Featured in this month's issue:

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

2. FEATURED HERB:
"Ginkgo Biloba - Medicinal Properties"

3. HEALTHY RECIPE-OF-THE-MONTH:
Grilled Caesar Mahi-Mahi

4. LIST OF PRODUCTS TO BE DISCONTINUED

5. PAST SPECIAL EDITIONS

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1. HEALTH BYTES - Facts and Tips for Better Living
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CANCER MAY BE PREVENTED --
Most people think of cancer as something that is impossible to prevent, but that is not necessarily true, says a new report by the American Institute for Cancer Research. About 30 to 40 percent of cancer cases are directly related to choices we make about eating and exercising. A worldwide panel of experts reviewed more than 4,500 studies and found that while environmental factors play a small role in cancer risk, they are dramatically overshadowed by lifestyle choices. Lack of exercise, obesity, and smoking, for example, are much more likely to cause cancer than pollution, radiation, or asbestos. A susceptibility to cancer can be inherited, but most inherited traits would not cause cancer without self-destructive behavior. A study of 44,000 pairs of identical twins in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark found that genetics played a minor part in cancer risk; it is common for one twin, for example, to develop breast cancer while the other does not. Another recent study found that women who gain more than 38 pounds during pregnancy had a greatly increased risk of developing breast cancer after menopause.

FYI -- Watching television while you work out could distract you from the task at hand. Women who watched TV while they exercised on stationary bicycles expended at least 5% less energy than when they worked out in a quiet atmosphere, one study found.

HIGH RISK BEHAVIOR -- Smokers were 2-1/2 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than nonsmokers, one study found. But their risk dropped 48% two years after they quit smoking and it was equal to nonsmokers at 10 years after they stopped.

THE DARK SIDE OF CHOCOLATE -- Chocolate may trigger nightmares in people with a sleep disorder, say researchers. One in 200 people, mostly men, suffer form a condition called rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which causes them to act out violent nightmares. Normal sleepers are paralyzed when they are dreaming, but RBD sufferers thrash about, punching and kicking. Robert Vorona of the Sentara Norfolk Hospital first noticed the chocolate link in one of his patients. Although he had successfully treated the man with a sedative, his symptoms returned whenever he ate chocolate cookies, ice cream, or syrup before bed, he tells the journal "Sleep Medicine." He suggests that chocolate blocks the brain process that paralyzes dreaming sleepers. It is reported that normal sleepers should not worry about this issue. However, some people find that eating chocolate too close to bed time can disrupt a good restful sleep pattern.

HOME REMEDIES FOR INSECT STINGS -- Here are several home remedies to take the sting out of insect bites: Use an ointment containing the herb comfrey as a soothing salve. Ant bites and bee stings are acidic in nature; use a paste of baking soda and very cold water. Wasp venom is on the alkaline side; rub some onion juice or vinegar on the bite. Use a wet tea bag (black tea is best) as a poultice; the tannic acid in tea helps reduce swelling. Meat tenderizers applied as a paste draw out the venom. Lastly, put a slice of cucumber over the area, this is especially effective for ant bites.

WARNING FROM THE CDC -- Pretty imported ceramic dishes sometimes contain harmful amounts of lead in their glaze. But what about imported candy full of lead? That is what experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found when investigating a report of lead poisoning in California. The candied jams, bought as gifts in Mexico, contained up to 36 micrograms of lead. Experts recommend a maximum exposure of no more than 6 micrograms of lead per day. The lead may have contaminated the candy from a storage container or during the manufacturing process.

FYI -- A natural way to degrease and freshen your in-sink garbage disposal is to drop three or more ice cubes and two slices of fresh citrus peel down into the unit - then let the disposal run for about 10 seconds.

HOMEMADE ICE PACK -- Fill a quart-size zip-lock freezer bag with one cup of rubbing alcohol and two cups of water. Add a few drops of blue food coloring if you like and store in the freezer. The mixture will not freeze solid and it will be easy to shape around sore elbows or knees.

BREAD AND MYOPIA LINK? -- Eating too much bread as a kid could make you short-sighted, suggest new research in the journal "Acta Opthalmogica Scandinavia." Diets high in refined starches such as white bread and sugary cereals raise insulin levels. These surges in insulin affect the development of the eyeball, making it abnormally long and causing myopia, say researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and the University of Sydney. If this is true, it could explain why myopia in developed countries has increased to dramatically over the past 200 years, as our diets have included more and more processed foods. Scientists have previously found that overweight people and people with adult-onset diabetes are more likely to be myopic because of their increased insulin levels. About a third of the population suffers from shortsightedness.

ST. JOHN'S WORT STUDY -- A German study published in 200 compared depressed patients taking St. John's Wort extract to those taking imipramine or placebo. Over the course of eight weeks, the depressive symptoms of 74% of the people taking St. John's Wort and 71% of those taking imipramine improved, compared to only half of those receiving placebo. However, the dosage of imipramine was fairly low.

SPICE UP YOUR HEALTH -- Season your food with therapeutic herbs that please the palate while powering up your health.

• Garlic: Treats asthma, elevated blood lipid levels, candida, colds, coughs, diabetes, hypertension, influenza, and intestinal parasites; serves as an antibacterial and antifungal. In cooking, it blends well with grains, beans, pasta, cheese, chicken, meat, fish, bread and vegetables; cooking subdues and sweetens the flavors of foods.

• Peppermint: Helps colic, fatigue, fever, flatulence, flu, gastrointestinal troubles, gallbladder problems, halitosis, headache, morning sickness and nausea; serves as an analgesic, antimicrobial, antiparasitic and digestive aid. When cooking add to yogurt, fruit salad, ice cubes and teas; can also cook into a jelly to glaze roast lamb or chop fresh mint and sprinkle over new potatoes, beans, peas and carrots.

LOWERING THE RISK OF ALZHEIMER'S -- The cholesterol-lowering drugs known as "statins" could lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, say doctors at the Boston University School of Medicine. Statins decrease levels of low-density lipoproteins, called the "bad" cholesterol, by blocking the action of an enzyme the body needs to make those compounds. Neurologist Robert C. Green, M.D., and his associates studied nearly 2,600 people from more than 800 families over 6 years and found that individuals who took statins had a 79 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than people who did not take those drugs or who took other types of cholesterol-lowering agents. The results were adjusted for age, sex, and educational level, as well as history of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. According to Dr. Green, this study is the largest of its kind to be conducted in the United States, and the first to include African-American families. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

GREEN TEA MAY PROTECT AGAINST PARKINSON'S -- Also at the AAN meeting, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston reported that polyphenol, a potent antioxidant found in green tea, may lower the risk of Parkinson's disease by blocking the ability of certain nerve cells in the brain to absorb environmental toxins. The hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the loss of cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that helps cells in the brain communicate with one another. Tian-Hong Pan, M.D., and his colleagues found that polyphenol protects against the destruction of these brain cells produced by an experimental nerve cell toxin called MPP+. Polyphenol has also been shown to have protective effects against other diseases, including some cancers and certain forms of heart disease. Dr. Pan says the next step is to test the effect of polyphenol in clinical trials.

FAITH MAY BE HEALING -- Church attendance and a longer, healthier life go hand-in-hand, according to a study of 6,545 Californians. Weekly church goers had significantly lower risk of death than did those who went to services less frequently or not at all, said researchers from the Human Population Laboratories of the Public Health Institute, the California Department of Health Services and the University of California, Berkeley. "We found this difference even after adjusting for factors such as social connections and health behaviors, including smoking and exercising," said Doug Oman of U. C. Berkeley, lead author of the study reported in the "International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine." "The fact that the risk of death by several different causes is lower for those who attend religious services every week suggests that we should look to some psychological factor for answers. Maybe frequent attendees experience a greater sense of inner peace, perhaps because they can draw upon religious coping practices to help them deal with stressful events." The scientists found those who attended religious services less than once a week or never had a 21 percent greater overall risk of dying and a 21 percent greater risk of dying from circulatory diseases. Oman said the study adds to a growing body of evidence that religious practices are generally linked to better health.

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2. THE HERBAL CORNER: "Ginkgo Biloba" - for Brain, Memory, Circulation "Medicinal Properties"

More information - http://www.theolivebranch.com/herbs/ginkgo.htm

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3. HEALTHY RECIPE-OF-THE-MONTH - Grilled Caesar Mahi-Mahi

An easy solution for your weeknight dinner dilemma. Great for springtime outdoor grilling or can be cooked in the broiler.

More information: http://www.theolivebranch.com/recipes/fish-gr.htm

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4. LIST OF PRODUCTS TO BE DISCONTINUED

Life Plus recently announced that they will no longer be manufacturing the products we have listed below. Stock is already low on some of them. What remains will be available until Life Plus warehouse stock is gone. Some are being replaced or combined with other products. If you have a favorite product that appears on this list, you might consider buying a bulk quantity to last you for a time. Remember, if you buy 6 of any 1 product you will get one Free!

CAT'S CLAW PLUS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/catsclaw.htm
Product #4040; 60 Tablets
(alternate: DNA IMMUNE - http://www.theolivebranch.com/immune.htm)

COMBAT -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/combat.htm
Product #1902; 60 Tablets -- Product #1925; 180 Tablets
(alternate: DNA Immune - http://www.theolivebranch.com/immune.htm)

GINKGO PLUS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/ginkgo.htm
Product #4051; 60 Tablets
(alternate: BRAIN FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/brain.htm )

MAGNESIUM PLUS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/magnesim.htm
Product #4029; 90 Tablets

PANCREAS FORMULA -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/pancreas.htm
Product #4024; 90 Tablets

PROBIOTX -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/probiotx.htm
Product #4044; 60 Capsules
(alternate: DIGESTIVE FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/digest.htm)

RICH 'N GREEN -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/green.htm
Product #1108; 100 Tablets
(alternate: DAILY BIOBASICS - http://www.theolivebranch.com/biobasic.htm)

SLENDERLEAN -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/slender1.htm
Product #1207; 24.5 oz. (700 gm)
(alternate: COLON FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/colon.htm)

SOMNISET -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/somniset.htm
Product #0200; 90 Tablets

SOYPRO PLUS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/soypro.htm
Product #4043; 14.8 oz.
(alternate: SHAKE - http://www.theolivebranch.com/super)

ST. JOHN'S WORT PLUS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/stjohns.htm
Product #4048; 60 Tablets
(alternate: ANTI-STRESS FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/stress.htm)

SUPRANOX -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/supranox.htm
Product #4700; 120 Tablets
(alternates: XTRA ANTIOXIDANTS - http://www.theolivebranch.com/antiox.htm
PROANTHENOLS - http://www.theolivebranch.com/opcs.htm)

TOUCHFIRE HERS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/touch-f.htm
Product #4041; 120 Tablets
(alternates: FEMININE BALANCE - http://www.theolivebranch.com/female.htm
and CIRCULATION FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/circulat.htm )

TOUCHFIRE HIS -- http://www.theolivebranch.com/touch-m.htm
Product #4042; 120 Tablets
(alternates: PROSTATE FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/prostate.htm
and CIRCULATION FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/circulat.htm )

TRANQUILON with Kava Kava-- http://www.theolivebranch.com/tranquil.htm
Product #5017; 90 Tablets
(alternate: ANTI-STRESS FORMULA - http://www.theolivebranch.com/stress.htm)

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5. PAST SPECIAL EDITIONS:

We have several Special Editions that we issued on particular Health Issues or on Complimentary/Alternative Botanicals. You can view them from the following index: http://www.theolivebranch.com/news/special.htm

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We are always happy to correspond with our subscribers. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

If you should decide to try any of the Life Plus products, we hope you will allow us to be your distributor.

Be Healthy,

The Culbreths

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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.