Top natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, however, refuses to buy the whole calcium story. “The first myth is that osteoporosis is due to a calcium deficiency. As you’ll soon see, that’s not simply the case,” he says, warning against the many dangers of osteoporosis:

• Fragility
• Low bone mass
• Structural deterioration of bone tissue
• Increased fracture risks

Exposing the Calcium Lie
The Calcium Lie, authored by Dr Robert Thompson M.D., tackles this myth. The book states that the bone is made up of at least a dozen minerals, and that a focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and even increase osteoporosis risks!

“Dr. Thompson believes that the overconsumption of calcium in the goal of preventing osteoporosis creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will also increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Mercola says.

He also adds that a recent study presents another link, reporting that exercise, not calcium, builds strong bones among teenagers.

The Danger of Drugs
Another wrong notion on osteoporosis, says Dr. Mercola, is that it should be treated with bisfosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Actonel, or Boniva, which he says are “dangerous and loaded with side effects.”

“This is one of the worst strategies for treating this condition, because even though it will increase your bone density, it is a poison!” reveals Dr. Mercola, explaining that such osteoporosis drugs work by killing certain cells in the bones called osteoclasts.

When this happens, he adds, cells die off and only bone-building osteoblasts are left. “Hence you get bigger bone that is denser, but NOT stronger. Your bones actually become weaker, and in the long term increase your risk of developing a fracture,” he says.

Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis the Safe, Natural Way
Dr. Mercola asserts that despite the dangers of osteoporosis, you can still build healthy bones and a better, osteoporosis-free self.

1. Eat right. Resist processed foods. Eat high-quality, organic food that is biodynamic and locally grown. Avoid certain stuff like gluten – a specific protein in many grains like wheat, barley, and rye, to name a few – because it’s been shown to decrease bone density.
2. Go down the Omega-3 route. Omega-3 fats help build healthy bones. Dr. Mercola specifically recommends krill oil, a superior Omega-3 source. Another concern is to balance out your Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio and reduce consumption of processed vegetable oils.
3. Fight the disease with Vitamin K! Dr. Mercola says that potent disease-fighting Vitamin K2 supplements are beneficial in warding off osteoporosis. Vitamin K holds a number of benefits, including improved bone density and aid against arterial calcification, coronary heart disease, and heart failure
4. Vitamin D for defense. Potentially fighting a number of conditions, optimized Vitamin D levels might as well be beneficial for building bone density and strength.
5. Exercise your way to better bones. Weight-bearing exercises contribute to strong, healthy bones. “Remember, bone-building is a dynamic process, so you want to make sure you exert enough force on your bones to stimulate the osteoblasts to build new bone,” Dr. Mercola advises.

Among the many health myths that perpetrate popular consciousness is that eggs are bad for your heart. The real dish, however, is that this food doesn’t only decrease heart disease risks, but also hold a number of health benefits.

Eggs Are Not Bad For Your Heart or Cholesterol

An Int’l Journal of Cardiology March 2005 study reveals that in healthy adults, eating eggs every day DID NOT produce (1) a negative effect on endothelial function, an aggregate measure of cardiac risk, and (2) an increase in cholesterol levels.

The researchers studied 49 adults, assigning them to eat two eggs or oats every day for six weeks. Through this, they assessed the effect of egg and oat ingestion on endothelial function.

The specific findings say that six weeks of:

• Egg consumption had no effect on LDL or total cholesterol

• Oat ingestion significantly lowered levels of both LDL and total cholesterol

Thinking Healthy? Eggs Are the Way to Go

Top natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola agrees that eggs improve bad cholesterol.

Dr. Mercola also refutes the popular believe that eggs are not good for you. He specifically points to raw eggs as the healthy way to go.
“I am a fond proponent of using raw eggs as a major food in your diet. Raw whole eggs are a phenomenally inexpensive and an incredible source of high-quality nutrients – protein and fat, for instance – that many of us are deficient in,” Dr. Mercola says.

