A Simple, Inexpensive Trick to Cure a Cold

Posted on May 17, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Each year Americans catch more than one billion colds, making the cold virus the most common infectious disease in the United States.

It accounts for more school absences and missed work than any other illness, and it’s the number one reason people visit their physicians — even though most physicians have little to offer in the form of treatment.

It’s a widespread misconception that colds are caused by bacteria. Colds are actually triggered by a virus, which means if your physician prescribes you an antibiotic, it will be absolutely useless.

More on this shortly, but before I delve into simple prevention and treatment strategies it’s important you know how colds are contracted in the first place.

How Do You Catch a Cold?

The most common way cold viruses are spread is not from being around coughing or sneezing, or walking barefoot in the rain, but rather from hand-to-hand contact. For instance, someone with a cold blows their nose then shakes your hand or touches surfaces that you also touch.

Cold viruses can live on pens, computer keyboards, coffee mugs and other objects for hours, so it’s easy to come into contact with such viruses during daily life.

However, the key to remember is that just being exposed to a cold virus does not have to mean that you’ll catch a cold. If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick.

If your immune system is impaired, on the other hand, it’s akin to having an open-door policy for viruses; they’ll easily take hold in your body. So the simple and short answer is, you catch a cold due to impairment in your immune system. There are many ways this can result, but the more common contributing factors are:

Eating too much sugar and too many grains
Not getting enough rest
Using insufficient strategies to address emotional stressors in your life
Vitamin D deficiency, as discussed below
Any combination of the above

Vitamin D Deficiency: Another Reason You May “Catch” a Cold

It’s estimated that the average U.S. adult typically has two to four colds each year, while children may have up to 12! One reason for the widespread prevalence may be that vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common in the United States, especially during the winter months when cold (and flu) viruses are at their peak.

Research has confirmed that “catching” colds and flu may actually be a symptom of an underlying vitamin D deficiency. Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

In the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date, involving about 19,000 Americans, people with the lowest vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu – and the risk was even greater for those with chronic respiratory disorders like asthma.

At least five additional studies also show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels, and you can read about them in detail here. But the research is very clear, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections.

It’s not surprising, then, that the average American gets so many colds each year, as current guidelines for optimal intake and normal vitamin D levels are far too low — and since most people do not get adequate sun exposure on a daily basis (which is what produces vitamin D in your skin) many are deficient. I strongly believe you could avoid colds and influenza entirely by maintaining your vitamin D level in the optimal range.

How Long Do Colds Last … and How Can You Make Your Cold Go Away Faster?

Most uncomplicated colds last between eight and nine days, but about 25 percent last two weeks, and 5-10 percent last three weeks. Even the most stubborn colds will typically resolve in a few weeks’ time; this is actually one of the ways you can distinguish a cold from allergies.

A cold will last, at most, a few weeks, but allergy symptoms can last all season.

How quickly you bounce back is typically defined by you and your collective lifestyle habits — and this does not mean popping over-the-counter cough and cold remedies or fever reducers. In fact, as long as your temperature remains below 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius) there is no need to lower it.

Cold viruses do not reproduce at higher body temperatures, so a slight fever should help you get rid of the virus quicker and help you to feel better much sooner.

You should avoid taking over-the-counter pain-relief medications as well, as a study showed that people who take aspirin and Tylenol (acetaminophen) suppress their body’s ability to produce antibodies to destroy the cold virus. Aspirin has even been linked to lung complications including pulmonary edema, an abnormal build up of fluid in your lungs, when taken in excess.

You should only use these medications when absolutely necessary, such as if you have a temperature greater than 105 degrees F (40.5 degrees C), severe muscle aches or weakness.

Hydrogen Peroxide: A Simple Trick to Beat a Cold

I don’t advise over-the-counter medications, but one simple treatment you can try that is surprisingly effective against upper respiratory infections is hydrogen peroxide.

Many patients at my Natural Health Center have had remarkable results in curing colds and flu within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation.

Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3 percent solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars or less. It is simply amazing how many people respond to this simple, inexpensive treatment.

So What Else Can You do to Recover From a Cold, Quicker … and Prevent One in the First Place?

As I said above, the number one way to conquer a cold (or flu) is vitamin D. Vitamin D is an amazingly effective antimicrobial agent, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. So optimizing your levels will not only help send a cold virus packing … it will help ward off cold viruses in the first place.

The best source for vitamin D is direct sun exposure. But for many of us, this just isn’t practical during the winter. The next best option to sunlight is the use of a safe indoor tanning device. If neither natural nor artificial sunlight is an option, then using oral vitamin D3 supplements is your best bet.

Based on the latest research, many experts now agree you need about 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. This recommendation also includes children, the elderly and pregnant women.

However, keep in mind that vitamin D requirements are highly individual, as your vitamin D status is dependent on numerous factors, such as the color of your skin, your location, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis. So, although these recommendations may put you closer to the ballpark of what most people likely need, it is simply impossible to make a blanket recommendation that will cover everyone’s needs.

The only way to determine your optimal dose is to get your blood tested. Ideally, you’ll want to maintain a vitamin D level of 50-65 ng/ml year-round.

For an in-depth explanation of everything you need to know before you get tested, please read my latest updates in Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.

Dietary Strategies to Kick a Cold

If you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu, this is NOT the time to be eating ANY sugar, artificial sweeteners or processed foods. Sugar is particularly damaging to your immune system — which needs to be ramped up, not suppressed, in order to combat an emerging infection.

So if you are fighting a cold, you’ll want to avoid all sugar like the plague, and this includes sugar in the form of fruit juice and even grains (which break down as sugar in your body).

Ideally, you must address nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress issues the moment you first feel yourself getting a bug. This is when immune-enhancing strategies will be most effective.

So when you’re coming down with a cold, it’s time to address ALL of the contributing factors immediately, which includes tweaking your diet in favor of foods that will strengthen your immune response. Good choices include:

Raw, grass-fed organic milk, and/or high-quality whey protein
Fermented foods such as raw kefir, kimchee, miso, pickles, sauerkraut, etc, which are rich in probiotics, or good bacteria. Scientific research shows that 80 percent of your immune system resides inside your digestive tract, so eating probiotic-rich foods, or taking a high-quality probiotic, will help support your immune system health.
Raw, organic eggs from free-ranging, preferably local, chickens
Grass-fed beef
Coconuts and coconut oil
Animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil
Locally grown fruits and vegetables, appropriate for your nutritional type
Mushrooms, especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake, which contain beta glucans (which have immune-enhancing properties)
Garlic, a potent antimicrobial that kills bacteria, viruses and fungi. Ideally this should be in fresh form, eaten raw and crushed with a spoon just before eating.
Herbs and spices with high ORAC scores: Turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, cloves (for more on ORAC, visit www.oracvalues.com)
Make sure you are drinking plenty of fresh, pure water. Water is essential for the optimal function of every system in your body and will help with nose stuffiness and loosening secretions. You should drink enough water so that your urine is a light, pale yellow.

And what about the old wives’ tale of chicken soup for your cold?

Chicken soup can help reduce your symptoms. Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily.

Processed, canned soups won’t work as well as the homemade version, however.

For best results, make up a fresh batch yourself (or ask a friend or family member to do so) and make the soup hot and spicy with plenty of pepper. The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in your mouth, throat, and lungs, which will help thin down the respiratory mucus so it’s easier to cough up and expel.

Three Cold-Busting Lifestyle Strategies

Vitamin D, check! Hydrogen peroxide, check! Healthy diet, check! We’ve covered several of the primary “weapons” you should have in your cold-fighting arsenal, but there are others, too.

High-Quality Sleep, and Plenty of It Pay attention to how you are sleeping. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or enough restorative sleep, you’ll be at increased risk for a hostile viral takeover. Your immune system is also the most effective when you’re not sleep-deprived, so the more rested you are the quicker you’ll recover. You can find 33 secrets for a good night’s sleep here.
Regular Exercise Regular exercise is a crucial strategy for increasing your resistance to illness. There is evidence that regular, moderate exercise can reduce your risk for respiratory illness by boosting your immune system. In fact, one study found that people who exercised regularly (five or more days a week) cut their risk of having a cold by close to 50 percent. And, in the event they did catch a cold, their symptoms were much less severe than among those who did not exercise.Exercise likely cuts your risk of colds so significantly because it triggers a rise in immune system cells that can attack any potential invaders. Each time you exercise you can benefit from this boost to your immune system.Ideally, establish a regular fitness program, such as Peak Fitness, now, to help you ward off colds and other illness.However, if you’re already feeling sick don’t overdo it. Over-exercising can actually place more stress on your body, which can suppress your immune system — and you don’t want that either. You might just go for a walk if you are coming down with a cold, or simply tone down your regular workout.Any rise in body temperature will be an unwelcome climate for a viral invader, though, so some exercise is likely to be beneficial.
Address Your Emotional Stress Emotional stressors can also predispose you to an infection while making cold symptoms worse. Finding ways to manage daily stress as well as your reactions to circumstances beyond your control will contribute to a strong and resilient immune system.My favorite tool for this is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a system that helps balance your body’s subtle energies and repair emotional “short-circuits.” EFT may even help you overcome cold symptoms.

Supplements That Send Pathogens Packin’

Supplements can be beneficial for colds, but they should be used only as an adjunct to the lifestyle measures already discussed.

Some of the more helpful options for cold (and flu) — above and beyond vitamin D — are:

Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools
Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response and even fight cancer.
A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.

Remember This Tip: Wash Your Hands Sensibly

Washing your hands frequently is one of the easiest ways to wipe out germs and viruses and reduce your chances of becoming sickened by them. Thorough hand-washing truly is an important step, as you are at far greater risk of passing on an infection by shaking someone’s hand than even by sharing a kiss.

One report even found that regular hand washing may be more effective than drugs in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza.

When you wash up, plain soap and water will do. Do not make the mistake of using antibacterial cleansers, as their widespread use is leading to strains of resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” which cause the ingredients to lose effectiveness for the times when they really are needed, such as for surgeons prior to surgery.

Further, the active ingredient in most antibacterial products is triclosan, an antibacterial agent that kills bacteria and inhibits bacterial growth. But not only does triclosan kill bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells.

Antibacterial soaps are also no more effective than regular soaps. One study found people who used antibacterial soaps and cleansersdeveloped a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms just as often as people who used products that did not contain antibacterial ingredients. So please avoid making the mistake of using antibacterial liquids and soaps.

Too Much Hand-Washing Can Backfire …

There is another important caveat to remember, and that is your skin is actually your primary defense against bacteria — not the soap.

So resist the urge to become obsessive about washing your hands. If you wash them too frequently you can actually extract many of the protective oils in your skin, which can cause your skin to crack and bleed.

It is rare for a germ on your skin to cause a problem — it is typically only an issue when you transfer that to your nose, mouth or an open wound like cracked skin. So obsessive-compulsive washing can actually increase your risk of getting sick by providing an entryway for potentially dangerous pathogens.

So mild to moderate washing is wise, but excessive washing, especially with harsh soaps, will actually be highly counterproductive.

Avoid the Antibiotics!

More than 300 different viruses can cause colds, so each time you have a cold it is caused by a distinct virus (i.e. adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, coronavirus). A virus is much smaller than a bacteria; it is a tiny cluster of genetic material surrounded by a protein wrapper.

There are currently NO drugs available that can kill these viruses. Antibiotics, including penicillin, do not have any effect on viruses, but unfortunately have been vastly over-prescribed for this very (useless) purpose. That, coupled with the excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture, has contributed to a steep rise in antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Antibiotic-resistant infections now claim more lives each year than the “modern plague” of AIDS, and cost the American health care system some $20 billion a year!

Further, according to one meta-analysis, the health risk from over-use of antibiotics is also a very personal one, as opposed to simply raising the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the general population over time.

Whenever you use an antibiotic, you’re increasing your susceptibility to developing infections with resistance to that antibiotic — and you can become the carrier of this resistant bug, and spread it to others.

So please, if you have a simple cold remember that an antibiotic will do far more harm than good.

When Should You Call Your Physician?

Sinus, ear and lung infections (bronchitis and pneumonia) are examples of bacterial infections that do respond to antibiotics. If you develop any of the following symptoms, these are signs you may be suffering from a bacterial infection rather than a cold virus, and you should call your physician’s office:

Fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius)
Ear pain
Pain around your eyes, especially with a green nasal discharge
Shortness of breath or a persistent uncontrollable cough
Persistently coughing up green and yellow sputum

Generally speaking, however, if you have a cold medical care is not necessary. Rest and attention to the lifestyle factors noted above will help you to recover quickly and, if you stick to them, will significantly reduce your chances of catching another one anytime soon.

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The Toxin So Dangerous It’s Causing Catastrophic Birth Defects

Posted on May 16, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Roundup Ready soy is now being cultivated on a massive scale across the globe, along with the exponentially increasing use of the herbicide Roundup. Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” soy beans are genetically modified to survive otherwise lethal doses of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the company’s herbicide Roundup.

It’s a win-win for Monsanto. But it’s a loss for just about everyone else.

One of the countries most affected by genetically engineered soy is Argentina, whose population is being sickened by massive spraying of herbicides across the country’s Pampas (the country’s “fertile plain”).

Argentina’s Pampas used to be dotted with dairy and vegetable farms, but now, large-scale soybean monoculture blankets most of their cultivated land, making them especially susceptible to the damaging effects of genetically engineered soy. The impact can be better appreciated by considering the following statistics:

Soy is the main income source for landowners and the state—soybeans are considered a “gold mine” by Argentinians; soy exports generate 16,000 million dollars a year
The area cultivated with soy has reached 19 million hectares, representing 56 percent of Argentina’s cultivated land
98 percent of Argentina’s soybean production is genetically modified.
190 million liters of glyphosate (the active agent in Roundup) are sprayed in Argentina annually, which is leading to not only illness among the population but to widespread deforestation, as trees are among the victims these herbicides leave in their wake of destruction.

Soya burgers are a staple of today’s Argentinian diet. Argentinian children were consuming so much genetically engineered soy that they began developing breasts from the estrogenic effects, before authorities stepped in with warnings. Studies also strongly suggest that the glyphosate that these crops are doused with can cause cancer and birth deformities; both of which are occurring at increasing rates in areas where spraying is done. Sterility and miscarriages are also increasing. Experts warn that in 10 to 15 years, rates of cancer, infertility and endocrine dysfunction could reach catastrophic levels in Argentina. But few people are listening.

“It’s Food for Today, Hunger and Cancer for Tomorrow”

The immediate symptoms are always the same for Argentinian bystanders in the spray zone: dizziness, allergic reactions and itching, mouth swelling, and general malaise that’s similar to the feeling of coming down with the flu. People are warned to stay inside when spraying is underway, but they report getting sick in spite of this confinement.

When those affected visit their physicians, they’re told it’s “all in their heads.” Authorities also turn a deaf ear—as does the government when it’s presented with scientific evidence of the dangerous effects of Monsanto’s products for their people and environment. Fortunately, increasing numbers of scientists are now starting to speak out. For example, the engineers’ school in Santiago del Estero announced that chemicals are causing 100 babies to be born with deformities every year. One of the most influential studies was conducted by one of Argentina’s leading scientists, Andres Carrasco, who works in Argentina’s Ministry of Science.

Andrés Carrasco Attacked for Exposing the Truth

Embryonic specialist Andres Carrasco decided to investigate the health effects of glyphosate for himself after hearing so many reports by desperate peasant and indigenous communities who were suffering from exposure to toxic herbicides. According to Dr. Carrasco, his studies show glyphosate exposure can cause defects in the brain, intestines, and hearts of amphibian fetuses, and these results can be applied to humans. Moreover, the amount of Roundup used on genetically engineered soy fields was as much as 1,500 times greater than that which created the defects.

According to an article in Grain, the biotech industry “mounted an unprecedented attack on Carrasco, ridiculing his research and even issuing personal threats.” In addition, four men arrived unannounced at his laboratory and were extremely aggressive, attempting to interrogate Carrasco and obtain details of his study.

“It was a violent, disproportionate, dirty reaction,” he said. “I hadn’t even discovered anything new, only confirmed conclusions that others had reached.”

The conclusions to which Carrasco is referring are those from independent researchers who have found strong evidence glyphosatecauses the following:

Carrasco’s and others’ work point to the fact that the public, in Argentina and elsewhere, is being subject to a massive biological experiment involving the effects of genetic manipulation of the food supply. Genetically engineered food products have NEVER been tested for safety—so the long-term effects are largely unknown. The warnings science has provided demand a thorough investigation into just how much glyphosate human beings and animals can safely ingest. At present, no such investigation has taken place, and most regulatory agencies choose instead to rely in industry studies claiming glyphosate is safe.

Roundup has been shown to be lethal to amphibians. Are we next? Where is the tipping point for the human race? How much more can we tolerate in the adulteration of our food supply?

Why We MUST Insist on Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods

Labeling may be the only way to stop the proliferation of genetically engineered foods in the U.S., but simple petitions will likely fail. We strongly support state initiatives, such as California’s ballot initiative to require labeling for genetically engineered foods sold in their state.

Many don’t fully appreciate the strategy of seeking to have genetically engineered foods labeled in California. The belief is that large food companies would refuse to have dual labeling; one for California and another for the rest of the country. It would be very expensive, not to mention a logistical nightmare. To avoid the dual labeling, many would likely opt to not use genetically engineered ingredients in their product, especially if the new label would be the equivalent of a skull and crossbones. This is why we are so committed to this initiative, as victory here will likely eliminate most genetically engineered foods from the US.

Powerful confirmation of this belief occurred in early 2012 when both Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Inc. chose to alter one of their soda ingredients as a result of California’s labeling requirements for carcinogens:

“Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label. The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. They’ve already been made for drinks sold in California.”

This is a PERFECT example of the national impact a California labeling law can, and no doubt WILL, have. While California is the only state requiring the label to state that the product contains the offending ingredient, these companies are switching their formula for the entire US market, rather than have two different labels. According to USA Today:

“A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods. “While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step so that our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning,” Garza-Giarlante said in an email.”

Learn More about Genetically Engineered Foods

Due to lack of labeling, many Americans are still unfamiliar with what genetically engineered foods are. We have a plan to change that, and I urge you to participate and to continue learning more about genetically engineered foods and helping your friends and family do the same.

To start, please print out and use the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, created by the Institute for Responsible Technology. Share it with your friends and family, and post it to your social networks. You can also download a free iPhone application, available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

Your BEST strategy, however, is to simply buy USDA 100% Organic products whenever possible, (as these do not permit genetically engineered ingredients) or buy whole fresh produce and meat from local farmers. The majority of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) you’re exposed to are via processed foods, so by cooking from scratch with whole foods, you can be sure you’re not inadvertently consuming something laced with altered ingredients. When you do purchase processed food, avoid products containing anything related to corn or soy that are not 100 percent organic, as any foods containing these two non-organic ingredients are virtuallyguaranteed to contain genetically engineered ingredients, as well as toxic herbicide residues.

To learn more about genetically engineered foods, I highly recommend the following films and lectures:

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Courts Slaps FDA and FTC for Unjustified Attacks

Posted on May 7, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Did you know it’s currently illegal for a food or supplement producer to tell you about their products’ scientifically proven health benefits?

As unbelievable as it sounds, a person can be thrown in jail for telling you the walnuts they grow may slow down the growth of prostate tumors, or cherries ease symptoms of arthritis and gout, even though this is truthful, accurate and helpful information for a consumer to know.

This is why a case that was recently heard before U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa L. Bryant could turn out to be a landmark event, as she ruled that the “FDA went too far” in censoring health claims related to green tea and cancer.

FDA Wording Too Strong, “Effectively Negates” Qualified Health Claims

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows food and supplement manufacturers to use a qualified health claim (QHC) when “there is emerging evidence for a relationship between a food, food component, or dietary supplement and reduced risk of a disease or health-related condition.”

However, because the evidence is still emerging, the FDA requires “qualifying language” to be included with the claim “to indicate that the evidence supporting the claim is limited.” In the case of Fleminger, Inc., which sells green tea and filed a health claim petition in 2004 to highlight green tea’s anti-cancer properties, the FDA suggested that this disclaimer be added to the health claim:

“FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk” of breast cancer or prostate cancer.

Obviously, this essentially contradicts the health claim.

So, in 2010 (after a petition to review the FDA’s disclaimer was denied), the FDA threatened to seize Fleminger’s products if they did not use the exact disclaimer above.

Eventually the FDA sent a revised claim, which still negated the point of the health claim:

“Green tea may reduce the risk of breast or prostate cancer. FDA does not agree that green tea may reduce the risk because there is very little scientific evidence for the claim.”

This is a major win for natural food and supplement producers alike, as the FDA is being required to revise the disclaimer so as not to negate the health claim being made. At this point, Fleminger took the case to court, where Judge Bryant ruled:

“The FDA’s language “effectively negates the substance–disease relationship claim altogether….There are less burdensome ways in which the FDA could indicate in a short, succinct and accurate disclaimer that it has not approved the claim without nullifying the claim altogether.”

Why Can’t Foods Have Truthful Health Claims on Their Labels?

This is perhaps the underlying question: why must manufacturers petition the FDA to make truthful, science-based health claims in the first place and then have them subjected to disclaimers? This is a serious waste of tax dollars – not to mention an assault on your freedom of access to information (and for the manufacturers, on their freedom of speech).

The fact is, QHCs are currently the only way that companies can make truthful health claims about natural foods or supplements. However, they are not easy to come by (the FDA approved only 12 QHCs from 1999 to 2010). Under current FDA law, if a food or natural supplement makes a medical claim without a QHC, it’s automatically classified as a drug. The Alliance for Natural Health explains:

“Outside of QHCs, food and supplements are not allowed to speak of the specific health benefits of their products because the FDA takes the position that any such statement magically turns them into drugs. And, as drugs, they would have to go through exorbitantly expensive drug trials, a cost which the manufacturer could never recoup, since food and supplements are natural products and cannot be patented. Without a patent, anyone can sell them, so paying as much as a billion dollars for a drug trial is essentially money down the drain.”

Believe it or not, the FDA recently sent a warning letter to Diamond Food for making truthful, science-backed health claims about the omega-3 fats in walnuts. But because the research cited health claims that omega-3 fats in walnuts may prevent or protect against disease, the FDA said walnuts would be considered “new drugs” and as such would require a new drug application to become FDA-approved.

The FDA’s current position is that foods such as walnuts, cherries, broccoli, turmeric, green tea and the like should be subjected to the full FDA approval process. But obtaining a new drug application, as the FDA suggests, can cost billions of dollars. And let’s face it – small food and supplement producers cannot come close to affording that!

In related news, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also suffered a loss in its efforts to hold Garden of Life, the marketer of various dietary supplements, in contempt of a previous consent order. The FTC alleged that Garden of Life violated the order by making false and baseless claims about its vitamin C and omega-3 fat based products, but the court ruled that the FTC had failed to prove that any of the challenged claims violated the consent order. It’s a small win, but it could have major repercussions for other natural supplement makers who are being unjustly attacked by the FTC or another government agency.

Experts Challenge FDA over Approval for New Dose of Alzheimer’s Drug

It’s ironic that the FDA comes down so hard on truthful health claims about green tea or walnuts, but seemingly gives drug companies carte blanche when it comes to bringing new products to market. Case in point, with its patent set to expire in November 2010, Donepezil, a blockbuster Alzheimer’s drug with over $2 billion in annual sales in the United States, submitted a new dosage for FDA approval.

Four months before the patent expired, the FDA approved the new dose, even though 5 mg and 10 mg doses were already on the market (though set to go generic soon).

The approval also went against the advice of the FDA’s own medical and statistical reviewers and was contrary to scientific evidence, which showed the drug offered “no meaningful added benefit, just more harm.” In fact, a 2010 report published in the journal Seizure found that of the 71,471 adverse drug reactions classified as convulsive events reported by the World Health Organization between 1968-2006 donepezil alone accounted for 8.4% of them, indicating that the drug is not only unsafe but that an increased dosage scheme would likely only cause more seizures in exposed populations.

Adding insult to injury, advertisements for the drug made misleading claims that the higher dose led to important clinical benefits on measures of cognition and overall function, a statement professors Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin of the Center for Medicine and the Media at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice called “stunningly erroneous.” In a BMJ commentary titled “How the FDA Forgot the Evidence …,” the professors detail the more likely reason why the 23 mg dose was approved:

“What is the difference between 20 and 23? If you said three, you are off by millions—of dollars in sales, that is—at least from the perspective of Eisai, the manufacturer of donepezil (marketed as Aricept by Pfizer).

A little context helps make the math clearer. Donepezil, the biggest player in the lucrative market for Alzheimer’s disease treatments, was a blockbuster, with over $2B in annual sales in the United States alone. But the drug, first approved in 1996, had reached the end of the road: the patent expired in November 2010.

Investors call this “going over the cliff,” an anxious reference to plummeting sales as market share is lost to generic competitors. Necessity, however, is the mother of invention. Just four months before the expiry of the patent, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new dose for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease: donepezil 23 mg. Is 23 an odd number? Not really, when you consider that you cannot get to 23 mg using the 5 mg and 10 mg doses that were going generic. The “new” 23 mg product would be patent protected for three more years.”

Support HR 1364 for Free Speech About Science

As unbelievable as it sounds, current law makes it illegal for natural supplement and food producers to share accurate, science-based health information with you.

Congressmen Jason Chaffetz (R–UT) and Jared Polis (D–CO) have introduced the Free Speech about Science Act (HR 1364), a landmark legislation that would allow the flow of legitimate scientific and educational information. The new bill provides a limited and carefully targeted change to FDA regulations so that manufacturers and producers may reference legitimate, peer-reviewed scientific studies without converting a natural food or dietary supplement into an “unapproved drug.” According to Rep. Chaffetz’s website, the provisions of HR 1364 do the following:

Allow dietary supplements and healthy foods to cite legitimate scientific research
Provide a clear definition of the types of research that may be referenced by growers and manufacturers
Ensure that referencing such research does not convert a food or dietary supplement into an “unapproved (and therefore illegal) new drug”
Retain the authority of FDA and FTC to pursue any fraudulent and misleading statements

According to Rep. Chaffetz:

“It is important for individuals and families to take charge of their personal health by making the right decisions to get and stay healthy. This includes accessing information so that individuals can adjust habits, eat healthfully, and take appropriate dietary supplements to prevent and even treat health conditions.

The Free Speech About Science Act helps insure their access to legitimate scientific research to make the necessary decisions to improve their personal health and the health of their families.”

Rep. Polis adds:

“Today’s science has shown that vitamins and nutritional supplements can offer successful, natural alternatives to drugs. As we begin to reform our nation’s healthcare system, supplements are an innovative way to help reduce costs.

The Free Speech About Science Act is a common sense act that will make it easier for doctors and consumers to learn about the cheaper, healthier alternatives to costly medicines that food and nutritional supplements provide.”

As of April 2012, HR 1364 was assigned to a congressional committee, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee, so we need your help.

Please lend HR 1364 your support by signing on as a co-sponsor TODAY.

Use the Alliance for Natural Health’s HR 1364 page to send a letter to your representative in support of this bill. And forward or post this article to all of your friends and loved ones who care about their health and their right to full information so they can make an intelligent choice in their health care decisions. With your combined influence we can be a powerful force for much-needed change.

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Vegan Centenarian at 100+ Years Old

Posted on May 3, 2012 by andreas m

Source: Centenarian Vegan Longevity & the truth

VEGAN CENTENARIAN at 100+ YEARS OLD Credits her Healthy Vegetarian Diet for her Great Longevity

Centenarian Vegan Alive & Well at 108 credits her Vegan Diet for her long healthy life.

A Vegan woman Loreen Dinwiddie is celebrating her 108th Birthday as the oldest in Multnomah County, and may even be the oldest in her entire state.

A centenarian is a person who has accomplished living to over 100+ years old. A SuperCentenarian is the rarest of all, and is a person whose longevity has reached 110 years of age.

Strong and fit, her skin glows and due to her plant-based vegan diet she has hardly any of the wrinkles that you would expect for a person of her age. She eats no meat. And enjoys the wonderful tastes of fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables, and plant-based seasonings and spices.

As yet another documented Vegan Centenarian, she attributes her youthfulness and good health to her balanced vegan diet and says it has been instrumental at keeping her feeling youthful and wonderful all these years.

And another woman who stays young because of living on only plants foods:

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The Hidden Reason You Get Flabby (Not Calories or Lack of Exercise)

Posted on May 2, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Diet myths abound in the health industry, but one of the biggest myths of all is the idea that a calorie is a calorie, no matter where you get it from, or what the chemical or nutritional makeup of it is.

If you care about your health and are truly working to keep your weight down, then you need to know the truth about calories as well as the substances that distort how calories work in your body.

For example, sugar is one of the major health topics in the news these days, with “sugar is sugar” news updates, ads, and counter-ads.

Now, a new video, the “Skinny on Obesity”, presents a chilling awakening on weight, weight gain, and chronic diseases like dementia, cancer, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Watch it, and you may never look the same way at sugar or calories again. Your body actually treats sugar in the same way it treats alcohol and other toxins. This is in large part how sugars can damage your liver and other organs, and why Dr. Lustig refers to sugar as a toxin. I recently wrote about this at length in the article, Is Sugar Toxic?

Obesity Goes Beyond Aesthetics

While many still shrug at the notion of obesity being anything but an aesthetic issue, this simply isn’t a truthful evaluation of the situation. The obesity epidemic threatens not only the health and longevity of a clear majority of people, it also adds a tremendous burden to our health care system. As Dr. Lustig explains in part 1 above, the eight primary diseases related to metabolic dysfunction account for a staggering 75 percent of the healthcare costs in the US.

These diseases include:

The four diseases listed on the top row are conventionally associated with metabolic syndrome. However, as stated by Dr. Lustig, several other diseases fall within this scope as well—which are listed in the bottom row. He also explains that while obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome and all of these diseases, obesity is not the CAUSE of them; it is simply a marker. Rather, the underlying cause is metabolic dysfunction, and excessive sugar/fructose consumption is a primary driver of that.

According to Dr. Lustig, 20 percent of obese people have perfectly normal metabolic functioning, and the excess weight will not affect their overall lifespan. Ditto for 60 percent of normal-weight people. However, the MAJORITY of obese people—about 80 percent of them—do not have normal metabolic function, and 40 percent of normal-weight people also suffer from metabolic dysfunction, and are therefore prone to these obesity-related diseases… All in all, metabolic dysfunction affects a clear majority of Americans.

But why?

What’s the Cause of Rampant Metabolic Dysfunction?

One dogma that has contributed to the ever-worsening health of the Western world is the belief that “a calorie is a calorie.” This is one of the first things dieticians learn in school. Unfortunately, this is completely FALSE… Another dogmatic belief that simply isn’t true is the idea that obesity is the end result of eating too much and exercising too little; i.e. consuming more calories than you’re expending. This has led to the view that obese people are simply “lazy.”

But as Dr. Lustig points out, there are societal forces at work that go beyond personal responsibility. An increasing number of infants are now obese, and “laziness” is certainly not a label that can easily be affixed to a developing infant. These societal forces include:

As mentioned in the featured video above, the societal changes over the past 60 years or so have created what amounts to a perfect storm; a confluence of dramatically altered food environment combined with reduced physical exertion and increased exposure to, and consumption of, a wide array of industrial- and agricultural chemicals that have a detrimental impact on the human biochemistry.

Among the dramatic changes to our food supply is the extensive use of sugar, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is added to virtually all processed foods. And this is where the fallacy of “a calorie is a calorie” comes into play, because a calorie from fat does not impact your body in the same way a calorie from fructose does.

One Calorie Can Be Vastly Different from Another…

According to Dr. Robert Lustig, fructose is ‘isocaloric but not isometabolic.” This means you can have the same amount of calories from fructose or glucose, fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, but the metabolic effect will be entirely different despite the identical calorie count. This is largely because different nutrients provoke different hormonal responses, and those hormonal responses determine, among other things, how much fat you accumulate.

The average American consumes 1/3 of a pound of sugar a day. That’s five ounces or 150 grams, half of which is fructose, which is 300 percent more than the amount that will trigger biochemical havoc. And many Americans consume more than twice that amount! Thanks to the excellent work of researchers like Dr. Robert Lustig, as well as Dr. Richard Johnson, we now know that fructose:

Is metabolized differently from glucose, with the majority being turned directly into fat
Tricks your body into gaining weight by fooling your metabolism, as it turns off your body’s appetite-control system. Fructose does not appropriately stimulate insulin, which in turn does not suppress ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) and doesn’t stimulate leptin (the “satiety hormone”), which together result in your eating more and developing insulin resistance.
Rapidly leads to weight gain and abdominal obesity (“beer belly”), decreased HDL, increased LDL, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure—i.e., classic metabolic syndrome.
Over time leads to insulin resistance, which is not only an underlying factor of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but also many cancers.

This is why the idea that you can lose weight by counting calories simply doesn’t work. After fructose, other sugars and grains are likely the most excessively consumed food that promotes weight gain and chronic disease. This also includes food items that are typically viewed as healthy, such as fruit juice or even large amounts of high fructose fruits. What needs to be understood is that when consumed in large amounts, these items will also adversely affect your insulin, which is a crucially potent fat regulator. So yes, drinking large amounts of fruit juice on a daily basis can contribute to weight gain… In short, you do not get fat because you eat too many calories and don’t exercise enough. You get fat because you eat the wrong kind of calories. As long as you keep eating fructose and grains, you’re programming your body to create and store fat.

Replacing Sugars with Healthy Fats is Key for Reversing Metabolic Syndrome

I believe there are two primary dietary recommendations that, if widely implemented, could help reverse our current disease trend in short order:

Severely restricting carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, and grains), and
Increasing healthy fat consumption

While health authorities insist that sugar is fine “in moderation,” and that grains are an essential part of a healthy diet and can actually help you prevent heart disease, they fail to take into consideration that:

Fructose is the NUMBER ONE source of calories in the US. An ingredient that is found in virtually all processed foods cannot be considered “moderate.” Even most infant formulas contain the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, which helps explain how six-month old babies can be obese
Refined carbohydrates (breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles etc) quickly breaks down to sugar, increase your insulin levels, and cause insulin resistance, which is the number one underlying factor of nearly every chronic disease known to man, including heart disease

Your Body NEEDS Fats for Optimal Function

Fats in general are considered the dietary villains, especially saturated fat, which many people still claim will increase your risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. However, this is simply untrue. The only really dangerous fat out there is trans fat (margarine, vegetable oils). Saturated fats are actually vital for optimal health as they are:

When cutting down on carbs, you generally need to increase your intake of healthy (ideally organic, unprocessed and minimally heated ) saturated fats. Both carbs and fats are sources of energy, but saturated fat is actually the preferred fuel for your heart. Another metabolic bonus is that fat does not raise your insulin levels, whereas carbs do. However, it’s important to recognize the difference between grain carbs and vegetable carbs.

If you want to lower your insulin levels and reduce fat accumulation, reduce the amount of grains and sugars you eat; NOT your vegetables. In fact, you actually need to radically increase the amount of vegetables you eat when you cut grains, as by volume grains are far denser than vegetables. As for healthy fats, good sources include:

Keep in mind that olive oil should not be used for cooking. Instead, use coconut oil for cooking, frying and baking, and save the olive oil for salad dressing. Another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. For more information about omega-3′s and the best sources of this fat, please review my previous article:Are You Getting the Right Type of Omega-3 Fats?

How Much Fructose is Too Much?

As a general recommendation, I suggest keeping your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, with a maximum of 15 grams from whole fruit. The table at the bottom of this page can help you calculate your fructose from fruit consumption. However, if you have ANY of the following health issues, then you’ll want to be very careful to limit fructose to just 15 grams per day or less, and this includes fructose from whole fruit. Ideally you’ll want to avoid ALL sources of fructose until your insulin stabilizes, and then proceed with caution.

High uric acid, in particular, is a potent marker for fructose toxicity, so if your levels are above:

4 mg/dl for men
3.5 mg/dl for women

… then you would be wise to avoid all forms of fructose until your levels have normalized—just as you would with high insulin levels. Here’s a quick reference list of some of the most common fruits that you can use to help you count your fructose grams:

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The Oil that May Help Relieve Arthritis, Sciatica and Back Pain

Posted on April 30, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Folk healers around the world have used castor oil to treat a wide variety of ailments.You are probably aware that castor oil is regarded by some as a remedy for constipation.

But you may not be aware of its reported use as an antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal, or that it has been used topically to treat a variety of skin conditions, reduce pain, and stimulate your immune system.

Read on, because I’m about to explore the myth and mystery of this unusual oil, and of course, investigate what modern science has to say about it.

However, regardless of what some of the research has suggested, you should be very cautious when experimenting with castor oil since the science is sparse at best, and there are several known reports of unpleasant side effects experienced by some users.

History of the Castor Seed: Ricinus Communis

Castor oil comes from the castor seed, Ricinus communis, which has a very unusual chemical composition.

Castor oil is a triglyceride, comprised of fatty acids, 90 percent of which is ricinoleic acid.

This unique fatty acid is found in lower concentrations in a few other seeds and oils (0.27 percent in cottonseed oil and 0.03 percent in soybean oil) and is thought to be responsible for castor oil’s unique healing properties.

The castor seed plant is native to India.

Centuries ago, the plant was referred to as “Palma Christe” because the leaves were said to resemble the hand of Christ.

This association likely arose out of people’s reverence for the plant’s healing abilities.

It was later adopted for medicinal use in Ancient Egypt, China, Persia, Africa, Greece, Rome, and eventually in 17^th Century Europe and the Americas. Castor oil is now widely used in industry. The stem of the plant is used in the textile industry, particularly in Russia, where castor oil is known as “Kastorka.” The oil has a very consistent viscosity and won’t freeze, which makes it ideal for lubricating equipment in severely cold climates.

Modern non-medicinal uses for castor oil include:

Food additive and flavoring agent
Mold inhibitor
Ingredient in skin care products and cosmetics (lipstick, shampoo, soap, and others)
Used in the manufacturing of plastics, rubbers, synthetic resins, fibers, paints, varnishes, lubricants, sealants, dyes, and leather treatments; the lubricants company Castrol took its name from castor oil

Castor oil was first used as an aircraft lubricant in World War I. So, castor oil has a number of handy industrial uses. But did you know that the castor seeds from which castor oil is made can be DEADLY?

Part of the Castor Seed Heals—But Another Part Kills!

The potent toxin ricin is made from a protein in the castor seeds that, if ingested (orally, nasally, or injected), gets into the ribosomes of your cells where it prevents protein synthesis, which kills the cells. Ricin is made from the “mash” that is left over after processing castor seeds into oil. Just 1 milligram of ricin is fatal if inhaled or ingested, and much less than that if injected. Eating just 5 to 10 castor seeds would be fatal.

Once poisoned, there’s no antidote, which is why ricin has been used as a chemical warfare agent. Even though such a toxic component is also derived from this seed, castor oil isn’t considered dangerous.

According to the International Journal of Toxicology’s Final Report on Castor Oil, you don’t have to worry about castor oil being contaminated by ricin, because ricin does not “partition” into the castor oil. Castor oil has been added to cosmetic products for many years, without incident. For example, castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil were reportedly used in 769 and 202 cosmetic products, respectively, in 2002.

The U.S. FDA gives castor oil a “thumbs up,” deeming it “generally regarded as safe and effective” for use as a stimulant laxative. The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/ World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives has established an acceptable daily castor oil intake of up to 0.7 mg/kg body weight. This amounts to, roughly, one tablespoon for adults and one teaspoon for children. Taking castor oil orally usually results in a “purging” of the digestive tract in about four to six hours.

According to the International Castor Oil Association, castor oil studies in which people were dosed with castor oil at dietary concentrations as high as 10 percent for 90 days did not produce any ill effects.

In spite of the fact that U.S. FDA and the International Castor Oil Association have pronounced castor oil to be safe, if you are going to try it, as I’ve mentioned previously, proceed with extreme caution because a number of negative side effects have been reported.

Castor Oil is NOT without Side Effects

Castor oil’s main side effects fall into the categories of skin reactions and gastrointestinal upset, which isn’t terribly surprising given the agent’s actions on your intestinal wall.

Castor oil is broken down by your small intestine into ricinoleic acid, which acts as an irritant to your intestinal lining. This effect is what gives castor oil the ability to reverse constipation—but it’s also the reason that some people report digestive discomfort, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal side effects. If you suffer from cramps, irritable bowel, ulcers, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, colitis, prolapses, or have recently undergone surgery, you should probably avoid castor oil due to these possible adverse reactions.

Although castor oil has been traditionally used to help stimulate labor in healthy pregnant women, there are widespread reports of nausea, including one study in 2001 that found nausea to be almost universally experienced by these women.

A Home Remedy that’s Survived for Millennia

Adverse effects notwithstanding, Indians would traditionally boil seed kernels or hulls in milk and water, and then consume the brew to relieve arthritis, lower back pain, and sciatica. According to Williams’ article, castor seed plants are widely used in India for all sorts of medical problems, including the following:

Constipation
Dysentery
Inflammatory bowel disease
Bladder and vaginal infections
Asthma

Canary Islanders made poultices from the leaves of the castor plant to treat gynecological problems. Nursing mothers applied these poultices to their breasts to increase milk secretion and relieve inflammation of their mammary glands, and applied the poultice to their abdomens to promote normal menstruation. The topical absorption of castor oil is the basis for more modern “castor oil packs,” which I’ll be discussing later in detail.

Modern Medicinal Uses for Castor Oil

In general, the reported medicinal uses of castor oil fall into the following five general categories:

Gastrointestinal remedy
Antimicrobial (antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal)
Labor stimulant
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic
Immune system and lymphatic stimulant

The oil’s benefits can be derived by topical application, and it appears to be useful for a variety of skin conditions like keratosis, dermatosis, wound healing, acne, ringworm, warts and other skin infections, sebaceous cysts, itching, and even hair loss. Castor oil and ricinoleic acid also enhance the absorption of other agents across your skin.

And castor oil shows some promise in the treatment of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society :

“Oncologists now use castor oil as a vehicle for delivering some chemotherapy drugs to cancerous tumors. A special formula of castor oil called Cremophor EL is used as a carrier for paclitaxel, a drug used to treat metastatic breast cancer and other tumors. Unfortunately, the vehicle sometimes causes problems of its own, including allergic reactions. This has prompted a search for substitute carriers.”

They also report that early clinical trials suggest that ricin, when combined with an antibody to confine this poison to malignant cells, shrinks tumors in lymphoma patients. In fact, castor oil has been reportedly used to treat all of the following conditions listed below. While I certainly cannot attest to castor oil’s efficacy for all of these conditions (as there is not enough research to date), I list them here as a way to illustrate the wide array of possibilities.

Studies Support Castor Oil’s Efficacy as an Antimicrobial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Immunostimulant

While castor oil has been thoroughly investigated for its industrial use, only a minimal amount of research has been directed toward its medicinal benefits. That said, the healing properties of castor oil appear to have survived countless generations of scrutiny.

I believe it has enough history behind it to at least warrant greater scientific exploration, and perhaps a little careful at-home experimentation on your own. Oftentimes, modern day scientific studies end up validating thousands of years of “folklore.” Castor oil studies are hard to track down, but I did find a few notable ones, which I have summarized in the table below.

Castor Oil May Promote Healing by Boosting Your Lymphatic System

One of the more compelling health benefits, if true, is castor oil’s support of your immune system. And this healing property does not require you ingest the oil, but only apply it externally.

The benefits of castor oil packs were popularized by the late psychic healer Edgar Cayce, and then later researched by primary care physician William McGarey of Phoenix, Arizona, a follower of Cayce’s work and the author of The Oil That Heals. McGarey reported that, when used properly, castor oil packs improve the function of your thymus gland and other components of your immune system. More specifically, he found in two separate studies that patients using abdominal castor oil packs had significant increases in lymphocyte production compared to placebo packs.

Lymphocytes are your immune system’s disease-fighting cells and are produced and stored mainly in your lymphatic tissue (thymus gland, spleen, and lymph nodes). Hundreds of miles of lymphatic tubules allow waste to be collected from your tissues and transported to your blood for elimination, a process referred to as lymphatic drainage. When your lymphatic system is not working properly, waste and toxins can build up and make you sick.

Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease.

This is where castor oil comes in. When castor oil is absorbed through your skin (according to Cayce and McGarey), your lymphocyte count increases. Increased lymphocytes speed up the removal of toxins from your tissues, which promotes healing.

Castor Oil Packs a Punch, Topically

Castor oil “packs” can be an economical and efficient method of infusing the ricinoleic acid and other healing components of castor oil directly into your tissues. You would be wise to do a “patch test” prior to applying a castor oil pack to make sure you aren’t allergic to the oil.

There are several ways to use castor oil topically. You can simply rub castor oil onto an affected area of your skin. Or, you can affix a Band-Aide soaked in castor oil if only a very small area needs to be treated. For larger or more systemic applications, it can be used as massage oil, which is reported especially effective when applied along your spinal column, massaged along your lymphatic drainage pathways. But the coup de grace of castor oil therapy is the “castor oil pack.”

To make a castor oil pack, you will need the following supplies:

High quality cold-pressed castor oil (see last section of this article)
A hot water bottle or heating pad
Plastic wrap, sheet of plastic, or plastic garbage bag
Two or three one-foot square pieces of wool or cotton flannel, or one piece large enough to cover the entire treatment area when folded in thirds
One large old bath towel

Below are instructions for making and using a castor oil pack (courtesy of Daniel H. Chong, ND):

Fold flannel three layers thick so it is still large enough to fit over your entire upper abdomen and liver, or stack the three squares.
Soak flannel with the oil so that it is completely saturated. The oil should be at room temperature.
Lie on your back with your feet elevated (using a pillow under your knees and feet works well), placing flannel pack directly onto your abdomen; cover oiled flannel with the sheet of plastic, and place the hot water bottle on top of the plastic.
Cover everything with the old towel to insulate the heat. Take caution not to get the oil on whatever you are laying on, as it can stain. If necessary, cover that surface with something to protect it.
Leave pack on for 45 to 60 minutes.
When finished, remove the oil from your skin by washing with a solution of two tablespoons of baking soda to one quart water, or just soap and water. (Be sure to wash the towel by itself, as the castor oil can make other clothes stink if washed together.)
You can reuse the pack several times, each time adding more oil as needed to keep the pack saturated. Store the pack in a large zip-lock bag or other plastic container in a convenient location, such as next to your bed. Replace the pack after it begins to change color.
For maximum effectiveness, apply at least four consecutive days per week for one month. Patients who use the pack daily report the most benefits.

Be Cautious when Purchasing Castor Oil

As with everything else, you must be careful about your source of castor oil. Much of the oil currently sold in stores is derived from castor seeds that have been heavily sprayed with pesticides, solvent-extracted (hexane is commonly used), deodorized, or otherwise chemically processed, which damages beneficial phytonutrients and may even contaminate the oil with toxic agents.

Again, let me emphasize, many of the health benefits of castor oil are more anecdotal than scientific, and side effects have been reported. As with anything new, proceed carefully so that you can minimize any unexpected reactions. I invite your comments about any experiences—positive or negative—related to your use of castor oil. I am always curious about your impressions and experience with natural remedies, and your feedback is welcome, as always.

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Risks and Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

Posted on April 29, 2012 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Hi, this is a question that I am getting a lot. It’s related to raw food diets.

I have previously, in my book “Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation”, spoken out against a raw food diet for everyone. There are some exceptions where a raw food diet, or mostly raw food diet, is actually pretty good and to say basically that a raw food diet should be eaten by everyone, I am very, very careful saying that because some people can absolutely not digest a lot of raw food, otherwise they develop constipation, or they develop dry skin, severe gastrointestinal bloating, gas and irritable bowel syndrome. So one has to be very careful about who we suggest to go on a raw food diet.

The basic idea is that when you eat foods that are raw, you will get a lot of enzymes and vitamins that are not destroyed through the cooking process and therefore you would benefit far more from eating raw foods, than you would eat from eating cooked foods.

But the equation is not quite as clear as it looks like. Eating raw food, more nutrients, it can mean the exact opposite. For example, raw foods are requiring a lot more breaking down of fiber that may be broken down through the cooking process, but if you have too much of undigested fiber coming through the system and ending up in your large intestine, much of it may be fermented by bacteria that reside there and when they are broken down, this can produce a lot of gas, methane gas and other toxic gases that can be absorbed into the blood and enter the brain, and it can cause brain fog and many other undesirable side effects.

The other problem is that bacteria that decompose those fibrous masses can produce a lot of toxins and these toxins can irritate the gastrointestinal lining and create more problems than you can benefit from by eating those kinds of foods.

The other thing is that cellulose, which is the principle fibrous component that is comprising the cell membranes, the cell wall of vegetables and other grain foods that are raw, in raw form when you cook these foods, this fibrous compound, the cellulose, starts softening up and releases some of the nutrients that are in the cellulose that are embedded there. So you may actually have more access to the nutrients in cooked food than you would have in raw food because it is virtually impossible for the human body to crush these very, very sturdy membranes or cell membranes that are composed of cellulose and therefore the nutrients may, in fact, be trapped inside the cells, because the cell walls cannot be broken down. So as a result you may actually develop a nutritional deficiency if you are purely on a raw food diet, particularly if the raw foods include foods that are very hard to sort of break down, that are easily broken down through heat, but cannot be broken down through mastication.

And if you then say “well, let’s juice these foods, they are just… let’s take them through a juicer and drink the juice…” The problem with that approach is that there are certain substances in the fiber that is actually slowing down the digestive process which in this case, is very good, because if the food passes through the gastrointestinal tract too fast because there is no fiber to slow it down, then the nutrients will not be absorbed properly, they will just rush right down into your large intestine, so that’s one setback with eating too much raw food or drinking the juices.

The other thing is that when you juice your food instead of eating it whole, then you are most likely going to drink the juices rather than keeping it in the mouth and swishing it around for about 20 – 30 times in order to combine it with salivary enzymes. Now, we need salivary enzymes to predigest the carbohydrates contained in these foods, these juices, and if that is not combined with the juices, then these foods may not be digested at all. Instead there will be other bacteria that are known to ferment food such as candida bacteria coming in large quantities and try to digest them, so to get rid of also some of the toxic elements that may be included in raw food.

When people say raw foods cannot be toxic, but that is not entirely true, in fact they can be very toxic, for example eat a potato in raw form, you can be poisoned by it, if you eat beans in large quantities, you can also get poisoned, you can actually die from that. So raw food is not necessarily safe in that form, that’s why countries like India and China and many South American countries have traditionally prepared their food to a point that it loses, almost strips the food of almost all the nutrients, and like when Peruvians used to treat potatoes, they would put them out in the sun, they crushed them, they put them in a solution that would draw acids out of the potatoes, then turn it into a fine powder exposing it to the sun again, adding perhaps some substances, minerals, that would help to reduce the toxicity to actually make the potatoes useful for them, but it would have been a potato that will have very little nutrients left, still the Peruvians were known to be extremely healthy.

So it’s not always related to the nutrients, but also to having foods that are less toxic, because when lot of the antibodies in plants remain in the plants when you eat them, then your body’s immune system may react very strongly against them, seeing them as antigens, and once you have an immune response, it can cause inflammation in the intestine or elsewhere in the body, typically know as an allergic reaction.

So the importance here is to understand that plants contain poisons, these are antibodies, everybody has an immune system and immune system has many different ways of defending the plant from being eaten by predators, or insects, from being damaged, and having these repair and protective mechanisms in place allows the plant to survive, and to thrive, and to spread their species. So these are plant antibodies or enzyme inhibitors or other kinds of toxic substances are ingested by us if we eat raw foods, raw vegetables, in larger quantities, if it’s in smaller quantities there is no problem.

If the vegetables are soft, if they are like lettuce, or avocado, cucumber, and things like that have lesser fibrous compounds in them, that are very juicy and soft, these are fine to eat in raw form as a salad, ideally eaten before lunch meal and that will allow these foods to be digested properly before you eat the cooked food, so always eat the salad first, before the cooked food, because that will prepare the digestive system, and allow the enzymes to be produced, for raw food that may be necessary to take advantage of the nutrients in these softer vegetables.

Harder vegetables should be cooked, not overly cooked. There should still be resistance when you put your fork in it, so that the nutrients are preserved. I personally use waterless cookware, which you can find now everywhere. Do a search on Google, ‘waterless cookware’, you will find many cookware brands out there that help you cook your food in a way that the nutrients, the enzymes, the vitamins, are preserved and not destroyed through high heat procedures like cooking, baking, frying and so on.

The advantage for a so-called Pitta body type eating more raw food in their diet is that raw food has a cooling effect, which for this body type who tends to be hot, tends to have a reddish skin, reddish hair or red hair, tends to have blue eyes, very sensitive to heat, so they need to be in a cooler environment, and also have more cooling foods. So their portion of eating raw foods should be higher than a person that Ayurveda calls the Kapha type or the Vata type, which are the cool types, they both have cool surface temperature of the skin and the Pitta type has hot surface temperature of the skin. The Pitta body type also has the most bile available to digest food and that is very useful for digesting raw foods. The Vata body type and Kapha body types have the least amount of bile and therefore they should not overly indulge in raw foods but choose more of the cooked food variety and there is more information about all that in my book “Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation” where you can see a detailed comparison between raw food diets and cooked food diets and I personally eat a mixed diet.

I do eat raw food, perhaps sometimes I eat like… cucumber and avocado, and some olives with some lemon juice and olive oil in the morning, with some rice cakes or some bread and butter on it, and that makes me happy, or oatmeal which is cooked, or at lunch time I always start with a salad, a mixed salad, and then have my cooked vegetables and some grain foods, and perhaps some lentils and beans or nuts and seeds with my lunch, and in the evening I eat vegetable soup with a little piece of bread with it, and that’s cooked obviously as well.

So having said that, I hope this information will shed a little light on why raw food diets are not good for every person, good for some, not for everyone, and that if you do feel great with a raw food diet go for it, if you don’t, be careful, the signs that you are not digesting raw food is typically bloating, gas, discomfort, feeling sluggish, losing energy and having brain fog, getting headaches, and things like that.

So I hope this will clarify the issue.

Thank you.

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Over 60 Billion Doses a Year and Not ONE Death, But Still Not Safe?

Posted on April 29, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements have a tremendously safe track record, yet they are often singled out as being potentially dangerous by government agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This – the notion that dietary supplements are unsafe — is the premise behind the FDA’s Draft Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients, which would require the supplement industry to prove the safety of natural ingredients that, in many cases, have been on the market and used safely for decades.

As new research from the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System reveals, there were zero deaths linked to nutritional supplements in 2010, the most current data available.

Zero Deaths Linked to Vitamin Supplements

However, in the FDA’s new Draft Guidance, the FDA is essentially claiming that dietary supplements are unsafe, and implying that in order to “protect consumers” the agency must place a stranglehold on the dietary supplement industry by requesting exorbitant safety testing.

These ludicrous safety thresholds are in excess of those required by pharmaceutical drugs — despite extensive toxicological data showing supplements are far safer than drugs.

The most recent data comes from the U.S. National Poison Data System’s annual report, which tracked data from 57 U.S. poison centers and showed vitamin and mineral supplements caused zero deaths in 2010.

As noted by Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Americans easily take more than 60 billion doses of nutritional supplements every year, and with zero related deaths this is an outstanding safety record:

“Well over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 165,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 60 billion doses annually. Since many persons take far more than just one single vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.

Over 60 billion doses of vitamin and mineral supplements per year in the USA, and not a single fatality. Not one. If vitamin and mineral supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA and news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?”

In striking contrast, drugs are known to cause well over 125,000 deaths per year when taken correctly as prescribed – yet the FDA allows “fast-track” approvals and countless new additions to the marketplace. So why are dietary supplements on the chopping block?

Why is the FDA Attacking Dietary Supplements That Have Been Used Safely for Decades?

Back in the early 1990s, the FDA threatened the availability of dietary supplements to the point that consumers staged a massive revolt, which resulted in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

The law specifically protects your access to dietary supplements by classifying them as foods, not food additives or drugs, and it grand-fathered in dietary supplements that were already in use as of 1994. Only novel ingredients introduced after October 15, 1994 are required to seek FDA approval.

The FDA’s new proposed mandates directly contradict what DSHEA sought to prevent, and the FDA is using its authority in direct violation of Congressional intent. As explained in an article by Alliance for Natural Health, the proposed regulations turn what was clearly supposed to be a pre-market notification system into a pre-approval system, just like that of drugs.

As a result, dietary supplements that have been freely available for nearly two decades can now be forced off the market until they receive New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) approval. And the NDI approval process is a lengthy affair that may take months or years to complete, and cost a small fortune. Bringing a drug from the pre-clinical (or discovery phase) all the way to market can easily take more than a decade and cost significantly more than $1 billion! This despite the fact that contrary to drugs, fatalities from vitamins and other supplements are minuscule.

According to the 2001 report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), of the substances implicated in fatal poisonings in 2001, 84.6 percent were pharmaceutical drugs, with analgesics being implicated as the primary cause of death in 32 percent of fatalities or 341 deaths. This compares with 0.8 percent for all dietary supplements combined, even including substances such as dinitrophenol, a dangerous (and illegal) substance banned in 1938, as well as the central nervous system stimulant Ma Huang (Ephedra). Interestingly, the anti-asthma drug theophylline alone was responsible for 15 deaths, 66 percent more than all the available dietary supplements combined.

What might make an “old” ingredient “new,” under the new regulation?

The methods of production and extraction, for example … As bizarre as that sounds, the mere fact that a product is being extracted or produced by improved means compared to methods used in the past, could reclassify any grandfathered nutrient as an NDI that would now have to undergo the same type of safety testing and approval process as a drug.

FDA Seeking Outrageous Safety Studies from Tried and True Supplements

In some cases, the FDA will require manufacturers to conduct outrageously expensive studies using absurdly high doses, in some situations multiplied by a “safety factor” up to 2,000-times the recommended dosage on a per product basis. Further, the FDA proposes that new dietary supplement ingredients should adhere to aggressive safety margins, which are typically reserved for chemical compounds known to be dangerous in all but the most miniscule concentrations.

Since food additives or preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and sodium nitrate are known to cause cancer or other severe health problems, the FDA has implemented safety guidelines that limit allowable concentrations of these food additives to levels that are supposed to be physiologically inert.

The fact that the FDA is trying to impose the same limits upon dietary supplements seems to be arbitrary and completely unfounded. In fact, when someone takes a dietary supplement, their intent is to positively affect the structure or function of their bodies in some way — limiting dosages of dietary supplements to physiologically inert levels defeats the entire purpose of supplementation with health-sustaining nutrients.

And, since supplements are not patented drugs, virtually no supplement manufacturers will be able to afford these “safety” studies, which means that many of the nutrients you now purchase at low prices will convert into high-priced drugs, or simply disappear from the market entirely.

The Drug Industry is the Real Safety Threat

While the U.S. National Poison Data System’s annual report showed zero deaths from nutritional supplements, this was not the case for prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The top categories associated with the largest number of fatalities were ALL medications, including:

Analgesics, sedatives, hypnotics, and antipsychotics
Cardiovascular drugs
Opioids
Acetaminophen combinations
Antidepressants

Slightly lower down on the list were more drugs, including muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones, antacids, anticoagulants, antihistamines and more. Out of a total 1,366 reported fatalities, pharmaceuticals were involved in over 1,100 of these deaths (again, compared to zero for supplements). Keep in mind that this is not an estimate of all the deaths attributed to pharmaceuticals in the U.S., only those reported to 57 poison control centers. The total figure is closer to 125,000 deaths from pharmaceuticals per year.

If you extrapolate this number out over 30 years this is well in excess of 3 million people who died from taking appropriately prescribed legal drugs. It is simply incomprehensible that any rational approach would seek to vilify supplements over drugs when the data in no way, shape or form supports it. The most likely motive for this position is financial greed that can put your life in jeopardy.

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The Beverage that is Even WORSE than High Fructose Corn Syrup Soda

Posted on April 29, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

When a new beverage comes out advertising “60% less sugar—drink it to believe it”—the challenge is on. Same taste; fewer calories to your waist? Sounds good, doesn’t it?

But before you throw that Pepsi Next into your grocery cart, Fooducate.comsuggests you complete the challenge by reading the ingredient label.

There you’ll find that, indeed, the sugar content has been reduced.

But it’s still the second ingredient after water—four teaspoons of it, in fact, in the form of high fructose corn syrup. The secret to keeping this beverage sweet-tasting, however, comes further on down, in the form of aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose.

So, really, all that’s changed with this new beverage is that 6 teaspoons of sugar have been substituted with three sweeteners that are even worse. Yes, although I strongly recommend avoiding all soda, you would be far better off with the strictly high fructose corn syrup sweetened version.

Artificial Sweeteners have No Place in a Healthful Diet…

Artificial sweeteners are frequently recommended as a practical way of replacing sugar found in the modern diet. But the research on nonnutritive sweeteners such as these three shows they’re far from healthful alternatives to sugar. (A recent article on HealthyFellow.com lists a few of them as a hand reference.First of all, contrary to popular belief, research has shown that artificial sweeteners can:

Stimulate your appetite
Increase carbohydrate cravings
Stimulate fat storage and weight gain. In fact, diet sodas, which are well-known sources of artificial sweeteners, may actually double your risk of obesity!

So much for being a dieter’s best friend… Furthermore, aspartame (rebranded AminoSweet two years ago)—best known under the names of Nutrasweet and Equal—is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined.

The artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame-K) has been linked to kidney problems, and sucralose—best known as Splenda—has been found to wreak havoc with the healthful bacteria in your gut… All in all, I believe ALL artificial sweeteners are bad news for your health.

Why Aspartame is FAR Worse than Sugar

While many of the artificial sweeteners have reportedly similar side effects, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. About 90 different adverse effects have been linked to aspartame, including:

Recent research also suggests diet sodas may increase stroke risk, and according to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:

Aspartame—”A Chemical Poison”?

The book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing” by James and Phyllis Balch lists aspartame under the category of “chemical poison.” While many still refuse to believe that toxic or otherwise health-harming ingredients would be allowed to be used in food manufacturing, the evidence against aspartame and other artificial sweeteners is, in my opinion, overwhelming…

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals:

Phenylalanine (50 percent)—Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in your brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine and must avoid it at all costs to prevent the accumulation of phenylalanine in their brain, which can be lethal. It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in your brain can decrease your serotonin levels, which in turn can provoke emotional disorders such as depression.
Aspartic acid (40 percent)—According to the work of Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, there are about 500 scientific references showing that excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in your brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Excess aspartate or glutamate in your brain can kill off neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into your cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They literally “excite” or stimulate your neural cells to death. It is important not to confuse this with the amino acid glutamic acid, which is a normal part of foods and an important nutrient.

Methanol (10 percent)—Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, is a deadly poison. It is gradually released in your small intestine once the methyl group of aspartame encounters the digestive enzyme chymotrypsin. Inside your body, methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde, the latter of which is another lethal neurotoxin and a known carcinogen, which passes freely through your blood brain barrier to cause brain damage.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methanol is considered “a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” The EPA recommends limiting consumption of methanol to 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products can consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily, or 32 times the EPA limit. Signs and symptoms of methanol poisoning include:

Do Your Own Research, and Know what Side Effects to Look for…

Those who defend aspartame argue that phenylalanine and aspartic acid are a harmless and natural part of your diet. Indeed, both of these amino acids can be found in most of the protein foods you eat. However, phenylalanine and aspartic acid can only be considered natural and harmless when they are consumed in combination with other amino acids in the correct ratios—NOT when consumed as isolated amino acids… When they’re consumed as free amino acids not part of food, they enter your central nervous system in abnormally high concentrations that can cause your neurons to fire excessively, and potentially lead to cell death as explained above.

Unfortunately, adverse effects are severely under-reported, which makes it far more difficult to get dangerous ingredients like aspartame off the market. When it comes to side effects from drugs and vaccines, a mere 1 to 4 percent of all adverse events are ever reported, which leads me to believe that adverse reactions from other FDA-regulated products, such as aspartame, is likely even lower…

It’s important to realize that in order to truly alert the FDA to a problem with a product they’ve approved, they must be notified by as many people who experience a problem as possible. I strongly recommend learning everything you can about the potential side effects of artificial sweeteners and keep a watchful eye out for adverse signs and symptoms (if you consume them). And if you experience side effects from aspartame or any other artificial sweetener, report it to the FDA.

The FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator page lists the phone number for each state where you can report adverse reactions to any FDA-regulated product.

The following video will familiarize you with some of the side-effects you could encounter if you consume products containing this artificial sweetener. For more in-depth information about the chemical makeup of aspartame and its adverse health effects, please see this previous special report on aspartame. I also highly recommend Cori Brackett’s documentary film Sweet Misery.

How Sucralose Can Decimate Your Health

Sucralose (Splenda) is associated with many of the same adverse effects as aspartame, including:

This site also contains a long list of personal testimonials from readers who have suffered side effects from Splenda. In fact, we have more people on our site that have reported adverse reactions to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval! Additionally, and most notably, research published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2008found that Splenda:

reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
increases the pH level in your intestines
affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications as it can cause the rejection of drugs such as chemotherapy, AIDS treatments, and treatments for heart conditions
is absorbed by fat (contrary to previous claims)

It’s really a toss-up as to which artificial sweetener might be better or worse than the other, but the fact that sucralose can destroy up to HALF of your beneficial gut flora is truly alarming, as these bacteria are a vital part of your immune system and help support your general health—both physical and mental. Many people are already deficient in healthy bacteria due to excessive consumption of highly processed foods (which is why a high quality probiotic is one of the few supplements I recommend for nearly everyone), so just imagine the overall harm that can be inflicted by consuming an artificial sweetener that decimates your gut flora at such a high rate!

Are Your Health Problems Related to Artificial Sweeteners?

Many people belatedly realize they’ve been suffering reactions to one artificial sweetener or another. If you suspect an artificial sweetener might be to blame for a symptom you’re having, a good way to help you weed out the culprit is to do an elimination challenge. It’s easy to do, but you must read the ingredient labels for everything you put in your mouth to make sure you’re avoiding ALL artificial sweeteners.

To determine if you’re having a reaction to artificial sweeteners, take the following steps:

Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet for two weeks.
After two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce your artificial sweetener of choice in a significant quantity (about three servings daily). Avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.
Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.
If you don’t notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing your primary artificial sweetener for a few days, it’s a safe bet you’re able to tolerate it acutely, meaning your body doesn’t have an immediate, adverse response. However, this doesn’t mean your health won’t be damaged in the long run.
If you’ve been consuming more than one type of artificial sweetener, you can repeat steps 2 through 4 with the next one on your list.

Let me make it abundantly clear that even though you may not show immediate signs of any noticeable reaction after consuming artificial sweeteners, please don’t make the mistake of telling yourself “they must be OK for me”. I strongly urge you to avoid them at all costs. They are toxic to all humans and will not help you in any way shape or form. If you would like to sweeten your food or beverages please use a natural artificial sweetener like stevia, Lo Han or xylitol.

Are there ANY Healthy Alternatives to Sugar?

There is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book — which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you’ve been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose — for greed, for profits … at the expense of your health.

While excessive sugar consumption (primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is added to virtually all processed foods these days) is at the root of our skyrocketing obesity and chronic disease rates, swapping sugar/fructose for non-caloric artificial sweeteners is clearly NOT the answer…

So what other alternatives are there? And are any of them safer than sugar/fructose or artificial sweeteners?

One of the best alternatives is stevia; a highly sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant. It is completely safe in its natural form and can be used to sweeten most dishes and drinks. Keep in mind though that if you have insulin issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight, you’d be best to avoid all sweeteners, including stevia, since any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity. Also avoid stevia-based sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia as they’ve been highly processed and contain only the active ingredient in the stevia plant, which may have unforeseen biochemical ramifications.

Lo han (or luo han guo) is another natural sweetener similar to Stevia. It’s an African sweet herb that can also be used, but it’s a bit more expensive and harder to find.

I do not recommend using agave syrup. This sweetener, which is falsely advertised as “natural,” is typically HIGHLY processed and is usually 80 percent fructose. Likewise, honey is also very high in fructose (about 53 percent fructose), but contrary to agave it is completely natural in its raw form, and has many health benefits when used in moderation.

Another safer alternative to sugar is to use pure glucose. You can buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener for about $1 a pound. It is only 70 percent as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit more of it for the same amount of sweetness, making it slightly more expensive than sucrose—but still well worth it for your health as it does not contain any fructose whatsoever. Glucose can be used directly by every cell in your body and as such is far safer than the metabolic poison fructose.

Remember, if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners. But for everyone else, if you are going to sweeten your foods and beverages anyway, I strongly encourage you to consider using regular Stevia, Lo han, or dextrose (pure glucose), and toss out ALL artificial sweeteners and any products that contain them.

If you’re having trouble weaning yourself off soda, try Turbo Tapping. Turbo Tapping is a clever use of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), specifically designed to resolve many aspects of an addiction in a concentrated period of time.

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Spike in US Autism Rates linked to High-Fructose Corn Syrup Consumption

Posted on April 27, 2012 by andreas m

By: Jonathan Benson
Source: NaturalNews.com

A new study published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics reveals that both the Standard American Diet (SAD) and various toxic environmental factors play a definitive and synergistic role in the development of autism. According to the study, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), mercury in vaccines, and agricultural pesticides are among the many cofactors that contribute to the onset of autism spectrum disorders, all of which deserve more attention from health authorities than they are currently getting.

