Surprising Secrets About Palm Oil

P

Have you noticed Palm Oil appearing in our supermarkets & food stores? Perhaps you've noticed it being touted as new & improved, healthy, and budget friendly? Hmmm.......truth is, Palm Oil is highly processed (extracted and treated with heat and / or chemicals). If solvents are used in extraction, the oil may contain chemical residues. Although it is low in unsaturated fatty acids & thus  less prone to oxidation, its oxidized portions are highly inflammatory in the body. Worst of all, it is very environmentally costly. In Indonesia, 1,000s of acres of forests are being clear cut and burned to plant palms for production of palm oil, creating pollution, reducing forests' carbon sequestration, and destroying native rain forest habitats. 

VITAMIN K2---Essential For Our Bones

Vitamin K has long been understood to be associated with the ability of blood to clot, but we now know there is a special form of Vitamin K which is essential for healthy bone density. The K associated with blood clotting is now called Vitamin K1, while Vitamin K2 is the kind needed for bone health.

Many of us have been supplementing absorbable forms of calcium, in combination with magnesium, to help keep our bones strong. However, research shows that unless we also have Vitamin K2, calcium may not be targeted into our bones, but instead may end up in our arteries, where it isn’t needed, and causes trouble, including arterial plaques and atherosclerosis.

Vitamin K2 isn’t that easy to get in our diet. Curd cheeses provide some, but only small amounts. A Japanese food product called natto is rich in K2, but is unpalatable to most Americans.

Supplementing with K2, preferably the MK7 form, which is from natural food sources, usually natto, is a good solution. The MK4 form is synthetic.

The Traction Effect of An Orthopedic Pillow

Gentle traction is often part of the treatment plan for neck problems and pain. It can be very helpful after injury, or when there are degenerative changes occurring in the cervical discs.

A good orthopedically-designed pillow will have a gentle tractioning effect on the neck, assist chiropractic adjustments to hold, relieve pain, and help with healing. In my office, patients are shown how to properly use the orthopedic pillows I provide, to get maximum benefits from their support.