Ever go to a restaurant where they refuse to cook your steak medium rare?

The warning that your meat is not safe unless you cook it until it’s dry and brown is bad advice. It’s not justified by the facts and cooking your food that way can cause arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

This indiscriminate overcooking of food is a bad idea. It denatures protein, breaks down vitamins and removes nutrients. Now I’ve uncovered an even more serious concern. Many cooking techniques that achieve a high temperature trigger a chemical change called glycation that mimics aging. New studies have linked eating these foods to premature aging and a host of chronic diseases.

Imagine overcooked food. It becomes dry, wrinkled, hard, blistered, and discolored. That same process is occurring in your body each time you consume foods cooked improperly.

What I’m talking about here is the process of glycation. Glycation is what happens to the proteins in our body as we age. Also the same process turns a turkey’s skin brown and crispy when it is cooked.

Glycation is really the binding of protein and glucose molecules. The result is a spoiled protein assembly. These deviants are glycotoxins. And glycotoxins are responsible for accelerated aging and disease.

As the glycotoxins accumulate in your cells, they send out chemical signals. The body responds by producing sites of inflammation. In addition, the abnormal protein structures do not regenerate. They remain damaged. This is the process of aging and disease.

When we cook foods at high temperatures, large amounts of glycotoxins collect in the food. A new study demonstrated that if we eat these foods, the glycotoxins transfer to our tissues.

Researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine evaluated 24 diabetic participants. Scientists split the subjects into two groups. One group ate a diet low in glycotoxins. The other group ate a diet high in glycotoxins.

After only 2 weeks, the group eating the high-glycotoxin diet had up to 100% more glycotoxins present in their blood and urine that those who ate the low-glycotoxin diet.₁

This is clear evidence that the glycotoxins from your food transfer into your body.

Overcooking has another negative consequence. It denatures many important nutrients in food. One of the best examples is CoQ10. You need CoQ10 for proper functioning of all of the major organs in your body. CoQ10 is a red pigment. The best source of CoQ10 is red meat. Overcooking meat destroys CoQ10.

Just by changing a few cooking habits, you can enjoy good food, without the danger. And you can add a supplement to your routine that fights glycation.

Better Cooking: High-heat cooking methods usually cause food to change color or consistency. We like this kind of cooking because it makes the food tasty. But if you want to stay young and healthy, hold back on these cooking methods:

• Fried
• Microwaved
• Broiled
• Charred

You can reduce the number of glycotoxins in your food by cooking it at a lower heat. But low heat doesn’t have to be low in taste. Use spices and fresh herbs to boost the taste of meals cooked at lower heat. Whenever you cook food, use the following methods:

• Steam
• Stew
• Boiling
• Poaching

My colleague Lee Euler has uncovered an overlooked ingredient that helps your body cope with glycation. They help digestion and cool the fire of inflammation. I’m talking about digestive enzymes. And there’s another important angle – high heat damages enzymes the same way it damages CoQ10. So while overcooking creates toxins, it destroys these valuable nutrients that occur naturally in most foods. The less you cook your food, the richer in enzymes it will be.

Lee’s research on digestive enzymes is remarkable:

• A man with kidney cancer, given days to live was alive and well 15 years later thanks to adding digestive enzymes to his daily routine.
• Digestive enzymes relieved the pain of 9 out of 10 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.
• Health and behavior improved in 9 out of 10 children with autism.
• Studies show they thin blood, break up blood clots and heal inflamed blood vessels.
• One mother said her lifelong migraine problem disappeared immediately.
• Complete recoveries from long-term digestive issues like indigestion, bloating, IBS, gas, diarrhea, constipation and cramps.
• A woman with breast cancer was alive and well 16 years later.

Lee is an authority on digestive enzymes and knows how to get the most from them. When he sent me his latest book, “The Missing Ingredient for Good Health,” I was impressed. In it he shows you how digestive enzymes work, which ones to take and how they heal your body in ways you probably never imagined.

The power of digestive enzymes will surprise you. They go far beyond digestion.

I recommend you check out Lee’s book. I consider it a “must read.”

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Vlassara H., et al. Inflammatory mediators are induced by dietary glycotoxins, a major risk factor for diabetic angiopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003 Jan 21; 100(2): 763.

I meet a lot of alternative health doctors through my Wellness Research Foundation. When Dr. David Minkoff told me his story, I needed to share it with you.

Dr. Minkoff was an emergency doctor for the Community Hospital of New Port Richey, Fla. when his wife Sue started getting sick.

She was tired all the time. She had three bouts with subacute thyroiditis, swelling of the thyroid gland that causes a host of health problems. Pain attacked her major muscle groups. She was so weak she couldn’t even lift a toothbrush.

Yet medicine couldn’t diagnose her. They ran a battery of tests for viruses… MS… ALS… nothing. They gave up.

Dr. Minkoff took his wife’s health into his own hands. He turned to alternative medicine. He dug and dug until he found the answer. What did he discover? Sue’s fillings had poisoned her.

Chewing releases trace amounts of mercury from fillings into your mouth – with every bite. That kind of constant, low-level exposure builds up over time.

Signs of mercury toxicity include:

• hair, teeth, and skin loss
• sleep disturbances
• memory loss
• muscle weakness
• sweating
• tingling, burning, or pain
• high blood pressure
• rapid heart beat
• swelling

Sue had all of these symptoms. Dr. Minkoff started Sue on a detox regime to free her body of mercury. And she also had her fillings replaced. Sue completely recovered in a few of months.

If you have silver fillings, consider replacing them. Especially if:

• You have any of the above symptoms that have not responded to treatment.
• You have many old silver fillings.
• You grind your teeth.
• You drink hot coffee or tea – studies show hot liquids cause mercury to leak more.

The safest fillings are bonded resin ceramics.

I recommend going to a dentist who specializes in the removal of silver fillings. They use special equipment to limit the amount of mercury emitted during removal. For example, they’ll give you oxygen through your nose so that you don’t inhale any of the mercury vapors. And they take other precautions during your office visit.

They’ll also schedule multiple appointments. Too many removed at one time can expose you to excess levels of mercury. This is exactly what you don’t want. Remove your fillings judiciously – a few at a time. Space your appointments several weeks apart.

Dr. Minkoff turned his wife’s battle with mercury poisoning into his personal mission to save others from her ordeal.

He has developed a breakthrough way to remove mercury and other toxins from your body. He uses nano-sized ingredients. They go in and sweep out the heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides. To find out more about it, go here now.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

The pharmaceutical giant Wyeth is being sued over its synthetic hormone drugs Premarin and Prempro. They are alleging the drugs can cause cancer and heart disease. During the discovery process, they uncovered a scam.

And what a doozy this scam is!

Wyeth paid ghostwriters to create scientific review articles. These articles were then published in leading medical journals.

And these articles are full of misleading data that led doctors to believe they were safe.

