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…)

These best-selling SAMe supplements do a lot more than boost your mood.

Some supplements seem to be a victim of their own success; they become so well-known for one thing, that any other good things about them  are overlooked. We’ve recently been talking about some of these multi-purpose supplements like glutamine, alpha lipoic acid and coconut oil. Another supplement we could add to this group is SAMe.  Most people think “depression” when they hear the word SAMe (which is pronounced “sammy”), and that makes sense since it’s one the very best and fastest-acting mood boosters.  But there’s a few other really great benefits to taking SAMe that make it something almost anyone can benefit from. By adding SAMe to your regimen, you’ll be enhancing and protecting your health in ways that basic supplements like multis and fish oil cannot.  You’ll feel SAMe working within the first few doses, especially where mood and joint comfort are concerned.  But you certainly don’t have to be depressed to use SAMe. It’s gone way down in price and way up in popularity since it was introduced in the 90’s, so let’s take another look at SAMe and see if it’s something you might want to use, too. (more…)

A best-selling glutamine powder from NOW Foods.

Some supplements really do a lot for the time, money and trouble you go to take them. We’ve recently been discussing a few of them here such as alpha lipoic acid and coconut oil. Another good one is the amino acid L-glutamine. Strictly speaking, glutamine supplements are not usually clinically or nutritionally essential, but there are limits to how much the body can produce and how much can be obtained from food.  So since glutamine supports so many critical functions and structures in the body - muscle mass,  immune function, pH balance and many others - millions of people use daily glutamine supplements to support overall health by ensuring that there’s there’s plenty of glutamine  to go around at all times. (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…)

Your world's a toxic place, unfortunately. Land......

Along with losing weight, joining a gym and giving up smoking, another popular New Year idea is undergoing a detox program of some kind. (more…)

Cleansing products from NOW, Nature's Way and Yerba Prima

Q:  We’ve noticed the many different cleansing products available now and have a few supplement-using friends that strongly advocate cleanses.  We wonder if you could give us a little guidance on choosing the best one?

A:  We get quite a few questions about cleansing products; Do I need one? What are the differences between cleansing products? How do I go about choosing a product?  Here’s an overview of cleansing products and what they can and can’t do for you. (more…)