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To your health,

Sherry Brescia

How to guarantee you’ll get cancer again

A recent study of over 1,500 cancer survivors has shown that they are more likely to have unhealthy diets compared to 3,100 people who had never contracted the disease.

Cancer survivors scored only about 47 out of 100 on adhering to US Dietary guidelines, with their consumption of vegetables and whole grains being especially poor.

Plus the cancer survivors consumed more fat, added sugar and alcohol and ate less fiber. 

Overall, the survivors also failed to consume adequate amounts of vitamin D, vitamin E, potassium and calcium.

Talk about playing with fire…and inviting cancer to come knocking again.

Your diet DOES mattter
Contrary to what you may think, your diet makes a tremendous difference in whether or not your number will come up in the cancer lottery.

Here are some ways your diet can influence your cancer risk:

Sugar
Sugar is a very inflammatory substance, and malignant tumor cells use inflammation as a signal to reproduce.  Plus sugar also disrupts your intestinal flora balance, which in turn can impair your immune functioning, making it less effective at detecting and destroying cancer cells.
It’s important to note that this not only includes all forms of sugar but also refined carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, cookies and donuts) which turn to sugar upon digestion.

Salt
Infection with H. pylori (the bacteria that causes ulcers) is associated with increased risk of stomach cancer in and of itself, but that risk is multiplied exponentially when people with H. pylori also have a high-salt diet.
And the thing is, H. pylori doesn’t always cause symptoms, so many people that have it don’t even know it.

Acid
Having a diet with a high concentration of acidifying foods is also harmful because cancer needs an acidic environment to survive and thrive.
Number one here is SODA—both diet and regular.  If you drink soda on a regular basis, you are rolling out the red carpet for cancer, period.
Other harmful acidifying foods are fast food, all types of packaged, processed foods, baked goods and pastries, and even foods marketed as “healthy” like breakfast cereals and granola bars.

Lacking fiber
Fiber plays several roles in protecting you against cancer:

• It helps sweep out excess toxins and carcinogens from the GI tract.
• It helps whisk away old worn-out hormones that your body is trying to eliminate (which can increase your risk of hormone-dependent cancers if they are reabsorbed into circulation).
• It helps to move heavy metals out of your body, and many heavy metals are known or suspected carcinogens.

Nutrient deficiencies
Different nutrients help reduce your risk of cancers in various ways. 
Some act as antioxidants that can fight inflammation and disease-causing free radicals in your body, while others support your immune system (which is your first line of defense against cancer), and still other nutrients function as natural anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.
Especially important are:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A

Genetics
Many people with certain gene mutations that increase their risk of cancers cop out by blaming their illness on on their poor luck in the gene pool.
Sorry, but it doesn’t exactly work that way.
You see, not all of your genes are firing off on all cylinders, and some of the harmful ones are only “awakened” if your body isn’t properly nourished. 
So alas, your diet plays a significant role here too.

Do your part
If you are a cancer survivor (or want to do all you can to help prevent your number from coming up) you MUST acknowledge the fact that your diet is a major factor in determining your fate.

Then take the bull by the horns and do something about it!

Here are ways you can help:

Have a diet of healthy, fiber-rich real foods.  No more excuses about “not liking vegetables” or “not having the time.”  Would you “like” chemotherapy instead, or “have the time” to be dead?  If you need good ideas on how to enjoy healthy foods, check out Great Taste No Pain.

Take a high quality probiotic supplement like Super Shield to help encourage a healthier intestinal flora balance, which in turn will support your precious cancer-protecting immune system.

Make sure you’re getting enough anti-inflammatory Omega-3 essential fatty acids by eating more fish like salmon and supplementing with a top-notch fish oil formula like VitalMega-3.

Drink filtered or distilled water instead of soda or other sugary drinks, and keep the alcohol consumption moderate. 

Make at least half of your plate fresh fruits and vegetables, and eat a tossed salad every day.  That will help encourage a healthier pH balance and keep you more on the side of alkaline versus acidic.

