Rhodiola rosea, which is also called Arctic or Golden Root, is one of Nature's greatest  healing herbs. Rhodiola grows and thrives in dry sandy ground at high altitudes in the Arctic areas of Europe and eastern Siberia. Although it has been used in various cultures for thousands of years, it wasn't until the 1940s that Russian scientists began to scientifically study the therapeutic benefits of Rhodiola.

For several decades, research on Rhodiola was kept secret because scientists in the Soviet Union thought the herb's remarkable benefits gave them a competitive edge over the West in areas such as Olympic sports, space exploration, military development, medicine and other areas of industrial development. They discovered that the active ingredients in Rhodiola help alleviate depression, reduce stress, improve memory and learning capabilities, reduce fatigue, enhance work performance and strengthen the immune system. While there are over 200 species of Rhodiola, it is the roots of Rhodiola rosea that seem to provide the greatest therapeutic benefits.

A Russian biochemist named Zakir Ramazanov is credited with bringing Rhodiola to the west. Ramazanov learned about Rhodiola in the 1970s during his military service in Afghanistan. After translating Russian studies on Rhodiola, he started a business and began importing the herb and marketing it to health food stores in the United States.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), prescriptions for Ritalin and other stimulant medications for children diagnosed with ADHD have increased from 400 to 500% since 1990. I am very disturbed by this trend because these drugs have significant side effects and they are really not correcting a problem, they are only attempting to mask or suppress the symptoms of a problem.

Actually, there are usually multiple contributing factors in ADHD which can include: food allergies, disbyosis (bad bacteria in the GI tract), toxins such as mercury and lead, nutritional deficiencies, mental/emotional stress and genetics. In this post I am going to present the results of two studies that show that allergies to foods and/or food additives can be a major causative factor in ADHD. Also, when ADHA kids are placed on elimination diets which remove the offending foods, many of them exhibit a significant reduction in ADHD-like behaviors.

Gerontologists study aging people and the aging process. Several years ago Dr. Giovanni and his colleagues designed a unique study to determine the most important factor for healthy aging. A group of 75 HEALTHY elderly people ranging from 90 to 106 years old were selected for this study.(1)

The researchers evaluated an enormous amount of data including anthropometric data (height, weight, skin-folk thickness, body circumference at the waist, hip & chest), a wide range of blood values, as well as aspects related to diet, nutrition and lifestyle.

The concept for this study was brilliant. Instead of studying old people who are sick, these researchers decided to study healthy elderly people and determine the most important factors that enabled them to maintain relatively good health well into their 90s and beyond 100 years old.

The outcome of this study is very important for individuals who want to maintain good health as they age. It turns out the most important factor for healthy longevity in MAINTAIN YOUR MUSCLE MASS.

Recent research on curcumin which is a compound that occurs in the Indian curry spice turmeric resulted in life extension in three different species of animals. The study was published recently online in the journal BioFactors.

In a study with roundworms, a small amount of curcumin in their growth medium resulted in a 39% increase in average life span and a 21.4% increase in maximum life span.

Fruit flies generally live an average of 64 days.  When a small amount of curcumin was added to their diets, they lived to 80 days which was a 25% increase in their life span. In a third study, mice who were fed a metabolite of curcumin experienced significantly increased life span.

An individual's intestinal microflora, also called his/her microbiome, is one of the most critical aspects of health. In fact, the bacteria in an individual's GI tract really functions like a separate organ. It is now known that 90% of the cells in the human body and 90% of the DNA in our bodies come from the bacteria in our GI tract.

Recent advances in technology have enabled scientists to make astounding advances in their ability to study the structure and function of intestinal bacteria. The 100 trillion bacteria in your GI tract control and regulate so many aspects of health that the Human Microbiome is now considered one of the great frontiers of science.

Probiotics and the human microflora play an important role in the major health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In this blog post I want to highlight a new study that explains how bad bacteria in the GI tract contribute to obesity and conversely, how a healthy diet (which encourages the growth of friendly bacteria) results in weight loss.

Zinc is a required co-factor for the synthesis and function of over 300 enzymes and many of the zinc-dependent enzymes regulate different aspects of our immune system.  Thus, zinc is one of the most important nutrients for a strong healthy immune system.

Scientific studies have shown that the antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of AIDS and HIV-infected individuals deplete zinc. Here is the cruel paradox. The immune system in people with AIDS is not functioning, and then they are given drugs which deplete zinc, which further weakens their immune system. We should be doing things to strengthen their immune systems.

