Friday, September 12, 2008

Dr. Mercola Waves the Red Flag on Cholesterol Drugs

Your Cholesterol Medication May Be Making You Sicker!

Statin drugs are being prescribed in higher and more potent doses to increasing numbers of people (even those with normal cholesterol levels) for "hypercholesterolemia” - which some doctors call a non-illness. What most physicians often overlook is that patients on statins deplete their Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplies, which often leads to fatigue, muscle weakness, soreness and eventually heart failure!

A petition has been issued to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to label statin packages with a warning regarding statin-induced CoQ10 depletion along with a review of animal and human studies supporting the issue. Experts are not sure that the warning will be heeded however.

Dr. Mercola Uncovers the Truth about Statins

Statins have become the drug of choice for millions of people. If the recommendations issued by experts two years ago are to be believed, nearly 40 million Americans should be on statins by now.

What you don’t realize is that, statins kill people! And cause complications in many more.

Patients taking statins become depleted in Coenzyme Q10.

The elderly and patients with heart failure begin to show symptoms of CoQ10 depletion in as short as six to twelve months!

Younger patients can tolerate the drug longer, but they eventually develop CoQ10 depletion symptoms after several years.

When you get to the heart of matters, treating the symptoms of high cholesterol with a drug doesn’t treat the cause. Not only doesn’t it treat the cause, artificial drugs may even cause serious side effects!

Dr. Mercola advises - Don’t risk your health when you can normalize cholesterol levels by observing some simple steps:

Normalize your insulin levels by eliminating sugar and grains. Eliminating sugar and grains will ultimately have beneficial side effects, such as normalizing your weight, increasing your energy and lowering your blood pressure and triglycerides. You can find out more about this in the new book, Total Health Program.

Take a high-quality fish oil that is rich with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Find a fish oil that is independently tested by a lab to conform to purity guidelines. One such brand, of superior quality, is Carlson's fish and cod liver oil, which is in the "Recommended Products" section.

Regular exercise may further reduce your risk of heart disease!

You can also think of a potent enzyme called nattokinase, from the food natto. It has been used for circulatory problems for decades, and it is found in CardioEssentials, a supplement often recommended to those who have been diagnosed with heart disease.

Dr. Joseph Mercola Tackles the Weight Issue

Studies Reveal That Being Overweight Doesn’t Mean You’re Unhealthy!

If you’re overweight, does it mean you’re unhealthy? According to some medical research - apparently not! A report in the
Archives of Internal Medicine goes on to compare weight and cardiovascular risk factors in a sample of 5,400 adults.

  • They found that half of the overweight people were metabolically healthy (which means having healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose).
  • A third of the obese people in the study also turned out to be metabolically healthy!
  • On the other hand, one out of four slim people in the study showed at least two cardiovascular risk factors associated with obesity!

Obesity is actually tied up with a host of health problems. And researchers found the percentage of metabolically healthy overweight and obese people quite surprising.

According to several studies, how a person performs on a treadmill is a more accurate indication of health than body mass index. There are research indications that show that people who are fat, but are able to do well on treadmill tests, have lesser heart risks than people who are slim yet unfit.

Dr. Mercola Adds That Growing Acceptance of Heavier Body Types May Be Good But…

Dr. Mercola emphasizes that there isn’t any uniform ideal weight. What may be the right weight for you may not be the right weight for another. But carrying excess weight will ultimately put you at risk for every chronic degenerative disease, so the concept that you may be overweight or obese and still healthy may make you less vigilant about your health.

Having said that, Dr. Mercola goes on to clarify that “obesity itself is not the underlying cause of any health problem, it is merely a symptom” The root causes are an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise which will ultimately result in increased insulin and leptin levels. And along with emotional challenges all of us inevitably experience, you may find yourself at an unhealthy weight, and health challenges can eventually arise from there.

Factors That Contribute to Obesity

Two-thirds of the American Population is already overweight. This is due to factors that are an offshoot of modern life:

  • Unhealthy diet
  • Lack of exercise
  • Increased emotional challenges

If this trend continues, it is highly probable that every American adult will be overweight by 2048!

Although surveys have shown that American perceptions have changed and there is a greater acceptance of heavier body types, which is a positive development, Dr. Mercola believes it is too soon to accept it as a “new healthy norm” If we embrace this concept fully, we might add to a nationwide health crisis as excess weight can be attributed to so many chronic and debilitating diseases that might have been easily avoided.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Dr. Joseph Mercola Shows You How to Manage your Leftovers

Are you among those who let food go to waste because you don’t know what to do with leftovers?

Before you think about putting that steak or pasta in a garbage bag, consider this:

According to a joint report done by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Foundation, the International Water Management Institute and the Stockholm International Water Institute, HALF of the food produced worldwide is wasted.

Americans, for instance, throw away almost 30 percent of food, approximately $48 billion, when it’s been estimated that at least half of the food disposed in homes and restaurants around the U.S. isn’t bad and could still be eaten.

So how do you manage your leftovers and minimize spoilage?

Dr. Joseph Mercola , the founder of Mercola.com, the world’s most popular natural health website, has been giving sound advice on health concerns and practical tips to help you live a healthy and well-balanced life.

