Marg Chennai Marathon - Organizers need to first get Educated on Running!

Organizing a running event is not like organizing a mela! Its not about colorful balloons and celebrity speeches. Its not about hoardings and advertisements. Its about dedicated understanding of the sport - Inside Out.

Marg Chennai Marathon organization is like selling an expensive car without any after-sales support and service! The organizers got sponsors, advertised really well, reached every school in the city, reached every household. But they miserably failed to concentrate on the actual event - The Run!

Based on inputs and observations, here are some reasons for the failure of the event -

1. Starting time was really really late - 6:45AM is NOT the time to start a 21kilometer run in the Chennai weather - It was humid and hot
2. Political and Celebrity intervention was unnecessary - It just increased the support ecosystem to get them safely to the event start point
3. There were no enough water stations during the course of the run - Its a best practice to have water stations for every 2 kilometers (atleast!)
4. Water stations were too crowded - they were literally like swarmed beehives!
5. Water stations had nothing other than water - Its best practice to have other energy drinks and fruits, to say the least
6. Organizers' support ecosystem was absent towards the end of the three-hour period
7. Certificates were missing!
8. There were no refreshments available for runners at the finish point - water is the least they should have

Doing the following could've made things better -

1. The celebrities could've cheered to the crowd over a video conference showcased on a large screen
2. Started the half-marathon at 5:30AM
3. Have water stations for every 2 kilometers
4. Water stations should've been well manned by people who were associated with this sport (running)
5. Stocked water stations with fruits andenergy drinks
6. Sought the sponsorship of energy sports drink companies
7. Provided proper certificates for participants

NDTV 24X7 and the organizers made a bold claim that this event might've pulled more than a lakh participants - This is good marketing! Remember - QUALITY IS BETTER THAN QUANTITY! Number of runners DOESN'T matter. Event quality DOES matter!

The other claim was that Chennai Marathon was bigger than Delhi and Mumbai. In my opinion (and so would many of my fellow long-distance runners would say), this is NOT EVEN CLOSE to any other running event in the country. Recently, the Hyderabad Runners organized a marathon. It was one of the well organized marathons of recent times. They did not concentrate on marketing, but on the event organization. We at Chennai Runners have been doing ECR Runs every two months. We've never had a problem till date. Our participants have always enjoyed every bit of it.

Mumbai marathon has chip-based timing, medals and certificates, is one of The Greatest Race On Earth, good crowd supprt, amazing number of water points with well stocked sports nutrients. Did Marg Chennai Marathon have even one of this properly?

The list can go on for ever. But the request I'd like to make to any running event organizer is -

For God's sake, PLEASE STOP CONDUCTING RUNNING EVENTS FOR CHARITY OR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. You can associate a run with a charity, but not a charity with a run. PLEASE DON'T RUIN THE SPORT EVEN BEFORE IT STARTS IN CHENNAI.

My request to the kith and kin of aspiring runners -

Please DO NOT discourage your loved ones from running. The accident that happened today in the Marg Chennai Marathon was due to mismanagement and can also be due to the runner's lack of knowledge on running. Running is absolutely safe and very good when practiced and trained with guidance. Our country and our city has the potential to produce champion runners.

Keep Running! It's Fun!

Chennai Marathon 2008 - It Happened Today...

The Chennai Marathon finally happened today. I've never seen a crowd as big as this in Chennai ever before! There were loads of runners at both, the half-marathon starting point and the 7-kilometer race starting point. The latter was filled with more school and college kids. With my injured knee, the only thing I could (and wanted) to do was to cheer my Chennai Runners team. They were all there when I went there at 6:05AM, ready for நம்ம சென்னை run.

The drizzle at about 5:30AM played the spoil-sport. The weather got very humid, and I expected the run to be a taxing one (looks like it indeed was so). As I'd forgotten to take my camera with me, I resorted to using my mobile's camera. It's only today that I realized that Nokia E90 indeed has a really good camera! Below are some pictures...



Overall, the crowd was good. For the rest of the news, do check out www.ChennaiRunners.com shortly.

Update: From feedbacks received so far, I understand that this event was not well organized. Moreover, a 21 year-old runner apparently died in this run.

Update: Here is the link for the news on this unfortunate event.

Update: I understand that there was no adequate refreshments provided for runners. Sad to see such an unprofessional organization.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Affirmations - Works Wonders!

Do you want to wake up every morning with a certainty of a bright and colorful day? Wrap yourself with the positive vibes of nature. Affirmations are the key to achieving this. Here is how you do it -

Sit in one corner of room (preferably a silent place). Close your eyes and breath heavily 5 times. Continue normal breathing and try to concentrate. Visualize a peaceful and serene lake and the sun rising on the horizon. Many thoughts will come and go. Don't resist them. After a few minutes, you will experience the perfect silence.

Breath consciously and relax. Imagine a golden white ball of light entering your body from above your head, and visualize this passing through your throat, chest, hands, stomach and through your legs. With each breath, try to push this ball of light from top to bottom.

Now, once you are done, utter the following affirmations in your thoughts. Utter these affirmations in your thoughts each time you inhale. Here they go -

• "Just for today I will live in an attitude of gratitude."
• "Just for today I will not worry."
• "Just for today I will not anger."
• "Just for today I shall do my work honestly."
• "Just for today I will show love and respect to all living beings."

You can do this every morning. I picked these affirmations from Reiki. Apart from these affirmations, you can use other specific affirmations to do something specific. Here is an example for those of you who've been trying to stop taking beer - "Just for today, I will not drink beer!"

Remember - "You Are What You Think". Thinking makes a man; so be careful about what you think!

Key to Success - Give Unconditionally

We all want to be happy and see success in things we do. Is there one thing that will guarantee success and happiness? Yes, there is! The keys to the doors of Happiness and Success is The Ability to Give Unconditionally. In personal life or in business, its the ability to give, that makes people replicate success and experience eternal happiness. Here are 5 things you must try everyday -

1. Wish a friend on his/her birthday (or) give them a surprise vist/party
2. Thank people when they help you
3. Never expect something from others when you help them
4. Feed a stray dog (or) adopt it
5. When you want to enter a new market in business, give your service/product for NO COST. Your product (and your goodwill) will do the rest of the talking
6. SMILE at others, don't be sombre (even when the going gets tough)
7. Help your wife/mother with the domestic chores at times
8. What you've learnt is meant for others too. Pass it on!
   
9. Trust yourself and People you work with
   
10. Speak the truth....always. This can give you the most of happiness and success!

Do you remember the story of the Wise Crow and the Pot of water? Our friend Mr.Crow was thirsty, and he found this tall pot filled with little water. He could not reach it, but he was patient and wise! He decided to drop stones into the pot and drink the water when it increased to a level he could reach. As he put stones into the pot, the water level increased. Eventually the water did come to the surface he was able to taste the elixir of life!

Happiness and Success is like the water in this pot, the ability to give is similar to the stones and the pot is comparable to our lives. The more (stones) you put into the pot, the more closer Happiness and Success (water) gets to you!

Newton had scientifically put this phenomenon in his Third Law of Motion as "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction"

Remember - What goes up, has to come down! Keep Giving!

PS: Ravi - Thanks for pointing the striking typo!

Disruptive Innovation

Well, Disruptive Innovation as a term is not pretty new to the world. Dr. Clayton Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, coined this term in his famous bestseller The Innovator's Dilemma.

According to Dr. Clayton, a disruptive innovation is a technology, process, or business model that brings to a market a much more affordable product or service that is much simpler to use. It enables more consumers in that market to afford and/or have the skill to use the product or service. The change caused by such an innovation is so big that it eventually replaces, or disrupts, the established approach to providing that product or service.

The most common question people ask is "How do I get disruptively innovative?" Though a specific approach is less suggestive at this point, I've got a simpler way to explain this with a very short hypothetical scenario. Here is how it goes...

You are an accomplished world famous architect, and you've been asked to rebuild San Francisco. The level of innovation and uniqueness of the new San Francisco you develop will be different if you were given the freedom to start the project from a clean slate.

Disruption, as in Disruptive Innovation refers to the creation of the clean slate before we ignite our thinking engines. The clearer our slate is, more unique and innovative our sketch gets

You can get innovative in your day-to-day activities too. This can make you more efficient and unique. I'm going to give you a tip to do this -

Ask yourself one question before you do anything "Why am I doing it this way?"

Stay Inspired! Keep Churning!

Difference between Champions and a Good Leaders

Champions know to identify their strengths (and weaknesses) and work towards multiplying their strengths and dividing their weaknesses.

Good Leaders are those who know to identify Champions in a bunch of people!

Remember! Good Leaders are Champions at an individual level, but Champions need not be good Leaders. To be a Champion is more to do with the ablity to manage ourselves. To be a good Leader, is more about the ability to effectively manage others.

But, there are always exceptions! We call them Gurus!

Attempts to Perfection - By the Needle!

This is what I was referring to in the 3rd point (on the secret behind Beijing's success) to in my post titled If Beijing can, New Delhi can (do even better). This is a typical example of how the Chinese army trains.

There is absolutely no chance to err. They've been sheer perfectionists in every single activity execution. Remember the young girl who sang in the opening ceremony? The voice you heard was different from the person we actually saw! You know why? It's because, the actual singer's face was not photogenic!

Below are some photographs of this Chinese army training I am referring to. I read this first in the Wall Street Journal a couple of months ago. Observe the circled areas in the soldier's collar - Can one get any more perfect?

Now, look at the needle penetration!

Can you get a better right angle?

Can we get a better way to check a 'V' alignment? One can take a measuring scale and find out the distances between the parallel lines to arrive at the perfect 'V'.

In another instance, the Chinese army uses a thread during the marching practice, to control the height to which the soldiers' feet rise above the ground!

This is perfection! Stay Inspired!

Pictures Source: Odditycentral.com

If Beijing can, New Delhi can (do even better)

I liked the way Rahul Verghese penned down the article A wake-up call from Beijing on The Hindu newspaper (Thanks, Rahul!). I appreciate his thoughts and thinking. Here, I'd like to express a little bit of my thoughts, which coincidentally is in line with Rahul's...

Firstly, I think that everything starts with "I". If only I could blame and pat myself for every failure and success, I don't get a chance to even point a finger at others. Though "I" might sound egoistic, in this context it's fair enough to blame ourselves for our failures and take pride in the good things we do. In the context of sports, it's about setting up personal goals and challenges, rather than waiting for the government or the corporates to take action.

The second part is - "Stop looking at rules". As some people say, rules are meant to be broken. Unless we try the new approach, we will never get innovative. As applied to the state's selection policies, its about sheer innovation in this space. Take off the big-mouths and politicians from any sports authority roles, bring in the innovative thinkers. We need to take baby steps initially. It's fair enough to fall a couple of times when we learn to walk - Walking is the first step to running and subsequently sprinting!

In the context of the commonwealth games, there are two things our organizers must remember - Wear the thinking hat and get innovative, Learn from the success and failures of the Beijing games. In my view, the secret behind Beijing's success has been 5 key things -

1. Disruptive Innovation (refer to this post for more information)
   
2. The spent years of effort to study the success and failures from the rest of the world (Did you know how much time Beijing Olympic committee spent in building the glass globe? Remember the one that came up in the opening ceremony? Wait for more details in another post of mine)
3. Attempt to perfection (Chinese perfection is simply mind-blowing. Read this article)
   
4. They spoke very less (foccussed energy on one deliverable - Give the Best Experience to the participants, viewers and spectators)
5. The Chinese government did not interfere in How-Tos of the organization - It was the Olympic committee that took charge
   

Our country needs more Doers than Speakers (viz., Politicians). I'm not referring to hypocrisy, but to the ratio of time spent on Talking to Doing.

As IBM puts it, let's "Stop Talking, Start Doing!"

Chennai Half-Marathon - Round 'D' Corner!

I'm happy to see the Marg Chennai Marathon pulling great attention from the media and the people of Chennai. Infact, it's the first time that my parents asked me "Is there a marathon happening in Chennai on 31st Aug?" They have not asked the same question when the Chennai Marathon was held in Fedbruary this year. I'm also happy to see that the organizers Marg and Tamil Maiyyam, have taken a lot of care in putting together a good website.

All said and done, it still makes me wonder why the organizers call this a marathon, as the maximum distance it offers to the runners is just that of a half-marathon. There has been a lot of questions from friends, relatives and readers on what is a marathon distance. And, it took me a lot of time to explain to these people - what is a marathon distance and what is the maximum Marg Chennai Marathon distance. I just wish we could call this something else...say Chennai Half-Marathon? Organizers! What do you say?

Well, still, I give all credits to the organizers for having successfully created a buzz around the city. I'm waiting to see how the run goes off. We have more than 50 runners from Chennai Runners participating in this run. I'm not running because of a serious left knee injury. With another 3 days to go, I certainly do see a lot of people getting prepared to hit the asphalt on the D-Day. Good Luck to everyone...especially those First-Timers who have made up their mind to start a healthy life!

Run Chennai, Run!

Chemical & Petroleum Integrated Information Framework

One of the key challenges that the Chemical & Petroleum industry faces today is the inability to make timely business decisions in areas related to performance and field operations in both upstream and downstream parts of the business. The reasons for this challenge are plenty (functional and technical). From a functional perspective, some of them are -

1. Operational managers and production supervisors do not have access to visibility to the plant's assets
2. Failure reports get delivered too late, and are often signaled by an alarm (with sound and light)
3. Failure reports are not intelligible enough to understand the problem to decide on a course of action
4. All assets and entities in the plant adhere to their own standards of operation; this results in too many standards in one place; manageability becomes a key concern
   

Technically, the reasons can be attributed to -

1. A multitude of data sources
2. Too many instances of data get created from the different data sources
3. There are many systems that are involved in the managing of these data instances
4. Each data source follows its own standard in creating data; managing disparate data instances with unique standards becomes a challenge by itself

We at IBM, have been observing this for quiet sometime now, and we do have an answer now! Yes, IBM has come up with yet another innovative and business-driven solution called the Chemical & Petroleum Integrated Information Framework; in short, its called C&P IIF.
Chemical and Petroleum Integrated Information Framework (C&P IIF) is the software framework for real-time comprehensive integrated information across multiple disparate systems based on industry standards and an SOA approach. It enables real-time visibility and process collaboration with alerts and event management to speed problem determination plus optimization of existing resources:

• For upstream oil and gas, C&P IIF framework enables implementing integrated operations that can decrease production costs while increasing oil field recovery percentages
• For plants, C&P IIF enables real-time operations feedback driving integrations that can decrease production costs and improve refinery safety
• For drilling, C&P IIF provides a comprehensive view across heterogeneous drilling formats for corporate analysis and easier handoff to production

For more information, do visit the IBM Chemical & Petroleum Integrated Information Framework web page here. A PDF version of the brochure is available here. You can also write to me to know more on IIF.

