Healthy Theory

Magnesium: The Miracle Mineral

Karen Eisenbraun — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:44:31 +0000

An important mineral that is often overlooked in modern medicine, magnesium is essential to several hundred different functions in the body. Mark Sircus, Ac,. OMD, director of the International Medical Veritas Association and author of several books on the subject of magnesium, believes that 68% of Americans do not consume enough magnesium to meet the government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA), and that the government’s RDA is already set too low to adequately prevent illness.

“If you do not have sufficient amounts of magnesium, your body cannot make or utilize protein,” says Dr. Sircus. “Similarly, if you don’t have adequate amounts of magnesium, the vitamin C and E that you consume cannot be used.”

Health effects of magnesium deficiency

Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle states that up to 80 percent of the population may be suffering from a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to more than 20 different health conditions, including:

Anxiety
Asthma
Irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems
Migraines
Depression
Diabetes
Fatigue
Heart disease
Hypertension
Insomnia
Gynecological conditions in women, such as PMS and cramping
Osteoporosis
Tooth decay
Muscle twitches, tics, and spasms
Muscle aches
Back pain
Kidney stones
Stress
Hypoglycemia
Attention deficit disorder
Jaw pain or dysfunction

The benefits of magnesium

In addition to relieving the health conditions listed above, magnesium helps maintain memory function, is responsible for overall energy production, removes toxins and heavy metals from the body, and decreases signs of aging. Topically applied magnesium can help smooth out wrinkles and relieve skin conditions such as psoriasis. Rubbed directly into arthritic joints, magnesium can provide instant pain relief. And, because magnesium is responsible for muscle relaxation, it may even help women achieve orgasm more easily. On her web site, Dr. Dean shares the story of a female patient who experienced easier orgasms after just one week on magnesium supplements.

Magnesium is also responsible for the action of the heart muscle, the formation of bones and teeth, proper bowel function, and relaxation of blood vessels.

Magnesium and heart disease

According to Dr. Dean, major studies conducted on magnesium show that when patients were given magnesium as soon as possible after a heart attack and before any other drugs, the damage to the heart was greatly reduced. Administering intravenous magnesium to patients following a heart attack reduced the chance of death by more than half. Magnesium is particularly beneficial in combating heart disease due to its ability to dilate blood vessels and dissolve blood clots, prevent spasms in the heart, and counteract calcium buildup, which increases spasms.

Magnesium and calcium

With our current emphasis on calcium consumption, many Americans are experiencing an imbalance between calcium and magnesium. Research on the Paleolithic diet shows that our bodies evolved to maintain a 1:1 calcium to magnesium ratio. Some researchers, however, believe the calcium to magnesium ratio in the average American is closer to 6:1. Continued emphasis on calcium intake creates an even greater magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium in food sources

Obtaining adequate levels of magnesium through diet alone can be very difficult. The best sources of dietary magnesium are nuts, seeds, and green, leafy vegetables; however, conventionally farmed produce is typically grown in soil that is lacking in magnesium. Organic produce may contain more magnesium if the farmers use magnesium-rich fertilizer. Food grown in naturally composted soil is preferable. Avoid processed and refined foods such as white bread and sugar, which have had the magnesium removed from them.

Supplements

Magnesium supplements may be useful in increasing magnesium levels, but can cause diarrhea, which interferes with the absorption of the magnesium. To be properly absorbed, magnesium must remain in the intestines for 12 hours. An individual’s medications and the health status of the digestive system can also negatively affect magnesium absorption. In individuals who are severely deficient in magnesium, very large quantities of supplements may be required to reach necessary levels. However, taking higher levels of magnesium supplements can increase the side effects of diarrhea, resulting in even less absorption.

Transdermal application

For maximum absorption, Dr. Sircus recommends applying magnesium products directly to the skin. In his book, Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, Dr. Sircus explains that applying magnesium directly to the skin allows it to bypass the digestive system and avoid the potential side effects of supplements.

