Research has already shown that astaxanthin has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. A new study examined whether astaxanthin could increase quantitative blood flow velocity in the eyes.  Lack of blood flow circulation can cause damage to your eyes as they age.

The researchers observed a significant increase of macular blood flow velocity 4 weeks after astaxanthin ingestion.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“Results suggest that administration of [astaxanthin] over a 4-week period can elevate the choroidal blood flow velocity without any adverse effects.”

According to reports, five more patients who were being treated with the drug Avastin for eye disease have been blinded. Avastin is a cancer drug, but it is commonly used to treat certain eye diseases because it costs only about $50 an injection.  In contrast, Lucentis, a somewhat similar drug approved for the treatment of eye diseases, costs $2,000 an injection.

To use Avastin for eye disease, a vial meant for a cancer patient must be divided into many small doses. The additional handling increases the risk of bacterial contamination.  The most recent cases of blindness resulting from use of the drug have occurred in Los Angeles.

According to the New York Times:

“[T]he Food and Drug Administration issued an alert saying that 12 patients in the Miami area had suffered eye infections after being injected with Avastin. Some of the patients lost all of the remaining vision in their treated eye …Earlier this year, four patients at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Nashville also suffered infections from the bacterially contaminated Avastin.”

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are connected diabetic complications, including the form of vision loss known as diabetic retinopathy. In new present study, researchers looked for the first time at the protective effects of three microalgal strains against AGEs.

Results showed that an extract of Chlorella zofingiensis, which containes the nutritional ingredient astaxanthin, had a significant inhibitory effect on the formation CML, a key AGE representative.  It worked by suppressing intracellular oxidative stress.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“On the other hand, extracts of Chlorella zofingiensis, Chlorella protothecoides and Nitzschia laevis as well as their nutritional ingredients, namely astaxanthin, lutein and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), attenuated the deleterious effects induced by exogenous AGEs … These results suggested the positive roles of astaxanthin, lutein and EPA in controlling the development of diabetes.”

Recent research has found that sufficient levels of certain dietary nutrients could help protect your eyes as you age.  A new study shows that among people at a high risk for macular degeneration (vision loss caused by erosion of the retina), people who ate high levels of zinc, lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin or omega-3 fats cut their risk of developing the disease by as much as a third.

Age-related macular degeneration accounts for half of all cases of blindness in developed countries.  In the U.S., the condition occurs in more than six out of every 100 adults over age 40.

According to Reuters:

“Good sources for zinc include oysters, red meat, nuts and beans. Oily fish are some of the best food sources for omega-3 fats, while beta carotene is found in carrots, sweet potatoes and other vegetables and fruits.  Lutein and zeaxanthin are abundant in eggs and green leafy vegetables.”

Yahoo Health has collected some tips you can use to sharpen your vision. Here are some of them:

Eat Right

Vitamins A, C, E, and minerals like copper and zinc are essential to eyesight. Antioxidants protect your macula from sun damage, and foods rich in sulfur, cysteine, and lecithin help protect the lens of your eye from cataract formation. The omega-3 fat DHA provides structural support to cell membranes that boost eye health.

Limit Environmental Toxins

External factors that contribute to eye damage include fluorescent lights, computer screens, environmental allergens, and chlorine in swimming pools.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for eye health. Sleep time allows your eyes to fully rest, repair, and recover.

To see the rest of their tips, you can click on the link below.

Crying can actually have benefits. It can heal you physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually. Psych Central has collected seven healing properties of tears. Here are some of them:

Tears help you see

Tears lubricate your eyeballs and eyelids, and prevent dehydration of your various mucous membranes.

Tears kill bacteria

Tears contain lysozyme, which can kill 90 to 95 percent of all bacteria in just 5 to 10 minutes.

Tears remove toxins

Tears remove toxins from your body that build during times of stress.

Tears release feelings

Crying is cathartic, which means it can protect your nervous and cardiovascular systems from bottled up emotions.

To see the rest of their list, click on the link below.

Omega-3 fats were shown several years ago to prevent retinopathy, a major form of blindness. A follow-up study reveals exactly how omega-3′s provide this protection.

Retinopathy is an eye disease caused by leaky blood vessels in the retina.  Omega-3 fats are highly concentrated in the retina, where they have a direct effect on blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) that selectively promotes the growth of healthy blood vessels and inhibits abnormal ones.

Science Daily reports:

“[The researchers] isolated the specific compound from omega-3 fatty acids that has these beneficial effects in mice (a metabolite of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, known as 4-HDHA), and the enzyme that produces it (5-lipoxygenase, or 5-LOX).”

