Reliv WatchDog

Reliv Can Have Terrible Effects on Your Manhood

2011-11-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

Could Eating This Popular "Health" Food Lead to Celibacy?

Posted By Dr. Mercola | November 17 2011 | 22,594 views | Disponible en Español

Story at-a-glance

It’s imperative to understand the differences between modern non-fermented soy products and traditionally fermented, organic soy foods. The former does NOT confer the same health benefits as the latter
Consuming high amounts of unfermented soy can impair male sexual function, causing loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, and impaired sperm production
Thousands of studies have linked unfermented soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, infertility, cancer, and heart disease
More than 90 percent of all soy grown in the United States is genetically modified (GM)—which has its own set of peculiar health hazards, including the potential to reduce fertility—so while GM foods are not labeled as such, if you eat non-organic soy, you can be fairly certain it’s genetically modified
If you have any of the following health concerns, you’d be well-advised to examine your diet and eliminate all unfermented soy: breast cancer, brain damage, kidney stones, impaired fertility, immune system impairment, severe food allergies, or thyroid disorders

By Dr. Mercola

Might soy impair your sex drive to the point of being an aid to celibacy?
Traditional wisdom says yes, and a fair amount of science backs it up.
Many studies have shown that soy's estrogenic isoflavones interfere with the production and usage of testosterone in your body.
There's also some evidence that soy can cause gynecomastia (male breast enlargement), and plenty of eviddadence for its reproductive toxicity.
The most recent piece of evidence is a case study of a 19-year-old man who become vegan, began consuming soy in large quantities, and soon after experienced loss of libido and erectile dysfunction.
Lab assessment revealed low levels of testosterone with increased levels of DHEA.
According to Dr. Kaayla Daniel in an article on the Weston A. Price Foundation website:
"During the year prior to this workup, the young man's diet had packed a whopping punch of soy isoflavones, averaging 360 mg per day, from soy milk, soy crisps, tofu, soy sauce, soy nuts and edamame.
This level of soy consumption is far above average, yet increasingly common these days as people quit meat and dairy products for soy substitutes...
After discontinuing his vegan diet and eliminating soy foods altogether, he noticed a gradual improvement in sexual function over the course of a year and his lab tests revealed gradual normalization of testosterone and DHEA levels."

Is the Soy Myth Harming Your Health?

You may have heard that the consumption of soy dates back thousands of years and has been cherished for its health promoting benefits ever since. If you believe this, you're not alone. The introduction of soy as a health food in the West has been one of the most successful myth-making campaigns in the food industry.
Unfortunately, it's only half-true at best, and dangerously misleading at worst.
Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), after the Chinese learned to ferment soybeans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari. The key factoid here is that these foods are fermented, which alters the composition of the soybean and makes it suitable for consumption. Alas, this all-important fact has been conveniently swept under the rug, and many now claim unfermented soy has the same health benefits of fermented soy.
Nothing could be further from the truth...
Another common misconception is that Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.
But again, the facts have been twisted for profits. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, the average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is about 10 grams (2 teaspoons) per day, and it's used primarily as a condiment, NOT as a replacement for animal-based protein and dairy. And again, we're talking about fermented soy. Modern non-fermented soy products simply do NOT confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.

Non-Fermented Soy Foods Can Interfere with Sperm Production

At the end of this article, I'll summarize many of the health hazards associated with eating unfermented soy, but first, let's review its impact on your sexual health. Last year, a Chinese study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology found that genistein (a naturally-occurring isoflavone in soy beans) alter the male reproductive system by interfering with the production of enzymes involved in the process of producing sperm.
According to the authors:
"These observations imply that the ability of soy isoflavones to regulate androgen biosynthesis in Leydig cells is due in part to action on Leydig cell 3beta-HSD activity. Given the increasing intake of soy-based food products and their potential effect on blood androgen levels, these findings are greatly relevant to public health."

Non-Fermented Soy Implicated in Precocious Puberty

According to another study, young female hamsters fed the soy isoflavone genistein showed physical signs of sexual maturity and interest in mating much more quickly than female hamsters that matured naturally. For boys, soy isoflavones appear to have the opposite effect; delaying or retarding sexual development.
Part of the problem is that soy isoflavones mimic estrogen so effectively that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors.
In young girls, they can therefore "turn on" the physical and emotional characteristics of puberty. (Soy is not the only factor causing preconscious puberty however. Other environmental estrogens play a role too, such as BPA, pesticides, supermarket meats, tap water with estrogen from birth control pills, and more.) Precocious puberty is worrisome, as girls who go through puberty early in life are atincreased risk of developing breast and uterine cancer, both of which are strongly influenced by estrogen.

The Added Dangers of Genetically Modified Soy

One of the worst facts about soy is that 90-95 percent of it is genetically modified (GM), and the results of animal studies on GM soy are troubling in more ways than one. While even organic soy can cause a host of serious health complications, GM soy makes things worse, and may even have a disastrous impact on future generations.
Genetically modified or GM seeds are designed to be "Roundup Ready."
It allows farmers to spray Monsanto's Roundup herbicide directly onto their fields without harming the crops. (Ordinarily, if you were to spray Roundup or any other glyphosate-based herbicide onto a plant, it would rapidly die.) Unfortunately, GM crops have become notorious for requiring more pesticides than conventional crops.
According to Jeffrey Smith with the Institute for Responsible Technology, by 2004 farmers used an estimated 86 percent more herbicides on GM soy fields compared to non-GM fields.
The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which, in addition to the soy itself, can also disrupt the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. Glyphosate is also suspected of causing genetic damage, birth defects, infertility, and cancer. Women who consume GM soy products are also at increased risk for developing retrograde menstruation (the menstrual cycle backs up into your body instead of outward), which can lead to endometriosis and, ultimately, infertility.
It's widely known that genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready crops contain Roundup residues, and a 2009 study demonstrated just how toxic these residues may be to your health. Even when researchers tested formulations of Roundup that were highly diluted (up to 100,000 times or more) on human cells, the cells died within 24 hours!
So when it comes to GM soy—and more than 90 percent of all US-grown soy is GM—you have a triple whammy:
The soy itself
The genetic modification, and
The increased pesticide load

Could GM Soy Sterilize Future Generations?

Pregnant women in particular need to beware of consuming GM soy as damage to your child may begin in the womb. Glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from you to your child, and eliminating waste products. If your placenta is damaged, it could result in miscarriage or serious birth defects.
So, if you are pregnant, stop consuming unfermented soy products immediately!
Furthermore, as described by Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, there are growing concerns about the potential for GM soy to create sterility in future generations.
In one animal study, hamsters were fed GM soy for three generations to evaluate long-term effects. The second generation had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate than the controls, a slower growth rate, and reached their sexual maturity later than normal. By the third generation, nearly all the hamsters were unable to reproduce altogether; they had been effectively sterilized...
So, how is GM soy affecting human reproductive capability?
As of yet, we don't know if it can actually cause sterility because it will take decades before those effects become apparent in the human population. That's why animal studies are so important, as the lifespan of a rodent is much shorter than a human's—and if those results are any indication, the future for ardent soy lovers may be bleak indeed. Because, remember, more than 90 percent of ALL soy grown in the US is genetically modified, so while foods containing GM ingredients do not need to be labeled as such, you can be fairly certain that if you're eating soy, it's probably genetically modified, unless the soy is USDA 100% Certified Organic.

NEVER Feed Your Baby Soy Infant Formula!

It's important to understand that infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least four birth control pills per day, and can spell absolute disaster for their development.
Male infants undergo a testosterone surge during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, both in the development of their sexual organs and other masculinity traits. Animal studies indicate that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters, and when you feed your infant boy soy formula, his body is flooded with female hormones that inhibit testosterone.
In infant marmoset monkeys, those fed soy isoflavones experienced a 70 percent reduction in testosterone compared to milk-fed controls.
This abnormal hormonal state can disrupt the normal pattern of development, and in addition to "feminizing" his body can also lead to learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.
Premature development of girls has also been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE. Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-Americans girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three.
Again, pregnant women need to be aware that consuming phytoestrogens even at moderate levels during pregnancy can have adverse affects on the developing fetus and the timing of puberty later in life.

The Many Health Dangers of Soy

As mentioned in the beginning, the health problems related to soy, whether organic or GM, are extensive. In her book The Whole Soy Story, Dr. Kaayla Daniel points out that thousands of studies have linked soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease.
If you have symptoms of any of the following diseases or health concerns, I would strongly urge you to take a closer look at your diet and eliminate all unfermented soy:

Breast cancer	Infant abnormalities	Kidney stones	Impaired fertility
Brain damage	Thyroid disorders	Immune system impairment	Severe, potentially fatal food allergies

The following list highlights many of the problems related to unfermented soy:
High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking, but only with long fermentation. High-phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals, soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase your requirement for B12.
Soy foods increase your body's requirement for Vitamin D3.
Fragile proteins are over-denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods to mask soy's unpleasant taste.
Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to your nervous system and kidneys.

What Soy Products are Good For You?

If you were to carefully review the thousands of studies published on soy, I believe you would reach the same conclusion as I have—which is, the health risks associated with unfermented soy products FAR outweigh any possible benefits.
However, there is ONE exception, and that's traditionally fermented organic soy products, which do have health benefits associated with them. This is because the fermentation process reduces the phytate and "anti-nutrient" levels of the soybean, making their beneficial properties available to your digestive system. Please note that tofu is NOT a fermented soy food and is therefore not on the list of recommended soy products.
The primary fermented soy foods I recommend are:
Tempeh a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes; beware however, as many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process.

Reliv Testimonial BS

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Below is a comment we got from one of our readers. Please take a moment to send in your stories. Remember we aren't looking for your positive stories. There are too many websites out there sharing them. This blog was created to give people a chance to see the other side of Reliv without having to dig through all the BS.

"I just want to start off with a THANK YOU! i never heard this product before, and actually went to a meeting yesterday about it. the Testimonials seemed very believable! however the people seemed a bit odd in some way. Anyways i decided i shouldnt make any decisions until i tried it. i got a sample didnt see any real energy. I talked to my bf and told me it was probably a scam. thats when i went on and found you!! now i am 100% confident that this is some BS! im so glad i didnt waste my money and any more time listening to peoples bs story!...once again thank you."

Reliv Dangers - Soy Linked to Uterine Fibroids

2011-09-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Popular Food You Should Never, Ever Feed Your Baby

Posted By Dr. Mercola | April 02 2011 | 59,479 views

A study has linked soy formula given to babies with uterine fibroids in adults. Uterine fibroids are tumors of the uterus that can cause pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and fertility problems. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomy.

Twenty thousand women participated in the study. They were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids, and were also asked about a variety or early childhood exposures including whether they had been fed soy formula.

According to Baby Gooroo:

"Women who were fed soy formula as babies were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids ... The link between uterine fibroids and soy formula is thought to be a response to the isoflavones (naturally occurring estrogen-like substances) in soy, and in particular, the high exposure at an early age in women given soy formula during infancy."

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Soy formula sits on the same shelf next to formula made from cow's milk, and well-intentioned mothers have listened to doctors who told them that soy formula is an ideal alternative for colicky babies or those who are unable to tolerate milk based formulas.
However, according to a report done by Claire McCarthy of Harvard Medical School, very few babies benefit from soy formula, and I'm going to go one step further than that: soy formula is the absolute most dangerous food you can give your baby.
Let me explain why you should never feed your infant soy formula, what your alternative options are, and the best remedies for colic and diarrhea.
This article will also explain why most commonly-consumed soy products are anything but a health food for parents as well.

Birth Control Pills in a Bottle

In a recent article, I expose the truth about soy foods and the negative effect they are having on you and your family's health. If your baby drinks soy formula, he or she is at risk for serious health problems.
It is estimated that infants fed soy formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times the amount of estrogen in their little bodies than infants fed other types of formula or who are breast fed.
In fact, infants fed soy formula take in an estimated three to five birth control pills' worth of estrogen every day, depending upon the particular batch of formula and whether your baby is a big eater.
What does this mean?
Let's take a look at the risks associated with this astronomical amount of hormone in your child's developing body. Infants fed soy formula have an increased risk of:
Food allergies and digestive distress
Behavioral problems
Asthma
Thyroid disorders
Early puberty and fertility problems (including anovulatory cycles; the inability to menstruate)
Cancer -- It's also important for pregnant women to avoid eating non-fermented soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child's subsequent breast cancer risk. Boys could increase their prostate cancer and testicular cancer risk. Vegan moms who use soy as both milk and meat replacements AND are trying to take in more protein are at very high risk.
As you can see, the health risks far outweigh any "benefits" soy formula promises.
Now, we can also add fibroid tumors in adulthood to this list.
Though uterine fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors found in the muscles of your uterus, they can cause chronic pelvic pain, heavy vaginal bleeding, painful intercourse and fertility problems. It is estimated that one quarter of women develop fibroid tumors and they are the leading reason for hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).
A recent study followed 20,000 white women between the ages of 35 and 59. Women were asked if they'd ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and their age of diagnosis. They were then asked if they'd been fed soy formula.
They found that women who were fed soy formula as infants were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids than women who were exclusively fed breast- or cow's milk.
Uterine fibroids seem to be the body's response to the isoflavones (estrogen-like substances) in soy infant formula and the early age at which the woman was exposed to these substances.

Dangers to the Developing Brain

Infants being fed soy formula are at increased risk for developing behavioral problems because soy contains phytates, which block the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, all which are crucial to the proper brain and emotional development of infants.
The most common health concern stemming from phytates however, is that they can cause poor bone development.
Soy infant formula also contains another dangerous element, manganese. Though an essential nutrient found in soil and ground water, manganese becomes highly toxic when consumed in excess.
As this previous article explains, manganese can adversely affect your child's intelligence if consumed during the stage of early brain development. (This makes it a health issue specific to soy formula, not necessarily to other soy foods or soy milk.)
Research shows that soybeans absorb manganese in soil and concentrate it, making the levels of manganese found in soy infant formula up to 200 times that of the levels found in breast milk.
A condition called, "manganese madness" occurs when those in an industrial setting, namely welders, come in contact with high levels of manganese in an area not well-ventilated. Symptoms of this syndrome include aggressive behavior, severe agitation and insomnia. If your child received this dangerous dose of manganese in their baby bottle during the first few months of life, it could account for any behavioral problems he or she is experiencing now.
According to a scientific research study, those living close to manganese mines in Mexico have also shown loss of some motor control.
Some researchers even postulate that manganese may contribute to neurological problems like autism. According to an independent study done by Dr. Lawrence Wilson, MD, a three-year-old boy named Joey diagnosed with autism was found to have a severely elevated manganese level of 0.123mg percent (normal is 0.04).
Autism and autistic-like syndromes have been climbing steadily with since the early 1990s with the increased rate of required childhood immunizations containing dangerous levels of thimerosal.
Combine this startling statistic with soy infant formula mixed in water contaminated with fluoride and you've got a recipe for disaster.

GM Soy – Danger to Both Mother and Child

One of the worst facts about soy is that 90-95 percent of it is genetically modified (GM).
So what are the dangers of genetically modified soy?
There are plenty. While even organic soy can cause a host of serious health complications, genetically modified soy only makes things worse.
Since the introduction of GM foods in 1996, we've had an upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility, and other problems in the U.S. population, and animal studies thus far have shown devastating effects from consuming GM soy.
Genetically modified or GM seeds are designed to be "Roundup Ready". In other words, GM seeds planted in the ground have been engineered to withstand high doses of pesticide without killing the plant.
The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which, in addition to the soy itself, can also disrupt the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. So truly, you have a triple whammy: the soy itself, the genetic modification, and the increased pesticide load.
If you consumed soy during your pregnancy, the damage to your child may begin in the womb.
Glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from you to your child, and eliminating waste products. If your placenta is damaged, it could result in miscarriage or serious birth defects.
Women who consume genetically modified soy products are also at increased risk for developing retrograde menstruation (the menstrual cycle backs up into the body instead of outward), causing endometriosis, which can lead to infertility.
So, if you are pregnant, stop consuming unfermented soy products immediately!

GM Soy May Cause Sterility in Future Generations

In this interview with Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, he addresses growing concerns about the highly bizzarre physiological side effects of GM soy.
Hamsters studied during a two-year period were divided into two groups. One group was fed a normal diet, the second non-GM soy, the third GM soy, and the fourth a higher amount of GM soy than the third.
The results were disturbing.
Using the same genetically modified (GM) soy that is produced on over 90 percent of the soy acreage in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.
First they took five pairs of hamsters from each group, each of which produced about seven to eight litters each, totaling about 140 animals.
At first all went well, but serious problems became apparent when they selected new pairs from the offspring.
The first problem was that this second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal.
However, this second generation eventually generated another 39 litters:
The no-soy control group had 52 pups
The non-GM soy had 78
The GM soy had only 40, of which 25 percent died
So these second-generation GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.
But then an even bigger problem became apparent, because nearly all of the third generation hamsters lost the ability to have babies altogether.
Only a single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.
In short, nearly the entire third generation of GM soy eaters were sterile!

Growing Up Too Fast – Soy Can Lead to Precocious Puberty

The age of puberty has been decreasing over the last thirty years just as the use of soy infant formula has been increasing. I don't believe this is a coincidence.
How might feeding your infant soy formula be responsible for your child starting puberty as early as age seven? .
According to one study, young female hamsters fed the soy isoflavone, genistein showed physical signs of sexual maturity and interest in mating much more quickly than female hamsters who matured naturally.
Soy isoflavones mimic estrogen so effectively that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors in your child's body and "turn on" the physical and emotional characteristics of puberty. (Soy is not the only factor causing preconscious puberty however. Other environmental estrogens play a role too, such as BPA, pesticides, supermarket meats, tap water with estrogen from birth control pills, and more.)
According to researchers, girls who go through puberty early in life are at increased risk of developing breast and uterine cancer as well as suffer eating disorders, poor self-esteem, depression and increased likelihood of substance abuse.
In short, their bodies are developing way before their mind and emotions have a chance to catch up, and this can spell disaster for your child.

Breast is Best

Breastfeeding is the least expensive and most effective way to ensure the health of your child. Breastfed children have been shown to have a lowered risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and have a healthier immune system.
The effects of breastfeeding your child for the first six months of life carry on well into adulthood. Adults who were breastfed as children experience:
A higher IQ
Decreased risk of heart disease
Decreased risk of type II diabetes
Lowered risk of bowel diseases such as Crohn's
Less incidents of allergies and asthma
The ability to maintain a healthy body weight
Breastfeeding is also a built-in birth control designed by nature when food and resources were scarce. The ability of the mother to focus her attention and nutrition on one growing infant at a time boosted the survival rate of the child, prevented nutrition depletion of the mother and reduced sibling competition for food during the critical first months of life.

Quieting Your Colicky Baby

There is nothing more distressing to parents both new and experienced than the constant crying of a colicky infant. If you are one of those parents who is up with your screaming infant at all hours of the night and are exhausted from sleep deprivation and at a loss for what to do, you are certainly not alone in your struggle. It is estimated that colic affects one quarter of all newborns during the first three months of life.
Fortunately, there is hope.
Contrary to what you might believe, breast-fed children do develop colic and it is usually in relation to what the mother is eating. As this previous article states, quieting your colicky infant may be as simple as removing a food your child is sensitive to from your own diet.
Common culprits are wheat and milk. Eliminating these foods from your diet for the duration of the time you are breastfeeding frequently eliminates the colic.
Infants must also be given sufficient time to digest and absorb nutrients from their food. Therefore, feeding times work best when spaced out every three hours. Those parents who go against the common feed/sleep cycle find their babies are better able to sleep through the night and suffer less digestive distress.
Those of you who are feeding your colicky infant a commercial formula would do best to switch to a homemade whole food product for reduction of symptoms.

Babies Need Probiotics Too

Good gut health is essential to good overall health and friendly bacteria called probiotics may be just the answer you and your colicky infant are looking for.
In a recent study, 83 infants were given either a probiotic or the pharmaceutical simethicone (medication commonly used for colic, also called Mylanta) for a period of one month. A daily dose of 10⁸ colony-forming units (CFU) of L. reuteri was given to the infants in the probiotic group thirty minutes after eating, and breastfeeding mothers were asked to follow a diet free of cow's milk.
After the test period was over, mothers of infants given the probiotic reported that infant crying was reduced to 51 minutes per day as opposed to the control group taking the simethicone, whose crying was only reduced to 145 minutes per day.
According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, a probiotic supplement can also reduce incidents of infant diarrhea.

