What kind of water is safe to drink?

Water is truly our fluid of life—and after about a week without it, you’d be pushing up daisies.

But the earth’s water supply is in crisis, and residents of Flint, Michigan and Sebring, Ohio just got reminded of that in a horrible way with lead contamination in their tap water.

Depending on where you live, your municipal tap water may contain any or all of the following toxic substances:

• Bacteria, viruses and parasites
• Chlorine and chloramines
• Heavy metals, asbestos, nitrates and nitrites
• Solvents, pesticides, plastics and resins
• Radio nucleotides such as radium and uranium
• Fluoride—Although it’s been hailed for allegedly reducing cavities in children’s teeth, research links fluoridated water consumption to thyroid dysfunction, ADHD, reduced IQ, bone fluorosis, increased bone fracture rates and endocrine disruption.  The risk of cavities can be significantly reduced with proper nutrition including vitamin D.
• Medication residue--Yes, this is real.  When “Nature” calls for people on medications, their “products of excrement” frequently contain medication residue, which eventually can make its way into tap water supplies.  This has happened in the Hudson River in New York.

Other sources of water
There are sources of water other than tap, but they too have their drawbacks:

Well water can contain heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and hydrocarbons (gasoline by-products). 

Spring water may have some chlorine added as a disinfectant.

Bottled water is filtered through processes which could include reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, distillation, micron filtration and ozonation. Water bottlers may use chlorine for purification. 

Filtered water (or purified water) involves the removal of harmful components of water by carbon filtration, reverse osmosis or distillation. 

Here are common contaminants found in drinking water, and which common type of filtration removes each:

Content	Solid carbon filter	Reverse Osmosis	Distillation
Chlorine	Removes	Not removed	Removes
Fluoride	Not removed	Removes	Removes
Bacteria	Removes	Removes	Removes
Parasites	Removes	Removes	Removes
Pesticides	Removes	Removes	Removes
Solvents	Removes	Not removed	Not removed
Heavy metals	Possibly removed	Removes	Removes
Basic minerals	Not removed	Removes	Removes

 
So what do you drink?
Clearly it’s preferable to drink water that you either know is reasonably safe (through having it tested—such as with well or spring water) or water with some kind of filtration, whether that’s bottled or through home filtration. 

That being said, in addition to drinking your water, you can also…

Eat your water
Fresh fruits and vegetables not only give your body much-needed nutrients, but they’re a great source of water (and fiber too!).

At least half of what’s on your plate should be fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Also, commit to eating one tossed salad each day.  But note that “salad” means an assortment of greens and other vegetables—not a tired old lettuce leaf or two buried under mounds of potato and macaroni salad, cheese, croutons and bacon bits. (I can read your mind.)

Help your body recover from tap water 
Dangerous substances you take in with contaminated water (including tap water) not only can make you ill, but they wreak havoc with your intestinal flora too.

The friendly bacteria in your system assist with digestion, house most of your immune system and keep harmful bacteria under control.  But when they are undermined by dangerous toxins, they can’t do their important jobs…and your health can suffer as a result. 

A nutritious diet is step one, but since so many other factors (like stress, medications, toxins, smoking and inadequate sleep) can throw off your flora balance, diet may not always be enough.
That’s why probiotic supplementation can be so health-supporting to so many people.

Probiotics help to repopulate your supply of intestinal good guys and support their efforts in keeping your immune system sharp, encouraging sound digestion and keeping harmful inhabitants in check.
 
Water is truly the fluid of life.

So be sure to not only get enough for your needs, but help make it health-enhancing (not health-harming), get food sources of water, and of course help your gut recover from the effects of contaminated water so it can continue to protect you!

Can we talk about a very touchy subject?

I do karate with a guy whose gas is deadlier than any of his punches or kicks.  We call him “Downwind Dave” and trust me, you don’t want to be behind him in line drills.

But seriously, gas is something we ALL have at one time or another, and it’s actually normal to pass gas about 10-13 times a day.

Most “normal” gas has very little or no odor and is simply the “leftover” gas that your gut flora was not able to absorb during digestion.

But chronic, excessive, smelly gas can be a sign of something else brewing.

If that describes your gas tendencies, then here are some possible reasons why and ways you can help sweeten the air.

Fiber gas
We humans lack enzymes that can digest fiber.

Instead fiber is broken down by the friendly flora in your gut, and during this process, a small amount of gas is usually produced.   But the gas is typically short-lived, and considering all the health benefits of fiber, it’s not something you want to be without!

