According to the American Heart Association, "You can reduce cholesterol in your blood by eating healthful foods, losing weight if you need to and exercising." What follows is a listing of the most potent foods to add to your diet if you want to fight high cholesterol and drive your levels down using your diet as a primary tool.
1. Shitake Mushrooms
The active component in shitake mushrooms--eritadenine--has been found to lower cholesterol levels in animal studies. The more eritadenine the animals received, the more their cholesterol levels dropped.
2. Walnuts
A study in the April 2004 issue of Circulation found that when walnuts were substituted for about one-third of the calories supplied by olives and other monounsaturated fats in the Mediterranean diet, total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol were reduced. Walnuts contain the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to be excellent for the heart.
3. Uncooked Soy
A new study found that eating two servings of soy protein a day can lower cholesterol by up to 9 percent--but it must be uncooked to have benefit. "Soy protein increases the activity of low-density lipoprotein receptors primarily on the liver that clears it from the body. Eating soy protein increases the activity of these enzymes that break down the cholesterol," said study author James Anderson, a scientist at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Good soy sources would be edamame or soy nuts. "Soy-fortified muffins, cereals or nutritional bars in which the soy protein was baked at high temperatures do not provide the benefit," Anderson said.
4. Blueberries
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have identified an antioxidant in blueberries called pterostilbene (it's similar to resveratrol, the antioxidant found in grapes and red wine). This compound has effectively lowered cholesterol levels in animal studies.
5. Salmon
This fish is a particularly good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to lower LDL cholesterol while raising the good (HDL) kind.
6. Garlic
Numerous studies have demonstrated that eating garlic regularly reduces LDL cholesterol and raises HDL levels.
7. Avocado
Avocados are rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat known to help lower cholesterol. In fact, one study found that people with moderately high cholesterol levels who ate a diet high in avocados for one week had significant drops in total and LDL cholesterol levels, and an 11 percent increase in the good HDL cholesterol.
8. Black Beans
Black beans and other legumes are high in dietary fiber, which is an excellent cholesterol fighter.
9. Apples
Rich in both pectin and fiber, along with powerful antioxidants, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, apples help lower bad cholesterol while raising the good kind.
10. Dark Green, Leafy Vegetables
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Family Heart Study, participants who ate four or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day had significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol than those who ate fewer servings. Among the most powerful veggies are the dark green, leafy variety, such as spinach, kale, collard greens and Swiss chard.
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However there is a proper way to proceed with once you have decided to quit smoking viz.
1. First sit down and write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.
2. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit. Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.
3. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever.
4. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.
5. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes.
6. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth.
7. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and feel and plan to keep them that way.
8. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.
9. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc. Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative ways to deal with the triggers.
10. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace cigarettes. You might try an artificial cigarette.
11. Lastly believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and realize that you have the guts and determination to quit smoking.
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Meditation is often linked to Yoga, since it is one of the many aspects of Yoga. However, meditation is also a separate entity and has existed in almost every corner of the earth for a very long time. Proponents of self-hypnosis can make similar claims and healers have successfully used this method for a variety of ailments that afflict mankind.
All of these methods have existed despite fundamentalist efforts to prevent them. Why should fundamentalists care about Yoga, meditation, and self-hypnosis? The keyword is “self.” If you can control your mental, physical, and spiritual health, you can regulate your own life. This strikes fear into the hearts of those who work very hard to regulate and control the masses.
Ask anyone who practiced Yoga, but has lived under a suppressive form of government, about his or her experience. Over the past 15 years, I have met many former Soviet Block citizens, and learned so much from them. Many of them shared their experiences about practicing Yoga, martial arts, meditation, self-hypnosis, and religion in secret. Families practiced together secretly to avoid drawing attention to them.
Attention to yourself is not desired in any suppressive society. To become the custodian of a healing method is one thing, but to risk your life for it, is truly brave. For this, and many other reasons, these people are the unsung heroes for freedom, self-improvement, and healing methods.
For those of us who live in a free society, we often take for granted that you can practice Yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis, or any other form of self-healing, without fear of reprisal. You can point yourself in a positive direction and pursue it freely. No one is holding you back from improving yourself and you don’t have to hide in a closet to practice.
The next time you make an excuse about not having enough time to practice Yoga, meditation, religion, or self-hypnosis, think of the people who have to put their lives on the line for a little personal freedom.
Lastly, you can always make an appointment with yourself. Write it down in your appointment book, on your laptop, or anywhere else you will see it. Make an appointment with yourself to practice Yoga, meditation, or self-hypnosis and remember those who gave their lives for the freedoms you have.