Reduce stress.  Stress causes harmful changes to your gut flora that can weaken your immune system functioning, plus stress also causes your body to lose precious cancer-protecting nutrients.

Remember, nutrition is your best protection against disease, and that includes cancer.  Engage the power of nutrition to create a healthier you.

Don’t spend the holidays sick and depressed

Although the holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, millions of people instead suffer from physical illness or depression.

There are very good reasons for that.

Because the holidays also bring about stress for a lot of people…and stress can lead to a domino effect of both physical and mental issues which quickly turn a happy season into a loathsome, dreaded time.

Plus one can bring on the other—physical illness can lead to mental issues and vice versa.

Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes with your physical and mental states of health and more importantly, how you can help turn things around and feel a lot better.

Physical-Mental Connection #1:  The brain-gut axis
There is a series of chemical and electrical signals that continuously pass back and forth between the central nervous system (your brain) and the gastrointestinal system (your gut).  What affects one affects the other.

The brain-gut axis is the reason why you feel butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous, or may get diarrhea when you’re worried. 

It's also the reason conditions like anxiety and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or Crohn’s disease and depression frequently go hand in hand.

Physical-Mental Connection #2:  Nutrients for body and mind
Sound nutrition is not only vital for your physical health, but your mental health as well.

The six nutrients that are especially crucial for mental health are:  Zinc, vitamin B6, Omega-3 essential fatty acids, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B12.

Physical-Mental Connection #3: The gut flora influence
Chronic stress can cause the protective mucosal barrier in your inner gut wall to become less effective at defending your body against harmful pathogens.

That's why you may notice that you get sick easier when you're under stress or very upset--your body literally cannot fight illness off as well.

And when you’re not feeling well physically, that can turn around and affect you psychologically! 

Take care of your body AND mind
Although the network between body and mind is very real, unfortunately it is seldom a top priority when assessing someone’s state of health.  Instead a greater reliance is placed on medications for relief of symptoms, whether they be physical or mental.

For example, chances are excellent that many people suffering from anxiety or depression have not been asked, “How’s your diet?”

But they have been given Prozac, Valium or Lexapro.

And on the flip side, people suffering from chronic infections or acid reflux have probably not been asked, “Got a lot of anxiety or depression going on?” 

But they’ve certainly taken their share of antibiotics or acid reducers.

If I’ve just described you, listen up.  Because a whole new world of relief can open up for you when you take steps to nurture your body-mind connections:

1- Get those essential nutrients
There’s no getting around it—you must have a healthy diet of real foods if you want a snowball’s chance in you-know-where of having any measure of physical or mental health.

Choose fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, dairy and whole grains (in moderation).  An occasional dessert over the holidays is fine, but let that be the exception and not the norm.

And if you want to make sure all your nutrient needs are met, Super Core multi-vitamin formula with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support can pinch hit where your diet may be lacking.
Now is perfect time to put Super Core to the test because it’s at a new all-the-time low price of $24.97 per bottle!

2- Supplement with Omega-3 EFAs
Omega-3 essential fatty acids are crucial to physical and mental health, but the average person is seriously deficient in these essential nutrients. 

This is mainly due to our reliance on processed foods, vegetable oils, farm-raised fish and meat from grain-fed animals--which are heavy in Omega-6 EFAs but have few or no Omega-3 EFAs.  

But supplementation with a high quality Omega-3 fish oil formula like VitalMega-3 can help make sure your body and mind have enough of these vital nutrients to support strong health.

3- De-stress
Since stress can be so harmful to both your physical and mental health, it's crucial to fight it and help minimize its devastating effects on you.

One of the best ways to help drain away stress is to exercise—so get your doctor’s OK and do it at least 3-4 times a week.

4- Keep a healthy flora balance
Stress clearly takes its toll on your gut, which in turn can harm your physical health, which can then affect you mentally!

But Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula can help you support your gut wall and immune system, and curb this mind/body sickness cycle.

Super Shield’s 13 quality strains of friendly bacteria can help repopulate your intestinal flora supply and bring it into a more healthful balance, which will help support sound digestion and provide a good home for the majority of your immune system.
 
It's been said that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

Take care of your body and mind now.  You couldn't give yourself a nicer holiday gift.

7 Ways to fight urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection, and are the reason for over 8 million doctor visits every year in the US alone.

Both men and women can get them, but women are far more likely to be the unlucky recipients due to our anatomical differences (females have shorter urethras so the bacteria have an easier route to travel).

Let’s see exactly what’ going on with UTIs and how you can prevent your number from coming up.

3 Hot spots
Although the collective term is "urinary tract infection," there are three different hot spots where the action can occur:

1- In the kidneys (acute pyelonephritis)
The most common symptoms are upper back and side pain, high fever, shaking and chills, nausea and vomiting.

2- In the bladder (called cystitis)
Here the main symptoms are pelvic pressure, frequent painful urination and blood in the urine.

3- In the urethra (urine tube)--aka urethritis
This is the one where you get the classic horrendous burning when you urinate.

The most common cause of UTI is bacteria traveling into the urethra and then into the bladder.  It can also continue on the path into the kidneys, but that is the least common form of UTI.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the culprit behind most cases of cystitis (UTI in the bladder).  This is a growing concern because E. coli is becoming especially resistant to antibiotics...which is making UTIs in the bladder more difficult to treat.  

A UTI in the urethra usually occurs when bacteria from the rectal area "moves over" into the urinary area.  Also, because the female urethra is close to the vagina, sexually transmitted infections such as herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause urethritis too.

Natural ways to end the misery

Here are 7 surefire strategies that can help you put an end to your UTI misery once and for all:

1) Take a high-quality probiotic supplement every day 
Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula is your best defense against urinary tract infection (and other types of infection too).  

Super Shield contains the powerhouse probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei, all of which have been shown to be helpful in treating and preventing urinary tract infections.

Plus, having and maintaining a good intestinal flora balance with Super Shield will help counteract the harmful effects of antibiotics, making it harder for urinary tract infections to come back again and again and again.

2) Drink cranberry juice
This isn’t just an old wives’ tale.  Cranberry juice is loaded with Vitamins C and E, which boost your immune system, making it more effective at resisting infection.

Plus cranberries have antioxidants called proanthocyanidins that block infection-causing bacteria from attaching to the urinary tract lining.

But note that cranberry juice also contains Vitamin K (our natural blood clotter) so you'll need to talk to your doctor if you're on blood thinners like Warfarin.

3) Drink lots of (pure, filtered) water 
Eight glasses a day is a good start.

Note that "water" does not include sweetened drinks of any kind. The sugar encourages harmful bacteria to thrive, so you'll be defeating the purpose and promoting another UTI by drinking them.

4) Limit the booze, the Joe and the Coke
Alcohol and caffeinated drinks are irritating to the bladder and can make you feel even worse during a UTI.

5) Always wipe front to back after a bowel movement
Wiping front to back prevents the "special delivery" of harmful bacteria right to your urethra's doorstop.

6) Keep it dry
Avoid wearing damp, tight clothing (such as bathing suits or sweaty workout gear) for long periods of time. Instead change into clean, dry clothing as soon as you can.

7) Limit the douches and sprays
Using vaginal deodorant sprays or other feminine products such as douches and powders in the genital area can irritate the urethra.

If you feel you must occasionally douche, use warm water with white vinegar.

Yes, you CAN finally take measures to help your body say goodbye to urinary tract infections and their painful misery for good!

The key to shiny hair and soft, glowing skin

The beauty industry is big business, and while many of the hair and skin products out there are very helpful, in order to look your absolute best, you need to take care of the inside of you too!

If you’re not pampering your skin and hair from the inside, there is no way it will look as good as it can, and you’re quite possible undoing the helpful effects of any beauty products you do buy!