Sources: IBM

Value-Based Positioning (vs) Cost-Based Positioning

No matter which industry we refer to, the way the positioning of products happen is predominantly based on the cost factor. The world has seen a great progress and the economy has had its share of the cake while corporations and companies put their bets on cost-based selling.

With the growing economies of countries across the globe and the growing world market, the consumer mindset (both commercial and domestic) has been looking to get better quality at a lesser cost. While this is good, this has reached a point of saturation. Many countries, especially in the Asian part of the world, has capitalized on this right from the first day. China and India have been the trendsetters in this space. In both, services and the product spaces, the two big developing nations have competed against the world (and between themselves) by proving to be the source of low-cost center/source.

The world market (both commercial and domestic) slowly has reached a point wherein the thought of cost (vs) quality has become a point of concern. While we saw China aggressively (and effectively) battling the 'cost' side of the equation with the lowest of costs, India has concentrated a little more on the 'quality' of products and services too. In the world of automotive, companies like TATA Motor Company, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reva and many others have effectively been able to market their products in the sub-continent while maintaining a high level of export to the Western markets in Europe and the United States. On the other side, there are companies like Geely, Chery, and other domestic automakers in China have high global-aspirations but have been having a tough time including quality-management and overall strategic focus.

The reasons behind the high success rate of Indian OEMs in the international market and the struggle of Chinese OEMs to enter the international market are primarily attributed to their approaches to the market. While the Indian OEMs have focussed more on quality (and started reducing costs without compromising the former), the Chinese OEMs have focussed on cost alone, with quality taking the backseat. There are many other reasons for the Chinese OEMs' low success rate - insufficient quality-management, lack of strategic focus are just some of them.
The world today is looking for value as opposed to just low cost. In lay man's terms, value can be understood as -

Best possible outcome from a system that is subjected to a set of constraints defined by the market

The market-defined constraints can be factors like quality, cost, size, etc; the outcome is the product or a service; the system is the manufacturer or supplier or enterprise creating the outcome.

Chennai Marathon curtain raiser on 24th August

Chennai Runners is doing a curtain raiser to Chennai Marathon tomorrow. You can find the details as below. If you are running the Chennai Marathon, and looking to share some pre-race tips or get some from seasoned marathoners and runners, do make it a point to come over and run with us. We will also be doing car pooling from Dimensions Gym. If you want a ride, pl. assemble near Dimensions by 4:30 AM sharp.

We are expecting some media coverage tomorrow of our run. (from The Hindu)

Date: August 24, 2008
Assemble by : 5.00 a.m
Start Time: 5.15 a.m (sharp - We got to start at this time to minimize exposure to chaotic traffic and resultant pollution).
Starting Location: Elliots Beach (Near Cozee Corner / Police Outpost)
Route: Chennai Runners - Elliots Half Marathon (Pl. browse the link and familiarize yourself with the route.. straight forward one..)
Distance - The total distance is about 21.1 kms but you do what you are able to.. and remember.. you can always Do More but for that you need Start Running

Injury - Another Brick Wall

This year and the last will be etched in my biography as the years with the most arduous and testing of times. My persistence and determination has been subjected to endless tests from all fronts. In personal and professional life, its been a test for survival of the fittest.

Now, it's time for health related challenges. Since more than a week now, I've been suffering from a severe knee problem due to a lateral-collateral ligament strain on my left knee. The pain-killer (Voveran) tablets has resulted in severe gastritis. I've always been allergic to voveran.

The result of this has been pretty intolerable to me - ruptured my Singapore Marathon training plan. I've been forced to stop hitting the asphalt ever since more than a week now. Not able to control the itch, I rushed to the road a couple of days ago. It only aggravated things. My knee now needs a rest for a minimum of 10 more days.

Well, the reason for the injury is not something I really want to talk about at this point. But one thing I want to tell you is - Never Give Up!

Life is an ocean and we are windsurfers sailing towards our chosen destinations. The winds are high and can pretty much take control of you. But you got to stick to the plan. Fight the winds like the firefighters do with fire. As long as you are clear with what you want to do, Challenges are mere Brick Walls which just test how badly you want to do it"

As the words go..

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Just keep pushing...Never Give Up!

If nothing changes, Nothing Changes

This short clip of Nick Donofrio's speech at the 2008 IBM Technical Leadership Exchange, is a must see video. Nick is an Executive Vice President at IBM, and heads the Innovation & Technology programs pan-IBM.

His message is -

If nothing changes, Nothing Changes

Stay Inspired!

International Business Machines

The Story from 1924 to 2002. History keeps repeating. It's always a deja vu - You always feel like you've been here before!
Thats been IBM's story - from the days of the meat slicer till date, innovation has always been the driving factor.

Innovation Man - Stop Talking, Start Doing!

Stop Talking, Start Doing!

I simply love the Strong Message!

The Truth About Alzheimer’s and Memory Loss

Here is the next part of the informative email. This is about Alzheimer’s and Memory Loss. Read on...

“Am I losing my mind?” How many times have you forgotten a name or a face (or lost your car keys) and wondered if you’re developing Alzheimer’s? Here are the best new ways to prevent this disease and improve your memory at the same time... NO OTHER CONDITION rouses more fear in folks than losing their mental abilities. Not cancer. Not heart disease. Not even blindness. The very thought of not being able to recognize your loved ones, or forgetting what you said just moments ago, scares the heck out of people. And with good reason. Doctors say we’re at the mercy of this disease. That we’re helpless. But that’s baloney. Hopefully they’ll correct this misconception soon. They may not have an effective treatment or cure yet, but there’s plenty you can do to dodge this disease. And many of the proven Alzheimer’s-blockers you’ll read about in my Special Report, Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s and Memory Loss, can also make your memory better! For example... The B-vitamin connection. Did you realize that over half the people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and now in treatment facilities may not really have the disease? A closer look found that, in most cases, their problem was actually a deficiency in vitamin B12, the nutrient most critical to memory function as well as Alzheimer’s prevention. One study found that people with low levels of it were 4 times more likely to develop the disease. And a Canadian research learned that Alzheimer’s patients with the least vitamin B12 in their blood had the most brain impairment. So, how much vitamin B12 should you be getting every day to boost your memory and block Alzheimer’s? Much more than what’s in the average multivitamin, that’s for sure. If you’re over 50, your needs are even greater. My Report gets into the specifics, including other B vitamins you need more of to help your B12 work even better. Alpha-lipoic acid. New research says ALA is another nutrient that protects the brain and improves memory. (It’s also the most powerful antioxidant of them all, so you should be taking it anyway.) When Alzheimer’s patients were given ALA, their condition stabilized. They didn’t get better, but they stopped getting worse. And not one drug therapy currently being used can do even this much. If you have a friend or loved one with the disease, please read this part of my Report right away. With Alzheimer’s, every minute counts. Why Alzheimer’s is rare in India. Another big discovery is curcumin (also known as turmeric), an ingredient in curry powder. Researchers at the University of California confirm its uncanny ability to protect the brain from Alzheimer’s. (This may explain why Alzheimer’s is so rare in India.) Not a fan of curry? Don’t worry. Curcumin is now available in capsules and my Report has all the details. The aluminum link. Finally, stay away from aluminum. Strong research links it to Alzheimer’s. My Report contains new medical studies that you should definitely see. After reading them, you’ll want to distant yourself from this menacing metal. I first warned my readers of this in June, 1987. MY ADVICE: Avoid aluminum cookware, antacids, and any food or drink that comes in an aluminum can. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum, too. If the one you’re using does, at least make sure you’re using a roll-on or stick—not aerosol! Inhaled aluminum particles may be the most dangerous of all because they travel directly to the brain. Full details in my FREE Report.