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EFT can help balance your body's bioenergy system and resolve some of the emotional stresses that are contributing to the insomnia at a very deep level. The results are typically long lasting and the improvement is remarkably rapid.
The Sun AlarmTM SA-2002, which I personally use, is a natural way to wake up in the morning. I highly recommended it as an alternative to loud alarm clocks. Read More Now!
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The condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, can be summarized in a variety of ways, but essentially, the condition is simply one that is denoted by characteristic hyperactivity, short attention span, and high impulsivity. It is also a medical condition for which the diagnosis is occurring far more frequently. And, though this may not be surprising to some, the disorder is one that predominantly affects one particular gender.
How prevalent is ADHD? It may affect between from five to ten percent of younger children with the condition being diagnosed far more frequently in males versus females (up to 10 times more often).
Very often, an ADHD patient will show symptoms of other conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Those with ADHD also tend to have a certain degree of emotional instability and a reduced level of maturity comparable to their peers. Again, this is no surprise to parents and teachers. Unfortunately, as well, learning disorders are also fairly common among those with attention deficit problems.
Many of the same parents and teachers who must deal with attention problems in children on a daily basis, however, might be surprised to learn that many adults have attention deficit issues also (though prescription drug treatment and counseling for ADHD is typically aimed at adolescents and children). Very often, the adult with ADHD is not even aware that he or she has the condition. And, in fact, many older persons with ADHD are not diagnosed with the condition until relatively late in life.
Presently, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is believed to be genetically transferred and passed on by heredity. And popular conceptions about the disorder take the position that it is the result of biochemical abnormalities within the brain.
Coincidentally, this mirrors current views regarding bipolar disorder, a medical and psychiatric problem that seems to be caused, at least in part, by neurochemical deficits.
What should you do if you suspect your child may have ADHD, or suspect that you or another adult may have the disorder? Seek appropriate help, possibly from an internist, or a psychiatrist or other mental health practitioner who is trained to diagnose the disorder and evalute its severity. And do it soon. ADHD can be a difficult condition to live with, but, with proper intervention, its severity can be managed.
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Scientists compared outcomes for 960 patients treated with three different regimens; survival rates vary from 91 percent for the newest treatments, which include monoclonal antibodies, to 69 percent for standard therapy.
"This is real evidence that the clinical advances we've made over the last 30 years are prolonging lives," said Richard I. Fisher, M.D., director of the Wilmot Cancer Center and lead author on a paper published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology. "Some of the new therapies that include monoclonal antibodies have revolutionized treatment of this disease."
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We spend an inordinate amount of time, money and pain on the “makeover.” Why? We are told that we do it to improve ourselves. Is that really true? Aren’t many of the things that are supposed to “improve” lives things that just distract us from the real issue?
Recently, I have become aware of parents financing breast augmentations for their teenage daughters. Come on now. What teenage brain is developed enough to correctly identify when the source of their problem is cup size? Parents that support this idea often consider themselves as indulgent parents. They consider themselves as their child’s friend. This is actually two issues: at what point did we stop telling our children that it is who they are that is important and who in their right mind thinks it is more important to be a friend to your child than a parent?
It has been the way of the world that teenage years are the trial ground for personality testing, ethics testing and personal style development. The moral of The Lord of the Flies is unabated children are a reflection of raw human nature. Parenting is about making sure that they reach maturity and cultivating critical thinking skills. In theory, we teach our children to be the most complete “them” they can be without encroaching upon boundaries of others. I have heard that children learn what they live. If this is true, then what parents are apparently teaching their children appears to be that there are 12 acceptable people in the world and they need to pick one of them and let the pretending begin.
Human beings are gregarious. We prove this in study after study. We need the esteem of our peers. Some of us appear to want the adoration of the world and are quite disheartened if there are any dissenters. The need for acceptance, esteem, must be balanced by the need for self-acceptance, self-esteem. Our daughters see how the world seems to fawn over Pamela Anderson’s breasts and, despite the public nature of her private life, our daughters fail to see that these same breasts did not resolve the most intimate relationship issues that she faced.
By allowing the issue to be about a girl’s breast not being the “right” size, we side step the primary issue which is they are what they are. A girl is not her breasts nor do they define any aspect of her other than themselves as breasts. How can adults who cannot do this for themselves find it within them to do so for their daughters? They achieve this feat by behaving like parents.
I remember several occasions when I was a teenager that my own mother reminded me, “I am not your friend, I am your mother!” I recall thinking to myself that it was certainly true because no friend would treat me the way she did. We were both quite correct. Teenage friends are unlikely to tell you the truth when it is to their disadvantage to do so. Teenage friendships can be tenuous because they are fleeting, often based on the consensus of several minds wildly in flux. Friends are selected by criteria and change or growth can mean the end of the relationship. Parents promote growth and stay for the good, the bad and the 2 am phone call to come pick you up because your friend took off without you phone call.
