Currently viewing the category: "The Six Keys to Optimal Health"

The Evolution of Health Science

By On · Add Comment · In American Cancer Society, cancer prevention, exercise, healthy diet, healthy lifestyle behaviors, medical science, self-healing, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, vitamin supplements

Happy that medical science is entering the new age; a little slowly perhaps, but I can appreciate the evolution. New recommendations from the American Cancer Society stress healthy lifestyle behaviors, not just as a preventative  to cancer, but also as a way to boost survival for those that currently have cancer. Bravo, ACS—welcome to the amazing world of human self-healing.

Because medical science believes strongly in evidence, yet prefers to follow the money when choosing which evidence to gather, it can take a little while to uncover what some in the healing professions (we charlatans) have known for decades through simple observation. But I’m a scientist at heart, so I appreciate. Check it:

According to the Powers That Be, healthy lifestyle behaviors—like the ones I discuss in detail in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health—could keep cancer from recurring, or can prevent cancer survivors from getting a new type of cancer. Yes! So healthy diet, exercise, and keeping the weight under control go a long way in enhancing and preserving health. Nice…

About 1 in 25 Americans are cancer survivors, according to Colleen Doyle, the cancer society’s director of nutrition and physical activity. Although earlier research showed healthy lifestyle behaviors to prevent cancer, no studies had looked at the benefits for current cancer patients or survivors. And remember: no evidence, no medical acknowledgement…sometimes even ridicule and accusations of quackery. But well that’s early hominid thinking, and the times they are a-changing.

“The last time we published recommendations for survivors in 2006, we didn’t feel there was enough evidence to say clearly that watching your weight, being active and eating a healthy diet can reduce risk of recurrence,” said Doyle, a co-author of the guidelines. “Since that time, 100 studies have looked at the impact of weight, diet or a combination of those things, and those studies have clearly formed a foundation for us being able to make these very solid recommendations that adopting a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important things cancer survivors can do for themselves.”

That’s wonderful…don’t you just love seeing natural selection right up close and personal?

But the guidelines still warn of supplementation. Say the elders of the tribe:

De-Evolution Anyone?

No evidence shows that supplements benefit cancer survivors, and there is some evidence that certain supplements may cause harm.

Well, they can’t get it all right too soon…that wouldn’t follow the principles of evolution being a time process. Let’s face it, though: the silly studies currently done on vitamin supplementation try to answer questions from a pharmaceutical frame of reference, like how vitamins might cure disease.

But the principles of self-healing to those of disease-curing are like comparing apples to colostomy bags—both edible but really depends on one’s tastes.

Applause to the machine, nonetheless; healthy behaviors do very much more than prevent disease—they give life. An incredibly profound concept that medical science has yet to grasp…let alone study.

Scent Might Signify Illness

By On · Add Comment · In apocrine sweat glands, gonorrhea, Kareishu, olfaction, olfactory sense, pheromones, scent, smell, The Six Keys to Optimal Health

In my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, I propose that there are three parameters by which one can evaluate one’s health: how one looks, how one feels, and how one functions. But there might even be a fourth way, and that is how one smells. I know this might sound obvious to some, and to others an absurdity, but I assure you it’s something we are just learning.

Body scent, or the more oft-used term body-odor is produced when secretions from the apocrine sweat glands come into contact with bacteria on the skin. The apocrine sweat glands are located in the axillae (armpits), the areola of the nipples, and the genitoanal region. They are inactive until puberty, at which time they are stimulated by sex hormones to secrete an odorless, milky substance that reacts with our skin bacteria to create pheromones, which are thought to function as chemical attractors for potential mates.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: Several recent studies have shown that people smell different due to the types of bacteria they have on their bodies. For instance, one study carried out by high school students (I know…so proud of those little geniuses) showed that we can accurately identify our own smell, and also with a very high frequency rate, that of our friends. Useful right, to be able to discern between self, tribe and others? And another study done in Thailand used a mechanical nose (just play along) to find that people did smell different based on their bacterial makeup. Wow! So how does this relate to health?

A third study conducted last year at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia showed that female volunteers, who compare the odor of the sweat of healthy men to that of men infected with Gonorrhea and men who had been treated for Gonorrhea, consistently rated the odors of the men with Gonorrhea as worse than either those without the disease or those who had already been treated for it. Whoa! Yes, it appears that humans have the ability to discern another’s health through their smell (at least with regard to gonorrhea). Fascinating!