Selecting your eggs, however, is a different story and requires the following insights:

• Choose free-range organic eggs. Check the box or labels to know that you’re getting only the healthy eggs.
• Omega-3 on your eggs is a plus! Though unnecessary in your eggs, Omega-3 may hold additional benefits.
• If possible, contact the company producing your healthy eggs.  As eggs are only organic when the chicken is fed organic food, you can double-check and ask your supplier. You wouldn’t want the chicken source to be fed with grains that have high, bioaccumulated levels of pesticides. If flaxseed is used to increase the Omega-3 fats, it won’t be as beneficial as when the chicken is fed seaweed or kelp with beneficial DHA and EPA.
• Purchase eggs directly from farmers. Dr. Mercola recommends this for ensured quality. If this isn’t possible, then organic eggs from the store would be the next best option.
• It is wise NOT to refrigerate your eggs. “If you have ever been to Europe or South America and gone into the grocery stores you will know that this is commonly done in those countries,” says Dr. Mercola.

Eggs are probably one of the most demonized foods in the United States, mainly because of the misguided idea implied by the lipid hypothesis that eating egg yolk increases the cholesterol levels in your body.

Because of the unhealthy egg myth, American egg consumption has gone down in the last 40 years. If you still believe this old wives’ tale, you’re missing out on the important health benefits that the egg provides, not to mention, a great breakfast.

Numerous nutritional studies have dispelled the myth that you should avoid eating eggs. A study conducted by the Yale Prevention Research Center showed that egg consumption did not have a negative effect on endothelial function – a measure of cardiac risk – and did not cause a spike on cholesterol levels. The participants of the Yale study ate two eggs per day for a period of six weeks.

A new study from the University of Alberta found that proteins in fried and boiled eggs may actually help decrease blood pressure. The researchers used a model stomach and small intestine to recreate the conditions of acidity, temperature and enzymes found in a human digestive system.

They then sent fried and boiled eggs through the simulation and discovered that the egg proteins can be converted into peptides with a special function known as ACE-inhibiting activity. ACE inhibitors block the conversion of a compound which constricts blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure. The fried egg proteins displayed better ACE-inhibition abilities than boiled egg proteins, which could be attributed to the higher cooking temperatures for fried eggs, and the more even distribution of the heat.

Looking beyond the egg-cholesterol controversy and to set the record straight, what are the benefits of eating eggs?

Believe It: Eggs Are Good For You

Why are eggs a healthy food? Here are the benefits of including eggs into your diet:

• One egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids

• Eggs are one of the few foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D (24.5 grams).

• Eggs are good for your eyes because they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants found in your lens and retina. These two compounds help protect your eyes from damage caused by free radicals and avoid eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Eggs are a good source of choline (one egg contains about 300 micrograms), a member of the vitamin B family essential for the normal function of human cells and helps regulate the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Choline is especially beneficial for pregnant mothers as it is influences normal brain development of the unborn child.

• Eggs may help prevent breast cancer. A study shows that women who ate at least 6 eggs weekly reduced their risk of breast cancer by 44 percent.

• Eggs may help promote healthy hair and nails due to their high sulphur content

• Eggs also contain biotin, calcium, copper, folate, iodine, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, potassium, selenium, sodium, thiamine, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin E and zinc.

Now that you have an idea of the benefits of eating eggs, it’s time to learn …

The Best Way to Consume Eggs

Dr. Mercola recommends separating the egg yolks from the whites, eat the yolk raw and cook the whites. He explains that if you eat the whole egg raw or just raw egg white, you may not get enough biotin (vitamin B7), which is needed to form fatty acids and glucose for the production of energy in your body. Biotin also helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Egg yolks contain biotin but egg whites also contain a protein that blocks the absorption of biotin, so it’s not a good idea to eat the whole egg raw.

Salmonella is not an issue when it comes to eating raw eggs because only one in every 30,000 eggs is contaminated with the virus. That’s 0.003 percent of the estimated 69 billion eggs produced annually in the U.S. Eggs infected with salmonella are rare because chickens with infected ovaries tend to stop laying eggs.

If you don’t like eating raw eggs, it’s best to soft boil them instead. Avoid scrambled eggs because scrambling them will oxidize the cholesterol in the egg yolk. Also, egg protein is easily damaged by mixing or blending.

Choose free-range organic eggs. It’s best to directly buy your eggs from a local farmer.

Dr. Mercola also strongly advises you to avoid omega-3 eggs because they are actually less healthy and is not the proper way to optimize your omega-3 levels. The hens are usually fed poor-quality sources of omega-3 fats that are already oxidized. Also, omega-3 eggs are more perishable than non-omega-3 eggs.

You also don’t need to refrigerate your eggs because they tend to lose some of their nutritional value this way.

So, does eating more than one egg a day keep the doctor away? There’s no need to go that far because it’s always best to eat something in moderation, even for health foods.

