Your health and beauty is too precious.  Here are some simple, surprising ways to keep you healthy.

Health and Beauty Tip #1 – Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s - Boston University researchers found that adults who used ibuprofen regularly for 5 years reduced their risk of suffering this degenerative brain disease by 40%.  Why? Ibuprofen reduces the brain inflammation that experts think contribute to these conditions.

Health and Beauty Tip #2 – Breast Cancer- When scientists added curcumin (which helps give mustard its color) and piperine (which gives black pepper its spiciness) to breast cancer cells in a lab, the two chemicals worked a miracle doctors have been searching for for years.  They stopped potential breast cancer cells from growing, while leaving healthy tissue unaffected!  Why? When combined, these two spices turn each other into breast-cancer-seeking missiles, targeting only cells that might turn cancerous, says a noted Ph.D.  It’s best to take them in a supplement.  NOTE: Women who enjoy 14 walnuts daily drastically slash their risk of breast cancer due to the nut’s omega-3s, antioxidants, and phytosterols.

Health and Beauty Tip #3 – Diabetes- Whether you like your coffee or black tea with caffeine or without, each sip you drink per day lowers your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 7%, according to a study in the “Archives of Internal Medicine.”  So, if you sip 4 cups a day, you can slash your risk by nearly 30%!  Why? Researchers credit the glucose-regulating nutrients in these beverages, including magnesium, lignans (estrogen-like chemicals found in plants), and antioxidants.

Health and Beauty Tip #4 – Vision- A study in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” suggests sipping 1-2 cups of green tea daily is all it takes to almost completely protect your eyes from macular degeneration and glaucoma, the leading causes of age-related vision loss!  Why? Green tea’s antioxidants (including lutein and vitamins C & E) are absorbed by your eye’s lens and retina, where they zap harmful radicals that can lead to disease.  NOTE: In a recent 12-year study, adults who ate the most omega-3-rich seafood (i.e. salmon) were 30% less likely to develop macular degeneration.

Health and Beauty Tip #5 - Heart Disease - It’s not really new news, but it always sounds too good to be true – enjoying one square of dark chocolate 2-3 times per week lowers your risk of heart disease by 33%, according to the Journal of Nutrition.  It’s the same heart-protecting benefit you’d get from a 20-minute exercise routine daily.

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