9 Spices That Boost Your Immune System.

How Herbs and Spices Impact Your Health

It's time to replace your medicine cabinet with your spice rack, according to 16 research papers published in Nutrition Today summarizing a Science Summit held by the McCormick Science institute and the American Society for Nutrition in Washington, DC. They named four major areas where herbs and spices can impact your health:

1: Spicing Up "Bland" Health Food So You Keep Eating Healthy
Health food has a reputation for being rather boring since it's not loaded up with fat and sugar (two things that taste really good). However, research from the University of Colorado found that adding spices to healthy dishes could make them just as appealing as full-fat versions. This means that "diet" food can be incorporated into a long-term plan for healthy eating.

6 Problems That You Can Cure With Herbs.

Your Medicinal Herb Garden

Before Walgreens popped up on your corner market, and before Western medicine invented synthetic cure-alls for disease, the only medicines available to people were growing in fields and herb gardens.

And just because we have potent medicines now doesn't mean that herbs aren't still the medical powerhouses our ancestors knew them to be. In their new book, Grow It, Heal It: Natural and Effective Herbal Remedies from Your Garden or Windowsill, Christopher Hobbs, a botanist, and Leslie Gardener, an herbologist, outline the healing power of herbs and which ones you can grow on your balcony, patio or small patch of yard to cope with anything that ails you.

3 Foods That Could Be Making Your Joints Hurt.

When joints stiffen and swell, the pain can make everything—from picking up a pen to taking a walk to cooking dinner—completely and utterly miserable. If you don't know the feeling, chances are you know someone who does—about 1 in 5 adults in the United States have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While there's no way to make sure your painful joints disappear forever, research shows that certain foods—those dubbed "anti-inflammatory" like olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish—can help. And others can hurt.

If you're eating these culprits day in and day out, you could be increasing the odds of a flare-up.

Who Shouldn't Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?

This video has lots of valuable information about possible effects of too much Turmeric on people who may be susceptible to various conditions. Let us know if you found it useful.

 We always recommend that you seek advise from a medical professional and not take more than the recommended dose. 

6 Surprising Inflammation Causes.

The last time you were bitten by a mosquito or stubbed your toe, you likely noticed some redness and swelling, plus maybe a little heat and itchiness. Those are all classic signs of inflammation, a part of your body's natural response to infections and injuries. Thankfully, acute inflammation like this usually only lasts a few hours or a couple days.

But lower-grade inflammation can be lurking in your body—without any of the telltale symptoms of that itchy bite or throbbing toe—for months or even years. "This is the inflammatory response gone awry," says Joel Linden, PhD, a professor in the division of inflammation biology at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in California.

9 Anti Inflammatory Herbs That Could Boost Prostrate Health

Considering the potential of herbs as both as a chemopreventive agent that can be used in men who have chosen active holistic surveillance and as part of an overall plan to prevent recurrence in men who have undergone treatment this is one of the best natural forms of prostate cancer prevention and treatment. 

Researchers at the University of Texas found that the following combination of herbs  inhibits invasion of cancer cells, reduces the ability of cancer to spread to bone cells, and boost apoptosis through anti-inflammatory effects on cells' genetic blueprints. 

Here is the combination to get you started:

The Gut Microbiome? How Does It Affect Our Health.

We can carry up to 2 kg of microbes in our gut. Within the tens of trillions of micro-organisms that live there are at least 1,000 species of bacteria consisting of over 3 million genes. What is more, two thirds of the gut microbiome - the population of microbes in the intestine - is unique to each individual. But do you know how your gut microbiota could be influencing your health?

Most of us are aware that the bacteria in our gut play an important role in digestion. When the stomach and small intestine are unable to digest certain foods we eat, gut microbes jump in to offer a helping hand, ensuring we get the nutrients we need.

In addition, gut bacteria are known to aid the production of certain vitamins - such as vitamins B and K - and play a major role in immune function.

Intestinal Bacteria May Protect Against Diabetes

A high concentration of indolepropionic acid in the serum protects against type 2 diabetes, shows a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. Indolepropionic acid is a metabolite produced by intestinal bacteria, and its production is boosted by a fibre-rich diet. According to the researchers, the discovery provides additional insight into the role of intestinal bacteria in the interplay between diet, metabolism and health.

The findings were published in Scientific Reports. The study was carried out in the LC-MS Metabolomics Centre of the University of Eastern Finland together with a large number of partners from Finnish and Swedish research institutes.

Probiotic truth digestive disease and digestive problems

Here is a really informative video from Dr. Pompa about probiotics and digestive disease. Let us know if you found it useful.

Peppercorns. 6 Potential Benefits.

Though salt is the most widely used spice, peppercorn is the most widely traded spice in the world. And while it’s known as the king of spices, it’s actually a fruit. Yes, a fruit. From the Piperaceae family, the black pepper vine produces peppercorns, which are the fruit of the pepper plant that have been dried for use.

There are three types of peppercorns:

·         Green peppercorns are the unripe version of the dried fruit.

·         White peppercorns are derived from nearly ripe peppercorn fruits with the skin removed.

·         Black peppercorns, which have been cooked and then dried, are the most common.

What makes peppercorns so popular? Well, certainly the spice pairs well with an array of food options, and it also exhibits an array of health benefits you may not have known about. For instance, did you know that peppercorns may benefit those with diabetes and even exhibits anticancer activity, much like black pepper essential oil? It’s true, but that’s not all.

6 Things Omega 3's Can Do For Your Health And 3 Things They Can't.

Anyone who has ever burped their way through a bottle of fish oil supplements has probably wondered to herself, "Is this really worth it?!" 

While the fishy aftertaste can certainly be unpleasant, those oils (technically, omega-3 fatty acids—docosahexaenoic acid[DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], to be specific) are thought to have inflammation-fighting and heart-protecting benefits. So at first blush, you're likely to answer your own question with a hearty yes.

7 Anti Ageing Nutrients You Need Of.

Whether it's a glint of gray hair in the mirror or the crow's-feet nesting around your eyes, the realization that you're aging can be jarring. Many people start spending big money on hair salon visits and wrinkle creams, but if you're looking for something that can really make a difference, consider the anti-aging nutrients we get from food and supplements, says Judith Hellman, MD, a dermatologist in New York City.

"Certain nutrients are proven to increase telomere length—the little caps on the end of DNA strands that correlate to aging," says Hellman. Here's how it works: As we get older, the protective telomeres shorten and DNA stops regenerating as well as it once did. That process leads to cell breakdown, which is essentially aging. Another process that shortens telomeres is oxidative stress, in which unstable molecules cause damage to cell structures such as telomeres. As we age, the body loses its ability to neutralize these unstable molecules. 

Your telomere length serves as a marker for your lifespan: The shorter telomeres get, the less time you have left. Ugh—ready for the good news? Hellman says these nutrients and antioxidants help counteract these aging processes and may even lengthen your telomeres:

8 Natural Ways To Fight Knee Pain.

When knee pain strikes, popping a pill may be easy, but it's only a quick fix. These over-the-counter pain medications may be able to calm joint aches and swelling, but they have downsides that range from gastrointestinal distress to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. (In fact, the FDA strengthened the cardiovascular warnings on the bottles of ibuprofen and naproxen—yikes.) Get off the pain-pill train by using one or more of these techniques—they're safe and effective.

5 Benefits Of Probiotics Other Than Digestion.

While we typically think of bacteria as a bad thing, certain microorganisms, in the right doses, may actually help keep us healthy. For years doctors have been suggesting probiotics as a way to help an irregular gut, but thanks to a growing body of newer research, it now looks like they can do much more than settle an upset stomach. 

"The microbes that colonize our body really do have an impact on health, and that impact seems to extend far beyond the gut," says Mary Ellen Sanders, PhD, executive science officer for the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics.

10 Ways to Use Coconut Oil!

Here is a video of various uses for coconut oil. What do you think?

How Can Coconut Can Help You Lose Weight And Belly Fat?

Coconut oil is the world’s most weight loss friendly fat.

It contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful effects on metabolism.

Several studies show that just by adding coconut oil to your diet, you can lose fat, especially the “dangerous” fat in the abdominal cavity.

This article explains how coconut oil can help you lose weight and belly fat.

Coconut Oil is High in Medium Chain Triglycerides, Fatty Acids That Boost Metabolism

Coconut oil is vastly different from most other fats in the diet.

Turmeric - Can it Boost Your Memory In Just 1 Hour?

Now there's one more reason to enjoy your favorite curry dish. Turmeric, a spice commonly found in many Indian curry dishes, has been found to improve memory and cognition in as little as one hour.

While conducting the research for my book Boost Your Brain Power in 60 Seconds (Rodale, 2015), I came across an exciting study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study explored the effects of one of turmeric's active ingredients known as curcumin on sixty healthy adults aged sixty to eighty-five to determine whether the spice has any short- or long-term memory or cognitive effects.

Conducted at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, researches assessed the mental effects of curcumin supplementation after one hour, three hours, and four weeks. They

Should You Cook With Turmeric?

Turmeric's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers seem to protect against certain cancers and Alzheimer's disease as well as help treat arthritis and depression. 

For preventive purposes, try cooking with turmeric; sprinkle on some black pepper for optimal absorption. Supplements may be better for people who already have one of these conditions, because the concentration is higher.

 Look for products made from whole turmeric, which may provide other helpful compounds, rather than supplements of curcumin, the most active compound in turmeric. Speak with your doctor before choosing a supplement with black pepper extract because piperine, a pepper compound, can interfere with some prescription medications.

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How to Increase Probiotics in Your Diet

A Dr. Axe video showing how to increase the probiotics in your diet. Hope you find it helpful.

3 Ways To Boost Your Gut Bacteria.

“Microbiome” is a buzzword that’s taken over the nutrition world in the last few years. 

No, it’s not that Pauly Shore movie from the 1990s. (That’s Bio-Dome.) Microbiome refers to the vast and complex populations of bacteria that live on and in your body.  

At first, research suggested that one class of bacteria—probiotics—helped people improve digestion. But eventually, researchers discovered that there’s much more to it.

“These bacteria in our gut are wired into our immune system, our metabolism, and even our brain,” says Erica Sonnenburg, Ph.D., a microbiota researcher at Stanford University Medical School.