In This Issue:
Antioxidants Play a Key Role in Eye Health
By Al Sears, MD
Are you in danger of losing your eyesight as you age? Over 25% of Americans over 65 
have macular degeneration. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects more Americans than glaucoma and cataracts combined. As you grow older, your risk increases dramatically.
AMD is a deterioration of a portion of the retina. The retina is the backside of the eye. It records images and sends them to the brain. The central portion of the retina is the macula.
The macula plays major roles in these features of vision:
- Focusing vision
- Recognizing colors
- Recognizing faces
- Reading
- Driving a car
- Seeing fine details
In AMD, this critical structure of vision is gradually destroyed. There are two types of macular degeneration: “wet” and “dry.” “Dry” macular degeneration makes up about 90% of all cases. A yellow substance called drusen collects under the macula. The drusen thins and dries the macula, causing deterioration.
“Wet” macular degeneration affects only a minority of people suffering from AMD. In this case, blood vessels grow abnormally under the macula. These blood vessels eventually leak. The macula bulges, causing vision loss.
Vision loss from AMD dramatically increases with age. It may start as mildly blurred vision. From there, the disease escalates. Straight lines or sentences appear wavy. It becomes difficult to see objects from far away. Fine detail is lost. The ability to distinguish color is gone. Eventually, whole areas of vision disappear.
But there is hope. There are supplements that you can use to maintain healthy eyes.
CoQ10. One of the most powerful nutrients I prescribe to my patients is CoQ10. It’s already well known for its heart and brain benefits… and now the news just got better.
A recent study out of Columbia University shows that CoQ10 can also have a profound effect on your eye health.
The study, published this year, showed that CoQ10 levels in your retina fall 40 percent by the time you reach 80. 1 And it suggested a link to lower CoQ10 and the overall health of the macula.
The authors of the study showed that lower levels of CoQ10 meant your retina may not produce enough energy to regenerate — or to protect itself from free radical damage.
Three other potent eye nutrients are vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin.
The latest research confirms this trio’s vision-protecting power. In a study published this year, researchers in Japan gave blood tests to more than 700 people aged 65 and up. 2 Those with the highest levels of these three eyesight warriors appear to have overall better eye health.
A 2008 Australian study of over 3,600 people made a similar discovery. People who got a lot of all three nutrients through diet or supplements had better eye health than those who had lower levels. 3
Guess what these vision boosters all have in common? They’re powerful antioxidants.
It makes sense if you think about it. Your eyes are among the most delicate, complex organs in your body. They work full-time… from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night. They’re also under constant strain from inside and outside forces, including:
- UVB rays
- Free radicals and oxygen molecules
- Dust, particles, and pollutants
They need a nonstop supply of key nutrients to stay healthy.
CoQ10 happens to be the strongest antioxidant in Nature. So it’s no surprise your eyes may very well need it.
To give your eyes (and the rest of your vital organs) the power they need, I recommend that you take at least 50 mg of the ubiquinol form of CoQ10 daily. It’s 8 times more powerful than the ubiquinone CoQ10 that most supermarkets sell.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
References
- Jinfeng et al. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2009. 50:1814-1818.
- Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009. 18(1):1-7.
- Tan et al. Ophthalmology. 2008. 115(2):334-41.
[ Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs. He has written over 500 articles and 7 books in the fields of alternative medicine, anti-aging, and nutritional supplementation . To get more information on vision health, go towww.alsearsmd.com.]
Does Your CoQ10 Really Work?
Dr. Al Sears says: “If You’re Taking the Wrong Kind,
You May Be Wasting Your Money!”
The many health benefits of taking Coenzyme Q10 are already well established… Yet many patients I talk to in my practice tell me they don’t feel any different after they start taking CoQ10.
When they show me the bottle, I immediately know why.
As it happens, most of the CoQ10 they are taking never makes it to their cells where it can do the most good.
In fact, most people over 50 have a hard time converting CoQ10 into its usable form. The lion’s share of the valuable CoQ10 enzyme disappears - making it impossible to give your cells the protection and nourishment they need.
Fortunately, I’ve found a simple way to solve this problem forever …
Get the most powerful, most effective form of CoQ10 on the planet - NOW!
Green Living:
From City to Farm - Becoming Self Sufficient
By Barbara H. Peterson
Becoming self-sufficient is not only the prudent thing to do, but it is also a rewardingjourney full of adventure and hope, that lasts a lifetime and provides a sense of accomplishment that nothing else quite compares to. Being able to go out your back door and pick fresh tomatoes that you have grown yourself instead of going to the nearest grocery store for veggies that have traveled for miles across country is a source of pride for us country folk.