Your eyes are a unique window into health.  Yahoo Health has assembled a list of 14 things your eyes can tell you about your entire body.  Here are some of them:

Disappearing eyebrows

When the outer third of your eyebrow starts to disappear on its own, this is a common sign of thyroid disease.

A stye that won’t go away

If it doesn’t clear up in three months, or keeps recurring in the same location, it could be a rare cancer  called sebaceous gland carcinoma.

Burning eyes, blurry vision while using a computer

This is the result of “computer vision syndrome” (CVS). The eyestrain is partly caused by the lack of contrast on a computer screen, and the extra work involved in focusing on pixels.

A small blind spot in your vision, with shimmering lights or a wavy line

A migraine aura produces this disturbed vision.  It may or may not be accompanied by a headache.

Whites of the eye turned yellowish

This is known as jaundice.  It appears in either newborns with immature liver function, or adults with problems of the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts.

Eyes that seem to bulge

The most common cause of protruding eyes is hyperthyroidism, which is overactivity of the thyroid gland.

Sudden double vision, dim vision, or loss of vision

These are the visual warning signs of stroke.

Blurred vision in a diabetic

Diabetics are at increased risk for several eye problems, but the most common is diabetic retinopathy, in which diabetes affects the circulatory system of the eye. It’s the leading cause of blindness in American adults.

For the rest of the list, click on the link below.

Animal based omega-3 fats could help some older adults protect their eyesight longer. Eating more foods rich in these fats appears to slow advanced macular degeneration, a common cause of age-related blindness.

An observational study that included close to 2,400 participants found that people who had advanced macular degeneration, including blood vessel problems and atrophy in the retina, were significantly less likely to consume foods high in omega-3’s.

According to Life Extension:

“The finding adds evidence to that of other research … concerning the benefit of nutritional components against macular degeneration. High amounts of omega-3s have been measured in the retina of the eye, and may be essential to eye health.”

According to a new study, krill oil has effects on similar to fish oil on serum lipids, oxidative stress and inflammation — but unlike fish oil, it works even with lower doses of EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA provide a variety of health benefits, including for your heart, your eyes, and illnesses caused by inflammation. However in fish oil these omega-3 fats are in triglyceride form, whereas in krill oil they are in phospholipid form.

According to NutraIngredients:

“A total of 113 participants … were randomized into three groups. Thirty-six were given 6 capsules of 3g krill oil a day, with 543 mg of EHA and DHA; 40 were given 3 capsules of 1.8g fish oil a day, with 864 mg of EPA and DHA … The remaining 37 received no supplementation … [T]here was a significant increase in plasma EPA, DHA, and DPA in both the krill oil and fish oil groups … and no significant differences were seen between the fish oil and the krill oil groups.”

By Dr. Mercola

Scientists long ago discovered that a class of naturally occurring pigments called carotenoids held powerful antioxidant properties that are crucial for your health. But only recently has one particular carotenoid jumped to the forefront  in terms of its status as a “supernutrient,” becoming the focus of a large and growing number of peer-reviewed scientific publications.

This carotenoid is called astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is produced  by the microalgae Haematoccous pluvialis when its water supply dries up, forcing it to protect itself from ultraviolet radiation.

Astaxanthin is leaps and bounds more powerful than beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, lycopene and lutein; other members of its chemical family. Astaxanthin exhibits VERY STRONG free radical scavenging activity, and protects your cells, organs and body tissues from oxidative damage.

What makes astaxanthin so different from other nutritional elements? And what can it do for your health?

The answers to these questions will form the basis of the remainder of this article, and I think you’ll be quite impressed.

Astaxanthin is in a League of its Own

There are many properties that make this carotenoid special. Here are the main differences:

• Astaxanthin is by far the most powerful carotenoid antioxidant when it comes to free radical scavenging: it is 65 times more powerful than vitamin C, 54 times more powerful than beta-carotene, and 14 times more powerful than vitamin E.

• Astaxanthin is far more effective than other carotenoids at “singlet oxygen quenching,” which is a particular type of oxidation. The damaging effects of sunlight and various organic materials are caused by this less-stable form of oxygen. Astaxanthin is 550 times more powerful than vitamin E and 11 times more powerful than beta-carotene at neutralizing this singlet oxygen.

• Astaxanthin crosses the blood-brain barrier AND the blood-retinal barrier (beta carotene and lycopene do not), which has huge implications for the health of your eyes.

• It is soluble in lipids, so it incorporates into cell membranes.

• It is a potent UVB absorber.

• It reduces DNA damage.