Shortcuts To A Sharper Memory If your short-term memory could use a perk-up, there are two quick-fixes that will surprise you by how well (and fast) they work. The first is RNA (ribonucleic acid), a little-known cousin of the B-vitamin family. It’s a key factor in the recall process, especially short-term memory. You can find it in most health food stores. “How much do I need?” Dr. George Goodheart has devised an easy test to determine how much extra RNA your brain may need. Stand on one foot with your eyes closed. Have a friend time you to see how many seconds you can hold this. Persons deficient in RNA can only last a short time, and practice won’t help. Next, chew one RNA tablet and try the test again. If you see little or no improvement in your time, chew another tablet and retest yourself. The number of tablets it takes to see a significant improvement is your daily dosage. Recheck days later to adjust your dosage downward as your short-term memory improves. Quick-fix #2. Your brain cells talk to each other through a chemical called acetylcholine (an important neurotransmitter). When it runs low, brain function is weak and spotty, and result in “Duh-h.” Studies show that taking lecithin supplements increases acetylcholine levels in the brain and improves all mental abilities, particularly memory. In medical studies, when a group of seniors took lecithin capsules, they exhiBITZd fewer memory lapses and had noticeably better recall. Another study involving college students found that high doses of lecithin significantly improved short-term memory and test scores...and the effect occurred almost immediately! Lecithin can be purchased in capsules, as a liquid, or as granules. (The granules are, by far, the least expensive form.) My Report, Protect Your Brain from Alzheimer's and Memory Loss, brings you all the details.

Mother Nature’s Cancer-Killer

Here is the next part of the informative email. This is about Cancer. Read on...

Cancer will soon be public enemy #1 in our country. Half of all adults will get one form or another in their lifetime. Now there’s a super-easy way to improve your odds. And you won’t have to gobble a bushel of veggies, either. Here’s how... YOUR MOTHER always told you to eat your veggies. Boy, was she smart. Nature is smart too. We have plenty of foods and plants that contain medicinal compounds that squash many diseases. Broccoli, for instance, is loaded with a substance that’s especially deadly to cancer cells. That’s why the broccoli family tops the list of vegetables that prevent cancer. But given all the known carcinogens in our modern world, you’d have to eat plate after plate of the stuff to counteract the increased risks. That’s impossible. So you’re going to love this good news: Scientists have identified the compound in broccoli that KOs many types of cancer cells on contact. Its name is indole-3- carbinol (I-3-C for short). And they’ve been able to extract it from the broccoli plant and concentrate it into an easy-to-take pill. As you probably know, all of us have cancer cells throughout our bodies all the time. These new I-3-C capsules let you super-saturate your body, so cancer cells never have a chance. They’re so effective, in fact, that researchers have used them to treat advanced tumors. In one study, I-3-C made cervical cancer go into complete remission after just 12 weeks! The cancer was entirely gone!(6) (Until this study, cervical cancer was considered “incurable.”) Researchers are now using I-3-C against cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon, and expect similar results. The I-3-C story is one of the true breakthroughs of our time. It’s going to save a lot of lives. (Obviously, I’m just giving you the highlights here.) If you’d like to know more about it, I’ll be happy to send you a FREE copy of my Special Report entitled 8 Ways to Live Cancer-Free. In it, I tell you how to get the newest, most effective form of I-3-C—and describe 7 other highly effective ways to keep cancer out of your life. You’ll also read the best way to purchase a supply of DIM and how to receive a discount if you’re an ALTERNATIVES subscriber. But please keep in mind, the manufacturer can’t legally give you any cancer information. That goes for all vitamins, herbs, and supplements. So, for now, my Report is the only place you’ll learn the facts about I-3-C anytime soon. That’s a shame, but it’s a fact of modern life: Good news travels slowly. I first wrote about the cancer-fighting power of broccoli 10 years ago in ALTERNATIVES. That was years before the press picked up on it. And long before the Surgeon General began telling people to eat their broccoli. Readers who heeded my advice back then received years of extra cancer protection. You can bet it will take even longer for the I-3-C story to reach the general public. That’s time enough for tumors to develop—or worse. MY ADVICE: People with a history of cancer in their family should definitely seek I-3-C help, even if you eat plenty of broccoli and cauliflower. Why? Because it gives you extra protection. And when it comes to cancer, you can’t have too much protection. So I urge you to click here for your FREE copy right away.

How Sunscreen Can Cause Skin Cancer: For years we’ve been told to stay out of the sun and use sunscreen to avoid skin cancer. But since the invention of sunscreen years ago, skin cancer rates in the U.S. have gone up, not down. Doctors can’t explain this. Nor can they explain why the incidence of skin cancer in tropical countries (where the sun’s rays are the strongest) is extremely low. The explanation is simple, though: Sunshine isn’t bad, it’s actually good for you. Besides being our main source of vitamin D (a potent cancer-fighter), sunshine causes your body to produce melanin, your natural protector against skin cancer. Melanin is the pigment responsible for turning your skin brown when you tan. Using sunscreen blocks the production of melanin, and deprives your skin of this protective ability. That’s why skin cancer has been on the rise in this country, despite the wide use of sunscreen. Now scientists have uncovered another problem. Sunscreen itself may even cause cancer. Five chemicals commonly used in sunscreens have been found to behave like estrogen and stimulate tumor-growth and the spread of cancer cells. (7) (7) Want to check your sunscreens and cosmetics? The chemicals involved include octyldimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA), benzophenone-3 (Bp-3), homosalate (HMS), octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC), and 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC). MY ADVICE: It’ll be a while before health officials get wind of this. Even longer before they take action. Until then, here’s a better way to protect yourself: Make your own sunscreen from vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid). It protects the skin from both UV-B and UV-A damage, while actually making it healthier. Simply mix the powder, which is widely available, with water or some form of cream and apply it to your skin. Reapply after 30 to 60 minutes.

