Estrogen: Physiological Function and Natural Sources

Estrogen is a hormone comprising a group of compounds which include estrone, estradiol, and estriol, and is the main sex hormone in women, essential to the menstrual cycle.  Although estrogen exists in men as well as women, it is found in significantly higher levels in women, especially those of childbearing age.  Estrogen also plays a key role in the development of secondary sex characteristics, the physically-defining differences between men and women that don’t relate directly to the reproductive system including enlarged breasts, widened pelvis, and increased amounts of body fat in the buttock, thigh, and hips.  Estrogen also contributes to women having less facial hair and smoother skin.  Read more . . .

Breastfeeding: Health and Practical Benefits for Moms

As most everyone is aware today, breastfeeding is the most natural and beneficial act a mother can do for her child.  Proven beyond a doubt, dramatic health benefits pass from mother to child through breast milk–from antibodies which protect an infant at birth, to the exclusive nutrients in mother’s milk which have been shown to prevent a number of childhood diseases–the benefits are incalculable.  In fact, it is said that there is no other single act by which a mother can so greatly impact the present and future health of her baby than breastfeeding.  But what many mothers are unaware of is the many health and practical benefits they themselves enjoy from the breastfeeding experience.  Read more . . .

Porphyria: The Vampire Disease

While many find the vampire legend both fascinating and strangely compelling when it inhabits the written page or silver screen, it's one that can easily be dismissed in these modern times. Our enlightened sensibilities recognize this belief as the result of silly superstition and vivid imagination.  But during the 18th century when folklore and myth dominated eastern European perception, reports of vampires (as well as werewolves) were rampant, with hundreds of eye-witness sightings.  In fact, so prevalent was the common belief in the existence of vampires that the Austrians, who were occupying Serbia during the 1730s, sent a team of medical officers to the Serbian countryside to investigate reported weekly "exhumations and killing of the undead."  Read more . . .

How Diet Affects Sex Drive

Science shows that like any other bodily function, sex drive can be stimulated or suppressed by what one eats.  For example, as healthy as dairy products like yogurt and cheese may be for overall health, they have been shown to put sexual urges right to sleep in many women.  Likewise, sodas, ice cream, excess sweets, nuts, coconut, and avocados have all been known to cool one’s natural flame to barely a flicker.  And for many people, plants of the nightshade family–tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers–can take you right out of the mood even if you haven't had any in a month.   And the tricky part is, some people react quite differently to certain foods than to others, so we all have to be observant of the tell-tale signs to know which foods are stifling our sexual desire.  Read more . . .

Antioxidants: Why We Need Them and How to Get Them

Today, many individuals routinely conduct their own research on the properties of various vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other natural substances that come to public attention said to improve the immune system, fend off viruses and disease, and cleanse the body of toxins.  (That may well be what led you to this resource center.)  And it is for this reason that most everyone today is familiar with those things called antioxidants.  But while most are aware that these mysterious substances are good for the human body, far fewer know why.  In the nutshell, science has identified “oxidation” of the body’s internal molecules as a prime causal factor in contracting a wide range of diseases--everything from cancer to arteriosclerosis to cataracts.  Fortunately, antioxidants–Vitamins C, E, as well as flavonoids and carotenoids–have been well documented as having the ability to inhibit oxidation of these molecules and thus assist the body in warding off ailments when used as preventative agents (as opposed to using them as curative or therapeutic).  Read more . . .

IRON: How Do You Know if You're Getting Enough?

For those of us old enough to remember, during the 1950s and 1960s a common TV and radio commercial shown in America was for a product called Geritol.  Remember?  Even old Lucy Ricardo was seen reminding viewers of the dangers of having “iron-poor blood.” But was all that a bunch of hype, or is iron deficiency a genuine concern?  According to recent studies, about 20% of all women, 50% of all pregnant women, and 3% of all men in America are deficient in iron.  But how would you really recognize if you were among those who need to make a change?  Read more . . .

CALCIUM: Why We Need It, How to Get It, and How to Maintain It

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body.  It is, in fact, in every bone.  Why then is there such concern about not getting enough?  The answer is simple.  In reality, nothing can happen in the human body without calcium.  It’s not just important to body functioning, it’s indispensable.  It’s essential for our muscular and neuronal systems, our hormonal balances, and involved in our immune and oxidant functioning which protects us against microbes, toxins, and other foreign invasive bodies.  Its use and function in the body cannot be overstated and should never be underestimated.  Read more . . .