Your Skin Care Regimen Might Not be Safe

In a recent study, researchers wanted to determine if adding caffeine to a topical moisturizing cream would help protect against skin cancer. To make certain they would get accurate results, the research team tested the moisturizer by itself first to see if it promoted or inhibited cancerous growths.

What they discovered surprised them.

They found that the four moisturizers they tested promoted skin cancer in mice. While it's true that mice aren't humans, the results are still startling. It may be that the moisturizer you use to help heal after a sunburn and to help keep your skin looking youthful is actually hurting you.

Of the four moisturizers that researchers tested, the least harmful one still increased skin cancer tumor growth by 24%--the worst almost doubled it!

It's important to take good care of your skin. Your skin helps to protect you from all the toxins of the outside world. It works hard for you. The least you can do in return is give it the care it needs.

Your skin does need a daily moisturizer. Whether you are a man or a woman, a daily moisturizer will help keep your skin looking young and smooth as you age… and who doesn't want that?

But clearly, the moisturizer you choose is important. Pick something that is as natural as possible. One with ingredients that you can pronounce is good. Personally, I use a pure aloe vera gel each day with good results.

When it comes to skin care, natural is better. There's no point in caring for your skin if the products you use are going to put you at higher risk for skin cancer.

Stay well,
Heather Robwell

Your Eye Doctor Might Save Your Life

Heart disease continues to be the leading killer among both men and women. It claims more than half a million lives every year.

With any chronic disease, whether its heart disease or cancer, the earlier you realize there is a problem, the better off you're going to be. Early detection gives you and your doctor a chance to make lifestyle changes that can make a big difference in how long and how well you live.

With heart disease, it may be your eye doctor who finds the first clue that there's a problem. A certain eye condition called retinopathy may actually point to the very early stages of heart disease.

In retinopathy, the tiny blood vessels within your eye become damaged. It may just be a matter of time before other vessels and your arteries are under attack. In fact, early research suggests that people with retinopathy are twice as likely to die from heart disease over the course of 12 years than people without the condition.

This sounds daunting, but it's actually good news. Knowing what retinopathy means gives you a very early warning about your heart health… and it gives you plenty of time to make important changes that can reverse heart disease before it starts affecting your health.

To take advantage of the early detection that retinopathy can give you, you should visit your eye doctor for an exam each year. You should be doing this anyway—plenty of eye diseases can silently steal your sight. You can protect your vision by catching these diseases early. And now it turns out, you can protect your heart, too.

Of course, you should continue seeing your regular doctor, as well. Between the two of them, you're better equipped than ever to catch and respond to early signs of heart trouble.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

When Fat Matters… and When it Doesn’t

People obsess over their body size. Whether they are worried about their weight because of how they look or because of how it affects their health, people everywhere are concerned about weight loss.

When it comes to fat though, some fat matters more than others. Many people—maybe you—rely on the body mass index to determine if they are at a healthy weight. But the body mass index isn’t reliable for everyone. If you have a low percentage of body fat, even if your body mass measurement is high, you are healthier than someone with high body fat and a “healthy” BMI.

Researchers have found that some of the most dangerous fat in your body is the fat that collects around your organs. Especially your heart.

Researchers from Wake Forest University found that people with the highest amount of fat around their hearts were more than four times as likely to show signs of heart disease, including hardening arteries.

So how to you get rid of fat deposits around your organs?

Well, diet isn’t enough. You have to exercise. To reduce fat, high intensity exercise is best. The easiest way to do a high intensity workout is to do an interval workout. Warm up for five minutes or so. Just a walk around the block will do. Then exert yourself hard for a minute or two. Jumping jacks, jumping rope, or sprinting are all easy, free ways to get your heart rate up. After working hard for a minute or two, go for another walk around the block—a little more briskly than your warm up. Repeat the exertion period followed by a walk two or three more times, and then cool down for two or three minutes. That’s it. Your done. In all, this kind of workout only takes fifteen or twenty minutes, but it can make a huge difference in the health or your heart… and your other organs, too.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Protect Your Brain—Eat Fish

The debate about whether or not fish is a healthy food rages on. On one side of the argument, supporters of fish say that the omega-3s are very good for your heart and your brain. On the other side, nay-sayers express concern about high levels of mercury in fish that may harm the brain and nervous system.

Those on the side of fish as a healthy food choice scored big this month.

Researchers are discovering just how fish works to enhance your health. They found that people who eat three servings of baked, broiled, or poached fish each week have fewer lesions on their brain.

A lesion is an area of damaged tissue. You don't experience any severe symptoms when a lesion forms, but over time it can affect your memory and your problem-solving abilities. It can also increase your chances of having a stroke.

