Pick up the paper or turn on the TV and you see nothing but stories of financial Armageddon.  The stock market is crashing, banks are failing, mortgage companies are failing, the housing meltdown, unemployment is skyrocketing.  If not for the bad news, there’d be no news at all.

And one thing that all these recurring news stories do is cause an enormous amount of stress—stress that is both emotionally and physically devastating.

Well, there is a quick, easy, and best of all drug-free way to eliminate all this stress from your life and enjoy some amazing health benefits at the same time.

More and more studies at top research facilities around the world are documenting scientific evidence of the health and longevity benefits of meditation.

In fact, it’s become a widely acknowledged fact that daily meditation is not just good for you—but has been proven to actually extend your life.

But if you’re like most of us, you don’t have the time (or patience) to invest years of practice in trying to master the art of meditation.

Well, now, thanks to Bill Harris, you don’t have to.

Bill’s company, Centerpointe Research Institute has created a proprietary audio technology called Holosync® that instantly (and gently) puts you into deep states of meditation (in fact, even deeper than those achieved by veteran Zen Monks), at the push of a button.

This means that you can now start enjoying and profiting from all the recognized health benefits of deep meditation beginning the very first day you use it instead of waiting through years of hard practice.

I know (from personal experience), how beneficial and effective the Centerpointe Holosync program has been in my life.  And I know how valuable it’s been to many of my closest friends and associates…

As you know, our passion here is to make available to people just like you–the best and most effective ways to…

• Dramatically improve your mental, emotional, and
  spiritual health…
• Help you create real and constant happiness in
  your life, regardless of your past or present
  circumstances…
• Improve your creativity, intelligence, and mental
  functioning…
• Significantly improve your overall sense of well
  being and inner peace…
• Help you create your own success in the world,
  along with the personal satisfaction and sense of
  fulfillment that comes with being successful.
• Well, The Holosync Solution does all this and
  more—much more.

And, as recent research proves, you’ll not only live happier with daily meditation, but you’ll live longer too.

Frankly, it seems to me that this is a pretty good reason to try The Holosync Solution by itself.  But when you add in the fact Bill will happily send you a no-charge demo CD so you can see for yourself how great Holosync works, it should make the decision a “no-brainer.”

Look.  I’ve actually recommended this program many times over the past several years.  And every time I do, I get a flood of comments thanking me for the recommendation.

As of this writing, over 750,0000 people have used Holosync to dramatically improve their lives.

Isn’t it about time you gave it a try, too?

Oh, and if you do decide to take advantage of Holosync (you’d be crazy not to), it even comes with
a full one-year guarantee, so there’s still no risk to you to try it.

I’ll tell you a few brief points about the program in a moment, but you really need to go to Centerpointe’s website: One Simple Thing and get it from “the horse’s mouth.”

By the way, Bill has agreed to add some special, unannounced bonuses for our clients, so please make sure to use this link so he knows you’re with us. I want you to get all the extras he’s promised to my readers.

Now, here’s just a “taste” of what The Holosync Solution can do for you…

1) It can allow you to effortlessly reach states of super-deep meditation–even the very first time you use it…

2) It can dramatically accelerate your mental, emotional, and spiritual growth, giving you the results you always THOUGHT you were supposed to get from meditation (but, if you’re like most people, never really got)…

3) It creates healing of emotional traumas and self-imposed limitations forever, even for people who have been unsuccessful with other methods…

4) It actually slows the aging process by stimulating the production of many neurochemicals and other substances in the body that are associated with longevity, well-being, and better health…

5) It can dramatically raise your threshold for stress and cause stress-induced dysfunctional feelings and behaviors (including anger, depression, fear, anxiety, substance abuse, and many others) to fall away…

6) It can increase your self-awareness, inner peace, and happiness, as well as your ability to connect with other people and create successful relationships.

If you’ve tried meditation, or some of those other personal growth approaches that just didn’t deliver, or want to go MUCH deeper, with faster results… or if you just want to grow and improve your life at an accelerated pace, I know you’ll love The Holosync Solution.

Look.  I don’t recommend things to my friends and clients lightly. But I’d be doing you a grave disservice if I didn’t urge you in the strongest possible terms to check this out.

