A major soft drink manufacturer announced it will help kids to lead healthier lives by offering “low-calorie nutritious beverage choices” in school vending machines.  Sugar soft-drinks will be removed and replaced with a variety of beverages, including juice, plus artificially sweetened sodas, sports drinks and iced teas.  While I applaud the notion of getting rid of sugary soft drinks filled with high fructose corn syrup, the idea of replacing them with artificially sweetened drinks – especially for children – should not be called a “healthy” alternative, but rather a dangerous exposure to chemicals.   

Is over-consumption of sugar a problem in our country?  You bet.  Sugar consumption has reached astonishingly unhealthy levels, with the average American eating 160 pounds of sugar yearly (Knockout, p. 98). Not all sugar is as obvious as the amount we get in a soft drink - it is often disguised in ingredient lists or hidden in seemingly innocent food items such as crackers, condiments, and salad dressings. Our insatiable appetite for sugar has far-reaching toxic implications for our health. There is an especially alarming link between sugar consumption and the cancer epidemic.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, an oncologist, brain surgeon, and neuroscientist, sugar directly fuels cancer cell growth (Knockout, p. 155-156). Dr. Michael Galitzer expands on this point by explaining that while healthy cells utilize oxygen to create energy, cancer cells create energy and thrive by fermenting sugar (Knockout, p. 215). Cristiana Paul, M.S., a certified nutritionist, explains that high blood sugar is taken in by precancerous cells causing them to multiply faster than they would if less sugar was available. Sugar also causes a damaging spike in the hormone insulin. The excess insulin stimulates cell growth, cell division, and the proliferation of cancerous cells (Knockout, p. 236). While these experts agree it is imperative for cancer patients to completely remove sugar from their diet, it is also imperative for healthy individuals to do the same in order to reduce the risk of cancer.

Reduce the sugar and provide healthier alternatives... yes, I agree.  But diet sodas, teas and sports drinks?  Really? Chemically produced artificial sweeteners are not a healthy alternative for sugar!  Dr. Blaylock cites a recent study from one of the biggest cancer research institutes in the world, The Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Italy. They tested aspartame on the largest number of rats ever and found it increases cancer incidence from doses equivalent to drinking diet sodas.  It also showed an increase specifically in lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, and brain cancer.  And from previous studies, Dr. Blaylock cites neurological brain damage from aspartame (Breakthrough, p.192).   Research by Dr. Richard Wurtman, a physician-researcher at MIT, demonstrated that aspartame is not only a neurological toxin, but it also increases appetite. So artificial sweeteners derived from chemicals can actually contribute to weight gain (Knockout, p. 98).

Why should we choose between two types of poison; sugar or artificial sweeteners?  And why would anyone even consider placing either of these poisons into a vending machine for our children to consume?  Choose water!  Milk!  Unsweetened juice!  Or if you want something sweet, choose stevia, agave, or an All Natural Sweetener.    

Regards, 

Suzanne Somers

For more information, please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com.

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 I am re-posting this blog from last year because the information on Resveratrol is compelling.  This weekend, please tune to ShopNBC for the exclusive launch of RestoreLife Formulas Vitamins and Supplements, including Resveratrol – which, contrary to this 60 Minutes segment, is available in its natural state NOW!

I was watching my favorite show, 60 Minutes, last Sunday and they had a segment on Resveratrol.  

Resveratrol is found in grape skins – it’s a plant extract that has shown dramatic effects for maintaining optimal health.  It’s found naturally in red wine – and provides the link supporting the notion that red wine, in moderation, has health benefits.  In simple terms, there’s something powerful in the Resveratrol molecule.  It turns on a gene called SIR-1 that makes our bodies rev up our defenses to protect us from disease.  I see it as ninja warriors sitting at the entrance saying, “No way!”  In fact, 60 Minutes noted a daily dose of Resveratrol could stave off age-related illnesses and increase life span by a decade or more!  I was happy to see this report getting out in mainstream media.  Last year, I wrote about Resveratrol in several of the chapters of Breakthrough, since many of the anti-aging doctors and professionals brought it up as an important daily supplement in anti-aging medicine and preventative care (Chapter 3 – Dr. Ron Rothenberg, Chapter 5 – Bill Falloon, Chapter 14 – Dr. Russell Blaylock, Chapter 19 – Dr. Prudence Hall, Chapter 28 – Christiana Paul).  

HERE’S WHAT SHOCKED ME ABOUT THE 60 MINUTES REPORT…

Morley Safer:

Dr. Westphal says we all may soon be taking a drug that just might beat the clock, a simple pill that could delay the inevitable. "Our goal is to prevent and forestall many of the diseases that strike us as we reach 50, 60, and 70. All with one pill."

Convinced they were on the verge of a major scientific breakthrough, Sinclair and Westphal launched Sirtris, a Cambridge, Mass. research company. They, along with a handful of other cutting-edge biotech companies, are developing resveratrol-based drugs that they believe zero-in on the longevity gene.

"The important news here is not that we'd found something in red wine. The important thing is that we passed a milestone where we can now make drugs based on this knowledge and we can potentially slow down aging itself," Sinclair explains.

My friends, you do not need to wait until the pharmaceutical companies create a synthetic replica of something that already exists and is readily available!  Resveratrol is available as a supplement now.  Of course, since it’s natural, your insurance will not cover the cost.  As soon as these scientists create the synthetic version it will be “the new essential drug,” it will cost exponentially more, and insurance will cover it.  Is this crazy or what????

