Alkalinity can be defined as health, longevity and quality of life. Acidity, in simple terms, and in the minds of natural health practitioners, means sickness and death. If your cells, tissues and organs are acidic, then you should evaluate your diet so that you can maintain alkaline balance.

When it comes to foods, you must understand that there is a huge difference between “acidic foods” and ”acid-forming foods.” A good example is citrus fruits, which are truly acidic foods because they contain citric acid—until they enter the body. So just because lemons are acidic, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them.

In fact, a few drops of lemon juice in your water can be an alkaline booster. How does it work? During the process of digestion, foods change their chemistry. Energy is derived from foods by oxidation similar to the burning of fuel in a stove. And as in a stove, there is always an ash or residue. The residue that occurs in the human body as a result of the burning of foods is termed as “ash” and has a definite chemical reaction. Some foods leave an “acid ash” and are known as “acid-forming foods.” 

Other foods leave an “alkaline ash” and are known as “alkaline-forming foods.” To clarify this point, please remember that the acid and alkaline reaction described above occurs AFTER digestion and assimilation, and these terms do not indicate the chemistry of the foods BEFORE digestion. Therefore, do not assume that all acid foods are acid-forming and vice versa.

You should find a healthy balance between consumption of alkaline-forming foods and acid-forming foods. The best recommendation is to follow the 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of your foods are alkaline and only 20 percent of foods are acidic.

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When it comes to allergies, common colds, inflammation and other health problems, the link to all these conditions is most often associated with an imbalance of your immune system. Ideally you want an immune system that’s boosted and balanced for optimum health. When your immune response is weakened it becomes overactive or hypersensitive and this can cause your immune system to attack itself and allow toxins to invade your body.

Flu shots, antiviral medications, nasal sprays and prescription drugs are not the answer when it comes to protecting and improving your immune system. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “Influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so these medications may not always work.” Luckily Mother Nature has provided an abundance of safe and effective nutrients that can provide superior strength beyond simply taking immune-boosting vitamin C.

One of these powerful nutrients used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is scute root, or Chinese skullcap. This root has been shown to help relieve symptoms associated with inflammation due to colds, sore throat, flu or pneumonia, according to The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D.

Scute has also been shown to help fight cell destruction related to oxygen deprivation and protect cells damaged by inflammation related to histamine use. Other roots and herbs used by TCM practitioners to help improve immunity and trigger antibody response include golden seal, bitter melon, garlic, white peony, cinnamon bark and licorice.

So you can avoid toxic invaders that can harm your body, look for vitamins, minerals, herbs and nutrients that have been proven to help increase your immune strength. These include vitamins C, D and B6, zinc, astragalus root, Reishi mushroom extract, andrographis root and isatis root. With the peace of mind of a balanced body comes optimum health—inside and out—for years to come.

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One of the most beneficial nutrients for a youthful appearance is resveratrol. This anti-aging powerhouse blocks free radical damage to your skin cells and helps restore elasticity. But that’s not all. This compound found in the skin of red grapes and berries has also been shown to reduce unhealthy blood sugar levels.

A study conducted at the University of Madras in India reveals that resveratrol helps normalize the levels of glucose, plasma insulin and hemoglobin—a protein found in red blood cells. By protecting these key blood cell compounds, you may avoid insulin-related problems such as decreased circulation, kidney damage, memory loss, digestive disorders, vision loss and weight gain.

According to research presented at the American Diabetes Association in 2006, Edward Park, Ph.D., and colleagues at Brock University in Canada found that resveratrol helps muscle cells intake normal amounts of insulin. This happens because resveratrol blocks the damaging effects of the free fatty acids on the muscle cells.

Resveratrol can also help protect the tissues of your liver, brain and skeletal muscle. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an enzyme found in these tissues. AMPK is also responsible for helping you avoid insulin resistance. By helping activate this essential enzyme AMPK, resveratrol may reduce blood sugar-related problems and boost the vitality of your essential organs and tissues.

Diabetes and blood sugar-related problems can also cause a great deal of pain to the patient when blood vessels leading to nerve endings become blocked. This can cause intense and painful burning sensations, usually in the legs and arms. Researchers at Panjab University in India discovered anti-inflammatory markers in resveratrol that helped significantly reduce the pain from nerve damage.

This shows that resveratrol may be one of the most powerful nutrients found in nature that can safely and effectively help regulate and control blood sugar levels for years to come. This could lead to a longer, healthier lifespan for you and your family.

