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High Blood Pressure Related Deaths Are Way Up: CDC

By Dr. Mercola

The number of deaths due to hypertension, or high blood pressure, increased nearly 62 percent from 2000 to 2013, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1

Currently, about 70 million US adults struggle with the condition, which amounts to one in every three adults. Only 52 percent of those who have been diagnosed have their blood pressure levels under control, and another one in three US adults has pre-hypertension, which means blood pressure is elevated and at risk of progressing to full-blown hypertension.2

If your blood pressure is elevated, it means the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries is too high, which can cause damage over time. Many are familiar with the related heart risks this can cause. For instance, high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, heart failure and stroke.

Less well-known, but equally important, is the fact that high blood pressure can contribute to kidney failure, by weakening and narrowing blood vessels in your kidneys, and problems with memory and understanding.

High blood pressure has even been linked to an increased risk of developing, and dying from, cancer,3 and is known to trigger and worsen complications ofdiabetes, including diabetic eye disease and kidney disease.

Even Slight Weight Gain Increases Your Blood Pressure Levels

If you're overweight or obese, you have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. However, research presented last year at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, California found that even a slight increase in weight may drive your levels up.

In a small study of 16 people, participants were asked to eat an extra 400 to 1,000 calories a day for eight weeks, in order to add about 5 percent to their body weight (about 10 excess pounds for a 200-pound person).4

At the end of the study, those who put on weight had their systolic blood pressure rise by an average of 4 mm Hg, from 114 to 118 mm Hg. This is still considered to be in the healthy range if the lower number (diastolic measure) is also healthy.

However, greater increases in blood pressure were seen in those who put on weight in their abdomen. This makes sense since research suggests your waist size may be an effective measure for assessing obesity-related hypertension risk.5

If you have a high waist-to-hip ratio, i.e. you carry more fat around your waist than on your hips, you may be at an increased risk for obesity-related hypertension.

To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, measure the circumference of your hips at the widest part, across your buttocks, and your waist at the smallest circumference of your natural waist, just above your belly button.

Then divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get the ratio. (The University of Maryland offers an online waist-to-hip ratio calculator you can use.6) The Mayo Clinic uses the following waist-to-hip ratio designations to evaluate your health risk:

Dietary Sugar Raises Your Blood Pressure

One of the primary underlying causes of high blood pressure is related to your body producing too much insulin and leptin in response to a high-carbohydrate (i.e. high sugar) and processed food diet.

You've probably heard of the DASH diet, which is claimed to be among the most effective for controlling hypertension. It consists largely of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean protein, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and very low sodium content.

But it's ALSO low in sugar/fructose. So, while people on DASH diets do tend to show reduced hypertension, the reason for this may not be solely the reduction in salt, but the reduction in sugar. The same holds true for reducing your intake of processed foods, which are top sources of both heavily processed salt and sugar/fructose.

Research shows that dietary sugars influence blood pressure and serum lipidsindependent of the effects of sugars on body weight.7 In a review in the journalOpen Heart, the authors also argue that the high consumption of added sugars in the US diet may be more strongly and directly associated with high blood pressure than the consumption of sodium.8 They write:9

"Evidence from epidemiological studies and experimental trials in animals and humans suggests that added sugars, particularly fructose, may increase blood pressure and blood pressure variability, increase heart rate and myocardial oxygen demand, and contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance and broader metabolic dysfunction.

Thus, while there is no argument that recommendations to reduce consumption of processed foods are highly appropriate and advisable, the arguments in this review are that the benefits of such recommendations might have less to do with sodium—minimally related to blood pressure and perhaps even inversely related to cardiovascular risk—and more to do with highly-refined carbohydrates."

How Does Sugar Affect Your Blood Pressure?

One 2010 study showed that consuming a high-fructose diet lead to an increase in blood pressure of about 7mmHg/5mmHg, which is greater than what is typically seen with sodium (4mmHg/2mmHg).10

Research also shows that drinking a single 24-ounce fructose-sweetened beverage leads to greater increases in blood pressure over 24 hours than drinking a sucrose-sweetened beverage,11 which again points to the detrimental effects of fructose on your health. Why is it so bad for your blood pressure levels?

In order to effectively treat and recover from high blood pressure, it's important to understand its underlying cause, which is often related to your body producing too much insulin and leptin in response to a high-carbohydrate and processed food diet. As your insulin and leptin levels rise, it causes your blood pressure to increase. Eventually, you may become insulin or leptin resistant.