Let’s start by looking at some…

Fun skin and hair facts


Your skin
Your skin accounts for about 7 percent of your body-weight and varies in thickness from about 4/100 to 16/100 of an inch. 

If you were to "slip out of it" and lay it flat on the ground, it would cover about 21 square feet--the size of a twin bed mattress!

Even though it's thin, your skin is made up of three layers.

The top one is the epidermis, which is your main protective shield.  Your nails are also part of your epidermis, so when we’re talking about skin health, that also includes your nails!

The next layer down is the dermis.  New skin cells are born in the dermis and migrate up to the epidermis, plus your oil and sweat glands live in the dermis too.

The boundaries between the epidermis and dermis are not always smooth. For example, in your fingertips these boundaries are studded with bumps and ridges--this is how your fingerprints are created.  

Your innermost skin layer--the subcutaneous layer--is below the dermis and binds your skin to your tissues and bone.  It’s also where your fat cells reside.

Your hair
The average full adult head of hair has about 100,000 hairs on the scalp, and each hair lives about 4 years before it falls out. 

The roots of your hair lie in the dermis (middle) layer of the skin, but the pits from where your hair grows (the follicles) are in the epidermis (outer layer).

The visible part of your hair is called the shaft, and shafts come in 3 styles:

- Round shafts produce straight hair.
- Oval shafts produce wavy hair.
- Shafts that are flat like ribbons produce tight, curly hair.

Your hair color comes from color-producing cells called melanocytes at the base of the hair follicles.  These melanocytes secrete a blend of colors (yellow, red, brown and black) which becomes your hair color. 

Alas, these melanocytes die off as we age...and without them, our hair turns gray or white. 

Makes yours shine and glow!
Here are some very effective ways you can help create smooth, soft skin and shiny, lustrous hair from within:

Nourish them
Having a healthy diet of nutritious foods is step one.  If you put trash inside of you, trust me, the outside of you will look like garbage too.

Although all vitamins and minerals are important in their own way, the superstars for healthy skin and hair are:

• Biotin
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

If you want to make sure you have those important nutrient bases covered,Super Core multi-vitamin formula is just what you need!  And at its new LOW PRICE of $24.97, now is the time to put it to work for your skin and hair health.

Get enough Omega-3 essential fatty acids
You need good levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids to maintain healthy cell membranes--and that includes hair and skin cells!

In addition to eating more fatty fish (like wild salmon) VitalMega-3 fish oil formula can help support your body’s Omega-3 EFA needs.

Drink enough water
Water provides natural moisture and carries needed nutrients to your skin and hair, and it sweeps away waste products, both of which in turn help keep your skin smooth and clear.

A good place to start is to drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day, preferably filtered.

An easy way to tell if you're drinking enough water is to look in the toilet bowl.  Your urine should be relatively clear and very light yellow.  If it's opaque and dark yellow (at any time other than first thing in the morning), chances are excellent you need more water.   

Get your thyroid tested
Dry skin, hair loss and brittle nails are all signs of low-functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism).  See your doctor if you suspect this is an issue for you.

Quit smoking
This should be obvious—if you smoke, QUIT.

Nothing will destroy your skin and hair (as well as age you) faster than smoking.
 
If you want your hair and skin to look their very best, in addition to taking care of them on the outside, take care of them from the inside too!

I bet you’ll see a difference very soon.

Are you missing these subtle warning signs?

Unlike other areas of your body, your liver doesn’t always sound an alarm to alert you when there’s a problem.

Your liver can still function when up to 70 percent of its capacity is lost!  So many people don’t even know they have a liver problem until it’s practically getting ready to shut down.

Here are four major reasons why you don’t want your liver shutting down.

Four critical functions
Your liver performs more than 500 functions that are all essential to life and health, but here are four of the most critical:

1- Making bile
In addition to breaking down fats, bile helps your body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, and turns beta-carotene into vitamin A.

