• Maintain healthy thyroid function
• Ward off arthritis
• Slow the aging process
• Fight cancer

Men should be especially concerned about getting enough selenium. It’s the prostate’s best defense against cancer.

Two studies – one an eight-year clinical trial – found that supplementing with selenium led to a 50 percent drop in the risk of prostate cancer.

My own research suggests that selenium combined with vitamin E provides even more protection against prostate cancer. And my findings have been backed up by two studies which reported that vitamin E and selenium proved more powerful at slowing prostate cancer cell growth than either on their own.

All men should be taking 200 mcg of selenium and at least 200 IU of vitamin E daily. Foods that are rich in this mineral include organ meats, garlic, fish, and nuts. (A single Brazil nut contains 100 micrograms of selenium.) Olive oil, almonds, peanuts, spinach, and avocados are great sources of vitamin E.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is also a nutritional expert, a fitness expert, and is certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears's practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting www.alsearsmd.com.

For more expert recommendations on how to feel better and live longer, check out ETR's FREE natural health newsletter.]

Each time your cells divide, they copy your DNA to make the new cell. But the telomeres – the sections of DNA at both ends of a chromosome – get shorter with every copy. And the shorter your telomeres are, the “older” the cell acts.

Once the telomeres get to their shortest length, your cells can no longer divide, and damaged or diseased cells aren’t replaced. This causes a chain reaction that weakens your tissues and organs. And that can only lead to disease… and, ultimately, death.

Fortunately, there are some ways to start to slow down the rate at which your telomeres are shortening right now…

1. Lower your homocysteine levels. According to a report in the journal Atherosclerosis,high levels of this amino acid can shorten your telomeres as much as 3 times faster.

I help my patients lower their homocysteine levels by having them supplement daily with the following:

• Vitamin B12 – 500 mcg
• Folic acid – 800 mcg
• Vitamin B6 – 25 mg
• Riboflavin (B2) – 25 mg
• TMG (trimethylglycine) – 500 mg

You can find these supplements at your local health food store. If you don’t want to take them all separately, you can use the same formula I give my patients.

2. Take vitamin C. This inexpensive supplement is a powerful antioxidant. And recent studies – including one reported in the journal Life Sciences - show it can slow telomere shortening by over 50 percent. I recommend 2,000 mg per day to my patients.

3. Take SOD. Besides protecting your cells from the damage of toxins and stress, SOD (superoxide dismutase) has been shown to slow the rate of telomere shortening. I recommend 500 mg a day. You can find it at your local health food store. Or you can check out my formula, which contains SOD as well as other potent cell protectors.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is also a nutritional expert, a fitness expert, and is certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears's practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting www.alsearsmd.com.

For more expert recommendations on how to feel better and live longer, check out ETR's FREE natural health newsletter.]

The Language Perfectionist: A Multitude of Misuses

By Don Hauptman

Here’s another compilation of errors, all spotted during my routine reading of various print publications:

• “There’s only one institution capable of holding these leaders’ feet to the fire: the national press corp.”
  The correct word here is not corp., an abbreviation of corporation, but corps (pronounced “core”) – a group of people acting under direction, as in Marine Corps.

• Letter to Editor I: “Children these days are taught that simply trying your best at an activity is all that is needed to enjoy the spoils of victory, regardless of the true outcome. These lessons are re-enforced when adults are insulated from the consequences of their actions… .”
  The writer probably isn’t referring to a police activity, so he should have used the word reinforced.

• Letter to Editor II: “Having just come back from Disney World for the third time since November, I can tell you the decrease in attendance is a myth… me thinks the mouse is crying ‘wolf.’”
  Unless the writer is Tarzan or Frankenstein’s monster, he meant to say methinks, an archaic form of “I think” or “It seems to me” that, nowadays, is used only in a jocular fashion.

• Ad headline: “Graphics Auction Event of the Decade (To Be Offered in Bulk or Piece Meal Basis)”
  Piecemeal – like methinks – is one word, not two.

• “You have two 15-year-olds mashing in the back seat of the car – who’s the criminal here? Do we really need Big Brother to decide whether or not that needs to be judiciously pursued?”The word judicious means prudent, exhibiting good judgment. It’s possible that this is what the quoted speaker meant, but my hunch is that she thought the word has something to do with the judicial system. The correct word in this context is legally.

