Written by Dave Murphy- Health Coach and Natural Cancer Cure Advocate
The truth is no matter how good you eat, no matter how good you shop for the best quality organic foods, it is impossible to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. This is because the soils that the fruits and vegetables are grown in are mineral deficient soils and therefore the food is also mineral and vitamin deficient.
This is why it is also so important to supplement with good quality “food grade” supplements that your body can actually easily absorb. Supplements are now offered right here on the CYOC site. Studies have shown that at least 51% of the population is vitamin D deficient and it is very difficult to get adequate vitamin D from diet alone.
You can also get vitamin D from the sun if you expose 40% of your body to sunlight between 11am -1pm for 30 minutes. But for most of us working indoors and geographically not having good daily sunlight, supplementation makes the most sense. But spending time in the sun is definitely good for you in moderation.
Vitamin D has been shown that it is non-toxic, reduces hypertension, lowers blood pressure and helps reduce flu infections, helps with pain relief and depression. This is all great news but what’s even more exciting is what recent research has shown. When we have adequate vitamin D serum levels, studies show that the incidence of breast cancer, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis and colon cancer can be reduced as much as 67-70% within only 5 years!
In addition to preventing cancer the exciting news is also for “in-stage” cancers. People with proper serum levels do twice as well with dealing with their “in-stage” cancer because it helps to slow or in some cases, prevent cancer growth. People with proper serum levels are 50% less likely to die or to have re-occurrence.
30 Experts from all over the country agree on what the blood serum levels should be of hydroxyvitimin D which is 40-60 ng/ml. It is difficult to say what you need exactly in IU/day to get your serum levels up because every-one's metabolism, diet and sun exposure is different. So for most of us, taking 2000 IU per day helps to increase these levels and is very safe. However for people who are fighting cancer, levels can be increased to as much as 5,000 IU/day. Increasing vitamin D intake to 200 ng/ml has been proven to have no toxic effect.
It is important to know what are your serum levels are so you can establish a base line. This is suggested to be done in March when your vitamin D levels are generally the lowest. To get information on how to get your serum level tested, check out grassroutehealth.net
Its also important to know that when increasing your vitamin D levels, you need to keep your vitamin A levels somewhat low as vitamin A competes at the same receptor levels. So it is recommended to not intake more than 1000 IU/day of Vitamin A. http://www.cureyourowncancer.org/vitamin-d-helps-prevent-cancer.html
The perks of sex extend well beyond the bedroom.
By Kara Mayer Robinson
Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here’s what a healthy sex life can do for you.
1. Helps Keep Your Immune System Humming
“Sexually active people take fewer sick days,” says Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD a sexual health expert.
People who have sex have higher levels of what defends your body against germs, viruses, and other intruders. Researchers at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found that college students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of the a certain antibody compared to students who had sex less often.
You should still do all the other things that make your immune system happy, such as:
Eat right.
Stay active.
Get enough sleep.
Keep up with your vaccinations.
Use a condom if you don’t know both of your STD statuses.
2. Boosts Your Libido
Longing for a more lively sex life? “Having sex will make sex better and will improve your libido,” says Lauren Streicher, MD. She is an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
For women, having sex ups vaginal lubrication, blood flow, and elasticity, she says, all of which make sex feel better and help you crave more of it.
3. Improves Women's Bladder Control
A strong pelvic floor is important for avoiding incontinence, something that will affect about 30% of women at some point in their lives.
Good sex is like a workout for your pelvic floor muscles. When you have an orgasm, it causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them.
4. Lowers Your Blood Pressure
Research suggests a link between sex and lower blood pressure, says Joseph J. Pinzone, MD. He is CEO and medical director of Amai Wellness.
“There have been many studies,” he says. “One landmark study found that sexual intercourse specifically (not masturbation) lowered systolic blood pressure.” That's the first number on your blood pressure test.
5. Counts as Exercise
“Sex is a really great form of exercise,” Pinzone says. It won’t replace the treadmill, but it counts for something.
Sex uses about five calories per minute, four more calories than watching TV. It gives you a one-two punch: It bumps up your heart rate and uses various muscles.
So get busy! You may even want to clear your schedule to make time for it on a regular basis. “Like with exercise, consistency helps maximize the benefits,” Pinzone says.