For Dr. Mercola, the best way of keeping your food safe isn’t buying a fancy refrigerator – it’s checking the source.

Try buying your food needs from small, local farms so you can personally check their conditions because food that is grown on a smaller scale usually contains lower levels of bacteria.

That’s the easy part. It gets a bit trickier when it’s time to determine if the food is spoiled or not.

Dr. Mercola suggests following ABC News’ “rule of four,” which means keeping food no more than four days at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will keep raw chicken, ground beef and cuts of beef and lamb safe for three days and four days for leftovers. But while temperature and age are probably the biggest factors, there are other things to consider.

Don’t throw away bread, cheese or fruits and vegetables just because of a spot of mold or an imperfection. Just cut the spot out because you can still eat the rest of it. Even if the food starts smelling a little pungent doesn’t necessarily mean that it has gone bad.

Extending the shelf life and quality of your food is just one simple and practical way of improving your lifestyle and staying healthy. Get more useful information pertinent to your health and wellbeing when you log-on to Mercola.com.

How Healthy Are You? Ask Dr. Joseph Mercola!

There are no shortcuts to good health. There is also no single health program designed that will work for everyone because we all have a unique biochemistry, genetics and physical appearance.

But for Dr. Joseph Mercola, achieving optimal health doesn’t need to be complicated. You just need to understand your body in order for you to take control of your own health.

Get started by assessing your health by looking at these four vital factors:

1. Insulin
2. Weight
3. Blood pressure
4. Cholesterol

The "Four Factor"

1. Insulin is crucial in metabolism and causes the cells in the body to take up glucose and stop the use of fat as an energy source. Most adults have only one teaspoon of sugar in their blood, and if your sugar level were to rise to one tablespoon, you would lapse into a hyperglycemic coma and die. Your body produces insulin to prevent this from happening but too much of it in your system can lead to degenerative illness as you get older.

2. Weight management, on the other hand, is perhaps the most visible among the four factors because you can tell by just looking at a person if he/she is at his/her ideal weight, overweight or underweight. Aside from physical health issues, extra body weight and obesity can also have major negative psychological effects that can hinder you from achieving optimal health.

3. Your ideal blood pressure should be 120/80 without any medication. High insulin levels, stress, tension or anxiety contribute to elevated blood pressure. If you are following a certain diet or program to normalize your blood pressure and do not see an improvement after several weeks, you need to seek help from a health professional.

4. Blood cholesterol is the trickiest part because most Americans are confused about their cholesterol levels due to the fact that too much emphasis is given to the importance of total cholesterol. For Dr. Mercola, the ratio of good cholesterol to total cholesterol is far more important when it comes to predicting cardiovascular risk.

Assessing and Taking Control of Your Health

A simple way to find out if you’re struggling with your weight is by measuring your waist circumference with a tape measure. Sizes above 40 for men and above 37 for women usually indicate obesity. Body Mass Index (BMI) is also a good tool to find out what your ideal weight should be. The National Institutes of Health has a simple online BMI calculator that you can use to know your ideal weight.

It is also easy and inexpensive to test for your insulin, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So do yourself a favor and look at the state of your health as soon as possible.

After assessing the state of your health, the next logical step will be to adopt a plan that will help you address problems and improve your overall wellbeing.
Dr. Mercola has designed a special Nutrition Plan coming from decades of extensive research, collaboration with other health professionals and most importantly, successful treatment of thousands of patients. Mercola’s passion is to help you start the journey to optimal health, one step at a time.

Take control of your health with Dr. Mercola’s Optimized Nutrition Plan! Log on to Mercola.com now!

Dr. Joseph Mercola Explains When a Little Poison Can be Good for You

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you, like sugar and exercise. But can you believe that a little of something bad can be good for you?

We all know that excessive exposure to radiation and toxins from smoking and mercury are dangerous to your health. But did you know that a little exposure to toxic substances or stressors may actually give you health benefits?

Hormesis is the process which theorizes that organisms exposed to low levels of toxins and other stress agents develop a resistance towards tougher challenges. Thus, a toxin showing hormesis has the opposite effect when administered in small doses than in large ones.

An example of this theory is an experiment wherein mice were exposed to small doses of gamma rays before irradiating them with very high levels of gamma rays, which decreased the occurrence of cancer. A similar effect was achieved when rats were given dioxin.

Dr. Joseph Mercola
, who has been practicing osteopathic medicine for over 20 years, defines hormesis as the biological phenomena where an otherwise adverse or detrimental influence is beneficial when applied at low levels, enough to set something into motion.

Scientists have been trying to find a connection between hormesis and aging. It has been thought that cells may have an adaptive or hermetic response that are anti-aging when they are exposed to mild stress like heat shock, irradiation, pro-oxidants, hypergravity, food restriction and even exercise.

Dr. Mercola also cited another study which showed that mice whose food intake was reduced by 40 percent but whose diet included fish oil lived 300 percent longer than mice that ate as much as they wanted and fed with omega-6 oils.