Most Soy Unhealthy for Adults Too

Soy is anything but a health food. Not only is soy infant formula a terrible food choice for your growing infant, it can have adverse affects on your health as well. Unfermented soy contains goitrogens, substances that suppress thyroid function. When the thyroid is suppressed, a host of health problems result, namely:
Digestive problems
Food allergies
Difficulty losing weight
Anxiety and mood swings
Insomnia
Difficulty conceiving children
and so much more.
The health problems mentioned above are only a handful of the side effects caused by the consumption of unfermented soy products. In addition to suppressing your thyroid, the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) in soy have been linked to breast cancer, kidney stones and brain damage. Soy also contains phytates, which prevent the absorption of minerals in your body and create a deficiency.
To learn more, read "The Truth About Soy Foods".

The Only Healthful Soy

The claim that soy products can prevent osteoporosis, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and protect you from cancer of the prostate, lung and liver is actually true but only if the soy is fermented.
Why is that?
The process of fermenting soy destroys the dangerous substances mentioned above and makes it fit for consumption.
Fermented soy products are a rich source of vitamin K2, a vitamin that works in harmony with vitamin D to keep you healthy. Vitamin K regulates your body's blood clotting ability and vitamin D is essential for optimal bone health.
Examples of healthy fermented soy products include:
Tempeh a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes. But be wary because many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process. Look for raw, unpasteurized soy sauce. Most health food store brands are pasteurized.
For those of you who enjoy tofu, I'm sorry to say it didn't make this list because tofu is an unfermented soy product.
For more information on the truth about soy, I recommend reading a book by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, entitled The Whole Soy Story. In it, Dr. Daniel describes the dark side of America's favorite health food and how you as a health-concious consumer have been cleverly targeted and led down the wrong path.
I understand what your health and the health of your children means to you. That's why I encourage you to continue your own research into soy, soy formula, breastfeeding and natural health. When you're armed with knowledge, you can no longer be misled and you can take control of your health!

Taking Reliv is Like Peeing Your Money Down The Toilet

2011-05-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

The following is a question from one of our readers and my response.

Question

"All I want to know is it all Reliv Distributors say????????? It is expensive and after taking Now, Innergize and Fiberstore for 3 months I feel no different??? I cannot justify the expense of this product and taking it twice a day, or maybe 3 in some cases, makes me question the product. Am I peeing it down the toilet????????"

Response

"Hello Poster - First of all thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for sending in a comment.

Sadly the only thing many Reliv distributors, most of the ones I know, care about is making money and they will tell you anything to get you to continue to take their products. This is also true of most, if not all MLMs.

Many of these Distributors have given up jobs, sometimes good paying jobs, in the hopes of making a fortune selling some "super product" but sadly the only way they can is by forcing these products on friends or family or simply by outright lying.

While Reliv might have a good mixture of vitamins, because of the high soy content and the high price, sadly you are just simply peeing them down the toilet. Your body can only handle so many vitamins and anything extra is just passed through your system and down the toilet.

Personally I just take a cheap vitamin from the store like One A Day or something similar. If you eat a good, well balanced diet, then a multi-vitamin may not even be needed. "

Reliv's Snake Oil Salesmen

2011-04-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here is another post from one of our readers. Sadly they are right, Reliv is nothing more than hype and I believe that most of the "healing" that people claim is nothing more than a placebo effect.

"I already decided to take a pass after getting a hard sell to be a distributor and little real information on the product. The idea that a sales call would start out with listening to a recording or talking to someone on the phone set the bells off but when I asked if the product was regulated in any way, this person couldn't say. I have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and the thought of a "miracle product" that would help reduce the inflammation and give me energy was enticing. The reality is that this is just the thing that could have made my condition much worse and set off major flare ups.
But in the end, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, it's a duck. This product and company has a bad stink. I want to thank the person responsible for this site for putting out a very important message to help others from falling prey to these snake oil salespeople. Thank you for a great service!"

Reliv Distributors Mislead and Lie

2011-04-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

The following if from one of our readers. We have seen and heard this time and time again. I remember many such stories during my time in Reliv. These distributors don't care about anything accept making money and they will tell you anything so that they can keep stealing your money. When they come knocking on your door, DON'T LET THEM IN. You will save 100s or even 1000s of dollars.

"I was told that using Reliv would help my daughter regain some functionality and more clear-headedness as a result of CP. Of course I knew this was not likely, but I thought the additional vitamins might be good for her overall health. Our entire family took reliv for 4 months, faithfully and the only thing that happened was that I gained 20 pounds (which was not a good thing). Our salesperson just scoffed at me and said, 'well you obviously were using it WRONG. EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has EVER used Reliv has benefitted. You need to be on it at least a year.' I wish she had said that to me upfront. Then I would have known to RUN."

Your Reliv Stories Wanted

2010-11-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

First of all I want to thank all of our readers of this Blog. I never dreamed that we would have this many visits and I am so grateful for each person who has taken the time to write and share their story.

Sadly I can no longer share my direct email address as I always have as I have been getting loads of spam from different advertisers. So if you have had a negative experience with the Reliv Products or Business, please just post a comment to one of our posts and I will make sure others get a chance to learn from you.

I will never share any of your personal information.

Reliv Unfair / Wrongful Business Practices

2010-10-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

One of our readers posted a link and I found this on that website. Thought I would post it here.

"Reliv International is very savvy about getting complaints against it removed from websites by strong-arming, fear-tactics and ominous threats of lawsuits that complainants are liable for ‘defamation of the Reliv brand’ should anything be said that could be deemed negative or against the company, whether online or off.

Allegedly many top level Reliv Ambassadors have been terminated or had their income yanked for posting complaints about the company online, so its not surprising why you won’t easily find complaints against Reliv, they have a track record for going into arbitration to settle all legal battles, which is to say SETTLE OUT OF COURT, and therefore appears “squeaky clean” on the surface, but if you know where to look, you’ll find Reliv International is anything BUT lawsuit-free.

There are however, still plenty of complaints appearing on the web (perhaps too fast for Reliv to sweep them all up) and range from concerned distributors losing results, health discussions about soy and even some “negative testimonials” about Reliv International’s products or the Reliv pyramid scheme.

Many 3rd party reviews about Reliv fall under the inalienable rights and protections under “Freedom of Speech,” and therefore more difficult for Reliv to get deleted or removed from web host servers via threat of litigation.

You will find more than a few complains against Reliv here: http://www.RelivWatchdog.blogspot.com

The blog still appears to be up and running (for the time being anyway.) I suppose Reliv Watchdog is as good a starting point as any, if you’re looking for honest reviews about Reliv International, Inc. or any of its toxic, Monsanto-soy products."

From a post on, http://hiddensoy.com/unhealthy-soy/comment-page-1/#comment-3816

Reliv Dangerous? Does Reliv still make the same products?

2010-10-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have removed this article due to a lack on info on the topic. I wish someone had some hard facts about Reliv and Monsanto but I have tried and have been unsuccessful. IF anyone has any proof or info on this topic, please contact me and I will re-post this article. I try to keep my info on here as factual as possible and therefore I will remove any article that is not accurate.

Your Stories Wanted - Reliv Negative Stories

2010-10-03T17:09:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers - I am constantly getting comments from "pro-reliv" people and I delete them. Many have wrote and wondered why I haven't posted their comments, I did not create this blog for the positive about Reliv. There are many websites and phone calls were you can hear those phony stories. My sole purpose for this blog is to give people a chance to see the other side, the negative side of Reliv without having to wade through all of the other BS posted online or what you hear from a money hungry distributor. So please, if you intend to post something positive, don't waste you time as it won't get posted.

If you have some negative stories or experience, please send it to us so others can learn from your mistakes!

Pushy Reliv Distributors - Reliv Does Not Work

2010-09-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hi - I just love your blog and how open it is for comments and opinions and others' stories. I have a story I would like to submit, if you would like to publish it.

A friend I've known for years has gotten big into the Reliv scheme over the last 2 years. We have the same health issue and she credits Reliv for helping her get pregnant (though she was also taking fertility pills at the same time....) She knows how badly I want to have a baby and started nagging (and nagging and nagging) at me to try Reliv. I had a lot of questions about it, but she would never answer them - just skirted around it and said we should get together with an old teacher-friend who is really high up on the Reliv pyramid. Every question I asked warranted a 3-way call with the two of them and I was very uncomfortable. This was my first inclination that something wasn't right.

Regrettably, I let her talk me into trying it, and spent way too much money on a starter kit.....to make a long story short, I've been on Classic, Innergize, Fibrestore and SoySentials for over 6 months and have not noticed the SLIGHTEST bit of change in my life. My husband even tried it for a few weeks as well and he agreed there was absolutely no difference in the way he felt, and he takes meds for a couple of issues that our Reliv distributors swore Reliv would all but cure. Never happened. I quit taking it three weeks ago and still can't tell that anything is even missing. This friend harassed (it's the only word that fits) the living daylights out of me every single week, wanting to know what days would be good for me to listen to some "encouraging stories" (never even asked me if I wanted to) or what time would I be there for the weekly conference, even though I never said I would go. I asked many times to hear some stories from people that did not really find any benefit from Reliv, but of course, she did not know of any. I asked several times for her not to call me about phone conferences anymore, but she still did, and I always felt like it was a guilt-trip to get me to listen to another story or another request to buy into the company. It got to the point (and still is) where I couldn't even text her to say hi - the conversation immediately turned to Reliv.

A huge red flag for me to realize this is truly a pyramid scheme is this -- while on the phone with this distributor friend, she asked when I would need to get more product from her and I mentioned that I was set for awhile, b/c I had purchased some on Ebay. She flipped out and basically said that if I wasn't going to buy it from her, she couldn't continue to "help" me anymore. My question was this-- if Reliv is so deadset on helping people "feel better and get healthy" and that is truly their only motive as they say it is, why does it matter where I buy it from? It's simply b/c she was not making the profit on my purchase that she got so upset.

I was asked hundreds of times when I was going to "invest" in the company. I answered the same every time - right now, I do not have that kind of money to throw into something, and I didn't. These distributors are so hellbent on moving up the ladder that they are willing to tell you whatever you need to hear to get your money in their pocket.

I'm skeptical to believe anyone when they say this product cured some ailment they had. I do not believe there is anything beneficial about this product. I will never buy it again and I will never endorse it. It's nothing but a pyramid scheme. It's ridiculously expensive and you'd be better off to buy a bottle of multivitamins for a percentage of the cost.

Does Reliv Rig It's Own Studies? Reliv IS Over-Priced!

2010-08-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Below is an email that I received from one of our readers. I think the answer to their first question is very simple. Most Reliv / MLM distributors don't care about you. They care about your pocket book. This is the ONLY reason they are selling this stuff. MLMs are like gambling, anything that promises to make a quick easy dollar sucks people in and they can't get out until they push it off on some other poor sap. And as far as the research, I would never trust a company that using it's own people / own scientists to "prove" something is good for you. Especially when these same people are making millions.

"Have you ever talked about the sheer cost of Reliv on your website? I added up the cost of one month's supply of Reliv after I found a distributor's suggested regimen on a squidoo site and looked up average prices on ebay (the only place I could find pricing for the stuff without talking to an annoying distributor!). I don't see how the distributors live with themselves selling this stuff for that price if they truly believe it helps so many people!! I calculated a cost of $365/month for one person! That's just for the basic regimen (NOW, Innergize and Fibrestore)!!

I am also wondering why they call this study they did in Italy on the Glucaffect an "independent" study. I thought independent studies were called such because the people/labs/companies who made the product were not involved at all in the study, and yet Carl Hastings is right there in the author's list...."

Help Get The Truth Out About Reliv

2010-06-03T21:51:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers!

I just wanted to post this little note and ask if you have had any experience with Reliv Products or Business and have suffered in any way, please take a moment to share your stories with us. I hope that someone else might be saved from making a mistake.

Please don't send me your success stories as this is not the purpose of this blog.

Does Reliv Contain Neurotoxins?

2010-05-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

While the following article is about Veggie Burgers, the same info could be true of Reliv or any other products that contain soy.

Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?

Share235

retweet 9

The Cornucopia Institute reports that most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made with the chemical hexane -- a neurotoxin.

Makers of many soy-based burgers submerge the soybeans in hexane to separate the oil from the protein and reduce the amount of fat in the product.

If a non-organic burger contains soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein, it was likely made using hexane.

Veggie burgers made with hexane include:

Amy's Kitchen
Boca Burger, conventional
Franklin Farms
Garden Burger
It’s All Good Lightlife
Morningstar Farms
President’s Choice
Taste Above
Trader Joe's
Yves Veggie Cuisine

Alternet notes that:

“Products labeled ‘organic’ aren't allowed to contain any hexane-derived ingredients, but that rule doesn't apply to foods that are labeled ‘made with organic ingredients.’”

Sources:

Alternet April 13, 2010

The Cornucopia Institute May 18, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

First of all, you probably know that I am not a major fan of non-fermented soy, which is the primary protein most of these burgers are made from.
Over 91% of soy in the United States is GMO, which means it is LOADED with pesticides because that is why it is GMO in the first place -- so Monsanto can sell loads of their toxic Roundup pesticides to kill the weeds around the GMO soy, but the GMO soy survives as it can tolerate the pesticide. It is loaded with it when it is finally harvested.
However the pesticide issue is only one of my concerns and if you haven’t reviewed the hundreds of pages I have compiled on the dangers of soy, you can do so when you have some free time.
However, there is a recently discovered additional concern about veggie burgers in general that I need to bring to your attention.
Many health-conscious consumers are being misled with every veggie burger that passes through their lips. Most are contaminated with hexane, a noted neurotoxin that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also classifies as a “hazardous air pollutant.
This chemical is not only used as a cleaning agent and solvent for glue and varnish, it’s also used to extract oils from soybeans, peanuts, corn and other seed and vegetable crops. This latter use is actually the primary one, and The Cornucopia Institute reports that grain processors (including soy processors) account for more than two-thirds of hexane emissions in the United States.
In their “Behind the Bean” report, the Institute calls “the widespread use of a toxic and environmentally damaging chemical, hexane, in the manufacturing of “natural” soyfoods such as vegetarian burgers, nutrition bars, and protein shakes” a “dirty little secret.”

What are the Risks of Eating Hexane-Tainted Food?

Hexane is a known toxin, although most of the research is on exposure via inhalation, which is thought to be the primary route of exposure. The EPA reports:
“Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure of humans to high levels of hexane causes mild central nervous system (CNS) effects, including dizziness, giddiness, slight nausea, and headache.
Chronic (long-term) exposure to hexane in air is associated with polyneuropathy in humans, with numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headache, and fatigue observed. Neurotoxic effects have also been exhibited in rats.”
Health effects beyond these, including those that occur from eating hexane, are unknown, simply because the research has not been done. The Cornucopia Institute reported:
“The effects on consumers of hexane residues in soy foods have not yet been thoroughly studied and are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Test results obtained by The Cornucopia Institute indicate that residues—ten times higher than what is considered normal by the FDA—do appear in common soy ingredients.”

Beware: Hexane is Even in Organic Infant Formula!

By definition, foods that are 100 percent organic should not contain hexane, but there is a loophole that many food manufacturers are taking advantage of. If a food is labeled “made with organic ingredients” it may contain the chemical.
Further, the National Organics Standard Board has allowed certain ingredients that are hexane-extracted to remain on the list of approved substances for organics “if the organic version is commercially unavailable and it is deemed safe.”
One of these is a form of soy lecithin, which is produced using hexane and acetone, another toxic chemical. Outrageously, another example is a form of DHA and ARA oils that are commonly used in organic infant formulas! According to the Cornucopia Institute’s report:
“Other hexane-extracted ingredients that many industry experts believe should not be present in organic foods, especially organic infant formula, are algal DHA and fungal ARA oils.
These oils—nutritional supplements containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids—are produced by Martek Biosciences Corporation by way of a process that immerses fermented algae and soil fungus in a hexane bath.
The Cornucopia Institute is especially concerned with evidence obtained through a Free dom of Information Act request with the FDA that these DHA and ARA oils, when added to infant formula, are linked to serious health complications experienced by some infants. Organic foods should be a refuge from chemically processed additives in foods: consumers expect nothing less.”
So if you eat non-organic or even some organic varieties of processed soy foods, you can be fairly certain you are also eating hexane residues. This chemical is also likely present in virtually every processed food that contains edible oils from soy, peanuts and corn (which would be the vast majority of processed foods on the market).

More Reasons to Ditch Veggie Burgers and Other Forms of Processed Soy

When you add up all the health risks of processed soy, trying to find a hexane-free veggie burger becomes a moot point (unless you can find the rare variety that may also be soy-free).
The truth is that even without the hexane issue, any soy that is unfermented -- soy milk, tofu, soybean oil, soy veggie burgers, soy infant formula and all the other processed soy products out there all belong to this category -- is not a health food and in fact is not a food I would advise eating at all. This is true whether it is “organic” or not.
Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of fermented, whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities -- protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.
Says Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story:
“Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents."
Dr. Daniel also points out the findings of numerous studies reviewed by her and other colleagues -- that soy does not reliably lower cholesterol, and in fact raises homocysteine levels in many people, which has been found to increase your risk of stroke, birth defects, and yes: heart disease.
Unfermented soy products have been linked to everything from reproductive disorders and infertility to cancer as well.
Further, unfermented soy contains isoflavones that are clearly associated with reduced thyroid function. Eating unfermented soy products is likely the single largest cause of hypothyroidism in women.
Another major problem with unfermented soy is that it contains natural toxins known as “antinutrients.” This includes a large quantity of inhibitors that deter your enzymes needed for protein digestion. While a small amount of these antinutrients would likely not be a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating (and drinking in the form of soy milk) is quite significant.
The result of consuming too many of soy’s antinutrients is extensive gastric distress and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake, which can result in pancreatic impairment and cancer.
Unfermented soy is also loaded with phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein. These compounds mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen, and have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues.
Drinking even two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman’s menstrual cycle, and although the FDA regulates estrogen-containing products, no warnings exist on soy or soy milk. Soy phytoestrogens are also known to disrupt endocrine function, may cause infertility and may promote breast cancer in women.

Why You Want to be Very Careful With Veggieburgers

Given the fact that most veggie burgers on the market are made with processed soy and contaminated with hexane, I do not recommend you eat them.
You might want to try tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor. Even though tempeh is a form of soy, it is a healthy form because it is fermented.
After a long fermentation process, the phytic acid and antinutrient levels of the soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties -- such as the creation of natural probiotics -- become available to your digestive system. It also greatly reduces the levels of dangerous isoflavones, which are similar to estrogen in their chemical structure, and can interfere with the action of your own estrogen production.
The vast majority of the soy sold in the natural food industry is most likely non GMO. Please be aware however, that this doesn't necessarily apply to the oriental market. It's possible that no one knows for sure. Unless you can confirm that the source of the soy is non GMO, would probably be best to avoid it.

Is Reliv a Placebo?

2010-04-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

I received the following from one of our reader!

"Something that should just stop all this arguing is the fact that besides the cult like community of Reliv, if you look at the ingredients for the products pretty much every last ingredient is the same as a multi-vitamin. So in my mind it is just stupidity to pay so much money for a product that can be found in just the same way as a 10$ multi.

I realize that Reliv claims to have made their product into something that is more "digestible" but after having been in the Nutrition science and dietary world, I know that this is just a ploy to get people to buy. It is the same with some other similar supplement companies. I don't know about the intentions of Reliv corporation but my common sense and intuition tells me they are preying on the trusting people of this world... have you not noticed that a good number of the distributors are church going members? All of my experiences have been with such. I guess that makes me a skeptical Christian haha. Anyways my suggestion is do good research, do not think that anything will magically take your pain or disease away because it won't. Placebo plays a big role as well as real medical science. Be smart and be informed."

WARNING - Reliv SoySentials Ruined My Health

2010-02-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

I really don't have much to say about the story below. I think once you read it, you will understand. Though I have heard many other stories about SoySentials causing problems for women. It is really too bad the FDA does not do more checking but please send me your stories so that others don't have to repeat these problems.

