Insomnia has a way of taking control of your life quickly.

There’s nothing like a few nights in a row with no sleep to instantly change someone’s personality.

And I guess that’s why so many people turn to powerful prescription meds so quickly – because they’re looking for a quick fix and a chance to finally get some much-needed sleep.

But if you’re not getting enough sleep, don’t be so quick to reach for that pill bottle.

Not only are drugs not the only solution, they’re not even the best or most effective solution.

The latest study to confirm this compared a popular sleep med to simple talk therapy. And guess what? Talk therapy works every bit as well as these powerful and expensive meds.

But like they say in those late-night infomercials, “Wait! There’s more!” Because that’s not even the best part of this study, which was published in May in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study also found that over the long term, talk therapy was even better than drugs. Folks who got talk therapy refreshers during a six-month follow-up period slept better than those who were allowed to take meds whenever they felt they needed them.

If you’re not sleeping well, you should get to the bottom of it. Chronic sleeplessness has been linked to hypertension, depression and increased suicidal thoughts, even in people who are not otherwise depressed.

But as this study shows, there’s no need to turn your condition into a payday for Big Pharma.

I often write these messages late at night, not because I suffer from insomnia but because it’s the only time of day I’m not busy with patients, studying medical reports or raising my boys.

If, like me, you’re up at that hour you’ve probably noticed all those commercials for sleep drugs that show up after midnight. I can’t help but laugh when I see them, because it seems like the longest part of these commercials is the part where they mention all the side effects.

Depression, unusual thoughts, risky behavior, decreased inhibitions, anxiety, aggression, hallucinations, confusion, blurred vision, lack of coordination, amnesia, nausea, constipation and headaches are some of the possible side effects. I say “some” because I can’t possibly list them all.

There have even been reports of people walking, making phone calls, eating and driving – yes, driving! – while supposedly asleep on these drugs.

While talk therapy is a great alternative to prescription meds, I’ve found that many people who suffer from chronic sleeplessness or fatigue are often quietly battling a potassium deficiency.

Fortunately, there’s a simple and inexpensive solution that your own doctor probably is not aware of.

For more details, be sure to check out June issue of Health Revelations. I’ll show you how to diagnose and treat yourself in the comfort of your own home, and explain why your own doctor can’t properly check your potassium levels.

Then, I’ll help you make sure your body has everything it needs to function well all day – and sleep well at night.

Ounce for ounce, there are few things in your home as bad for your body as soda.

And new research is starting to show it’s even worse than we thought.

Soda has already been linked to a host of health problems, from obesity and diabetes to tooth decay and osteoporosis. And now, it’s also being blamed for a horrible condition involving muscle weakness, cramps, palpitations and vomiting.

This condition is called hypokalemia, and it’s caused by a potassium deficiency.

Excess soda appears to cause blood potassium levels to fall to dangerously low levels, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

Researchers looked at people who drank large amounts of soda – between two and nine liters per day – and discovered this connection. In at least two cases, soda-drinking patients who experienced hypokalemia were hospitalized when their potassium levels fell dangerously.

Potassium is one of our most overlooked nutrients. I’ve found that most people not only misunderstand its importance, but they don’t know how to get it in the proper amount.

That’s because the amount of potassium you need is also related to your sodium intake. Our potassium-to-sodium ratio should be 7-to-1, but for most of us that ratio is reversed as we eat salt-laden processed foods at the expense of this vital nutrient.

Soda can also throw potassium levels out of whack. And when those servings are big enough, you’ve got a recipe for hypokalemia.

But don’t think you’re in the clear just because you drink less soda. To me, even a teaspoon of this junk is way too much. So I’m absolutely horrified when I walk into a convenience store and see giant two-liter cups of sugary poison, meant for gulping down with an extra-wide straw.

Remember, one of the key ingredients in most sodas is phosphoric acid, which has been linked to bone and kidney problems. Not only that, but industrial grade phosphoric acid is used to remove rust – that alone should tell you everything you need to know about it.

I’ve tried, and I can’t think of a single good reason why anyone should ever drink soda – even diet soda. They’re not just empty calories, but empty calories that add up quicker than most people realize.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who drink soda regularly, it’s time to make some changes – and it’s not as difficult as you might think. Even the most hardcore soda junkies are surprised at how quickly they lose the taste for it once they stop drinking it.

For my money, nothing beats clear, cold water – but I find that when I just have to have that fizz, carbonated water beats cola any day of the week.

One of the most common complaints I hear from seniors at my practice concerns daytime sleepiness.

But too many of them accept it as normal. Some of my patients won’t even mention it to me unless I ask first. They’re convinced that it just comes with the territory – that as you get older, you simply get run down more easily during the day.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and a new study bears that out.

The study, published online in the May Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, tracked 11 older adults (ages 65-76) and 26 younger adults (ages 18-29). For three days, they slept a standard 8 hours per night. Then, they were kept awake for 26 hours as researchers tracked their abilities and attention spans.

They weren’t allowed any caffeine during this period – just their own natural abilities and stamina.

And wouldn’t you know it – the seniors were less impaired by the lack of sleep. They had faster reaction times, fewer performance lapses and paid better attention.

You know that old stereotype where the senior starts nodding off in the middle of doing something? Throw that one out the window. It turns out the younger adults were more likely to accidentally nod off.

What this really means is that if you’re getting a normal night’s sleep, you shouldn’t be tired during the day – whether you’re a vibrant senior or a young whippersnapper.

If you find yourself getting tired in the middle of the day, it’s time to stop accepting it as part of aging and get to the cause. In some cases, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. For other folks, it’s a side effect of one or more prescription drugs.

But in many cases, I’ve found their fatigue problem to be a potassium deficiency.

In the June issue of Health Revelations, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at how a lack of potassium can be wearing you out – and I’ll show you how to diagnose and fix it, on your own, without pricey and dangerous prescription meds or repeated trips to a doctor’s office. Sign up to read about it today.

Then, when you return to your normal, natural wakeful state, you’ll see you can run circles around those kids half your age.

Is a low-fat diet better for your heart?

You can bet your ticker it’s not – but you won’t learn the truth by reading the latest study to hit the mainstream media.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, compared the maintenance phases of three diets: the low-carb, high-fat Atkins diet, the more moderate South Beach Diet, and the low-fat Ornish vegetarian diet. 

It found the Atkins diet to be least heart-friendly.

You might think they followed hundreds or even thousands of people on these diets for years at a time. But it turns out they looked at 18 people, each of whom tried each diet for four weeks, with a four-week “washout” period in between each one.

That’s it – just 18 people for four-week periods. Do you feel cheated yet? I know I do. 

What’s more, they based their findings on cholesterol levels and blood vessel dilation measurements in the arm.

The trouble is that those changes in blood vessel dilation can be caused by any number of things, such as a problem in the adrenal glands. In a group as small as 18 people, all it takes is one person experiencing one of those causes to skew the results one way or another.

Dr. Atkins was in many ways a visionary. He had the right idea when the declared that carbohydrates, not fat, are the enemy. Especially those refined carbs in all our processed foods. And he was bold enough to speak out against low-fat madness at a time when it was very unpopular to do so.

But there is still so much more to a diet than just fats versus carbs, just like there’s more to a diet than caloric intake. Nutrients and minerals play a crucial role in our bodies, yet few dieters consider that when planning their meals.

For example, our potassium to sodium ratio should be at 7 to 1. But most people take in far less potassium because our processed foods are packed with sodium. And a potassium deficiency can have a direct impact on your heart, no matter what kind of diet you stick to.

Correcting this potassium deficiency can also help you put a permanent end chronic fatigue. I’ve outlined a simple, 90-day cure for fatigue in the June issue of Health Revelations.