The significant implication of the experiment showed that calorie restriction has a bigger influence on longevity than adding fish oils. But while he concedes that calorie restriction does work, he does not advocate it because human populations that consume low-calorie diets restricted in proteins and micronutrients tend to have short stature, late reproductive maturation, impaired fertility and impaired immune functions.

What Dr. Mercola recommends is eating according to your nutritional type, which involves shifting the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates you consume because he believes that optimal health may depend on the percentage of each food you consume, and not with the type of the food you are eating.

You can find out more about hormesis, nutritional typing and other health topics at Mercola.com. Mercola.com delivers the latest health news and hosts thousands of articles related to your health and wellbeing. Visit Mercola.com now or send Dr. Mercola your questions at Ask Dr. Mercola.

Dr. Joseph Mercola Recommends Premium Supplements to Enhance Your Health

Dietary supplements are made to supply you with the essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which you don't get enough of or are missing from your diet.

According to a survey done this year, nearly six out of 10 adult Americans take dietary supplements on a regular basis, with majority saying that they are satisfied with the products they are using.

However, despite the widespread use of dietary supplements, the survey showed that many of those taking them are misinformed about what they can actually do for your health, how long it will take for the benefits to take effect and which ones are more important.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician and natural medicine practitioner, has been helping consumers by independently researching and testing health products to find out which ones are the best in their respective categories. He provides unbiased recommendations because he is not affiliated with any advertisers or pharmaceutical companies; he simply wants to find the best products that will help you gain optimal health. He personally uses the products he recommends, including:

B-12 Energy Booster – Do you still drink coffee or energy drinks whenever you lack energy? Now there's an easy, convenient and effective way of recharging your energy and it doesn't involve any pills, tablets or capsules – it comes in the form of a spray! B-12 Energy Booster uses a patented NanoMist® delivery system that further reduces vitamin B-12 molecules to microscopic nanodroplets, making it easier and faster for your body to absorb the essential nutrients. No multivitamin containing vitamin B-12 can compare to this product. But giving you extra energy is just the tip of the iceberg. This innovative B-12 spray, which comes in a great-tasting spearmint flavor, also helps in cell formation (including red blood cells), longevity and enhances digestion, food absorption and carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

Chlorella – Green has always been the color that represents health. Chlorella, a natural green algae, is one of the purest natural green foods on earth. This premium chlorella is harvested from Ishigaki Island in Japan and is processed by an exclusive technology which breaks open the plant's cell wall to make its rich nutrient content available to you. It helps cleanse toxins from your body, boosts your immune system, helps digest your food, provides beta carotene and even helps freshen your breath! You won't find a better chlorella supplement than this.

Whole Food Multivitamin Plus – It's a jungle out there with all those different multivitamin brands. So what makes Whole Food Multivitamin Plus any different? The name speaks for itself. All the vitamins and minerals it contains are extracted from RAW foods and is 100% FREE from allergens and additives. Plus, it contains higher amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium and an exclusive formula of antioxidants including beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, L-cysteine, lutein, lycopene, red wine proanocyanidins and selected extracts and powders from over 25 fruits, vegetables and herbs.

These are just some of the premium products that will help you live healthy and happy. Find out more by visiting Mercola.com, the world's most popular natural health website!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Shop for Affordable Health Food with Dr. Joseph Mercola

With the economy in decline, prices are rising and unemployment is growing, forcing Americans to cut down on spending. Last year, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food rose by 4.0 percent, its highest annual increase since 1990. Due to higher commodity and energy cost, the CPI for food is predicted to hike another 4.5 to 5.5 percent in 2008, resulting in even higher retail prices.

Your food bill has skyrocketed but it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice nutrition just to be able to stretch your budget.

You just have to shop smart.

Dr. Joseph Mercola is one of the country’s leading health experts. He has been providing advice on a number of health topics, including diet and nutrition, on his website, Mercola.com. Dr. Mercola advocates that the proper diet will help you achieve optimal health. He is constantly on the lookout for products that will give you the most bang for your buck.

It’s a no-brainer that organic food is good for you but what usually prevents people from buying organic food is the price. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned. But a penny invested in your health will certainly go a long way. Dr. Mercola shares with you the ten healthiest foods he has found that cost less than a dollar:

1. Two cage free organic eggs = $0.59
2. Eight ounces of raw organic milk = $0.62
3. One ounce mixed raw sunflower seeds = $0.82
4. A cup of fresh organic blueberries= $0.95
5. One-pound slice of watermelon = $0.98
6. Seven ounces coconut milk = $0.98
7. Five ounces of fresh organic spinach = $0.95
8. Two cloves of garlic = $0.05
9. One serving of wild rice =$0.99
10. Two capsules of Krill Oil = $0.84

Dr. Mercola believes that it’s worth spending a few more dollars to ensure that you are eating what’s good for you. But Dr. Joseph Mercola offers you more than just diet tips. His site, Mercola.com, is the world’s most popular natural health website and contains thousands of articles on topics that are pertinent to your health and wellbeing in general.

So what are you waiting for? Let Dr. Joseph Mercola be your guide to wellness! More than a million subscribers to his free Natural Health Newsletter can’t be wrong. Log on to Mercola.com now!