• It is a very powerful natural anti-inflammatory.

• No adverse reactions have been found for people taking astaxanthin.

• It is virtually impossible to obtain the recommended daily amount of astaxanthin from diet alone because there are only two prime sources: microalgae and sea creatures that consume the algae (such as salmon, shellfish, and krill).

Carotenoids 101

Carotenoids are the compounds in your foods that give you that vibrant cornucopia of color — from green grasses to red beets, to the spectacular yellows and oranges of your bell peppers — as well as all of the beautiful flowers in your garden.

Almost all living things obtain their colors from natural pigments.

Beyond their visual splendor, these pigments have deeper value in that they carry out a variety of important biological functions. They are critical to the photosynthetic process and protect the plant or organism from damage by light and oxygen. Many animals incorporate carotenoids into their diets, which provide them with antioxidants and a source of vitamin A activity.

By consuming a plant or organism that contains these pigments, you gain a similar protective benefit.

There are more than 600 naturally occurring carotenoids, but most people are familiar with only a few.

Carotenoids are classified into two groups:

1. Carotenes, which contain no oxygen atoms: lycopene (the red in tomatoes) and beta-carotene (the orange in carrots) are examples.

1. Xanthophylls, which contain oxygen atoms: lutein (the green in leafy greens like spinach and kale), canthaxanthin (the gold in chanterelle mushrooms), zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin are examples.

Zeaxanthin is the most common carotenoid found in nature (peppers, maize, kiwi, grapes, oranges and squash).

At this moment, about ten different carotenoids are likely circulating in your blood. None of the carotenes tested to date are able to cross your blood-brain barrier — but astaxanthin does.

All Carotenoids are Not Created Equal

Some carotenoids (including beta-carotene, lycopene, and zeaxanthin) act not only as antioxidants, but also as pro-oxidants when present in your tissues in sufficient concentrations — which is not a good thing.

Astaxanthin is unique in that it cannot function as a pro-oxidant, making it highly beneficial.

Zeaxanthin is already abundant in your diet, provided you eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Your best source of lutein is from the yolks of eggs – but make sure they are organic eggs laid by free-range pastured hens.

Astaxanthin is different in that you are probably not consuming much of it, and certainly not enough to take advantage of all its benefits.

Astaxanthin is the most commonly occurring red carotenoid in marine and aquatic animals, especially salmon, giving it its characteristic pink color. Salmon and other sea creatures, like other animals, cannot synthesize astaxanthin themselves and must obtain it from their diets, which include zooplankton and krill. These smaller organisms feed on the microalgae, which are the original producers of the pigment.

Laboratory-made astaxanthin is now commonly used worldwide to supplement fish feeds in order to obtain the desired pinkish to orange-red color. However, wild salmon are 400 percent higher in astaxanthin than farmed salmon, and 100 percent of theirs is natural astaxanthin, rather than synthetic.

Astaxanthin’s Long List of Health Benefits is Growing by the Day

There may be no other single natural substance that performs so many beneficial biochemical functions as this little-known carotenoid. Its scope is truly amazing.

Here are just some of the ways astaxanthin can positively impact your health, according to the latest research:

• Boosting immune function

• Improving cardiovascular health by reducing C-Reactive Proteins (CRP), reducing triglycerides, and increasing beneficial HDL

• GREATLY protecting your eyes from cataracts, macular degeneration, and blindness (which I will discuss at length below)

• Protecting your brain from dementia and Alzheimer’s

• Reducing your risk for many types of cancer (including cancers of the breast, colon, bladder and mouth) by stimulating apoptosis (cancer cell death) and inhibiting lipid peroxidation

• Improving recovery from spinal cord and other central nervous system injuries

• Reducing inflammation from all causes, including arthritis and asthma

• Improving endurance, workout performance and recovery

• Helping to stabilize blood sugar, thereby protecting your kidneys

• Relieving indigestion and reflux

• Improving fertility by increasing sperm strength and sperm count

• Actually helping to prevent sunburn, and protecting you from the damaging effects of radiation (i.e., flying in airplanes, x-rays, CT scans, etc.)

• Reducing oxidative damage to your DNA

• Reducing symptoms from pancreatitis, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease, and neurodegenerative diseases

• I personally use it to help protect me from radiation damage when I am flying during the day.  The radiation is reduced by 99 percent when flying at night so this is not an issue for night flights. However, it does have to be taken for three weeks to build up levels to provide this level of protection.

This impressive list continues to grow as more studies are being published all the time about this incredible nutrient.

Carotenoids and Your Eyes

When you were a child, odds are you were told, “Eat carrots — they’ll give you good eyesight!”