So, let’s talk about this exciting adventure, but before we do, I would like you to think about this:
What if you woke up in the morning to discover that your bank account had been wiped out, your cupboard contained food for only a week or so, the electric bill was due as well as the mortgage payment, car payment, and credit card bills? What do you do?
The time to think about such things is before they happen, when you have time to learn new skills and prepare. Therefore, let’s discuss the path to self-sufficiency, one step at a time.
Food, shelter, water, and heat. We cannot do without these four things.
Therefore, learn to grow your own food now, as there is a learning curve that cannot be mastered overnight. If you are in an apartment, start growing tomatoes in upside down containers and hang them in front of a window. Plant herbs in pots and create trellises on your patio for squash. Soon, you will start to get the hang of it, and might even notice that your thumbs are getting a bit green. Learn the basics of food storage, as you will need these skills to keep your stored food from going bad. (I’ll give you some easy-to-use tips in my next article.)
Next, plan for a shelter where you can live without a mortgage payment or an electric bill. With the economy the way it is, land and home prices are going down. Try to get a piece of property with enough land to grow and store at least a year’s supply of food and to house a goat and some chickens or geese. Goat milk is highly nutritional, and you can make cheese from it. Chickens and geese will provide you with a daily supply of fresh eggs.
This property should either have a well that is shallow enough to use a solar water pump, or have a surface water supply. Good soil is a plus, but you can always condition the soil with organic matter such as manure, cut vegetation, and leftover veggies from the table. Raised garden beds are excellent for containing good soil.
Plan to go off the grid with a free energy source such as solar or wind power, as this will supply you with unlimited free energy without a monthly bill.
Once your home is hooked up to a free energy source, your heating and cooling issues are taken care of. The amount of electricity you can use depends on the number of solar panels you have, your battery back-up system, and/or the size of your wind generator.
Some other things you can do to prepare are:
- Purchase a used vehicle and pay cash. You now have a car without payments.
- Pay off your credit cards. Late payments incur charges that will quickly lead to an increase in the balance of your loan that will become impossible to deal with.
The time to prepare to become self-sufficient is now, before a crisis hits. We need to become more independent and wean ourselves from going to the grocery store every other day and shopping for things we simply cannot afford. By becoming more self-sufficient, we not only become healthier and stronger, but better prepared to meet any financial crisis.
[ Ed. Note: Barbara lives on a small ranch in Oregon with her husband, where they raise geese, chickens, horses, Oggie Dog, a variety of cats, and an opinionated Macaw named Rita. Barbara believes that self-sufficiency and localization of food sources is necessary to survive the coming depression. To this end, she hopes that sharing information with others of like mind will lead to a brighter future where people reach out to each other and form small communities in which food is grown locally, and trade is established between neighbors. For more of Barbara's tips on sustainable living, click here now.]
There is a natural, health-promoting substance that costs nothing and has been PROVEN TO PROTECT AND CURE you from cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
And that’s not all…
This substance has also been shown to improve brain function, reduce falls in the elderly, strengthen your bones, improve your immunity, reduce cholesterol and normalize blood pressure, boost your mood and fight depression.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most powerful healing substances known to man. And yet, because it is free, it is also one of the most under-publicized.
That is why Total Health Breakthroughs contributors Jon Herring and Dr. Al Sears painstakingly researched and compiled all the available evidence about this discovery.
So click here and learn how to tell if your body has a deficiency of this amazing compound … how much of it you need…what it can do for you, and how it works to heal your body…
Click here now.
Healthy Recipes:
Walnut Broccoli Stir Fry
By Laura LaValle, RD, LD
This healthy and simple low-carb stir-fry can be prepared in just a few minutes. Thewalnuts add so much flavor and fiber that you won’t miss the rice. To make preparation even easier, cut your vegetables the night before or buy pre-cut veggies.
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves: 5
Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Good source of iron, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folate, magnesium
Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, manganese
Ingredients*
1 lb. firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 T. grapeseed oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup walnut halves
1 T. cornstarch
3 T. tamari soy sauce (wheat-free)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition.
Preparation
Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add salt, broccoli and carrots and boil one minute. Drain and reserve the liquid. In large frying pan or wok, sauté onions in oil until soft. Add mushrooms and walnut halves. Increase heat to medium-high and add carrots, broccoli and tofu. Stir-fry until heated through. To the reserved vegetable stock add the cornstarch, tamari sauce and black pepper. Pour over vegetable mixture and cook until bubbling hot and sauce is thickened.
Nutrition
285 calories, 13 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 21 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 15 g polyunsaturated fat, 6 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 7724 IU vitamin A, .15 mg thiamin, .16 mg riboflavin, 1.9 mg niacin, .6 mg pantothenic acid, .28 mg vitamin B-6, 55 mcg folate, 32 mg vitamin C, 1.9 mg vitamin E, 74 mg calcium, .45 mg copper, 2.2 mg iron, 53 mg magnesium, .91 mg manganese, 403 mg potassium, 3.6 mg selenium, 881 mg sodium, 1 mg zinc
[ Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute. Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet - containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body's chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace. To learn more click here now.]
