Dr. Mercola: The Mineral That Helps Fight Fatigue, Stress, Pain, Cancer, and Wrinkles, Too — “With age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkling of skin, stiff muscles and painful joints. A shortage of sulfur…”

The Mineral That Helps Fight Fatigue, Stress, Pain, Cancer, and Wrinkles, Too

By Dr. Mercola

Sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in your body, after calcium and phosphorous. It’s an important mineral element that you get almost wholly through dietary proteins, yet it’s been over 20 years since the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) issued its last update on recommended daily allowances (RDA) for it.

In a study examining critical elements about how sulfur works in the body, researchers say the importance of this mineral may be underestimated, and that it’s possible that we may not be getting enough of it.

The Importance of Sulfur

Close to half of the sulfur in your body can be found in your muscles, skin and bones, but it does much more than benefit just these three areas. It plays important roles in many bodily systems.

Sulfur bonds are required for proteins to maintain their shape, and these bonds determine the biological activity of the proteins. For example, as explained in the featured MSM newsletter, hair and nails consists of a tough protein called keratin, which is high in sulfur, whereas connective tissue and cartilage contain proteins with flexible sulfur bonds, giving the structure its flexibility. With age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkling of skin, stiff muscles and painful joints.

A shortage of sulfur likely contributes to these age-related problems.

[…]

MSM, an Organic Form of Sulfur

Methylsulfonylmethane, commonly known by its acronym, MSM, is not a drug. It’s an organic form of sulfur and a potent antioxidant, naturally found in many plants. While MSM is an important source of organic sulfur, it also has other unique properties. Common health complaints associated with low concentrations of MSM in your body include:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• High sensitivity to physical and psychological stress
• Degenerative diseases

MSM’s ability to neutralize inflammation is one of the greatest, and one of the most inexpensive, discoveries in the health field, and is thought to be particularly beneficial in the prevention of heart disease. It has been shown to break down the plaque in your arteries, which is associated with chronic inflammation.

Other health benefits associated with MSM include:

Reducing chronic pain	Improving cellular uptake of many nutrients including vitamins A, B, C, D, E, amino acids, selenium, calcium, magnesium, coenzyme Q10	Preventing cancer	Reducing or eliminating muscle soreness and cramps
Detoxification	Alleviating symptoms of allergies	Anti-parasitic action against Giardia, Trichomonas, roundworms, nematodes, Enterobius and other intestinal worms	Improving lung function by allowing your body to more effectively take up oxygen
Preventing neurological disease by repairing oxidative damage and restoring cell membrane elasticity and permeability	Preventing and reducing symptoms of autoimmune diseases by fighting chronic inflammation	Preventing diabetes by promoting healthy insulin function	Increasing strength and endurance, and reducing stress

Entire Article Here

Related:

Avoid knee surgery — glucosamine plus the SAME AMOUNT of MSM (Schiff states this is the clinically tested amount, and it works!) — available at Costco

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer (Seasonal Ale)

Snow Cap Winter Warmer is an awesome beer, and is absolutely a “get it while you can” item, sold only during winter months until it’s gone.

This doesn’t taste like a typical winter ale, which are often fairly bitter and sometimes even sweet.

I was surprised to discover that Snow Cap tastes somewhat like a porter. It’s probably made with at least some roasted barley, just the right amount, less than what a porter would have.

If I was Pyramid, I’d sell this year round, calling it something else. I think it’s a nearly perfect beer in the darker beer style, including having enough but not too much hops. Very balanced.

And for only about 1 dollar a bottle, it’s a really good deal. Comes in a case of 24.

Highly recommended!

jeff

P.S.: I just looked it up. I hadn’t recognized the chocolate, and it’s interesting that the chocolate is roasted.

From: pyramidbrew.com…

Deep mahogany in color, our full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion.

Original Gravity: 17.3

Alcohol by Volume: 7.0%

IBU: 47

Malts:
2-Row Barley, Caramel 80L, Chocolate Malt

Hops:
Nugget, Willamette, East Kent Goldings

Availability:
October – December

Pairings:
Shellfish, rich game and even rich chocolatey desserts

Costco “get it while you can” update

The previously mentioned and awesome Marie Morin crème brûlée is back in stock at least at the Dimond Costco in Anchorage. And I did find out from the clerk that it is a new addition to this store, which I had thought; though, some stores in the lower 48 had this tremendous delight for years.

Ground bison has jumped up in price from $14.99 to $22.99. Yikes! I’m glad I stocked up while I could, but this really quite the price hike, just like that!

Got them while I could: Moose Creek cotton-flannel lined jeans – $18.99

I’ve been waiting for Costco to get more, but they just don’t seem to be. There are only about 1 dozen pairs left, and they’re all 40 and 42 waist sizes. I bought 5 while I could in autumn, and will probably wear these every day this winter and next. I just love them, not being a big fan of long underwear unless absolutely necessary.

