Why Am I Posting an Article on Gun Control on a Natural Health Blog?

What a news article about gun control doing on a natural health blog?

Let me explain: Gun control advocates want to ban guns on the premise that guns kill people. Ban guns, and save people, is the basic idea. After all, we already have cops, so the idea that people need guns for self-protection is pretty old school, right?

The problem is, that's the same tired old argument the medical bureaucrats use about natural healing. After all, we already have medical doctors, so the idea that people need herbs and supplements and chiropractors and naturopaths is, well, pretty old school, right?

You see, it comes down to educated choice. I know that if a killer breaks into my house in the middle of the night, it's going to take the cops anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes on average to get to me. I also know the killer can probably take me out in about 2 minutes. So I keep a gun, and I educate myself on its usage through accredited gun courses and practice at the local shooting range, knowing that on the whole, depending on the cops, however well-trained, well-intentioned and heavily armed they may be, is not always going to work to my greatest benefit.

Similarly, I make an educated choice about doctors. Like cops, they are generally wonderful, well-meaning, highly-trained people. And they are often very helpful, particularly if you break your arm, or have a heart attack, or something like that. But for the most part, they are little more than pill-pushers for the pharmaceutical industry. And their treatments are designed strictly to treat symptoms, rather than resolve underlying health problems. What's more, they have one of the most abysmal records in the world, in terms of accidentally harming people with their medical decisions. (See statisics below.)

So, when it comes to doctors, I take the same stand as I do with guns. I recognize that doctors aren't necessarily my first and best choice. And I continually educate myself on natural healing techniques, in order to become more self-reliant, health-wise. The more I can do for myself, the more I free up doctors to deal with more serious problems they are trained for.

For some reason, self-reliance is now a foreign concept to the vast majority of people on the face of the earth. They have become used to big brother government providing for their social needs, the medical bureaucrats providing for their medical needs, law enforcement providing for their protection, etc.

But for those of us who recognize the inherent short-comings in depending upon others for your needs, the value of self-reliance becomes abundantly apparent. With that in mind, here is some food for thought in regards to doctors versus guns:

Doctors vs. Guns

Doctors:

(A) The number of doctors in the U.S. is 700,000.

(B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are now a whopping 120,000.

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 17.14%.

[Statistics: courtesy of the U. S. Dept of Health & Human Services]

Guns:

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000.

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.001875%.

[Statistics: courtesy of the FBI.]

So statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners!

Remember, guns don't kill people, doctors do.

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!! Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention.

I am being faecitious, of course. Yet the statistics are true. The medical industry, held to the same standards as the gun industry, would have been banned decades ago. Same with the pharmaceutical industry: Prescription drugs kill or permanently injure tens of thousands of people a year. Herbs and nutritional supplements, on average, about three people per year, and then generally, only through mis-use or abuse.

Think about it. And if you believe in self-reliance, even just a little bit, be sure to continually educate yourself on natural healing, and practice it. As with guns, education and practice makes perfect. The more self-reliant you become in health matters, the less likely you'll end up on the wrong end of the above statistics.

-- Spencer

Ten Years After Columbine, It's Easier to Bear Arms

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090420/us_time/08599189141600

By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER Michael A. Lindenberger – Mon Apr 20, 11:15 am ET

Monday April 20 marks 10 years since Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold permanently etched the words Columbine High School into this nation's collective memory. What happened that day in 1999 also seemed to wake America up to the reality that it had become a nation of gun owners - and too often a nation of shooters.

The carnage in Littleton, Colorado - 12 classmates and a teacher before the killers offed themselves - and the ease with which the teenagers acquired their weapons (two sawed-off shotguns, a 9-mm semiautomatic carbine and a TEC-9 handgun) seemed to usher in a new era of, well if not gun control, then at least gun awareness. (See pictures of crime in middle America.)
In the decade since, massacres perpetrated by deranged gunmen have continued - including the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre in which Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people and wounded many others. But something odd has occurred. Whatever momentum the Columbine killings gave to gun control has long since petered out. (See pictures of America's gun culture.)

This spring, for example, Texas lawmakers are mulling a new law that would allow college students to carry firearms to campus (Utah already makes this legal). "I think people weren't concerned about it first," says University of Texas graduate student John Woods, who has emerged as a spokesman for campus efforts to defeat the bill. "They thought, 'It's a terrible idea. Why would the government consider something like this?'" But as the debate on campus has heated up, that complacency has vanished, Woods explains to TIME. Students opposed to the bill plan a big rally on Thursday at the Capitol, he says.

But efforts like Woods' are up against powerful headwinds - and not just because of the powerful gun lobby that often strangles gun-control laws. Americans in general have cooled significantly to the idea of restricting gun rights. A poll released last week by CNN showed that support for stricter gun laws was at an all-time low, with just 39% of respondents in favor. Eight years ago that number was 54%.

Woods concedes that getting help to the psychotic, would-be killers of the world would probably be an even better fix. But he has a personal reason to take the issues seriously. Two years ago, he was in his apartment in Blacksburg, Virginia, listening to sirens sounding across the campus outside his window. A half-dozen friends of his were in the classroom where Cho Seung-Hui opened fire, and the names of some of the dead belong to people he knew. "The idealist in me is shocked and angry," Woods says, that restrictions on guns have eased rather than tightened in the wake of tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech. "But the cynic in me is not surprised at all. I think if this was peanuts or pistachios causing all these deaths, then we'd be all over it. But there is no amendment about peanuts or pistachios in the Bill of Rights. People on both sides just simply won't compromise." (See pictures form the Virginia Tech massacre.)

Indeed, the debate seems to be almost one-sided nowadays, with an ongoing backlash against gun control. Another law up for debate in Texas, for example, would prohibit most companies from barring employees from keeping guns in their cars in company parking lots. In Montana, only last-minute dealmaking between the House and Senate stripped a new law of language that would have given residents the right to carry concealed weapons with or without a permit.

A Prescription Drug for the Annoyingly Cheerful?

The video news broadcast in the following article is a spoof from The Onion.com. But it makes a great point, which is that the geniuses behind modern medical science have made a "disease" out of every little quirk and characterisictic in human life, and have come up with an expensive pill to cure us of all of our little idiosyncracies.

For example, your kid can't sit still in class at school, while the other kids in the class manage to sit there like brain-dead zombies? He or she must be inflicted with ADHD, right? Hey, don't worry. We have a whole plethora of prescription drugs for that problem. And you'd better let us put your kid on one or more of them, or we'll label him dysfunctional, and investigate your parenting habits.

Or...could it be possible that for some kids it's just not normal, nor productive, to have to sit still on a hard wood chair for eight hours a day, five days a week, while listening to some government-trained bureaucrat we call a "teacher" rattle on about how we all evolved from amoebas millions of years ago, and are, therefore, nothing more than animals in need of a little training (and drugging).

But never mind that, you parents. Put your kids on the drugs. And by the way, if you've feeling a little bit tired and lonely, or maybe a bit frazzled, or blue, we have drugs for you, too. You're probably just suffering form an imbalance of serotonin levels in your brain. You must be in need of one of our nifty new psycho-therapeutic agents called Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors (read: prescription antidepressants). Don't be concerned that all of those mass murderers who shot up malls, post offices and work places all over the country were all on these same types of drugs. Just take one a day and watch all of your cares melt away.

