Month: June 2011

According to researchers who followed about 7,000 people aged 65 and older in three French cities for five years, olive oil can help greatly reduce the incidence of stroke.

Scientists conducting the study said they found that people who used a lot of olive oil either in their cooking or as a dip for bread and other foods had lower rates of stroke than people who never use it.

The scientists, who published their results in the medical journal Neurology, say people should be given new advice about their diets to include wider use of olive oil, based on the study's results.

"Stroke is so common in older people, and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to help prevent it," said Dr Cecilia Samieri, of the University of Bordeaux, the study's lead author.

"Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older."

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Internet Stroke Center, which tracks the disease. In all, more than 143,500 people die each year in the U.S. from strokes, out of 795,000 who experience a stroke.

The health benefits of olive oil are well known. An earlier study by Italian researchers found that olive oil, combined with green leafy vegetables, help prevent heart disease.

Another study found that the culinary oil helps prevent oxidative stress, which has been linked to a number of health issues, on the liver.

Still another found that extra virgin olive oil helps combat breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes.

In an age when fast food reigns and home cooking is on the downward trend, incorporating more olive oil in your diet seems to be a simple, effective and inexpensive way to maintain better overall health.

"Olive oil has long been known to have potential health benefits," said Sharlin Ahmed of Britain's Stroke Association. "It is believed that it could protect against conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease and so it's promising to see that it could have a similar protective function against stroke."

Conventional thinking causes us to pose the question, "How can we trust the feeding of our beloved companions to an industry driven by profit?" Keeping prices competitive requires the use of cheap ingredients and fillers. To make these inferior ingredients and fillers appeal to pets, artificial colors, flavors and flavor enhancers are added. The consumer saves some money on bagged and canned pet food, instead of an optimal, species specific homemade, carnivore diet, in the short run
but, ultimately, will incur enormous veterinary bills to treat problems that could have been prevented with proper nutrition.

Many commercial pet food companies label their products misleadingly. Processed wood chips are called "powdered cellulose," and a ground-up array of disease-ridden tissue and unwanted animal parts — often containing high levels of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides — are labeled as "meat and bone meal."

The percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates listed on the labels provide little or no useful information on whether or not the ingredients are bioavailable — that is, can our pets digest and use them in their bodies?

If our cats keeled over and died after they ate a bowl of kibble or a single can of commercial food — as unfortunately many did in the massive worldwide 2007 pet food recall, and there have been dozens of recalls before and since then — there would be no doubt about its danger. However, since it takes years to develop cancer and other degenerative diseases, most allopathic veterinarians never make the connection between diet and chronic disease. Put bluntly, commercial pet foods may marginally sustain life, but they don't promote health.

Here are some basic facts about commercial pet food ingredients and labeling.

BY-PRODUCTS

Even on "premium" and "super-premium" brand labels, one of the major ingredients listed is by-products of some sort. By-products are used primarily in canned pet foods. By-products are basically "parts other than meat." The term "Pink Slime" has come into vogue lately, as garbage such as what is discussed here, was most often sent to pet food manufacturers, however it has now crossed the line into ground meat for human consumption, specifically, our schools, and low end, fast food restaurants. These horrific by-products, may include internal organs not commonly eaten by humans: such as lungs, spleens, and intestines; other parts such as cow udders, and uteri; and in the case of poultry by-products, undeveloped eggs, beaks, and feet, etc. While it's true that a cat would eat by-products in its natural diet when it consumes an entire bird or mouse, these entrails should not be relied on to the exclusion of meat.

RENDERED PRODUCTS

Rendering (basically a slow-cooking process) produces two significant ingredients: animal fat or tallow and a processed "meal" product. The latter may be called meat meal, meat-and-bone meal, or by-product meal depending on its composition. Due to historical quirks in naming, the term "by-product meal" refers to poultry, while the equivalent mammalian product is called "meat and bone meal." Rendered products are found primarily in dry pet foods.

Animals that are dead, dying, diseased, or disabled prior to reaching the slaughterhouse are known as "downers" or "4D" animals. These are usually condemned, in whole or in part, for human consumption, and they are generally sent for rendering along with other by-products, parts and items that are unwanted or unsuitable for human use: such as, out-of-date supermarket meats (including their plastic wrappers), cut-away cancerous tissue, and fetal tissue (which is very high in hormones).

Rendered ingredients vary greatly in quality. A few rendering facilities are closely associated with slaughterhouses, which are in turn connected with feedlots or poultry farms. These "captive" rendering plants, which do not accept outside materials, are more likely to produce
single-species meat meal. Such meals are typically designated with the name of the source animal, such as "chicken meal."

Many consumers are now aware of what "meat and bone meal" indicates on a pet food label. As a result, some manufacturers are now calling this ingredient "beef and bone meal" and similarly euphemistic terms, which are deliberately coined to mislead you.

"COMPLETE AND BALANCED" CLAIMS

A food may be labeled as "complete and balanced" if it meets the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. These standards were formulated in the early 1990s by panels of canine and feline nutrition experts. State Feed Control Officials (or equivalent authorities) are then responsible for enforcement; though, in many cases, enforcement is negligible. The standards set only minimums and maximums, not optimums. The danger of conventional thinking is that minimums are good enough for our pets' health, instead of optimal levels, which would, in turn cost them more and affect "their" bottom line.

ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES

Virtually every commercial pet food contains additives and preservatives. Dry foods and soft-moist foods contain additives to produce the colors, shapes, and textures of the food. Canned foods typically contain coloring and flavoring agents. These coloring agents when applied, trick you, the animals companion into thinking you are feeding real meat instead of connective tissue!

Some of the worst preservatives, found primarily in dry foods, include Bbutylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, and ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is banned from nearly all human food products (except certain spices) due to its cancer-causing properties. Warning: Be sure to read labels on everything that goes into your companion animal's mouth. For instance, the preservative sodium benzoate, which is added to some food products, as well as many brands of aloe vera juice, is known to be exceptionally poisonous to cats. Look for brands of products in all categories free of this dangerous preservative. It is advisable to eliminate it from everyone and everythings diet, and check for it in your supplements, especially if in liquid form, this includes the super fruit juices, as well.

FACT OR FICTION: PETS IN PET FOOD?

Over the years, there have been numerous reports of euthanized cats and dogs being processed into pet food. The Center for Veterinary Medicine, a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), admits that dead dogs and cats are commonly rendered, and although there is no legal prohibition against using dogs and cats in pet food, they do not condone the practice. They managed for years to let this horrendous practice slip through the cracks just as it has been done in large animal feed! We all know the horrors of mammalian tissue when it is found in cattle feed.

The allegation of euthanized cats and dogs in pet food was undoubtedly true, but today all "reputable" pet food manufacturers in the U.S certify that they do not allow such materials in their products. Whether or not the renderers who supply the pet food companies are complying is unknown. Renderers would be extremely foolish to jeopardize profitable pet food contracts when these materials can be put to many other uses.

Animal remains can be turned into fertilizer, industrial lubricants, cosmetics, soaps, tires, asphalt, glue, film, or any of hundreds of other products. However, as fertilizer, this material can be introduced into the human food supply, the by-products of which become pet food. Something very troublesome, indeed to vegetarians and vegans is the practice of our carrots being fertilized with the euthanized remains of our pets and road-kill.

The FDA received so much concern from animal companions over this issue that they were pushed to conduct a study to determine whether or not the "pets in pet food" story was true. They searched for the euthanasia drug sodium pentobarbital in dry dog foods — the most likely foods to contain it. They found plenty of it, primarily in foods containing meat and bone meal, animal fat, beef and bone meal, and animal digest. However, the FDA attributed the presence of the drug to euthanized livestock. The FDA claims that the amounts are too low to cause a problem; however, the long-term health implications of consuming this drug are completely unknown. One might pose the question, that if there is no safe dosage for radiation it would follow that there is then no safe dosage for euthanasia drugs in our pets food. Just how much poison can we living things tolerate?

The FDA further used a test it developed to check for dog and cat DNA in the foods, and found none. One might also wonder about the reports of diseased circus animals, elephants in particular and even human body parts ending up in pet food, could have ever been proven by the FDA. But we can be reasonably certain they were not. Is there smoke behind these "urban myths?" So, although it is certain that many pet foods did contain these cannibalistic materials, the industry does appear to have cleaned up its act a bit, in this regard, at least at the time these tests were conducted. Does that mean that we can trust that never happens again or is even happening now? No, and the pet food makers cannot guarantee it, since they are relying on the trustworthiness of the notoriously, untrustworthy, and secretive rendering industry.

Ultimately, we all should ask ourselves, "Why trust "Big Pet Food" to make our pets' food, when it is so easy to do it ourselves and insure the ingredients used meet our own holistic standards?" We now can avail ourselves of recipes for properly prepared raw meat and raw bone, species-specific diets that can be properly supplemented and made at home in the safety of our own kitchens. (Remember many different pet food companies products go through the extruding equipment where kibble is made. This was how many brands were involved in the recall horror as there are only a few of these plants around the country. When the machinery is not properly cleaned between runs you may be getting traces of ingredients from other companies kibble!

Today, thankfully, we all have access to pasture-raised, organic, free range meats and poultry and can do a fine job ourselves of preparing homemade meals for our pets, without relying on this profit driven, unscrupulous industry to do it for us. Even if the meat you select at the super market is less than optimal it is far better than what went in to the can or bag! The "Big Pet Food" companies track record has been unacceptable through the years and has caused many animals to die needlessly because they either forgot about the need for taurine or some other nutrient or amino acid that was destroyed in the cooking process; that is why their formulations change with the weather, and we find "buzz words" on their labels everywhere we look, extolling the virtues of having added some popular nutrient they found on the front pages of industry publications. What ever the ingredient is, it is simply added to the same basic "pink slime" they have always used.

What on earth is holistic and natural about "kibble?" There are no "Kibble" bushes in the wild for our carnivores to graze on! Even if "Big Pet Food" begins with New Zealand Spring Lamb and vegetables– once is it canned, preserved, kibbled, bagged and packaged– you have nothing but dead, lifeless "packing material" designed only to sustain your animal companion's life at best, not enhance it and offer he/she the possibility for anti-aging. This "burger joint," "Pink Slime," fast food approach to feeding out pets offers our animal companions a fast track to the grave, exactly the same as it offers us!

CONTAMINANTS

To add further insult to injury, we find that pesticide residues, antibiotics, and molds are often found in pet food ingredients. Meat from downer animals may be loaded with drugs, some of which are known to pass unchanged through all the processing done to create a finished pet food.

Grain products, such as, wheat, corn, and soy, have no place in the diets of carnivores (such as dogs) and/or obligate carnivores (such as cats)– and are usually condemned for human consumption due to excessive pesticide residue– can be used without limit in food intended for animals.

There are also deliberate contaminants, such as melamine in wheat gluten and rice protein from China that was implicated in the deaths of tens of thousands of pets in 2007. The use of melamine to falsely elevate the protein levels in many food products is a widespread practice in China despite its illegality. Since 2007, melamine has been found in dozens of Chinese-made human food products around the world, such as infant formula and milk chocolate. Have you ever heard of any living thing that has ever been diagnosed as having a gluten deficiency? So why was it ever added in the first place? It always relates back to "Big Pet Foods" bottom line.

As decent quality ingredients become scarcer and far more expensive, look for more problems from imported foods — including "Big Pet Food" brands manufactured far from the company's home office. The simple truth is, dry pet foods are the likeliest to contain unwanted ingredients and contaminants that have no place in our companion animals diet. If you take only one piece of advice in this article, please let it be to stop feeding any and all dry food. Better yet, avail yourself of the research done by people who have been feeding raw meat and raw bones over multiple generations, instead of listening to the claims of profit driven commercial pet food companies whose idea of a feeding trial is to take 6 beagles over 6 weeks and examine their excrement. The animals used in these feeding trials are most often euthanized at the end of the trial period– even though we, the consumers, are led to believe they have been sent off to loving homes.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PET'S REMAINS

In this spirit, to insure that your humanely euthanized pet may rest in peace where you deem appropriate after a long illness or catastrophic event and does not become processed at a rendering plant, you must make arrangements with your veterinarian to take control of your pet's remains.

Your vet may recommend a reliable cremation or pet burial facility, if local laws prohibit pet burial on your own property.

It is also important to know that if your vet sends your animals' remains to a facility, such as a veterinary college or university, to be necropsied, you can pay a little extra to have your pet's remains cremated after necropsy, and the ashes sent back to you. Otherwise, the remains will more than likely be picked up by disposal trucks and taken to rendering plants.

In summery, your animal companion is a member of your family and you are responsible for its health, happiness, and welfare! They are as much what they eat as we are! Your own veterinarian probably knows very little about cat and dog nutrition as their information comes from "Big Pet Food" companies. Their business thrives on selling you those prescription bags and cans out of their clinic.

Consult with holistic nutritionists and experts well versed in species specific diets to guide you through the process of meal preparation for you dogs and or cats, as there is nothing better than a properly prepared homemade, raw meat and raw bone diet, but also nothing worse than an improperly prepared homemade diet. Take a few extra minutes and learn the rules and the tools to properly prepare and supplement homemade raw meat and or poultry with raw bones and organ meats and then after you prepare it, in bulk, simply freeze it up, in appropriate serving proportions.

A little extra time in food preparation and a little study on the myriad of holistic health care options, available today, can save you the heartbreak of loosing your pet to a devastating disease that can be easily prevented by feeding a species specific raw carnivore diet!

Unfortunately for the global community Monsanto is accomplishing their purpose. They currently own 90% of the world's patents for GMO seed including cotton, soybeans, corn, sugar beets and canola. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme…)

Yep, the creators of chemicals that will go down in history for their toxicity and horrific side effects, is attempting to take over the world's seed supply. Ask yourself- do you really want companies such as BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Syngenta, and Dow involved with your food? Sadly, to a large extent they already are. These Monsanto chemical and GMO cronies all share genetically engineered traits and create the patented herbicides and pesticides that GMO crops require to thrive.

Monsanto is infamous for taking advantage of small farmers, and with the advent of MoU's they are doing so with governmental license. Countries like India, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand have all executed MoU's with Monsanto. MoU's or memorandum's of understanding permit Monsanto to use publicly owned lands to create so called demonstration farms (GMO breeding camps) which in turn -at least in the case of Rajasthan – are subsidized by the government.

Monsanto literally takes farmer seeds, creates genetically engineered copycat versions, and then retains all intellectual property rights. Dr. Vandana Shiva, Executive Director of the Navdanya Trust, an Indian organization committed to organic biodiversity, states that "the MoU's will in effect, facilitate bio-piracy of Rajasthan's rich biodiversity of draught -resilient crops …. by failing to have any clauses that respect the Biodiversity Act and the Farmers' Rights Act, the MoU's promote bio-piracy and legalize the great seed robbery."

It is common knowledge that GMO seeds are much worse than conventional ones. As with all of their agreements, Monsanto shields itself from any liability- so when the Monsanto's promises of higher yields with less work ring hollow, when farmers crops fail, or when mass suicides are committed because of crop failure and spirit crushing debt- Monsanto presses on with no worries. Farmers that sign up for Monsanto's seeds of destruction find themselves hooked. Year after year, no matter what prices are being charged, they are dependent on GMO seeds for new crops because GMO seeds – the bastardized versions they are – don't regenerate.

Monsanto has no qualms about robbing farmers that don't play poker with them. As a mater of fact; it makes a business of it. Conventional and organic farmers in both Canada and the U.S., who have the misfortune of having lands that border GMO farms, often end up with trace contamination in their crops, making them (if organic), unsuitable for sale. Monsanto actually uses this situation against farmers and files patent infringement claims that they often win.

The result farm owners are left with exorbitant legal bills and fines often forcing them to shut down: clearing away Monsanto competition. In a savvy move for survival, a preemptive suit on behalf of almost 300,000 plaintiffs seeking legal safe harbor, has been filed in New York.

Monsanto's product has changed from poison to food, but it has held true to its history of violating the rights and health of people around the globe. Monsanto is a 100% committed to the sale of their seeds of destruction no matter what it takes: bullying, infiltration of high government offices with company friendly individuals, or intimidation. The organic movement has taken up the standard against Monsanto's machinations in court as well as through grassroots education and activist efforts. The organic revolution is Monsanto's Achilles heel, and its goal is a world without Monsanto.

Government scientists said that while frequent and intense exposures in manufacturing plants was much more worrisome than intermittent contact that most consumers have, consumers should nevertheless still avoid contact with formaldehyde and styrene, which were added along with six other chemicals to the government's official Report on Carcinogens.

The chemical and manufacturing industries have long suspected that the latest report would warn about formaldehyde and styrene, and industry groups have fought the process behind its release ever since. As a result of industry pressure, the government added numerous public comment periods to the process. Even after the report was written, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services delayed the report's release for months in order to cope with industry complaints.

"Industry held this report up for four years," said Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "They have tried to create the impression that there was real scientific uncertainty here, but there's not."

Studies of workers exposed to high levels of formaldehyde, such as embalmers, have found increased incidences of myeloid leukemia and rare cancers of the nasal passages and upper mouth. Studies of workers exposed to high levels of styrene have found increased risks of leukemia and lymphoma as well as genetic damage to white blood cells. The report also found that there is some evidence that styrene increases the risks of cancer of the pancreas and esophagus among styrene workers. Consumers can be exposed to styrene from the fumes of building materials, photocopiers and tobacco smoke.

Though the report downplayed the risks associated with styrene, it is notable that hundreds of millions of styrofoam food, beverage and other containers contain styrene, and the styrofoam particles can easily be dislodged with metal utensils as well as hard plastic utensils. In addition, consumers frequently re-heat food and beverages in styrofoam containers, including cups and disposable plates, and the process can leach dangerous styrene into the food and beverages.

The American Cancer Society (ACS), whose ties to the chemical industries have been well documented, conceded that formaldehyde is problematic but attempted to downplay the dangers of styrene. According to Chief ACS medical officer, Dr. Otis Brawley, formaldehyde is "worrisome but inescapable."

"It's in the smell in new houses, and it's in cosmetics like nail polish," he said. According to Brawley, "All a reasonable person can do is manage their exposure and decrease it to as little as possible."

As for styrene's presence in styrofoam, plastic utensils and other consumer products, Brawley said the risk was uncertain and slight – the same Brawley said is true of cell phones.

The new report also lists aristolochic acids as a known carcinogen, the fungicide captafol, finely spun glass wool fibers used in insulation, cobalt-tungsten carbide, riddelliine (found in plants eaten by horses, cows and sheep) and ortho-nitrotoluene (used in dyes) as probable carcinogens.

To see how the chemical industry and other cancer causing industries have diverted and hidden attention from their cancer causing compounds, see the two Natural News article series which begin with these links:

Why Omega-3 is Important

Omega-3 is an essential nutrient, which means it's vital but the body cannot produce it. It has to come from food sources. Omega-3 from plant foods comes in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Ironically, our bodies' cells contain ALA naturally. But we have to supply the Omega-3 from outside. As vital for cellular health as ALA is, more is probably better.

Fatty fish, such as cold water salmon and sea tuna, deliver Omega-3 with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body partially converts plant and nut based ALA to EPA and DHA. ALA alone is vital to cellular health. With plant or nut Omega-3 ALA, you get it all while avoiding the potential health hazards from farm fish, GMO franken-salmon, and tuna containing mercury and other sea infested toxins.

Even mainstream medicine and, would you believe, the FDA acknowledge the importance of Omega-3 for heart health. That includes stroke prevention as well. Our cells house ALA to help convert glucose into energy. Omega-3 has many other benefits, including anti-aging properties and cancer prevention. ALA is able to cross the blood brain barrier and carry the Omega-3 to your brain.

Have you looked closely at a walnut's outer shell? It resembles the human brain. People with various brain or mental disorders such as ADD and even schizophrenia exhibit low omega-3 content in their blood. ALA and Omega-3 are also important for preventing macular degeneration and other eye problems.

Other studies are mixed regarding osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and aging. Regardless of those study results, it's safe to assume that all those issues are at least partially addressed with Omega-3 and ALA.

Here is the Walnut Pate Recipe

Ingredients
– 1 cup walnuts
– 1/2 cup minced shallots
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter (organic)
– 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped
– 1/4 pound crimini mushrooms, chopped
– 1/4 pound portobello mushrooms, chopped
– 1 tablespoon roasted garlic puree
– 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
– 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
2.In a large saute pan, cook shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent. Then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3.Process toasted walnuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Spoon in the cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
4.Pack mixture into well-oiled ramekins or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

And walnut pieces make great salad toppings, especially with a bit of Amish blue cheese chunks. Or simply mix a bunch of organic raisins with walnut pieces and munch as a snack food.

Several years ago, the Fairbanks City Council created a "Fluoride Task Force" to investigate the issues surrounding fluoridation, and devise recommendations for whether or not to continue fluoridating the water supply. Composed of experts in chemistry, geochemistry, microbiology, medicine, and dentistry, the group eventually came to the conclusion that artificial water fluoridation puts the health of the population at risk, and should be stopped.

You can read the full Fluoride Task Force report, which is full of credible, scientific evidence against the use of fluoride in water supplies, here:
(http://www.ci.fairbanks.ak.us/docum…).

Based on the recommendations of the group, Fairbanks Mayor Jerry Cleworth introduced Ordinance 5849, which outlaws the addition of fluoride to the city's water supply system. After more than an hour of public testimony and deliberation at a recent hearing, which was mostly against the use of fluoride, the Fairbanks City Council voted 5-1 to end water fluoridation beginning on July 1, 2011.

"There is no way to control how much (fluoride) a person drinks," said Fairbanks resident Coert Olmsted at the meeting. He also cited credible information about how consuming fluoride internally, rather than having it applied topically, is highly toxic to the body.

This incredible health freedom victory in Fairbanks represents a model by which residents of other cities and towns that fluoridate their water can help end it as well. You can do your part by forwarding the Fairbanks Fluoride Task Force report to your own city councils, and urging them to read and consider it. You can also propose that they set up independent task forces of their own to investigate fluoride, which if done honestly will come to the same or similar conclusions about the dangers of fluoride.

Cedarwood Oil Properties

The aromatic wood of the cedar contains a high percentage of essential oil, which is extracted by steam distilling cedarwood chips and sawdust.

According to Esoteric Oils, "The main chemical components of cedarwood oil are a-cedrene, b-cedrene, thujopsene, other sesquiterpenes, cedrol and widdrol. The therapeutic properties of cedarwood oil are anti-seborrheic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, tonic, astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, insecticide, sedative and fungicide".

Uses

The antiseptic, anti-seborrheic and mild astringent properties of cedarwood make it a popular choice for treating dandruff and for relieving scalp itchiness.

The astringent action helps to treat acne and oily skin eruptions.

Cedarwood oil is an expectorant and mucolytic, and it has been used traditionally in the treatment of catarrhal problems, especially bronchial infections and congestion. It clears the respiratory system of excess phlegm and catarrh and is said to have a pronounced effect on mucus membranes.

It is also of use in cases of arthritis and rheumatism and is an overall tonic for the body.

Cedarwood oil helps to compose the mind and is of great value in conditions associated with nervous tension, anxiety, obsessions and fears.

Anti-dandruff recipes using cedarwood

Blend 6 drops cedarwood, 6 drops rosemary essential oil and 4 drops cypress oil with 50ml olive oil. Massage into the scalp and leave to soak overnight. Shampoo thoroughly the next day.

Another useful recipe to combat oily hair is to blend 4 teaspoons grape seed oil with 5 drops each of cedarwood oil, cyprus oil and peppermint oil. Add to a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice. Massage into the scalp and leave for at least 2 hours before washing out.

More ways to use cedarwood

Blend with a carrier oil such as sweet almond or dilute in the bath to assist with asthma, bronchitis, respiratory problems, painful joints, oily skin and dandruff.

Use a burner or vaporizer to treat arthritis, bronchitis, rheumatism and respiratory problems or as a general tonic.

Cedarwood blends well with neroli, jasmine, juniper, chamomile, geranium, lavender, frankincense, rosemary, ylang ylang, rosewood and vetiver essential oils.

Caution: In high concentration, cedarwood oil may irritate the skin. Do not use during pregnancy. This article is for information purposes only – any serious medical condition should be addressed by a medical professional.

by: Paula Rothstein

(NaturalNews) Little more than 50 years ago, a remarkable discovery was made by the Madison Enzyme Institute. Coenzyme Q10 ("CoQ10") was first identified with its chemical structure officially reported in 1958. This super antioxidant has since been the subject of numerous studies, and for the most part has exceeded the highest expectations. It is now the darling of supplements, occupying many shelves across the United States. In fact, at this time there are only two supplements sold in greater frequency: multi-vitamins and fish oil. Part of its success is most likely due to a savvy, aging population bent on taking advantage of natural health products best known for their pro-aging components. Not only does CoQ10 fit today's immediate needs of improved metabolic function, cell protection, and improved cardiovascular health, but all signs also point to greater future ambitions in the area of neurology.

Getting to know CoQ10

CoQ10 is as complicated as its name would imply. Even though it has been the subject of thousands of research studies, we are still in the infatuation stage with a full blown love affair potentially looming on the horizon. Much is known about this enzyme, which functions as an antioxidant, and much remains as well-founded speculation.

This critical enzyme is appropriately named ubiquinone for its ubiquitous distribution throughout the body. Its ubiquitous nature is also the reason it can affect several different systems of the body in equal profundity, including a demonstrated ability to pass through the blood brain barrier. Nearly every cell needs this critical substance. Yet the most important function of CoQ10 is that it ignites the manufacture of adenosine triphosphate ("ATP"). ATP is an essential fuel involved in the part of a cell called the mitochondrial. To get a sense of CoQ10's importance, you need to understand that ninety-five percent of the human body's energy is generated in the form of ATP. The greatest benefits of CoQ10 can be seen in organs requiring the highest amount of energy, such as the heart, liver, and kidneys.

Best way to take CoQ10

You cannot make a proper impact without the right delivery system, which is why it is so important to take CoQ10 in the best possible form. CoQ10 can be found in the body in three stages: fully oxidized (ubiquinone); partially oxidized (semiquinone); and fully reduced (ubiquinol). If you are taking CoQ10 in the form of ubiquinone, your body must first reduce the compound to ubiquinol. Once the body has converted it into this usable form, only then is CoQ10 a nutrient capable of powering your cellular metabolism. Unfortunately, much of its worth is exhausted during the conversion process. Also, as we age it becomes increasingly difficult for the body to perform the task of conversion. In the past, CoQ10 supplements came primarily in the form of ubiquinone. Today, however, CoQ10 is readily available in its converted form. Be certain the label on your supplement lists ubiquinol as its source.

Because CoQ10 is an oil soluble, vitamin-like substance, absorption will be best achieved if taken with a meal containing some healthy fats. Also, earlier consumption with, say, breakfast or lunch, will help alleviate any stimulating effect which could negatively influence sleep.

The excitement generated by CoQ10 will only continue to grow exponentially as new discoveries are made in the coming years. The greatest impact may yet be seen in the area of neurology with the belief that it can influence mental acuity, as well as diseases of the nervous system. Based on what we know already, if you are over the age of 50, you will want to consider the pro-aging benefits of CoQ10.