Reliv and Soysentials"
Posted by Rondi on 06:01:31 2/15/2006

I sold Reliv several years ago. I also started using the products Classic and SoySentials. To make
a long story short, At first I felt that Soysentials had helped me with my menopausal symptoms. I took it for almost 11/2 years give or take. The longer I took it the worse I started to feel. My hair started falling out, my nails were breaking, terrible brain fog, memory loss, anxiety attacks, joint pain especially in my hips, vision problems, rash on my upper eyelids, eventually I had to
stop working which was very traumatic for me. Upon going to my doctor he informed me that my thyroid numbers were the worse they had seen, not to mention I had developed osteoporosis and a blood clotting condition. In the process of seeking knowledge about my new condition I came across many sites talking about soy and thyroid. Everything I read sounded exactly like me. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason for my rapidly developing health issues! Recently I met a women who is much worse than I, she too had faithfully used Soysentials from Reliv. This is my story, I will not make any money by saying this, I have nothing to gain from spreading this information, except peace of mind that maybe I can stop someone from having to suffer like I have. Check out the website westin.a.price.com or just punch in soy and thyroid. Good Luck and be careful!

Puberty at 8? Is Reliv Part of the Problem??

2009-12-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

I received this article from Dr. Mercola's website and I found his comments very interesting and very alarming. More and more we are finding that girls are going through puberty earlier and earlier and they have found that this can increase their chances for breast cancer and other health and social issues. Though the causes can be many, I did find it interesting that Soy and Soy products were one of the things listed. Since Reliv is so high in soy, this should be a concern if you have your children on the Kid's Now or any of the other Reliv Products. There are so many other options out there for vitamins, you don't need to give your children something that is so strongly Soy based.

Puberty at 8? Girls' Earlier Puberty Puts Them at Higher Risk for Cancer
POSTED BY - Dr. Mercola - October 06 2007

Girls in the United States are reaching puberty at very early ages, increasing their risk of breast cancer, social problems, and emotional problems.

While the biological signs of female puberty -- menstruation, breast development, and growth of pubic and underarm hair -- typically occurred around 13 years of age or older just decades ago, today girls as young as 8 are increasingly showing these signs.

African-American girls are particularly vulnerable to early puberty.

Aside from the social and emotional implications, early puberty exposes girls to more estrogen, which increases their risk of breast cancer because the disease thrives on estrogen.

According to biologist Sandra Steingraber, the author of the report titled "The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know," "The data indicates that if you get your first period before age 12, your risk of breast cancer is 50 percent higher than if you get it at age 16."

"For every year we could delay a girl's first menstrual period,” she says, “we could prevent thousands of breast cancers."

Theories behind what is causing the early-puberty trend abound, but the actual causes are not known. Potential causes noted in the paper include:

Rising childhood obesity rates and inactivity
Formula-feeding of infants
Excessive TV viewing and media use
Family stress
Exposure to environmental chemicals

Early puberty is likely an “ecological disorder,” according to Steingraber, that’s being caused by a number of environmental factors.

The Breast Cancer Fund, “The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know”

Chicago Tribune September 16, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It is becoming increasingly common for young children, even 5- and 6-year-olds, to go through precocious puberty (aka early sexual development). The introduction of this report even states that studies have found girls as young as 2 years old entering puberty!

This is clearly a multi-faceted problem, but I believe one of its main causes stems from your environmental exposure to a whole slew of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

These man-made chemicals affect your hormones, which control development and function in your body. There is mounting evidence that they can cause harm in the development of fetuses and children, who are particularly sensitive to the chemicals because they have not yet developed the protective mechanisms present in adult bodies.

If you think you and your children are not exposed to endocrine disrupters, think again. They’re commonly found in many household products and cosmetics, including:

Bovine growth hormones commonly added to commercial dairy
Soy foods, which are loaded with hormone-like substances
Bisphenol A, commonly used in many plastics such as baby bottles, food-storage containers, and the lining of soda cans
Phthalates, also commonly used in plastics
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) -- better known as Teflon

I want to place special emphasis on soy. As many VitalVotes readers have been pointing out, soy is present in virtually every processed food, and Americans are eating it in unprecedented quantities in foods like soymilk, soy burgers, and soy ice cream.

Meanwhile, some misinformed moms are still feeding their vulnerable babies soy infant formula, which exposes their child to the equivalent of five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day. For this same reason, it’s also important for pregnant women to avoid eating soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child’s subsequent breast cancer risk.

Other environmental chemicals like PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT) may also be associated with early sexual development in girls. Both DDE and PCBs are known to mimic, or interfere with, sex hormones.

What is even more troubling is that endocrine-disrupting environmental chemicals can actually increase your child’s risk of obesity, which in turn may increase their likelihood of early puberty.

Early Puberty is Only the Tip of the Iceberg

Meanwhile, the same chemical exposures that are causing young kids to enter puberty well before their time can also lead to increased infertility and breast cancer rates down the road.

So if you have children, or are planning to, avoiding environmental contaminants and soy foods as much as possible (unless they are in the traditional, fermented form such as natto, miso, or tempeh), is a wise choice.

Here are some measures you can take to protect yourself and your children from common toxic substances that could cause them to go into puberty years before they were designed to:

Store your food in glass containers whenever possible, as it is the most inert container you can use.
Only use natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores will have these available or you can search online for them.
Buy and eat, as much as possible, locally grown, organic foods that do not contain pesticides and added hormones.
Avoid processed foods, which are loaded with soy and other unsavory ingredients.
Switch to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. Use the same sources as above for these, either your local health food store or you can search online.

Finally, I encourage everyone with children or grandchildren to review Theo Colburn’s Our Stolen Future, which is one of the BEST resources on this topic.

Dangers of Soy - Reliv Has Soy

2009-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Are you convinced yet about the dangers of soy? Many aren’t. “Is soy bad for you? …Really?” I hear the question so often I want to scream.

After decades of hearing marketing spin about how soy is a wonder food, a protein-rich legume able to rescue us from our dependence on meat, I suppose it’s understandable why so many people have yet to understand fully the dangers of soy. Really, you’re not going to get the full story unless you research it on your own. And why would you, when soy is “universally” touted as a health food?

Well, it isn’t.

Dangers of Soy

Thankfully, more and more independent research has been done regarding the dangers of soy, and what it’s revealed should scare you.

Phytoestrogens

Soy is higher in phytoestrogens than just about any other food source. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens that mimic estrogen in our bodies. In recent years, you may have read about studies which indicate phytoestrogens are good for you. But ask yourself, who funded those studies? The soy industry, that’s who. Independent research has clearly shown that consuming phytoestrogens is downright dangerous for the human body.

It’s only common sense. No one argues, for example, that a leading cause of breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, and low libido is unopposed estrogen, or estrogen dominance. Why, then, would anyone argue that we should consume more of a food high in estrogen?

An infant taking the recommended amount of soy formula is consuming a hormone load equivalent of 4 birth control pills a day! Is it any wonder we’ve seen such a dramatic rise in precocious puberty with young girls starting their periods at 6 and 7?

Goitrogenic

Soy will destroy your thyroid. Many foods are goitrogenic (thyroid suppressing), but soy is king of them all. Goitrogens work by preventing your thyroid from getting the necessary amount of iodine. Friends, I believe this is what happened to Oprah’s thyroid. She pushed soy for years, featured it in everyone one of her “healthy” diets, and it destroyed her thyroid. If your thyroid fails, what happens? You gain weight. You have a harder time regulating your moods. You get colder more easily. You’re more easily fatigued. You demonstrate an inability to concentrate and remember details. The list goes on. You simply don’t want to mess with your thyroid.

Phytates

Phytates are enzyme-inhibitors that block mineral absorption in human digestive tract. They are naturally present in all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes (which is why everyone should read this primer on how to eat grains, if you eat them at all.) But soy is so high in phytates that it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. Simply soaking soy overnight in an acidic medium won’t do the trick. Soy must be fermented in order to be digestible to humans. That means that if you eat soy at all, you should stick to fermented soy products like miso, tempeh, natto, or a naturally fermented soy sauce (tamari).

Trypsin inhibitors

Finally soy is rich in trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin is a digestive enzyme we need to properly digest protein. Without enough trypsin, you’ll experience many digestive problems including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bleeding. You’ll also be leaving yourself open to future problems with your pancreas.

Debunking The Asian Soy Myth

But, people say, what about Asians? They eat soy every day, and they’re so healthy!

In this article by Nina Planck, she writes:

Soy farming started around 1100 BC in China, where it was used to build soil fertility and feed animals. Soy beans were not considered fit for humans until the Chinese learned to ferment them, which makes them digestible. Asian diets now include fermented soy beans in the form of natto, miso, tamari, and tempeh.

Soy producers want you to eat more soy — more than the Asians eat, and more than is good for you. The Japanese and Chinese eat 10 grams of soy per day — about two teaspoons. Yet a soy manufacturer recommends Americans eat ten times what the Japanese eat — 100 grams of soy protein per day. In The Soy Zone, Barry Sears recommends a daily diet of a minimum of 50 grams of soy, and up to 75 grams for women and 100 grams for men.

It’s like red wine: a glass or two a day may be good for you; a bottle or two every day rots your liver.

Did you catch that? Asians only eat 2 teaspoons of soy a day, usually as a condiment, and it’s highly fermented! Fermentation takes care of many of the dangers of soy. Plus, the typical Asian will also consume soy with mineral-rich and nutrient-dense foods such as fish broth (naturally high in iodine & other minerals which support the thyroid).
So, Is Soy Bad For You?

The short answer? YES! Let’s be clear on the recent history of soy. The soybean was a modest and unpopular crop until food manufacturers intent on creating cheap vegetable oils convinced the U.S. government to start subsidizing it. The soy was turned into oil, and the industry was left with an industrial waste product. Then somebody had a brilliant idea:

Let’s take this industrial waste product full of toxins and carcinogens — isolated soy protein — and turn it into food that people will eat!

Soy foods were born. From Nina Planck’s article:

The FDA refused to approve isolated soy protein as a safe food additive with the designation “Generally Recognized as Safe.”

Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland withdrew its application for the coveted GRAS status for soy protein, after an outcry from scientists about the toxins and carcinogens that come with it. They can still put soy protein in your food, but they have to get pre-market approval for every product.

Isolated soy protein is no health food. But we don’t eat soy protein with a spoon. How do we eat it? It is the main ingredient in soy burgers, ice cream, milk shakes, and fake cheese. These soy protein products are phony foods — but they must look like the real foods they imitate. So the soy industry transforms a small yellow soy bean into something resembling a hamburger. They make soy “milk” and “ice cream” white and creamy.

The other ingredients in these foods are no better for you than the soy protein that goes into them. Soy milk, for example, is simply a cocktail of soy protein, sugar, and vegetable oil. The “natural” MSG formed in soy processing is already bad for you, but even more MSG, and more flavorings, are added. Imitation foods need a lot of help to be tasty. Many savory soy foods are loaded with additives to give them the flavor of the real foods they mimic. Most imitation meat, for example, contains man-made MSG, which causes migraines and is associated with brain cancer.

Soy foods aren’t real food. They aren’t traditional. They aren’t old. They’re industrial waste products dressed up in pretty clothes and marketed to an ignorant public.

ETA: Reader comments below prompted me to include a couple of additions to this post. The questions: What about tofu or homemade soy milk? Their consumption is quite widespread in Asian cultures, and they’re non-fermented soy foods. Are they okay? The answers: Tofu originated around the 2nd century BC in China, and it was made from fermented bean curd. That is how it was traditionally made before the days of refrigeration. Most modern tofu isn’t fermented anymore. You can still buy varieties of fermented tofu (aka “Stinky Tofu” or “Pickled Tofu”) in some Asian markets, though. Also, according to the most comprehensive online account of soymilk’s history, its use was rare before the 20th century and widespread usage was highly unlikely. In other words, it’s not a traditional food. Nor is non-fermented tofu. They’re the Asian equivalents of margarine, hot bath canning, “vegetable oil,” or soda pop — something relatively new on the food scene which became very widespread with the industrialization of the food supply. And like these industrialized food products, they are bad for your health.

This post is participating in today’s Fight Back Friday carnival hosted right here at Food Renegade. For other interesting news stories, anecdotes, and recipes concerning Real Food, go check it out!

Please visit http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/ for more info!

Looking for New Stories

2009-09-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

First of all I want to thank you for reading my blog. Life has been really busy and so it's hard to keep it updated like I should but I do try my best. But we are ALWAYS looking for your stories.

Please REMEMBER that we are NOT looking for success stories. There are other blogs / websites that will post your success stories. I have devoted my blog to people who want to share the TRUTH about Reliv and share their stories of how Reliv has not helped or even hurt them worse. There are many out there and my purpose is to provide a please for people to share so that others may have a chance to see both sides.

Too many Distributors will lie to you because they DON'T care about your health as much as they care about their pockets. I have seen this TOO many times.

And NO, I don't have an axe to grind as so many like to write and tell me. I just want both sides of the story to be told. YES, Reliv does help some but at the same time as many if not more are harmed or not helped at all. If the Distributors would share this info I would not need to! Start telling the truth and stop telling people to take more than the recommended so you can pad your pockets.

Sorry, I ranted there a bit! Please send your stories!!!!

Reliv divides families. . .root of evil

2009-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

The following message is a update from our last post. It is really sad that Reliv / MLMs do this to families. I guess the Bible was correct when it said, "The love of money is the root of all evil".

"I wanted to give you an update on our horrible Reliv experience! So, we bought the stuff from my mother-in-law at a 40% discount. She gave us her discount, telling us she wasn't trying to make money off of us. She also told us that it had a 30 day money back guarantee. Now that we've told her we don't want to take it anymore, that money back guarantee has disappeared! We're now being told that because we had a discount, we don't get the guarantee and we are stuck with $570 worth of products to sit in our basement. This is our family! We feel completely taken advantage of by our parents, yet all they can see is that we want our money back and it is going to cost them. After this they found someone to buy the unopened products from us. We brought up the money back guarantee for the opened products explaining that she could receive new products to replace what we used for 1 week. We were told well we opened them and no one would want them so we are out. They don't want to go through the company to get replacement products and we are stuck with the cost. I calculated it and with shipping and tax we're out $220 for using Reliv products for 1 week!!!

The lesson we learned - Don't do business with family! Never use Reliv products because even if the container says it has a guarantee, they will find a way out of paying you back. Reliv divides families!!!!"

My Response;

"I am really sorry to hear what happened with your family. Reliv does make it hard to get replacement products. You parents have to pay you back from their pockets and then they would need to try and get replacements from Reliv. I think they have send the empty containers back or something like that. Granted this is no excuses but this is how Reliv makes people keep the products rather than returning them.

If this wasn't your parents, I would have suggested that you call Reliv directly and complain but at this point, no since in causing problems for your parents."

I believe Reliv is BAD!

2009-08-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

The following is from an email that I received a few days ago, followed by my response. I don't care how many Reliv Distributors write in to tell me that I have an axe to grind and that Reliv is "really good for me", it does not work for everyone and does cause problems.

"I started taking Reliv 1 week ago. I was convinced by a family member this product would build my child's immune system. My entire family started taking it, and we saw amazing results with energy level, appetite, and overall feeling good. Once we started to research the products more, we found it was full of bad soy, and artificial sweeteners and additives. All along we have been told this stuff is "food" for our bodies, but that is far from the truth.

First my children's behavior has been out of control this past week. Once fairly obedient children turned into hyper active, non-listening children constantly in trouble. I contribute that to the high sugar content in the Kids Now.

Here's where I believe Reliv is BAD! I was diagnosed with a sinus/ear infection and given antibiotics. I had already been taking Reliv so I continued, but also began taking the antibiotics. After 5 days I still wasn't better, and began assuming the soy was interfering with the antibiotics. I decided that night to stop Reliv so I could get better. I have been off Reliv for 24 hours now and it has been the worst 24 hours of my LIFE! I feel like I"m going through a drug withdrawal. I've never been addicted to drugs, tobacco, or alcohol, but I've been dizzy, nauseous, hot/cold spells, foggy headed, and craving Reliv. I was pretty much in bed all day yesterday because I couldn't function normally. This was after only being on the product for 1 week. How can something so "natural" cause withdrawal symptoms so massively? I wanted to contact you because I don't know of anyone else who has tried to get off the products after such a short time and had these symptoms. I am hoping you have some information/advice for me since you've researched this so much. I feel miserable, but I refuse to continue taking these products. I firmly believe there is something addicting in them that causes people to feel so good when on them, but so bad when they stop taking them. Just like a drug huh? Do you know how long it should take to detox from this junk? I started taking a regular multivitamin and a huge dose of Vitamin B. Is there anything I can take to flush this crap out of my body?"

My Responce

"I have heard of a number of people where this has happened to and the same thing happened to us when we stopped the Reliv products. The only thing that I have heard of is to simply stop taking the products and soon your body will balance back out. I have heard of one extreme case where the poor girl couldn't stop taking the products. She tried time and time again to stop but the withdrawals were so bad that she couldn't quit. She posted a number of times telling of her attempts but I have not heard from her in about 6 months.

Thank you for taking the time to post your story to us."

Caution Urged on Soy Menopause Remedies - Soysentials

2009-07-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Caution Urged on Soy Menopause Remedies

A researcher said on April 9 that so little is known about how plant estrogens act on the human body that sales of soy supplements as a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) must be questioned.

Soy is being widely promoted as a natural alternative to HRT. This is because it contains genistein, a plant estrogen that has similar but weaker effects to normal estrogen found in women.

But Dr. Saffron Whitehead, reader in reproductive physiology at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, said new studies on human cells have shown that genistein and other phyto-estrogens may also stop the enzymes that make these hormones.

This could explain why the incidence of breast cancer, which in many cases is dependent on estrogen, is about two-thirds lower amongst Japanese and Chinese women who consume diets rich in soy compared with women living in England.

Whitehead's team examined the effects of phyto-estrogens on human ovarian cells obtained during procedures for in vitro fertilization.

The results showed that several phyto-estrogens, including genistein, inhibited the conversion of androgens to estrogens.

The researchers believe this could be significant in postmenopausal women because as these women's ovaries cease to function, their only source of estrogens is converting androgens released by their adrenal glands.

"This finding is potentially important to the phyto-estrogen story," Whitehead added in a statement. "We really don't know how phyto-estrogens act in the human body. They could be weak estrogen mimics, estrogen blockers or enzyme inhibitors.

"If they do stop the natural production of estrogens, we should consider whether soy supplements be sold as a natural alternative to HRT."

Annual Meeting British Endocrine Society's in Harrogate, Yorkshire England April 9, 2002

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I am not opposed to all soy. Clearly Asian cultures show benefit from consuming soy products. The central issue that is missed though, is that most of the soy Asians consumed is fermented.

Natto is a slimy foul smelling fermented soybean preparation that has been used in eastern Japan for over 1,000 years. Interestingly, natto has some of the highest content of vitamin K2 of any food known to man.

Mostly Asian researchers have extensively studied Vitamin K2 and found it to be a profoundly useful tool to treat and reverse osteoporosis.

Tempeh and miso are also other fermented soy products that are likely to have nutritional benefits.

It would be unwise to assume that highly processed foods like tofu and soy protein would provide similar benefits as the fermented whole foods.

From a vitamin K2 perspective, it is quite clear that the non-fermented soy foods, provide absolutely no vitamin K2 and will not protect and treat osteoporosis.

If you are still confused about this issue, don't worry. This is a highly controversial area. If you have some free time and want to review some of the many hundreds of pages I have compiled on this subject, please review the soy index below.

Your Stories Wanted - Reliv Problems

2009-07-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Over the time I have been running this blog I have come under attack by "Pro" Reliv users because I don't publish their positive stories. I have tried to be very clear on this point, the sole purpose of this blog is to give people a chance to share the negative side. If you search the internet there are many pro websites but few negative. Now many pro users will say that this is because the products are so good but I believe that people who have had problems with Reliv simple do nothing.

And so I created this blog to give them a chance to share their stories. If you have had problems with Reliv, their products or business, please take a moment to send us your stories so we can share them with others.

As far as those who want to post a positive story, do it somewhere else as it won't get published here. If you want to discuess, please send me an email and I would be happy to email you personally.

Rod and Anita Swift - Reliv No More!