There is some truth to that old adage, as carrots contain carotenoids — many of which are important for your eyes. Vitamin A, or retinal, is vital to your retina — without it, you would simply go blind. But vitamin A is readily available from your diet.

Of all the carotenoids, only zeaxanthin and lutein are found in your retina, which has the highest concentration of fatty acids of any tissue in your body. This is because your retina is a highly light and oxygen rich environment, and it needs a large force of free radical scavengers to prevent oxidative damage there.

It is theorized that your body concentrates zeaxanthin and lutein in your retina to perform this duty. The concentration of these two pigments in the macula of your retina are what give it its characteristic yellow color. (The macula is actually called the “macula lutea” which literally means “yellow spot.”)

Zeaxanthin and lutein both cross the blood-brain-retina barriers, as astaxanthin does.

It is interesting that your eye preferentially concentrates zeaxanthin over lutein in the central macular retinal area (called the fovea), where the greatest amount of light impinges — and zeaxanthin is a more effective singlet oxygen scavenger than lutein. Your body seems to naturally “know” this and accumulates it where it’s most needed!

Leading Causes of Blindness: Macular Degeneration and Cataracts

Science is now revealing that astaxanthin may be the ULTIMATE carotenoid for eye health and prevention of blindness.

Blindness is an enormous problem worldwide. These statistics might disturb you:

• Age related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of blindness for people over the age of 50.

• Sixty million people suffer from ARMD worldwide, and 10 million are blind.

• Severe, irreversible vision loss affects 30 percent of people over the age of 55.

• Cataracts are another major cause of blindness, affecting more than 20 million people in the U.S. alone. Cataracts are caused by lipid peroxidation of the epithelial layer of the lens. Although they can have other causes, most are related to aging.

• Cataracts result in 3 million cataract surgeries every year.

Clinical studies tell us that photic injury from the cumulative effect of repeated “photic insults” and the resulting gradual loss of photoreceptor cells is a major cause of ARMD. Therefore, anything you can do to cut your losses from these photic insults will reduce your risk for developing macular degeneration as you age.

Protecting Your Retina with Astaxanthin

Vitamin C can help protect you from retinal injury from excessive light energy, and indeed, high levels of vitamin C are found in human retinal tissues. But this common nutrient cannot do the job alone.

Epidemiological studies have shown that diets high in carotenoids (especially lutein and zeaxanthin) are associated with a reduced risk of cataracts and ARMD. It has also been shown experimentally that regular consumption of lutein supplements can increase your macular pigment density, which may potentially reduce your risk for later development of ARMD.

Scientists have studied lutein, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin for their respective abilities to protect the retina. But none function to the degree that astaxanthin does, in terms of potency as a free radical scavenger and/or permeability across your blood-brain-retina barrier.

In studies, canthaxanthin was actually found to be potentially damaging to the eye as it caused eye inclusions, which can lead to retinopathy. So this carotenoid was ruled out as a supplement.

Dr. Mark Tso of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University (considered by most professionals to be the most prestigious ophthalmology training center in the world) has clearly demonstrated that astaxanthin is the clear winner when it comes to protecting your eyes. He discovered that astaxanthin easily crosses into the tissues of the eye and exerts its effects safely and with more potency than any of the other carotenoids, without adverse reactions.

Specifically, Tso determined astaxanthin could ameliorate or prevent light induced damage, photoreceptor cell damage, ganglion cell damage, and damage to the neurons of the inner retinal layers.

He concluded that astaxanthin supplementation could be effective in preventing or treating a whole host of eye diseases, including:

• Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)

• Diabetic neuropathy

• Cystoid macular edema

• Central retinal arterial and venous occlusion

• Glaucoma

• Inflammatory eye diseases (i.e., retinitis, iritis, keratitis, scleritis, etc.)

Other researchers (Shimidzu et al, Bagchi, Martin et al, and Beutner) have since confirmed Dr. Tso’s finding that astaxanthin is the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered for eye health, giving your eyes an additional layer of long-term protection.

Prevention of Cancer and Support for Your Immune System

Besides being a huge discovery in the prevention of eye disease, astaxanthin is showing great promise in cancer prevention, at least in animal studies. Because astaxanthin is not commonly found in human serum, information on its epidemiology in human health is lacking.

Several studies have shown the effectiveness of astaxanthin as a cancer preventative in rats and mice:

• In 2002, Kurihara et al studied the protective effect of astaxanthin against cancer in mice. He found astaxanthin “improved antitumor responses by inhibiting the lipid peroxidation induced by stress.”