So if you eat fiber-rich foods like apples, pears, cabbage, oats, beans or broccoli, know that your gas will probably pass quickly. 

But on the other hand, if fiber makes you downright explosive, your friendly flora may need a little boost with a probiotic formula like Super Shield. 

Super Shield can help to repopulate your intestinal good guys and help in their efforts of smoothing digestion, supporting your immune system and breaking down fiber!

Medication-induced gas
One of the most common side effects of many medications is gas. 
These include:

• Aspirin
• Antacids
• Diarrhea medications
• Pain medications
• Diabetes drugs
• Antibiotics
• Antidepressants
• Osteoporosis drugs

If you suffer from medication-induced gas, talk to your doctor about alternatives or natural remedies.

Plus if you improve your diet to help promote better health, chances are good you might not need as much medication in the first place!  (More on that below.)

Food allergy/intolerance gas 
Gas is a symptom (along with cramping, bloating and diarrhea) of eating something that your body has an allergy or intolerance to. 

Gluten and dairy are common offenders here.

A doctor can test to see if you are allergic to any foods, but intolerances can be a little trickier to diagnose. 

If you suspect food intolerances may be an issue, you can try an elimination test to pinpoint what may be bothering you. 

Pick the two or three foods that seem to be most closely associated with your gas and eliminate them from your diet for a week and see how you feel. 

If you feel markedly better, well, there’s a sign for you.

After the week is up, reintroduce the foods into your diet one at a time, separated by three days between each food, and see if your gas returns.

Poor digestion gas
Poor digestion is far and away THE most common cause of gas!

Our typical diets are loaded with processed foods, fast food and complex meals with every type of food under the sun.  Meals like these are extremely hard for your body to break down, and when your foods are not broken down like they should be...

...watch out, because your gas will be deadly.
But you can help support better digestion by avoiding processed and fast foods, and making your meals less taxing on your system.  The Great Taste No Pain health system can guide you here, plus give you a collection of great recipes to try.

In addition, poor digestion can also be triggered by low stomach acid, poor bile output, pancreatic insufficiency and antacid use.

In those cases, an enzyme formula like Digestizol Max can help pinch-hit where your body may be lacking and help get the job done the way Nature intended.

Now that you've taken a look at what may be causing your gas, you know exactly what to do to help keep the air around you smelling much sweeter!

Why our lifespans are shrinking

We live in an age where medical technology abounds, more sophisticated drugs keep arriving on the scene and US healthcare expenditures currently top $3 trillion a year.

And we’re sicker than ever. 

As a matter of fact, for the first time in our existence, our children’s lifespans are expected to be shorter than ours!

While there are many reasons for our shrinking lifespans, here are three of the biggies:

Food isn’t food anymore
It used to be that “food” meant things like fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs and milk.

Now it means whatever food companies want it to mean—and I’m talking about processed foods.

The vast majority of grocery store shelves are loaded with what I call stuff in a box—because it doesn’t deserve to be called food.

And sadly, even our “real” foods are being increasingly altered.  The animals raised for our consumption are fed a grain-based diet (versus being allowed to graze), they’re pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, maintained in filthy, inhumane conditions and most recently with the case of salmon, are genetically modified.

Our produce is genetically modified too, and tainted with pesticides and herbicides. Plus it’s grown in nutrient-poor soils and typically picked long before it is ripe, so its nutritional value has tanked.
All of this results in food that:

• Does not properly nourish your body and creates deficiencies
• Impacts your body’s functioning (especially the hormones, antibiotics, sugars and chemicals)
• Introduces foreign proteins into your body (GMOs)—the effects of which are largely unknown and not properly studied (I predict we’ll see increases in cancers and food allergies)
• Stresses your GI tract and liver

Roll out the red carpet for disease.

Our immune systems are under assault
Our immune systems are constantly being attacked by physical, emotional and environmental stressors. 

Physical stressors include any kind of infectious agent—a virus, harmful bacteria, parasite or fungus. 

They also include things like drugs (OTC, prescription and recreational) and alcohol, plus lack of exercise.

Emotional/mental stressors include stress from jobs, relationships, finances, family challenges, death of loved ones and overbooked calendars.

