March 2014

Hello, and welcome to this edition edition of my Natural Alternatives Newsletter!

I hope you will enjoy reading this issue.

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a favor and pay it forward!

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“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.” ~Hippocrates

IN THIS ISSUE:

1) OMEGA 3: ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS YOU CAN TAKE

2) 2 INGREDIENT DEODORANT RECIPE THAT WORKS!

3) FIGHT AGING WITH FERULIC ACID?

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1) OMEGA 3: ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS YOU CAN TAKE
by Dr. Mercola

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of taking many supplements. Not because there's question about their safety—dietary supplements are among THE safest products on the market; a whopping 62,000 times safer than prescription drugs—and provided you're using a high-quality product, they can be very effective in helping ameliorate a vast range of ailments rooted in nutritional deficiencies. That said, I firmly believe optimal health comes from optimal nutrition—which requires whole foods. You can't fool your body by taking handfuls of supplements while still eating a junk food diet.

Krill oil, however, is one of my exceptions because most Americans are seriously deficient in omega-3 fats. In fact, omega-3 deficiency is likely the sixth biggest killer of Americans. Low concentrations of EPA and DHA have been shown to result in an increased risk of death from all causes and accelerate cognitive decline. Those suffering from depression have also been found to have lower levels of omega-3 in their blood than non-depressed individuals.

Complicating matters further, most people consume far too many damaged omega-6 fats from processed foods. And, unfortunately, the ideal food source, fish, has been sorely compromised by pollution, which makes supplementation with a high-quality animal-based omega-3 fat like krill all the more important.

Pregnant women need to pay particular heed to this advice, as most women have major deficiencies of this fat, and that can spell trouble for your child. It's important to realize that your body cannot form omega-3 fats, so a fetus must obtain all of its omega-3 fats from his mother's diet. Hence, a mother's dietary intake and plasma concentrations of DHA directly influence the DHA status of the developing fetus, which can impact your child's brain development.

STUDY AT A GLANCE

Animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil, is essential for optimal health, and particularly critical for brain health. It even offers hope for healing and restoring brain function after a traumatic brain injury ;
Low concentrations of EPA and DHA have been shown to result in an increased risk of death from all causes and accelerate cognitive decline;
Recent research suggests that fish oil can help slow down age-related brain atrophy;
Older women with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids had better preservation of their brain as they aged than those with the lowest levels, which might mean they would maintain better brain function for an extra year or two ;
Previous research has also confirmed the beneficial effect of omega-3 fat on brain function in youngsters, concluding that DHA intake is a robust modulator of functional cortical activity.
Source: mercola.com

2) 2 INGREDIENT DEODORANT RECIPE THAT WORKS!
by Becky Striepe

If you’ve made the switch — or tried to make the switch — from conventional deodorants to natural alternatives, you know that natural deodorants are often kind of spotty. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. What’s pretty consistent about natural deodorants is that they come with a hefty price tag, though, right? This DIY deodorant is inexpensive to make and works much more consistently than any of the store-bought ones I’ve tried.

Why Choose Natural or DIY Deodorant?

Conventional deodorants are bad news for your health and for the environment. Deodorant works by killing bacteria. It’s not sweat that makes you stinky. It’s that your pits are a warm, dark place, and when you sweat you’re basically creating an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. Kill the bacteria, kill the smell. Unfortunately, conventional deodorants use nasty chemicals to do that.

Natural and DIY deodorant recipes rely on gentler methods to keep you dry and smelling fresh. These natural methods aren’t always as effective as chemicals like triclosan, but they are safer for you and for the planet. One powerful agent you have against bacteria is essential oils, and I’m going to talk a little bit about choosing the right essential oil for your DIY deodorant recipes next.

Choosing Your Essential Oils

You can use whatever blend of essential oils you like in the recipe below, and I suggest putting at least one oil into your mix with antiseptic/antibacterial properties. Here are some antibacterial essential oils for you to consider:
lemongrass, thyme, lavender, tea tree, rosemary, geranium, lemon

The trick to tinkering with essential oils is knowing their strength. Lemon and lemongrass oils, for example, are very strong. Just a few drops will do the trick in this DIY deodorant recipe, where something less powerful like lavender  takes 15-20 drops.

My advice when getting used to essential oils is to start small. Add a few drops, mix, smell, repeat. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.

