You are made up of cells, which are made up of molecules, which are made up of atoms. Your atoms are made up of a nucleus, with positively-charged protons, negatively-charged electrons, and neutrally-charged neutrons orbiting around it (arranged in one or more shells).

The atom has a maximum of 2 electrons in its inner-most shell, and 8 in its second shell…..and its nature is to fill up its out shell, or to empty its outer shell so that it feels balanced. When it is balanced, it is inert, and won’t tend to enter into chemical reactions.

An atom will seek to be balanced, and inert, by gaining or losing electrons. One of the easiest ways it can do this is by bonding with other atoms to share electrons, in order to complete its outer shell (eg. this happens with oxygen molecules). Normally, these bonds are stable. But if something weakens the bond, it can split apart, leaving one atom with an odd, unpaired electron. This atom is now a free radical.

Free radicals arise naturally in your body through normal metabolism and exercise. But environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, chemicals, cigarette smoke and herbicides also spawn free radicals.

Free radicals are very unstable. They want to rebalance quickly, so they attack the nearest stable molecule, "stealing" its electron. When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself, and attacks the next nearest stable molecule. And so a domino effect occurs, and eventually creates a cell that is abnormal.

It is now estimated that every cell in your body is attacked by free radicals 10,000 times a day…..that’s approximately once every 8 seconds, for every cell in your body.

As the number of abnormal cells in your body rises, this compromises the intercellular communication, affecting every other function within your body, including hormone production. Free radical damage is one of the primary causes of disease, aging and cancer.

If you were in a home with a leaking roof, and you had a light shower, your home could probably resist any permanent damage. But if your home went through a major flood, your home would be water-damaged. The same happens to your body.

Today, with such an onslaught of free radicals, your body spends a lot of energy defending itself from these attacks. If you can fight free radicals more effectively, then you will have more energy for other things.

The best way to combat free radical damage to your body (and aging) is to increase your intake of antioxidants. Antioxidants are your body’s natural free radical shield.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, ending the electron-"stealing" reaction. Because they are stable even if they are missing an electron, they do not become free radicals themselves. So this is the definition of an antioxidant – it’s a molecule that is stable even when it doesn’t have a full quota of electrons in its outer shield.

By stabilizing free radicals, antioxidants help prevent cell damage and disease, including cancer.

Some common natural antioxidants are Vitamin E and C. But it’s best to have your antioxidants in a natural form (such as through fruit and vegetables in your diet), because the extra nutrients present in these foods work hand in hand with the antioxidants to create the best effect for your body.

There is a new lab test known as ORAC which is considered one of the best tests for overall antioxidant capacity. Of the various foods tested, Pomegranates are one of the highest on the ORAC scale, with a rating of 13,000. But there is one food which rated higher than pomegranates, and that’s the Ningxia Wolfberry, which rated an amazing 31,000!!!!