In This Issue:
Antioxidants Play a Key Role in Eye Health
By Al Sears, MD
Are you in danger of losing your eyesight as you age? Over 25% of Americans over 65
have macular degeneration. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects more Americans than glaucoma and cataracts combined. As you grow older, your risk increases dramatically.
AMD is a deterioration of a portion of the retina. The retina is the backside of the eye. It records images and sends them to the brain. The central portion of the retina is the macula.
The macula plays major roles in these features of vision:
In AMD, this critical structure of vision is gradually destroyed. There are two types of macular degeneration: “wet” and “dry.” “Dry” macular degeneration makes up about 90% of all cases. A yellow substance called drusen collects under the macula. The drusen thins and dries the macula, causing deterioration.
“Wet” macular degeneration affects only a minority of people suffering from AMD. In this case, blood vessels grow abnormally under the macula. These blood vessels eventually leak. The macula bulges, causing vision loss.
Vision loss from AMD dramatically increases with age. It may start as mildly blurred vision. From there, the disease escalates. Straight lines or sentences appear wavy. It becomes difficult to see objects from far away. Fine detail is lost. The ability to distinguish color is gone. Eventually, whole areas of vision disappear.
But there is hope. There are supplements that you can use to maintain healthy eyes.
CoQ10. One of the most powerful nutrients I prescribe to my patients is CoQ10. It’s already well known for its heart and brain benefits… and now the news just got better.
A recent study out of Columbia University shows that CoQ10 can also have a profound effect on your eye health.
The study, published this year, showed that CoQ10 levels in your retina fall 40 percent by the time you reach 80. 1 And it suggested a link to lower CoQ10 and the overall health of the macula.
The authors of the study showed that lower levels of CoQ10 meant your retina may not produce enough energy to regenerate — or to protect itself from free radical damage.
Three other potent eye nutrients are vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin.
The latest research confirms this trio’s vision-protecting power. In a study published this year, researchers in Japan gave blood tests to more than 700 people aged 65 and up. 2 Those with the highest levels of these three eyesight warriors appear to have overall better eye health.
A 2008 Australian study of over 3,600 people made a similar discovery. People who got a lot of all three nutrients through diet or supplements had better eye health than those who had lower levels. 3
Guess what these vision boosters all have in common? They’re powerful antioxidants.
It makes sense if you think about it. Your eyes are among the most delicate, complex organs in your body. They work full-time… from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night. They’re also under constant strain from inside and outside forces, including:
They need a nonstop supply of key nutrients to stay healthy.
CoQ10 happens to be the strongest antioxidant in Nature. So it’s no surprise your eyes may very well need it.
To give your eyes (and the rest of your vital organs) the power they need, I recommend that you take at least 50 mg of the ubiquinol form of CoQ10 daily. It’s 8 times more powerful than the ubiquinone CoQ10 that most supermarkets sell.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
References
[ Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs. He has written over 500 articles and 7 books in the fields of alternative medicine, anti-aging, and nutritional supplementation . To get more information on vision health, go towww.alsearsmd.com.]
Does Your CoQ10 Really Work?
Dr. Al Sears says: “If You’re Taking the Wrong Kind,
You May Be Wasting Your Money!”
The many health benefits of taking Coenzyme Q10 are already well established… Yet many patients I talk to in my practice tell me they don’t feel any different after they start taking CoQ10.
When they show me the bottle, I immediately know why.
As it happens, most of the CoQ10 they are taking never makes it to their cells where it can do the most good.
In fact, most people over 50 have a hard time converting CoQ10 into its usable form. The lion’s share of the valuable CoQ10 enzyme disappears - making it impossible to give your cells the protection and nourishment they need.
Fortunately, I’ve found a simple way to solve this problem forever …
Get the most powerful, most effective form of CoQ10 on the planet - NOW!
From City to Farm - Becoming Self Sufficient
By Barbara H. Peterson
Becoming self-sufficient is not only the prudent thing to do, but it is also a rewardingjourney full of adventure and hope, that lasts a lifetime and provides a sense of accomplishment that nothing else quite compares to. Being able to go out your back door and pick fresh tomatoes that you have grown yourself instead of going to the nearest grocery store for veggies that have traveled for miles across country is a source of pride for us country folk.
So, let’s talk about this exciting adventure, but before we do, I would like you to think about this:
What if you woke up in the morning to discover that your bank account had been wiped out, your cupboard contained food for only a week or so, the electric bill was due as well as the mortgage payment, car payment, and credit card bills? What do you do?