Note that the above are most likely not simple typos but rather what I call “errors of ignorance” – mistakes that neither the writers nor their editors caught.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

Over-the-counter drugs only relieve symptoms. They don’t get rid of the viral infection causing them.

Instead of relying on over-the-counter drugs, keep yourself from getting sick in the first place. A lot of people think there is nothing you can do to stave off the common cold. But in my practice, we’ve proven that’s not true. You can, for example:

• Take vitamin C. You should take 500 mg a day of this potent antioxidant consistently. If you feel a cold coming on, increase that to 1,000 mg. This old standby really is one of your body’s best immune defenses – if you take enough. The recommended daily allowance of 60 mg a day will do nothing.

• Use Echinacea, an herb that Native Americans have been using for centuries. While it’s a strong immune booster, it’s best not to take it regularly. Drink one to two cups of Echinacea tea a day during cold and flu season. You can also take Echinacea capsules, 500 mg a day – but I prefer the tea.

• Try Goldenseal, another Native American plant. This is a strong bacterial fighter, including the bacteria that cause strep throat. You can find powdered Goldenseal in capsule form at most health food stores. Gargle a solution of Goldenseal and water at the first sign of a sore throat. Use 100 mg three times a day. 

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is also a nutritional expert, a fitness expert, and is certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears's practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting www.alsearsmd.com.

For more expert recommendations on how to feel better and live longer, check out ETR's FREE natural health newsletter.]

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[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. ETRhealthconcerns He is also a nutritional expert, a fitness expert and board certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears' practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting www.alsearsmd.com.

For more expert recommendations on how to feel better and live longer, check out ETR's FREE natural health newsletter.]

He was diagnosed last year with a malignant “glioma,” a kind of brain cancer specifically considered a risk for cellphone users.

Should you be worried?

The truth is, cellphones have not been around long enough to give us the kind of long-term studies we really need to know for sure.

And the research is conflicting. Some studies show no increased risk. So I’m not ready to tell my readers and patients that cellphones definitely cause cancer. The FDA says, “The available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are associated with using wireless phones.” But they then add, “There is no proof, however, that wireless phones are absolutely safe.”

Some of the most up-to-date research suggests that there is some cause for concern. Here’s what I know:

• Researchers in Israel found last year that people who used cellphones heavily experienced a 58 percent increase in “parotid tumors” – a cancer of the saliva gland near the ear.

• Another study last year, this one out of Sweden, concluded that cellphone users are 10 times more likely to develop benign cancers of the ear and brain.

• Several animal studies have found that the kind of radiation cellphones use can damage DNA in brain cells. Damaged DNA is one of the things that can turn healthy cells into cancer cells.

Cellphones use microwaves called “radio frequency radiation” (RF) to transmit signals. Their antennae emit most of the RF, and since you’re holding the phone right next to your ear most of the time, a lot of it penetrates the brain – as much as 60 percent, according to some studies.

Depending on the size of your head and the amount of radiation coming from the specific type of phone you use, you may be literally “cooking” your brain. RF energy can potentially cause the temperature of your brain tissue to rise slightly.

To protect yourself from any potential risk from cellphone RF, here are a few guidelines:

• Keep cellphone calls short.

• Go with a “hands-free” headset or a speakerphone. These keep the cellphone from direct contact with your head.

• Don’t carry your cellphone in your chest or hip pocket. Even when in “standby” mode, cellphones continue to emit radiation, exposing whichever part of your body is closest.

• When using a hands-free headset, let the wire extend fully between your head and the phone. This distributes RF in small amounts along the length of your body rather than concentrating it in any one location.

• Look for a phone with “voice-activated” features. These enable you to place calls and perform other commands without having to hold the phone close to your head.

• Use a standard “land line” whenever possible.

• Find out the level of RF emissions for your cellphone. If the level is high, replace the phone.

Cellphones come with emissions ratings known as “SARs” (specific absorption rates). These range from 0.5 to 1.6 W/kg (watts of power absorbed per kilogram of body tissue). Avoid any cellphone that falls within range of that upper limit.

The FDA provides SAR ratings for most kinds of cellphones and other wireless devices online. You’ll need to locate your cellphone’s FCC ID number, which is usually located somewhere on the case of the phone or in the battery compartment.

