New research suggests that women with an hourglass figure may on average be brighter and have more clever children.

A study found that women with large hips and small waists tend to be more intelligent than those with either apple-shaped or linear bodies. Such women may also tend to give birth to more intelligent children. One possible reason is the greater percentage of omega 3 fats found on the hips.

The study examined 16,000 women and girls, and found that women with a greater difference between the waist and hips scored significantly higher on cognitive tests, as did their children. Those with a waist-to-hip ratio between 0.6 and 0.7 achieved the highest scores.

Fat around hips and thighs holds higher levels of omega 3 fats, which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. Fat around the waist may have higher levels of omega 6 fats acids, which are less well suited to brain growth. Waist fat is also more likely to be a contributory factor in diabetes and heart disease.
Sources:

* Times Online November 11, 2007

* Evolution and Human Behavior January 2008 Volume 29, Issue 1, Pages 26-34

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Having a good waist-to-hip ratio is also better for your carotid arteries, which transport blood directly to your brain, and lowers your risk of a heart attack. In fact, its a better predictor of your chances of developing a heart attack than your overall weight. It had been theorized that a good waist-to-hip ratio was a marker of overall muscle mass; now it looks like the answer may be omega 3 fats.

Of course, it has long been known that omega 3s have an effect on intelligence This is hardly surprising, since they are significant structural components of the cell membranes of your brain, as well as the retina, sperm, and other tissues throughout your body. Your brain is actually 60 percent structural fat, and an omega 3 deficiency can decrease membrane fluidity, which is essential for proper functioning of these tissues.

It is especially critical that infants receive adequate amounts of omega 3s during fetal development, as well as after birth, until the biochemical development in the brain and retina is completed. Formula-fed infants have lower concentrations of omega 3s in their brain than infants fed omega 3-rich human breast milk. They also have lower intelligence quotients.

And during pregnancy, both maternal stores and dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids are important to insure that the baby has adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids at the time of birth. Several studies have shown that when the maternal diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, the infant at birth is likewise deficient.

But omega 3s are not just crucial for pregnant women and their children; as the recent study above shows, your omega 3 levels affect you throughout your life, preserving your brain function as well as protecting you from cardiac risks and other problems.

But generally, most diets contain not only far too little omega 3, but far too much omega 6 fats. The ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats has increased in industrialized societies because of increased consumption of vegetable oils. Experts suggest that in early human history the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids was about 1:1. Currently most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1.

I strongly recommend avoiding conventional sources of omega-6 fats such as sunflower, corn, soy, safflower, and canola oil, and products that contain these oils. This also means no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, no margarine, no vegetable oil, and no shortening. These oils are mostly omega 6 fats and will only worsen your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. It is not that they are at all toxic, although one might make an argument for those that are produced from GM foods, but the central issue is that if you are already consuming 10-20 times as much as you need any additional amounts of these fats will only worsen the problem.

Acceptable oils include high-quality extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and organic butter… or better yet, grass-fed organic butter.

In addition to reducing your omega 6 intake, you will want to increase your omega 3 intake. Fatty fish would be the best source of omega 3, but unfortunately too many of them are tainted by deadly mercury. So I highly recommend taking krill oil as a good substitute.

In addition to making you smarter, it could also make you better looking!

Its easy to focus on bad habits that youd like to overcome, but how about this for a change: focusing on habits youd like to have.

The tips that follow will help you to put your good habits — like eating healthy, exercising, and taking time to relax — on autopilot, so you can maintain them with very little effort. Here are a few of my favorites (the link below has the entire list):

1. Commit to 30 Days. If you make it through the first month, the habit will become automatic.

2. Do it Daily. Consistency is key, and the more often you engage in the habit, the better. For instance, if youre trying to get into the habit of exercise, you should do some form of it every day for the first 30 days.

3. Start Simple. You dont want to overwhelm yourself. So instead of trying to overhaul your whole diet, commit to first getting through the first page of my nutrition plan.

4. Use But Statements. If you start to think something negative about the habit, counter it with a but statement. For instance, Im no good at exercising, becomes Im no good at exercising, but Im just starting out and Ill get better each day.

5. Form a Trigger. Think of something you can do right before the habit so that it will trigger you into autopilot. So, if your habit is to go to bed earlier, washing your face and brushing your teeth can be the ritual you use to trigger your earlier bedtime.
Sources:

* Lifehack.org August 14, 2007

http://products.mercola.com/biothin/

Editors for Scientific American believe recent studies suggest that fluoride raises the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland, and in general scientific attitudes about fluoridation may be shifting.

“Fluoride, the most consumed drug in the USA, is deliberately added to 2/3 of public water supplies theoretically to reduce tooth decay, but with no scientifically-valid evidence proving safety or effectiveness,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, president of the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.

Meanwhile, according to environmental reporter and director of New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program Dan Fagin, “There is no universally accepted optimal level for daily intake of fluoride.”

After analyzing hundreds of fluoride studies, researchers found that fluoride:

* Alters endocrine function, especially in the thyroid
* Causes dental fluorosis in young children
* May lower IQ
* May increase the risk of bone fractures

Because scientific evidence suggests that water fluoridation is ineffective and dangerous to health, over 1,200 professional are now urging Congress to stop water fluoridation.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
If more Americans knew that fluoride, which many dentists STILL mistakenly promote as the panacea for healthy teeth, is also the active toxin in rat poisons and cockroach powder, I suspect they would feel vastly different about ingesting it via drinking water and toothpaste.

But FINALLY the tides do seem to be turning.