So there you have it–the nose knows, or so it appears. It really does make sense to me. I had always noticed that elderly people have a certain smell to them, different from younger people, and not necessarily bad, mind you–just different (the Japanese call it Kareishu). Not suggesting that elderly people cannot be healthy (as I speak very frequently to the affirmative here in this blog), but that our smells may change as our bodies change, whether we are talking aging or illness. I am certain that even the foods we eat regularly contribute to our smell…and I don’t just mean garlic breath, either.

What fascinating information coming from the world of olfaction–an obsession of mine. I am certain there are more to the biological functions of smell than meets the nasal passages, and our brains’ ability to process these olfactory (scent) inputs is an evolutionary phenomenon of the most intriguing character. Looking forward to more on this subject in the near future.

Wash Dammit!

By On · Add Comment · In antibiotic resistant bacteria, bacteria, germs, hand washing, hygiene, infections, microbes, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, vaccinations

Five years ago I wrote and published a book called The Six Keys to Optimal Health. I really contemplated the concept of adding a seventh key, which would have been hygiene, but I resisted because I made a gross assumption–that pretty much everybody in the modern world is attuned to this paramount health practice.

I now realize that I was severely wrong.  In fact, improper hygiene seems to be a continuing scourge of the new millennium. From dirty hospital rooms, leading to an increased spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, to dirty tattooing equipment, to dirty soda fountains, it’s pretty clear to me that human beings haven’t yet gotten this one down, so let me say it loud and clear: WASH YOUR HANDS!

Whew, I feel better. According to researchers at the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety,

“Hand-washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. You can spread certain ‘germs’ (a general term for microbes such as viruses and bacteria) by touching another person even casually. You can also catch germs when you touch contaminated objects or surfaces and then touch your face,” the group explained in a news release from the Society for Women’s Health Research.

Yes, wash people. You go to the WC…wash. You shake somebody’s hand…wash. You handle money…wash. You touch food? Wash. You work with people? Wash. You have kids with snotty noses? Wash dang it!

Oh waaait…you don’t know how to properly wash your hands? Got it…okay, well here you go…straight from the Centers of Disease Control:

  • Place hands under clean, running water.
  • Once wet, add soap and rub hands together until suds form.
  • Scrub on every surface for at least 20 seconds (the amount of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice), including both sides, between fingers and under fingernails.
  • Rinse hands again under running water and dry with a clean dry towel or air-dry.

Listen, proper hygiene is so important it’s often the difference between developed nations and third world countries. Some people even believe that it was the improvement in methods and practices of hygiene and not vaccinations that led to the dramatic decrease in death and illness due to infectious microorganisms–I’m one of these people.

Simple as this–wash your hands like you’ve never washed before. Get a sink in your car. Wash in your sleep. Go nuts–you can never wash too much. This has been a public service announcement.

Don’t Look Your Gift Horse in the Mouth

By On · Add Comment · In angioplasty, coronary disease, health consciousness, heart attack, modern medicine, prevention, stents, The Six Keys to Optimal Health

Sigh…I know it’s hard to think about your health when so many other things need attention. I get it, not everybody eats, breathes and thinks health consciousness. But here’s the deal: Your physical body is your vessel. It carries your mind and your spirit, and as such, you really can’t do or experience much on the material plane without it. So it really does make sense to take care of it.

Here’s why I bring it up: I know that many people don’t think about their health much until there is a problem. Some people get as far as having a serious problem, one that is life threatening–like a heart attack–before they realize how important their body is. But when you get to that point, it much more difficult to bounce back–not impossible, mind you; just harder.

Take a recent study that showed that one in ten people that have angioplasty–a surgical technique to open clogged arteries–will land back into the hospital within 30 days.  The procedure, which includes the placement of a stent, or an artificial tube, into the blood vessel to create a new opening, and hopefully prevent further flow constriction. Worse yet, these individuals were more likely to die within a year when compared to their counterparts who were not readmitted to the hospital after their procedure.

A second study showed that the risk of rehospitalization remained after three years following the procedure. The rehospitalizations were for new procedures to open arteries, heart failure, heart attack or serious bleeds. According to study author Dr. Gianluca Campo, a cardiologist at the Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria di Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy:

“Coronary artery disease is a chronic condition that needs chronic care. Just because a stent is placed or bypass surgery is done does not mean that you don’t need continued care in terms of preventing other episodes. You have the disease and have been treated for this episode. Now we need to treat the rest of you to decrease the chance that you will have another episode in the course of this chronic and progressive disease.”