2009-06-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

The following is some emails that I received from Rod and Anita Swift. They have given me permission to republish their info. I hope you find it helpful.

"Dear Reliv Friends and Former Associates,

This information was prepared for those of you who might have heard rumors and were concerned about why Reliv has felt the need to terminate our distributorship. We have been over whelmed with inquiries and appreciate every call and email from our Reliv friends over this past month . The following letter was composed as a brief explanation and we have constructed a web site to explain and clear up any misconceptions in greater detail . Thank-you all for your love and concern.

As many of you know, Anita and I resigned as Ambassadors several months ago. We realized this may come as a shock to those of you who were not yet aware of it. What may be even more shocking to you, as it was to us, is the response we received from Bob Montgomery via e-mail. Then, two months later on October 26th (and again, via e-mail), were informed by Reliv Compliance that our distributorship had been terminated (as of October 1, 2008).

It's been hard to accept that over the past few months no one from Reliv has made any effort to personally contact us by phone in regards to this issue. So much for that warm friendly relationship we were led to believe exists between Corporate and its Ambassadors.

All the reasons for our decision to resign as Ambassadors were addressed in a letter to Bob Montgomery shortly after the International Conference last August. That letter as well as Bob's response is now available to all you who care about your future with Reliv. I will only add here that after many hours of research our letter of resignation was prompted by what we believed to be serious concerns in regards to the direction Reliv was leading us. In that letter I believe that we honestly made an effort to convey our love and concern for a faltering company we had poured our heart and soul into for over six years. The unwillingness on Reliv's part to discuss much less address the issues we presented them with is evidence to me we must have struck a raw nerve.

Their delayed response was just as I predicted, "shoot the messenger." It has been my experience that corporations are always quick to scrap old worn out machinery but very slow to scrap old worn out business practices. It is stated in the Reliv PA brochure that as President and CEO Bob Montgomery is committed to helping Reliv Distributors achieve their goals. I'm sure that is true but a commitment to a vehicle running on flat tires is not a recipe for success. The reality of life is that most Reliv distributors over the past few years have experienced burn out and are left strewn along Reliv's "Road to Success" that is for them a tumultuous and costly trail of tears..

I asked myself, "Why have Reliv distributor numbers plummeted over the past couple years instead of exploding like so many other companies? If Reliv offers people such a wonderful business opportunity, why were Reliv's profits down over 40% last quarter?" How could I, as an Ambassador, honesty continue to encourage others to join me in a business that I myself, was finding harder and harder to be successful at? Talking to distributors at conference revealed that our story was not an isolated case, but rather the norm amongst nearly every distributor and Reliv Ambassador we questioned (names are being withheld for obvious reasons).

Of course, this was confirmed by the $7 million drop in sales between the 2nd quarter of 2008 and the same quarter of 2006. Obviously there have been serious Corporate decisions being made that are counter productive in this modern day marketing climate. The decline in sales can not be blamed on a few lazy Ambassadors or distributors as Bob Montgomery implied in his response to us.

Let it be known, Anita and I never QUIT Reliv, nor did we expect Reliv to toss us overboard. We just needed another source of income to make up for our dwindling Reliv check. Anita could have gone back to work with her family business, but our sense of responsibility to the organization we had worked hard to build dictated we find that additional income by working from home.

After being exposed to the power of network marketing, one can no longer think in terms of an employee. An exhaustive search led us to a company with a patented cold press method of manufacturing healthy chocolate that was backed up with tons of clinical studies that showed the power of how important antioxidant rich cacao is for our bodies immune system.

Sharing a healthy alternative product that the average American was already eating 12 pounds of a year was pretty much a "no brainer"! Because we love helping people we knew that this was something anyone could do with very little rejection and none of the stress of follow up. (Unlike soy-powder, nobody needs to instruct nor remind you to eat your daily serving of healthy, decadent Belgian chocolate).

Our Reliv distributorship wasn't terminated because we recruited other successful Reliv distributors.(and contrary to rumors, MXI has not paid us to bring our whole downline with us.) We were terminated because we helped a few friends who had either quit Reliv, could not afford Reliv anymore or had just plain been unsuccessful at getting their Reliv business off the ground. They saw what we were doing and asked if they could join us. The unilateral voluntary servitude contract, we ignorantly signed with Reliv over six years ago to get the best price on the products, unbeknown to us, forbade Anita and I from ever communicating anything relating to any type of business or monetary trade outside of our Reliv business, with our friends or family for up to 18 months after retiring from our duties as Reliv Ambassadors. Caring more about helping people than abiding by such a rigid contract, we decided our usual modus operandi of honesty, ethics and transparency was still the best approach, and told Reliv Corporate of our plans. Sadly, the honest approach with Reliv was a mistake as it needlessly subjected us to the wrath of Reliv dogma and soon, the 100% forfeiture of our so called "residual income."

I must tell you that passive residual income I mention had dwindled from $15,000 per month to a measly $5,000 a month over the last 3 years, in spite of massive financial expenditures (over $35,000 in advertising costs in 2007 alone) and tremendous sacrifice of time and effort on our part just to out-sponsor the continually rising attrition. Nonetheless, $5,000 a month is a small price to pay to escape Reliv's all knowing eye and regain our rights and freedom again.

Over these past months we have discovered that few network marketing companies today require anyone to sign an exclusive agreement anymore. In fact, many even encourage their distributors to explore ways to create multiple streams of income through other DSA- member companies. Once again, as a distributor, Reliv forbids you from earning any income or achieving financial success from an outside source. Once you sign up as a distributor you either succeed or die with Reliv. If Reliv is such a wonderful company to be a distributor for why do they feel they must shackle their distributors to an outdated exclusivity contract? Direct-Selling competitors such as USANA, Herbalife, MaxGXL, Youngevity, TriVita, Univera, VitaMark, MXI Corp, and so on... none of them feel a need to imprison their base of distributors to themselves, but instead offer their distributors more modern and cutting edge methods of doing business and some gather upwards of 50,000 attendees or more to their regional conferences, sadly, Reliv is a very different story.

What is it that makes Reliv feel they must chain down distributors with forced contracts of Unilateral Exclusiveness? If the Reliv Success System was as good as they had us claiming and teaching it to be, don't you think we would still be successful Reliv Ambassadors mentoring our exploding organization and just consuming healthy chocolate as an antioxidant rich treat? Your distributor contract shackles you to the Reliv plantation which promises you nothing in return from your loyalty. Reliv didn't promise you that they would never change or dilute the products. They didn't promise you that they would keep products as squeaky clean and naturally pure as the floor of the mauufaturing facilities. They called us distributors "partners" but they never asked our opininon when they decided to join the CRN.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition is a misleading name for an organization of chemical and pharmaceutical companies who's agenda is to control the food and nutritional industry under the WTO's police dog, CODEX. CODEX is scheduled to go into affect Dec. 31, 2009, Google CRN and CODEX for yourself and see how they plan on controlling your right to alternative health as well as the kind of food you buy. Monsanto now controls over 95% of soybean seed in the world and has spent $11 billion over the last ten years buying up every seed company they can get their sinister hands on. This is the company that has given the world "Agent Orange" (a defoliant), "Round-Up" (an herbicide), and a host of other deadly chemical toxins that are contaminating our planet and killing off the honey bees. If it's honey bees today will it be people tomorrow? Out of the words from their own mouth, the answer is "YES".

What benefit can Reliv hope to achieve by their alinement with muliti national chemical and pharmaceutical companies? Why has Reliv refused to put a GMO FREE (Genetically Modified Organism) label on their products? Could it be because Dr. Carl thinks St. Louis based Monsanto is a "Great Company" and he doesn's have a problem with GMO's, atificial sweeteners, artificial flavors or synthetic vitamins as long as they are FDA approved? Now, with the hiring of the new Director of Product Research, Dr. Salty & Sweet, Tom Reynolds, (who's backgound includes the development of Nutri-Sweet) we see Reliv heading down a dark road to the future. Could it be that the real reason Reliv chose to terminate us was because we began to shine some light on this secrete darkness? Why else would Bob Montgomery claim "we made such a fuss" in our efforts to get Reliv to abandon the use of artificial ingredients? We thought we had gained a victory when Dr. Carl, reluctantly agreed, to take the Acesulfame Potassium out of FibRestore and Now. Sadly to say, that victory for clean products was short lived. The whole time we were fighting that battle he was formulating the new product "Glucaffect" with that same artificical sweetener which, by they way, remains in your childrens "Kids Now."

The Bible tells me there are none so blind as those that have eyes, but refuse to see. History tells us that Martin Luther was persecuted as a result of his efforts to reveal truth to the dogmatic and manipulative Church of his day. The Founding Fathers of our great Nation tried to reason with and reveal truth to a close minded and controlling British King. They were persecuted and labeled as traitors for their efforts. Our story of honestly trying to open the eyes of a company we had loved dearly for six years is a far cry from the stories of Martin Luther or our Founding Fathers, but we are secure in the knowledge that we have been led where The Heavenly Father wants us and both Anita and I believe with every fiber of our beings, we have moved forward with our strength and integrity well intact and will be blessed.

As Bob Montgomery himself has said so many times over the past six years of conferences we've attended, "You will never be able to pick up that $1,000 dollar bill as long as you are holding on to the podium." Well, the Bible also tells us to be thankful for all things. So we just want to say, "Thank You Reliv, thank you for all you have done for us over the past six years. But mostly we want to thank you for cutting the chains that bound us to that Reliv podium we so dutifully clung to. We harbor no bitterness of heart, only disappointment that what we tried to communicate went unappreciated.

Anita and I are now free to grab that MXI $1,000 dollar bill, in fact, we're securely inside and driving our new vehicle toward success, road map in hand, with no speed limits. Thanks again Bob, we now know exactly where we're going and how to get there! I suppose, one way or another, Reliv really does make dreams come true.

Sincerely,
Rod and Anita Swift"

For further information, enter the info requested in this link http://RelivAmbassadorsNoMore.blogspot.com (or call or e-mail us personally 541-298-2559 omegasblooms@gorge.net ) and we'll send you link to our Private Unpublished Reliv Page where you'll have the rare opportunity to read correspondence between Rod & Anita Swift, Reliv Corporate, CEO Robert Montgomery, John & Jacquie Hayes and Reliv Compliance, all of which lead without any notice, to the sudden Full Termination of Rod & Anita Swift's entire Reliv Business, including all forms of their residual income.

Distributors Lie to Sell Reliv - Dr. Hastings a god?

2009-06-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

The following is a post that I received from one of our readers. Thank you for taking the time to send this and if anyone else has some negative results / experience with Reliv, please take a few minutes to send it to us so that others can see that Reliv isn't a miracle drug.

"I recently was visited by my mother in law, who deems Dr Hastings as a god and Reliv as a panacea. She has been bugging me for YEARS to become a distributor and get my kids on it as fast as I can. (Fortunately, I am well-educated in nutrition and health since graduating from a well-respected kinesiology/exercise science program at a state university!) She told me that The university of Illinois recently conducted a study on the glucaeffect (Innergize) product and found that it made history by working 100% of the time for every participant and that no one dropped out of the study. (Supposedly, the researchers did a double blind controlled study and no one knew what the product was except for Hastings himself--all this told to me by my MIL who was trying to impress me, to no avail) Yet, I cannot find these remarkable and newsworthy findings anywhere! BUT I did find that Dr Hastings and Reliv was a corporate sponsor of the Functional Foods program at University of Illinois in 1997...call me a conspiracy theorist but it seems more than coincidental to me that the university chosen to do the study was Hastings' alma mater and the one he sponsors.

LOVE your website!! I check it often! Oh the stories I could tell about my experiences with the one distributor I know!"

Reliv - An Enormous Source of Frustration

2009-06-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

The following is an email that I received from one our readers! I want to thank him for taking the time to send this and I hope that this will give you some insight into the other side of Reliv. Please read it carefully and if you have a similar story, please take a moment to share with us.

"Reliv Watchdog,

I ran across your website and I thought it may be good to share my experiences with Reliv with you as it has been an enormous source of frustration for me. It all started a couple years ago when a friend of my father introduced my parents to "The product". My parents started taking it and I think they really bought into the multiple success stories that were provided via conference call in the beginning. They were sold on it and got into the MLM scheme for the discount. My father convinced me to try it, so I did for a month and saw no benefit so I decided it was too expensive for me and stopped. My parents seemed offended by this and pressured me to start taking it again in practically every conversation. Our telephone and in-person conversations inevitably shift to the most recent over hyped Reliv success story which may just as well be coincidence. My father has a mysterious chest pain that comes and goes that he won't allow the doctor to check. When it comes back he ups the dosage and when it dissapears for a while he gives the credit to the Reliv. My mother has no real health problems, but probably likes it because the soy may help her with menopause (just a guess). I figured things would just fizzle out soon and they would shift their interest to something else, sadly I am still waiting for that day to come...

My sister has also bought into the Reliv scam. She spends hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the different powders and consumes them herself and gives them to her children. Her husband, like me, is not impressed but she is so convinced that they could not survive without Reliv that she would probably leave him and take the kids if he tried to stop her from wasting their money on it. Her daughter (six years old) suffers from eczema, bowel problems, and (just developed) asthma-like symptoms. My sister has had her on Reliv for about 2 year now and there has been no improvement, if anything her symptoms have worsened. These problems may even be aggravated or even ORIGINALLY CAUSED by the soy in Reliv. Her husband also took it for a while and dismissed as a waste when he saw no results.

So, some time passes and my parents talked me into attending a Reliv meeting. The meeting was more of an emotional support group than a business meeting. The people were sharing their problems and generic success stories such as "I feel better on Reliv, I can really tell a difference". The guy essentially running the meeting was a chiropractor who told me not to listen to doctors because they don't know anything. Everyone seemed to defer to his judgment, nobody actually knew anything about the product they were peddling and were very resistant to anything that seemed related to math, science, or facts. I asked repeatedly about the ingredients or if there had been any studies conducted to prove the claims of the people representing the product.

Here are some samples of the answers I received:

"Maybe try calling the company"
"I don't care what's in it and you shouldn't either, it just works"
"Check the website, all the information is there for you" - Practically no credible information exists on the website as I'm sure you already know.

Other crazy claims:

"Reliv works at the cellular level to restore your body"
"In 7 years of taking Reliv all the cells in your body will be replaced with new healthy cells"
"If a child got into a can of Reliv and ate the whole thing you don't need to worry"
"Reliv is food for your body, if you take it you don't even need to eat anything else"
"Reliv can cure cancer"

After this meeting, I suggested to my mother that this man (the chiropractor at the meeting) was a snake oil salesman and it erupted into a very passionate 30 minute conversation outside the hotel. I reluctantly agreed to try the product again, this time for a full 3 months. I took 4 different kinds of Reliv: Classic, Arthaffect, Fibrestore, and Innergize. I took them all simultaneously for the full 3 months, every day, multiple times, at the directed dosages of my parents and their up-line (the stuff was expensive, I wasn't going to half-way do it and not be sure at the end). I saw absolutely no change in how I felt or my overall health. I haven't taken any since. I am completely, 100% convinced that the Innergize is sold just as a flavor enhancer, because let's be honest, the stuff is disgusting without it. It's nothing but sugar, salt, and chromium to help your body metabolize the sugar... of course some gullible people are going to think they feel better after taking it, it's sugar! Just look at the ingredients on their flagship product, Reliv Classic... 7g soy protein, your usual array of vitamins and minerals, and a "Proprietary Blend" that only makes up 142mg of the dose. Even if this "Proprietary Blend" did contain the most potent magical ingredients, 142mg isn't enough to do anything. At 17.9g per dose as stated on the can, this means their "Proprietary Blend" is less than 1/126th of the total dose!

This next story is sad, but 100% true. My parent's neighbor recently discovered he had cancer. They talked him out of chemotherapy and had him taking Reliv instead. At first they reported that he was feeling better and had more energy, but after about 3 months he became very sick and his wife took care of him at home. He continued to take his Reliv and died in the middle of the night His wife said that Reliv was the last thing he had that night before falling asleep. I believe his wife blames my parents (though she has been very forgiving) and I feel terrible for her. He was a really, really, nice guy.

On to the most recent episode. My wife is currently pregnant, and my parents wanted her to use Reliv during pregnancy. At first I didn't have a problem with it as they agreed to give us the products for free and I viewed Reliv as a "harmless waste of money maybe slightly superior to a multivitamin". Now I think my initial assessment was wrong. My wife took the cans to her doctor and she was told not to take it, of course I had to break the news to my parents and once again I look like the bad guy because "Those doctors just don't know anything". I just can't win, my family has chosen some wacko vitamin powder over me. If there is some sort of birth defect I'll never hear the end of how Reliv could have prevented it.

I'll wrap this up with some final thoughts:

This next part is purely speculation, but it's something to think about. Once they convince you to buy in and spend the thousands of dollars up front to become a distributor, it's probably not easy to back out without taking a loss. I have never sold the stuff myself, but I imagine that if you wanted to quit you would have to find a way to get rid of all the cans of Reliv stacked up in your basement. This keeps people perpetuating the hype while they try desperately to avoid financial failure. I'm sure many people spend money they don't have on these products and panic when they aren't able to sell them, thus they are willing to say anything for a sale.

The whole thing reminds me a lot of a cult, like the "Christian scientists" that believe all medical problems and sickness can be cured with prayer. I'm not sure if it's like this everywhere, but from the cross-section I've been exposed to so far, most of these people are Christians and they seem to get Reliv intertwined with religion and it almost becomes their new religion. The distributors push it like a group of crazies and make outrageous claims like it can cure aids, cancer, hepatitis, and anything else you can imagine (no exaggeration here). The support structure creates emotional links and false hope that keep this whole scam going and it takes advantage of people in vulnerable situations looking for help. It has practically destroyed the relationship I had with my family and I'm sure wasted much of their wealth and time.

Thanks for your website, I hope one day I can find a way to convince my family that Reliv is a bunch of BS. Hopefully the company will go bankrupt due to the recession or something. If you put this on your website, please don't use my last name.

Thanks,
"Concerned Person""

Serious Warning about Reliv

2009-06-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

The following article was copied from http://relivnomore.blogspot.com. To read the full article please visit their blog at the address above.

The following Correspondence includes letters and emails following up to Reliv's harsh and injudicious Termination of dedicated & hard working distributors, Presidential Bronze Ambassadors, Rod & Anita Swift, stripping them of their million dollar distributorship, including all Rank Advancements, all Level Positions & Entitlements, their entire organization including personally sponsored distributors and downline hierarchy, the cancellation of all monthly Generation Royalties (lifelong residual earnings per Reliv's Compensation Plan, as well as the removal of all future bonus pay).

Grave Concerns Regarding
Reliv's Chosen Path

Like many distributors before us, we've had our share of concerns with respect to countless product changes (whether known or unknown), the addition of synthetic ingredients, the inclusion of arguably dubious artificial sweeteners and other man-made chemical or non-natural flavoring agents. Such unannounced, closed-door product tinkering has not helped, but hindered our efforts to effectively promote Reliv products in recent years, plaguing us with an increasing distributor (and customer) attrition rate that Anita and I found more and more difficult to keep up with. We have witnessed the exodus of many key Reliv distributors crossline to us, and watched everyone new and old, struggle just to maintain the status-quo. The steady decline of our own income throughout 2008 glaringly lends itself to the fact that Reliv's profits were down company-wide, by 40% in the 3rd quarter [3Q/08] which falls in direct proportion to the decline in sponsoring and rising attrition experienced by the majority of active distributors still trying to build a profitable distribution network.

Last summer around mid July, we became so alarmed by the early warning signs that trouble is on the horizon for Reliv that we decided to write a somber letter to our up-line, John & Jacquie Hayes (outlining the same four key-points we later wrote to Reliv CEO, Bob Montgomery) in which we documented our concern over these alarming trends, possible causes and potential solutions. At this time, Anita and I felt compelled to include Mr. Montgomery in our missives and also convey to him what we were experiencing in the field. With Reliv's 20th Anniversary Conference celebration drawing near, we felt it would be more appropriate to wait until after all the festivities before sending our letter to Bob in order to thwart any dampening of spirits. After all, weren't we promised something BIG that would rejuvenate our floundering businesses to be announced on stage for all Conference Attendees? Weren't we supposed to see upwards of 20,000 or more cheering distributors at the big 20th Anniversary Reliv bash? Well, as so many of us already know, this big conference was a total bust. "Auto Ship" was Corporate's 'Bright Idea' to fix dismal quarterly sales, with Reliv attracting an equally dismal attendance count of a paltry 5,000 participants for its Big 20th Year Birthday Celebration in St. Louis. On his organizational call the following Monday morning, our upline John Hayes' only remark regarding the conference was, "I'm not satisfied with where Reliv is, at this point."

