Rather Be Healthy

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the world’s highest production-volume chemicals and as a result of its widespread use has been found in more than 90 percent of Americans tested.

Of 115 published animal studies, 81 percent found significant health effects from even low-level exposure to BPA, and many of these involve reproductive and fertility problems.

In the latest study, women undergoing in vitro fertilization who had higher levels of BPA in their blood had 50 percent fewer fertilized eggs, which suggests the chemical is compromising the quality of women’s eggs and perhaps contributing significantly to fertility problems.

How Does BPA Harm Your Fertility?

BPA is an endocrine disrupter, which means it mimics or interferes with your body’s hormones and “disrupts” your endocrine system.

The glands of your endocrine system and the hormones they release influence almost every cell, organ, and function of your body. It is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes.

Chemicals like BPA can exert their effects by:
•Mimicking the biological activity of your hormones by binding to a cellular receptor. This can initiate your cell’s normal response to the naturally occurring hormone at the wrong time or to an excessive extent (agonistic effect).
•Binding to the receptor but not activating it. Instead the presence of the chemical on the receptor prevents binding of the natural hormone (antagonistic effect).
•Binding to transport proteins in your blood, thus altering the amounts of natural hormones that are present in your blood circulation.
•Interfering with the metabolic processes in your body, affecting the synthesis or breakdown rates of your natural hormones.

The strongest evidence showing that exposure to environmental chemicals like BPA can lead to disruption of endocrine function comes from bizarre changes seen in a number of wildlife species, such as intersex fish, frogs developing a variety of defects like multiple testes or ovaries, and hermaphrodite bears, just to name a few.

But evidence is also very strong showing these chemicals are influencing humans, too, and leading to decreased sperm quality, early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian dysfunction, among numerous other health problems, like cancer and heart disease, as well.

What We Can Learn from History: The DES Disaster

During the 1950s and 1960s, the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) was prescribed to 5 million pregnant women for the prevention of spontaneous abortion.

Many of these children ended up with physical deformities and developmental abnormalities, and some of the girls developed an unusual form of vaginal cancer when they reached puberty.

It was later found that exposure to DES alters the expression of HOXA10, a gene necessary for uterine development, while increasing the risk of cancer and pregnancy complications.

When studying the offspring of mice that had been injected with DES during pregnancy, researchers found changes in certain regions of the HOXA10 gene that persisted into adulthood.

This indicates that exposure to DES and similar substances results in lasting genetic memory, known as “imprinting,” which is actually changing the structure of the HOXA10 gene.

Consequently, DES was banned in the 1970s, but the damage still lingers, and in some cases keeps showing up even in second-generation babies. And, although DES is no longer on the market, similar substances with estrogen-like properties — such as BPA — are.

How to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA

BPA in baby bottles has already been banned in Canada and several U.S. states. Other measures are being considered in 30 U.S. states and municipalities — but at a federal level, the government is treading water and choosing to protect the interests of the chemical industry in favor of public health.

So for now the chemical is still widely used and found in such products as:
•Plastic water bottles
•Plastic gallon milk bottles
•Plastic microwavable plates, ovenware, and utensils
•Baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups
•Canned foods and soda cans (most have plastic lining in the cans)
•Tooth sealants

Avoiding BPA is therefore a matter of steering clear of these products by following these 11 tips:
1.Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby.
2.Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass alternatives.
3.Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones, and only BPA-free pacifiers and teethers.
4.Store your food and beverages in glass — NOT plastic — containers. Glass is the safest and most inert way to store your water and food, and is far better than ANY plastic (even BPA-free varieties).
5.IF you choose to use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic container.
6.Use glass, ceramic, or stainless steel travel coffee mugs rather than plastic or styrofoam coffee cups.
7.Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it).
8.If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more BPA to leach into your food.
9.Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a high-quality filter instead.
10.Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to your, or your children’s, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA.
11.Avoid using canned foods (including soda cans) as the linings often contain BPA. If you do eat canned foods, choose only those that come in BPA-free cans.

Fortunately, there has been enough negative press about BPA that the public has been demanding safer, BPA-free alternatives — and corporations have been responding.

Certain manufacturers, including Philips Avent, Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex and Evenflow, have said they will stop making baby bottles that contain BPA, while several major retailers, including CVS, Kmart, Walmart, Toys R Us and Babies R Us are removing BPA-containing products from their stores.

So it is becoming gradually easier to find BPA-free alternatives for your family. Please support the companies that are moving in the right direction by removing this chemical from their products, and look for BPA-free labels on canned goods, baby bottles and children’s toys before you buy.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Four steps to rid your body of fluoride’s negative affects

For years experts have been warning against the dangers of sodium fluoride, but that awareness has grown in recent years, as cities like Portland, Ore. have angered residents with plans to add fluoride, and voters in Wichita, Kan. voting against adding it to their water system for the third time in as many decades.

Such dangers, experts have noted, include incredibly high amounts of fluoride in toothpaste – 500,000 percent higher than fluoridated water, according to this report).

The point is, fluoride toxicity is much more pervasive than most people think, and now seems like a great time to discuss how best to detoxify yourself.

“Even if you somehow managed to escape the ingestion of fluoridated water in your younger years, chances are you’ve been exposed to food items that actually can contain about 180 times the sodium fluoride content as fluoridated water,” writes Anthony Gucciardi, who cited fluoride expert Jeff Green. “This has to do with how what’s known as aluminum fluoride, or Cryolite. Used as a pesticide due to its ability to kill bugs, conventional farmers will often times spray excessive amounts of the sticky substance onto crops. As a result, the aluminum fluoride substance will reside unless thoroughly washed off of the produce.”

In a separate interview, Green said that Cryolite was “actually sodium aluminum fluoride,” a compound that “is especially effective at killing bugs.”

“It’s also very sticky, so when they spray it, it’s more likely to stick on your produce, unless you’re… really working at trying to get it off of it,” said Green.

The fluoride expert recommends four ways you can detoxify yourself:

Selenium: The experts say selenium is very often the first nutrient they recommend to those seeking to remove or dramatically reduce the presence of sodium fluoride in their bodies. According to Food Consumer, A new study in the Journal of Hygiene Research suggests that taking selenium supplements or eating selenium-rich foods may help reduce the damage to neurons and minimize memory loss induced by fluoride…”

Experts say a great all-natural source of selenium is Brazil nuts, but they caution that it is important to balance your intake.

“I don’t recommend you start eating handfuls of Brazil nuts,” says Gucciardi. “Many in the field of natural health recommend a dose of 100 to 200 micrograms, though this does fall below the National Institute of Health’s ‘upper limit’ of 400 micrograms.”

He added that Brazil nuts vary in selenium content, which is determined by a number of factors. On average, you can expect between 70 and 90 micrograms per serving.

Selenium is also found in fish, meats, and other nuts.

Warns Gucciardi: “Don’t forget also that taking selenium along with high doses of vitamin C and zinc can actually inhibit proper absorption. Here is a useful list of foods that contain selenium that includes microgram count.”

Nascent iodine: Iodine is vital in many ways in addition to fluoride detoxification, but that said, fluoride is known to directly attack the thyroid, say experts, and as such, iodine – and in particular nascent iodine, which is the best quality – “helps remove sodium fluoride through the urine as calcium fluoride,” says Gucciardi.

Tamarind: If you’ve never heard of tamarind – and many people haven’t – it is a “staple in the ancient Ayurvedic medicinal system,” Gucciardi writes, “which is considered to be the ‘mother’ of natural medicine.” Besides making your tea taste better when added, the substance also helps get rid of fluoride through the urine.

Dry sauna: “As with many other toxic substances, a powerful dry sauna session can help to excrete sodium fluoride from fatty tissues,” Gucciardi says. “Be sure to drink up on purified water to replenish yourself afterwards.”

Sources:

http://www.wakingtimes.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/037259_Portland_fluoride_poison.html

http://naturalsociety.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/037931_wichita_fluoride_victory.html

http://www.foodconsumer.org

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Hey, it’s Joel, and while there are definitely plenty of BAD carbs out there (think white bread, sugar, desserts, etc) you don’t have to completely eliminate carbs from your diet in order to burn fat fast, especially when you choose the RIGHT sources. Having said that, below are my top 4 choices for belly-blasting carbs that’ll leave you full and satisfied, while helping you toward your fat loss goals to boot!

#4 – Berries & Cherries

Berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and cherries (although not technically a berry) are some of the BEST carbs you can eat. They are high in fiber, packed with antioxidants, and score extremely low on the glycemic index, especially cherries which come with a GI of just 22.

