Truth Seeker Forum

Dr. Mercola

The Globe and Maili recently published an article outlining “the 5 numbers that most impact your health.”

I think they have the right idea, but but I disagree with their test selections.

If you really want to monitor your health, I believe the numbers you should be tracking are the seven listed in the table below.

These are far more important than tracking your total cholesterol, blood pressure, or BMI, as recommended by the Globe and Mail.

Let’s take a closer look at these values and what they may reveal about your health.

1. Fasting Insulin (I)
2. Cholesterol/HDL Ratio (C)
3. Percentage Body Fat (F)
4. Serum Ferritin (F)
5. Waist/Hip Ratio (WH)
6. Uric Acid Level (U)
7. Vitamin D Level (D)
1. Fasting Insulin Level

Your fasting insulin level reflects how healthy your blood glucose levels are over time. Insulin helps sugar move from your blood into your cells, where it can be used or stored. Chronically elevated blood glucose leads to insulin resistance and numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Elevated blood glucose and insulin resistance are epidemic today. An estimated one in four Americans are either insulin resistant or diabetic.

One of the most frequent causes of elevated glucose (and insulin resistance) is consumption of too many grains and sugars. Fructose has been shown to be especially harmful due to the way it disrupts the lock-and-key fit between insulin and its cellular receptor sites. Fructose is a powerful endocrine disruptor, capable of rapidly inducing insulin resistance when consumed in what, by today’s standards, is a relatively small amount (25 grams or more per day).

Your fasting insulin level can be determined by a simple, inexpensive blood test. A normal fasting blood insulin level is below 5, but ideally you’ll want it below 3. If your insulin level is higher than 3 to 5, the most effective way to optimize it is to reduce or eliminate all forms of dietary sugar, particularly fructose.

You can also use a simple glucose test to check your fasting glucose level. Just realize that it’s possible to have low fasting glucose but still have significantly elevated insulin levels.Generally speaking, a fasting glucose under 100 mg/dl suggests you’re not insulin resistant, while a level between 100 and 125 suggests you’re either mildly insulin resistant or have impaired glucose tolerance (sometimes referred to as pre-diabetes).

2. Cholesterol/HDL Ratio

Cholesterol has been demonized for the past few decades, thanks to a landmark study by Dr. Ancel Keys in 1953 that has been used to justify a low fat diet approach to achieve health. This study resulted in cholesterol’s being blamed for just about every case of heart disease in the last 20 years. But the fact is, cholesterol is most likely not going to destroy your health (as you have been led to believe), and is also not the cause of heart disease. Most of the recent credible science has debunked Keys’ theory, but the cholesterol myth stubbornly persists in the mainstream because it’s so deeply embedded in our culture.

We now know that your body actually requires cholesterol to manufacture vitamin D from sunlight, to synthesize sex hormones, and for proper brain function. Measuring total blood cholesterol tells you practically nothing about your heart disease risk. More value can be derived by looking at the relative types of lipids circulating in your bloodstream, and today we have sophisticated tests that can measure these. The following two ratios are far better indicators of heart disease risk than total cholesterol alone:

Your HDL/Cholesterol ratio: HDL (high-density lipoproteins) to total cholesterol percentage is a very good predictor of heart disease risk. Just divide your HDL number by your total cholesterol. Ideally, this number should exceed 24 percent; below 10 percent predicts an increased risk for heart disease.
Your Triglyceride/HDL ratio: Divide your triglyceride number by your HDL. This percentage should ideally be below 2.
3. Percentage Body Fat

Body composition, meaning your relative amounts of lean body mass to body fat, is a powerful way to measure your overall health. There is a strong correlation between higher body fat and negative health outcomes, such as heart disease and stroke. And percentage of body fat says more about your overall fitness than body weight or body mass index (BMI). BMI can be particularly misleading, causing fit bodybuilders to be classified as overweight as it does not take into account the higher weight of muscle compared to fat. Also, increased organ or abdominal adipose tissue in particular (a “beer belly”) has been shown to be more strongly associated with heart disease and a variety of chronic diseases than just weight in relation to height.

The most common way to assess body fat percentage is the skinfold measurement technique, which utilizes a skinfold caliper. (Skinfold measurement is the method most widely used by fitness trainers.) The American Council on Exercise provides the following percentage body fat guidelinesii for men and women:

Category Women Men
Essential Fat 10-13% 2-5%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 4-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-24%
Obesity >32% >25%

For even greater accuracy, you can resort to hydrostatic weighing, where you get weighed under water. This measures the density of your body, which is then used to calculate how much body fat you have.

Another technique that is gaining support by medical and fitness experts is the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). To measure body impedance, an electrical signal is passed through your body. Impedance is greatest in fat tissue, which contains low amounts of water, while fat-free mass, which contains up to 75 percent water, allows the signal to pass through fairly unimpeded. This measurement, along with other factors such as your height, weight, and body type, is then used to calculate your percentage of body fat, fat-free mass and other body composition values.

There are now bathroom scales that use this technology. I picked one up from Eat Smartiii that I have been using for the last four months. I find it’s a simple way to monitor my body fat percentage. It may overestimate a bit as it has me at 13.5 percent when I tested between 11 and 12 percent using other methods, but it is very accurate in measuring day to day variability, and can be an excellent and inexpensive way to monitor your progress on optimizing your body fat so it is line with your health goals.

4. Serum Ferritin

You probably already know that iron is an important nutrient for your body. But you might not be aware that iron is a double-edged sword—both too much and too little can lead to major health problems.

Iron serves many functions in your body, but one of the most important is carrying oxygen throughout your body by binding to hemoglobin molecules in your bloodstream. Without proper oxygenation, your cells quickly begin to die. If you don’t have enough iron in your body, you end up with iron deficiency anemia, a common problem among children and menstruating women. But your body also has a limited capacity to excrete iron, so it can build up in your tissues if you’re getting too much in your diet.

Processed foods fortified with iron and multivitamins with iron can contribute to iron overload over time. The problem with excess iron is that it’s also a very potent oxidative stressor, causing dangerous free radicals that can damage your heart and your DNA, and lead to diseases such as cancer. Therefore, you should regularly check yourself for iron overload with a serum ferritin test. This blood test measures iron’s carrier molecule—a protein called ferritin found inside your cells upon which the iron is stored. If your ferritin levels are low, it means your iron levels are also low, and vice versa. Use the following guidelines to interpret your serum ferritin level:

The healthy range of serum ferritin is between 20 and 80 ng/ml
The ideal serum ferritin range is 40 to 60 ng/ml
Below 20, you are iron deficient; above 80, you have an iron surplus.Ferritin levels can go really high. I’ve seen levels over 1,000, but anything over 80 is likely to be a problem.
It is VITAL to appreciate that about one in five men and postmenopausal women have iron levels that are too high and are actually causing premature disease and death. If you or someone you love has triple digit ferritin levels you need to lower them ASAP. The higher the number the worse it is, with numbers over 250-300 being particularly dangerous. Fortunately there is a very simple way to lower it. I would not advise using supplements like phytic acid (IP6), which can bind other helpful minerals. The single best way to lower your iron is to simply donate blood. If you have risk factors that prevent you from having your blood accepted for donation, you can have your doctor write you a prescription for a therapeutic phlebotomy.

5. Waist Size

There is scientific evidenceiv that BMI (body mass index) is a very flawed measurement when it comes to predicting your risk of dying from heart disease. Waist size provides a far more accurate benchmark for predicting your risk of death from a heart attack and from other causes. Determining your waist size is easy. With a tape measure, measure the distance around the smallest area of your abdomen, below your rib cage and above your belly button. The following is a general guide for healthy waist circumference:

Men: 37 to 40 inches is overweight; greater than 40 inches is obese
Women: 31.5 to 34.6 inches is overweight; greater than 34.6 inches is obese
The reason why this is a better indicator of heart disease risk is because your waist size is related to the type of fat that is stored around your waistline, called “visceral fat” or “belly fat.” This type of fat is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. It is thought that visceral fat is related to the release of proteins and hormones that cause inflammation, which can in turn damage your arteries and affect how you metabolize sugars and fats. An expanded waistline is associated with insulin resistance, high blood pressure, lipid imbalance, cardiovascular disease, thickening of the walls of your heart, and even increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease decades later.

6. Uric Acid Level

You may already know that elevated uric acid levels cause gout. But did you know uric acid can serve as a marker for fructose toxicity?

Fructose, when over-consumed, is very taxing to your body’s metabolic processes. One of the by-products of fructose metabolism is uric acid, so when you consume too much sugar—particularly concentrated fructose—your uric acid levels may rise. Fructose turns you into a uric acid factory! Elevated uric acid is thought to explain much of the damage fructose causes in your body. This is especially pronounced if you are particularly fructose-sensitive, as I am. I’m grateful to Dr. Richard Johnson, author of The Sugar Fix, for bringing the uric acid link to my attention. As an aside I have helped proof his new book, The Fat Switch, which is beyond phenomenal and will also be available shortly.

The connection between fructose consumption and increased uric acid is so reliable that a uric acid level taken from your blood can actually be used as a marker for fructose toxicity. I now recommend that a uric acid level be a routine part of your blood screening.

According to the latest research, the safest range for uric acid is between 3 and 5.5 milligrams per deciliter, and there appears to be a steady relationship between uric acid levels and blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, even down to the range of 3 to 4 mg/dl. As you know, two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight, and most of these people likely have uric acid levels in excess of 5.5. Some may even be closer to 10 or higher. Dr. Johnson suggests that the ideal uric acid level is probably around:

4 mg/dl for men, and
3.5 mg/dl for women
7. Vitamin D Level

Vitamin D deficiency is at epidemic levels in the United States, but many Americans—including many physicians—are still unaware of the implications. In the U.S., the late winter average vitamin D is only about 15 to 18 ng/ml, which is considered a very serious deficiency state. In fact, 85 percent of Americans may be deficient in vitamin D, including more than 95 percent of all seniors.

Vitamin D influences about 3,000 of the 30,000 genes in your body, which is why it’s involved with the expression of so many diseases, from cancer to autism to heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis, just to name a few. A study by vitamin D expert Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., found that about 30 percent of cancer deaths could be prevented each year with higher levels of vitamin D. Beyond preventing cancer, researchers have estimated that increasing vitamin D levels could prevent diseases that claim nearly one million lives globally each year. Vitamin D also fights colds and flu because it helps your immune system defend against bacteria and viruses.

You should regularly check your vitamin D level, but you must obtain the correct test. There are two vitamin D tests: 1,25(OH)D and 25(OH)D. Of the two, 25(OH)D (also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D) is the better marker of overall vitamin D status.

The following ranges were obtained in a large-scale clinical study by evaluating healthy people in tropical or subtropical parts of the world, where they are receiving healthy sun exposures. It seems more than reasonable to assume that these values are in fact reflective of an optimal human requirement. When getting your vitamin D level tested, please realize that many commercial labs are using old, outdated reference ranges, and that their “normal” is likely to be far below these optimal and clinically relevant values.

(Holick MF. Calcium and Vitamin D. Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Clin Lab Med. 2000 Sep;20(3):569-90)

If your vitamin D level is too low, the best way to increase it is with exposure to natural sunlight, in appropriate amounts, or using a safe tanning bed. If neither of those options are feasible, you can opt for an oral vitamin D3 supplement. Just remember that if you supplement orally, it is even MORE important to have your blood levels checked regularly, as there is a wide variation in how efficiently people absorb vitamin D orally.

While the latest research indicates adults need about 8,000 IU’s of vitamin D per day to achieve vitamin D levels of 40 ng/ml, you need to monitor your levels carefully in order to determine the dosage you need in order to reach and maintain optimal levels, as this is highly variable. There is no magic dosage when it comes to vitamin D; rather it’s the serum level that really matters.

For more information about vitamin D testing, refer to my comprehensive article on the topic. I also strongly recommend you watch my one-hour vitamin D lecture, included at the top of this section.

References:

i Globe and Mail January 5, 2012
ii American Council on Exercise
iii Amazon.com, EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale w/ 400 lb. Capacity & Auto Recognition Technology
iv J Am CollCardiol May 10, 2011

If you buy special shampoo for your baby, the last thing you’d expect it to contain would be known or suspected carcinogens…

But if you live in the U.S., this may in fact be the case.

For the past two years, health and environmental groups have been urging Johnson & Johnson to remove two potentially cancer-causing chemicals from its baby shampoo.

One of these ingredients is quaternium-15, which releases formaldehyde; a skin, eye, and respiratory irritant, and a known carcinogen (formaldehyde exposure has been associated with leukemia specifically).

According to SafeCosmetics.org:

“The North American Contact Dermatitis Group considers quaternium-15 to be among the most clinically significant contact allergens in children.”

The other, 1,4-dioxane, is a “likely carcinogen,” and is present in Johnson & Johnson’s:

Baby Shampoo
Oatmeal Baby Wash
Moisture Care Baby Wash, and
Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash
According to the CDC, 1,4 dioxane is “probably carcinogenic to humans,” and is toxic to your brain, central nervous system, kidneys and liver.

Why is Johnson & Johnson Dragging Their Feet on Removal of Toxic Ingredients for U.S. Lots?

On October 31, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent Johnson & Johnson a letter signed by 25 environmental and medical groups, demanding they “commit to removing the chemicals from all of its products by November 15.” The Campaign also urges everyone to boycott Johnson & Johnson until it complies.

Johnson & Johnson recently responded, stating that:

“We have been phasing out the use of preservatives that release tiny amounts of formaldehyde to guard against bacterial contamination. These preservative technologies, which are used widely in our industry are all safe and approved in the countries where they are sold… Over the past couple of years, we already have reduced the number of formulations globally with these “formaldehyde releaser” preservatives by 33% and in the U.S. by over 60%.

We are completing this reformulation as quickly as we can safely and responsibly do so.

As part of the manufacturing process, we have extensive monitoring to ensure that the amount of a trace byproduct known as “1,4 dioxane” in any of our products is well below the level that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulatory agencies around the world consider safe.

… We have introduced new product formulations for consumers who prefer natural products, such as JOHNSON’S® NATURAL®, a line that is 98% natural, and contains no formaldehyde releasing preservatives or traces of 1,4 dioxane.”

However, reasonable as this may sound, there are two rather obvious “problems” with their reply:

They’re already selling a carcinogen-free version of its baby shampoo in other countries, so obviously no complicated reformulation would be necessary, and
The Johnson’s “Naturals” brand does not contain either of these chemicals, but, it costs about twice as much as their regular baby shampoo. That makes TWO carcinogen-free formulas at their disposal, which makes the line “We are completing this reformulation as quickly as we can safely and responsibly do so,” seem like a rather strange excuse
The countries already receiving quaternium-15-free Johnson & Johnson products include:

Denmark Finland Japan The Netherlands
Norway South Africa Sweden The U.K.

By Dr. Mercola

Depression is a pervasive health issue today. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 10 American adults report some form of depression.i

Eleven percent of the U.S. population over the age of 12 is on antidepressant medication.ii

However, mounting evidence shows the drug approach is not helping this trend. On the contrary, it may be fueling it…

At best, beneficial results from antidepressants are comparable to placebos, and at worst, they can cause devastating side effects, including suicidal- and homicidal tendencies, and deterioration into more serious mental illness.

Meanwhile, research has shown there ARE effective treatments for depression.

The problem is, they’re not drugs, so there’s no way to make a profit on them…

And that may be why you don’t normally hear about these strategies.

I will list them at the end of this article, and by the time you’ve reviewed the many side effects of these drugs, which is the main topic of this article, you will hopefully be motivated to give those drug-free alternatives a try.

Antidepressants and Heart Disease

Antidepressant use has been linked to thicker arteries, which could contribute to the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is in addition to the already heightened risk for heart disease that accompanies depression.

The results of a study of 513 twin veterans, presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans last year,iii found that antidepressant use resulted in greater carotid intima-media thickness (the lining of the main arteries in your neck that feed blood to your brain). The researchers found that the intima-media thickness of the men taking antidepressants was about five percent thicker than that of those who were not using the drugs.

This was true both for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and antidepressants that affect other brain chemicals, so while the researchers speculate that the vascular changes may be due to changes in serotonin, the underlying cause is still undetermined.

According to Emory Universityiv:

“Antidepressants’ effects on blood vessels may come from changes in serotonin, a chemical that helps some brain cells communicate but also functions outside the brain… Most of the serotonin in the body is found outside the brain, especially in the intestines… In addition, serotonin is stored by platelets, the cells that promote blood clotting, and is released when they bind to a clot. However, serotonin’s effects on blood vessels are complex and act in multiple ways. It can either constrict or relax blood vessels, depending on whether the vessels are damaged or not.”

This isn’t the first time the issue of serious heart-related effects of antidepressants has been raised. For example, in August of last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert on the antidepressant Celexav, warning it can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of your heart, which can lead to abnormal heart rhythm and fatal heart attacks. Celexa is part of the class of antidepressants called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

People with underlying heart conditions and low potassium and magnesium levels in their blood are particularly at risk for this, and the drug should no longer be used at doses greater than 40 mg per day, the FDA said. While the drug’s label indicates that “certain patients may require a dose of 60 mg per day,” studies have shown that there’s no benefit in the treatment of depression with doses higher than 40 mg, the FDA added.

Antidepressants Also Increase Your Risk of Stroke and Sudden Cardiac Death

Newer antidepressants also raise your risk of bleeding and stroke, according to a recent report in Pulse Today which cites a brand new study published in the BMJ on April 3:

“GPs should consider carefully the increased risk of bleeding and stroke with newer antidepressants before prescribing them, say US researchers. Their study looked at the records of 36,000 patients with a diagnosis of major depression taking serotonin transporter inhibitors (SSRIs) as monotherapy, and the frequency of bleeding complications over 19 years. SSRIs were categorised into ‘high’, ‘moderate’ or ‘low’ affinity for the serotonin transporter and patients with multiple prescriptions and those on tricyclic antidepressants or monoamine oxidase inhibitors were excluded.

Over 600 bleeds were observed in the 21,000 patients in the high-affinity group, compared with 333 among the 15,000 patients in the low affinity group, and this equated to a risk ratio of 1.17. Stroke risk was also elevated in the high affinity group compared with the low affinity group, with a risk ratio of 1.18.”

Another large study of women who have been through menopause found that those taking tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs were 45 percent more likely to suffer a fatal strokevi. The findings came from an analysis that involved 136,000 women between the age of 50 and 79. Comparisons were made between the women who had been prescribed antidepressants since being enrolled in the research, and those who had not. The research also found that overall death rates were 32 percent higher in women on the drugs.

According to one theory, this tragic effect may be due to how the drugs affect blood clotting. Antipsychotics are even more problematic and should be used with strict caution. A review of the medical literature from 2000-2007, published in Expert Opinion on Drug Safety in 2008,vii found that:

“Antipsychotics can increase cardiac risk even at low doses, whereas antidepressants do it generally at high doses or in the setting of drug combinations.”

Another study published in January 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicineviii also found that antipsychotic drugs doubled the risk of sudden cardiac death. Mortality was found to be dose-dependent, so those taking higher doses were at increased risk of a lethal cardiac event.

Other Well-Documented Side Effects

The interactions of antidepressants on your brain, liver, digestive system and other systems are still not fully understood, but we do know that the side effects are numerous, and many are quite serious, as the studies above can attest to. Aside from potentially lethal cardiac events, other serious side effects include:

Suicidal thoughts and feelings and violent behavior: The primary side effect that you should be concerned about is that SSRI’s can actually DOUBLE your risk of suicide.
Diabetes: Your risk for type 2 diabetes is two to three times higher if you take antidepressants, according to one study. All types of antidepressants, including tricyclic and SSRIs, increase type 2 diabetes risk.
Problems with your immune system: SSRIs cause serotonin to remain in your nerve junctions longer, interfering with immune cell signaling and T cell growth.
Stillbirths: A Canadian study of almost 5,000 mothers found that women on SSRIs were twice as likely to have a stillbirth, and almost twice as likely to have a premature or low birth weight baby; another study showed a 40 percent increased risk for birth defects, such as cleft palate.
Brittle bones: One study showed women on antidepressants have a 30 percent higher risk of spinal fracture and a 20 percent high risk for all other fractures. This is because serotonin is also involved in the physiology of bone. If you alter serotonin levels with a drug, it can result in low bone density, boosting fracture risk.
Two Side Effects Your Doctor Likely Won’t Tell You About

Aside from everything mentioned so far, there are two additional side effects or risks that really need to be addressed, and that everybody should be thinking about. These show up in the scientific literature, but are rarely discussed. Medical journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee Robert Whitaker brought these issues to my attention during a 2010 interview. (If you missed it, I highly recommend listening to it nowix as he discusses numerous other areas of confusion and shares many additional facts about the treatments for depression.)

Total Video Length: 01:02:08

Download Interview Transcript

The first risk is that you’ll convert from unipolar depression to bipolar depression.
The second risk is that with long-term use, antidepressants are associated with cognitive decline.
Whitaker’s research shows that as many as half of all children placed on an antidepressant for five years will convert to bipolar illness! About 25 percent of adult long-term users convert from unipolar depression to bipolar. This is a very serious concern, not just for each affected individual and their family, but even for society as a whole. As Whitaker explains:

“When you convert from depression to bipolar, now you’re in a category where you’re often treated with a cocktail of medications including an antipsychotic medication, and long-term bipolar outcomes are really problematic in this country. Only about 35 percent of bipolar patients are employed. So you see this risk of [permanent] disability.

So, when you go on an antidepressant, you have a risk of having a manic episode and… becoming “a bipolar patient,” and at that moment you’re into a much more long-term problematic disorder that does not have a good outcome today.”

Key Factors to Overcoming Depression

Your diet and general lifestyle are clearly parts of the “root” that must be healed if you want to resolve your mental health issues, because your body and mind are closely interrelated. Depression is indeed a very serious condition; however it is not a “disease.” Rather, it’s a sign that your body and your life are out of balance. This is so important to remember, because as soon as you start to view depression as an “illness,” you think you need to take a drug to fix it.

In reality, you may need to find a way to return balance to your body and your life. Fortunately, research confirms that there are safe and effective ways to address depression that do not involve unsafe drugs, including:

Dramatically decrease your consumption of sugar (particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods. (In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.)
There’s a great book on this subject, The Sugar Blues, written by William Dufty more than 30 years ago, that delves into the topic of sugar and mental health in great detail.

Increase consumption of probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables and kefir, to promote healthy gut flora. Mounting evidence tells us that having a healthy gut is profoundly important for both physical- and mental health, and the latter can be severely impacted by an imbalance of intestinal bacteria.
Get adequate vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can contribute to depression and affects one in four people.
Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through regular sun exposure. Vitamin D is very important for your mood. In one study, people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were found to be 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had normal levelsx.
The best way to get vitamin D is through exposure to SUNSHINE, not swallowing a tablet. Remember, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of depression that we know is related to sunshine deficiency, so it would make sense that the perfect way to optimize your vitamin D is through sun exposure, or a safe tanning bed if you don’t have regular access to the sun.

Get plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats. Many people don’t realize that their brain is 60 percent fat, but not just any fat. It is DHA, an animal based omega-3 fat which, along with EPA, is crucial for good brain function and mental healthxi. Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough from diet alone. Make sure you take a high-quality omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.
Dr. Stoll, a Harvard psychiatrist, was one of the early leaders in compiling the evidence supporting the use of animal based omega-3 fats for the treatment of depression. He wrote an excellent book that details his experience in this area called The Omega-3 Connection.

Evaluate your salt intake. Sodium deficiency actually creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do NOT use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You’ll want to use an all natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.
Get adequate daily exercise, which is one of the most effective strategies for preventing and overcoming depression. Studies on exercise as a treatment for depression have shown there is a strong correlation between improved mood and aerobic capacity. So there’s a growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, and that maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place.
Get adequate amounts of sleep. You can have the best diet and exercise program possible but if you aren’t sleeping well you can easily become depressed. Sleep and depression are so intimately linked that a sleep disorder is actually part of the definition of the symptom complex that gives the label depression.
I strongly believe that energy psychology is one of the most powerful tools for resolving emotional issues – specifically a technique called the Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT. While anyone can learn to perform EFT on themselves, those who suffer from depression should see a qualified EFT therapist.
A number of studies now confirm clinical results. For example, one 2009 studyxii of 16 institutionalized adolescent boys with histories of physical or psychological abuse showed substantially decreased intensity of traumatic memories after just ONE session of EFT. Another study involving 30 moderately to severely depressed college students showed significantly less depression than the control group when evaluated three weeks after receiving a total of four 90-minute EFT sessions.xiii

Important Concluding Thoughts – Please Read!