DIY Deodorant Recipe

Materials & Supplies

Small, wide-mouth glass jar – I use an old jelly jar. You need to be able to get your fingers in there, because you apply this with your fingers.
spoon
1/4 cup baking soda – Baking soda absorbs moisture, which helps keep you dry.
10-20 drops essential oil of your choice – See the section above. If you don’t want to tinker, start with 15-20 drops of lavender, depending on how strong you want the scent to be.

Directions

You can make this DIY deodorant right in your jelly jar. Spoon in the baking soda, add your essential oil, and mix it up well.

How to Apply Your DIY Deodorant

It’s best to apply this right out of the shower. Give the jar a good shake before opening, then dip clean, dry fingers in, and pat the deodorant onto your pits. I do this over the sink, because it’s a little bit messier than applying stick deodorant. Pat – don’t rub – until the powder is no longer visible on your pits, and you’re good to go.
Source: care2.com

3) FIGHT AGING WITH FERULIC ACID?
by Cathy Wong, ND

Ferulic acid is a compound found naturally in a number of plants, including tomatoes, sweet corn, and rice bran. Known to possess antioxidant properties, it's thought to enhance health and fight certain diseases when ingested. In addition, ferulic acid is sometimes used as an ingredient in skin-care products, especially those touted as anti- aging remedies.

Health Benefits of Ferulic Acid

So far, most of the findings on ferulic acid's potential health benefits come from animal-based research and laboratory experiments. While clinical trials are currently lacking, these preliminary studies suggest that ferulic acid shows promise in the treatment of the following conditions:

1) High Blood Pressure
Ferulic acid may help lower blood pressure, according to a 2002 study from the American Journal of Hypertension. In tests on rats, scientists discovered that ferulic acid helped bring blood pressure down by promoting widening of the blood vessels.

In a more recent study (published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology in 2013), researchers observed that treatment with ferulic acid improved the structure and function of the heart, blood vessels, liver, and kidneys in rats with high blood pressure.

2) Diabetes
A study published in Phytotherapy Research in 2004 indicates that ferulic acid may help with diabetes control. After treating diabetic rats with ferulic acid, the study's authors found that the compound enhanced the animals' antioxidant capacity and helped regulate their blood sugar levels. In addition, a 2012 study from the European Journal of Pharmacology found that a combination of ferulic acid and resveratrol helped alleviate damage to the liver, kidney, and pancreas in diabetic mice, possibly by reducing inflammation.

Uses for Ferulic Acid
When consumed in dietary supplement form, ferulic acid is said to aid in the treatment of the following health conditions:
diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,  menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis.

Ferulic acid is also purported to protect against cancer, aid in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, enhance exercise performance, and slow up the aging process. When applied topically (i.e., directly to the skin), ferulic acid is said to treat sun damage and reverse signs of aging (such as fine lines and wrinkles).

Ferulic Acid and Skin Care

Although research on the skin-care benefits of ferulic acid is limited, there's some evidence that it may have some protective effects. In a small study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2008, for example, an experiment involving 10 healthy volunteers demonstrated that a topical antioxidant mixture consisting of vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin (a compound found naturally in apples) helped shield the skin from the harmful effects of exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. 

Additionally, a preliminary study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2005 found that a combination of ferulic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E may help fight sun-induced damage to the skin by reducing oxidative stress.

Is Ferulic Acid Safe?
Due to a lack of research, little is known about the safety of long-term use of dietary supplements containing ferulic acid. However, it's important to note that self-treating a chronic condition (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) with ferulic acid and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences.

Where To Find Ferulic Acid
Widely available for purchase online, dietary supplements containing ferulic acid are sold in natural-foods stores, drugstores, and stores specializing in natural products.  Sold in some drugstores, skin-care products containing ferulic acid can also be purchased in specialty beauty stores.
Source: about.com  

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PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!

Thank you for reading.

Livia
https://www.natural-health-and-healing.com
Brampton, Ontario, Canada

P.S. If you have a comment or suggestion, just reply to this e-mail. Your feedback is important to me.

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This newsletter is for educational purposes only. It is your right to educate yourself in health and medical knowledge, to seek helpful information and make use of it for your own benefit, and for that of your family. You are the one responsible for your health. You must educate yourself in order to make decisions in all health matters. My views and advices are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medicine, but simply a help you to make educated changes in order to help your body heal itself. If you have a medical condition or concern you should consult your physician.