I enjoy fresh berries for dessert several times a week and it’s an awesome, nutritious way to finish off any meal. Great as a snack, too! Try them on top of greek yogurt… Mmm 🙂

#3 – Sprouted Grain Bread

Sprouted grain breads, like Ezekiel 4:9 bread (one of the most popular brands of sprouted grain bread) is a great way to include bread in your diet without all the issues associated with white breads and even 100% whole wheat breads.

Instead, Ezekiel bread is organic, sprouted, 100% whole grain flourless bread. A 2-slice serving even contains 8 grams of complete protein, and 6 grams of fiber, so don’t give up the bread, just choose the right kind!

#2 – Quinoa

While brown rice is thought to be the healthy grain, there’s one even better, and that’s quinoa.

Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that contains double the protein of brown rice along with greater fiber content and a lower glycemic load.

Not only that, but quinoa is the ONLY grain to contain complete protein and the full spectrum of amino acids. It comes in several varieties, including “oatmeal-like” flakes and it’s wholegrain rice-like form.

Enjoy it as an oatmeal substitute for breakfast, in salads or casseroles, or as a wholesome whole-grain, high protein side item to any lunch or dinner meal.

#1 – Beans, Lentils, and other Legumes

Beans and Lentils, part of the “legume” family, just may be my #1 choice for a healthy carb. Packed with loads of fiber and protein, these guys come in so many different varieties that you’ll never get bored: lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, navy beans, butter beans, lima beans, pinto beans…and the list goes on.

Because of their fiber & protein content, along with their versatility, I eat something from the legume family in at least one of my meals daily. I’d highly recommend you’d do the same!

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

How Iodine Deficiency May Affect Your Child’s Brain Function and IQ

In this fascinating video, taped at last year’s Restorative Medicine Conference in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Jorge Flechas, MD discusses the importance of total body iodine sufficiency, and how lack of iodine might severely affect your child’s brain and intellectual prowess. Iodine is an essential trace element required for the synthesis of hormones, and the lack of it can also cause or contribute to the development of:
•Hypothyroidism
•Goiter
•Mental retardation
•Cretinism (severely stunted physical and mental growth and deafness due to untreated congenital hypothyroidism)
•Certain forms of cancer

Iodine is used by your thyroid gland to help regulate metabolism and development of both your skeleton and brain, among other things. But how much iodine do you need, really? There’s quite a bit of contention on this issue.

Some, like Dr. Flechas insists severe iodine deficiency is rampant, while others claim this is not the case at all, and that taking higher doses of iodine can be harmful. I don’t proclaim to have the answer to this question… There’s no doubt you need iodine. But it’s difficult to say precisely how much.

I suspect the dosages recommended by Dr. Flechas, Dr. Brownstein, and others, may be too high, so I would encourage you to do your own research, and adopt a sensible, middle-of-the-road approach when it comes to iodine. It’s also important to realize that there are two types of iodine, and that you need them both:
1.Iodine
2.Iodide

The latter is the salt of iodine. One of the primary differences between them is that iodine will diffuse into the cell, whereas iodide must be transported into the cell. Different tissues in your body absorb either one or the other, hence you need BOTH for optimal health. One is not necessarily “better” than the other on its own.

Why Is Hypothyroidism More Prevalent in Women than Men?

There is simply no question that optimizing your iodine levels is essential for thyroid health. Hypothyroidism disproportionately affects women at a rate of about 9 to 1 in the US. The reason for this is that the female hormone estrogen inhibits the absorption of iodine.

According to Dr. Flechas, hypothyroidism is associated with up to 80-90 percent free estrogen levels, compared to the normal value of 40-60 percent free estrogen. Hyperthyroidism is associated with only 20 percent free estrogen levels, and low iodine intake can lead to a hyperestrogenic state. In his lecture, Dr. Flechas explains the interplaying dynamics of estrogen, thyroid hormones, and iodine at greater depth, so for more information, please set aside 40 minutes to watch the video above.

Your Body Needs Iodine for More than Just Your Thyroid

Dr. Flechas presents a number of interesting facts about iodine that is not widely known. For example, did you know that thyroid hormones are created not just in your thyroid, but also in a woman’s ovaries (thyroid T2), and in the white blood cells of your bone marrow? Furthermore, iodine is not only required for proper function of your thyroid. Other tissues that absorb and use large amounts of iodine include:

Breasts

Salivary glands

Pancreas

Cerebral spinal fluid

Skin

Stomach

Brain

Thymus

Iodine deficiency, or insufficiency, in any of these tissues will lead to dysfunction of that tissue. Hence the following symptoms could provide clues that you’re not getting enough iodine in your diet. For example, iodine deficiency in:
•Salivary glands = inability to produce saliva, producing dry mouth
•Skin = dry skin, and lack of sweating. Three to four weeks of iodine supplementation will typically reverse this symptom, allowing your body to sweat normally again
•Brain = reduced alertness, and lowered IQ
•Muscles = nodules, scar tissue, pain, fibrosis, fibromyalgia

How Much Iodine Does Your Body Need?

According to Dr. Flechas, researchers have determined that the average dietary intake of iodine for Japanese women is 13.8 milligrams (mg) per day. He recommends 12.5 mg/day, especially for his pregnant patients to optimize their child’s intelligence. He shares a couple of success stories in his lecture, where iodine supplementation at higher doses resulted in children with remarkably advanced intelligence.

Hypothyroidism, which is one of the first ailments to develop in response to iodine deficiency, is indeed particularly troublesome during pregnancy. One 1999 study found that thyroid deficiency during pregnancy can lower your child’s IQ by about seven points. The researchers noted that for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, before the unborn child’s thyroid becomes active, the mother is the sole source of thyroid hormones. Studies suggest that these hormones play an important role in brain development. Overall, compared with other children, the offspring of thyroid-deficient mothers had impaired school performance and lower scores on tests of attention, language, and visual-motor performance.

But pregnant women aren’t the only ones who need to be concerned with the iodine content of their diet. According to Dr. Flechas, your thyroid alone needs about 6 mg of iodine per day; the breasts of a 110-pound woman will need about 5 mg/day (larger women or women with larger breasts need more); and other body tissues, such as your adrenals, thymus, ovaries, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland, need about 2 mg/day.

Here are a few more interesting facts:
•In total, the human body can hold 1,500 mg of iodine
•Your thyroid can hold a maximum of 50 mg of iodine
•20 percent of the iodine in your body is held in your skin (if your skin is depleted of iodine, you will not be able to sweat)
•32 percent of your body’s iodine stores are in your muscles (if muscles are depleted, pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms can develop)

Although he makes a compelling argument, I am not yet convinced that such large amounts may be necessary. Dr. Brownstein and others would label this as iodinophobia, but I believe caution may be appropriate here before swallowing mg amounts of iodine on a regular basis. Personally, I am not yet convinced and do not take such high doses in supplemental form.

The US RDA May Be Insufficient for Many

It is important to realize that the current US daily recommended allowance (RDA) for iodine are not in milligram doses but in micrograms:
•150 micrograms (mcg) per day for adult men and women
•220 mcg for pregnant women
•290 mcg for lactating/breastfeeding women

However, this RDA was set with the intention to prevent goiter only. Dr. Flechas makes a compelling argument for it being completely insufficient for overall physical health and prevention of diseases such as thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, and cancer. Iodine actually induces apoptosis, meaning it causes cancer cells to self destruct. Dr. Flechas is adamant that absence of iodine in a cell is what causes cancer, and statistics tend to support this view. In his lecture, he shows the results of a number of NHANES surveys.

For example, between 1971 and 2000, the average iodine levels declined by 50 percent in the US. During that same time, cancers specifically associated with iodine deficiency—such as cancer of the breast, prostate, endometrium, and ovaries—increased. He also points out that the RDA completely ignores the presence of increasing amounts of goitrogens in the environment. The following halides compete for the same receptors used in your thyroid gland and elsewhere to capture iodine, so if you’re exposed to too many of these, your thyroid hormone production can be severely disrupted, resulting in a low thyroid state:
•Bromide / bromine (Bromide can be found in several forms. Methyl bromide is a pesticide used mainly on strawberries, found predominantly in the California areas. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is added to citrus drinks to help suspend the flavoring in the liquid. Potassium bromate is a dough conditioner found in commercial bakery products and some flours)
•Chlorine
•Fluoride

Could High-Dose Iodine Be Dangerous?