Exactly. In other words, you still need to take care of your health. Listen, modern medicine is amazing at giving people a second chance, but that doesn’t mean you should just go back to business-as-usual. You need to observe all six keys to optimal health–diet, exercise, bodywork, mental health, rest & recuperation, and toxin avoidance (smoking cessation, for example)–and it has to become a top priority.

But even more importantly, why not just start observing these practices now? Many illnesses are lifestyle related. You do have a choice; and you ultimately have a hand in your illness and health. Once you get to the point of an angioplasty, you have suffered severe damage. My philosophy: Prevent it starting NOW. And if you’ve already had the experience of heart disease, and modern medicine has given you a second chance, don’t look that gift horse in the mouth. Live as if your body is your life vessel, and do the right things to preserve it. You’ll have more life to live that way.

Govt. Acknowledges Dangerous Levels of Fluoride in Drinking Water

By On · Add Comment · In American Dental Association (ADA), cavities, children, drinking water, fluoridation, fluorosis, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, tooth spotting

Well surprise, surprise–the U.S. government has finally woken up to its dangerous practice of adding fluoride to drinking water.  A recent report discloses that an increase in “spotting” of childrens’ teeth due to the added mineral has become a concern for health officials.  Oh thank goodness…now perhaps they’ll exonerate Bruno and Galileo, as well.

According to the report, the federal government plans on lowering the recommended fluoride levels in drinking water from an outrageous 4 milligrams per liter to 0.7 mg/L of water–the first recommended lowering of fluoride levels in public drinking water in the last 50 years!  This a result of the increasing changes in childrens’ teeth over the last three decades.

I don’t know if anybody is as pissed off as I am about this total disregard for public health from the federal government.  I speak in detail of this horrific practice in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health.  My research into the fluoridation of drinking water was extensive, as I consulted with many experts in the field; and they all agreed–fluoride in the drinking water is dangerous!

So why has the government continued this practice, despite numerous groups speaking out against it (including the Fluoride Action Network, Beyond Pesticides, and Environmental Working Group, which all threatened legal action if the EPA did not lower its ceiling on fluoride)?  The power of the American Dental Association (ADA), that’s why!

If you haven’t heard me say it before, you might be surprised to learn that I believe the dental association is the most crooked since auto mechanics and used car salesmen.  With virtually no alternative to American dentistry, this industry is free to practice, advise, and get rich as they please, with the public health taking the hits.  The mass fluoridation of the drinking water supply is greatest example of this abuse of power.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the splotchy tooth condition, called fluorosis, is unexpectedly common in kids ages 12 through 15. And it appears to have grown much more common since the 1980s.  No kidding–experts have warned of this for years.

The report also states that about 2 out of 5 adolescents have tooth streaking or spottiness because of too much fluoride. In some extreme cases, teeth can even be pitted by the mineral–though the powers that be now claim many cases are so mild that only dentists notice it. They say the problem is generally considered cosmetic.  I do not believe this assessment for one instance.

A scientific report five years ago said that people who consume a lifetime of excess fluoride–an amount over EPA’s limit of 4 milligrams–can lead to crippling bone abnormalities and brittleness.  Duh!  Read my book, Kathleen Sebelius!

Speaking of the Health and Human Services Secretary, she could make a final decision on details of the changes within a few months. Why should it take so long, I wonder?

Whereas some health officials are said to be concerned about cavities, I wonder out loud why we all (especially children) should  be put at risk for something addressed by simple tooth brushing.  To insinuate that we need more than brushing and dental cleanings is ludicrous.  Doesn’t anybody else see the enormous scam the Dental Association has levied on us–pay us hundreds of dollars for cleaning, buy special toothbrushes (that you can get in my office!), floss your teeth, stay away from sweets…but wait, that’s not good enough, suckers–we’ve got to dump fluoride in the drinking water, too.  Never mind that it’s an unsubstantiated practice: It’s all based on belief, not empirical evidence.  Read my book.

I was infuriated when Los Angeles succumbed to ADA pressure and started fluoridating in 2007.  And I praise the city of Portland, Oregon for holding out on this bogus practice.  Europe does not take part in the dangerous dumping of fluoride into the drinking water supply.  Is it because they do not care for the health of their people?  Quite the contrary–it’s because they do.  Stay tuned–I will keep you informed of further developments.