Here’s how Wyeth’s deception worked:

The ghostwriters wrote the journal articles. The articles touted the benefits of synthetic hormone replacement therapy. And downplayed all the risks. Serious risks, like invasive breast cancer, stroke, heart disease and even dementia.

Then, the ghostwriters paid top physicians to sign their name as the author of the article. It didn’t matter that the physicians hadn’t contributed anything or very little to the writing or scientific review of the available studies. And the doctors didn’t know that the drug company was paying for the study.

The final versions of these articles didn’t mention Wyeth’s financial ties. Even the respected journals that published them had no idea.

The plan worked. Doctors rely on medical journals. As a result, thousands prescribed synthetic hormones to their patients, thinking it was perfectly safe.

It’s no wonder sales of Premarin and Prempro spiked to almost $2 billion in 2001.₁ At one time, Premarin was the #1 moneymaking prescription in the U.S.

If you can’t trust the medical journals, what are you left with? I’ve always been skeptical that drugs are the only answer. I always ask myself these questions: What did nature intend? What did it create? Are there natural alternatives to man-made drugs?

Synthetic, chemical-based drugs that try to mimic a hormone can lead to real trouble. And in this case, even cancer. But if you try to recreate what nature intended using compounds that your body recognizes as safe, you’ll get relief without the risk.

Instead of dangerous synthetic HRT drugs, here’s what I use to treat my patients.

Black Cohosh. Black cohosh works to normalize your hormones and gently helps you regain your sex drive. Studies show it can be nearly as effective as HRT to reduce hot flashes, night sweats, depression and anxiety. I recommend 250 mg three times a day._2,3

Maca Root. Found high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, maca root has been used for 8,000 years to relieve hot flashes, night sweats, improve your mood, and rev-up your sexual desire. Take 200 mg daily.

I also recommend that you see your doctor and get your hormone levels checked. This includes checking your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels.

Consider bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Unlike synthetic HRT, bioidenticals are exact replicas of your own hormones that are easily identified by your body. When it comes to hormones, one size does not fit all. Everyone’s needs are different. With bioidenticals, your doctor can prescribe a custom blend of naturally occurring hormones that are specific to your needs.

You’ll need a compounding pharmacy to fill your prescription. They are usually independently owned and easy to find in your state.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/health/research/05ghost.html
2. Fugate SE, Church CO. Nonestrogen treatment modalities for vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Ann Pharmacother. 2004 Sep;38(9):1482-99.
3. Frei-Kleiner S, Schaffner W, Rahlfs VW, Bodmer C, Birkhauser M. Cimicifuga racemosa dried ethanolic extract in menopausal disorders: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Maturitas. 2005 Aug 16;51(4):397-404.

Every hour of the day, your cells are under attack. Normally, this is okay because your cells have a built-in DNA repair system that fixes any damage. But when your cells are undernourished, they can lose the ability to repair themselves. And that’s bad news.

Part of the reason for the explosion of cancer in modern times is because we’re not repairing our DNA. Our bodies aren’t getting enough of the nutrients we need to make this process work.

But you can help protect yourself with a simple mineral. I’m talking about zinc.

I just finished reading a new study that shows you can easily prevent – and reverse – this damage to your DNA. An Aug. 2009 study by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University₁ shows that supplementing with zinc reverses cell damage.

Add this latest finding to zinc’s list of health benefits:

• Heart-health booster
• Essential to your prostate and sexual performance
• Can prevent pneumonia and speed the recovery from colds
• Promotes wound healing.

I see patients that have dangerously low levels of zinc all the time. As many as 40 percent of older people in the U.S. are deficient.₂

But it’s easy to get the zinc you need for healthy cells. Zinc is in many foods we eat. Some good food sources of zinc are:₃

Unfortunately, your body can only absorb 15% – 40% of the zinc in food. Relying on food alone means you’re just not getting the minimum amount to prevent deficiency related disease – let alone enough to repair any mutation in your genes. You need to take a supplement.

Zinc picolinate is the most absorbable form of zinc. I recommend 30 mg a day to promote good health and reverse DNA damage and mutation.

Take your zinc supplement 1 hour before your meal or at least 2 hours after your meal. Certain foods can block the absorption of zinc. Stay away from these foods for at least 2 hours after taking zinc: bran and other fiber-rich foods, foods that contain phosphorous such as milk and poultry, and whole grain breads and cereals.

And if you take other mineral supplements, such as copper or iron, space them about 2 hours apart. Zinc can interfere with the absorption of these minerals. To avoid any of these problems, I simply take my zinc supplement before I go to bed.

Store it in a dark place at room temperature.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Song, et al. “Dietary zinc restriction and repletion affects DNA integrity in healthy men.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol.90, No.2, 321-328, August 2009.
2. Oregon State University, “Zinc Deficiences A Global Concern.” Sept.17, 2009.
3. National Institute of Health – Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Zinc http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/FactSheets/Zinc.asp

Diabetes doesn’t have to be something you live with. Most people don’t know this, but you can easily train your body to prevent – and reverse – diabetes.

I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve successfully treated hundreds of diabetics and prediabetics in my practice. My patients have used this plan to:

• Return blood sugar to healthy levels
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower risk of heart disease and stroke
• Prevent retinopathy, which causes thousands to go blind every year
• Boost energy, control weight and more.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Stay away from  starches. Starches are of little nutritional value. They convert to sugar. Your body stimulates too much insulin when you eat starches.

Manufacturers are producing highly processed starches. If it is processed, don’t eat it. Processed foods often have harmful additives like sugar, preservatives, and other chemicals.

2. Eat foods low on the glycemic index. You can find a table of foods and their glycemic index at AlSearsMD.com. Foods with high glycemic indexes cause blood sugar levels to spike.

3. Eat plenty of protein. Your genes need the nutrients in protein. Lean protein like fish are chock full of nutrients. Protein will counteract the damage done by starches. The more protein you eat, the better.

4. Exercise large muscle groups. Concentrate on exercising the biggest muscles. Leg muscles are the largest. These hefty muscles burn excess sugar in the blood faster than any others.

Plus, I’ve just learned about a new way to combat diabetes. My colleagues at Health Sciences Institute (HSI) reported on a natural extract taken  a Japanese plant called konjac mannan that helps lower blood sugar naturally. It’s paired with a rare fiber that blocks sugar absorption.

The research behind it is promising. In a 6-week study, every person had a drop in blood sugar. Some fell as many as 60 points.

I’m one of the doctors on the panel at HSI along with other respected natural health physicians and researchers like Dr. Allan Spreen. And when they told me about this discovery at the board meeting, I knew I had to share it with you.