“The therapeutic value of magnesium as a transdermal application reaches well beyond the potential of dietary magnesium,” says Dr. Sircus. “Transdermal therapy effectively saturates the tissues, delivering high amounts of magnesium to where we need it most – directly into circulation.”

Use of products such as a magnesium oil spray, magnesium gel, or magnesium chloride flakes can result in more rapid absorption of the mineral. In a study of 16 individuals with low cellular magnesium levels, participants were asked to use a magnesium body spray in conjunction with a daily 20-minute magnesium foot soak. Seventy-five percent of the participants showed a significant improvement in their intracellular magnesium levels after one month of regular magnesium application.

Resources:
Mercola: The Miracle of Magnesium
Magnesium for Life

This article contains affiliate links

How To Choose A Hospice

Deeanna Franklin Campbell — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:36:32 +0000

If you’ve made the decision to place a loved one in a hospice, you might be stymied over the options, and the choices involved.

According to research by the National Hospice Foundation (NHF), 80% of Americans wish to die at home, in actuality, less than 25% of people do. While hospice care offers compassion and dignity to the dying, NHF research shows that 83% of us know almost nothing about hospice care. Very simply, hospice involves a team approach to caring for someone with a terminal illness. It provides for their medical treatment (including palliative care, and at the end, adequate pain management), emotional and spiritual support.

Hospice services are not solely for the elderly. It can provide end-of-life care for patients of all ages with a range of illnesses. After a physician certifies that a patient has six months or less to live, he or she is eligible to receive hospice care for as long as needed─even if the patient lives longer than six months. Care is covered by most private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid.

Most of the time hospice care takes place in a patient’s home. The hospice care team typically includes the patient’s primary caregiver, their personal doctor, the hospice physician, nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy or other spiritual counselors, trained volunteers, and (if needed) physical or occupational therapists. The team offers care and guidance, including respite time for the caregiver and bereavement counseling. If in-home hospice care isn’t feasible, consider a freestanding facility, or one that’s part of a nursing home or hospital.

Keep in mind the following points when choosing a hospice facility:

Who’s on-call? Ask if the on-call nurse can get to the facility in 30 minutes or less. This is the person who will be called if your loved one needs emergency care at 3 am. You want help to arrive as soon as possible. Make sure they understand to call you as well.
Look for accreditation. It’s voluntary, but it can be a useful tool in helping you decide. It means the hospice was willing to work with an independent organization to enhance their services, and meet quality standards. Accreditation is offered by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP).
Ask about pharmacy access. Does the pharmacy used have experience with, and thorough knowledge of typical hospice drugs?
How many patients are onsite? Take a tour.
Ask to speak to the administrator. If he or she can’t talk to you, then perhaps the hospice is too big. A caring place should take the time to talk to potential new patients and/or their caregivers, especially if you have an appointment.
Ask how many case managers are on staff. A case manager is usually a nurse, and if he or she has more than 15 patients to care for, then the place is likely understaffed.
Is it part of a chain? Chains are not bad, just make sure the branch you’re considering is focused as much on good, quality patient care as it is on profits or pleasing shareholders (if it’s a publicly traded company).
Ask your healthcare provider, friends, family and neighbors for recommendations. You may be surprised how many people know a good place.

Take the time to develop a list of questions tailored to your specific circumstances. Write them down. Take this list with you on site visits or read from it when talking to hospice providers by phone. No doubt this is a difficult time and the less you have to memorize, the better.

To learn more about hospice and palliative care, visit the following web sites:

International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care

The American Academy of Pediatric Policy Statement on palliative care for children

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Vigorous Exercise May Be Best Remedy for Metabolic Syndrome

Deeanna Franklin Campbell — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:31:03 +0000

If you haven’t heard the term before, the expanding obesity epidemic will soon make the phrase “metabolic syndrome” commonplace.

Metabolic syndrome is not a single disease, but a collection of risk factors that markedly increase an individual’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, or having a heart attack. These major risk factors are obesity (particularly abdominal obesity), high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Additionally, insulin resistance, diabetes and prediabetes are seen in the majority of people with metabolic syndrome. According to the International Diabetes Foundation fully one quarter of the world’s adult population has metabolic syndrome, and this confers a five-fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The American Heart Association (AHA) reported the results of a small study on the effects of vigorous exercise on adults with metabolic syndrome. Thirty-two patients (average age of 52) were separated into three groups: one group did high-intensity aerobic-interval training, the second group did moderate-continuous-training, and the third group didn’t exercise. Results showed both exercise groups lost approximately the same amount of weight, but participants doing high-intensity aerobics had faster heart rates while exercising, and therefore absorbed and used more oxygen. Participants in this group also increased their ability to absorb oxygen by 35 percent compared to a much smaller 16 percent increase in oxygen absorption by the moderate exercise group. The vigorous exercise group also outperformed the moderate exercise group on several other key measures, such as blood pressure, HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity.

American Heart Association guidelines call for “30 minutes of moderate intensity on most days of the week,” but the researchers believe this recommendation may be too mild for those with metabolic syndrome.

A larger study would be needed before the AHA would officially change its exercise recommendations; however, in a written statement an AHA researcher and spokesperson conceded that “exercise performed at a vigorous intensity appears to convey greater cardioprotective benefits than exercise of a moderate intensity.”

For the AHA, the form of exercise offering the biggest boost in cardio benefits is not the only consideration. The association maintains that higher intensity exercise may lead to more physical injuries and cardiovascular complications, and ultimately to lower compliance with any work-out regimen. Their advice: if you’ve grown comfortable exercising at a moderate intensity consider including more challenging, vigorous routines to your workout, but only if you can do so safely.

Soluble Fiber May Help Strengthen The Immune System

Denise Reynolds — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:14:37 +0000

We already know that fiber is good for your cholesterol levels and may be protective against colon cancer. Now University of Illinois has studied the effect of fiber, particularly soluble fiber, on its ability to strengthen the immune system.

Fiber, a non-digestible carbohydrate, comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. The difference between the two is that soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid, while insoluble fiber does not. This leads to the two types having different effects on the body.

Soluble fiber has the ability to bind with fatty acids, lowering the amount of cholesterol that circulates in the blood. It also provides satiety because it is digested slowly in the stomach, leading us to potentially eat less and lose weight. Soluble fiber can also slow the amount of carbohydrate released into the blood as glucose, so it is beneficial for diabetics as well.

The new study found that soluble fiber reduces inflammation by increasing the production of an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-4. This “changes the personality of immune cells,” according to Gregory Freund, a professor at the University of Illinois’’ College of Medicine. “They go from being pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster from infection.”

Soluble fiber is found in oats and oat bran, dried beans and peas, apples, Brussels sprouts, nuts, barley, flax seed, and psyllium husk. Another benefit of many of the fruits and vegetables high in soluble fiber is their high content of vitamin C — also beneficial for the immune system.

It is difficult to say exactly how much soluble fiber (versus insoluble fiber) is needed to produce the beneficial effects. Most studies have focused on insoluble fiber so far. The recommended daily dietary amount for adults is to achieve a fiber intake of 28 to 35 grams a day. Some studies have shown that most Americans only eat about 14 to 15 grams, primarily because of the used of processed foods and refined flour products.

A diet that consists of at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day plus six servings of whole grains is likely to achieve the amount of both soluble and insoluble fiber needed for positive health benefits.

The National Institutes of Health has a handy tip sheet to use for shopping for foods that are particularly high in soluble fiber.

Addicted To Video Games

Camilla Cheung — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:11:48 +0000

The term “addict” is sometimes used casually in reference to people who spend a lot of time playing video games, but recent research indicates that video game addiction may be more serious than we think. A study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry showed that about 8% of video gamers showed a problematic gaming compulsion that led to negative effects on social and family life, and work and studying.

The study surveyed 1,945 video game users and found that 156 of them exhibited “problem video game use.” They played longer than planned, sometimes over eight hours a day, and were compelled to play even when they did not want to. These “addicted” gamers exhibited irritability and restlessness when they were not playing video games, and experienced a recurrent urge to play. A few had tried to cut back on their hours of gaming, but were unable to restrain themselves.

Some of the surveyed problem gamers said that they were experiencing financial strain due to their gaming activities, as well as becoming withdrawn socially and having fewer friends in the real world, finding it easier to meet people online. Some gamers indicated that video games were causing problems in their work or study performance. Excessive video game playing also led to physical problems such as back pain, eye strain, and other strain injuries. Obsessive video gamers may neglect their personal hygiene, forget to eat or drink, and consume excessive amounts of caffeine.

The researchers noted that some of the symptoms exhibited by problem video game users were similar to drug or alcohol addiction. The study also called to question whether gaming addiction might have deeper roots, perhaps connected to depression or other mental-health problems. Some gamers may find that playing video games can give them a feeling of escape from their problems in real life.

Most people who are addicted to video gaming are young males under the age of 30. They are often intelligent and imaginative, but may have social problems and low self-esteem. Experts warn parents to beware of warning signs in their children, such as increased length and frequency of gaming, thinking of gaming while doing other activities (even hobbies they used to love), feeling irritable when not gaming, and even lying to family and friends about their habit. If the child’s compulsion to play seems serious, parents should consult a professional about the problem.

With the increasing popularity of video games, it can be difficult to assess when gaming can become a problem. Most people can play video games safely, but it is important to be watchful for those few who may take gaming to a dangerous level.

Not Enough Sleep May Contribute To Obesity

Camilla Cheung — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:25:03 +0000

If you thought that obesity was mostly related to diet and exercise, you may want to think again. New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that for people under 40, not getting enough sleep at night can cause larger amounts of fat to accumulate around the organs, a dangerous form of fat accumulation.

Visceral Fat Accumulation

The study showed that in people under 40, getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night was related to increases in visceral fat — that is, fat that accumulates around internal organs. Visceral fat is one of the reasons many people have big bellies, and is linked to a greater risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even some types of cancer, than fat accumulation in other areas such as the thighs and buttocks. In addition, visceral fat, the fat located deeper in the abdomen around the organs, is more dangerous than the more visible fat located just under the skin on the abdomen. These fat cells can produce hormones that may disrupt your health, such as excess estrogen after menopause, or hormones that cause your body to become insulin resistant.

Getting Too Much Sleep or Not Enough Are Both Unhealthy

The research showed that inadequate sleep can result in increases in visceral fat, but the opposite is also true — too much sleep can also lead to an increase in visceral fat, though to a lesser degree. Getting more than 8 hours of sleep a night can lead to fat increase, but the effects are still not as severe as in individuals who get less than 5 hours of sleep a night. In general, people should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every night. For young people in various stages of college, career, marriage and child-bearing, getting adequate sleep may be difficult, but essential. Minority groups seemed to be the most greatly affected by not enough sleep, though the study did not investigate in depth the reasons this might be the case.

It was not clear why people over 40 did not seem to be affected in the same way.

Reducing Visceral Fat

In addition to getting adequate sleep every night, there are other things you can do to reduce visceral fat. Luckily, excess visceral fat responds well to a healthy exercise and diet regimen. Daily exercise and a diet that avoids saturated fats and refined carbohydrates can have a significant effect on belly fat. Regular moderate-intensity exercise will tone your body and contribute to your overall health, and you may find that your belly fat is the first to go. Strength training may also help to burn excess belly fat.

If you are concerned about a growing midsection, talk to your doctor or health-care practitioner to see what adjustments in your lifestyle can help to reduce abdominal fat.

10 Minute Vegetarian: Can You Get Enough Protein?

Denise Reynolds — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:46:27 +0000

One of the first questions almost every new vegetarian is asked has to do with getting enough protein by only eating plant foods. Meat is not the only source of protein, and it is a misconception that vegetarian diets cannot meet a person’s daily requirement for all of the essential amino acids.

How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

Take a look at a nutrition label and you will not see a recommended daily target for protein intake. That is because protein is based on a number of individual factors, including body weight. When dietitians calculate meal plans, the minimum number of protein grams needed each day is generally 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound person (68.2 kg), this equals about 55 grams of protein per day.

Can a Vegetarian Get Enough Protein?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the average American consumes about 100 grams of protein per day on the typical “Western” diet. Vegetarians and Vegans consume slightly less, about 60-75 grams according to the Vegetarian Resource Group. But as you can see, for most people, this is likely enough protein, as long as calorie intake is also adequate.

Complete Proteins

Years ago, it was thought that vegetarians could not meet their protein needs with a plant-based diet because only animal protein provided a person with a “complete” or “high-quality” set of essential amino acids (the building blocks of the protein molecule). Vegetarians who consume dairy and eggs are not likely to have any problems with “complete” proteins, but food experts were concerned about vegans who do not eat any animal proteins.

The soybean is the only plant food that contains each of the nine amino acids that the body needs every day. Today, foods made to look, taste, and function like meat and dairy are produced using the soybean, and so many vegetarians and vegans can easily meet their protein needs on a daily basis by including these foods in their meal plans.

But even those who do not regularly eat soy can still achieve a complete protein profile with fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. In the past, vegans were advised to combine certain foods within a meal to ensure a complete protein was achieved. Beans, for example are missing an amino acid that tomatoes have, so chili made with beans and tomatoes would provide a complete protein. Nutrition experts now know that these essential amino acids do not have to be present in a single meal. As long as the diet is varied and planned for optimal health, over the course of the day, vegetarians and vegans alike can easily meet their complete protein needs.

This is a part of my ongoing series, 10 Minute Vegetarian. I’m busy, you’re busy. We want to be healthy, but we don’t have a lot of time. In the 10 minutes it takes you to read this article, you can learn something about the health benefits of the vegetarian diet and how to implement it in your own hectic schedule.

Hibiscus Tea Lowers Blood Pressure

Fred Lee — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:38:43 +0000

Hibiscus tea is a popular beverage that is consumed the world over, and many commercially available herbal teas contain some hibiscus in varying amounts. However, in addition to being enjoyable, researchers have found that drinking hibiscus tea actually lowered the blood pressure (BP) in pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. The findings were the result of a study supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Researchers gathered 65 volunteers between the ages of 30 and 70 years whose BP ranged from mildly hypertensive to hypertensive, as indicated by a systolic BP between 120 to 150 (mm HG) and a diastolic BP was 95 (mm HG) or less. BP is measure by the ratio of systolic and diastolic pressures, and is considered low when the systolic/diastolic reading is 90/60, normal at 120/80, and high when it is 140/90.

In the study, subjects were divided into two groups, one of which consumed three cups of hibiscus tea each day, the other given a placebo containing artificially hibiscus flavoring and coloring. Both groups maintained their normal diets as well as their usual level of activity, and after baseline BP levels were taken, measurements were made at weekly intervals. The study took place over the course of six weeks.

What they found was that the hibiscus tea group had a 7.2 point drop in their systolic BP, compared to a 1.3 point drop in the placebo group. In fact, the drop in BP is comparable to what is seen in certain high BP drugs. Furthermore, the effect was the most prominent in the group with the highest initial systolic BP (129 or above), which dropped by 13.2 points while their diastolic BP dropped by 6.4 points.

The findings suggest that hibiscus tea may one day be considered a component of a healthy diet designed to control blood pressure, though more research is needed before any concrete conclusions or recommendations can be made.

BP is the force, or pressure, that your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries as it flows through your body. While it is normal for it rise and fall throughout the day, when it stays consistently high, it can lead to a series of health problems, including heart disease and stroke, which are two of the leading causes of death in this country.

One of the main problems with high BP is that many people are unaware that they are afflicted. For this reason, high BP is called the “silent killer,” with no warning signs or symptoms. People of all ages and walks of life can contract high BP, and in most instances, it is either avoidable or treatable, usually through medication, diet, and lifestyle choices.

If you have questions or concerns about high BP, speak with your doctor and visit the website for the American Heart Association. For more information on hibiscus tea, visit your local health food store or speak with an expert on nutrition.

