Avocado, Blueberries, B3 & Skin Cancer, Olive Leaf, Deadly Bras

In This Issue: 

• • Amazing Avocado!
  • Beautiful Blueberries!
  • Vitamin B3 & Skin Cancer
  • Olive Leaf Lowers Blood Pressure
  • Can Bras Kill?

You’ll Find More Fascinating Health Posts on Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/HealItAll/ and

Whole Foods Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Group

Message from Bernadette Wulf

Greetings!

I hope you all had a wonderful May Day-Beltane (Samhain if you are down south). Here in Northern California, it really does feel like the start of summer. I’ve been doing a little gardening and lots of mixed media painting in my spare time. Accidentally grabbed a poison oak sprout while weeding and got myself a bad case of the itches, but Topricin really helps. Keep that stuff on hand! It is also great for burns and bites.

Our new Whole Foods Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Group has been growing by leaps and bounds on facebook. Check it out if you are interested. You are sure to find some exciting new recipes to try. It’s also a great place to ask questions about healthy diets and especially the Medical Medium protocols. Lots of helpful people in the group!

This month we are looking at the wonders of avocados and blueberries – delicious and full of healing nutrients. Then some helpful information about preventing skin cancer and high blood pressure with a healthy diet, and last but not least, some concerning statistics about the connection between bras and breast cancer. Pass it on to anyone you think might benefit.

As always, I would love to hear what you want to read about. Feel free to send your requests, suggestions, questions, or any sort of feedback. I always appreciate hearing from my readers – Email Bernadette

To your health and happiness!

Bernadette Wulf

http://healitall.com – Visit my new website Plant Based for Life

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Amazing Avocado!

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-avocados-good-for-you/

Good video – and there’s more! Avocados are really good for brain and eye health. According to naturalhealth365.com: “there is a significant amount of (suppressed) scientific research that indicates how eye health is directly connected to brain – and heart – health.” [Totally makes sense to me.] The same article reports that:

The research assessed 40 healthy adults over the age of 50 who ate one fresh avocado per day for six months. It was found that they experienced a significant improvement in their problem-solving skills and working memory. They also experienced a 25 percent increase in their levels of the carotenoid antioxidant lutein in their eyes, which is associated with good vision.

 The article goes on to say:

The researchers also noted that eating an avocado per day was twice as effective as taking a supplement for macular pigment density. We should note that the study was backed by the Hass Avocado Board and the USDA and published in the journal Nutrients.

Other studies suggest that half a large avocado would have similar results. I’d like to see a study on how effective different amounts are. Much as I would love to eat a whole giant avocado every day, that can add a lot of fat and calories, and I tend to gain weight if I eat more than half an avocado a day. My advice, try it and see what works for you… and give it a month. You can’t really tell if you are gaining or losing weight on a daily basis, because weight naturally fluctuates a bit.

Read more about avocados – https://www.naturalhealth365.com/avocado-cognitive-function-2526.html

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Beautiful Blueberries!

My mom grew up in Massachusetts where blueberries grow wild. She said the blueberries were better back East, which – as a California kid – I never really understood. I always thought cultivated blueberries were delicious, but it wasn’t until I started eating frozen wild blueberries from Maine that I knew what she meant. The flavor is amazing, and the health benefits outrank all other foods according to Anthony William. Look for them in the frozen section of your local grocery or natural food store, or enjoy fresh organic cultivated blueberries while they are in season. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Here’s what greenmedinfo.com has to say about blueberries:

1. Berries Stop Heart Attacks

…And it really had to be berries.  Women who ate a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables did not enjoy the same reduced heart attack risk.

2. Lower Blood Pressure With Blueberries

…After just 8 weeks the women who took the blueberry powder had significantly lowered their systolic (5.1%) and diastolic (6.3%) blood pressure.  Those on the placebo had no change.

3. Wild Blueberries Boost Vascular Health

…They found that as blueberry polyphenols were broken down by enzymes into various metabolites, endothelial function in the men improved.  The benefits lasted at least 6 hours.   

4. Prevent Cancer With Blueberries

…Other research shows that blueberries are rich in antioxidants that help prevent cancer.  Antioxidants work by neutralizing free radicals, atoms that contain an odd number of electrons and are highly unstable.  Free radicals can cause the type of cellular damage that is a big factor in cancer development.   

5. Berries Protect Lungs

…Over 16 years it found that men who ate two or more servings of blueberries a week had up to 37.9 percent less decline in their lung function compared to those who ate no or very little blueberries.

6. Berries Improve Insulin Sensitivity

…After six weeks the blueberry group improved their insulin sensitivity by a factor of four over the placebo group. 

7. Blueberries Keep Your Brain Young

…Based on dietary questionnaires, they concluded that eating more blueberries slowed cognitive decline by up to 2.5 years.

Wild blueberries are particularly potent.  They are smaller than the cultivated versions most often found in your supermarket, with about twice the number of berries per pound.  They also have less water and a higher skin-to-pulp ratio. That means the wild versions have more intense flavor and double the antioxidant content. 

Always choose organic blueberries to be safe. 

Not bad for a simple little berry. I try to eat at least a cup a day. How about you?

Read more about benefits of blueberries – http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/7-proven-reasons-eat-more-blueberries

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Vitamin B3 & Skin Cancer

Skin cancer seems to “run” in my dad’s side of the family. Many times during my childhood Dad came home from the doctor with red spots on his face from having his skin cancer burned off with dry ice. I’ve had to address the issue myself to a lesser degree. So, this article really caught my eye.

It makes sense that skin cancer would be caused by nutritional deficiencies and/or toxins in the skin. Apparently, a form of Vitamin B 3 known as nicotinamide has been found effective in preventing skin cancers.

Here’s what naturalhealth365.com has to say on the subject:

In the Oral Nicotinamide to Reduce Actinic Cancer study – a Phase III clinical trial of nicotinamide – 386 participants received either a placebo or 500 mg of nicotinamide – twice daily for a year.

And the results were extremely promising. The vitamin substantially lowered rates of the two most common types of skin cancer, with a 20 percent reduction in basal cell carcinonomas and a 30 percent reduction in squamous cell carcinonomas – all without adverse effects.

If you feel like you may be deficient in Nicotinamide, you may want to take it in supplemental form. Be sure to always take B vitamins with a food-based B complex, because they all work together and need to be kept in balance.

Your B vitamins can be depleted by stress, taking the birth control pill, eating refined sugars and starches, caffeine, alcohol, drugs, and diuretics. The best food sources of Vitamin B-3 include beans, beets, mushrooms, brown rice, green vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, and broccoli.

The article goes on to say that:

There is evidence that diets high in vitamins C and D, retinol, carotene, lutein and lycopene can substantially cut the risk of melanoma. Of course, another great idea is to eat lots of (organic) vegetables and fruit – which offer a rich source of (skin protective) antioxidant nutrients.

Other articles I’ve read suggest that fat soluble vitamins (A, D3, E) are also helpful in preventing skin cancer. That makes sense, since vitamins A and E are potent antioxidants that remove toxins from the body and skin, and D3 is of course the sunshine vitamin. Studies show that skin cancer rates have gone up since people have been using sunscreens and avoiding the sun, when it was expected that rates would go down. Moderate sun exposure actually seems to help prevent skin cancer.

Read more about how Vitamin B3 prevents skin cancer – https://www.naturalhealth365.com/vitamin-b3-melanoma-2514.html

 

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Olive Leaf Lowers Blood Pressure

Multiple studies have shown that the best and healthiest way to lower blood pressure is to eat a whole foods plant-based diet. When you get rid of all the high fat meats, eggs, and dairy products, your blood pressure will naturally return to normal pretty quickly in almost every case. That is because the liver is no longer burdened with excess fat.

However, some people still haven’t got the memo about how to correct high blood pressure with diet. They take dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to try to fix the problem, but it looks like olive leaf extract works just as well – and without the side effects.

Here’s what naturalhealth365.com reports:

Study results: Olive leaf extract works as well as a prescription blood pressure drug

In a randomized double-blind trial involving 232 participants with hypertension, researchers compared the blood pressure-lowering powers of olive leaf with that of captopril, a pharmaceutical hypertensive drug.

One group received 1,000 mg a day of the olive leaf formulation for 8 weeks, while the other received a standard dose of captopril for the same amount of time.

The researchers found that systolic readings decreased by 11.5 mmHg in the olive leaf group and 13.7 mmHg in the captopril group – leading the team to conclude that the effect of olive leaf was “similar” to that achieved by captopril.

The researchers speculated that olive leaf might work to relax artery walls and lower blood pressure in the same way as prescription ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors.

And, while captopril can feature side effects such as dizziness and dry cough – the olive leaf extract group experienced no adverse effects.

The great thing about olive leaf is that it is also a wonderful immune support herb. Even if you don’t have blood pressure issues, it is good to keep it on hand for fighting off colds and flu bugs. Look for a glycerin based extract without alcohol for best results.

Read more about the wonders of olive leaf for hypertension – https://www.naturalhealth365.com/blood-pressure-olive-leaf-2511.html

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Can Bras Kill?

Though the big cancer organizations still argue otherwise, there seems to be a good bit of evidence to support the breast cancer and bra connection, particularly with the underwire variety of bra. I think the melatonin connection is also very interesting, and is one I had not heard of before – see the end of this quote from Mercola.com:

The overall difference between women who wore their bras 24-hours a day and those who did not wear bras at all was a 125-fold difference. Based on the results of this study, the link between bras and breast cancer is about three times greater than the link between cigarette smoking and cancer.

Singer and Grismaijer also found that about 90 percent of fibrocystic patients improve when they quit wearing bras.

I believe the results of this study are compelling, despite the fact that it was not a controlled study for other risk factors. There are few solid studies on bra wearing and breast cancer, but research showing links between the two is not entirely nonexistent.

For example, one 1991 study, published in the European Journal of Cancer, found that premenopausal women who did not wear bras had half the risk of breast cancer compared with bra users.6

Another group of Japanese researchers discovered that wearing a girdle or bra can lower your levels of melatonin by 60 percent.[7] The hormone melatonin is intimately involved with the regulation of your sleep cycles, and numerous studies have shown that melatonin has anti-cancer activities.[8] It’s also a powerful antioxidant, and can prevent DNA damage and bind to T-helper cells. Furthermore, researchers in Spain published a study detailing the possible use of melatonin in breast cancer prevention and treatment.[9]

Since the bra, for most women, is just a fashion statement and not a necessary garment, it makes sense to limit time wearing one to the absolute minimum, particularly the underwire type. If you really feel the need to wear a bra in certain situations, try a comfy sports bra or support camisole that is less restrictive of lymph flow.

Read more about what Dr. Mercola has to say about bras -https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/19/Can-Wearing-Your-Bra-Cause-Cancer.aspx

Here’s another article on the danger of wearing a bra (with audio podcast button at the top of the article) – https://www.naturalhealth365.com/bras-cancer-risk-2497.html

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