Foods that make a person healthier also make them better looking.

Vitamin C rich foods, especially strawberries, can help keep your skin glowing and bright. Vitamin C is an important building block for collagen, which supports the underlying structure of your skin. Just 1 cup of delicious strawberries contains over 100 percent of your daily vitamin C recommendation. Other vitamin C rich foods include bell peppers, broccoli, pineapple, kiwis, kale, oranges and other fruits and vegetables.

Soybeans and edamames -- immature soybeans in the pod -- not only work to preserve collagen, but help protect against ultraviolet light damage, working to keep skin wrinkle free.

Tomatoes, especially cooked, provide lycopene, which has demonstrated effects in protecting skin from sunburn.

Onions, apples, sage, parsley and citrus all contain quercetin -- an antioxidant that provides some protection from the "burning" ultraviolet B rays -- sun rays that cause premature skin aging, eye damage including cataracts and skin cancers. They also suppress the immune system.

"Quercetin also acts like an antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory, which could keep skin irritation at bay.

Omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, sardines and salmon keep cells communicating properly as well as keeping skin hydrated and smooth.

Wellness, Just Do It!
Total Health and Wellness Consultant 
www.wellnessjustdoit.com
541-408-2455
info@wellnessjustdoit.com

Friday, April 27, 2012. An article published online on April 26, 2012 in the Annals of Neurology reports a protective effect for diets containing high amounts of blueberries and strawberries against cognitive decline in older women.Berries are high in compounds known as flavonoids, which may help reduce the negative impact of inflammation and stress on cognitive function.

"As the U.S. population ages, understanding the health issues facing this group becomes increasingly important," commented lead researcher Elizabeth Devore of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "Our study examined whether greater intake of berries could slow rates of cognitive decline."

Dr Devore and her associates evaluated data from women who were between the ages of 30 and 55 upon enrollment in the Nurses' Health Study in 1976. Dietary questionnaires completed every four years since 1980 were analyzed for the frequency of berry intake as well as the intake of 31 individual flavonoids representing six major flavonoid subclasses commonly found in US diets. Cognitive function was tested every two years in 16,010 participants who were over the age of 70 between 1995 and 2001.

It raises good cholesterol, lowers bad cholesterol and contributes to weight loss.

So what is this miracle substance? An apple.

"I consider apples a magic food," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., director for the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging at Florida State University. "Apples are not my favorite food, but I buy a bag a week and try to eat two per day. I am convinced this is what I should do if I want to remain healthy."

According to Arjmandi, apple pectin -- the white stuff under the skin -- binds to cholesterol in the gut and ferries it out of the body. This is well-known, but what surprised Arjmandi is how much cholesterol a couple of apples can remove from the body.

In one recent study, he divided 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 into two groups. One group ate 75 grams of dried apple per day -- about 2 1/2 ounces -- while the other ate the same amount of dried prunes. To his amazement, the women who ate apples experienced a 23 percent decrease in LDL "bad" cholesterol, and increased their HDL "good" cholesterol by 3 percent to 4 percent -- a boost difficult to achieve with drugs or exercise.

The women who ate the dried prunes experienced no such effects on their cholesterol, although another study found that women who ate 10 prunes per day, while taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, had higher bone density in their forearms and spine than women who ate apples.

Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, reduce cholesterol very effectively by blocking an enzyme needed to make it. The problem is that statins can be hard on the liver, which is why people who take them must have a blood test periodically to make sure their liver is not becoming irritated and inflamed.

"The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and it can remain pretty functional if only 50 percent of it stays healthy," said Arjmandi. "You do not see an abnormality in the blood unless you do substantial damage to the liver. Drugs have their place, but if you have to check your liver enzymes, that means the drug is doing something not so good for you, and I don't understand why we would go for drug therapies when eating two apples a day reduces LDL cholesterol so effectively. Eat apples and you not only don't harm your liver, but you substantially benefit your health."

So why aren't apples prescribed for high cholesterol as avidly as statin drugs?

Statins account for about 6.5 percent of all drug sales in the U.S., according to Forbes magazine, and earn drug companies about $26 billion per year.

