Dear Reader,

This issue of Natural News takes a closer look at herbs, both for boosting your immune system especially as we go into winter and also for helping with fertility. There is also a special feature on magnesium in this issue as it is often a forgotten mineral with all the attention going on calcium. The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency can often be mistaken for a hormone imbalance associated with either the menopause or PMS because the symptoms include irritability, insomnia, frequent nighttime awakenings, anxiety and muscle cramps and weakness.

I have included a recipe using red cabbage in this issue. Cabbage is an important food for women as it is part of the family of cruciferous vegetables, which have a positive effect on reducing the risk of breast cancer because it helps the detoxification of oestrogen. The recipe uses red cabbage that also has beneficial anti-oxidant effects because of the colour and it is good to be able have new ideas to serve vegetables in a different way.

The benefits of anti-oxidants that we all know are associated with anti-ageing are featured in this issue of Natural News, this time for their positive effects on the prevent of osteoporosis. So the message that used to be ‘eat your greens’ which is still important is now ‘eat a rainbow’ and the more colours we can include in our food the better.

Wishing you good health.

Kind regards,

Marilyn Glenville

Look out for more answers from Marilyn, the latest news, case studies from the Clinic, Monthly Meal Ideas and also:

• Fat proof festive eating: how to keep the weight off this Christmas and have your healthiest New Year ever
• What you should and should not be eating at 40 plus
• Your winter energy makeover/ eating to beat the winter blues
• Five easy steps to better bone health

And, as always, much, much more …

More dramatic evidence has emerged to show that banning smoking in public places reduces the risk of heart attacks. In Scotland hospital admissions dropped by 17 percent since smoking was banned in public places in Scotland.

The figures compare with an annual reduction of only three percent for the 10 years before the ban was introduced, the Scottish Government said on its website. Research led by Glasgow University showed there were 3,235 people admitted to hospital with heart attacks in the 10 months before the ban took effect, a government spokeswoman said. But in the 10 months after the ban was brought in, there were 2,684 admissions for people with heart attacks, she added.

The research focused on heart attack admissions to nine hospitals, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of all Scottish hospital heart attack admissions. The research was presented in Edinburgh where Scotland’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Peter Donnelly said it showed the smoking ban was already producing “significant” public health benefits. “It provides evidence that the legislation is improving the health of everyone in Scotland – including smokers, non-smokers, children and bar workers,” Donnelly told an audience of international health experts.

Scotland was the first country in the United Kingdom to introduce a smoking ban. Wales, Northern Ireland and England followed this year. If the pattern in Scotland was repeated in the UK there would be almost 40,000 fewer heart attacks each year.