The time to think about such things is before they happen, when you have time to learn new skills and prepare. Therefore, let’s discuss the path to self-sufficiency, one step at a time.
Food, shelter, water, and heat. We cannot do without these four things.
Therefore, learn to grow your own food now, as there is a learning curve that cannot be mastered overnight. If you are in an apartment, start growing tomatoes in upside down containers and hang them in front of a window. Plant herbs in pots and create trellises on your patio for squash. Soon, you will start to get the hang of it, and might even notice that your thumbs are getting a bit green. Learn the basics of food storage, as you will need these skills to keep your stored food from going bad. (I’ll give you some easy-to-use tips in my next article.)
Next, plan for a shelter where you can live without a mortgage payment or an electric bill. With the economy the way it is, land and home prices are going down. Try to get a piece of property with enough land to grow and store at least a year’s supply of food and to house a goat and some chickens or geese. Goat milk is highly nutritional, and you can make cheese from it. Chickens and geese will provide you with a daily supply of fresh eggs.
This property should either have a well that is shallow enough to use a solar water pump, or have a surface water supply. Good soil is a plus, but you can always condition the soil with organic matter such as manure, cut vegetation, and leftover veggies from the table. Raised garden beds are excellent for containing good soil.
Plan to go off the grid with a free energy source such as solar or wind power, as this will supply you with unlimited free energy without a monthly bill.
Once your home is hooked up to a free energy source, your heating and cooling issues are taken care of. The amount of electricity you can use depends on the number of solar panels you have, your battery back-up system, and/or the size of your wind generator.
Some other things you can do to prepare are:
The time to prepare to become self-sufficient is now, before a crisis hits. We need to become more independent and wean ourselves from going to the grocery store every other day and shopping for things we simply cannot afford. By becoming more self-sufficient, we not only become healthier and stronger, but better prepared to meet any financial crisis.
[ Ed. Note: Barbara lives on a small ranch in Oregon with her husband, where they raise geese, chickens, horses, Oggie Dog, a variety of cats, and an opinionated Macaw named Rita. Barbara believes that self-sufficiency and localization of food sources is necessary to survive the coming depression. To this end, she hopes that sharing information with others of like mind will lead to a brighter future where people reach out to each other and form small communities in which food is grown locally, and trade is established between neighbors. For more of Barbara's tips on sustainable living, click here now.]
There is a natural, health-promoting substance that costs nothing and has been PROVEN TO PROTECT AND CURE you from cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
And that’s not all…
This substance has also been shown to improve brain function, reduce falls in the elderly, strengthen your bones, improve your immunity, reduce cholesterol and normalize blood pressure, boost your mood and fight depression.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most powerful healing substances known to man. And yet, because it is free, it is also one of the most under-publicized.
That is why Total Health Breakthroughs contributors Jon Herring and Dr. Al Sears painstakingly researched and compiled all the available evidence about this discovery.
So click here and learn how to tell if your body has a deficiency of this amazing compound … how much of it you need…what it can do for you, and how it works to heal your body…
Click here now.
Walnut Broccoli Stir Fry
By Laura LaValle, RD, LD
This healthy and simple low-carb stir-fry can be prepared in just a few minutes. Thewalnuts add so much flavor and fiber that you won’t miss the rice. To make preparation even easier, cut your vegetables the night before or buy pre-cut veggies.
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves: 5
Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Good source of iron, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folate, magnesium
Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, manganese
Ingredients*
1 lb. firm tofu, drained and cubed
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 T. grapeseed oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup walnut halves
1 T. cornstarch
3 T. tamari soy sauce (wheat-free)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition.
Preparation
Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add salt, broccoli and carrots and boil one minute. Drain and reserve the liquid. In large frying pan or wok, sauté onions in oil until soft. Add mushrooms and walnut halves. Increase heat to medium-high and add carrots, broccoli and tofu. Stir-fry until heated through. To the reserved vegetable stock add the cornstarch, tamari sauce and black pepper. Pour over vegetable mixture and cook until bubbling hot and sauce is thickened.
Nutrition
285 calories, 13 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 21 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 15 g polyunsaturated fat, 6 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 7724 IU vitamin A, .15 mg thiamin, .16 mg riboflavin, 1.9 mg niacin, .6 mg pantothenic acid, .28 mg vitamin B-6, 55 mcg folate, 32 mg vitamin C, 1.9 mg vitamin E, 74 mg calcium, .45 mg copper, 2.2 mg iron, 53 mg magnesium, .91 mg manganese, 403 mg potassium, 3.6 mg selenium, 881 mg sodium, 1 mg zinc
[ Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute. Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet - containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body's chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace. To learn more click here now.]