There’s no risk to check it out, and I know you’ll be glad you did.

Remember, you can get a FREE Holosync demo CD, a FREE Special Report, and a special offer to try The Holosync Solution program, at no risk, by going to:

Warm regards,

Alan

PS: Remember, The Holosync Solution really works, and there’s no risk to you to try it. The demo CD and Bill Harris’ Special Report are free, and the program itself has a one-year money-back guarantee, if you should decide to try it.

Click here to find out more:

Technorati Tags: Holosync, Meditation, stress relief

Christmas can bring happiness, joy and stress, that is, for sure. Yearly, I have to go through the stress of this festive season. When I think about it, I view Christmas in two lights, as both the happiest and most tiring day of the calender year. Why? Due to that I think about something that I haven’t done at all this year, and with another one approaching quickly I don’t know if I’ll be able to make my goal. It’s the fact of having a baby, is the thing that is so depressing for me. My husband Labron, just always keep it cool for me and make sure that I don’t think about it too often during these times. Everything down to picking up my new upside down christmas tree stresses me out!

I always believe though that maybe it’s the only time of this year that I get to notice some of the things I don’t possibly have, that’s why I go to this some sort of Christmas stress. But things actually turn better when eve comes. There are people who I see that I rarely get to, my parents for one, since they live in Maine and we are all the way in Florida, also I like to see my 3 nieces. That being said, on occasion we don’t push them to come to our house over the holidays for the reason that I know they have a lot of stuff to do as well.

Before all this, I do a lot of stress busting techniques to get my mind off of it. Often I try to look into the future and write down everything I need to get done for Christmas day. My husband manages to help me out by giving me second ideas on our next planned expenses during Christmas too. Next year my hope is that we will be able to spend Christmas away from home, the hope being the stress levels would be lower. I look forward to things I have coming that will bring me pure enjoyment, for example I have my chandelier christmas tree.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, family, holiday, Santa, season, snow, tree, winter

It was Jean Houston that said “At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities”.If you want to throw anyone you know into a universe of possibilities, try some of these great jokes about Chuck Norris. I don’t know if you have ever watch one of Chuck Norris’s movies but he has become an icon over the last couple of decades as being a man’s man that can do anything which over time has sparked Chuck Norris facts.

You will find plenty of websites that have Chuck Norris jokes, stories about the man, his programs, his goals in life, the deeds he made etc. All the infor can be duplicated millions of times and become cumbersome, but these hilarious jokes at Chuck Norris website are always fresh since there are a lot of people who are making new ones.

In 2005, Chuck Norris became the object of a phenomenon on the web called “Chuck Norris Facts”, which tell a fictional story about Chuck Norris which are often outlandish heroic feats and characteristics about Chuck Norris himself.

These Chuck Norris Facts are usually one liners that say something unusual about Chuck Norris that is normally to hard to believe about someone. For instance: Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean. Or Crop circles are Chuck Norris’ way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.

This all started with the “Vin Diesel Facts Generator”, and Chuck Norris Facts were created as a by-product, often using the same facts featured in the Vin Diesel Fact Generator.

Over time, Chuck Norris Facts became very popular especially with his fans, even more so than the original Vin Diesel Fact Generator. Chuck himself was interviewed about the jokes and said that he is actually surprised that he got so much attention and that he loves the jokes.

Technorati Tags: chuck, facts, funny, jokes, norris

Anxiety disorders are unfortunately proving to be more common and there are numerous different side effects. One of these is the panic attack. Anxiety panic attacks are draining to numerous folk, causing them to feel helpless and much overcome with emotion. If you have ever felt this way, then you know how important they are to control. Read on for some coping strategies for panic attacks and discover more about them on the way.

An anxiety panic attack is a symptom of several anxiety disorders. If you suffer from them, then it is essential to realize what they are. An attack is when the anxiousness and stress levels in an individual balloon to a degree where they cannot control it. They quickly start to fear their environment, think they are dying, having a heart attack, or are going nuts. It is a cognitive episode where your head will tell your body that it is experiencing a likely non-existent discomfort. The experience can last from one minute up to fifteen minutes. Frequently an attack will cause a person to live in fear of the next attack, which only worsens the symptoms.