• Tanaka et al (1994) showed that astaxanthin protected mice from urinary bladder cancer.

• A second study by Tanaka (1995) showed that astaxanthin prevented oral carcinogenesis in rats, and that the inhibitory effect on cancer was more pronounced than that of beta-carotene, which they had previously tested.

• A third study by the same research group (1995) found a significant decrease in the incidence of colon cancer in animals fed astaxanthin.

As a side note, it is interesting that the principal dietary source of astaxanthin is salmon, which is a central to the diet of Eskimos and other coastal tribes of North America. These groups have demonstrated an unusually low prevalence of cancer, which has traditionally been attributed to the high levels of certain fatty acids in salmon.

But it is certainly worth exploring the possibility that the astaxanthin in their fish diets may have played a cancer-protective role as well.  

Astaxanthin was studied intensively by Harumi Jyonouchi of the University of Minnesota to determine if it has benefit to immune function. They found that astaxanthin enhanced antibody production and T-cell and T-helper-cell activity, and partly restored diminished humoral immune responses in old mice.

Astaxanthin also reduced inflammatory symptoms in mice that had H. pylori infections.

For an extensive literature review, and much more about astaxanthin’s biological effects and mechanisms of action, you can read “Astaxanthin and Cancer Chemoprevention” by John E. Dore, Ph.D. of Cyanotech Corporation.

Boosting Your Endurance and Fat Loss

Astaxanthin may even improve your muscle endurance and enhance your ability to metabolize fat!

Is there anything this nutrient DOESN’T do?

Mice given astaxanthin were found to have accelerated body fat reduction (i.e., “fat burning”) when combined with exercise, as compared to exercise alone in a 2007 study by Aoi et al. Aoi reports the carotenoid seems to exert this effect by protecting the function of a lipid transport enzyme on the membrane of mitochondria that “fuels” energy production.

The end result?

Buff mice. Not that the world needs more physically fit rodents, but what works on mice often works on YOU.

Protection from Sunburn and Other Damaging Radiation

The ability of Haematoccous pluvialis to protect itself from the effects of intense ultraviolet radiation can actually help you avoid sunburn. This is a result of the “singlet oxygen quenching” I discussed earlier.

Current research is showing that, if you take 2 mg of astaxanthin daily for a month, it will be very difficult for you to get sunburned.

 The same powerful antioxidant properties that protect the algae from the sun’s rays will protect your skin as well. It takes a few weeks for the pigment to build up in your tissues, so you can’t just swallow a few pills just prior to your sun exposure and expect miracles.

Similarly, if you find yourself needing an x-ray or a CT scan, you can gain some measure of protection from this radiation exposure by taking 2-4 mg astaxanthin for several weeks prior to the scan.

If you are planning to fly on an airplane, you are also exposed to massive amounts of ionizing radiation, especially if you fly during the day. In this case, it would be wise to take a similar a dose of astaxanthin for the few weeks preceding your trip.

Final Suggestions

You may recognize the name astaxanthin because I have mentioned it in reference to krill oil, which has been my favorite source of animal based omega-3 fatty acids for many years now. One of the reasons for that is, krill oil naturally contains astaxanthin. And our krill oil has the highest concentration of astaxanthin of any krill oil supplement on the market today.

Because of the profound benefits this powerful antioxidant offers, I am excited to announce that we are in the process of developing several astaxanthin products that will be available in the near future.

If you are going to give astaxanthin a try, I recommend starting with 2 mg per day. If you are on a krill oil supplement, take that into consideration; different krill products have different concentrations of astaxanthin, so check your label.

Eating a variety of fresh organic foods — and incorporating supernutrients like astaxanthin — is the best approach to health, along with good sleep, exercise, and earthing. You may want to consider incorporating more raw foods into your diet, and listening to this interview with raw food expert David Wolfe is an excellent starting point.

It could be just a little twitch or an irritating itch, but whatever it is, when it’s happening to your body and you don’t know what’s causing it, it can be downright scary. The good news is that lots of scary symptoms are really no big deal.

As listed on CNN Health, here is a list of symptoms that might be a little freaky, but there’s no reason to be scared of. It’s OK to breathe easy when you have those skin tags, red spots, tremors, floaters, popping joints and palpitations.

And what if there is a reason to be concerned? Certain clues, like unusual swelling or pain, can be reasons to see your physician.

Miraculously, this young man learned to “see” by employing a capability that no one else on earth has been known to do – using echolocation to navigate around his world. Ben passed away in 2009 when cancer took his life, but his memory and accomplishments live on.

Most Americans fear going blind even more than they fear heart disease, even though heart disease is the primary killer of both men and women in the U.S.

