You may have heard about GMO’s in the United States, but did you know that GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) can be found in as many as 60-70% of the foods in the United States. These organisms have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology, also called genetic engineering.
This science allows DNA from one species to be injected into another species in a lab. Combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods are created. Although GMO food has been banned in Europe, politics in the United States are keeping GMO’s on the market and in our food.
I strongly believe the dangers of GMO food are not fully known; however, some dangers have been reported recently. Six of these dangers include:
- Food Allergy Symptoms Increase Dramatically
- Bodily Toxicity Increases
- Negative Reproductive Effects
- Negative Effects to the Digestive System
- Unknown Genetic Effects on Humans
- Death
Studies are continuing to be conducted on the safety of GMO’s. The outcome of meddling with nature may be worse than we can imagine.
You may have heard about GMO’s in the United States, but did you know that GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) can be found in as many as 60-70% of the foods in the United States. These organisms have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology, also called genetic engineering.
Have you heard the latest buzz about the importance of being “grounded?” No, it is not the same as being in trouble when you were a kid. Being grounded implies being electrically connected to the earth. How does this happen?
Most of us are oblivious to the fact that the earth is mobilized with free electrons that pour into our body at the speed of light when we touch the ground barefoot. This discovery was first noted when telegraph wires were first put into the earth. Those involved found the earth to be completely covered by electrons that were negatively charged which prevented oxidation in our bodies. When we are disconnected from that natural negative charge, we are more susceptible to oxidation and have an increased risk of developing inflammatory problems.
Scientists have found a massive difference in all of our body’s biological markers between being grounded and ungrounded. Cortisol levels, heart rate levels, heart rate variability, respiration levels, bilirubin levels and white blood cell levels are a few examples of biological markers being tested by scientists and doctors.
When the human body has an excess positive charge, the result is excessive oxidation, free radical damage and a stealing of electors. When our bodies are oxidized we lack electrons. When we are insulated from the earth through the rubber soles of our shoes we will age faster and have increased free radical damage.
What can we do to stop this? The answer is simple. Walk barefoot on the soil, in the rain, on the sand, through puddles, etc…. This will ground your body for energies are conducted from the inner earth into you. Whenever you are in a body of water like a lake, the river or the ocean you become instantly grounded. Recent research shows the more often you can be grounded, the better you will feel and the longer you will live. In addition, inflammation and pain levels will decrease.
Take time daily to ground yourself. Reset your body by going into a lake, river, the ocean or just sit in your backyard with your shoes and socks off.
Have you heard the latest buzz about the importance of being “grounded?” No, it is not the same as being in trouble when you were a kid. Being grounded implies being electrically connected to the earth. How does this happen?
About a year ago, I had my first experience with Chinese Medicine. I went to see an Acupuncturist here in Austin and felt amazing after my first session. Unlike traditional Western medicine, my acupuncturist spent three hours with me, asking a wide range of questions and listening intently to my health history (which is a bit long for a thirty-year old).
When I returned home, I began researching Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I came across the site http://www.acupressureonline.org and began to use the listed acupressure points for various health ailments. The main problem I was dealing with at the time was insomnia and within fifteen minutes of applying pressure to the potent insomnia points I felt a deep sense of relaxation and sleepiness. I now incorporate acupressure on a regular basis, along with taking sleep-tite and rarely have trouble sleeping.
The next time you are suffering from a headache, sinus congestion, digestion troubles, or any other ailment, try self-treatment with acupressure before reaching for that bottle of aspirin. You might be amazed at how effective acupressure can be.
We have all heard over and over how bad sugar is for our health and how hard it can be to shed weight with sugar in the diet. I have preached this to my clients and do my best to relay the many other options to sweeten food and beverages without using sugar or dangerous artificial sweeteners. The dangers of sugar stretch far beyond simple weight gain or loss. This post will highlight specific reasons sugar can damage the body and why it is imperative to stay far away from this dangerous “food.”
The following list offers insight on how dangerous sugar really is. Nancy Appleton has done extensive research on sugar and has a highly informative website with extensive information on sugar and sugar substitutes. This list highlights only some of the reasons to just say NO to sugar.