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Cholesterol-lowering drugs are one of the most over-prescribed drugs on the market today. Statin drugs such as Lipitor^®, Pravachol^® and Crestor^® can significantly deplete your levels of the essential nutrient known as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Research shows that these prescription drugs can lower your CoQ10 levels by up to 40 percent.

CoQ10, discovered in 1957, provides 95 percent of your body’s energy. And your heart requires up to 10 times more CoQ10 than any other organ in your body.

If CoQ10 levels drop, your skin cells get older faster… your lung cells choke… your liver cells fill with toxins… your brain cells start to shut down… and your heart cells may stop beating. For patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, damage like this has been seen in as little as 12 weeks, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association

More than 1,000 published studies report that this Nobel Prize-winning nutrient can help you:

• Strengthen and protect your heart
• Avoid brain problems
• Boost healthy blood circulation
• Maintain free and clear arteries
• Restore healthy heartbeats

However, your body doesn’t produce enough CoQ10 on its own, so be sure to add the right form of the nutrient and avoid powdered supplements, crystallized liquids and ones without healthy amounts of fat for maximum absorption.

By supplementing with CoQ10 patients have experienced remarkable clinical results. Within 30 days of taking the CoQ10 supplement, 75 percent of patients reported fewer heart rhythm disturbances, 66 percent of patients reported diminished chest pain and 50 percent fewer patients suffered from future cardiac events. Plus, after only eight weeks 87 percent of patients had restored heart function.

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The reason krill oil is more effective than other marine oils is the amount of omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids and extremely potent antioxidants. It’s the unique combination of these essential ingredients that provide the greatest health benefits. Harvested only two months out of the year under responsible fishing regulations, the krill are flash-frozen to maintain the potency of their therapeutic oil.

Omega fatty acids are essential for your diet—and should be supplemented since your body doesn’t produce them on its own. These fatty acids are the best source to help prevent blood clotting, lower blood pressure and relieve inflammation.

Krill oil contains a healthy balance of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids—which help fight infection. These two fatty acids need each other and work together to prevent other inflammation-related ailments like heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.

Phospholipids are fats that help keep your cells functioning by providing a protective membrane around each cell to block out toxins and disease-forming free radicals. The fats found in krill oil most closely resemble the phospholipids in your brain that are responsible for maintaining the brain chemical that controls your memory, muscle function, mood, sleep patterns and organs such as your heart.

Results from laboratory tests show that krill oil contains a powerful cocktail of antioxidants, which are not only beneficial for your continued health, but also sustain the shelf life of the oil. Krill oil provides you with an ample supply of vitamins A, E and D, plus minerals such as potassium, sodium and zinc. And it also contains large amounts of the B-complex choline.

However, the most powerful antioxidant in krill oil is astaxanthin. This nutrient is responsible for fighting free radicals within the body and protecting the blood-brain barrier—which means it protects the eye, brain and central nervous system from free radical damage.

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Estrogen dominance can be a major health hazard for women—and men—over the age of 40. When your levels are balanced, estrogen provides anti-inflammatory properties and protects your health in many ways. However, an imbalance in which there is an excess of estrogen and xenoestrogens (chemicals in the environment that mimic the effects of estrogen) leads to estrogen dominance.

Most cases of estrogen dominance end up misdiagnosed or mistreated by the medical community due to the varying symptoms. An overabundance of estrogen is responsible for a variety of health problems in men and women such as…

• Weight gain—especially belly fat
• Hot flashes
• Uncomfortable menopausal symptoms
• Unwanted facial hair
• Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse
• Bloating and water retention
• Memory loss and “senior moments”
• Depression and anxiety
• Migraines or headaches associated with the menstrual cycle
• Irregular or skipped menstrual cycles
• Trouble sleeping
• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Enlarged prostate and other prostate problems
• Frequent need to urinate
• Dry skin and wrinkles
• Brittle bones
• Breast tenderness

However, a powerful nutrient called di-indole methane (DIM) has been shown to help reduce the symptoms of estrogen dominance without the side effects associated with various synthetic hormone replacement drugs.

DIM can be found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, kale and other leafy green vegetables. This nutrient is not a hormone but works to help restore your estrogen balance and metabolism levels, plus neutralize dangerous xenoestrogens that can wreak havoc in your body.