After some sleepless nights following conference (which many say felt more like a memorial service) Anita and I realized we could no longer, in-good faith nor conscience, continue representing Reliv in the capacity we'd served as Ambassadors. Grieving over what appeared to us like a warning sign of things to come looming ever closer to our beloved Reliv, the decision to pull away from our leadership position was not an easy one, and writing a letter of resignation to Bob even more difficult.

From the time I had sent Bob our 'Signature Delivery Certified' letter, an entire month passed without a response from anyone, Bob notwithstanding. In light of Reliv's failure to respond in a timely or respectful fashion, I wrote a follow up letter to remind Bob (or anybody at Corporate for that matter) that Anita and I still had not received an acknowledgment from him, aside from the certified postal confirmation allegedly signed by Bob when he took receipt of my letter. So Anita and I waited with earnest patience once again in hopes our request would be received, and again found ourselves waited some more... And more... And still we waited... A week, then two weeks had passed and still not a peep from anyone, which began to put us in an awkward position, feeling marginalized if not a little neglected, our resignation request pending indefinitely or outright forgotten.

Suddenly, after two and a half weeks (6 1/2 weeks total), it happened, we got a call... only it wasn't exactly the call we expected from Bob or Steve Hastings or somebody at Corporate, it was our own downline, a frontline Ambassador asking us if the rumors were true that Anita and I had resigned as Reliv Ambassadors? The feeling of betrayal was undeniable, like we'd just crashed into some hidden Reliv iceberg in realization of what had seemingly just occurred without our knowing... Reliv Corporate had gone behind our backs and called several key people (but not us) in our organization, informing them of our resignation from Reliv and warning them to stay away and sever all further ties with us, indicating we might (false) be secretly planning to recruit them into a more profitable competing company outside of Reliv. (We had already been working our new network marking venture for almost two consecutive months prior to this and not a single distributor in our entire organization had ever complained we had mentioned nor tried to sponsor them into some other business!) Reliv's subterfuge and subsequent paranoid slander is disturbingly unethical, if not utterly mystifying to Anita and myself.

The very next day we finally get the response we had expected 6 weeks sooner. It was a rather harsh and hastily written e-mail from Reliv CEO, Bob Montgomery. He briefly acknowledged our resignation, stating he would personally handle our speedy removal as Ambassadors from Reliv. Bob went on to say that if a distributor's business ever falters financially, it is solely the distributor's fault and their fault alone, because Reliv is considered infallible by many and essentially above reproach. No compassion whatsoever to our plight, no concern regarding the issues we brought to light, no.. "I'm sorry these issues are affecting you," no... "What can we do to help change things for the better?" ... not a single iota of regard for distributors needs nor well-being. Just pious warnings and veiled legal threats that he [Bob] would do every thing in his vested power to retain allegiance and ownership of Reliv's property and trade commodity; its legions of contract-bound distributors. Anita and I were saddened to learn Bob's harsh response would be the extent of love and attention we would ever get again from Reliv's Top-Dog. Our praise for six long years of unending hard work and selfless promotion of Reliv and all that it promises. For voicing our concern and offering to open proactive dialog of dwindling incomes and endemic attrition rates, our reward is cruel and unjust back-stabbing, total ex-communication and utter abandonment from the very man who once garnered so much respect from us. Truly we are all witnessing the end of Reliv as we've known it.

With so much conjecture and many baseless remarks, I wrote Bob a follow up email that night, refuting some of his harsh accusations regarding our heartfelt decision to gently withdraw as active Ambassadors (while still maintaining our current level of support to the Reliv community at large.) The next morning, on Oct 1st, Anita gets a call from our up-line friend and esteemed mentor Jacquie Hayes. The two of them share warm, congenial conversation as they have so many times before. Jacquie seems so understanding toward the issues we discuss and knows the importance of supplementing our income, crying and getting mushy and telling us how much she regrets seeing us resign and how much she appreciates having us in her and John's downline. Because Anita has always felt a kinship with Jacquie (this call being no different), she confided in her that we had obliged Alex Rad and Gwen Curtis' request that Anita and I sponsor them (both of whom were no longer active in Reliv) into our new business (and no, we didn't recruit them, as some false rumors allege, both Alex and Gwen asked us at different times if we would be willing to sponsor them, so we obliged their wishes) Jacquie warned us to be careful saying, "You know Reliv policies."

Strangely, on Oct 1st, that very same day, our Reliv Distributorship was Terminated, only hours after Jacquie's call. Of course, we would not be made aware of this news for almost a month! In fact, we heard nothing from anyone following Jacquie's call. Our nearest active upline Ambassador, Janet Brewer, called us on Oct 26th to inform us we were no longer showing up in her Reliv downline organizer?! That was the first indicator that we had possibly been terminated. Of course once again, nobody from Reliv Corporate bothered to lift a finger and give Anita and I a clue of this shocking news, deciding instead to leave us virtually in the dark regarding the status of our own business for an additional 20 days.

Our only direct communiqué from Reliv was a solitary letter of Termination, which we found amidst a pile of other mixed mail in our rural mail drop upon returning from our annual Hawaii trip, November 6th. Anita managed to find a generic boilerplate e-mail from Reliv Compliance on her laptop regarding the Termination, I guess in case we didn't get the surface letter. We found no messages on our answering machine from Reliv either, no condolences, no farewells, no advanced nor prior notices of an impending banishment nor reason thereof. Yes, there you have it Boys and Girls, that's the way you're treated by Reliv International if you care enough about integrity and morals to stand up and make waves or help promote the best-interests of the people through better products; you get silenced, shunned, and your check gets shafted, all in one day!

With all that was said and done over the course of this recently concluded fiasco, Anita and I are still thankful for what the Reliv opportunity provided us these past several years. Not only did it give us an opportunity to learn and experience many awesome things, it helped us earn an income while strengthening our character and providing us a way to meet each of you, now part of our extended family, which has proven time and again as the best possible blessing God could have ever given us during our Reliv career. We also want you to know that we harbor no lingering resentments toward Bob and Reliv for the stinging blows so harshly dealt us, because a scorpion does what scorpions do, they cannot behave any other way than what's in their nature. Anita and I are just sorry that we were in no way, shape or form, successful in opening Reliv's eyes to what we felt were (and still are) critical areas needing deadly serious attention and solutions for, in order to help ensure that each Distributor, whether new or old, gets a chance to experience and achieve the same levels of success Anita and I did. Sadly, Reliv's hidden agenda for its commodity of walking billboards shall remain a mystery...

In the end, Anita and I are both eternally thankful that Reliv has chosen to turn its back on us by Terminating our Distributorship and income altogether because its smoother sailing now as we chart a new course for success and so much more satisfying than the outdated square-peg system Reliv tried to force us to follow. And while we're happily gaining momentum in our exciting new business, we cannot deny the fact that we loved Reliv a lot. In fact our dedication was so strong, we would have probably went on futilely wasting endless time and energy, sounding the call in attempts to keep Reliv's products wholesome and begging Corporate to please join the Internet Age before profits and retention crumbles another 40%. Now after having just read the ingredient label on the newest product 'GlucAffect,' we can clearly see that Reliv isn't really all that concerned with keeping the products as "Squeaky Clean," as they are cleaning the mirror-finish floors the products themselves are manufactured on.

Bob has often plagiarized the famous Zig Ziglar line, "If you help enough people get what they want, you will get everything you want." We have found that when given a choice, people prefer the tasty benefits of all natural Healthy Chocolate 10-to-1 over synthetically infused, chemically sweetened, artificially flavored GMO soy powder, and with similar health results through consistent daily use. Anita and I are making a ton of money as our momentum explodes marketing online and off, and we're having the time of our lives offering people that choice.

Rod & Anita Swift

To read the actually letters sent to and from Reliv please visit, http://www.relivnomore.blogspot.com/

Back Online

2009-05-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - I am really sorry for the lack of posts lately but I had to change ISPs and so I have not had any easy access to the Internet for a while but we are connected again and I am back online!!

As always, if you have any negative stories about Reliv or the Business part, please send them to me so that others can have a chance to learn from your mistakes. My purpose of this blog is to give people a chance to see both sides of the picture. The Reliv distributors are only going to give the positive as they are making a lot of money by selling the products to you. So it's always good to hear from those who didn't get any help from the products.

Reliv Causes Stupidity

2009-04-24T12:30:00.002-07:00

Since I began this blog I have been SHOCKED at the stupidity of some of the Reliv Distributors and Users that write to me trying to convince me that I am angry or that I have an agenda. It does not matter how many times I tell them that the purpose of this blog is to give people a chance to see both sides of the coin, that there is no such things as a universal cure. Just because something worked for "Joe" does not mean it will work for "Mary".

Many try to convince me that Reliv is a cure all and that Reliv has many scientists working on their products and therefore they "must be" good for us. But I wonder if they have ever stopped to think about the fact that these same scientists are making millions from the sell of Reliv. I kind of doubt they are going to directly disagree.

If we would just pull our heads out of the sand, stop looking at the info that we have seen about the benefits of soy for so many years and look at the new research it is clear that Reliv can't be healthy. Sadly it takes humanity years to undo thoughts and false learning from the past. I mean just look at the millions who died during the early days of our medical system with many of it's false concepts that finally were discovered to be wrong.

Reliv is not healthy, it is high in soy and the body was not designed to ingest these high dosage vitamins. Please if you read this blog, take some time to study soy for yourself. Do so with an open mind and let go of everything you have heard in the past. If you study with a bias, you will lean towards and get stuck on that bias. When I was first shown the dangers of soy myself, I spent weeks trying to disprove what I shown, but sadly I realized that what I had been raised to believe was wrong.

Here is a short summary of the dangers of soy,

Have you ever wondered about soy? It's promoted as the miracle food that will feed the world while at the same time prevent and cure all manner of diseases.

But what if all you've read about soy is nothing but a multi-million dollar marketing strategy based on scanty facts, half-truths and lies?

Most people remain unaware that soy is known to contain an array of potent chemical toxins. The modern manufacturing processes of high-profit industries make no effort to remove these potent toxins. High levels of phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all present in soy products.

Phytoestrogens that disrupt endocrine function and are potent antithyroid agents are present in vast quantities in soy, including the potentially devastating isoflavone Genistein. Infants exclusively fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula, the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula, as has the underdevelopment of males. Infant soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.

Soy is linked to infertility, breast cancer, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and many other disorders.

"Imagine drugs that are known, by years of scientific documentation, to be both carcinogenic and to also cause DNA and chromosome damage being prescribed and administered through the food supply to populations of many countries around the world without the knowledge or consent of the individuals consuming these foods ... with no way to track dosage, individual reactions, or harmful side-effects ... and without any concern for some people’s increased vulnerability to these drugs, such as cancer patients. It sounds crazy, but that is exactly what is happening around the world when Soy is added to our food supply. Soy contains the scientifically documented carcinogenic and DNA damaging and chromosome damaging natural chemicals genistein and daidzein." - True Health, the magazine of Carotec Inc., Naples, Florida. May/June 2004.

"(Soyfoods) are not nutrients. They are drugs."
Dr. L. White, Honolulu Aging Study.

How could anyone get away with this?

The answer is simple, given the soy industry is one of the world's most wealthy and powerful multi-billion dollar industries.

"Despite an impressive array of scientific evidence that soy is not a fit food for man nor beast, the soy marketing mastodon has marched through the American market like Sherman through Georgia - and likely doing about as much damage as Sherman's Union Army did. In our opinion the widespread use of non-fermented soy is part of the chronic disease problem since soy is known to wreak havoc with the human thyroid and other hormone systems." - True Health, the magazine of Carotec Inc., Naples, Florida. May/June 2004.

The result is an industry that will systematically steamroll anybody that dares suggest there may be problems with the darling soy. When we first questioned the safety of soy, a representative of Protein Technologies told us that they had:

"...teams of lawyers to crush dissenters, could buy scientists to give evidence, owned television channels and newspapers, could divert medical schools and could even influence governments..."

This boast has proven all too true, and you'll be shocked to learn that much of what you've read about soy is nothing but a con.

Are all Soy Beans bad?

Soybeans are widely known to contain a gamut of natural toxins - and it makes no difference whether they are organic, "Round-Up Ready", or in any number of modern products (see our GUIDANCE page).

The trouble with modern soy products is that fast industrial processing does not equate to historical methods of fermenting "for two summers" or boiling "for the length of an incense". The method of modern get-rich-quick corporations is simply to leave these well-known natural toxins in our products.

"Among the Hawaii "study's" conclusions: that tofu accelerates brain weight loss in aging users, that the more soy you use the more it impacts your mental abilities, that soy acts like a drug, not a food." - True Health, the magazine of Carotec Inc., Naples, Florida. May/June 2004.

The above info was copied from, http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

Some Foods Have Estrogen-Like Effects - Soy and Reliv

2009-03-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Reader - Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I am sure that those of you who care about your body and health will find the following article very interesting. More and more scientists are finding new ways to test the foods we eat and new research is showing that many of the foods we assumed were healthy, aren't. Soy is one of those foods that we assumed was healthy but really isn't. And as you know, Reliv is full of Soy. The following article was received from Dr. Mercola.

Two Food Additives Found to Have Estrogen-Like Effects

Scientists have developed a fast new method to identify food additives that act as "xenoestrogens" -- substances with estrogen-like effects that are stirring international health concerns.

They used the method in a large-scale screening, and discovered two additives with previously unrecognized xenoestrogen effects.

Xenoestrogens have been linked to a range of human health effects, including reduced sperm counts in men and increased risk of breast cancer in women.

The scientists used the new method to search a food additive database of 1,500 substances, and verified that the method could identify xenoestrogens. In the course of that work, they identified two previous unrecognized xenoestrogens -- propyl gallate, a preservative used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling, and 4-hexylresorcinol, which is used to prevent discoloration in shrimp and other shellfish.

Sources:

Science Daily March 2, 2009

Chemical Research in Toxicology January 2009;22(1):52-63

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I've written about the dangers of endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A, PFOA and phthalates many times. I like to consider xenoestrogens fake estrogens but their name literally means “foreign estrogens.” Either way they are synthetic chemicals that mimic natural estrogens, and have been linked to a wide range of human health effects.

There are so many of them, and they’re used in so many common consumer products that trying to avoid them may seem like a fruitless struggle.

For example, you come in contact with hormone disrupting chemicals through:

Pasteurized dairy, which commonly contains bovine growth hormones
Soy products, which are loaded with hormone like substances
Plastics – many of which contain bisphenol A
Personal care products that contain phthalates
Cooking with Teflon-coated pots and pans

Now you can add certain food additives to the list – and some very common food additives at that.

Hormone-Mimicking Food Additives Recently Discovered

In the U.S., more than 3,000 substances can be added to foods for the purpose of preservation, coloring, texture, flavor and more. While each of these substances is legal to use, whether or not they are entirely safe for long-term consumption – by themselves or in combination – is a different story altogether.

The analysis published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology actually found not just two, but 31 potential estrogen-mimicking food additives during their search.

Of those, propyl gallate was found to act as an antagonist, and 4-hexylresorcinol as a potent transactivator. Antagonists block the binding of an agent at a receptor molecule, and transactivators increase the rate of gene expression. In conclusion the authors’ state:

“Some caution should be issued for the use of propyl gallate and 4-hexylresorcinol as food additives.”

However, I don’t think we’ll see any of them removed from the market any time soon. Propyl gallate, for example, has been used since 1948 as a preservative to stabilize cosmetics, food packaging materials, and foods containing oils and fats. It can also be found in:

Hair products
Adhesives and lubricants
Processed meat products and potato products
Chicken soup base
Chewing gum and candy
Dried milk
Baked goods, and more

Propyl gallate is frequently used in conjunction with BHA and BHT, which come with their own set of health hazards. These two additives also keep fats and oils from going rancid and are commonly used in processed food products such as cereals and potato chips, even though some studies have found they too, cause cancer in rats.

The other food additive mentioned above, 4-hexylresorcinol, is commonly used as an anti-browning agent in shrimp and other shellfish.

But it’s also used as a starting material to produce synthetic catecholamines, which have important physiological effects as neurotransmitters and hormones (such as epinephrine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and dopamine).

Additionally, you can find it in common consumer products such as:

Pharmaceutical acne treatments
Anti-dandruff shampoo
Sunscreen lotions
Antiseptic mouthwashes
Skin wound cleansers
Throat lozenges

Potential Health Dangers of Propyl Gallate

In addition to being an endocrine disrupter based on this latest analysis, the results in a previous study by the National Toxicology Program (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) showed that propyl gallate caused various types of cancer and other health problems in rats, including:

Thyroid tumors in male rats
Rare brain tumors in low-dose females
Prostate inflammation
Mostly benign tumors of the preputial gland (glands that produce pheromones)
Pancreatic tumors
Adrenal gland tumors in low-dose males

As you can see, in some instances the health effect only showed up in the low-dose groups but not in the high-dose groups, and only in either males or females – a perfect example of just how little anyone really knows about how these types of chemicals might affect your body, or the body of an infant, for example.

Potential Health Hazards of Common Anti-Browning Agent

The anti-browning agent 4-Hexylresorcinol is applied to shrimp and other crustacean seafood to prevent the development of black spots which may occur naturally.

A toxicology study by the School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, England, discovered that 260 mg/kg was lethal to all cats used in the study. Granted, that is a very high dose; however, based on their data, the researchers also concluded that 4-Hexylresorcinol was carcinogenic in both the 13-week and 2-year studies, and also caused a high incidence of nephropathy in mice (an autoimmune disease that affects your kidneys).

A 1984 study determined the probable lethal dose for humans to be anything above 500 mg/kg.

How to Protect Your Family

If you have children xenoestrogens are clearly something you will want to avoid. Here are some measures you can take to protect you and your children from common toxic substances that could cause them to go into puberty more than a decade before they were designed to:

Store your food in glass containers whenever possible, as it is the most inert container you can use.
Only use natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores will have these available or you can search online for them.
Buy and eat, as much as possible, organic foods, especially mik which is frequently contaminated with bovine growth hormone.
Avoid processed foods.
Avoid artificial food additives of all kind, including artificial sweeteners and MSG.
Avoid all varieties of unfermented soy.
Switch to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics. Same sources as above for these, either your local health food store or you can search online.
Review Our Stolen Future, probably the best resource on this topic

Reliv isn't a Silver Bullet - Soy Warning

2009-03-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

""If they are radically altering their diet where they're only eating soy in the hopes that this is going to bring their cholesterol down, they're deluding themselves," said Crawford, who was not on the panel that issued the new statement." I think this statement has a lot of truth and we need to pay close attention to it. Many use Reliv assuming that it will do them good but sadly like some of our posters have noted, Reliv has not helped them. Reliv has been presented as a "Silver Bullet" but sadly this isn't always the case. While some have had positive results, is what I am concerned about is what will happen in 10 or 20 years from now by consuming these large amounts of Soy based products.

Review casts doubt on soy health benefits
JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press

DALLAS - Veggie burgers and tofu might not be so great at warding off heart disease after all.

An American Heart Association committee reviewed a decade of studies on soy's benefits and came up with results that are now casting doubt on the health claim that soy-based foods and supplements significantly lower cholesterol.

The findings could lead the Food and Drug Administration to re-evaluate rules that currently allow companies to tout a cholestorol-lowering benefit on the labels of soy-based food.

The panel also found that neither soy nor the soy component isoflavone reduced symptoms of menopause, such as "hot flashes," and that isoflavones don't help prevent breast, uterine or prostate cancer. Results were mixed on whether soy prevented postmenopausal bone loss.

Based on its findings, the committee said it would not recommend using isoflavone supplements in food or pills. It concluded that soy-containing foods and supplements did not significantly lower cholesterol, and it said so in a statement recently published in the journal Circulation.