**Fluoride levels in drinking water were lowered in 2015 – first time lowered in 50 years! 

Swine Flu Vaccine

By On · Add Comment · In adjuvant, autoimmune disorders, Dr. Russel Blaylock, squalene, swine flu vaccine, The Six Keys to Optimal Health

One of my intelligent and well-informed regular readers asked my opinion on a recent health piece on the swine flu vaccine. The article is written by Dr. Russel Blaylock, a prominent neurosurgeon and associate editor of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. His view: The upcoming swine flu vaccine might be more dangerous than the flu itself.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how I feel about the flu vaccine in general: um, useless. Aside from the fact that everyone has had the flu, 99.9999999% survive it, get well and get on with their lives, there is the simple little issue that the data doesn’t support its widespread use. I’ve posted study after study showing the flu vaccines worthlessness. Why will the swine flu vaccine be any different? I even went so far as to point out that this past flu season had the lowest use of flu vaccine in years, and guess what…flu cases were down! Frickin’ duh! Thank goodness people are waking up.

What the heck is the difference with swine flu? Should we be more scared? The government, WHO, and media are certainly trying to freak us out. It’s not like I think there is a conspiracy–I’m definitely not a conspiracy theorist–but there is some vested interest in drumming up a scare. I talk at length about this in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health. Think about it: Can governments actually do nothing about an illness outbreak? No, they are ultimately responsible for their people. So that makes sense to me. Will the media ignore it? C’mon–that racket of power and mind manipulation wouldn’t exist without sensationalism. Pharmaceutical companies? Cha-ching. Mainstream medical profession? No new diseases, no new business.

There is no evidence that the swine flu is any worse than the regular flu. Why panic? Doesn’t mean you need the vaccine. And if, in fact, the material that is combined with the vaccine (called the adjuvant), is toxic, then obviously it’s more than useless, it’s dangerous. According to Dr. Blaylock, the adjuvant in the new swine flu vaccine is squalene. When injected, squalene, the doctor states, can trigger autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis (MS). He goes on to point out that squalene is also strongly linked to Gulf War Syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), polyarteritis nodosa, multiple sclerosis (MS), transverse myelitis (a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord), endocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s inner lining), optic neuritis with blindness and glomerulonephritis (a type of kidney disease).

So what do I think? Hmm…I don’t know about all that stuff; but it really doesn’t matter to me if it’s filled with ambosia and nectar, I’m not going to take it, and I’m not going to give it to my children. If they start mandating it for schoolchildren–bye, bye school–I’ll homeschool my kids. I’m not giving my family any flu shot crap, period. There David, that’s my opinion.

*Thanks D.S. for posing the question; very relevant.

Health Care Crisis Solution

By On · Add Comment · In Hawaii, health care, health insurance, Medicaid, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, universal child health care, universal health care

Well, you know what they say, “As Hawaii goes, so does the nation.” OK, nobody really says that. And good thing, too; because judging by what’s just happened in Hawaii with their universal child care program, following suit could be disastrous for American health care.

According to recent reports, Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care system in the country just seven months after it launched. You don’t say…I wonder why. Apparently the program was set up for families who couldn’t afford their own private health insurance; however, many families began dropping their private health insurance to get the freebie. No kidding. Wow, why would they do that? Essentially, the program became unaffordable. Duh.

In another unrelated report, government officials have declared spending on the Medicaid health program for the poor as “unsustainable.” Medicaid benefits will increase by 7.9% per year over the next decade, costing $674 billion by 2017. Woowee! That’s a lot of dough. The program is inflating at a higher rate than the Medicare program for the elderly and disabled. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement, “This report should serve as an urgent reminder that the current path of Medicaid spending is unsustainable for both federal and state governments.”

Yeah. Well, I can’t see a proposed national universal health care plan being any different. For a country as large and addicted to medical care as the good ol’ U.S. of A, the price tag for such a program will be astronomical. Good campaign slogan, poor idea overall. Listen, I’ve got nothing against helping people who can’t afford this and that, but the problem in health care isn’t that people have no access to it–people have access, it’s called Medicaid (50 million cardholders and counting)–it’s that people in this country have become overly reliant on medical care.

