Monthly Archive:

Mitochondria can be damaged.  Why does this matter?   Let’s look at what our mitochondria do for us: • Produce ATP (energy) to fuel our metabolic engine • Help to regulate communication between cells and tissues • Increase their mass in response to an increased need for energy • Help to regulate metabolism and use of nutrients So what can go wrong? • Mitochondria can be damaged by free radicals if there are not adequate antioxidants to neutralize them •...

The Cleveland Clinic teaches us that “Metabolic syndrome is a collection of heart disease risk factors that increase your chance of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.” Also known as Syndrome X, this condition affects more than one in five Americans.  This number increases with age.   What does it look like? A waistline of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women (measured across the belly) A blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or...

Things to consider: Don’t be fooled by high SPF.  High-SPF products tempt people to apply too little sunscreen and stay in the sun too long. The FDA has proposed prohibiting the sale of sunscreens with SPF values greater than 50+, calling higher SPF values “inherently misleading.” The common sunscreen additive vitamin A may speed development of skin cancer.  The sunscreen industry adds a form of vitamin A to nearly one-quarter of all sunscreens. Retinyl palmitate is an anti-oxidant that slows...

A study by the NIH, reported at the annual American Academy of Neurology in March, reported that people who drink four cans or more of soda daily are about 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression later in life than people who don’t drink soda! Fruit punch had an even greater effect, with participants who drank four cans, or cups, a day 38 percent more likely to develop depression, according to the study. The study also showed a greater...

You might be experiencing a condition known as Adrenal Fatigue or non-Addison’s hypoadrenia and it is diagnosable and treatable.  The previous post explaining your Adrenal Gland and its importance mentioned a hormone it produces called cortisol.   Cortisol (which is produced from cholesterol) gives us energy in the morning, helps to keep us going during exercise, daily work and stress.  It is the “fight or flight” hormone, or what gives us the “shivers” in near accidents in traffic.  When you...

Since 1990, the National Library of Medicine has posted thousands of scientific studies showing that homocysteine is a significant risk factor for disease. What disease?  Higher levels of homocysteine raise the risk of premature cardiovascular disease affecting the heart, brain, and peripheral blood vessels.  Elevated homocysteine may speed the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in the arteries in your heart and the rest of your body.  Osteoporosis: Women with high homocysteine levels were found to have significantly lower...

Water damaged buildings can promote the growth of molds – and you do not have to see or smell it for it to be present. Living in a moldy household or water damaged building increases the risk for depression by 33-44 percent.  Many other conditions can be caused by mold as well:  chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, Lupus, MS, migraines, autoimmune illnesses. Symptoms may include: Breathing: Difficult, Tightness in chest, Asthma Emotions: irritable, anger Extremities: Tingling Hands and Feet...

Nicholas Gonzalez, MD, explains: “According to a research paper published in the 2011 issue of The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, mercury affects the heart and blood vessels in several ways:” Mercury in your body increases inflammation It causes thrombosis (the formation of blood clots in the veins) Mercury contributes to abnormal endothelial function (remember that the endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of your arteries and is a prime indicator of cardiovascular health or...

There are the harmless ones, the ”favor traders” who rely on us for survival as much as we rely on them for survival (this is the greatest percentage), and the small percentage of potentially dangerous ones called pathogens.  These microbes are every bit as important – and perhaps more – as the genes we inherit from our parents.   Your inherited genes are fixed – although you can influence which ones become more or less active – while it may...