Bile also is the "escort" for toxins that your liver filters out of your system. The toxin-drenched bile gets absorbed by fiber in your intestines and is escorted out when Nature calls.

If bile secretion is too low, toxins can accumulate and your liver can actually become constipated just like your colon!

2- Controlling cholesterol and hormones
Although you do get some cholesterol from food, the vast majority is made by your liver.

Your liver closely monitors your cholesterol level.  When you take cholesterol in with food, it temporarily slows down its own production of cholesterol until more is needed.

So truly, the health of your liver is the primary indicator of whether you'll have a cholesterol problem and an increased risk of heart disease!

Poor liver function can also lead to hormone-related conditions.

For example, PMS, fibrocystic breast disease, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and cancers of the breast, ovaries and uterus are associated with elevated estrogen, and that can be the result of the liver not breaking down and eliminating old estrogen like it should.

3- Regulating blood sugar
Your liver works with the pancreas and adrenal glands to regulate your blood sugar.

If your liver isn't carrying out its part of the cycle properly, you are a candidate for Type 2 diabetes, increased fat storage and elevated cholesterol.

4- Filtering blood 
About two quarts of blood pass through your liver EVERY MINUTE.

A healthy liver can efficiently handle 99 percent of the toxins you take in before they enter circulation. These include alcohol, nicotine, drugs, pesticides and food additives.

But if your liver is NOT healthy, toxins will begin accumulating in your cells, tissues and organs, causing sickness and disease.

Is yours trying to tell you something?


Here are some signs that you may have a liver challenge:

• Intolerance to greasy foods                                                                                          
• Foul smelling stools                                                                                                       
• Constipation                                                                                       
• Bitter taste in your mouth                                                                                            
• Grayish skin or yellow in the whites of your eyes                                        
• Bad breath                                                               
• Excessive body odor                                                                                                      
• Fatigue or headache after eating                                                                   
• Dry skin or hair                                                                                                 
• Right sided abdominal pain                                                              
• Water retention                                                                                                             
• Pain in big toes or pain that radiates along the outside of your leg                         
• Blood in stools                                                                                                 
• Elevated blood cholesterol or triglycerides                                                                

If you suspect liver problems, see your doctor ASAP.

But don’t stop there!  Because you also need to consider what is causing your liver problems to begin with…

Liver Abusers
Environmental pollution, chlorinated water, household chemicals and pesticides all stress on our livers.

But the biggest abuser of your liver is: YOU.

So many people live on processed/fast food, drink too much alcohol and overuse prescription and OTC drugs.

And in between their daily lattes, sodas and Red Bulls, they might squeeze in a few sips of water if they’re lucky.

They smoke, use recreational drugs and eat too many refined carbohydrates and trans-fats.

Am I describing you?  If so, listen up.

Your liver isn't something you can be without.

No liver = No you

It’s time for you to take responsibility for your liver’s health before it’s too late…

How to have a healthy liver


Here are ways to help preserve the health of your precious liver:

• If you smoke or do drugs, please stop.
• Drink mainly water throughout the day.
• Limit alcohol consumption to a drink or two, preferably with a meal.
• Have a diet of fiber-rich foods.  These will help assist your liver in eliminating toxins through the bowel.   If you want some great ideas for delicious dishes featuring nutrient and fiber-packed real foods (as well as ways to help support tip-top digestion) check out the Great Taste No Pain health system.
• It's also crucial to have a healthy population of friendly gut flora to support efficient digestion and keep your gut wall strong so toxins can be safely contained and eliminated.  Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula can be a huge help with its 13 strains of potent friendly microbes.

Additional support
Here are some other ways to support your liver:

• Drink a large glass of room temperature water every morning to which a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice has been added to flush out the liver.
• Incorporate onions and garlic into your diet, as they help the liver escort heavy metals out of your body.
• Consider milk thistle supplementation.

Do all you can to help support the health of your precious liver…and all of your organs for that matter!
They will return the favor many times over.

Could this be driving up your blood pressure?