Renee Dufault from the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute (FIHRI) and her colleagues examined how various foods and environmental factors affect the neurodevelopment of children, and particularly how these factors inhibit the body’s ability to eliminate disease-causing toxins and heavy metals from the system. Known as “macroepigenetics,” this comprehensive approach to disease research offers unique insight into how the human body responds to multiple inputs from diet, environment, and genetics.

What the team discovered is that HFCS, for instance, which is a highly-processed chemical sweetener used in many processed foods and beverages, depletes the body of the natural mineral zinc. And zinc, of course, is responsible for cleansing the body of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, as well as aluminum and other toxins that are known to disrupt proper brain development.

“To better address the explosion of autism, it’s critical we consider how unhealthy diets interfere with the body’s ability to eliminate toxic chemicals, and ultimately our risk for developing long-term health problems like autism,” said Dr. David Wallinga, co-author of the study and physician at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy(IATP).

You can view the complete study at the following link:
http://www.clinicalepigeneticsjournal.com

HFCS laden with brain-destroying chemicals, mercury

Back in 2009, it was revealed that HFCS is actually a source of heavy metal poisoning as well. The heavy processing required to produce HFCS involves the use of caustic soda chemicals and mercury, two brain-destroying chemicals that end up in the final product fed to millions of American children.

Ketchup, sodas, juice drinks, breads, crackers, cookies, and many other processed food items are loaded with HFCS, and these items are a staple in many children’s diets, including in the meals fed to them at school. So it is no wonder that children’s bodies are being overwhelmed by mercury and other autism-related toxins, which is only worsened by the onslaught of neurologically damaging vaccines, some of which still contain mercury, most of them received throughout their early childhood developmental years.

Besides affecting zinc levels, HFCS in particular has also been shown to deplete the body of calcium and other important vitamins and minerals as well. Without these and other critical nutrients, the body is unable to effectively protect itself against the myriad of toxic exposures it faces every single day, which include pesticide residues found on conventional produce, for instance, or flame retardant chemicals found in bedding and clothing.

“Rather than being independent sources of risk, factors like nutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals are cumulative and synergistic in their potential to disrupt normal development,” added Dr. Richard Deth, another co-author of the study and Professor of Pharmacology at Northwestern University near Chicago. “These epigenetic effects can also be transmitted across generations. As autism rates continue to climb it is imperative to incorporate this new epigenetic perspective into prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies.”

Recent research has also pinpointed the artificial sweetener aspartame and other methanol-producing foods and environmental factors as causes of autism. And the ever-increasing childhood vaccination schedule is also directly linked to a significant uptick in autism rates over the years, even when vaccines that do not contain mercury are used.

Parents will want to proactively protect the health of their children by helping them to avoid HFCS and all products that contain it, and teaching them to eat and enjoy organic, pesticide-free produce and other whole foods. Feeding children “superfoods” rich in vitamins and minerals, and supplementing their diets with brain-boosting nutrient foods like omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina, and probiotics will also go a long way in protecting these young ones from the continuous onslaught of dietary and environmental toxins that are constantly at war with their brains.

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New Study Shows Obesity Rate Is Actually Far Worse than Previously Recognized

Posted on April 27, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

In the United States, where two-thirds of all states already have obesity rates exceeding 25 percent, and 12 states now have obesity rates over 30 percent, it is shocking to hear that these rates may actually be underestimated.

But this is precisely what new research has revealed.

Body-mass index (BMI), which gauges weight in relation to height and is widely used as a measure of overweight and obesity, is to blame for the flawed assessments.

Are Nearly 60% of Americans Obese?

Researchers compared BMI measurements to body fat percentage (using a DEXA scan, which is a FAR more accurate method to assess body fat percentage) among 1,400 people.

For women, about half of those who were not classified as obese according to BMI were considered obese according to body fat.

Among men, one-quarter of those not identified as obese by BMI were found to be obese by body-fat measures.

In all, nearly 40 percent of participants whose BMI classified them as overweight were actually obese when their percentage of body fat was taken into account.

According to lead author Dr. Eric Braverman, president of the nonprofit Path Foundation in New York City, “Based on BMI, about one-third of Americans are considered obese, but when other methods of measuring obesity are used, that number may be closer to 60%.”

As such, BMI also neglects to factor in how muscular you might be.

Athletes and completely out-of-shape people can have similar BMI scores, or a very muscular person could be classified as “obese” using BMI, when in reality it is mostly lean muscle accounting for their higher-than-average weight.

Dr. Braverman says of BMI:

“Some people call it the ‘baloney mass index.”

Many studies, such as one published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology,have found that a high BMI was associated with a lower risk of death, a phenomenon known as the “obesity paradox.” This finding as an example of how BMI is a flawed measurement tool, as it tells you nothing about where fat is located in the body, and it appears that the location of the fat is more important than the amount of fat when it comes to measuring certain health risks, such as heart disease risks. BMI also uses weight as a measure of risk, when it is actually a high percentage of body fat that makes a person obese.

Could Testing Your Leptin Levels Make Your BMI More Useful?

The researchers found that levels of the hormone leptin were strongly associated with body fat percentage, and suggested that testing your leptin levels could therefore be used in addition to your BMI to help get a more accurate picture of your true risk of obesity and related diseases.

The hormones your fat cells produce impact how much you eat and how much fat you burn. One of these hormones is leptin, and leptin sends signals that reduce hunger, increase fat burning and reduce fat storage. That is, if your cells are communicating properly and can “hear” this message.

If you are eating a diet that is high in sugar, fructose and grains, as the sugar gets metabolized in fat cells, fat releases surges in leptin. Over time, if your body is exposed to too much leptin, it will become resistant to the leptin (just as your body can become resistant to insulin). Leptin resistance causes an increase in the visceral fat your body produces. Likewise, it is through an inflammatory process that it’s thought visceral fat causes its damage, and the same diet that makes you leptin resistant will also increase inflammation and body fat in your body. By tending to one factor — diet — you can reduce your risk of both becoming leptin resistant and producing excess visceral fat.

What’s a Better Way to Gauge Your Weight Health than BMI?

Another simple and inexpensive option is measuring your waist circumference, as a thick waist is a well-known sign of a build-up of visceral fat, a dangerous type of fat around your internal organs that is strongly linked with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

It is thought that visceral fat is related to the release of proteins and hormones that can cause inflammation, which in turn can damage arteries and enter your liver, affecting how your body breaks down sugars and fats. When your body routinely stores excess visceral fat, you increase your risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, vascular disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of your arteries) and an increased thickness in the walls of your heart.

Your waist size is also a powerful indicator of insulin sensitivity, as studies clearly show that measuring your waist size is one of the most powerful ways to predict your risk for diabetes. Determining your waist size is easy. With a tape measure, figure the distance around the smallest area of your abdomen below your rib cage and above your belly button. If you’re not sure if you have a healthy waist circumference, a general guide is:

For men, between 37 and 40 inches is overweight and more than 40 inches is obese
For women, 31.5-34.6 inches is overweight and more than 34.6 inches is obese

The other tool, which many experts are now leaning toward as the most accurate measure of obesity, is body fat percentage. As it sounds, this is simply the percentage of fat your body contains, and it can be a powerful indicator of your health. Too much body fat is linked to chronic health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Too little body fat is also problematic and can cause your body to enter a catabolic state, where muscle protein is used as fuel. A general guideline from the American Council on Exercise is as follows:

How to Measure Your Body Fat

Body fat calipers are one of the most trusted and most accurate ways to measure body fat. A body fat, or skinfold, caliper is a lightweight, hand-held device that quickly and easily measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. Taken at three very specific locations on your body, these readings can help you estimate the total percent of body fat within your entire body.

You can also use a digital scale that determines body fat, which is what I use personally. I use an Eat Smart Precision GetFit Body Fat Scale that I picked up from Amazon for around $50. Currently my body fat measures at 13.5 percent on this scale, although I think it is actually closer to 11 percent or 12 percent. Although many body fat measurements can be inaccurate, they are nearly all more accurate than BMI, and are particularly useful to determine whether you are gaining or losing fat. Although the absolute value may be off, the direction you are going (whether your body fat is going up or down) will be very accurate, and this is an incredibly useful measure of whether you’re nearing your health goals or not.

As I mentioned earlier, a DEXA scan is probably one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat but it is not at all easy to find a center that uses them to measure body fat percentage. There are many DEXA scans out there but most are used to measure bone density. Additionally, a DEXA scan is an X-ray, which will expose you to radiation, and is far more expensive than all of the other methods discussed. For a fraction of the price of one DEXA scan you can pick up an Eat Smart scale and merely step on it each day to monitor your progress.

Remember that it is FAR better to monitor your body fat percentage than it is your total weight, as the body fat percentage is what dictates metabolic health or dysfunction — not your total weight.

Tried-and-True Tips for Reaching a Healthy Weight

Once you review the research, it’s clear that if you are serious about losing weight, you have got to strictly limit the amount of fructose in your diet, as evidence is mounting that excess sugar, and fructose in particular, is the primary factor in the obesity epidemic. So cutting soda from your diet is essential. However many fail to appreciate the importance of cutting out other sources of fructose, including those found in processed foods, fruit juice, excessive fruit and so-called “healthy” sweeteners like agave.

Ideally you should keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day and this includes fruits. This is especially true if you have insulin resistance and are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

For the majority of people, severely restricting carbohydrates such as sugars, fructose, and grains in your diet will be the key to weight loss. Refined carbohydrates like breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles, pretzels, and most other processed foods quickly break down to sugar, increase your insulin levels, and cause insulin resistance, which is the number one underlying factor of nearly every chronic disease and condition known to man, including weight gain.

As you cut these dietary villains from your meals, you need to replace them with healthy substitutes like vegetables and healthy fats (including natural saturated fats!). Your body prefers the carbohydrates in vegetables rather than grains and sugars because it slows the conversion to simple sugars like glucose, and decreases your insulin level. When you cut grains and sugar from your meals, you typically will need to radically increase the amount of vegetables you eat, as well as make sure you are also consuming protein and healthy fats regularly.

I’ve detailed a step-by-step guide to this type of healthy eating program in my comprehensive nutrition plan, and I urge you to consult this guide if you are trying to lose weight.

The foods you choose to eat will be the driving force behind successfully achieving your weight loss goals — even more so than exercise. But exercise is still important for weight loss and optimal health. The key to boosting weight loss and getting the most out of your exercise routine is to make sure to incorporate high-intensity, short-burst-type exercises, such as my Peak Fitness Program, two to three times per week. Several studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session.

If you are struggling with your weight, exercise is clearly one of the key factors that can synergize the effects of healthy food choices and help you reach your short- and long-term weight loss goals.

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Fast Food not only makes you Fat, it also contributes to Depression

Posted on April 22, 2012 by andreas m

By: J. D. Heyes
Source: NaturalNews.com

You already know that the McLarge burger you’re stuffing in your face isn’t healthy for you. What you may not know, however, is that all that fast food is doing more than just expanding your waistline – it could be giving you a serious case of depression as well.

A study of some 8,964 people found that eating junk and fast food has a negative effect on mental health.

Some of our American favorites – burgers, pizza, hot dogs – are on the list of fast or non-nutritional foods that contribute to a darker mood. In fact, the study found that people who eat those foods often were 51 percent more likely to become depressed, as evidenced by http://www.webmd.com, among other signs and symptoms.

Even small quantities are bad for you

The study also found that those most likely to over-indulge in such unhealthy fare were single, less physically active, smokers and those who worked more than 45 hours per week.

Researchers, whose data have been published in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition, found that of the nearly 9,000 people studied over a six-month period, 493 were diagnosed with clinical depression or otherwise began taking anti-depressants. People with extremely high or low daily caloric intake, or had obesity-related diseases, were excluded from the study.

Dr. Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, lead researcher from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Grenada, said data found that commercially baked foods produce similarly depressive effects.

“Even eating small quantities is linked to a significantly higher chance of developing depression,” she said. “Although more studies are necessary, the intake of this type of food should be controlled because of its implications on both health (obesity, cardiovascular diseases) and mental well-being.”

Sanchez-Villegas noted that her findings were similar to earlier studies that found a correlation between higher intake of fast food and depression.

Her research supports the results of the SUN project in 2011, which were published in the PloS One journal. That six-month study of 12,059 people found 657 new cases of depression; in all, the study recorded a 42 percent increase in the risk of depression associated with fast food.

Vicious cycle

There are lots of problems and issues associated with poor diets, not the least of which are health problems – obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke, to name a few.

But there is an added element of risk for those who seek relief from their food-caused depression by taking anti-depressant medications. That’s because other studies have shownthat taking medications for depression can actually increase depression and suicidal tendencies- a finding that is also backed by theFood and Drug Administration.

“Drug labels contain 70 negative side-effects on average. Even very regularly prescribed drugs can have 100 negative side-effects, with some drugs lurking up around 525 negative side-effects. Suicidal thoughts leading to an increased risk of suicide is just one of those side-effects to look out for, following the very last possible side effects – death,” says a report in Natural Society.

Regarding the apparent link between fast food and depression, researchers aren’t sure if one causes the other, or vice versa. Certainly people who are obese can become depressed about their condition, but it’s not clear if unhealthy diets which are causing their obesity are also causing their depression, say scientists.

What is clear, though, is that a poor diet and increased incidents of depression are related, and that should be just one more reason to drive by the drive-through and get yourself a healthy meal somewhere else

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Why is this Organic Food Stuffed With Toxic Solvents?

Posted on April 11, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Last December, the U.S. National Organic Standards Board, an expert panel that advise the USDA Secretary on organic matters, narrowly approved Martek Biosciences Corporation’s petition to allow the use of their genetically modified soil fungus and algae as nutritional supplements in organic food.

The product is an omega 3/omega-6 oil (DHA/ARA) synthesized from fermented algae and soil fungus.

The oil is extracted from this biomass using hexane, a neurotoxic byproduct of gasoline refinement that is specifically banned in organics.

The Cornucopia Institute investigated Martek’s patent and safety filings at the FDA, and discovered that the product also contains synthetic chemicals, stabilizers, carriers, and some of the ingredients are also genetically modified.

(As it turns out, some of their products were developed by Monsanto before Martek bought the technical rights.)

Martek’s formulated oils are added to “organic” milk, infant formula, and a number of different foods. After a formal legal complaint, the USDA announced in 2010 that it had “inappropriately” allowed Martek oils to be included in organic foods.

But enforcement of their removal was delayed for 18 months in an apparent effort to permit corporate lobbyists to petition for review and legal inclusion in organic food. According to the Conucopia Institute:

“Although Martek told the board that they would discontinue the use of the controversial neurotoxic solvent n-hexane for DHA/ARA processing, they did not disclose what other synthetic solvents would be substituted. Federal organic standards prohibit the use of all synthetic/petrochemical solvents”.

How Did Unapproved Ingredients Make it into Baby Food?

It is distressing to see that chemical additives have skirted USDA approval and made their way into infant formulas—some of which even bear the USDA Organic Seal! This confirms that even organic certification is NOT watertight, and you, the consumer, will need to stay on your toes.

Martek’s DHA and ARA products are synthetic attempts at omega-3 fats that have been in the U.S. marketplace since 2002, and in organic products since 2006. They are chemically extracted from certain types of algae and fungi that have never before been part of the human diet, and have never been approved by the USDA. Yet they have made their way into your baby’s bottle.

In fact, it is unlikely that the production process of these agents has been examined at all—and for good reason. The Cornucopia Institute has uncovered an entire list of questions regarding the source, processing, and other ingredients used in the manufacturing of Martek’s DHA and ARA, any one of which could result in a ban from their use in certified organic products.

GMOs, Lies, and Petrochemicals

For starters, Martek’s synthetic oils are extracted using a toxic petrochemical solvent called hexane—a process that’s just about as NON-organic as you can get. Hexane extraction is widely used in the production of oils, such as fatty acids and vegetable oils, but is banned in organic produce because it’s a non-organic material.

So what’s their loophole?

Martek Biosciences was able to dodge the ban on hexane-extraction by claiming USDA does not consider omega-3 and omega-6 fats to be “agricultural ingredients.” Therefore, they argue, the ban against hexane extraction does not apply. The USDA helped them out by classifying those oils as “necessary vitamins and minerals,” which are exempt from the hexane ban. But hexane-extraction is just the tip of the iceberg. Other questionable manufacturing practices and misleading statements by Martek include:

Undisclosed synthetic ingredients, prohibited for use in organics (including the sugar alcohol mannitol, modified starch, glucose syrup solids, and “other” undisclosed ingredients)
Microencapsulation of the powder and nanotechnology, which are prohibited under organic laws
Use of volatile synthetic solvents, besides hexane (such as isopropyl alcohol)
Recombinant DNA techniques and other forms of genetic modification of organisms; mutagenesis; use of GMO corn as a fermentation medium
Heavily processed ingredients that are far from “natural”

Your Body Knows These “Nutrients” are Fake

Although DHA and ARA from real foods are indeed important nutrients, the synthetic versions are not even remotely the same. They are foreign to your body, and to your infant’s body, which is why many babies are having terrible adverse reactions. Naturally derivedomega-3 fats have important benefits to your baby’s eyes and brain. Martek has manipulated this fact into a clever marketing ploy that convinces mothers that this artificial concoction is as good for their babies as breast milk.

But there is no scientific evidence to substantiate Martek’s health claims. Martek claims that their formula is “proven in independent clinical studies to enhance mental development.” According to the Cornucopia Institute, this claim is based on one single study involving just 19 infants. Martek neglects to mention the numerous other clinical studies that fail to show any advantage in brain development.

The Perfect Formula for Diarrhea, Vomiting and Gastrointestinal Pain

The Cornucopia Institute has compiled a summary of hundreds of adverse reports submitted to the FDA about possible intolerance to DHA/ARA-supplemented infant formula. Of those reports, 98 are said to be “confidently linked” to intolerance to the DHA/ARA oils. Many hundreds more are highly suspect. The reported gastrointestinal symptoms include:

Severe gas
Diarrhea and vomiting
Gastric reflux
Constipation and bowel obstruction
Agitation, fussiness, crying, and severe distress

The adverse reaction reports filed with the FDA represent only the tip of the iceberg, as most parents are unaware that Martek’s additives may be the cause of their infants’ problems. Some parents and their babies have endured these symptoms for weeks or months before identifying the cause, believing it was simply colic or unexplained fussiness.

A few companies have made a conscious decision to not use Martek’s additives in their baby food products, in order to protect the organic integrity of their foods. Cornucopia has published a list of “USDA Organic” products containing Martek’s additives. Shockingly, ALL organic infant formulas with the exception of ONE (Baby’s Only Organic) contain Martek’s DHA! Some baby foods also contain it, so it’s a good idea to get in the habit of reading ALL of your labels.

Beware of Other Known Contaminants in Infant Formula

Your child is perhaps never more vulnerable than in the first few months of life, when his or her fragile body is still rapidly developing. Pound for pound, infants experience greater exposure to chemicals than adults, and have immature and porous blood-brain barriers, which allow greater chemical exposures to reach their developing brains.

It is best to avoid infant formulas whenever possible. Breastfeeding is best. Infant formulas have been found to be contaminated with a variety of problematic chemicals, including:

Perchlorates (a component of rocket fuel)
Melamine
Advanced glycoprotein end products (AGEs)

Please avoid feeding your baby soy based formula due to dangerously high concentrations of manganese and estrogenic compounds, among other problems. Most infant formulas also contain far too much sugar. The most recent contaminant found in infant formula (as well as food and commercial juices) is arsenic. This is particularly worrisome for babies because they are especially vulnerable to arsenic’s toxic effects.

Is there Arsenic in Your Baby Formula?

Researchers at Dartmouth College warned that there is an “urgent need” for regulatory limits on arsenic in food products after levels in two infant formulas were found to be up to six times the U.S. federal limit for drinking water.There are currently NO regulations for arsenic levels in foods or juices.

The arsenic in infant formulas is thought to come from the brown rice syrup used to sweeten some formulas. Rice is a plant that is very efficient at taking up arsenic from the soil, regardless of whether or not it’s grown organically.

You Can Avoid All of These Problems by Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding offers a list of life-long health benefits for both mom and baby, making it the best food you can give to your baby by far.

Many are aware that breast milk contains antibodies, or immune molecules, that are transferred to the baby, giving her immunities to illnesses that the mother is immune to. The converse is also true — if your newborn is exposed to a germ, she will transfer it back to the mother while nursing. The mother’s body will then make antibodies to that particular germ and transfer them back to the baby at the next feeding.

So it’s not just a matter of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats that makes breast milk far superior to formula. In fact, breast milk also contains substances that may significantly enhance your baby’s gut and support the healthy development of her entire nervous system.

If you are unable to breastfeed, you may want to consider the option of purchasing human breast milk, which is becoming a hot commodity online. Nursing women are now earning up to $1,200 a month from selling their extra milk to other families, many of whom are pairing up online via Craigslist and other classified sites. This trend harkens back to ancient times when wet nurses (women who breastfeed babies other than their own) were used for a variety of purposes. For more about this option and some cautions, please refer to this article on the sale of breast milk.

Is the U.S. Becoming a “Dumping Ground” for Substandard Products?

Food in the European Union (EU) seems to be getting safer^v, while American food may be becoming more dangerous. The EU has been progressively tightening their standards, while the U.S. has been loosening theirs. Consider herbicides, for example.

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. and is the primary ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, which is causing incredible damage to our environment. As a result of Monsanto’s lobbying, a U.S. regulation passed in 2011 increased the tolerance for residues of the herbicide glyphosate on corn. The tolerance is even higher than the one allowed by international standards. The Codex Alimentarius Commission^vi has established a maximum residue level for glyphosate on corn at 5 parts per million, but the U.S. regulation now allows 13 parts per million.

The EU herbicide/pesticide legislation is probably the strictest in the world, a testament to their commitment to consumer protection. Besides limiting these chemicals, they ban genetically engineered foods and the hormone rBGH, whereas the U.S. continues to allow them. Many more such examples can be found.

As the European Union and other nations have begun to tighten their environmental standards, manufacturers have begun to use America as a dumping ground for consumer goods that fail to meet other nations’ standards for toxic chemical content. Manufacturers ship wood, toys, electronics, pesticides and cosmetics to the U.S. containing substances that are banned or restricted elsewhere, because they raise the risk of cancer or cause reproductive or neurological damage.

Think about all of the dangerous and poor quality products we’re importing from China that make the news now on a regular basis. Unlike the European Union, which uses a “precautionary principle” that prescribes protective steps whenever there is scientific evidence of risks to public health or the environment, the U.S. EPA relies on voluntary steps from the industries themselves. This model of consumer protection has unfortunately been swallowed up by corporate corruption. If the government is unable to provide the oversight needed to ensure public safety, then it’s up to YOU, the consumer, to protect yourself.

What You Can Do

The Cornucopia Institute has posted an Action Alert in the form of a proxy letter you can sign and mail off today. They will hand-carry your letters to the USDA spring meeting to protect organic products from synthetic additives. You can print out this proxy letter here.

Signed proxy letters should be mailed to:

The Cornucopia Institute
PO Box 126
Cornucopia, Wisconsin 54827

Also consider including a donation check with your letter, to support the invaluable work the Cornucopia Institute performs to protect your and your family’s right to clean, wholesome, truly organic food. As of right now, there does not appear to be any additional benefit to contacting your congressman, but if the need arises, Cornucopia will notify all their members and subscribers with the information.

I can’t encourage you enough to participate in this process. It’s important to recognize that you CAN make a difference! Always remember that collectively, we have the most effective power in the marketplace that can exceed the power of these multibillion dollar, multinational corporations. We can vote with our pocket books. But we also need to make our voices heard; we have to let these agencies know that we are watching, we’re paying attention, and we’re not going to allow this immoral, if not downright illegal, industrial favoritism to continue.

Until American consumers are willing to vote LOUDLY and CLEARLY with their checkbooks by refusing to purchase cheap products created under poor standards of safety, we will continue to be suckers for substandard and even dangerous products that can compromise our health, along with the health of future generations.

So think carefully before you purchase your products! The real cost of “cheap products” comes in the price you pay for your long-term health.

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Disease Outbreaks Tied to Imported Foods Increasing according to the CDC

Posted on April 10, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

The more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes.

If you are able to get your food locally, directly from the field or after harvest, such as directly from a farmer or farmer’s market, you knock out numerous routes that could expose your food to contamination.

So it is not surprising that new research released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that foodborne disease outbreaks linked to imported foods are on the rise.

As Food Imports Rise, so do Foodborne Disease Outbreaks

Foodborne disease outbreaks linked to imported foods rose in both 2009 and 2010 (data for 2011 is still being analyzed).

In all, 39 outbreaks and 2,348 illnesses were linked to imported foods from 15 countries.

However, nearly half of the outbreaks occurred in 2009 and 2010 …

Most of the outbreaks were due to fish (17 outbreaks) and spices (particularly fresh or dried peppers), which are also among the most commonly imported foods.

For instance, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service (ERS) reveals that 85 percent of seafood eaten by Americans is imported! As rates of food imports rise (ERS data shows that U.S. food import has nearly doubled from 1998 to 2007), it’s likely that disease outbreaks will become increasingly common. As it is, the numbers are thought to be a serious underestimate, as food-borne disease outbreaks are commonly under-reported.

Nearly Half of the Tainted Foods Came From This Region …

The data shows that more types of food, from more different countries, are being linked to disease outbreaks. However, one region still takes the “prize” for the most tainted food … Nearly 45 percent of the foods linked to outbreaks came from Asia.

This may be because this region is also a major exporter to the United States, so the sheer numbers of imports would increase the chances. China is the largest exporter of seafood to the United States. (They’re also the largest U.S. supplier of canned vegetables, fruit juices, honey, and other processed foods.) Wal-Mart, in particular, is one of China’s largest trading partners. However, there are problems with food quality in the region as well.

According to a 2008 Congressional testimony by Don Kraemer, deputy director of the Office of Food Safety at the FDA:

“In the past, [the] FDA has encountered compliance problems with several Chinese food exports, including lead and cadmium in ceramicware used to store and ship food, and staphylococcal contamination of canned mushrooms. While improvements have been made in these products, the safety of food and other products from China remains a concern for [the] FDA, Congress, and American consumers.”

Since that testimony, a variety of Chinese exports have come under fire for being dangerously contaminated with one poison or another, and in some cases with deadly consequences. This includes:

Pet food ingredients laced with toxic melamine
Imported livestock quarantined for disease and banned chemical contaminants
Catfish filets from Chinese aquatic farms tainted with bacteria and heavy metals
Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical
Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides

Another Asian country, Taiwan, has also made headlines because of the contamination of numerous foods and beverages withplasticizer chemicals like DEHP. More than 1 million sports drinks, fruit jams, instant noodles containing sesame oil packets, cookies and other food products were taken off shelves due to the toxin. It appears that the chemical was added to foods as a substitute for more expensive ingredients like palm oil, and it’s unclear how long this had going on or whether most manufacturers were aware of the contamination.

Our global food system makes it so Asian foods (and those from many other regions) are easily obtainable at your local supermarket … but when food is produced and distributed on such a massive scale, contamination often occurs on a massive scale as well.

Food Infections Common from U.S. Foods Too

An estimated one in six Americans gets infected every year from consuming contaminated food. Sometimes this results in a 24-hour bout of diarrhea and vomiting that clears up on its own, but in other cases foodborne pathogens can lead to organ failure, paralysis, neurological impairment, blindness, stillbirths and even death.

Over 100,000 people are hospitalized from foodborne illnesses each year in the United States, and 3,000 die. This is not only from imported foods, but from those produced right here in the United States.

You see, just because a food is manufactured on U.S. soil does not guarantee its safety. Most of the meat sold in U.S. grocery stores and restaurants come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which can house tens of thousands of animals (and in the case of chickens, 100,000) under one roof, in nightmarish, unsanitary, disease-ridden conditions. It’s under these conditions that foodborne pathogens flourish, and indeed studies have shown that the larger the farm, the greater the chances of contamination.

In one study, more than 23 percent of CAFOs with caged hens tested positive for Salmonella, while just over 4 percent of organic flocks tested positive. The highest prevalence of Salmonella occurred in the largest flocks (30,000 birds or more), which contained over four times the average level of salmonella found in smaller flocks. Organic flocks are typically much smaller than the massive commercial flocks where bacteria flourish, which is part of the reason why eggs (and other products, like meat) from truly organic, free-range sources are FAR less likely to contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella.

If you still buy your meat at your supermarket, even if it’s U.S. raised, you should know that you are directly supporting a food system that typically promotes widespread contamination.

And you can bet that as long as there are people willing to buy cheap, contaminated meat, the industry will continue to produce it. Consumer Reports tests indicated that 83 percent of fresh, whole broiler chickens bought at supermarkets nationwide harbor Campylobacter or Salmonella. This is clearly unacceptable, and if you start to demand more — meat that is raised in a healthy, humane way, free from toxins and disease — producers will have no choice but to listen.

Buying Local is One of the Best Ways to Avoid Food Poisoning

I encourage you to support the small family farms in your area, particularly organic farms that respect the laws of nature and use the relationships between animals, plants, insects, soil, water and habitat to create synergistic, self-supporting, non-polluting, GMO-free ecosystems.

If you value food safety, you’ll want to get your meat, chickens and eggs from smaller community farms with free-ranging animals, organically fed and locally marketed. This is the way food has been raised and distributed for centuries …

If you opt for imported foods, or those from U.S. CAFOs, your food will go through upwards of 9 steps before it reaches your dinner plate. Public health agencies like the FDA use the term “field-to-fork continuum” to describe the path any given food takes on the way to your plate, and during any of the following steps, contamination is possible:

Open field production
Harvesting
Field packing
Greenhouse production
Packinghouse or field packing
Repacking and other distribution operations
Fresh-cut/value-added processing
Food service and retail
Consumer

I personally purchase my whole chickens from a health food store that gets them from a local farmer and they are grown organically and humanely. They cost a bit more but they are worth it — and when you consider that most of us only spend around 10% of our income on food, it is a bargain to get high-quality food. In most countries and in previous generations in the US, up to 25% of income was spent on food.

If you are able to get your food directly from the farmer, you knock out five potential operations that could expose your food to contamination. The closer you are to the source of your food, the fewer hands it has to pass through and the less time it will sit in storage — so the better, and likely safer, it will be for you and your family. Plus, when you know the person who grows your food, you can ask questions about its growing conditions — an impossibility when you buy food from CAFOs or other countries. If eating locally is new to you, rest assured that you can find a source near you, regardless of whether you’re in a remote or rural area or a big city.

Here’s a list of helpful resources:

For a listing of national farmer’s markets, see this link.
Another great web site is www.localharvest.org. There you can find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
Subscribe to a community supported agriculture program (CSA). Some are seasonal while others are year round programs. Once you subscribe, many will drop affordable, high quality locally-grown produce right at your door step. To find a CSA near you, go to the USDA’s website where you can search by city, state, or zip code.
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
FoodRoutes. Their “Find Good Food” map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA’s, and markets near you.
For an even more comprehensive list of CSA’s and a host of other sustainable agriculture programs, check out this link to mySustainable Agriculture page.

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Bye Bye Coumadin, so long Plavix – Say Hello to Five Natural Blood Thinners that Protect Against Strokes and Blood Clots

Posted on April 9, 2012 by andreas m

By: JB Bardot
Source: NaturalNews.com

The November 2011 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that most emergency hospital visits for the elderly are caused by side effects and overdosing from taking blood thinners to prevent strokes and blood clots. Conventional doctors wait until you’re at risk of a stroke or have had your first stroke to prescribe blood thinners in hopes of preventing additional strokes. What they don’t warn you about are the serious possible side effects from these drugs including internal bleeding, stomach ulcers, muscle aches and pains, headaches with dizziness, kidney failure and a boat load of other negatives that can destroy your health. However, there are several natural substances that possess powerful anti-inflammatory properties and also help to thin the blood. These herbs can also produce their own side effects and should not be taken in combination with pharmaceutical drugs. Don’t take any unfamiliar medicinal herb unless supervised by a well-trained herbalist or natural health practitioner.

Turmeric

Used in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, the richly golden spice turmeric is hailed for it’s ability to reduce pain and inflammation. Recent studies have revealed that its pain-killing properties compare with those of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs; however, turmeric does not cause the internal bleeding and digestive upset or toxicity to the liver that is found in some cases of individuals taking NSAIDs.

Bromelain

Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples that also has anti-inflammatory properties and is especially helpful in reducing pain and stiffness associated with arthritis when taken on an empty stomach. Its action is enhanced when taken in combination with turmeric and ginger. Additionally, bromelain is a wonderful digestive enzyme when taken with meals and helps break down proteins, protecting against the formation of uric acid crystals, which are responsible for causing gout and certain types of kidney stones.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the royal ancient spices of India, China and Japan whose action works to reduce inflammation of the joints and muscles as well as strengthening the immune system and reducing digestive upsets and vomiting. Ginger has been used medicinally for thousands of years and is most effective when used raw in a hot tea; however, it is also helpful when taken in powdered supplements.

Garlic

A favorite spice for many people — and a popular healing agent around the world — garlic is not only a potent anti-inflammatory herb, but has proven antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Eating garlic raw or lightly cooked, or making garlic tea are several of the most effective methods for its medicinal use. Odorless, freeze-dried supplements are available for those who prefer to avoid the strong scent on their breath.

Water

Simple, plain and life’s staple, water is perhaps one of the best blood thinners available. Allowing yourself to become dehydrated thickens the blood, causing it to clump together and form clots. Drinking enough clear, clean water each day helps keep the blood running smoothly through your circulatory and cardiovascular system, maintaining good health. The ideal daily intake for each individual is 1/2 ounce of water for each pound of body weight; in other words, if you weight 150 pounds, you should ideally drink 75 ounces of water daily.

All of these substances have the power to thin the blood. There are other foods as well, such as vitamins B-6, D and E, omega-3 fatty acids, apple cider vinegar and strawberries that act as blood-thinning agents; and when used judiciously under the supervision of your health practitioner, may keep you healthy longer, prevent strokes and blood clots and help keep you off drugs and out of the hospital.

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Research shows Pharmaceutical Side Effects Exceed Adverse Warnings 5X

Posted on April 8, 2012 by andreas m

By: Paul Fassa
Source: NaturalNews.com

Often no matter how bad you think it is, the reality is worse than imagined. This is the case with pharmaceutical side effects. It’s so bad that even mainstream medical research acknowledges there are more adverse side effects than disclosed.

But their viewpoint still holds pharmaceuticals as the only medicine that works. Nutrition hardly affects health, if at all. Herbs are plants from which labs duplicate active ingredients for synthetic drugs that are the only effective medicines. Homeopathy doesn’t work, etc.That’s the medical monopoly mindset.

A slight crack has appeared in their medical arrogance. Researchers from Stanford Medical School created a couple of data bases that prove there are up to five times more adverse effects from pharmaceuticals than displayed or publicized.

Their research

The Stanford study was reported in the March 14th, 2012 edition of Science Translational Medicine by lead author Russ Altman, MD, PhD and his graduate student assistant Nicholas Tatonetti.

They created a dual data base system to analyze data from the FDA’s adverse event reporting system (AERS). Their premise that safety trials are conducted on the public after a drug hits the market is noteworthy (Stanford report, source below).

They also mentioned that clinical trials for obtaining FDA approval are insufficient for assuming safety for everyone within all situations. However, their viewpoint is still locked into that medical monopoly mindset mentioned earlier.

The Stanford research is an attempt to provide more knowledge for better prescription advice to minimize side effects. But there is no concession to any other modality of medical treatment. In other words, they want to clean up their act a bit, not fold up their snake oil wagons to move on and let others show their wares.

Even cleaning up their act is unlikely

The Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) reported in 1998 that the fourth highest cause of death was properly prescribed pharmaceuticals. Adding those deaths by improperly prescribed drugs puts the death ranking from Big Pharma “medicine” to third place.

These statistics don’t include over the counter drugs. Instead of confronting these statistics, the FDA and AMA engage in marginalizing and suppressing other healing modalities that are safe and effective.

Dr. Ray Strand, author of Death by Prescription explained to Mike Adams in a 2005 interview that the FDA should demand adverse effect reports from medical professionals, the way it’s done in Europe and the UK, and clinical trials should be funded by the government.

Currently, reporting to AERS is voluntary in the USA. Many experts estimate that only five to ten percent of actual adverse effects do get reported. Funding for trials is provided by pharmaceutical companies who pay the FDA for their approval. The very foundation of this system is corrupt.

Oh yes, don’t forget that the USA and New Zealand are the only nations that permit direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Also consider how Big Pharma starts wooing and training MDs while they’re still in med school.

So, the Stanford study, while laudable considering it’s from within the medical monopoly system, is based on AERS data that contains a fraction of actual adverse effects. The study also doesn’t address the FDA’s financial angles and conflicts of interest with Big Pharma shills slipping through the government/corporate revolving door.

Nice try guys. It would be better to simply apply anti-trust laws to the medical monopoly, if there are still any anti-trust laws in the books. Allow “alternative” (real) medicine to come to the forefront while your field gets the “quack” flack it deserves.

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Curcumin found to Prevent Brain Degenerative Diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

Posted on April 5, 2012 by andreas m

By: John Phillip
Source: NaturalNews.com

Curcumin, the bioactive compound found in the Indian curry spice turmeric and commonly referred to as ‘holy powder’, has been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat wounds, infections, and other health problems. Today researchers are using the power of the evolving science of epigenetics to reveal how curcumin is crucial in the fight against many forms of cancer, as it causes metastatic cells to undergo programmed cell death, or apoptosis.

Researchers from Michigan State University, publishing the result of a study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry have found that this amazing natural compound is able to prevent the destructive formation of alpha-synuclein proteins that are the hallmark presentation in many neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin is one a very select group of structures that is able to cross the delicate blood-brain barrier to affect biochemical and electrical activities in the brain. The turmeric derivative has demonstrated the unique capability to prevent clumping or aggregation leading to disease development.

Curcumin aids protein folding to prevent brain tangles and degeneration

The team lead researcher, Dr. Basir Ahmad and scientists conducting the study commented “Our research shows that curcumin can rescue proteins from aggregation, the first steps of many debilitating diseases… more specifically, curcumin binds strongly to alpha-synuclein and prevents aggregation at body temperatures.”

The team used precise lasers to study the split-second formation of proteins known as ‘protein folding’. Normally, proteins are folded at lightning fast speed at the direction of genes and DNA sequences. Damage to DNA caused by poor diet and lifestyle factors from epigenetic alterations results in mis-folded proteins and neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers found that when curcumin attaches to alpha-synuclein it not only stops clumping, but it also raises the protein’s folding or reconfiguration rate. By slowing the speed that the proteins form, curcumin effectively inhibits abnormal protein clumping to prevent tangles and damage to the nerve synapses. Chemical and electrical communications are retained that help to help prevent the early manifestation of Parkinson’s disease.

Curcumin can be added to the diet with liberal use of the Indian curry spice in meal preparation. Many people do not enjoy the taste of curry infused foods. For those individuals, nutrition advisors recommend a standardized supplement (std. to 95% total curcuminoids for maximum bioavailability) providing 300 to 500 mg daily to prevent neurodegenerative decline.

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Eating This Fatty Snack Can Protect Your Heart and More

Posted on April 5, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

If you’re looking for a nutritious, quick snack, nuts (raw, organic and in moderation) are a near perfect option.

With healthy fats, fiber, plant sterols and many vitamins and minerals, nuts pack a powerful nutritional punch, all wrapped up in a tiny bite-sized package.

In fact, a recent epidemiologic study revealed that nuts offer many benefits for your health, even reducing your risk of serious chronic disease.

Nuts Support Heart Health, Lower Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome Risk

There have not been many epidemiologic studies undertaken to assess the effect of nut consumption on health risks, but a recent study involving more than 13,000 people, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, set out to do just that.

Those who ate nuts gained numerous benefits compared to non-nut eaters, including:

Decreased body mass index and waist circumference
Lower systolic blood pressure
Lower weight
Less likelihood of having two risk factors for metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure and low HDL (good) cholesterol (for nut consumers)
Less likelihood of having four risk factors for metabolic syndrome: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high fasting glucose and a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome (for tree nut consumers)

Researchers concluded:

“Nut/tree nut consumption was associated with a decreased prevalence of selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and MetS [metabolic syndrome].”

Other research has further proven that nuts, such as almonds, confer superior heart health benefits to complex carbs like whole-wheat muffins; a study in the journal Circulation found people with abnormally high level of lipids, such as cholesterol, in their blood, were able to significantly reduce their risk factors for coronary heart disease by snacking on whole almonds. Those who snacked on whole-wheat muffins got no such benefit.

It’s likely that nuts impact your heart health in numerous ways. For instance, many (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts) contain the amino acid l-arginine, which offers multiple vascular benefits to people with heart disease, or those who have increased risk for heart disease due to multiple cardiac risk factors. L-arginine is a key nutrient in promoting efficient blood flow and overall cardiovascular function. L-arginine is considered one of the “semi-essential” amino acids—meaning, often your body can’t produce it in sufficient quantities, so you must obtain adequate quantities from your diet.

Will Eating Nuts Make You Fat?

It’s one of the biggest nutritional myths of all times that eating a food high in healthy fat will make you fat. If you’re watching your weight, a small handful of nuts like almonds is a better snack choice than a snack high in complex carbohydrates, such as a bran muffin. In one study comparing those who ate a low-calorie diet that included either almonds or complex carbs, the almond group had a:

62 percent greater reduction in their weight/BMI
50 percent greater reduction in waist circumference
56 percent greater reduction in body fat

A separate study in the journal Obesity also found that eating nuts two or more times per week was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain.

Which Nuts are Healthiest?

You can’t really go wrong when choosing nuts to eat, as long as you pay attention to quality. By this I mean look for nuts that are organic and raw, not irradiated or pasteurized (see below for more details). One exception is peanuts, which I typically avoid, and which are technically in the legume family. Along with being one of the most pesticide-laden foods you can eat, most peanuts are also contaminated with aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold. My favorite nuts are pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Generally speaking, each type of nut will offer a slightly different mix of nutrients for your health. For instance:

Almonds: One of the healthiest aspects of almonds appears to be their skins, as they are rich in antioxidants including phenols, flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are typically associated with vegetables and fruits. As the Almond Board of California reported, a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry even revealed that a one-ounce serving of almonds has a similar amount of total polyphenols as a cup of steamed broccoli or green tea.
Walnuts: Walnuts are good sources of plant-based omega-3 fats, natural phytosterols and antioxidants that are so powerful at free-radical scavenging that researchers called them “remarkable.” Plus, walnuts may help reduce not only the risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well.
Pecans: Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, and research has shown they may help lower LDL cholesterol and promote healthy arteries.
Brazil Nuts: Brazil nuts are an excellent source of organic selenium, a powerful antioxidant-boosting mineral that may help prevent cancer.

Most Almonds in North America are Pasteurized — Even if They’re Labeled Raw

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find raw almonds in the United States, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented a mandatory pasteurization program for almonds in 2007. The Almond Board of California states they have conducted independent nutritional lab analyses that show pasteurization does not degrade the nutritional value of almonds, but this is also what is falsely claimed for pasteurized milk — that the pasteurization process does not change its nutritional composition, or allergenicity. We know, however, that raw milk and pasteurized milk are two very different foods from a health standpoint, and it stands to reason that raw and pasteurized almonds are too.

The Almond Board of California again states that the pasteurization processes for almonds are slightly different from the one used for milk and juice in that they only treat the surface of the nut, but the Cornucopia Institute states the USDA mandate “requires sanitation of almonds with a toxic fumigant or treatment with high-temperature heat.” So please be aware that if you purchase almonds in North America, they will have gone through one of the following pasteurization methods:

Oil roasting, dry roasting, or blanching
Steam processing
Propylene Oxide (PPO) treatment (PPO is a highly toxic flammable chemical compound, once used as a racing fuel before it was prohibited for safety reasons)

Pasteurized almonds sold in North America can still be labeled “raw” even though they’ve been subjected to one of the treatment processes listed above. There are generally no truly “raw” almonds sold in North America, so don’t be misled. It is possible to purchase raw almonds in the U.S., but it has to be done very carefully from vendors selling small quantities that have a waiver from the pasteurization requirement. The key is to find a company with the waiver that is NOT pasteurizing them. I personally enjoy raw almonds nearly every day, as it is an outstanding food.

Eating Nuts in Moderation is Best

You need to be cautious with the quantity of nuts you eat, but this is not because they will make you “fat,” as many believe. Instead, the reason for moderation is that almost all nuts are top heavy in omega-6 fats and can upset your omega-6/omega-3 ratio. As explained by Dr. Paul Jaminet, a trained astrophysicist and author of the book, Perfect Health Diet:

“It’s really important to be low in omega-6 fats … When you’re eating low-carb, you’re necessarily eating a high-fat diet, and the quality of your fats becomes very important. It’s very important to keep down the level of omega-6 fats, because the polyunsaturated fats in general become toxic if you get too much. That’s where you really have to avoid all these vegetable oils, because they can be very high in omega-6. Things like corn oil, safflower oil, soy bean oil – even canola oil – just have too much polyunsaturated fat.”

Nuts also contain polyunsaturated fats, and certain nuts, like pistachios and cashews, contain slightly higher amounts of carbohydrates than nuts like almonds and walnuts, which is important to keep in mind if you’re following a low-carb diet, and especially if you have high levels of insulin, high blood pressure, excess weight, high cholesterol or diabetes.

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Natural ways to Get Rid of Wrinkles

Posted on March 26, 2012 by andreas m

By: Kim Evans
Source: NaturalNews.com

Most people think that once you have wrinkles you’re stuck with them, but there’s actually quite a bit you can do about them. Of course, nutrition and being clean internally are key parts of the equation and it’s not uncommon to find that with tons of juicing, eating lots of uncooked foods from nature and doing plenty of coffee enemas that wrinkles just go away. Actually, it’s a combination that tends to keep us young and disease-free on many levels. However, there’s quite a bit that you can do about wrinkles topically too.

Coconut oil, beet and carrot juice

Coconut oil is a wonderful oil that is known to rebuild our skin tissue and it can be used both topically and internally regularly for the elimination of wrinkles. Coconut oil is both hydrating and rebuilds our connective tissues, and damaged connective tissues are often the cause of wrinkles.

Using a little carrot and beet juice on the skin regularly helps remove wrinkles too and is in fact quite powerful. The vitamin A in carrot juice is wonderful for the skin. Beets are also known to repair our DNA, so using beet juice topically on wrinkle sites is a powerful way to rebuild the damaged skin which often causes wrinkles – possibly by repairing the DNA of the damaged tissue.

Using carrot and beet juice topically with coconut oil also increases the benefits of both. Coconut oil has absorptive properties that help pull the juices into the skin in addition to its hydration benefits. You’ll only need a tablespoon or two of these juices each time and you can drink what you don’t use. You’ll want to leave these juices on your skin for about ten minutes before rinsing them off. You can apply and reapply the juices as they dry, rubbing them in each time.

Exfoliation

After you’ve spent some time repairing your skin with coconut oil and these juices, you’ll want to exfoliate your skin to remove the dead skin. You can exfoliate with a washcloth or you can use the juice of a somewhat unripe pineapple. Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain which naturally eats away our top layer of skin when applied topically and leaves the new fresh skin underneath. Pineapple juice easily rivals expensive spa exfoliation treatments.

To exfoliate with pineapple juice, just apply some of the juice with a little coconut oil or olive oil and rub it in, reapplying it as needed. After a few minutes of rubbing, you may find that dead layers of skin start to come off in your hands. And after doing this, just rinse and apply a layer of coconut or olive oil to hydrate the skin.

While you may not be able to get rid of all of your wrinkles this way, you might be able be get rid of 50 or 60 percent of them. Of course, the more you do the juices and the coconut oil, the more effective they are.

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While California Persecutes Raw Milk Farmers, France unveils Raw Milk Vending Machines for Happy, Healthy Consumers

Posted on March 20, 2012 by andreas m

By: Mike Adams
Source: NaturalNews.com

Thanks to the extraordinarily cruel and vindictive actions of the LA County and Ventura County District Attorneys’ offices, California is rapidly losing its reputation as a state that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Instead, the state is becoming increasingly known as “the torture state” where senior citizen farmers and fresh food advocates are imprisoned, tortured, and charged with felony crimes for making fresh milk available to customers.

France, on the other hand, has embraced the health benefits of raw milk. There, innovative dairy farmer Michel Cantaloube has created a raw milk vending machine (see photo below). The vending machine is a tastefully-designed kiosk that blends right into the urban setting, allowing it to be set up on a street corner on a French town or even a major metropolitan area.

Customers can purchase whatever quantity of raw milk they wish, and unlike in the United States, they don’t even have to go through the bizarre paperwork of owning a “cow share.”

California declares war on raw dairy farmers

Back in Los Angeles, raw dairy farmer Sharon Palmer has been slapped with 38 felony counts drummed up by the county, which has a rogue DA office running a campaign of personal revenge against dairy farmers. Driven into near-bankruptcy by the fines and legal fees, Palmer has been unable to repay farm investors as planned, so when her repayments fell behind, the county charged her with financial fraud.

Keep in mind that when MF Global’s Jon Corzine stole billions of dollars from investors, he was never even charged with a crime. When Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs went broke making bad beds with other people’s money, the United States government gave them a trillion-dollar bailout! But when a small, organic raw milk farmer in California runs into financial trouble caused by the state itself, they get charged with 38 felony counts of fraud.

James Stewart, the 65-year-old “milk man” from California, was arrested nine days ago for the crime of merely “knowing” Sharon Palmer. His bail was set at the astonishing level of $1 million– an amount rarely used even for rapists and murderers. (Sharon’s bail was set at $2 million!) He was then subjected to extreme torture that nearly killed him in an LA County jail. This included food deprivation, sleep deprivation, hypothermia, interrogation, verbal intimidation and even flooding his jail cell with raw human sewage and forcing him to clean out the raw sewage himself.

So in France, raw milk is happily sold in vending machines on street corners, but in California — a state which used to represent a healthy, happy lifestyle — raw milk advocates are targeted by the state as criminals, then subjected to personal vengeance campaigns run by the DA’s office.

France = the “healthy food nation” of raw milk and red wine.

California = the “torture state” of total government brutality and oppression of farmers, along with the torture of raw dairy advocates.

Here’s the picture of the raw milk vending machine in France:

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Six Steps to Create your own Organic Permaculture Garden

Posted on March 4, 2012 by andreas m

By: Tara Green
Source: NaturalNews.com

Organic gardening avoids the use of chemicals to make plants grow or protect them from insects, relying instead on natural gardening principles used for thousands of years. Permaculture organic gardening goes a step further and also emphasizes growing plants sustainably, working with rather than against the grain of the natural environment. Permaculture organic gardening is growing in popularity as more people realize that it offers an inexpensive and relatively low-maintenance way to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Choosing a location

Observe your property at different times of day. Consider which areas receive the most sun, which are in shade for much of the day. Depending on where you live, if sunshine is a scarce commodity, you will want to expose plants to receive as much as possible. On the other hand, in desert regions, you will not want your plants to be in the area most likely to be parched by sun exposure. Also think protecting your garden from the paths where strong winds tend to blow through your property. Even a small property will have microclimates — notice these and plant accordingly to give different plants either more sun or more shade according to their preference.

Selecting plants

Avoid disease-prone plants which require time-consuming chores such as spraying and pruning by the gardener. Select plants which will thrive in your area rather than those which will require extra labor on your part to protect them from the environment. As far as possible, select plants which serve multiple purposes, such as fruit trees which will put forth blossoms in one season, fruit to pick in another, and provide shade for when you want to sit and enjoy your garden’s natural beauty. Native plants are also more likely to attract local pollinators such as bees, and to draw butterflies so that your garden contains even more natural beauty.

Making a home for your plants

Raised beds require less physical effort on the part of the gardener and also benefit plants, providing better air circulation, more protection from spring chills and improved usage of water. Raised beds also mean a small permaculture garden is an option even for apartment dwellers and others with little available space since you can rely on containers and vertical gardening principles.

Feeding your plants

One of the key concepts of permaculture organic gardening is to avoid waste. Having a garden gives you a means of re-using natural waste such as eggshells, apple cores, coffee grinds as well as yard waste which many people throw away. You can either purchase or make a compost bin to turn this organic material into gardening gold which can be used to help your plants grow.

Watering your plants

Modern gardeners who do not follow sustainability principles tend to draw heavily on piped-in water resources, often using hoses and sprinklers to make plants which require abundant water grow in a desert climate. Permaculture organic gardening tries to use natural water as much as possible, maximizing the use of groundwater and rainwater. Rain barrels allow you to collect rainfall and extend its use over longer periods of time.

Protecting plants from pests

Eschewing the use of chemicals does not have to mean a garden full of pests. You can use companion gardening principles, growing plants which deter pests near those which attract them. There is also a natural synergy between some plants which means planting them near each other increases your yield. Also, just as some herbs have a medicinal effect on human health, they also offer benefits to plants which grow near them. For more information about companion planting, visit
http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_companion_planting
and
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com

If you have space and live in an area where it is permissible to keep poultry, chickens can make a wonderful addition to a permaculture garden. If they are permitted free-range for most of the day, they will consume many pests. Chicken manure also contributes beneficial nitrogen to the soil of your garden.

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Debunking Vitamin B12

Posted on March 4, 2012 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Hi, my name is Andreas Moritz and today I would like to debunk some of the myths surrounding the vitamin, the important vitamin B12.

Many people believe that we are as a society, modern society; we are suffering from severe vitamin B12 deficiencies. And there is some truth to that but not because we are not eating enough vitamin B12 in our food, but because we are not absorbing enough of that vitamin B12. And this can have a number of reasons and these reasons are responsible for the vitamin B12 deficiency that often ends up causing a form of anemia where the red blood cell count diminishes.

Now, we need B12 for basically every function in the body, every single cell requires B12 and if there is a B12 deficiency, we can experience as I said, anemia, we can have pins and needles in our hands, we can have brain and nervous system disorders, the bone marrow doesn’t function properly, we don’t produce enough red blood cells as mentioned, and we can have severe gastrointestinal problems.

Now one of the main reasons why there is such a strong vitamin B deficiency in our society today is because many people have stomach problems, and the reason for that is because we are eating a diet that is no longer in harmony with our body’s requirement for nutrients and for proper digestion. In fact many of the processed refined factory-produced foods are virtually indigestible. They cannot be properly broken down and they interfere with the secretions of digestive juices such as hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

There is a particular organic substance in the stomach, it’s called intrinsic factor, and in order to absorb, to digest and assimilate B12, the vitamin B12, then we need to have that intrinsic factor in larger quantities. If we have a diminished amount of that intrinsic factor, the B12 that we may eat, doesn’t matter through whatever source, including ingested supplements, then we are not going to absorb it, and its going to be useless.

So, the most important thing is to make sure our intrinsic factor in our stomach is produced in the right amounts and that is regulated by what we eat, how well we chew or masticate our food and also a second factor, whether we digest the food in our small intestine.

And that is a very, very important point because when we eat, for example, a very high concentrated protein meal such as lot of eggs or meat or fish and chicken, because we have only the capacity to digest up to 20 % of these foods, the majority of them will become putrefied in our intestines. So when we have undigested protein lingering in our intestinal tract for longer than even a couple of hours, then that disturbs the probiotic bacteria population in our gut, and probiotic bacteria are the principle source of B12 that is typically absorbed at the end of the small intestine in the terminal ileum, and in that part that’s where the B12 gets absorbed into the blood stream and carried to the liver, and the liver is in charge of keeping B12 there, and when required by the cells in the body it will put that into the circulation, into the blood stream, the cells will take it up and it’s going to be recycled in most cases. So most of the B12 is recycled and used for up to 6 or 7 years.

The amount of B12 that we need in our entire lifetime is just as much as a tip of the pinkie, this nail, it’s a very, very small amount, and its quite difficult to get B12 deficiency unless of course we have trouble in utilizing it, and once again that has a lot to do with what’s happening in our digestive system and not necessarily to do with the food that we eat, whether it contains enough B12 or not.

Since the principal source of B12 bacteria, and these are probiotic bacteria, when they die, they release the B12 and it’s been absorbed and utilized, which again is used by the brain and nervous system, the digestive system and the bone marrow, for most of all in order to keep our body healthy, vital and strong.

Now when a person eats a lot of junk food, uses medication, most medication particularly antibiotics destroy the probiotic bacteria population, and eating foods like meat, lot of meat which contains B12 but it cannot really be absorbed properly when the digestion is not working very well, particularly the intrinsic factor in the stomach has been diminished, which does happen when you eat too much protein foods. So there is a lot of to be said about meat being a source of B12, or eggs being a source of B12, or dairy products being a source of B12, that it doesn’t mean that you are going to absorb that.

Many, many vegetables are actually capable of releasing B12 as well and so there are smaller amounts of B12 in these foods such as bananas, green, leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds or leeks, dates, dates are rich in B12, they grown on palm trees, there are beans, there are green beans, oats, carrots, peas and so on.

These are small amounts, but that’s all we need, we don’t need large amounts of B12 that is prevalent in more meat products, but if we don’t digest these meat products up to more than 10 – 15 % then there is just no advantage eating meat products over eating vegetarian foods.

If you are, if you do want to have a higher source of B12, then butter is a good source of that, and I do recommend butter for most people, so that would be an alternative if you are non-vegetarian.

However, once again, the misunderstanding about B12 deficiency comes because we don’t understand how the body produces its own B12, just like cows for example, they don’t have to eat meat or drink other species’ milk in order to produce B12, they derive it from the plant foods, and they are, they don’t have a deficiency. Humans, as long as they eat natural foods, we will also not develop a B12 deficiency.

I personally had severe anemia when I grew up, when I was a child, and my B12 deficiencies stemmed from eating too many dairy products and animal proteins that eventually lead to severe gastrointestinal distress, and rheumatoid arthritis, and arrhythmia, and when I stopped eating these foods, my anemia disappeared, so my face started becoming colorful again, whereas before I was as white as snow in my face and I never had any color in my face. So that shows that the anemia is not necessarily removed by eating animal products. On the contrary, animal products can contribute greatly to a B12 deficiency.

Another misunderstanding surrounding B12 is that when you take a supplement, you think that you are going to absorb it and utilize it, but that is not necessarily so. B12 never comes alone, it always in nature combined with other B vitamins. So when a person just takes a B12 vitamin supplement, it is very, very, very difficult to absorb and utilize because nature didn’t built B12 on its own, or by itself, it always combines it with other B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals and other substances that allow the B12 to be utilized.

So once again, B12 deficiency has nothing really too with vegetarianism. Many, most people who are B12 deficient actually are meat eaters, and not vegetarians. However vegetarians can also suffer from B12 deficiency, it depends on what else they do, if they take medication or if they have used antibiotics in the past, the probiotic bacteria population can be disturbed for many years, and according to new study, actually can cause disruption for an entire lifetime.

One of the best things to do to improve the digestive process is to clean out the liver bile ducts so any accumulation of stones, intra-hepatic gallstones in the bile ducts of the liver inhibit the ability to digest food properly, it interferes with the probiotic bacterial population. Undigested food, putrefying, fermenting food doesn’t matter whether its vegetables or meat products, will lead to diminished absorption of B12 because of the lack of probiotic bacteria which is the major source of B12 in the body.

So I hope that this clarifies the issue, and I can only suggest eat naturally, live in a natural way, expose your body to the sun, B12 absorption also depends on how much vitamin D you have available to keep the digestive system strong and vital, and so when you expose your whole body to the sun on a regular basis, you will also have a higher level of healthy bacteria populations in the gut and have a stronger digestive absorption of nutrients available to you and therefore it is very difficult to actually develop B12 deficiency.

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Breast Cancer and Heart Attacks: A Deadly Side Effect of Calcium Supplements?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Calcium is one of the most popular dietary supplements on the market, largely because of the widely circulated mantra that mega-doses of this mineral are essential for building and maintaining healthy bones.

As a result, many people believe that taking a calcium supplement is a simple way to prevent bone fractures associated with osteoporosis.

What they have not been told is that while you can force increased bone mineral density with calcium supplements, you cannot be sure that this will result in greater bone strength.

Be Careful In Interpreting Bone Tests Results

Bone density, while an excellent measurement of compressive strength, does not reveal tensile strength, i.e. whether or not your bone will resist breaking from being pulled or stretched, as commonly occurs in a fall or similar trauma.

Moreover, “osteoporosis,” as presently defined by bone scans (DXA scan) using the T-score, inappropriately defines “normal bone density” according to the standard of a 25-year old, young adult.

In other words, if you are 40, 50, or even 100, the T-score-based system says your bones are not normal, or even diseased if they are not as dense as they were when you were a young adult.

If in fact they used the age-appropriate Z-score, most cases of “osteopenia,” and many cases of “osteoporosis,” would suddenly disappear because they were inappropriately classified from the start.

Do Calcium Supplements Predispose You to Breast Cancer?

Ultimately, the “calcium is good for your bones” mantra is yet another example of a good theory gone wrong, and represents how broadly deluded the mainstream medical community is about bone health and the nature of osteoporosis, and its highly fabricated twin condition “osteopenia.”

There are actually a number of studies indicating that mass market calcium supplements increase your risk for cardiovascular incidents and other problems, while offering little benefit to your bones. Only because something can increase your bone density: eating what amounts to chalk or pulverized bone meal, or worse, chemicals like the drugs Fosamax and Evista, does not mean this will translate into improved health for your bones, or any of your other organ systems.

Indeed, before jumping off the lemming-like cliff of conventional medical wisdom, consider there is a solid body of research indicating that higher bone density may actually increase the risk of malignant breast cancer by 300% or more! Considering that close to 1 in 4 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lives, with breast cancer top on the list, isn’t the neurotic fixation on increasing bone density with calcium supplements misplaced, especially when it may increase the overall risk of dying from cancer and, as we will see, cardiovascular disease (the #1 killer), as well?

Taking Calcium Might Increase Your Heart Attack Risk

Heart attacks may be caused by supplemental calcium from elemental sources, which include limestone, oyster shell, and bone meal, according to two meta-analyses of available research (a meta-analysis is a review and summary of the results of many clinical studies on the same subject).

The first, conducted in 2010 and involving over 8,000 people, showed that taking this kind of inorganic calcium supplement in amounts of 500 mg or more would increase your relative risk of heart attack by 27 percent.

Critics of the study pointed out that it only looked at calcium supplementation without vitamin D administered at the same time (vitamin D helps you absorb and utilize calcium). However, the second analysis showed that even when co-administered with vitamin D, elemental calcium still increased heart attack risk by 24 percent, with researchers concluding:

“Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D modestly increase the risk of cardiovascular events, especially myocardial infarction … A reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is warranted.”

In fact, the second analysis was even more disturbing, as it found the calcium supplementation (in addition to vitamin D) increased the composite risk of heart attack and stroke by 15%!

Calcium Can be Beneficial or Deadly Depending on Where it Ends Up in Your Body

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body, necessary for not only bone health but also regulating your heartbeat, conducting nerve impulses, clotting blood and stimulating hormone secretions. Your body does not make calcium, and in fact loses calcium daily through your skin, nails, hair, sweat and elimination, which is why you must replace it via your diet.

It has been estimated, however, that your body excretes as little as 100 mg a day, making the current recommendations by the National Osteoporosis Foundation for women over 50 to take 1200 mg a day, a bit troubling. When we compare our calcium-rich diet to the traditional calcium-poor Chinese peasant diet, which was free of cow’s milk and calcium supplements, approximately 250 mg a day of plant-based calcium was all that was needed to fulfill their bodily needs – and this is a culture with no word for “osteoporosis” in its 3,000+ year old language!

Due to the fact that about 99 percent of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones and teeth, if you don’t get enough calcium, your body will take calcium from your bones to perform necessary functions. This is where the idea that supplementing with calcium could prevent calcium loss from your bones comes from — but it is an overly simplified theory that lacks solid evidence to back it up, especially in Western, modernized cultures which consume unprecedentedly large amounts of dairy-derived, fortification-based and supplemental calcium.

For instance, one 2010 article presented evidence for a total lack of support in the research for calcium supplements reducing fracture risk!

Moreover, in the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, a review tracking 78,000 nurses for 12 years found that the relative risk of hip fracture was 45% higher in those women who drank two or more glasses of milk per day versus those who drank one glass or less. Indeed, in countries where both dairy consumption and overall calcium levels in the diet are the lowest, bone fracture rates are also the lowest; conversely, in cultures like the United States where calcium consumption is among the highest in the world, so too are the fracture rates among the highest (see: The China Study).

The truth is that taking any calcium in excess or isolation, without complementary nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K2, which help keep your body in balance, can have adverse effects, such as calcium building up in coronary arteries and causing heart attacks. Even taking calcium with vitamin D does not appear to be enough to prevent these types of adverse effects.

So when you take a biologically foreign form of calcium (such as limestone, oyster shell, egg shell and bone meal (hydroxylapatite), or when your body’s ability to direct calcium to the right places becomes impaired (as when you are deficient in vitamin K2), calcium may be deposited where it shouldn’t be, which can lead to multiple health problems.

Often, much of the burden of removing the excess calcium falls on the kidneys, which is why it has been proven on numerous occasions that calcium carbonate rapidly calcifies arteries in those with compromised kidney function, especially hemodialysis patients. Calcium deposits are, in fact, major contributors and even causative factors in many conditions, including the following:

Too Much Calcium May Create Mineral Deficiencies that Promote Disease

Robert Thompson, M.D. wrote a book on this subject called The Calcium Lie, which explains that bone is comprised of at least a dozen minerals, and the exclusive focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and actually increase your risk for osteoporosis. Dr. Thompson believes overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

If your calcium supplement is being turned into “little rocks” that are being deposited in your soft tissues and arteries, you can begin to understand how this could be increasing your risk for a heart attack, stroke or other health condition.

Many believe that arterial plaque is simply a buildup of cholesterol. But in reality, more than 90 percent of these fatty plaques are calcified. Cholesterol is soft and waxy and does not impair the elasticity of your arteries. But calcium deposits are like concrete, “hardening” your arteries and impairing their ability to expand. It is calcium — not cholesterol — that induces arterial stiffness and makes the plaque less stable and more prone to chipping off and subsequently inducing a life-threatening clot.

This is particularly important for postmenopausal women because hormone balance is necessary for proper calcium signaling — directing your body to deposit calcium into your bones. When hormones fall out of balance, this signaling causes calcium to slowly exit your bones and become deposited in your arteries instead. Simply taking a calcium supplement will not solve the problem because if your body cannot direct the calcium to the right spot, it will cause far more harm than good.

Why Vitamin K2 is Crucial if You Take Vitamin D and Calcium …

Vitamin K2 engages in a delicate dance with vitamin D; whereas vitamin D provides improved bone development by helping you absorb calcium, there is new evidence that vitamin K2 directs the calcium to your skeleton, while preventing it from being deposited where you don’t want it — i.e., your organs, joint spaces, and arteries. As mentioned, a large part of arterial plaque consists of calcium deposits (atherosclerosis), hence the term “hardening of the arteries.”

Vitamin K2 has also actually been found to decalcify certain tissues undergoing pathological (also known as ectopic) calcification.

Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone. Osteocalcin also appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries. In other words, without the help of vitamin K2, the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working AGAINST you — by building up your coronary arteries rather than your bones. This is why if you take calcium and vitamin D but are deficient in vitamin K, you could be worse off than if you were not taking those supplements at all.

Food is the Best Source of Calcium

In order for calcium to do your body good, it must be in a bioavailable form and balanced out with vitamins D and K and other important trace minerals, as part of a total nutritional plan.

It’s more likely your body can use calcium correctly if it’s food-based calcium. Good sources include raw milk and cheese from pasture-raised cows (who eat the plants), leafy green vegetables, the pith of citrus fruits, carob, sesame seeds and wheatgrass, to name a few. It’s worth mentioning that the studies done about calcium from dairy products are all done with pasteurized dairy, rather than raw dairy products that have more of their nutrients intact, and this muddies the results of these studies.

Calcium from dietary sources is typically better absorbed and utilized than calcium from supplements, which is why studies involving calcium from natural food sources have shown favorable results, including a 25 percent lower risk of dying from all causes, and a 23 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.

You also need sources of silica and magnesium, which some researchers say is actually enzymatically “transmuted” by your body into the kind of calcium your bones can use. This theory was first put forth by French scientist Louis Kevran, a Nobel Prize nominee who spent years studying how silica, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are related and transmutable into one another through low-energy nuclear transformation only found within living systems.

His theory explains how cows and chickens produce far more calcium in their milk and eggs than is found in their diet, or why, workers exposed to extremely high temperatures (130 degrees F) in the Middle East are known to consume salt tablets, which their bodies convert to potassium (as measured by their excreta), resulting in a reduction in their bodily temperature.

Good sources of bone-strengthening silica are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a number of herbs including horsetail, nettles, oat straw, alfalfa, and raw cacao, which is also extremely rich in highly bioavailable magnesium.

Dr. Thompson recommends the use of natural unprocessed salt as a far better alternative to calcium supplements because it provides the trace minerals you simply cannot get from food grown in today’s mineral-depleted soils. My favorite source of trace minerals is pure, unprocessed Himalayan salt, which contains 84 elements needed by your body.

The bottom line is, optimize your vitamin D levels through sun exposure and consume a variety of fresh, local organic whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, organic meats and eggs, unprocessed salt, and raw organic unpasteurized dairy, which will give you the bioavailable calcium your body needs along with the trace minerals and other cofactors it needs to be absorbed and properly utilized by your body.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Cardiovascular Disease in Children, Teens

Posted on February 1, 2012 by andreas m

By: Tara Green
Source: NaturalNews.com

Adolescents who consume foods and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup already have, present in their blood, evidence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes according to a recent study. The results of the new study, to be published in February 2012 in The Journal of Nutrition, provide strong scientific evidence of the negative health consequences of fructose on the human body.

Health consequences of HCFS show up early

An investigation by scientists from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) followed 559 children ages 14-18. The study subjects’ dietary habits were measured; their blood analyzed and blood pressure, body fat and other health measurements taken. The researchers found a correlation between high-fructose diets and markers for heart and vascular disease such as higher blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance, levels of C – reactive protein, related to inflammation.

Teens whose diets included more HFCS also had lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) and of the fat burning hormone adiponectin. In addition, study subjects who often consumed the industrial sweetener were more likely to have midsection fat, referred to as visceral adiposity, another known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. More generalized fat distribution does not appear to have a link to HFCS or the other health risk factors.

Norman Pollock, assistant professor of pediatrics at GHSU and co-lead author of the study said that “There is not much data in children and adolescents,” although “adolescents consume the most fructose so it’s really important to not only measure the levels of fructose but to look at what it might be doing to their bodies currently and, hopefully, to look at cardiovascular disease outcomes as they grow.”

Re-shaping teen diets

Dr. Vanessa Bundy, a pediatric resident at MCG as well as co-lead author of the study, stated “It is so very important to provide a healthy balance of high-quality food to our children and to really pay close attention to the fructose and sucrose they are consuming at their home or anyone else’s. The nutrition that caregivers provide their children will either contribute to their overall health and development or potentially contribute to cardiovascular disease at an early age,” Bundy also pointed out that parents can help their teens by modeling good health habits, including both nutritious dietary choices and regular exercise.

Bundy also remarked on a truth that alternative health experts have long known but official medical science and health regulatory agencies have been slow to acknowledge: “Fructose itself is metabolized differently than other sugars and has some byproducts that are believed to be bad for us. The overall amount of fructose that is in high fructose corn syrup is not much different than the amount in table sugar but it’s believed there’s something in the syrup processing that plays a role in the bad byproducts of metabolism.”

Previous studies involving animals have had similar results to the Georgia study, but evidence of a direct health link among children between HCFS and health problems may finally spur action to limit adolescent consumption of the sweetener. Pollock noted “Ultimately we want to use this paper and other papers to kind of change politically how food is distributed into the schools, and the types of foods, to cut down on these specific types of foods with high fructose corn syrup in them.”

Pollock also pointed out that the study he and his team conducted was unusual in its focus on the total amount of fructose consumed in the diet. “A unique aspect of our study design is that we took into account the fructose released from sucrose during digestion along with the fructose found in foods and beverages. Because sucrose is broken down into fructose and glucose before it arrives at the liver for metabolism, it is important to consider the additional fructose from sucrose when determining the overall health effect of fructose.”

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CDC Researchers say Mothers Should Stop Breastfeeding to Boost ‘Efficacy’ of Vaccines

Posted on January 24, 2012 by andreas m

By: Ethan A. Huff
Source: NaturalNews.com

Remember when it was considered crazy talk to suggest that mainstream medicine viewed humanity as being born lacking in pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, as if these synthetic inputs are necessary miracle nutrients for proper human development? Well, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently showed that they adhere to this lunatic philosophy, having released a study that recommends women withhold breastfeeding their children in order to boost the “effectiveness” of the rotavirus vaccine.

Ten researchers from the CDC’s National Centers for Immunization and Respiratory Disease (NCIRD) released the ridiculous paper, entitled Inhibitory effect of breast milk on infectivity of live oral rotavirus vaccines, which claims the immune-boosting effects of breastmilk are a detriment to the efficacy of vaccines. The paper goes on to say that, rather than remove vaccines so that breastmilk can do its job, women should instead remove the breastmilk to allow vaccines to do their job.

The CDC researchers began their investigation by searching for answers as to why children from underdeveloped countries typically do not respond as well to the live oral rotavirus vaccine as children in developed countries typically do. They came to the conclusion that breastmilk, which is packed with immune-building immunoglobulin A (IgA), lactoferrin, lysozyme, and various other important immune factors, inhibits the vaccine from working.

Breastmilk, of course, is a young child’s lifeline. It naturally builds immunity during childhood development, and provides perfect and balanced nutrition necessary for human growth. Withholding breastmilk in order to accommodate the rotavirus vaccine, as the CDC researchers suggest, is an absolutely insane notion that will deprive children of vital nutrition and proper immune development.

But it is ludicrous notions like these that are birthed from philosophies that view drugs and vaccines as being equal, or even superior, to natural food. Oral rotavirus vaccines contain live viruses, they have questionable efficacy to begin with, and they are even known to cause rotavirus. They are also linked to causing a variety of negative side effects, including diarrhea, which is a condition the vaccine is supposed to prevent!

This is how vaccine dogma works, though. The religion of vaccines does not have to offer any solid proof that a vaccine works, or that it is even safe. A vaccine can even cause the very thing it is touted as preventing, and vaccine apologists will say that it works and that it is necessary. And now in this case, these same psychopaths are suggesting that young babies be starved of real nutrition in order to improve the effectiveness of a vaccine.

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Honey – The World’s Best Wound Healer

Posted on January 18, 2012 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Would you have ever guessed that this delicious food made by honeybees is actually one of mankind’s oldest-known medicines? Dating as far back as 5,000 years, honey has been successfully used to treat burns, coughs and ulcers. Hippocrates, the Greek physiciana, also praised honey’s healing powers and came up with many honey-based treatments for ailments such as skin disorders, ulcers and sores.

In World War I, German physicians used a mixture of honey and cod liver oil to treat gunshot wounds. According to John Riddle, professor of ancient science at North Carolina State University, a medical text written on papyrus from 3000 years B.C. specifies the use of honey for head wounds. He says that perhaps “the honey helped prevent swelling and sealed off the wound to keep air and infection out”.

Recent research shows that honey is far superior to antiseptics and antibiotics. Israeli researchers took honey to the test. They applied the sweet, sticky food twice a day to wounds of nine infants after two weeks of intravenous antibiotic treatment and daily antiseptic cleansing failed to heal them. Following just five days of honey treatment, the babies’ wounds improved significantly. After 16 more days, they were closed, clean, and sterile.

In a Yemeni study, honey was shown to have a significant advantage over antiseptics used for infected surgical wounds. 50 women whose wounds became infected were divided into 2 groups. One group was treated with honey, the other with antiseptics. The patients in the honey group recovered within 7 to 11 days, whereas the antiseptic group needed 12 to 27 days.

Although modern creams and antibiotics may have healing effects, they have the disadvantage of killing tissue and causing scabs and scars. But how many of us would think of putting honey under that Band-Aid or bandage? Like in the above studies, results of a three-year clinical trial at the University Teaching Hospital in Calabar, Nigeria, showed that unprocessed honey can heal wounds when more modern dressings and antibiotic treatments fail. In 59 patients treated for wounds and external ulcers, honey was effective in all but one case. Much to the surprise of the researchers, topical applications kept sterile wounds sterile until they had time to heal, while infected wounds became sterile within a week. Astonishingly, honey was even shown to remove dead tissue from persistent wounds, helping some patients avoid skin grafts or amputations.

According to the European Journal of Medical Research, topical honey proved to have positive effects on post-operative wound infections due to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria following Caesarean sections and hysterectomies.

“Honey provides a moist healing environment, yet prevents bacterial growth even when wounds are heavily infected,” notes Dr. Peter Molan of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. “It is a very effective means of quickly rendering heavily infected wounds sterile, without the side effects of antibiotics, and it is even effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.”

The reason honey is able to stop infection may actually be quite simple. Ordinary honey ties up water so that bacteria in a wound have insufficient water to multiply. The water activity of honey inhibits bacterial growth. In addition, the pH of honey is between 3.2 and 4.5 – low enough to inhibit the growth of many common bacteria. The major antibacterial activity in honey, however, is thought to be due to hydrogen peroxide, which is produced enzymatically. The level of hydrogen peroxide produced is antibacterial, but doesn’t damage the cell tissues.

In July 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – believe it or not – gave Derma Sciences, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of wound-care products, clearance to sell Manuka wound and burn dressings as medical devices. Now Manuka honey can officially be used in wound and burn care in the United States. Manuka honey has already been used as wound dressing for several years in Great Britain, Australia, and its native New Zealand. Canada also approved it for use as an antimicrobial dressing in early 2007. Honey used to be a standard conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century. With the advent of penicillin, knowledge of honey’s powerful healing ability began to fade from public awareness, and doctors were simply too excited over using the new miracle drug.

Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), according to an article published in the Washington Post August 7, 2007. Apparently, the higher the concentration of UMF, the darker, thicker and more expensive the honey is. In this situation, it may pay off to use the most expensive honey available. However, even ordinary natural honey has amazing healing properties.

Applications:

Apply honey to cuts, scrapes, or burns and cover with a clean bandage. Change dressings one to three times daily, as needed.

Use honey as a first-aid dressing material where there could be time for infection to set in before medical treatment is obtained.
For internal disinfection and as a preventative measure, every morning, drink a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of honey and a little lemon juice.
Honey also has sleep-inducing, sedative and tranquilizing properties.
Nursing salve: Nursing mothers, try covering cracked, sore nipples with honey-soaked gauze to prevent infection.
For heartburn, take 1 teaspoon of raw honey mixed with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Note: Excessive heat (don’t cook or bake with it) or prolonged exposure to light can rob honey of its antibacterial properties. Always store in a dark, cool place.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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Fatty Liver Disease – Choline Provides a Nutritional Solution for a Silent Epidemic

Posted on January 4, 2012 by andreas m

By: Helmut Beierbeck
Source: NaturalNews.com

Fatty liver disease used to be associated with alcoholism, but it is no longer restricted to heavy drinkers. Our calorie-rich but nutrient-poor diet has led to an epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that tracks our rising obesity and diabetes rates. Autopsies and ultrasound studies have shown that up to 75% of the obese and 70-85% of type 2 diabetics have fatty livers. And the low-profile but essential nutrient choline appears to provide the solution to the problem.

What is NAFLD?

NAFLD develops in two stages. In the first stage fat accumulates in the liver. This fat can come from several sources: free fatty acids released into the blood by fat tissue, lipogenesis in the liver from carbohydrates (especially fructose from HFCS or table sugar), and dietary fats carried to the liver by chylomicron remnants. Fatty liver disease is a silent epidemic because its first stage, fat accumulation, generally doesn’t produce overt symptoms.

Unfortunately, the accumulated fat can be damaged by reactive oxygen species, especially if there is a lack of fat-soluble antioxidants and an excess of polyunsaturated fatty acids vulnerable to lipid peroxidation. Oxidative stress leads to the second stage, an inflammatory response that is made worse by our dietary omega-6 / omega-3 imbalance. The end result of the second stage is scarring and potential liver failure or cancer.

The role of choline in NAFLD

A healthy liver prevents the accumulation of fat and its associated complications by packaging excess triglycerides in very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs) and releasing them into the blood stream. Making VLDL particles requires phosphatidylcholine (lecithin), a choline-containing phospholipid. A shortage of choline prevents the liver from making VLDLs and delivering its fat stores to the appropriate tissues.

Phosphatidylcholine can be made from the precursor phosphatidylethanolamine; choline is simply ethanolamine with three methyl groups at the nitrogen atom. But ethanolamine has to come from the diet as well, and its conversion to choline additionally requires the amino acid methionine, a methyl group donor. For this reason increasing methionine consumption also improves fatty liver disease.

Organic liver, eggs and wheat germ would be the best dietary sources of choline. But liver does not play a significant role in the North American diet, and egg consumption has decreased because of our cholesterol phobia. Not surprisingly then, nutrition surveys show that most Americans consume far less choline than the recommended Adequate Intakes, 425 mg/day for women and 550 mg/day for men.

Choline doesn’t just help prevent NAFLD; it is also needed for neurotransmitter synthesis, cell membrane signaling and methyl group metabolism. Choline deficiency is therefore a major health hazard. We need to increase consumption of this important nutrient, but judging by the obesity and diabetes trends, society isn’t getting any closer to a healthy diet. Supplementation with lecithin is an effective and affordable way to get enough choline.

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Low-Salt Diets Increase Risk of Stroke and Heart Disease, Study Says

Posted on January 4, 2012 by andreas m

By: Elizabeth Walling
Source: NaturalNews.com

For years we’ve been told to lower our salt intake for our health. Individuals at risk for heart attack are especially admonished to drop their salt intake as low as possible. As it turns out, this seemingly harmless recommendation is actually putting us at a higher risk for conditions like heart disease and stroke. Although salt has been construed as a vial substance responsible for ruining our heart health, new research says too little salt may be just as harmful as too much.

Salt Your Food… in Moderation

Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario looked at data from drug trials involving nearly 30,000 individuals who already had heart disease or diabetes. Participants in these trials had their sodium intake measured through urine analysis and were followed for an average of four to five years to record the incidence of heart-related hospitalizations and deaths.

After adjusting for factors like medications, weight, smoking and cholesterol levels, researchers found that too little salt is doing harm instead of good. Those who consumed between 4,000 and 6,000 milligrams of sodium per day–more than double the current recommendations–were at the least risk for heart disease and stroke.

People who ate a diet lower in salt didn’t experience less risk, but more. Researchers found that people who consume 2,000 to 3,000 mg of sodium per day were actually 20 percent more likely to experience death or hospitalization related to heart conditions, compared to those consuming between 4,000 and 6,000 mg daily.

But don’t take this as advice that salt intake should be completely unlimited. Moderation appears to be key because consuming too much salt puts you at even higher risk. Those who consumed more than 8,000 mg of sodium per day were 50 to 70 percent more likely to have a stroke or heart attack, or to be hospitalized or die from heart disease.

Results from this study indicate that people who already consume a moderate amount of sodium do not benefit from lowering their salt intake. In fact, it may even harm them.

Dr. Martin O’Donnell, lead author of the study and associate clinical professor of medicine at McMaster University, says, “When you take people at more moderate intake levels, there is emerging uncertainty as to whether there are long-term benefits of reducing sodium intake further.”

The new report, published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, contradicts what many of us have been told about salt. The research team involved urges officials to recommend a safer range of sodium intake rather than to set a single rigid limit.

Even better, of course, would be a recommendation to choose a natural salt like sea salt instead of highly refined commercial salt, which often contains harmful additives and lacks a balanced mineral profile.

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Fruit and Veggie Based Diets Reduce Stroke Risk

Posted on December 20, 2011 by andreas m

By: Michelle Bosmier
Source: NaturalNews.com

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps lower the risk of developing a stroke, a new study shows. The new report comes from a team of scientists at the the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and was published in the “Stroke” journal of the American Heart Association.

Fruits and vegetables help elevate antioxidant levels

Statistically speaking, stroke ranks second among the world leading causes of death, right after heart diseases. The experiments were based on data which shows that diets rich in antioxidant foods reduce the risk factors associated with stroke, by inhibiting the process which causes oxidative stress and inflammation. Oxidative stress is a condition that develops when the human body is unable to counterbalance free radicals or mitigate their damaging effects. It is known to be one of the main causes for various health problems, including diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Fruits and vegetables have a high content of powerful bioactive substances with antioxidant characteristics. Flavonoids, vitamins E and C, as well as carotenoids have free radical scavenging abilities, and will help the body fight elevated levels of oxidants. Moreover, they can also prevent the onset of oxidative stress and related problems.

The research was aimed at investigating the relation between Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and the development of stroke, in both subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease and healthy patients. Total Antioxidant Capacity measures the total free radical reducing abilities of all antioxidant capable substances in the diet. It takes into account not only the levels of antioxidants themselves, but also the effects of the synergistic reactions between them.

The study was conducted on 31035 Swedish women that had no previous cardiovascular issues, and 5680 women who had such complications. The test group was aged 49 to 83 and was based on the Swedish Mammography Cohort, established between 1987 and 1990. The women’s dietary habits were evaluated according to a food frequency questionnaire, which asked the participants to answer how often they consumed certain types of food. Based on TAC levels, the participants were split into 9 groups – 4 groups with a history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and 5 groups with no previous heart related issues.

More antioxidants equal lower stroke risk

“Findings suggest that dietary TAC is inversely associated with total stroke among CVD-free women and hemorrhagic stroke among women with CVD history,” the scientists explained. Data showed that in the healthy groups, the risk of stroke was 17% higher for the subjects with low antioxidant levels.

The major contributors to antioxidant levels were fruits and vegetables (50%), whole grains (18%) and tea (16%). For the groups with a history of heart problems, participants with high antioxidant levels had a 46% to 57% lower risk of stroke, when compared to the participants with low antioxidant levels.

The results show that in all cases, the women with low antioxidant levels are more likely to suffer stroke. Including healthier, natural foods in the daily diet, such as fruits, vegetables, teas or whole grains will help prevent the buildup of risk factors leading to stroke. “Eating antioxidant-rich foods may reduce your risk of stroke by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation. This means people should eat more fruits and vegetables that contribute to total antioxidant capacity,” concluded the science team.

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British Town Grows All of its Own Vegetables, Witnesses Improved Civic Life and Reduced Crime as a Result

Posted on December 16, 2011 by andreas m

By: Ethan A. Huff
Source: NaturalNews.com

When the small British mill town of Todmorden, tucked in between Yorkshire and Lancashire, first began installing fruit and vegetable gardens all around the area as part of the Incredible Edible program, it likely had no idea that the novel, yet simple, concept would make the town a foremost inspirational and self-sustaining model of the future.

Fresh herbs, succulent greens, and tasty fruits can be found growing near civic buildings, college campuses, supermarket parking lots, and various other places. Small garden plots, raised planting beds, and even small soil strips in these areas can be found brimming with fresh produce, all of which are free to anyone who want it, and at any time.

It is all part of a program called Incredible Edible, which was founded by Mary Clear, a local grandmother of ten, and Pam Warhurst, former owner of a local restaurant in town known as Bear Cafe. The duo had a shared goal of making Todmorden the first town in the UK to become completely self-sufficient in food — and their endeavors have been successful, at least as far as keeping up with demand for produce from locals who want it.

The program so far utilizes 70 large planting beds located all around the town to plant raspberries, apricots, apples, blackcurrants, redcurrants, strawberries, beans, peas, cherries, mint, rosemary, thyme, fennel, potatoes, kale, carrots, lettuce, onions, vegetables, and herbs. Not only did locals quickly catch on and begin taking the produce, but they also generally respect the system and do not take advantage of it.

“If you take a grass verge that was used as a litter bin and a dog toilet and turn it into a place full of herbs and fruit trees, people won’t vandalize it. I think we are hard-wired not to damage food,” said Warhurst, concerning the notion that offering free fruit and vegetables might lead to abuse or other crimes. She noted, in fact, that quite the opposite has occurred — the Incredible Edible program has improved community relations, and reduced crime by an incrementally higher amount every single year since it first started.

The program has been so successful, in fact, that many other communities both in the UK and abroad are now interested in starting their own public garden programs as well. Besides improving the sense of community and reducing crime, Incredible Edible has renewed a new sense of appreciation for food and how it is grown, as well as renewed interest in actually growing it among the next generation, which is the envy of many progressive communities around the world.

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Low Vitamin D in Children Behind Current Explosion of New Diabetes Cases

Posted on December 16, 2011 by andreas m

By: John Phillip
Source: NaturalNews.com

Researchers publishing in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism have found that children with low vitamin D levels, especially when overweight and obese, are at much higher risk for developing insulin resistance that progresses to full-blown diabetes by early adulthood. Based on cellular saturation of the vitamin/prohormone, children and adults require higher amounts of vitamin D as body weight increases. The vast majority of children are vitamin D deficient, a problem exacerbated further by additional fat stores. In addition to a healthy lifestyle including plenty of physical activity and proper diet, parents will want to ensure their children reach proper blood levels of this critical vitamin through exposure to the sun or adequate supplementation.

Past research studies have concluded that high rates of vitamin D insufficiency are found most prominently in overweight and obese populations and are linked to dramatically increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. These studies have not explained the mechanism by which excess fat stores and low vitamin D saturation result in chronic disease development and progression.

Low Vitamin D Levels Lead to Insulin Resistance and Diabetes in Overweight Children

Dr. Micah Olson and his team from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center examined the association between vitamin D levels and dietary habits in 498 obese and non-obese children. The researchers checked for levels of abnormal glucose metabolism and blood pressure in the participants. Additionally, the scientists measured vitamin D levels, blood sugar levels, serum insulin and BMI. Study participants were also asked to provide dietary information including daily intake of soda, juice and milk, average daily fruit and vegetable intake, and whether or not they routinely skipped breakfast.

The study authors determined that 92% of the obese children tested had a vitamin D saturation (using the standard 25(OH)D test) below the ‘adequate’ level of 30 ng/mL. 50% of the participants were classified as ‘deficient’ with a level below 20 ng/mL. Dr. Olson commented: “Poor dietary habits such as skipping breakfast and increased soda and juice intake were associated with the lower vitamin D levels seen in obese children.” The study concluded that obese children with low serum blood levels of vitamin D had higher degrees of insulin resistance that played a significant role in the development of Type II diabetes.

New cases of diabetes and prediabetes are now found in young adults and even children at an alarming and increasing rate. This research highlights the connection between low vitamin D levels, excess body weight and diabetes risk, and it underscores the importance of vitamin D blood testing for all children and adults. Alternative health practitioners recommend maintaining a vitamin D level between 50 and 70 ng/mL using the 25(OH)D blood test.

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Are Antibiotics Contributing to Obesity, Diabetes and Stroke?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Extending the Cure, a non-profit research group, has published a series of maps looking at the major drivers of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

They reveal a troubling growth in the use of certain antibiotics — along with an even more surprising result.

According to data analyzed by journalist Maryn McKenna for Wired, the states with the highest levels of antibiotic overuse are one in the same as those that have the worst health status in the United States, including the highest rates of obesity, asthma, heart disease, heart attack, diabetes and stroke.

The map graphics are very revealing, and — even though this is purely speculation — it’s hard to ignore the fact that the same areas of the United States that are lit up like Christmas trees are those that have both, the highest rates of antibiotic usage, and chronic diseases.

Is Antibiotic Use Associated With Obesity, Diabetes and Other Diseases?

Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States.

In West Virginia, the state with the highest antibiotic use from 1999-2007, there were 1,214 prescriptions written for every 1,000 people, according to Extending the Cure.

Antibiotics can save your life if they’re necessary, such as if you develop a serious bacterial infection, but it’s important to understand that you don’t need antibiotics for every ear, nose, or throat infection you come down with. Remember that antibiotics are useless against the viral infections that cause the common cold and the flu, and when used for this purpose, will only harm your health.

How?

By wiping out the good bacteria in your gut.

Antibiotics, by design, disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract, often killing off both beneficial and harmful microorganisms without distinction. We now know, however, that your health is intricately tied to, and in many ways dependent upon, a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut.

When this balance is disrupted, it paves the way for a number of chronic diseases, including many of those highlighted on the maps in areas with high rates of antibiotic use, such as:

Heart disease
Diabetes
Obesity

Good bacteria (probiotics) are, in fact, so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to “a newly recognized organ,” and have even suggested we consider ourselves a type of “meta-organism” — in acknowledgment of the fact that we cannot be whole and healthy without the participation of a vast array of friendly bacterial species and strains.

If you want to dig into the research for yourself, check out the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), whose goal is to characterize microbial communities found at multiple human body sites and to look for correlations between changes in the microbiome and human health. There you can find 15 demonstration projects looking into the role of microflora and conditions like psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, obesity, acne and more.

You can also visit Green Med Info, which has assembled an amazing list of more than 200 studies, which together explore more than 180 diseases that may find relief with probiotics.

When taken in this context, it’s easy to understand how antibiotics overuse could predispose you to a number health problems by disrupting your body’s vital bacterial balance.

Can Antibiotics Make You Fat?

Here’s an interesting factoid you may not be aware of: about 70 percent of all the antibiotics produced are used in agriculture — not necessarily to fight disease, but rather to promote weight gain.

Farmers commonly give healthy livestock continuous low-doses of antibiotics because it makes them gain more weight, faster — a phenomenon that likely occurs, as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, because the antibiotics “change the composition of the gut flora to favor growth.”

If it happens in livestock, there’s reason to believe it happens in humans as well, and research by Dr. Martin Blaser, a professor of microbiology at New York University Langone Medical Center, suggests that antibiotics may permanently alter your gut bacteria and interfere with important hunger hormones secreted by your stomach, leading to increased appetite and body mass index (BMI).

Separate research by Dr. Blaser also found that mice fed antibiotics (in dosages similar to those given to children for throat or ear infections) had significant increases in body fat despite their diets remaining unchanged. Multiple studies have actually shown that obese people have different intestinal bacteria than slim people, and that altering the microbial balance in your gut can influence your weight.

Here are six such studies:

When rats were given lactic acid bacteria while in utero through adulthood, they put on significantly less weight than other rats eating the same high-calorie diet. They also had lower levels of minor inflammation, which has been associated with obesity.
Babies with high numbers of Bifidobacteria and low numbers of Staphylococcus aureus – the latter of which may cause low-grade inflammation in your body, contributing to obesity — appeared to be protected from excess weight gain. This may be one reason why breast-fed babies have a lower risk of obesity, as Bifidobacteria are known to flourish in the guts of breast-fed babies.
Two studies found that obese individuals had about 20 percent more of a family of bacteria known as Firmicutes, and almost 90 percent less of a bacteria called Bacteroidetes than lean people. Firmicutes help your body to extract calories from complex sugars and store those calories as fat. When these microbes were transplanted into normal-weight mice, those mice started to gain twice as much fat.
Obese people were able to reduce their abdominal fat by nearly 5 percent, and their subcutaneous fat by over 3 percent, just be drinking a probiotic-rich fermented milk beverage for 12 weeks.
Probiotics (good bacteria) have been found to benefit metabolic syndrome, which often goes hand-in-hand with obesity.
Probiotics may also be beneficial in helping women lose weight after childbirth when taken from the first trimester through breastfeeding.

Conventional Antibiotics May be Growing Useless

If the potential to upset your body’s natural balance of gut bacteria, paving the way for obesity, diabetes, heart disease and more, doesn’t put the notion of taking antibiotics in a different light, consider this: whenever you use an antibiotic, you’re increasing your susceptibility to developing infections with bacteria that are now resistant to that antibiotic – and as a result, you can become a carrier of this resistant bug, and can spread it to others.

The rise of antibiotic-resistant disease is actually one of the “world’s most pressing public health threats,” as even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges. There are already numerous bacteria resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, and this is a direct result of the vast overuse of antibiotics in both the medical system and, even more so, conventional livestock farming.

This includes:

In the war of antibiotics versus bacteria, the bacteria are clearly winning -. As much as I stress that antibiotic use needs to be minimized, this is one class of drugs that I would not want to fall off the radar.

When used properly, in the correct contexts and with responsibility, antibiotics can and do save lives that are threatened by bacterial infections. But they will only remain effective if urgent changes are made to curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and disease … and this will only happen with a serious reduction in their use now.

Tips for Practical Antibiotics Use

Remember first and foremost that antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections — not viral infections. Antibiotics do,however, sometimes help relieve perceived/subjective symptoms caused by some viruses, because they address ‘secondary bacterial infections,’ i.e the overgrowth of the always-naturally-present haemophilus influenzae, once the virus compromises and/or overwhelms normal immunosurveillance.

But normally please remember that if you or your child have a viral infection such as a cold, the flu, most sore throats, acute bronchitis and many sinus and ear infections, antibiotics are failing to address the root cause.

They will not help you to feel better faster; they will not cure the infection; and they will not make you less contagious to others. What they may do in this case, however, is increase your chances of having that antibiotic not work as effectively in the event you do need it for a bacterial infection. Not to mention, the CDC notes that, in children, antibiotics are the most common cause of emergency department visits for adverse drug events, so they carry inherent risks as well.

In the event of a viral infection, you can read my full strategies for prevention and treatment of viral infections like colds here.

Keep in mind, also, that the foods you eat are a major source of exposure to antibiotics, so to protect your gut bacteria you should buy primarily antibiotic-free, organically raised meat and produce. Conventionally farmed food is often grown in fertilizer derived from factory-farmed animal waste and human sewage, which may be a source of contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

How to Restore Your Gut Bacteria if You’ve Taken Antibiotics

Because your gut bacteria are vulnerable to your lifestyle choices, including your diet and exposure to pollution, chlorinated water and agricultural chemicals, I recommend that everyone consider the optimization of their gut bacteria as an ongoing process.

Also, if you’ve recently taken antibiotics, it is particularly important to restore bacterial balance as quickly as possible. In this case, a high-quality probiotic supplement can help you restore healthy gut bacteria quickly. Ideally take this in addition to eating non-pasteurized, traditionally fermented foods such as:

Fermented vegetables, we will be providing you with loads of information on this in the coming months with very specific details on how you can make your own
Lassi (an Indian yoghurt drink, traditionally enjoyed before dinner)
Fermented organic grass-fed raw milk, such as kefir
Various pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash and carrots
Natto (fermented soy)

At the same time, it is vital to eliminate sugar, including fructose, from your diet, as it will sabotage any beneficial effects of the fermented foods by feeding the pathogenic yeast, fungi and bacteria that are in your gut.

A high-quality probiotic supplement, along with eating traditionally fermented foods and avoiding sugar, is a good plan for optimizing your gut bacteria at any point and should also work well following a course of treatment with antibiotics.

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Watch Out: These Foods Seriously Mess With Your Health

Posted on December 15, 2011 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Nearly all processed foods in the United States contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients, particularly Bt corn and Roundup Ready soy.

These crops and other GM varieties are now planted on nearly 4 billion acres of land throughout 29 countries, as their makers (primarily Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta) continue to praise their worth.

These companies, which have created patents and intellectual property rights so that they now control close to 70 percent of global seed sales, extol the virtues of GM crops as though they are a panacea for ending world hunger and solving the food crisis.

But in fact, as a new report coordinated by Navdanya and Navdanya International, the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and others, has stated, GM crops are surrounded by false promises and failed yields, to the extent that they are now destroying the food system.

GM Promises Failed to Deliver

Virtually all of the claims of benefit of GM crops – increased yields, more food production, controlled pests and weeds, reductions in chemical use in agriculture, drought-tolerant seeds – have not materialized.

The Global Citizens’ Report on the State of GMOs states:

Contrary to the claim of feeding the world, genetic engineering has not increased the yield of a single crop.
Herbicide tolerant (Roundup Ready) crops were supposed to control weeds and Bt crops were intended to control pests. Instead of controlling weeds and pests, GE crops have led to the emergence of super weeds and super pests … Herbicide resistant crops such as Roundup Ready cotton can create the risk of herbicide resistant “superweeds” by transferring the herbicide resistance to weeds.
Despite claims that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will lower the levels of chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) used, this has not been the case. This is of great concern both because of the negative impacts of these chemicals on ecosystems and humans, and because there is the danger that increased chemical use will cause pests and weeds to develop resistance, requiring even more chemicals in order to manage them.
Monsanto has been claiming that through genetic engineering it can breed crops for drought tolerance and other climate-resilient traits. This is a false promise.
Among the false claims made by Monsanto and the Biotechnology industry is that GE foods are safe. However, there are enough independent studies to show that GE foods can cause health damage.

GM Crops do Not Increase Yields

Contrary to promises, GM crops are failing miserably all across the world. The reality simply isn’t living up to the hype of increased yields of healthy crops. After 30 years of GMO experimentation, we have the data to show no increase in yields. On the contrary GM soya has decreased yields by up to 20 percent compared with non-GM soya. Up to 100 percent failures of Bt cotton have been recorded in India.

And recent studies by scientists from the USDA and the University of Georgia found that growing GM cotton in the U.S. can result in a drop in income by up to 40 percent.

You can also read Failure to Yield, a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which reviewed two-dozen academic studies of GM corn and soybeans. What they concluded was that genetically engineering herbicide-tolerant soybeans and herbicide-tolerant corn has not increased yields, and insect-resistant corn improved yields only marginally.

The report notes:

“The increase in yields for both crops over the last 13 years, the report found, was largely due to traditional breeding or improvements in agricultural practices.”

The empty promise of increased yields has continued despite more than a decade of failures! In 1997, the Mississippi Seed Arbitration Council actually recommended Monsanto pay nearly $2 million to three cotton farmers who suffered severe crop losses after the company’s Roundup Ready cotton failed to perform as advertised. And this is occurring not just in the United States but all over the globe.

The Global Citizen’s Report states:

“Although Monsanto’s Indian advertising campaign reports a 50 percent increase in yields for its Bollgard cotton, a survey conducted by the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology found that the yields in all trial plots were lower than what the company promised.”

GM-Triggered Superweeds and Superpests Causing Pesticide Use to Spiral Out of Control

First came Agent Orange and PCBs, and now we have glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s nonselective broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup. Massive acreage of soybeans, cotton, and corn grown in the United States contain the GM Roundup Ready gene — and all of these crops receive numerous applications of Roundup each and every year.

But Roundup is proving to be no match for Mother Nature.

It’s estimated that more than 130 types of weeds spanning 40 U.S. states are now herbicide-resistant, and the superweeds are showing no signs of stopping. In fact, it’s getting progressively worse. Extremely hardy Roundup-resistant weeds are already boosting costs and cutting crop yields for U.S. farmers. And with world food stores already strained, diminished crop production is a serious problem.

The creation of these superweeds is leading farmers to douse their fields with ever increasing amounts of herbicides in a desperate attempt to stop their spread.

The Global Citizen’s Report states:

“Approximately 15 million acres are now overtaken by Roundup resistant “superweeds”, and, in an attempt to stop the spread of these weeds, Monsanto has started offering farmers a “rebate” of up to $6 per acre for purchasing and using other, more lethal herbicides. These rebates offset approximately 25 to 35 percent of cost of purchasing the other herbicides”

In India, Bt cotton sold under the trade name “Bollgard” was supposed to control the Bollworm pest. Today, the Bollworm has become resistant to Bt cotton and now Monsanto is selling Bollgard II with two additional toxic genes in it. New pests have emerged and farmers are using more pesticides.”

The report details how Bt crops in particular are a recipe for the creation of super pests, as they contain added genes for Bt toxins that allow the plants to produce their own insecticides (this Bt toxin, by the way, has been found circulating in the blood of pregnant womenand fetuses). Because the plants release the toxin continuously, pests can actually evolve resistance to it, and farmers still have to use pesticides despite Monsanto’s promises to the contrary. And to make matters worse, other beneficial insects like bees and Monarch butterflies may be negatively impacted.

The report states:

“The primary justification for the genetic engineering of Bt into crops is that this will reduce the use of insecticides. Bt cotton is among the ‘miracles’ being pushed by corporations like Monsanto as a solution to the pesticide crisis. One of the Monsanto brochures had a picture of a few worms and stated, “You will see these in your cotton and that’s O.K. Don’t spray.”

However, in Texas, Monsanto faced a lawsuit filed by 25 farmers over Bt cotton planted on 18,000 acres which suffered cotton bollworm damage and on which farmers had to use pesticides in spite of corporate propaganda that genetic engineering meant an end to the pesticide era.”

Health Problems Already Documented

Scientists have discovered a number of health problems related to genetically modified foods, however these studies have been repeatedly ignored by both the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). GM foods are typically regarded as equivalent to their conventional counterparts. This, however, is flawed logic because GM foods contain foreign genes that have never before been introduced into the food supply.

The report states:

“The safety debate has been repeatedly suppressed by bad science. One of the unscientific strategies used to extinguish the safety discussion is tautologically define a novel organism or novel food created through genetic engineering as ‘substantially equivalent’ to conventional organisms and foods. However, genetically engineered crop or food is different because it has genes from unrelated organisms – it cannot, therefore, be treated as equivalent to a nongenetically engineered crop or food.

In fact, the biotechnology industry itself gives up the claim of ‘substantial equivalence’ when it claims patents on GMOs on grounds of novelty.”

Science, too, has revealed stark differences. For instance, an analysis of 19 animal studies revealed that nearly 10 percent of blood, urine, organ and other parameters tested were significantly influenced by GMOs, with the liver and kidneys faring the worst.

A separate 2009 Brazilian study discovered that female rats fed GM soy for 15 months showed significant changes in their uterus and reproductive cycle, compared to rats fed organic soy or those raised without soy. This finding adds to a mounting body of evidence suggesting that GM foods can contribute to a number of reproductive disorders, including:

Changes in reproductive hormones, such as excessive production of estrogen, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone
Damage to pituitary gland
Retrograde menstruation, in which menstrual discharge travels backwards into the body rather than through the uterus, which can cause a disease known as endometriosis, which may lead to infertility. The disorder can also produce pelvic and leg pain, gastrointestinal problems, chronic fatigue, and a wide variety of other symptoms
Testicular changes, including damaged sperm cells

Another disturbing study performed by Irina Ermakova with the Russian National Academy of Sciences reported that more than half the babies from mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks, while the death rate in the non-GM soy group was only 10 percent. Additionally, the babies in the GM group were smaller, and, worst of all, could not reproduce. In a telling coincidence, after Ermakova’s feeding trials were completed, her laboratory started feeding all the rats in the facility a commercial rat chow using GM soy. Within two months, the infant mortality facility-wide reached 55 percent…

Of course, in terms of reliability, there’s a big difference between corporate science, which tends to primarily favor and support corporate interests, and independent science, performed without preconceived bias.

Monsanto wants you to simply trust them because they’re “experts” and their industry-funded studies “prove” their GM foods are safe. But these same experts also told you PCB’s, Agent Orange, and DDT was safe, and we now know those claims were far from accurate. The industry will also attack independent researchers who attempt to tell you otherwise. The Global Citizen’s Report states:

“For example, Dr. Arpad Pusztai’s research has shown that rats fed with GE potatoes had enlarged pancreases, their brains had shrunk, and their immunity had been damaged. Dr. Eric Seralini’s research demonstrated that organ damage can occur. … The Biotechnology Industry attacked Dr. Pusztai and Dr. Seralini and every scientist who has done independent research on GMOs. GMOs cannot co-exist with the independence and freedom of science.”

There are too many health concerns relating to GM foods to list, but some of the most concerning uncovered to date include:

As one of the most credentialed plant pathologists, Dr. Huber, professor emeritus at Purdue University says:

“When future historians come to write about our era they are not going to write about the tons of chemicals we did or didn’t apply. When it comes to glyphosate they are going to write about our willingness to sacrifice our children and to jeopardize our very existence by risking the sustainability of our agriculture; all based upon failed promises and flawed science. The only benefit is that it affects the bottom-line of a few companies. There’s no nutritional value.”

Your Non-GMO Action Plan: How to Say “No” to GMOs

At this point, there’s really no shortage of excellent information on the hazards of genetically modified foods. For more information, I highly recommend Jeffrey Smith’s books, Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, which provide overwhelming evidence that GM foods are unsafe and should never have been introduced in the first place. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) to rid them from our food supply.

Additionally, there are a number of films and videos available for viewing, including:

Hidden Dangers in Kid’s Meals, which is a powerful way for parents to get an initiation into the health dangers of GM foods
Your Milk on Drugs – Just Say No!, which exposes the dangers of GM bovine growth hormones. Any parent still feeding their child milk from cows injected with rBGH needs to see this film! They’ll never make the same mistake again…
Jeffrey Smith’s lecture: Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods

Since the U.S. government prevents the labeling of GM foods, it’s imperative to educate yourself on what they are, and to help spread awareness on how to avoid these foods. First and foremost, avoid most processed foods, unless it’s labeled USDA 100% Organic. You can also avoid GM foods that are not found in processed foods, if you know what to look for. There are currently eight genetically modified food crops on the market (plus GM alfalfa is used as an animal feed):

The free Non-GMO Shopping Guide is a great resource to help you determine which food brands and processed food products are GM-free. Print it out for yourself, and share it with everyone you know. If you feel more ambitious you can order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure in bulk, and bring them to the grocery stores in your area. Talk to the owner or manager and get permission to post them in their store.

Additionally, to help you find non-GMO organically grown, wholesome food in your area, check out these helpful resources:

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Local Harvest– This Web site will help you find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
USDA Farmer’s Markets database
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals – The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) – CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
FoodRoutes – The FoodRoutes “Find Good Food” map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA’s, and markets near you.

Important Action Item: Support California’s Ballot Initiative to Label GMO’s!

In 2007, then-Presidential candidate Obama promised to “immediately” require GM labeling if elected. So far, nothing of the sort has transpired.

Fortunately, 24 US states have (as part of their state governance) something called the Initiative Process, where residents can bring to ballot any law they want enacted, as long as it has sufficient support. California has been busy organizing just such a ballot initiative to get mandatory labeling for genetically engineered foods sold in their state. The proposed law will be on the ballot for 2012.

Michigan and Washington are also starting similar campaigns.

Since California is the 8th largest economy in the world, a win for the California Initiative would be a huge step forward, and would affect ingredients and labeling nation-wide. Last month, a coalition of consumer, public health and environmental organizations, food companies, and individuals submitted the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act to the State Attorney General. Now, they need 800,000 signatures to get the Act on next year’s ballot.

I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can.

If you live in California, volunteer to gather petition signatures. If you live outside of California, please donate to help support this Initiative and spread the word to everyone you know in California. Be assured that what happens in California will affect the remainder of the US states, so please support this important state initiative, even if you do not live there!

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Monsanto Defeated by Super Weeds

Posted on December 14, 2011 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

Twenty-one weed species around the world are now resistant to glyphosate, up from zero in 1996 — the year Monsanto started marketing its genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops.

Glyphosate, now the world’s bestselling weed killer and the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is emerging as one of the most dangerous Monsanto products to date, in part because super weeds are emerging at an alarming rate.

A briefing by GM Freeze noted that in the United States, the worst-affected country (which is not surprising since the U.S. also leads the world in GM crop acreage), 13 resistant weed species cover more than 11 million acres, mostly those planted with Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soy, corn and cotton crops.

The weeds are not only making Monsanto’s promises that their GM crops would reduce pesticide use completely laughable — since farmers are being forced to use multiple, and more, pesticides to keep weeds in their GM crops under control — but also are turning out to be a very big thorn in Monsanto’s proverbial side; one that ironically might turn out to threaten the very GM crops that created them.

Investors Warned About Monsanto’s Super Weeds

As GM Freeze reported, one investment company is now advising its clients to sell Monsanto shares because of the company’s problems with weed resistance, which are arguably set to snowball even further out of control in the very near future. Monsanto’s competitors, biotech giants like Dow and Bayer CropScience, are chomping at the bit to take over where Monsanto has failed, and already have released GM seeds with tolerance to multiple herbicides designed to be used on their own or in rotation with Roundup Ready crops in a last-ditch attempt to delay resistance from developing.

(No word yet on how these companies intend to deal with the new generation of super weeds that will inevitably develop in response to the new herbicide cocktail … )

So this dark cloud’s silver lining is the fact that, with super weeds becoming an undeniable threat that can no longer be ignored, the powers that be may be forced to acknowledge that GM crops are not all they’ve been cracked up to be. And Monsanto is also being shaken to its core by the grand scope of this environmental catastrophe.

GM Freeze reported:

“Monsanto is taking the problem of the rapid development of glyphosate resistance very seriously, as it represents a threat to their main sources of income.

… Monsanto has embarked on major changes in weed management in RR crops, which still includes the use of glyphosate on its own, but also in combination with other herbicides. This is increasing herbicide usage on these crops. So instead of the promised decrease in pesticide use on GM crops, the arrival of resistant weeds has resulted in herbicide use increasing on RR crops. Analysis of USDA data has found increases in herbicide use in all the crops where RR maize, cotton and soyabeans varieties dominate.

… Previous attempts to control resistant weeds by increasing the rate at which glyphosate is applied have proved unsuccessful, yet Monsanto appears to have no intention of taking responsibility for the failure of their technology.”

GM Crops Have Failed to Deliver … and That’s an Extreme Understatement

Herbicide tolerant (Roundup Ready) GM crops were supposed to control weeds and GM Bt crops were intended to control pests. Instead of controlling weeds and pests, GM crops have led to the emergence of super weeds and super pests

And despite claims that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will lower the levels of chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) used, this clearly has not been the case. This is of great concern both because of the negative impacts of these chemicals on ecosystems and humans, and because there is the danger that increased chemical use will cause increasing numbers of pests and weeds to develop resistance, requiring even more chemicals in order to attempt to manage them.

According to Jeffrey Smith with the Institute for Responsible Technology, by 2004 farmers used an estimated 86 percent more herbicides on GM soy fields compared to non-GM fields. Unfortunately, Monsanto’s plan to circumvent the inevitable development of more superweeds is to douse fields with more and more chemicals.

The Institute of Science in Society reported:

“As Einstein famously quoted, ‘no problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it.’ That is precisely what Monsanto is doing: advocating more and more herbicides to be used. New guidance published by the company to manage resistance includes:

The use of a cocktail of pesticides including 2,4-D, prior to sowing crop seeds
The production of GM seeds expressing tolerance to more than one pesticide. DuPont has already commercialised seeds tolerant to glyphosate and glufosinate. Monsanto has recently announced an agreement with the German pesticide and biotechnology company BASF to develop crops stacked with glyphosate and dicamba tolerant genes
The use of herbicides that remains active in the soil, killing any seedlings as they germinate, including sulfentrozone

The consequences of increasing herbicide use are likely to put the environment and people at further risk.”

Why Glyphosate is a Health and Environmental Disaster

Glyphosate is the world’s bestselling weed killer, and it’s found in more than 30 percent of all herbicides — an extremely disturbing scenario considering the data showing it to be an immense threat to human health and the environment.

GM expert Jeffrey Smith has reported that glyphosate promotes the formation of certain types of fungi that are dangerous to people and contaminate food and animal feed. One such fungi, the Fusarium fungus, has been linked to plague epidemics, cancer, infertility and animal diseases. Residues of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide found in GM food and feed have also been linked to cell damage and death, even at very low levels. Researchers have also found it causes membrane and DNA damage, and inhibits cell respiration.

And in one animal study, rats given 1,000 mg/kg of glyphosate resulted in a 50 percent mortality rate, and skeletal alterations were observed in over 57 percent of fetuses!

Research published last year shows that glyphosate causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at far lower levels than used in agricultural and garden applications.

The malformations primarily affected the:

Skull
Face
Midline and developing brain
Spinal cord

Other independent scientific research has also found that glyphosate causes:

Many of these effects were apparent at much lower doses than the typical levels of pesticide residues found in food … Yet despite the evidence of widespread human exposure, which strongly suggests that the precautionary principle should be applied, regulators are turning a blind eye.

Additionally, researchers have now linked glyphosate to Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease, in many fields around the world. Numerous studies have also shown that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but also to the outbreak of some 40 different plant and crop diseases! It weakens plants and promotes disease in a number of ways, including:

Acting as a chelator of vital nutrients, depriving plants of the nutrients necessary for healthy plant function
Destroying beneficial soil organisms that suppress disease-causing organisms and help plants absorb nutrients
Interfering with photosynthesis, reducing water use efficiency, shortening root systems and causing plants to release sugars, which changes soil pH
Stunting and weakening plant growth

The herbicide doesn’t destroy plants directly; instead, it creates a unique “perfect storm” of conditions that activates disease-causing organisms in the soil, while at the same time wiping out plant defenses against those diseases. So the glyphosate not only weakens plants, it actually changes the makeup of the soil and boosts the number of disease-causing organisms, which is becoming a deadly recipe for crops around the globe.

On a slightly brighter note, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finally looking into the damaging effects of glyphosate on humans and the environment and plans to make a decision regarding its future by 2015. At that time, Roundup could either continue to be used as it is now, be required to have some modifications to its use or be banned from use entirely in the United States.

How to Opt-Out of the GMO Experiment

It’s quite clear that genetically engineered foods are not only threatening the food supply with the creation of super weeds, but they can also pose potentially serious threats to animal and human health when consumed. Fortunately, now you, too, can let your opinion be heard on this issue. Several organizations, including Mercola.com, the Organic Consumers Association, the Institute for Responsible Technology, and the Environmental Working Group, are working to generate a tipping point of consumer rejection to make GMOs a thing of the past.

Here’s how you can get involved:

If you live in California and are willing to attend a short training session and then start collecting petition signatures (you will be part of a team of 2-4 people) for the California Ballot Initiative, sign up here. (For more information see: The California Ballot Initiative: Taking Down Monsanto.) Also remember to share this information with family and friends in California!
Whether you live in California or not, please donate money to this historic effort.
Talk to organic producers and stores and ask them to actively support the California Ballot. It may be the only chance we have to require the proper labeling of genetically engineered foods.
Distribute WIDELY the Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help you identify and avoid foods with GMOs. Look for products (including organic products) that feature the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal to be sure that at-risk ingredients have been tested for GMO content. You can also download the free iPhone application that is available from the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.
For timely updates, please join the Organic Consumers Association on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter
Look for in-depth coverage of the issue at the Institute for Responsible Technology, subscribe to Spilling the Beans, and check out their Facebook or Twitter.
You can also join the Non-GMO Project on Facebook, or Twitter

In the meantime, the simplest way to avoid GM foods is to buy whole, certified organic foods. By definition, foods that are certified organic must never intentionally use GM organisms, must be produced without artificial pesticides and fertilizers and come from an animal reared without the routine use of antibiotics, growth promoters or other drugs. Additionally, grass-fed beef will not have been fed GM corn feed, although now that GM alfalfa is approved, grass-fed will not always mean GMO free.

You can also look for foods that are ”non-GMO verified” by the Non-GMO Project.

Important Action Item: Support California’s Ballot Initiative to Label GMO’s!

In 2007, then-Presidential candidate Obama promised to “immediately” require GM labeling if elected. So far, nothing of the sort has transpired.

Michigan and Washington are also starting similar campaigns.

I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can.

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Avocado Nutrition Facts – Six Things About This Amazingly Healthy Superfood

Posted on December 11, 2011 by andreas m

By: Tara Green
Source: NaturalNews.com

Beware of popular health myths. For instance, throughout the 1990s and into the first few years of this century, popular health “experts” often warned against eating coconut oil or coconut milk, causing many people to eschew a food now known to offer many health benefits. Another lingering popular health myth warns against avocadoes, which wrongly labels them as a dietary culprit because of their caloric and fat content. Yet, the truth is avocadoes can boost health in at least 5 ways:

1. Protein

Avocadoes provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein. Unlike the protein in steak, which is difficult for most people to digest, avocado protein is readily absorbed by the body because avocadoes also contain fiber. If you are trying to cut down on animal sources of protein in your diet, or if you are a vegetarian, vegan or raw foodist seeking more protein, avocadoes are a great nutritional ally to include not merely as an occasional treat, but as a regular part of your diet.

2. Beneficial Fats

Avocadoes provide the healthy kind of fat that your body needs. Like olive oil, avocadoes boost levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol). HDL cholesterol can help protect against the damage caused by free radicals. This type of cholesterol also helps regulate triglyceride levels, preventing diabetes. A study published early this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that a vegetarian diet, which includes HDL fats, can reduce levels of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) as effectively as statin drugs.

3. Carotenoids

Avocadoes are an excellent source of carotenoids. Although many people associate carotenoids only with red and orange produce, avocadoes are also an excellent source of this phytonutrient. Avocadoes, also known as alligator pears, offer a diverse range of carotenoids including not only the better known ones such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein, but also lesser known varieties of this type of phytonutrient such as neoxanthin, zeaxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin, neochrome, beta-cryptoxanthin and violaxanthin. Every time you consume foods rich in carotenoids, you deliver high quality vitamin A to your body, thereby protecting eye health. Carotenoids also enhance the functioning of the immune system and promote healthy functioning of the reproductive system. Since carotenoids are fat soluble, eating avocadoes optimizes the absorption of these nutrients.

4.Anti-Inflammatory

The combined effect of the deluxe package of nutrients contained in avocadoes offers powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. Avocadoes’ unique combination of Vitamins C and E, carotenoids, selenium, zinc, phytosterols and omega-3 fatty acids helps guard against inflammation. This means avocadoes can help prevent or mitigate against both osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis.

5. Heart Health

The fat content, which causes some uninformed health “experts” to deem avocadoes as unhealthy, actually provides protection against heart diseases. Studies have shown that oleic acid improves cardiovascular health. Oleic acid is the primary fatty acid in avocadoes. Many people now take supplements in order to consume more omega-3 fatty acids to lower their risk of heart disease. Avocadoes are rich in omega-3, delivering 160 milligrams per cup of alpha-linolenic acid.

6. Choosing and Eating

To get the most nutritional value from avocadoes, avoid those which have become over-ripe. You can identify these at the store because they will have dents and feel overly soft when you hold them. A ripe avocado should have no dents in its skin and will feel slightly soft when squeezed. You can also buy unripe avocadoes, which feel very hard when gripped, and permit them to ripen at home. The portion of the avocado closest to the skin is the most dense in nutrients, so be sure to scrape the skin clean before discarding it.

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Doctor Warns: Eat This and You’ll Look 5 Years Older

Posted on December 9, 2011 by andreas m

By: Dr. Mercola
Source: Mercola.com

In the early 1990′s, soy and soy products exploded onto the supermarket scene with promises of bountiful health benefits.

This “new miracle food,” soy, was supposed to lower cholesterol, take the heat out of hot flashes, protect against breast and prostate cancer and offer a filling alternative to earth-loving vegetarians.

The problem with these claims?

Most of them are false.

Sadly, most of what you have been led to believe by the media about soy is simply untrue.

The sudden upsurge in the recommendation of soy as a health food has been nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to further reduce the cost and nutritional content of your food.

For you vegetarians out there staring at the screen in open-mouthed shock, fear not.

There are plenty of other healthy vegetarian alternatives, which I will discuss later in this article.

What was once considered a minor industrial crop back in 1913 now covers over 72 million acres of farmland.

But first, let’s examine the dangers and side effects of soy protein isolate and GMO foods.

Soy Protein Isolate — What is It, and How is it Getting in My Food?

The Soyfoods Association of America has a soy protein “fact sheet” defining soy protein isolate as the following:

“Soy protein isolate is a dry powder food ingredient that has been separated or isolated from the other components of the soybean, making it 90 to 95 percent protein and nearly carbohydrate and fat-free.”

Soy protein isolate can be found in protein bars, meal replacement shakes, bottled fruit drinks, soups and sauces, meat analogs, baked goods, breakfast cereals and some dietary supplements.

Bodybuilders beware: because many weight gainer powders, bars and shakes contain this dangerous ingredient and it can cause troubling side effects such as diminished libido and erectile dysfunction — and this is just the start. You’ll find out more about these disturbing health effects later on in this article.

Even if you are not a vegetarian and do not use soymilk or tofu, it is important to become a label reader. There are so many different names for soy additives, you could be bringing home a genetically modified soy-based product without even realizing it. Dr. Daniel offers a free Special Report, “Where the Soys Are,” on her Web site. It lists the many “aliases” that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists — words like “boullion,” “natural flavor” and “textured plant protein.”

Here are a few other names soy tends to hide under:

Mono-diglyceride
Soya, Soja or Yuba
TSF (textured soy flour) or TSP (textured soy protein)
TVP (textured vegetable protein)
Lecithin
MSG (monosodium glutamate)

Not all textured vegetable protein is made from soy, but a great deal of it is. Lecithin can be made from soy, eggs, sunflower or corn. Be sure to contact the manufacturer to find out which is in your product if the label doesn’t reveal this information.

GMO — Making Soy Even Worse

One of the worst problems with soy comes from the fact that 90 to 95 percent of soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified (GM), and these are used to create soy protein isolate.

Why the genetic tinkering?

Genetically modified soybeans are designed to be “Roundup ready.” That’s right, they are chemically engineered to withstand heavy doses of herbicides without killing the plant! What does this mean for your health and the health of your unborn or yet-to-be-conceived children? Read on.

GM Soy Can Lead to Hormonal Disruption and Miscarriages

The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which is responsible for the disruption of the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle.

“It’s an endocrine buster,” says UK pathologist Stanley Ewen, “that interferes with aromatase, which produces estrogen.”

What’s more, glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from mother to child, and eliminating waste products. Once the placenta has been damaged or destroyed, the result can be miscarriage. In those children born to mothers who have been exposed to even a small amount of glyphosate, serious birth defects can result.

In an excellent summary of glyphosate-related effects by the Pesticide Action Network, Dr. Andreas Carrasco of the Embryology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine in Buenos Aires, simply and expertly explains the serious risks for unborn children exposed to Roundup-laden GMO soy products.

Amphibian embryos were exposed to a tiny concentration of glyphosate (diluted 5000 fold) and showed the following effects:

“Effects included reduced head size, genetic alterations in the central nervous system, increased death of cells that help form the skull, deformed cartilage, eye defects, and undeveloped kidneys. Carrasco also stated that the glyphosate was not breaking down in the cells, but was accumulating.

The findings lend weight to claims that abnormally high levels of cancer, birth defects, neonatal mortality, lupus, kidney disease, and skin and respiratory problems in populations near Argentina’s soybean fields may be linked to the aerial spraying of Roundup.”

The long-term effects of the human consumption of genetically modified soy and soy-based products are staggering.

In April 2010, researchers at Russia’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Association for Gene Security found that after feeding hamsters GM soy for two years over three generations, by the third generation, most lost the ability to have babies! Now, let’s take a close look at some of the health risks to YOU as a result of eating genetically modified soy.

Infertility in Women

Do you want to start a family? Have you had any trouble conceiving, perhaps due to irregular menstrual cycles or endometriosis? Have you ever experienced a miscarriage?

If so, what you’re about to read will shock you.

A Brazilian study published in 2009 looked at the impact of soy on the reproductive system of female rats. Female rats fed GM soy for 15 months showed significant changes in their uterus and reproductive cycles, compared to rats fed organic soy or no soy.

Extrapolating the findings to people, women who eat genetically modified soy products, such as the soy protein isolate in processed vegetarian fare, may be more likely to experience severe hormonal disruptions, including an overabundance of estrogen, a hair-growth stimulating hormone, and damage to the pituitary gland.

According to Dr. Stanley Ewen, the female rats fed GM soy probably had an increase in progesterone, which could cause an increase in the number of eggs released during each ovulation cycle.

You might think this would lead to an increase in fertility. However, as discussed in an article by Jeffrey Smith, women who consume genetically modified soy products are at increased risk for developing retrograde menstruation (the menstrual cycle backs up into the body instead of outward), causing endometriosis, which can lead to infertility.

The consumption of soy protein isolate and other soy-based products can also lead to abnormally heavy or longer menstrual periods. This is called menorrhagia and, ironically, some commercials have been popping up with a new pill that supposedly offers the “cure” for this “mystery syndrome.”

When in reality the real cure for some women is as simple as removing soy and soy-based products from the diet. The negative effects of soy are not restricted to women, however.

Loss of Libido & Erectile Dysfunction in Men

Guys, do you enjoy protein bars or use a weight gainer shake? If so, be sure to read the label to see if the products you use contain any soy ingredients. Did you know that celibate monks living in monasteries and leading a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods quite helpful for dampening libido?

Another drawback: Soy has also been linked to erectile dysfunction. The two natural drugs found in soy, genistein and daidzein, mimic estrogen so well that they have been known to cause a variety of alarming side effects in men:

Breast enlargement (gynecomastia)
Decreased facial and body hair growth
Decreased libido
Mood swings and frequent crying jags
Erectile dysfunction
Lowered sperm count

For example, one recent study documented a case of gynecomastia in a 60-year-old man as a result of his soy consumption. Another study showed that juvenile rats exposed to daidzein showed impaired erectile function at maturity.

Men, if you’ve experienced one or any of these symptoms, soy could be the culprit. Remove it from your diet, but be sure to consult a trusted physician if your symptoms do not improve or get worse as this could be a sign of another serious condition.

The Healthy Aspects of Soy: Fermented vs. Unfermented

In order to back up the claim that soy is a health food, privately funded “researchers” have been quick to point out that Asians, who consume a diet high in soy, have less risk of breast, uterine and prostate cancer. Unfortunately, they leave out two very important
points:

Asians, especially the Japanese, while having a decreased risk of the above-mentioned cancers, have a much higher risk of developing cancer of the esophagus, thyroid, stomach, pancreas and liver!
Asians also consume a diet rich in fermented soy, which is the only type of soy to offer health benefits.

The reason Asians have an increased risk for some cancers is the same reason they do not develop others: unfermented soy. The soy marketing and promotion gurus left out this critical piece of information. Would you rather have one cancer over another? Isn’t that like asking whether or not you’d like to be whacked in the head with a two-by-four vs. a wooden stick?

You might be asking yourself what the big difference is between consuming a fermented soy product such as, say, tempeh, vs. tofu or a veggie burger. I’m here to tell you, the difference is night and day.

Unfermented AND fermented soy contains hormonal mimics in the form of isoflavones which can not only disrupt delicate hormone systems in your body, but also act as goitrogens, substances that suppress your thyroid function. When the thyroid is suppressed, a host of health problems result, namely:

Anxiety and mood swings
Insomnia
Difficulty losing weight
Difficulty conceiving children
Digestive problems
Food allergies

And so much more. No wonder soy can lead to thyroid, esophagus and stomach cancer! Unfermented soy is also chock full of phytic acid, an “antinutrient” responsible for leeching vital nutrients from your body. Phytic acid also blocks the uptake of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc especially.

Now, fermented soy products do provide health benefits.

As I mentioned in my previous article, some examples of healthful fermented soyproducts are as follows:

Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes; be wary because many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process.

For those of you who enjoy tofu, I’m sorry to say it didn’t make this list because tofu is an unfermented soy product.

So, What Are The Health Benefits of Fermented Soy Products?

The claim that soy products can prevent osteoporosis, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and protect you from cancer of the prostate, lung and liver is actually true, but ONLY if the soy is fermented.

How?

The process of fermenting soy destroys the above-mentioned dangerous substances, thereby making it fit for consumption. Also, fermented soy products such as those listed above are a rich source of vitamin K2, a vitamin that works in harmony with vitamin D to keep you healthy. Vitamin K regulates your body’s blood clotting ability and helps prevent cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease. And vitamin D is essential to the function of every system in your body.

Warning to Vegetarians about the Risk of Mineral Deficiency

Since phytic acid or phytates sap the nutrients from your body, if you’re eating a vegetarian diet that has replaced meat with mostly unfermented soy such as veggie burgers containing GMO soy protein isolate, you are at risk for severe mineral deficiency.

In addition to this nutrient loss, many processed veggie burgers and the like are packed with harmful artificial flavorings, particularly MSG and textured vegetable protein products to give them their strong “meat” flavor.

What’s even worse is the process soy has to go through to become soy protein isolate. Acid washing in aluminum tanks, which is designed to remove some of the antinutrients (but the results often vary widely), leeches aluminum into the final product. Aluminum can have adverse effects on brain development and cause symptoms such as:

Antisocial behavior
Learning disabilities
Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

As I mentioned in a previous article about soy, this makes processed vegetarian fare more palatable, but far from nutritious. Vegetarians have plenty of options for well-rounded, nutritious meals without needing to eat soy or soy-based products.

Beans are an inexpensive, protein-rich food that can be eaten alone, added to salads or served as a side dish. Be sure to purchase organic dried beans and cook them at home to avoid the adverse health effects of eating canned food. Ideally is it also best to soak them for at least 12 hours before cooking them.
Nuts are also an excellent source of protein. For optimal health benefits, reach for organic nuts such as almonds or walnuts, instead of overly processed mixed nuts.
Quinoa is a gluten free grain that can be enjoyed as a cereal, side dish or added to homemade vegetable stews as a thickener.
Flaxseed, which is rich in essential omega 3 fats like ALA, is an excellent source of protein. Add it to salads or sprinkle it over yogurt to infuse your meal with vital nutrients. However, it is important to grind flax seeds just prior to eating them because100 percent of commercially ground flaxseeds are rancid. Hemp seeds are also an excellent source of protein.

Hope for the Lactose Intolerant

If you suffer from lactose intolerance and have been replacing milk with soy, you have three more healthful options: Almond milk, and now hemp milk. All are nutritious alternatives to soy, and almond milk has a richer, heartier flavor. Hemp milk is a very creamy, high protein alternative to soymilk, and it’s easy to blend your own by whizzing up hemp seeds and water in a high-speed blender.

Babies — Birth Control in a Bottle

As stated in a number of previous articles, soy formula is one of the most dangerous foods you can feed your baby!

“In 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is 6 to11 times higher on a body-weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma estradiol concentrations in infants on cow’s milk formula.”

What does this mean? Feeding your infant soy-based formula can cause a host of health problems including:

Behavioral problems
Food allergies and digestive distress
Early puberty and fertility problems (including the inability to menstruate)
Asthma
Precocious puberty for girls and gynecomastia (man boobs) for boys
Thyroid disease
Cancer

As I concluded in my article on infant formula, babies who are fed exclusively from the breast from birth to six months enjoy health benefits such as:

Lower risk of respiratory tract and middle ear infections
Lower risk of eczema
Lower risk of obesity
Added protection against heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and allergies
Improved brain function and immune system function

Soy formula is also laden with toxic chemicals such as aluminum and manganese, which can cause both physical and mental health problems, learning disabilities, brain damage and behavioral problems. If, for some reason, you are unable to breastfeed or have adopted a baby, look into these recipes for homemade infant formula.

School Lunch — Children’s Nutrition Left Behind

In order to comply with new US Government standards, soy products are now being used to replace whole, nutritious foods in school lunches. Due to the decreased fat content of soy, it is touted as a healthful alternative to the meat and dairy of yesterday’s hot meal.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Soy added to your child’s hot lunch depletes the necessary nutrients needed for healthy growth and has been linked to learning disabilities. I encourage you to watch this sobering video to learn more about the dangers in your child’s school lunch. Do your children a favor and send them to school with a healthy, home-packed meal.

Senior Citizens — Aging Less Gracefully

According to a study done by Dr. Lon White of the Hawaii Center for Health Research, senior citizens who consumed a lot of tofu in mid-life were more likely to experience accelerated brain aging and a more pronounced loss of cognitive function.

“What’s more,” said Dr White, “those who ate a lot of tofu, by the time they were 75 or 80, looked five years older.”

If you’re heading toward your golden years and are looking to avoid soy protein, become a label reader. Meal replacement drinks like Ensure are filled with soy protein and are best avoided. As you can see, unfermented soy is anything but a health food.

Do your own research, try eliminating it from your family’s diet and judge the results for yourself. Remember, an educated consumer is an armed consumer. Big companies can only produce and sell these harmful products as long as you’re buying them.

Vote with your wallet by spending your money on healthier alternatives!

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The Benefits Of Ghee And How To Prepare It

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

The Benefits of Ghee

Ghee is clarified butter. Although it is prepared completely from butter, its properties, according to Ayurveda, are very different from butter itself. Once of the most obvious differences is that all of the milk protein has been removed. Ghee is pure fat with none of the impurities that may be found in butter. Unlike butter, ghee contains no bacteria and it is not prone to turning rancid, even after storing it for several months outside the refrigerator.

In many cases, ghee is recommended in the diet. It is particularly useful for the Pitta constitution; it helps to digest and absorb food better and makes food tastier, although not everyone will agree. Its benefit lies in the fact that it stimulates AGNI without upsetting Pitta dosha. Also, Vata and even Kapha types benefit from ghee. Unless you have access to an Indian health food store that sells ghee, you will have to prepare it yourself, using the following recipe.

How To Prepare Ghee at home

Place any amount of unsalted butter in a deep porcelain, Pyrex or stainless steel pan over medium-low heat. (Be sure that the butter does not scorch while melting) Allow complete melting to occur, and then reduce the heat to low.
During the next 30-40 minutes, the water in the butter will boil away. (Approximately 20 percent of butter is composed of water) Milk solids will appear on the surface of the liquid and at the bottom of the pan.
Be alert to remove the liquid from the heat as the milk solids turn golden brown on the bottom of the pan. Otherwise, the ghee may burn. At this point, you may notice that the ghee smells like popcorn, and you can see tiny bubbles rising from the bottom.
Strain it while still hot or warm, pouring it through a cotton cloth into a stainless steel or heavy glass container. At this point it is very hot, so you should always be cautious. Another way of doing this is to let the ghee cool down, and then strain it by pouring it through a cotton cloth or a handkerchief directly into clean glass jars or bowls.
Ghee can be stored at room temperature for several weeks, and it keeps indefinitely when kept in the refrigerator. Put a teaspoonful (per person) into food or on food after cooking it. Ghee can be used in the same way as cooking oil, in place of butter, or as a digestive aid dripped over food.

Note: Caution should always be observed when handling hot liquids. Ghee should never be left unattended during the heating process.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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Chocolate – Facts And Fiction

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

The recent desperate attempt of the food industry to boost sluggish sales of their products, after the dampening effects of the low carb craze, has caused it to heavily invest in serious ‘scientific’ research to prove that their unhealthy products are not just safe, but even good for you. Although hard to believe, chocolate is now being pushed as a health food. Add chocolate to your healthy diet, and your heart health will improve. At least, this is what they are now trying to make you believe.

Apparently, there is a new study that suggests eating chocolate can improve your blood vessel functions. This clearly shows how much the food industry, similar to the pharmaceutical industry, wants you to buy more of their products, with utter disregard to your health.

According to the editors of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN), flavonoid-rich dark chocolate may improve artery flexibility while increasing an antioxidant that may help prevent blood clots. Whereas this is likely, and may be true, the problem with the study is that it didn’t include a control (placebo) group. So there was no one to compare to. Besides, the common chocolate you buy in stores doesn’t improve artery flexibility – it’s the flavonoids in dark chocolate and raw cocoa beans that have this effect. These same flavonoids are also found in apples, grapes, broccoli, onions, berries, and dozens of other foods, some of which the subjects of the study most likely consumed besides the chocolate. Of course, the study was sponsored by a chocolate producer, Mars Candy Company, which was so generous to also supply the chocolates for the ‘study’. If the study has any real value, why didn’t the researchers announce that flavonoids, as found in most plant foods, such as broccoli and fruits, grape juice and, yes, also chocolate, are beneficial for your arteries? But no, they were obliged by their sponsors to announce that ‘chocolate is beneficial for your arteries’. All this is in total disregard to all the other things that are contained in chocolate, that is, lots of sugar, milk, preservatives, coloring agents, artificial flavorings, etc.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) which is supported by a grant from Mars Inc. has a section on their website titled ‘Chocolate: Facts and Fiction’. Although dietary sugar intake is a big factor for the millions of people who have Type 2 diabetes or peripatetic conditions, the ADA advices, “If you have diabetes, ask your health professional how to incorporate chocolate into your eating plan.” This sounds like ‘sound’ medical advice. I would stay away from any of the ADA’s dietary advice. You never know what kind of sickness you may develop because of it.

The truth of the matter is that real chocolate consists of largely fermented, roasted chocolate beans that are packed with nutrients. The word ‘chocolate’ comes from the Aztecs of Mexico who called it ‘bitter water’. They associated chocolate with the goddess of fertility. It was always used as a beverage, never as a solid food. Its numerous benefits were known to them.

Today’s largely ‘fake’ chocolate consists mostly of cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, sugar, and other ingredients such as emulsifiers that improve smoothness and flavor. The finest plain dark chocolate contains at least 70% cocoa (solids and butter), whereas the most expensive milk chocolate usually contains about 50% cocoa. High-quality white chocolate contains around 30% cocoa. Most mass-produced chocolate contains as little as 7 % cocoa and fats other than cocoa butter. These ‘chocolate’ products have little to do with chocolate because of the low or virtually non-existent cocoa content.

The chocolate that most people consume is relatively inexpensive. Production costs can be decreased by reducing cocoa solid content or by substituting cocoa butter with a non-cocoa fat. The announcement by Mars and other candy producers that ‘chocolate is good for your heart’ applies only to a tiny fraction of the chocolates sold, and therefore is misleading. The health claims made are part of a clever marketing campaign to sell more chocolate of any kind, knowing well that most people buy the cheapest chocolate available. The proclaimed health benefits of chocolate can, however, only be applied to fermented, roasted cocoa beans and the more expensive dark chocolate with mostly natural and healthy ingredients.

Dark chocolate, which has a strong bitter taste, has shown the same blood-thinning benefits as aspirin, but without the harmful side effects and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Regular chocolate has never shown any health benefits, but lots of harmful side effects, including weight gain and obesity.

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Coconut Oil – A Gift From The Tropics

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Virgin coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a proven antiviral and antibacterial agent. It is currently being used in treating AIDS. Monolaurin is a monoglyceride of lauric acid. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk, which makes coconut milk an excellent alternative to milk-formula foods. In fact, coconut milk has been used in the tropics to bring up very healthy children when breast milk was unavailable.

This delicious-tasting oil is not only satisfying to your taste buds, but it also cleanses your colon by gently softening and loosening old fecal material, and helping to remove it without unpleasant side effects. It has a strongly alkalizing effect in the body, which is beneficial for every disease process. The tropical oil has a substance that has been shown to raise HDL cholesterol levels, the good kind, thereby lowering the risk of heart attack.

For those who are concerned about infestation with intestinal parasites and Candida albicans, coconut’s anti-parasitic properties help purge pathogenic organisms by robbing them of their protective coating. A natural anti-yeast treatment, coconut oil has been known for many centuries to prevent yeast infections in women in the Pacific islands. During scientific tests, both capric and lauric acid (found in this oil in very large amounts) were found to be absolutely lethal to all major strains of Candida albicans.

Research comparing Pacific Islanders with people from several developed nations showed that their health was extremely good compared to Western standards. These Islanders had no signs of kidney disease or hypothyroidism that might influence fat levels. There was no hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol). All inhabitants were lean and healthy despite a very high saturated-fat diet from coconut oil. In fact, the population as a whole had ideal weight-to-height ratios as compared to the Body Mass Index figures used by nutritionists. Digestive problems were rare. Constipation was uncommon. They averaged two or more bowel movements a day. Atherosclerosis, heart disease, colitis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, ulcers, diverticulitis, and appendicitis are conditions with which they were generally unfamiliar.

Coconut oil also assists with dissolving and removing toxins that are trapped in fatty deposits, thereby making fat accumulation increasingly unnecessary (accumulation of fat is a survival mechanism to keep toxins engulfed within fatty tissue). This may explain why this oil helps to build lean muscles. Many body builders, personal trainers, Olympic athletes, and others use it for building lean body mass.

Coconut oil is easily digested, even by weak and compromised digestive systems. It is the only oil that doesn’t require bile to digest it, which makes it useful for those whose gallbladder has been removed. Coconut oil assists with most digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. This oil does not require any enzymes or carriers to be transported across cell membranes. Once it has reached the cell interior, it is used for energy. This makes coconut a readily available energy source.

Coconut oil has also been shown to balance hypothyroidism. It is a saturated fat made up primarily of medium chain fatty acids. Also known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), medium chain fatty acids are known to increase metabolism, promote weight loss, and immobilize yeast bacteria. If required, coconut oil raises basal body temperatures while increasing metabolism, which is great news for those suffering low thyroid functions, and those afflicted with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Coconut oil is useful for the very young and the very old. It is one of the healthiest and safest oils. Unlike most oils, this one will not oxidize upon heating. This makes coconut oil the ideal cooking oil. With the exception of Kapha types, the average adult can safely include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet. It will not make you fat. But, start out with a low dose until you find out how the breakdown of yeast affects you. Apart from its internal benefits, when applied to the skin, coconut oil will protect from sunburn, drying, chapping and harmful germs.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Cook In Surgical Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Since 1985, I have been using Surgical Stainless Steel Waterless Cookware for all my cooking. In my opinion and experience, this is by far the most uncomplicated and least time-consuming method of preparing cooked meals while preventing the loss of valuable vitamins, enzymes and flavor. This five, seven or nine-ply surgical stainless steel cookware allows you to cook your food in less than half the time and with one-fourth the heat.

There is no more pouring the nutrients down the drain when boiling vegetables. There is no more cooking in hot oil and robbing the food of its vital nutrition and fiber. The tight vapor-seal created during cooking allows the flavor and nutrients to remain in the food. Unlike with pressure cookers, waterless cookware involves no steam-pressure buildup inside the cookware. The temperature generated inside the cookware is much less of what is required for boiling water, yet the food cooks much faster than with ordinary cookware.

There is also no need to keep checking on the food. In fact, if you do, the cooking process will be interrupted and will take longer than necessary. While the food is being cooked, you can prepare other foods, such as salad. Within 20 minutes you can serve a meal consisting of three cooked items, such as vegetables, rice and beans. A light evening meal consisting of vegetables or a vegetable soup can be fixed in a matter of 10 minutes. Cooking from scratch must no longer be a burden. Since I do this every day, I can personally attest to that.

Waterless cooking cannot be accomplished with Teflon, iron, aluminum, glass, porcelain and department store lightweight stainless steel. In the United States, you can buy 15-piece sets of 9-ply stainless steel cookware for as little as $180. Waterless cookware not only costs hundreds of dollars less than the cookware you see in cooking shows, but it also comes with a Lifetime Warranty (You may search for ‘Waterless Cookware’ on the Internet). Please note there may be other metals in some parts of the cookware to make the steel extra hard and resistant to corrosion. However, the parts of the cookware that come into contact with food should only be made of pure extra heavy 304 surgical steel.

Basic Rules of Cooking with Waterless Cookware

1. Always use the right pan

Select the pan the food will most nearly fill, as air pockets created by ‘too large for the food quantity’ pans may destroy vitamins, dry your foods and possibly burn them.

2. Rinse prepared fruits and vegetables

Rinsing in cold water and then draining is important for two reasons: it removes harmful chemicals and allows water to cling to the food, combining with the natural juices to cook in its own steam. You may add spices, salt, vegetable bouillon, oil or butter, salt, coconut milk or other ingredients. This is waterless, nutritional cooking. Until you get used to this new method, you may want to add several tablespoons of water.

3. Control the heat

Always control the heat throughout the cooking process. If you set the heat to too high, it evaporates the steam and your food burns. With waterless cookware, the control is never on higher than medium heat.

4. Get a vapor seal

Start the cooking process on medium heat until the steam control valve whistles in the open position. Then turn the heat down to low or simmer and close the valve. After you do this, the lid will form an airtight heat seal.

When cooking watery type food such as apples and cabbage, it takes about three minutes to create a water seal. More solid food such as potatoes and carrots take about five minutes for the lid to seal after turning the heat to low and closing the steam control valve.

5. Don’t peek

Resist that urge to peek! When the cover is removed during the cooking period, heat and steam are allowed to escape. This lengthens the cooking time and dries out the food.

Caution: Avoid non-stick pans

The chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) used in non-stick pans, fast-food containers, carpets, furniture and a host of other everyday household products accumulates in the umbilical cords of babies and is retards their growth and brain development, according to two new studies published in the prestigious journal Environmental Health Perspectives (August 2007).

Babies whose umbilical cords had the highest concentrations of PFOA were born lighter, thinner and with smaller head circumferences than others. This chemical – produced in the United States by DuPont – has been used so widely and is so persistent in the environment that it has been found all over the world. It is now found even in the Arctic and in remote Pacific atolls – in rain and water supplies, food, wildlife and human blood. DuPont ‘agreed’ to phase out this chemical in 2015!

In other words, it’s up to you to protect you and your family by choosing to use only chemical-free products.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Eat Sensible, Stay Healthy

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

It is best to avoid heavy, oily and fried food; aged cheeses; yogurt; onion and garlic, especially uncooked; highly processed and refined foods; fizzy drinks, alcohol, coffee, regular tea; artificial sweeteners; and commercial sugar.

Try to include one or two pieces of fresh fruit per day in your diet. If you use fruit juice, make sure it is freshly prepared and not older than one hour (best diluted with water). Packaged fruit juices are pasteurized, which makes them acid-forming, deprives them of natural enzymes, and depletes the body of important minerals and vitamins. Many brands contain artificial sweeteners, which dehydrate the body and may damage the brain, nervous system and immune system. It is preferable to eat one kind of fruit at a time.

Fruit or fruit juices should always be taken on an empty stomach. Since fruit leaves the stomach within 20-40 minutes without requiring any stomach action, it is important not to eat them with other foods; doing so leads to fermentation, bloating, and even diarrhea. The best times to eat fruit are mid-morning and mid-afternoon, or for breakfast with nothing else.

For optimal digestion, fruit should preferably be consumed when it is in season. When picked too early, they have not reached their natural ripening stage and lack most vitamins and important sugars. They may also irritate the intestinal walls due to their high concentration of antibodies (acting as antigens in the body) and enzyme inhibitors (highly toxic). Once fully sun-ripened, the fruits’ toxins become neutralized. If you find that you have trouble digesting fruit, the reason could most often be that the fruit has been harvested too early.

Since they have a cooling influence, you may want to eat fruits more often during the summer months. They are less suitable during the cold season when we need more warming foods.

The best types of fruit are the ones that grow naturally in your environment. To properly digest fruit from another country, we require different digestive enzymes. We can only produce these enzymes if we have lived there for some time and our bodies have adapted to that new environment.

You may eat soaked dried fruit such as sultanas, figs, dates or prunes, either for breakfast (without other foods) or as a snack like other fruit. ‘Muscle test’ which ones are the most suitable for you! Dried fruits contain enzyme inhibitors, which can make them gas-forming and constipating. Soaking them overnight or for at least a few hours breaks down these natural chemicals and makes them more easily digestible.

Eat 8-12 almonds on a daily basis. This provides vital nutrients to the cells of the body, and particularly to the eyes and bones. Remove the skin by placing the almonds in boiled water for 15-20 minutes. The skins will easily slip off. Soaking them overnight increases their digestibility.

Note: The skin contains harmful acids used to protect the nut from insect attack and fungus. These acids may cause some irritation, or even allergies, in some sensitive individuals.

It is best to avoid leftover foods, with the exception of rice and beans, which you may keep for a day or two and then reheat. Research has shown there are more destructive bacteria in Grandma’s reheated soup than on a month-old kitchen sink sponge. With regard to vegetables, the active life force (Prana or Chi energy) and important enzymes and vitamins dissipate after one hour of cooking them. Frozen food is void of the life force, and thus has diminished nutrient-absorption. Fruit should be eaten only fresh. Microwaves used to cook food cause total disintegration of the food’s molecular structure and destroy its life force. Without its life force, food cannot be digested and assimilated properly.

For deep tissue-cleansing, drink hot (ionized) water frequently: Boil water for 15-20 minutes. Keep it in a thermos flask. Every half hour, take 1-2 sips or more according to your thirst. To have a cleansing effect, the water must be boiled this long and be taken as hot as you would take tea. You may put a small piece of fresh ginger in the flask to improve taste. By boiling the water continuously for at least 15 minutes, large numbers of negatively charged oxygen ions are generated. When ingested by taking frequent sips of this water throughout the day, these negatively charged ions systematically begin to cleanse the tissues of the body and help rid them of positively charged ions – those associated with high acidity and toxins. If you have excessive body weight, this cleansing method can help you shed many pounds of body-waste without any major undesirable side effects. It can be used for any health issue related to congestion in any part of the body.

Avoid ice-cold foods or beverages as they can ‘extinguish’ AGNI, the digestive fire, for many hours. They may also damage the nerve endings of the stomach. A hand, held in icy water, becomes numb. Similarly, cold drinks or food items cause the stomach cells to contract and prevent them from secreting the required amounts of digestive juices. They also make the stomach insensitive to potentially harmful foods or beverages, and effectively disrupt its communication and potential warning signals to the brain. In addition, digestive enzymes require a very specific temperature to operate optimally. By cooling down the enzymes’ environment, their digestive and anti-cancer properties begin to diminish, too, predisposing a person to excessive weight gain and even cancer. Also, the sudden cold influence, as caused, for example, by ice cream or iced beverages, forces the body to increase its internal heat generation in order to compensate for the harmful drop in temperature. This response wastes the body’s energy reserves and may make it feel even hotter and thirstier than before, particularly during the summer period. Foods and beverages that are of room temperature or warm are the most suitable and natural ones for the human body.

Use the spices appropriate for your body type generously. You will find them listed in Ayurvedic food charts. Spices not only enhance the flavor of food, but also contain vital nutrients and aromas that help with the digestion and metabolism of food. People who suffer from low metabolism (mainly Kapha types) can speed up their metabolic rate by as much as 30 percent by using warming or heating spices in their food. Chili peppers or chili-containing spice mixes should be avoided, though, as they affect the chest and cause mucus irritation in the stomach and intestines. If you like food to be hot and spicy, cayenne pepper is the best option.

If available, drink 2 to 4 ounces of freshly prepared carrot juice before lunch. Note: Pitta types should do the muscle test for carrot juice before attempting this regimen, since carrots can increase Pitta.

For one day per week or month, you may want try taking only a liquid diet (soups, freshly made juices, water, herbal teas, ionized water, etc.). Then gradually build up to a normal diet again. This may greatly relieve the digestive system of its daily workload and improve its ability to remove any accumulated toxic waste. Women benefit greatly if they have a ‘liquid day’ about one or two days before the onset of menstruation: this can help to make the menstrual period more comfortable and effective.

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

The Bitter Truth – Sweeteners Cause Obesity, Depression, Brain Damage, Etc

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Sugar is known to ‘improve’ moods for relatively short periods of time. With the help of insulin, sugar increases the secretion of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter of happiness. If insulin secretion fails to occur, happiness remains low. The only way to get out of this situation, it seems, is to eat sugar so that the body can secrete insulin again.

You may believe that the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. But food manufactures know that the more artificially sweetened foods and beverages you consume, the more you will want their normal sugar-containing foods and beverages as well.

Diet foods and diet beverages have not only contributed to a massive increase in sugar consumption and obesity but also led to an epidemic of depression. I have seen numerous depressed people over the years, a large percentage of whom regularly used artificial sweeteners. By cutting out diet foods and ‘light’ products, they have returned to their normal moods, and they have lost excess weight, too.

Apart from causing obesity and depression, sweeteners have been linked to insomnia, headaches, giddiness, loss of memory, nausea, pre-menstrual syndrome, panic attacks, epileptic fits, and even overstimulation of breast glands leading to breast cancer. Aspartame in particular may cause extensive damage to the central nervous system. Once it has entered the intestinal tract, aspartame is converted into two highly excitatory neurotransmitter amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalinine, as well as into methyl alcohol (wood-grain alcohol) and formaldehyde (embalming fluid). Wood alcohol is one of the most dangerous substances that result from eating artificial sweeteners.

It may directly enter the bloodstream and move through the brain barrier into the central nervous system where it can influence the neurotransmitters, alter brain function, and cause brain damage. Wood alcohol can cause blindness and formaldehyde can cause cancer. In some cases, aspartame may suppress appetite and ‘kill’ AGNI, the digestive fire, altogether. Both can lead to quick, excessive weight gain. According toConsumer Reports, aspartame has a shelf life of between two and three months. After that, it begins to break down and pose an increasing danger to the consumer. The same occurs when aspartame or an aspartame-containing food is heated.

Aspartame accounts for more than 75 percent of the total adverse reactions to food reported to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. Hundreds of airline pilots have reported symptoms of memory loss and confusion, headaches, seizures, visual disturbances and gastrointestinal reactions as a result of consuming sweeteners. If pregnant women consume large quantities of diet sodas to avoid weight gain, their placenta may accumulate methyl alcohol, causing mental retardation in the fetus. They also risk maternal malnutrition because of the gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea associated with sweeteners.

Other sweeteners besides aspartame have similar effects. Added to soft drinks, they are now even linked with testicular damage and other key areas of the body. Stimulating the brain of a child with these ‘pleasure-enhancing’ chemicals in beverages will, in some cases, program their senses to look for and use stronger addictive substances such as hard drugs or large amounts of alcohol later in life. The latest sweetener, acesulfame K, may also be carcinogenic, i.e., cause cancer, according a report published in the British Medical Journal in 1996. To avoid serious health problems, it is best to stick to foods and beverages that come from purely natural sources.

A sugar called tagatose is one of the next sweeteners that will be appearing on products labeled under the pseudo-hygienic appellations of ‘Light’, ‘Lite’, ‘Low Calorie’, ‘Sugar Free’, ‘Sugarless’, ‘Low Fat’, or ‘Low Sodium,’ etc.

Hyperuricemia is an unhealthy and unacceptable result from ingesting tagatose. Some researchers believe hyperuricemia is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease, and it has been associated with lipid abnormalities, hypertension, stroke, and preeclampsia. It is an especially hazardous effect with regards to diabetes because hyperuricemia is damaging to the pancreas as well as possibly causing major harm to other organs and systems in the body. Having too much uric acid in the blood predisposes you to developing gout, a painful joint condition.

If you wish to protect yourself and your family from the dreadful consequences of universal deceit and actually benefit from the foods you eat, start with fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. And be sure to prepare your foods from scratch.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Raw Butter And Coconut Oil Have Slimming Properties

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Utterly Butterly Healthy

Most diet plans and nutritionists will tell you that butter is a definite no-no for anyone who wants to lose weight. So this will come as a surprise – butter may have slimming benefits. But before we go into the details, here’s something to think about first. Heart disease rose to become the number one killer in the US between the 1920s and 1960s, about the same time that butter consumption fell from an average 18 pounds per person per year to 4.

Though butter would have to be eliminated as the culprit, it was still tainted as the villain contributing to heart disease, obesity and diabetes, three of America’s biggest health concerns today. So was it pure coincidence that margarine manufacturers had stepped in to convince the gullible public that they had found a healthy substitute for butter? Could margarine have been the unlikely culprit?

Butter provides your body with essential fatty acids, it keeps your hormones in balance, it is good for the heart, it sharpens vision, and it keeps skin moist. So when you eliminate butter from your diet, you are also harming your health. Butter, used in ancient cultures as an offering to the gods, is a natural food – organic, raw butter is the best form of butter. Cultured raw butter, made from fermented cream, is even healthier.

Margarine, on the other hand, is a processed or ‘plastic-like’ food, made chemically from refined polyunsaturated oils and hydrogenated to make it viscous.

Here are 10 reasons why organic, raw butter constitutes a healthy addition to your diet:

It helps the body absorb Vitamin A which is needed for thyroid and adrenal health
It contains lecithin, which helps metabolize cholesterol
It contains anti-oxidants which guard against free radicals
It strengthens the immune system
It is a great source of Vitamins E and K
It is a rich source of selenium, a vital mineral
Its saturated fats guard against tumors and cancer
Vitamin D in butter is essential to calcium absorption
It is a rich source of iodine
It guards against gastrointestinal infections

What is wrong with factory-made butter? Factory-made butter is made from pasteurized milk or cream and is nutritionally deficient. Pasteurization is a process that uses heat to kill harmful bacteria and other organisms. However, it also destroys the ‘good’ bacteria; it destroys active enzymes, reduces vitamin content, and denatures fragile milk proteins.

But where can you get raw butter? The sale of raw butter is prohibited in the US but it is easy to make at home.

It’s All in the Oil

Here’s something else that will surprise you. Just like raw butter, coconut oil is not only healthy, it also has slimming properties. If you’re looking to lose weight, you’re looking for organic, unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil. Unlike refined oils, virgin coconut oil contains unrefined essential fatty acids (except Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which you can get from other sources) that have several health and powerful slimming benefits.

Most of the oil we use to cook our food with is refined oil. To increase shelf life, manufacturers remove the fatty acids – and with that, its main nutrients – from the oil. In fact, a lot of the ‘healthy’ oils in health food stores lack essential fatty acids (EFAs) and are nutritionally deficient.

The average adult can safely consume about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet without the risk of putting on weight. But start slow and gradually increase the quantity you consume.

Coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids, which are easy to digest and therefore speed up metabolism. On the other hand, long-chain fatty acids (in polyunsaturated oils) take longer to break down and are easily stored as fat in the body. Some studies even indicate that medium-chain fatty acids also burn fat stored in the body.

Here is how coconut oil can help you lose weight. This virgin oil slows digestion and keeps you feeling full for a longer time. This discourages snacking. Carbohydrates cooked in coconut oil take longer to be broken down and digested and hence blood glucose or blood sugar levels tend to remain stable and not fluctuate, precipitating further hunger.

Virgin coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a medium-chain EFA. Lauric acid is a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-yeast agent, and kills all major strains of Candida albicans. Lauric acid also reduces carbohydrate cravings.

Coconut oil is also a wonderful detoxification agent. It cleanses the body of toxins, keeps the digestive tract healthy, and nourishes the cells in your body. All of this is essential on the road to restoring your body’s optimal weight.

Detoxifying the body with coconut oil is important to weight loss because it dissolves and removes toxins trapped in fatty deposits, and this reduces the need for fat accumulation. Remember, fat accumulates as a survival mechanism to store toxins surrounded by fatty tissue.

This could also explain why coconut oil helps to build lean muscle, and is preferred by Olympic athletes, body builders and personal trainers.

‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Oils

Understanding fats and oils is a complicated subject, or so the food industry would have you believe. Thanks to propaganda by food and oil manufacturers, we are brainwashed into believing that saturated fats are bad and unsaturated fats are good.

This is not true. There are just as many saturated fats that are healthy for your body as there are unhealthy unsaturated fats. The only factor that determines whether a fat is good or bad for your health is whether it is present in its natural form or is engineered or ‘refined’.

When margarine and other refined and hydrogenated products were introduced into the US food market, commonly used coconut oil, flax oils and fish oils disappeared from the shelves of America’s grocery stores.

The campaign by the emerging food industry against natural oils and beneficial fatssuch as coconut oil was fuelled by massive media disinformation that blamed saturated fats for the wave of heart attacks that suddenly began to scare the American population.

For 30 or more years, coconut oil and other healthy oils vanished off the shelves of grocery stores before they made a recent comeback in health food stores. They were replaced by cheap junk oils, including soy oil, cottonseed oil and rapeseed oil (sold as Canola oil). These refined oils are responsible for severe gastrointestinal disturbances including acid reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome Crohn’s disease, constipation, and colon cancer.

Healthy oil is needed to keep the body’s trillions of cells healthy and functioning properly. Their plasma membrane, an active player in glucose absorption, needs to contain a complement of cis type w=3 unsaturated fatty acids. This makes cell membranes fluid, allowing them to easily absorb glucose molecules for energy generation. This, in turn, balances blood sugar levels.

By regularly eating fats and oils that are heat-treated (in contrast with natural expeller-pressed oils and untreated fats), cell membranes begin to lose their healthy fatty acids and replace them with harmful trans-fatty acids. As a result, the cell membranes become thicker, stiffer and stickier, and inhibit the glucose transport mechanism, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels.

This sets off a chain reaction, affecting several organs and systems. To deal with the high blood sugar, the pancreas releases extra insulin, which can lead to inflammation throughout the body. The liver tries to convert some of the excess sugar into fat, stored by adipose cells. This can make the body fat. To get rid of the rest of the sugar in the blood, the urinary system goes into overdrive. Eventually, the body enters a condition of chronic exhaustion due to the lack of cellular energy. The adrenal glands respond by pumping extra quantities of stress hormones into the blood, creating mood swings, anxiety and depression. The endocrine glands also malfunction. Overtaxed by the constant demand for extra insulin, the pancreas fails to produce enough. Body weight may increase a little more each day. The heart and lungs become congested and fail to deliver oxygen to all the cells in the body, including the brain.

Practically every organ and system in the body is affected by this simple dietary mistake.

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This is an excerpt from my book FEEL GREAT, LOSE WEIGHT

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

We Are What We Choose To Eat

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Mankind has managed to produce two basic types of foods i.e. low vibration and high vibration foods. Low vibration foods are those which are processed, refined, preserved, genetically altered, enhanced, flavored, etc. They include all the dead foods (void of Chi or life force), such as meat, fish, chicken, pasteurized milk and dairy foods, canned, frozen, packaged and shelved products such as cold cereals, candy, soft drinks, and most of the other 20,000 or so food products that are on the market today.

Very few foods that have gone through processing have enough life force in them to sustain health and vitality. Chemical additives, as well as added vitamins and minerals, further degrade the food’s ability to maintain balance in the body. Only foods left the way nature created them can be considered high frequency, health-promoting foods.

Food derived from killed animals, birds or fish has the lowest vibration of all because it imbibes the death frequency. It is helping those who eat this type of food to experience the more crude opposites of life, to be grounded on the dense physical plane and to learn about death and destruction. Dead foods further the death experience, one of the most important experiences of all. Isolation, endings, decay, deterioration, etc. all resonate with the fear of death, and these foods allow a person to manifest these qualities in order to live through them and to release them. In many cases, this means actually needing to die physically because of eating these foods. It is not surprising that these low frequency foods are now more and more recognized to be the cause of such killer diseases as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

In addition, every year, 5,000 deaths, 325,000 hospitalizations and 76 million illnesses are caused by food poisoning. That is 34% above what it was in 1948, despite (or rather, because of) all our technology aimed at better food handling. The amount of contaminated food on store shelves has reached its highest level in more than a decade. Parasites enter and thrive in those foods that are basically useless, and many of these creatures are also harmful to the human body. Nature has the tendency to get rid of what is no longer good for consumption; these organisms help to do just that. But since we don’t get the message, we need to learn it the hard way.

Fresh, high frequency plant foods that are not treated or grown with chemicals are rarely visited by disease-causing germs because the plants’ immune system knows how to subdue the intruders naturally. If an organic food is potentially harmful, nature will destroy it before it can reach your mouth.

Just moments before you intend to ingest food, your body knows whether it is old, dead, or contaminated through special ‘radar’ called instinct. You can verify your body’s natural instinct through Kinesiology muscle testing. Your body’s muscles will suddenly turn weak when you look at the food or hold it in your hand. I personally feel moisture appearing on my fingertips when I touch something that doesn’t harmonize with my body, for example, medical drugs.

Most people have subdued their natural instinct or simply choose to ignore it. What eludes the perception of what is happening with our bodies, though, is the real reason why we choose to eat what we eat.

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This is an excerpt from my book LIFTING THE VEIL OF DUALITY

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Switch To A Vegetarian Diet For A Longer And Healthier Life

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

A major study conducted in California revealed that the cancer rate among Mormons, who are known to eat very little meat, was 50 percent lower than that of the normal population. Researchers in an even more comprehensive, carefully controlled study compared 50,000 vegetarians of the religious group, Seventh Day Adventists, with the same number of non-vegetarians of the same age and gender. This study, known as the Oxford Vegetarian Study, produced similar results. The members of the vegetarian group had an astonishingly low rate of cancer of all types, their life expectancy was notably longer, and they suffered significantly less from cardiovascular disease than those in the control group.

Overall, life expectancy ranking of the United States compared with the rest of the world dropped from position 19 in 1999 to position 42 in 2007. The stark increase of obesity and related vascular diseases can be blamed for this trend. And both these chronic conditions are largely caused by the consumption of animal protein. From a historical perspective, the ‘forced’ vegetarianism of the Danes due to the allied blockage of Denmark during World War I, led to a 17 percent reduction of mortality rates in the first year of meat rationing. Norway experienced a similar positive side effect from meat-rationing during the years of World War II (1940-1945). There was an immediate drop in national mortality rates from circulatory diseases during the period of meat shortage. Mortality rates returned to pre-war levels when the population fully resumed meat consumption.

Studies from the University of Belgium that tested endurance, strength and the rate of recovery from physical exhaustion in vegetarians, clearly showed that vegetarians had far superior scores in all three categories. A study at Yale University proved that vegetarians have nearly twice the stamina of meat eaters. Other findings confirmed that during endurance tests, the vegetarians were able to perform two to three times longer than the meat eaters before reaching a point of complete exhaustion. They also needed only one-fifth the time to recover from fatigue after each test than did their meat-eating counterparts.

The common belief that eating meat makes you strong is unfounded and misleading. The super-strong elephant, gorilla, rhinoceros and horse all sustain their great physical strength and stamina by eating only vegetation. Based on present evidence, there is nothing to suggest that meat is beneficial to our health.

The fact that populations like the Eskimos (Inuits) can survive on a meat diet without suffering heart disease is known. However, the Eskimo’s average life span is still not more than 40 years. An important observation has been made relative to the rapid shortening of the average lifetime by Dr. V. E. Levine and Professor C. W. Bauer, of Creighton University, Nebraska, who reported on October 26, 1934: “Due to susceptibility to tuberculosis and other diseases the average life span of the Eskimo of Alaska is only 20 years and their race is doomed to extinction within a few generations unless modern medical science comes to their aid.”

The Masaitribes of East Africa live on mostly cows’ blood and milk, and meat. Their average life span is 60. A typical 45-year-old man looks about 20 to 30 years older. During my many visits to Masai villages in East Africa between 1983 and 2006, I observed that those Masai tribes who have adapted to grow and include fresh vegetables in their diet, look much healthier and don’t age as quickly.

Another major benefit of the vegetarian diet is that, statistically, vegetarians are thinner and healthier. On the average, vegetarians weigh about 20 pounds less than their meat-eating counterparts. According to the U.S. Worldwatch Institute, 1.1 billion people worldwide are underweight, and another 1.1 billion are overweight. In the U.S., 23 percent of adults are obese and 60 percent are overweight. But obesity besets poor countries, too, from Brazil to China. The traditionally ‘lean’ and mostly vegetarian populations in the world are now quickly following in the footsteps of the typically non-vegetarian populations.

Eating meat is becoming increasingly synonymous with a higher standard of living. The country/subcontinent of India, for example, which traditionally has been vegetarian for thousands of years, is rapidly adopting carnivorous eating habits, much to the benefit of that country’s cardiologists and oncologists. (Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, was largely responsible for keeping the Indian population vegetarian.) Harvard research has shown that a vegetarian diet also reduces colds and allergies.

Children especially benefit greatly from meat abstinence. Studies show that vegetarian children have better teeth and are afflicted with fewer children’s diseases than non-vegetarian children. They are also less prone to obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Refined Fats and Oils – Delicious Poisons That Every Diabetic Must Avoid

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

In the 1930s, physicians considered many of our degenerative diseases to be due to a failure of our endocrine system known as insulin resistant diabetes. The severe derangement of the body’s blood sugar control system was understood to be the basic underlying disorder that could manifest itself as nearly any kind of illness. Although there are other reasons for bringing about such a basic imbalance, badly engineered fats and oils are among the most influential ones. Although these fats and oils may be delicious to the taste buds, they act like poison in the body. Their destructive effects lead to severe nutritional deficiencies that prevent the body from coping with the metabolic consequences created by these poisons.

In recent years, there has been a lot of publicity about good fats and bad fats. Although some food manufacturers now claim to be able to keep bad fats out of their products, there are still thousands of common foods that contain them. The fats and oils industry still wants us to believe that the saturated fats are the bad ones, and the unsaturated fats are the good ones. This is blatantly false information. There are many highly beneficial saturated fats and just as many unhealthy unsaturated fats on the market. The only distinction that should be made when judging the value of fats is whether they are left in their natural form or are engineered. You cannot trust advertisements by the fats and oils industry that praise the amazing benefits of their unique flavorful spreads or low-cholesterol cooking fats. Their smart ad campaigns reflect zero interest in promoting your health; they are solely intended to create a market for cheap junk oils such as soy, cottonseed and rapeseed oil.

Until the early 1930s, manufactured food products were very unpopular and mostly rejected by the population because of their suspicion of them being of poor quality and not being fresh enough to be safe for consumption. The use of automated factory machinery to mass produce foods for immense potential profits was at first bitterly opposed by local farmers. Nevertheless, eventually, this resistance broke and gave way to an increasing interest in the ‘new’ foods that no one had ever seen before. When margarine and other refined, hydrogenated products were introduced into the US food markets, the dairy industry was vehemently opposed to it, but the women found it to be more practical than the lard they had been using. Due to the shortage of dairy products during WW II, margarine became a common food among the civilian population, and the commonly used coconut oils, flax oils and fish oils disappeared from the shelves of America’s grocery stores.

The campaign by the emerging food industry against natural oils and genuinely beneficial fats such as the very popular coconut oil became fueled by massive media disinformation campaigns that blamed saturated fats for the wave of heart attacks that suddenly started to grip a large portion of the American population. For 30 or more years, coconut oil was nowhere to be found in grocery stores and has only recently re-emerged in health food stores. Coconut oil and other healthful oils were practically replaced by cheap junk oils, including soy oil, cottonseed oil and rapeseed oil. While coconut fat was still the popular choice, its powerful weight-controlling effects helped prevent an obesity epidemic among the general population. Since eliminating it from the American diet, obesity has become the leading cause of illness in this country and the rest of the world.

If you are suffering from either type diabetes and wish to permanently restore your body’s natural sugar-regulating mechanisms, for a certain period of time you will need to strictly avoid all artificially produced fats and oils, including those that are found in processed foods, restaurant foods, fast foods and are sold as ‘healthy’ foods in grocery stores.

One of the most harmful oils is the genetically engineered Canola oil made from rapeseeds. Rapeseeds are not suitable for human consumption. Produced in Canada (hence the name ‘can-ola’) this renamed, refined rapeseed oil found a huge and instant market in the U.S. during the height of the cholesterol mania (still going on). It is cheap and, therefore, widely used by restaurants and people on a low food budget. The reason for its huge popularity is that it contains very little cholesterol (which can work against the body, for eating low cholesterol foods can dramatically increase cholesterol production in the liver). One of the main problems with this oil is that it should not be heated; yet heating it is a standard practice in the production process, or in restaurants and households. According to a January 26, 1998 Omega Nutrition press release, “heating distorts the omega-3 essential fatty acid found in Canola, turning it into an unnatural trans form that raises total cholesterol levels and lowers HDL [good] cholesterol.”

Japanese researchers found that the life spans of rats fed diets rich in Canola oil were 40% shorter. Experimental rats that were fed Canola oil “developed fatty degeneration of the heart, kidney, adrenals, and thyroid gland.” Canadian federal scientists have spent several years and a lot of money to alleviate fears linking Canola consumption to hypertension and stroke. The Health Ministry in Canada insists that although their tests match the Japanese data, Canola poses no risks to humans. Yet Canola oil consumption has been correlated with development of fibrotic lesions of the heart, lung cancer, prostate cancer, anemia, and constipation. The long-chain fatty acids found in Canola have been found to destroy the sphingomyelin surrounding nerve cells in the brain. Other illnesses and conditions that have been associated with Canola oil consumption include loss of vision and a wide range of neurological disorders.

How can this government be so reassuring when Canola oil has been around for a short number of years and long-term effects may not develop before 3-5 years? Is it not also strange that the FDA allowed the Canola industry to avoid the lengthy and expensive approval process, including medical research on humans? Given the alarming reactions that rats have to Canola oil, could it at least be possible that a certain percentage of heart attack and stroke victims are actually due to regular consumption of Canola oil? Since Canola oil is contained in the majority of manufactured foods, baked goods, frozen foods and restaurant foods, is it any wonder why people are falling ill everywhere, at a rate that is absolutely stunning and unprecedented?

So what do refined and manufactured oils and fats actually do to the body? For one thing, they can cause severe gastrointestinal disturbances. The number of people in the U.S. suffering from acid reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, constipation, colon cancer, etc., exceeds the number of all other diseases taken together. Deep fried foods and other fast foods have become the popular choice of young people, aged 3-30. An ever-increasing number of them develop diabetes.

The high temperatures used in Canola refining and margarine production will damage many of the essential fatty acids, which are much more susceptible to damage by heat than saturated fats. Heat is known to convert many of the unsaturated double bonds to the ‘trans fatty acid’ configuration. Although high-quality essential fatty acids as contained in some of these engineered foods are required for human health, in their damaged or rancid forms they become harmful. In fact, they may trigger powerful immune responses that may lead to autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes. The ‘auto-immune’ part of the disease is however just a normal reaction of the immune system to the presence of these poisons that have attached themselves to cell membranes.

In order for cells to be healthy and functional, their plasma cell membrane, now known to be an active player in the glucose scenario, needs to contain a complement of cis type w=3 unsaturated fatty acids. This makes the cell membranes slippery and fluid, thereby permitting glucose molecules to be able to pass through them and enter the cell interior for energy generation. This maintains balanced blood sugar levels. By regularly eating fats and oils that are heat-treated (versus natural cold pressed oils and untreated fats) the cell membranes begin to lose their healthy fatty acids and replace them with harmful trans-fatty acids and short and medium chain saturated fatty acids. As a result, the cell membranes become thicker, stiffer, sticky and inhibit the glucose transport mechanism, resulting in blood sugar rising.

The rest of the body suffers serious consequences of the clogging up of the cell membranes. The pancreas starts pumping out excessive amounts of insulin. The liver starts to convert some of the excess sugar into fat, stored by adipose cells. To get rid of the rest of the sugar, the urinary system goes into overdrive. The body goes into exhaustion due to the lack of cellular energy. The adrenals respond by pumping extra amounts of stress hormones into the blood, creating mood swings, anxiety and depression. The endocrine glands malfunction. Overtaxed by the constant demand for extra insulin, the pancreas fails to produce enough. Body weight may increase a little more each day. The heart and lungs become congested and fail to deliver vital oxygen to all the cells in the body, including the brain.

Each organ and system in the body is affected by this simple dietary mistake. All this and more is what we know as diabetes, an acquired illness that can easily be avoided and even reversed by eating a natural diet consisting of natural, fresh foods that nature so generously provides for us. The idea that we can create better foods than nature does is a fallacy that has turned into a weapon of mass destruction.

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This is an excerpt from my book DIABETES – NO MORE!

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

It Is Important To Maintain The Acid-Alkaline Balance In Our Body

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Acid-Alkaline Balance

Probably the most important factor to consider in planning healthy and nutritious meals is the acid-alkaline balance in our body.

Relating this to our food intake, natural foods such as fruits and vegetables are predominately alkaline-forming as they go through the digestive process. On the other hand, most animal proteins, processed foods and beverages are acid-forming.

In a healthy body, nature maintains a reserve of alkaline elements, much like a bank account. Under such circumstances, if we eat a meal that is more acidic than alkaline, our digestive processes automatically draw on the reserve of alkaline substances in our body to neutralize the acid-forming foods. But if we regularly eat meals that are overly acid-forming, the alkaline reserve in our body becomes depleted, and our body is unable to neutralize the acids. This is analogous to continuing to write checks off of a bank account without making adequate deposits – the account soon becomes overdrawn.

The greatest cause of disease in the world today is an excess of acid-causing foods in our diet that end up as acidic residues in the cells and tissue. Cancer cells and other degenerative diseases cannot thrive in an environment that is not acidic. Even the common cold virus has difficulty surviving in an alkaline environment.

Whether a substance is alkaline or acidic is determined by its pH (potential Hydrogen). This is a measure of the number of negative ions, which are alkaline-forming, as opposed to the number of positive ions, which are acid-forming. The standard pH scale goes from 1 to 14, with 7 being the neutral point. A substance with a pH of less than 7 is acidic, whereas one with a pH of greater than 7 is alkaline. From an energetic perspective, pH measures how much the negative ions and positive ions push against each other.

Translating this to the biochemical processes that take place within our body:

An alkaline-forming reaction refers to any chemical alteration in the body that produces an increased ability to energize the system, and leaves an alkaline residue.
An acid-forming reaction refers to any chemical alteration in the body that produces a decreased ability to energize the system, and leaves an acid residue.

If a meal has a perfect balance of alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods, then the alkaline and acids neutralize each other, and the residues will also be pH neutral. One of the problems, however, is that most fruits and vegetables are only moderately alkaline-forming, whereas many of the meat products, processed foods and beverages are extremely acid-forming. So maintaining a balance within our body is not just a matter of the quantity of alkaline-forming food we eat compared to acid-forming food, but also the degree to which the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming.

The 80/20 Rule

In order to assure that we regularly replenish and sustain our alkaline reserve, the best guideline to follow is the ’80/20 Rule’. This simply means that 80% of the foods we eat should be alkaline-forming, and 20% acid-forming. This rule does not give us license to eat acid-forming foods that may be laden with toxins such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other unhealthy additives. But there are certain natural foods, such as cranberries and blueberries that, although acid-forming, can be helpful in keeping our kidneys and bladder clean.

Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)

At this point, a note of clarification may be appropriate. A healthy body produces hydrochloric acid (HCl) that is essential to the digestive process. It is the only acid that our body produces. All other acids are by-products of metabolism, and are eliminated as soon as possible. HCl is the first substance in the stomach that breaks down food so that it can be metabolized. It is also our first line of defense against various destructive microbes that enter the body by way of the food we eat. HCl keeps us alive by helping to maintain a proper alkaline-acid balance, and then it becomes alkaline after its vital job in the digestive process is done.

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This is an excerpt from the book SIMPLE STEPS TO TOTAL HEALTH by Andreas Moritz & John Hornecker

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Natural Foods Vs Processed Foods

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

A healthy diet is one that consists primarily of ‘natural’ foods, including vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries, grains, seeds and nuts. Unfortunately, the diet of the majority of people in the western world consists predominately of ‘processed’ foods. Typical problems with various processed foods are:

They are infused with harmful preservatives in order to promote ‘shelf life’. When a food’s shelf life is artificially prolonged, it does not only resist bacteria but also being digested properly.

They tend to be laden with unhealthy sugars, sweeteners and salts, designed to appeal to our taste buds, but which are detrimental to our body.

Many processed foods contain artificial vitamins and inorganic minerals intended to convince consumers that the food products are ‘enriched’ in nutritional value. In reality, these synthetic vitamins and metallic minerals cannot be assimilated into the bloodstream, and only tend to clog the digestive tract and damage the kidneys and blood vessels.

Meat and meat products are usually derived from animals that have been fed large quantities of antibiotics, growth hormones and other toxic additives, all designed to maximize production on ‘factory farms’. The residuals of such additives find their way into the tissue of the animals and are passed onto consumers. In addition, many meat products are contaminated with illness-producing bacteria, such as Salmonella or E. coli.

Some food products are ‘irradiated’ in order to kill bacteria and promote shelf life, resulting in food that is lifeless and lacking in nutritional value.

Most processed foods contain artificial coloring and flavoring designed to appeal to the aesthetics and taste buds of the consumer, but which are toxic to the body in many cases.

Processed foods are frequently prepared by cooking them in oil that contains significant quantities of polyunsaturated fats, resulting in food that damages or destroys cell membranes throughout the body.

Numerous types of processed foods, such as the traditional ‘TV dinners’, are prepared and packaged in such a way as to be conveniently heated in a microwave oven prior to eating. Microwave cooking destroys enzymes and other important nutrients, leaving essentially ‘dead’ food that has very little nutritional value.

A diet that relies heavily on processed foods is sometimes referred to as the Standard American Diet, or “SAD” – the acronym says it all!

On the other hand, natural foods, if they are grown and prepared properly, and eaten when they are fresh, tend to provide the nutrients and life forces that are needed for a healthy body.

Modern commercial agricultural practices, unfortunately, tend to work against the production of healthy, natural foods. There has been an over-reliance on the use of chemical fertilizers that are used to increase food production. With repeated growing cycles year after year, the soil tends to be leached of its natural minerals and other life-supporting nutrients. Such agricultural practices tend to diminish the life force and nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables.

Nature has its own way of dealing with the death of plants and animals, keeping our planet tidy. When the life force diminishes, various types of microbes, fungi, insects and other ‘scavengers’ are naturally attracted to the dying plant or animal as a source of ‘food’. The residuals of this process then become ‘fertilizer’ for the next generation. The concept of composting is based on this principle.

When plants are grown in leached and lifeless soil, their natural life force is diminished. Consequently, they tend to attract microbes, fungi, insects and other scavengers as part of the natural scheme of life and death. To protect the plants from such an invasion, chemical insecticides and fungicides are applied to them.

Chemicals that are used in such fertilization and protective practices tend to find their way into the fibers of the resulting vegetables, fruits and other agricultural products. Virtually all such chemicals are toxic to the human body, some more than others.

The emergence of ‘organic’ farming is an effort to move back to more natural agricultural methods that do not rely on chemicals. Originally, ‘natural’ food stores were the most common source of organic food products. Now that consumer awareness has heightened, organic fruits and vegetables are being sold in ‘specialty’ sections of produce department in most mainstream supermarkets.

Since the marketing of organic produce is still in its relative infancy, uniform standards for specifying the conditions under which produce can legally be labeled as ‘organic’ are not yet well established. So one cannot yet be absolutely certain when purchasing produce that is labeled ‘organic’ that it is, indeed, totally chemical free. On the other hand, one can be relatively certain that produce that is not labeled ‘organic’ probably has been subjected to at least some degree of chemical contamination.

The best possible solution to this situation is to have an organic garden of your own. In addition to being certain that the produce is raised in a chemical-free environment, there are other advantages. For example, fruits and vegetables can be eaten at their exact peak of ripeness and maturity, yielding the maximum nutritional value and tastiness. In contrast, commercial fruits and vegetables that must be harvested prior to peak maturity in order to allow for processing and distribution delays. This is a particularly important issue related to fruit, which is much healthier if eaten when it is naturally ripened. Also, for a variety of reasons related to the life force and cycles of the planet, fruits, vegetables and other natural foods are of the greatest nutritional value if they are grown in the same geographic vicinity as the area in which one lives.

Having your own organic garden is obviously much more of a challenge for city dwellers than for people who live in suburban or rural areas. In this regard, European cities have generally been much more progressive than American cities in creating ‘community’ gardens where residents can rent a small plot in which to have their own garden or natural oasis.

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This is an excerpt from the book SIMPLE STEPS TO TOTAL HEALTH by Andreas Moritz & John Hornecker

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Are We Poisoning Our Children With Food?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

Most of us were brought up with the belief that disease is caused by external things. Few people know that germs can only ‘germinate’ in a dead and toxic medium or environment. Parents who see their children go through one infectious illness after another are especially concerned about giving their offspring every possible protection against infectious diseases. Immunization seems to be one way of safeguarding their children’s lives. If their child still happens to ‘catch’ an infection, antibacterial or antiviral drugs are generally considered the best treatment option.

Being so used to blaming external pathogens (disease-causing factors) such as bacteria or viruses for an infection, not many people even consider the possibility that their health problems may have something to do with the food they eat. Could it really be possible that children (and also adults) who suffer from repeated infections are, in fact, only reaping the consequences of being poisoned by such unhealthful products as soft drinks, ice cream, chips, processed chocolate products, candy, ‘light’ foods, ‘fast’ foods, processed breakfast cereals, frozen meals, canned foods, and bottled salad dressings?

Over 40,000 different food items now occupy the shelves of modern grocery stores. Ninety-eight percent of them have nothing to do with what nature intended a human being to eat. Our digestive system has no way to make use of foods robbed of their natural, intrinsic life energy or manipulated and processed to a point of uselessness, regardless of the wonderful ingredients listed on their product labels. If foods are made in a laboratory, as most of them are, you can no longer consider them food. Instead, they have turned into poison. With their immune systems impaired by large amounts of these man-made, acid-forming foods and the chemical additives they contain, children barely stand a chance of fighting off the normally harmless germs that are part of our natural environment.

The situation is worsened if children haven’t been breastfed long enough to build up their natural immunity. Many infants are still being fed commercial formulas, and these contain rancid (oxidized) cholesterol which results from the milk-drying process. The solid foods that most mothers introduce during the first year of a baby’s life are generally sterilized during the canning process, resulting in a total degradation of their original life force. Rancid fat/cholesterol is a cancer-producing substance and the cause of many diseases, including allergies. Several years ago, the British government discovered that nine brands of commonly used infant formula contained potentially harmful chemicals. Formula made with cow’s milk is a product that has been chemically altered in a laboratory. The same applies to both soy-based and protein hydrolysate formulas. There is nothing natural about these foods. Just imagine what feeding lifeless, factory foods to human infants must do to them! How many infants are regularly seen by doctors because of various illnesses? Giving formula to a baby poses a major health risk, particularly because his immune system has not yet fully developed, leaving the infant unable to defend himself against these chemically altered, unnatural foods.

The food that most closely resembles breast milk is coconut milk. Many people in tropical parts of the world have raised healthy children on coconut milk when breast milk was not an option. Unless raised on breast or coconut milk, nearly every child will suffer from some ailment or another.

In addition, an entire cocktail of contaminants and noxious substances may be present in a child’s drinking water, as well as in the indoor and outdoor environment. These may easily suppress the just developing immune system of the child, making him susceptible to a whole range of illnesses. All of this has a great influence on how well a growing child will be able to navigate through the many physical, mental and emotional challenges he may have to meet in his life.

Today’s younger generation is sicker than any generation has ever been before. Schools and colleges feed our children cheap, low-nutrition foods, and the situation at home is not much better. Many diseases that used to strike only the adult population are now commonly found among young people. Would you have believed even 25 years ago that hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and obesity would one day be as common among children as they are today? Childhood obesity increased from 5 percent in 1964 to about 20 percent today – and it is rising. Children spend an average of 5 to 6 hours a day on sedentary activities, including watching television, using the computer, and playing video games. Today’s children are bombarded and brainwashed with well-crafted TV ads from fast-food chains and other purveyors of high-fat, high-sugar meals and snacks. When one totals the sugar intake of the average American, including refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, the shocking intake is 142 pounds a year, or roughly 2 ½ pounds per week, according to a report by CBS Broadcasting on June 17, 2007. This figure has risen 23 percent in the last 25 years and is a major cause of soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. Children make up a large proportion of the sugar-consuming population.

A recent study reported that two-to-six-year-olds who watch television are more likely to choose food products advertised on TV than children who do not watch such commercials. All of this has produced a generation of children who are at high risk for obesity-associated medical conditions. Doctors report a surge in young adolescents who are developing Type 2 diabetes – which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, limb amputations, blindness and, of course, a diminished quality of life and shortened life span.

The consumption of foods that are of no use to the body is a major cause of disease, including infection. Meat or other flesh foods belong in that category. When you eat meat, your body can extract only a fraction of the meat’s constituents, and the rest has to be disposed of in different ways. A large portion of the undigested meat protein is broken down by the meat’s own cellular enzymes and also by bacteria present within the intestinal tract.

Heating animal proteins hardens and destroys them. This is called coagulation. For example, a raw egg, which is liquid to begin with, becomes hard when boiled or fried. Its proteins lose their natural three-dimensional structure, which makes them practically useless for the body.

Since decomposed meat cells consist of degenerated and coagulated protein, their putrefaction results in the release of putrescine and cadaverine, which are deadly and highly irritating cadaver poisons. Colorless, foul-smelling ptomaines, produced by the breakdown of amino acids in living and dead organisms, putrescine and cadaverine were first described by the Berlin physician Ludwig Brieger in 1885. The two compounds are largely responsible for the foul odor of putrefying flesh, but also contribute to the odor of such processes as bad breath and bacterial vaginosis.

Other carcinogenic chemicals, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs), are formed from the cooking of muscle meats such as beef, pork, fowl and fish. Research conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as well as by Japanese and European scientists indicates that heterocyclic amines are created within muscle meats during most types of high temperature cooking. Such powerful poisons alone are enough to leave the body vulnerable to any kind of infection.

In most hospitals, both young and older patients are given meat, such as sausages, eggs, fish and poultry to eat, sometimes on the day after the patient has undergone surgery or other invasive treatments. These procedures cause the digestive system to be at its weakest. The patients’ already strained digestive and immune systems are unable to handle these additional toxins, while also trying to eliminate as much fecal waste from the bowel as possible. Many hospital patients suffer from constipation because of drug treatments, lying in bed all day, or eating constipating foods, such as meat and potatoes. Congested bowels are a highly fertile ground for microbial infection, which is more likely to occur in the hospital environment where germs are present in larger quantities. In essence, hospitals and their diet plans pose a serious danger to people who are already ill.

The life of a sick child may depend on whether he is able to remove most of the decomposing substances in his intestines before they are absorbed into the bloodstream and lymphatic system. If gallstones obstruct the liver bile ducts (now quite common among children, too), the liver is no longer able to remove all the toxins that enter the blood via the bowel; hence ‘food poisoning’ occurs. Most so-called epidemics are in fact forms of food poisoning or chemical poisoning. They occur among people with high levels of toxicity and low immunity, meaning, those who are already ill. Instead of giving hospital patients easy-to-digest liquid foods to eat, they are most often given solid, concentrated foods, such as meat, pork, eggs, etc. This will merely deplete the little energy they have left in them. This energy must now be used to attend to the newly ingested food, when the body should be using its energy stores to overcome the toxicity crisis. An immune system that has already been compromised by a massive influx of toxins is no longer able to effectively ward off bacteria, parasites or viruses. In fact, these germs become the body’s last resort to deal with the toxic load.

A child who is fed meat, eggs and dairy products, including milk, as well as junk food (low in, or void of, nutritional value) is much more likely to develop digestive problems and children’s diseases such as diphtheria, smallpox or septic fever, than a child who eats fruits, salads, vegetables, grain foods, nuts and drinks plenty of fresh water. Most parents feel responsible for the health and safety of their children. By becoming more conscious of their own eating habits, they will automatically want to give their children the best and most nutritious foods and beverages available. This can contribute greatly toward creating a generation of healthy young people who will be known for their absence of illness.

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This is an excerpt from my book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH & REJUVENATION

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You may share or republish this article provided you clearly mention the name of Andreas Moritz and paste a hyper link back to the web page

Our Life Is Controlled By What We Eat And What We Think

Posted on December 8, 2011 by andreas m

By Andreas Moritz

1. A WHOLESOME DIET

Most people who go on a diet do it because they want to lose weight, or get rid of an annoying skin problem or a disease. But a special diet adopted for these reasons may neither be very beneficial nor procure lasting benefits. Unconsciously you may have linked this diet, however good it may be, with something you fear. Every time you eat, your brain and digestive system produce ‘chemicals of fear’ that act as suppressants of digestion, assimilation and elimination. You are actually afraid of the diet and your body will treat the food you eat as if it were an antigen (a foreign agent that needs to be destroyed). This may lead to food intolerance and even to allergic reactions.

Nevertheless, you can change the reasons why you want to lose weight or help a physical problem. One of the most important steps in this regard is to make improved well-being your Number One motivation for introducing a healthy diet and regimen. What your body is really after is happiness. Happiness can be created by any activity, including eating food. Learn to make the eating process a means to increase happiness in your life and begin to introduce those foods in your diet that are particularly pure and able to enhance your impulse to evolve; Ayurveda calls them sattvic foods.

Sattva, Rajas and Tamas – Three Principal Forces of Life

Sattva is one of the three principal forces or gunas behind every phenomenon and activity in life. With regard to human life, Sattva motivates us to grow, expand, progress and evolve spiritually, mentally and physically, and to find our higher purpose. Like everything in the universe, Sattva has its exact opposite, Tamas, which forces us to stay where we are. Tamas is the force that retards progress, causes stagnation and tempts us to hold on to past events and outdated beliefs. The third force, called Rajas, serves as a neutral link between Sattva and Tamas. Rajas urges us to act, take initiative, move and change, regardless of the direction, outcome or purpose.

All these three qualities are present in everyone and, depending on one’s diet, lifestyle, thoughts, emotions and behavior, expressed in various degrees and intensities. The following are some characteristic descriptions of each guna.

A Sattvic person favors progress above everything else. He derives great pleasure from being creative and innovative. He has a deep respect for life and nature and he always seeks a healthy and life-supportive environment. Sattvic people naturally have healthy habits and prefer pure and energizing foods.

A Rajasic person favors action for action’s sake, regardless of whether it is good for him or not. He has an inner urge to move, overwork his mind and body, be impulsive and impatient and look for an outlet for his nervous creativity. Rajasic people seem to have endless energy and are very extrovert. They prefer stimulating foods and drinks.

A Tamasic person does not want to change and prefers everything to stay as it is. His inactive mind finds comfort in set routines and accustomed environments. Tamasic people tend to dwell on the past and try to avoid the present and future. They rarely develop new ideas or habits in life.

The three gunas, Rajas, Sattva, and Tamas, are mental qualities that correspond to the three physical doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Ayurveda had a clear understanding about mind/body medicine when it linked basic mental impulses to specific physical conditions, tendencies and disorders. It also categorized foods according to their effects on the mind.

Sattvic food is wholesome whereas rajasic and tamasic foods are unwholesome. Charaka, one of the founders of Ayurvedic Medicine, said thousands of years ago: “The body is constituted of food. Wholesome food is one of the causes for the growth of living beings and unwholesome food is one of the causes for the growth of diseases.” In other words, if we want to progress in life, become vital and healthy and live in harmony with the laws of nature, we need to adopt a sattvic diet. Particularly those who would like to enhance their spiritual growth can benefit greatly from a sattvic diet. The following lists give you an idea about the different effects that food can have on body and mind. The quotations, which explain the three types of diet, are taken from the Bhagavad Gita, a 5,000-year-old scripture that narrates in detail the interplay of the three gunas in a person who treads the spiritual path and reaches spiritual enlightenment.

The Sattvic Diet

“Sattvic diet is that which is unctuous, pleasing to the heart and mind, which stabilizes the body and gives long life, strength and health to the mind and body. A sattvic diet promotes happiness and love for all creatures.” (Bhagavad Gita)

Sattvic diet is sweet in taste, light, unctuous (liquid containing), and cooling (versus heating like in chilli, alcohol etc.). Sattvic foods include:

Breast milk (for babies)
Ghee(clarified butter)
Butter
Wheat
Basmati rice
Yellow mung beans
Freshly cooked vegetables
Ripened fruits
Sesame seeds
Rock salt or real sea salt
Sesame oil
Ginger
Dates
Almonds
Honey
Fresh spring water

Any food that has a soothing effect and is digested easily is sattvic by nature, provided we eat it in moderation. Please note: If any of the above foods do not pass the Kinesiology muscle test, they are not fresh, harvested too early, too old, contain harmful chemicals from fertilization, are gassed to preserve them for longer periods, or have been combined with unwholesome foods or ingredients. You may also check with the list of foods for specific body types, which will help you find out what kinds of fruits, vegetables etc. are sattvic for you. Ayurveda considers the sattvic diet to be the most suitable for promoting strength, vitality, a strong mind and lasting good moods, youthfulness and longevity. By beginning to include sattvic foods in your diet, unwholesome habits, addictions and ill health will gradually disappear.

The Rajasic Diet

“A Rajasic diet is that which brings unhappiness, sorrow and disease. It contains mostly the pungent, sour and salty tastes, and it is too hot, sharp and dry, and causes burning sensation” (Bhagavad Gita).

The Rajasic diet is too spicy, strong tasting (like cheese) and includes foods that have a heating effect such as chilli, garlic, onions, pepper, tomatoes, cheese (aged, salted), ripe eggplants, some pulses, meat, fish, sea food, eggs, alcohol, tea, coffee, cigarettes, sugary foods, soft drinks, crisps and similar junk foods. If you are continuously attracted to these or similar foods, it indicates that there may already be a physical or emotional imbalance.

The Tamasic Diet

“Tamasic diet is that which is stored and spoiled, which is without taste and has a bad smell; also leftovers, and food which does not look appealing” (Bhagavad Gita).

Tamasic food is heavy, cold, dry, tasteless, decayed, spoiled, frozen or cooked in the microwave oven. People who do not mind eating tamasic foods are already controlled by the dulling influence of tamas, thus they are insensitive to purity and refined values. Poisoned by tamas and unable to appreciate pure foods and drinks such as water,tamasic people seem to be able to eat almost anything without a problem. Such people are likely to develop life-threatening diseases at some point in their lives.

2. THE POWER OF THOUGHT

A Change of Thoughts

Since every thought manifests as a powerful messenger molecule in the brain, by changing your way of thinking you not only improve your body but also your relationships and your destiny. If the pilot of an airplane decides to change its course by even half a degree the plane may arrive at a completely different destination.

A change of thought can have a similar effect. Remember how good you felt when someone close to you told you how much he or she loved you or cared about you. By contrast, try to imagine how you would feel if your best friend turned around and told you how much they despised you. A little piece of information can be enough to change your entire life. If you don’t like the way you live your life at this moment you can change its course by taking a new decision right now. Take a few minutes to become clear about what you want out of life and then decide to achieve it.

If you face a major problem in life for which there doesn’t seem to be a solution, you may feel that your whole world is collapsing. But if you could see yourself ten years from now and looked back in time, you would realize that life didn’t stop after all. By simply moving your attention away from what is not possible to what is possible, you will be back on track. It’s as easy as that. Whenever you are facing a serious problem in life, go through the following simple steps which are designed to take you into a more positive and constructive space than you are in right now:

Think of any one thing or person that makes you feel good. Begin to realize how important this one thing or person is for you and how fortunate you are to have it or them in your life.
Think of all the people who are not as fortunate as you are, like the homeless, sick and starving.
Imagine how you would feel if you fulfilled your heart’s desire(s).
What would you do as a first step towards achieving your goal?

One of the main reasons we attract problems into our lives is because we don’t do what makes us happy. We send out negative messages by saying: “I wish I didn’t have to work so hard”, “How in the world did I deserve this?” or “Life is a struggle!” Your life, and that includes the current condition of your body and mind, is the product of your thoughts and feelings. Thoughts influence everything far or near, material or non-material. If you want to examine what kind of thoughts you had yesterday, then look at your body today. If you want to know what your body is going to be like tomorrow, look at the thoughts you are having today. Every movement and activity in your body and mind is controlled or matched by the corresponding neurotransmitters. Not a single idea, desire, feeling, like, dislike understanding or misunderstanding can go through your mind without creating corresponding physical counterparts.

Happiness – Your Key to Nature’s Drug Store

Your brain is capable of manufacturing any drug that could possibly be made anywhere in the world, provided it receives the ‘go ahead’ signal from you, its master. The brain requires neither a sophisticated chemical laboratory nor much time to develop the most exquisite drugs for any type of physical or mental problem. With the few types of natural food ingredients mentioned above, it makes neuropeptides and related chemicals for every condition you could possibly develop.

For example, if you suffer from pain, your brain makes endorphins and enkephalines, morphine type compounds that are at least 40,000 times more powerful than the strongest heroin. If you injured yourself and your brain didn’t instantly produce these drugs, you would not be able to endure the pain and would faint or go insane quickly. Since endorphins are also related to the experience of pleasure, you will make more of these drugs when you find joy in what you are doing. People who suffer from emotional pain soon begin to have physical pain, too; their brains are inhibited from making adequate amounts of painkillers.

If your body signals ‘cancer’, your brain synthesizes anti-cancer drugs or immune-stimulants that boost your immune system to take care of the problem before you even know it. Each day, millions of our body cells mutate and become cancerous but our immune system deals with them instantly and without the help of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. We do not have to concern ourselves with the millions of new cancer cells each day unless, of course, our body fails to destroy them. Cancer is the physical counterpart of an unbalanced emotion that contains a clear message: “There is an antagonistic element in your life which is wasting away your body.” This foreign element can be low self-worth, repressed emotions, a negative outlook on one’s life, an unexpressed or unfulfilled desire, defensive responses to a hostile partner or environment, or an unbalanced diet. Usually, there is a combination of factors. Instead of trying to cut out this foreign element, you can learn from it and transform it for your own good.

We generally tend to blame heart attacks, cancer, osteoporosis, AIDS, etc. for causing most deaths in the world as if these diseases were powerful monsters that are out to destroy life indiscriminately. Only a few of the people afflicted with a serious illness question why they manifested it in the first place. Instead of deciding to put all your energy and effort into a particular problem, which tends to escalate it, you can direct your attention towards what you feel could contribute to your happiness. Make happiness your motivation and goal. Always seek happiness as the reward for your actions and the rest follows automatically. Wherever there is happiness, there are solutions and wherever there is unhappiness, there are problems.

Energy Follows Thought

Energy follows thought is an excellent phrase to remember. Do not waste your energy on a disease, on a difficult partnership, on your financial troubles or on an annoying neighbor. You are practically feeding these problems with your energy and thus will maintain or even worsen them. This may give you the illusion that they are real. When you analyze all the solution to problems worldwide, they have never been found by dwelling on the problem. Conflicts, wars, economic struggles, disasters, etc. ended when the involved groups or people began to focus their attention on what was possible rather than what was impossible. We always have the choice and freedom either to argue over who or what is responsible for our problems or to look for real solutions. There is no need to know what causes the darkness of the night when we know that there will be a dawn of a new day.

You may remember how downcast you were when your life was in a state of crisis and how remote and insignificant that problem became a while later. A problem begins to dissipate when we take our attention away from it. For example, if you suffer from a sleeping problem, instead of worrying over the fact that you cannot sleep, you could bring your attention to your breathing or think of things or people who bring you happiness. Suddenly you will find that insomnia isn’t so bad after all, and then you will drift off naturally. Should the problem persist, use it as an opportunity to take a closer look at your life. If you are not happy at night times, it indicates that you have not been happy during the day either. Use the insomnia to find out what doesn’t make you happy in life and then think about how you can change it.

You may decide that you want a better job that inspires and fulfills you more. Be daring when it comes to fulfilling your sire but do not admit defeat before even trying. The argument that you may not be competent or clever enough for a better job is illusory. You will always be good enough for a job you feel attracted to as long as you focus on it. If you keep telling yourself that you are not good enough, you have created the exact limitations that will keep you there until you come up with the courage to say that you deserve much better.

We let ourselves be so easily persuaded to believe that it is another person, society, the government or even destiny that holds us back from achieving our dreams. But it is only our limited thinking that keeps us confined to failure or lack of success. The old saying “where there is a will, there is a way” is a law that holds true for everyone under any circumstance. The three P’s, Patience, Persistence and Perseverance, have been the dominating qualities that have helped transform common people into the most successful and pioneering personalities the world has ever seen. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a better society that propelled him to endure the difficulties of his life. Stephen Hawking became one the most brilliant physicists in the world despite his total speech deficiency and paralysis. Instead of dwelling on his incapacitating disease or feeling sorry for himself, he made an enormous contribution towards understanding and utilizing the most fundamental laws of nature.

The greatest athletes of the world have had their fair share of major difficulties before they managed to rise to the op. Most famous artists and musicians had to go through periods of failure and rejection before they were acknowledged to be among the best. Many of the truly successful people share one common principle of living: they want to be more and more creative because they know that being creative is the only source of happiness. We all share the same infinite potential that creates and maintains the entire universe. What makes the biggest difference between people is that some have decided to use their potential and apply the three P’s in their life, whereas others have not. You, too, can make that decision. You can make it right now! All it needs is a shift of attention.

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This is an excerpt from my book IT’S TIME TO COME ALIVE

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