Stay away from foods with these additives, says James LaValle, ND, author of Managing Stress for Better Sleep. You’ll get a better night’s sleep. And you’ll lower the risk of damaging your brain’s sensitive nerves.

And that’s not the only reason to avoid these poisons. They can cause many health problems, including obesity, migraines, memory loss, and hearing loss.

• On Wall Street, unemployment is at 7 percent. That is three percentage points lower than the national average. Executives at Goldman Sachs and other bailed-out brokerages are getting million-dollar bonuses. Meanwhile, regulations meant to cut down on the cheating and stealing have not been implemented. For brokers and bankers, it’s business as usual — but with taxpayers’ dollars.

Government is supposed to protect its citizens — not only from bodily harm but from this kind of thievery. Trillions are spent on wars against people who never attacked us. Yet little or nothing is spent to put a stop to the financial damage being done to us.

That is a shame.

Oh, well.

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What MBA Students Have That You Couldn’t Get (Until Now…)

An unconventional course has appeared at Columbia University’s business school… at the London Business School… and at the Haas Business School at the University of California.

Says Brandon Peele, “I attribute 80% of my $120K MBA price tag to this one class. It changed my life in profound ways.” Now you can get the same life-changing benefits… From your home… For less than a thousandth of the tuition.

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In fact, it’s a health problem for men too. And because most men don’t know they’re at risk, they’re far less likely to take action to prevent it.

Men get one-third of all osteoporosis-related bone fractures. But their chances of complications are dramatically higher than they are for women. Men with prostate cancer are especially vulnerable. Both the disease and a common treatment — androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) — contribute to bone loss.

Here’s how to lower your risk:

• Maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. All it takes is two or three hours per week of exposure to sunlight, say the folks at Total Health Breakthroughs. If you can’t spend that much time in the sun, take a vitamin D supplement or cod liver oil.

• Get at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day, preferably from your diet. A high-protein diet makes more calcium available for building bone density. Just one more reason to make healthy protein part of every meal.

The researchers looked at 150 married couples. None of them had ever been diagnosed with heart disease. Each couple was asked to choose an issue that caused conflict in their marriage (money, children, etc.). And they were videotaped discussing it privately. When the tapes were reviewed, the researchers scored what they said to each other. Specifically, they were looking for hostility, as well as statements that were submissive or domineering.

Each participant was given two CT scans to measure the amount of plaque in their arteries. One was given before the videotaped session and one two days later.

What the researchers discovered was that when couples argued, they increased their risk of heart disease. But there was a difference between the two sexes:

* For the women, hostility was the stress trigger. When the wife exhibited hostility, the follow-up CT scan showed a significant increase in her plaque build-up. When both husband and wife were hostile, that increase was even greater.

* For the men, controlling behavior was the trigger. When either partner made controlling statements, the follow-up scan showed an increase in the husband’s plaque.

The lesson: Conflict may be unavoidable in any relationship. But if you stay civil in your “discussions” you’ll be much better off.

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The Greatest Medical Discovery of the Century

This Miracle Substance Protects against Diabetes…

Stops Heart Disease Before it Starts…

And Kills Cancer Cells on Contact

So, Why Haven’t You Heard About It?

Scientists have discovered a remarkable substance that has the power to prevent diabetes, stop heart disease before it starts and kill cancer cells on contact. In fact, this substance has been shown to prevent and treat more than 20 major diseases, in all!

However, more than 85% of the population is deficient at least part of the year. And believe it or not, but the medical profession and health authorities actually advise people to avoid the single greatest source for this vital substance.

Click here to learn about Your Best Health Under the Sun and why you probably haven’t heard about this revolutionary discovery.

As a result of the ongoing recession, this problem has become commonplace. According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, 80 percent of respondents reported significant stress because of the economy. And the National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 Sleep in America poll found that nearly one-third of people surveyed weren’t sleeping well due to increased anxiety.

Many are visiting their doctors to get sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications. However, you don’t have to go the pharmaceutical route. There are plenty of natural alternatives. Exercise, deep sleep, and yoga, for example, have been proven to help many. Meditation and prayer works for others. In addition, there are several over-the-counter supplements to consider.