Top 10 Fruits And Vegetables Most Contaminated By Pesticides

Camilla Cheung — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:57:54 +0000

The Environmental Working Group recently compiled a list informing consumers about which fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticide residue, as well as which fruits and vegetables contain the least. Learn how you can avoid the most contaminated foods, and limit your exposure to dangerous toxins.

The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit environmental organization that is active in research and advocacy about toxins in the environment that may affect public health. To compile the data for the list of fruits and vegetables most contaminated by pesticides, about 87,000 tests for pesticides on those foods were analyzed. The rubric for measuring the severity of pesticide contamination on the produce included the percentage of food samples with detectable pesticides, the number of pesticides found on a sample, the average amount of pesticides found on the samples, among other measures.

The top ten most toxic fruits and vegetables out of 47 tested (that is, the produce with the greatest pesticide load) were found to be the following (with the most toxic produce first, and least toxic last):

Peach
Apple
Sweet Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Imported Grapes

The least toxic fruits and vegetables tested were the following (with the least toxic vegetable first, and the most toxic last):

Onion
Avocado
Frozen Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Frozen Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant

Broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes also got good scores for low amounts of pesticides. Most of the tests used to compile the list tested the produce after they had been rinsed and/or peeled.

The Environmental Working Group recommends eating less of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables, and eating more of the least contaminated produce. Pesticides are designed to kill living things, such as insects, fungi and plants, and they have been linked to problems with the nervous system, hormone systems, skin, lung and eye health of humans, as well as being carcinogens.

To reduce the amount of pesticides you ingest from your food, wash and scrub all fruits and vegetables under running water before eating. For leafy vegetables, remove the outer leaves that are likely to harbor the most chemicals, and peel fruits and vegetables if possible. Buy organically grown produce if you can, or grow it in your own garden. Finally, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, so you are not getting a potentially large amount of pesticides from any one food.

Goji Berry: Mostly Hype Or True Superfood?

Camilla Cheung — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:53:08 +0000

You may have noticed Goji Berries cropping up at your local health food store, or even at some grocery stores and supermarkets. These small dried fruits look a bit like raisins, only red and a little pointed at either end. These berries are now being touted as one of the most antioxidant-rich health trends, and dried goji berries, goji extracts, and goji juice are making the tour of the health world.

The Goji Berry, also known as “wolfberry,” is the common name for the Lycium barbarum berry. These small red fruits have been cultivated in the Himalayas, Mongolia, and in China for thousands of years, where they are used in soups and teas, as well as in traditional medicines.

The Goji berry certainly has an impressive nutritional profile. It contains several antioxidants, including beta-carotene and in zeazanthin, which may potentially help prevent macular degeneration and glaucoma in the elderly, helping to preserve vision. It also contains lutein, lycopene, and several antioxidant pigments, known as “phenols.” They are also high in Vitamin C, Vitamins B1 and B2, as well as other vitamins.

Whether or not the Goji berry has the potential to play a part in preventing cancer has yet to be proven in a peer-reviewed study. One study published in the Chinese Journal of Oncology suggested that cancer patients responded better to treatment when they were also eating goji berries, but there have been few clinical trials done on humans with the berry. That hasn’t stopped health food stores, as well as several well-known celebrities, from jumping on the bandwagon. The hype surrounding the berry has grown to include the unsubstantiated claim that a Chinese man named Li Qing Yuen lived to be 252 years old by consuming the berries daily.

While the hype claiming that the Goji berry is the new “superfruit” may yet be unfounded, it is certainly a nutritious fruit that can be added in moderate amounts to your diet. The dried berries are slightly sweet, and taste somewhat like raisins. They can be found in goji berry trail mixes, granola bars, and other food products at supermarkets (Trader Joe’s, for example, carries Goji trail mix). Goji tea mixes can be found at Asian markets, and Goji extracts and juices can be found at health food stores.

As with any new nutritional regimen, consume Goji berries in moderation and with caution. Some studies have shown that excessive consumption of the berry may interfere with some anticoagulant drugs. If in doubt, consult your healthcare practitioner.