As explained by Dr. Rosedale, insulin stores magnesium, but if your insulin receptors are blunted and your cells grow resistant to insulin, you can't store magnesium so it passes out of your body through urination. Magnesium stored in your cells relaxes muscles.

If your magnesium level is too low, your blood vessels will be unable to fully relax, and this constriction raises your blood pressure. Fructose also elevates uric acid, which drives up your blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide in your blood vessels. (Uric acid is a byproduct of fructose metabolism. In fact, fructose typically generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion.)

Nitric oxide helps your vessels maintain their elasticity, so nitric oxide suppression leads to increases in blood pressure. So any program adapted to address high blood pressure needs to help normalize both your insulin/leptin sensitivity and uric acid level.

Eliminating Excess Sugar Knocks Out Three Issues at Once

As it turns out, by eliminating excess sugar/fructose from your diet, you can address all three issues (insulin, leptin, and uric acid) in one fell swoop. As a standard recommendation, I recommend keeping your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.

If you're insulin resistant (about 80 percent of Americans are), have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic disease, you'd be wise to limit your fructose to 15 grams or less per day, until your condition has normalized.

In his book The Sugar Fix, Dr. Richard Johnson includes detailed tables showing the content of fructose in different foods. Keep in mind that for most Americans, in order to lower your fructose/sugar consumption you'll also need to eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods.

Staying Fit Can Keep Your Blood Pressure Healthier, Longer

It's not only your diet that matters for healthy blood pressure… a comprehensive fitness program is another strategy that can improve your blood pressure and heart health on multiple levels (such as improving your insulin sensitivity). For example, research shows that men who are fit can stave off increases in blood pressure that tend to occur with age. In men with strong heart fitness, blood pressure levels didn't start increasing until their mid-50s. However, in sedentary men, signs of high blood pressure appeared in their mid-40s.12

Study co-author Dr. Xuemei Sui, an assistant professor in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health, told Medicine Net:13 "A higher level of fitness can significantly delay this natural increase of blood pressure with age… For those with a high level of fitness, it will take almost [an additional] decade" to develop early signs of high blood pressure."

To reap the greatest rewards, I strongly suggest including high-intensity interval exercises in your routine. You'll also want to include weight training. When you work individual muscle groups you increase blood flow to those muscles, and good blood flow will increase your insulin sensitivity. If you want to kill several birds with one stone, exercise barefoot outdoors on sunny days. Not only will you get much-needed sunshine to promote production of heart-healthy vitamin D, but bright daylight sun exposure will also help maintain a healthy circadian clock, which will help you sleep better.

Poor sleep is yet another oft-ignored factor that can cause resistant hypertension. Going barefoot, meanwhile, will help you ground to the earth. Experiments show that walking barefoot outside—also referred to as Earthing or grounding—improves blood viscosity and blood flow, which help regulate blood pressure. Keep in mind that, in most cases, high blood pressure is a condition that can be managed and oftentimes reversed with natural lifestyle changes.

Grape Seed Extract and Bilberry Extract for Heart Health

Grape seed and bilberry extract are two more natural tools that may help support healthy blood pressure levels. Rich in antioxidants including flavonoids, linoleic acid and phenolic procyanidins, grape seed extract has previously been shown to help dilate blood vessels and was shown to lower blood pressure in people with metabolic syndrome (most of whom also had prehypertension). After taking grape seed extract for four weeks, systolic blood pressure (the top number) dropped 12 points on average while diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) dropped an average of 8 points.14

The European blueberry, bilberry, which is also rich in antioxidants, is most well known for prevent and even reversing eye conditions like macular degeneration. However, research shows it also has cardioprotective effects. Bilberries are a good source of flavonoids, especially anthocyanins, which have powerful antioxidant activity. Research found that it offers numerous cardioprotective effects, including anti-ischemic and anti-arrhythmic activity.15

Be Aware of White Coat Hypertension

"White coat hypertension" is a term used for when a high blood pressure reading is caused by the stress or fear associated with a doctor or hospital visit. This can be a transient yet serious concern, and it's estimated that up to 20 percent of people diagnosed with hypertension actually only have white coat hypertension, which means their blood pressure was only elevated because they were nervous.16 If this applies to you, try testing your blood pressure levels at home instead. Stress reduction is also key. Below, I will address stress reduction, and provide a technique that can help you control stress that may be contributing to high blood pressure.