They’ve put together their latest research into a free report that I think everyone should read. It’s not just about diabetes. They’ve compiled 100 of the greatest underground cures out there. Some you’ve heard of  me. Others are discoveries made by other panel members such as:

• A tree found in the Amazon called Graviola that can combat 12 types of cancer cells, including breast, prostate, colon, lung and pancreatic tumors
• A mussel native to New Zealand that prevents arthritis
• A botanical extract that helps with memory loss
• A special kind of microscopic algae that grows off the coast of Hawaii that helps promote healthy vision

The report gives you all the information you need – how it works… how to take it… where to find it. Read on for the full details on the report and to learn about a special offer.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

When I was getting ready to climb Humphries Peak, I didn’t want to carry any extra weight up the mountain with me. Even a few pounds can make a difference in a climb like that.

So I decided to get lean. I made some simple changes and dropped 15 lbs. quickly.

You can do it too. Here’s what I did.

The first thing I did is step up my PACE routine. The best fat-burning PACE exercises target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. These muscles have the biggest stores of glycogen. Working them helps to regulate your blood sugar. And good blood sugar means less fat stores.

One of my favorites is alternating lunges. With your hands on your hips, take a step forward with your right leg until your right knee is bent 90 degrees and your back knee almost touches the ground. Push off from your leading foot and return to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg. Try doing four repetitions. The next day try six, etc.

Along with PACE, I took my most effective fat-burning supplement, Primal Lean.

It’s so much easier to reach your goals when you’re not hungry. I take Primal Lean about a half hour before breakfast and again before dinner. It helps you overcome the urge to overeat during meals. And stops all the cravings you have between meals.

When I’m trying to lose weight quickly, I make sure that I don’t eat after 7 pm. And I’ve noticed that when I take Primal Lean before dinner, I don’t even think about snacking at night.

Primal Lean works so well that I’m getting letters all the time about it. One of the things people like most is how fast it works. They take it and their appetite disappears.

Primal Lean works, but everyone’s different. Some people need an extra reminder. So I have two other tools in my arsenal to help calm your appetite and kill your cravings.

Brazilian Slim. I drank Brazilian Slim in the morning with a light breakfast, and it kept me hunger-free until afternoon. No stomach growling in my mid-morning meetings. And no crash or jitters like you’d get from coffee. The combination of Cha de Burge and Guaraná gives you appetite control and all-day energy.

My staff loves this tea, too. I’ve noticed the samples disappearing from the waiting room. They like to drink it before lunch. They eat half their meal, and they don’t get that post-lunch drowsiness.

Native Slim. Native Slim is just one more tool I used to curb my appetite. I love it because I can take it anywhere. You don’t have to wait until it brews or find a glass of water to take it with. Just a couple pumps of the spray on the tongue and it squashes your cravings for hours. It’s a great way to tide yourself over until your next meal.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Here’s one for you: PACE may save you from cancer.

A new study shows that high intensity exercise cuts your risk of getting cancer in half.₁

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, followed Finnish men for 16 years. It tracked the type of activity the men did each week. And it found that the higher the intensity of the exercise, the lower the risk of getting cancer.

This study backs up the myriad benefits of high intensity exercise, but it’s the first study ever to look at the relationship between exercise intensity and cancer.

But here’s the point not considered by the study’s authors: Not everyone can do high intensity exercise. It was designed for elite athletes who train for the Olympics. You can’t expect deconditioned people to do this type of exercise. It’s not safe. That’s why I designed PACE. PACE gets regular folks to the point where they can do high intensity exercise, safely and quickly.

You start out easy, measuring the intensity of your exercise in some way – the number of repetitions you do, the time it takes for you to do a set, etc. Then you gradually increase it. Over the long run, you’ll notice that it’s easier and easier for you to do your exercise at a slightly higher intensity as you go.

In just minutes a day, you’ll work your way up to getting the benefits of high intensity exercise – without any stress and danger to your body. PACE trains your body to change your metabolism, burn fat, make you more youthful, and utilize more oxygen – which may be the key to its cancer-fighting power.

PACE floods your cells with life-giving oxygen. Oxygen is the basic fuel for cell metabolism. If you don’t have it, energy production drops and the cells lose their ability to repair DNA. Low oxygen levels in the cells – chronic hypoxia – is a cause of chronic disease, especially cancer.

Unfortunately, in our modern world, low oxygen levels in our cells are common. We are a nation of couch potatoes. When we do exercise, it’s usually cardio and aerobics. But those don’t raise your oxygen levels enough. The key to raising your oxygen levels is high intensity exertion.

PACE pumps oxygen-rich blood to your vital organs by up to 18 times more than light exercise such as walking.₂ PACE gives you:

• 400% more oxygen to your lungs
• 1733% more oxygen to your muscles
• Nearly double the oxygen to your brain
• 331% more oxygen from your heart

This doesn’t happen when you jog or do other medium intensity exercises.

This may be one of the reasons why our ancestors stayed disease-free. They had to do intense exertion to survive. Maybe your body needs the oxygen to thrive.

Get started with PACE today and cut your risk of cancer in half. What are you waiting for?

Here’s a workout that you can do right now – whether you’re reading this at work or at home. In fact, I’m going to do it along with you.

Get up from your chair. Make sure you have some space around you. We’re going to do some jumping jacks. Remember those from when you were in middle school? They’re a great exercise to get your heart pumping and your lungs working.

Stand with your feet together and your arms at your side. Jump out with your legs and raise your arms over your head. Breathe through your nose. Return to your starting position and repeat. Do 25 jumping jacks.

Stop and recover until your heart rate slows and you feel like you are almost back to normal.

Do 25 more jumping jacks, but this time, increase the speed. Try to get them done in half the time you did the first set. Recover.

Do 35 jumping jacks, a little faster this time. You’ll start to feel the burn in your legs and your breathing get harder.

Do a few more sets, increasing the number and the speed each time. But remember to recover in between. Do these sets three times a week. You’ll notice the time it takes for you to recover will decrease and you’ll be working at a high intensity in no time!

The new edition of my PACE book will show you exactly how to go from couch potato to high intensity exercise in just 12 minutes a day. In the five years since the first edition came out, I’ve worked with thousands of patients. Their feedback has helped me fine-tune the program. You’ll get more workouts. And you’ll learn more secrets to making PACE work for you.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. J A Laukkanen et al. “Intensity of leisure-time physical activity and cancer mortality in men,” Br J Sports Med 2009;0:1–5. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2008.056713. http://press.psprings.co.uk/bjsm/july/sm56713.pdf
2. Adapted from: von Ardenne, M. Oxygen Multistep Therapy. Thieme. 1990. p. 144

Not everyone wants to inject poison into their face. And that’s how a lot of folks feel about Botox.

I don’t blame you. But Botox is also misunderstood.

Botox is naturally occurring and when used properly can do more than take the wrinkles off an aging movie star.

It can end migraines, prostate problems, and muscle spasms. That’s what studies using Botox are showing. We are finding that Botox is not only good for cosmetic anti-aging; it may also ease some very irritating conditions.

Today, I’ll tell you how a cosmetic tool has the potential to alleviate migraine, prostate, and muscle pain. And I’ll give you some tips for Botox safety.

You are probably most familiar with Botox as a cosmetic procedure. For years, doctors have been using Botox to diminish their patients’ facial wrinkles. And since the FDA approved Botox as an anti-wrinkle serum in April of 2002, its use has become common.

Botox is a natural toxin. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces it. Doctors use a purified form of the toxin. We inject small amounts of this substance into muscle, which temporarily weakens it. Botox blocks a chemical in the muscle that causes it to contract.

Less contraction means less wrinkles. This is why Botox is widely used to eliminate facial wrinkles. But this same mechanism can eliminate pain from some medical conditions.

Headaches: We have now come to understand that Botox can treat and even prevent some of the most severe headaches. The journal Headache published a now landmark study that looked at the effectiveness of Botox in treating headaches.

Researchers analyzed several studies performed over 3 years. They evaluated 271 subjects with severe, frequent headaches. Botox treatment reduces the average number of days per month in which subjects experienced headaches by 56%. Headache intensity and frequency dropped by over 85% with Botox injections.₁

Muscle Spasms: Botox was actually first approved for treating muscle disorders. And I have used this technique in my practice with much success. One of my patients had been suffering from spasms of the neck muscles for years. Botox injections eliminated most of his pain and spasms.

Prostate: The most recent unique use for Botox has been in the relief of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) symptoms. Researchers have been performing some preliminary tests on the topic for a few years. Now a recent study shows promise.

Researchers at the University Hospital in Rome treated 30 men with swollen prostates with either Botox injections or a placebo solution injection. The men taking Botox had a significant reduction in frequent painful urination after two months. These men also experienced a drop in PSA levels. Better yet, their prostates shrunk by almost half!₂

Remember Botox is a nerve toxin, it can be dangerous if used the wrong way. Botox is a prescription. Only let a doctor experienced with Botox treat you. There are very few reported side effects from proper administration.

Botox injections for wrinkles, headaches and muscle spasms can work for up to 3 months. After that, you may need a repeat treatment.

Remember, the study regarding Botox for prostate relief is preliminary. I wouldn’t inject your prostate with Botox just yet. We still need more evidence proving that Botox is safe for the prostate over time. None-the-less, more research could yield more promising results.

If you’re in South Florida – or just passing through – you can talk to my staff about Botox and other proven anti-aging remedies for your skin.

Tara Smith, ARNP, NP-C is the newest addition to my clinic. As a nurse practitioner with years of experience in dermatology and anti-aging, she’s an expert in the field. Tara is one of the best in the business and I’m happy to have her on board. You can reach her by contacting my clinic at: 561-784-7852.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Blumenfeld, A. Botulinum toxin type A as an effective prophylactic treatment in primary headache disorder. Headache 2003 Sep; 43(8): 853-60
2. Maria G. et al., Relief by botulinum toxin of voiding dysfunction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia: results of randomized, placebo-controlled study. Urology 2003 Aug; 62(2): 259-64

Don’t waste your money on calcium supplements.

If you’re taking them hoping to build strong bones and avoid osteoporosis you’ll be let down on both fronts.

Doctors and drug companies push the idea that the best way to treat and prevent osteoporosis is by taking lots of calcium. This simply isn’t true.

Osteoporosis isn’t caused by a lack of calcium.

Studies come to the same conclusion: calcium intake does not prevent fractures due to bone loss.

• The Harvard Nurses’ Study is one of the most complete and well-conducted studies in science. The study followed 77,761 nurses. For 12 years, researchers examined the association between dietary calcium and bone fractures.

Results showed there was no protection from fractures with any dose of calcium intake. Nurses who had the highest calcium intakes actually had an increased risk of bone fracture.₁

• An Australian study confirms the result of the Harvard Nurses’ Study. This study also looked at the association between calcium and fracture risk. The study looked at lifetime calcium consumption in over 400 elderly participants. The study concluded that calcium consumption in early adulthood actually increased the risk of bone fractures as the person aged.₂
• Doctors in the UK found that calcium and vitamin D did not prevent fractures.₃ Their two-year study showed that neither calcium nor vitamin D lowered the number of fractures in women over age seventy.

So, what controls bone loss? Hormones and exercise.

Bone building is hormonal. In women, estrogens are the main regulators of bone health and breakdown. Progesterone controls the rate of new bone deposition. But the most powerful bone builder in both men and women is testosterone. Testosterone is central for achieving maximal bone mass and strength.

Taking calcium supplements will give you a short-term boost in bone density, but that’s it. Over time, your hormones will work against the extra calcium and actually leave your bones more brittle than before.

Consider this: The US has the highest intake of calcium, yet our rates of osteoporosis are the highest in the world. Countries with lower intakes of calcium have lower rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis.₄

Maintaining healthy levels of hormones in your body is one way to keep your bones strong.

There is an easy and inexpensive hormone precursor shown to improve the levels of other sex hormones. It’s called DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone). It is involved in the manufacturing of most major sex hormones in the body, like estrogen and testosterone. DHEA treatments are becoming more common.

You can get it over the counter but I don’t advise anyone take DHEA without having their blood levels checked. You will have to ask your doctor to measure it.

Physical inactivity will also lead to weakening of your bones. Your bones need to bear weight in order to become strong. When you do weight bearing activities, you are telling your bones that they must become strong in order to continue these activities.

You do this by encouraging them to push more weight. Challenging your muscles and bones with weight bearing exercises is crucial. Walking, cycling, weight training or playing tennis or golf will help.

In spite of what you hear on TV, calcium supplements have little to do with the strength of your bones. If you want strong bones for life, here are six things you can do right now:

• Exercise: The best to increase bone density and reduce fractures is body weight exercises (like calisthenics) and resistance training. Make a habit of doing these exercises two or three times a week. Thirty minutes of walking a day will lower your risk of fracture by 30 percent.₄

When you exercise, your muscles pull on your bones. This pressure creates a challenge that your body responds to by increasing bone density. This will ensure that you stay mobile and independent.

• Skip calcium supplements: Get your calcium in your diet. Eat a variety of small fish, dark, leafy green vegetables, almonds and cashews, or dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. You should be aiming for about 400 mg per day.
• Take a vitamin D supplement: I recommend 400 IU per day. It helps your body absorb calcium and maintain bone density. Without vitamin D, calcium supplements are worthless. The best source of vitamin D is the sun – 10 to 15 minutes of exposure a day should be enough. During the winter, take cod liver oil. It’s by far the best supplemental source of vitamin D.
• Eat your greens: Vitamin K found in dark leafy greens regulates calcium while stabilizing bones in addition to regulating blood clotting. Eat at least one serving of green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts or broccoli every day. One study found people eating just 0.1 milligrams of vitamin K daily (about one large serving of greens) were 30% less likely to break their hips than people who ate less than that amount.

Another university study showed that vegetables and herbs improve your bone metabolism. Researchers found that rats that missed out on their veggies had much lower bone density.₅ Another showed that fruits and vegetables increase your bone density. The same study found that dairy products did nothing.₆

• Eat foods rich in B-complex vitamins: Your body also uses a variety of B vitamins in bone building. The best sources are liver, eggs, lean meats, yeast, fish, raw nuts, asparagus, broccoli and bananas.
• Get a blood test: A simple blood test will tell you how your hormone levels affect your bone health. This is the best way to determine the health of your bones and your risk for fracture. Women may need to take natural progesterone. For both men and women testosterone is the most powerful controller of your bone density.

To arrange for your own blood test, talk to your doctor. Or contact Quest Diagnostics at 1-800-377-8448 for a location near you. If you can get to Florida, call my office at 561-784-7852.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Freskanich D, et al., Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study American Journal of Public Health 1997 Jun; 87(6): 992-997
2. Cumming RG, et al., Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly American Journal of Epimediology 1994 Mar 1; 139(5): 493-503
3. Grant AM, et al. Calcium/vitamin D not effective for secondary prevention of fracture. Lancet 2005; 365:1621-1628.
4. Willett W. Calcium: too much of a good thing? Report from the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable.
5. Effect of vegetables on bone metabolism. Nature. September 23, 1999; 401(6751):343-4
6. Dietary influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71, No. 1, 142-151, January 2000.

Back in the 1930s, a German doctor and a track coach got together and invented this brilliant training technique.

The athletes sprinted 200 meters and rested for a short time.

Then they did again. A 200-meter sprint followed by a short period of rest. And again.

It worked. Their students broke world record after world record. Roger Banister, the first man to run the mile in under 4 minutes, used this workout.

It was a breakthrough in fitness. They were the first to see that doing a short burst of activity followed by rest is the best way to exercise.

But here’s the deal, you have to be as fit as an Olympic athlete to do it.

I have a better way. It is accessible to everybody. No matter what your fitness level, you can burn fat in minutes a day.

It’s called interval training. When people hear about my PACE program, they think it’s the same as interval training. And while PACE uses some of the same principles, there’s a major difference.

Few people are conditioned enough to do interval training. Think about the workout they used. Could you sprint the length of two football fields and be ready to do it again after a 90 second break? Probably not.

But you can do PACE.

The secret is progressivity. You don’t have to start with a high intensity workout right off the bat. The idea is to work your way up to it. You just have to tax yourself a little bit more every time you do a set.

One of the breakthroughs of PACE is that you can get the benefits of high intensity training regardless of the level you start at. You can bulletproof your heart, expand your lung capacity, and drop a ton of weight by making small, incremental changes.

Take my patient Terri, for example. I told you her story a couple of months ago. When I first met Terri, the only exercise she could manage was to walk 45 seconds. So that’s what we did. I didn’t make Terri do wind sprints. We worked at her level. The only thing I asked of Terri is to push herself a little more each time.

It’s those incremental improvements, or progressivity, that helped Terri get back in shape. Now she’s running. And biking. And swimming laps. She tells me that she’s more active than she’s ever been – even when she was a kid!

Terri stuck with PACE because she started to see results fast. Now she’s showing her friends how to do PACE.

To get started yourself, pick an activity that you like to do. It just needs to be something that will give your heart and lungs a bit of a challenge. I like bicycling and swimming because they avoid overuse injuries. What you do will depend on your level of fitness. Here are some guidelines:

• Do a light warm up and stretch before each exercise session.
• Start with 20 minutes every other day. (This averages to only 10 minutes per day).
• Start easy and increase gradually.
• As you get into better shape, you will increase the intensity in each session.
• Begin breaking those 20 minutes into shorter “mini-intervals” of exercise and rest.
• Use briefer and briefer episodes of gradually increasing intensity.
• A light activity “cool down” for a couple of minutes has been shown to reduce muscle soreness after exercise.

As it gets easier, focus on increasing the intensity. In other words, as your body adapts, step it up a notch. You shouldn’t be lightheaded. Feeling slightly winded and panting is what you’re looking for.

A new study proves you can alter your genes with what you eat. It showed that more than 1,000 genes were changed in just six months simply by getting more of a key nutrient.

What has the power to do this? Omega-3s, the essential fats that your body uses to power up the heart and brain. It turns out that omega-3s don’t just guard your heart from inflammation and hardening of the arteries. They change your genes so that they are less likely to produce these things in the first place.

This transforms the way we think about our family and our future. You’re not bound to a lifetime of poor health and disease, just because of your family’s “bad” genes. You can take control – and help change the cards you were dealt.

Omega-3s aren’t the only nutrients that alter your genes. There are others. Today, I’ll tell you which four all-natural “superstars” you can start taking to re-map your genes. I’ll show you which nutrients can shut down the genes that cause heart disease and slow down the ones that cause aging.

Omega-3s Halt Heart Disease

The real cause of heart disease is inflammation. Inflammation causes plaque to build-up in your arterial walls. And causes hardening of the arteries.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that taking high doses of omega-3s tells your genes to focus on preventing inflammation and hardening of the arteries.

The omega-3s – specifically EPA and DHA – transforms the expression of 1,040 genes after just six months. EPA and DHA are two types of omega-3 fatty acids.

According to the researchers, “These results are the first to show that intake of EPA plus DHA for 26 weeks can alter the gene expression… to a more anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic status.”₁

Put simply, once your “good” genes get switched on, it’s like having 24/7 protection for your heart.

Engineer Yourself to Better Health

The new study confirms that the food you eat – and your environment – directly influences which genes are turned on and off in your body.

Only you can take care of the personal responsibility part. That means eating natural, unprocessed foods like our ancestors did.

This includes:

• Animal protein, like wild-caught fish, organic, grass-fed beef, and free-range chicken.
• “Good fats”  foods like almonds, walnuts, eggs, and Haas avocados.
• All kinds of vegetables – especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale.
• Fruits. Great choices are blueberries, apples and blackberries.

It also means exercising your heart and lungs like I describe in my PACE program. The right type of physical exertion affects gene expression. Short bursts of intensity followed by recovery trains your body to be able to respond to your environment.

This is the same type of exercise that our caveman ancestors did when hunting prey. And I’ve yet to see evidence of cavemen dying of heart disease.

Once you’ve taken control of your health by eating nutritious foods and exercising, the last step to rewriting your genetic code for a healthier heart is the easiest.

Re-Write Your DNA with These 4 All-Natural Superstars

Here are four nutrients that have a positive impact on gene expression:

Omega-3s – Today’s food supply gives us an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids – the ones that can cause inflammation if left unchecked. Omega-3s balance out these omega-6s in your body. Ideally, you want an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 2:1. If you’re a typical American, you probably have a ratio of 20:1.

The key is getting that ratio down to healthy levels. When you get more omega-3s in your system, your cells get to work. They tell your genes not to produce inflammation and hardening of the arteries.

