The Front Squat/Back Debate: Part 4

The Front Squat/Back Debate: Part 4

Jim Reeves

In the last article we looked at the breakdown in the performance of the back squat and some of the reasons behind its typical technique errors. We also looked specifically at the low back and hip's role in the back squat and the requirements athletes must have for technical mastery of the lift. So, the question then has moved towards who can perform the back squat? In the discussion forum on Strengthcoach.com, it seemed there was a defensive stance taken by some that the purpose for my explanations was to discredit the back squat exercise and its performance. This is just simply not the case. I don't think the back squat controversy is founded within the exercise itself. I think the controversy has roots in the lack of critical thought applied by some in the safe and effective prescription of it as an exercise.

Questions were raised about "other" lifts that similarly were sources of controversy in many performance training circles. In fact, the answer of who can perform the "other" controversial lifts that have become focal points of discussion is found in the same reasoning. These "other" lifts being the traditional deadlift and the Olympic lifts of power clean and power snatches.

Well, taken from a performance coach's perspective, all four of these exercises have a very unique role in their own respective lifting genres, but may not be the best training option within the athletic population that a coach is responsible for. Again, for clarification I am writing this article from the standpoint of performance training for athletes who compete in team or individual sports that are unrelated to weight training.

Within their individual lifting competitions, the back squat, deadlift, power clean and power snatch are very unique skills. I think many times coaches of these lifts who are "married to the exercise" will make the mistake of translating world class athletes results and measurements and transpose these performance expectations onto athletes they are working with. It becomes a square peg / round hole scenario where a coach will force feed these exercises onto the athletes they work with, yet not see the limiting factor for many of these exercises is outside the athlete's control.

Anatomy Predicting Success

At the world class level, there are similarities in physique and body dimensions which allow a person who is performing one of these lifts to have a distinct advantage over other competitors. One observation I have had of people who successfully perform the back squat, deadlift and Olympic lifts at the world class level (and perform them with excellent form) is the presence of a long torso and relatively short femur.

Dr. Stuart McGill at a talk in Toronto in November of 2010 referenced his study of competitive powerlifters and the genetic advantage some people in this sport had whose ancestry was from certain regions within Europe; that advantage being a rather shallow acetabular socket.

Dr. McGill's research and comments reinforced for me that body structure and the relative length of an athlete's torso and appendages will give them a distinct advantage in one sport over another. Hence the commonality in limb and torso proportions within competitive lifters at a world class level.

Conversely, an athlete's anatomy can also be a limiting factor in the performance of specific skills within a sport. How many 5' 5" tall 100m sprint specialists do you see at the Olympics, or 6' 4" gymnasts? Not many 6' 0" tall athletes with short humerus' make it to the NBA. The examples are endless, but the message is clear: structural anatomy can predict success or failure within sporting movements

In many cases, an athlete needs to have the structural (bony) anatomy to perform these lifts properly. Too many of the athletes I work with have structural anatomy which gives them a competitive advantage in their chosen sport, but makes many weight room training exercises very difficult.

A perfect example is a hockey player who is gifted with long humerus and radius/ulna bones within their arms. Great for stick handling and keeping a puck out of the way of an opposing players attempts to get the puck, but terrible anatomy in the catch position of a clean, since the long forearms drive the bar into the throat in a proper catch position. Long femurs or short torso are a back squatters' nightmare. But they are great if you want to be an athlete that sprints or skates fast.

Predictable Process of Squat Performance

Having seen so many athletes attempt the basic squat movement and struggle with its performance, I have developed an understanding of how people squat and the patterns that typically follow as loading in this movement is attempted. I call it the "Predictable Process of Squat Performance" and really it is just the observation of how athletes tend to respond to having load applied to their squat movement when they are relatively new to the experience of weight training.

I outline the predictable process of squat performance in the following list. It is a progression of exercise choice and loading ability, not an absolute quantification of one athlete fitting into a specific category, but more of an average distribution of athletes across a large group that enter into a training environment.

The progression is from body weight squatting, to a Goblet Squat, Trap Bar Deadlift, Front Squat and then Back Squat.

An example is the best way to explain how this progression works. It goes something like this:

Take 20 athletes that are 14 to 18 years of age. Sport doesn't matter. Training age is random with some of the group total beginners, others with some weight room experience, no-one really training longer than 2 years prior. I've listed how many athletes will acquire this squat skill right away versus the time it takes others to develop it as load is applied. Also, I have summarized the time it takes for athletes to become very proficient at the exercise, using loads that are near a repetition maximum value for them.

Body weight squat:

• Within two sessions, 16 of 20 athletes will have adequate technique to begin loading with the goblet squat.

• Beginning athletes will invariable feel every part of legs and low back under stress as their technique fails.

• Most athletes will achieve success in the first workout, they feel their legs working but are not overstressed with the exercise performance.

Goblet squat:

• Within five sessions of beginning loading, 18 of 20 athletes will be able to progress to TB Deadlift or Front Squat, they will have mastered the Goblet Squat.

• Beginning athletes will feel stress through the upper back but more physical work directed towards the legs, feeling loading in the posterior chain and quadriceps as fatigue sets in.

• Some athletes are still not challenged in the lower body by the loads yet, it is too easy for the lower body to perform the exercise, the weight of the DB is the limiting factor for the upper body.

TB Deadlift:

• Some athletes (x2-3) most likely have prior lifting experience and others are just good athletes (x3) and progress very quickly in developing the lift. Total: six athletes who will lift aggressively almost from the beginning.

• Within five sessions of beginning TB Deadlifting, loading will increase based on performance within the lift (beginning of week 3) for an additional eight to ten of the athletes.

• Total: 14 to 16 athletes who are aggressively loading within 3 weeks of beginning program.

• Prior to this, minimal loads and just grooving the pattern will be paramount for most (12 of 18 athletes), but half of these athletes develop the ability to load within the first three weeks.

• Two athletes still struggle with body weight and the goblet progression.

• Athletes are easily coached to produce a posterior weight shift with the hips, though upper body posture is a work in progress for some.

• Beginning athletes will feel equal stress through back musculature and legs.

• As loading progresses, reports of periodic back stress/workload are not uncommon, not painful, just muscular loading and adaptation. Athletes feel entire posterior chain contributing to the lift.

Front Squat:

• If we choose to go with front squat instead of TB Deadlift, two to three of the athletes will be able to begin loading aggressively within three sessions, mostly based on prior experience.

• Three more are just really good athletes and get it very quickly, so loading progresses for those athletes as well.

• Total: six athletes who are aggressively loading within 3 weeks of beginning the program.

• Eight of the athletes struggle with the technique but can begin loading adequately within ten sessions (approximately week 5 of program).