I’m surprised they’re not getting more in stock, since it’s only November, but if I see more I’ll let you know. They’re made in Cambodia by the way, and they’re fairly loose fitting and run a tad short in length.

Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate Assortment

Thankfully, they dropped the probably almost-void-of-nutrition milk chocolate pieces, so I thought I’d try them again. But these seem to have less of the rich dark chocolate that the previous ones had, and they are just too sweet to be extraordinarily healthy.

They don’t taste like “Wow!” — more like “Yuck.” Maybe they’re not made with the more unrefined, true dark chocolate. Or worse, maybe they’re made with the new GMO chocolate. I hope not. See:Chocolate’s Getting Jacked: 70% of World’s Raw Chocolate Soon To Be Genetically Modified. Not recommended.

The current brand of frozen blueberries — blahsville

Not worth getting. The antioxidant capability can’t be much, because their flavor is really blah. They don’t have a strong chemical flavor (pesticides?) like a previous brand. The brand before the chemical tasting brand was excellent, though. That’s how things roll at Costco. A lot of it is up to the buyers and how low the sellers are willing to go.

Organic frozen kernel corn — good!

I recommend the frozen kernel corn they’ve had for awhile now — grown in Oregon, organic, and tasty! Don’t overcook (it’s already cooked) or you’ll spoil the good-for-you corn oil. Good with some freshly cracked pepper.

That’s all for now, except, by the way, don’t go through the naked body scanners. Why not is thoroughly explained in my posts on this subject at ToBeFree. Click on the Naked Body Scanners topic in the Categories pull-down menu.

Power to the peaceful!

Jeff : )

Costco’s Male Castration and Breast Cancer Producing Bun Heater

I’ve written a lot of good things about Costco in this blog. The CEO has implemented some of John Wooden’s management strategies, and it shows. I’m thankful.

But Costco isn’t all rosy. Here are a few examples.

They keep track of all purchases on a permanent database.

Signs at check-out lanes tell customers to leave heavy items in the cart, but then management makes the cashiers transfer every single heavy item (some items weighing as much as the cashier!) into a different cart, and often these items are just inches off of the floor. They’d rather see employees injured than lose some revenue from some items that slip by not paid for?

The love of $money$ is alive and well at Costco. Look at this:

Here is a photo of their male castration/breast cancer producing bun heater. I used to enjoy the inexpensive Polish dogs with sauerkraut, onion, red pepper flakes and gourmet mustard until I noticed this.

They heat the buns in the bun heater right in the plastic bags, and they can’t claim ignorance because the truth about bisphenol A is widely known.

BPA contamination doesn’t get much worse than this: buns in soft BPA-plastic + heat + time.

Yum!

11/23/10

Here is the truth about what they’re doing from one of my BPA posts at ToBeFree:

Bisphenol A is found in most plastic food containers today. Not only is it found in plastic containers, but also in the lining of most cans. BPA is essentially a synthetic estrogen that enters the body when one consumes food or beverages out of plastic or plastic-lined containers. This is not only harmful to the male reproductive system, but has been found to also stimulate breast cancer growth in women. Knowing this, it should be of no surprise that the sperm count of the average Western male is on a steady decline as many males are becoming more and more feminine. What most people don’t know is that Bisphenol A was actually considered as the form of estrogen to be used in estrogen pills going back to the 1930s.

Another article:

Toxic BPA is present in virtually all canned foods and beverages – and the levels are even higher than in plastic bottles. BPA has been linked to an increase in the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease

Related:

All 250 of my Health posts at ToBeFree

 

Crème Brulée at Costco

It may not be a new item, but I haven’t seen it before. My guess is that it’s new to Anchorage.

I found the Marie Morin crème brûlée in an end-cap of the shelved refrigerator unit near the specialty cheese case, in the meat section at the Dimond location.

A writer states:

Not only are the crème brûlée desserts themselves wonderfully delectable but the individual servings come in a cute little glass dish. The cups are easy to prepare in either the microwave or under the broiler in just minutes and are delightfully tasty. Or you can go the more traditional route and use a chef torch.

We get 6 cups for $10, which is reasonable considering the incredible flavor and what just one would cost in a restaurant, if they had something this good (I’ve never had a desert this good in a restaurant, but then I don’t eat out much, and when I do I rarely order deserts). And if we were to make our own, the video below shows what is required. Marie Morin must use a very high quality vanilla, because one of these with a home-brewed espresso really hits the spot.

Also, I’m tossing the caramel sugar packets, which probably have no food value, so they really don’t need to be cooked at all (purpose was to melt the sugar). And yes, I do believe this desert does have significant food value. Vanilla of this quality is very healthy, and we also need saturated fats. See link: Why people pig out on ice cream — Craving naturally SATURATED fats that they told us are unhealthy

Highly recommended.