Nutrition experts say soy-based foods still are good because they often are eaten in place of less healthy fare like burgers and hot dogs. But they don't have as much direct benefit as had been hoped on cholesterol, one of the top risk factors for heart disease.

"We don't want to lull people into a false sense of security that by eating soy they can solve the problem (with cholesterol)," said Dr. Michael Crawford, chief of clinical cardiology at University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

"If they are radically altering their diet where they're only eating soy in the hopes that this is going to bring their cholesterol down, they're deluding themselves," said Crawford, who was not on the panel that issued the new statement.

The FDA in 1999 started allowing manufacturers to claim that soy products might cut the risk of heart disease after studies showed at least 25 grams of soy protein a day lowered cholesterol. A year later, the Heart Association recommended soy be included in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

But as more research emerged, the Heart Association decided to revisit the issue. The committee members reviewed 22 studies and found that large amounts of dietary soy protein only reduced LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, about 3 percent and had no effect on HDL, or "good" cholesterol, or on blood pressure.

They did a separate analysis of isoflavones. The review of 19 studies suggested that soy isoflavones also had no effect on lowering LDL cholesterol or other lipid risk factors.

"Soy proteins and isoflavones don't have any major health benefits other than soy protein products are generally good foods," said Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston who led the committee. "They're good to replace other foods that are high in cholesterol."

Still, the Heart Association statement notes that soy products like tofu, soy butter, soy nuts and some soy burgers should be heart-healthy because they contain a lot of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals and are low in saturated fat.

"Soy isn't a magic bullet, but it can be a valuable contributor to a heart-healthy diet," said Jo Ann Carson, a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas who was not part of the panel.

It's important not to think about foods in black-and-white terms, said Dr. Michael Lim, director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

"There's no quick fix," he said. "Our bad cholesterol numbers would certainly get worse if instead of eating tofu burgers we went out and had hamburgers each night of the week."

ON THE NET

American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org

Huge study boosts disappointment on multivitamins

2009-02-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting article tonight that I found on Yahoo News. Bottom line, you might be wasting your money on Reliv.

"Huge study boosts disappointment on multivitamins

CHICAGO – The largest study ever of multivitamin use in older women found the pills did nothing to prevent common cancers or heart disease. The eight-year study in 161,808 postmenopausal women echoes recent disappointing vitamin studies in men.

Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamins to boost their health. Research has focused on cancer and heart disease in particular because of evidence that diets full of vitamin-rich foods may protect against those illnesses. But that evidence doesn't necessarily mean pills are a good substitute.

The study's lead author, researcher Marian Neuhouser of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, offered this advice: "Get nutrients from food. Whole foods are better than dietary supplements," Neuhouser said.

The study appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson said despite the disappointing results, the research doesn't mean multivitamins are useless.

For one thing, the data are observational, not the most rigorous kind of scientific research. And also, it's not clear if taking vitamins might help prevent cancers that take many years to develop, said Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital.

She said multivitamins may still be useful "as a form of insurance" for people with poor eating habits.

The study involved an analysis of data on women in their 50s and up who participated in long-running government studies on postmenopausal women. Almost 42 percent of the women said they used multivitamins regularly.

After about eight years, roughly equal numbers of vitamin users and nonusers developed common cancers, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Overall, there were 9,619 cases of cancer, including cancers of the breast, lung, ovary, colon and stomach; and 8,751 cardiovascular ailments including heart attacks and strokes. In addition, 9,865 women died, also at similar rates in multivitamin users and nonusers.

Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition professor who was not involved in the research, said the study is important because it involved so many women.

"All the evidence keeps pointing in the same direction," Lichtenstein said.

Eric Jacobs, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist, said while his group doesn't advise vitamins to prevent cancer, it does recommend maintaining a healthy weight and eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily while limiting red meat. Similar habits are also thought to help reduce heart disease risks."

___

On the Net:

Archives: http://www.archinternmed.com

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

Help Get The Truth Out About Reliv

2009-01-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

Journalist Says "Consult Doctor" Before Taking Reliv

2009-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

The following is a post by one of our readers and I thought that I would put it in the main area for you to read along with my response. Sadly it is misguided people like this that lead many honest seekers astray. But at the same time, there is a VERY important point made by this person. Please read her comments and then mine!

"I noticed a few innacuracies in your article and as a journalist feel irritated by your less than factual reporting. If you're putting information out there you are responcible for millions of people reading what you're saying. This is not just innocent blogging. I am not selling Reliv but I have tried it and never felt happier or stronger. How can you not benefit from something that's just herbs and vitamins? Soy Sential you all are talking about is for menopause, and you're supposed to consult your doctor first. You should have tried the product before spreading scam conspiracies about something that has been helping millions of people feel healthy and support their families with an aditional income. P.S. There is an ingridient panel on the back of each product if you did your research u would have known that. I have a feeling this is written by someone who is interested in selling chemo. "

Hello Sofia!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I do hope that you have read more than just a few articles. But I am assuming that you haven't as by now you would have found the articles where I have said more than ONCE that I rarely write the information posted on my blog. Most of the info comes from scientific studies, university research, other MLM Watchdogs, and people's personal experiences. I am not sure what inaccuracy you are referring to but I wonder if it's not just how you perceive information being a presented.

Honestly I don't understand why you care about Reliv since you have already stated that you don't sell it nor did you experience any results from the products. Since you felt no changes after taking Reliv you should be the first person to stand up and tell people to stop wasting so much money on a product that isn't working. Why spent 40, 100, or even 200+ dollars a month on a product that doesn't make any difference in your life? Why not just take a simple vitamin and donate the rest of the money you would have wasted to some cause like feeding children in Africa???

Honestly I am shocked that you are a journalist, as I can see, you know almost nothing about Reliv or the facts involved. But then maybe it is because of people like you, presenting false information that have corrupted our Newspapers and News Reports. Reliv is NOT just vitamins and Herbs. First and foremost it's very high in soy, which if you have read any of my articles would know already is deadly. Secondly Reliv uses very little natural products in their formulas. Most of their ingredients are chemicals or synthetically made. I can't believe for one minute that this is safe! There are too many other products that I have suggested taking that are 100% natural and don't contain soy.

I am so thankful that you made it CLEAR that Reliv SoySentials should ONLY be taken after consulting with your Doctor first. I sold Reliv for 2 years, I have attended many Reliv meetings and NEVER did I hear them say this. But I agree 100% with this statement. Please DON'T take Reliv without consulting with your doctor first. (Assuming he is not a distributor.)

And as I stated above, I have used the products myself, I know people that have used the products. I have seen both positive and negative results from the products. One person that I know of died as an indirect result of using Reliv. She did consult with her Doctor and was told to STOP using anything with Soy in it. This lady then went and told her Distributor (Who was one of Reliv Bronze Ambassadors) what the doctor had said and the distributor told her that the doctors don't know anything, Reliv will cure her cancer, and that she should take larger amounts. Sadly she listened and soon the cancer had spread through her whole body and she died a few months later. Her dying words were, she wished she could sue Reliv. Reliv IS NOT helping Millions of people. Reliv is helping some, some have no results, and some are hurt by the products. And you mentioned money, more than 99% of distirbutors fail after joining and so honestly Reliv isn't a good choice for making money.

This is why I have created this blog is to give people, honest seekers, a chance to read the negative side for themselves so that they can make an honest decision before taking the Reliv products.

Thank you again for reading my blog and I hope that you become an honest seeker and will spend more time looking at the facts before you make judgments.

Reliv is a Synthetic - Don't waste your money!

2008-12-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Following article is from Dr. Mercola.

"For the longest time, I firmly believed that it was ideal to receive all your nutrition from whole, unprocessed organic foods.

I still maintain that philosophy, but have come to realize over time that a high-quality multivitamin could be a valuable complement to your diet, especially when the situations in your life make it challenging to eat consistently healthy meals.

But the key words here are: high-quality multivitamin...

If you believe that you can receive some sort of nutrient insurance from cheap, synthetic multivitamins, you are seriously mistaken.

When it comes to synthetic multivitamins, boatloads of research exist -- research that details how your body can only absorb a small percentage of the nutrients (and potentially use even less). It's very clear that your body will absorb greater amounts of nutrients if the multivitamin comes in a non-synthetic natural whole food form.¹

What I came to appreciate over the years, both through valued patients treated in my clinic and dedicated newsletter subscribers, is that most people want the insurance of a multivitamin -- to make sure they have all their bases covered...

So last year I introduced my Whole Food Multivitamin.

The overwhelming response and popularity of this product clearly confirmed your interest in having this nutritional support.

There is so much interest that now, I'm taking it a step further -- and providing you with a HIGH-POTENCY multivitamin for that little extra insurance that you might need.

And I decided that my formula must not only contain rich concentrations of essential vitamins, but also provide the added bonus of important minerals... minerals which are lacking in many high-potency multivitamins.

To me, (and you'll see why shortly), adding essential minerals significantly enhances the value of the overall formula.

In the end, I just had to do it. If you have been with me for a few years, you know I am passionate about learning and providing you with the absolute best possible tools to help you take control of your health. It is my goal to constantly improve all the products we offer, and that is precisely what I did with my Whole Food Multivitamin.

Higher Potency and Even More Nutrients for You

I received quite a bit of feedback that you wanted an even more comprehensive formula than my original Whole Food Multi. So I went back to the drawing board and worked with my team to come up with an extraordinarily powerful formula -- at a fantastic price.

Here's the stringent criteria I used to find you the best high-potency multi on the market:

Must AVOID additives or synthetic nutrients -- I only considered natural and whole food-based multivitamins.
Must be produced by a highly reputable company with the highest quality control manufacturing practices in place -- I focused on quality as a higher priority than quantity.
Must go beyond RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) and RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) guidelines -- In my opinion, RDA/RDI amounts define the lower limits of daily nutrient intake. I wanted the best nutrient formula to promote your optimal nutrition
Must include the added bonus of essential minerals -- Minerals add their unique layer of nutritional support*. Many high-potency multivitamins with rich vitamin concentrations lack important minerals.

Before I jump into all the details of this exclusive multivitamin and its power-packed formula now available to you, you might be wondering...

Why Not Just Eat All-Natural Whole Foods?

Excellent question -- and one you deserve an answer to...

As you already know, I've been a proponent of eating whole foods for proper nutrition for years... and now -- eating the proper whole foods based on your Nutritional Type (NT).

So, in recommending a high-quality multivitamin, please remember that these nutritional supplements complement the food you eat. They do not take the place of a healthful diet of unprocessed organic foods, which I believe is still the best physical factor for you to achieve optimal nutrition.

However, accessing and eating high quality foods regularly may be a personal challenge for you and your family. Your busy schedule may lead you to cook healthy whole food less than you know you should -- and eat "fast food" more.

Even if you do well with your diet choices, another factor involves the actual food supply itself.

Up to 50% of the Nutrient Value of Your Food May be
Lost from the Start

A number of carefully controlled studies have provided startling evidence that by the time the food reaches your table, serious nutrient content could already be lost.

Some estimates report the nutrient value lost at over 50%!

This is largely the result of conventional farming methods that rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which deplete the soil of nutrients... nutrients that must be absorbed by plants in order to be passed on to you.

And it does not necessarily end there.

In many cases, it's likely you unknowingly further deplete the nutrients in your food -- just by the way you prepare it. For most food, cooking it will seriously impair its nutritional value.

So, realizing that you cannot always obtain the whole unprocessed foods you need -- and knowing how easy it is for valuable nutrients to be destroyed -- you now know why I believe adding a good multivitamin to complement your diet is a sound move.

Why Settle For Inferior Quality?

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of high-potency multivitamins on the market today... but there are only a few great ones out there. If you are convinced of the importance of using a multivitamin, than I would strongly encourage you to do your homework, and make sure a GREAT company produced it.

When I first started my investigation, I was absolutely shocked at the low quality demonstrated by so many companies. That's why I spent many long months of hard effort to research and identify what I believe is the absolute best supplement manufacturer in the U.S. today.

After much tedious and careful research, I was able to identify an outstanding supplement manufacturer -- one who allowed me to help formulate the best multivitamin possible for you.

The lab I chose has won outstanding awards on numerous occasions:

One of the latest awards received by this lab was the 5-Star Gold Medal of Achievement for several of its supplements. The independent research firm, NutriSearch Corporation, issued this top award to the lab in its Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.
Of the over 1500 products evaluated, only 4 laboratories received this top award.

Highest Quality Means Exceptional Value for You

This lab is in full compliance with current NSF Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization. This recognized body of audit and inspection is one of the most comprehensive and quality-driven initiatives in the nutrition industry.

How to Choose Your Best Multivitamin

If you're wondering how to choose between Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals and my Whole Foods Multivitamin, let me give you my personal recommendation. If you can afford the small extra investment, take Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals! Particularly if you're under excess stress, dealing with any health concerns, or don't eat healthy foods consistently.

The high-potency formula in Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals offers more nutrients, including (but not limited to) calcium, magnesium, and extra B vitamins. It's my ultimate formula, and one I believe you won't find anywhere else. We will continue to provide the high-quality formula found in Whole Foods Multivitamin.

In addition, to reach its 5-Star rating, the lab had to undergo independent laboratory analysis to verify that what is on the label is in fact in the bottle.

If you're currently using a multivitamin or considering another, please do yourself and your family a huge favor. Thoroughly check out the manufacturer and see how they stack up against these rigorous standards.

Here's an extensive list of the quality control standards and certifications that this supplement developer and manufacturer has in place today. Keep in mind, some of these standards are voluntary and may not show up when comparing against others.

Standards and certifications in place to:

Ensure top-quality raw materials used in the product -- Vendor Certification Program (VCP)
Comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) -- written Standard Operation Procedures (SOP)
Maintain the highest health standards -- GMP certification
Support the highest level of manufacturing quality standards -- ISO 9001 certification
Comply with a rigorous third-party certification of in-house lab performance -- ISO 17025 certification
Ensure finished products meet and exceed quality standards -- adherence to United States Pharmacopeia (USP30) specifications
Comply with health and safety measures -- Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002.

You can clearly see why I view this manufacturer so highly -- and why I'm excited to be working with them in delivering an exclusive high-potency multivitamin formula to you.

So, let's dive into my exclusive formula and let me show you right away...

Why Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals is Better than the Rest

Let's take a closer look at some key nutrients in Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals that are often missing from other multivitamins (or found in such low amounts that their effectiveness is highly limited).

Remember, one of my top criteria for providing you with the best high-potency multivitamin was that it must contain essential minerals. As I searched for the right formula, I quickly realized that many so-called high-potency multivitamins are seriously lacking in mineral content.

However, with my unique Multi +Plus formula, you'll benefit from many specially selected minerals... including these 3 essential ones:

Calcium -- To provide a high-level of support for your skeletal system, I chose to include a high amount of calcium in the Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula*. My main reason for doing this was that, as you age, your need for calcium becomes more and more important to promote healthy bones*.
A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that people should consume 741 mg per day of calcium to maintain neutral calcium balance.

Realizing the importance of eating as much unprocessed whole food as possible to get the minerals you need, my Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula provides 500 mg of calcium to complement your healthy diet.
Magnesium -- Scientific studies have reported that magnesium is helpful in supporting your lungs and overall pulmonary system*. But some lower-potency multivitamins don't include this ingredient.
Other research shows that magnesium intake promotes bone density health.* It also helps maintain your muscular and nervous systems.* And helps support a healthy heart, and your energy needs.*

So you can see why magnesium is such a key mineral in my Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula.
Potassium -- This important mineral helps regulate your circulatory system and promotes your heart health.*
In addition, research has shown that potassium is another important element in your bone density health.* As you age, bone density becomes an important element in your overall health.*

Once again, please realize the importance of eating a healthy diet rich in unprocessed whole foods. Many processed foods lose valuable potassium content prior to ever reaching your table.

These minerals may be worth their weight in gold. They provide you with significant health-supporting value in complementing your diet*. They're part of the added bonus that clearly makes Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals stand apart from the rest.

But it doesn't stop here. Take a look at more of the remarkable benefits of my new high-potency multi. It's the...

High-Potency Antioxidant Formula to Help You Balance
Out Free Radicals*

First of all, I made every effort working with the award-winning lab to ensure that as many nutrients as possible ended up directly linked to their natural source. To me, this became crucial in providing you a top-notch supplement.

Multivitamin +Plus's formula has natural value built into it.

It provides you with a highly concentrated daily supplement containing more than 50 nutritional ingredients... all in a special herbal food base.

One of the challenges your body faces every day is combating free radicals.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules and fragments of molecules that may impact your body at your cellular level.

Free radicals constantly attack your body proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and DNA, and can cause potentially serious health concerns unless they are kept in check. Every cell in your body suffers an estimated 10,000 free radical hits each day. Your body does its best to fight back -- in what is an actual battlefield at the cellular level.

To help balance the effects of free radicals, Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals provides you with high-potency amounts of an exclusive antioxidant formula that includes:*

Natural beta-carotene -- healthy vision and immune system support*
Vitamin C -- promotes tissue growth and repair, and healthy gums*
Vitamin E -- helps support your muscular system*
Selenium -- bolsters your healthy immune system*
L-cysteine -- supports your immune and respiratory systems*
Lutein -- helps promote your healthy vision*
Lycopene -- supports your immune system*
Red wine proanthocyanidins -- provides cardiovascular support*
And select extracts and powders from over 25 fruits, vegetables, and herbs

And it gets even better ...

Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals Provides You an Incredible Formula Based on Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Green Foods

In addition to the outstanding nutrients already discussed, the Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula includes a health-promoting blend of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and green foods...from natural sources as far as possible.

When this was impractical with certain nutrients, a highly bioavailable form was used to ensure you could take full advantage of these nutrients*.

Now you can see for yourself the remarkable ingredients included in the total Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula.

Over 2000 mg of nutrients based on vegetables, fruits, herbs and green foods are intentionally included in the Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals formula... nutrients that promote your optimal health in the following ways*:

Nutrients	Your Body Systems Supported and Promoted*
Red wine proanthocyanidins	Cardiovascular
Blueberry	Urinary tract and immune
Garlic	Digestive and immune
Green tea extract	Immune
Sprouted barley juice	Cardiovascular/heart
Wheat grass juice	Immune and anti-aging
Broccoli	Prostate and immune
Cauliflower	Circulation and immune
Spirulina	Nervous and tissue
Chlorella	Cardiovascular and immune
Green papaya extract	Digestive and skin
Beet extract	Immune
Apple pectin	Immune and lungs
Bromelain	Respiratory and digestive
Rose hips	Skeletal
Lemon bioflavonoids	Immune
Rutin	Circulatory and immune
Hesperidin	Vascular and immune

And it doesn't stop there...

There's an additional 700 mg of a proprietary vegetable and fruit base, further promoting your optimal health, including:

Kale -- provides healthy prostate support*
Spinach -- helps support your cardiovascular and immune systems*
Carrot -- assists optimal vision and cholesterol level*
Radish -- supports your digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems*
Celery -- provides you with skeletal and nervous system support*
Apricot -- promotes your respiratory and immune systems*
Blackberry -- helps support your digestive and immune systems*
Cranberry -- supports your urinary tract and cardiovascular system*
Grape -- promotes healthy circulation and cholesterol level*
Pineapple -- provides healthy respiratory and digestive support*

Click to view Larger label

Warning:
A Multivitamin Indiscriminately Overloaded with Mega-Nutrients May
Do You More Harm than Good

Now, I'll be the first to admit that coming up with my own special high-potency formula was a major challenge -- and took quite a bit of time. This was necessary because indiscriminately throwing a number of nutrients together could actually cause more harm than good.

How could that be?

Well, certain amounts and types of nutrients need to be carefully measured to avoid any potential toxic buildup once they are consumed.

The bottom line... not all nutrients in certain amounts work all that well together. In fact, a sort of competition can occur between some nutrients.

So, much attention was directed to prevent this from occurring in Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals.

Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals has been carefully evaluated and selected, each ingredient has been chosen for its:*

Proper nutrient balance -- just like too little of a nutrient does not provide you any real benefits, too much can potentially do you more harm than good
Absorbability -- the key to promoting your health is absorbing as much of the nutrient as possible
Competitive relationship with other nutrients -- a complex evaluation is performed by the scientists to make sure the amounts and types of nutrients work well together to benefit you
Allergenic potential -- careful selection and measurement of the nutrient to investigate potential allergy issues
Long-term safety -- any potential toxic buildup balanced out

Reliv Causes Serious Problems! Important Warning

2008-12-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

The following is a post from one of our readers. Please read this article before you damage your body by taking Reliv.

