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Featured in this month's issue:

1. HEALTH BYTES: Facts and Tips for Better Living!

2. WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

3. FEATURED ARTICLE: "Natural Cold and Flu Prevention"

4. PRODUCTS-OF-THE-MONTH: BodySmart Protein Drink and Evening Primrose Oil

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1. HEALTH BYTES - Facts and Tips for Better Living

NATURAL CURE FOR DANDRUFF -- The dry winter months can mean dandruff for many people. Dandruff shampoos usually take care of the surface problem. To restore moisture to your skin and hair, try supplementing your diet with black currant oil or evening primrose oil. These provide an essential fatty acid called GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), which promotes the healthy growth of skin and hair. 500 milligrams doses twice a day are suggested. After six to eight weeks, when you start to see improvement, cut the dose in half.

CELERY FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE -- Do not pass-up celery if you have high blood pressure. Eating about four stalks a day has been shown to reduce stress hormones that contribute to high blood pressure. Leave on the leaves as they contain a lot of potassium, vitamin C, and calcium. Even celery seeds are nutritious and can be added to soups, stews, casseroles, and more. You can eat celery raw or cooked, since the vegetable is sturdy and maintains most of its nutrients after cooking. Use raw celery as a dipper, chop it up in fresh salads, or just stuff it with peanut butter or light cream cheese.

TOOTH, GUM DISEASE MIGHT FORETELL DIABETES -- Persistent tooth and gum ailments collectively known as chronic periodontal disease could lead to diabetes. Periodontal disease might put bacteria in the bloodstream and trigger immune cells, which could then produce inflammatory chemicals called cytokines that can damage the entire body. "In the pancreas, the cells responsible for insulin production can be damaged or destroyed by chronic high levels of cytokines," says researcher Anthony Iacopino. Insulin is a sugar-regulating hormone. "Once this happens, it may induce Type-2 diabetes, even in otherwise healthy individuals with no other risk factors for diabetes, " Iacopino says. People with Type-2 diabetes may suffer from confusion, seizures, and heart disease. Researchers say high fat and cholesterol levels are high risk factors for periodontal disease, so exercise, low-fat diets, and lipid-lowering drugs may prove vital for diabetics.

GRAPEFRUIT AND WEIGHT LOSS -- Adding grapefruit to the menu may be a good way to boost your weight loss efforts. Participants in a past study who added grapefruit to their daily menu lost approximately 3.5 pounds over the course of a 12-week period. More research is needed to confirm the connection, but scientists posit that the effect may be due to the fruit's ability to lower insulin levels and thus help the body to process energy more efficiently. In another study, grapefruit appeared to boost weight loss efforts by helping the body process energy more efficiently and thus store fewer excess calories as fat. An ingredient in grapefruit interferes with some blood pressure and heart medications. Be sure to consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice if you take prescription medications.

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2. WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

** Q & A #1: What are some of the signs of a person having a heart attack?

Patients having a heart attack can have an array of different symptoms. Some patients will clutch their chests in pain, while many others report feeling "pressure" or "burning" beneath the breastbone. In fact, the signs of a heart attack may not appear in the chest at all, but rather as a feeling of numbness and tingling in the fingers of the left hand or tightness or dullness in the left arm. Some people describe the sensation as prolonged indigestion or tightness in the jaw or shoulder. If you or someone you know experiences prolonged and unusual discomfort in the chest, neck, or upper abdomen, seek immediate medical attention. Do not worry that it might turn out to be nothing. Have it checked anyway.

** Q & A #2: Is it true that a diet high in fiber can also help one to lose weight?

Actually, yes, fiber is the best thing around if you are watching your weight. And eating copious amounts could be the one thing that helps you kick the lose-it, gain-it habits for good. Research found that people who doubled their fiber intake of fiber from 12 to 24 grams a day, cut their daily calorie absorption by 90 calories. That equals a 10-pound weight loss during a year without even exercising. Fiber acts like a sponge in you digestive tract, sweeping up molecules of carbohydrates, fats, and sugars - along with their calories. Fiber-rich foods include whole wheat bread, broccoli, brown rice, prunes, mini-wheat cereals, bran cereals, and kidney beans, among others. A good fiber supplement can also be very beneficial to your weight loss goals.

See the following for more information on two great fiber-based, high quality supplements:

BIOBASICS

COLON FORMULA

** Q & A #3: I have recently read some articles promoting the healthful benefits of soy protein. What are the negative effects, if any, from using soy on a daily basis in my diet?

That is a great question. Like so many things, soy has its proponents and opponents. Many of our strict vegetarian readers and correspondents continue to consider soy and foods made from soy a sensible alternative to animal protein. However, the evidence against soy continues to mount. Instead of trying to explain the negatives in this short amount of space, we will instead refer you to Dr. Joseph Mercola's avoiding soy article at MERCOLA

There is overwhelming evidence presented there, and from several other sources, to suggest that soy should not be used at all. We recommend that you read through the information and determine for yourself whether or not to use soy in your diet.

** Q & A #4: Is it really true that chicken soup can help fight the common cold?

There is something in chicken soup that slows down inflammatory processes that make colds worse, doctors have reported at the American College of Chest Physicians in San Francisco. The interest in chicken soup is strong enough for researchers to speculate about other ways of trying to prove if grandmother's concoction of chicken and vegetable, salt and pepper really can change the course of a cold. Dr. Stephen Rennard, professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, took a batch of his family's recipe for chicken soup and added it to a batch of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cells in the body. He found the soup slowed the migration of the cells. Rennard explained that when a person succumbs to a cold virus, neutrophils migrate to the area to clear out the infection - and in doing so produce excess inflammation that results in sore throats or running noses. He speculated that chicken soup could reduce the inflammation and make the person feel better while the virus is cleared by the immune system.

** Q & A #5: Is "canola oil" considered dangerous or is this just another urban legend?

Canola oil comes from a hybrid plant developed in Canada during the late 1960s - 1970s using traditional pedigree hybrid propagation techniques (not genetically modified) involving black mustard, leaf mustard, and turnip rapeseed. The original rapeseed plant was high in erucic acid, which is an unpalatable fatty acid having negative health effects in high concentrations. Canola oil contains less than 1 percent erucic acid. Actually, another name for canola oil is LEAR (Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed) oil.

While the Internet can be a great source of information, many rumors and urban legends have circulated on web sites and been passed along in e-mails. Urban legends usually warn of dire consequences from something perfectly innocent; they often relate a story about someone who had such a terrible experience with something, yet that person almost always remains anonymous. These often frightening stories or accusations usually lack enough detail to make scientific, logical evaluation of the claim. The scare tactics of canola oil fit into this scenario. You can debunk these and other claims by checking http://www.snopes.com

Some of the information circulating on the Internet states that canola oil causes endless maladies: joint pain, swelling, gum disease, constipation, hearing loss, heart disease, hair loss - the list goes on. Canola oil has undergone years of extensive testing to assure its safety. In truth, canola oil contains essential fatty acids that our bodies need and cannot make on their own. Over 90 percent of the fatty acids present is the long chain unsaturated variety that has been proven beneficial to health.

It has also been claimed that canola oil is used in making mustard gas, a poison. This is totally untrue. Actually, mustard gas does not even come from the mustard plant; it was so named because it smells similar to mustard. Canola oil has allegedly been used as an industrial lubricant and ingredient in fuels, soaps, paints, etc. The truth is that many vegetable oils, such as corn, soybean, and flax, are also used in these applications. That does not make those oils unhealthy or dangerous. Canola oil has also been accused of killing insects, such as aphids. Again, all other oils can do the same, not by poisoning insects, but by suffocating them.

For more information on canola oil, see the Canola Council of Canada web site at http://www.canola-council.org

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3. FEATURED ARTICLE - "Natural Cold and Flu Prevention"

Since there are no known cures for colds and flu, prevention must be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your whole life healthier. Here are some tips for effectively reducing your chances of "catching a cold" or contracting the flu:

1. Wash your hands. Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours - in some cases weeks - only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often and carry disposable wipes. If no sink or wipes are available, rub your hands together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs.

2. Do not cover your sneezes and coughs with your hands. Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you do not have a tissue, turn your head away from people near you and cough into the crevice of your elbow. Try not to spread germs into the air or on things you touch. Better yet, stay home and out of crowds until you are feeling better.

3. Do not touch your face when you are in an environment that is conducive to picking up germs. Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

4. Drink plenty of fluids. Water flushes your system, washing out the infection/poisons as it rehydrates you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. How can you tell if you are getting enough liquid? If the color of your urine runs close to clear, you are getting enough. If it is deep yellow, you need more fluids.

5. Take a sauna. Researchers are not clear about the exact role saunas play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds as those who did not. One theory: When you take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive. Also, pores of the skin open (you sweat) and this will contribute to the body eliminating toxins that could cause illness.

6. Get fresh air. A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay indoors, which means more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms. Research indicates that when houses or buildings are prone to be more airtight, the indoor air will be more polluted than the outdoor air.

7. Do aerobic exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

8. Eat foods containing phytochemicals. "Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits. Also, eating fresh garlic each day will help keep the flu at bay. The antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal components of garlic are destroyed within one hour of smashing the garlic. Therefore it is best to eat fresh garlic, as most garlic pills are virtually worthless.

More on -Phytochemicals

9. Eat yogurt. Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease.

10. Do not smoke. Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones. Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

11. Cut alcohol consumption. Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds will not leave your body as fast. The result is, heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body - it actually takes more fluids from your system than it puts in.

12. Avoid sugar. Since sugar works by breaking down the functions of the immune system, it is especially important to eliminate it from your diet in order to keep your immune system running strong and capable of fighting viruses such as the flu.

13. Relax and get enough rest. If you can teach yourself to relax, you can activate your immune system on demand. There is evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins - (leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses) increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to relax with things you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals. Also, getting the proper amount of sleep will help build up your resistance against potential invaders. When your body becomes over fatigued, it is more difficult to fight the flu.

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4. PRODUCTS-OF-THE-MONTH

BodySmart Protein Drink - http://www.theolivebranch.com/s-shake.htm

Evening Primrose - http://www.theolivebranch.com/primrose.htm

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Get Your own NSF Certified Water Filter - filters water at about 4 to 7 cents a gallon!
Water filters - http://www.theolivebranch.com/water/mp.htm

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Information sites:
About us - http://www.theolivebranch.com/who.htm
Why Life Plus - http://www.theolivebranch.com/why.htm

Other Health Resources:

Health Books - http://www.theolivebranch.com/amazon/health.htm

Special Topics - http://www.theolivebranch.com/news/special.htm

Herbs - http://www.theolivebranch.com/herbs/index-h.htm

Recipes - http://www.theolivebranch.com/recipes/list.htm

Water Filters - http://www.theolivebranch.com/water/mp.htm

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Buy 6 of any one product featured on our Life Plus site and get 1 FREE!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you know that might benefit from any of the above information.

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Please do all you can to Be Healthy and we pray you will be Happy!

The Culbreths

HOME: http://www.theolivebranch.com/

Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any products mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.