It is estimated that in the United States that more than a million cases of skin cancer are reported each year.  Most of these cancer cases are reported due to the damage caused by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation otherwise known as UVR.
It is estimated that there is a window during a sunny day that a person risks the most exposure to these ultraviolet rays.  The sun usually begins to intensify around 10-11 am, and reaches its peak around 4 pm.  These are the hours to use extra caution.  Maybe seek the shade of an umbrella or just hit the beach at the later part of the day, after all it does get darker much later in the summer months.

Many experts feel that no tanning method is safe.  They say that tanned skin is already an indication that the epidermal DNA has been damaged by the ultraviolet rays.  Just one sunburn increases your risk of developing skin cancer.  If you incur more than five sunburns your risk of developing melanoma doubles through out your life.  Tanning beds are no better than tanning outdoors.  Care must be taken by applying the proper sun-block lotions before venturing outside.  Sun-block lotions range from 10 SPF to 60 SPF.

SPF, otherwise known as Sun Protection Factor, measures the duration of how long the skin being unprotected can be exposed to the sun UVB rays before burning.  A sunscreen formula with an SPF of 30 would prevent a sunburn that is 30 times longer than if no sunscreen was used and the skin was exposed naturally.  Besides having a high SPF number, UVA protecting ingredients must be present for maximum protection.  These include zinc dioxide, avobenzone, and titanium oxide.  Sunscreen should be applied about 30-40 minutes before going outside, and the waterproof formulas that are available work wonders as they do not come off in the pool or the ocean.  Pay close attention to children as they need the highest SPF possible, their skin is extremely sensitive.  They should only be used on children that are at least 6 months of age.

If you do get sunburned, and it may happen since we do go in and out everyday.  You may even try taking Flax seed oil gel caps, and Omega 3 supplements, as these ad vital moisturizer to the skin and will help heal your skin.  Look for spots on the skin from time to time as these can be warning signs to go and see a dermatologist.  Some of the things to watch for are, skin growth’s or beauty marks that have either changed color, changed diameter, increased in thickness, hurt, itch, or bleed.

By taking the steps necessary for proper sun safety, you and your family will enjoy great times out in the sun, with minimal risk to skin cancers.

Garlic has long been a key ingredient in Mediterranean and Eastern cooking, but many people don’t realize its potent effects on our immune and digestive systems. Garlic supplements offer a convenient option to regularly eating raw garlic; these can be used as a dietary supplement to fight infection, reduce blood pressure, and even manage blood-sugar levels. Nature’s Way Garlicin offers a simple way to enjoy many of the health benefits of garlic in a safe, natural formula.

History Lesson
Garlic was commonly used as a treatment for leprosy by ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and mixed with other herbal ingredients and antioxidants for its powerful therapeutic properties. Before the advent of modern medicine, raw garlic was prescribed to heal wounds, combat colds and fevers, and neutralize inflammation in the body. Some researchers in China believe that garlic has natural cancer-fighting benefits that can improve the body’s resistance to tumors, helping to prevent cancer-causing agents from circulating in the body.

The most important compound in garlic is allicin, the substance that is released when garlic is cut, chewed, or crushed. This is why many cooking techniques require garlic to be crushed before adding it to meals; the release of allicin makes it easy to absorb the key ingredients of garlic, and standardized allicin is found in a variety of garlic supplements. Since garlic also works as a natural blood thinner, it should not be taken by those who regularly have low blood sugar, or are taking medication that has anticoagulant properties.

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If you’re like most people, you don’t give a lot of thought to your liver, but you literally couldn’t live without it. This organ plays multiple roles, including filtering out toxins, regulating your metabolism, producing energy, assisting with digestion, storing essential vitamins, and controlling cholesterol production. Since it does so much for you, wouldn’t it be nice if you could do something for your liver? You can. There’s a supplement you can take that has proven benefits for your hard-working liver: Thisilyn.

How Thisilyn Helps
Offered by Nature’s Way, Thisilyn contains milk thistle extract. Milk thistle is an herb native to the Mediterranean region that has been a folk remedy for liver and other disorders for thousands of years. The milk thistle extract in Thisilyn is primarily composed of a flavonoid complex known as silymarin. Silymarin protects the liver by preventing absorption of harmful toxins.