"I to have fibromyalgia, I went on reliv, on November 4th,2008 within 3 to 4 days I could not sleep due to lots of flem in my throat, after 3 week of not sleeping one day I suddenly felt very dizzy, I was unable to walk without feeling like I was going to pass out. I sat on my couch all day, at about 6 in the evening my mother called to see how I was feeling, I told her what was going on, and she came to my house to pick me up. I called the hospital hotline and they hade me give the phone to my mom, they told her not to try to take me to the hospital herself, but to call 911 immediately. When they got there my BP which has always been fine, was at 154 over 90. I was rushed to the hospital, and on the way there my head started to hurt so bad, it caused tears to pour out of my eyes, the pain was at a ten or higher, I never want to experience that ever again. The dizziness was so bad I could not even make it to the bathroom without help, how embarrassing. I was in the hospital for three days. By the time I was let out of the hospital I had been off of the Reliv for 3 days, it took another 2 days for the dizziness to go away, and after stopping the Reliv, the flem is gone. One week later, my friend who started Reliv 1 week after me, ended up in the hospital with the same exact symptoms, she was in the hospital for 4 days. I wish I knew what steps to take to go after Reliv, it is to strange that we both had the same problems after starting Reliv, and now that we are off of it we both feel better."

Here is a Replacement for Reliv Innergize

2008-11-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

NEW Form of Vitamin B-12 Not Found in Most Health
Food and Vitamin Stores

Imagine if there was an easy thing you could do to help recharge your energy levels.*

Imagine if that easy thing didn't require you to drink cups of caffeinated beverages, make changes in your diet, or see a doctor.

Imagine if it was so convenient to use, you'd probably tell your friends and family about it.

And imagine if it cost just pennies a day!

Well, imagine no more. Such a thing exists. And it can help recharge your energy levels any time of the day. So what is this thing that does so much to give you extra energy?*

Believe it or not, it's a...

If you often feel tired, run-down, and lacking in energy, you're not alone. Low energy is one of our country's biggest health complaints.

Some of the top reasons for this are:

Refined foods sold in grocery stores are depleted of vital nutrients...
Refined foods are loaded with sugar...
Refined foods are full of chemicals...
Refined foods are overloaded with food colorings; and...
Refined foods are loaded with preservatives...

...but it doesn't stop there, either.

Add the harmful effects of caffeine, pollution, conventional therapies, and the stress most of us experience everyday... and you've got yourself a recipe for energy drain.

Well, I'm here to tell you there's a new way to give yourself extra energy.* Actually, a cutting edge way to feel more energized -- without the jitteriness of caffeine.* More on this in a moment.

Now, of course, powering up with extra energy is just one of B-12's many health benefits*. So...

What Critical Health Benefits Does this Vitamin Bring to the Table?

For starters, vitamin B-12 helps folic acid regulate the formation of red blood cells, and helps your body use iron*.

In addition, it is also needed for proper digestion, food absorption, carbohydrate and fat metabolism.* It also helps keep your nervous system healthy by assisting the nerves of your body to function and communicate in an optimal manner.*

But that's not all...far from it!

B-12 also helps in cell formation and cellular longevity.* Plus, it can support female reproductive health, and promote normal nerve growth and development by maintaining the fatty sheaths.* These fatty sheaths play a vital role as they cover and protect your nerve endings.*

What's more, this workhorse of a micronutrient is critical to your circulation and adrenal hormone production -- plus, it helps boost your immunity.* And, oh yes, let's not forget...

Vitamin B-12 supports a healthy mood and feelings of well-being.* And then there's this -- it also provides excellent support for your memory, mental clarity, and concentration.*

Aside from using B-12 to give you an energy boost, when does it also make sense to supplement with this all-important vitamin? Well, there are several good reasons to take vitamin B-12

And the first reason to take it is if you are a carb type or a strict vegetarian.

If You Avoid Meat, You Probably Need to Take B-12

Vegetarians have an increased need for vitamin B-12

Many people avoid red meats for a large variety of reasons. If you are one of them, you are at a high risk for developing vitamin B-12 deficiency. Why? Because plant sources have virtually no vitamin B-12. And oral forms of B-12 in nearly all supplements are practically useless, as little is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Vegetarians should take this essential micronutrient to ensure an adequate supply of it, because it is found almost exclusively in animal tissues. And, the few plant foods that are sources of B-12 are actually B-12 analogs -- not the form that provides all the benefits of the real deal.

Simply put, an analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B-12. The result being, your body's need for the nutrient actually increases.

Furthermore, your body's need for this nutrient may also increase if you take Metformin©. Metformin may interfere with calcium metabolism. And this interference may reduce B-12 absorption, because this absorption requires calcium.

Studies suggest that 10% to 30% of patients taking Metformin show evidence of reduced vitamin B-12 absorption. That's why it is important to speak with your doctor to discuss the best way to maintain B-12 levels when taking this medication.

Now, if getting a good night's sleep has also become increasingly more difficult for you, here's...

What Your Sleeping Difficulties May Be Trying to Tell You!

If you suffer from sleeping difficulties, I recommend taking vitamin B-12 during the day. I believe it can help you.* Here's why.

B-12 plays a vital role in melatonin production.* Melatonin has been called "the sleep hormone" because it is responsible for letting you get a good night's sleep.

As you age, it becomes increasingly more difficult to get a good night's sleep because your body becomes less efficient at making this hormone. And that's why it's a good idea to take B-12 to help you sleep like a baby each night.*

Moreover, a lack of adequate B-12 can have other annoying consequences too.

Do You or a Loved One Experience Any of the Following?

Not many know it, but if you or a family member experience:

Tiredness and feelings of weakness...*
Less-than-optimal nervous system functioning...*
Less-than-optimal eye health...*
Loss of appetite and unintended weight loss...*
Occasional constipation and gas...*
Feelings of mild moodiness...*
Less-than-optimal memory...*
A tendency toward nervousness...*
Less-than-optimal balance...*
Less-than-optimal liver or heart health...*
Premature grey hair...
Occasional digestive issues...

...you may need to supplement with vitamin B-12, even if you eat foods rich in B-12. Oddly enough, that wasn't a typo.

You can eat plenty of meat, poultry, lamb's liver, brewer's yeast, clams, eggs, herring, mackerel, kidneys, milk, dairy products, or seafood -- and still have low levels of B-12. How can that be?

It could be because your body is unable to absorb it from your gut. You see B-12 needs the help of a protein in order to be absorbed. That protein is called intrinsic factor. And because the lining of your stomach makes intrinsic factor, people with less-than-optimal gastrointestinal health often need to supplement with B-12.*

Likewise, most people over the age of 50 have a limited ability to absorb B-12, too. Thus, the need for supplementation

Pain-Free Supplementation

With that said, the form of vitamin B-12 I'm recommending does NOT come as a pill, tablet, capsule, gelcap, or liquid.

Amazingly, it's B-12 in a spray.

A modern marvel that I believe gives most people far better results than anything else. The name of this new product is B-12 Energy Booster.* And it's only available here on Mercola.com.

Now, here's the question you may be asking at this point:

"How can something as simple as a spray work so much better than a pill, tablet, or capsule?"

In a nutshell, I came across an American company that uses Nano technology. This breakthrough technology uses a patented NanoMist® delivery system that shrinks the size of the B-12 molecule all the way down to microscopic nanodroplets™.

How does this benefit you?

Quite simply, the B-12 in B-12 Energy Booster comes in an easily absorbed form your body can now use*.

It turns out that this fine-mist spray formula you spray into your mouth causes the essential nutrients to become absorbed rapidly. .*

As a result, it delivers more of this product's nutrients to your circulatory system, tissues and cells quickly.* And that's not all...

The tiny nanodroplets™ in each fast-acting spray are designed to release the B-12 vitamin within a steady, time-controlled manner. This ensures a longer-term benefit from each single dose, boosting efficiency even further.

Needless to say, when you combine B-12 Energy Booster's* time-release mechanism with its rapid, uniform and complete absorption, you get one incredible product. A product that, in my opinion, is clearly superior to any B-12 pill, tablet, capsule, gelcap, or liquid on the market today.

Remember -- only a small fraction of this crucial vitamin gets absorbed through your gut when you take it in a pill, tablet, capsule, or gelcap.
Let's take that a step further and shed some light on multivitamins you may find shocking...

Here's the REAL TRUTH about the B-12 in Most Multivitamins:

It all boils down to this...

Most of them contain 100-200 micrograms of B-12. But, if you actually took 500 micrograms of B-12, you'd get an absorption of about 1.8 micrograms. Let me repeat, only 1.8 out of a total of 500 micrograms. That's an absorption rate of only one third of one percent! But, that's only half of the story.

The late Victor Herbert, a renowned B-12 researcher, said that many multivitamin products on the market today contain dangerous B-12 analogs.

In other words, analogs get created when crystalline B-12 interacts with other nutrients in multivitamin products, such as vitamin C, iron and copper -- increasing your body's need for B-12. Does the company selling the multivitamin tell you this vital bit of information? Probably not!

Truth be told, most multi-vitamins sold today are a complete waste of money when it comes to their B-12 quality and performance. Now listen up:

Each 1 ounce vial of B-12 Energy Booster delivers a serving size (1,200 micrograms) of 6 sprays per day. And you get approximately 205 metered sprays in each container. Because this ends up being a 34 day supply, you actually receive a nice bonus of 4 additional days!

How can you beat that? And that's just the beginning. Another nice feature of B-12 Energy Booster* is that it...

Comes in a Tasty Natural Spearmint Flavor

And in addition to tasting great, it's absolutely FREE of...

Sugar
Yeast
Starch
Wheat
Soy
Gluten
Eggs
Salt
Dairy

Better yet, it's also FREE of artificial flavors, color, synthetics, binders, fillers, wax, shellac, talcum and animal gelatin.

The bottom line is that our B-12 Energy Booster is stimulant-free, contains only natural ingredients, and tastes great! Best of all, it's packaged in a convenient pre-metered, non-aerosol, child-resistant container that easily fits in your purse or pocket. Last but not least, it...

Click to view Larger label

Costs Far Less Than a Cup of Even "Economy" Coffee

By now, you're probably wondering how much B-12 Energy Booster costs. I'm happy to tell you the price is very reasonable.

A 34-day supply normally costs just $29.97 -- an excellent value when you consider all the health-promoting and energy-boosting benefits you get*. But as part of a special introductory offer, you don't have to pay the regular price. You can get a full 34-day supply for only $17.87. That's just 52 cents a day -- far less than that cup of caffeine-loaded coffee (and you know that caffeine is certainly not a smart solution to give you more energy).

Why am I being so generous?

Because I know how much you can benefit from this breakthrough product, and I want to give you every incentive to get started right away. And whether you order one, two, three or more B-12 Energy Boosters for yourself and loved ones, you're completely protected by my...

100% Unconditional Guarantee

No doubt about it, B-12 Energy Booster* is an exceptional product. After all, it can help crank up your energy, and improve overall health and well-being*..

In fact, I'm so sure you'll be delighted with it that I'm offering the following unconditional guarantee.

If you're unsatisfied with B-12 Energy Booster for any reason at all, simply let me know anytime. Yes, you read that right. Anytime. And, of course, I will give you a prompt, courteous refund of every penny you paid. No questions asked.

How can I make such a bold guarantee? It's simple: I'm betting that once you start using it, you'll feel so good; you'll never want to be without it again.

But don't just take my word for it. Grab a no-risk supply of B-12 Energy Booster and see for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

Incredible deal! - 3 Bottles (3.0 FL oz)
	List Price: ~~$59.91~~ Your Price: $45.57 You Save: $14.34 (23%)
Great deal! - 1 Bottle (1.0 FL oz)
	List Price: ~~$19.97~~ Your Price: $17.87 You Save: $2.10 (10%)

I am so confident that you will be more than satisfied with your purchase of my Vitamin B-12 Spray, I am providing a 100% Money Back Lifetime Guarantee so you can try my Vitamin B-12 Spray at NO RISK! Simply call our customer service department for immediate resolution regarding your purchase.

Puberty at 8? Are you sure Reliv is Good for you?

2008-10-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

More and more we are finding that girls are going through puberty earlier and earlier and they have found that this can increase their chances for breast cancer and other health and social issues. Though the causes can be many, I did find it interesting that Soy and Soy products were one of the things listed. Since Reliv is so high in soy, this should be a concern if you have your children on the Kid's Now or any of the other Reliv Products. There are so many other options out there for vitamins, you don't need to give your children something that is so strongly Soy based.

Puberty at 8? Girls' Earlier Puberty Puts Them at Higher Risk for Cancer
POSTED BY - Dr. Mercola - October 06 2007

Girls in the United States are reaching puberty at very early ages, increasing their risk of breast cancer, social problems, and emotional problems.

While the biological signs of female puberty -- menstruation, breast development, and growth of pubic and underarm hair -- typically occurred around 13 years of age or older just decades ago, today girls as young as 8 are increasingly showing these signs.

African-American girls are particularly vulnerable to early puberty.

Aside from the social and emotional implications, early puberty exposes girls to more estrogen, which increases their risk of breast cancer because the disease thrives on estrogen.

According to biologist Sandra Steingraber, the author of the report titled "The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know," "The data indicates that if you get your first period before age 12, your risk of breast cancer is 50 percent higher than if you get it at age 16."

"For every year we could delay a girl's first menstrual period,” she says, “we could prevent thousands of breast cancers."

Theories behind what is causing the early-puberty trend abound, but the actual causes are not known. Potential causes noted in the paper include:

Rising childhood obesity rates and inactivity
Formula-feeding of infants
Excessive TV viewing and media use
Family stress
Exposure to environmental chemicals

Bovine growth hormones commonly added to commercial dairy
Soy foods, which are loaded with hormone-like substances
Bisphenol A, commonly used in many plastics such as baby bottles, food-storage containers, and the lining of soda cans
Phthalates, also commonly used in plastics
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) -- better known as Teflon

Store your food in glass containers whenever possible, as it is the most inert container you can use.
Only use natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores will have these available or you can search online for them.
Buy and eat, as much as possible, locally grown, organic foods that do not contain pesticides and added hormones.
Avoid processed foods, which are loaded with soy and other unsavory ingredients.
Switch to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. Use the same sources as above for these, either your local health food store or you can search online.

Finally, I encourage everyone with children or grandchildren to review Theo Colburn’s Our Stolen Future, which is one of the BEST resources on this topic.

The Evidence Against Soy / Reliv

2008-10-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

The Evidence Against Soy

Dow Chemical and DuPont, the same corporations that brought misery and death to millions around the world through Agent Orange, are now the driving forces behind the promotion of soy as a food for humans. They are financing anti-meat and anti-milk campaigns aimed largely at those concerned about animal welfare and the environment, trying to convince them that imitations such as "soymilk" are not only healthier than the real thing, but better for the earth too.

There is no evidence that consuming soy products can improve health, reduce environmental degradation or slow global warming. In fact, the evidence suggests quite the opposite.

The studies below regarding the effects of soy on health are eye-opening, particularly the review by the American Heart Association -- which no longer supports the health claims about soy endorsed by the U.S. government.

Overall risks and benefits of soy assessed

Latest review by American Heart Association

Soy inhibits iron absorption

Poor iron bioavailability

Poor calcium bioavailability

Calcium and zinc absorbed better from milk than from soy -- even without phytates

Soy provides no benefits with respect to heart disease risk

Soy causes bladder cancer

Soy isoflavones during pregnancy increase breast cancer risk in female offspring

High levels of cadmium in soy formula

Soy linked to peanut allergy and increased risk for asthma

Whole milk vs. soy beverage -- asthma risk

Persistent sexual arousal syndrome associated with increased soy intake

Genistein: Does it prevent or promote breast cancer?

Imagine Life Free of Digestive Health Concerns*

Find Out More

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you were to carefully review the thousands of studies published on soy, I strongly believe you too would reach the conclusion that any possible benefits of consuming soy are FAR outweighed by the well documented risks.

Now, I’m not against all forms of soy. Properly fermented products like natto and tempeh have been consumed for centuries and do not wreak havoc in your body like unfermented soy products do. For example, the enzyme nattokinase—derived from natto--is a safer, more powerful option than aspirin to dissolve blood clots, and has been used safely for more than two decades.

Unfortunately, many Americans still believe that unfermented and processed soy products like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers and soy ice cream are good for them.

85 Percent of Consumers Believe the Lies About Soy

The rise of soy as a health food is in large part due to highly successful marketing to otherwise health conscious Americans who set the trend. According to the survey Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition 2008 (by the United Soybean Board), 85 percent of consumers now perceive soy products as healthy.

The survey also found that consumers:

rank soybean oil among the top three healthy oils, with 70 percent recognizing soy oil as a healthy oil, and
depend on soybean oil, commonly sold as vegetable oil, as one of their two most frequent cooking oils

This is a tragic case of shrewd marketing of misinformation and outright lies taking root among the masses, which will likely take some time to undo.

Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy foods in 1999 (which said diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease), soy sales have skyrocketed. In the years between 2000 and 2007, food manufacturers in the U.S. introduced over 2,700 new foods with soy as an ingredient, including 161 new products introduced in 2007 alone.

This has resulted in a booming multi-billion dollar business. From 1992 to 2007, soy food sales increased from a paltry $300 million to nearly $4 billion, according to the Soyfoods Association of North America.

However, the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January of this year, asking them to retract its heart-health claim from soy in light of the inconsistent and contradictory evidence showing benefits, and its many proven health risks.

What’s So Wrong With Soy?

Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities--protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.

Says Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story,

“Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents."

Dr. Daniel also points out the findings of numerous studies reviewed by her and other colleagues -- that soy does not reliably lower cholesterol, and in fact raises homocysteine levels in many people, which has been found to increase your risk of stroke, birth defects, and yes: heart disease.

Other common health problems linked to a high-soy diet include:

Thyroid problems, including weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, and loss of libido
Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents
Cancer
Brain damage
Reproductive disorders
Kidney stones
Weakened immune system
Severe, potentially fatal food allergies

Most soy, perhaps about 80 percent or more, is also genetically modified, which adds its own batch of health concerns.

Despite these findings, many people still want to believe the hype, thinking that these studies must somehow be wrong. But the content of soy itself should be a clue. For example, non-fermented soy products contain:

Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen
Phytates, which block your body's uptake of minerals
Enzyme Inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion
Hemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth
High amounts of omega-6 fat, which is pro-inflammatory

You’re Consuming Soy Whether You’re Buying “Soy Products” or Not

Even if you know better than to gulp down large amounts of soy milk, slabs of tofu, and other soy snacks, you are still consuming soy if you’re eating processed food, in the form of soybean oil and lecithin. So depending on your dietary habits, your (unfermented) soy consumption could really add up.

In fact, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health told CNN.com he estimates that soybeans, usually in the form of oil, account for 10 percent of the average person’s total calories in the United States! When you consider that 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed food, this amount of “accidental” soy intake is not surprising.

As a side note, I’d like to make a quick statement here to address some of my readers’ concerns about my reduced CoQ 10 supplement, ubiquinol, which also contain soy bean oil.

Unfortunately, the reduced CoQ 10 (ubiquinol) – which is the optimal form of CoQ 10 that your body needs, especially if you’re over 25 – is only produced by a multi-billion dollar Japanese pharmaceutical company that holds ALL the world patents on it. Hence, there’s no way to replace the soy, even though that would have been my preference.

However, as in all things, moderation is key. If I thought there were ANY significant health risks from consuming this small amount of soy oil, then I would not personally take two a day – which I do. I do however avoid all processed forms of soy products, and severely limit my intake of other unfermented soy, which is easy to do by simply avoiding processed and “fast” foods.

Which Soy Foods Should be Avoided … and How do You Avoid Them?

Because soy is so pervasive in the U.S. food supply, avoiding it is not an easy task.

The best way to completely avoid soy in the food supply is to buy whole foods and prepare them yourself. This may also be your only option if you’ve developed a soy allergy and need to eliminate soy from your diet entirely.

If you still prefer to buy readymade and packaged products, for whatever reason, Dr. Daniel offers a free Special Report, "Where the Soys Are," on her Web site. It lists the many "aliases" that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists -- words like "boullion," "natural flavor" and "textured plant protein."

