Long-term abuse of alcohol wreaks havoc on brain and liver health.

An interesting study suggests that extracts of 2 common kitchen herbs are potent alcohol-detoxifying agents that could protect the liver and brain from the kind of damage that accrues with continuous alcohol abuse.  (more…)

Curcumin supplements are good for you. Unless you smoke.

In a study reminiscent of the back-and-forth over whether beta carotene increases lung cancer risk in smokers or not, a study now suggests that curcumin too can increase the risk of lung cancer development when cancer-promoting factors like smoking, or a history of smoking, are present.  As a possible mechanism for this effect, the researchers suggested that curcumin may  promote cancer in smokers by accelerating the formation of free radicals in damaged lung tissue.

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Alpha lipoic acid: Your Swiss Army Knife Supplement

With all the economic belt-tightening going on, lots of people are trimming down their supplement regimens.  When it comes to getting to most bang for your supplement buck, there are few that hold a candle to alpha lipoic acid.  Using inexpensive alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is like getting 3 or more supplements in one.  You won’t believe how many different things ALA can do for you, but you’re about to find out in today’s AllStarHealth blog. (more…)

You do need exercise and fresh air, gas masks are optional.

In Part One of AllStarHealth.com’s New Year Detox Guide, we laid down the basic principles of detoxification.  As we said near the beginning of that article, there’s no universally agreed-upon definition of or approach to detoxification, and the range of options and opinions runs the gamut from legitimate and useful to outright scam.

The BBC picked up on this theme with a story on today, but their headline is misleading when it says (more…)

For healthy-looking skin, what goes into your body is more important than what goes on it.

People spend billions of dollars each year on skin care products of every description, all in hopes of achieving clearer, healthier or younger-looking skin.  But before you spend another dime on an overpriced/overhyped moisturizer, think about this; any skin you can see is dead tissue, and as such, there isn’t much you can put on it to make meaningful, long term changes in its health or appearance.  To achieve that, you’ve got to cultivate good skin from the inside out. Here’s your simplified guide to good-skin nutrition. (more…)

Peroxide lighteners and dyes chemically damage hair. A new study shows how alpha lipoic acid protects hair when formulated into hair dyes. Huge implications for that industry.

If you’re one of the millions of people who use commercial hair dyes to lighten or perm your hair, you  already know that the peroxide in those products damages your hair. A new study shows that by adding an inexpensive antioxidant to a peroxide hair dye, the hair is protected without affecting the results. This is a golden opportunity for that industry to launch a new generation of better, healthier products. (more…)