Meanwhile, my Wellness Research team’s tracked down the SAR ratings for some commonly used cellphones:

Don’t wait for proof positive that cellphone use can harm you. Using my guidelines, take steps right now to protect yourself.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears is a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure. He is also a nutrition expert, a fitness expert, and is board certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Find Dr. Sears's practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 500 of his articles by visiting http://www.alsearsmd.com/ETR/

For more on the latest health breakthroughs - plus healthy recipes, easy exercise routines, and more - check out ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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Melatonin holds not one but nearly half a dozen age-fighters. They can help you look and feel younger longer. And this hormone can protect your cells against deadly diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Today, I’m going to tell you how you can add melatonin safely and easily to your anti-aging program, and why you should.

Boost Your Physique, Energy, and Sexual Performance With This Anti-Aging Supplement

Your body produces melatonin naturally. It’s the main hormone made by your pineal gland. This is a tiny, pea-sized gland at the base of your brain. One of the most important jobs this gland has is regulating your sleep cycle. It works like this: The pineal gland monitors changing light levels throughout the day, and when darkness falls it excretes melatonin to bring on sleep.

For decades, travelers have used melatonin to ease the transition between time zones with great success. But melatonin has other, more important, health-enhancing secrets.

Melatonin is one of the best-studied and most effective anti-aging nutrients available today. Surprised? Don’t be. For one thing, it is one of the only oral supplements that stimulates your body’s release of human growth hormone (HGH). This is the hormone that keeps you young.

In your youth, your body produces lots of HGH. But production slows down as you age. When you reverse this decline, you reverse aging. In fact, studies reported in Grow Young with HGH show that improving HGH levels heightens energy, sexual performance, muscle gain, fat loss, and skin appearance.

And melatonin works well to increase HGH levels even at small oral doses. What’s more, when you double the dose, HGH levels double. No wonder melatonin increases lifespan in study after study.

Bring Your Dying Cells Back to Life

Melatonin is also one of the most potent antioxidants ever discovered. It destroys disease-causing molecules called free radicals at an incredible pace. And it does something most other antioxidants can’t: It stimulates extra antioxidant enzymes that can protect against everything from wrinkles to illness.

One thing that causes aging and the diseases of aging is the death of cells. Your cells depend on their energy powerhouses called mitochondria. If the mitochondria are damaged, you fall victim to conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, even cancer. Protect the mitochondria from damage and you keep millions more cells alive. That means you’ll stay healthy and more youthful.

Melatonin is also quickly gaining a reputation as a cancer killer. In fact, it works so well at blocking tumors that doctors are already using it to treat cancer. And the results are promising. Melatonin enhances the effectiveness of other cancer treatments, reduces side effects of those treatments, and increases survival rates.

Melatonin may do more than just protect your body from aging. Studies show it may actually reverse aging where it matters most: your brain. (After all, what good is a younger looking body if you’re not "all there" to enjoy it?) Studies reported in the journal Neurobiology of Aging have shown that melatonin can reverse aging in the brain tissues of mice. Obviously, that’s not the same thing as reversing brain aging in people. But with all its other benefits, there’s no reason not to try melatonin. And if it helps keep your brain young in the process, so much the better.

Melatonin Helps Stop the Midnight Urge to "Get Up and Go"

Like human growth hormone, natural melatonin levels fall sharply as you age. To give you an idea of how low they get, take a look at this chart:

It’s a drop you can feel. For example, one of the most common complaints I hear from my older patients is that they’re not sleeping as well as they used to. This is often caused by a deficiency of melatonin.

And, as a side benefit, just a couple of milligrams will work wonders for men suffering from prostate trouble. Benign prostatic hyperplasia sufferers find they don’t have to get up and go as often at night when they’re taking melatonin.

Putting Melatonin to Work for You

If you’re over 50, you should think about supplementing with melatonin. There has been no evidence to tarnish its perfect safety record.

I recommend a small anti-aging dose of 0.5 mg at night. For jet lag, take 1 mg for every time zone crossed.
 
If you have cancer, I recommend a much higher "antioxidant dose" of 20 to 40 mg every night before bed. Of course, be sure to discuss this with your doctor first.