Keeping a cool head during an anxiety panic attack is difficult to do, especially when you suffer from an anxiety disorder. However, if this is something you have to manage for the remainder of your life, it is crucial to learn stress management. Anxiety panic attacks come on before you realize it so the best thing to do in most cases is to calm down and then lay down. Once you do this, you can attempt to relax your mind by stating that it will pass and telling yourself that the pain you are feeling is not real. You can attempt to forestall these episodes by recognizing the physical symptoms of anxiety disorders and figuring out what triggers them off. For instance, do they happen in certain situations or do negative thought processes bring them on?

If you suffer from anxiety panic attacks, you might like to try out practicing yoga techniques. This type of stress free activity, along with others, such as Tai Chi or other structured workouts, can help calm your mind and oftentimes deter attacks. The same is applicable to listening to music, reading a book, or even spending time with an animal or pet. These natural actions might be your key to doing away with the attacks. While panic attacks might never go away, with a little training and some stress free skills you may be able to avoid them in many cases.

Technorati Tags: anxiety disorders, anxiety panic attacks, anxiety panic disorders, depression anxiety panic, stress management

Workplace stress is as inevitable as death and taxes. Most people will experience stress in the work place on a regular basis. Some occupations have high levels of stress associated with them. Health care and law enforcement workers, for example, experience daily stress as a part of their everyday working life. Workplace stress can be reduced by identifying those situations which trigger it and reducing your exposure to those situations.

Common workplace stress triggers include:

Rude co-workers

It’s not uncommon for the people we work with to present a challenge at some point in our careers. Still, dealing with bad attitudes is a stressful challenge that can kill our own job productivity.

Several means of handling this type of problem exist. Here it’s important to choose your battles. If you can ignore the rude behavior and get your work done, let it go if at all possible.

Some co-workers take annoying too far. Some are downright rude or offensive. When ignoring the co-worker doesn’t work try confrontation. In a polite, but firm tone explain what behaviors are bothering you, why the bother you, and give suggestions for how the co-worker might improve. It is possible that the offender does not know they are upsetting you. Saying it out loud will help reduce the stress and anxiety surrounding the situation.

If talking it out doesn’t correct the situation, make an appointment to talk with your supervisor to let him or her know the extent of it and how it’s affecting your job performance. Your boss may choose to take charge and bring correction so that everyone can do their job more effectively.

Poor Management

Maybe your nasty cube-mate isn’t the problem but your horribly demanding manager is. Tolerating a boss who’s unfair or belligerent can send your stress level through the roof. Try discussing your issues with him or her before taking any further action to remedy the problem.

|If direct discussion with your supervisor proves ineffective, the next step is to approach the next level of management. Document the inappropriate behavior you have witnessed or personally experienced and report it to someone in human resources or follow the appropriate channels for your company.

There’s no reason to have to put up with that at the workplace when it’s not warranted. It’ll cause too much stress for you and make your job performance slide. Most companies will work with you to resolve the problem.

Huge Workload

Occasionally it is the volume of work itself that causes stress in the workplace. It goes without saying that you should only accept assignments that you have time for, but when there are no options for opting out of additional work it is important to ask for help when you are overwhelmed. Sharing the workload is what teamwork is about. Most companies are happy to foster teamwork between co-workers. If the workload becomes too stressful and no help can be found contact your supervisor and explain that you are overwhelmed. In most instances arrangements can be made to reduce your workload.

Discovering, reducing, or eliminating workplace stress where possible is a positive step towards having a fulfilling and productive work experience. Stress in the workplace is inevitable, but correctly managing stress can help prevent job burnout and increase job satisfaction.

Get Josh Murphy’s latest free report ‘Self-Care Boot Camp’ - jam-packed with more great stress relief information at StressReliefTipsWeekly.com. Check out the site for more great info on topis like stress symptoms as well as a free weekly newsletter that subscribers are raving about!

Technorati Tags: job stress, manage stress, relieve stress, stress in the workplace, stress management, stress relief tips, ways to relieve stress, workplace stress

Stress is an integral part of our lives. It heightens our awareness, sharpens our focus, and enables us to stay alert and focused. Stress helps motivate us into action and helps to maintain a healthy balance of hormones and chemicals in the brain. However, abnormally high amounts of stress can result in anxiety attacks.

Anxiety can go unnoticed. It is easy to confuse anxiety and daily healthy stress. Prolonged anxiety and anxiety attacks should be recognized and attended to as soon as possible. Anxiety attacks when left untreated can quickly get out of control and all consuming.

In order to recognize the indicators for an anxiety attack, it pays to understand the symptoms of stress first. Each person experiences stress differently, but some of the general symptoms of stress include loss of memory, confusion, difficulty in concentrating and racing thoughts.

You’ll see some of those symptoms in anxiety attacks as well, but you’ll notice more of the physical symptoms when an attack is occurring. Some people experience shortness of breath, pounding heart rhythm, trembling or shakiness within the body, stomachaches and hot or cold flashes.

When the attack has reached its high point, you’ll notice a feeling of being out of control or losing a grip on yourself. Unfortunately, those experiencing anxiety attacks don’t always recognize their symptoms as an attack.

It sometimes takes someone else who knows them well to realize that there’s something wrong. Once anxiety attacks are suspected in a person, they need to seek out medical attention from a professional who can determine if they’re anxiety attacks and not another medical-related illness.

Once your doctor has determined that you are healthy overall, anti-anxiety medication may be prescribed and referral to a counselor or licensed therapist may be recommended.

Counselors are individuals specially trained to help patients explore the motivations behind their feelings. This includes determining what factors contribute to stress and how to eliminate or reduce stress. A counselor will listen to a patient’s medical and biographical history to determine what influences are contributing to the overabundance of stress in their lives. Once these stressors are identified the counselor will create a treatment plan and teach the patient to manage their stress through the use of stress reduction techniques. The success of this treatment plans depends solely on the patient’s commitment to follow through with the suggestions outlined in it.

Take time to do some research on stress management techniques. There are many websites devoted to illustrating these techniques. From deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and exercise to changes in daily routines and rituals there are a multitude of techniques that can be experimented with.

When everyday stress escalates, there are many ways to settle the overwhelming feelings of edginess. Getting the proper help is a start to calming the anxious emotions raging within you. Finding out what stressors cause those emotions and learning how to combat them can bring a sense of relief and feelings of comfort to know that there is hope.

Get Josh Murphy’s latest free report ‘Self-Care Boot Camp’ - jam-packed with more great stress relief information at StressReliefTipsWeekly.com. Check out the site for more great info on topis like job stress as well as a free weekly newsletter that subscribers can’t get enough of!

Technorati Tags: manage stress, stress relief tips, stress symptoms, Symptoms of Stress, ways to relieve stress

Everyone finds themselves, at one time or another, feeling like life is just too hard, that the challenges are too big, and that they are just not strong enough to go on another day without being crushed by it all. If that sounds at all like a sentiment that you can relate to, then it might be time to sign up for a weekend meditation retreat and allow the retreat to help you get calmed, focused, centered and empowered again.

A retreat center is an option that many people overlook when life just starts to become too much. Many times people will take a quick overnight trip to their favorite beach town or nearby romantic getaway, but then they neglect to make it a true getaway by bringing along the cell phone, their PDA or even their laptop.

The problem is that when people do this, the benefits that are offered in the retreat experience are missed. Usually, they will end up spending too much time answering emails and checking their voicemail to ever have the chance to truly relax and unwind. On top of that, the travel itself might just add more stress to the whole situation and they might come home even more burned out and tied up in knots than they were before.

The type of retreat center that most stressed-out, overworked, overwhelmed and burned out people would benefit from the most would be a retreat for learning meditation techniques. This would provide them with some additional tools that will be useful to them long after they return to the real world after their retreat experience. A meditation retreat can be the perfect way for a person to give themselves the real break they need and that they deserve and can give them a chance to clear out their mind, detoxify, rejuvenate and even reconnect with themselves spiritually.

The average, everyday person doesn’t have the ability to take a couple months to travel to some far-off land to live and study in an ashram or sequester themselves in a monastery. But a retreat that is at a nearby lodge or resort, and which runs over a long weekend or a week, could be just the right thing to provide the break that is needed to “reset” and to set aside the many concerns and stresses for a short time. In many cases, just a few days, if they are truly treated like a retreat experience, is enough to give a person a chance to become calm in body and mind, and to gain a better perspective on life and create a plan to go back and manage things better.

