The governor of New York has declared a state health emergency, as the flu epidemic that has sickened more than 19,000 people in his state.

We are in the midst of one of the worst flu outbreaks in recent years.  Massachusetts General Hospital has already treated more confirmed flu cases than it did by this time during the swine flu “pandemic.”

You don’t need to check the Center for Disease Control’s national flu trend map to know that’s the case.

The typical flu symptoms are a fever of around 100°, chills, exhaustion, cough, chest congestion, sinus pressure, runny nose, sneezing and body aches.

The typical flu also causes heaviness or pain behind the eyes.  A nasal swab can detect it, but this type of testing is not 100 percent accurate.

What is confusing for medical professionals and patients alike, is the fact that experts continue to encourage the flu shot, claiming it is well-matched to the circulating H3N2 strain of this flu virus, many patients getting the flu had received the flu vaccine. …read more of Natural Flu Treatment Alternative here

Iron is a double-edged sword.

If we don’t absorb enough we risk anemia, but if we absorb too much we may be increasing our risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory conditions. Video: Risk Associated With Iron Supplements

Other conditions that have been associated with high iron intake include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and diabetes.

Because the human body has no mechanism to rid itself of excess iron, we evolved to tightly regulate its absorption. If our iron stores are low our intestines boost the absorption of iron and if our iron stores are topped off our intestines block the absorption of iron to maintain the sweet spot. …read more of How to Enhance Mineral Absorption here

Most men and women who succumb to heart disease die suddenly without any known history of heart problems. As noted in my three minute video How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?, up to 55 percent of men and 68 percent of women have no clinically recognized heart disease before sudden death.

They obviously had rampant heart disease, however it just wasn’t recognized until they were lying on a slab in the morgue. So if there was ever a case to be made for primary prevention, the determination to start eating healthier right now – tonight – before the symptoms of sudden cardiac death arise is it. Especially since that first symptom is often the last. So how do we do it?

Our story begins 43 years ago with a fascinating paper in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled, “Sudden Death and Ischemic Heart Disease: Correlation With Hardness of the Local Water Supply.”[1]

There appeared to be “an increased susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias [fatal heart rhythms] among residents of soft-water areas.” So maybe one of the minerals found in hard water is protective, but which one? Researchers decided to cut some hearts open to find out. …read more of Magnesium-Rich Foods Prevent Sudden Death here

According to Ayurveda, there are three equally important aspects to mental performance.

The first is ‘dhi’, learning and comprehension, governed by Vata dosha,  the second is ‘dhriti’, processing and retention of knowledge, the realm of Pitta dosha and ‘smriti’, memory or recall controlled by Kapha dosha.

For the best mental performance and realization each of these factors needs to be at its peak and more importantly, the coordination among the three factors needs to be optimal.

Ayurveda recommends we pay attention to the fundamental pillars of good health, diet, sleep and lifestyle to achieve this state of mental wholeness and balance.

Tips to help boost brainpower

1. Eat pure, ‘intelligent’ foods
Ayurveda says it is very important to eat foods that are natural and pure for the full benefit to be absorbed.

When foods are as close to their natural state as possible, they deliver the most potent nutrition. Foods that have been genetically altered, processed or refined have much of their natural intelligence stripped from them. …read more of 6 Ayurvedic Tips to Boost Brain Health here

It may be no coincidence that the rice found most contaminated with arsenic originated from some of the top poultry producing states such as Arkansas, Texas, and Missouri. Earlier this year, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found levels of arsenic in chicken feather meal up to 100 times that found in apple juice by Dr. Oz last year and 10 times that just found in rice.

Feather meal is made from the billion pounds of feathers plucked from chicken carcasses annually (sometimes with heads, guts, manure, and feet thrown in to increase protein and mineral content) and is fed to farmed fish, pigs, poultry, and cattle and to fertilize conventional and organic crops.

Chicken manure is also used directly as feed and fertilizer and has been found to significantly increase arsenic levels in the soil.

Some of the arsenic in apple juice and rice may be from the use of arsenic-containing pesticides, but how did arsenic get into the chickens? The poultry industry fed it to them. …read more of How Much Arsenic In Rice Came From Chickens? here