As word continues to spread about the damaging health effects of refined sugar, the number of commercially available sugar alternatives has also increased. Unfortunately, many sugar alternatives can be just as undesirable as sugar itself. Saccharin and acesulfame K, for example, are unnatural products whose long-term effects on the human body remain unknown. High fructose agave syrup is proven to cause havoc with our blood sugar levels. And aspartame, of course, needs no introduction. One…
Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing oil around the mouth for between 15 and 20 minutes to kill harmful oral bacteria. Despite being a popular folk remedy in its native India, oil pulling only became known in the West when a Ukrainian oncologist named F. Karach began promoting it in the early 1990s. Today, entire books have been written about oil pulling and the online health world is ablaze with testimonies…
Since the beginning of recorded history, apple cider vinegar has been used as an effective medicine to remedy a wide variety of ailments. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, for instance, was known to treat his patients with apple cider vinegar and honey for serious digestive conditions. Christopher Columbus would store barrels of apple cider vinegar aboard his vessels to guard his sailors from scurvy. Even the feared samurai warriors of Japan often relied upon apple…
Calcium is an essential macromineral whose roles in the body are relatively well-known. It strengthens bones and teeth, improves the body’s alkalinity, helps our heart muscles to contract and relax properly, and more. Like all minerals, calcium doesn’t work alone, but in tandem with other nutrients such as magnesium and vitamin D. For this reason, obtaining our calcium from whole foods – foods whose nutrient profiles have been optimized by nature for superior absorption –…