• Four athletes will struggle with the lift and use minimal loading to continue to groove the pattern, use other teaching exercises and supplemental exercises to complement their squat pattern development.

• Two athletes will continue to struggle to squat with any loading bilaterally even though they continue to participate in supplemental and teaching exercises well into the 6th to 8th week of the program.

• Beginning athletes will struggle with supporting the bar positioning, squat depth and foot alignment.

• Athletes will generally understand a posterior weight shift quickly and proprioceptively groove proper upper body and hip motion.

• Fatigue will set in early and technical errors will creep up fast within a set.

• For some really advanced lifters, supporting a heavily weighted bar becomes a problem as well. They are not strong enough in the shoulder girdle or upper back to support what their lower body can lift.

Back Squat:

• If we choose to go with Back Squat instead of TB Deadlift or Front Squat, one of the athletes will be able to begin loading aggressively within three sessions, based entirely on prior experience.

• Three players are really good athletes, but two of them struggle with back positioning at the bottom of the lift. They curl under and lose the lordotic curve. Loading is restrictive for these athletes.

• Total: Two athletes who are aggressively loading within 3 weeks of beginning the program.

• Four of the athletes struggle with the technique initially but can begin loading adequately within ten sessions (approximately week 5 of program).

• Twelve of the athletes will struggle with the lift, technical errors will continue as they work to try and correct the various Back Squat pattern deficiencies.

• Two athletes will continue to struggle to squat with any loading bilaterally even though they continue to participate in supplemental and teaching exercises well into the 6th to 8th week of the program.

• Beginning athletes will have trouble overcoming the tendency of an anterior weight shift and feel considerable loading through the anterior knee structures. Others will have considerable trouble with initiating a posterior weight shift.

• Most technical errors will center around an athlete's ability to sit into a thigh parallel position and maintain a lordotic curve in the lumbar spine. Invariably, whether due to bony contact between the femur and pelvis, a muscular dominance of the hamstrings or an inability of the back musculature to counteract the weight of the bar, the athletes will struggle to maintain proper back positioning throughout the entire range of motion.

Typical progression of athletes who will be aggressively loading in a program:

Goblet squat: 18 of 20 athletes within five sessions, most within the first three sessions.

TB Deadlift: 14 to 16 athletes within three weeks.

Front Squat: 14 athletes within five weeks.

Back Squat: 6 athletes within five weeks.

The predictability of the squat process is a basic summary of the ability of a strength coach to introduce loading to athletes who are relatively new to the process of weight training. The prediction is really the observation of fundamental errors which occur with an alarming rate of consistency, regardless of the age or sport of the athletes involved. So often I have seen the initial loading patterns of athletes and the resultant errors and difficulties these athletes will go through as the movement is practiced and loads are applied.

Coaching is teaching and being taught is a process for the athlete that takes time. The predictability of the process for me has allowed our staff to implement a progression of loading and complimentary exercises to help develop the pattern of squatting. For most athletes the squat needs to be a learned skill with an appropriate progression and distinct levels of achievement to allow the athlete to acquire the skills at an accelerated rate in a safe but effective manner.

Though not a hard and fast rule, the predictability seems to give rise to the observation that athletes cannot skip too many steps in the loading process. Take a beginner and try to force the TB Deadlift on them and you will be fighting a losing battle from the outset. Or put an athlete into the Back Squat who has not established a significant level of proprioception and postural control in a lower level squat motion and you can be sure there will be significant technical errors within this exercise that are very difficult to correct while back squatting with any load.

Just forcing an athlete into a higher level of demand in the squat exercise continuum will not guarantee that athlete will squat aggressively with load in a safe and effective manner within a reasonable amount of time. Certain performance markers, such as a proper initiation of hip motion, femoral alignment, lumbar posture and even something as simple as full range of motion within the hips or ankles can become major limitations to proper squat performance if the loading prevents these markers from being achieved.

Role of the Athlete

One thing that can easily be missed by some strength coaches is based on the choice of exercises in the programs they give to athletes, has the coach been able to garner significant buy-in from the athletes themselves. It is so easy to lose a group of athletes if they do not invest themselves into the exercise program. We have all seen it, a group of athletes who want to lift, to work out aggressively and really feel like they made strides in their development that day. Then you watch as the air goes out of the balloon as the athletes feel the exercises they are performing are well below the intensity they want to work at.

What type of buy-in can you get with the majority of a group of 17 year old athletes who are relegated to corrective exercise to clean up their back squat technique when only a select few of their team mates are able to lift aggressively? Or the level of engagement as athletes attempt back squats with body bars or broom sticks. Not much in my experience.

It is far better to have the majority of the group lifting aggressively in a lower level demand squat exercise where the athlete feels the proper squatting motion and can challenge their muscular system to adapt to the loading. Have those same athletes grab ahold of a reasonably weighted dumbbell and perform a more technically sound Goblet Squat. Or use a reasonably loaded bar and perform a Front Squat, reinforcing the mechanics of a more technically proficient squat motion due to the load placement.

It's not the load that is important here; it's the recognition of load and thus the perceived accomplishment by the athlete that is the valuable tool here for the strength coach. The athlete buys in, and that is a huge step for the strength coach in the program.

The strength coach needs repetitions and ongoing performance of the squat motion to develop the movement pattern and strength levels. The buy-in by the athletes gives the strength coach the time and repetitions to do just that. Using leverage and manipulating an athlete's center of gravity is the trick of the trade that the strength coach is going to use to develop within the athlete a proper squat motion.

The great thing about the predictability of the squat performance model is that it serves as a double leg loading progression. Athletes will have a much higher level of buy-in and a significantly more aggressive workout with exercises and loads that are matched to their ability at that point in time.

Adding to this previous point, a systematic allocation of loading allows the athlete to perform to the best of their ability, with the development of the athlete along this progression being accelerated. Athletes acquire and master a lower level squat motion, add load, then progress onto higher level exercises as technique and their strength levels improve.

To summarize, I feel the time it takes for a lifter to safely load an aggressive weight in the Back Squat is too long and runs a lot more risk than the Front Squat, TB Deadlift or any other squat regression. My job is to get athletes as strong as possible in a short training window each year. Therefore I need to choose exercises which allow me to load aggressively and allow the athlete to develop their strength levels as quickly as possible. For athletes who progress to advanced lifting programs, the Trapbar Deadlift and Front Squat both have significant value within the programming I use with athletes, something I cannot say about the Back Squat.