I want to make something abundantly clear before I leave you. I know firsthand that depression is devastating. It takes a toll on the healthiest of families and can destroy lifelong friendships. Few things are harder in life than watching someone you love lose their sense of joy, hope, and purpose in life, and wonder if they will ever find it again. And to not have anything within your power that can change things for them. You wonder if you will ever have your loved one “back” again.

It’s impossible to impart the will to live to somebody who no longer possesses it. No amount of logic, reasoning, or reminders about all they have to live for will put a smile back on the face of a loved one masked by the black cloud of depression.

Oftentimes you cannot change your circumstances. You can, however, change your response to them. I encourage you to be balanced in your life. Don’t ignore your body’s warning signs that something needs to change. Sometimes people are so busy taking care of everybody else that they lose sight of themselves.

There are times when a prescription drug may help restore balance to your body. But it’s unclear whether it is the drug providing benefits, or the unbelievable power of your mind that is convinced it is going to work.

If you have been personally affected by depression, my heart goes out to you.

A broken body can be easier to fix than a broken mind. Depression is real. It is my hope that you don’t feel judged here, but that you are encouraged and inspired by those who have been there.

A must see for anyone who wants to live a healthy long life

By Dr. Mercola

Should you work out when you feel like you’re coming down with a cold? According to the research, this may in fact be a good idea.

At the very least, it is unlikely to do you any harm unless you exercise too vigorously..

In one such study, participants were infected with a cold virus and then divided into two groups: an exercise group or a non-exercise group.

The exercise group did 40 minutes of supervised exercise every other day at 70 percent of their maximum heart rate.

At the end of the 10-day trial, the researchers concluded that while there were no differences in the severity or duration of the symptoms between the two sets of subjects, there was a difference in how they assessed their own cold symptomsi.

The exercisers reported feeling better overall compared to those who remained sedentary.

Active People Suffer Fewer Colds

Other studies have clearly shown that regular exercise will help prevent catching colds in the first place.

For example, one 2002 study found that those who exercised regularly suffered 20-30 percent fewer coldsii. Other studies demonstrate an even greater impact.

According to a 2006 trial, regular, moderate exercise reduced the risk of colds in postmenopausal womeniii by half. The year-long study examined 115 sedentary, overweight, postmenopausal women, none of whom smoked or took hormone-replacement therapy. Half were assigned to an aerobic exercise group and the other half attended a weekly stretching class only.

The patients in the exercise group were asked to work out about 45 minutes a day, five days a week, but they were only able to reach the 30-minute mark per day, with brisk walking accounting for the bulk of their body work. By the end of the study, the women who performed aerobic exercises on a weekly basis had half the risk of colds of those who did stretching only.

The ability of moderate exercise to ward off colds also seemed to increase the longer it was used. In the final three months of the study, the stretching-only group had a three-fold higher risk of colds than the exercisers.

The fact that the enhanced immunity was strongest in the final quarter of the year-long trial suggests it is important to stick with exercise long term to get the full effects. I’ve often said it’s crucial to treat exercise like a drug that must be properly prescribed, monitored and maintained for you to enjoy the most benefits. That also means that you can’t bank exercise either; it’s not like money. Even if you were a world-class athlete, in about two weeks of not exercising you will tend to start to experience deconditioning.

All in Good Measure…

Personally, I believe that if you have enough energy to tolerate it, increasing your body temperature by sweating from exercise will help to kill many viruses. However you need to be very careful and listen to your body, and not do your full, normal exercise routine, as that could clearly stress your immune system even more and prolong your illness if you are not careful and wind up overdoing it.

Also keep in mind that exercising too much can have the opposite effect on your immune system.

This is because intensive exercise boosts production of cortisol; a stress hormone. Stress hormones inhibit the activity of natural killer cells—a type of white blood cell that attacks and rids your body of viral agents. This is why running a marathon can actually increase your chances of getting sick shortly thereafter. In fact, elite endurance athletes can suffer anywhere from two to six times as many upper respiratory infections during a year, compared to average, active individualsiv.

According to an article in Sports Science Exchange, athletes are advised to avoid exercise if cold symptoms are “below the neck,” or if they’re running a fever. So-called “head colds” seem to be less serious in general. I think the same recommendation would be prudent for most people.