"You'd have to sell a lot of apples to make that kind of money," Arjmandi said. "If the drugs earn that kind of money, why would a business bother with apple pectin?"

Crohn’s Disease series of  experiences

I have read a few testimonials on Crohn's Disease and have decided to share my own story...maybe it can help others...  My name is Anne and I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 1984.  At that time I was 26 and now many painful years have gone by and I am 44. So for about 17 years I have had to deal with chronic pain, nausea, diarrhea, three surgeries (resections), and a regimen of medications to cope with the disease. This past April 2001 my disease progressed and now I have fistulas.  If you don't know what they are, it's where my Crohn's tunneled its way from my large intestine outside my body. The last medication I was on (until August 2001) was Ramacade without much success. 

My doctor wanted me to have an Ilestomy (another surgery)!!  After a lot of praying I told my doctor that I was going to try something first - that something was Melaleuca's Daily 4 Life (and Mela Gel for my Fiarulous). I can't tell you how this has changed my life!!  It's given my family and I back our lives. I started taking Daily 4 Life and using Mela gel on my fistulas in Aug 2001. 

I was in for a check-up with my Dr. at Rochester Mayo in Nov. 2001 and he was really impressed by my vast improvement: my Blood work; my scope (which only showed one small lesion).  I have not felt so well since before I was diagnosed with Crohn’s 17 years ago. My doctor asked for all the info from Melaleuca on what I was taking.  Melaleuca has touched my life and I am now sharing with others. 

I want to thank Don & Sue Gemmell for introducing me to Melaleuca!!  I can't tell you how much wellness is in our lives now. I am sharing Melaleuca with everyone I can - more than anything, I love helping others. Thank you for letting me share. Let me know if I can help or answer any questions.
Stay well...God Bless, Anne

Another story…testimonial 

If you know anyone with Crohn’s you are doing them a disservice by not letting them know about Melaleuca. Years ago in Chicago we had a young man battling this and he was so bad he was in a wheel chair.  He kept telling me Melaleuca was making him better. He went from a wheel chair to walker to walking alone and claimed Melaleuca cured him. I kept telling him I didn't think that was possible; but it obviously helped. He eventually did have another attack but it was small and he was well within days.

I have been with Melaleuca now for a little over a year and a half. A few months after I joined, my husband was diagnosed with SEVERE Crohn's disease and was hospitalized. For those of you that do not know, Crohn’s is passed on through genetics. My husband's brother has it too, but not severe. A Crohn’s patient will in fact have this for the rest of his/her life - but how it will affect them depends if they can get it under control and keep it under control.   With Crohn’s, if your intestines stay ulcerated, it can lead to cancer, so many times sections of the intestine are removed. 

Crohn’s disease also causes a low immune system, irregular absorption of nutrients, and can lead to blindness to mention a few things.

When he first was put on the med's, they seemed to have things a bit under control. But after a few months, things started up again - the pain, the bleeding, the exhaustion.

They did many scopings, and tried MANY different meds over the next months to follow. About four months ago, the doctors were at the point of looking at surgery and having that section of his intestine removed. My husband and I both sat down and talked, and realized NONE of the meds he was taking were doing anything; and actually, seemed to be making him worse! We both agreed we had nothing to lose, so we took him off the steroids, med's, etc. and put him on the Melaleuca Daily 4 Life!  He was on approx. 2 months when we went in for the scoping.

HE IS IN COMPLETE REMISSION!!! His intestines are healed over! NO ULCERATIONS! Melaleuca and the Daily 4 Life truly have given us our lives back! We are both on the Daily 4 Life now, and both will be for the rest of our lives! I am even ordering a bunch of Daily 4 Life packs and handing it out as presents for my family and his! What better present to give someone then better health! If anyone ever doubts the powers of our Daily 4 Life line, feel free to call me or email me!  I will put those doubts aside!

--Micki Streeter

Just wanted to share some exciting news with you! As you know, since I enrolled with Melaleuca in November, I have seen a considerable change in my health. I am going into my fifth year of having ulcerative colitis and possibly Crohn's disease. The reason I say possibly is because my rheumatologist feels this is the disease I have based on all my symptoms, yet I don't test positive for it right now.