You can find melatonin in most health food stores and vitamin shops. It comes in tablet, liquid, and spray form. 
[Ed. Note: It is entirely possible to get a full, restful night's sleep without worrying about scary side effects from sleep aids. Dr. Al Sears - who has been working with sleep disorders for years - has come up with a quick, easy, and natural way for you sleep soundly each night. Sleep better than you have in years.

Sleeping well is one key to staying healthy. In fact, you can improve your health just by making a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle. Learn how to feel better and live longer right here.]

Research – published in Nature – has uncovered a gene that can increase lifespan in laboratory animals by as much as 100 percent. Why should you care about genes in fruit flies, worms, and rats? Well, for starters, we humans carry the same gene. And we are discovering that natural substances found in certain foods have the power to activate it.

Scientists found evidence of this "longevity gene" about 20 years ago. Turns out that if you starve mice, giving them a diet with one-third fewer calories than they would like to eat, their lifespan increases by about 30 percent. Later studies revealed that this effect wasn’t limited to mice: Calorie-restricted diets produced similar results in many life forms, from single-celled organisms to plants and mammals.

Very recently, scientists found an explanation for this mysterious phenomenon: a family of genes called sirtuins ("silent information regulator proteins"). Sirtuins kick in under conditions of severe stress, bringing about an evolutionarily advantageous transformation. They transmit signals to every cell in your body, and the processes that lead to cell death slow to a crawl, buying your body more time to wait out the famine until things improve.

Most people think of genetics as written in stone. You have the genes you inherited, and that’s it. The discovery of sirtuins pointed to another amazing fact: Certain genes can be awakened and called upon to change your body in the course of your lifetime.

You’re probably saying to yourself, "Do I have to starve myself to live longer?" Good point. The problem of how to "wake up" sleeping sirtuin genes had scientists stumped for years. They had to find some other way to flip the aging "off switch."

Benefts of Resveratrol
That’s where certain foods come in… because the natural compound resveratrol has been found to unleash the anti-aging power of sirtuins. Grapes, plums, blueberries, and cranberries contain resveratrol in the highest concentrations. Many other plants produce smaller amounts.

Resveratrol’s power to enhance your life goes beyond anti-aging. Years of research have shown that it combats cancer, ramps up energy levels, limits the inflammation that causes arthritis, and benefits a number of major organs, including the heart, liver, and pancreas. It also has the remarkable capacity to halt cell "malfunctions" that can be lethal, like tumor generation.

As if that weren’t enough, resveratrol acts as a potent antioxidant, binding with "free radicals," the molecules that cause cell damage and lead to death over time.

The list of resveratrol’s many health benefits is long indeed. Let’s start with the heart.

Meet One of Your Heart’s Most Potent Allies

I’ve been studying ways to boost heart health for 30 years, and resveratrol is one of the most powerful substances I have come across.

There are actually two kinds of resveratrol, "cis-resveratrol" and "trans-resveratrol." It’s the second kind that appears to be the most beneficial.

One way it protects your heart is by preventing blood clots, a major cause of heart attack, particularly in older folks. In one study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, researchers gave healthy male subjects a blood-clotting factor along with high doses of trans-resveratrol. They found that trans-resveratrol prevented their blood platelets from sticking together. Not only does this help your heart – it also prevents strokes.

Another way it powers your heart involves a miraculous capability called "angio-genesis," a fancy term for blood vessel growth. Trans-resveratrol acts a bit like bypass surgery by creating new blood vessels to deliver more oxygen to your heart when it’s not getting enough.

Finally, trans-resveratrol drives down levels of bad fats called triglycerides. These are the fatty acids that clog your arteries. Scientists have been able to lower triglyceride levels as much as 15 percent in pre-menopausal women by using concentrated grape powder.

A Natural Cancer Fighter – and More

Resveratrol is a major weapon in the battle against cancer – in both men and women.

Someday, doctors may turn to resveratrol instead of drugs or surgery as a first-line defense and treatment for prostate cancer. In mice, it’s been shown to reduce prostate cancer risk as much as 87 percent. And in those that had already developed prostate cancer, resveratrol slowed tumor growth by up to 49 percent.

For women, resveratrol may prove just as powerful in the fight against breast cancer. Another study on mice found that it slowed tumor growth and killed off cancer cells and the blood vessels they need to grow.