Above all, always pay heed to what your body is telling you, and if you feel too fatigued to work out, don’t push it. More than likely, what you need then is rest. But if you’re thinking of skipping your workout routine simply because you’ve been told you “shouldn’t exercise when sick,” then you may want to reconsider, as it could actually help you feel better, sooner. It will be especially helpful to mildly stimulate your immune system with some gentle exercise.

Are Colds Unavoidable?

If you want to avoid colds, it’s important to understand what causes them. And while exercise-deficiency may be part of the problem, another factor is likely to get top billing… The average American gets one to four colds per year, and colds are a leading cause of doctor visits and missed days from work and school. The majority of them occur during winter months, and this is a major clue as to one of the primary causes, namely lack of sunshine, and hence decreased levels of vitamin D.

In fact, there’s compelling evidence suggesting cold and influenza may be little more than symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. The connection between vitamin D and reduced immune function is so strong that boosting your vitamin D levels anytime you feel a cold coming on should definitely be at the top of your list. Ideally, you’ll want to maintain your vitamin D levels within the optimal range year-round, of course. But according to Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council, you may also stop a cold in its tracks, or shorten its duration, by taking up to 50,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 for three days.

Most people mistakenly believe that colds are caused by bacteria, but this, of course, is incorrect. Colds are triggered by viruses, which is why using antibiotics to treat a cold is an exercise in futility. It simply will not work. This is because viruses are much smaller than bacteria and have entirely different structures that make them impervious to antibiotics. The only thing you’re doing by taking an antibiotic for a cold is unnecessarily weakening your immune system further, by destroying all the bacteria—both good and bad—in your gut, which is where 80 percent of your immune system resides.

That said, it’s important to recognize that although the virus actually triggers the cold symptoms, the virus is NOT the real cause of the cold. Believing that a virus “causes” a cold is a very dangerous perspective to take, for once you allow external forces to “control” your health, you lose the ability to improve it.

In a nutshell, colds and flu are symptoms of immune system deficiencies, as your immune system is normally fully capable of eradicating viral invaders such as the cold virus. The only time the virus can take hold is when your immune system has been compromised. Although there are many ways you might end up with a weakened immune system, the more common contributing factors are:

Vitamin D deficiency as previously mentioned
Eating too much sugar (particularly fructose) and too many grains
Not getting enough rest or sleep
Using inadequate strategies to address emotional stressors in your life
Insufficient exercise
Any combination of the above
Exercise—It’s Not Just for Looking Good

I believe optimal health will remain elusive unless you have an active lifestyle. A regular exercise program can do amazing things for your health, and boosting your immune system is a major part of those benefits. If you are exercising regularly, just as if your vitamin D levels are optimized, the likelihood of your acquiring an upper respiratory infection decreases quite dramatically. Another benefit of exercise is its ability to stabilize your insulin levels, which will have a cascading positive effect throughout your body.

Whenever you struggle with your time management, remember that exercise is every bit as important as eating, sleeping and breathing… Viewing exercise as a necessary, non-negotiable part of your day is the trick to getting it done. Ideally, schedule it into your appointment book the way you would an important meeting or social event. Set the time for it and then make no excuses about keeping it.

To maximize the benefits from exercise, you’ll want to include a variety of more challenging techniques. You need not only strength training and aerobics, but also core-building activities, stretching and, most importantly, anaerobic or high-intensity interval training-type exercises.

Please don’t make the mistake I did for decades by wasting your time on steady, hour-long cardio sessions on the treadmill as your primary form of exercise. It’s actually one of the least effective forms of exercise there is. High intensity interval training, on the other hand, whether you do it on a treadmill or a recumbent bike, or using weights (aka super-slow weight training), has been shown to be one of the most effective forms of exercise—even providing benefits you can’t get any other way, such as boosting the release of human growth hormone (HGH), also known as “the fitness hormone.”

References:

i Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise November 1998; 30(11): 1578-1583
ii Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise August 2002; 34(8): 1242-1248
iii American Journal of Medicine November 2006; 119(11): 937
iv SPORTS SCIENCE EXCHANGE, CONTAGIOUS INFECTIONS IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS, SSE#56, Volume 8 (1995), Number 3