DIM can help you shed fat and get stronger and leaner as you age… experience all-day energy and endurance… sleep all night and start the day refreshed and ready to go… increase your sex drive rather than watch it dwindle away… and much more.

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Medical journals, doctors and even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all warn of the dangers of sodium consumption in relation to heart disease and high blood pressure. But there is a scientific process that is necessary for your cell functions. According to the book The Salt Solution by Richard Moore, M.D., Herb Boynton and Mark McCarty, your cells depend on a balanced ratio of sodium and potassium for their energy. A sodium-potassium pump (Na-K-pump) maintains high levels of potassium and low levels of sodium in each and every cell. This ratio of the two minerals is known as the K-factor. When the pump doesn’t function correctly then your cells die.

Even worse, the modern Western diet doesn’t include nearly enough healthy foods to maintain the needed amount of these minerals. In the United States over the last two centuries, potassium consumption has dropped from 11,000 milligrams (mg) to 2,500 mg… and sodium consumption has risen from 700 mg to more than 4,000 mg! This change in the ratio of potassium to sodium has increased heart disease and high blood pressure, Moore states. A low dietary K-factor ratio causes a low K-factor ratio in your cells. Low dietary K-factor ratio can be linked to at least 95 percent of cases of high blood pressure and 90 percent of cases of stroke, plus an increased incidence of kidney stones, stomach cancer, severe asthma and mental decline, according to Moore.

Healthy sources of potassium include potatoes, bananas, oranges, apples, rutabagas and cabbage. So sodium found naturally in foods is good for you in order to maintain the delicate potassium-sodium balance. The key is to not add common table salt and processed sodium to these foods. Why?

Salt can be found in three forms: unrefined salt, refined salt and iodized salt. The latter two forms can be extremely detrimental to your health. The Mayo Clinic states that refined salt goes through many purification processes and is treated with various chemicals and solutions to create the final salt grains. Iodized salt is also heavily processed and has iodine added to the grains. To obtain sea salt, flats of seawater are evaporated, leaving behind coarse grains that have not been processed or purified.

Many dieticians believe sea salt can be healthier for you in limited amounts since it doesn’t contain chemicals or additives. According to Jacques de Langre, Ph.D., in his book Sea Salt’s Hidden Powers, sea salt can also help relieve sinus congestion, insomnia, water retention, pH levels, blood sugar problems and muscle cramps.

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Calcium is one of the most important minerals for your body and bones. This essential strength-building nutrient helps your muscles contract… maintain proper blood vessel function… secrete hormones and enzymes… and send messages through your central nervous system.

But that’s not all that calcium can provide for your continued health. Various medical journals and studies indicate this mineral can help:

• Relieve acid reflux and indigestion
• Aid in lowering blood pressure levels
• Relieve premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms
• Reduce abnormal prostate cell growth
• Alleviate symptoms associated with lead toxicity
• Aid in weight loss

About 99 percent of your body’s calcium is stored in your teeth, with the remaining 1 percent found in your body in the bones, blood and tissues throughout your body. So when a calcium deficiency is detected by your body, it begins to steal the mineral from your bones in order to process other needed functions. In severe cases, this deficiency can result in numbness and muscle spasms.

To help increase your bone mass and prevent the breakdown of bone tissue as you age, be sure to get ample amounts of calcium and vitamin D from a nutritious diet or quality supplements. These two vital nutrients are essential for a long and strong healthy life.

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A natural compound that can help enhance your memory and restore your brain’s cell function is resveratrol. This nutrient is found in grapes, red wine, peanuts, seeds, nuts, various Chinese and Japanese herbs, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries.   

The power of resveratrol was first discovered in association with French diets. Longevity and increased heart health were abundant among the Europeans even though they consumed high levels of saturated fats and wine. The key to the French peoples’ life expectancy, razor-sharp mind and low rate of coronary heart disease was linked with the nutrient resveratrol.   

In his book, The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes For A Longer and Healthier Life, Joseph Maroon, M.D., explains the power of resveratrol. During testing on mice at Harvard University, he observed results that show a reduction in the occurrence of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases in those mice that received resveratrol.  

Testing conducted at Harvard University by Joseph Baur, Ph.D., and David Sinclair, Ph.D., found that the compound resveratrol can slow down the aging process by repairing and protecting your cell membranes. By increasing the strength of your cells—especially your brain cells—you can virtually extend your life expectancy and sharpen your mind because you won’t have lost those essential cells.  