As I mentioned at the beginning, while Dr. Flechas provides very compelling arguments for using doses as high as 12.5 milligrams (mg) per day, which is a far cry from the RDA of 150 micrograms (mcg), I’m hesitant to make such a recommendation. I think the jury is still out, and we need more research to determine the health effects of too much iodine.

As reported by Reuters at the beginning of this year1, a recently published study has cast some doubts on high-dose iodine supplementation. The study, published December 28, 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition2, randomly assigned one of 12 different dosages of iodine (ranging from 0 to 2,000 mcg/day) to healthy adults for four weeks.

When diet was factored in, those taking 400 mcg/day were receiving a total of about 800 mcg of iodine per day.

At doses at and above 400 mcg of supplemented iodine per day, some of the study participants developed subclinical hypothyroidism, which appeared to be dose dependent. At 400 mcg/day, five percent developed subclinical hypothyroidism; at the highest dose—2,000 mcg/day—47 percent of participants were thus affected. Subclinical hypothyroidism refers to a reduction in thyroid hormone levels that is not sufficient to produce obvious symptoms of hypothyroidism (such as fatigue, dry skin, depression or weight gain, just to mention a few common tell-tale signs).

So, these findings suggest it might not be wise to get more than about 800 mcg of iodine per day, and supplementing with as much as 12-13 mg (12,000-13,000 mcg’s) could potentially have some adverse health effects.

Four Other Essentials that Promote Higher IQ

While iodine is clearly needed for health brain development and function, it’s by no means the only factor that determines your child’s mental capacity. The list could get exceedingly long were I to include everything currently known to contribute to decreased or increased IQ, but there are four additional factors that I believe are of particular importance that affects a majority of people:
1.DHA
2.Vitamin D
3.Avoiding fluoride
4.Optimizing gut flora

DHA—An Essential Fat for Brain Function and IQ

Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is an essential structural component of both your brain and retina. Approximately 60 percent of your brain is composed of fats—25 percent of which is DHA. DHA is also an essential structural ingredient of breast milk, which is believed to be a major reason why breastfed babies consistently score higher on IQ tests than formula-fed babies.

Omega-3 fats such as DHA are considered essential because your body cannot produce it, and must get it from your daily diet. DHA-rich foods include fish, liver, and brain—all of which are no longer consumed in great amounts by most Americans. To compensate for our inherently low omega-3 diet, a high quality animal-based omega-3 supplement is something that I recommend for virtually everyone, especially if you’re pregnant. I prefer krill oil to fish oil, as there’s compelling evidence demonstrating its superiority.

Most of the DHA needed for brain and nervous system development is transferred from the mother to the fetus during the last trimester. The DHA content in the mother’s diet reflects in the amount of DHA passed on to the baby. DHA levels of premature infants are especially low since they miss much of that last trimester. Preemies are also more likely to be bottle-fed, hence missing out on valuable DHA from their mother’s breast milk. While you can now find infant formula that contains added DHA, I don’t believe it’s anywhere near comparable to the DHA found in breast milk.

Studies show that low DHA intake in infancy can lead or contribute to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Low DHA levels have also been linked to increased risk of suicide and dementia.

Why Animal-Based Omega-3?

While there are both plant and animal sources for omega-3 fats, there are differences between them, and when it comes to protecting brain function, you need the animal-based version. There are three important omega-3 fatty acids—ALA, EPA and DHA. DHA is the most important for your brain. EPA is also required by your brain, but in smaller amounts.

Plant-based omega-3 sources like flax, hemp and chia seeds are high in ALA, but low in EPA and DHA. Although ALA is an essential nutrient, the key point to remember is that the conversion of ALA to the far more essential EPA and DHA is typically quite inhibited by impaired delta 6 desaturase, an enzyme necessary for you to convert the ALA into the longer chain EPA and DHA. Because of this, it is important to include animal-based sources of omega-3 fats, such as krill oil, in your diet.

Vitamin D Deficiency May Be a Primary Culprit in Skyrocketing Autism Rates

In more recent years, rampant vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a proportionate jump in autism. While the connection may not be obvious, it’s important to realize that vitamin D receptors appears in a wide variety of brain tissue during early fetal development, and activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. Researchers have also located metabolic pathways for vitamin D in the hippocampus and cerebellum of the brain, areas that are involved in planning, processing of information, and the formation of new memories.

The National Institutes of Mental Health recently concluded that it is vital that the mother get enough vitamin D while pregnant in order for the baby’s brain to develop properly. The child must also get enough vitamin D after birth for “normal” brain functioning. Appropriate sun exposure would take care of these issues, as the sun is irreplaceable when it comes to the body’s ability to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with depression. In 2006, scientists evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 elderly patients and found those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses. More recently, researchers found that intake of more than 400 IU of vitamin D from food sources was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms compared with intake of less than 100 IU. This was a significant benefit from a very small amount of vitamin D — as 400 IU is far too low to benefit most people.

It now appears as though most adults need about 8,000 IU’s of vitamin D a day in order to get their serum levels above 40 ng/ml, which is the lowest they should be. Ideally your serum levels should be between 50-70 ng/ml, and up to 100 ng/ml to treat cancer and heart disease. However, it’s important to realize that there’s no magic dosage when it comes to vitamin D. What’s important is your serum level, so you need to get your vitamin D levels tested to make sure you’re staying within the optimal and therapeutic ranges as indicated below.

Fluoride Found to Harm Brain Function and Lower IQ in Children

Fluoride is known to interfere with basic functions of nerve cells in your brain3, and numerous animal and human studies demonstrate the damage fluoride inflicts on your brain, including your pineal gland. Shockingly—considering the fact that 70 percent of the US is still fluoridating their water supplies—there are more than 25 human studies and 100 animal studies4 linking fluoride to brain damage and reduced IQ in children. This includes such effects as:

Reduction in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Damage to the hippocampus

Formation of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic brain abnormality in Alzheimer’s disease)

Reduction in lipid content

Damage to the purkinje cells

Exacerbation of lesions induced by iodine deficiency

Impaired antioxidant defense systems

Increased uptake of aluminum

Accumulation of fluoride in the pineal gland

Fluoride can also increase manganese absorption, compounding problems since manganese in drinking water has also been linked to lower IQ in children.

One of the most recent studies into the effects of water fluoridation on intellectual performance, published in December 20105, found that about 28 percent of children in the low-fluoride study area scored as “bright, normal or higher intelligence” compared to only 8 percent in the high-fluoride area. Further, 15 percent of children in the high-fluoride city had signs of mental retardation, compared with only 6 percent in the low-fluoride city. Most alarmingly, some of these brain-damaging effects have been observed even at low levels of exposure, such as 1 part per million (ppm) of fluoride in water, which is right around the levels used in US water fluoridation programs, which range from 0.7-1.2 ppm.

Optimizing Gut Flora Strengthens Natural Detoxification Pathways

The presence of, and continual exposure to, toxins is another important factor that can have profound influence on your child’s IQ—both in utero and after birth. According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, neurological problems such as autism and learning disorders are caused by toxic overload, stemming from abnormal gut flora.

Children use all of their sensory organs to collect information from their environment, which is then passed to the brain for processing. This is a fundamental part of learning. However, in children with Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), the toxicity flowing from their gut throughout their bodies and into their brains, clogs the brain with toxicity, preventing it from performing its normal function and process sensory information. GAPS may manifest as a conglomerate of symptoms that can fit the diagnosis of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder (ADD) without hyperactivity, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, just to name a few possibilities.

The treatment she developed is called the GAPS Nutritional Program, which covers both diet and detoxification. Fermented foods are a staple of the GAPS diet. The beneficial bacteria in these foods are very potent detoxifiers, capable of drawing a wide range of toxins and heavy metals out of your body. According to Dr. McBride, the GAPS Nutritional Protocol restores the natural detoxification system in about 90 percent of people, and the fermented/cultured foods are instrumental in this self-healing process.

“The cell wall [of the bacteria] have chelators; molecules that grab hold of mercury, lead, aluminum, arsenate, and anything else toxic,” Dr. McBride explains. “They hold them until they’re removed through stool.”

You don’t need to consume huge amounts. About a quarter to a half a cup of fermented vegetables, or cultured food such as raw yoghurt, per day, is sufficient. The key is variety. The greater the variety of fermented and cultured foods you include in your diet, the better, as each food will inoculate your gut with a variety of different microorganisms.

Planning for a Bright and Healthy Baby…

As you can see, there are many factors contributing to making a healthy, happy, and bright baby—and there are many more that I did not expound on in this article, such as:
•Phosphatidylserine (PS), a phospholipid that is an essential part of the membranes that surround all your body’s cells. PS enables cells to move nutrients into and cellular waste out of each living cell in your body. Abundant in your brain and in the membranes of your brain cells, PS is important for brain functions such as memory, judgment, and reasoning. Cow brain, mackerel, herring, and organ meats are some of the foods that contain higher levels of PS
•GPC (Glycerophosphocholine), the bioactive form of choline. Unlike the other forms of choline, GPC is the form that has substantial clinical evidence behind it for its direct effect on healthy brain functions. It occurs naturally in limited quantities in eggs, milk, nuts, fish, certain vegetables, organ meats, and human breast milk
•Magnesium is another important element needed for optimal brain function and IQ. Stress has been shown to have a detrimental impact on magnesium levels, which in turn can result in lower IQ levels in school-age children, according to some research6.

Fortunately, most of these factors are largely, or entirely, within your control. For even more healthy pregnancy tips, please see this previous article.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

When you order sushi at your favorite restaurant or pick up a pound of coffee from your local supermarket, you assume you’re getting the red snapper or Columbian beans as stated on the menu or label.

But not so fast. A growing number of cases of “food fraud” are occurring in the United States, such that you may not be able to tell what you’re really eating just by looking at the label.

Worse still, most of these cases are not highly publicized incidents like the recent scandal of UK supermarkets selling “beef” burgers that actually contained horse and pig meat. Instead, they’re ongoing cases of blatant misrepresentation among some incredibly common foods.

What Is Food Fraud?

Food fraud, defined as “the deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain,”1 is the focus of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention’s (USP) Food Fraud Database,2 which already has more than 1,300 records of food fraud published from 1980 to 2010.

A recent update, which added in cases from 2011 and 2012, increased the number of records by 60 percent, or nearly 800 new records, and includes some foods you very well may eat every day, like olive oil, honey, seafood and orange juice.

In some cases, the foods were diluted with ingredients not listed on the label. In others, the food was something entirely different than it claimed to be.

Still others contained undisclosed “clouding agents,” including the cancer-causing, reproductive-system-damaging plasticizer Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which was added to fruit juices in order to make them appear freshly squeezed. USP found that 877 food products from 315 different companies contained fake clouding agents.

In every case, the food fraud revealed that what you think you’re eating may be far from reality, and the manipulation of food and food ingredients may be far more widespread than anyone realized. Dr. Jeffrey Moore, senior scientific liaison for USP, explained:3

“While food fraud has been around for centuries, with a handful of notorious cases well documented, we suspect that what we know about the topic is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The 10 Most Common Fraudulent Foods

1. Olive Oil

Even “extra virgin” olive oil is often diluted with other less expensive oils, including hazelnut, soybean, corn, sunflower, palm, sesame, grape seed and walnut.

2. Milk

Milk was found to contain vegetable oil, whey, caustic soda, cane sugar, detergent and even toxic compounds like melamine and formaldehyde.

3. Honey

Honey is often not “honey” but instead a mix of high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose syrup, invert beet sugar, water and essential oils.

4. Saffron

It’s the world’s most expensive spice, but it often contains adulterants such as glycerin, sandalwood dust, tartrazine (yellow dye), barium sulfate, borax, marigold flowers and even colored corn strings.

5. Orange Juice

Lemon juice, sugar water, paprika extract, marigold flower extract, and a synthetic sugar/acid mixture may all be lurking in your favorite orange juice.

6. Coffee

Coffee, whether ground or instant, is a likely source of hidden “ingredients” like roasted corn, ground parchment, barley, coffee twigs, potato flower, malt, chicory and caramel.

7. Apple Juice

This childhood favorite may contain corn syrup, raisin sweetener, malic acid, beet sugar and other juices, such as grape, pineapple, pear and fig.

8. Tea

Hiding inside your tea bag may be sand, sawdust, starch, China clay, used tea leaves and color additives. Some tea bags, meanwhile, are made with plastic, such as nylon, thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene. While these plastics have high melting points, the temperature at which the molecules in polymers begin to break down is always lower than the melting point, which could allow the bags to leach compounds of unknown health hazards into your tea when steeped in boiling water.

Even paper tea bags are frequently treated with epichlorophydrin, which hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD when contact with water occurs. 3-MCPD is a carcinogen associated with food processing that has also been implicated in infertility and suppressed immune function.

9. Fish

Seafood fraud is actually very widespread, as according to the nonprofit ocean protection group Oceana,4 nearly 60 percent of fish labeled “tuna” in the US is not actually tuna. A shocking 84 percent of “white tuna” sold in sushi venues was actually escolar, a fish associated with acute and serious digestive effects if you eat just a couple of ounces.

One-third of all fish samples tested across the US were found to be mislabeled, substituted for cheaper, less desirable and/or more readily available fish varieties. For instance, 87 percent of fish sold as snapper was actually some other type of fish, and the USP found that monkfish was sometimes actually puffer fish, which can also cause poisoning.

10. Black Pepper

This spice is often adulterated with juniper berries, papaya seeds, starch, buckwheat flour and millet seeds. Other foods that made frequent appearances in the fraudulent food database include:

Turmeric

Chili powder

Cooking oil

Shrimp

Lemon juice

Maple syrup

Reading Food Labels Is No Longer Enough to Ensure Healthful Food

It seems quite clear at this point that food fraud is on the rise, and while many have started reading food labels, those labels are increasingly being found to be less than truthful. Even if your food is not being illegally diluted with undisclosed adulterants (or being misrepresented as a different food entirely), many corporations hire lawyers to carefully craft words that are just barely on the side of being legal. Each of the following label items are often used in deceptive ways that may lead you to buy a product you’d otherwise avoid:
1.Vitamin and mineral claims
2.The “All Natural” label
3.The “Organic” label
4.Misleading nutritional facts
5.Dangerous ingredients not required to be listed on any food label

For instance, labels like “all-natural” and “organic” can also be sorely misleading. The first means virtually nothing when it comes to processed foods, and the only organic label worth paying attention to is the USDA Organic seal. Nutritional facts, meanwhile, can be off by up to 20 percent before breaking any regulations, and currently you have no way of knowing if a food contains genetically modified ingredients as labeling is not required.

While reading labels on the products you buy is important, when it comes to food, you’re far better off limiting or eliminating foods that require extensive labeling or listing of ingredients in the first place. Whole foods – the kind that have little to no labeling at all – are those that will be best for your health as well as least vulnerable to fraud.

Tips for Avoiding Food Fraud and Finding Safe, Healthful Foods

If you value food safety and authenticity, you’ll want to get your produce, meat, chickens, eggs and dairy 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 …

The closer your foods are to the way they’re found in nature, and the closer you are to the actual source of your food, the greater your changes of finding pure, unadulterated food for your family. When you buy the bulk of your food from a local farmer or community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, you can get to know the person who is supplying your food and even ask questions about its growing conditions.

This way, when you pick up a gallon of, preferably raw, milk or a jar of honey, you’ll know it’s pure and exactly as it’s being represented. Most people should be able to find a farmer’s market, local farm or CSA in their area (see the infographic below for resources), but in the event you’re still buying some of your food at chain supermarkets, the following tips can help you to find REAL food:
1.Choose food in the least processed form possible, such as lemons instead of bottled lemon juice and whole black pepper or coffee beans in lieu of ground
2.When buying fish, purchase the whole fish whenever possible, which makes it more difficult to switch species. Also, if the price seems too low, it’s probably because you’re buying a different fish than is actually on the label
3.Stick with stores and brands that you know and trust; while not a foolproof strategy, natural food stores generally have a better track record than big box stores or chain supermarkets

If you want to learn more about the types of food fraud that may be impacting foods you commonly eat, you can both search the USP database and report fraud directly at www.foodfraud.org.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

NASA Scientist Reveals How You Can Improve Your Health by Moving Correctly

Most people, including me, spend a large portion of each day in a seated position. It’s hard to avoid these days, as computer work predominates, and most also spend many precious hours each week commuting to and from work.

Interestingly, a growing body of evidence suggests that sitting in and of itself is an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death—even if you exercise regularly.

An increasingly sedentary lifestyle has led to a steady increase in a number of health problems, including:
•Obesity
•Diabetes
•Heart disease
•Osteoporosis
•Muscle wasting

While these disorders were historically associated with advancing age, they now affect increasing numbers of people well before middle-age. Even children are falling victim.

In the video above, Dr. Joan Vernikos,1 former director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, presents a scientific explanation for why sitting has such a dramatic impact on your health, and what you can do about it.

In another words, she was one of the primary doctors assigned to keep the astronauts from deteriorating in space, and what she found has profound implications for each and every one of us.

You might think, like I did, that if you had a phenomenal exercise program that you wouldn’t have to worry about prolonged sitting. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to figure out why regular exercise does not appear to compensate for the negative effects of prolonged sitting, some of her research focused on finding out what type of movement is withdrawn by sitting.

The Gravity of the Situation…

What she discovered was nothing short of astounding. “Standing was more effective than walking,” she says. And, it wasn’t how long you were standing, but how many times you stood up that made the difference. In conclusion, she discovered that it is the change in posture that is the most powerful, in terms of having a beneficial impact on your health.

In a nutshell, your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally. As Dr. Vernikos states, the good news is that there are virtually unlimited opportunities for movement throughout the day.

“The key to lifelong health is more than just traditional gym exercise once a day, three to five times a week,” she says. “The answer is to rediscover a lifestyle of constant, natural low-intensity non-exercise movement that uses the gravity vector throughout the day.”

Some of the examples she lists include housecleaning, stirring a pot of pasta sauce, rolling dough, gardening, hanging clothes to dry, dancing… the list is endless, because it covers the entire spectrum of movements you engage in during daily life. Interestingly, recent research2, 3 has also found that those who engage in community gardening projects have considerably lower body mass index (BMI) than non-gardeners. Overall, female community gardeners were 46 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than the average woman in their neighborhood, and men who gardened were 62 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than their non-gardening neighbors.

The problem is that our modern society and our reliance on technology has reduced or eliminated many of these opportunities for low-intensity movement and replaced it with sitting. Instead of walking across the street to talk to your best friend, you send them a text while slumped on the couch. Some people even text other family members inside the same house instead of getting up and walking into the next room! All of this sloth-like inactivity adds up.

The answer then, as Dr. Vernikos states, is to reintroduce these opportunities for movement. Part of the mechanism that makes non-strenuous, posture-shifting movement so effective is that it engages what she refers to as the gravity vector. The less you move, the less you use gravity, and gravity, it turns out, is your lifeline. She discusses this in the following video segment.

I’ve previously written about the health benefits of Acceleration Training, or Whole Body Vibration Training, in which you perform exercises on a vibrating platform such as the Power Plate. Acceleration Training works by increasing the force of gravity on your body—which is at the heart of issue, according to Dr. Vernikos.

To a lesser degree, a mini trampoline will also increase the G forces on your body and provide similar, yet less extreme, benefits. A mini trampoline or rebounder subjects your body to gravitational pulls ranging from zero at the top of each bounce to 2 to 3 times the force of gravity at the bottom, depending on how high you jump. Some of the benefits rebounding offers include circulating oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs, and promoting increased muscle strength.

Mounting Evidence Indicts Sitting as Independent Risk Factor for Poor Health

In recent years, researchers have taken a serious look at the effects of inactivity, and have repeatedly found that not moving or engaging in very limited-range movements for extended periods of time has a profoundly negative impact on health and longevity. For example, one study, published last year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,4 concluded that adults who spend an average of six hours a day in front of the TV will reduce their life expectancy by just under 5 years, compared to someone who does not watch TV.

Again, it’s a matter of allowing technology to severely limit your opportunity for regular movement. If you weren’t watching TV, what would you do? Unless you’re sitting down reading, chances are you’d be doing something that requires you to move your body.

Another recent analysis5 of 18 studies (which in total included nearly 800,000 people), found that those who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least. And, while prolonged sitting was linked to an overall greater mortality risk from any cause, the strongest link was to death due to diabetes. According to lead researcher Thomas Yates, MD:6

“Even for people who are otherwise active, sitting for long stretches seems to be an independent risk factor for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.”

A 2009 study7 highlighted much of the recent evidence linking sitting with biomarkers of poor metabolic health, showing how total sitting time correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other prevalent chronic health problems—even if you exercise regularly. According to the authors:

“Even if people meet the current recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days each week, there may be significant adverse metabolic and health effects from prolonged sitting — the activity that dominates most people’s remaining ‘non-exercise’ waking hours.”

In other words, even if you’re fairly physically active, riding your bike to work or hitting the gym four or five days a week — you may still succumb to the effects of too much sitting if the majority of your day is spent behind a desk or on the couch.

Counteracting the Ill Effects of Sitting, Using Foundation Training

While sitting down is not the only thing that can cause trouble (adopting any particular posture for long periods of time can slow down your circulatory system), sitting is one of the most pervasive postures in modern civilizations. So how can you increase your activity levels if you have a fulltime “desk job,” as so many of us do these days?

One of the things I do to compensate for the time I spend sitting each day is to regularly do Foundation exercises developed by a brilliant chiropractor, Eric Goodman. These exercises also address the root cause of most low back pain, which is related to weakness and imbalance among your posterior chain of muscles. It is easily argued that these imbalances are primarily related to sitting. I recently interviewed Dr. Goodman about his techniques, so to learn more, you can check out that interview.

Below are two video demonstrations: “The Founder,” which helps reinforce proper movement while strengthening the entire back of your body, and “Adductor Assisted Back Extension,” which will teach you how to properly extend your spine.

Besides “disengaging from the gravity vector,” when you sit, your head and shoulders drop forward, and your hip flexors and abdomen shorten. This misalignment is a major cause of chronic pains. Every exercise included in Foundation Training lengthens the front of your body, which is over-tightened, and strengthens the back of your body, which will help you stand tall and move with strength and flexibility. I do these exercises daily and it is a great tool to build a stronger and more stable low back. As explained by Dr. Goodman:

“The place to start is learning how to hinge effectively. Learn how your hamstrings, lower back, and glutes are designed to work and stretch together. Once that part is in place, you can then advance to all the exercises that build upon that foundation, that build upon The Founder exercise.”

The basic Foundation Training program takes about 20 minutes, and is ideally done daily. You can purchase the Foundation Training DVD from my online store. FoundationTraining.com also offers several free videos , and their thought provoking first book called: Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence.

Grounding or Earthing—Another Lost Factor Robbing You of Good Health

Grounding, described in the simplest of terms, is simply walking barefoot on the earth. When your body is directly connected to the earth, via your bare feet, a transfer of free electrons from the ground into your body takes place. These free electrons are a very potent source of antioxidants, which are responsible for the clinical observations from grounding experiments, such as:
•Thinning of your blood
•Beneficial changes in heart rate
•Decreased skin resistance
•Decreased levels of inflammation

It’s thought that the influx of free electrons from the earth’s surface help to neutralize free radicals and reduce both acute and chronic inflammation, which is at the root of many health conditions and accelerated aging. As written in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine:

“It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons as a consequence of a global atmospheric electron circuit. Wearing shoes with insulating soles and/or sleeping in beds that are isolated from the electrical ground plane of the earth have disconnected most people from the earth’s electrical rhythms and free electrons.

…A variety of… benefits were reported, including reductions in pain and inflammation. Subsequent studies have confirmed these earlier findings and documented virtually immediate physiologic and clinical effects of grounding or earthing the body.”

The simplest way to ground is to walk barefoot outside. The ideal location for doing so is on the beach, close to or in the water, as seawater is a great conductor. Your body also contains mostly water, so it creates a good connection. A close second would be a grassy area, especially if it’s covered with dew, which is what you’d find if you walk early in the morning. Concrete is a good conductor as long as it hasn’t been sealed; painted concrete does not allow electrons to pass through very well. Materials like asphalt, wood, and typical insulators like plastic or the soles of your shoes, will not allow electrons to pass through and are not suitable for barefoot grounding.

Studies suggest that benefits such as pain relief and stress reduction may occur in just 30-80 minutes of barefoot time a day. This can obviously be a challenge during the winter, or if you live in an urban area without easy access to parks or other barefoot-friendly surfaces, so the other option is to use a grounding or Earthing pad, which allows you to get the benefits of the Earth’s electrons even if you’re indoors, especially when you’re sleeping. I use one myself, especially when I travel by plane, as air travel is a suspected cause of weakening bio-electric currents.

Use Your Body the Way it was Designed

Like physical movement, walking barefoot outside is a grossly neglected foundational practice that you can easily correct. You just have to take the time to do it. Avoiding sitting for long periods of time may at first seem “impossible” if you commute to a fulltime desk job, but really, all you need to do is alter the way you work and travel in small ways.

I plan on interviewing Dr. Vernikos in the near future, but I watched all her videos and she was really clear that standing every 10 to 15 minutes could easily compensate for the majority of the damage from sitting. I look forward to listening to her for more details in our interview.

So stand up at regular frequent intervals, about 40 times a day if you can. Also, shift your position and pay careful attention to your posture. Incorporate Foundation Training, and instead of parking yourself in front of the TV at night, consider doing something else, or at the very least engage in some minor activity while the TV is on. Whenever you can, take off your shoes and connect to the Earth—and while you’re at it, bare some skin to take advantage of the many health benefits sun exposure can provide.

Dr. Vernikos’ research is powerful evidence that many of the health problems people suffer today are linked to modern lifestyle modifications that are incompatible with optimal biological functioning. So the answer is quite simply to revert back to a lifestyle that incorporates natural movement. Using your body the way it was designed is the most powerful way to optimize your health. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is another example of this. This type of Peak Fitness exercise mimics the way ancient hunter-gatherers used their bodies, and research has again and again confirmed that HIIT outperforms traditional aerobic cardio exercise.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Common backyard weeds for dinner? Delicious and nutrient rich fare at your fingertips that won’t break the bank

Instead of signing over your entire paycheck for organic produce, have you considered the bounty of nourishing fare growing wild right in your own backyard? Not surprisingly, edible weeds have come back into vogue as food prices continue to rise and budgets tighten. Tasty and nutritious, these humble plants ofter exceptional value (as in free) along with substantial health enhancing properties.

Forage and feast
Weeds are often viewed with a wary eye by gardeners as invasive intruders, not realizing these ‘pests’ are actually a terrific source of low-maintenance, healthy food. We can either wage a full out war against weeds with nasty chemicals along with long hours of backbreaking management, or we can simply consume the robust scoundrels. After all, as Andrea Karim of WiseBread notes, eating the bastards is much more satisfying than trying to fight a losing battle. Here are few examples to help inspire a bit of backyard foraging this summer.

Purslane

A hearty succulent herb, purslane resembles plump thyme. Leaves, stems, flowers and seeds are edible and can be harvested throughout summer. Add it to salad or soup. It can also be boiled, sauteed or blended into smoothies. An excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, purslane provides five times more of this omega-3 fatty acid than spinach. The stems are also high in vitamin C.

Japanese knotweed

Similar in taste to asparagus and virtually indestructible, Japanese knotweed is a plant to be reckoned with. The tender shoots in springtime are best consumed when the leaves are still furled and the shaft crisp. Related to buckwheat, “Japanese knotweed is one of the last plants to blossom in late summer – early autumn in New England. Honey bees use its nectar, mixed with goldenrod nectar, to produce a honey as black as motor oil with a strong, distinctive flavor. It’s good for sweetening baked beans and for brewing unusual beers and mead,” according to Tom Meade of Hobby Farms. It’s also rich in resveratrol, the anti-cancer, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory nutrient found in the skin of red grapes. Vitamin C levels are impressive too.

Dandelion

Widely consumed throughout Europe, dandelion is just beginning to take a few tentative steps toward the American plate. Bearing in mind this somewhat bitter, yet refreshing green is an outstanding liver and blood cleanser and boasts high levels of vitamin A, a second look at dandelion is in our healthy best interest. The leaves and flowers can be sauteed or consumed raw while roasting and grinding the root produces a nutrient dense, caffeine free coffee substitute.

Other edible weeds include perilla, mare’s tail, lambs quarter, sheep sorrel, stinging nettle and milkweed.

Foraging for food in your backyard is fun, economical and delicious — just make sure to be safe. Erin Huffstetler, author of Edible Weeds, recommends the following harvesting guidelines:

1. Only harvest weeds that you can positively identify and know to be edible. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, by the Department of the Army is a good reference, if you aren’t sure.

2. Avoid picking weeds close to roadways. They’ll have absorbed exhaust fumes and road run off.

3. Avoid harvesting weeds in areas that may have been contaminated by animal feces.

4. Do not pick weeds from yards that have been treated with pesticides or herbicides.

5. Only eat the parts of plants that you know to be edible. Many edible plants have non-edible – and sometimes poisonous – parts.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.wisebread.com/free-food-in-your-yard-edible-weeds

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/eatforfree/tp/Edible_Weeds.htm

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/edible-weeds.aspx

http://www.livescience.com/21496-5-edible-garden-weeds.html

About the author:
Carolanne enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, Carolanne has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of organic living, gratefulness and joyful orientation for over 13 years. Through her website www.Thrive-Living.net she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people who share a similar vision.

Follow on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Thrive_Living

At Facebook, follow here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thrive-Living/499578863433146

For Pinterest fans, connect here: www.pinterest.com/thriveliving/natural-news/

Read her other articles on Natural News here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/Author1183.html

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Three super-easy, super-convenient, super-fun ways to prevent cavities naturally

There are few health afflictions that affect people living in modern civilization more regularly than cavities. With an abundance of junk food available, it becomes more and more difficult for the average person to maintain a diet that is optimal for body and mouth. However, there are easy ways to prevent cavities and keep a clean, fresh mouth without a large investment of time or money.

1. Spend some time outside. Recent studies have shown that people who get adequate vitamin D can cut cavity formation in half. Sunshine is a natural source of vitamin D, so try to spend 10 minutes in the sun every day. If you work indoors or can’t get outside often, incorporate a supplement into your diet that includes vitamin D or eat foods that are rich in it. Foods rich in vitamin D include egg yolks, shiitake mushrooms, and fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, catfish, and tuna. Cod liver oil is another great source of Vitamin D.

2. Drink green or black tea. Studies have shown that components in green and black tea interfere with cavity-forming bacteria in the mouth, thus preventing those bacteria from eating away at tooth enamel. Green and black teas also contain healthful antioxidants which benefit the body whole. For greatest bacteria-killing effect, don’t add sugar or cream to the tea.

3. Chew xylitol gum. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that prevents bacteria in the mouth from growing to uncontrolled levels. Xylitol also has the ability to aid in the natural re-mineralization of your teeth, strengthening them against future bacterial acidic attacks. Another good way to incorporate xylitol into your regular dental routine is to use xylitol-powered toothpaste and mouthwash.

In today’s fast paced world, most people just don’t have the time or energy to spend on protecting their dental health. Luckily, preventing cavities doesn’t have to take gargantuan effort. With the simple steps listed here, cavity prevention can become an effortless, even enjoyable part of your day, while cutting down on boring hygienic routine and leaving more time and energy for the really important things in life. (Of course, having a healthy mouth is important too!)

Sources for this article include

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010523072047.htm

http://dailydelights.sheknows.com

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

According to the most recent statistics, about one-third of the entire U.S. population, or more than 100 million Americans, suffers from either diabetes or pre-diabetes, a blood sugar condition that can eventually lead to more serious health conditions and even death. And based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projections, this number is expected to double by 2050 if trends continue at current rates. But you and your family do not have to fall victim to this sweeping diabetes epidemic — here are some tips on how to alter your diet and lifestyle to avoid developing diabetes and potentially succumbing to premature death:

1) Eat more foods rich in quercetin. A member of the flavonoid family of antioxidants, quercetin has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels and improve plasma insulin levels, two factors commonly associated with diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496084). Quercetin also helps neutralize damaging free radicals and inhibit inflammation, not to mention lower blood pressure in people with inflammation (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/quercetin-000322.htm).

Foods that are high in quercetin include apples, citrus fruits, onions, parsley, sage, green tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries are also rick in quercetin and other flavonoids, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). And if dietary sources are not enough, quercetin is also available in supplement form, including in the Rejuvenate! Plus green superfood formula available at the NaturalNews store (http://store.naturalnews.com/Rejuvenate-Plus-500-g_p_95.html).

2) A teaspoon of cinnamon a day to keep the diabetes away. Cinnamon contains powerful blood sugar-stabilizing compounds that not only increase glucose metabolism by a significant amount, but also mimic the activity of insulin inside the body. Supplementing with cinnamon can also help slow the speed at which food empties from your stomach, inhibiting the blood sugar rush that often comes following a meal high in refined sugar and simple carbohydrates (http://www.huffingtonpost.com).

Most of the cinnamon you will find on grocery store shelves today comes from the “cassia” family of cinnamon, which is not necessarily the most medicinal variety. So-called “true” cinnamon, which is generally not as flavorful or as easy to find as cassia cinnamon, comes from the “Ceylon” family, and has a much lower ratio of coumarin, a blood-thinning compound, as well as higher overall nutrient content. However, all major varieties of cinnamon possess demonstrable diabetes-fighting properties (http://www.naturalnews.com/035642_cinnamon_blood_sugar_regulating.html).

3) Eat more broccoli, cruciferous vegetables. Rich in a cancer-fighting compound known as sulforaphane, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are an important part of an anti-diabetes diet because they protect blood vessels against cellular damage. Vitamin C, chromium, fiber, beta-carotene, and many other nutrients found in broccoli help protect against free radical damage, high blood sugar, and high levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, all of which are linked to diabetes (http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/08August/Pages/Broccolianddiabetes.aspx).

4) Exercise more, and cut out the junk food. This one might be a little more obvious, but simply engaging in physical activity regularly can have a huge impact on whether or not your body succumbs to a diabetic condition. Since obesity and poor physical health are major factors in diabetes, it only makes sense that exercising and eating right are important components for staying fit and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. It is best to start with shorter, higher-intensity workouts to get your metabolism going and lower insulin and leptin resistance, and gradually add in appropriate cardiovascular workouts.

As far as diet is concerned, it is best to avoid wheat and gluten-containing foods as these have been shown to interfere with glucose metabolism. Foods that contain ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), enriched flour, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, preservatives, food colorings, and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) should also be avoided if you are serious about preventing diabetes. Stick with whole, organic foods; limit consumption of grains, including whole grains; and consume healthy fats, including saturated fats from unrefined coconut oil and grass-fed butter and pastured meat for optimal health (http://www.charlespoliquin.com).

5) Make sure you are getting plenty of magnesium and probiotics. More than 75 percent of the American population is said to be deficient in magnesium, a mineral your body needs to activate more than 300 unique and necessary biochemical reactions. Your bones, cells, organs, and tissues all rely on magnesium to function properly. Without enough magnesium, your immunity, skeletal system, heart, and circulatory system are all at serious risk. Making sure you intake high amounts of magnesium is crucial for protecting against hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/).

Similarly, probiotic bacteria, which populate the gut and regulate the immune system, are essential for thwarting the onset of diabetes. A study published earlier this year found that altering the microbiota balance of obese patients at high risk of diabetes can help reverse the metabolic effects linked to diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22798958).

To learn more about preventing and curing diabetes, visit:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030150_diabetes_Americans.html

Also, check out the book How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days:
http://www.truthpublishing.com/haltdiabetes_p/yprint-cat21267.htm

Sources for this article include:

http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes-facts/index.aspx

http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/diabetes/12-powerfoods.php

http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Super_Foods_for_Diabetes.html

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/issues/Issue_306/cinnamondiabcare.pdf

http://www.ranker.com

According to the most recent statistics, about one-third of the entire U.S. population, or more than 100 million Americans, suffers from either diabetes or pre-diabetes, a blood sugar condition that can eventually lead to more serious health conditions and even death. And based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projections, this number is expected to double by 2050 if trends continue at current rates. But you and your family do not have to fall victim to this sweeping diabetes epidemic — here are some tips on how to alter your diet and lifestyle to avoid developing diabetes and potentially succumbing to premature death:

1) Eat more foods rich in quercetin. A member of the flavonoid family of antioxidants, quercetin has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels and improve plasma insulin levels, two factors commonly associated with diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496084). Quercetin also helps neutralize damaging free radicals and inhibit inflammation, not to mention lower blood pressure in people with inflammation (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/quercetin-000322.htm).

Foods that are high in quercetin include apples, citrus fruits, onions, parsley, sage, green tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries are also rick in quercetin and other flavonoids, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). And if dietary sources are not enough, quercetin is also available in supplement form, including in the Rejuvenate! Plus green superfood formula available at the NaturalNews store (http://store.naturalnews.com/Rejuvenate-Plus-500-g_p_95.html).

2) A teaspoon of cinnamon a day to keep the diabetes away. Cinnamon contains powerful blood sugar-stabilizing compounds that not only increase glucose metabolism by a significant amount, but also mimic the activity of insulin inside the body. Supplementing with cinnamon can also help slow the speed at which food empties from your stomach, inhibiting the blood sugar rush that often comes following a meal high in refined sugar and simple carbohydrates (http://www.huffingtonpost.com).

Most of the cinnamon you will find on grocery store shelves today comes from the “cassia” family of cinnamon, which is not necessarily the most medicinal variety. So-called “true” cinnamon, which is generally not as flavorful or as easy to find as cassia cinnamon, comes from the “Ceylon” family, and has a much lower ratio of coumarin, a blood-thinning compound, as well as higher overall nutrient content. However, all major varieties of cinnamon possess demonstrable diabetes-fighting properties (http://www.naturalnews.com/035642_cinnamon_blood_sugar_regulating.html).

3) Eat more broccoli, cruciferous vegetables. Rich in a cancer-fighting compound known as sulforaphane, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are an important part of an anti-diabetes diet because they protect blood vessels against cellular damage. Vitamin C, chromium, fiber, beta-carotene, and many other nutrients found in broccoli help protect against free radical damage, high blood sugar, and high levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, all of which are linked to diabetes (http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/08August/Pages/Broccolianddiabetes.aspx).

4) Exercise more, and cut out the junk food. This one might be a little more obvious, but simply engaging in physical activity regularly can have a huge impact on whether or not your body succumbs to a diabetic condition. Since obesity and poor physical health are major factors in diabetes, it only makes sense that exercising and eating right are important components for staying fit and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. It is best to start with shorter, higher-intensity workouts to get your metabolism going and lower insulin and leptin resistance, and gradually add in appropriate cardiovascular workouts.

As far as diet is concerned, it is best to avoid wheat and gluten-containing foods as these have been shown to interfere with glucose metabolism. Foods that contain ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), enriched flour, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, preservatives, food colorings, and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) should also be avoided if you are serious about preventing diabetes. Stick with whole, organic foods; limit consumption of grains, including whole grains; and consume healthy fats, including saturated fats from unrefined coconut oil and grass-fed butter and pastured meat for optimal health (http://www.charlespoliquin.com).

5) Make sure you are getting plenty of magnesium and probiotics. More than 75 percent of the American population is said to be deficient in magnesium, a mineral your body needs to activate more than 300 unique and necessary biochemical reactions. Your bones, cells, organs, and tissues all rely on magnesium to function properly. Without enough magnesium, your immunity, skeletal system, heart, and circulatory system are all at serious risk. Making sure you intake high amounts of magnesium is crucial for protecting against hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/).

Similarly, probiotic bacteria, which populate the gut and regulate the immune system, are essential for thwarting the onset of diabetes. A study published earlier this year found that altering the microbiota balance of obese patients at high risk of diabetes can help reverse the metabolic effects linked to diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22798958).

To learn more about preventing and curing diabetes, visit:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030150_diabetes_Americans.html

Also, check out the book How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days:
http://www.truthpublishing.com/haltdiabetes_p/yprint-cat21267.htm

Sources for this article include:

http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes-facts/index.aspx

http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/diabetes/12-powerfoods.php

http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Super_Foods_for_Diabetes.html

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/issues/Issue_306/cinnamondiabcare.pdf

http://www.ranker.com

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

NASA Scientist Reveals How You Can Improve Your Health by Moving Correctly

Most people, including me, spend a large portion of each day in a seated position. It’s hard to avoid these days, as computer work predominates, and most also spend many precious hours each week commuting to and from work.

Interestingly, a growing body of evidence suggests that sitting in and of itself is an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death—even if you exercise regularly.

An increasingly sedentary lifestyle has led to a steady increase in a number of health problems, including:
•Obesity
•Diabetes
•Heart disease
•Osteoporosis
•Muscle wasting

While these disorders were historically associated with advancing age, they now affect increasing numbers of people well before middle-age. Even children are falling victim.

In the video above, Dr. Joan Vernikos,1 former director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, presents a scientific explanation for why sitting has such a dramatic impact on your health, and what you can do about it.

In another words, she was one of the primary doctors assigned to keep the astronauts from deteriorating in space, and what she found has profound implications for each and every one of us.

You might think, like I did, that if you had a phenomenal exercise program that you wouldn’t have to worry about prolonged sitting. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to figure out why regular exercise does not appear to compensate for the negative effects of prolonged sitting, some of her research focused on finding out what type of movement is withdrawn by sitting.

The Gravity of the Situation…

What she discovered was nothing short of astounding. “Standing was more effective than walking,” she says. And, it wasn’t how long you were standing, but how many times you stood up that made the difference. In conclusion, she discovered that it is the change in posture that is the most powerful, in terms of having a beneficial impact on your health.

In a nutshell, your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally. As Dr. Vernikos states, the good news is that there are virtually unlimited opportunities for movement throughout the day.

“The key to lifelong health is more than just traditional gym exercise once a day, three to five times a week,” she says. “The answer is to rediscover a lifestyle of constant, natural low-intensity non-exercise movement that uses the gravity vector throughout the day.”

Some of the examples she lists include housecleaning, stirring a pot of pasta sauce, rolling dough, gardening, hanging clothes to dry, dancing… the list is endless, because it covers the entire spectrum of movements you engage in during daily life. Interestingly, recent research2, 3 has also found that those who engage in community gardening projects have considerably lower body mass index (BMI) than non-gardeners. Overall, female community gardeners were 46 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than the average woman in their neighborhood, and men who gardened were 62 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than their non-gardening neighbors.

The problem is that our modern society and our reliance on technology has reduced or eliminated many of these opportunities for low-intensity movement and replaced it with sitting. Instead of walking across the street to talk to your best friend, you send them a text while slumped on the couch. Some people even text other family members inside the same house instead of getting up and walking into the next room! All of this sloth-like inactivity adds up.

The answer then, as Dr. Vernikos states, is to reintroduce these opportunities for movement. Part of the mechanism that makes non-strenuous, posture-shifting movement so effective is that it engages what she refers to as the gravity vector. The less you move, the less you use gravity, and gravity, it turns out, is your lifeline. She discusses this in the following video segment.

I’ve previously written about the health benefits of Acceleration Training, or Whole Body Vibration Training, in which you perform exercises on a vibrating platform such as the Power Plate. Acceleration Training works by increasing the force of gravity on your body—which is at the heart of issue, according to Dr. Vernikos.

To a lesser degree, a mini trampoline will also increase the G forces on your body and provide similar, yet less extreme, benefits. A mini trampoline or rebounder subjects your body to gravitational pulls ranging from zero at the top of each bounce to 2 to 3 times the force of gravity at the bottom, depending on how high you jump. Some of the benefits rebounding offers include circulating oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs, and promoting increased muscle strength.

Mounting Evidence Indicts Sitting as Independent Risk Factor for Poor Health

In recent years, researchers have taken a serious look at the effects of inactivity, and have repeatedly found that not moving or engaging in very limited-range movements for extended periods of time has a profoundly negative impact on health and longevity. For example, one study, published last year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,4 concluded that adults who spend an average of six hours a day in front of the TV will reduce their life expectancy by just under 5 years, compared to someone who does not watch TV.

Again, it’s a matter of allowing technology to severely limit your opportunity for regular movement. If you weren’t watching TV, what would you do? Unless you’re sitting down reading, chances are you’d be doing something that requires you to move your body.

Another recent analysis5 of 18 studies (which in total included nearly 800,000 people), found that those who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least. And, while prolonged sitting was linked to an overall greater mortality risk from any cause, the strongest link was to death due to diabetes. According to lead researcher Thomas Yates, MD:6

“Even for people who are otherwise active, sitting for long stretches seems to be an independent risk factor for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.”

A 2009 study7 highlighted much of the recent evidence linking sitting with biomarkers of poor metabolic health, showing how total sitting time correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other prevalent chronic health problems—even if you exercise regularly. According to the authors:

“Even if people meet the current recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days each week, there may be significant adverse metabolic and health effects from prolonged sitting — the activity that dominates most people’s remaining ‘non-exercise’ waking hours.”

In other words, even if you’re fairly physically active, riding your bike to work or hitting the gym four or five days a week — you may still succumb to the effects of too much sitting if the majority of your day is spent behind a desk or on the couch.

Counteracting the Ill Effects of Sitting, Using Foundation Training

While sitting down is not the only thing that can cause trouble (adopting any particular posture for long periods of time can slow down your circulatory system), sitting is one of the most pervasive postures in modern civilizations. So how can you increase your activity levels if you have a fulltime “desk job,” as so many of us do these days?

One of the things I do to compensate for the time I spend sitting each day is to regularly do Foundation exercises developed by a brilliant chiropractor, Eric Goodman. These exercises also address the root cause of most low back pain, which is related to weakness and imbalance among your posterior chain of muscles. It is easily argued that these imbalances are primarily related to sitting. I recently interviewed Dr. Goodman about his techniques, so to learn more, you can check out that interview.

Below are two video demonstrations: “The Founder,” which helps reinforce proper movement while strengthening the entire back of your body, and “Adductor Assisted Back Extension,” which will teach you how to properly extend your spine.

Besides “disengaging from the gravity vector,” when you sit, your head and shoulders drop forward, and your hip flexors and abdomen shorten. This misalignment is a major cause of chronic pains. Every exercise included in Foundation Training lengthens the front of your body, which is over-tightened, and strengthens the back of your body, which will help you stand tall and move with strength and flexibility. I do these exercises daily and it is a great tool to build a stronger and more stable low back. As explained by Dr. Goodman:

“The place to start is learning how to hinge effectively. Learn how your hamstrings, lower back, and glutes are designed to work and stretch together. Once that part is in place, you can then advance to all the exercises that build upon that foundation, that build upon The Founder exercise.”

The basic Foundation Training program takes about 20 minutes, and is ideally done daily. You can purchase the Foundation Training DVD from my online store. FoundationTraining.com also offers several free videos , and their thought provoking first book called: Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence.

Grounding or Earthing—Another Lost Factor Robbing You of Good Health

Grounding, described in the simplest of terms, is simply walking barefoot on the earth. When your body is directly connected to the earth, via your bare feet, a transfer of free electrons from the ground into your body takes place. These free electrons are a very potent source of antioxidants, which are responsible for the clinical observations from grounding experiments, such as:
•Thinning of your blood
•Beneficial changes in heart rate
•Decreased skin resistance
•Decreased levels of inflammation

It’s thought that the influx of free electrons from the earth’s surface help to neutralize free radicals and reduce both acute and chronic inflammation, which is at the root of many health conditions and accelerated aging. As written in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine:

“It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons as a consequence of a global atmospheric electron circuit. Wearing shoes with insulating soles and/or sleeping in beds that are isolated from the electrical ground plane of the earth have disconnected most people from the earth’s electrical rhythms and free electrons.

…A variety of… benefits were reported, including reductions in pain and inflammation. Subsequent studies have confirmed these earlier findings and documented virtually immediate physiologic and clinical effects of grounding or earthing the body.”

The simplest way to ground is to walk barefoot outside. The ideal location for doing so is on the beach, close to or in the water, as seawater is a great conductor. Your body also contains mostly water, so it creates a good connection. A close second would be a grassy area, especially if it’s covered with dew, which is what you’d find if you walk early in the morning. Concrete is a good conductor as long as it hasn’t been sealed; painted concrete does not allow electrons to pass through very well. Materials like asphalt, wood, and typical insulators like plastic or the soles of your shoes, will not allow electrons to pass through and are not suitable for barefoot grounding.

Studies suggest that benefits such as pain relief and stress reduction may occur in just 30-80 minutes of barefoot time a day. This can obviously be a challenge during the winter, or if you live in an urban area without easy access to parks or other barefoot-friendly surfaces, so the other option is to use a grounding or Earthing pad, which allows you to get the benefits of the Earth’s electrons even if you’re indoors, especially when you’re sleeping. I use one myself, especially when I travel by plane, as air travel is a suspected cause of weakening bio-electric currents.

Use Your Body the Way it was Designed

Like physical movement, walking barefoot outside is a grossly neglected foundational practice that you can easily correct. You just have to take the time to do it. Avoiding sitting for long periods of time may at first seem “impossible” if you commute to a fulltime desk job, but really, all you need to do is alter the way you work and travel in small ways.

I plan on interviewing Dr. Vernikos in the near future, but I watched all her videos and she was really clear that standing every 10 to 15 minutes could easily compensate for the majority of the damage from sitting. I look forward to listening to her for more details in our interview.

So stand up at regular frequent intervals, about 40 times a day if you can. Also, shift your position and pay careful attention to your posture. Incorporate Foundation Training, and instead of parking yourself in front of the TV at night, consider doing something else, or at the very least engage in some minor activity while the TV is on. Whenever you can, take off your shoes and connect to the Earth—and while you’re at it, bare some skin to take advantage of the many health benefits sun exposure can provide.

Dr. Vernikos’ research is powerful evidence that many of the health problems people suffer today are linked to modern lifestyle modifications that are incompatible with optimal biological functioning. So the answer is quite simply to revert back to a lifestyle that incorporates natural movement. Using your body the way it was designed is the most powerful way to optimize your health. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is another example of this. This type of Peak Fitness exercise mimics the way ancient hunter-gatherers used their bodies, and research has again and again confirmed that HIIT outperforms traditional aerobic cardio exercise.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.