The most widely available source of EPA and DHA is cold water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Eggs and grass-fed beef are also good sources. Grass-fed beef has double the omega-3s of grain-fed beef.

You can also get omega-3s in some plant-based sources such as flax seeds, sacha inchi nuts, butternuts, walnuts, and chia seeds. But these omega-3s are in the form of ALA, alpha linolenic acid, which then has to be converted to DHA and EPA in the body.

The easiest way to ensure you’re getting enough omega-3s is by taking a quality fish oil supplement. I recommend 1-3g every day.

Resveratrol – You’ve probably heard all about the anti-aging properties and heart benefits resveratrol provides. Resveratrol slows down the aging clock, by activating sirtuins (your “anti-aging” genes).

But here’s what you may not know… in a recent study, researchers explored the influence of resveratrol on gene expression. What they found was significant. It turns out that as we age, gene expression in different tissues of the body change as genes are switched on and off.

In the heart alone, there are at least 1,029 genes whose functions change with age. Resveratrol was found to counteract this age-related genetic change 92 percent of the time.₂ It’s found in red grapes and in red wines  the cooler regions of France. I recommend 200 mg per day.

Vitamin B12 – This cheap nutrient protects your heart by reducing blood levels of a simple inflammatory protein known as homocysteine. But recent research also shows it prevents your cells  dying young.

It does this by lengthening your DNA’s telomeres. Telomeres are like a ‘tail’ on the end of all your DNA strands. They’re in every cell in your body. Every time your cells divide, your telomeres get shorter. Finally, when there’s no more telomere left, your cell stops dividing and ultimately dies. And, as you can guess, when your cells stop dividing, you die.

The easiest way to get B12 is to eat foods rich in the stuff. That includes grass-fed beef, tuna and salmon. Otherwise, supplementing is a great option. I suggest you take anywhere  100 – 500 mcg every day.

Vitamin C – This powerful antioxidant helps your cells and DNA live longer by preventing telomere shortening. It does this by neutralizing harmful free radicals that can cause abnormalities in your DNA and genetic code.

The best way to get vitamin C is to eat fruits like kiwis, oranges, grapes and strawberries. Supplement with at least 3,000 mg every day.

1. M. Bouwens, O. et al. “Fish-oil supplementation induces anti-inflammatory gene expression profiles in human blood mononuclear cells” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 90, pages 415-424. June 2009
2. University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008, June 8). Substance In Red Wine, Resveratrol, Found To Keep Hearts Young. ScienceDaily. Retrieved

It features a 1950s family called the “Buttertons.” The mother serves the family entire sticks of butter shoved into baked potatoes. The voiceover says something like, “Back then we didn’t know much about cholesterol and saturated fats… Today, we know better.”

That means they’re telling you that you shouldn’t eat fat. It’s remarkable that this message is still dominant in the mainstream media.

The truth is we don’t eat a high fat diet. We eat less fat than our ancestors did. And yet we’re the ones with obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, clogged arteries and high blood pressure.

In direct contradiction of what you commonly hear in the media – like in that ad – real butter is good for you. Saturated fats are a natural part of your diet and are essential to life. Fat makes up the basic building blocks of compounds that help your body perform everyday functions. This includes things like regulating blood pressure, blood clotting and bolstering your immune system.

Saturated fats have been on the media hit list for over 50 years. Butter is just one example. Red meat is another. But one of the worst victims of this low-fat propaganda is coconut oil. Like butter, it’s been vilified for decades.

But a new study shows that coconut oil can lower your total cholesterol, boost your HDL “good” cholesterol, lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol, and shrink your waist size. Compare that to soybean oil, which did the opposite – lowered HDL, raised LDL and total cholesterol, and did nothing for your belly size.

And it’s not the only study to reach that conclusion. Several other studies back up those findings and find even more benefits of coconut oil.

Coconut oil can protect your heart, boost your immune system, and help you lose fat faster and easier than ever before. And today I’m going to show you how to use it.

Make the Switch from Corn Oil and Watch Your Waistline Shrink

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are tiny enough to enter your cells’ mitochondria directly.

This means your cells use the fat from coconut oil for energy instantly, instead of storing it for later use.

A Boston University study gave one group corn oil (longer-chain fatty acids) and the other medium-chain fatty acids.

After 90 days, those that got the medium-chain fatty acids lost weight, increased their insulin receptivity and even lowered their overall cholesterol.₁

Another study published this year in the journal Lipids compared coconut oil with soybean oil. The women taking coconut oil saw their waist lines shrink and their HDL “good” cholesterol levels increase. Meanwhile, the women taking soybean oil didn’t see any change in their waist size. Plus, LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels rose and HDL levels dropped.₂

Another study found that coconut oil can help reduce the symptoms of type-2 diabetes and that “people who incorporate medium-chain fatty acids, such as those found in coconut oil, into their diets can lose body fat.”₃

Coconut oil can help turn your body into a fat-burning furnace.

Plus, it can help you eat less. It controls your hunger by leaving you feeling satisfied, longer.₄

Boost Your HDL Levels

Contrary to what mainstream medicine tells you, eating high amounts of fat does not automatically equal higher cholesterol. And that’s certainly the case with coconut oil.

The truth is it does the exact opposite. It helps improve your HDL to LDL ratio (“good” vs. “bad” cholesterol), lower overall blood levels of serum cholesterol, and reduce the amount of fat your body stores.₅

In fact, in Sri Lanka, about 50% of calories from the typical diet come from coconut oil. Yet, heart disease there is virtually non-existent.

Researchers, perplexed by this, decided to see what happened when they took a group of young men and had them substitute coconut oil for corn and soybean oil.

The results weren’t pretty.

Their HDL level plunged 42 percent – which put them far below what’s considered healthy. Their LDL/HDL ratio increased 30 percent.₆

That’s a recipe for heart disaster.

These results simply confirm what countless studies are finding. Coconut oil is good for your heart and helps increase your good HDL cholesterol.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition studied 25 women. They were given three different diets. A diet high in coconut oil, a low-fat diet with small amounts of coconut oil, and a diet high in polyunsaturated fats. Each diet lasted 3 weeks.

As you might guess, the highest increase in HDL was when the women ate the high fat, coconut oil diet.₇

Bulletproof Your Immune System

Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a powerful immune system booster.

Lauric acid has antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties that help bullet proof your immune system against everything from free radicals, to a latent virus that’s waiting to wreak havoc.

It’s so powerful, in fact, that preliminary research suggests it’s effective against lipid-coated viruses, such as HIV.

A recent study took a group of 15 men with HIV. They had not received any prior treatment. After 3 months of supplementing with coconut oil, half of the patients showed a decrease in viral load.₈

Good Health Can Taste Great

It’s pretty easy to get all the coconut oil you need in your diet.

