Why are there more sick people today?

If these 'authorities' assertions were correct then how come there are more sick people in 'civilized' world today than there was a 100 years ago? Oh, you may answer, this is because people live longer! True... and false... because they don't live much longer even though statistics say so. But, these statistics are a gross distortion.

They are distorted because they are based on averages and average life expectancy many decades ago was artificially low due to high infant mortality rates that don't apply any more. I devoted an issue on this subject back on 2nd April of last year. Have a look at it and you will see what I mean. Just reflect on this for a moment! Ask your parents or your grandparents what age their parents, grandparents and great grandparents died? You may be surprised that they lived longer than what you may have thought, and they did so without help of pharmaceutical drugs, without hospitals and suffered less from 'elderly' diseases such as Alzheimer's that are so common today.

This is because they were not subject to environmental hazards that we are all faced with today and further, their food was wholesome and didn't come out of a packet full of empty calories. Because of modern living we have no choice, whether we like it or not but to supplement if we seriously wish to avoid diseases that are rampant in our community and are projected to get a lot worse. Therefore, if you are like majority of people and consider supplementation as a desirable but low priority I sincerely believe that you should reconsider your priorities. The reason why most people do not supplement is either they don't believe in it (in which case they are deluding themselves) or, they have more 'important' things on which to spend their money. But... are they saving money when they apply money which they could allocate to their supplementation program to perhaps a bigger house mortgage or a new car?

Ironically no, because if you ignore your biggest asset... YOU... and your subsequent earning ability is affected through ill health then what you would have spent in quality supplementation pales in significance. Quality supplementation is cheapest self insurance program you can implement. Hopefully, I have made my point on principles behind supplementation. I urge you to consider a professional health supplement that uses only best ingredients ... and in correct ratios and quantities.

Mr. Matthews is the Chairman of Xtend Life Natural Products, manufacturer of Total Balance, an anti aging supplement containing 85 ingredients and desigend to be the foundation of your supplement regimen. Total Balance is manufactured using the guidelines outlined in this article and features a unique enteric coating. This coating allows your body to absorb virtually 100% of it's 85 ingredients.

Diet does not impact on your cholesterol levels as much as you think it does. It is not that extra egg you have for breakfast that raises your cholesterol appreciably.

This is because around 80% of your blood cholesterol is manufactured by your liver.

To improve your cholesterol levels, you must both slow down manufacture of cholesterol, and reduce oxidation of LDL while raising your HDL.

Apart from normal, sensible lifestyle improvements such as better nutrition and more exercise, there are a couple of proven strategies to return your cholesterol to its optimal level.

Option 1: Prescription Drugs

A range of drugs known as "statins" are widely used in US and other Western countries. In fact, they are currently most prescribed medicine in world.

These drugs work by blocking an enzyme that liver needs for manufacture of cholesterol. They have been proven effective in reducing levels of LDL, but unfortunately they will not raise levels of HDL (the good cholesterol). The downside is that there are a large number of negative side effects such as liver damage, fatigue, upset stomach, abdominal pains and cramps, gas and constipation, and in case of one statin drug -- "Baycol" -- large numbers of deaths.

An investigation into side effect of statin drugs is being conducted by National Institute of Health. Discuss pros and cons of this medication very carefully with your physician in event of a statin drug being prescribed for you.

There is another treatment that has nothing but beneficial side effects...

Option 2: Natural Treatments

Even though general public hears very little about them, there are effective natural alternatives to lowering one's cholesterol, and such therapies exhibit no side effects.

One such brand is Xtend-Life Natural Cholesterol Formula , available at http://www.InstantEnergyBoost.com The fascinating aspect of some of these natural options is that some of natural ingredients being used have been proven to consistently and significantly outperform statin drugs in dozens of double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials and studies. And with no negative side effects. (The only side effects reported were weight loss.)

What to look for

Two key ingredients to look for in any natural cholesterol product are Policosanol and Guggulipid Extract. Policosanol is an extract from sugar cane wax and has been subject of multiple clinical trials, all of which have outperformed statins.

Guggulipid, on other hand, is an ancient herb from India extracted from guggul tree. "The gum resin of guggul tree has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine since approximately 600 BC to treat a wide variety of ailments, including obesity and [cholesterol] disorders," writes author David D. Moore, Ph.D., and professor of molecular and cell biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Moore goes on to state, "It really does lower cholesterol in a number of clinical studies..." What Moore didn't mention was that studies show an interesting added benefit from Guggulipid: it has been more effective than prescription tetracycline when used orally for treating nodulocystic acne.

It also assists in lowering of Triglycerides and weight loss.

Know what you're buying

With all of these benefits, it would seem that finding any natural formula containing these two ingredients is a sure bet. But take caution; there are many products currently on market claiming to use policosanol to lower cholesterol, but are in fact using octacosanol, which is an incomplete form of policosanol. Octacosanol does not exhibit same results as true policosanol in clinical trials.

The Xtend-Life Natural Cholesterol Formula uses only genuine policosanol extracted from sugar cane wax. When it comes to your heart's health and longevity, don't settle for sub-par supplements.

he Xtend-Life Natural Cholesterol Formula uses only the genuine policosanol extracted from sugar cane wax. When it comes to your heart's health and longevity, don't settle for sub-par supplements.