A new survey found that 60 percent of Americans say they are more frightened by blindness than heart disease. In fact, fear of losing eyesight was nearly double that of getting heart disease.

According to Earth Times:

“… 79 percent of Americans also say that other than their own death or the death of a loved one, losing one’s eyesight is the ‘worst thing that could happen to me,’ clearly positioning vision as one of the most important elements of one’s life, if not the most important.”

If this is a particular fear of yours, you might want to bear in mind that antioxidants can virtually eliminate your risk of developing the most common form of blindness — age related macular degeneration. The best one for this purpose is astaxanthin.

Nearly one in three people with diabetes suffer from diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that causes changes in the blood vessels in the eyes. In about 4 percent of cases, the disease is so serious it may threaten vision.

Among Americans with diabetes aged 40 and older, nearly 29 percent, or over 4 million people, have diabetic retinopathy, according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Yahoo News reported:

“The news wasn’t all bad, however. The study findings suggest that good control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can go a long way toward preventing diabetic eye disease.”

For nearly six thousand years, Ayurvedic medicine has utilized the benefits of amla, a round bitter fruit also known as the Indian gooseberry.  Some research shows that it could be used to fight high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and cancer.

At least in the laboratory, fibers in amla help reverse the effects of excessive consumption of fructose, which could help to stave off high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome.  Amla also stops destruction of joints by arthritis without interfering with the bone’s ability to make normal repairs.  And research is testing amla as a way of stopping the growth of lung and liver cancer with a minimum of chemotherapy.

According to Be Well Buzz:

“And amla also shows real promise to become a proven way to stop age-related cataracts, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55 … [C]onsider adding amla to your regular supplementation as another layer of protection against the health effects of aging.”

1. Baseball players and “performance enhancing” drugs. Many players were named as steroid users in the Mitchell Commission report issued in 2007.

2. Lady Gaga and “circle” contact lenses. Lady Gaga displayed this look in her “Bad Romance” music video. But these drugstore circle lenses, which give the appearance of enlarged eyes, can cause a host of eye problems.

3. Kardashian sisters and QuickTrim. Reality show stars Kim and Khloe Kardashian, are paid to endorse QuickTrim diet products, which contain potentially harmful herbal diuretics and laxatives.

4. Heidi Montag and plastic surgery. The star of the reality show, The Hills, increased her fame quotient by undergoing 10 cosmetic procedures in one day.

Some birds can sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Birds like the European robins can actually see magnetic fields, the result of special molecules in their retinas,. The fields appear as patterns of light or color superimposed over what they normally see.

This ‘magnetoreception’ ability depends on a clear image from the right eye — if the image becomes distorted, the birds become disoriented.  If the left eye is covered, however, they can navigate just fine.

Discover Magazine reports:

“The magnetic sense of birds was first discovered in robins in 1968, and its details have been teased out ever since. Years of careful research have told us that the ability depends on light and particularly on the right eye and the left half of the brain. The details still aren’t quite clear but, for now, the most likely explanation involves a molecule called cryptochrome.”

David “Avocado” Wolfe, a leading authority on raw foods and superfoods, coaches Hollywood celebrities and leading business people on nutrition and wellness.

In this interview, David shares his extensive knowledge about the holistic treatment of chronic inflammation.

Dr. Mercola’s comments:

David “Avocado” Wolfe has been an advocate of raw food for 16 years. He is a world authority on raw foods and superfoods who coaches Hollywood celebrities and business people on nutrition and wellness.

A field researcher in the most literal sense, David studies and conducts his research while traveling all over the world.

“I have been into the Amazon, into the jungles of Costa Rica, into the jungles of Mexico, into the jungles of Indonesia, all through Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, all over …” David says.

A good portion of the information on nutrition, some of which we will discuss in this interview, is actively being suppressed by multibillion dollar industries that do not want you to know the truth. They seek to discredit much of it because they want you to opt for their expensive drug solutions instead, which nearly always come with potentially toxic side effects.

But David and I are here to tell you that there are natural options to almost every health problem or condition you’ll ever face.

One of the primary components of many disease processes is chronic inflammation.

The conventional approach to treat inflammation typically involves taking some type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, like Vioxx — which was taken off the market years ago, but only after it had killed more than 60,000 people.

These drugs do absolutely nothing to treat the cause of the inflammation in your body, AND may deteriorate your health even further as most of them have side effects and cause additional health problems, some of which are potentially lethal.

The Self-Healing Revolution

David was originally deeply embedded in the traditional medical system, growing up as the son of two medical doctors.

