Health Gallery Nutrition Center

What is Nature's Secret Formula to Fend off Cancer, Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes, Vision-Robbing Eye Diseases and More? Some people never seem to get sick. Others seem to be very vulnerable and come down with all kinds of illness. Why should this happen? The same kind of "bugs" are all around us. We are exposed to these same "bugs" at work and at home. Over the last decade, the term "Immune Deficiency Syndrome" seems to be in the media and getting alot of attention. This occurs when the bodyÕs healing force - the immune system - is depleted, primarily by poor nutrition choices and life style, but also by stress and environmental pollutants. This "Immune Deficiency Syndrome" is literally making us sick and leaving us vulnerable to deadly illnesses. Fortunately, you can begin to recharge and reinvigorate your immune system with a healthy diet that is rich in antioxidants - the powerful nutrients found in many whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables. What makes antioxidants such amazing defenders against killer diseases? They are natureÕs perfect defense against "free radicals." Simply put, free radicals are unstable molecules in your body that cause oxidation - a process that destroys tissue and, ultimately, leads to cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and eye diseases. Free Radicals even accelerates the aging process. Free radicals are generated in the body with every breath of oxygen we take. But they multiply to damaging levels when we eat fried, fatty and processed foods, and when weÕre exposed to environmental pollutants in our air and water. Antioxidants Come To The Rescue... by donating extra electrons to the unstable free radicals, disarming their destructive powers and stopping the progressive damage to your cells, tissues, and organs. These free-radical "terminators" are the most important secret weapon we have to thwart deadly diseases. You should also know that it's especially important to shore up your antioxidant defenses as you grow older. Reason: After age 20, the body produces less and less of its own age-defying antioxidants. The Top Ten Antioxidant Superstars Are: Vitamin E... Alpha lipoic acid... Vitamin C... Glutathione...Coenzyme Q-10... The carotenoids... Garlic... Ginkgo... Green tea... Grape seed extract or Pycnogenol. Other important antioxidants include turmeric, selenium, zinc, bilberry, and olive leaf extract. Vitamin E... is perhaps the single most most important antioxidant for heart health and the most well-studied. ItÕs ability to reduce the risk of heart disease is legend even in conservative medical circles - many doctors take vitamin E every day. One study showed a 37% lower risk of heart disease among men who took 400 IU daily of vitamin E. Another study showed a 41% reduction in risk of heart disease in women who took the same amount. * Helps to prevent insulin resistance. * Keeps your skin youthful and reduces wrinkles by protecting against damage from exposure to the sun. * Reduces the risk of prostate cancer. * Inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. * Arrests the development of cataracts, the worldÕs leading cause of blindness. ALPHA LIPOIC ACID... is one of the rare nutrients capable of crossing the "blood-brain barrier," making it very protective in the brain. Hundreds of studies worldwide for its ability to enhance brain function and to protect against many of the most destructive diseases - such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. * Normalizes blood sugar levels and treats nerve damage in people with diabetes. * Treats liver poisoning and hepatitis C. * Slows cataract formation and macular degeneration. * Guards the heart and reduces free radicals after a heart attack. * Boosts the levels of all the other critically important antioxidants. GLUTATHIONE... acts as the immune system's chief of police: It throws a net of protection over cells throughout the whole body to block free radicals and toxic chemicals. When glutathione levels are low, your antioxidant defenses are disabled, leaving you vulnerable to disease. It is important when taking glutathione that alpha lipoic acid be taken at the same time for best results. VITAMIN C... is the most well known defense for everything from the common cold to cancer. It works wonders in your body fighting off free radicals trying to invade the interior of cells - especially those formed from breathing polluted air and drinking unfiltered water. Vitamin C plays some very protective roles in the watery regions of the body where vitamin E does not go. * Is critical for proper immune system function and overcoming infections. * Prevents cataracts, is essential to proper wound healing, protects against heart disease. * Vitamin C with bioflavonoids improves the stretchy nature of the blood vessels, protecting against bruising, plaque formation, and stroke. THE CAROTENOIDS... are pigments that give fruits and vegetables their beautiful colors. For instance, beta-carotene gives carrots their orange color, lutein is the yellow in squash, and lycopene is the red in tomatoes. A diet rich in carotenoids can lower your risk of cancer and heart disease. * Beta-carotene is used by the body to produce vitamin A - cuts your risk of stroke nearly in half. It also has some immune boosting power. It enhances the effect of natural killer cells, which fight cancer. * Lutein, present in dark, leafy greens, is the best friend your aging eyes ever had. It keeps the central portion of the retina--the macula--from deteriorating when exposed to UV rays and chemicals. * Lycopene gives tomatoes the red color, and it is one of the most potent antioxidants known. A 1995 Harvard study found that prostate cancer risk was slashed by almost 50% in men who ate tomatoes or tomato sauce 10 times a week. COENZYME Q-10... is found in every cell and is vital to life. Without it, the cells of your body would not be able to produce energy. As you age, levels of this antioxidant nutrient fall and leave you vulnerable to any number of illnesses including: Heart failure... A deficiency of CoQ-10 primarily affects the heart and may lead to heart failure. Reports state the fact, that CoQ-10 alone may be sufficient to improve symptoms in patients with mild CHF. CoQ-10 has been also shown to improve symptoms such as ankle swelling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, vertigo, and insomnia. Hypertension... Studies have found that 39% of patients with hypertension have a CoQ-10 deficiency... and that CoQ-10 supplementation works to lower high blood pressure in one to three months. Surgery... Treatment with CoQ-10 before bypass surgery has been shown to protect the heart during surgery by reducing oxidative damage. Dental Health... Dentists are amazed at how much faster their patients heal when they use CoQ-10. Studies reveal that the gums of 60% to 96% of patients with periodontal disease are deficient in CoQ-10. Supplementation reverses shrinking gum tissue and appears to speed up the healing process. GINKGO BILOBA... A popular frequently prescribed Chinese herb in Europe increases blood flow to the brain, arms, and legs. Research suggests that ginkgo's ability to boost blood flow to the brain - plus increasing oxygen - improves memory, concentration, and alertness in the elderly. GRAPE SEED EXTRACT are flavonoids known as OPCs, which are also found in green tea and maritime pine bark. It is an even stronger antioxidant that C and E. Thought For The Day... Hugging can keep you healthy. It cures depression, it boosts immune response. It reduces stress, it induces relaxation and sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating. It has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is a miracle drug!