Silymarin is so effective in preventing liver damage that it is sometimes used to treat patients who have eaten extremely poisonous mushrooms. The use of milk thistle can dramatically increase the survival rate of patients in this predicament.

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The health benefits of the cranberry can be found in the fruit itself, as well as in the extracts and supplements made from it. Cranberries are mainly recommended, in some form, for adults who have frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), a major cause of cystitis (painful inflammation of the urinary bladder). This is good for us to know, because about 25 percent of women have at least one UTI at some point in their life.

E. coli bacteria are the most common cause of such an infection, and when cranberries are consumed, they seem to keep the bacteria from clinging to the lining of the bladder and creating a problem. Cranberries are considered to be more effective if they are used along with other forms of treatment for this condition, usually antibiotics.

Anyone who does not have a chronic illness can still use moderate amounts of cranberry juice to prevent the development of UTIs, and 10 ounces of this liquid (or an equivalent) taken daily is often recommended as acceptable dose for this purpose.

Some studies have also found that cranberries can relieve blood disorders and help prevent stomach ulcers, cancer, high cholesterol, heart problems, arteriosclerosis, and gum disease. For this reason, they are considered to be one of America’s best 25 nutritional supplements. In part, this is because cranberries are high in flavonoids and antioxidants, both of which are essential to our good health.

Dosage

A dose of cranberries can vary greatly from one extract or supplement to another, and while consuming them in some form may have its benefits, we should also be keep in mind that many cranberry drinks sold in grocery stores contain a large amount of sugar. This tells us we need to be careful when deciding exactly which products to use.

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Optimum nutrition is possible only with the right balance of vitamins and minerals in your diet, and vitamin K is essential for supporting healthy bone growth, efficient digestion, and a strong immune system. The vitamin’s primary role is to control blood clotting, making it important for people who seem to bruise easily. Expectant mothers should ask their doctors about vitamin K supplementation, since vitamin K is especially important for pregnant women. A deficiency may lead to hemorrhaging for the mother, especially during labor, and can result in danger to the baby in the form of muscle hematomas and intercranial hemorrhages. Supplementation is not recommended during the last stages of pregnancy, though. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you want to increase your endurance and vitality? Would you like to boost your immune system? Reduce stress? Lower your cholesterol? Improve liver or lung function?

A key to better health and higher energy levels might be hiding under a leaf of lettuce in your salad—mushrooms. Prized for thousands of years by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, mushrooms offer many benefits to modern-day consumers who seek to improve their well-being. Varieties of the fungus are used to battle immune-system deficiencies, cancer, heart disease, blood-pressure imbalance, and diabetes. Mushrooms have also been enlisted to combat stress and increase strength.

If you’re interested in exploring the therapeutic value of mushrooms and mushroom extracts, you’ll find a broad range of products available and many studies that attest to the effectiveness of specific fungus types. Some products offer a combination of mushrooms to maximize effectiveness. But a quick glance at the range of available mushroom products shows that three of the most popular types for promoting good health are maitake, shiitake, and reishi mushrooms. Here’s an overview of the benefits of these three varieties. Read the rest of this entry »

If you seek a natural supplement that can work wonders, look seaward. The benefits of fish oil for coronary health have been widely documented. But fish oil isn’t just for heart health. It can treat or help prevent a variety of conditions, including depression, diabetes, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, attention deficit disorder, stroke, and auto-immune disorders. You can harness the power of fish oil by taking Nature’s Way Fisol or Super Fisol. Read the rest of this entry »

Garlic has been used both as a medicinal herb and a food source for thousands of years, and studies have shown a significant relationship between garlic and the prevention of infection and disease. It’s one of the few foods that has a high natural sulfur content, and it also contains amino acids that are not easily obtained from other sources. Read the rest of this entry »

Overcoming nicotine addiction may not be easy, but there are many natural ways to stop smoking and work toward better health. Nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms can make it very difficult to quit on your own, and changing your lifestyle is the first step to kicking the habit. Read the rest of this entry »

There must be something to the fact that elderberry has been used medicinally for centuries. It’s a common ingredient in natural remedies, and the fruit contains vitamins A, B, and C, flavonoids, carotenoids, amino acids, and tannins. It has antibiotic, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, and is most commonly used to ease cold and flu symptoms and shorten patients’ recovery time from while decreasing their respiratory distress. Read the rest of this entry »