Also, to decrease your risk of being falsely diagnosed with hypertension in this situation, take a moment to calm down (be sure to arrive for your appointment ahead of time so you can unwind), then breathe deeply and relax when you're getting your blood pressure taken. Some doctors may actually recommend antidepressants as a solution to help their patients "relax," but be aware that this will likely cause far more harm than good.

My Top-Recommended Strategies to Prevent Hypertension

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, dietary strategies will be crucial to controlling your levels. Avoiding processed foods (due to their being high in sugar/fructose, grains, trans fat and other damaged fats and processed salt) is my number one recommendation if you have high blood pressure. Instead, make whole, ideally organic, foods the focus of your diet. As you reduce processed foods, and other sources of non-vegetable carbs, from your diet, you'll want to replace them with healthy fat. Sources of healthy fats to add to your diet include:

Avocados	Butter made from raw, grass-fed organic milk	Raw dairy	Organic pastured egg yolks
Coconuts and coconut oil (coconut oil actually shows promise as an effective Alzheimer's treatment in and of itself)	Unheated organic nut oils	Raw nuts, such as pecans and macadamia, which are low in protein and high in healthy fats	Grass-fed meats or pasture raised poultry

I encourage you to read through my full list of strategies to prevent hypertension, however, below you'll find some additional highlights.

1. Skip breakfast: Research shows that intermittent fasting helps fight obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are risk factors for high blood pressure. Your body is most sensitive to insulin and leptin after a period of fasting. While there are many types of fasting regimens, one of the easiest to comply with is an eating schedule where you limit your eating to a specific, narrow window of time each day. I typically recommend starting out by skipping breakfast, and making lunch your first meal of the day.
2. Optimize your vitamin D levels: Arterial stiffness (atherosclerosis) is a driving factor for high blood pressure. As your blood travels from your heart, cells in the wall of your aorta, called baroreceptors, sense the pressure load, and signal your nervous system to either raise or lower the pressure. However, the stiffer your arteries are, the more insensitive your baroreceptors become, and the less efficient they become at sending the appropriate signals. Vitamin D deficiency is, in turn, linked to stiff arteries, which is why optimizing your levels is so important.
3. Address your stress: The link between stress and hypertension is well documented. Suppressed negative emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness can severely limit your ability to cope with the unavoidable every day stresses of life. It's not the stressful events themselves that are harmful, but your lack of ability to cope. I recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to transform your suppressed, negative emotions and relieve stress.
4. Normalize your omega 6:3 ratio: Most Americans get too much omega-6 in their diet and far too little omega-3. Consuming omega-3 fats will help re-sensitize your insulin receptors if you suffer from insulin resistance. Omega-6 fats are found in corn, soy, canola, safflower, and sunflower oil. If you're consuming a lot of these oils, you'll want to avoid or limit them.
5. Optimize your gut flora: Compared to a placebo, people with high blood pressure who consumed probiotics lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 3.56 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 2.38 mm Hg.17 The best way to optimize your gut flora is by including naturally fermented foods in your diet, which may contain about 100 times the amount of bacteria in a bottle of high-potency probiotics.
6. Maintain an optimal sodium-potassium ratio: An imbalanced ratio may lead to hypertension. To ensure yours is optimal, ditch all processed foods, which are very high in processed salt and low in potassium and other essential nutrients. Instead, eat a diet of whole, unprocessed foods, ideally organically and locally-grown to ensure optimal nutrient content. This type of diet will naturally provide much larger amounts of potassium in relation to sodium.
7. Eliminate caffeine: The connection between coffee consumption and high blood pressure is not well understood, but there is ample evidence to indicate that if you have hypertension, coffee and other caffeinated drinks and foods may ex­acerbate your condition.
8. Vitamins C and E: Studies indicate that vitamins C and E may be helpful in lowering blood pressure. If you're eating a whole food diet, you should be getting sufficient amounts of these nutrients through your diet alone. If you decide you need a supplement, make sure to take a natural (not synthetic) form of vitamin E. You can tell what you're buying by care­fully reading the label. Natural vitamin E is always listed as the "d-" form (d-alpha-tocopherol, d-beta-tocopherol, etc.) Synthetic vitamin E is listed as "dl-" forms.
9. Olive leaf extract: In one 2008 study, supplementing with 1,000 mg of olive leaf extract daily over eight weeks caused a significant dip in both blood pressure and LDL ("bad") cholesterol in people with borderline hypertension. If you want to incorporate olive leaves as a natural adjunct to a nutrition­ally sound diet, look for fresh leaf liquid extracts for maximum synergistic potency. You can also prepare your own olive leaf tea by placing a large teaspoon of dried olive leaves in a tea ball or herb sack. Place it in about two quarts of boiling water and let it steep for three to 10 minutes. The tea should be a medium amber color when done.
10. Quick tricks: Increasing nitric oxide in your blood can open con­stricted blood vessels and lower your blood pressure. Methods for in­creasing the compound include taking a warm bath, breathing in and out through one nostril (close off the other nostril and your mouth), and eating bitter melon, rich in amino acids and vitamin C.

