A study appearing in the journal PLoS ONE found that insects that pollinate crops are responsible for the growth and proliferation of numerous foodstuffs around the globe. By extension, this means that bees and other pollinators are a precious resource, one that ensures the healthy growth of nutrient-providing plants of all types.

"Animal-pollinated crops contain the majority of the available dietary lipid[s], vitamin[s] A, C and E, and a large portion of the minerals calcium, fluoride and iron worldwide," said researchers in Germany and Southern California.

The team warned that without these essential organisms, up to 40 percent of the vitamins and minerals provided by crops could be lost.

When fruits and vegetables do not provide one’s full daily amount of nutrients, vitamin supplements may be able to help.

When you can’t properly empty your bowels, you could experience damage to every cell, gland and organ in your body. Even worse, without regular, daily elimination and colon maintenance, your bloodstream and lymph system may become overloaded, and unable to efficiently detoxify.

According to world-renowned British physician Dennis Burkitt, M.D., African tribesmen experienced a rapid bowel transit time of four to six hours compared to 60 to 90 hours for to people eating a traditional Western diet. Burkitt discovered the tribesman consistently experienced:

• Healthier bowels
• Stronger hearts
• Powerful digestive systems
• Regular elimination

What’s their secret for regular and healthy bowel movements? Fiber. According the American Dietetic Association, most Americans consume only 12 to 17 grams (g) of fiber daily but the recommended amount for women is 25 g and for men is 38 g.

Fiber is either soluble or insoluble, and both promote a whistle-clean colon and digestive system. While insoluble fiber moves bulk through your intestines and pushes out toxins with your waste… soluble fiber helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and boost cardiovascular health.

So how can you boost your fiber intake? Try to increase your consumption of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans and whole grains. Also look for quality supplements containing cascara sagrada, senna leaf extract, black walnut bark and slippery elm bark.

Ellison recommends adopting these daily habits:

• Abstain from sugar and artificial sweeteners
• Quit smoking—or don’t start
• Exercise moderately
• Eat more leafy, green vegetables every day
• Drink more purified water
• Limit milk consumption to moderate amounts of milk
• Eat walnuts, coconut oil or freshwater salmon for omega-3 fatty acids
• Minimize refined grains
• Lose body fat

These all can help boost heart health and circulation, which can be further promoted with the addition of the enzyme nattokinase to your daily regimen. Discovered by the Japanese more than 1,000 years ago, this enzyme can help safely and naturally eliminate protein buildup—and support healthy blood flow from head to toe. In one scientific study, 173 coagulated blood samples were exposed to various nutrients, but results indicate nattokinase was the only nutrient able to successfully break down the clotted blood.

You need to reverse the acid overload and return to an alkaline state to optimally support the following areas of health:

• Circulation
• Joints and muscles
• Regular heartbeats
• Flexible veins and arteries
• Energy
• Aging

Here’s a simple way to determine your acid/alkaline status. Take special test strips that measure pH and dip them in your saliva or urine. Using the color of the strip once exposed to your bodily fluid, you can determine your levels with a special acid/alkaline chart. The scale ranges from zero to 14, with the lowest being the most acidic and the highest being the most alkaline. For optimum health, you should aim for a 7.5 measurement.

If you find you are more acidic, foods can help regulate your alkaline balance. Alkaline foods include vegetables, fruits, tofu, goat’s milk, soy products, nuts, seeds, whey protein powder, mineral water and green tea. Acid-forming foods to avoid include fatty meats, dairy products, artificial sweeteners and sugars, processed foods, starchy beans and vegetables, soda drinks, beer, wine and white breads.

By consuming a diet made of 80 percent alkaline foods and 20 percent acid-forming foods while drinking at least eight glasses of alkaline water daily, you should see an improvement in your health in no time.

For optimal prostate health, research shows that the berries from the saw palmetto plant can help maintain healthy urine flow and maintain prostate structure. In fact, this herb might reduce your chances of age-related male pattern baldness or even mild acne. So how does it work? Saw palmetto helps prevent testosterone from changing to a harmful form called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It also blocks the effects of certain hormone receptors—which can promote normal cell growth.

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

In fact, the NIH reveals there are various forms of distended or engorged veins that can occur in areas throughout the body. The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine indicates they may be visible just under the surface of the skin as swollen, twisted clusters of blue or purple veins. Other types of visible veins may be thin red capillaries that branch out from the main veins.

Fortunately, there are many natural methods for supporting vascular health and easing the appearance of unsightly, distended veins. The NIH recommends these helpful tips to keep your veins and arteries healthy and flowing freely:

• Exercise regularly with low-impact activities such as walking, swimming or biking, which can all help improve circulation.
• Wear loose clothing to prevent circulation interruption. Specially designed stockings and socks can also be worn to help boost vascular health.
• Elevate your legs after long periods of standing or sitting.
• Promote healthy circulation when sitting by placing your feet firmly on the floor. By crossing your legs for extended periods or dangling your lower legs you risk cutting off your circulation.
• Maintain a healthy weight to avoid added pressure on your legs.

One surprising natural remedy for unsightly, distended veins may be increased consumption of pineapple and its juice. This fruit contains high levels of the enzyme bromelain that can help reduce inflammation, promote normal fluid distribution in the body, and support integrity of your veins and vessels, according to Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

A new study of people with joint health issues shows a key enzyme called activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) could be produced within the joint itself. Researchers hope to develop future therapies to stop the production of this enzyme before it can contribute to an unbalanced inflammatory response. Results were published in PLoS Medicine.

New solutions are needed because current options intended to address joint health may be linked to an increase in various unwanted side effects.

But you don’t have to wait for relief—not when you can experience the effects of BioCell Collagen II^®. This is one of the most advanced natural forms of collagen available.

This unique combination of nutrients includes:

• Hydrolyzed collagen type II—the main building block of joint cartilage.
• Chondroitin sulfate—a powerful inflammation-balancing agent and cartilage protector.
• Hyaluronic acid—one of the most essential nutrients needed to provide relief and lubrication for your joints.

So do something about it now and get all-natural relief for your joints, bones and muscles.

As you get older, illness and stress can affect your heart as significantly as nutrition. When your heart can’t keep pace with your body’s needs for oxygen and nutrients, you may experience:

• Occasional swelling in your feet or ankles
• Weight gain from fluid retention
• Increase in urination
• Lung health issues
• Low energy and decreased stamina

To avoid these health issues, you should nourish your heart with the right kind of fuel—and that means getting more coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This super nutrient is the “energy switch” that sparks all 100 trillion of your body’s cells and helps keep them fueled for optimal performance.

When you were younger, your body made its own CoQ10. But as you get older, your ability to produce natural CoQ10 significantly decreases. Without enough CoQ10, you could experience less-than-optimal heart health.

The exciting news is that you can restore your natural levels of CoQ10 through supplementation and maximize your heart health. Plus, you’ll also be keeping your circulation flowing to deliver nourishing blood to every cell in your body.

In order to help boost your liver function, look for these powerful naturally supportive nutrients…

• Milk thistle—This well-known plant is the ultimate liver supporter and detoxifier. Mountains of scientific research found it turbocharges your liver’s abilities to sweep out toxins… helps fight off the damage of free radicals and promote a balanced inflammatory response… and keeps your liver strong and healthy.
• Artichoke leaf—This ancient, medicinal plant has been found in scientific studies to help stimulate bile, detoxify your liver, support your cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism and protect your body from unwanted toxins.
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)—One of the best researched amino acids, NAC has been proven to help protect your liver from the damages of chemical metabolites… sweep out toxins, heavy metals and bacterial byproducts … and promote a balanced inflammatory response.
• Chinese skullcap—Prized by Chinese natural doctors for more than 2,000 years, this amazing plant has been shown to promote a normal, balanced inflammatory response… and may support metabolism of cholesterol in your liver.

Low levels of HCl could lead to intermittent heartburn, indigestion, bloating, diarrhea, upset stomach, embarrassing gas and occasional constipation. And taking typical antacids and other popular acid remedies only lower the acid levels in your stomach temporarily. HCl is necessary for digestion. By reducing stomach acid, these products greatly reduce your stomach’s ability to digest food..

According to Better Nutrition magazine, you need beneficial HCl stomach acid for two reasons:

1. You need acid in your stomach because it helps maintain healthy bacterial balance and stimulates enzymes to break down the foods you eat.
2. If you reduce the acidity in the stomach, your body will automatically start producing more acid.

Plus, many antacids contain an abundance of minerals such as sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium and aluminum, which can cause problems for people over 50 when taken in high amounts.

To ensure maximum digestive health, be sure to include HCl in your dietary regimen, plus other beneficial enzymes and nutrients such as L-glutamic acid, amylases, proteases and lipases.