Kava is one of the most potent anti-anxiety herbs. In a recent study, Australian researchers gave 60 adults with chronic anxiety symptoms either kava or a placebo for one week. The second week, placebo patients were switched to kava and kava patients to the placebo. Anxiety symptoms declined for the patients on the kava extract, as did depression symptoms in some – often within an hour or two after taking it. However, there have been rare reports of liver damage when kava has been used daily. For this reason, I recommend taking kava no more than three days a week.

Another herb I like is passionflower. Its effects (which include relaxation and sleepiness) begin in an hour or two. Passionflower is quite safe, and can be used on the days when kava is not taken.

Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that many find helpful in easing tension.

Certain amino acids and related compounds are popular for stress relief. These include 5-HTP, GABA, and theanine. I personally have not found GABA to be very effective, although some people really like it. 5-HTP helps to balance mood, reduces tension, and – like theanine – helps with sleep. The timing of these supplements depends on the severity of your anxiety. They can be taken during the day if you are very anxious. But if your symptoms are milder and you just need a natural pill to help you relax after work, they can be taken in the early evening.

If you are still having trouble sleeping, I have formulated an excellent product called Good Night Rx. A capsule is taken 2 to 4 hours before bed on an empty stomach, and the vast majority of users find they get a deeper and more restful sleep with hardly any side effects. Wait at least a half hour after taking Good Night Rx before eating dinner or a late snack.

[Ed. Note: If you are sick of sleepless nights and anxiety because of the recession, now's your chance to do something about it! Start your own Internet business and you could achieve financial freedom once and for all. And you don't have to do it alone. Get expert guidance from some of the top Internet marketers in the industry right here.

For more on Good Night Rx - and dozens of other natural anxiety-fighting and sleep-inducing options - visit the website of Ray Sahelian, MD, at www.raysahelian.com. You can also purchase Good Night Rx straight from Dr. Sahelian by clicking here.]

It’s an important saying to know when doing business. Sometimes you can get so excited about what you’re doing or offering that you make foolish decisions.

Happens all the time.

My friend Kim Wood, an NFL strength coach for 27 years, points out: “An animal on the attack is cautious almost to the point of cowardice.”

Fascinating, eh?

Picture a cheetah running 70 mph after a deer or antelope. He doesn’t appear to be cautious at all. Yet prior to that 70 mph burst, the cheetah had very carefully stalked his prey and scoped out the terrain. He does not simply take off on a sprint as soon as he’s hungry.

So the key to enthusiasm is balance. Same with confidence.

There’s confidence and over-confidence. There’s enthusiasm and over-enthusiasm.

Conversely, there is under-enthusiasm and under-confidence. I think most people who are struggling fall into the “under” category. They don’t need to curb their enthusiasm. They need to unleash it.

Enthusiasm for what you do and what you’re attempting to do is a cornerstone of success. Without it, you cannot accomplish much. As Emerson wrote, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”

At the same time, being too enthusiastic, too confident, and too positive can hurt you. It’s a matter of balance.

When I was studying shuai jiao kung fu years ago, Dr. Daniel Weng once told me, “A strength overextended becomes a weakness.”

How true.

And lest you think this applies only to martial arts – think again. It applies to everything you do in life. It also applies to every virtue.

Even love.

[Ed. Note: Matt Furey, an internationally recognized expert in self-development, fitness, and martial arts, is president of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation, Inc. With Matt's 101 Ways to Magnetize Money, you can learn the REAL SECRETS of financial success known only to the most prosperous men and women who have ever lived. Find out more right here.]

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.]

Apparently so, according to the Chicago Tribune’s 2008 investigative report on hidden allergens in popular food products. Hidden food allergens are part of the reason that an estimated 30,000 Americans are rushed to the emergency room each year and another 150 die – most of them children.

The issue was brought to light when three-year-old Patrick Pridemore ate Wellshire Kids’ Dinosaur Shapes Chicken Bites and began having trouble breathing. His mother jabbed his leg with an epi needle and rushed him to the hospital, where, thankfully, he recovered.

Patrick has a severe allergy to wheat, and the packaging label said the product was “gluten-free” (containing no wheat, rye, or barley proteins). Mrs. Pridemore meticulously scrutinizes labels to ensure that Patrick is not exposed to gluten.

Amazingly, when she contacted Wellshire and the USDA to report Patrick’s health crisis, neither organization would test the product to confirm the presence of gluten. The Tribune then sent the chicken bites to a leading food allergy lab on two separate occasions, and both times gluten was found. But this was still not enough for the manufacturer to recall or relabel the product. Whole Foods was the only retail outlet to remove the chicken bites and two other suspected Wellshire products from its stores.