I take Resveratrol every day.  You do not need to wait for the scientists to create a drug based on the same ingredients, then patent that drug and tell you it’s more effective than the natural plant extract that already exists.  

Well, 60 Minutes, you are still my favorite show, but you only got part of this story correct!   
 
Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

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I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Jonathan Wright for my last two books, BREAKTHROUGH and KNOCKOUT.  Subsequently he has agreed to do a series of interviews on my blog to provide vital information for many of the issues women face today.  The first was on Vit K and its benefits to help menstrual clotting.  Today we will tackle the issue of thinning hair and weak nails.   

SUZANNE:  Hi, Dr. Wright.  Thank you for continuing this important series for my readers.  I meet so many women who are complaining they are losing their hair or have weak nails.  What causes this? 

DR. WRIGHT:There are several conditions which cause women to lose their hair.  First we have the relatively rare condition called “alopecia areata”, in which an entire “patch” or even multiple “patches” of hair fall out, surrounded by entirely healthy scalp with lots of hair.  Secondly, we have even more rare “alopecia totalis” in which all the hair—everywhere on the scalp—drops out.  But the much more common condition I want to discuss today commonly begins at peri-menopause (and sometimes even before then!) and is just  “thinning out all over”, when we find too much hair in the shower or bathtub drain type of hair loss. A typical observation about this kind of hair loss is “Gee, when I put my hair in a ponytail, the ponytail is getting skinnier and skinnier!” 

SUZANNE:This is a big problem for women.  I remember when I was young there was a certain age where women just didn’t wear their hair long anymore because it got too thin.  Everyone got those “mom” cuts by age 40.  And also I hear a lot of complaints about nails getting weaker and weaker. 

DR. WRIGHT:  Some women will tell me their nails have been in poor condition for years, while others will say they are gradually getting worse and worse.  Even adding gelatin or calcium – the nails chronically chip, peel, crack, “layer back”, are too thin and break way too easily. 

SUZANNE:Do thinning hair and weak nails have same cause? 

DR. WRIGHT:Yes, they do have the same cause, but surprisingly, even though both problems have the same underlying cause, I’ve very rarely heard, in 37 years of natural medicine practice, from one woman who has both problems at the same time.  

SUZANNE: So what is the cause? 

DR. WRIGHT:Recent research has established a link between low levels of iron and relatively uniformly distributed female scalp hair loss.  

SUZANNE:So if we supplement with iron will it help our hair and nails? 

DR. WRIGHT:It goes deeper than that.  Finding the connection to “thinning all over” hair loss and low iron levels is progress, but surprisingly, low iron levels, hair loss, and poor quality nails all have the same underlying cause for women of all ages:  it’s “gastric hypochlorhydria”, translated into English: low stomach acid. 

SUZANNE:Most people would never link low stomach acid to these other issues.  How does low stomach acid cause iron deficiency, hair loss, and nail weakening?   

DR. WRIGHT:If stomach acid is low, protein isn’t efficiently digested – and hair and nails are made up of… protein!  If we are deficient in protein, our bodies know that we can live without hair or nail proteins, but we can’t survive without heart muscle proteins or other important body proteins.  So if we are short in supply of protein, the hair or nails are the first to go. Optimal stomach function—which includes optimal stomach acid—is also key to optimal digestion and absorption of iron, many other minerals, and at least two key B vitamins. It’s no wonder hair or nails “go bad”!  If a woman in her twenties or thirties is losing a lot of hair, we now know it’s from too little stomach acid and pepsin.  This can be replenished with Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin capsules.  (HCL-pepsin).  With women in their forties who are losing their hair, often it’s a combination of low stomach acid, low thyroid, and sex hormone loss – mainly estrogen and progesterone.  In this case we replace missing hormones with bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid.  Then we also replace the missing or low hydrochloric acid.  But there is one more key element on the outside track – DHEA.  Sometimes DHEA is the key missing element.   

SUZANNE:That’s your cocktail for hair loss, I love it.  How great to have a natural remedy to replace what’s missing rather than a drug to put a Band-Aid on things.  So in women losing their hair, you would look for a doctor who specializes in anti-aging medicine and ask for a gastric analysis?  

DR. WRIGHT:And from my experience, I would say it will probably reveal low stomach acid for sure, and/or low thyroid, and/or a lack of DHEA and/or natural sex hormones.  Once those are replenished, the hair and nails get thicker and stronger.  

SUZANNE:I have a friend who was very upset that she was losing her hair.  She started taking 3-4 Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin (HCL-pepsin) capsules  (available at health food stores) with each meal and her hair is coming back and her bloating is subsiding.  She’s thrilled!  I’ve been taking HCL-pepsin for several years, and I’m happy to say, my nails and hair are both in great shape.    I’ve covered many of these topics in my book, BREAKTHROUGH.  If my readers want more extensive information on low stomach acid, hair loss and nail weakening, where should they look? 

Dr. WRIGHT:For a brief review of low stomach acid and related problems, you might see my recently published book Stomach (Praktikos Books, Mt. Vernon, Virginia, 2009) or the older book Why Stomach Acid is Good for You (M. Evans & Company, New York, 2001) written by Lane Lenard, Ph.D., and me.     

SUZANNE:

Thank you, Dr. Wright. 

Sincerely,

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