Season's greetings and holiday cheer to all of our health newsletter subscribers!

This month's issue of our health newsletter features:

1. Health Bytes: Health Info 'Snippets' You Can Use!
2. Internet Health Resource Links
3. The Mineral Minute: Why is "COPPER" so Important?
4. Product-of-the-Month: "PROANTHENOLS BIO-COMPLEX"

We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter and find it useful!

- Sandi and Darrin

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HEALTH BYTES

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EAT YOUR VEGETABLES AND TAKE YOUR VITAMINS -- Vitamin and mineral supplements and phytochemicals, naturally occurring substances in food, can help repair damage to the retina. Studies have shown the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E can sometimes stabilize cells in a retina that free radicals have affected.

WINTER BLAHS -- For people with mild symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.), simply getting outside an hour or so a day, even if it's cloudy, can make a big difference. Exposure to ordinary white fluorescent lighting is helpful. Full-spectrum lighting works no better, and is potentially harmful to the eyes and skin. Tanning beds are useless for treating S.A.D., and their use increases the risk of skin cancer. Classic symptoms of S.A.D. include depression, mild anxiety, fatigue, overeating, a craving for sweets and carbohydrates, and lack of concentration. These symptoms peak in the fall and winter months, and disappear when the days become longer and brighter.

TOOTHPASTE SENSITIVITY? -- For some people with sensitive skin, the new "tartar control" toothpastes can cause cracked lips and a rash around the mouth. Try using less toothpaste (a pea-sized squirt), try to keep the paste inside your mouth, or use tartar control toothpaste every other day.

PAYING ATTENTION GUYS? -- Although rare (one in every 130 cases), breast cancer can occur in men. Check with your doctor if you have a lump or abnormality in your chest.

CARS VS. TRUCKS -- More than 40% of the vehicles on today's roads are "light trucks" (i.e., pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles). In crashes between light trucks and cars, the people in the cars suffer 80% of the deaths. Not surprisingly, a vehicle's weight matters in a crash. Environmentalists want the weight of light trucks reduced so they get better gas mileage. Light-truck drivers say they're not willing to trade deaths and injuries for weight reduction and gas mileage.

YIKES! -- For 70 years, scientists have known that animals fed very low-calorie, healthy diets live significantly longer than animals which are allowed to eat all they want. Very old animals on lean, healthy diets tend to have brains that are as sharp as younger animals'. New studies with monkeys show that restricting calories by 30% - while still providing a nutritionally balanced diet - results in fewer biochemical indications of aging. Half of the monkeys that are allowed to eat all they want die prematurely, while only 13% of the monkeys on lean diets die at an early age. Restricting calories reduces the rate of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

SOUNDS EASY ENOUGH -- Make an inexpensive skin toner and freshener by combining 1/2 cup of chopped parsley with 1 cup of boiling water in a ceramic bowl. Allow the mixture to cool, then strain it and pour into a clean container. Apply with cotton balls. Store it in the refrigerator.

INFO FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS -- A new study of 400 kindergarten and first-grade students suggests that children who are praised for the effort they put into projects outperform kids who are praised for their ability (i.e., brains). Researchers say that children who are taught that effort is the key to success keep on trying after failures. Kids who are praised for their intelligence tend to falter after setbacks. They believe their intelligence failed them, and they see that as unchangeable. Researchers have found that kids who are cheered on for their hard work are willing to take on more difficult tasks; those who are praised for their brains choose easier tasks because they fear failure.

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INTERNET HEALTH RESOURCE LINKS

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Site #1: DR. LAURA
** http://www.drlaura.com **
This is the official web site for the renowned psychologist and syndicated radio talk show host, Dr. Laura Schlesinger. Dr. Laura specializes in giving advice on issues of a moral, ethical, or spiritual nature. Visit the site to: view commentaries and hear show excerpts; join in on forum discussions; sign the guestbook; and read Dr. Laura's Online Column.

Site #2: ASK DR. WEIL
** http://www.drweil.com **
This is the official site of the web's most respected doctor, Andrew Weil, MD. Click here to have your medical questions answered, research vitamin and mineral supplements, learn how your body can heal itself, follow an eight-week program to better health, post messages, find health related books and articles, and read daily health wires from around the world.

Site #3: REUTERS HEALTH INFORMATION SERVICES
** http://www.reutershealth.com/frame_eline.html **
Reuters Health eLine, a consumer-oriented medical news service, delivers the top clinically relevant healthcare news featuring stories on men, women and children's health, diet, exercise, treatment advances and disease management. This daily news feed of 8 to 10 stories provides consumers with in-depth medical information that is easy to understand.

