• Women between the ages of 45 and 64 are at greater risk for depression.
• Fifty to 75 percent of people with an eating disorder also have depression.
• The highest suicide rates in the U.S. occur in white men over the age of 85.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in U.S. women, regardless of race or ethnicity
• One percent of all breast cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are in men.
• According to an article published in 1995 in the medical journal The Lancet, when it comes to mammograms, “The benefit is marginal, the harm caused is substantial, and the costs incurred are enormous.”
• According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2014, with more than 29,000 men dying from the disease in the same year.
• Prostate cancer boasts incredibly high survival rates, with a five-year rate of nearly 100 percent, a 10-year rate of 99 percent and a 15-year rate of 94 percent.
• Even with impressive survival rates, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, with lung cancer being the first.
• Oil those tomatoes! Studies show that the lycopene found in these delicious orbs can reduce your risk of prostate cancer, but they need added oil to improve absorbability.

The November, 2014 issue of the Journal of Functional Foods published a report authored by researchers at England’s Northumbria University that revealed a benefit for tart cherry juice concentrate in reducing factors contributing to painful joints.

Reductions in serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, and urate, which is elevated during gout attacks, were observed following consumption of either dose of tart cherry juice concentrate.

“We have been investigating Montmorency tart cherries for several years because they’re a unique fruit with a high concentration of anthocyanins,” commented Dr Howatson, of Northumbria University’s Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation.

Another Journal of Functional Foods study, which appeared online on September 2, revealed a positive effect for tart cherry intake on the blood’s antioxidant capacity. “Our observations were after a one-time consumption,” stated lead author E. Mitchell Seymour of the University of Michigan Healthy system’s Cardiovascular Center. “It is compelling to think what could occur with more regular consumption of tart cherries, and how that could translate into possible health benefits.”

Is It Time to Detox?

Detoxification is a process that your body undertakes every day to help eliminate toxins and restore a healthy balance. Your body is constantly exposed to toxins from the external world, as well as those created within. The human body is amazing in the way that it has evolved since prehistoric times to adjust to the ever- changing world; but what happens when the toxins in our world are evolving faster than humans? This can increase the body’s toxic burden and impact on its ability to clear toxins.

Do you want your body to effectively and efficiently eliminate toxins you are exposed to?

Or maybe you are interested in detoxing because you want to look and feel even healthier!

Have you noticed any signs or symptoms that indicate your body may be suffering from the burden of toxins and be in need of a good detox?

Signs that indicate you may need to detox:

• Digestive complaints
• Skin problems
• Hormonal imbalances
• Neurological conditions
• Poor energy
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Food intolerance’s

Factors that increase the need to detox:

• Exposure to pollution and chemicals
• Exposure to new cars and new furniture
• Smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption
• Diets high in saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, processed and packaged foods
• Fertility and pre-conception care
• Overweight or obesity

What’s Involved in Detox?

Your individualised Detoxification Program will involve reducing the toxins that you are exposed to on a daily basis, whilst strengthening the function of your detox organs to process and eliminate toxins stored in your body. This is known as reducing the toxic burden and improving your toxic resistance, thereby enhancing your ability to cope with toxins. Detox can greatly improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Detox and Renew Your Life
When detoxing, it is important to reduce the toxic load that you are encountering in your daily life.  It is recommend to follow a detox diet to encourage clean eating and reduce your exposure to dietary toxins. This diet will be rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, low in animal fats, and contain alkalising and anti-inflammatory foods.
It is just as important to remove other “toxins” from your daily life that may be affecting your health. Stress is a major factor that may need addressing.  It is also important to do an audit of toxic household chemicals by reviewing your personal care items, cleaning products, and plastics  used for food containers and water bottles; encouraging healthier choices.

The New You
Undertaking a regular detox may enhance your health and wellbeing, improving quality of life. Many people schedule a detox every six or twelve months for optimal health to help improve the balance between your body’s toxin burden and its detox capacity. By the end of your Detoxification Program you will be looking good and feeling great.

Are You Feeling Your Best?

Think back to a time to when you were at your healthiest. Doyou still feel the same way?

Can you pinpoint a moment in time when your health started to go downhill?

Many people have not felt 100% since having a virus or other infection. If you have never fully recovered, your condition may progress from being a short-term acute infection into a longer-term chronic health complaint. Chronic infections can leave you feeling tired with muscular aches and pains and lowered immunity, making you more susceptible to catching every bug that goes around. Even a sniffily nose or cough that doesn’t clear can indicate the presence of a low grade infection.

Getting the Right Support

It takes a strong immune system to overcome persistent infections. The following herbs and nutrients help boost immunity and support your recovery:

• Medicinal mushrooms such as cordyceps, coriolus, reishi and shiitake are potent immune enhancers for chronic or recurrent infections.

•Astragalus possesses anti-viral activity and assists in the prevention and treatment of chronic infections.

•Zinc helps reduce the severity and duration of colds and flus; however zinc deficiency can compromise immunity. Ensure you have adequate zinc levels to help your immune system fight against infection.

• Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the immune system. Surprisingly high numbers of adults have inadequate vitamin D levels, so have your levels checked regularly.

• Vitamins A, C, and E are all beneficial for supporting healthy immunity.

The Gut – Immune Connection

In order to have a healthy, thriving immune system, you need to ensure your digestive system is also healthy. With 70% of your immune system in the gut, the microflora or friendly bacteria play an important role.  Probiotics are beneficial strains of friendly bacteria that can boost your immune system function.

The Journey to Wellness

A chronic condition was once acute. If your body is unable to successfully recover from an acute infection, it may develop into a chronic health concern that your immune system can’t get the better of. Allowing your body to heal from a chronic infection can take time; the longer you have been sick, the longer you may need to get well again. Whilst you may feel relief in the short term, persisting with herbs and nutrients can provide long term relief from the nagging symptoms you have grown accustomed to. Remember how great it feels to be 100% healthy again

• The leaves of the rhubarb plant are potentially fatal! They contains oxalic acid, a kidney-damaging compound also found in bleach and anti-corrosive products.
•  Pineapples stop ripening the minute they are picked. So if you buy one, eat it right away…no reason to wait!
•  One stalk of celery contains a mere six calories.
•  Avocados contain twice as much potassium as bananas.
•  Turns out, bell peppers are male and female—you just have to turn them over to figure out which is which. The male peppers have three “bumps” on the bottom, while female peppers have four.
•  Four of the top 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. are mental health issues—bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
•  Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of disability.
•  The average American drinks 500 cans of soda a year. That’s more than 42 cans a month, more than nine cans a week and 1.3 cans a day!
•  People who smoke risk losing as much as one-third of their everyday memory.
•  Brisk walking for at least three hours a week can decrease your risk of heart disease by 65 percent.
•  That know-it-all may actually suffer from Dunning-Kruger Effect. The hallmark of the phenomenon is the less people know, the more they think they know.
•  It takes you 12 hours to fully digest a meal.