Not everyone is born with Albert Einstein’s noggin so we can all use some tips to help our brains function better. For an athlete preparing for a crucial game or completion, a teenager studying for an exam, a dad trying to beat a deadline at work, or a mom managing household duties and helping the kids with the homework, it pays to be in tip-top shape mentally.

Taking care of your brain could also help you avoid Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses in your old age. Here are some of the brain boosting habits that I’ve compiled:

1. Exercise – Yes, you need to work out a sweat because since more than 20 percent of your body’s blood and oxygen go directly to your brain, exercise, particularly cardiovascular workouts like running, effectively increases blood circulation in your brain. It’s also worth to try Yoga because many Yoga poses are specifically designed to get blood flowing to your brain faster.

2. Hydrate – Drinking a lot of water is one of the simplest ways to keep your mind alert and refreshed. Coconut juice is also a natural way to hydrate. Forget about the coffee and soda – caffeine may make you feel more alert at first but it will actually make you even more tired by dehydrating your muscles and constricting your blood vessels.

3. Rest – Go get some zzzs. As Jason Bourne said, “Sleep is a weapon.” Almost nothing compares to the benefits of sleep to proper and efficient brain function.

4. Eat Brain Food – Eat protein-rich foods because protein is the main fuel for your brain. Your brain also needs crucial vitamins and minerals, including:
• Vitamin A – vital in protecting brain cell membranes
• B Vitamins – for neuron growth and vitality
• Vitamin C – has levels in your brain that are 15 times higher than anywhere else in your body because it is crucial in brain function
• Vitamin E – helps prevents brain deterioration
• Magnesium – maintains the metabolic viability of neurons
• Zinc – cleanses impurities in your brain
• Amino Acids – vital in the growth and health of neurotransmitters

5. Optimize your Omega-3 levels – Omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are found in fish oil, help maintain dopamine levels in your brain, increases neuron growth in the frontal cortex of the brain and enhances cerebral circulation. Add Omega-3-rich fish like wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, lake trout, herring and mackerel to your diet. Krill oil is another excellent source of omega-3, and may even be superior to fish oil.

6. Eat Weeds – Ginkgo biloba and ginseng are two of the most important brain-boosting herbs. Ginkgo biloba has a blood-thinning  effect which increases cerebral blood flow and helps protect your brain from degeneration while ginseng increases the productivity of your adrenal glands to help the brain adapt to stress agents.

7. Stimulate – Work through boredom and stress by decorating your work area with bright colors. Try switching your font color to something more vivid. Smell is the strongest of senses so it will also be good to try aromatherapy. Scents like lemon, peppermint, and cypress are known to stimulate the brain.

8. Think Positive and Happy Thoughts – Your brain, particularly your memory, is vulnerable to stress. Try to minimize stress in your home and workplace because if you are always tense or unhappy, you’re much less likely to retain information or stay alert.

9. Play Games – Studies on dementia patients show that playing word games and puzzles can increase and even restore mental cognitive abilities.

10. Watch TV – quality TV – Studies show that passively sitting in front of the boobtube is counterproductive. So if you can’t avoid being a couch potato, do your brain a favor by watching game or quiz shows like Jeopardy and try to answer the questions. It’s like playing Trivial Pursuit with your friends.

11. Surf the Net – A recent study done at the University of California Los Angeles revealed that Net surfing stimulated brain areas that control decision-making and complex reasoning.

12. Challenge your brain – Unused parts of the brain stop working so learn something new. Read a new book. Study a new language. Try cooking the latest recipes or challenge yourself with an unfamiliar subject because these activities all increase brain growth and wake up new areas.

13. Time management – Organize your life better. Make the most of your time each day. Keep a list of daily and long-term priorities so you don’t get out of focus.

14. Actively Improve your Memory – The most effective way to remember facts is by forming multiple associations. For example, you may remember the date of your friend’s birthday because that number was also Michael Jordan’s jersey number. Repetition is also a tried and tested method of memorization.

15. Have Sex – A number of activities happen to your body during sex, and a lot of it actually goes on inside your brain. There is no other activity that increases more blood flow to your brain. Sex also produces hormones that dramatically improve brain functions. The hormone oxytocin increases your ability to think of original solutions to a problem. Serotonin and dopamine, which surge after sex, enhances your creative thinking and supports calm and logical decision-making.

Remember, human mental health usually declines before the age of 40. We must take measures to keep our brains healthy, no matter what age.