This concept is a major premise of my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health. People have simply neglected their health for years. We are one of the most unhealthy industrialuzed countries on the planet. Why? Because people don’t have access to medical care? BS! Walk into any big city ER on a Saturday night. I did it three weeks ago when my daughter was being born, it was packed–packed!–with low income citizens. Go ahead, walk into Cedar Sinai in Beverly Hills on a Saturday night; you’ll see the truth. People have access to care. The bottom line is that the average American takes very little care of their health. THAT’S WHY WE ARE HAVING A HEALTH CARE CRISIS! Not because we don’t have universal health care. It doesn’t matter if we do get this type of system; until people make a conscious effort to change their lifestyles into one of movement, wholesome eating, regular bodywork, proper sleep, mental balnce and conditioning, and toxin avoidance, HEALTH CARE COST WILL CONTINUE TO SOAR!

The only thing we are going to get with a universal health care system is more cost for the taxpayer, to pay for the health care of the people down the street who continue to neglect their health. Mark my words.

Don’t Give Up Exercising

By On · Add Comment · In calories, exercising, fat, insulin resistance, lose weight, metabolism, physical fitness, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, type 2 diabetes

A message that I try to get out in my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, is that exercising for purely aesthetic reasons is a sure to lead to frustration and disappointment for many. It’s the best way to guarantee an abandoned physical fitness program when things don’t turn out the way you’ve fantasized. I think a much better approach is to exercise for the myriad of physiological or health benefits you will surely enjoy if only you can keep up the effort.

I think what happens is that people want to lose weight and “get ripped.” Nothing wrong with either of these desires. But what happens when it doesn’t occur over night, or in a few months? Well, many people end up frustrated, and say, “This isn’t working.” They then come up with all kinds of implausible excuses why it’s not working for them: genetics, slow metabolism, or the old, “I work out all the time, but I never seem to lose weight.”

Well here’s good news this week out of the University of Michigan: Fat metabolism speeds up in just one exercise session. That’s right! Just one workout and fat burning increases. This lowers your chance of developing insulin resistance–the hallmark of type 2 diabetes–and increases your ability to burn fat in the future. How? Exercising increases the ability to store fat in the muscle tissue as triglycerides, which makes it available for quick energy; much quicker than the fat filled adipose tissue we store around our bellies, butts and hips.

So even if you find that you “never seem to lose weight” no matter how much you exercise, just know that despite what seems to be slow going, you’re doing yourself a great physiological and health service by working out regularly. If what you say about working out all the time is true, then you might need to be honest with yourself and cut the calories you’re ingesting everyday in the form of food, booze or soda. But you can be sure that your metabolism is working faster and burning fat more efficiently if you are exercising. And even if that’s the most you get out of it, you are still doing your body a world of good.

LT–Find a Chiropractor!

By On · Add Comment · In chiropractic, chiropractor, Dallas Cowboys, Dancing with the Stars, Emmitt Smith, injuries, Ladanian Tomlinson, NFL, San Diego Chargers, sports, The Six Keys to Optimal Health

Just heard on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, the analysis show preceding Monday Night Football: NFL analyst and Former Dallas Cowboy running back (and Dancing with the Stars champ) Emmitt Smith giving current San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson advice on how to bounce back from injuries and prolong his career, the wise Mr. Smith suggests trying chiropractic.Yes! You heard right. From one future Hall of Famer to another, chiropractic is the way to go to stay healthy, strong, and preserve one’s skills in a highly demanding and physically grueling sport.

Woowee! What a plug for chiropractic! Why am I so ecstatic? Because what we’ve mostly heard in the past about chiropractic from major media outlets has been less than gracious. But now a major sports star with mass appeal says on national television to go see a chiropractor, and I say bravo.

If you don’t know who Emmitt Smith is, suffice it to say that he is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and three time Super Bowl winner. He’s a league MVP and a Super Bowl MVP. It doesn’t get much better than that. And Mr. Smith danced his way into the general public’s consciousness when, in 2006, he won the third season of Dancing with the Stars.

If you’ve read my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, then you know what Emmitt Smith has said about chiropractic, “After that season (where he was hobbled by a hamstring injury), I decided to invest in me, to keep me going.” He went on to say, “You can have a Ferrari body, but your wheels need balancing. I felt if I took care of my body, I could still function when I got older.” So Emmitt Smith chose chiropractic, and he’s encouraging LaDainian Tomlinson to do the same.