Resveratrol is truly amazing. It acts just like chemotherapy in mice, but naturally and without any of the horrific side effects. And while it stimulates blood vessel growth to benefit the heart, it kills the blood vessels that feed tumors. When it comes to preventing cancer and heart disease, it’s your guardian angel.

Plants use resveratrol to protect themselves from the harmful effects of too much sun. It may be able to do the same thing for humans. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin looked at resveratrol’s effects on skin tumor development in mice caused by harmful UVB rays. They used it just like a lotion, applying it to the skin twice weekly for 28 weeks. Not only did it prevent skin cancer; it also slowed tumor growth significantly.

Adding icing to the cake, the same study confirmed resveratrol’s power to enhance overall health and vitality: It boosted the immune system, protected the nervous system, and optimized liver, muscle, and fat cell function. It also prevented diabetes and obesity by lowering insulin resistance, the main cause of Type II diabetes.

Ramp Up Your Physical Strength and Vitality

Resveratrol may also turn out to be what spinach was for Popeye. In one study, it turned mice into Mighty Mice, granting them extraordinary strength and stamina. Once fed resveratrol, they ramped up their aerobic capacity, lengthened their running time, and burned more oxygen. Researchers also noticed that resveratrol enhanced their muscles’ ability to turn fuel into energy.

Resveratrol taps into your body’s natural, life-giving force, unleashing vitality, energy, strength, and stamina. It can literally add years to your life.

The problem is how to get enough of it.

Nearly all the experiments I mentioned used quantities of resveratrol well beyond what you’d be able to get from drinking a lot of wine or eating plums all day. So this is a case where supplements may be a better option. They’re inexpensive and safe. You can find them in health food stores or online. I recommend taking about 20 mg per day.

[Ed Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of PACE: Rediscover Your Native Fitness, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, nutrition, and heart health. Find Dr. Sears' practical solutions and get immediate access to more than 450 of his articles by visiting: www.alsearsmd.com.]

If you’re a regular ETR reader, you know that insulin signals your body to make and store fat. Magnesium plays a prime role in keeping both blood sugar and insulin in check.

It’s been estimated that our lean, muscular hunter ancestors got over 1,000 mg of magnesium from their native diet every day. On the average American diet, you’re getting less than 20 percent of that… if you’re lucky.

Restoring your magnesium levels to those of your caveman ancestors will take you a step closer to your real native diet – the kind you were designed to eat. It will also take you a step toward dropping fat and staying lean.

You can add magnesium to your diet by eating nuts, seeds, dairy products, and dark green, leafy vegetables.

*The recommended daily value for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg)

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]

Your body needs real salt, straight from the earth, and is well-equipped to handle it. But commercial salt producers remove all the good minerals (for sale to industry) and add several harmful chemicals (to bleach the salt white and keep it from caking).

Potassium neutralizes the negative effect of too much sodium. It also lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke. But we just don’t get enough potassium in our diets. The media loves to scare you into thinking that too much salt will cause all sorts of health problems – but the right amount of potassium keeps everything in check.

So where do you find potassium?

Despite what banana growers want you to think, bananas are not the best source. A typical banana gives you just 490 mg of potassium. You’d have to eat 10 bananas to get the 5,000 mg a day I recommend. And when you figure in the glycemic index (GI) of bananas, eating 10 a day would make you put on fat. Instead, try an avocado, which will give you 1,483 mg of potassium with a much lower GI. But your best source of this mineral is nuts. They are quite high in potassium and have a glycemic index of zero.

Learn more about potassium-rich foods, including their actual potassium content.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure and 12 Secrets to Virility, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]

When you eat less, you get a number of anti-aging benefits:

• Body temperature drops
• Blood pressure lowers
• Cholesterol levels drop
• Cells divide at a slower rate
• The rate of glycation drops
• Free-radical activity drops
• Oxidation activity drops

Cutting calories is not as hard as you think. You can, for example, substitute a protein shake for your regular morning meal. Protein powders that feature whey protein isolate are the best. You’ll have the sensation of being full without the metabolic stress on your body.

When you bulk up on protein, you throw "metabolic switches" in your body that lessen hunger and start burning fat. This is a genetic throwback to our caveman days when lots of protein meant "times are good." When your body isn’t worried about starvation, it burns off all its fat stores. (Why do you need stored body fat if you are likely to eat well again tomorrow?)

[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure,, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]