The bottom line is that people have indeed lost touch with what is natural. For example, getting regular daily sunlight is one of the best cures for lack of energy and "the blues" (it increases levels of Vitamin D, which in turn boosts immunity and gives energy). And in children, periodic outdoor exercise throughout the day is the best cure for an inability to sit still in class. But why go through all of the trouble to get a little sunshine and exercise, when we have a drug for the problem?

We have become a society in which synthetic prescription drugs rather than natural means are the answer for every little foible. And we need to reverse the tide, quickly, or we risk becoming the "Soma" society described in the book Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.

-- Spencer

A Prescription Drug for the Annoyingly Cheerful?
http://www.drcarolyndean.com/2009/04/17/a-prescription-drug-for-the-annoyingly-cheerful/

Dr. Carolyn Dean MD ND April 17, 2009

Today, I have a news (video) clip about a new drug that helps people who have a "persistently positive outlook on life."

The following ONN news clip reports that the FDA approved the first ever depressant drug. (Note: NOT an anti-depressant.) It’s a proposed treatment for the "approximately 20 million Americans who are insufferably cheery."

The depressant treats a wide range of symptoms including: "Participating in Community Theatre" and "Organizing Neighborhood Potlucks."

Click the play button below to watch the 2-minute video clip and then make sure to read my commentary afterward.




Please note: The video contains profanities (one written, one verbal)…

Are You Too Happy?"Despondex Could be Right for You…" Real or Spoof?

When I first saw this video I wasn’t sure if it was real or a spoof. We’ve already seen so many crazy drugs and treatments approved by the FDA – this is hardly unbelievable. Which is why it’s so funny – it exaggerates just a bit what we’ve come to expect.

It may even be on Big Pharma’s cutting room floor. I can see this striking the money cord with some "marketing genius." They’ve already created diseases out of so many afflictions (e.g. "restless leg syndrome," "shyness," "heartburn from overating")… why not add "excessive happiness" to the list.

The Standardization of Moods

A growing theme with world powers is the "standardization" of how we live. Where a select few get to decide what is "normal" and then require everybody else to conform. We are even seeing that with the new agriculture bill (H.R. 875) that aims to force all farms to use GMO seeds and pesticides (under the guise of food safety).

In this Depondex spoof we are seeing a different kind of standardization. The standardization of moods. As "Eva Hendry" said in the clip: "Now Jeff and I can just waste a night sitting on the couch watching a TV show neither of us enjoy – like a regular couple."

The "Natural" Way to Feeling Crummy

But, as the video points out, a "natural" alternative would simply involve feeding people a diet of corn syrup and white bread while denying them any form of exercise. Based on that statement, one may conclude that doing the opposite would alleviate depression.

Is happiness that simple? Probably not for everyone, but it’s definitely a good start. People who eat real food, exercise every day and watch little TV tend to feel happier than the norm.

Sadly, when you are already feeling bad, junk food and an evening with the TV remote seem more attractive than going for a swim, preparing healthy food or reading a good book.

But everything comes down to habits and what you are used to. You can get trapped in a cycle of unhappiness or in a cycle of happiness.

Unhappiness or happiness can be a choice! I choose happiness and always try to look for the best feeling-thought that I can think.

P.S. By the way, I wrote the Personal Power column, this month, for Dr. Christiane Northrup’s Women’s Wisdom Circle. It’s called the “The Magic Mineral: Magnesium Supports Women at Every Stage of Life."

Micro-chip that tells your doctor if you've taken your pills

The time comes when you just have to say “No!”

I’ve warned repeatedly that government bureaucrats, Big Pharma, insurance companies and others want nothing more than to micro-manage every aspect of your daily life. Modern technology allows them to do just that – if you choose to succumb to it.

Now the doctors and insurance companies want to give you pills with tiny microchips in them that allow the doctors to tell whether or not you’ve been a good little boy or girl, and have taken your pills like you were supposed to.

Of course, they will sell this notion by saying it will be a boon to elderly patients, for example, who might otherwise forget to take their meds, or who might be taking too much or too little without realizing it.

But the reality is, the insurance companies and medical bureaucrats want total control. The day will come when they will prescribe you something, whether you want it or not, and if you fail to take your government-mandated meds, you will face the loss of your government-mandated medical insurance. Or, worse yet, it will be considered a crime. After all, when the “government” is paying for your meds, you can bet they’ll figure out a way to criminalize your failure to take what you’ve been prescribed.

And don’t think I’m being overly dramatic. With the new socialist bunch we’ve got running things, who want to institute government-run medical system, I can foresee the day when individualists, Constitutionalists, patriots and others deemed to be “social miscreants” will be told to take their Soma…or else.

Brave new world? Only if we say “Yes” to it.

Meanwhile, stick with natural remedies. The more caught up you get in the allopathic medical model, the harder it is to extract yourself later. Stick with naturopathic medicine, to the extent you can. Learn how to treat yourself, nutritionally.

In the days ahead, this blog will be posting many articles on nutritional treatments, remedies and cures, so stay tuned.

-- Spencer


Microchip that tells your doctor if you’ve taken your pills
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1169305/Microchip-tells-GP-8217-ve-taken-pills.html

By Jo Macfarlane

Last updated at 2:35 AM on 12th April 2009

Comments (9) Add to My Stories

New technology: Doctors could soon monitor whether a patient has taken medication by microchips in pills

Microchips in pills could soon allow doctors to find out whether a patient has taken their medication.

The digestible sensors, just 1mm wide, would mean GPs and surgeons could monitor patients outside the hospital or surgery.

Developers say the technology could be particularly useful for psychiatric or elderly patients who rely on a complicated regime of drugs – and are at risk if they miss a dose or take it at the wrong time.

It could also be used for the chronically ill, such as people with heart disease, to establish whether costly drugs are working or whether they are causing potentially dangerous side effects.

The sensors could even remind women to take the Pill if they forget.

The ‘intelligent’ medicine works by activating a harmless electric charge when drugs are digested by the stomach.

This charge is picked up by a sensing patch on the patients’ stomach or back, which records the time and date that the pill is digested. It also measures heart rate, motion and breathing patterns.

The information is transmitted to a patient’s mobile phone and then to the internet using wireless technology, to give a complete picture of their health and the impact of their drugs.

Doctors and carers can view this information on secure web pages or have the information sent to their mobile phones.

The silicon microchips are invisible to patients and can be added to any standard drug during the manufacturing process.

Two major drugs companies are investigating the technology, developed by US-based Proteus Biomedical. Trials are to begin in the UK within 12 months.

Professor Nick Peters, a cardiologist at Imperial College London, who is co-ordinating trials, said the technology was ‘transformative’.

‘This is all about empowering patients and their families because it measures wellness, and people can actually be tracked getting better,’ he said.

‘Psychologically speaking, that’s hugely helpful for patients and enormously reassuring for care-givers.