ALTERNATIVES Is “First” So You Can Benefit First! It takes a long time for a new health discovery to be accepted into mainstream use. That can mean years, even decades, of needless suffering and unnecessary deterioration of your health—especially if you could start using these discoveries right away to improve your health. And you will, as a subscriber to ALTERNATIVES. Examples? Here are some of the big “firsts” from our recent past... Coenzyme Q10. In 1988, Dr. Williams scooped the health world on CoQ10. It’s now the most popular way to prevent heart disease. Chondroitin Sulfate. ALTERNATIVES was first to announce the news of this breakthrough treatment that actually reverses arthritis by regenerating worn-out joint cartilage. The Estrogen Crisis. In 1993, ALTERNATIVES warned of excess estrogen in our food and water supply. The problem? Premature puberty in young girls...breast and uterine cancer in women...plus prostate cancer and sexual impotence in men. Dr. Williams gave readers a six-step plan to block these negative effects. Feverfew. In March of 1989, Dr. Williams was first to report on this herb’s remarkable ability to prevent a migraine headache before it hits. No drug has ever been able to do that. Ginkgo Biloba. In December of 1988, Dr. Williams was the first to write about this herb’s ability to improve the brain’s memory powers. Glutathione. In 1996, Dr. Williams called the public’s attention to this vital “youth nutrient.” It is the key to slowing down the aging process. Magnesium and Potassium. These two minerals are the most effective blood pressure remedy we have. They work as well as (if not better than) drugs—but without the harmful side effects. ALTERNATIVES readers have known about this safe, inexpensive remedy since 1988 to normalize blood pressure levels. Melatonin. Dr. Williams was first to explain how this natural hormone supplement can inhibit cancer, fight depression, and relieve insomnia, back in 1988 (seven years before The Melatonin Miracle became a #1 bestseller). NutraSweet. Dr. Williams was first to warn the public about the dangers of aspartame, back in June, 1986. Olestra. In January, 1988, Dr. Williams gave a “thumbs down” to this new synthetic fat. Linked it to liver damage, nutritional deficiencies, and cancer, even though it is wholeheartedly endorsed by the American Heart Association. Phantom Heart Disease. ALTERNATIVES reported that 50% of patients diagnosed with the disease and taking medications may actually have heartburn! Dr. Williams outlined an easy solution for severe heartburn, including a simple self-test to distinguish between these two conditions. Saw Palmetto. In 1995, ALTERNATIVES was the first to tell how using this plant extract actually beat the leading prostate prescription drug in shrinking an enlarged gland. Soy Isoflavones. In 1995, Dr. Williams was first to introduce this new category of phytonutrients that blocks the formation of breast and prostate cancers. And the list goes on. In March 1986, he published the first research showing how to use ordinary garlic to keep arteries open. ALTERNATIVES exposed the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease in 1987. These were the biggest health stories of our time—with stacks of solid, scientific research to back them up. Yet not one of these new treatments are recommended by mainstream doctors—even though there were mountains of data proving their effectiveness. It took many years for the news to appear in popular health magazines. No other publication reports on as many cutting-edge health breakthroughs as ALTERNATIVES. As a reader, you’ll get the news years before it reaches the general public.

Aspirin’s Blinding Secret

Here is the next part of the informative email. This is about Aspirin. Read on...

An-aspirin-a-day doesn’t prevent stroke and heart attack—studies show it may actually increase the risk! I hope they announce an about-face soon. But doctors hate to admit they’re wrong, so I’m not holding my breath. You shouldn’t either. Read this and take action now...

MILLIONS OF AMERICANS are being urged to take an-aspirin-a-day to prevent a stroke and heart attack. But a major research study in Canada found this actually increased the risk of stroke and heart attack in 40% of the people who took it! Three other studies from Germany, Britain, and here in the U.S. support the finding.

When I read this news, I wasn’t surprised. In December, 1986, I first warned ALTERNATIVES readers against taking an-aspirin-a-day. Those who took my advice are, without question, better off. There’s nothing wrong with an occasional aspirin or two for a headache or minor pain. But taken regularly, aspirin (even if it’s “enteric-coated”) can and will cause gastrointestinal bleeding—a serious problem that doctors have no way of correcting.

But that’s not the worst of it. New research shows that such long-term aspirin use can make you blind by increasing your risk of macular degeneration, and even increasing your risk of cataracts by up to 44 percent!(5) Those are bad odds. Macular degeneration is already the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 in our country, and doctors still have no effective treatments. If this current aspirin-a-day craze continues, we could be looking at a wave of blindness in the years to come.

Doctors are pushing aspirin because it thins the blood, keeping it flowing smoothly so dangerous clots don’t form. It’s a good idea, but there are safer and better ways to accomplish this, which I’ve written about in past issues of ALTERNATIVES. In case you’re in the dark about them, I’ve prepared a Special Report entitled Safe Alternatives To An Aspirin-A-Day to bring you up to date. In it, you’ll read about...

My favorite natural blood-thinner. It’s a natural enzyme (found in a common fruit) that works like aspirin. It’s also one of the best natural anti-inflammatory agents around, meaning it eases the pain and reduces the swelling if you get a bruise or muscle pull. It also helps with arthritis. My Report tells you all about it.

Protect your stomach. If you insist on taking aspirin or NSAIDs regularly, you’ve got to protect yourstomach. My Report shows you a neat way that can prevent the gastrointestinal bleeding these drugs cause. Simply take this common spice (revealed in my Report) with the aspirin. It repels damage like Teflon.

If you’re already experiencing stomach problems, my Report describes an effective, do-it-yourself treatment for peptic and duodenal ulcers. No M.D. needed. Research shows it performs better than the leading drug. It works by coating your stomach with protective mucus. See my Report.

Stop stomach bleeding. Western doctors have no real treatments for stomach bleeding, but Chinese doctors do. They use a powder made from the rhubarb plant to stop stomach bleeding in 95 percent of all cases. This treatment is practically unknown in U.S. medical circles, but my Report tells how you can get your hands on a supply so you can use it properly.

Protect your eyesight. Macular degeneration is becoming a serious problem—even among people who don’t take aspirin. Protect your eyes by taking the two minerals and two supplements that I described in my Report. They are used widely in Europe with impressive results. Researchers found that they can actually halt the progression of vision loss.

Restoring lost vision. If you, or anyone you know, suffers from vision loss caused by macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, send for my Report without delay. It describes the only treatment I’ve ever seen that actually triggers the regeneration and regrowth of the eye’s retina to reverse these terrible conditions. It can actually restore vision!

MY ADVICE: If you’re undecided about whether to use aspirin, ask your doctor to perform one simple test on you (described in my Report) that will immediately tell if you are among the 40 percent of people for whom an-aspirin-a-day is bad news. (It will increase your risk of stroke or heart attack.) Your results should help you make up your mind rather quickly. Remember: This Report, like all my others, is yours absolutely free with your subscription to ALTERNATIVES. I hope you’ll send for your copy soon.

(5) Thoroughly reported in the medical journal Ophthalmology (98;105:1751-1758).

Dr. David Williams,“The People’s Scientist” What do today’s young science students dream of after grad school? Ask them and they’ll reply: “A well-paying job with a big drug company or food manufacturer.” But that was never Dr. David Williams’ dream. He’s motivated by something even more rewarding: service. “I never cared about making a million dollars,” he says in his easy Texas drawl, “ I just wanted to make a difference.” Has he ever! No other person has done more in the past 18 years to advance the science of alternative medicine, expose the unrecognized causes of today’s health problems, and educate people on how to become truly well and stay that way. While most scientists worked to make their employers wealthier, Dr. Williams is dedicated to making the world healthier. He uses his extensive scientific education and experience in chemistry, medicine, and biology to stand watch for Jane and John Public. For this noble mission, he’s been dubbed “the people’s scientist.” Dr. Williams’ eclectic background (health coach for the Houston Oilers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Ballet…founder and lead doctor for one of the country’s largest alternative medical clinics…consultant to world’s leading health institutions…courageous critic of medical abuses in the documentary film “The Politics of Cancer”…author, editor, lecturer, and world traveler) gives him a unique practical perspective. He’s seen what works and grasps the big picture. Through his monthly newsletter ALTERNATIVES, Dr. Williams is bringing his readers the scientific truth behind the claims of modern medicine, popular health advice, nutritional remedies, and natural healing. As one subscriber put it: “Dr. Williams explains everything from cholesterol to breast cancer in a way that even my 78-year-old mother can easily understand.” What He Does For His Readers: • SNIFFS OUT bogus health claims and “miracle cures” like a modern-day medical Sherlock Holmes. • SIFTS THROUGH mountains of worldwide research for new breakthroughs, then travels to the four corners of the world to check them out in person. He’s the Indiana Jones of tomorrow’s brave new cures. • MAKES MEDICAL CONCEPTS fascinating and easy-to-understand (just like TV’s Mr. Wizard did), because he believes health and healing happens faster when people understand what’s going on in their bodies. • BLOWS THE WHISTLE on hidden dangers in today’s foods, health products, our environment, and medical treatments. One reader describes him as “the Ralph Nader of health reporting.” • RECOMMENDS THE BEST BRANDS of vitamins, minerals, herbs and nutritional supplements with the same integrity and impartiality that has made Consumer Reports magazine so popular. • SEES THE BIG PICTURE like the country doctor of yesteryear. Humble and caring like Marcus Welby. He’s sensitive to patients’ real needs and fears, because he ran one of the largest holistic clinics in the U.S. • HAS MORE “FIRSTS,” more fans, and more successes than every other health publication in America. You could say that he’s the Michael Jordan of alternative medicine. • CONNECTS THE DOTS and ingeniously reveals the big picture, like Albert Einstein and other scientific giants did. He often identifies a single underlying cause for multiple symptoms. • INVITES ANYONE who’s curious to receive 16 of his latest Special Reports absolutely free to sample his unique vision—and see why there’s nobody in the entire health world like Dr. David Williams.

The Best Clot-Buster On Earth

Thinning your blood is a good idea, because thick blood moves slowly (doctors call this “sludging”) and is more likely to clot and cause a stroke. Unfortunately, most blood-thinning agents, whether natural or drugs, have no effect on clots already in your blood vessels. The exception are clot-busting drugs that are administered in the E.R. to stroke or heart attack victims.

Now there’s an easy way to de-clot your bloodstream before any damage can be done. It’s with a natural enzyme derived from soybeans, called nattokinase (natto, for short). Japanese research shows that natto clears the blood vessels of clots just the way emergency drugs do, but natto’s effect lasts 80 times longer. Natto is a popular food in Japan and nattokinase is now available in capsules. One capsule should keep your arteries and blood vessels clot-free for 24 hours. Unfortunately, there is only one supplier of it in the U.S. right now. My FREE Report, Safe Alternatives To An-Aspirin-A-Day, contains full information, including the address and toll-free phone number so you can order your own supply.

What They’re Not Telling You About Osteoporosis

Here is the next part of the informative email. This is about Osteoporosis. Read on...

All the calcium in the world won’t help your bones — because something in our food is blocking its absorption. Here’s what nobody else is telling you about one of the worst diseases of our time... FIFTY YEARS AGO, people never even heard of osteoporosis in this country. Now hip fractures are “epidemic,” killing more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer. Equally distressing: Half of all hip fracture survivors will remain permanently disabled! What’s going on? Americans are gulping calcium pills and sloshing down milk like never before, but osteoporosis rates haven’t budged. On the contrary, a 12-year study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that female milk drinkers actually had more hip fractures. There’s a little-known reason for this. Unfortunately, by the time most people hear the news, their bones could be as fragile as Grandma’s wedding lace. You see, all that calcium can’t help your bones one bit if it’s not being absorbed into your bloodstream. And for many people in this country that’s not happening because of two secret saboteurs. One problem is the mineral phosphorus. As you may recall from your high school chemistry, phosphorus (which is acidic) neutralizes calcium (an alkaline). When you take in too much phosphorus, it counteracts any benefits of calcium supplements and de-calcifies bones, making them weak, brittle, and easily broken. And that’s exactly what’s happening today: We’re getting way too much phosphorus. I call phosphorus the “stealth mineral” because doctors haven’t yet recognized it as a cause of modern osteoporosis. But if you compare the increase of phosphorus in our diet over the past 50 years with the rise in hip fractures in this period, the link is obvious. Sad to say, it will take years before this shows up on doctors’ radar screens. ALTERNATIVES readers were alerted to this years ago when I first wrote about it in 1985. Today, I bet they’ve got the strongest bones in the country! So can you—it’s not too late. My FREE Special Report, What No One Is Telling You About Osteoporosis, outlines what really works to fracture-proof your bones. Here’s what you’ll discover... Limit your exposure. Phosphorus has been added to our food supply in ever-increasing amounts since the 1950s. Today, certain supermarket foods and restaurant meals are loaded with the stuff. My Report blows the whistle on these foods, pointing a finger at those with the highest levels so you can limit your intake of these bone-robbers. (Don’t bother looking on food labels, phosphorus isn’t required to be listed.) Neutralize it. Excess phosphorus in your diet makes other health problems worse, including arthritis, stroke, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and kidney stones. If you, or someone you know, suffers from any of these conditions, get my Report into their hands pronto. It describes an ingenious trick that quickly (and easily) helps balance the phosphorus and calcium in your body. Total neutralization usually occurs in a matter of days. This often produces a significant improvement in these health problems. Just one more example of the power of getting to the root of the problem. The right stuff. Some calcium supplements aren’t absorbed no matter what you do. It’s mind-boggling that they’re allowed to be sold, but since there aren’t as many laws governing supplements, you never know what you’re getting. That’s another reason to read ALTERNATIVES (I always provide this vital information to my readers). My Report names the best sources of calcium and how to find them. I’ll also describe the ideal daily doses for your age group...the vitamins you must take with your calcium so it’s assimilated by your body...and the ideal time of day to take your tablets. (These factors are very important.) Make sure it’s absorbed. Here’s the second saboteur of full absorption. Calcium is only digested by the strong acids of the stomach, nowhere else. But by the time you’re 50, your stomach is only producing 15 percent of the acid it did at age 25! This means that much of the calcium in the foods and supplements we ingest after 50 simply passes through our innards without nourishing our cells and organs. This goes for other nutrients, too. You can see why extra nutrition is so vital at this stage of life. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution—though most people, including doctors, remain in the dark about it. Taking the little-known digestive aid described in my Report will restore your over-50 stomach to the digestive powers it had in your youth. This way, you’ll get more nutrition from your foods and vitamins. And your calcium tablets won’t be wasted.