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·  The Front Squat/Back Squat Debate: Part 3

Cuneo Dominant as Big Train Fall 3-2

Cuneo Dominant as Big Train Fall 3-2

Cameron Cuneo has been a force on the mound this season.  Seven innings quality innings by Cameron Cuneo (UC Santa Barbara) would unfortunately not be enough last night as the Big Train fell to the Rockville Express 3-2. Cuneo gave up just one earned run on six hits while striking out 11.    Despite getting tagged for the loss, Cuneo recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts in his seven innings, topping the nine-strikeout performance he put together against the Herndon Braves on July 2. Cuneo now has 41 strikeouts in his 31 innings of work this year. The Big Train got RBIs from Brendan Hendriks (San Francisco) andAdam Barry (Cal State Northridge), who both had solid nights at the plate. Hendriks went 3-5 including a double while Barry drew two walks on the night. Big Train lead-off man Michael Bass (UNC-Wilmington) also reached base three times.    Reliever Brock Larson (San Francisco) shut out the Express in the eighth, but the offense was unable to score a much-needed run in the top of the ninth, losing the game 3-2. Click here for last night's box score and play-by-play.    The Big Train will travel into DC tonight to try and bounce back against the Grays at 5:00 at Hoy Field at Gallaudet University before returning home on Tuesday evening to wrap up four innings of baseball against the Baltimore Redbirds. The game will be finishing a previously scheduled game which was postponed in the bottom of the fourth, so come see if the Big Train can hold on to beat the Redbirds.

Discover a dozen alternative cancer clinics

Once you've had a look at How to Cure Almost Any Cancer at Home for $5.15 a Day, you'll have an idea of the amazing variety of alternative cancer treatments.        But How to Cure Almost Any Cancer at Home just scratches the surface. Some of the best treatments are available ONLY from professional doctors, caregivers and therapists. For example, you need a doctor for IV (intravenous) treatments that are often many times as powerful as pills.       We've prepared a special report called Cancer Breakthrough USA to introduce you to a dozen outstanding alternative cancer clinics located right here in America. This priceless report introduces you to the doctors AND some of the patients they've treated. You'll see for yourself what it's like to put yourself in the hands of an experienced, caring alternative cancer clinic.        Scroll down and keep reading!

Can you believe an American doctor actually said, "In 21 days you can just about get rid of any cancer" -- and then proved it? Well she did.  I interviewed her myself.  What's more, I talked to some of the patients whose lives she saved during the last 20 years.  I investigated her whole approach, and I can tell you... There's absolutely no doubt her cancer breakthrough has helped one "terminal" patient after another get rid of cancer.  I saw for myself. What's more, she did it with natural methods only -- NO disfiguring surgery, NO burning radiation, and NO poisonous chemo. And here's what's really scandalous... You'll never hear a word about her cancer breakthrough unless you know an insider That's right:  If you've EVER heard about her amazing cancer cures -- and I bet you haven't -- then you heard it on the grapevine. In fact, one doctor practically whispered to a woman with breast cancer, "I can't legally tell you this, but cancer responds well to holistic treatment."  He discreetly referred his patient to the very doctor I'm talking about.  And the woman totally got rid of her breast cancer. It's a fact: alternative cancer doctors are so fiercely persecuted in America the clinic I'm telling you about can't legally advertise.  They have to rely on word of mouth. I realize what I'm telling you is hard to believe. I don't blame you for being skeptical. Give me 10 minutes, and I'll prove to you that this is on the level. Let me introduce myself to you. I'm Frank Cousineau, the president of two nonprofit organizations. I'm involved in the fight against cancer because my mother died an early death from cancer. So if one of your loved ones is struggling with cancer right now, I know exactly how you feel. The views I'm expressing here are my own and not necessarily those of the two nonprofit groups. I can legally tell you what the doctors can't tell you because I'm not a doctor. I have a First Amendment right to report what others have told me. "Hopeless" cancer victim fired her doctors and healed herself In 1971 Renee, a Midwestern college student, got the bad news that she had breast cancer. She went under the knife, and a surgeon removed both breasts. But that was only the start of her cancer nightmare. Renee underwent 15 surgeries including a hysterectomy, a thyroidectomy, and an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant. Then in 1985 her doctors told her two more drastic surgeries would give her the potential to live another six months: a leg amputation and a liver transplant. She said no to these surgeries because she discovered the secret of healing cancer using natural methods. That's right. She flushed all of her prescription drugs down the toilet, fired her doctors, and healed herself! 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I also give you information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. Deadly bone cancer: Defeated! Seventeen-year-old Valerie M. from Texas was pretty much on her deathbed in 2004 when her family brought her to an alternative clinic out West. She had Ewing's sarcoma, a deadly cancer that arises in bone. Valerie had been treated with conventional cancer therapies at the finest cancer hospitals in Texas, but to no avail. Her doctors gave up on her. They told her to go home and get her affairs in order. They said, "Nothing more can be done." In other words, wrote her off. After just two weeks of alternative cancer therapy at the Western clinic, Valerie could walk around without difficulty. By the time she got back home, her lung lesions had disappeared. Her doctors in Texas were flabbergasted. At this writing, Valerie is 21 years old and doing fine. Her astonishing and seemingly miraculous cure was featured in a video called "The Incurables." "Hopeless" brain cancer: Defeated! Bernadette, a middle-aged woman from New York, was shocked when she found out she had brain cancer. To make matters worse, the tumor gave her double vision. To correct the double vision she had to wear special glasses. Her doctors told her, "There's nothing we can do for you. Chemo and radiation won't help. And the tumor is inoperable." In other words, they gave her a death sentence. But instead of giving up, she went to one of the alternative cancer clinics in my Special Report. After just a week of treatment, she didn't need her glasses anymore. She said, "That was a miracle!" After two more weeks of treatment, she went home with some nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies. Her headaches were gone. Her pain was gone. Her tumor was gone, as proved by a new MRI. Listen to Bernadette's own words: "What can I say? This is amazing. I had been written off by doctors who said, 'Make sure your will is signed.' 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As for his depressed sex drive, 59-year-old Gary says, "That's no longer a problem." In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA! The little-known American clinics that turn around even "hopeless" cancer, I describe this clinic and give you information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. It costs $350,000 to die of cancer in America today By the time you add up the costs of surgery, radiation, chemo, hospitalization, hospice care, etc., it costs about $350,000 to die of cancer in America. Of course, the conventional treatments might work. As Julian Whitaker, M.D., told me, radiation and chemotherapy are "dangerous placebos." And placebos sometimes work. By contrast, the alternative clinics I reveal in Cancer Breakthrough USA! charge about $10,000-$20,000 to help cancer patients. So when someone with cancer chooses one of these alternative clinics, that means conventional doctors and hospitals lose out on $350,000. That's right. It's mostly about money. That's why we have so little health freedom in America.  When a big drug company or the AMA calls your Congressman, you can bet he picks up the phone right away. The surgery risk you don't know about Here's something else you need to know if you're considering an operation:  Surgery is up to two or three times as risky for cancer patients as surgery on the same body part is for non-cancer patients.  Fact. The average doctor in America recommends surgery, radiation, and chemo because he doesn't know about the alternatives. American medical schools don't teach about alternatives because they're locked into teaching what they've always taught: that drugs are the remedy for practically every medical problem, especially cancer. Drugs. Drugs. Drugs. Conspiracy between the FDA and the drug companies to hide the truth from you? No wonder a lot of alternative health experts suspect the FDA conspires with the pharmaceutical giants to hide the truth not just from the American public but also from American doctors. The FDA and the drug companies have been in bed together for years. These people call alternative treatments quackery. The fact is they've never published a paper on nutrition or done any research on alternatives at all.  They just "know" it doesn't work. Well, I've had it with all the slick advertising about the newest drugs. That's why I'm going to spill the beans. I'm going to tell you what the FDA and money-hungry corporations don't want you to know. And if the drug companies and the FDA don't like it, that's tough. Other amazing clinics that turn around even "hopeless" cancers Let me tell you about an amazing clinic in California that has equally impressive success with stubborn cases of cancer. The course of treatment at the California clinic typically lasts about three weeks. That's about how long it takes to get rid most cancers. In less severe cases, two weeks of treatment might be enough. In a severe case, an extra week of treatment might be necessary. Stage four colon cancer: Defeated! In 2000, Robert was suffering from stage four colon cancer, meaning that the cancer had spread elsewhere. Robert's doctors in Australia gave him no more than two or three months to live. Instead of accepting this death sentence, Robert flew to California to be treated by the amazing doctor who runs the alternative clinic. This man's colon cancer had spread to the kidneys, liver, bladder, and even the lungs. He was in terrible shape. He had lost a lot of weight. And he had severe fatigue and jaundice. Furthermore, he couldn't go for any more conventional treatments because he had maxed out on all the chemotherapies. Using only natural treatments, Robert, who had been given just three months to live, became healthy. He went back to Australia to enjoy life -- especially golf, his favorite hobby. In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA! The little-known American clinics that turn around even "hopeless" cancer, I describe this clinic and give you information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. Deadliest lung cancer: Defeated! A farmer from Connecticut with one of the deadliest cancers of the lung came to the California alternative clinic. Conventional medicine offered no treatments for this kind of cancer -- no chemo, no radiation, nothing -- because it's not sensitive to anything. So the only thing that helped him was the natural, non-toxic treatments. Following the natural treatment, his CAT scans proved he was cancer-free. The tumor was gone. He did so well that he went back home and went back to work. Three years passed. It's unheard of for anyone to survive this kind of lung cancer for three years! His lung cancer never did come back. Malignant melanoma: Defeated! An opera singer from Texas named Bernadette was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a deadly cancer of the skin. She went to the California alternative clinic. The doctor gave her a food plan, helped her detoxify, and gave her other natural therapies. Melanoma is a disease that spreads quickly. But it didn't spread anywhere in her body because the natural treatment brought the cancer to a screeching halt. She recovered from her melanoma through non-chemical, totally natural remedies. Her melanoma has never come back, which her oncologist confirmed. She's in total remission with her melanoma. Today Bernadette says, "I have never felt this good in my life. I'm going to school, and I'm right now doing everything myself. But I have so much energy, and I'm doing so much better." She's now studying to become a holistic doctor. In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA! The little-known American clinics that turn around even "hopeless" cancer, I describe this clinic and give you information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. Former skeptic validates new cancer breakthrough Now let