Which Soy Foods DO Have Health Benefits?

The few types of soy that ARE healthy are all fermented varieties. After a long fermentation process, the phytic acid and antinutrient levels of the soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties -- such as the creation of natural probiotics -- become available to your digestive system.

The fermentation process also greatly reduces the levels of dangerous isoflavones, which are similar to estrogen in their chemical structure, and can interfere with the action of your own estrogen production.

So if you want to eat soy that is actually good for you, following are all healthy options:

Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor. It's loaded with nattokinase, a very powerful blood thinner. Natto is actually a food I eat regularly, as it is the highest source of vitamin K2 on the planet and has a very powerful beneficial bacteria, bacillus subtilis. It can usually be found in any Asian grocery store.
Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Soy sauce: traditionally, soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes, however be wary because many varieties on the market are made artificially using a chemical process.

Reliv is Bad for Your Health

2008-10-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Since I started this blog more than a year ago, many have posted comments attacking me for saying that Reliv is bad for you. I want to remind everyone reading this blog that my purpose is to post negative stories about Reliv. If you don't agree or want to post your positive stories, please post them somewhere else. I will not post them!

Wheither I am right or wrong is for each person to decide for themselves. The purpose of my blog is to give people a chance to see both sides of the story.

I will admit that Reliv has helped some people but I also firmly believe that it has done nothing or hurt even more people. The dangers of Soy are well researched and there is a lot of proof. If you are looking to make money, MLM is not the place! With Reliv and almost all of the other MLM companies more than 99% of people fail! Why go into debt to help make those at the top richer!

And please, if you are a woman and taking Reliv, I would encourage you to look into Thermography. For more info please visit, www.breastthermography.com for more info.

Reliv May Cause High Blood Pressure

2008-09-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a post from one of our readers!

"I was a Reliv distributor for about one year. After using the product for
just a month or so I noticed that my normally low blood pressure 115/59 was
really high. It went up to 195/90. I was 52 years old, health and active.
I called my upline and they assured me that it would level out after a few
weeks. Well, after a few weeks I was tired of the shakes and was gaining
weight as well as very gassy. I was also told the gas would go away. Yah
right. My gas didn't go away, my blood pressure didn't come down for TWO
YEARS! I am so thankful that I quit taking the product as I have spoken
with a lot of people who have had the same experience. Reliv is high in
phyto-estrogens which promote neoangiogenisis vein production in the breasts
that feed cancer tumors. It also will put a protective coat around cancer
cells so that the bodies immune system can not penetrate and destroy it.
Please go to breastthermography.com for more info on breast cancer and how
soy and flax help promote it."

Soy - Discover The Real Truth

2008-09-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

What You'll Learn in Next Month's Inner Circle Expert Interview:

Have you switched to soy milk and veggie burgers because you’ve been told they are better for you?

Have you heard that people in Asian cultures live longer than Americans because they eat more soy?

If you believe soy is a healthy alternative to dairy and meat products, then you’ve got a lot of company. Millions of Americans believe they are making a healthy choice by opting for soy milk and other soy-based products.

Read the Full article and add
your own comment

But consuming soy may be more harmful than healthy.

In this month’s Inner Circle interview, you’ll discover the truth about soy, the mistaken health food. Uncover what’s fact and what’s fiction -- so you can make more informed and nutritional eating decisions.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel, an expert on soy and nutritional health, delves into how much soy in your diet is too much, what forms of soy are healthy (and which are not), and how best to add soy to your diet for your best health yet.

Dr. Daniel is the author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. Her nutritional training and expertise includes digestive disorders, and uncovering problems associated with soy-based diets.

Dr. Daniel has appeared on such notable mediums as NPR’s People’s Pharmacy and Discovery Channel’s Medical Hotseat. She has been quoted in major publications such as the Washington Post, Oxygen, London Observer and the San Francisco Chronicle.

In 2005, she was honored with the Weston A. Price Foundation’s Integrity in Science Award.

Most recently Dr. Daniel joined forces with the President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and a group of leading scientists to present the FDA with a 65-page petition requesting that the FDA remove the heart-healthy claims being touted regarding soy products.
As an Inner Circle member this month, you’ll discover Dr. Daniel’s special insights on soy, including:

Is soy really the reason people in Asian cultures live longer and have fewer cases of certain cancers? Discover the surprising truth…
Do you know what types of soy are good for you -- and those types that aren’t? Does your diet contain harmful soy? Answers in this interview…
How much soy is too much? Do you know how much soy you are actually consuming? Foods that contain “hidden” soy may be in your own kitchen – find out what they are…
Why this supposed “health” food may be blocking your body’s ability to absorb much-needed minerals -- and blocking your ability to digest your food.

In this 2+ hour interview, Dr. Daniel shares her experience and expertise with you on the dangers of soy. Discover the whole truth about soy to attain your optimal level of health.

Read my comments on this Interview

And as an exclusive Inner Circle member, you’ll enjoy this interview in its entirety as a high-quality CD recording, with a fully illustrated transcript included. If you’re not a member yet – what in the name of good health are you waiting for?

http://products.mercola.com/inner-circle/?source=nl

I HATE RELIV

2008-09-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - Here is a response that we got to our last article that was posted. Just another reason to avoid Reliv. Please if you are new to our blog and or you are an avid Reliv lover, please take the time to read our other articles before you come to a conclusion. Especially read about the dangers of Soy.

"I believe Reliv can be hazardous to your health. I have hypothyroidism and have had it for approximately 10 years and have been on Levoxyl to control it for approximately 10 years. I stupidly let a friend talk me into taking the product to help with my low energy. So August 5, 2008 I started taking Reliv Now, Innergize and Fiberestore. The stuff tastes absolutely awful. I took it for about a week and started noticing that after I took the product I would feel lightheaded and dizzy like my blood sugar was dropping, with hypothyroidism I do have spells of hypoglycemia at times. So I started paying attention to what I was eating and making sure I was not eating something to trigger my blood sugar. But my diet had not changed so could find no triggers. Then I noticed I had a headache. Thought it was sinus related took Ibuprofen and sinus medicine but would not touch the headache or relieve any symptoms. Also started noticing extreme nausea to the point that I did not want to eat or would have this nagging feeling like I need to eat but nothing satisfied that nagging feeling. Then noticed that I became extremely fatigued sleeping 12 hours and still wanting to sleep more. Not able to function in my normal daily routine of taking care of family and working was almost unaccomplishable and some days it was. So after a week and a half of these symptoms I decided to go to the doctor for some relief. They do not have a clue what is wrong with me. I said it was my thyroid. They drew labs everything was normal except my TSH had jumped from 2.5 to 3.98.

When I was deciding to take the Reliv that was one of my concerns was that it was a soy product but my friend and her upline were all like oh it is processed different and does not give any one problems that have thyroid problems. One of the uplines is supposedly a nurse. Any way I am sorry but I am off the product and will never take it again or anything like it with soy or that high in vitamins. Moderation people moderation in the vitamins.

Needless to say my friend and her uplines are still calling and saying oh you need to continue with the product because these symptoms are just your body cleansing itself. I am sorry but headache and nausea for almost two weeks is not the body cleansing it self. It is the body telling you something is wrong. Any one with thyroid problems needs to do their research before taking this product. If I have one more upline call me and tell me they had thyroid problems or someone they knew had thyroid problems and is doing great on the product I will probably throw-up and scream at them. I HATE Reliv.

I am so mad at myself for having sucker written on my forehead and not listening to my gut when I found out the product was heavy in soy and saying No Thank You I will pass.

Thanks for the blog page and info about Reliv."

WARNING RELIV MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!!!!

2008-08-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

The following is from an email that I received from one of our readers. I strongly encourage ALL women using Reliv to read the following carefully and consider the danger that Reliv is putting them in.

"I have been in the health care profession for approximately 10 years. I
found that the Arthaffect was an very good product for arthritis and one of
my patients started buying it from me at whole sale cost. I never sold at
retail as I really wanted to help people out. My patient had more questions
than I could answer and so I sent her upline. My upline high pressured her
into becoming a master affiliate and even though I tried to convince my
patient not to make such an expensive investment my upline, who did not know
she was already buying wholesale, badgered her into purchasing 3,200 dollars
in product. The product worked on her arthritis but after a few months, my
patient found out that she had uterine and colon cancer. After surgery the
doctor told her she had estrogen dominant cancer and to stay away from soy
as it is high in phyto-estrogens. My upline was great taking my patient
over food and encouraging her while she was recuperating as well as telling
her that "Doctors don't know anything." and encouraged her to continue
taking Reliv Classic four times a day at double the dose. That is a lot of
Soy!!!!! I encouraged my patient to get off the soy, everytime I saw her
I would encourage her to get off the soy. My patient within two months of
the bowel surgery started to swell in her abdomen and have pain. I was
worried and told her to get off the Reliv and to go back to her doctor. She
went back to her doctor for her three month check up and found out that she
was full of omentum cancer. That is cancer of the fatty layer around the
stomach. Only three months before she had her uterus and bowel removed and
had no cancer in her stomach! Soy is high in phyto-estrogens.
Phyto-estrogens encourage and promote estrogen dominant cancer. My patient
was angry. She was given six months to live but lasted about 10. Her last
words to me was that she would love to sue Reliv and my upline but because
of her husband she would not say anything as her husband did not want her to
sign up and purchase so much product when she was already buying from me at
my cost. My upline is fortunate. The world has lost a beautiful woman. I
encourage all of you who are using Reliv to research soy and phyto-estrogens.
My upline told me that the world expert on soy is the man who is behind
Reliv! Does he have an ax to grind or what????? New Zealand did an
independent study on soy and has warned the people of New Zealand to eat
sparingly! This study was not done by the soy industry or any competitors!
I specialize in thermography which is using an infra-red camera to take
images of womens breasts. Over and over I see women who are estrogen
dominant in their breasts which promotes breast cancer. The camera doesn't
lie. If you insist on using Reliv I strongly encourage you to to see out
someone who has an infra-red camera to see if your breasts are healthy
before it is too late." - D.M - Washington State

For more info about Infrared Imaging / Breast Thermography please visit, http://www.breastthermography.com/

Wanted - Reliv Compensation Plan Info

2008-08-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - I am looking for the info on Reliv's Compensation Plan. I tried to log into my old account but I guess they have finally removed me from the system. At once point I was able to get slides and stuff online. Anyway I am looking for the percents that are paid out. 8% to the first level, 6% to the second level, etc. Also I am wanting to know how much more you get as you become Key or Star Directors (can't remember how it's called anymore). Please send info to, relivwatchdog@gmail.com Thanks!

Don't Let Reliv Play You For A Sucker!

2008-08-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be ONE YEAR since I started this hub. I really can't believe that this much time has already gone by. I am thankful to all of my readers and I hope that during this last year that we were able to help some people. And I hope in the years to come that people will continue to read this blog and be able to make a wise decision before joining Reliv. The following article is the first one I published one year ago!

Ten Ways to Avoid Being Quacked
Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Promoters of quackery know how to appeal to every aspect of human vulnerability. What sells is not the quality of their products but their ability to influence their audience. Here are ten strategies to avoid being quacked:

1. Remember that quackery seldom looks outlandish.

Its promoters often use scientific terms and quote (or misquote) from scientific references. Some actually have reputable scientific training but have gone astray.

2. Ignore any practitioner who says that most diseases are caused by faulty nutrition or can be remedied by taking supplements.

Although some diseases are related to diet, most are not. Moreover, in most cases where diet actually is a factor in a person's health problem, the solution is not to take vitamins but to alter the diet.

3. Be wary of anecdotes and testimonials.

If someone claims to have been helped by an unorthodox remedy, ask yourself and possibly your doctor whether there might be another explanation. Most single episodes of disease recover with the passage of time, and most chronic ailments have symptom-free periods. Most people who give testimonials about recovery from cancer have undergone effective treatment as well as unorthodox treatment, but give credit to the latter. Some testimonials are complete fabrications.

4. Be wary of pseudomedical jargon.

Instead of offering to treat your disease, some quacks will promise to "detoxify" your body, "balance" its chemistry, release its "nerve energy," or "bring it in harmony with nature," or to correct supposed "weaknesses" of various organs. The use of concepts that are impossible to measure enables success to be claimed even though nothing has actually been accomplished.

5. Don't fall for paranoid accusations.

Unconventional practitioners often claim that the medical profession, drug companies, and the government are conspiring to suppress whatever method they espouse. No evidence to support such a theory has ever been demonstrated. It also flies in the face of logic to believe that large numbers of people would oppose the development of treatment methods that might someday help themselves or their loved ones.

6. Forget about "secret cures."

True scientists share their knowledge as part of the process of scientific development. Quacks may keep their methods secret to prevent others from demonstrating that they don't work. No one who actually discovered a cure would have reason to keep it secret. If a method works—especially for a serious disease—the discoverer would gain enormous fame, fortune and personal satisfaction by sharing the discovery with others.

7. Be wary of herbal remedies.

Herbs are promoted primarily through literature based on hearsay, folklore and tradition. As medical science developed, it became apparent that most herbs did not deserve good reputations, and most that did were replaced by synthetic compounds that are more effective. Many herbs contain hundreds or even thousands of chemicals that have not been completely cataloged. While some may turn out to be useful, others could well prove toxic. With safe and effective treatment available, treatment with herbs rarely makes sense.

8. Be skeptical of any product claimed to be effective against a wide range of unrelated diseases—particularly diseases that are serious.

There is no such thing as a panacea or "cure-all."

9. Ignore appeals to your vanity.

One of quackery's most powerful appeals is the suggestion to "think for yourself" instead of following the collective wisdom of the scientific community. A similar appeal is the idea that although a remedy has not been proven to work for other people, it still might work for you.

10. Don't let desperation cloud your judgment!

If you feel that your doctor isn't doing enough to help you, or if you have been told that your condition is incurable and don't wish to accept this fate without a struggle, don't stray from scientific health care in a desperate attempt to find a solution. Instead, discuss your feelings with your doctor and consider a consultation with a recognized expert.

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT SOY FOODS - Reliv

2008-08-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - Here is some more info about Soy.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.

Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.

Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.

Truth: Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.

Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.

Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.

Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.

Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.

Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol improves one’s risk of having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.

Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.

Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.

Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.

Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.

Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment

Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.

Truth: In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03soymyths.htm

Soy Dangers Summarised - Reliv is HIGH SOY

2008-08-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - After our receint reader asked about the dangers of Soy and why companies continue to use it in their products, I thought I would post the follow article.

SOY DANGERS:

High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic orders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B12.
Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and added to many soy foods.
Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

SOY INFANT FORMULA — BIRTH CONTROL PILLS FOR BABIES

Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula.
Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day.
Male infants undergo a “testosterone surge” during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.
Pediatricians are noticing greater numbers of boys whose physical maturation is delayed, or does not occur at all, including lack of development of the sexual organs. Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions.
Soy infant feeding—which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that inhibit testosterone—cannot be ignored as a possible cause for these tragic developments. In animals, soy feeding indicates that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters.
Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-American girls show signs of puberty such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogens such as PCBs and DDE.

http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03summary.htm

DANGER - Reliv Causes Health Problems

2008-08-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers - Below is post that we received from one of our readers. I am moving it into the main blog so that more people can get a chance to read it.

"I also used Reliv....and I also have Hashimoto's since using the products. I am told to stay away from soy now. WHY are SO MANY companies using soy in their products? Also iodine is not good for people that have Hashimoto's. It is hard to find good supplements with out those two things in them. I worry about all of the soy consumption. Who to believe??? Thanks, J"

My Response;

Hello Poster - Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and thank you for taking the time to learn the truth.

Honestly I am not sure why so many products today have Soy in them. On one side I would GUESS that soy is a cheap filler and so it allows companies to save money. I worked in Lithuania for a while and a good friend of mine had a soy processing company there. The main buyers for their soy meat (TVP) was meat processors. They added the soy to the meat to extend it.

But on the other side, many companies like Reliv use Soy as they have bought into the lie that the soy industry has spent millions on. There has been a battle raging for many years now trying to prove that "soy is good for you". And if you buy products such as Soy Milk or Soy Meats it will say how good for your heart it is. And the Soy industry even has the FDA saying that Soy is "good for you". But what we aren't told is, groups are now lobbing the FDA to change their ruling on Soy as it's not healthy.

Here are some more products for you to look into. They don't contain soy but I am not sure about the iodine.

Life Force
Dr. Organics
Dr. Mercola Vitamins
Eniva Vibe
Purity Products
All One

Thank you again and I hope you can undo the damage done by Reliv and Soy.

Wanted - Reliv Compensation Plan Info

2008-08-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Reliv WatchDog

Reliv Can Have Terrible Effects on Your Manhood

Could Eating This Popular "Health" Food Lead to Celibacy?

Posted By Dr. Mercola | November 17 2011 | 22,594 views | Disponible en Español

Visit the Mercola Video Library

Story at-a-glance

Is the Soy Myth Harming Your Health?

Non-Fermented Soy Foods Can Interfere with Sperm Production

Non-Fermented Soy Implicated in Precocious Puberty

The Added Dangers of Genetically Modified Soy

Could GM Soy Sterilize Future Generations?

NEVER Feed Your Baby Soy Infant Formula!

The Many Health Dangers of Soy

What Soy Products are Good For You?

Reliv Testimonial BS

Reliv Dangers - Soy Linked to Uterine Fibroids

The Popular Food You Should Never, Ever Feed Your Baby

Posted By Dr. Mercola | April 02 2011 | 59,479 views

Birth Control Pills in a Bottle

Dangers to the Developing Brain

GM Soy – Danger to Both Mother and Child

GM Soy May Cause Sterility in Future Generations

Growing Up Too Fast – Soy Can Lead to Precocious Puberty

Breast is Best

Quieting Your Colicky Baby

Babies Need Probiotics Too

Most Soy Unhealthy for Adults Too

The Only Healthful Soy

Taking Reliv is Like Peeing Your Money Down The Toilet

Reliv's Snake Oil Salesmen

Reliv Distributors Mislead and Lie

Your Reliv Stories Wanted

Reliv Unfair / Wrongful Business Practices

Reliv Dangerous? Does Reliv still make the same products?

Your Stories Wanted - Reliv Negative Stories

Pushy Reliv Distributors - Reliv Does Not Work

Does Reliv Rig It's Own Studies? Reliv IS Over-Priced!

Help Get The Truth Out About Reliv

Does Reliv Contain Neurotoxins?

While the following article is about Veggie Burgers, the same info could be true of Reliv or any other products that contain soy.

Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?

Sources:

What are the Risks of Eating Hexane-Tainted Food?

Beware: Hexane is Even in Organic Infant Formula!

More Reasons to Ditch Veggie Burgers and Other Forms of Processed Soy

Why You Want to be Very Careful With Veggieburgers

Is Reliv a Placebo?

WARNING - Reliv SoySentials Ruined My Health

Puberty at 8? Is Reliv Part of the Problem??

Dangers of Soy - Reliv Has Soy

Looking for New Stories

Reliv divides families. . .root of evil

I believe Reliv is BAD!

Caution Urged on Soy Menopause Remedies - Soysentials

Your Stories Wanted - Reliv Problems

Rod and Anita Swift - Reliv No More!

Distributors Lie to Sell Reliv - Dr. Hastings a god?

Reliv - An Enormous Source of Frustration

Serious Warning about Reliv

Back Online

Reliv Causes Stupidity

Some Foods Have Estrogen-Like Effects - Soy and Reliv

Reliv isn't a Silver Bullet - Soy Warning

Huge study boosts disappointment on multivitamins

Help Get The Truth Out About Reliv

Journalist Says "Consult Doctor" Before Taking Reliv

Reliv is a Synthetic - Don't waste your money!

Reliv Causes Serious Problems! Important Warning

Here is a Replacement for Reliv Innergize

Puberty at 8? Are you sure Reliv is Good for you?

The Evidence Against Soy / Reliv

Reliv is Bad for Your Health

Reliv May Cause High Blood Pressure

Soy - Discover The Real Truth

I HATE RELIV

WARNING RELIV MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!!!!

Wanted - Reliv Compensation Plan Info

Don't Let Reliv Play You For A Sucker!

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT SOY FOODS - Reliv

Soy Dangers Summarised - Reliv is HIGH SOY