Birth control pills deplete several nutrients which increase a woman's risk of depression. Scientific studies report that women taking oral contraceptives have lower levels of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid and tyrosine. Low levels of any one of these nutrients can cause depression. In one review, 9 of 12 clinical trials reported rates of depression ranging from 16% to 56% in women using oral contraceptives.(1)

Vitamin B6 is required for the synthesis of serotonin which is a neurotransmitter that is known to regulate mood, emotions and sleep. Oral contraceptive-induced depletion of vitamin B6 inhibits a woman's ability to produce serotonin which substantially increases the risk of depression. In one study, 33% of women developed depression within 2 to 5 years after they started taking birth control pills.(2)

Urgent: Please donate today!  80% of all processed foods in the United States contain food that was grown using some form of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has been doing a heroic fighting Monsanto's efforts to prohibit GMO labeling laws. In November, voters in Washington State will vote on I-522, which is a citizens' ballot initiative to label GMOs. The OCA has pledged $500,000 to support the I-522 campaign. If OCA raises half this amount ($250,000) by April 1, 2013, a generous donor will match those funds.  I appreciate all that the Organic Consumers Association does to protect us against food giants like Monsanto.  I donated $50 today.  I urge all of you to go to the OCA WEB site and make whatever donation you can afford. Every little bit helps. OCA is fighting for our health, the health of our food and the health of our planet.

Click here to donate and become one of the Millions Agains Monsanto

Some brands of birth control pills can increase a woman's risk of developing life-threatening blood clots 7-times greater compared to women who don't take "the pill"

In my new book The Pill Problem I explain why birth control pills increase women's risks to many health problems AND I offer suggestions on how to prevent these problems.  To reduce the risks of developing blood clots, I advise women to take extra magnesium and omega-3 fish oils.

Oral contraceptives deplete magnesium from women's bodies. Low levels of magnesium increase a woman's risk of both blood clots and heart attacks.

I disagree with the quote in the picture. I think An Ounce of Prevention is worth a TON of cure!  Let me explain what I mean. Chronic degenerative diseases are ravaging our culture and bankrupting our economy. And, chronic degenerative diseases have a long latency period. This means a disease can be developing for 20 or 30 years without any apparent symptoms, until suddenly there is a health crisis and someone says, "I just got diabetes" or "I just got cancer". Take Alzheimer's disease. When symptoms begin to appear, function has been lost in 70 to 80% of the involved area of the brain. It is hard to turn health around when degeneration has progressed so far.  That's why I say An Ounce of Prevention is Worth A TON of Cure.

Little lifestyle habits make a BIG difference over time. I'm talking about things like avoiding trans fats, fried foods, sugar, white flour and other processed grains, artificial flavors & colors, artificial sweeteners, commercially grown eggs, beef, and chicken. Then there's healthy water, natural sunlight, regular exercise. Yes, there are a LOT of things that make up a healthy lifestyle.

Birth control pills deplete folic acid and folic acid deficiency is the number one cause of birth defects such as spina bifid a, cleft palate and cleft lip. Folic acid plays a critical role in the process of cellular division.  A deficiency of folic acid causes abnormal cellular development, especially in cells that grow and divide rapidly, such as a developing fetus.  Hence, folic acid deficiency greatly increases the risks of giving birth to an infant who has birth defects.

Many scientific studies report that women taking oral contraceptives have lower levels of folic acid compared to non-users. In fact, one study reported that folic acid blood levels are 40% lower in women using oral contraceptives compared to non-users. I strongly recommend that all women who take oral contraceptives take a folic acid supplement every day. Numerous other classes of drugs also deplete folic acid, including drugs for diabetes, epilepsy, acid reflux, and inflammation.  Consequently, many women are taking several medications which compound the folic acid depletion problem.

According to a survey conducted by WebMD in 2010, women named fatigue as one of their five health concerns. Also, doctors report that tiredness, fatigue and low energy are among the most common complaints that they hear from women. Birth control pills deplete a wide range of nutrients from a woman's body and several of the depleted nutrients are required for energy production. Thus, over time, women taking birth control pills have a much greater risk of developing symptoms of fatigue, tiredness and low energy.

Folic acid and vitamin B12 are required for the production of red blood cells. Low levels of these nutrients can cause anemia which means there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Fatigue, tiredness and low energy are classic signs of anemia.