- Sugar can suppress the immune system
- Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body
- Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
- Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
- Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases)
- Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose
- Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins
- Sugar leads to chromium deficiency
- Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostrate, and rectum
- Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose
- Sugar causes copper deficiency
- Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
- Sugar can weaken eyesight
- Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
- Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
- Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract
- Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children
- Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease
- Sugar can cause premature aging
- Sugar can lead to alcoholism
- Sugar can cause tooth decay
- Sugar contributes to obesity
- High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis
- Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers
- Sugar can cause arthritis
- Sugar can cause asthma
- Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
- Sugar can cause gallstones
- Sugar can cause heart disease
- Sugar can cause appendicitis
- Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis
- Sugar can cause hemorrhoids
- Sugar can cause varicose veins
- Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users
- Sugar can lead to periodontal disease
- Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
- Sugar contributes to saliva acidity
- Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
- Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood
- Sugar can decrease growth hormone
- Sugar can increase cholesterol
- Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure
- Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
- High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non- enzymatically to protein)
- Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
- Sugar causes food allergies
- Sugar can contribute to diabetes
- Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
- Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
- Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
- Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
- Sugar can change the structure of protein
- Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen
- Sugar can cause cataracts
- Sugar can cause emphysema
- Sugar can cause atherosclerosis
- Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL)
- High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body
- Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function
- Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease
- Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body
- Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide
- Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat
- Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
- Sugar can damage the pancreas
- Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention
- Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement
- Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness)
- Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries
- Sugar can make the tendons more brittle
- Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine
- Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women
- Sugar can adversely affect school children’s grades and cause learning disorders
- Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves
- Sugar can cause depression
- Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer
- Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion)
- Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout
- Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates
- Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets
- High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity
- Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol
- Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
- Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness
- Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive
- Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones
- Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli
- Sugar can lead to dizziness
- Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress
- High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion
- High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer
- Sugar feeds cancer
- High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant
- High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents
- Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract
- Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon
- Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men
- Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more dificult
- Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer
- Sugar is an addictive substance
- Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol
- Sugar can exacerbate PMS
- Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce
- Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability
- The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch
- The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects
- Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition
- Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function
- Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases
- I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer
- Sugar increases the risk of polio
- High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures
- Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people
- In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives
- Sugar may induce cell death
- Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living organisms
- In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior
- Sugar can cause gastric cancer
- Sugar dehydrates newborns
- Sugar can cause gum disease
- Sugar increases the estradiol in young men
- Sugar can cause low birth weight babies
Next time you reach for that candy bar or pastry at Starbucks, ask yourself, “Is it really worth it?”
Recently, a close friend of mine recommended oil pulling, an alternative healthy remedy mentioned in Ayurvedic texts. I have researched and studied alternative remedies for years and am shocked I never came across this ancient secret.
I will forewarn you, when oil pulling is first explained your initial reaction will probably be along the lines of “What?” Or, “How in the heck would that heal anything?” My reaction was something along the lines of “Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll look into it” without actually planning on giving it a try.
Curiosity got the best of me and I decided I might as well give oil pulling a try. It’s cheap and no side effects exist. Oil pulling simply involves swishing oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes on an empty stomach. Sesame oil and sunflower oil are highly recommended although my first experience was with virgin coconut oil because it was all I had in the house.
The mouth is full of thousands of strains of bacteria and oil pulling allows toxins to bind to the oil when it is swished in the mouth. Over thirty systemic diseases are said to be greatly helped and even cured by oil pulling. I was skeptical but after doing additional research I decided to try it once per day with sesame oil (organic of course).
It has been a week and so far I am amazed. My sinuses have been draining, I am sleeping better, my teeth are whiter and my skin is much softer. I cannot wait to see the future benefits from this simple practice.
Anyone who knows me well has heard me rave about juicing. I first started juicing about two years ago and have been hooked ever since. I’m surprised that most people have never had the experience of drinking fresh fruit or vegetable juice. Since I have discovered the amazing benefits I have done multiple juice fasts and incorporate fresh juice at least five days of the week.
Not only does fresh juice taste amazing, the benefits for the body and mind are remarkable. Anytime I feel tired or am having a difficult time focusing I get my juicer out and in a matter of minutes feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the day.
Fresh juice is full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals, all essential ingredients for optimal wellness. Juice should be drank immediately. If you decide to store it, put the juice in an airtight container and try to fill the container full, preventing excess air. Most of the nutritional value from juice will be gone within 24 hours.
I have experimented with many combinations but my favorite recipe combines carrots, apple and ginger. I cannot stress enough how fresh juice can be life-changing. The benefits are too numerous to list. Many juicers are affordable, making it a possibility for anyone to try who has the desire.
I recently heard the quote “Health is not simply the absence of sickness” and it stuck with me. Our bodies are similar to our lives. They are not an “it” that can be fixed up to perfection and then remains in that state. Our bodies and our health are processes. They are not machines nor are they static. Balancing our bodies means paying attention to all the phases of our lives. What may be balanced at one time or in one phase of life may not be balanced at another.
We should not wait until struck with an acute or chronic illness to start out on the journey to wellness. We can make a choice every day to consciously choose to pursue balance, wellness and optimal health.
In our society many diseases are not simply an invader by a foreign “bug.” Chronic disease in the United States affects millions of people daily and in many cases can be prevented. We cannot keep using a scapegoat to place blame for illness. It is time to take responsibility for our health and make steps down the road to balance and health today.
So many folks come to see me with a long list of supplements they are taking. We go through each supplement one by one to understand the reason why the person is taking it. The majority of cases have questionable reasoning based on ads in health magazines, ‘it is supposed to be good for…’, ‘this if for my heart’, ‘this is for my knee pain’, ‘this is for my cholesterol’ and on and on. Most of the time either the supplement will not do the person any good because it isn’t the right medicine for their condition or the supplement is questionably manufactured so even if it is the ‘right’ medicine it cannot be utilized properly by the body. For example, if a person complains of joint pain, but they also have IBS and eczema and are taking glucosamine for the joint pain then that is an example of the wrong medicine. This person has a lot of inflammation as is evident by the IBS and eczema, therefore the joint pain is probably the result of a faulty gut and poor protein and mineral digestion (as is the eczema). Taking the glucosamine will do little to the joints because the joints are just a symptom of a problem in the gut. The digestion is what needs to be addressed so this person taking capsules of highly concentrated substances will only further weaken digestion!
The other problem is more common – the product isn’t manufactured properly and it cannot be absorbed, or if it does get absorbed it isn’t bioavailable to the body. A typical example are mineral supplements. Most minerals in pills just end up becoming expensive feces. It is hard for the body to absorbed minerals in the majority of pills because they are bound incorrectly. Minerals in pill form need to be correctly chelated in order for them to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. How do you know if they are correctly chelated? Unfortunately it is difficult to know just by looking at the bottle because many companies will use the term chelate, even though it isn’t a real chelate. So the bottom line is to know your manufacturer or to check out the company Albion which makes mineral chelates for several manufacturers (www.Albion.com). See if you supplement company is on this list.
Even if your company is on this list though, they still may not be the best supplements for you because they are synthetic isolated compounds. There is plenty of research old and new that point to a synergetic effect between nutrients that are only found in whole foods. Isolated vitamin E, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C has plenty of research to prove its detrimental effects. But used in a whole form these vitamins also have its proper co-factors for metabolism as well as other synergetic nutrients. Unfortunately our food supply is not nutritious as it was 60 ears ago (write me if you want the reference for this research) and because of our stressful lifestyle our requirements have increased. There are several whole food supplement companies out there to help us regain some of this lost nutrition and deal with our increased demands. If you want to take a good ‘multi’ I would suggest getting a whole food supplement source through your healthcare professional and the two that I use are Standard Process and Right Foods. I’ve yet to see any products on the shelves of Whole Foods or GNC that come close to the quality of these two companies. Using a whole food (the adjective, not the name of the store) product assures us that we aren’t using isolated compounds that can toss our body into further imbalance. Taking isolated synthetic supplements can cause a deficiency in other endogenous nutrients because the body needs to metabolize the unnaturally large quantity of isolated fractions.
However there are good products you can pick up retail and one of my favorite products at Whole Foods is called ProGreens by Nutricology. There are other fine whole food green products out there as well such as Green Synergy. But beware all these green products need to be manufactured properly, just because the label says it contains lots of vegetables and green grasses doesn’t say anything about quality.
No matter what supplement you purchase it is important to know the manufacturer. Either doing your own research or trusting your practitioner. Find out if the company has a ‘certificate of analysis’ and conducts a regular random inspection on its products. Inquire about the manufacturing process and if they have any literature about their procedures. Any reputable company will be able to provide this. And I believe most important to choose whole food based supplements to give your body balanced nutrition, no need for most people to mega-dose.
Allopathic prescribing of supplements
Taking supplements in this way is no different than taking prescription drugs. It is a reductionist theory where each part is treated separately. However there is a connection between the knee pain, heart issues, and eczema. A skilled practitioner will find the connection between the physical manifestations and prescribe supplements to correct the underlying imbalance.
In Health,
George Mandler LDN LicAc
Thai Massage is resurfacing as the hottest new trend with life-long benefits for mental and physical health.
Thai Massage offers the benefits of an acupressure or deep tissue massage, the stretching and breathing of a yoga class and energetic balancing of the body’s electromagnetic field all in one session.
While Thai Massage has been strongly embraced by many pro-athletes, runners, golfers, surfers and rock-climbers, this style of bodywork offers many advantages for people from all walks of life. Thai Massage has very few contraindications, making it highly beneficial to nearly everyone.
Thai Massage is practiced on a thick mat on the floor with the client wearing loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, thus making it easy to do anywhere, anytime. The practitioner uses hands, feet and knees to provide gentle, rhythmic compressions and yoga-like stretches to joint and muscle tissue, all while addressing the ten major energy lines.
One of the biggest reasons Thai Massage is gaining so much popularity is because of its energizing effects on both the body and mind. Unlike most table massages, at the end of a Thai session the client feels physically energized, as well as mentally alert and refreshed. These sensations can be directly attributed to the muscle tissue being stretched, joints being freed and energy pathways being cleared.
Another attractive benefit of Thai Massage is the effects it has on the body’s internal organs and bodily functions. Regular recipients of Thai Massage have reported positive shifts in their metabolism, digestive process and sleep patterns. One of my clients who suffered from insomnia began receiving Thai Massage once a week for a period of one hour. Within just a few weeks, she was sleeping soundly through the night and awaking the next morning feeling rested and ready to greet the day.
Professional athletes and sports enthusiasts often receive Thai Massage prior to their games or activities because of the many benefits it affords them. Like most of us, they sometimes lack the self-discipline to hold the appropriate stretches long enough to achieve the proper warm-up. This is a perfect example of why Thai Massage is quickly becoming the new trend in massage and bodywork.
Often referred to as the “lazy man’s yoga”, Thai Massage deepens the stretch in a way that is passive for the recipient, yet very active in its effects. The movements are done to the client, which removes their preoccupation with trying to struggle into a pose. Suddenly they find themselves in a deep stretch and they’re actually enjoying it because they didn’t have to exert any of their own energy to get there.
For additional information on the benefits of Thai Massage, visit TristaThorp.com.
Trista Thorp is a Certified Thai Massage Therapist, Yoga Instructor and Reiki Master in Carlsbad, California. Her practice is geared specifically toward Womens health and well-being. Trista’s exclusive clientele consists primarily of celebrities, professional athletes and local sports enthusiasts.
If there’s one group of individuals who need chiropractic more than any other it’s mothers-to-be.
As a woman’s hormones change, her ligaments become looser and her body structure can become distorted. Chiropractic has been a blessing for countless pregnant women for over a century. Pregnant? Get a chiropractic checkup; it’ll help you and your new baby and help ensure an easier delivery.
Who knows better?
Over $30 billion in over 30 years has been thrown at a “War on Cancer.” So far it looks like cancer has won. Similarly, all the money spent on an AIDS cure has not resulted in a single life saved (medically). Why, you ask; because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. For example, we think we can artificially “improve” the immune system so we “tinker” with it using vaccines. The result is an epidemic of autism, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, allergies, Alzheimer’s, cancer, asthma, ear infections, vision problems and many other conditions.
In the same way, we think we can artificially make someone healthy by pumping synthetic drugs into them. We think the body is making a mistake when it creates symptoms and we try to suppress the symptoms rather than correct the cause (i.e. build up natural resistance, remove subluxations and other interferences).
But.there is another way: Respect the body and observe what it is doing in sickness and health. This is known as Empirical healthcare.
The body can tell us how to be healthy. Why do so many people not get cancer? Why do so many people not get AIDS – even if they have the risk factors? Why do so many people not get the flu? What makes people recover from horrible diseases while others succumb and die? This is what needs to be studied: health! Chiropractic is based on Empirical health philosophy. Simply stated: rather than invade the body with artificial drugs and procedures, we try to learn what it wants to do and support it; we respect the body’s symptoms. For example, if the body creates a fever we don’t suppress it with drugs, but rather permit the body to disinfect, cleanse and heal – and the body will be healthier and stronger as a result. Relying on drugs makes us weaker. For example, studies show that antibiotics for ear infections lead to more ear infections. Also, consider that children who have more infectious diseases of childhood have lower cancer risk and less heart attacks as adults.
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