Dr Johanna Budwig, a Nobel Prize winner seven different times, did some amazing research on the health benefits of flaxseed oil. She formed a correlation between cancer and oxygenation of the cells. With this, she created the Budwig diet for cancer patients.

She found that if you use a mixture of oil-protein from organic cold-pressed flaxseed oil and combined it with quark, which is a dairy product in Germany and similar to cottage cheese, it balanced the Omega 6 fatty acids in the body that occur in many diets in the Western world. The combination provided detoxification and gave the cells an extra spark to allow them more oxygen. The diet contained no sugar and many other organic foods but the key was the combination of flaxseed oil and cottage cheese.

Dr Budwig wrote many more books and articles and believed that while her theories proved to work, they would never be accepted by the vast majority of the medical community. In her estimation it was because you couldn't patent flaxseed oil or cottage cheese, these ingredients were too readily available.

She isn't the only scientist to praise the use of flaxseed oil. Others find that the essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, in the flaxseed oil might be beneficial for a number of other conditions which include heart disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, eczema and psoriasis.

Scientists do know, however, your body needs to maintain a balance between the amount of Omega 6 fatty acid and the amount of Omega 3 fatty acid. The flaxseed oil contains the Omega 3 fatty acid, which is normally lacking in most diets. The ideal ratio for the two is one part Omega 3 to 2 part of the Omega 6 acid. Unfortunately, most Western diets end up containing anywhere from 20 to 50 times more of the Omega 6 fatty acid. This affects the entire body, including the immune system.

Many studies show that the Omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed oil lowers the LDL, the bad cholesterol and triglycerides, while it raised the good, HDL, cholesterol. It also protected the body from high blood pressure and water retention. It also prevented the blood platelets from sticking together and clotting the arteries and increased the immune system function. Of course, with this came lowered potential of strokes, heart attack and thrombosis.

Athletes find that it shortens the muscle fatigue time after working out and increases their stamina. Sprains and bruises heal more rapidly when the individual takes flaxseed oil. Because it increases the energy output of the body, it also increases the potential for weight loss in people that have a hard time losing weight.

Flaxseed oil is also a beauty aid. Consumption of the oil strengthens the nails and aids the body in the absorption of calcium, necessary for teeth, hair, bones and nails. You'll see the world through a different set of eyes if you take flaxseed oil. It improves the eyesight and increases the perception of colors.

There are many other benefits attributed to flaxseed oil such as improved liver function, reduction of allergic reactions and asthma, help for PMS sufferers and even improved memory for the geriatric set. These and many more healthy benefits of flaxseed oil don't come from a doctor's prescription and that just may be the reason that you don't hear them recommended.