People who eat plenty of fish—especially tuna, salmon, and other kinds of fish rich in omega-3s—lower their risk of brain lesions by 26%. Their brains also undergo fewer changes as they age.

Mercury is a concern, but it's one that you can control.

Sardines are a good source of omega-3s that aren't high in mercury. Wild Alaskan salmon is also low in mercury. Tuna is higher in mercury, but canned light tuna is safe to eat once or twice a week.

By eating more fish you can give your body benefits that far outweigh the risks… especially if you make smart choices about what kinds of fish you eat.

Stay well,
Heather Robwell

Supplements to Lower Your Blood Pressure

Lowering your blood pressure is one of the best things you can do for you body. Lower blood pressure puts less stress on your arteries and that means your arteries are less likely to become damaged. Healthier arteries mean a healthier heart and brain.

If you lower your blood pressure you'll reduce your risks for heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's.

You can lower your blood pressure by taking three natural supplements.

The first is potassium. People who eat the most fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of potassium. They are also very unlikely to have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that you get 4.7 grams of potassium a day. Most people get about 2.5 to 3 grams from dietary sources. You can boost your potassium levels by eating more fruits and vegetables and by choosing a multivitamin that includes at least a gram of potassium.

The second supplement is garlic. A review of research found that garlic supplements are as effective at lowering blood pressure as many prescription drugs. Six hundred to 900 mg a day of garlic can reduce your blood pressure by more than eight points. The active ingredient in garlic is allicin. This supplemental dose contains the same amount of allicin as a half of clove of garlic.

The third supplement you can take to lower our blood pressure is hawthorn berry. Hawthorn berry extract is an overall heart tonic. It helps to open your blood vessels. More blood reaching your heart gives your heart more energy. It encourages your heart to maintain a normal rhythm, and of course, it helps to control blood pressure.

Taking these three supplements can help you maintain normal blood pressure. And that can help you avoid high blood pressure—and dangerous high blood pressure medications—in the future.

To your good health,
Danny Wallace

Coping With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an equal opportunity condition. It can affect you no matter your gender, race, income level, or age. More than one million people in the U.S. live with CFS. For them, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a difficult task and an emotionally upsetting event can set off a chain reaction that leads to extreme exhaustion that lasts for days on end.

If you or someone close to you lives with CFS, you know how disruptive this condition is. It affects every facet of your life. It lowers your productivity at work, and it makes you feel less creative. It interferes with you exercise commitments, so you lose physical fitness. It disrupts your relationships, your sleep cycles, and your overall happiness.

While there isn't a cure for CFS—scientists aren't even sure what causes it—there are coping strategies that you can use prevent CFS from controlling your life.

First, keep track of the activities or events that trigger episodes of fatigue. Once you recognize the kinds of things that cause your CFS to worsen, you can take control, avoid those activities, and spend less time feeling exhausted.

Light exercise on your good days can help prevent episodes. It can also help you stay physically fit. Strenuous exercise, on the other hand, might make CFS worse. Talk with your doctor for help designing an exercise program that will give you the most benefit without exhausting you.

Sunlight can help stimulate your pineal gland. Getting some sun each day will help you feel better when you're awake and sleep better at night.

Finally, find ways to mentally relax. Whether you write in a journal, meditate, or practice yoga, finding a way to slow your mind down will help you relieve stress and that can prevent CFS episodes.

CFS doesn't have to control your life. Even though there's no cure, you can reduce the effect it has from day to day. That means more good days, and that's a very good thing.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Soy and Your Sperm

A healthy sperm count is a sign of virility. And let's face it, most men don't brag about having a low sperm count. It's a sign that something's… not quite right.

Of course you can be perfectly healthy and have your sperm number in the lower ranges. There are many things that can happen to lower your sperm count. Temperature, clothing choices, stress—these can all have an effect.

But if a food you were eating caused your sperm count to drop, wouldn't you wonder what else it was doing to your body?

In a recent study, researchers found a possible link between soy intake and low sperm count. In 99 men visiting a fertility clinic those who at soy two or more time a week tended to have lower sperm counts than men who didn't regularly eat soy. The researchers noted that there was also an association between men being overweight and low sperm count.

Soy contains plant compounds that mimic estrogen, a hormone that is more prominent in women than men. High estrogen levels in men can cause a number of problems including hormone imbalances, weaker muscles, lower sex drive, and lower sperm count. Because of this, researchers believe that soy may be at least in part responsible for lower sperm counts in some me.

Generally speaking, I don't recommend soy as a dietary staple for men. It can create too many problems with your hormone balance. There are some exceptions. Products that use fermented soy are healthful and won't toy with your hormone levels. And yes, there are some good soy sauce options that use fermented soy—tamari is my favorite.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace