Making massive lifestyle changes soon after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes results in significantly better outcomes than gradual shifts, reports a research paper published in this week’s “Lancet.” In the research paper, a group of 590 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics were followed soon after discovering their disease.

The volunteers were randomized to undergo intense counseling to change their lifestyle or to receive standard care. Those that were asked to make large lifestyle changes had significantly better blood sugar control and fewer complications at the end of the 6-month follow-up period. Importantly, body weight and blood pressure also reduced in the intense-change group.

Naturally defeat diabetes in 30-days here…

To Your Health,

Shelly Manning

This statement occurs so much it leaves me wishing I could have a dime every time someone mentions it.

Some of my own staff have even said variations of it from time to time.

While I understand the sentiment, it does concern me a lot since a licensed health care provider someone who can accurately diagnose health conditions.  Someone off the street or in a health food store is not someone who can do that.

That said, it can be very frustrating when you are trying to live according to healthy, natural rules and your doctor hands you a prescription sheet after spending 45 seconds with you.  Does he or she even really understand the issue? Does he or she respect my wishes to try natural methods first?

Only you can answer this, and the only way is to develop a better communication channel with your provider.  Avoiding even seeing the doctor is the opposite of this.

If you’ve been diagnosed with borderline high blood pressure it may be time to get tested again, recommends a report by Duke University. In this report, a team of researchers investigated the so-called “White Coat” effect –the influence of a doctor’s presence on test results –on blood pressure readings.

They found that many blood pressure readings, when taken only once, were wildly inaccurate –meaning that many healthy people are currently receiving high blood pressure treatment they don’t need. They advise doctors and other health care professionals to take blood pressure readings at least 5 times to be sure of an accurate reading.

All natural method to lower blood pressure…

Warm Regards,

Christian Goodman

A new study has solidified blueberry’s standing as a top Superfood by finding that it has the ability to lower chronically high cholesterol levels. The study, conducted in animal models, found unequivocally that compounds in blueberries have anti-cholesterol abilities.

The study –conducted by scientists at the US Department of Agriculture—tested the effects of blueberry peels on blood cholesterol in a group of hamsters. They found that blueberries lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol by an impressive 27 percent. Also, the hamster’s levels of even-worse VLDL cholesterol significantly decreased as well. The scientists guess that blueberry’s high levels of antioxidants are likely responsible for their cholesterol-lowering effects.

More Superfoods that knock out cholesterol…

To Your Health,

Scott Davis

We write a lot about different methods and tips for maintaining healthy blood pressure, alleviating anxiety, and other general health topics.  Frequently, this includes summaries on different supplements.

Most of the time our authors like to pull comments from the emails and comment boxes when readers have questions or comments about certain tips or products, and we always like to look at what’s trending in studies conducted by different research labs.

Sometimes we will try to run down info on late-breaking discoveries, but frequently we will have a good look at decades-old information but only with a fresh set of eyes.

It might be tried-and-true home remedies like the benefits of increasing garlic in the diet or getting more vitamin D.  Sometimes, we look at ‘old wives’ tales” too to see if there is any merit to that as well.

Every now and then, we get questions from readers regarding something they have seen in their medical record, on discharge papers, or on a diagnosis sheet.

For a lot of people, their doctor does a good job of putting into ‘lay speak’ what he or she is seeing during that visit and can give a patient a good idea of diagnosis and treatment.

For many others, though, going to the doctor, clinic, or hospital is really intimidating…and not for the normal reasons you might think.

Although the Three Wise Men may not have known it, one of the gifts they were carrying on that famous December night –Frankincense—has the power to significantly reduce arthritis pain, a team of scientists out of Cardiff University found this week.

The researchers tested the ability of an extract of the ancient herb to reduce pain in a group of arthritis sufferers. They found that pain was reduced in most of the volunteers. They hypothesize that Frankincense contains unique compounds that shut down the chronic inflammation that exacerbates arthritis. The scientists add that Frankincense is an attractive natural alternative to prescription drugs that often bring on side effects.

More natural arthritis pain relievers here…

To Your Best Health,

Shelly Manning

A particularly harmful form of fat –known as visceral fat—has more to do with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease than total body fat, according to a research study published in this week’s “Hypertension Research.”

In this study a group of 600 men had their blood pressure and levels of visceral fat measured. The researchers found that the men with the highest levels of visceral fat had 5 times greater hypertension risk when compared to those with low levels of this special type of body fat. Visceral fat is fat stored deep inside the abdomen that’s thought to dramatically increase inflammation –a key driver of high blood pressure.

For even more powerful program to tackle high blood pressure…

Warm regards,

Christian Goodman

Today I was at a shopping center and overheard a couple arguing about the walk from the car to the door. Apparently for him it was too far. He angrily chided his wife for passing up all the “good spots” closer to the entrance.

She snapped back that if he wanted her to lose the weight, he had better just shut it up and walk a few extra yards with her.

It was awkward, and kind of amusing at the same time. He was whining and she was ticked off.

Cholesterol-lowering medications such as Lipitor are popular among doctors because they work quickly and have relatively few side effects. However, a pair of research studies published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” has raised serious questions about the safety of statins.

The researchers found that those that regularly took statin drugs had a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to a similar group that treated their cholesterol with lifestyle changes. They found that statins upped diabetes risk by approximately 8 percent. Importantly, the individuals taking the highest doses of cholesterol-lowering meds were also at the highest risk of diabetes –a finding that confirms the connection.

Here are simple and natural alternatives to reduce cholesterol…

To Your Health,

Scott Davis