Just follow any one of these simple tips:

Fry with it. Coconut oil has a high smoke point. That means that it won’t degrade at high temperatures – leaving all the fatty acids intact. It’s especially great for pan searing. If you do cook with it, consider getting it with no flavor. This is known as “expeller-pressed” coconut oil.

Take it to go. If you’ve got a very busy schedule, you can eat a snack with coconut oil already in it. My Primal Force Power Bars are great for this. Every bar is made with a healthy dose of coconut oil, and gives you plenty of protein to boot. It will give you the steady, long lasting energy you need.

Another great favorite of mine is to grab one banana. Dip it in plain yogurt. Then roll it in finely chopped coconut. Afterwards

I put it in the freezer and eat it whenever I want a quick snack.

Make a smoothie. Scoop a healthy serving of coconut oil (it’ll probably be solid, but that’s okay) into the blender. Mix in your favorite fresh fruits. Maybe even add some protein powder. Add organic milk and a little ice. Blend it all and enjoy a tasty, heart-healthy smoothie.

Bake with it. It’s okay to have your favorite foods from time to time. And if you like to bake cookies, brownies, or anything else, go for it. Just substitute expeller pressed coconut oil for vegetable oil. Not only will everything taste better, but most of the fat you’ll be eating will get burned off right away.

1. Han JR et al. Effects of dietary medium-chain triglyceride on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in a group of moderately overweight free-living type 2 diabetic Chinese subjects., Metabolism., 2007 Jul;56(7):985-91.
2. Monica L. Assunção et al. “Effects of Dietary Coconut Oil on the Biochemical and Anthropometric Profiles of Women Presenting Abdominal Obesity,” Lipids Volume 44, Number 7 / July 2009
3. http://www.garvan.org.au/news-events/news/how-coconut-oil-could-help-reduce-the-symptoms-of-type-2-diabetes.html
4. Van Wymelbeke V, Himaya A, Louis-Sylvestre J, Fantino M. Influence of medium-chain and long-chain triacylglycerols on the control of food intake in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Aug;68(2):226-34.
5. Kaunitz, H. 1986. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 6(3-4):115.
6. http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html
7. Hanne Müller et al. The Serum LDL/HDL Cholesterol Ratio Is Influenced More Favorably by Exchanging Saturated with Unsaturated Fat Than by Reducing Saturated Fat in the Diet of Women. J. Nutr. 133:78-83, Jan 2003
8. Tayag E, Dayrit CS, Santiago BC, Manalo MA, Alban PN, Agdamag DM, Adel AS, Lazo S and Espallardo N: Monolaurin and Coconut Oil as Monotherapy for HIV-AIDS. Pilot Trial. For Publication

I changed the picture on my letters to you.

I’m amazed how many of you wrote to me with comments:

“Not trying to be critical but your new appearance makes you look like the caveman on the Geico commercial.”

“Dr. Sears’ Neanderthal look is like those Viking guys on the TV commercials. Cool!”

A lot of folks are asking me, “Why?”

Well… my hair started growing out when I spent time in Peru, trekking through the Amazon. After I got back I let it grow out. I want to grow it long while I still can.

Truth is it doesn’t bother me when people compare me to a caveman. I practice and promote the native health of our early ancestors. They were healthier and more robust because they lived in a more natural world. We don’t.

Case in point: cavemen had an abundant source of fiber in their diet. Only recently, with the advent of modern foods has fiber been removed from our food. And that’s a problem.

You can prevent cancer, diabetes, and high cholesterol with a bit of fiber each day.

But here’s the thing: not all fibers are equal. Some types of fiber are natural to our diet and some are more modern creations. I’ll also show you the right way to add fiber to your diet (without chalky drinks or bland cereals).

Fiber is a thread-like structure in fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grain. And it is another one of those hot health topics where “experts” seem to contradict each other. One thing is for sure: fiber is part of a natural diet.

Not getting enough fiber causes problems:

Irregularity: As we get older, our digestive system often needs a little help. Eating high-fiber foods and drinking water can ease stool passing through the entire digestive system.

Unhealthy Cholesterols: Researchers have found that fiber actually works in the body to reduce the absorption of cholesterol. In one recent study, participants ate a moderate-fiber diet, a high-fiber diet, or a low-fiber diet for 6 weeks. The higher the amount fiber participants ate, the more their cholesterol levels dropped.₁

Colon Cancer: Intestinal contents can be some nasty stuff. The more completely carcinogens move out of the digestive tract, the better. Fiber serves to drag these toxins out with it and carcinogenic material has less chance of attacking the digestive tract.

The journal Lancet published a very large study that links high-fiber diet with a lower risk of colon cancer. Researchers used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. They followed-up on almost 200,000 participants. They found that if people with a very low fiber intake doubled their intake, they reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by 40%.₂

Diabetes: Fiber lowers dangerous glucose levels. Fiber slows the absorption of glucose. This action can prevent diabetes. A high-fiber diet effectively improves glucose control.₃

You don’t have to eat a bowl of cereal every morning to put some fiber in your diet. Actually, that bowl of cereal could be adding to your health problems. The high glycemic index of most cereals, breads, and pastas makes them poor food choices.

Additionally, since we have only had grain products available for a few thousand years, they were not our prehistoric source of fiber.

You don’t need fiber supplements made from grains.

Nature has provided us with all of the natural fiber we need each day. Here are some of the best sources of natural fiber:

Nuts: Talk about roughage. Nuts provide us with some of the most effective fiber. Besides the nut itself, many nuts have a thin skin that is also a great source of fiber. A handful of nuts everyday makes for an easy fiber-filled snack. Don’t let the low-fat police scare you away  nuts. They have the heart and brain healthy fats you need.

Fruit: When you eat fruit, leave the skins on. The skin is a major source of fiber. My favorite fiber-rich fruits are berries. Berries not only have fiber-rich skin; they also contain tiny edible seeds. For there sweetness, they have surprisingly low glycemic indexes. Eat a couple of servings of fruit or berries daily.

Vegetables: These foods should be your principle source of fiber, not grains. Eat the skins and edible seeds to maximize fiber. If you have problems with regularity, load up on fibrous vegetables like broccoli, spinach, collard greens, squash, eggplant, cabbage, asparagus, cucumbers and Brussels’s sprouts. Eat them along with high-quality protein at every meal.

By the way, I do not consider corn a vegetable. Corn is a selectively bred enlarged grain. Like other grains, it will cause a rapid increase in your blood sugar.

Seeds: My favorites in this category are pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. The seed pulp has fiber throughout. And the edible seed casing is an exceptional resource of bulking fiber. Seeds make great snacks. Have some every week.

Legumes: Beans are a great source of fiber. The various types of green beans are superior to dried beans. You can use beans to supplement your dietary fiber as needed.

In order to get the most benefit  your dietary fiber, you must drink plenty of liquids. Water is the best liquid. Without proper hydration, fiber can’t work its magic. Also, it’s best to spread your fiber intake out throughout the day. Eating all of your fiber at once can decrease its benefits.