Why Aren’t Women Being Told About This Osteoporosis Cure? I call Dr. John Lee “the Louis Pasteur of bone regeneration,” because he’s found a way to regenerate bone tissue in women who’ve been ravaged by osteoporosis. When this news reaches the general public, osteoporosis will become as rare in the U.S. as it was 50 years ago. This is a first. (In case you haven’t heard about this breakthrough, you’ll find a full description in my FREE Report on osteoporosis.) Dr. Lee’s discovery is a cream that replenishes the body’s diminishing supply of the hormone responsible for the continual regeneration of bone during our youth. The disappearance of this hormone as we age is a cause of osteoporosis. When it was tested on women with osteoporosis, Dr. Lee’s cream increased their bone density by up to 10% in the first 6 months. It continued to rebuild bone every year at an annual rate of 3% to 5%. By the end of the study all the women had the bones of a healthy 35-year-old! Many of these poor women had lost as much as 5 inches in height. But with Dr. Lee’s cream, they actually grew taller. By the end of the study, ALL the women had the bones of a healthy 35-year-old As you know, one of the most dreadful consequences of osteoporosis is fractures. In his study, the incidence of fractures among these women dropped to zero! Until his discovery, no treatment could increase bone density and bone strength in osteoporosis patients. So this is big news. While news of Dr. Lee’s cream is spreading, it could be many years before conventional doctors take it seriously (even though his research was published in the distinguished medical journal, Lancet). If your physician is open-minded at all, click here for my Report and show it to him. You just might plant a seed. If you’d like to give the cream a try, my Report has the name and address of the most reliable source for top quality cream, so you can get it right from the source. This one contains the same purity and strength as the one used in Dr. Lee’s research. Demand for the cream is high, and supplies go fast—so it’s often hard-to-find.

The Secret Reason We’re So Overweight

In continuation to my previous post on Heart Disease, here is something on Overweight...

Too many carbs? Too little willpower? Stop feeling guilty. The unrecognized reason Americans are so chubby is because an important “slimming fat” is missing from our foods. Here’s the story... Forget that business about “eating fat makes you fat.” It’s just not true. Scientists have proven that foods like beef, cheese, and dairy can be the path to lifelong weight control, but only IF they contain one very important fat which has a slimming effect on the human body. Its name is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA for short), and it’s one of the least understood of the essential fatty acids (EFAs). Thanks to new research, we now know that CLA’s job is to make sure the fats we eat are converted into muscle and energy. Without CLA, dietary fat is simply stored as new fat cells. And that, researchers say, is why Americans are having so much trouble controlling their weight—because CLA is missing from our domestic foods. I first wrote about CLA in the March, 2001 issue of ALTERNATIVES. That was over two years ago, but the majority of overweight people in this country are still waiting to hear the news. If you have friends or loved ones who’d love to lose 20% of their flab, pass them a Free copy of my Special Report, CLA: The Fat That Makes You Slim. The weight-loss discovery of the century! My research takes me all over the world—and I’ve always wondered why obesity is much less of a problem in other places. True, Americans eat a lot of junk food, but so do many other countries that don’t have the obesity problems we do. So what’s going on? Scientists say the difference is CLA. It’s abundant in their foods, yet absent in ours. Statistics show that obesity has increased in America in direct proportion to the decrease of CLA in our foods. Few health experts have made this connection because CLA is a recent discovery. Medical and nutritional texts, except for the newest editions, contain no mention of it. We’re still learning just how important it is, especially in the metabolism of fatty foods. By the 1990s, the CLA content of U.S. milk was less than 1%. Since the body can’t produce CLA on its own, we must get it from our diet. (Chief sources are beef, milk, and dairy products.) But researchers have found the CLA content of these foods, if produced in the U.S., has fallen to almost zilch since 1950. That’s around the time farmers began feeding cattle and dairy cows in feedlots, instead of grazing them on grass pastures. By comparison, the pasture-fed beef of Australia contains 400% more CLA than ours! To make matters worse, Americans are eating less beef and dairy products in an effort to slim down. But this is having a backfire effect, because it further reduces their CLA levels. As a result, it’s even harder to lose weight! But eating more of these foods won’t help either. You still won’t get enough CLA unless the products are pasture-raised, which can be pretty pricey. The best short-term solution is CLA in supplement form. Some pretty impressive research has shown they can produce a dramatic reduction in body fat. Early experiments with mice found that adding CLA to their diet caused an 88% reduction in body fat in just 6 weeks. And human studies are also amazing. How would you like to lose 20% of your body fat? In both men and women, CLA supplements produced body fat reductions of 20 percent, on average, in just 12 weeks. More dramatic results are possible with a few eating changes and a little exercise. New CLA studies are currently underway and ALTERNATIVES will be following them closely. A few cutting-edge companies are experimenting with ways to increase CLA levels in milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and beef. But it still will be years before any of these products are ready for the market. MY ADVICE: Get this beneficial fat into your diet ASAP. Don’t wait until CLA gets the full blessing of the medical establishment. (That could take years.) If you’ve been struggling to control your weight, you’ll want to read this right away. My Special Report, CLA: The Fat That Makes You Slim, contains everything you need to get going, including details of the exciting research...other foods high in CLA content...the supplement dosage that produced these amazing body fat reductions...and much, much more. CLA is now widely available in many health food stores. But be aware that not all CLA is of equal quality. In fact, investigators found some CLA products to be nothing but ordinary vegetable oil with a fancy label! There’s only one sure way to prevent a rip-off like this. That’s by looking for one telltale word on the label. It’s your assurance that the CLA you buy is the same kind used in the research. My Report has all the details. Click here for your FREE copy today.

My Other Favorite Weight-Loss Helpers Fed up with today’s contradictory weight-loss advice? Me too. Don’t fall for those phony fad diets, dumb exercise gizmos, or useless supplements. My Special Report, CLA: The Fat That Makes You Slim, includes 6 other proven weight-loss helpers that will bring your weight under control permanently. Here are 3 of them... Flax fights fat. Next to CLA, nothing transforms the human body into a fat-burning machine better than the flax oil supplement described in my Report. Start with 3 tablespoons daily. Continue until you’ve lost the desired weight. Then cut back to one a day. Get lean with green tea. Studies in Switzerland show that when green tea capsules are taken with a meal, subjects burned 80 additional calories, most of them from fat. Wait ‘til you read this. Muscle without exercise. Scientists found that creatine stimulates muscle growth throughout the body. Works without exercise. Works even better if you do. Also speeds up recuperation from injuries, illness, and improves heart function. I take it every day. My Report tells where to find it and how to use it.

Finally, A Real Solution To Heart Disease

In continuation of my previous post on FACT: Over 50% of today’s health advice is wrong and obsolete, here is some more from that informative email on Heart Diseases...