Environmental stressors include:

• Air and water pollution
• Chemicals in food from radiation, pesticides, herbicides, artificial flavors and preservatives
• Lawn chemicals
• Heavy metal exposure from contaminated water, vaccines, amalgam fillings, wood stains and pipes

Not only have these factors made our immune systems less effective at protecting us against sickness and disease, but things have swung the other way too—our immune systems are being taunted into overreacting.

This is coming out as explosive growth in conditions like autoimmune diseases, allergies and asthma. 

Lack of nutrition and exercise education in our medical schools
Sadly, most American doctors receive fewer than 20 hours of education in nutrition and exercise. 

Plus polling shows that over 75 percent of physicians believe they do not have sufficient knowledge to counsel patients about diet or exercise.

Arguably the two most significant factors that support our health—and they’re largely ignored in our medical schools.

Am I the only one who sees something wrong here?

Interestingly enough, the average medical school education does include at least 100 hours of pharmacology (drug) education.

Put another way, a primary focus of our physicians’ training lies not in wellness and disease prevention lifestyle habits, but in chemically-induced symptom reduction after disease occurs.

Look in the mirror!
If you want to do all you can to help support good health and a longer lifespan, start by looking at the person in the mirror.

Good healthy lifestyle habits must begin with YOU!

Here are six tips to get on the road to better health:

• Concentrate on having a diet of REAL foods, going organic as much as possible to avoid GMOs and chemicals.  Seek out farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs to help control the cost.
• Stay away from stuff in a box and especially soda—both diet and regular.
• Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day.
• Make the time to cook fresh meals—don’t make excuses about “not having the time.” Many delicious meals can be put together in 30 minutes or less—check out Great Taste No Pain if you need some help here.
• Pamper your precious immune system and help it recover from stress overload with probiotics, vitamin D and vitamin B12— three of the most crucial, helpful supplements for proper immune health.  You can get all three at a reduced price with our special Immune Boost Bundle.
• Get regular exercise—and I’m not talking about 12oz. curls or sprinting from the couch to the refrigerator and back during commercials.  Get the green light from your doctor, then get moving at least four times a week.

This can either kill you or save your life

Ancient Greek and Roman physicians believed that death begins in the colon.

Well, that still holds true some 3,000 + years later. 

Nothing in this world has a bigger impact on your health (and life) than your intestinal tract.

Here’s why:

Three life-saving jobs
Your intestinal tract has three major responsibilities:

1- Absorb nutrients
2- Eliminate wastes
3- House the majority of your immune system

Each of those functions affects you from head to toe, and if your intestinal tract is slipping in any of those areas, it’s not a matter of if but merely when will you get sick.
Let’s take a closer look at each of those:

Nutrient absorption
The functioning of every cell, tissue and organ in your body is dependent on nutrients. 

So if your intestinal tract is not carrying out that job so well, your body will begin to break down.  Most sicknesses and diseases have nutrient deficiencies as a primary root cause—not just the obvious well-known ones like scurvy, rickets and osteoporosis.

For example, lacking in certain B vitamins and/or essential fatty acids increases your heart disease risk.

Your brain also needs B vitamins and essential fatty acids.

Deficiencies in vitamins C, D and E as well as zinc can impair your immune system functioning.

Lacking antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and lipoic acid can cause free radicals to spiral out of control in your body, setting the stage for cancer, heart disease, stroke and premature aging.
And those are just a drop in the bucket!

Waste elimination
Your BMs are so much more than the unusable portion of your foods!

Your body also eliminates excess cholesterol, old worn out hormones, viruses, harmful bacteria and other toxins through the “escorting services” of your BMs.

So if your intestinal tract is lax in this area, you can get in trouble with things like elevated cholesterol levels, increased risk of hormone-dependent cancers and autointoxication (where viruses and toxins are absorbed into your bloodstream).

Plus having a lengthy bowel transit time (meaning your feces hangs around inside you way longer than it should) sets the stage for harmful bacteria overgrowth which can contribute to leaky gut, impair nutrient absorption, weaken your immune functioning and may even trigger flare-ups of diverticulosis and diverticulitis. 

Immune housing
Although your immune system is all over your body, about 70 percent of it is housed in your gut.

Your immune system protects you from EVERYTHING--not just colds, infections, flu and viruses, but also cancer!

Keep yours healthy!
Now that you see all that your humble intestinal tract does for you, it’s crucial to make sure yours is in tip-top shape!

Start with your diet. Limit refined carbs, sugars, processed/fast food and especially SODA!  Concentrate on lots of fiber-rich fresh vegetables and fruits, and healthy sources of proteins and fats. 