The logical question to ask now is who’s accountable for accurate food labeling? And the shocking answer is no one. Government regulators allow food companies to police themselves when it comes to package labeling and recalls. And while larger manufacturers are more diligent about testing their products for allergens, smaller companies often do no testing, or very little, because it is not required.

When products are recalled, both the manufacturer and the FDA are often lax when it comes to issuing statements and press releases to the public. And when a press release is issued, it’s often watered down to the point where the true health risks are obscured.

Even worse, the Tribune report found that nearly 50 percent of the allergy-related food recalls in the past 10 years were not disclosed to consumers – and 2,800 products were recalled.

So, where does that leave the 11 million adults and children in the U.S. who have food and digestive allergies? For all intents and purposes, pretty much fending for themselves.

And that’s where the ELL Foundation comes in. ELL (Eat, Learn, Live) is a non-profit organization that advocates for more complete and accurate food allergen labeling. Currently, it may be the best resource for consumers who depend on accurate food labeling to prevent severe allergic reactions.

If you log on to their website, you’ll find a list of current FDA recalls. You’ll also be able to check their database of food allergy incidents reported by members. This is important, because the incidents may have been ignored by the manufacturer – meaning high-risk products are still on store shelves.

ELL encourages consumers “to share their mislabeling experiences by submitting a report through its website,” which is then shared with the public. (Your personal information is protected.) They also provide information on the steps to take if you have had an allergic reaction to a mislabeled food – including how to file a complaint with the FDA and the manufacturer. And if you want to have an ingredient analysis done on the suspected product allergen, ELL provides contact information for the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP). The service is free if an allergic reaction occurred because of a mislabeled food.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 3 million American children under the age of 18 have a food or digestive allergy – and that number is growing at an alarming rate. From the Tribune’s report, we know that we can’t sit back and wait for food manufacturers and the FDA to protect them from life-threatening allergic reactions due to mislabeling. What we can do as private citizens is get involved by helping one another avoid health disasters on websites such as ELL’s.

[Ed. Note: To keep yourself - and your loved ones - healthy, you need to stay up-to-date on the latest health breakthroughs. Now you can get an expert perspective on what's going on in the world of health for FREE. Sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter right here.]

Periwinkle, for example, had long been used by practitioners of folk medicine in Madagascar. When Eli Lilly looked closely at the medicinal properties of the plant, they identified about 70 different alkaloids – and they made an unexpected discovery: Periwinkle was effective in treating leukemia, as well as a variety of other cancers. 

Remission rates were as high as 50 percent when patients used periwinkle extracts. Despite that evidence, Eli Lilly ended its long-term studies of the plant itself and focused on making more profitable synthetic copycat drugs. 

To date, Eli Lilly’s scientists have replicated only two of the 70 anti-cancer compounds found in periwinkle. Unfortunately, the synthetics don’t replicate the highly sought-after remission rates of their nutritive parents. 

The final story on periwinkle – according to Big Pharma – is that it’s poisonous (even though its extracts have been used for hundreds of years in Madagascar). If Eli Lilly is half as good as Coke at keeping secrets, this potential natural cancer cure will forever remain under the pharmaceutical drug rug, along with many other less profitable, natural cures.

The lesson: Be wary of what you hear from Big Pharma. Choosing natural treatments is almost always your best, first defense against declining health.

[Ed. Note: Shane Ellison's entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules - how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry, and has firsthand experience in drug design. Take advantage of his knowledge and insights to look and feel your best in 90 days.] 

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That enzyme is telomerase.

Telomerase acts as a shield for your genetic blueprint – DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). It protects it from getting shorter and older. The more telomerase you have, the healthier and stronger you are.

One of the best ways to preserve or enhance your body’s telomerase production – and your functional lifespan – is to limit your food consumption to three meals per day. This helps to optimize your “hormonal intelligence” – which, in turn, preserves the enzymes that shield DNA from premature aging.

The trick to limiting your food consumption is to eat foods that are not only satisfying but also have a minor effect on the output of insulin (the fat-storing hormone). This would include avocados, grass-fed beef, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, and eggs.

[Ed. Note: Shane Ellison's (www.thepeopleschemist.com) entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules - how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry, and has first-hand experience in drug design. Take advantage of his knowledge and insights to look and feel your best in 90 days.]

Comment on this article