And I’m encouraging all of you to do the same too. If you want to live pain free, with proper biomechanical functioning, and optimal overall health, choose chiropractic–it works!

Walking Extends Life

By On · Add Comment · In health, longevity, pain, physical fitness, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, universal exercise, walking
Walking a mile a day keeps the Grim Reaper away. So says an Italian study that looked at the universal exercise–walking–and found that people who walked regularly lived longer.

The study followed 248 volunteers aged 86 years on average for a period of two years. Although twelve percent of the volunteers died throughout the study, those that did not walk regularly (less than one hour per day) died at a rate of more than 30% higher than the regular walkers. Wow! Additionally, the walkers suffered less from depression and cognitive impairment, had less heart disease and high blood pressure, and had less debility from osteoarthritis. Double wow!

Well, of course, this is no surprise to me. I incessantly push the idea that regular physical fitness is paramount to not only a long life, but to one of high quality as well. I call walking the universal exercise because it’s the one that all cultures engage in to some degree. In my neighborhood you can see the Russian community out every night enjoying their after-dinner walks. It’s beautiful! And my wife and I take walks with our daughter and doggies every chance we get.

As I point out in my book, The Six Keys To Optimal HealthThe Six Keys To Optimal Health, walking is the best exercise for obese people, the elderly or people who haven’t exercised in a while or are trying to solve a pain issue. But mind you, the walk must challenge you. It doesn’t have to knock you out, but you should break into a moderate sweat, otherwise you are not doing much. And note, the study saw health benefits and longevity in those who walked for an hour or more every day. Do I think you need to walk for an hour every day? No…but how about twenty minutes? Or a half hour? Just make sure you’re breaking a little sweat by the end of the walk. I guarantee that if you walk 3-4 times a week for the next three months, you’ll have no problem–neither in motivation nor ability–to extend the walking in both length and frequency. Happy walking.

Healthiest Juices

By On · Add Comment · In antioxidants, black cherry, blueberry, concord grape, cranberry, DNA, free radicals, juice, Linus Pauling, minerals, pomegranate, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, UCLA, vitamin C, vitamins

Want to know the most healthy juices to drink? A UCLA study looked at the antioxidant levels of a number of fruit juices and came up with some exciting conclusions. When it comes to healthy juices, pomegranate is the best; it is highest in antioxidants.

Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are substances that can damage cells, tissues, and DNA. These harmful substances can lead to degenerative disorders like cancer, and they also speed up the aging process. As I point out in my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, “Free radicals are formed naturally in the body during certain metabolic processes as well as by cells of the immune system to fight infections. They can also be formed by outside agents like cigarette smoke, pollution, and radiation.”

Vitamins and minerals that act as powerful antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E, and the mineral selenium. I highly recommend supplementing with these essential vitamins. I personally take 1,000 mg vitamin C per day. But I also think that taking 2,000 mg isn’t such a bad idea. In fact, the great chemist and forward-thinker, Linus Pauling, believed that people should be taking much more than that (check out this interview), especially people battling cancer.

A great source of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables–that’s why nutritionist recommend eating so many servings of each. But another great source is fruit juice: this is what makes these findings so exciting. So here you go–the list.

  1. Pomegranate juice–the healthiest of them all because it contains the most of every type of antioxidant.
  2. Concord Grape juice–a great source of antioxidants. May also be good for the heart and decrease blood pressure.
  3. Blueberry juice (yum, my favorite!)–contains antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C…and it’s blue, dammit.
  4. Black Cherry juice–some studies have shown this juice to reduce muscle soreness following exercise. Booyah!
  5. Cranberry juice*–can actually prevent urinary tract infections in women.

Enjoy, and start drinking your fruit juice. Remember, eating the whole fruit is always better, but for a big blast, fruit juices pack the antioxidants in. It also packs in the calories, so if you’re trying to lose weight, then definitely stick to the whole fruit. Otherwise, juice away!

*Please note that there is a huge difference between real juice and the juice cocktails sold in most grocery stores. If you want the real deal, please visit your local hippie store, they’ll take care of you. And if you are in L.A.–ask me, I can get you the good stuff.

Healthy, Healthy Japan

By On · Add Comment · In balance, depression, diet, emotional, health, healthy, Japanese, longevity, mental, perspective, suicide, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, wellbeing, work-related
They say that the Japanese are the healthiest people alive. They live on average 74.5 years in health, and 86 years thereafter. The Japanese diet–high in fish, rice, and seaweed–is said to be the main reason. Cancer rates are low and heart disease is pretty much held in check. Bravo to the Japanese, especially in honor of their 6th Healthy Food Expo held last week in Tokyo. When it comes to diet and nutrition the Japanese are, without a doubt, ahead of the game.

But if any of you have read my latest book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, you know that diet is just one factor determining a person’s health and longevity. Multiple factors play a role, each having a profound effect on health and life expectancy. One of these factors is a balanced mental and emotional life–that is, one’s mental health.

When it comes to mental health, then, the Japanese may not be so ahead of the game after all. According to a government report released last week, suicides from work-related stress has doubled in the last five years. And the number of people developing work-related mental conditions such as depression has reached a record high of 268 in 2006 (the last year of complete statistics on the subject). Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world–32,160 people killed themselves in 2006. People in their 30s and 40s were most prone to stress due to working too many hours or personal relationships at work. Some of the people attempting suicide worked 160 hours of overtime a month. 160 hours overtime! The typical work week in Japan is 40 hours.

Dang! That’s whole lot of workaholism. And you thought Americans were bad. Listen, what difference does it make if you eat well and are nutritionally healthy if you drive yourself into the grave by overworking? Just doesn’t make sense. I get that there are pressures: one-third of these poor people were working between 80-100 hours overtime a month! Put this in perspective: That’s twelve or more hours a day for five straight days every week. That’s damn near chiropractic hours. Sheesh. What family time? What social life? What time for personal hygiene (I know if that was me, I’d probably quit cutting the ol’ toenails to gain a few minutes every week). And throw in a little cultural mind trip–many people don’t discuss their stress in order to not seem weak–and you’ve got a severe mental health issue at hand.

The bottom line is this: If you strive for good health you can’t neglect your mental and emotional wellbeing. Eating well is essential, but so is balancing one’s mental perspective. You ain’t gonna do that by working non-stop for extended periods. You need rest, social time, creative time, family time, and simply time to be alone with your thoughts. Sometimes we forget how important alone time actually is. And even if you do all this stuff regularly, you need a vacation every once in a while, too. Trust me when I say that burning the candle at both ends when it comes to work is the quickest way to burnout, and worse. Just ask the Japanese–it a national tragedy over there.

Statins–Miracle or Myth

By On · Add Comment · In cholesterol, drugs, heart attacks, Lipitor, NNT, pharmaceutical industry, statins, The Six Keys to Optimal Health
Seems like everybody today is on statins–13 million Americans to be exact. And only 12 million more worldwide. Hey, how can more Americans be on a drug than the rest of the world combined? Seems fishy doesn’t it? Does to me, except for one fact: America is prime and ripe for marketing manipulation; and no drug has been more hyped than the statins. Can you say best selling drug of all time?

We look at the very interesting mathematics behind the marketing of statins on the latest episode of the Dr. Nick Show (Episode 7). In it we discuss NNT, the number needed to treat for one person to benefit from a drug. Lipitor, the most popular statin (see the commercial here), accounting for approximately $14 billion in sales annually, has an NNT of 100 in its clinical trials. That is, it takes 100 people taking the drug for one to benefit. In other words, 99 out of every hundred (99%) people taking Lipitor get no benefit from the drug. What? That’s right, NO BENEFIT!

So what gives? I mean these drugs have been touted as simply miraculous. They are the answer to high cholesterol, that supposed villain responsible for many heart attacks (listen, I debunk this myth in my new book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health; please pick up a copy). Well, these latest findings sure put a dagger into that nonsense. And am I the only one frightened by the notion that “statins should be added to the water supply“, as some researchers have suggested? Hell no.

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, nobody is going to care as much about your health as you do. Not your doctor, not the government, and not the pharmaceutical industry. Drug manufacturers will always try to portray their product in the best light. And doctors simply don’t have time to scrutinize every drug that comes out, so they rely on drug reps to give them the skinny on the latest drugs. When drug reps tell doctors that their statins reduce heart attacks by 36%, doctors believe these numbers. Add to that a certain dogma that has its way of infecting all large institutions and well…I guess it takes the public to be on its own toes.

So there you have the truth. Listen to the latest episode of the Dr. Nick Show for more information on the fallacy of statin drug efficacy. And keep tuning into this blog for the latest in health news and information. I promise, you won’t get this information from your medical doctor. No time. Sorry.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.