Support a healthy gut with probiotics.  Probiotics like Super Shield multi-strain formula provide crucial support to the intestinal tract by helping to repopulate your supply of friendly bacteria so they can in turn encourage strong immune functioning, proper nutrient absorption and more regular BMs.

And now is the perfect time to get your gut on the road to better health with Super Shield because it’s now $10 off per bottle for a limited time only!

See what a difference it can make in how you feel when you support strong gut health.

And I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that, “LIFE begins in the colon.”

The key to a great smile

The manufacturers of toothpaste and whitening agents would love you to believe that their products are the key to a healthy mouth and a great smile.

While those products can certainly help, the health of your mouth and teeth goes WAY beyond Crest and Colgate.

Here’s the complete scoop on your mouth and what it may be trying to tell you.

Open wide!

In addition to merely having a nice smile, healthy teeth and gums are crucial to the proper functioning of your digestive tract.
Digestion actually begins in your mouth--enzymes in your saliva start carbohydrate digestion.
Chewing sends signals to your brain, which in turn tells your stomach that food is on the way down so it can prepare to start its secretions.
And how well you chew your food makes a big difference in whether or not you will experience heartburn, gas and bloating.

Something wrong in there?
There are many common mouth-related problems that people experience, and I’ll start with the most feared of all…
BAD BREATH (aka halitosis).
Although halitosis can be caused by poor dental hygiene, tooth infection, sinus problems, gum problems or throat infection, a primary culprit behind bad breath lies in an area about 24 inches south of your mouth.
Your gut.
That’s right—bad breath can be a sign of any of the following:

• H. pylori infection in the stomach
• Low stomach acid production
• Imbalanced intestinal flora
• Pancreatic insufficiency
• Even constipation! (I’ll let you form your own visual on that)

Other common mouth problems
Other mouth challenges include gingivitis (gum inflammation) and periodontal disease (inflammation of the bones around your teeth)—both of which can be caused by poor oral hygiene and lacking nutrients.
Weak, unhealthy teeth can also stem from nutrient deficiencies.  Your teeth are bones just like the rest of your skeleton—and your bones need 19 specific nutrients to remain healthy and strong.
Canker sores and cold sores can be the result of imbalanced intestinal flora, as well as food sensitivities, stress and nutrient deficiencies. 

Smart steps to a healthy smile & mouth
If you want a healthy smile and mouth, you need to look inside and out for what may be causing whatever challenges you may have, and then do whatever you can to turn that around!

Here are some smart steps to consider:

1-Brush and floss daily
Most people brush every day, but find flossing a nuisance or “don’t have the time.”
Get over that already.  Flossing is essential to tooth and gum health and it takes less than two minutes. 

2-See your dentist once a year
Not only is the thorough cleaning you get at the dentist’s office great for your teeth and gums, but your dentist can also detect potential issues long before they become major problems.

3-Cover your nutritional bases
Concentrate on wholesome real foods and minimize fast food, processed foods, starchy carbs and sweets (especially soda!).
Plus supplementing with a high quality multi-vitamin and mineral formula like Super Core can help make sure your essential nutrient bases are covered.  Multi-vitamin and mineral formulas like Super Core are becoming increasingly important because our food is not as nutritious as it once was, plus so many of us take medications and/or are under stress—both of which reduce nutrient absorption.

4-Get tested
Food sensitivities, H. pylori infection, low stomach acid and pancreatic insufficiency can cause bad breath and other mouth problems.
If you suspect any of these may be an issue for you, see your doctor and get the appropriate tests.
And if you are challenged with low stomach acid or pancreatic enzyme production, an enzyme formula like Digestizol Max can pinch hit where your body may be lacking and help keep digestion efficient.

5-Help balance your intestinal flora
Imbalanced intestinal flora is a common culprit behind mouth problems…and a good number of gut problems too!
Plus the friendly flora in your gut helps your body digest starches and fiber and keeps your gut wall healthy--both of which are essential for proper nutrient absorption.
In addition to eating nourishing foods the best way to support a proper flora balance is through supplementation with a top-notch multi-strain formula like Super Shield.  
Super Shield can give you a daily supportive dose of the same type of friendly, helpful bacteria that reside in your intestinal tract and are so crucial to your health! 

6-Consider replacing amalgam fillings
Contrary to what people believe, “silver” amalgam fillings are only silver in color—and they happen to contain 50 percent mercury.
Mercury is a deadly neurotoxin which not only can threaten the health of your brain but also make you more susceptible to periodontal disease. 