These are the same minds that too often confuse the dependence of infancy for love. The girl, who fails to find her own self-esteem and is dissatisfied with her perception of the esteem of others, seeks to create a person who will fill this need. The result is too often teen pregnancy. How quickly does the girl who thought she would have a baby so someone would love exclusively her discover the egocentric world her in which her baby lives? The teenage mind no matter how bright, no matter how precocious is still an immature mind subjugated by the ebb and flow of estrogen and testosterone.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Life is always hard. “Everybody” is never going to like you. And, Elvis really is dead. What corrupts the innocence of childhood is the fact of life. We are all compelled to move forward from the fantasy to the reality. When the teenage mind recognizes this shift occurring and attempts to rationalize it, you end up with things like wearing pale white makeup, jet black hair and the monotone recital of death dirges formatted as haikus. The guidance of an adult mind, the parental mind, can make that journey from the fantasy of childhood to wonder of reality. The world that we live in has more magic than any concocted or na"ive version of it could ever have.
In short, (I know, it’s a little late for that) consider the lily. Then, let’s consider our daughters and let them know the true beauty and wonder that they are … just as they are.
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Lead researcher, Wolfgang Winkelmayer, said ‘We found strong evidence to refute speculation that coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension in women.
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Many women place a great deal of trust and faith in their doctors. Naturally, they expect their doctor to have their interests at heart and to facilitate a treatment regimen that will benefit the patient and hopefully cure them of what ails them. Sadly, this is not always the case. Many doctors have special relationships with pharmaceutical companies, and in some cases it is suspected that they receive kickbacks for promoting new products. The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in your health. They are in the business of making money, not of curing illness. No illness = no profits. Take what your doctor says with a grain of salt…or perhaps some vitamin C.
This is not to suggest that all doctors are of this mindset, but a great many are. They, too, are in the business of making money. They issue of central importance is your health and wellbeing. The pharmaceutical industry seems to try to create new classes of conditions with each passing quarter. Menopause is not an illness. It is not a disease. Menopause is naturally occurring maturation process that affects women from all walks of life. It is a natural part of the aging process, and natural process is deserving of a natural treatment. Women have found ways to cope with the side effects of Menopause, long before modern medicine tried to turn it into yet another illness to be treated with expensive and potentially dangerous drugs.
There are a number of natural ways to deal with the effects of menopause. Explore your options. Vitamin E is very effective at easing the effects of Menopause. Vitamin B6 works by increasing your body’s natural progesterone production. It also boosts your serotonin production, thereby inducing a sense of calm. Try some Evening Primrose Oil to help alleviate headaches, irritability, cramping, and water retention. It is recommended that you explore every natural treatment option, before you compromise your health further with unnecessary drug therapies. Educate yourself. Your body will thank you for it!
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The majority people don’t know that there is good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Unfortunately, those efforts to provide an easy explanation of cholesterol measurement actually misrepresent it. Improving your own HDL-to-LDL ratio practice exercise regularly, jogging, walking and eating balanced diet food that is low fat foods. The main factors in changing your body's LDL /HDL ratio in your favor. Losing weight can also helpful. There is proof that alcohol, in control, can have some small beneficial effect in raising HDL levels.
A variety of things can affect cholesterol levels and controlling method. Diet. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food make your blood cholesterol level go up. Saturated fat is the main problem, but cholesterol in foods also matters. Reducing the quantity of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet helps lower your blood cholesterol level. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease. It also tends to increase your cholesterol.
Cholesterol-lowering medications are more effectual when combined with diet. Thus they are meant to supplement, not restore, a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet. Summary of diet guidelines for lowering high blood cholesterol levels, eat less high-fat food (especially those high in saturated fat) and replace part of the saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat. Eat less high-cholesterol food choose foods high in complex carbohydrates with starch and fiber. Reduce your weight; if you are overweight it is must to control cholesterol.
Cholesterol diary follows the results helps to control it. In Medical news items are relevant to treatment of High Cholesterol: Herbal drug, gugulipid, may render some prescription drugs ineffective. And weight loss drug, orlistat, proves itself in experiments. Treatments of High Cholesterol don’t eat some red meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can raise your blood cholesterol; you do not need to stop eating it or any other single food. But red meat is a significant source of protein, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.