An essential nutrient for body structure

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) may very well be the single most important compound in the structure of the human body.* It makes up the backbone of cartilage, the synovial fluid around joints and under the skin, and even cushioning behind eyes. Wellness Resources Hyaluronic Acid is natural, low molecular weight HA. It is easily absorbed and used by the body, unlike cheap sodium hyaluronate.*

Wellness Resources uses the only form of hyaluronic acid (low molecular weight) that has been proven to be absorbed.* The hyaluronic acid in this supplement is extracted from rooster comb (a naturally occurring source), purified and enzymatically split into smaller pieces through a patented process (Japan Patent 2971860). This yields the only low molecular weight hyaluronic acid on the market today.*

WARNING: sodium hyaluronate, being marketed as an inexpensive hyaluronic acid, is not the naturally occurring compound made by all cells of the body. It has salt attached to every single disaccharide unit. Not only does this increase sodium intake, the HA molecule itself is abnormal. This synthetic hyaluronic acid is typically made through bacterial fermentation, contains molecules too large to absorb, and has not been proven to absorb. This abnormal molecule cannot be relied on to behave in metabolism correctly.

Hyaluronic Acid and Basic Body Structure

Hyaluronic Acid is a key component of the extra cellular matrix. This matrix is made of a framework of various protein structures (collagen and proteoglycans). The spaces within this framework are filled with HA. The structure of HA enables it to hold water in tissues, forming a "goo" that provides cushioning, resiliency, and moisture.*

Synovial Fluid and Joints: Hyaluronic acid is a primary component of the synovial fluid that surrounds the joints. Synovial fluid is the lubrication for joints, much like oil is used to lubricate moving parts in a machine. It also directly feeds nutrition to joint cartilage. HA helps joints have resiliency, ease of movement, and cushioning to distribute mechanical loads (shock absorbers).*

Cartilage: Hyaluronic acid makes up the backbone structure of hyaline cartilage. Without the adequate hyaluronic acid backbone, cartilage will more readily fall apart and deteriorate. Hyaluronic acid makes up the backbone structure of cartilage. Without the adequate hyaluronic acid backbone, cartilage will more readily fall apart and deteriorate. Over the past ten years we have seen many individuals significantly improve joint health, including those with knee, hip, or low back problems.*

Skin: Hyaluronic Acid is a primary component of healthy skin. About 50% of the structural HA in the body is contained in the skin matrix. Declining skin levels of HA are associated with dryness, reduced flexibility, and wrinkles. In a study conducted at Ostuma University in Japan, 96 women, ages 22 to 65 years, were given the equivalent of 3.75 capsules of Wellness Resources® Hyaluronic Acid per day for 45 days. At the end of the study 80 women reported improvement in skin moisture and smoothness. HA has also been shown to help improve acne scars and sun damage.*

Eyes: Hyaluronic Acid makes up the fluid cushioning behind the eyes. HA is concentrated in the eye to help protect the eye against impact, acting like a shock absorber. HA may also help to reduce dry eyes.*

All Body Structure: Hyaluronic acid is one type of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), unique in that it is all carbohydrate and no sulfur. In addition to its goo-like properties, HA forms the "spine" or backbone of other GAGs.* Other GAGs contain sulfur, also important for body structures. Common GAGs are: chondroitin sulfate (cartilage), keratin sulfate (cartilage, bone, and cornea), dermatan sulfate (skin, tendons, lungs, blood vessels, heart valves), and heparin sulfate (cell membranes).