“When I was very, very young, my Mom always told me, “If you lose your health, you’ve lost everything you’ve got. You’ve got to maintain your health no matter what,” David says.

“I began to see that eating oranges straight off a tree and walking around barefoot when I was a kid, really made me feel good.”

That self-discovery activated his search for knowledge.

“I literally spent the last 22 year of my life on the cutting edge of what is possible via supplements, herbalism, food, superfoods, right positive thinking, etcetera,” David says.

Many people still do not realize that one of the leading causes of death in the US is the conventional medical system.

This fact is in large part invisible, because when a person dies from a heart attack caused by a drug, such as Vioxx, that death is not attributed to that drug. It’s simply listed as “a heart attack.”

Those who are paying closer attention are beginning to see this truth however, and are also beginning to realize that the answer to their health problems is not drugs, but lifestyle. If you’re reading this newsletter, chances are you are in this category.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to realize that most of the health problems and diseases you may encounter in your life can be treated and overcome without resorting to synthetic drugs.

In this interview, David tells the story of how he healed himself from chronic pain using yoga – despite the fact that all of his doctors, chiropractors, and osteopaths told him he had a mechanical problem in his spine that was causing chronic inflammation and pain.

“I completely healed myself using natural approaches,” David says.

“I can do everything today. So, in spite of the sincere opinions of very qualified health professionals, I still was able to go beyond the information I was getting, and actually heal myself. And I want to put that out there for everybody.

You may get sincere advice. But, it may be sincerely wrong advice.

Be open. Be aware that solutions are out there.”

Most physicians are well-intentioned and truly believe that they’re doing what’s appropriate, and it’s what they use for themselves and their family. The sad reality is that most of them have not done independent, objective research to find alternatives that work based on natural principles.

When was the Last Time You Walked Barefoot?

“I want to start off by talking about the barefoot revolution,” David says.

“If there is a local park or a beach nearby where you can easily get your shoes off and take a walk, this is really powerful in terms of helping you deal with inflammation of your ankles, knees, hips, and, I would say, even lower back.

A lot of back problems, a lot of postural problems, are caused by wearing shoes that throw out our posture in different directions, and they also make your toes limp. Your toes lose their ability to grip. They lose their strength by the wearing of shoes.”

Most shoes emulate a cast in that they do not allow your foot to articulate properly.

In terms of inflammation, shoes also block the beneficial electromagnetic radiation of the earth, which actually has an anti-inflammatory effect. According to David, about 30 studies performed by Clint Ober over the past 12 years reveal this.

“The studies indicate we can just touch the earth with our bare feet or our bare skin; sit down on the grass, and the earth actually releases anti-inflammatory electromagnetic radiation,” David says. “This helps to draw out inflammation, in particular of your lower extremities: your feet, our ankles, knees, and hips.”

My own understanding of this phenomenon is that it’s not caused so much by the electromagnetic radiation but rather from the transfer of free electrons from the earth; a grounding effect that is, in my understanding, one of the most potent antioxidants we know of.

Unfortunately, few people ever walk barefoot anymore to experience it.

According to David, it takes about 80 minutes for the free electrons from the earth to reach your blood stream and transform your blood.

“This is what Clint’s research has been showing,” David says.

“We actually did this at the Longevity Conference. We showed, within an hour and 20 minutes, how people’s blood profiles changed and improved just based on being grounded for an hour and 20 minutes.”

Walking barefoot can also help ameliorate the constant irritation caused by EMFs and other types of radiation on your system from cell phones, computers and Wi-Fi on your system. By getting outside, barefoot, touching the earth, and allowing the excess charge in your body to discharge into the earth, you can alleviate some of the stress put on your system.

That is the grounding effect.

Walking barefoot outside and breathing fresh air are grossly neglected foundational health principles, as is having large amounts of your skin exposed to natural sunlight so you can optimize your vitamin D, which is another crucial component for treating inflammation.

Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Supplements

There are also several powerful anti-inflammatory supplements that can have immediate use. Here are a few of David’s favorites:

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) – Its ability to neutralize inflammation is one of the greatest, and one of the most inexpensive, discoveries in this field.

MSM has been shown to break down the calcification that is frequently associated with chronic inflammation. In your arteries, it’s called plaque, which leads to heart disease. These plaques are the root cause of inflammation.

“MSM helps dissolve these calcified deposits, turning it into calcium sulfate and making it soluble so your body can excrete it,” David explains.

“The dosage of MSM has to be, in the beginning, maybe 2,500 mg per day. But really, you need to get up to 5,000 mg or 7,500 mg, and allow it to work over a period of months.