‘Normally patients would have to be in hospital to get this level of feedback, so the hope is that it frees up beds and saves the NHS money.’

Would the medical community lie to you for money?

Would the medical community lie to you for money?

The medical community loves flawed medical studies. They use them for two specific purposes:

First, they use flawed medical studies to gain approval for dangerous prescription drugs that kill more than 100,000 Americans per year and seriously injure some 2.1 million more.

Secondly, they used flawed medical studies to “prove” that nutritional supplements and other natural healing modalities are “useless” or even “dangerous.”

In short, raw corporate greed is the main reason the medical community loves flawed medical studies. They make billions of dollars a year selling the latest prescription “miracle drugs” that get approved based upon the results of their flawed studies. And they keep millions of Americans in a constant state of ill-health by using flawed medical studies to promote the idea that better nutrition is worthless.

Only last week it was revealed by Senator Charles Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, that doctors receiving huge pay-offs from the pharmaceutical industry (one doc got over $1.6 million in payoffs) used flawed medical studies to justify the use of potentially dangerous prescription drugs, oftentimes even on children.

Did you hear about that on the news? Probably not. And here’s why: As soon as the story broke, the orthodox medical community released their latest study claiming to demonstrate that multi-vitamins have no beneficial effects whatsoever against cardiovascular disease or cancer. And of course, the news media dutifully ate up that story, plastering it across headlines in the print and internet news media, and running the story ad nauseum on their TV news broadcasts.

Pot Calls the Kettle Black

It seems the orthodox medical community pot is always calling the natural health community kettle black, in order to protect their own turf.

It is almost a proverb that accusers with vested interests in maintaining the status quo and protecting their turf tend to reveal more about themselves in their accusations than they do about their victims. They point the finger and scream “Quackery!” and “Fraud!” at the natural health industry, when in reality it is they who are committing the quackery and fraud. Their accusations against natural health are only designed to hide their own evil doings.

The Study that Studied Nothing

In the news article below, we see the how the news media has loudly touted the latest new “study” by the medical community, which supposedly proves that multi-vitamins are useless. Yet a careful examination of the study demonstrates that absolutely nothing was actually “studied.”

In fact, far from a “study,” it was really more of a poll in which the medicrats simply asked women whether or not they take multi-vitamins and whether or not they have ever had heart disease or cancer. They then concluded that because many people who claim to have taken multi-vitamins later got either cancer or heart disease, vitamin intake must be worthless!

I wonder if they’ve ever done a poll like that, asking people if they’ve ever taken aspirin, and then asking them if they’ve ever had a headache. Obviously, just about everybody would say “yes” to both questions, and the only conclusion that could be deduced from the results would be that aspirin is useless against headaches.

Deceiving the Gullible Public Into Staying Sick and Dependent on Drugs

As usual, the medicrats know exactly what they are doing. The general public is unfortunately very gullible. They believe pretty much everything they hear on the news. And even more so if the name of a prestigious medical group or medical journal is invoked. And they never look any further into it than what their newsman tells them.

Mores the pity, because they have no idea that the medicrats have a vested financial interest in keeping them in a chronic state of ill-health, which means keeping them off of vitamins and other inexpensive nutrients that could bolster their immunity, strength and well-being.

After all, healthy people don’t make the medical community any money. Only weak, unhealthy people do.


Women's Multivitamin Study Seriously Flawed, As Usual
http://www.naturalnews.com/025576.html

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine claims that multivitamins are useless at preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease in women. The mainstream media has predictably picked up on this story, gleefully running it as "proof" that nutrition is worthless and only pharmaceuticals can enhance your health.

What they're not telling you, though, might shock you. Here's the truth about this so-called "scientific" study on multivitamins:

• No multivitamins were even used in the study! The women followed in this study weren't actually given any multivitamins at all. They were simply asked if they take multivitamins!

• There was no quality control in the study. Since no multivitamins were given to women, there was no quality control at all. Did these women take cheap, synthetic vitamins bought at Costco? Or did they take quality supplements from better sources? Nobody knows because it wasn't tracked!

• Most people SAY they take multivitamins, but don't. If you ask most people, they will TELL you they eat healthy, and that they take multivitamins. But in reality they don't. Most people greatly exaggerate the description of their own health habits.

• Multivitamin consumption FREQUENCY was not accurately measured. There was no ability of this study to reliably measure how often consumers actually took their multivitamins. Did they take them once a week? Once a month? Once a year? Even taking them once a year would have counted in this study as "taking multivitamins." Gee, no wonder the results showed no improvement...

In effect, this study did not measure the effects of multivitamins on cancer and heart disease. What it really measured was the degree to which people exaggerate their own claims of health habits, and the degree to which the mainstream media so easily falls for junk science.

The MSM remains utterly clueless about nutrition, and it simply reprints practically any study published in a medical journal, even when that study is obviously based on deceptive science and a pro-Pharma agenda.

All these attacks on vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants and multivitamins have the same source: The Big Pharma-funded mainstream media and its effort to try to discredit nutritional supplements in order to please advertisers.

The very idea that nutrition is bad for you but Big Pharma's chemicals are good for you is insane to begin with. But that's what they want you to believe: Nutrition isn't required in the human body, they claim. But pharmaceutical chemicals are essential!

What they want you to do is shut up, eat your (processed) food, take your (chemical) medications, get your (fraudulent) disease screening, pay your taxes, watch television ads, make more (sheeple) babies and stop questioning the status quo. And multivitamins? Stop wasting your money on them. You'll need that money to buy more monopoly-priced pharmaceuticals, after all.Buzz up!3 votes

About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a maker of energy efficient LED lights that greatly reduce CO2 emissions. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and adult gymnastics. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org

A Sure-Fire Natural Cure for Memory Loss

A Sure-Fire Natural Cure for Memory Loss

As the famous cowboy movie star John Wayne grew older, he appeared sharp as a tack in his television appearances and movie rolls. But privately, he complained of memory loss.

What was particularly aggravating to him was his growing inability to remember the names of people – sometimes even people close to him. As the story goes, one day he was attending a football game with his best friend of over 30 years and director of many of his movies, John Ford. As he looked across the stands, he saw two acquaintances coming toward him. He was thrilled that he remembered both of their names, and would be able to introduce them to Ford without embarrassing himself.

“Bob, Mary,” he exclaimed with obvious relish and a sweeping gesture of his hand as they approached their seats near his, “I’d like you to meet…” And then his voice trailed off as he realized he had just forgotten the name of his best friend….John Ford.

The Safe, All-Natural Cure for Memory Loss

Were John Wayne still alive today, he’d be very happy to know that a safe, all-natural solution for mild to moderate memory loss is now available. This supplement is called Vinpocetine, and it is widely known for its astonishing ability to boost brain power, enhance concentration and retention, and sharpen mental focus and performance without any significant negative side effects.

Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD, a Florida-based board-certified family physician who is also the associate editor of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association (JANA), says Vinpocetine is one of the mainstays of his practice when it comes to patients complaining of memory loss and mild cognitive impairment.

