Peppermint for Upset Stomach

To help reduce the symptoms of indigestion, nausea or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), consider peppermint. The dried leaves of the peppermint plant come in teas (look for 100 percent pure peppermint leaves), oils (both enteric-coated capsules for swallowing, and essential oils for topical use - It is recommended essential oil containing at least 44 percent free menthol), as well as creams and rubs. Please note that children should not be given peppermint tea - it can cause a choking sensation - and adults with gastro-esophageal reflux syndrome (GERD) should avoid peppermint as it can worsen symptoms. In addition, be sure to never ingest undiluted peppermint oil, which can be toxic. If you don't like peppermint, consider chamomile (Matricaria recutita), especially in the form of chamomile tea: it is a soothing solution for upset stomachs, heartburn and indigestion.

Vitamin D, Another Weapon against Type 2 Diabetes

A new study out of America’s Heartland has shown that by simply increasing the intake of ONE needed vitamin, type 2 diabetes can be reversed without having to resort to dangerous prescription drugs.

Researchers out of the University of Missouri were even more surprised at the findings when they discovered this vitamin worked just as well for participants who were overweight and obese and didn’t lose weight.

So what is this powerful vitamin?

The research team found encouraging evidence to suggest that even when body weight and Body Mass Index are unchanged, simply adding vitamin D supplement to the diet can not only prevent type 2 diabetes from developing, but it also can reverse it if it has already appeared.

Looking at blood levels of vitamin D in participants, the team found that people who are overweight and obese tend to have deficiencies in this very critical vitamin. Adding it as a simple supplement was shown in the study to be critical in reversing type 2 diabetes, even when weight was unchanged.

For many patients, conventional treatment has always pointed to weight loss as the key factor in reversing or preventing the disease, but that never took into account the people who are of normal weight or those who are underweight who still develop diabetes.

While cutting weight for those who are obese is a good idea for many other health reasons, the University of Missouri study highlights the need to focus on nutrient supplementation as a critical first step in treatment, instead of running straight to the prescription pad.

This is more proof that type 2 diabetes can be completely cured without medications and even without losing weight.

Watermelon Juice Against Muscle Soreness after Exercise

Move over Gatorade and Powerade. New scientific research is extolling the virtues of a novel, natural sports drink: Watermelon juice.
 

A study in this month’s American Chemical Society Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found juice from the traditional summer fruit effectively relieves exercise-related muscle soreness. The research, which lends scientific credence to athletes who have long claimed the juice boosts performance and aids recovery, attributes watermelon's effects to the amino acid L-citrulline.
 

Food scientist Encarna Aguayo and colleagues from the Technical University of Cartagena in Colombia noted past studies have suggested watermelon juice's antioxidant properties offer the potential to increase muscle protein and enhance athletic performance.
 

New findings not only confirm those claims, but also indicate watermelon juice drinks — enriched in L-citrulline — are effective in alleviating aches and pains that result from exercise.
 

To reach their conclusions, Aguayo's team tested natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline, and a sports drink containing no L-citrulline on volunteers an hour before exercise.
 

Both the natural juice and the enriched juice relieved muscle soreness in the volunteers, while the sports drink without watermelon or the amino acid had no effect. Aquayo noted L-citrulline in the natural juice (unpasteurized) seemed to be more "bioavailable" — meaning it is in a form the body can better use.

Vitamins & Minerals for Better Night's Sleep

Want a better night's sleep? If you have difficulty getting quality zzzs, it could be linked to a surprising reason: vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
 

1. Can't get to sleep: Studies have shown that insomnia is one of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Good natural sources are dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, beans and lentils.

2. Difficulty staying asleep: This could be linked to potassium. Studies have shown that potassium supplements may boost sleeping through the night, but good food sources are beans, leafy greens, avocados, baked potatoes, and to a lesser degree, bananas.

3. Feeling tired during the day: While this could be the result of many factors, namely stress, research has found "a strong correlation" between excessive drowsiness during the day and vitamin D deficiency, according to a study published last year in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Good vitamin D sources: the sun's rays, but you can find the mineral in food sources such as swordfish, salmon, tuna, and fortified dairy products.

Brocolli for Prevention & Slowing the progress of Arthriris

A compound found in broccoli could be the key to preventing or slowing the progress of the most common form of arthritis, according to new research led by the University of East Anglia in the UK.
 

Results from the laboratory study show that sulforaphane slows down the destruction of cartilage in joints associated with osteoarthritis. The researchers found that mice fed a diet rich in the compound had significantly less cartilage damage and osteoarthritis than those that were not.
 

Sulforaphane is released when eating cruciferous vegetables such as brussels sprouts and cabbage, but particularly broccoli, the researchers said. Previous research has suggested that sulforaphane has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, but this is the first major study into its effects on joint health, they added.
 

The researchers discovered that sulforaphane blocks the enzymes that cause joint destruction by stopping a key molecule known to cause inflammation.
 

Findings were published Wednesday, August 28, in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.