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Acupuncture is a medical practice that is thousands of years old. It originated in Asia. Throughout the country of China, there are many different theories and ways of practicing. As time passes, more and more of this information is being translated and practiced in the Western World.
Needles are a major factor in acupuncture. The needles used in acupuncture are not the large size syringes that people are familiar with from their doctor’s office. These are solid needles that are about the size of a dressmaker’s pin and smaller.
Energy, or qi, flows throughout the body. Qi concentrates its flow through major pathways, called channels or meridians. On each channel are points where qi can be manipulated by a skilled practitioner. These are the places the acupuncturist chooses to needle.
Through the choice of points to needle, a practitioner can balance the body’s qi and thereby alleviate the symptoms of disease or illness. In order to make lasting change, the patient must have a series of treatments. The body becomes habituated to certain imbalances and though the patient may feel better after a treatment to correct this, it is natural for the body to go back to its familiar way of being. This may explain why acute problems, such as an injury, generally respond more quickly to acupuncture treatments than long term ailments.
After the needles are inserted, the patient can expect to lie on the table with the needles for about twenty to thirty minutes. In some cases, this will be longer. During this time, there is rarely any discomfort. It can be a very relaxing time for the patient. After this rest, the acupuncturist will remove the needles and perhaps do a bit of massage if there is a painful area. They will make recommendations about when the patient should return and any other types of treatments that may be beneficial to the patient.
Acupuncture has few side effects and these are typically limited to bruising in the local area. Some patients will feel tired after a treatment but this is typically because they are in a greater state of relaxation than their body is used to. Some other patients feel energized. Most people feel a sense of well being, though there are those who feel little change after the first couple of treatments. Rarely does someone feel worse and often that is only a temporary worsening of symptoms and then greater relief sets in.
Although acupuncture isn’t a one time treatment and it does take commitment to continue going for acupuncture treatments, it is a safe, effective and gentle method of healing.
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Just how widespread is the problem? The National Institutes of Health has determined that, over the last thirty years, the number of young people with weight problems has increased two fold. Interestingly enough, the problem is affecting children of all ages as well as children from all ethnic groups.
Children who are overweight may not develop socially as fast as their peers. They can become loners, finding it difficult to make friends. They may think that their weight is beyond their control and they may not know what to do in order to attempt to prevent weight gain. In essence, obese children can become our lost generation.
The parents of these children may not realize how detrimental obesity is to their children’s emotional health. They may consider the obesity just a passing phase and they may not understand the psychological devastation that obesity can cause. They may even dismiss the concerns of their children, hoping that the problem will simply go away.
The causes of childhood obesity can be complex. However, there do appear to be a few identifiable triggers. For instance, many families now eat on the run because of their many commitments. Parents may not think they have time to prepare nutritious meals for their children, so they rely on fast food and sugary snacks to fill in the gaps. As a result, children end up eating a diet that’s rich in fat and sugar but which offers little in the way of nutritional value. According to the American Obesity Association, one third of parents believe their children’s dietary habits are worse than theirs were during their own childhoods.
Another key problem is inactivity. Children watch more than a full day’s worth of television each week. That’s in addition to the hours they devote to their computers. As a result, they’re not playing outside as much as children of generations past. Also, many children may feel as if they cannot participate in sports because of their weight. Feeling defeated before they even start, they pass up opportunities to engage in physical activities.
It has been shown that children tend to be heavily influenced by advertising. Unfortunately, many commercials tout foods that can be best classified as unhealthy. Children crave what they see on TV and in movie theaters and they may not realize what these foods will do to their bodies.
Luckily, childhood obesity can be successfully conquered. Here are a few tips to help your child overcome a weight problem:
o Encourage your child to take part in sports or dance. If your son or daughter is self-conscious about being a part of a team, exercise with him or her. Take out a ball and shoot a few hoops or turn on the stereo and begin to dance. You may be surprised that, with just a little encouragement, your child will get up and start moving.
o Consider limiting TV time. Research clearly shows that TV time is unproductive time for children and teens. If your children spend less time watching TV, they may spend more time exercising.
o Ban junk food from your home. With a little push, children will become accustomed to eating healthy snacks such as fruit and vegetables.
o Check with your child’s pediatrician to see if he or she can recommend some specific weight control strategies.
Childhood obesity is a problem, but it is not insurmountable. The greater the interest you show in your child’s diet and exercise regimen, the more influence you will have over your child. In time, your child can learn the strategies necessary for a healthy life.
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ASHMI
The mixture consists of the extracts of three herbs, and is called the anti-asthma herbal medicine intervention (ASHMI). ASHMI is a simplified version of a 14-herb medication used to treat asthma in Chinese hospitals.
