Let's face the truth, when it comes to health claims, most of what we see is just pure hype. It's very rare indeed when something actually lives up to the hype or exposure it gets in the media.

In fact, in my years as a health researcher, omega 3 fatty acids may be the only thing that deserves all the praise heaped upon it.

What's particularly fascinating about omega 3 fatty acids is that both conventional and alternative medicine  agree on how wonderful its many health benefits are.

If you know anything about alternative health, or are knowledgeable about the natural health field, you'll know this is something that doesn't usually happen too often. Normally, conventional medicine supports the interventionist approach, not the preventative one.

Studies are often released by conventional medical sources on how vitamin supplements are worthless, and using herbal remedies are almost on a par with witchcraft. Sure, I'm exaggerating -- but only a bit!

Mind you, I'm not saying I agree with this. In fact, I think these studies are often biased and distorted, and if you follow the money trail, you'll see they're often funded by pharmaceutical interests. After all, if preventative healthcare took root in a big way, the demand for prescription drugs, which you basically only need when you already have a disease or disorder, would collapse. Hmmm.

In any event, it seems the evidence about omega 3's are so overwhelming that even most conventional medical practitioners will often recommend increasing their intake in the diet through foods or via supplementation.

Many health experts and researchers believe that omega 3 fat is the one essential nutrient most missing in our modern day diet. This deficiency is now believed to play a major role in why there is such rampant heart disease, cancers, and brain disorders.

Not surprisingly, studies have shown that many of these diseases and disorders improve when omega 3 supplementation is used.

But before we talk about specific conditions that may strongly benefit from the use of omega 3 supplementation, of which purified fish oils are the best source, I'd like to tell you briefly why omega 3's are so vital for good health to begin with.

The human body requires a tremendous amount of omega 3 fatty acids to function properly.

Our master organ, the one that controls our entire body, the brain, is made up of a tremendous amount of fat by weight. Most people don't know this. And a significant portion of this fat is the omega 3 fatty acid known as DHA, short for docosahexaenoic acid.

This means that nature intended the human brain to be "powered" by fats, so to speak, and if you don't have enough, your brain won't be able to run properly. Although it's not a perfect metaphor, it's somewhat like trying to run a car without fuel.

However, it's even worse, because whereas a car would simply not run, the human brain instead begins to suffer from ailments and diseases.

The Miracle of Omega 3 for Health

So, why do I, and so many others, consider omega 3 practically a health miracle?

Let's consider just some of the many conditions and disorders that it may help improve.

Brain Health

Deficiencies in omega 3 fats have been linked to: depression, anxiety, mood swings, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and ADD.

Millions upon millions of people suffer from just these conditions alone. Maybe even you do, or know a loved one who does.

Researchers from institutions as prestigious as the Harvard School of Public Health have shown some of these conditions will greatly improve with increased omega 3 fatty acid intake

Other studies have shown that even if you don't have any of these conditions, memory and focus can improve with consistent use of fish oil supplements.

Heart Health

Modern farming practices -- for both the meat and agricultural industries -- has made food a lot less nutritious than it used to be. One of the consequences is that foods that used to contain high levels of omega 3 fats are now a poor source.

In a nutshell, large scale farming raises meat for one purpose: profit. There's nothing wrong with profit per se, but when you are feeding millions of people, you want to raise the animals as fast as you can, make them as fat as you can, so you can produce as much meat as you can.

What this means it that the beef, chicken, lamb, etc., you name it, that you buy at the local grocery store is typically grain-fed and fattened meat. By contrast, it's the animals natural diet, like grass-grazing cattle and lamb that makes them such naturally rich sources of omega 3's. Once you force them to eat grain-based feed to fatten them up, their omega 3 content virtually disappears.

You've all heard the saying that you are what you eat. Well, animals are what they eat too. And if you eat the animals....then you are what they eat. And that is largely grains and corns.

What about fish? Unfortunately, fatty fish, the formerly best source of omega 3's, harbors many pollutants. And many of these are very dangerous, like PCB's, mercury, lead, and the like. This is simply due to industrial pollution that has accumulated in many of the oceans and waterways of the world.