With all the emphasis on salt being the devil with blood pressure, we’ve been missing a HUGE other factor that is most assuredly making our pressures pop.

SUGAR.

But finally studies are being done that are starting to tell the truth.
Recent research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association has shown that drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages (like soda, sports drinks and fruit punch) may lower your blood pressure.

The researchers examined data on 810 adults with pressures between 120/80 and 159/99 who participated in an 18-month study examining the impact of weight loss, exercise and a healthy diet on blood pressure.

At the start of the study, the participants drank an average 10.5 ounces of sugary beverages per day.  At the end of the study, average consumption had decreased by half, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressures had dropped significantly.

Even when the results were adjusted for the other factors like weight loss and exercise, ditching the sweet drinks still had a tremendous impact on blood pressure.

Are you kidding me?
The interesting thing about this study is that, at the conclusion, the lead researcher stated that the effect of sugar-sweetened beverages on blood pressure is still “uncertain.”

Sorry, but I don’t find anything “uncertain” about successful results.

While the specific impact of sugar on blood pressure may vary from person to person, the fact remains that it is absolutely and definitely harmful across the board.

There are actually three ways that sugar raises blood pressure:

1- A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates contributes to obesity, which is a high blood pressure risk factor. 
2- A high-sugar diet can also promote sodium retention, which can increase blood volume and cause hypertension. 
3- Sugar is a very inflammatory substance, and having excess glucose in your bloodstream can cause arterial inflammation, which can ultimately drive up your blood pressure.

Do your part—you know where to start
If you have blood pressure concerns (or want to help maintain a healthy blood pressure) you’ve got to do your part.

Start with curbing your sugar consumption.  Ditch the soda, sports beverages, juice drinks and fancy coffees. 

And don’t even ask if diet beverages are any better.  When you swap sugar for aspartame or sucralose, you’re merely trading one poison for another. 

Sugars are also in most processed foods and especially foods marketed as low-fat—because food companies typically replace the fat with sugar.

Drink water and concentrate on real foods that don’t contain hidden sugars.

Other ways to keep it low
In addition to quitting smoking and getting regular exercise, here are four nutrient strategies for counteracting high blood pressure:

Get sources of potassium
Many people don’t realize that too little potassium is just as much of a blood pressure concern as too much sodium. 

Potassium-rich foods include avocados, Swiss chard, green beans, broccoli, coconut, prunes, lima beans, tomatoes, spinach, bananas, sweet potatoes, chicken, roast beef and salmon.

Have enough antioxidants 
Uncontrolled free radicals can cause arterial damage which can lead to atherosclerosis and hypertension, so it’s crucial to have enough antioxidants to help control free radicals.

Vitamins A, C and E are the like the 3 Musketeers of powerhouse antioxidants—below are some food sources of each:    

Vitamin A: Carrots, spinach, bell peppers, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, calf’s liver, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, basil, cantaloupe
Vitamin C: Bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries, citrus fruits romaine lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, pineapple, green beans, kale, raspberries, asparagus
Vitamin E: Swiss chard, almonds, spinach, collard greens, kale, papaya, olives, bell peppers, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli

And if you want to supplement to ensure your body has what it needs, our Super Core multi-vitamin formula contains all three of these nutritional superstars, plus six other impressive antioxidants!

Beef up your Omega-3 EFAs
Omega-3 essential fatty acids have been medically PROVEN to help lower blood pressure, and increasing numbers of doctors are advising their patients to up their Omega-3 intake.

In addition to eating more fatty fish like salmon, one of the best ways to engage this natural anti-inflammatory and help lower blood pressure is to take a very high-quality fish oil supplement like VitalMega-3.

VitalMega-3 delivers 1,200 mg. of Omega-3 in every daily 2-capsule dose, including 600 mg. of EPA and 400 mg. DHA which are crucial for cardiovascular and brain health.
 
Put the power of nutrition to work for you to help lower your blood pressure, or help make sure it stays where it should!