In the book How Can the New Discovery of the Anti-aging Gene and Resveratrol Benefit You?, author Brook Henderson indicates resveratrol attacks genes that are harmful to your body. When this happens, abnormal cell growth decreases… dying and decaying cells are repaired… and the cells’ natural ability to repair themselves is restored.

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The burning sensation you experience when acid builds up in your esophagus and rises to the back of your throat is heartburn. But many people may have so much pain that they do indeed feel like they are having burning chest pains associated with their heart. Do you know the different warning signs for heartburn and heart attack?

In fact, as many as 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once a month, and 25 million suffer from it on a daily basis. The vast majority of these people can find relief with natural supplements and by making adjustments to when and what they eat. But for some, the burning pain is actually a symptom pointing to a more serious problem.  

Heartburn is a burning sensation that’s usually located in the chest. A lot of patients will say they feel it behind the breastbone. Some people call it a discomfort and don’t even call it a pain, but rather a sensation or an uncomfortable feeling.

Heartburn pain usually has a distinction from angina. A person having a heart attack would say that he “feels a squeezing sensation,” and will often clench his fist over his chest. Another good clue that a person is suffering from heartburn and not a heart attack is if it occurs after meals. People sometimes get heartburn if they eat a fatty or spicy meal, for example.

If you have heartburn and you’ve also thrown up blood, or if you notice that your stools have become black, that’s a sign of bleeding in the stomach where acid mixes with blood to turn it black. If it hurts when you swallow or if you have a fever in association with any of these symptoms, you should be evaluated by a physician. If you’re suffering from frequent heartburn, get yourself evaluated.

Other helpful suggestions include dietary changes, exercise, weight loss and maintaining pH balance. Supplements containing alkalinizing minerals can help keep your pH levels in balance for improved overall health.

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Many people who are trying to watch their cholesterol levels often exclude eggs from their diet. But there is a difference between blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol and the part they play in your health. Cholesterol is a fatlike substance found in certain foods and released by your liver. It’s responsible for hormone, bile and vitamin D production.

Blood cholesterol, as one may expect, is found in your blood. There are two types: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. By maintaining a balance of good and bad cholesterol you can protect your heart and brain from disease.

Eggs are rich in lecithin—a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. Eggs also contain higher protein quality than found in meat, milk or fish, and contain significant amounts of vitamins A, E and B complex. When consumed in moderation eggs can be one part of your diet to help control dietary cholesterol.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you limit your daily dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams (mg).

Cholesterol is also produced within the body by the liver. By keeping a watch on your saturated and unsaturated fat intake, plus your dietary cholesterol levels, you can help control your blood cholesterol levels.

By seeking natural solutions you can avoid taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that can cause damage to your heart, brain and other organs. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful supplement that can boost your heart and brain health by supplying your cells with endless energy and protection. Decreased CoQ10 levels can lead to heart and brain failure, and prescription statins wipe out your supply of this essential nutrient. Include CoQ10 in your daily regimen to promote optimum heart and brain performance and protection from deadly health disasters.

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Resveratrol is a powerful anti-aging nutrient found in red wine, grapes, peanuts, seeds, various Chinese and Japanese herbs, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries. Besides decreasing free radical damage, protecting your cells and helping increase your lifespan, resveratrol also shows promise for patients with diabetes or other blood sugar-related problems.

A study conducted at the University of Madras in India reveals that resveratrol helps normalize the levels of glucose, plasma insulin and hemoglobin—a protein found in red blood cells. By protecting these key blood cell compounds, you may avoid insulin-related problems such as decreased circulation, kidney damage, memory loss, digestive disorders, vision loss and weight gain.

According to research presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2006, Edward Park, Ph.D., and colleagues at Brock University in Canada found that resveratrol helps muscle cells intake normal amounts of insulin. This happens because resveratrol blocks the damaging effects of the free fatty acids on the muscle cells.

Resveratrol can also help protect the tissues of your liver, brain and skeletal muscle. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an enzyme found in these tissues. AMPK is also responsible for helping you avoid insulin resistance. By helping activate this essential enzyme AMPK, resveratrol may reduce blood sugar-related problems and boost the vitality of your essential organs and tissues.

Diabetes and blood sugar-related problems can also cause a great deal of pain to the patient when blood vessels leading to nerve endings become blocked. This can cause intense and painful burning sensations, usually in the legs and arms, Joseph Maroon, M.D., states. Researchers at Panjab University in India discovered anti-inflammatory markers in resveratrol that helped significantly reduce the pain from nerve damage.