People are exercising like crazy, changing their diets, gulping supplements, and taking expensive drugs to lower their cholesterol. Yet none of this is making a dent in heart attack statistics. Why? Because high cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease. Here’s what does and what cures it... Doctors are finally having second thoughts about cholesterol’s role in heart disease. The reason has been obvious for years. Cholesterol-lowering drugs have failed to make a dent in heart attack rates. And not one study has been able to show that these drugs do anything to lengthen a person’s lifespan. Yet, 20 percent of all Americans over 55 currently take a cholesterol drug and most M.D.s believe more people should be on them. But these doctors are barking up the wrong tree. Here’s why… FACT: More than 60% of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol levels. FACT: The majority of people with high cholesterol never suffer heart attacks. FACT: Half of all heart attack victims have none of the standard risk factors (i.e., smoking, obesity, genetics, or high cholesterol). Cholesterol is innocent I’ve been proclaiming cholesterol’s innocence since 1992, and plenty of convincing research confirms this. The real culprit is inflammation in the arteries, not cholesterol. Finally, the American Heart Association is beginning to agree.(3) They’ve found that people with heart disease all have one factor in common, and it isn’t high cholesterol. It’s inflammation in their arteries. This may be big news in the medical community, but I reported on this 11 years ago in ALTERNATIVES. In that article I gave an easy way to halt artery inflammation for about 5 cents a day. Readers who heeded my early advice will be way ahead of the game, if and when doctors announce an official about-face. But given their bias against any vitamin therapy, doctors probably won’t advise this simple approach. Instead, their answer will be anti-inflammatory drugs, the next new “miracle cure.” Unfortunately, this approach will prove to be as misguided as cholesterol medications were. The real solution to heart disease The real solution is to halt the causes of inflammation, one of which is homocysteine, a harmless acid-like waste product that forms when you eat red meat and other protein foods. Homocysteine is quickly broken down by certain B vitamins, so it isn’t usually a problem. But if a person isn’t getting enough of these B vitamins (a widespread and disturbing problem in our country today), then homocysteine builds up to dangerous levels and “burns” the delicate tissue of artery walls. Plaque is then formed at the site of this inflammation as the body attempts to heal the damage. How dangerous is this? Studies show that a high level of homocysteine is one of the most dangerous risk factors for heart disease. It increases a person’s risk of heart attack by 300 percent! If you’re thinking a little extra B-vitamin intake would correct the problem, you’re on the right track. That’s exactly how some alternative M.D.s handle the problem. Studies as far back as 1988 show that this B vitamin lowers homocysteine levels back into the safety zone in just weeks. It has an 80% success rate. And the cost is about 5 cents a day. The secret thyroid connection But if you’re a good detective (and I think you are), you’re probably wondering what’s causing this B-vitamin deficiency in the first place? Closer investigation reveals that an underactive thyroid gland is at the root of the problem. This malfunction inhibits the absorption of B vitamins, causing homocysteine levels to skyrocket. The connection between the thyroid and heart disease was first mentioned in the 1976 book, Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks, by Dr. Broda Barnes. His research was largely ignored by the medical community, until the release of a study in 1999. At the Cleveland Clinic, researchers corrected the thyroid function in patients and saw homocysteine levels normalize on their own—without any need for vitamins.

FACT: Eating Less Cholesterol Won’t Help Your Heart! There are a lot of mistaken notions going around today about cholesterol and heart disease—even among doctors. Example: Patients and the general public are told to cut down on high-cholesterol foods to keep their blood cholesterol level down. But this won’t work. The fact is: The cholesterol in your diet has very little effect on the cholesterol in your blood. You could completely eliminate all cholesterol from your diet and your liver would just produce more of it, because your body needs cholesterol. On the other hand, eating more cholesterol would cause your liver to reduce production to maintain consistent levels. The bottom line? You’re wasting your time struggling to eat less cholesterol!(4) A more effective strategy is to replace those unhealthy fats (such as those listed in my Report) with my more healthful recommendations... eating more fiber... taking certain antioxidants... and supplementing your diet with the plaque-dissolving substances described in my Special Bonus Report, How to De-Plaque Your Arteries. You won’t need drugs to succeed. And you won’t need surgery down the road. Click here to get your FREE copy of my report today to read all the facts. (4) In a famous long-term study, doctors carefully monitored men and women for 10 years and found no correlation between the cholesterol they ate and the cholesterol in their blood.

Very few doctors, alternative or otherwise, are making this connection. But I believe if and when doctors get to the root of this problem, heart disease will nearly vanish. But that’s not all. An underactive thyroid and B-vitamin deficiency cause other health problems, too. It has been linked to Alzheimer’s... depression...and memory loss. Further symptoms include: Decrease in sexual desire (especially in males)...Obesity and weight-gain (because fats aren’t being metabolized adequately)...Cold hands and feet...A weak immune system (making you more vulnerable to colds, flu, respiratory infections, and cancers)...Constipation...and Allergies, among others. The common cause of many health problems Sound familiar? You’re right again. These are the very health problems driving Americans to doctors in droves. Yet hypothyroidism is often missed and misdiagnosed these days. Most physicians usually treat these symptoms as individual problems. Modern medicine has become so “specialized,” doctors no longer see the forest for the trees. It may seem incredible that one tiny gland can cause so many problems. But when you realize how crucial the thyroid is to so many important bodily functions, it begins to make sense. The truth is, we’ve got an invisible epidemic on our hands. Millions of Americans have malfunctioning thyroids without even realizing it. Symptoms are so commonplace, they’re considered “normal.” But it will be years before doctors catch on. What’s causing the problem? Three significant agricultural changes that have occurred in our country over the past 50 years are creating mineral deficiencies in our food supply, which in turn are causing widespread thyroid dysfunction. (One of those minerals, iodine, is absolutely essential to thyroid health.) My Special Report, The Hidden Cause of Heart Disease– And Its Easy Cure, describes each of these changes and explains how you can easily correct their effects. Neither a doctor’s visit nor a prescription are required—you can cure this on your own. Here’s how… Check your thyroid. There’s an easy test that quickly reveals if you have an underactive thyroid. You can do it at home. All you need is an ordinary thermometer and a few simple directions that are spelled out in my Report. You’ll get an immediate answer. How to correct the problem. There are two simple remedies to make your thyroid function normally again. Both are described in my Report. They’re easy, inexpensive, and produce fast results. I’ll provide complete directions. Results are quick and impressive Many people are delighted to find that, once their thyroid is fully functional again, they begin to lose weight…experience less depression…have a stronger sex drive…and suffer fewer colds and infections. Most see significant improvement within a few days! MY ADVICE: It will take a long, long time before doctors acknowledge the link between heart disease and the thyroid gland. Until they do, it’s up to you to take care of yourself and your loved ones. My Special Report will be a big help. Just remember, stopping inflammation in your arteries won’t reverse heart disease, but it will limit the formation of new plaque. If you really want to stay safe from a heart attack or stroke, your next step should be to clean out the old gunk in your artery walls. This, too, is easy to do. And it’s so important that I’ve created another Special Report that will show you how to do it. It’s entitled How to De-Plaque Your Arteries, and these two Reports are the 1-2 punch that will flatten heart disease. Click here to get them now.