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Time for some serious housekeeping
24th February 2006
Every week I get hundreds of emails from you...
But I can only write two Good Life Letters each week to deal with the questions!
It's an impossible task...
As you know, I can't promise to answer emails directly. If I attempted this, I'd NEVER leave my computer and become a huge blob of flesh with feeble stick arms to type with.
I'd look like a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Although I try to answer as many queries as possible in my letters, I've been amiss in doing this lately.
So it's time for some serious Collins housekeeping...
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Splenda vs. Aspartame
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I had many letters about Friday's Good life Letter, where I discussed the artificial sweetener, aspartame.
M.R wrote to say:
'My son used to get vicious headaches that I attribute to this muck. We're very careful about drinks and things these days and the headaches are much, much less.'
Another Good Lifer, K.D, emailed me with this suggestion:
'I'm really surprised you appear not to have heard of SPLENDA which is set to knock Aspartame out of business, 'writes K.D in his email.
'Splenda is the brand name of Sucralose which is made from sugar but doesn't deliver the actual sugar when you use it as a sweetener.'
Well, I have indeed heard of Splenda, or 'sucralose' as it's known in the food industry.
But to tell you the truth, it's another can of worms which I didn't have time to open in my last letter.
Critics of Splenda say that it's so far removed from sugar in its natural form, that it's really just like any other chemical sweetener.
Ironically, McNeil Nutritionals (the division of Johnson & Johnson that distributes Splenda in the U.S) is now being sued by NutraSweet the makers of aspartame!
They claim that Splenda is actually a highly processed chemical sweetener, created with chlorine and other compounds.
Can of worms? More like a bucket.
Like I said before, my position on these things is to take care with any kind of sweeteners, whatever the claims made by the manufacturer.
And wherever you can, go natural!
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Which calcium pills should you take?
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A few weeks back, Goodlifer Aviva sent me an interesting question:
'Please can you tell me the better sorts of calcium to take, because calcium citrate... and about 4 other types...don't stick in our arteries like the carbonate variety might?'
As you probably know, calcium keeps your bones healthy and strong.
New research even suggest that it may be a good weapon against high blood pressure, heart attack, remenstrual syndrome), and colon cancer.
We absorb calcium in our small intestines, but the mount we take in depends on the type of supplement...
-- Calcium Carbonate: Most calcium pills in the market are in this form. They need extra stomach acid for better absorption, so they're best taken after meals.
-- Dolomite, Bone Meal or Oyster Shell: These are natural calcium pills. They're unregulated and may contain heavy metals or lead, so it's best to avoid them.
-- Calcium Gluconate and Calcium Lactate: These contain low amounts of elemental calcium, so you may need to take a large amounts to get the benefit.
As far as I can tell, Aviva is right. The type best to take is calcium citrate, which is 2.5 times more bioavailable (easier for your body to use) than calcium carbonate.
The drawback is that you need to take more pills to get the benefit so it's a pricier option.
If you're interested in questions like these, you should get hold of a copy of Gary Null's Complete Encyclopaedia of Natural Healing.
This massive 500-page A-Z listing covers masses of common and chronic illnesses and their natural treatments.
In his book, Gary warns that calcium supplements may be useless if you take them with breakfast.
To ensure your body absorbs them properly, he suggests some interesting alternatives. You can get all the details if you Click here
Whatever your immediate health problems are, if I can't answer your questions in my latest letter, Gary's book is a good reserve to have on your shelves.
What's more, he throws fascinating new light on age-old health problems. It's well worth a look!
Click here
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The secrets of co-enzyme 10
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V.P has written asking to ask if I have any wisdom on the subject of Co-enzyme 10.
Co-Enzyme (Q10) is an antioxidant produced by the body, and found in plants and animals.
If you don't have enough of it in your body, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, angina, immune system depression, low energy and obesity.
Nearly every cell in your body contains Q10, especially cells in the heart and the liver. It's essential for a process called the 'electric transport' chain.
It sounds like something out of 'Blade Runner', but really it's just the mechanism by which your cells produce energy.
The problem is, as we get older, our bodies produce less Q10. This means we may need to top up.
C10 is found in some of my favourite foods - spinach, beef, sardines, tuna and peanuts. So in theory, I should be SUPERMAN!
But I imagine other aspects of my lifestyle are dragging me down.
So daily supplements of 30-90mg with food could be the answer...
I read that in Japan they are crazy for this stuff. Apparently 6 million people there take a Q10 supplement every day!
(I'm not sure what conclusion I'm to draw from that fact, but I thought it was worth mentioning!)
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A vitamin that isn't a vitamin
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Finally, J.N wrote me the following email:
'In your Good Life Letter on the 9th December 2005, you wrote about 'How a cabbage can protect you while you sleep'.
'This was especially interesting for me, as my wife is suffering with the same symptoms as described in the write-ups that I have managed to find on the Internet.
'However I am unable to trace any companies that produce and sell Vitamin-U. I was wondering if you have any other information on this subject, or know where it would be possible to obtain some Vitamin-U.'
If you remember, in my letter last year I explained that Vitamin U is a compound found in raw cabbage.
The confusing bit, however, is that Vitamin U is not technically a vitamin...
The term 'vitamin U' was coined when scientists found that this compound could treat of gastric ulcers.
The best way to get it in the UK is to get hold of raw cabbage leaves and other green vegetables.
Right. It's time this old T-Rex hauled himself away from his computer and did something more energetic.
Perhaps these feeble writer's arms need to do some press-ups.
Or perhaps not.
Yours, as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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