First Controlled Study
It is the first time a controlled study has shown Chinese herbal medicine proving as effective as a corticosteroid for aiding asthma patients. The study was conducted on over 90 patients who were given either oral ASHMI, prednisone, or a placebo.
After four weeks, both the ASHMI and prednisone groups showed significant lung function improvement. There was a slight, but still measurable, greater improvement in the prednisone group.
Doesn't Impair Adrenal Function
ASHMI, however, unlike prednisone, also has the benefit of having no negative effects on adrenal function.
References:
Dr. Mercola's Comment:There aren't many things that are important to do in life, but one of them for sure is breathing and when you can't get a full breath it is a major problem.
That is in large part why asthma can be such a frightening and frustrating condition, it's no wonder people will try anything -- including a toxic drug -- to stop it. Although steroids clearly work for asthma and many other conditions, they do so at great risk to your health.
Aside from their considerable toxicities though, steroids in no way shape or form treat the underlying cause which, if left untreated, will continue to devastate your health.
Although most supplements also fall into the category of not treating the underlying cause, especially herbs, they are typically far less toxic.It appearsthis novel natural, plant-based compoundwill prove to befar saferthan dangerousthe corticosteroid drug prednisone.
But if you're looking to reduce your dependence on any asthma crutch, here aresome simple lifestyle changes you can make:- Eat a healthy diet, being especially careful to reduce or avoid sugar, fruit juices, most grains and pasteurized dairy products.
- Replacing commercial milk with raw milk from grass-fed cows is also usually well tolerated and highly health promoting. However, even raw milk may worsen asthma so you will need to be careful here.
- Include generous amounts of omega-3 fats in your diet. I find Carlson fish oil and cod liver oil to be one of the most superior brands available as it conforms to the strictest guidelines for purity and freshness.
Please remember that for most Americans we are now in the cod liver oil time of year, as we simply don't have access to enough sunshine on our bare skin to help us produce vitamin D.
Important NEW Information About Cod Liver Oil Capsules
You have to be VERY cautious about using cod liver oil capsules. If for some reason you are not using the more economical liquid you need to understand that most brands of cod liver oil capsules can provide excessive doses of vitamin A (unlike the liquid) that can cause you a problem if you take dose in the 10-15 capsules per day that you will need to meet your omega-3 needs.
I reviewed this issue with Carlson and they were able to develop a low vitamin A cod liver oil capsule that won't get you into trouble. Interestingly they also taste great if you chew on them, almost like candy and I frequently chew them as a treat in the winter.
SO when you take cod liver oil if you feel you need to take the capsules the choice is very clear. Get Carlson's low vitamin A. If you can't find them we do have them in our store for your convenience.
For more severe and resistant cases of asthma, allergy skin testing can be appropriate. Traditional allergy treatments are one of medicine's safer and better approaches; however it has great room for improvement.
Additional Asthma Alternatives
My experience with conventional allergy testing, whether done through the blood (RAST) or skin is that only 20 percent to 30 percent of patients do exceptionally well with it. It is also highly inconvenient, as patients need to go to the doctor's office every week for months or years. It clearly does not work for the majority of patients.
For the past several years, I have been using a much improved version of this testing, which is taught by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, called Provocation Neutralization (PN). The success rate for this approach is in the 80 percent to 90 percent range and patients can receive their treatment at home.by
Latest technology complementary and supportive products are achieving remarkable results.
A leading firm of clinical consultants who have been contracting to Medical Aid Funds to manage approximately 6 500 persons living with HIV/AIDS on an ongoing basis for many years, reports as follows:
"We are contracted to render HIV disease management services to numerous patients of several medical schemes. We have been using Phytogard as an immune booster for the past 4 years with exceptional results. Some patients are currently controlled on Phytogard alone and maintain or improve their CD4 counts while reducing Viral Loads. Five of our contracted medical schemes are funding the inclusion of Phytogard in our disease management protocols." The success of Phytogard is mainly due to Foodstate*tm technology. For the first time in history specialised vitamin and mineral combinations are presented to the body as food. Utility is improved by up to 15 times compared to chelated chemical isolates and inorganics.
The unique, synergistic and cost-efficient combination of ingredients in Phytogard has been developed in collaboration with leading laboratories from all over the world. They consist of vitamins A and B12, Selenium and Zinc, all in Foodstate*tm form, n-Acetyl Cysteine, Betasitosterols and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
These products can add significant value to complementary health services worldwide.
For more information, please contact Jan Greeff in Barberton, South Africa Tel. +2713 712 2436 e-mail to grewe@absamail.co.za SMS only to +278 454 838 90 or visitby Jan Greeff
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