me tell you about another amazing doctor who discovered a natural healing technique every cancer patient should use. Why? Because a study by a Stanford University doctor has proven that it almost doubles cancer patients' survival time - even if they use conventional therapy! Furthermore, this Stanford doctor was a total skeptic. His aim was to disprove the new healing technique. He was shocked when his study actually proved it! And it shocked the medical world when it appeared in a prestigious medical journal (Lancet 1989; 2: 8668: 888-91). Here's what happened. All of the patients in this study were undergoing conventional cancer treatment. Half of them (the control group) received no other therapy. Those in the other group received a non-toxic therapy in addition to the conventional treatment. Within 48 months, all of the cancer patients in the control group were dead, but one third of those in the other group were still alive. Those in the control group survived an average of 19 months, while those in the other group survived 36 months. In fact, this study proves that even if you choose the conventional cancer treatment (surgery, radiation, chemo), you can increase your odds of survival just by adding this one non-toxic therapy. Severe throat cancer: Defeated! In 1971 Jim M. was 61. He had advanced throat cancer. Doctors had given him "three months to live." But fortunately he met Dr. Carl, the young doctor who pioneered the new method that was later proven by the skeptical Stanford doctor. This method turned Jim's "terminal" cancer completely around. Best of all, this method required no drugs, no vitamins or supplements, and no "treatments" of any kind. Yet the method allowed Jim to tap into his body's healing mechanisms, which turned the cancer around! Let me give you another example: "End stage" abdominal cancer: Defeated! In 1974 another "hopeless" cancer patient, Bob G., a 39-year-old man from Houston, was at the end stage of his cancer. His cancer had spread throughout his abdomen. The chemo wasn't working and was giving him terrible side effects. Bob had heard about Dr. Carl's new method, and it seemed to be his only hope. He spent three days in Ft. Worth, learning Dr. Carl's method. In just six weeks he went from extensive disease to no evidence of disease! He's remained free of disease to this day. Need more proof?  Keep reading! Breast/lung cancer: Defeated! Five years ago, a woman who'd had two bouts with breast cancer came to see Dr. Carl with advanced, deadly lung cancer. Using his method, she was able to go through radiation and chemo with no significant side effects. She's been free of cancer for five years and is thriving. The celebrated TV journalist Peter Jennings wasn't able to whip his lung cancer, despite all his money. But Dr. Carl says, "It's not a matter of money. You have to tap into your body's healing process." Best of all, you don't even have to travel to Dr. Carl's clinic to learn his method. You can order an inexpensive package of information and apply his proven method at home. Statistical proof: Brain cancer defeated! Investigators from the National Cancer Institute have verified the success of a Texas clinic that specializes in alternative cancer therapy. The investigators examined the medical records of seven terminally ill brain cancer patients. They concluded that the alternative treatment caused a complete or partial remission in every case. And the results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which you can look up in any medical library (JNCI, 1992; 84: 22, 1701). In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer I give you the contact information for Dr. Carl's clinic and also information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. "But can every cancer patient be saved?" You may be wondering whether every cancer patient can be saved. I'm not going to claim that because it wouldn't be honest. I want to give you a bright ray of hope, but not false hope. Obviously if a cancer victim is 10 minutes away from death, it's too late. But even if it's too late, alternative cancer treatments often enable patients to go off their pain medications and enjoy life during their final days. For example, one man with pancreatic cancer waited too long to see Dr. Jim, a remarkable alternative doctor in California. But this man's 37-year-old niece Elizabeth knew he was pleased with Dr. Jim's treatment. So when she came down with deadly ovarian cancer in 1977, she went to Dr. Jim without hesitation. And he helped her get rid of that cancer using vitamins and a healthy eating plan. Dr. Jim is known as "the vitamin doctor." He has the common sense and healing touch of a country doctor. Dr. Jim's clinic and the other alternative clinics I recommend have an impressive record of routinely saving patients conventional doctors had given up on -- even those given just months or weeks to live. "You must have an abortion right away!" Six doctors told this cancer patient Let me tell you about an amazing clinic that uses a complementary approach: alternative and conventional medicine. This clinic is perfect for those who want "the best of both worlds." Lynette B. was pregnant and 34 when she discovered she had a vicious form of breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. A doctor told her that her cancer was "estrogen-responsive" and that the hormones of pregnancy would feed the disease. What's more, he said the chemotherapy would hurt the baby. This doctor was one of six who insisted that she have an abortion -- no ifs, ands, or buts. Otherwise they said the cancer would be fatal. But Lynette didn't want an abortion. When she realized none of her doctors were going to let her be a partner in her care, just a bystander, she looked for an alternative. She found a holistic clinic that put her desires at the center of her treatment plan. Saving Lynette and her baby required a difficult balancing act. The clinic used a combination of alternative and conventional treatments to save both. A few months later, Lynnette was breastfeeding her healthy baby boy. And today he's almost nine years old! Mommy's still alive too! In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer I give you information about over a dozen excellent clinics spread throughout America.   How to give cancer a wake-up call that the jig is up Several of the great doctors featured in my new Special Report use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to give cancer a wake-up call letting it know the jig is up. Why? Because cancer hates oxygen and can't survive in a high oxygen environment. In fact, one of the doctors operates four hyperbaric oxygen chambers at his state-of-the-art clinic. He says, "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for terminally ill cancer patients is lifesaving. It gives the body a blast of fresh air. It pumps massive amounts of oxygen into the brain. It gives you eight to nine times the oxygen you normally breathe." How effective is hyperbaric oxygen therapy? Well, a desperate patient with "terminal" lung cancer came to this doctor's office, pulling his little cart with his portable oxygen tank. He had an oxygen mask on his face and was huffing and puffing. His face was red, and his capillaries were dilated. The doctor asked him, "What's the problem?" The man replied, "They say I've got cancer. It's in my lungs. They won't operate because if they take out any more of my lung, I'll die. And if they give me radiation, that'll kill my lung, and that'll kill me. And chemo won't work on it. So I've come to you to see what you can do. They gave me about a month to six weeks to live. Can you help me?" The doctor replied, "I don't know. I'll try." He put the patient on a vegetarian diet, but the man wouldn't follow it. So the doctor put him on hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus another natural therapy. Instead of dying within four to six weeks as his doctors had predicted, he lived for another two years. Then he died of an aneurism. In the chapter about this amazing doctor, you'll discover: How cancer patients who've lost their appetite can get it back within a day or two without drugs Culprit exposed! How yeast and fungus are linked to cancer, and how to get rid of these pesky invaders When a sinus infection can signal something more serious -- such as cancer An easy way to find out in seconds if you have an undetected sinus infection -- and why you MUST bring it under control Surprising but true: Coffee is proven in the medical literature to kill cancer! But not if you drink it - only if you use it this other way How this doctor plans to live to the age of 120 (Hint: He's using a cutting-edge therapy offered by few clinics) In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer I give you the contact information for this clinic and also information about over a dozen other excellent clinics spread throughout America. What about the Mexican cancer clinics? I wrote a best-selling Special Report called Cancer Defeated! about Mexico's outstanding alternative cancer clinics.  But a lot of readers asked me, "Aren't there any good cancer clinics in America?" This new Special Report is my answer to their request. YES, there are some excellent American alternative cancer clinics.  Unfortunately it's just about impossible to find an American clinic that will give you certain treatments I believe are effective such as Laetrile and intravenous DMSO.  