Say cheese!
Now you are armed with the information you need to help create a truly healthy smile (and improved overall health too!).

Watch out for the 6 biggest diet mistakes

Here are the six biggest sources of dietary mis-information that have not only not made Americans any healthier, but they’ve added to our rates of chronic disease and our widening backsides.

Mistake #1: Avoid saturated fats to prevent heart disease
Please get this through your head right now: Your body must have saturated fats. 
Saturated fats are needed by your body to protect your nerve cells, produce hormones, keep your cell membranes healthy, help your body assimilate the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and help your brain and nervous system with transmitting nerve impulses.
The average person needs about 30 percent of their daily calories to come from fats, and about one-third of those should be saturated fats.
Good sources of saturated fats include fats from animal sources (meat, butter, lard, suet, milk, eggs and cheese)--preferably organic, as well as avocados.
What you SHOULD avoid at all cost are trans-fats.  They are the fats that will guarantee a trip to the cardiologist for you.

Mistake #2: Having a low-cholesterol diet helps reduce your cholesterol
Only 25 percent or less of the cholesterol in your body is from your food--your liver and other cells produce the vast majority (at least 75 percent) of it.
The true relationship between your diet and cholesterol pertains to your LIVER.
Your diet has a huge impact on the health of your liver, and it’s your liver that monitors your cholesterol level and eliminates old, worn-out cholesterol from your body.
Plus digestion is key here too.  When you have poor digestion and/or chronic constipation, old cholesterol that your liver is trying to discard can instead get reabsorbed back into circulation and raise your cholesterol level.
The health of your arteries also plays a role.  When you have inflammation in your blood vessels, this triggers your liver to summon cholesterol to the scene as a healing salve.
Chronic inflammation in your blood vessels is frequently caused by high glucose levels resulting from a large intake of refined carbs.  Refined carbs turn to sugar upon digestion, and sugar is very abrasive to your arterial walls. 
So if you’re really worried about cholesterol, ditch the refined carbs and concentrate on healthful real foods.

Mistake #3:  Artificial sweeteners help you lose weight
I can't tell you how many overweight or obese people I’ve met that regularly drink diet soda.
See anything wrong with that picture?
The fact is, the aspartame (aka Equal® or NutraSweet®) used in sugar-free foods may have zero calories, but your body isn't fooled.
When it gets a tease of a "sweet" taste, it expects calories to follow.  And when this doesn't occur that leads to distortions in your biochemistry that actually lead to weight GAIN as well as increase your cravings for sweets.
Stay away from artificial sweeteners at all cost.

Mistake #4: Whole grains are always good for you
Although they are more nutritious than highly refined grains (like white bread and pasta), whole grains are still starches which are converted to sugar upon digestion.
So they can contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance, and also put you in trouble for arterial inflammation.
Although an occasional plate of whole-grain pasta or soup with whole grain bread is fine, the best go-to choices for carbohydrates are vegetables and legumes.

Mistake #5:  Fish is a better choice than red meat
Saturated fats in moderation are needed by your body—and by moderation I mean things like butter on your toast or vegetables or a 4-ounce serving of beef (preferably organic).
Although fish can be very good for you, much depends on what kind you’re choosing.
Farm-raised fish are given antibiotics to stave off diseases that result from inhumanely crowded conditions and are also treated with pesticides to combat sea lice—and whatever is in the fish becomes a part of YOU.
Plus farmed fish has fewer usable Omega-3 EFAs than wild-caught fish and a higher concentration of Omega-6 EFAs.  So it can contribute to an inflammation-causing imbalance of Omega-6: Omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Farmed fish has also been found to have a 20 percent lower protein content than wild-caught fish.
In addition, studies have found that cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exist in farm-raised salmon at 16 times the rate of wild salmon.
There’s no wiggle room here: If you want fish, buy only fresh wild-caught varieties.

Mistake #6: A low-salt diet always helps with high blood pressure
A high sodium diet can lead to increased water and blood volume and drive up blood pressure. 
But just as much of a hypertension concern is too little potassium—in other words, a sodium/potassium imbalance. 
Sodium and potassium work together as a team in the “sodium-potassium pump” which helps control calcium levels in your cells. 
But when you have too little potassium, this pump doesn’t work properly.  That can drive up cellular calcium levels which can cause the smooth muscle cells in your arteries to contract, driving up your blood pressure.
So while it’s wise to avoid processed foods (which are the leading cause of excess sodium in most people’s diets) at the same time, don’t forget about potassium. 
Dietary sources of potassium include: Greens, spinach, winter squashes, cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts, green beans, tomatoes, broccoli and carrots.