If we were to make our own:

Costco California Style

They eat outside down there

10/30/10

Costco food court

Goleta, California

Bella San Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes, 2 lb. for $7.75 — A Tasty BPA-Free Alternative

When I moved to Alaska in 1980, there were only a few things that shocked me. In the grocery stores, the price of milk was double (it no longer is), and the tomatoes were tasteless and not even red. They’re picked when they’re still almost green so they can make the long journey northward by dogsled : )

Many now buy hot house tomatoes. They’re red, but they don’t taste that good either, probably because they’re void of nutrients from NPK fertilizer (nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium – the 3 out of 70 minerals that make crops look good and grow well). Most crops are extremely deficient in nutrients. If veges don’t taste great they’re probably mineral deficient, and probably not that good for you. And this can happen with ‘organic’ products too.

The product I’m recommending here, Bella San Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes is probably also grown with NPK fertilizer, but it’s probably going to pick up more minerals from the rainwater than the hot house tomatoes will. And they can be picked ripe, because transport isn’t a factor. They’re full of flavor.

But the main reason I’m recommending this product is the lack of bisphenol A (BPA), the synthetic female hormone that almost all plastic is made with, which lines almost every ‘tin’ can, which is causing serious physical affects. And the acid in tomatoes leach the BPA from the can lining more than do most foods.

So it’s important to avoid canned tomatoes as much as possible. I still use tomato paste some, but I’m using these sun dried tomatoes more and more. I’m totally avoiding regular canned tomatoes. The average male in America has about half of the testosterone of our ancestors. Fluoridated water, soy, and bovine growth hormone are also factors. But this BPA-in-can-linings one is huge!

These sun dried tomatoes are packed in glass and in olive oil, which is non-GMO. They have a lot of flavor, and are a good bargain price-wise as well – 2 pounds for $7.75.

Highly recommended.

Incidentally, when Costco has them, the small, grape (size) tomatoes actually taste like real tomatoes, in my experience, but they’re spendy, compared to this alternative.

jeff

Related:

Toxic BPA is present in virtually all canned foods and beverages – and the levels are even higher than in plastic bottles. BPA has been linked to an increase in the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease

Whimping out America! Canned foods are full of sex hormones leached from the plastic linings, made of synthetic estrogen, bisphenol A. “There are 700 published, scientific studies…that the FDA has never gotten around to looking at.”

All 244 of my Health posts at ToBeFree

Selenium: Costco, “got it while I could” — Skin elasticity key ingredient!

I discovered almost 30 years ago the huge benefits of selenium. I haven’t talked much about it at ToBeFree because the FDA is out to get anyone who claims anything from natural products.

I’ll just say that the soils are deficient in selenium, and the most common fertilizers put only three minerals back into the soil, NPK. And environmental toxins require selenium and other antioxidants to clean them out of the body.

Costco used to have large bottles of Schiff (a real health food store brand that works) selenium for cheap, $6 or $7. We thankfully can still purchase vitamins and minerals over the counter (the FDA and Big Pharma want to control everything — the love of money), but selenium has gone way up in price, especially compared to what this bargain at Costco was.

So I’m mainly taking brewer’s yeast instead, which is high in selenium, B vitamins and other minerals and trace minerals (Just because something is a trace mineral doesn’t mean it’s not essential).

I actually take this mostly: KAL Nutritional Yeast (500 tablets). I won’t say how much I take. The FDA is diabolical — but if you email me I will (email is at About Jeff Fenske, top–right).

Selenium is one of the keys to skin elasticity. See: Selenium: A Trace Mineral With Antiaging Properties

I probably would have gone into some kind of natural healing profession, helping people understand what and how many nutrients to take, but the FDA is like a tiger ready to pounce on anyone not promoting Big Pharma’s mostly reverse-healing practices.

I think sulfur is another key missing ingredient in most people’s diets, and just posted this: Avoid knee surgery — glucosamine plus the same amount of MSM (Schiff states this is the clinically tested amount, and it works!)

I’ve also thought that restaurants could do really well, showcasing foods that have nutrients that people lack.

Why do you think roasted garlic and carmalized onions are used so much in fine restaurants? Someday, I may post my take on Emeril’s roasted garlic mash potatoes recipe.

And why do people crave shellfish? It’s super-high in iodine, but sea kelp is loaded with it, and is much cheaper.

To your health. I get tired of seeing friends deteriorating long before their time, deceived by BIG Pharma’s BIG money lies. They won’t promote anything they can’t make big money in, unless they’re finally shamed into it through the overwhelming evidence, like vitamin D, which many of us knew about 30 years ago.

Jeff : )

Related:

Mike Adams ‘The Health Ranger’ in-Studio: FDA, The Most Dangerous Agency in Government!

All of my Health articles at ToBeFree

All of my BIG Pharma articles at ToBeFree