the world—more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined. A little less than 15 percent of the world’s population suffer with migraines
• An observational study recently found that people who get migraines have a different blood vessel structure in their brains compared to those who do not get migraines, causing greater asymmetry in hemispheric cerebral blood flow
• Environmental factors appear to play a significant role in triggering a migraine attack. This includes certain foods and drinks, hormonal changes, stress, external stimuli like scents or lights, dehydration and changes in sleep cycle
• Both aspartame and MSG are notorious for causing headaches and triggering migraines. Aspartame can also trigger other neurological symptoms such as visual disturbances and tingling in the extremities
• Preventing migraines begins by avoiding the triggers. Most often this means eating healthy whole foods (avoiding most...

Have you seen the scientific evidence that genetically modified foods are 100% safe with no long term health related side effects? Unfortunately, neither have we. What started out to help world hunger, has unfortunately created damage to agriculture, wild life and human health.

What is GMO?

A GMO, otherwise known as genetically modified organism, is a plant, animal and/or microorganism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. ⁽²⁾ This has the potential to create unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that otherwise would not occur in nature. ⁽²⁾

A company called Monsanto is the world leader in genetically modified (GM) crops. According to their website, they believe that they are helping to solve world hunger and there are no adverse side effects of consuming GM products. Sadly, the truth is that studies have been conducted and have demonstrated that GM products have the...

A common upper respiratory disease called Pertussis many often know as Whooping Cough. You may have even heard of it as the “100 day cough”? This is a lingering disease that starts off with cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, a mild fever, and maybe a cough. These mild symptoms last for almost 2 weeks and then, as the disease develops, you may notice a worsening rapid cough with high pitched “whoop” sound accompanied by fatigue and sometimes vomiting due to the extreme coughing.  This disease is extremely contagious by breathing in the bacteria that are present in droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The person who is infected is contagious for up to 3 weeks!  And the worst part is…they may not even know they have it.

Infants are at risk for most severe complications including pneumonia and seizures because their immune systems are underdeveloped.  But, since the disease starts off more like a cold, it is often...

At first glance a few key statistics related to water intake and composition are important to note: the human body contains roughly 11 gallons of water broken down into these fractional parts: blood is 85% water, muscle is 80% water, brain is 75% water and bones are 25% water.

With the value and percentage of water making up nearly 66% of the human body it plays a tremendously important role in normal physiological function(s).  This is largely why dehydration, when present, can lead to a number of critical problems including: migraines, constipation and even kidney stones.¹ Lack of water in the body can also take a toll on the health of your BRAIN, affecting mood and overall cognitive and emotional function.  When dehydrated a person may be more prone to feelings of fatigue, anxiety and irritability.

Dehydration Shrinks Your Brain

About three-quarters of your brain is water and when the body is dehydrated your brain volume actually decreases.  It is this...

“Overall, the results indicate that the medical profession is doing a poor job of appropriately prescribing opioid painkillers. Even though the rates have leveled off, we have a long way to go in improving medical care so these are not as overprescribed as they are currently … [T]here are a lot of leftover medications. In many cases, physicians could write smaller prescriptions, or avoid them completely for those who benefit from ibuprofen or acetaminophen.”

– Dr. Wilson Compton, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse ⁽¹⁾

Prescription opioids are medications that are typically prescribed by dentists, family doctors and hospitals as a response to acute pain.  The medication is only supposed to be used for a short period of time, but studies have found those who are prescribed opioids can take them from 2 weeks to 10 years or more. Opioids are chemically similar to endorphins, which is a substance our body makes naturally to relieve...

Many health care professionals are recommending that their patients who are “baby boomers” get tested for Hepatitis C.  Did you know that 1 in 30 baby boomers are infected with Hepatitis C and don’t even know it?  In 2012, the CDC amended testing recommendations to include one-time Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) testing for all persons born between 1945-1965 regardless of other risk factors.¹ In fact, people in this age group are 5 times more likely than any other age groups that have HCV.²   But why? 

Let’s first discuss what Hepatitis C Virus is exactly.  Hepatitis C is a blood-borne disease which was only just discovered in 1989.  Much of the affected population carries no symptoms and therefore don’t even know they have it.  Hepatitis C affects the liver and can cause severe liver damage or cirrhosis.  Hepatitis C is transmitted by recreational drug use involving...

The Cholesterol Theory:

THE MEETING OF SCIENCE AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE

For the better part of the last 50 years or more, we have been told to fear cholesterol and saturated fat as the cause of heart disease.1 Cholesterol is not the enemy and this newsletter will help to prove that fact.  The vast majority of the information regarding cholesterol (as public enemy #1) has been the result of political persuasiveness rather than solid scientific evidence.

“Cholesterol is the most decorated molecule in history, having contributed to 13 Nobel prizes.” It is generally accepted that Dr. Nikolai Anichkov, the Russian physiologist, was the first to induce atherosclerosis by feeding rabbits a diet laden with cholesterol.  He is therefore credited with originating the cholesterol hypothesis.  It is quite clear that the focus of preventative cardiology for the last half century has been lifestyle modification and cholesterol reduction.²  The research study...