John Stamos opens a can of worms about Ambien

Actor John Stamos recently described his nightmarish experience being addicted to and quitting the sleep drug Ambien in an interview with Howard Stern.

Stamos described how Ambien impaired his thinking, memory and ability to work, and said it was easier for him to give up heavy drinking than to quit Ambien.

The strong potential addiction and other frightening side effects (including severe allergiic/anaphylactic reaction, memory loss, anxiety, and sleep-driving, -cooking and even -intercourse) are inconvenient little truths that manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis would probably like to sweep under the rug.

But Stamos’ candid statements are raising a new awareness in a very public way.

Here are some other “hidden truths” about Ambien:

It’s designed for “short-term” relief from insomnia
This is a joke.
How many people do you think use a sleep drug on just a “short-term” basis, as in a few weeks?
And what happens during that short-term usage?  Does their chronic insomnia magically disappear, never to return?
Or do they become slaves to the drug, unable to sleep without it?

It’s never been tested for more than 4-5 weeks of use.
Anyone taking it for longer than 35 days is a human guinea pig, period.

It hasn’t been studied in pregnant women.
But it has certainly been taken by many. 
Plus it hasn’t been proven safe for use in children, but that hasn’t stopped it from being prescribed, especially to teens.

It can worsen depression.
When used by patients with depression, Ambien can increase the risk of suicidal ideation and tendencies.
And the most obvious one of all…

Inducing sleep with a drug does absolutely nothing to address the underlying cause of insomnia!
Chronic insomnia can be the result of several factors, and forcing sleep with a drug without considering why the insomnia is occurring to begin with does nothing but guarantee you will be a drug company customer for a good long time.
If you suffer from chronic insomnia, it can make a tremendous difference when you look at what might be causing it and do something about it!
Here are some thing to consider:

Address stress and unresolved issues
Stress hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol) lower your body's levels of serotonin and melatonin, which are two important neurotransmitters involved in relaxation and sleep.

If you’re stressed then regular exercise (with your doctor’s OK), counseling, prayer, meditation, aromatherapy, deep breathing, acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga can all help. 

Plus if you’ve gone through a tragic event or have unresolved issues based on something that happened to you, those can certainly impact your ability to sleep.  A good therapist can help you work through everything. 

Avoid sugar, caffeine and alcohol in the evening
Caffeinated drinks (like coffee and soda) and alcohol are both common drinks to sip in the evening before going to bed, but they’re also the worst sleep inhibitors on the planet.  

Plus sugar is a culprit too. 

Sugar can trigger elevated cortisol levels, and since cortisol is one of your body’s “fight or flight reaction” hormones, that can hamper your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and/or wake up refreshed. 

Restless legs and cramps
Many people lose sleep from muscle cramps or restless legs.

If that includes you, consider taking 250 mg. of magnesium at night, plus 400-800 IUs of vitamin E each day.

Read medication package inserts
Certain medications like bronchodilators and antidepressants can trigger insomnia. 

If you are on any kind of medication, check the package insert to see if insomnia is a side effect and if so, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

Consider fish oil supplements
Studies have shown that a higher level of the Omega-3 EFA Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is associated with better sleep…unfortunately our typical processed/fast food diets are anemic when it comes to providing proper levels of Omega-3 EFAs. 

But you can easily help turn that around with a quality fish oil formula that contains the crucial DHA, as well as its “partner” in brain and cardiovascular health—Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). 

VitalMega-3 is your ticket to making sure your body has the Omega-3 EFAs it so desperately needs. 

VitalMega-3 provides 1,200 mg of Omega-3s in a daily two-capsule serving, including the all-important EPA and DHA in the 3:2 ratio recommended by experts.

Get your hormones tested
In the years leading up to and into menopause, many women suffer sleep disturbances including chronic insomnia due to the significant hormonal changes taking place in their bodies.

If that includes you, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy may be a big help.

In health reports from the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical and Stanford University, it’s been stated that bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can have long-term health benefits--including relief from menopausal-related sleep problems!
 
When you address what may be behind your problems with insomnia, a whole new world of peaceful, restful sleep can open up for you!