GLA is a powerful nutritional tool that is commonly used to treat:

• Inflammation 
• Arthritic pain
• Eczema (atopic dermatitis) 

Although GLA is an omega-6 fat, it is one of the only ones that many people seem to benefit from by taking it in supplement form. It  is frequently the "secret" weapon in resolving eczema and many mystery rashes.

It is important to use GLA with a balanced amount of a high-quality omega-3 fish oil or, at this time of year, cod liver oil. They act synergistically to provide a potent anti-inflammatory combination.

If taken as a supplement, I personally prefer the ones made from evening primrose oil, but borage oil has a higher concentration of GLA, which means you need fewer capsules, and it tends to be less expensive.

However, it has been my experience that many experts insist on using evening primrose oil, even though it is more expensive, as it seems to provide better overall results. This may be related to the fact that these oils are not pure GLA but also have other oils. Nervonic acid is present in borage oil and may contribute to its lack of benefit relative to evening primrose oil.

Since cancer, not heart disease, is now the leading cause of death for most of us, this is an important issue. If you are interested in radically reducing your risk of developing cancer I would recommend the following:

1.      Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible. When your insulin levels are increased you will inhibit the action of an enzyme (delta-6 desaturase) that actually allows your body to produce GLA.

2.      Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats and make sure you use cod liver oil if you don't have regular access to sun exposure.

3.      Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

4.      Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. If you have regular access to sun exposure then you should use fish oil, not cod liver oil, as your primary source of omega-3 fats. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.

5.      Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

6.      Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

7.      Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type.

8.      Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight, and maintain an ideal body weight.

9.      Get enough high-quality sleep.

10.  Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

11.  Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.