That's because these treatments are generally considered illegal in America. To get these treatments you'd have to go to Mexico. But as I've shown you, the top American clinics achieve incredible results, and you can go to them with full confidence An unmentionable cause of cancer: parasites eating us alive Shocking as it may sound, many Americans carry parasites, such as the common roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, pinworm, heartworm, or microscopic parasites. They're unbelievably easy to pick up. You can get parasites from food or water, from mosquitoes, or through the nose or skin. Some parasites are easily visible with the naked eye; others are microscopic. The Discovery Channel documented these horrors in its DVD "Parasites: Eating Us Alive." This documentary says that parasites "appear to be indomitable. And they are eating us alive." And it says that one of every two people has parasitic worms! Unfortunately, the parasites make themselves at home after entering us. They eat our tissue or drink our body fluids. And parasites, too, have to eliminate their waste, so they excrete substances that poison our bodies. Many alternative cancer experts insist these poisons can cause cancer. How to tell if you might have parasites Do you have one or more of these telltale signs of human parasite infestation? low energy itchy ears, nose, or anus memory lapses bloating and gas brain fog back pain, shoulder pain, or thigh pain rapid heartbeat eating a lot without satisfying hunger numbness in the hands burning in the pit of your stomach drooling during sleep grinding teeth during sleep  If you have one or more of these signs, you might have parasites. Parasites that enter the colon through our food or water can then migrate to the various organs of the body and into the blood. Getting rid of parasites isn't a simple matter. It takes about three months because of the parasites' reproductive cycle. In my new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer, you'll discover the absolute best and most reliable way to be sure you're free of ALL parasites. Why I'll never stop fighting cancer My mother's death from cancer was a turning point in my life. It inspired me to embark on a quest to find out if something could have been done to save her life. Even though my mother was gone, I didn't want to see any more loved ones needlessly die an early death from cancer. I don't want you or any of your loved ones to have to undergo the drastic surgery and poisonous chemo my mother underwent -- all to no avail. When my mother got uterine cancer in 1956, the doctors recommended a pan-hysterectomy. In other words, they wanted to cut out her uterus and both ovaries. She underwent the operation, and the doctors pronounced it a success. But the cancer snuck back in 1966, reappearing as colon cancer. Medical stubbornness in America is killing patients every day, just as it killed my mother Again the doctors recommended drastic surgery, so she had a large portion of her colon cut out. She was never the same after that. In 1973 her colon cancer once again reared its ugly head. This time the doctors recommended a harsh regimen of chemo that's still in common use today. The chemo didn't just make my mother vomit. It made her retch so violently she never wanted to take another round of that chemo again. And she didn't. She slid downhill and needlessly died an early death. In the three decades since my mother's death, I've devoted my life to helping people find alternative cancer treatment options. I'm passionate about helping people defeat cancer. Why are America's top cancer doctors persecuted? Like medical pioneers through the ages, America's alternative cancer doctors are often persecuted. For example: An alternative cancer doctor in California was arrested in the middle of the night and hauled off to jail.  He was later found guilty and sentenced to a road gang like something out of Cool Hand Luke!  This guy is practicing medicine again and for my money he's one of the best alternative doctors in the United States. Another California doctor was hauled before the Medical Board for using substances not listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR). His "infraction" was using nutritional supplements instead of prescribing drugs. He successfully defended himself from this hassle. Government goons burst into the office of a Wisconsin doctor to confiscate her special $20,000  microscope. She had been under the watchful eye of the government for helping people get rid of their cancers using natural methods. She fought the confiscation and narrowly won. America's most famous holistic doctor, Julian Whitaker, M.D., the founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California, doesn't accept cancer patients because he doesn't want to practice medicine with a bull's-eye painted on his back. Instead, he refers cancer patients to a holistic doctor at another clinic. I give the contact information for these doctors and clinics in my new Special Report... Why are so many needlessly dying of cancer? Based on what I know, I believe with all my heart that many cancer victims written off as "hopeless" could have been saved! It's tragic to see pictures of young women or middle-aged women in the obituary column. More often than not the obituaries say the women died after a struggle with breast cancer. But it's not just women who are needlessly dying from cancer. Men are dying from prostate cancer and other forms of cancer - sometimes undergoing drastic, painful, and unnecessary medical treatments. I feel so sad and so helpless when I look at pictures of those who needlessly died an early death from cancer. I wish I could have told each one of them about the treatment options available in America's alternative clinics. That's why I want to shout my message about health alternatives from the housetops. I know you'll love my new Special Report. A respected colleague told me, "I couldn't help reading the whole thing -- even when I had other work to do. It's well written and compelling. I learned a lot." Don't be surprised if you can't put it down. My iron-clad, no-strings, 365-day money-back guarantee When you order Cancer Breakthrough USA, you have a full 365 days to read it, ponder it, and evaluate it. You MUST be delighted with it, and I'm confident you will be. You MUST feel my Special Report is an outstanding investment in your health and the health of your loved ones. If you don't agree, simply ask for a refund by the 365th day, and I'll give you a cheerful and prompt 100 percent refund of every penny of the full purchase price. No questions asked. And you get to keep the report. You don't have to return it. Well, as a practical matter you can't really return an e-book if you buy the report in that form. But whether you buy the report as an e-book or as a hard copy, my offer is the same because I believe you're a fair-minded person like I am. I trust you. How can I afford to offer an unconditional 365-day guarantee when most others offer only a 30- or 60- day guarantee if they offer any guarantee at all? I'm confident you'll be delighted with this investment in your health. I want you to feel comfortable when you take me up on this offer. That's why I take ALL of the risk on my shoulders. In Cancer Breakthrough USA I give much more detail about America's finest alternative clinics and contact information for over a dozen of the most outstanding clinics - including addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and website addresses. Let me summarize what you'll get when you order Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer: Contact information for over a dozen outstanding American clinics scattered throughout the country, including phone numbers, websites, and e-mail addresses. Information about the most effective non-toxic cancer treatment options in America More encouraging stories about "hopeless" cancer patients who whipped their cancer using natural, non-toxic methods The title and author of the book that saved Dr. Renee's life. This is the book that inspired her to flush her prescription drugs down the toilet and heal herself of cancer. This book could change your life, too. Details about a healthy eating plan for those seeking better health The absolute best and most reliable way to make sure you're free of ALL parasites. An interview about cancer with America's most famous holistic doctor, Julian Whitaker, M.D., the founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute A discount on my clinic information services, if you want more help to find the right clinic for you. And don't forget, the alternative cancer treatments I feature in my Special Report cost a fraction of conventional treatments, and have no side effects. Sooner or later you or a loved one will need the life-saving information I'm offering That's because one of every two American men will get cancer, and one of every three women. That's why you need to have Cancer Breakthrough USA on hand. You'll be able to help yourself and any friend or relative who hears a doctor say those terrifying words, "You have cancer." With my report, you'll be able to offer your loved one a most precious gift: the gift of hope and health. And you might need the information for yourself someday. So order now and don't put it off.  Don't risk forgetting about it or becoming too busy. When a doctor tells you or someone you love "it's cancer," they usually put you under intense pressure to go under the knife or start chemo right away.  Sometimes they won't even let you leave their office without signing the consent forms. Don't let that happen to you or someone you love.  Be ready. You'll be in a panic without information on your alternatives -- unless you've got my Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA on hand! This information could literally save your life. With kindest regards, Frank Cousineau President, Cancer Victors P.S. There's so much less to fear from cancer than you probably think. Why wait until you or someone you love is diagnosed and doctors are trying to rush you onto the operating table? Find out about your options now, and be ready. My new Special Report Cancer Breakthrough USA: The little-known American clinics that turn around even 'hopeless' cancer will set your mind at ease, even if you don't need treatment now. Health Disclaimer: The information provided above is not intended as personal medical advice or instructions. You should not take any action affecting your health without consulting a qualified health professional. The authors and publishers of the information above are not doctors or health-caregivers. The authors and publishers believe the information to be accurate but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. There is some risk associated with ANY cancer treatment, and the reader should not act on the information above unless he or she is willing to assume the full risk. Reminder: We're the publishers of Natural Cancer Remedies that Work, Cancer Defeated, Cancer Breakthrough USA, Missing Ingredient For Good Health and How to Cure Almost Any Cancer at Home for $5.15 a Day. You're getting this email because you purchased one of these Special Reports and gave us permission to contact you. From time to time we'll alert you to other important information about alternative cancer treatments. If you want to update or remove your email address, please scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the appropriate link. Cancer Defeated PO Box 1076 Lexington, VA 24450 "We respect your privacy. Your name, address and other personal information will not be sold to any third parties. Any personal information you provide us is protected by state of the art security." Questions or problems? Please email us at custserv@cancerdefeated.com