You can find fiber products at your local vitamin or health food store. To get the constipation relief I prescribe to my patients, check out PrimalForce.net.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Chandalia M. et al., Beneficial effects of high dietary fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 2000 May 11; 342(19): 1440-1441
2. Bingham S, et al., Dietary fibre in food and protection against colorectal cancer in the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): an observational study. Lancet 2003 May; 361: 1496-1501
3. Chandalia M. et al., Beneficial effects of high dietary fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 2000 May 11; 342(19): 1440-1441

Penny is always cheerful and ready to help.

But right now she just can’t keep up.

Penny has to answer your questions by phone and e-mail. Yesterday morning, Penny turned on her computer and watched 600 e-mails pour into her inbox. Before she could take her first sip of coffee all three customer service lines started ringing off the hook.

Everyone wants the same thing: My new “fat burning pill.”

It has my customer service staff pulling double duty.

Penny spent the entire day (and most of the evening) taking advance orders on the next batch. Between taking orders she answered questions about the irvingia clinical study that shocked researchers last year.

She just can’t keep it in stock.

Last week we had 3,000 bottles on back order.

But I have good news.

We just secured a large order of the two most powerful ingredients: fucoxanthin and irvingia gabonensis. Irvingia is hard to come by… it’s only harvested at certain times of the year. And supplies are limited.

Fortunately, I’m one of the only doctors importing irvingia for help with weight loss. When the rest of the world catches on it might get rough. That’s why I’m doing my best to establish an exclusive deal with our distributor.

For now, we’ve filled all our back orders… and we have a new batch ready to ship.

I suggest you place your order today. Replying to this e-mail is your best bet. With the high volume of calls we’re getting you might have trouble getting through. But we’re making progress on that front as well.

When I first told you about my formula back in June, we had just one phone line. I quickly added two more.

Now, to keep Penny from going into a tailspin I hired Jackie. She’s doing a wonderful job. We’re expanding as fast as we can.

In the meantime, here’s the breakdown on this new formula, Primal Lean.

The unique combination of ingredients gives you a remarkable opportunity. You safely and effectively reduce your appetite, while at the same time restore your body’s “fat signals” to a more youthful level.

The result: You get a slimmer, more youthful looking body. It’s the closest you’ll get to effortless weight loss.

When you take Primal Lean you lose the bulk of your appetite and your body gears down to make less – and store less – fat. It happens naturally and the formula is safe.

As I tell my patients, “snacking becomes an option, not a necessity.”

I take Primal Lean myself and I love the effect. It’s the combination of ingredients that makes it all work so well.

It all started back in November of last year. I discovered a new study of a little known weight-loss herb called irvingia gabonensis. It’s from West Africa and has a normalizing effect on your body’s fat signals. These are the commands that determine the size and number of your fat cells.

The people in this 10-week study – which was published in the medical journal Lipids in Health and Disease – lost an average of 28 pounds and 6 inches off their belly. And they didn’t go on a crazy diet or exercise more than a few times a week.1

Many of my patients are already doing it… they’re losing the urge to overeat and hitting their ideal weight. In as little as 10 weeks.

You can too.

I combined irvingia with three other weight-loss nutrients including something I had already been experimenting with, a seaweed extract called fucoxanthin.

The synergistic effect is exactly what I intended, it calms your appetite and resets your body’s fat signals. Synergy is when a group of ingredients combine to create an effect that would have been impossible if you had taken them on their own. That’s part of Primal Lean’s magic.

Together the four herbs and nutrients make a winning combination. You eat less… you burn fat… you make less fat. It’s a good deal.

When you take Primal Lean you’ll notice you don’t feel as hungry as you usually do. That gives you the freedom to eat less without feeling hungry or unsatisfied.

Primal Lean is one of my formulas I started taking even before it went to the manufacturer for bottling. I had my own private supply right here in my office. But after my staff found out, they were eager to try it. After that it was gone.

Now it’s here.

Primal Lean is ready. Right now.

It’s so safe you can take it everyday. In fact, it looks like it works best when you keep taking it for 10 weeks or so… That gives your body time to reset and normalize.

I’ll stand by it no matter what. If you try it and don’t like the results I’ll immediately refund your money. No questions asked. That way I take all the risk and you get the opportunity of a lifetime: a lean, trim body.

But don’t wait.

With everything going on this new batch will fly out the door.

Click HERE to get yours now.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

It might surprise you to learn that nearly 85 percent of coronary bypass surgeries are done unnecessarily. But at nearly $60,000 per surgery it’s certainly easy to see why. Since almost 70 percent of the U.S. population has some sort of heart disease—related treatments, surgeries, and drugs line the pockets of mainstream medicine and big pharma. It ultimately puts your health at risk and this infuriates me.

That’s why I wrote my book the Doctor’s Heart Cure and why I’m always on the look out for credible and actionable alternative heart information as well as allies in the fight. And my friend Dr. Michael Cutler is on the front lines. As a medical doctor in private practice, he’s seen the devastation of heart disease first hand.

Here’s a tip I bet you’ve never heard of… you can lower your triglyceride levels with white bean extract! This simple vegetable blocks sugars from being absorbed and digested. One study showed that it lowered triglycerides by an average of 26 mg/dL.

Plus, white bean extract has an added benefit. Those who took it lost on average four pounds. Dr. Cutler suggests you take 1,500 mg of white bean extract twice a day.

He recommends other breakthrough treatments you can use to strengthen your heart, including:

• How a certain tree resin from India prevents the build-up of plaque in your arteries.
• The “sugar cane cure” that helps lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• The ginger spice that blocks cholesterol absorption in your intestines.
• And, how a tasty “lemonade cleanse” can lower your blood pressure.

Dr. Cutler’s medical briefing A Doctor’s Treasury of Hushed Up Natural Heart Cures and Deadly Deceptions of Popular Heart Treatments blows the lid off mainstream medicine’s popular assembly line heart treatments. In his urgent report, you’ll find little known ways you can avoid a heart attack, unclog your arteries (before you experience a heart or brain related disaster), reverse heart disease, and even restore a failing heart without surgery, doctors, or drugs.

Plus, get the tools you need to see if your heart’s at risk, such as:

• The heart attack predictor—this test accurately predicts whether or not you’ll have a heart attack in the next five years. It measures the presence of a seemingly harmless mineral that sticks to the walls of your arteries. Score above 400 and I suggest you see your doctor immediately!
• The simple and safe blood test that helps you diagnose heart failure.
• Plus, why allergies can increase your risk of having hardening of the arteries and what exactly what you can do about it.

In Dr. Cutler’s special medical briefing, he’ll explain in detail the six deadly heart deceptions you must know about if you want to keep your heart pumping for years to come. Don’t listen to conventional medicine… there are alternatives to dangerous surgery and harmful medications. To find out more, I recommend you read Dr. Cutler’s free special report.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD