Did you sleep well last night? If not, do you usually get enough sleep? Insufficient sleep not only leaves you tired the next day, it can contribute to serious health problems. Studies have found that heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are all associated with chronic sleep loss. You need a deep, restful night’s sleep, consistently, to regenerate your brain, restore memories, and feel focused and alert — as well as to avoid illness.

Recent research found that the length and quality of your sleep predicts future health problems. If you get less than six hours of sleep a night, you’re at an increased risk for having a stroke, heart attack, or congestive heart failure. And a recent study found that people who had irregular sleep patterns, or who didn’t sleep enough, were at a higher risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and obesity. More than eight hours of sleep can contribute to angina and coronary artery disease.

It’s the Three Little Bears all over again. When it comes to sleep, we all need “just enough” — not too much or too little.

I used to get eight hours of sleep every night without fail. Then, over time, and with aging, my restful pattern changed. One night I found myself awake the entire night. I wasn’t stressed. I wasn’t upset. I was just wide-awake. Reading didn’t help. In fact, nothing did. I lay in bed waiting for morning to come. When it did, I was exhausted the whole day.

Over time, my sleeping became more erratic. Some nights I fell asleep soon after going to bed and slept straight through. Other nights I needed to take supplements like melatonin, GABA, or herbal formulas before I could get and remain asleep. I even had a few nights when I resorted to prescription pills after lying awake for hours. They worked for a while, and then even they stopped working. It’s just as well. I didn’t like depending on any of these — especially prescription sleeping pills.

I spoke with my doctor about this change of sleep patterns. After she ruled out any serious health problems, I continued to search for a safe, natural solution. Then I found an answer in an area to which I’ve been drawn for the past few years: energy medicine.

I’ve talked about energy medicine before. It encompasses everything from acupuncture to light, sound, and vibrational therapies. You can read more about them in the February 2012 issue of this newsletter. The answer to my insomnia and related sleep problems was not a pill or nutritional supplement. Or even a change of habits. It was a form of vibrational therapy.

Good vibrations

Everything in the universe vibrates at various frequencies. The earth naturally vibrates at a low-level healing frequency known as the Schumann resonance, which is 7.83 Herz waves per second. This frequency is also the main resonance found in both balanced nature and in people when they are calm and relaxed.

Just as the Schumann resonance vibrates with a frequency that enhances our ability to remain calm and centered, so do other frequencies affect us. Electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) like those that emanate from cell phones, computers, power lines, TVs, and other electronic devices vibrate at frequencies that can upset our natural balance and negatively affect our health. The more we are exposed to these frequencies, the more difficult it becomes to stay stress-free, and healthy.

There are numerous products using various frequencies that claim to protect a person from harmful EMFs. They include Schumann resonance emitters and discs you can attach to cell phones and computers. These devices tend, however, to rely on testimonials or quasi-science. Until I see some good science, I can’t suggest they’re worth using.

The product that turned my sleep from fitful to restful is called the Sleep Bracelet, and unlike other devices, there’s research behind it.

Philip Stein ended my sleeplessness

The Philip Stein Company™ is best known for its watches, which contain discs infused with a blend of low-level healing frequencies that radiate a feeling of wellbeing to the wearer. You don’t believe me? Then believe Oprah, who included Philip Stein watches among her “favorite things” for three years — a previously unheard of endorsement.

I heard that the Philip Stein Sleep Bracelet also contained the Schumann resonance frequency, along with other proprietary frequencies that both reduce stress and improve sleep.

This sounded interesting, but I’m a skeptic. There are a huge number of reasons why we don’t sleep well. I didn’t see how wearing a bracelet with imbedded frequencies could work as well as the folks at Philip Stein said it did.

I tested the watch and was surprised to find that I actually felt calm. I didn’t want to ever take it off! When I was in situations where I would ordinarily have been upset or anxious, I felt calm. This included feeling perfectly relaxed and unfazed immediately after breaking my leg.

Then I read a sleep study that tested the frequencies in the Sleep Bracelet. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted by sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD.

Breus took a group of healthy people who failed to get a good night’s sleep for at least three months and had them wear the sleep bracelet or a placebo device. He found that 96% of those wearing the bracelet had one or more of the following improvements: falling asleep faster, feeling more refreshed in the morning, sleeping longer, and having more pleasant dreams. The primary response was feeling more refreshed in the morning.

Will Stein, president of the Philip Stein Company, explained to me that while most people get instant results, it could take longer initially to get maximum results. I was one of them. It took about a week for me to experience all of the benefits from this device. As time went on, I found myself sleeping better and longer. I’m glad I gave the Sleep Bracelet enough time to work.

What’s it worth to you?

How much is a good, restful night’s sleep worth to you? One that doesn’t take a toll on your body or need you to keep buying products. The Sleep Bracelet is not inexpensive, but it’s well worth the cost of $345. It comes with a five-year warranty, but the company has found that the imbedded frequencies last at least eight to nine years – possibly indefinitely. And you can always change out the discs. At present, the Sleep Bracelet is available only at ViewPoint (800-237-9477) or [email protected].

There are many solutions to insomnia and other related sleep problems, but for me, and I suspect for many of you, there’s nothing quite as effective and simple to use as this extraordinary device. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

American College of Cardiology (2012, March 26). “Sleeping too much or too little can be bad for your heart.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com- /releases/2012/03/120326113805.htm.

Do You Get Altitude Sickness? Ignoring It Could Make You Even Sicker

After her daughter moved to Colorado, Anna flew out to see her new home and spend a few weeks with her in the mountains. She was looking forward to breathing the crisp, clean air and walking along mountain paths. But her enthusiasm was short-lived when she found that being in high altitudes gave her a raging headache and wiped her out. She felt hung over and had no appetite. Anna was so uncomfortable that she couldn’t enjoy her time with her daughter. So, even though it was less convenient for her daughter to visit Anna, that became their best solution.

Some people opt to suffer through the pain and discomfort. But I don’t advise this. Altitude sickness is much more than an inconvenience. If you don’t treat it, it can cause swelling on the brain — and that’s a potentially fatal condition.
I have better ideas. Both of them work, but one is safer than the other.

One solution to cerebral edema, the swelling on the brain that can develop from altitude sickness, is to take ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medication. Grant Lipman, MD, at the Stanford University School of Medicine, has tested it in a double-blind placebo controlled study.

Lipman had a group of people stay overnight at 4,100 feet and gave them 400 mg of ibuprofen. The next day they walked to 11,700 feet and took another 400 mg. They continued hiking to 12,570 feet and took a third dose of 400 mg. They stayed at that elevation through the night.

Of those who took the placebo, 69% suffered altitude sickness. But among those who took the ibuprofen, only 43% had symptoms.

Ibuprofen has an advantage over the drugs designed to alleviate mountain sickness. You can take it just six hours before traveling to high altitudes rather than the day before for the prescription meds (acetazolamide and dexamethasone).

There are other reasons to avoid these prescription drugs. Their side effects can include high blood sugar, adrenal suppression, delirium, depression, and more. They can hardly be considered safe. But neither can the amounts of ibuprofen that Lipman used. In anyone who is dehydrated — a common occurrence in older people — more than 600 mg of ibuprofen can cause intestinal and kidney problems.

So what’s a safer and more effective solution? A tiny gas molecule that sends various signals to every cell in your body called nitric oxide (NO). I talked about some of its actions early last year. But although there are more than 100,000 scientific studies on NO, researchers have just discovered a new application. It prevents altitude sickness.

Like many discoveries, finding this cure for altitude sickness was an accident. It was found by a number of Texans who had been taking NO for other reasons. When they went skiing in Colorado over spring break, they realized that they no longer had altitude sickness.

They mentioned this to other skiers, and soon the developers of the NO-boosting supplement I wrote about months ago were inundated with calls from various ski resorts asking to carry this product. If you go skiing in Colorado, you may find it at various ski resorts under the name of Altitude Adapt. It’s the same product I wrote about under the name Neo40. The exact same formula is available under the name CircO2 from my friends at Advanced Bionutritionals. If you want to try it, call them at 800-791-3395.

Whether you’re a skier or take vacations in mountainous parts of the world, you may want to take NO. When you re-read my articles on this product on my website, you’ll find many other reasons to take it on a daily basis. Studies show they include osteoporosis-prevention, more energy, and protection against Alzheimer’s disease. I’d like to add another benefit to these: it prevents swelling of your legs on long distance plane flights (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT).

I take CirO2 every morning for increased energy, increased circulation, and less inflammation. It’s an important part of my health insurance.

Orange Juice: It’s Not What You Think

Most of us think of orange juice as being just the liquid from oranges we buy bottled in the supermarket. It’s not. Much of the orange juice in markets is a highly processed beverage. In many cases, the manufacturer has heated it, watered it down, and boosted its taste with sugar and artificial flavors made by perfume companies.

To supply us with orange juice year-round, OJ bottlers often pasteurize it — which is what “not from concentrate” means. Pasteurization removes oxygen from the juice so it won’t oxidize. That allows them to store it for up to a year in million-gallon tanks. The problem is, this processing strips the juice of its flavor. After processing, pasteurized orange juice has little flavor. It tastes like sugar water.

So the manufacturer has to bring back the flavor. They do this by lacing the orange-colored sugar water with flavor packs made from orange oils and orange essence. Yes, they make the flavor-enhancers from substances that originally come from oranges. But they have to break them down with chemicals and reassemble them to give OJ the taste of … well … OJ. These artificially manipulated, chemical-laden flavor packs are unlike anything found in nature. But, thanks to high concentrations of the chemical ethyl butyrate in the flavor packs, which has the odor of fresh oranges, they look and taste like the real thing.

But bottled OJ isn’t the only processed juice on the market. Orange juice from concentrate is also a processed drink. When they evaporate water from fresh orange juice and freeze it, the juice needs to be doctored as well. If they don’t, it won’t taste like a natural product. Some may even contain cane sugar to boost their sweetness, although this never appears on the label.

Just like other fruits, oranges have their season, and the best tasting OJ is made from Florida Valencia oranges. They have the best deep, rich orange color and flavor. Valencias are at their prime from March through June. Your best way to get juice from Valencia oranges is to only drink it during these months.

No matter what the label says, all Florida orange juice does not come from Florida. Most juice oranges come from Brazil, which they ship to Florida. And these oranges don’t taste like Valencias until they manipulate their flavor.
Why do we drink orange juice, anyway? It’s not as high in vitamin C as kiwi or broccoli, and its antioxidants deteriorate quickly once you open the container. Eating an orange is much more healthful. For one thing, an orange is lower in sugar and higher in fiber than a glass of juice.

In fact, drinking OJ could be detrimental to your health. According to a study in Diabetes Care, data from the Nurse’s Health Study found that while eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day reduced their risk of getting diabetes, drinking a glass of OJ daily raised their risk by 24%! This association was independent of other health factors.

As far as nutritional value (vitamins and antioxidants) is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether or not your orange juice says it’s from concentrate or pasteurized. So if you don’t mind the heavy processing, choose the one with the flavor pack you prefer.

I’m hoping you’ll look at orange juice differently and realize that it’s not the best drink to have every day. It’s too high in sugars and unknown chemicals to be a healthful addition to your breakfast.

If you’re as fascinated as I am with the manipulation of oranges into orange juice that tastes the same from glass to glass, look for a copy of Alissa Hamilton’s book, Squeezed: What You Don’t Know About Orange Juice. It’s out of print, but often available on-line and well worth the hunt.

www.civileats.com

www.theecologist.org

A Simple Trick Improves Your Memory in 10 Minutes

Everyone wants to improve, or at least maintain their memory. What if you could do so simply by resting for a few minutes? This simple trick really works.

Here’s the trick I use: After I read complex medical articles, I often take a break and close my eyes for a few minutes. I don’t think about what I read or about what I intend to say in an article. I just rest. I’ve noticed that it really helps me maintain my focus. It turns out that this process also improves my memory. And it can work for you too.

A new study in the journal Psychological Science shows how effective this is. In the study, the researchers conducted two separate experiments with 33 adults between the ages of 61 and 87 years. To begin, the researchers had the participants listen to two short stories. They told them to remember as many details as possible. After reading the stories, the researchers divided the participants into two groups.

The first group played a computer game of “spot-the-difference” for 10 minutes. This is a game where they are shown two almost identical pictures on a computer screen. The participants had to point out two subtle differences in each pair. The researchers chose this game because it gave the participants new stimuli, it was nonverbal (unlike the story), and it required constant attention.

The second group took a 10-minute break, where they were to sit quietly with their eyes closed in a darkened room. The researchers told them they could daydream, think about the story, or let their mind wander. They just had to keep their eyes closed and weren’t allowed to take in any new information.

After 30 minutes, the researchers asked the participants to recall as much of the stories as they could. Then, one week later, they asked them to recall the stories again. The team or researchers found that those who rested remembered a lot more of the story than the others.

According to the lead researcher, Michaela Dewar, the point at which we receive new information occurs at “a very early stage of memory formation and that further neural processes have to occur after this stage for us to be able to remember this information at a later point in time.”

We live in a world that constantly bombards us with new information. This can blur the information we acquire and prevent us from really remembering it. It now appears that giving our brain time to assimilate the information in a quiet and peaceful environment helps us remember far more than moving on to the next bit of information.

Wakeful resting may be a simple way to boost your memory. So take a few minutes every day to sit quietly with your eyes closed. It could make a huge difference in your ability to remember information. But don’t rely solely on this method. There’s so much more you can do for your memory. This includes a supplement with nutrients known to support brain function. Advanced Memory Formula (800-791-3395) contains herbs, antioxidants, and other nutrients that can help improve your memory as well. It worked for my mother when she was in her 90s, and in many “youngsters” in their 70s and 80s. It can work for you too.

Rattue, Petra. “Wakeful Resting Fights Memory Loss.” Medical News Today, July 28, 2012. Retrieved from ttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248389.php.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Removing Fatigue in Cancer Patients

Being sick and tired is worse than just being sick, as most cancer patients know. Fatigue is common, and it affects the quality of their lives every day. Western doctors have no idea how to help a cancer patient overcome exhausting fatigue. But Chinese medicine offers a number of solutions. One of these is an herb that grows in this country.

In a recent Mayo Clinic study, researchers gave 2,000 mg of American ginseng root to study participants for one month. They found that it gave them a slight improvement in energy. But the longer they took it, the better it worked. At the end of two months, study participants had improved significantly.

It’s important to note that not all kinds of ginseng act the same. They are not interchangeable. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) have different properties. For example, American ginseng cools the body. But Korean ginseng has the opposite effect. In addition, the quality of any ginseng can vary as well.

According to Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researcher, Debra Barton, PhD, “Off-the-shelf ginseng is sometimes processed using ethanol, which can give it estrogen-like properties that may be harmful to breast cancer patients.” You can easily find good-quality American Ginseng on the Internet. One of the best is from Puritan’s Pride. Each capsule contains 500 mg. Try taking two capsules twice a day and see if it helps your fatigue.

An even better suggestion would be for you to see an acupuncturist who may suggest taking ginseng with other herbs to meet your body’s specific needs. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it’s rare to use a single herb. This is because TCM treats the whole body rather than a single symptom.

www.MayoClinic.org

LETTERS

Q: My blood pressure is low normal. Is there any reason why I should limit my salt intake? I prefer salty and savory foods to sweets. — R.T., e-mail

A: Yes, we should all limit our sodium intake. A high-sodium diet that’s low in potassium can lead to heart disease. This would be a diet with a lot of processed foods that’s low in fruits and vegetables. Thanks to fast foods and processed foods, we’re eating more sodium than ever before. And too much of anything can cause problems. High sodium intake is no exception. It not only can lead to heart disease, it’s also a risk factor for kidney stones and osteoporosis. That’s what Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta recently found.

They discovered that when sodium intake gets too high, your body excretes excess amounts in the urine. That’s the good news. The bad news is that these high amounts of calcium in the urine also contribute to kidney stones. Another problem with a high-salt diet is that sodium binds to calcium and removes some of it, as well. This can lead to osteoporosis.

There’s a direct link between sodium and calcium absorption as well as a direct link between sodium and high blood pressure. So keep your salt intake low by choosing foods low in sodium or by eating smaller portions.

Q: I have dry eyes. My eye doctor says this can be dangerous and I need to use artificial tears. Is it really dangerous? And is there anything I can do besides putting drops in my eyes? — G.G., e-mail

A: Heat, air conditioning, antihistamines, contact lenses, and aging are just a few things that can reduce the flow of tears and cause dry eyes. Tears lubricate the eyes. Without an adequate supply of moisture, you can have pain, a sensitivity to light, redness, and blurred vision. In advanced chronic cases, it can damage your eyes and cause permanent vision problems.

Artificial tears are the primary treatment for dry eyes. If yours is a chronic condition, it’s important to use them as directed — even when you don’t think you need them. Sometimes, ophthalmologists recommend prescription eye drops for dry eyes like Restasis to help the body produce tears naturally.

But there is another treatment you may want to try that has a similar action: caffeine. Caffeine increases secretions of saliva and digestive juices. So a group of researchers at the University of Tokyo’s School of Medicine decided to see whether or not it could reverse dry eyes. They gave 78 people with dry eyes caffeine tablets. All of them produced significantly more tears than after taking a placebo.

You might drink coffee, green tea, black tea, or maté as your source of caffeine and see if they alleviate your dry eyes. We’re finding more benefits for caffeine than problems. If your health practitioner gives you the go ahead, try drinking a cup of a caffeinated drink a few times a day. You may not need eye drops – either over-the-counter or prescription.

American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Millions Of Dry Eye Sufferers May Benefit From Caffeine.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon, Intl., 18 April 2012.