Those who run retreats will strongly encourage participants to completely leave their thoughts and concerns of the world behind. During the time at a retreat, there will be various activities to help support changes in thought processes. There will be opportunities for solitude and mental reflection, as well as for exercise, meditation education, and many delicious and healthy meals.

When people learn to meditate as part of the retreat process, they are able to use contemplation, reflection and relaxation techniques. These techniques can be instrumental in “cleaning the slate.” Many times people emerge from meditation retreats saying that they feel years younger and that they are ready to take on the challenges of daily life once again.

Technorati Tags: learn to meditate, Meditation, meditation techniques, religious spiritual, retreat center, spiritual healing, spiritual journey, spiritually, the retreat

Today statistics claim that about one in four adult Americans has some form of depression or another.  However one in four adults do not see a doctor to treat the Symptoms of Depression .  Far too many ignore the symptoms and the signs and unfortunately in some cases this can lead to tragic consequences.  Why is it then that so many ignore even the most obvious signs of depression when help is just a doctor’s appointment away?If we explore this a little bit further we can see if some of these things are why people may be ignoring the signs of depession and how you can stop that. 

Gender Stigma

Even in our modern, enlightened times men are still sometimes expected to be a particular way when it comes to emotions.  They are often told to “buck up” and that it’s just not very masculine to worry about your emotions and feelings.  This means that many men ignore the Symptoms of Depression because they’re afraid of what other men might think.  If they are having a hard time coping with feelings of sadness, guilt, low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, and fear, they are usually prone to just swallow these feelings and ignore them.  Unfortunately these signs of depression can become very severe and interfere with a man’s performance at work, his relationships at home, and with every other part of his life. 

Social Stigma

Men and women may assume that if they admit to any signs of depression then they will face social stigma from those around them.  This stigma might include anyone at work that comes into contact with their insurance information or friends and family that may hear about their treatment.  They may mistakenly assume that depression is a form of weakness or a character flaw, and if they think this way they often reason that others will think this way as well.  They may have been raised in a home where signs of depression in others were mocked and ridiculed, or were told that psychiatrists were all “quacks” and that anyone that was depressed simply needed to snap out of it.

Afraid of Treatment

Some also ignore the signs of depression for the same reason they ignore the signs of other healthy problems - they’re afraid of what the doctor will tell them.As always, we seem to think that if we ignore problems they will just go away and so thats what we continue to tell ourselves.  They may also be afraid of how they need to treat the signs of depression, assuming that they’ll need to sit in a group therapy session and share embarrassing stories of their childhood.

Whatever the reasons, it’s never a good idea to ignore the signs of depression.  If left unchecked depression can lead to even more serious problems with one’s physical health and personal relationships.  Some have even lost their jobs because of the unchecked symptoms.Signs of depression that you are seeing consistently should be taken to a doctor to get the care you need.

DepressionKnowledge.Com is a new website that has been created for you to give you all of the best and free information on all aspects of Depression. Today you should stop by the website so you can get you own free copy of an ebook on depression just because you showed up. Visit DepressionKnowledge.Com today to get your FREE EBOOK on DEPRESSION!

Technorati Tags: Depression, Signs of Depression, Symptoms of Depression

Centerpointe’s Holosync meditation system is a series of specially encoded audio CDs that are designed to be listened to using headphones for between 30 and 60 minutes daily.

The CDs are produced in sets of 4 and naturally come with complete listening instructions and support. The lower levels of Centerpointe are usually finished within 3 to 6 months but the deeper levels (called Purification and Flowering) can each take a year or more before the level is completed.

The Holosync system plays binaural beats (sometimes called binaural tones). It plays a marginally different beat into each of your ears, which is why the system requires you to wear stereo headphones.

The beats are disguised by the soothing sound of rainfall. Some of the tracks also have bells tolling as well.

The Centerpointe CDs have two half hour tracks. As you progress on to the next CD, you’ll listen to the first track for the first few sessions to allow your brain to adjust.

The binaural beats are deceptively simple. The slightly different tones cause your brain to try to make the two tones meet. This in turn causes your brain to reorganize itself. It’s not uncommon for deep seated emotions to be released as this happens, freeing you up to be a better person.

Once you’ve got past the first set of Centerpointe Holosync CDs, you’re given the option to personalize any further sets. This is done by phoning a special number and you read out your chosen affirmations (you’re given some suggested wordings or you can create your own). The next batch of CDs you receive will have these affirmations recorded as silent subliminals, as well as the regular binaural beats.

By definition, you won’t directly hear the silent subliminals but they’ll be received loud and clear by your brain - as though they were normal speech.

The long and short of this is that as you move through the Centerpointe levels, you’ll get progressively deeper and deeper meditations and more benefits.

You can read a full review of the Centerpointe Holosync system here.

Technorati Tags: centerpointe holosync meditation system, centerpointe system, holosync meditation

For more than 900 years garlic has been used for medicinal purposes.  From ancient Egypt to medieval Europe, all the way to America, garlic has been used to treat different ailments.  Garlic has stood the test of time and now has over 2200 credible studies to support its health benefits.(1)  These health benefits of Garlic come at a price; garlic has a very strong odor that can last a long time in the body; because of this odor, garlic supplements have become very popular. 

Garlic supplements are an easy and effective way to consume garlic, so your friends and family will not be offended by the odor.  These types of supplements have been around for more than 25 years.   There are two types of garlic supplements on the market and hundreds of manufactures.  You will find either Fresh Garlic supplements or Aged Garlic supplements each of which will claim their garlic is the best and most beneficial.  We are going to take a look and see which type of garlic is most beneficial and why?

First let’s look at what makes garlic so beneficial for you.  At first glance, fresh garlic does not seem to be much of a vegetable.  Garlic is consumed in very small amounts; one serving of garlic provides very little vitamins.  For example: the vitamin C in one serving of garlic is 1 mg compared to potatoes having 26mg and broccoli having 82mg.(4)  So what makes Garlic so good?  It’s the collection of compounds in Fresh garlic called sulfur compounds, this is what make it beneficial to the body.  Over 90% of the research done on garlic has been done on these sulfur compounds.  Sulfur has been used in pharmaceuticals for years.  For example antibiotics, blood pressure lowering drugs and diuretics all have sulfur.  Since sulfur is so readily absorbed into the body, pharmaceutical companies have been able to blend sulfur with medications to make them more effective.

Researchers have primarily focused on one group of sulfur compounds in garlic; this group is called thiosulfates.  Alliin and allinnase are the primary substances found in the garlic clove and both are found in separate chambers in the garlic clove.  Allinnase is an activating enzyme, when garlic is crushed or cut the alliin and allinnase combine to make thiosulfate allicin.  This new compound created is what gives garlic its beneficial effects. (3)

Research has found that allicin has a wide range of benefits.  These benefits include (1) allicin can help kill bacteria and fungi, (2) reduce inflammation, (3) prevent the common cold, (4) stop tumor growth, (5) kill cancer cells, (6) help keep blood from clotting, (7) prevent heart attach, (8) reduce LDL and raise HDL cholesterol, (9) reduce triglycerides, (10) lower blood pressure, (11) improve blood flow in the lungs and help open breathing passages, (12) help reduce liver damage, and (13) allicin works as an antioxidant fighting free radicals in the body.

All the evidence points to how allicin benefits our body yet aged garlic supplement manufactures discount allicin as the primary health compound.  You might be wondering why would anyone discount allicin as beneficial when 90% of research has focused around allicin.  Is the research wrong? 

The chemistry of allicin is why manufacturers claim allicin is not the key component that benefits the body.  Studies have shown allicin to be an unstable compound.  Allicin will breaking down just after a few hours and can loose 50% of its potency from 4 – 30 days if left exposed to Air.(3)  Only a few manufactures make garlic tablets air tight.  Manufactures claim that allicin can be destroyed by stomach acids and rightfully so.  This is why fresh garlic supplements are enteric coated so that it passed through the stomach and opens in the intestines where it is needed most.  Once you understand how allicin works in the body you will see why aged garlic is not the most beneficial to choose. 

Aged garlic has a compound called S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC).  This compound is what aged garlic manufacturers claim is good for you.  An interesting fact, fresh garlic doesn’t contain any SAMC. SAMC only appears after the aging process.(5)

SAMC research has been studied with cancer, heart, immune function, and stress.  These studies were conducted with high amounts of aged garlic, ranging from 10 to 20 grams each day and after months and months of continuous use.  These dosages are nowhere near normal garlic consumption levels; for over 900 years people have been consuming fresh garlic and experiencing benefits at minimal levels how can aged garlic be beneficial at normal doses? 

Aged garlic is made by placing sliced garlic in a solution that contains 15% - 20% ethanol and then is stored for 20 months.  After 20 months the solution is filtered and concentrated.  While the solution is stored for 20 months, the allicin and most of the thiosulfates are destroyed.  Let’s now look at fresh garlic. 

Many universities from around the world have done research on fresh garlic and the health benefits of fresh garlic consumption.  All these universities have been able to replicate each others results further proving fresh garlic’s abilities.  Replications research has found answers to some of the puzzling results in fresh garlic research.  For example, before 1995, researchers were able to replicate the cholesterol lowering benefits of garlic.  But one study after 1995 with clinical trials showed inconsistencies. (6)

Dr. Larry Lawson, a highly respected researcher, closely examined the tablets used in this clinical study and found that these tablets were not enteric coated.  Some of the people consuming these tablets digested them in the stomach; the allicin was destroyed before it reached the bloodstream.  This rendered the tablets useless and those patients didn’t experience any beneficial effect when consuming the garlic tablets.  After finding out the clinical trial used poor quality garlic tablets, Dr. Larry Lawson recommended new clinical trails to be conducted on garlic with higher quality tablets.  Researchers need to look for garlic supplements that are enteric coated and have an allicin potential rating.

Allicin can not be measured in a garlic clove or in an enteric coated tablet.  Look for a garlic supplement that has an allicin potential rating.  Credible manufactures will list this potential on there label.  Also, experts recommend the consumption of 4000mg of fresh garlic each day.  To receive 4000mg of fresh garlic each day in a tablet, look for a garlic supplement that offers at least 5,000 mcg of allicin and at least 11,000 mcg of alliin per serving.  That’s equal to about four cloves of garlinase each day. 

Keep one thing in mind, garlic is a blood thinner, if you are on medication to thin the blood such as Coumadin, consult your doctor before taking garlic. 

Garlic has been consumed for hundreds if not thousands of years for spicing up meals and keeping the common cold away.  Many cultures have claimed garlic can cure what ails you.    Finally, research is here to back the benefits of fresh garlic and explain why aged garlic doesn’t work. (7)  Remember, when looking for a good quality fresh garlic supplement, make sure it delivers 5000 mcg of allicin each serving.  You can find Fresh Garlic and other vitamin supplements at your local vitamin store.

References:
1. Steven Foster Group. Garlic monograph. Accessed on January 26, 2004. Available at: www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/garlic.html

2. Grodner M, Anderson SL, DeYoung S. Food composition table: garlic. In: Foundations and Clinical Applications of Nutrition: A Nursing Approach. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2000: 660-661.

3. Lawson LD. The composition and chemistry of garlic cloves and processed garlic. In: Koch HP, Lawson LD, eds. Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium sativum L. and Related Species. 2nd Ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1996:37-107.

4. Grodner M, Anderson SL, DeYoung S. Food composition table: garlic. In: Foundations and Clinical Applications of Nutrition: A Nursing Approach. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2000: 660-661.

5. Lawson LD. The composition and chemistry of garlic cloves and processed garlic. In: Koch HP, Lawson LD, eds. Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium sativum L. and Related Species. 2nd Ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1996:37-107.

6. Stevinson C, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Garlic for treating hypercholesterolemia. A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Ann Intern Med. 2000; 133(6): 420-9. Review.

7. Amagase H, Block E, Bordia A, Lawson LD. The controversial issues surrounding allicin versus non-allicin containing products. Presentation at the American Herbal Products Association International Garlic Symposium. Aug. 1, 2000.

Technorati Tags: Garlic, Herb, Natural Healing, Natural Remedies