GAGs combine to form larger molecules called proteoglycans, which link to other proteins and collagen to form all body structures. Although hyaluronic acid is not the most dominant compound in these structures, it is the one that is vital to the structure existing.*

Hyaluronic Acid Improves Sleep

Hyaluronic Acid assists in the natural repair process that takes place during sleep. Take 2 before bed to enhance joint and skin repair during sleep. Hyaluronic Acid is also known to help you sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.*

How Your Body Makes Hyaluronic Acid

Cells throughout the human body produce hyaluronic acid. The million dollar question is: Are they making enough? The starting nutrients your body uses are two sugars, D-Glucuronic acid and N-Acetyl Glucosamine. D-Glucuronic acid occurs widely in the plant kingdom and is a component of cellulose and soluble fiber gums (like Nutrim® oat fiber inFiber Helper).

N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG) is a different nutrient than the glucosamine sulfate or glucosamine hydrochloride found in most joint support supplements. It is made by combining the amino acid glutamine to glucose. A primary location of NAG synthesis is by the endothelial cells lining the GI tract, a process that may not work so well if there is digestive distress.* Our GI & Muscle Helper™ supplement is a combination of glutamine and already formed N-Acetyl-Glucosamine, nutrients that readily support HA formation.*

The stimulus for cells to make HA can come from a variety of metabolic signals, responding to the common theme for increased body need for structural support. Thus, exercise is one way to help stimulate HA production. Cells throughout the body make HA as part of the natural repair and recovery process.*

Cells use an enzyme called hyaluronic acid synthase to assemble the HA molecule. This enzyme requires magnesium and energy (ATP) to work properly.* Hyaluronic acid synthase is inhibited by stress hormones.*

Hyaluronic Acid, The New Frontier

While hyaluronic acid was discovered in 1934, until 10 years ago the HA molecule was thought to be passive and simply a structural component (like a 2 x 4 in a wall). Despite its simple structure, dramatic scientific research is now showing that HA is one of the most biologically active compounds in the human body.* These functional characteristics of HA are causing scientists to change its nickname from a space filling "goo" to "magic glue."*

Hyaluronic acid is now believed to play a functional role in the formation of new body tissue, providing the organizing matrix around which new connective tissue is built.* In essence, hyaluronic acid acts as a template to assist in the formation of body structure.* A single molecule of HA, which may be quite long, can attach to hundreds of other structural protein molecules, assisting in the formation of body structure.*

Natural Supplement to Maintain Structure

The new science is showing that hyaluronic acid may operate as the brains of this operation, helping to regulate how the body grows, stabilizes, and maintains structure.* An elaborate and complex array of HA enzymes, cell surface receptors, and binding proteins are being identified.* Much of this new research is focusing on the role of HA in endothelial cells that line arteries, seeking to identify how HA assists in the maintenance of the health of the circulatory system.*

Hyaluronic acid is also being extensively studied in relationship to cartilage and bone formation and natural regeneration processes.* The specific sequence by which HA guides these processes is now being identified, placing Hyaluroic Acid and JointAll as our top joint support supplements.*

This does not mean that HA replaces other structural support nutrients such as dietary protein, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM sulfur, vitamin C, or bioflavonoids. Indeed, HA is a relatively small amount of the final structural material of any body tissue. Other structural nutrients are very important as they are attached to HA to produce the finished product.* However, HA has special importance amongst all structural support nutrients.* Hyaluronic acid is not only required as a fundamental structural nutrient, it is intimately involved with managing the building and remodeling processes.* It appears to be a guiding force behind organizing body structure.*

 One molecule of HA may have as many as 10,000 disaccharide units.  The weight of this long chain is measured in Daltons, weighing in between 1 to 1.5 million Daltons. This large molecule of HA cannot be absorbed by the human digestive tract as it is simply too long to enter endothelial cells lining the digestive tract.*

Wellness Resources uses the only form of hyaluronic acid (low molecular weight) that has been proven to be absorbed.* The hyaluronic acid in this supplement is extracted from rooster comb (a naturally occurring source), purified and enzymatically split into smaller pieces through a patented process.

Ingredients & Dosage

Directions: Take 1-2 capsules at bed and/or before any meal.

Supplement Facts

Serving Size: 2 capsules

Amount Per Serving		% Daily Value
Hyaluronic Acid (from rooster comb)	20 mg	*

* Daily Value not established.

Other Ingredients: cellulose capsule (V-cap), magnesium stearate, silica.

