The single greatest "killer" in today's modern world is STRESS. Stress upsets the body's normal balance, creating the perfect breeding ground for illness. Stress is said to be responsible for as much as 80% of major illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diseases of the endocrine system, metabolic diseases, and infections of many different kinds.

If this weren't enough, stress can also be responsible for aggravating many major skin problems, such as skin cancer and psoriasis, as well as minor skin problems like blemishes. When the body is under stress, the immune cells in the skin can become damaged by chemicals that are released from the nerve cells in response to it.

Stress can be caused by many emotional situations, as well as by environmental situations like noise, traffic jams, temperature extremes, crowds, and pollution. It can also be caused by lack of proper balance in diet, drink, sleep, and work. No generation before us has faced the amount of airborne pollution, or pesticides and herbicides that we face today.

One of the most common of all adult complaints is back problems. Professionals now believe that with many the root cause is stress, which causes the muscles to tighten up.

Prolonged or recurring stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies, because under the "fight or flight" mechanism of the adrenal gland, the body metabolizes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins too quickly, in order to produce the burst of energy needed for the "supposed" emergency. This in turn causes an increase in the secretion of amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus. It also depletes stored magnesium in muscle tissue, and causes the body to store less calcium.

Since the digestive process is muted or stopped under stress, the body is hindered from absorbing its needed nutrients. Consequently, under stress the body is depleated of many needed nutrients and is hindered or unable to replace them adequately. Stress is also responsible for the formation of free radicals, which break down and damage body tissue. The end result of all this is that many of the diseases that are the result of stress are the result of basic nutritional deficiencies. Its no wonder stress is such a "killer" !

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We are living in a world, which is moving at an ever-increasing fast pace. This pace places enormous amounts of stress on our bodies. When were under stress, our bodies become tired, and burned out, we become irritable, our minds become cloudy, and our immune system becomes depressed, which makes us vulnerable to infections and other illnesses.

Stress is related to up to 80% of all diseases today including colds, flu, headache, allergies, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Reducing stress is therefore a critical element in maintaining good health. Ginseng is probably the most studied plant of our time, and one of the amazing discoveries in these studies is that ginseng is reported to improve our bodies ability to adapt to stress, and to stabilize itself.

Our body's ability to resist stress is a function of the adrenal gland. When our bodies are under stress, our adrenal glands become enlarged and hyperactive in order to resist the damaging effects of stress. When the stress level is too high or lasts too long our adrenal gland shrinks, our bodies become exhausted and we are unable to fight the stress anymore. We then end up with various physical diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Research has demonstrated that ginseng has a balancing effect. When the body is in the resistance stage to stress, ginseng increases the adrenal function and prevents the gland from enlarging. In the exhaustion stage of stress, ginseng is reported to protect the adrenal gland from shrinkage and exhaustion. Thus, ginseng is beneficial in restoring balance to the adrenal gland.

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At a recent conference, sponsored by the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy (CFNP) at Virginia Technical Institute, in Washington, D.C., researchers reported that they are finding more health benefits of lycopene, a pigment that gives many fruits and vegetables their red color.

Previous research has found that the benefits of lycopene appear to affect parts of the body where lycopene concentration is highest, such as in the prostate gland. New research suggests a potential benefit for bone and skin health and male infertility.

Lycopene is an antioxidant, which appears to prevent the formation of harmful by-products of metabolism called free radicals. Free radicals are thought to be responsible for damaging the body’s cells, as well as their genetic makeup, leading to certain chronic diseases.

Lycopene is readily available in tomatoes, tomato sauces, watermelon, and other red fruits and vegetables. Lycopene absorption is enhanced when tomatoes are heated, especially in combination with olive oil or other fats, making processed tomato products like tomato sauce and paste excellent sources of the nutrient. Lycopene is also available as a dietary supplement in a single-nutrient form and some multivitamins.

Scientists agree more research is needed to determine lycopene’s true preventative potential and to learn whether lycopene works best as a single nutrient, or in synergy with other nutrients naturally found in food. In the meantime, adding lycopene to your diet may help fight free radicals and maintain long-term health.

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