In 2005, eleven unions within the EPA publicly called for a ban of water fluoridation, over concerns that it may cause bone cancer. And in 2006, the American Dental Association warned parents of infants not to use fluoridated water when mixing baby formula.

When you begin to examine the evidence surrounding water fluoridation, this gradual retraction makes perfect sense.

As award-winning journalist Christopher Bryson revealed in his book The Fluoride Deception, there has been a multi-tiered effort — or as Bryson says, an abuse of power — by military and industry scientists and public health officials to shamelessly promote fluoride to the dentistry field and the American public with little regard to the implications it would have on human health.

Just what are those potential implications?

* An increased risk of bone cancer
* Fluorosis, a discoloring of your teeth and breakdown of their enamel (between 30 percent and 50 percent of children have dental fluorosis on at least two teeth in optimally fluoridated communities)
* An increased risk of osteoporosis
* Developmental problems such as lower IQ

But thats not all. According to Paul Connett, PhD:

1. Fluoride accumulates in your bones and makes them more brittle and prone to fracture. Lifetime exposure to fluoride will contribute to higher rates of hip fracture in the elderly.

2. Fluoride accumulates in your pineal gland, possibly lowering the production of melatonin, a very important regulatory hormone

3. There are serious concerns about a connection between fluoridation and the current epidemics of both arthritis and hypothyroidism.

4. In animal studies fluoride at 1 ppm in drinking water increases the uptake of aluminum into your brain.

5. Counties with 3 ppm or more of fluoride in their water have lower fertility rates.

6. The fluoridating agents most commonly used in the United States not only increase the uptake of lead into children’s blood but are also associated with an increase in violent behavior.

Of course, the main reason why fluoride is reportedly added to the U.S. water supply in the first place is to prevent cavities. Yet, data compiled by the World Health Organization shows no difference in tooth decay in countries that use fluoridated water compared with countries that dont use fluoridated water. So not only is fluoride unsafe, it is ineffective as well.

Get That Fluoride Out of Your Water!

If you are receiving your water from a municipal water supply in the United States, your water is probably fluoridated — and a simple carbon filter will not remove it.

You must filter your tap water with a reverse osmosis filter to remove fluoride, and remember to use this water not only for drinking but also for washing fruits and veggies, making ice cubes and cooking.

You can also join the fight against water fluoridation by supporting the Fluoride Action Networks petition to end water fluoridation. Its already been signed by over 1,200 professionals, including a Nobel Prize winner, three officers in the union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the executive board of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, leading fluoride researchers, and medical, dental, scientific and environmental professionals from around the world.

To voice your opinion against water fluoridation, simply send this immediate e-mail to your senators and representative.

A substance found in the popular Chinese herb huang qin triggers the death of tumor cells, while having virtually no effect on healthy cells.

Many researchers have looked to the capability of controlled cell suicide as a means of fighting cancer. But it is a risky approach, because it involves the danger of damaging healthy tissue, too. Scientists have been searching for substances that induce cell death selectively in tumor cells.

Now scientists of the German Cancer Research Centre have discovered that wogonin, a component of huang qin, causes apoptosis (cellular suicide) in cultured leukemia cells without affecting healthy blood cells. Wogonin has already been shown to reduce cancer growth in mice.

Dr. Min Li-Weber of the Division of Immunogenetics has found that wogonin works by radically increasing the formation of hydrogen peroxide in tumor cells compared to healthy cells. The peroxide, in turn, produces a calcium response, which triggers the apoptosis reaction.
Sources:

* Chinese Medicine News December 28, 2007

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

For those of you who are new to the newsletter, Id like to reiterate that while I view herbs as frequently helpful and virtually non-toxic when compared to patent drugs, they rarely treat the cause of your disease. I view most of them as frequently effective symptomatic band-aids. Therefore, if you depend solely on herbs without addressing the underlying cause of your disease, youre still likely avoiding the real cure.

So what are the underlying causes of most, if not all disease? I strongly believe it boils down to three basics of equal importance:

1. Your emotional and mental state
2. Your nutrition
3. Your physical activity

All advice essentially falls under one of these three basic necessities for optimal health, which create a circle of either positive or negative ramifications, depending on whether you address them appropriately or not.

Awesome Cancer-Busting Approaches

Without disputing the value and effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an alternative to the flawed healthcare system in the United States, I believe you can VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE your risk of cancer and chronic disease, and radically improve your chances of recovering from cancer if you currently have it, by following these relatively simple risk reduction strategies.

You wont read or hear much about them because they have not been formally “proven” yet by conservative researchers. However, did you know that 85 percent of therapies currently recommended by conventional medicine have never been formally proven either?!

Here are my Twelve Strategies:

1. Reduce or eliminate your processed food, sugar and grain carbohydrate intake. Yes, this is even true for whole unprocessed organic grains as they tend to rapidly break down and drive your insulin and leptin levels up, which is the last thing you need to have happening if you are seeking to resolve a cancer.

2. Control your fasting insulin and leptin levels. This is the end result, and can be easily monitored with the use of simple and relatively inexpensive blood tests.

3. Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil or fish oil and reducing your intake of most processed vegetable oils.

4. Get regular exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

5. Normalize your vitamin D levels and vitamin A levels by getting plenty of sunlight exposure and consider careful supplementation when this is not possible. If you take oral vitamin D and have a cancer, it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.

6. Get regular, good sleep.

7. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

8. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
9. Limit your exposure and provide protection for yourself from information carrying radio waves produced by cell phone towers, base stations, phones and WiFi stations.

10. Avoid frying or charbroiling your food. Boil, poach or steam your foods instead.

11. Have a tool to permanently reprogram the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique. German New Medicine is another powerful tool.

12. Eat at least one-third of your food raw.