White spots on your nails could mean cancer risk

Low Sex Drive, Saggy Skin and White Spots on Your Nails Signify a Lack of This Mineral —
and a Higher Cancer Risk

    Your body loves this mineral.

    Without it, you wouldn't be able to make babies, or grow and feed them. This mineral also fights diseases and performs over 300 other biological functions.

    Too much or too little of this mineral, and all these processes suffer, putting you at risk of disease and possibly even an early death. It's also a very popular cold remedy. So keep reading and I'll unveil the secret. . .

Continued below. . .

The Best-Kept Secret in Alternative Health...     What if you could get your hands on the secret that can "unlock" your body’s own "pharmacy" to relieve pain, reduce high blood pressure, shed pounds, quit smoking permanently, revive low sex drive and effectively treat over 350 diseases?     This little-known therapy is recognized and approved by the World Health Organization and the FDA to treat countless health problems without drugs. It can be done in the comfort of your own home — and you can easily learn it in a few minutes. Activate your body’s ability to heal itself today by clicking here.

Zinc deficiency leads to cancer —
And cancer therapy leads to zinc deficiency

    Zinc is needed throughout life for proper cellular growth and repair, as well as maintaining immune function.

    If you're deficient in it, you can suffer impaired immune function and have poor resistance to infection and disease.

    This can spell a major problem for cancer patients. In the case of zinc deficiency, it most often expresses itself in prostate and breast cancers. But it is also associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, 65 percent of patients with head and neck cancers were zinc deficient.¹

    As you may know, cancer is primarily a disease of the immune system. In fact, the medical and scientific community has known for over 100 years that nearly ALL diseases are a result of poor nutrition at some level or another.

    So anyone wanting to avoid cancer needs to pay heed to the risk factors they can personally control — such as nutrient imbalances in your body that can lead to cancer.

    Zinc deficiency is a general cancer risk factor. This is a fact well-established in cell, animal, and human models. Lack of zinc is associated with DNA damage and chromosome breaks. Your cellular level of zinc dramatically influences your cells' ability to repair such DNA damage and recover.

Can zinc every day keep the doctor away?

    Ladies, Penn State researchers report that the glands in your breasts have unique zinc requirements due to your need to transfer large amounts of zinc into milk during lactation. If you're deficient in zinc while nursing, your baby can suffer a severe zinc deficiency, resulting in impaired growth and development.

    But the news gets worse. If you have a zinc deficiency or aren't metabolizing it, it can result in breast cancer.

    Today, zinc shortfalls are implicated not just with the initiation of breast cancer, but also in its progression and metastasis. Zinc deficiencies are known to cause cellular dysfunction in the breast.²

    In another study, Dr. David Watts reviewed trace mineral reports on the hair of thousands of women. He discovered that a pattern of high boron, copper and calcium levels — along with lower zinc — was associated with breast cancer. Boron and copper make you more sensitive to the dangers of high estrogen, and less responsive to progesterone. Zinc helps your body utilize progesterone.

    In addition, p53 is the primary gene that protects you from breast cancer. It is believed to be the most frequently mutated or altered gene in cancer. The p53 gene requires zinc — which if missing, causes p53 to become inactivated or suppressed. Because it's well known that p53 dysfunction promotes breast cancer, it's very likely zinc deficiency is a risk factor in breast cancer regardless of boron, copper and calcium levels.

The raging controversy over zinc and prostate cancer

    Does zinc also play an important role in maintaining prostate health? Some (including me) say yes. The normal human prostate contains a higher level of zinc than any other soft tissue in your body.

    It's obviously there for a reason. And cancerous prostates have far lower zinc levels than do normal ones, suggesting men need to keep an eye on their zinc levels.

    Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male American cancer deaths. Despite the well-known role of nutrition in cancer development, conventional medicine still maintains that the cause of prostate cancer is unknown. Conventional doctors like to pretend theirs is the only "evidence-based" form of medicine. Well, maybe they should look at the evidence. . .

    Several studies have implicated zinc deficiency in the development and progression of prostate cancer. There's also evidence that increasing your dietary zinc leads to a decrease in prostate cancer. It's possible that a zinc deficiency increases your risk for oxidative DNA damage to your prostate cells.

    Zinc is an ingredient in many supplements designed to promote prostate health. It's also found quite often in male potency boosters, and in supplements designed to increase testosterone levels. At this point, the consensus among nutrition experts is that zinc in the diet is essential to male reproductive health.

Can zinc help slow or reverse cancer once it's begun?

    Potentially yes… because zinc plays a significant role in protecting DNA from damage. Besides, it is a potent anti-inflammatory, and can promote apoptosis (programmed cell death).

    But lately there's been some controversy…

    Though several studies showed that high cellular zinc levels inhibit prostate cancer development, one epidemiological study showed a higher risk for this cancer in men who took high-dose zinc supplements (over 100 mg/day) or long-term (more than 10 years).

    The confusion stems from a 2003 National Cancer Institute (NCI) study, which found that taking more than 100 mg a day was linked to a doubled risk of advanced prostate cancer.³

    It could be that 100 mg is too high a level, a toxic dose. But the finding could also be linked to the study's design. I can tell you one problem right off: NO alternative health expert recommends a zinc dose that high. It's widely understood that doses higher than 45 mg. per day over the long term can be toxic. Most zinc supplements and prostate or potency formulas contain daily doses much lower than 40 mg.

The study's design was poor and the analysis
that followed was even worse

    Some critics say these scientists used statistical gymnastics to arrive at the calculation that taking 100 mg. of zinc daily for ten years or more doubled the risk of prostate cancer.

    Nevertheless, the mainstream media ran a huge anti-zinc campaign to try to convince men to stop taking extra zinc.

    We should also note that this study was hijacked by a friend of Big Pharma who later became head of the FDA. His role at the agency was to grant highly profitable cancer drug approvals to his Pharma friends. This zinc study was performed on his watch.

    Most people are aware that statistics can be massaged to show results to meet a particular agenda. This NCI study is itself a poorly-designed study.

    Even the researchers admitted their data could be skewed by men who chose to take higher levels of zinc after discovering their prostates were already in trouble. This is a vital point: it’s likely many of these men already had prostate disease BEFORE they started taking zinc. A lot of people figure if a little bit of a supplement is good, a lot is better. If zinc didn't help their pre-existing problems, maybe it just goes to show that a higher dose didn't help a man who's already ill.

    This lack of control should never have been allowed, and makes the study too weak to prove anything.

    Interestingly, the journal publishing it lists it as a "Brief Communication" — not a study. But the media portrayed it as a study.

    Finally — as often happens with anti-vitamin studies — the researchers didn't consider the quality of the zinc being consumed. Most consumers would take cheap zinc oxide. Oxides generate free radicals — not desirable in men who are already struggling with low antioxidant levels. The use of low-quality nutrients is common to most studies that claim to prove vitamins or minerals don't work, or are harmful.

    Contrary to the weak 2003 study, a 2009 study at the University of Washington evaluated zinc intake lasting more than ten years. They found a 66 percent reduction in advanced prostate cancer in men who took at least 15 mgs zinc per day. Of course, the media failed to run this story.

    In related news, a study found zinc to be helpful at reducing enlarged prostate, officially called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The researchers found it was essential to help control initial prostate swelling which could eventually become cancerous. It's no wonder zinc produced these healthy effects, considering everything it does in our bodies. . .

Like the athletes who pass the torch from Athens to London...

    Specific proteins in your body pass zinc atoms from your digestive system to every cell and system in your body.

    Like the Olympians who pass the torch, these twenty-four special zinc transporters each has its own special purpose. Some move zinc into cells, some manage its intracellular functions, and some remove it from your cells.

    Penn State's ongoing zinc research shows how zinc impacts your health at all stages of life, from before birth all the way through old age.

    Zinc plays a substantial role in a baby's development in the womb. The nourishment from the placenta is directly related to the mother's zinc levels.

    But even before you were in your mother's womb, zinc was critical. It aids the sperm's motility, allowing it to be a "strong swimmer" and thereby start the reproductive process. Without it, the sperm would be unable to "break into" the egg, and you would not have been conceived.

    Once your lungs first breathed air, you were exposed to new diseases, and you needed zinc as a key component for your fragile immune system. Fortunately mother's milk,assuming she wasn't deficient, contained ample zinc for your needs — both your immune needs and growth and development needs.

Are YOU deficient?

    The World Health Organization cites zinc deficiency as the most common cause of childhood disease for children under age five, worldwide.

    One-third of the world's population suffers from some level of zinc deficiency. However, in some areas, a staggering 75 percent of the population is zinc deficient — with women and children being the worst victims.

    While effective testing for zinc levels is under development, some symptoms of a zinc deficiency might alert you.

    If you experience slowed wound healing, poor appetite, mental fog, sagging skin, a decreased ability to taste and smell, or white spots on your nails, it could indicate a zinc deficiency.

    White spots on your nails are the classic sign of zinc deficiency.

Zinc's working partner

    Zinc usually acts in tandem with selenium, but I'm not going to digress about selenium.

    Both zinc and selenium are vital minerals normally found in soil in only small amounts — and reportedly the levels these days are much lower than fifty or 100 years ago. In fact, two-thirds of the earth's tillable soil is now either severely or completely lacking in selenium. And zinc isn't faring much better.

    Both are vital to the production of two powerful antioxidant and anti-aging enzymes — Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase. Scientists believe the "anti-aging gene" makes SOD — and that aging is just the natural outcome of declining SOD and other antioxidant enzymes.

The "million dollar question"

    How much zinc do you need, then?

    That indeed, may be the "million dollar question".

    The problem with zinc is that individual needs can vary wildly. Men need more than women. Your levels can plummet when you're under stress or you sweat a lot — so if you exercise outdoors during the heat of the summer, you'll need more.

    A typical amount is 15 mg to 40 mg per day. As I said before, the consensus is that amounts in this range are totally safe. But some women need up to 75 mg per day and some men need up to 100 mg per day. This can only be determined by a qualified doctor who knows nutritional medicine.

    For best absorption, use high quality forms of zinc — zinc citrate, zinc picolinate, and zinc as methionine. Any other form must be converted to these before it can be assimilated.

    Zinc can upset your stomach — it does mine -- so take it with food. But I'm told most people don't experience this side effect, and zinc can help revive a weak or poor appetite.

    Want even better absorption or more zinc? Take it in food form:

• Brewer's yeast
• Egg yolk
• Kelp
• Lamb
• Legumes
• Lima beans
• Liver
• Meats, especially grass fed, organic red meats
• Mushrooms
• Pecans
• Poultry
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sardines
• Seafood
• Sunflower seeds
• Wheat germ
• Alfalfa
• Burdock
• Cayenne
• Chamomile
• Dandelion
• Eyebright
• Fennel seeds
• Milk thistle
• Nettle parsley
• Rose hips
• Sage
• Skullcap
• Wild yams

    By all means eat some of these foods, but please don't listen to the press and conventional doctors who claim you can get all the nutrients you need from your food.

    Today's soil is depleted of nutrients, even the soil used to grow the best organic foods. Nutritional supplements are advisable. Most people's diets are woefully deficient in zinc, selenium and other minerals.

    Take heed, and make it a priority to get all the nutrients you need for your best health.

    Last issue we talked about colonoscopy, one of the few cancer screening tests that’s really accurate and valuable. Now here’s more good news — there’s another test for colon cancer that’s cheaper, easier and almost as accurate as a full-scale colonoscopy. If you missed this important information, scroll down and take a look now.

TONIGHT is Orioles Night! Big Train Beat Nationals 4-1; Teddy Races Campers

TONIGHT is Orioles Night; Meet The Oriole Bird! Meet The Oriole Bird and Shakey The Lemonade Guy at Povich Field Tonight!     What better way to make the Orioles feel at home than to have Orioles Night when they're at Povich Field! Only we'll be celebrating the Baltimore Orioles instead. We don't want Youse's to feel that at home. Both the Oriole Bird and "Shakey" the "Lemonade Guy" will be at Povich tonight! Also, the first 100 kids will get Oriole eye black courtesy of EyeBlack.com. Enjoy "Crabcake Night" at the ballpark!   Tickets cans be purchased here or at the gate.    Sponsors: NIH-NOAA Recreation and Welfare Association, Johns Hopkins Community Physicans  Big Train Beat Southern Maryland Nationals, 4-1! Ryan Doran (San Diego State University) got the start in last night's win. The Big Train picked up their third straight win last night, beating the Southern Maryland Nationals 4-1. After trailing 1-0 for most of the game, the Big Train used a late rally, including an 2 RBI double by Adam Barry (Cal State Northridge) to take the lead. With the win, the Big Train improved their record to 23-13 on the season and currently stand in third place heading into the final week of the regular season. Teddy Races Campers at Big Train Summer Camp! Presidents Race at Big Train Summer Camp Washington Nationals racing president Teddy Roosevelt livened up a hot Friday for a bunch of campers by making a surprise appearance at the Bethesda Big Train Summer Baseball Camp. The highlight of the visit was a race between the most notorious of the racing Rushmores and a couple of dozen campers barely taller than Teddy's chest. The great Bull Moose jumped out to a quick lead, but sadly could not keep up with the little ones, who seemed determined to keep his winless streak intact.