A Grain of Advice on Salt

You might think of “salt” as a dirty word – the stuff that spikes your blood pressure and increases your risk of heart disease.

But your heart, adrenals, liver and kidneys need salt to function, and you can’t digest food without it. What’s more, salt:

• Carries nutrients across cell membranes into your cell;
• Keeps calcium and other minerals soluble in your blood;
• Maintains your body’s balance of fluids;
• Regulates blood pressure.

In my 20 years as an alternative-health physician, I’ve found that most of my patients don’t need less salt. What they need is the right kind of salt, and more potassium. That’s because potassium helps to keep sodium levels in check and optimize blood pressure.

A study published in Kidney International found that potassium deficiencies increase blood pressure and induce salt sensitivity.1

Another study published in the Journal of Hypertension examined 150 Chinese men and women who ate diets high in salt and low in potassium. Half took a placebo, and the other half took a potassium supplement. After 12 weeks, the systolic blood pressure of the potassium group significantly decreased.2

But most Americans eat too much processed salt and don’t get nearly enough potassium. In fact, the FDA estimates that about 75 percent of our salt intake comes from processed foods and from table salt added to food.3

How does that affect you?

Table salt is processed at temperatures over 1,000 degrees. This processing changes its chemical structure and strips it of its natural nutrients. In addition, salt producers add anti-caking ingredients and bleach it.

By the time it gets to your dinner table, it’s mostly sodium and additives – no nutrients whatsoever.

A healthier kind of salt is sea salt. It’s formed by the evaporation of sea water in sunlight. As a result, it retains up to 82 vital trace minerals, including potassium, magnesium and calcium.

You can lower your blood pressure and improve your health by consuming the right kind of salt and boosting your potassium. Here’s a three-step plan you can use to help you get healthy salts and more potassium:

1. Know how much salt is in your food. Each teaspoon of salt is equal to 2,325 mg of sodium. Does that sound like a lot? Well the truth is, most processed foods have many times that amount. One packet of dry onion soup mix contains over 3,000 mg of sodium.

Even sweet foods which may seem like they would have no salt are packed with it. A homemade pie crust can have over 1,300 milligrams. Two small restaurant pancakes have more than 1,100 milligrams.

When you’re at the store buying food, you can go beyond reading the sodium content on the label. Processors have dozens of names they use instead of salt. Luckily, most of them do have sodium in the name so you’ll know what to avoid. But also look for ingredients like metabisulfite, erythorbate, propionate and guanylate.

2. Replace table salt with sea salt. A lot of the sea salt you find at grocery stores is really just processed table salt. Generally, if salt is white and pours easily, it’s probably processed. Natural sea salt is darker in color – because it’s dried in white and brown layers (and the brown layer has most of the nutrients).

Your safest bet is to buy sea salt from a health-food store. There are many kinds such as Mediterranean, Himalayan and Pacific and they all have slightly different tastes.

3. Boost your levels of potassium. The best food sources are orange-colored fruits and vegetables like apricots, cantaloupe, oranges, nectarines, peaches, sweet potatoes, and butternut and acorn squash. Other good sources are black and kidney beans, spinach, Swiss chard, artichokes, bananas, kiwi, fish, meat, poultry and milk.

These are just some of the excellent and unconventional high-blood-pressure remedies mentioned in a new report by Craig Anderson, The High Blood Pressure Remedy Report. It reveals the truth behind high blood pressure. It also shows you how to stop high blood pressure and cut your risk of heart attack and stroke – without worry, drugs, pain or wasted money.

Lower your blood pressure naturally today.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Obesity in a Lo-Cal Can

People are still surprised to learn diet sodas don’t give you what they promise. You may drink them because they have no calories. But diet sodas don’t help you drop weight. They make you fat instead. And you can get hooked on them.

I came across an article in JAMA about just how addicting those diet soft drinks are. When you drink them, changes take place in your brain that make you behave differently.1

Your self-control goes out the window. Your body actually becomes addicted to the unnatural sweetness like it’s a drug.

In one study, animals had the choice between cocaine and saccharin. Ninety four percent chose saccharin – even if they were already addicted to the cocaine.2

Early man had none of the sweet foods you have today. And this is when your taste receptors evolved. So now, when you’re exposed to hyper-sweet artificial sweeteners, your brain is tricked into thinking it’s getting nutrition.

When your drink contains aspartame, sucralose, or any other artificial sweetener, you over-stimulate your sweetness receptors. It changes the way you think about the way things should taste.

You crave high-intensity sweetness. And naturally sweet foods like fruit don’t taste as good to you. Vegetables lose their appeal, because they’re not sweet.

Your gut has sweetness receptors, too. It’s all ready to absorb nutrients, so you get a surge in hormones, like insulin. But when the calories don’t arrive, your body tells your brain to go out and get them.

Your appetite increases, and you get cravings that cause you to overeat. What’s worse, you turn to high-carbohydrate foods and sweets to make up the calorie void.3

But now, the insulin you’ve poured into your blood tells your body to turn whatever you do eat into fat.

I read one study of almost 2,600 people. Those who drank diet sodas had a 47 percent higher body mass index (BMI) than those who didn’t, and their risk of obesity was doubled.4

The solution? Go back to the real thing.

When you switch to naturally sweet drinks, your taste receptors adjust and go back to normal. You regain the ability to taste the sweetness found in natural foods and drinks. Your nutrition and the quality of your diet improve.5 And it’s far easier to drop weight.6

There are a lot of natural juices at the grocery store. But every one goes through processing and sits on the shelves, losing nutrients quickly. If you must buy them, stick to organic brands in glass bottles such as R.W. Knudsen, Lakewood, or Santa Cruz.

My suggestion is to invest in a juicer or a heavy-duty blender.
Citrus juicers are only for citrus like oranges or grapefruits. Juice extractors are for juicing fruits and vegetables.

A cheaper extractor will handle soft vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and most fruits, but you’ll need a pricier, more powerful model if you want to juice hard vegetables like beets and large carrots.

I like to use a heavy duty, multi-use blender. It keeps the fiber in the drink you make. Throw in bits of vegetables and fruits, add water and ice, blend, and out comes a delicious drink in seconds.

If you blend hard vegetables, you’ll need a strong motor. Get one with as much as 2 hp. Many come with a 7-year warranty.

But there is a world of drinks you can easily make and enjoy without any additional equipment…

• Brew herbal tea and use honey to sweeten it. Cool, add ice, and you’ve got a naturally sweet drink. Look for organic teas like Yogi, Tazo, and Rishi.
• Squeeze lemons and add to filtered water to make lemonade. If it’s too tart, add raw, whole sugar or honey to taste.
• You can make a soda-like drink by blending the pulp of one mango and a slice of lemon and lime with 4 cups filtered water.
• Use cut up organic peaches, strawberries, and grapes in any combination. Add ice, filtered water, and blend.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Why I ‘Prescribe’ Meat to My Patients

Have you see any of these headlines?

• “Too much red meat will kill you” (The National Business Review)
• “Want to live longer? Cut back on red meat” (CNN)
• “Meat-heavy diet linked to early death” (USA Today)

So why in the world would I “prescribe” eating red meat to my patients… when the mainstream media is screaming to the masses that it will kill you?

Because, in my opinion, there’s a huge difference between factory-farm GRAIN-FED beef … and pasture-raised GRASS-FED beef.

Here’s why…

Get The Truth About Grain-Fed Beef

Cattle aren’t supposed to eat grain. They’re natural-born grass eaters. But, factory farmers feed cattle high-calorie, high-octane grain to fatten them up faster… bring them to market faster… and reap higher profits.

Unfortunately, you wind up paying for it. Grain-fed beef has up to three times more fat than grass-fed beef. 1

And grain isn’t the only “unnatural” food these farmers serve cattle, either.

You know the saying, “You are what you eat?”

Well… think about this:

Factory farmers have also been known to feed cattle:

1. Recycled human food, such as stale candy, pizza, potato chips, brewery wastes, and hamburger buns.
2. Parts of our fruits and vegetables that we don’t eat, such as orange rinds, beet pulp, and carrot tops.
3. STUFF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT… including chicken manure, chicken feathers, newsprint, cardboard, and “aerobically digested” municipal garbage.

And here’s something even more disturbing.

In the mid-1990s, a team of animal researchers conducted a study to see what would happen if they fed cattle stale chewing gum – still in its wrappers.” 2

The conclusion? Here’s a direct quote from the researchers. (I’m not making this up.)

“… gum and its packaging material can safely replace at least 30% of growing and finishing diets without impairing feedlot performance or carcass merit.”

Fatten cattle up on stale bubblegum and aluminum wrappers and pass on the end product to you and your family.

Would you eat something that was raised on stale candy, garbage, bubblegum, aluminum wrappers, cardboard and chicken crap? Or feed it to your family?

I’ll tell you something… the fact that the USDA lets this fly is absolutely insane.

And then there are all the synthetic hormones, low-level antibiotics, and chemicals they pump into factory-farm cattle…

… or how the cattle may “accidentally” get fed cow parts - which leads to the deadly “mad cow” disease,…

… or how the massive, corporate-owned feedlots cram huge numbers of cattle into inhumanely small spaces (which places huge amounts of stress on the animals – and makes them highly susceptible to disease)…

The list of negatives goes on and on and on.

With all this in mind, in my opinion, it’s no wonder that red meat has been linked to certain chronic health concerns. How could any cow that’s raised in such a way remain healthy and produce healthy beef? It’s next to impossible.

The bottom line is factory-farm red meat is simply horrible stuff. And you have every right to be scared to death of it.

However, pasture-raised, grass-fed beef could not be any more different. You have nothing to fear when you make it a part of your diet. In fact, pasture-raised, grass-fed beef is so loaded with health benefits, I’d even go as far as to call it a “super food.”

Seven Health Benefits of
Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Beef

For starters, here are seven reasons why making grass-fed beef a regular part of your diet is such a wise health decision.

Health Reason No. 1. Less overall fat and calories than grain-fed beef: A six-ounce loin from a grass-fed cow has, on average, 92 fewer calories than a six-ounce loin from a grain-fed cow. Now, the average American eats 67 pounds of beef per year.3 This adds up to, on average, a 16,642 calorie difference. So if you switched to grass-fed beef… and did nothing else… you’d lose 9½ pounds in two years just by switching to grass-fed!

Health Reason No. 2. More Omega-3s: You need omega-3s to survive. That’s why they’re called “essential fatty acids.” Omega-3s:

• Help promote a healthy heart, brain, and immune system…
• Encourage strong bones, teeth, and nails…
• Support a positive, happy mood…
• Help maintain sharp vision for decades… and more.*

And where do omega-3s originate from? Green plants (including grass… the food of choice of grass-fed cows.) As a result, grass-fed beef has 2 to 10 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef. 4

Health Reason No. 3. A healthier ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s: Omega-6s and omega-3s are both essential fatty acids. You need them to survive. The problem is when you have too many omega-6s. omega-6s have a pro-oxidation effect if your diet is too heavy in it, which the typical American diet tends to be. This can impact your overall health and wellbeing, including heart and brain health.
Many health experts believe the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s should be no more than 4:1.5 Grain-fed beef has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 5:1 to 14:1. Way too high. Grass-fed, on the other hand, has a much healthier ratio of less than 1:1 to 3:1.6

Health Reason No. 4. More CLA: Grass-fed beef contains two to five times more CLA than the grain-fed variety.7,8 , CLA is a newly discovered “good fat” that research suggests helps support immune and cardiovascular growth . It also appears to help promote lean muscle mass.9

Health Reason No. 5. More Vitamin E: Vitamin E is an extremely powerful antioxidant. It helps protect you from free radicals… which is considered the leading cause of premature aging. Vitamin E also boosts your immunity and helps promote a healthy heart.
Grass-fed beef contains three to six times more vitamin E than grain-fed beef.10

Health Reason No. 6. More Carotenoids: A diet rich in carotenoids has multiple health benefits… including promoting eye and macular health. Grass-fed beef has up to four times more beta-carotene than grain-fed beef.11

Health Reason No. 7. More B Vitamins, CoQ10, and Zinc (and SAFE!): When you eat grass-fed beef, you are getting more B vitamins, CoQ10, and zinc than you would with grain-fed beef.

Aside from grass-fed beef’s amazing health benefits, there’s one other thing I haven’t mentioned yet.

And I think you’ll like this as much as I do.

It’s The Best Beef I’ve Ever Tasted

One of the biggest misconceptions about grass-fed beef is that it tastes dry or gamey. That because it has no fat… therefore it has no flavor.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

When it’s raised and finished properly, it’s actually far superior, in my opinion, to grain-fed beef. And I’m not alone in thinking this, either.

Here’s what gourmet critics in several mainstream publications had to say about the flavor of grass-fed beef:

“… superior to the meat harvested from grain-fed animals.”

-- The New York Times

“Grass-fed beef tastes better than corn-fed beef.”

-- The Atlantic Monthly

“… delicious, rich and full-flavored, but without the excessive fattiness on the finish of some prime beef.”

-- Wine Spectator

I’m telling you… it’s delicious!

There is one caveat about grass-fed beef, however. And it’s something you should know about as well.

Because it takes so much more TLC to raise grass-fed cattle, it costs a little more than the cheap grain-fed stuff.

And it hasn’t been that easy to find, either. It requires more effort to get it onto your plate. But I sure think it’s worth it… especially when you consider:

• The welfare of the animals (grass-fed cattle are raised in a natural environment)…
• The well-being of the local farmers that raise grass-fed cattle (supporting local farming benefits the community… instead of massive corporate-owned farms)…
• Your health (Now that you know the facts, what would you rather eat?)…

So in the end, it’s definitely worth it to “go grass-fed.”

And here’s some good news.

I’ve just made it easier than ever for you to give grass-fed beef a try.

Sample Some Delicious Grass-Fed Beef In Your Own Home

Not long ago, a friend put me in contact with a man who owns a cattle ranch in the foothills of Virginia’s Appalachia country.

He’s got about 700 cattle. What’s more:

• The cattle are pasture-raised and grass-fed…
• The beef is “Certified Humane"…
• The feed is free of animal proteins…
• They don’t EVER use hormones or steroids on the cattle…
• They don’t give the cattle unnecessary antibiotics…
• The beef is dry-aged for 14-21 days (to ensure maximum flavor)

But here’s the thing.

Normally, you could only buy a “quarter-beef” (188 pounds) or a “half-beef” (375 pounds).

That’s a lot of beef… even for a large family. And that’s a lot to order at first. Especially if you’ve never given it a try and not sure if “grass-fed” is for you (even though I know you’re going to love it!)

So we worked out a deal where you can bypass ordering hundreds of pounds of grass-fed beef…

… and order a much smaller 20-pound “sampler” pack of tasty cuts of grass-fed beef instead… straight from the ranch. Each sampler pack is different, but you’ll get:

• At least six pounds of steaks
• Approx. five pounds of roast/rib combination
• Approx. nine pounds of burger and stew meat

It’s a great deal… but there’s a catch. When you order a sample pack, you’re not going to receive it “overnight.” In fact, it’ll take about 3-5 weeks before it arrives at your doorstep. Why the wait? Because the ranch guarantees the freshest beef possible.

And it’s well worth the wait.

I strongly encourage you to give grass-fed beef a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Click here for ordering info.

By:  Dr. Al Sears

____________________
1 Robinson, J. Pasture Perfect: The Far Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals. Vashon Island Press. 2004
2 Robinson, J. Pasture Perfect: The Far Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals. Vashon Island Press. 2004
3 Robinson, J. Pasture Perfect: The Far Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-Fed Animals. Vashon Island Press. 2004
4 The “Scientific Research” section of the http://www.eatwild.com website.
5 Simopoulos, A.P. “The Importance of the Ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids,” (2002). Biomed Pharmacother 56 (8): 365-79
6 The “Scientific Research” section of the http://www.eatwild.com website.
7 Dhiman, T.R., G.R. Anand, L.D. Satter, and M.W. Pariza. (1999). “Conjugated Linolenic Acid Content of Milk from Cows Fed Different Diets.” J Dairy Sci 82, (10): 2146-56
8 French, P., C. Stanton, F. Lawless, E.G. O’Riordan, F.J. Monahan, P.J. Caffrey, and A.P. Moloney. (2003) “Fatty Acid Composition, Including Conjugated Linolenic Acid, of Intramuscular Fat from Steers Offered Grazed Grass, Grass Silage, or Concentrate-Based Diets.” J Anim Sci 78, (11): 2849-55.
9 Platzman, Andrea, MS, RD, CDN. Crank Up Your Body's Furnace with these Fat-Burning Foods. http://www.healthclubs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=14230
10 Smith, G.C. “Dietary Supplementation of Vitamin E to Cattle to Improve Shelf-Life and Case-Life for Domestic and International Markets.” Colorado State University. Complete reference not known.
11 Prache, S., A. Priolo, et al. (2003). “Persistence of carotenoid pigments in the blood of concentrate-finished grazing sheep: its significance for the traceability of grass-feeding.” J Anim Sci 81(2): 360-7.

Posted:  True Health Is True Wealth

Are You Eating Cloned Meat?

Are you eating cloned meat? You probably don’t know. It’s becoming common practice ... but the FDA doesn’t require labeling of cloned meat!

Birth defects in clones are quite common. Cloning has been found to produce unhealthy animals who suffer tremendously. Clones often die young, suffer birth defects, and commonly need antibiotics. 1

The Center for Food Safety says that as many as 50% of cow clones have what’s called “Large Offspring Syndrome.” Symptoms include unusually high birth weight that endangers the mother, and a long list of organ and systemic abnormalities, including heart problems and immature lung development. 2

The report also states that there is evidence that clones are not always exact duplicates of their gene donors.3 Clearly, cloning remains an unpredictable science.

And cloning scientists have warned that even small imbalances in these clones could result in hidden food safety problems in the cloned meat.4 A recent study found differences in the composition of the milk and meat of cloned animals. 5

But here’s what’s even more worrisome, the nation’s major cattle cloning companies admit that they have not been able to keep track of how many offspring of clones have entered the food supply. 6

So there’s no way of knowing if you are buying cloned meat or not! I don’t know about you, but I consider this extremely deceptive. We should have the right to choose, especially when it comes to what we eat.

It’s sad to think that the FDA approved cloned livestock food without completely knowing all of the risks involved. But they don’t exactly have a good track record…just look at all the drug recalls they’ve made over the last decade.

The whole idea of cloned meat is frightening if you ask me. That’s another reason why I choose grass-fed beef. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I am eating some science experiment developed in a test tube.

So when choosing meat for your next meal, consider the following two options.

• Cattle raised as nature intended – in an open field free to roam and feast on their natural diet of grass

Or

• Something developed in a scientific experiment that has not been properly researched, not to mention fed an unnatural diet of grain and given massive doses of antibiotics.

This should be an easy one, correct? Choose the grass-fed beef, of course. At least you’ll know exactly what you are getting – something that’s healthy and nutritious with no hidden food safety issues. It’s hormone-free, antibiotic-free, has no preservatives, and has a healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats.

I get my grass-fed meats at U.S. Wellness Meats at www.grasslandbeef.com. They ship it right to your door packed in dry ice.

So you can enjoy a nice juicy grass-fed burger or steak any time – clone free and worry free!

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears MD

Al Sears, MD
11903 Southern Blvd., Ste. 208
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

Reprinted From: May 2009

True Health Is True Wealth

Better Than Coffee...

Rain Forest Herb Gives You Lasting Energy -
Without the Crash!*

Dear Health Conscious Reader,

When I was hiking through the Amazon Rain Forest last year, I had a first-hand experience with a remarkable healing herb...

Sacred to the nearby Guarani tribe, it was literally a gift from the gods. According to tribal folklore, the Indians of the Amazon River Basin have been using it to prevent fatigue and increase physical endurance since before recorded history.

I took it in the early morning before we hit the trail. After 18 hours through the jungles of Peru my mind was crystal clear and I had no feeling of fatigue. Looking back, I had covered 15 miles of rugged terrain without feeling tired or worn out.

I realized that combining this ancient herb with cutting edge brain nutrients would create a powerful new formula. Not only would it give you more energy without crashing, it would help your memory too.*

But the story gets better... After I got home, I started putting the pieces together. Working nights and weekends I had a trial formula within the first six weeks. Using myself as a test subject, I gave it a try.

Right from the start I knew I was on to something. I tapped into a deep source of mental energy, heightened memory and a laser-like focus throughout the day.

All the individual components of my formula are backed up by modern clinical studies. And now for the first time, you can feel the startling results for yourself.

My name is Dr. Al Sears. I have a private medical pratice in South Florida. But I've been around the world in search of healing herbs and traditional medicines.

What I discovered during my trek through the Amazon will send your energy to new heights...it has the power to boost your memory and power of recall too.

Here's how it works.

Kick Start Your Morning Without Feeling Nervous or Jittery

The Amazon herb that kept me alert yet relaxed comes from a seed called Paullina cupana. The active compound is guaranine, a member of the caffeine family. But unlike regular caffeine, it's full of healthy fatty acids.

The good fat gives guaranine a slow release. Its effect will gradually increase over a period of hours. It doesn't pick you up and throw you down like quick release caffeine. There's no crash with this stuff... and you don't get any of the nervous, jittery energy you do with caffeine.

Caffeine gets a bad rap sometimes but it's the most widely used drug in the world. And it's a proven mental performance booster. The studies number in the hundreds. One published in Neurology found that three cups of coffee a day cuts your risk of mental decline by over 50%.1

But there's a catch. Coffee gives you a short burst of energy, but overheats and excites your body. Guaranine has a cooling action that revitalizes and relaxes. The end result is more beneficial to your body. You get all the energy and alertness but remain calm, cool and collected.*

A team of Brazilian scientists studied the effects on rats. Their results were not surprising. Guaranine increased their physical activity, increased their physical endurance under stress and improved their memory.2*

But like I said, the story gets even better...

Give Your Brain the Power of Total Recall and Extreme Alertness

The effect of the Paullina cupana seed was amazing. It me gave the endurance to trek through the Amazon and left me with a wonderful feeling of clarity. But I was starting to see the bigger picture.

The Rain Forest herb works its magic by releasing acetylcholine in your brain. Acetyl-choline is a neurotransmitter. It's the brain chemical that lets your nerve cells fire through the synapse or gap that exists between the trillions of neurons in your brain.

If you have lots of acetylcholine, your mind is sharp and your memory is clear. When you drink coffee in the morning, the release of acetylcholine gives you the buzz that gets you going.*

But there's a problem... coffee will burn you out because it depletes your reserve of acetylcholine. Guaranine is slow acting with none of the caffeine side effects but it works in the same way. Eventually you lose your reserve of acetylcholine.

But if you trigger a release of acetylcholine and then rebuild your reserves you can sustain the amazing rush of clarity over the long term.*

That's The Realization I Had While Hiking Through The Forest...

I knew I could get the best of both worlds if I combined guaranine with powerful brain nutrients. One of them is choline, the building block required for the synthesis of acetylcholine. Introduce choline into the mix and you give your body the ability to manufacture this incredibly powerful neurotransmitter.

When you combine choline and guaranine you get a bigger release of acetylcholine - even more than taking guaranine on its own. That's what gives you the feeling of energy and mental power. But instead of depleting your reserves and burning out, you build them up.*

That means you can take my formula every day and get the same effect every time.

Getting More Choline is Essential - 
Your Brain Needs it for Thinking and Remembering

Your brain has a huge appetite for choline. It's the primary building block for acetylcholine. You burn it up 24/7 as your brain uses it to maintain clear communication between trillions of neurons.

You need it for all the basics like thought, memory and sleep. It even controls how you move. Your muscles receive commands from your brain via acetylcholine. That means your sense of balance and stability is controlled by this key transmitter.

Like many nutrients, your supply of choline drops as you get older. As this happens, you can expect some or all of these symptoms:

• Poor recall and memory loss

• Fatigue or lack of energy

• Brain fog and/or a sense of confusion

• Problems falling asleep, tossing and turning

• Unable to catch on, or learn new things

• Feeling distracted or irritable

• Walking with a wobbly or shaky gait, unable to stay balanced

When Your Brain Doesn't Get Enough Choline
It Starts to Destroy Itself...

To survive, your body will scavenge materials from other sources when it can't get enough from its main supplier. When choline levels drop off, your brain goes on a scavenger hunt and extracts choline from nerve cell membranes. This last resort is called "auto-cannibalism" and it's very dangerous.

In the short term, your brain will use this technique to keep your memory and other functions up and running. But in the long run, your nerve cells end up badly damaged.

In the graph below, you can see how the nutrients DMAE and choline turn into the key neurotransmitter acetylcholine. DMAE is another powerful brain nutrient I will tell you about a little later. It's also in my formula. First, I want you to see the direct connection choline has to its end product acetylcholine.

As you can see, choline is one small step away from acetylcholine. Put more choline into your body and your brain gets more of the neurotransmitter that keeps your mind alert and your memory fresh.*

Clinical Studies Prove Connection Between Choline and Memory

It's very possible you've never heard of choline. Most people haven't. But it's one of the most important nutrients on the planet. And it's well researched. There are dozens of studies testing both animals and humans.

Here are just a few:

• Researchers who gave rats a choline supplement found they developed a sharper and longer memory than rats that didn't have extra choline. On day one, both groups of rats were performing their tasks successfully. This included avoiding electric shock as they moved through a maze.

On day two, the rats that didn't have the extra choline forgot about the electric shock and got zapped. But the rats that had the extra choline remembered the booby traps and successfully avoided getting shocked.3

• In a human study, researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago tested people with a choline deficiency. They gave them a series of memory tests and found below average scores. In the next stage, they divided the same people into two groups. One group received extra choline, the other didn't.

After 24 weeks, both groups repeated the memory tests. Not surprisingly, the group with the extra choline performed with flying colors and their results showed a dramatic improvement over the first round. The group that received no extra choline performed poorly. Their results showed no improvement over the first round.4*

Burn through Your Crossword with Lightning Speed...

My unique blend of choline and guaranine is like rocket fuel for your brain. Not only does it give you a better boost than your morning cup of coffee, it gives you the clarity of a mental giant.

You'll notice the lift right away. If you do crosswords you'll finish them in a fraction of the time. Things like organization, recall and comprehension just fall into place.

When you read something, you "get it." When someone is explaining something, you understand what they're getting at before they even get to the point. You move into a feeling of extreme alertness. You're aware of everything and it's all so clear.

The processing speed of your brain gets a twin-turbo boost. It's like stepping up to one of those super-computers NASA uses for space flight.

One of the experiences I appreciate most is the "alert but calm" feeling. Your mind can relax and let go. Your focus becomes almost laser like. And it lasts throughout the day. It's not a short-lived spike like coffee or other caffeine drinks.

I could have stopped there... choline and guaranine are enough to repair and rejuvenate your aging brain. But there's another key brain booster essential to my formula.*

This Nutrient Works So Well it Even Caught the Attention
Of the Bumbling Bureaucrats at the FDA...

A little earlier I mentioned DMAE. It's a natural, brain-stimulating nutrient found in anchovies, sardines and other fish. Studies show it increases levels of acetylcholine. As you know, acetylcholine is critical for learning and memory.5 

I've been following the story of DMAE for decades. It works so well the FDA finally took notice and planned to approve it.

So what happened? The FDA discontinued it in the late 1970s after the manufacturer didn't agree to the expensive retesting required. Since the manufacturer wouldn't pay, the FDA dropped DMAE like a hot potato.

What a shame. DMAE provides a safe and non-addictive solution to a variety of cognitive and behavioral problems.

DMAE can also support learning and promote a healthy mood.* In one study, 50 kids showed improvement in just 10 weeks.6 In another study, children did better in concentration and skill tests with this nutrient.7 And there were no side effects like jumpiness, or an increase in heart rate.8*

It's easy to see why I added DMAE to my formula. It's one of the best memory boosters available. In combination with choline and guaranine, it's unbeatable. It has a synergistic quality that makes the three ingredients more than the sum of their parts.

Clinical studies show DMAE can:9*

• Boost IQ

• Accelerate mental speed and your ability to process thoughts and ideas

• Improve your concentration and eliminate early morning "fogginess"

• Promote a healthy mood

• Decrease irritability and over activity 

• Increase attention without causing drowsiness

 Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Health

There's one more thing you need to know about this formula... It has a very unique and clinically proven "side effect": It supports your heart and brain health.*

How is this possible?

Boosting the level of choline in your blood has a powerful effect on homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP). If you're a regular reader you've probably heard about these powerful markers. They are both better indicators for heart and brain health than anything else - including cholesterol.

Research has demonstrated that homocysteine causes oxidative stress to the vascular endothelium and that maintaining healthy levels of homocysteine is important for heart health.*

Your body produces C-reactive protein as part of its overall defense. When part of your body is injured, it sends signals to the rest of your body for help. Your immune system then sends out white blood cells and inflammatory molecules including CRP to the injured area.

Once there, the defense cells try to fix damaged areas and fight off the intruder. But this defensive response causes inflammation. The inflammatory response needs energy in the form of oxidative "fire" which can damage surrounding tissues.

Spikes in CRP levels are an early sign of inflammation in your body. That's why CRP is such a good indicator. We can evaluate heart health using CRP levels better than with cholesterol levels.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a massive study on CRP. Almost 28,000 people participated in the trial. Researchers discovered that CRP predicted cardiovascular health better than LDL cholesterol.10

Here's the good news: The choline in my formula brings down your levels of both homocysteine and CRP.* 

Here are a few of the studies that back this up:

• An experiment published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed two groups of men. One group ate a diet with no choline. The other group took a choline supplement. The men with no choline saw a steep rise in homocysteine. After just 10 days, their homocysteine went up by 35%.11*

• Researchers discovered that people who consume higher amounts of choline have lower levels of homocysteine and CRP. The study followed two groups of people. One group averaged less than 250-mg of choline a day. The other group averaged more than 310-mg of choline a day. The group who averaged above 310-mg saw their CRP drop by 22%.12*

Not only does choline ramp up your mental energy and protect your memory, it helps wipe out the two predictors of coming disaster.*

Here's Another Mental Boost: Confidence

If this is the first time you've heard about choline, you may be surprised to hear it does so much. But once you feel the results for yourself you'll understand.

After taking my choline formula, many of my patients tell me they feel more confident about the future. Instead of sitting around the house worrying about what might happen, they feel like they're back in the driver's seat. That's what happens when you have real options.

Knowledge is power. But I wouldn't be surprised if sometimes you feel like you're being kept in the dark. Many doctors make their patients feel like children or fools. Or both. They hand out prescriptions and give you an attitude if you ask questions. I've always believed real medicine is about empowerment. Not secrecy.

With this blend of super nutrients, you have the power to keep your mind clear and strong as you age. It keeps your brain young and well fed. And when it's working in peak condition your risk of problems drop dramatically.*

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, M.D.