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THE MINERAL MINUTE - Featuring COPPER

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Did you know that "copper":

• assists in the regulation of BLOOD PRESSURE?
• promotes FERTILITY?
• helps prevent CARDIOVASCULAR problems?
• contributes to the prevention of CANCER?
• is necessary for proper BONE formation?

Copper is indispensable to human health. Its many functions include the following: helping to form hemoglobin in the blood; facilitating the absorption and use of iron so that red blood cells can transport oxygen to tissues; assisting in the regulation of blood pressure and heart rate; strengthening blood vessels, bones, tendons, and nerves; promoting fertility; and insuring normal skin and hair pigmentation. Some evidence suggests that copper helps prevent cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and heart arrythmias and that it may help treat arthritis and scoliosis. Copper may also protect tissue from damage by free radicals, support the body's immune function, and contribute to preventing cancer.

Most adults get enough copper from a normal, varied diet, although supplementing with a high-quality multinutrient supplement insures adequate intake.Seafood and organ meats are the richest sources of copper. Molasses, nuts, seeds, green vegetables, black pepper, and cocoa, among others, also contain significant quantities. Excess calcium and zinc will interfere with copper absorption, but a true copper deficiency is rare and tends to be limited to people either with certain inherited diseases that inhibit copper absorption, such as albinism, or with acquired malabsorption ailments, such as Crohn's Disease and celiac disease. Deficiencies may also occur in infants who are not breast-fed and some premature babies.

Symptoms of copper deficiency include brittle, discolored hair; skeletal defects; anemia; high blood pressure; heart arrythmias; and infertility. Taking more than 10 mg of copper daily can bring on nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stomach aches. Women who are pregnant or taking birth control pills are susceptible to excess blood levels of copper. Some research suggests that high levels of copper and iron may play a role in hyperactivity and autism.

In general, minerals are essential for good health. The body utilizes over 80 minerals for maximum function. Because our plants and soils are so nutrient depleted, even if we eat the healthiest foods, we are not getting all the minerals we need. Evidence of mineral malnutrition are various minor and serious health conditions such as energy loss, premature aging, diminished senses, and degenerative diseases like osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer. In many cases, these could be prevented with proper mineral supplementation. The more you learn about the benefits of minerals, the more you will be able to take charge of your own health!

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FEATURED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH AND
DECEMBER PRODUCT SPECIALS FROM LIFE PLUS

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The Life Plus PROANTHENOLS BIO-COMPLEX is our "Featured Product of the Month" AND this month's "Product Special" These powerful super-antioxidant tablets are 50 times more potent than vitamin E and 20 times more potent than vitamin C in their ability to fight cell-damaging free radicals! Please visit our web page at http://www.aomega.com/ahs/p1950b.htm for complete details about this product.

For December only, buy 4 bottles of Proanthenols and get 1 free (MAQ members can buy 3 and get 1 free). Choose from these four sizes:

• Product #1950 - 60 High Potency Tablets, 100 mg
• Product #0197 - 60 Tablets, 50 mg
• Product #1946 - 240 Tablets, 50 mg
• Product #1949 - 60 Mini-Tabs, 20 mg

Our web page at http://www.aomega.com/ahs/p1950o.htm has pricing information and instructions for ordering. Stock up now and SAVE! Great for gift giving or stocking stuffers!

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If you or someone you know has a particular health problem or ailment we invite you to visit our Archangel Health Store located at http://www.aomega.com/ahs/index.htm It is helpful for locating all-natural products that are known effective for various health problems. An archive of past health newsletters can be found at: http://www.aomega.com/ahs/news.htm

Please remember to enter our FREE HEALTH PRODUCT GIVEAWAY DRAWING. Details can be found at: http://www.aomega.com/ahs/win.htm December's giveaway is a dietary health product called "Micro-Mins" (http://www.aomega.com/ahs/m2200a.htm). Please bookmark this page, tell your friends, family, and acquaintances about the drawing, and register each month for your chance at winning the free product!

If you would like additional information or if you have a health question or concern, please feel free to contact us. We would also welcome any and all suggestions or comments regarding this health newsletter. Thanks for reading our newsletter and God bless you and your health!

Sandi & Darrin
AlphaOmega Marketing
Archangel Health Store
http://www.aomega.com/ahs/index.htm

Copyright © 1997, 1998 by Sandi and Darrin Quiles. All rights reserved.