The benefits of the red wine compound resveratrol can have a significant and far-reaching effect on the health of your entire body. Resveratrol has been shown to not only protect and repair your body’s cells, but actually enable them to repair themselves while ensuring the sick and dying cells don’t multiply. This could lead to a longer, healthier lifespan for you and your family.

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Do you have recurring symptoms that leave you rushing to the restroom to find that you can only eliminate a few drops at a time? If so, then you could be suffering from prostate problems. In fact, it could lead to other symptoms such as a burning sensation in your groin area… interrupted sleep patterns due to frequent nighttime bathroom visits… low sex drive and weak erections… lower back pain… and loss of energy.

Research shows that the berries from the saw palmetto plant can help maintain healthy urine flow and reduce an enlarged prostate. This herb can even help prevent male pattern baldness, underactive bladder and acne. What’s more, it may even be useful in preventing abnormal cell growth that leads to prostate cancer.

So how does this nutrient work? Saw palmetto helps prevent testosterone from changing to a harmful form of the hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It also blocks the effects of certain hormone receptors—which can halt abnormal cell growth.

All this comes without the side effects from many traditional treatments, including loss of libido. In a double-blind trial known as the Saw Palmetto Treatment of Enlarged Prostates (STEP), tests performed on 225 men with moderate-to-severe symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) showed no lasting side effects from the saw palmetto supplements.

Other helpful nutrients that have been shown to improve the health of your prostate include red clover, pumpkin seed, lycopene, zinc and selenium.

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Why should you be concerned about digestive disease? Because colon cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 109,000 new cases of colon cancer and 41,000 new cases of rectal cancer each year in the United States. Combined, they will cause about 49,960 deaths.

This is far too many. When colon cancer is detected and treated before it has spread, there is a 90 percent survival rate at five years. Once the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, however, the five-year survival rate goes down to 66 percent.

Colon cancer has early detection methods which are quite effective. While not intended to diagnose colon cancer or other intestinal diseases, this analysis can help you understand their risk factors and early warning signs.

• Do I have a family history of polyps or colon cancer?
• Do I consume high amounts of red meat?
• Do I use tobacco, alcohol or other harmful drugs?
• Am I over 50 years old?
• Am I overweight?
• Do I have diabetes or a sedentary lifestyle?
• Do I have constipation or hardening of solid waste in the colon?
• Do I have bloating, gas or excessive fullness after meals?
• Do I have pain in the lower esophagus when swallowing?
• Do I have an acid heartburn feeling in the stomach, with or without meals?
• Do I have stools that float or appear greasy?
• Are there large pieces of undigested food in my stools?
• Do I have bloody or black-colored stool? Do I have painful bowel movements, with or without blood?
• Do I have lower intestinal cramping associated with meals?
• Do I get a runny or stuffy nose during or after meals?

If you answered “yes”… to any of these questions, then some symptoms of digestive stress may already be present. More than just risk factors, these are warning signs for you to listen to your body. While your doctor is qualified to pronounce a diagnosis of digestive disease, you can help prevent digestive problems by changing your diet and adding nutritional supplements such as cascara sagrada, senna leaf, black walnut bark and slippery elm bark.

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Many people who are trying to watch their cholesterol levels often exclude eggs from their diet. But there is a difference between blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol and the part they play in your health. Cholesterol is a fatlike substance found in certain foods and released by your liver. It’s responsible for hormone, bile and vitamin D production.

Blood cholesterol, as one may expect, is found in your blood. There are two types: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. By maintaining these two kinds of good and bad cholesterol you can protect your heart and brain from disease.

Eggs are rich in lecithin—a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. Eggs also contain higher protein quality than found in meat, milk or fish, and contain significant amounts of vitamins A, E and B complex vitamins. When consumed in moderation eggs can be a nutritious addition to your diet.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you limit your daily dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams. Cholesterol is also produced within the body by the liver. By keeping a watch on your saturated and unsaturated fat intake, plus your dietary cholesterol levels you can help control your blood cholesterol levels.

Instead of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that can cause damage to your heart and brain, there are supplements that can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels including coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Decreased CoQ10 levels can lead to heart and brain failure, and prescription statins wipe out your supply of this essential nutrient. Include CoQ10 in your daily regimen to promote regular cholesterol levels, boost heart and brain performance and protect you from serious health disasters.

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