This product does NOT contain milk, egg, fish, gluten, corn, peanuts, crustacean shellfish, soybeans, tree nuts, wheat, yeast, or rice. This product does NOT contain hidden fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, or sugar.

QUALITY ALERT:

Avoid the form of hyaluronic acid called sodium hyaluronate (check the label). This is a cheap, synthetic HA that is NOT the naturally occurring compound made by all cells of your body. It has salt attached to every single disaccharide unit. Not only does this increase sodium intake, the HA molecule itself is abnormal. The product is typically made through bacterial fermentation, contains molecules too large to absorb, and has not been proven to improve joint or skin health. This abnormal molecule cannot be relied on to behave in metabolism correctly, and may even be problematic. Dont waste your money on sodium hyaluronate!

Also, on the supplement label many companies list the amount of a hyaluronic acid mixturethat is in each capsule, not the actual amount of hyaluronic acid itself. Some companies will list the percentage of hyaluronic acid present. On our supplement label, we list the actual amount of hyaluronic acid per serving (20mg).

Wellness Resources uses the only form of hyaluronic acid (low molecular weight) that has been proven to be absorbed.* The hyaluronic acid in this supplement is extracted from rooster comb (a naturally occurring source), purified and enzymatically split into smaller pieces through a patented process (Japan Patent 2971860). This yields the only low molecular weight hyaluronic acid on the market today.*

http://www.wellnessresources.com/

Yoga for Your Face

Adopting a regular facial exercise routine is certainly to be preferred over costly, and potentially dangerous, plastic surgeries or botox injections. It doesn’t require any special equipment, although you can find various contraptions that claim to help. But in general, you can easily perform face yoga using nothing more than your fingers to create light resistance.

According to Anelise Hagen, author of The Yoga Face: Eliminate Wrinkles with the Ultimate Natural Facelift:4

“The muscles of the face are no different from the muscles of the rest of the body. If you don't exercise the muscles below the neck, they become weak and flabby, and the same thing will happen to your face with age.

Just as yoga routines work the muscles in the body, the stretches and movements in … [face yoga] tighten and tone the face muscles-and combat wrinkles.”

As for how long it takes to see results, Eva Fraser, a facial fitness instructor who is in her 70s but often mistaken for being 20 years younger, says your face will be stronger after doing the exercises for about 10 minutes daily for four weeks. She says in about six months, you can shave two decades off your appearance.5

In addition to exercises, some face yoga routines also use acupressure, or applying gentle pressure to specific points on your face in order to increaseenergy flow, or prana. If you want to give it a try, oil puling is actually one of the simplest techniques to use. Oil pulling involves "rinsing" your mouth with coconut oil, much like you would with a mouthwash (except you shouldn't attempt to gargle with it).

The oil is "worked" around your mouth by pushing, pulling, and drawing it through your teeth for a period of about 20 minutes. Oil pulling is excellent for your oral health, but it will also work your jaw muscles significantly as another benefit.

In addition, here are three face exercises to reduce lines around your eyes and mouth, firm your cheeks and jaw and tone your neck, as reported by The Telegraph:6

“1. The 'V’: to reduce lines and wrinkles around eyes

Put both middle fingers together between your eyebrows then apply pressure to the outer corners of eyes with index fingers. Look up and start to move the lower eyelids upwards. Relax and repeat six more times. To finish, squeeze eyes shut for 10 seconds then relax.

2. Smile Smoother: to reduce lines around mouth; to lift and firm cheeks and jaw

Hide your teeth with your lips and make an 'O' with your mouth. Then, smile as widely as you can and keep hiding your teeth. Repeat six times. Next, hold the smile shape and place one index finger on your chin. Then start to move your jaw up and down as you tilt your head back. Relax and repeat twice more.

3. Giraffe: to tone and lift neck

Looking straight ahead, place finger tips on the top of neck and pull the skin down as you tilt head back. Bring head back down and repeat twice. Then jut lower lip out as far as possible, place fingers on collarbone and point chin upwards, pulling the corners of your mouth down. Hold for four deep breaths.”

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy: More Than Just Good Looks

Many devotees to facial exercise are looking for a more youthful appearance, but orofacial myofunctional therapy does much more than that. Myofunctional therapy is the “neuromuscular re-education or re-patterning of the oral and facial muscles.”7 The therapy includes facial and tongue exercises and behavior-modification techniques to promote proper tongue position and improved breathing, chewing and swallowing. Proper head and neck postures are also addressed. There are good studies to substantiate that it may resolve jaw problems and orthodontic relapse working in a multi-disciplinary team.