Since I started taking the Vitality Pack, Cell-Wise, Replenex, Provex Plus and FiberWise, I have seen my arthritic problems and energy level change drastically. I do not have to take naps in the afternoon, I am not fatigued, I am able to blow dry my hair without problems, I don't have severe abdominal cramps and I am able to walk up and down stairs. Plus, my mouth ulcers have not reappeared!

I visited my rheumatologist today for the first time since I started with Melaleuca. He was very happy to hear how great I was feeling. After I told him I was not taking Asacol or anti-inflammatory anymore, I explained to him what I was doing differently. As soon as I asked him if he had heard of Melaleuca's vitamins, he answered with an emphatic "Yes, I have other patients who have done well with their vitamins." He asked to look at the bottles and reviewed everything I was taking. He was very pleased with the Glucosamine, calcium and grape seed and grape skin extract in the vitamins. He did point out for me to be careful of a flare up when I get a virus or am under a lot of stress. I informed him that I just recently had pneumonia and did not experience any flare ups or problems.

He was VERY impressed! He suggested continuing my daily regimen and wished he had more patients who felt as good as I do.

I can honestly say that without Melaleuca's vitamins and other great products, I know I would not be feeling this great! I thank God every day for bringing you and Terry into my life because you have opened up the door health wise and wealth wise for me and my family. Thanks for all you do!
-- Becci Carlson :)

Before starting on the Melaleuca supplements, I had severe Fibromyalgia pain and along with that . . . what I believed was colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  I was never formally diagnosed with colitis or IBS, but most definitely Fibromyalgia and I had read that IBS was typically related to Fibromyalgia and my symptoms sure fit the IBS & colitis descriptions when I did the research on them.  I also had symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but was never formally diagnosed. 

At any rate, I was in so much pain every night that John had to give me therapeutic massages but my sleep patterns were extremely poor as well, because of waking up at night in pain. I had always refused to take prescription pain meds because of the side effects.

Well, along comes my daughter, Kelly, who introduced John and me to Melaleuca.  I didn't think anything would help me.  But, basically to make a long story short, I began seeing improvements in my health within a few months.  John and I enrolled in Nov. '01 and I would say that since the middle of 2002, I have been symptom-free of all my pain, uncontrollable bowels and fatigue symptoms. 

I take the Daily for Life, Luminex, FiberWise drink (every morning as breakfast with Attain shake) and EstrAval.  I also take RestEZ every night about an hour before bed.  I am also taking Phytomega since it came out at convention last year and I am wanting to get my cholesterol checked, just haven't done it yet.  (I had it taken at convention before I started taking the Phytomega.) Melaleuca has changed my life in many ways, but most importantly . . . I feel GREAT now!

As a side note:  On 2/3/04 I took a fitness profile test at Lifetime Fitness Center which John and I just joined, and even though I was told my "chronological age" is 51, my "Body Age" is 42!  WOW!  They said my "obtainable body age" on a good fitness program could be as low as 35!  Kelly is 34.  Isn't that something?  I still need to lose about 20 lbs. to be my ideal weight, but I have already lost 36 lbs. since starting on Melaleuca weight control products.

-- Nancy Addison

Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The March 30, 2012 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry published the finding of Purdue University researchers of the ability of a compound known as piceatannol to help prevent the formation of mature fat cells by blocking the pathways needed for their growth. Piceatannol is an analog of resveratrol, found in grapes and other fruit, which is converted to piceatannol in humans following its consumption.

Purdue assistant professor of food science Kee-Hong Kim and his associates tested piceatannol in cultured preadipocytes, which are immature fat cells. These cells pass through several stages before reaching maturity over a ten day or longer period. "These precursor cells, even though they have not accumulated lipids, have the potential to become fat cells," Dr Kim explained. "We consider that adipogenesis is an important molecular target to delay or prevent fat cell accumulation and, hopefully, body fat mass gain."

Dr Kim's team found that piceatannol bound to the preadipocytes' insulin receptors during their initial stage of fat cell formation, which blocked insulin's ability to control cell cycles and activate genes necessary for the further stages of adipogenesis. "Piceatannol actually alters the timing of gene expressions, gene functions and insulin action during adipogenesis, the process in which early stage fat cells become mature fat cells," Dr Kim stated. "In the presence of piceatannol, you can see delay or complete inhibition of adipogenesis."

"Our study reveals an antiadipogenic function of piceatannol and highlights insulin receptor and its downstream insulin signaling as novel targets for piceatannol in the early phase of adipogenesis," the authors conclude.

Dr Kim hopes to test piceatannol in an animal model as well as find a way to prevent the compound from degrading so that enough is available to the body to prevent fat gain. "We need to work on improving the stability and solubility of piceatannol to create a biological effect," he added.

With summer coming right around the corner, skin cancer will be at the forefront of everyone who ventures outdoors for very long. Sunburn damages and weakens the skin and creates an environment ripe for cancer. Just because you get sunburned doesn't mean you'll get skin cancer, but what if you do? The Australians may have the cure you need.

This Australian skin cancer cure may be all you need to avoid painful surgery, biopsies, and chemotherapy cream. It's a folk remedy the Australians used to treat farm animals. They would place ground up eggplant in a jar with vinegar and refrigerate it for three days. Using a cotton ball, they would dab the wound with the solution until it disappeared. Some would tape the dabbed cotton to the wound.

The Type of Cholesterol
Doctors Often Ignore

Research shows this form of LDL is an even more important indicator of your heart health. Yet most doctors don’t check for it … and few natural cholesterol solutions even address it!

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The solution produces the phyotonutrients glycocides and glycoalkaloids. These destroy the cancer cells, but leave normal cells alone.

You can find some pretty impressive testimonials online for treating all kinds of skin cancer and other skin abnormalities, including sun spots and warts. People say it can cure basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, keratoses, and keratoacanthomas. Some even say it can cure melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

While I haven't been able to find any clinical research on its use with melanoma, there are plenty of studies on a new supplement that encapsulates this formula. The Dermatology Department at the Royal London hospital has a large dedicated skin cancer clinic. They have run extensive tests on BEC5, the new eggplant supplement. They recently conducted a study that showed BEC5 completely cured 78% of their basal cell carcinoma patients.

Dr. Bill Cham has written a book on BEC5 and the Australian formula. It has more studies, plenty of testimonials, and it has recipes for the folk remedy. You can find his book, The Eggplant Cancer Cure, and BEC5 at Amazon.com. You also can find BEC5 at many health food stores.

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The use of metformin in men with prostate cancer before prostatectomy helped to reduce certain metabolic parameters and slow the growth rate of the cancer, according to the results of a phase II study.

Anthony Joshua, staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada, presented the data at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago on March 31 - April 4.

Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication for diabetes. Prior laboratory research has suggested that metformin may also help to improve prognosis in patients with prostate cancer by slowing the growth of the cancerous cells.

To follow up on the laboratory clues, the researchers evaluated 22 men with confirmed prostate cancer who had been assigned up to 500 mg of metformin three times a day prior to undergoing prostatectomy.

"This gave us the ability to compare what the prostate cancer looked like when it was first diagnosed to what it looked like when the prostate cancer was removed from the body," said Joshua. "We were able to directly measure the effect of metformin on the prostate cancer."

Patients were assigned metformin for a median duration of 41 days. During that time, none of the men reported grade three adverse events, and all of them underwent prostatectomy with no adverse effect related to use of metformin.

The researchers found that metformin significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin growth factor-1, body mass index and waist- to-hip ratio.

In addition, "although these are preliminary results, metformin appeared to reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer in a proportion of men," Joshua said. "Also, it appeared to reduce one of the main growth pathways that may have contributed to the overall growth of the tumor."

These results may have implications for men with prostate cancer who also have diabetes or early undiagnosed diabetes and for men with prostate cancer whose tumors have characteristics that make them sensitive to metformin, according to Joshua.

Friday, April 6, 2012. The results of a study reported by Mayo Clinic pathologist Ruth Lupu, PhD at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago from March 31 to April 4, revealed a protective effect for gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid that is available as a dietary supplement, against the growth of one type of pancreatic cancer.

"One of the most devastating facts about pancreatic cancer is the paucity of effective drugs that exist to halt a tumor," Dr Lupu commented. "We knew from studies done about 20 years ago that polyunsaturated fatty acids such as GLA could influence cancers in general, but we didn't know which type of fatty acids and to what degree."

Dr Lupu's team initially evaluated the effects of GLA in a number of cultured pancreatic cancer cell lines and discovered an inhibitory effect in a subtype that expresses a gene for fatty acid synthase. In earlier research, the team showed that fatty acid synthase is highly expressed in pancreatic adenocarcinomas and may be a marker of poor survival. "This was very exciting finding, because we realized that GLA was working selectively and had a particular target within cells," Dr Lupu remarked.

When GLA was tested in cells with high fatty acid synthase levels, 85 percent of cancer cell growth was inhibited, which is a significant improvement over gemcitabine, the standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer which provides only a modest benefit. When the two compounds were combined, the researchers observed complete inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell growth. The combination was also demonstrated to significantly inhibit pancreatic cancer growth in mice. "The two treatments worked synergistically, and we achieved a significantly higher inhibition of cell growth and higher incidence of dead pancreatic carcinoma cells," Dr Lupu stated. "We don't yet know why the combination works better, but we know that many drugs work better when used together."

Dr Lupu plans to test the combination of GLA in gemcitabine in humans with cancer of the pancreas. "Since resistance to gemcitabine and other chemotherapy drugs can be an issue in treatment, we hope GLA will work in combination with other chemotherapy drugs to offer patients a wide range of treatment opportunities," she said.

04-04-12

My patients bring me all sorts of interesting health information, and I read it all. Recently, one of my patients told me that she read that dried plums (prunes) can reverse osteoporosis. I was somewhat skeptical, but I researched it and there are several published studies on the benefits of dried plums on osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is the result of reduced density of the bone. Bone is a very active organ, and there is a constant balance between bone being made and bone broken down. When bone breaks down faster than it is built up, osteoporosis is the result.

Osteoporosis is weak bone and puts an individual at an increased risk of fracture and fall. It is not a disease, and lifestyle changes are very important. Weight-bearing exercise, vitamin D, diet and calcium are essential. Medications can also help, but all have side effects and, without lifestyle changes, are less effective.

In people with osteoporosis, there is an increased risk of bone fractures, especially the hip and back. Almost 1 million hip and back fractures occur in the U.S. annually. The direct and indirect medical costs exceed $20 billion per year. Preventing and reversing osteoporosis could have a major impact on quality of life and reduce the cost of medical care.

Plums are a tree fruit and when dried are called prunes. They are a good source of fiber but also are rich on polyphenolic compounds. These are considered good antioxidants, but the polyphenolic compounds also influence cell-to-cell signaling, reduce inflammation and regulate the expression of different genes in the DNA. They may also reduce bone turnover and have a positive effect on osteoporosis.

Several good studies have demonstrated that eating prunes positively affects osteoporosis. One study demonstrated that prunes prevented osteoporosis in menopausal rats. A follow-up study (with rats) showed that prunes were able to significantly reverse the bone loss associated with osteoporosis.

One blinded placebo controlled study in humans confirmed the results of the rat studies. This study, published last year in the British Journal of Nutrition, enrolled 160 postmenopausal women, not on therapy for osteoporosis. For one year, half ate 100 grams a day of prunes (10 to 12 prunes), while the placebo consisted of 100 grams a day of dried apple. Both groups had DEXA scans (test for bone density) at the beginning and end of the study. Blood samples for bone breakdown by-products were also collected at the beginning and throughout the study. At the end of the study, the bone density significantly increased in the group eating prunes. The blood markers of bone breakdown also were significantly lower in the prune group.

Although these studies are very intriguing, more research is indicated. However, there is no serious downside to eating some prunes every day, and the potential benefits are not trivial. If everyone does it, we might save a billion or two per year in medical costs. I am so impressed with these studies that I am adding prunes to my list of supplements and foods for my patients with osteoporosis.

* Patrick B. Massey, M.D., Ph.D is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine for the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network. His website is www.alt-med.org.