But don’t ever want to start anything at a very high dosage. Move into it gently.

I have a good friend of mine who is now taking 30,000 mg of MSM for his rheumatoid arthritis, and that is the dosage he needs in order to feel complete relief of his pain.”

Keep in mind that there may be side effects because MSM can detoxify you, and that may initially aggravate any condition you have. So increase dosage slowly to allow your body to adjust.

It’s also important to note that if you’re allergic to sulfa drugs, you may also have trouble with MSM because it is a type of sulfur.

MSM is not a drug however. It is a natural compound that exists in all trees and many plants. MSM is highly concentrated in aloe vera, for example, so you can also use natural aloe vera products that contain MSM in its natural form.

As with most supplements, quality is a concern when it comes to MSM as well. David recommends using wood pulp or tree-derived MSM.

Vitamin C — A tremendous antioxidant, vitamin C is also anti-inflammatory, and is vital for rebuilding collagen and connective tissue. David recommends taking your MSM and vitamin C together if possible. Your best bet is to use a natural plant-based or botanical vitamin C supplement, such as acerola cherry, rosehip, or camu berry.

Keep in mind that high doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, so again, you’ll want to start slowly and work your way up to about 3,000 mg per day. Certain newer supplements also use liposomal delivery systems that can increase their bioavailability.

Medicinal mushrooms – These include reishi mushrooms, cordyceps, Agaricus blazei and chaga mushrooms. According to David, medicinal mushrooms can help boost your immune system to break up longstanding infections.

There are also mushroom products available as powders that you can add to smoothies, protein shakes, tea and other beverages.

Mangosteen – Organic mangosteen rind is another superior antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. The rind of mangosteen has been used in traditional medicinal systems in Southeast Asia, all the way into Indonesia, since the beginning of recorded history.

Interestingly, it specifically treats the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

I have personally treated thousands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, so this is an area I have a lot of experience with. Nearly all patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are deficient in vitamin D, so optimizing your vitamin D levels is also an essential part of treating this condition.

In addition, rheumatoid arthritis nearly always has an emotional component. Addressing and resolving these emotional wounds is therefore another vital part of the process.

In my experience, energy psychology tools such as the Meridian Tapping Technique/ Emotional Freedom Technique is one of the most effective strategies to address this underlying emotional component, and will work synergistically with herbal- or supplemental therapies.

Sometimes, unless you address the basics, such as your emotions, the herbs and vitamins won’t do much good. But once you include such simple basics as getting regular sun exposure and addressing your emotions, in addition to whatever supplements you choose, you can at times end up with what appears to be a miracle.

Astaxanthin – A seafood component extracted from algae, astaxanthin provides three unusual health benefits:

1. Preventing sunburn (4mg dose)
2. Eliminating cataracts and age-related macular degeneration
3. Protection against radiation damage when flying in an airplane

It’s a bit pricey, but can be extremely effective. A less expensive alternative is krill oil, which also contains astaxanthin, in addition to essential omega-3 fats such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

Cooling Inflammatory Conditions with Raw Foods

“Inflammation, of course, is “in flame” or “on fire,”” David explains, and there are also a large number of raw foods that can help “cool” the inflammatory response.

“One of my favorite tools to do that is vegetable juicing, particularly celery and cucumber juices.  

Celery is very rich in electrolytes. It has a cooling effect on your body, which is really an anti-inflammatory effect. Cucumber does as well.

A simple juice is celery and cucumber. There is no sugar and it’s an instant ‘turn-on’ for energy. It also has an instant drawing effect of toxins out of your system due to the chlorophyll present in the celery.”

Fennel is another cooling plant suitable for juicing. Fennel juice is specifically implicated for headaches and migraines.

Dill is related to fennel, and both are very beneficial for producing breast milk in nursing women.

More Must-Hear Information!

For even more information, I highly recommend you listen to this interview in its entirety, or read through the accompanying transcript as David is an absolute treasure trove of information.

Other in-depth discussions in this interview include:

• The difference between prostaglandin 2 versus prostaglandin 1 and 3 – these biochemical modulators can either aggravate or ameliorate inflammation, which is why it’s so important to choose the right oils when cooking
• The dangers of food irradiation
• The concept of “raw water,” the nature of hydrogen and how it dissolves bad calcium, and why alkalizers and water ionizers may do more harm than good
• The benefits of gammalinolenic acid products (GLA), such as hempseed and spirulina

I am convinced, as is David, that nearly every health problem you face can be addressed using safe, natural, non-toxic strategies. So keep educating yourself to take control of your, and your family’s, health!