How to Grow Beets, and Why You Should

By Dr. Mercola Beets are easy to grow in your garden or a pot, can be used in multiple ways in your food and are packed with vitamins and anti-inflammatory properties. In other words, it's a plant you might consider this summer as you're planning your garden. I include about 1 to 2 ounces of raw beets in my smoothie each day, in addition to taking a fermented beet root powder supplement. However, if you have diabetes or are insulin resistant, carefully monitor how raw beet juice affects your overall health, as 36 percent of each beet is simple sugars. This high sugar content can also make raw beets and beet juice counterproductive during the initial transitioning phase of a ketogenic diet as you're trying to get your body to burn fat instead of sugar as a primary fuel. I detail this process in my book, "Fat for Fuel." In these instances, fermented beet juice, also known as beet kvass, may be a far preferable option, as virtually all of the sugar is eliminated during the fermentation p
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How to Grow Cucumbers in Your Garden or Container

By Dr. Mercola Cucumbers are one of my most highly recommended vegetables, and if you have a garden, you can easily grow them at home.1,2, 3 Aside from being able to control pesticide and fertilizer use, you’ll also avoid the wax applied to many commercially sold cucumbers. There are dozens of varieties that thrive in both cool and warm climates, although they can be a challenge to grow if temperatures are consistently in the mid-90s. While made up of 90 to 95 percent water, cucumbers still manage to provide a host of valuable nutrients, including vitamins A, B5, C and K, along with manganese, potassium, magnesium, molybdenum, copper, silica and fiber. Cucumbers also contain lignans that bind with estrogen-related bacteria in the digestive tract, contributing to a reduced risk of several cancers, including breast, uterus, ovarian and prostate cancer.4 Other phytonutrients called cucurbitacins — part of a larger group known as triterpenes, and the part of the cucumber that gives it
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Breathing Exercises Can Help Control High Blood Pressure

By Dr. Mercola One in 3 American adults have high blood pressure (hypertension).1 An equally large segment of the adult population has prehypertension, meaning your pressure is higher than normal but not high enough to qualify as hypertension. Nearly 1 in 4 American adults also reports feeling extremely stressed,2,3 and these two conditions — stress and hypertension — tend to go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, this connection still does not receive the emphasis it deserves. Many breathing experts also agree that 9 out of 10 people breathe poorly, which negatively impacts both your stress level and your blood pressure. The good news is that correcting your breathing can help alleviate both of these conditions. Dr John Kennedy, cardiologist and author of “The 15-Minute Heart Cure: The Natural Way to Release Stress and Heal Your Heart in Just Minutes a Day,” featured on “The Doctors” in 2011 (above), developed a breathing and creative visualization technique that can be done any
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Orange Essential Oil Could Help PTSD

By Dr. Mercola Just like the name implies, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stress-related disorder. It may develop after exposure to any intense, frightening or stress-filled event or ordeal. PTSD is most often linked to a traumatic accident, act of violence, military-combat experience or disaster. Experts suggest nearly 8 million adults in the U.S. suffer from PTSD, a condition which historically has been difficult to treat.1 Antidepressants such as Effexor, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft are the most commonly prescribed drugs for PTSD, but their effectiveness varies widely. As with all pharmaceutical drugs, these medications carry with them the potential for harmful side effects. Due to their dangers, as well as the reality that research has shown placebos to be as effective as some prescription drugs, I would like to draw your attention to research suggesting a potential natural treatment for PTSD. Specifically, scientists at George Washington University have sugge
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Ashwagandha for Cognitive Function

By Dr. Mercola Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herb that's been an important part of Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. Literally translated from its Sanskrit roots, ashwagandha means "smells like a horse," which may hint more at its essence than its actual smell. It's suggested by some Ayurvedic health practitioners that the herb was so named because it provides the strength and stamina of a horse. Meanwhile, its species name, somnifera, is a nod to its sedative properties.1 While ashwagandha is sometimes referred to as Ayurvedic or Indian ginseng,2 it is not in the ginseng family. The ashwagandha plant is a shrub with yellow-green flowers and orange-red berries native to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The leaves and root are most often used medicinally. According to Ayurvedic tradition, ashwagandha is considered a rasayana herb, which means it may promote youth and longevity while alleviating suffering. It's a broad but fitting description, as this herb has a wide range
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How Does Air Pollution Attack Your Heart?

By Dr. Mercola Nearly 92 percent of the world are breathing air that doesn’t meet the World Health Organization standards for clean air.1 But, your body is dependent on the air you breathe to sustain health and life. Scientists know that poor air quality contributes to serious damage to your heart, lungs and other organ systems, significantly shortening your life. Both indoor and outdoor air are often dangerously polluted, although with different toxins. Air pollution is a significant health risk, leading to the death of over 6.5 million people worldwide each year, according to a new study from the International Energy Agency.2 The report estimates that premature deaths caused by outdoor pollution will rise from 3 million to 4.5 million by 2040. Although many deaths occur in developing nations, a study from MIT attributes 200,000 early deaths in the U.S. to air pollution, the primary source of which in this study were vehicle emissions.3 Steven Barrett, study author and assistant pr
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Unveiling the Glyphosate Conspiracy

By Dr. Mercola Conspiracy — "a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful." Discussing conspiracies is one of the fastest ways to be labeled a nut job, but the fact of the matter is that conspiracies do happen. And, by definition, conspiracies typically involve and result in something that is far from honorable or life-saving. Toxic industries have a long history of conspiring against the public good, and lately we've been seeing more and more proof of this reality in regard to toxic pesticides. Of course, I'm talking about glyphosate, and Roundup in particular — Monsanto's flagship product. Over the years, Monsanto has been accused of — and in some cases found guilty of — lying about and/or covering up the harmful effects of Roundup. Then, in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the "gold standard" in carcinogenicity research, found glyphosate is a "probable human carcinogen."1,
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