However, it may also be an alternative or adjunctive treatment to facial plastic surgery, to help get rid of lines and saggy facial muscles, which is exciting. In fact, in Brazil, some myofunctional therapists work with plastic surgeons. Myofunctional therapy doesn’t just address your oral cavity and tongue—it addresses all the facial muscles -- your head and neck.

It teaches you to breathe through your nose and rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You also exercise all your facial muscles, and work on functional posturing and chewing. Joy Moeller is a leading expert in this form of therapy in the US. What are some signs your orofacial muscles may need retraining?

Orthodontic relapse	Bottle feeding	Developmental delays, such as low muscle tone	Long Face Syndrome
Speech problems	Allergies	Frequent headaches	TMJ problems
Thumb sucking, nail or lip biting or other oral habits	Bloating due to air swallowing	Food texture sensitivities	Neck pain
Teeth grinding	Frequent choking, gagging or trouble swallowing	Mild to moderate sleep apnea	Snoring

If you have any of these issues, I would urge you to find a trained therapist who can customize the exercises based on your specific anatomy, and enter into a long-term coaching relationship. There are hundreds of exercises, and each individual is unique. It’s a grave mistake to think that you can just do a few basic exercises from a book for a few weeks and be done. In order to really re-pattern all the muscles involved, you need to do it slowly, over time, to reprogram your muscle memory.

To get all your oral-facial and neck muscles working correctly can make a huge difference in your health, well-being and appearance. It can even change the way your face looks, as it actually may change the facial structure. Your skull bones may shift in a slow, comfortable manner. Moeller explains:

“Everybody thinks, ‘Oh, your face is your face.’ But you know, I see a lot of people that have these long-face syndromes from sleeping on their sides or stomach, mouth-breathing, and resting their tongue in the wrong place. You change that and there are little cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. They break down and build up, break down and build up, and within a very short time – months – the whole shape of their face changes.”

Your Diet Also Contributes to Glowing, More Youthful Skin

If you’re interested in preventing wrinkles, facial exercises alone likely won’t cut it. You’ve also got to pay attention to your diet. One of the most profoundly effective ways to create the most attractive glow for your skin is by consuming vegetables and fruits that are high in carotenoids. Carotenoids give red, orange and yellow fruits their color, and also occur in green vegetables. Studies have shown that eating foods with these deeply colored pigments can make your face actually look healthier than being tanned.8

The more red and yellow tones found in your skin, the more attractive the people were found to be. The redder tones are caused when people are flushed with blood, particularly if the blood has lots of oxygen in it. Researchers found that, given the choice between skin color caused by suntan and skin color caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin color, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin color, you are better off eating a healthy diet. In order to have clear, healthy skin, you need to make sure your body is relatively free of toxins as well, so cleansing your body of dangerous substances while putting in the finest nutrients is essential.

Eating a healthy diet as described in my nutrition plan, which focuses on whole, bioavailable organic foods, is your number one strategy for helping your body detox naturally while supplying the necessary nutrients your skin needs to thrive. That said, some foods are particularly effective at promoting beautiful, clear skin, including:

• Animal-based omega-3 fats: Omega-3 fats help to normalize skin lipids and prevent dehydration in the cells. This keeps skin cells strong and full of moisture, which can help to decrease the appearance of fine lines.
  Fatty acid deficiency can manifest in a variety of ways, but skin problems such as eczema, thick patches of skin, and cracked heels are common. Plus, omega-3 fats may have an anti-inflammatory effect that can help to calm irritated skin, giving you a clear, smooth complexion. Sardines and anchovies are excellent sources of animal-based omega-3s, as is krill oil.
• Vegetables: Ideally fresh, organic and locally grown. Fresh vegetable juice is also wonderful for your skin.
• Fermented foods are even better as they can start with the same vegetables but are converted by bacteria to superfoods, which help promote the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria and aid in digestion. Signals from these gut microorganisms are sent throughout your body—they even interact with organisms in your skin. Researchers are now looking into how these interactions can help with a wide variety of skin conditions, including dryness and poor collagen production.
• Avoid Sugars, Fructose and Grains: This is probably the single most important step you can take to improve your skin health. If you eliminate all sugars, fructose and grains from your diet for a few weeks there is a major likelihood you will notice rapid improvement in your complexion.

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