According to Dr. Wollschlaeger, "All of the peer-reviewed studies I’ve seen found a significant improvement in cognitive function with Vinpocetine. Until Vinpocetine, we physicians have had nothing to prevent cognitive decline. We only have drugs to treat after the fact. With safe, natural Vinpocetine, patients see comparatively rapid improvement in memory functions as well as enhancement of learning and recall and overall alertness. Results are often seen in only seven to ten days. We don't have to wait four or six or eight weeks, like with Gingko Biloba, to see results. What’s more, there have been more than 100 clinical studies conducted on Vinpocetine, with over 30,000 patients, proving its safety and effectiveness."

Viagra for the Brain

According to Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., author of the popular book, Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood ,“Vinpocetine is chemically related to and derived from vincamine, a natural alkaloid found in the periwinkle plant. It was introduced into clinical practice in Europe more than two decades ago for its highly beneficial role in cerebrovascular disorders and related symptoms. But because it is derived from natural sources it is now widely used in the U.S. as a nutritional supplement for memory support and cognitive enhancement.”

Dr. Ward Dean, MD, co-author of the bestselling books Smart Drugs and Nutrients and Smart Drugs II, says Vinpocetine is like “Viagra for the brain.” He states, "It's one of the few cognitive enhancers that I actually notice a distinctly positive and uplifting difference when I take it.”

Dr. Dean says that Vinpocetine facilitates cerebral metabolism by improving cerebral microcirculation (i.e., blood flow to, and throughout, the brain). “What’s more,” he notes, “In brain cells it steps up the production of ATP, the cellular energy molecule, and increases utilization of glucose and oxygen, the brain’s two most critical fuels."

According to Dr. Steven Bratman, M.D., director of The Natural Pharmacist in Fort Collins, CO, and author of the Natural Health Encyclopedia and The Natural Health Bible, "Vinpocetine aids memory and mental function, not only with mild memory loss and age-related cognitive impairment, but also with Alzheimer's and related conditions. Most people begin to notice clearer, sharper thinking and recall within a few short days to a few short weeks time."

In her book, Vinpocetine: Boost Your Brain Power With Periwinkle Extract, author Dr. Beth M. Ley writes, “Research shows that Vinpocetine provides an astonishing array of benefits. It has a very powerful stimulating effect on memory.‎ In Europe, it is often used for the treatment of cerebral circulatory disorders that can cause such symptoms as memory loss, stroke, dizziness and even cerebro-vestibular (inner-ear) problems. Vinpocetine has even been demonstrated to improve visual acuity – that is to say, eyesight -- in 70% of subjects tested.”

Science writer James South, MA notes that recent medical research demonstrates Vinpocetine’s almost miraculous ability to boost the quality of thinking and planning carried out by the cerebral cortex. He writes, “Another key benefit from Vinpocetine derives from its activating effect on the noradrenaline nerve cluster in the reticular activating system called the locus coeruleus. Olpe and co-workers have shown that Vinpocetine is one of the most effective activators of locus coeruleus neurons, thus making it a true ‘cognition enhancing’ agent.”

Proven to Boost Memory, Enhance Cognitive Function and Reduce Dementia

According to Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., an ardent Vinpocetine advocate, “There have been quite a few studies demonstrating the positive effects of Vinpocetine on brain function.” For example, he notes that, “Researchers at the University of Surrey in England administered Vinpocetine to patients suffering from mild to moderate dementia. In this placebo-controlled, randomized double-blind trial 203 patients received Vinpocetine every day for 16 weeks. They were given either 10 mg doses of Vinpocetine three times a day, 20 mg doses of Vinpocetine three times a day, or placebo three times a day. Significant cognitive improvements were found in the active treatment groups compared to the placebo groups. Interestingly, the patients on the 10 mg doses performed even better than those on the higher 20 mg. doses.”

What’s more, according to Dr. Sahelian, “In another double blind clinical trial, Vinpocetine was shown to offer significant improvement in elderly patients with chronic cerebral dysfunction. Forty-two patients received 10 mg. of Vinpocetine three times a day for thirty days, then 5 mg. three times a day for sixty days. Matching placebo tablets were given to another forty patients for the ninety-day trial period. Patients on Vinpocetine scored consistently better in all cognitive evaluations.”

Other studies have demonstrated Vinpocetine’s astonishing beneficial effects for stroke victims. For example, one study demonstrated a 42% reduction in brain injury for stroke patients who were given Vinpocetine. [Acta Pharm Hung. 2002;72(2):84-91.]

And another study demonstrated that Vinpocetine interrupts the various stages of the ischemic cascade during strokes, meaning it helps prevent the ongoing damage to the brain that results from the stroke itself [Ideggyogy Sz. 2003 May 20;56(5-6):166-72].

How Vinpocetine Works to Boost Your Memory and Mental Clarity

George Foss, a long-time consultant to the nutritional supplement industry, and former general manager of Kayser Nutrition, explains how Vinpocetine works, and why it has become the world’s #1 best-selling all-natural brain-boosting supplement:

“Vinpocetine's astonishing beneficial effects on memory, recall and mental acuity occur principally because of its ability to bring age-related declines in the cellular energy functions of the brain back to more youthful levels. It does so by literally nourishing the brain.

First, it increases blood flow to the brain through mild dilation of the blood vessels, which in turn dramatically boosts glucose and oxygen uptake by the brain’s 100 billion neurons. The neurons thrive on this increased glucose and oxygen, which in turn is used to produce prodigious quantities of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is pure cellular energy. This increased production of ATP within the brain quite rapidly boosts the metabolism, or energy activity of the entire brain back to the levels of a young adult.

Finally, this increased energy activity triggers two crucial functions in the brain: increased cell-to-cell communication for quicker thinking, and repair and/or replacement of damaged brain cells for optimal brain function.”

Experts say Vinpocetine boosts the circulation of oxygen-rich and glucose-rich blood to the brain so effectively it almost immediately results in a vastly increased ability to concentrate and focus. In fact, in one recent clinical study, 62% of healthy subjects exhibited significant short-term memory improvement only one hour after taking 40 mg. of Vinpocetine. (Eur J Clin Pharmacol1985;28(5):567-71).

What’s more, recent research has demonstrated that Vinpocetine also boosts circulation of oxygen-rich blood to the eyes, thereby improving vision and eyesight disorders. In fact, in one study, Vinpocetine improved vision in 88% of test subjects [Arzneimittelforschung 1976;26(10a):1969-72]. Vinpocetine also aids in the delivery of oxygen saturated blood to the inner ear, improving hearing as well as alleviating many inner-ear problems including tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo (dizziness). [AF DR 28, 1977-80]

Get that Extra Mental Edge

So if you’re like me and you feel the need for that extra mental edge from time to time, or if you’re simply reaching that age where you notice your cognitive abilities are slipping a bit and you want to provide your body with the nutrition it needs to get you back on top of your mental game, then you just might want to try safe, natural Vinpocetine. Its long-term safety has been demonstrated in medical studies to be second to none. And with over 100 medical studies backing it up, you can rest assured of its effectiveness.

Where to Find Pure, Pharmaceutical-Grade Vinpocetine

One good source for this powerful, brain-boosting nutrient is a company called The Silver Edge. You can find them online at http://www.thesilveredge.com/ (just click on the link on the left-hand side of their web page that says "Unique Nutritional Supplements," or click here). They supply the significantly higher-quality pharmaceutical-grade Vinpocetine straight from Europe, instead of the inferior Chinese-produced Vinpocetine found in most health food stores today.

This is the same pure, high-grade European Vinpocetine that has been demonstrated in clinical trials to boost memory, mental clarity and re-call by up to 62%!

While pure, pharmaceutical-grade Vinpocetine is generally more expensive, frequently selling for $39.95/bottle for just 30 capsules, the good folks at The Silver Edge are offering a one-time special deal for readers of this blog who may want to try Vinpocetine. Instead of paying the usual $39.95 for 30 capsules of pharmaceutical-grade Vinpocetine, you get a full 90 capsules (10 mg. each) for only $24.95 when you order two or more bottles. That’s three times the usual amount of pharmaceutical-grade Vinpocetine, and for $15 less per bottle!

Worth Trying for the Mental Lift Alone!

So if you or a loved one is experiencing mild memory loss or cognitive decline to any degree, or if you just want to give yourself a nice mental lift from time to time, you owe it to yourself to try this safe, powerful nutritional supplement. Even people who are not experiencing memory loss or age-related slowdown in mental acuity find that the occasional use of Vinpocetine gives them an added mental edge that is well worth the small cost.

I strongly urge you to pick up at least three or four bottles while this special money-saving offer is still in effect. But remember, this special offer is available only for the next 15 days, so please act quickly and decisively while the special discount pricing is still available!

Boosting Memory and Mental Clarity Without Risky Drugs

Boosting Memory and Mental Clarity Without Risky Drugs

In a survey released recently by Nature, Britain’s top science journal, it was revealed that as many as 20 per cent of British and American scientists admit to taking prescription drugs to boost their brain power, and enhance concentration, memory and cognitive performance.

Most of these scientists admitted to taking “smart drugs” such as Ritalin and Modafinil in spite of the fact that more than half of them reported such side effects as headaches, jitteriness, anxiety and sleeplessness.

According to AFP News, “The overwhelming majority of these med-taking brainiacs said they indulged in order to ‘improve concentration,’ and 60 percent said they did so on a daily or weekly basis. Almost 70 percent of the scientists surveyed said they would be willing to risk continued mild side effects by taking cognitive-enhancing drugs in order to boost their brain power.”

Surprising?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at these findings. But frankly, I am surprised that these scientists apparently don’t understand three crucial facts:

Fact #1: These drugs are basically metabolic stimulants in a similar class to methamphetamines. They work by squeezing the adrenals to release more adrenaline. Therefore, over time they will exhaust the adrenal glands, resulting in higher and higher dosages of the drugs needing to be taken in order to achieve the same level of cognitive (and metabolic) stimulation. That’s the very definition of addiction.

Fact #2: The side effects of these drugs go far beyond the mere “headaches, jitteriness, anxiety and sleeplessness” reported by the scientists using them. Indeed, those side effects are just for starters. Over time, you can add kidney and liver damage to the list, muscle cramping, adrenal exhaustion, pituitary insufficiency, mitochondrial exhaustion, metabolic burn-out and much more. Many people I know who have used these drugs for prolonged periods of time frequently became hyper-agitated to the point of rage, and soon became physically unhealthy as well, since the excessive stimulation tends to deplete their bodies of necessary vitamins, minerals, nutrients and hormones.

Fact #3: There is a safe, completely natural solution to memory loss and impaired cognition – a nutritional supplement that provides all of the brain-boosting, memory-enhancing and cognitive performance advantages of these so-called “smart drugs,” without triggering excessive release of adrenaline…without damaging the body’s glands and organs…without depleting the body of crucial nutrients and hormones… indeed, with absolutely none of the potentially serious long-term side effects of the drugs.

Vinpocetine – the All-Natural Memory Nutrient from Europe

This supplement is called Vinpocetine, and it is widely known for its astonishing ability to boost brain power, enhance concentration and retention, and sharpen mental focus and performance without any significant negative side effects.

Here’s a brief overview of this powerful natural substance, and why it works even better than the so-called “smart drugs” to keep your brain operating at peak performance no matter what your age…

Vinpocetine is an unusually potent memory booster that has been used successfully as a prescription memory drug in Europe for over a quarter of a century, for everything from mild memory loss to Alzheimer’s disease. But much to the chagrin of the FDA, it can now be sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement because it is made from all-natural sources (Periwinkle plant) and has no serious prescription “drug” side effects.

According to James South, M.A., “Vinpocetine have been widely researched and used clinically for over 25 years to treat disorders ranging from senile dementia to cerebral arteriosclerosis. But today, it is used by thousands of in-the-know natural health advocates for its powerful memory-boosting and cognitive enhancement benefits.”

How Vinpocetine Works to BoostYour Memory and Mental Clarity

George Foss, a long-time consultant to the nutritional supplement industry, and former general manager of Kayser Nutrition, explains how Vinpocetine works, and why it has become the world’s #1 best-selling all-natural memory-boosting cognitive enhancement supplement:

“Vinpocetine dramatically boosts the metabolism, or cellular energy activity, of the brain. But unlike stimulant drugs, it does so by nourishing the brain. In fact, it increases blood flow to the brain through vasodilation, which in turn maximizes glucose and oxygen uptake by the brain’s 100 billion neurons.”

“The neurons thrive on this increased glucose and oxygen, which in turn is used to produce prodigious quantities of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is pure cellular energy. This increased production of ATP within the brain quite rapidly boosts the energy activity of the entire brain, which of course, is the supercomputer of the human body.”

“Finally, this increased energy activity triggers two crucial functions in the brain: repair and/or replacement of damaged brain cells for optimal brain function, and increased cell-to-cell communication for quicker thinking.”

In large part this is why Vinpocetine has been used so successfully by the medical community throughout Europe in the prevention and treatment of everything from simple memory loss and common senility, to more extreme cases of senile dementia, cerebral damage from strokes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Vinpocetine boosts brain energy almost immediately. And it has a very positive healing effect on damaged areas of the brain.

A Positive Mental Lift Every Time You Take It

What’s more, because Vinpocetine helps increase brain levels of ATP so dramatically and so quickly you also get a very pleasant mental lift every time you take it.

Experts say Vinpocetine boosts the circulation of oxygen-rich blood to the brain so effectively it almost immediately results in a vastly increased ability to concentrate and focus.

In a number of medical studies it has been shown to boost mental clarity and aid in rapid recall, often in only a few hours after being taken.

In fact, in recent clinical studies, Vinpocetine has been demonstrated to:

Dramatically improve memory — in one study a whopping 62% of healthy subjects exhibited significant short-term memory improvement only one hour after taking 40 mg. of Vinpocetine!

(Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1985;28(5):567-71)

Significantly increase the length of time that short-term memory is retained – no more walking into another room to get something, and forgetting what your were looking for!

(Drug Develop Res 1988; 14:191-3)

Dramatically improve the brain’s utilization of oxygen, for greater focus, concentration and mental clarity!

(Arzneimittelforschung 1990 Jun;40(6):640-3)

Prevent damage to brain cells under hypoxic conditions, such as directly after a stroke or during drowning!

(Drug Dev. Res. 9:225- 231,1986; Life Sci. 43, 1733-39)

Improves Vision and Eyesight Disorders, Too!

What’s more, recent research has demonstrated that Vinpocetine also boosts circulation of oxygen-rich blood to the eyes, thereby improving vision and eyesight disorders. In fact, in one study, Vinpocetine improved vision in 88% of test subjects. (Arzneimittelforschung 1976;26(10a):1969-72)

Vinpocetine also aids in the delivery of oxygen-saturated blood to the inner ear, improving hearing as well as alleviating many inner-ear problems including tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo (dizziness). (AF DR 28, 1977-80)

Who Needs Risky “Smart Drugs”?

As you can see, Vinpocetine works exactly the opposite of stimulant-class prescription drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil. While Vinpocetine oxygenates, nourishes and replenishes the brain, the risky prescription drugs over the long-term tend to exhaust, deplete and even damage the body’s organs.

So what more can you say? With world-class cognitive-enhancement benefits like those described above from a safe, natural substance like Vinpocetine, who needs to use risky prescription “smart drugs”?

Who Benefits the Most From Vinpocetine?

Today, Vinpocetine is used by a broad spectrum of men and women: executives who need to juggle multiple important tasks at once without becoming mentally burned out or losing track of what they’re doing…speakers who need to be articulate and think quickly on their feet…athletes who need to react decisively to changing situations without becoming mentally flustered…college students who need to learn and retain large amounts of information in short periods of time…

...workers who need to impress their bosses with their ability to think quickly and act decisively…middle aged men and women who seek to preserve and maintain their cognitive skills well into their later years…older folks who want to overcome the negative effects of age-related cognitive decline…and many others.

In fact, Vinpocetine can be used by just about anyone who has noticed a decrease in memory, alertness, concentration and learning speed. It is also widely used by many people with vision or hearing problems.

If Top Scientists Need A Brain Booster, Why Not You and Me?

Don’t you find it fascinating that top scientists feel the need to boost their concentration, memory and brain power?

After all, these highly esteemed men and women are the cream of the crop – the mental elite of our nation. But if they need enhanced memory and brain-power, then how much more so do we mere mortals need it…especially those of us now approaching middle age or beyond?

So if you’re like me and you feel the need for that extra mental edge from time to time, or if you are reaching that age where you notice your cognitive abilities are slipping a bit and you want to provide your body with the nutrition it needs to get you back on top of your mental game, then you just might want to try safe, natural Vinpocetine instead of risky “smart drugs.”

You’ll be glad you made the right choice, I promise.

How to Use Vinpocetine to Maximum Mental Benefit

Most clinical trials on Vinpocetine have involved the use of 10 to 30 mg. per day. These studies have demonstrated that while lower doses of 10 to 20 mg. per day can be very helpful, in virtually every case it has been the 30 mg. per day dosage that has exerted the greatest therapeutic benefits in terms of boosting memory, concentration and mental acuity.

Therefore, it is generally recommended by experts to start with a 10 mg. per day dosage, taken once in the morning, and then work up over a period of several weeks to a total daily dosage of 30 mg., which can be taken in 10 mg. increments throughout the day.

While the beneficial effects of Vinpocetine are quite noticeable after only a few days of use (many people literally “feel the difference” the very first day), the full range of therapeutic benefits associated with Vinpocetine usage are often not derived until it has been used on a daily basis for a full 90 days.

In other words, while you’ll notice increased mental energy almost immediately, the effects get better and better over the course of 90 days as damaged areas of the brain are healed, and stronger cell-to-cell communication in the brain is established.

Where to Find Pharmaceutical-Grade Vinpocetine

One good source for this powerful, brain-boosting nutrient is a company called The Silver Edge. They supply the significantly higher-quality pharmaceutical-grade Vinpocetine, straight from Europe, instead of the inferior Chinese-produced Vinpocetine found in most health food stores today.

This is the same high-grade European Vinpocetine that has been demonstrated in clinical trials to boost memory, mental clarity and re-call by up to 62%!

So if you or a loved one is experiencing memory loss or cognitive decline to any degree, or if you just want to give yourself a nice mental lift from time to time, you owe it to yourself to try this safe, powerful nutritional supplement from The Silver Edge.

Natural Health v/s the Orthodox Medical Community and Their Perverse Propaganda Machine

Natural Health v/s the Orthodox Medical Community and Their Perverse Propaganda Machine

The below reprinted news article, titled “Don’t Take Health Tips from Celebs if You Know What’s Good for You,” ridicules a variety of celebrities for their endorsements of natural healing techniques and healthy holistic living.

Why am I reprinting such an article? Because it is another great example of how the medical community resorts to the use of perverse propaganda techniques to try to scare the public away from natural remedies and holistic health practices.

Celebrities Love Natural Healing

You see, the medical authorities know very well that celebrity endorsements of natural health practices have been one of the driving forces behind the rise in popularity of the alternative medicine movement over the past 20 years.

Numerous celebrities, for example, have appeared on the covers of prominent natural health publications, such as Life Extension magazine or Alternative Medicine magazine (now called Natural Solutions). And not for the publicity, but to tell the world how they were able to find relief and profound levels of healing for often serious health conditions that conventional medicine had been virtually impotent against.

Indeed, celebrities such as Uma Thurman, Kelly Preston , John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Dick Van Dyke, Fran Drescher, Montel Williams, Pamela Anderson, Suzanne Somers, Richard Gere, Cindy Crawford, John F. Kennedy Jr., Daryl Hannah, Chuck Norris, Ed Begley, Jr., The Judds, Paul Newman, James Coburn, Catherine Zeta Jones, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet and many others too numerous to mention have told their stories publicly, explaining how, to one degree or another, natural healing and holistic living have helped them heal illness and disease, and have overall changed their lives for the better.

Anatomy of a Propaganda Campaign

So how does the orthodox medical community respond?

First, they set up and fund a bogus “independent” non-profit organization like the one described in the article below, for the purpose of defending medical orthodoxy, and discrediting natural health and holistic living.

Then they have their shills inside the organization circulate propaganda pieces like the one below – disguised as “news” articles. These blatant “hit” pieces are purposely designed to destroy public confidence in natural healing and holistic living.

In the case below, the “news” article vilifies and ridicules celebrities for their belief in natural healing, making them look ill-informed at best, and more than a little bit nutty at worst. Then the article admonishes the general public to avoid celebrity endorsements of natural health “if you know what’s good for you.”

What’s more, in addition to vilifying celebrities who recommend natural health and holistic living, the medical propagandists from the supposedly “independent” non-profit organization skillfully weave half-truths and outright lies throughout their “news” article, attempting, for example, to discredit the vaccine/autism link, or the effectiveness of detox diets.

Perhaps the most telling bit of balderdash in the article below lies in its attempt to discredit the link between excess sugar consumption and obesity. Only a rabid shill for the medical community – which is dependent on keeping people fat and sick for their livelihoods – could write such outright tripe with a straight face.

Why Is the Medical Community So Angry?

But why is the medical community so violently opposed to alternative medicine and holistic healing that they would resort to this kind of crude propaganda campaign?

It’s simple: A recent study conducted by World Health Organization has reaffirmed that almost 50% of world population has shifted or in process of shifting to alternative forms of medicines or natural methods of healing.

In other words, in circulating blatant propaganda pieces like the one below, the medical community is attempting to protect their dwindling turf. And clearly, they are willing to go to any lengths to do so. Theirs is a multi-billion dollar annual industry. And they simply don’t like the idea that people are learning to heal themselves naturally, and to prevent illness through healthy holistic living.

The bottom line is that with half the world’s population moving toward natural healing, the orthodox medical community is seeing the proverbial handwriting on the wall. And they don’t like it one bit.

Continued below...
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For a startling, inside look at how the medical bureaucrats have attempted to keep people from learning more about colloidal silver, the world’s most powerful natural antibiotic, see The Colloidal Silver Conspiracy.

For a look at how all-natural Colloidal Silver cures MRSA and other deadly infections the orthodox medical community is losing control of, click here.

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Here then is the “news” article discussed above. While this particular version of the article appeared in the Times Online (i.e., the British version of the New York Times) it has been reprinted by major news agencies across Europe and throughout North America under a variety of headlines. And in every case the essence of the article is exactly the same: don’t listen to celebrity advice about natural healing if you know what’s good for you.

My advice: Don’t take advice from a phony “charity” (i.e., non-profit) organization fronting for the worst elements of the orthodox medical community, if you really know what’s good for you.

-- S. Spencer Jones


Don’t take health tips from celebs if you know what’s good for you
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5401129.ece

David Rose
December 27, 2008

From Madonna’s quest to “neutralise radiation” to Tom Cruise’s dismissals of psychiatry, celebrities are seldom shy about expressing their views on health and science – even when they appear not to know what they are talking about.

A roll call of public figures such as Cruise and cooking author Delia Smith have offered bogus advice or “quackery” this year, according to scientists and doctors. The charity Sense About Science is concerned that celebrities mislead the public when they endorse theories, diets or health products while misrepresenting the science involved.

Some – such as Oprah Winfrey and Kate Moss – espouse “detox” regimes, while others, such as Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, believe (mistakenly) that the Pill can cause cancer.

Nor are politicians exempt from lending credence to health myths. The US President-elect is among several American public figures who continue to suggest that the MMR vaccination is a potential cause of autism, despite an overwhelming weight of scientific evidence to the contrary.

Stars often make nonsense of science

Bestselling author Delia Smith’s suggestion that obesity is caused by sugar addiction is another of the assertions under scrutiny. In March, the cookery writer and broadcaster told The Times: “That’s what causes obesity. It’s addiction. You need to have six weeks without sugar or sweetener . . . After six weeks, everything will taste sweet . . . because you will have got your palate back to what nature created. We could cure the nation if we cut down sugar addiction.”

Lisa Miles, of the British Nutrition Foundation, counters: “Delia, you’ll never get rid of sugar from the diet, nor would you want to, as you consume sugars naturally in foods such as fruit and milk, which provide us with important nutrients . . . the causes of obesity are much more complex.”

Demi Moore, the actress, surprises the experts with her use of “highly trained medical leeches” to “detoxify” her blood.

Kate Moss, the model, is reported to be on a strict “detox” diet of fruit and vegetables at a health spa in Thailand. But nutritionists note that such regimes exclude important food groups such as protein.

Moss’s friend Stella McCartney, the designer, was criticised last year for saying that a chemical found in skin creams was also found in antifreeze. Gary Moss, a pharmacologist, said that the chemical, propylene glycol, was versatile and its use in cosmetics was not “scary”, as claimed.

Both Mr Obama and his rival for the presidency, John McCain, responded to stories about vaccines by highlighting the rise in diagnoses in children of autism.

Mr Obama told a campaign rally in April: “We’ve seen a skyrocketing autism rate. Some people are suspicious that it’s connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it.” In February Mr McCain had remarked on the rise in autism cases, saying that there was “strong evidence that indicates it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines”.

The suggestion that the MMR jab is linked to the developmental disorder dates back to a study of 12 children published in The Lancet in 1997. The research, led by Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital, has since been discredited. Yet fears about the vaccine – for measles, mumps and rubella – have resulted in many parents refusing to have their children inoculated, and there has been a resurgence of measles.

Dr Wakefield and colleagues have been appearing before the General Medical Council on charges of serious professional misconduct, relating to their original study, which they deny.

Studies in several countries involving millions of children have shown no correlation between MMR and autism rates.

Michael Fitzpatrick, author of MMR: What Parents Need to Know, said that Mr Obama and Mr McCain were correct in noting a rise in cases of autism. “However, authoritative studies confirm that the apparent rise is attributable to increased public and professional awareness of the condition and to widening definitions of autistic spectrum disorders,” he said. “Though the causes of autism remain obscure, exhaustive researches have failed to substantiate any link to vaccines or any preservatives in it.”

The Sense About Science initiative is an update of a leaflet encouraging celebrities to avoid making claims until they have checked the facts. While there has been “considerable improvement” in the way British celebrities approach medicine, the charity says its files are still too full of pseudo-scientific claims. “We don’t expect people to know everything about science; the problem comes when they don’t consider checking it or asking questions.”

Pregnenolone: The "Happiness" Hormone

Pregnenolone: The “Happiness” Hormone

When Oscar-winning comedic actress Goldie Hawn was asked recently in a Vanity Faire interview, “When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?” she replied with a single word: “Happy.”

Most of us can relate to that simple, honest childhood desire for happiness. Unfortunately, as we grow older, a host of subtle and some not-so-subtle changes begin to take place in our bodies. And those changes can lead to a number of health challenges that can rob you of your energy, vitality, stamina, physical strength, mental acuity and yes, even your emotional well-being, i.e., your happiness.

One of the most important age-related changes for both men and women alike is the drop in your body’s levels of a simple, yet profoundly important hormone called pregnenolone. Much like DHEA, pregnenolone is a completely natural hormone manufactured in the body from cholesterol. Indeed, pregnenolone is the grand precursor from which almost all of the other steroid hormones are made, including DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, the estrogens, and cortisol. This is why it is frequently referred to as the “mother hormone.”

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO, best-selling author of the The Total Health Program:

“With both men and women alike, pregnenolone levels naturally peak during youth and begin a long, slow decline with age. By the age of 75 our bodies produce 60% less pregnenolone than the levels produced in our mid-30’s. For this reason pregnenolone is one of the biomarkers of aging. Like counting the rings of a tree, by measuring the level of pregnenolone at any given point of a person's life, it is often possible to make an educated guess as to his or her age."

Indeed, many cutting edge physicians and scientists now believe that raising your body’s levels of pregnenolone to more youthful levels is a crucial step in the prevention of premature aging. “If you’re feeling older than your days,” says well-known biologist and author Jim South, M.A., “then pregnenolone may be just what you need.”

‘The Happiness Hormone'

Pregnenolone has also been widely reported to make people feel happier. In fact, its well-known mood-heightening qualities are almost legendary. As Dr. Ray Sahelian, MD states in his wonderful little book, Pregnenolone: Nature’s Feel-Good Hormone:

"I am 100 percent convinced that taking pregnenolone leads to changes in awareness and alertness. I noticed an improved visual clarity...within an hour of dosing…a mellow, steady, persistent feeling of well-being...had imperceptibly come on...Flowers seemed...brighter and prettier...my attention focused on the architecture of the homes...I started noticing the patterns of the stones, the shapes of the windows, doorways, porticos and other details...the palm trees...appeared Caribbean island-like picturesque. Everything seemed more beautiful and intriguing. I felt a sense of child wonder, that everything was okay. How special and enchanting life could be!"

Dr. William Regelson, a respected pregnenolone expert and author of The Superhormone Promise: Nature’s Antidote to Aging writes that there appears to be a direct correlation between pregnenolone levels in the human body and emotional well-being. He states, “A recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health showed that people with clinical depression have lower than normal amounts of pregnenolone in their cerebral spinal fluid (the fluid that literally bathes the brain)." In other words, as pregnenolone levels decline, your emotional well-being can also sink like a stone.

Other experts point to pregnenolone’s ability to help reduce excessively high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, as the reason it has such a profoundly positive balancing effect on the emotions. According to Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby, MB ChB, MD, PhD, FRCP, MA, “Pregnenolone has been studied extensively since the 1940's…One of its most important actions is to counter damage caused by the natural stress hormone called ‘cortisol.’ Cortisol is helpful in modest amounts, but is toxic at higher levels. Pregnenolone’s ability to block excess cortisol levels may be one of the main reasons for its known memory-enhancing and mood-boosting benefits.”

Pregnenolone also appears to help people approach life’s daily challenges with a more positive mental outlook. According to the respected biologist and author Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, “When using pregnenolone, men and women alike report feeling a profound mood of resilience and an increased ability to confront challenges successfully.”

In the book, The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross, M.A., pregnenolone supplementation is highly recommended for helping overcome adrenal fatigue and reversing even the most devastating forms of exhaustion, emotional distress and depression. And in the book, Pregnenolone: A Radical New Approach to Health, Longevity, and Emotional Well-Being, author Dr. Gary Young, N.D., points out that pregnenolone enhances mental performance, facilitates learning, helps the body adapt to stress, increases one’s overall feeling of happiness and well-being, and helps induce a change of attitude in which we actually become more appreciative of life.

According to Dr. Young, pregnenolone also improves concentration, prevents mental fatigue, increases productivity, improves psychomotor performance and relieves depression. In short, restoring pregnenolone to more youthful levels in the body helps boost not only our emotional well-being, but enhances our physical and cognitive abilities as well.

Better Memory, Focus and Concentration!

Pregnenolone also operates as a powerful neurosteroid in the brain, modulating the transmission of messages from neuron to neuron, and strongly influencing learning and memory processes. In other words, it helps you think quicker, understand and retain more complex topics, and even speak with greater clarity.

In animal tests, pregnenolone has been found to be 100 times more effective for memory enhancement than any other steroid, steroid-precursor or prescription drug tested. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Nov. 6, 1995), pregnenolone is "The most potent memory enhancer yet found."

In a recent Life Extension Foundation article titled “Enhancing Cognitive Function With Pregnenolone,” Dr. Julius G. Goepp, MD wrote:

“There is strong evidence that pregnenolone levels diminish with advancing age and that restoring these levels may help alleviate deteriorating brain function…This is borne out in research that has demonstrated pregnenolone’s ability to reduce the risk of dementia and improve memory, while also alleviating anxiety and fighting depression…Pregnenolone may play a pivotal role both in laying down memories in the first place, and then preventing their loss by directly protecting the nerve networks that store them! These complementary and versatile actions of pregnenolone are sending shock waves of interest through the scientific community because of the enormous implications for treating all sorts of age-related disorders of memory.”

Dr. Goepp also points out, “Even more remarkably, from a treatment standpoint, researchers have shown that pregnenolone increases brain levels of acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter required for optimal brain function, which becomes deficient in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Acetylcholine is not only vital for thought and memory, it is also involved in controlling sleep cycles, especially the phase of sleep that is associated with memory (called paradoxical sleep or the random eye movement [REM] phase). Scientists have used this knowledge to study the effects of pregnenolone on sleep cycles and discovered that it dramatically increases memory-enhancing sleep. Together with previous findings that pregnenolone increases nerve cell growth (neurogenesis), researchers have concluded that pregnenolone can improve cognitive function in older animals by increasing acetylcholine levels, which stimulate new nerve cell growth in the brain areas most closely associated with memory and learning.”

In clinical research pregnenolone has been demonstrated to be one of the safest and least toxic substances ever tested, with dosages in the hundreds of milligrams showing no toxicity whatsoever. While much smaller doses in the 5 mg. to 20 mg. range are widely used in nutritional supplementation programs, as with all supplements you should nevertheless tell your doctor if you are taking pregnenolone.

Additionally, men diagnosed with prostate cancer (which theoretically may be worsened by increased testosterone levels) and women with breast or ovarian cancer (which theoretically may be worsened by increased estrogen levels) should check with their doctors first before taking pregnenolone. Men with high PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood levels (possible indicator for undiagnosed or future prostate cancer) should also check with their doctors first.

What’s more, because of pregnenolone’s beneficial “uplifting” effects on the brain (i.e., it increases the firing of the neurons between the synapses for quicker thinking and greater clarity), people known to suffer from epileptic seizures or who are taking an anti-seizure medication such as Dilantin, Depakote or Tegretol should only use pregnenolone with their doctor’s supervision.

Finally, people diagnosed with heart palpitations or arrhythmias should also check with their doctors first before using pregnenolone due to its lightly stimulating effects on the body’s overall metabolism.

Where to Obtain the Very Best Form of Pregnenolone…

Unlike synthetic prescription steroid hormones which can have terrifying side effects, pregnenolone is completely natural (made from an extract of the Dioscorea yam), and clinical studies have shown it to be virtually free of side effects when used as directed.

One good source of pregnenolone is The Silver EdgeHealth & Nutritionals.

They carry pregnenolone in the highly recommended 10 mg. dosage. You get 60 tablets per bottle – a two-months supply for the average person.

The tiny chewable tablets are cherry flavored, and can easily be broken in half for people who prefer to use even lower dosages. (People normally take between 5mg. and 10 mg. per day for age-related benefits. People suffering from excessive fatigue or emotional exhaustion sometimes take higher daily doses -- up to 20 mg. per day -- for the first few weeks. See bottle for further dosage instructions. Always check with your doctor first when starting any new nutritional supplement regimen.)

You can read more about pregnenolone, and order online by clicking here.

Or simply call The Silver Edge toll-free (M-F, 9am to 5pm AZ time) at 1-888-528-0559.