6. Lowers Heart Attack Risk
A good sex life is good for your heart. Besides being a great way to raise your heart rate, sex helps keep your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance.
“When either one of those is low you begin to get lots of problems, like osteoporosis and even heart disease,” Pinzone says.
Having sex more often may help. During one study, men who had sex at least twice a week were half as likely to die of heart disease as men who had sex rarely. 7. Lessens Pain
Before you reach for an aspirin, try for an orgasm.
“Orgasm can block pain,” says Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, a distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. It releases a hormone that helps raise your pain threshold.
Stimulation without orgasm can also do the trick. “We’ve found that vaginal stimulation can block chronic back and leg pain, and many women have told us that genital self-stimulation can reduce menstrual cramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases even headache,” Komisaruk says.
8. May Make Prostate Cancer Less Likely
Going for the gusto may help ward off prostate cancer.
Men who ejaculated frequently (at least 21 times a month) were less likely to get prostate cancer during one study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
You don’t need a partner to reap this benefit: Sexual intercourse, nocturnal emission, and masturbation were all part of the equation.
It's not clear that sex was the only reason that mattered in that study. Lots of factors affect cancer risk. But more sex won’t hurt.
9. Improves Sleep
You may nod off more quickly after sex, and for good reason.
“After orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released, which is responsible for the feelings of relaxation and sleepiness" after sex, says Sheenie Ambardar, MD. She is a psychiatrist in West Hollywood, Calif.
10. Eases Stress
Being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety.
Ambardar says touching and hugging can release your body's natural “feel-good hormone.” Sexual arousal releases a brain chemical that revs up your brain’s pleasure and reward system.
Sex and intimacy can boost your self-esteem and happiness, too, Ambardar says. It’s not only a prescription for a healthy life, but a happy one.
Thanks to research from the University of Michigan and nearly three centuries of medicinal use, we can now utilize ginger root to not only kill ovarian cancer cells, but also prostate cancer cells with zero toxicity.
Truly among the great medicines of the world, ginger has long been used to treat inflammation and nausea, but the results presented in a session at the American Association for Cancer Research show that in every single instance where ginger powder was used to treat cancer cells, they all died as a result of being exposed to the compound. In medical lingo this is called apoptosis (cancer cell suicide.) When ginger is present, the cells even attack one another, called autophagy
While ginger has been deemed a great natural remedy for those who are undergoing chemotherapy, it can also be used in larger quantities to treat cancer of its own accord.
Another study showing ginger’s ability to fight ovarian cancer concludes with:
“Ginger inhibits growth and modulates secretion of angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells. The use of dietary agents such as ginger may have potential in the treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer.”
Ginger has also been proven to treat prostate cancer. The British Journal of Nutrition published the results of an American study recently in which ginger extract (zingiber officinale) killed human prostate cancer cells while healthy prostate cells were left alone. Whole ginger extract was revealed to shrink prostate tumor size by a whopping 56%
Further adding to the benefits of ginger, the spice has no toxicity when consumed even in high doses, and does not cause people to endure the very uncomfortable side effects of chemo and radiation treatments. The American Cancer Society admits that more than 15% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 20,000 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. Many of these cases can be helped with ginger root.
I mentioned earlier in my post about Pre-Cleansing and Intent Setting, one of my goals is to detoxify and decalcify my Pineal Gland. I want to share this information because it is something that has completely inspired me. Here’s a little bit of background first!
The Pineal Gland
(from wikipedia): “The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis, conarium or the third eye) is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces the serotonin derivative melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions. Its shape resembles a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it is located near the centre of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.”
This pineal gland is activated by light, and it controls the various bio-rhythms of the body. It works in harmony with the hypothalamus gland which directs the body’s thirst, hunger, sexual desire and the biological clock that determines our aging process. When it awakens, one feels a pressure at the base of the brain. To activate the ‘third eye’ is to raise one’s frequency and moving into higher consciousness – all is a consciousness experience perceived through the Eye of Time or Third Eye.
While the physiological function of the pineal gland has been unknown until recent times, mystical traditions and esoteric schools have long known this area in the middle of the brain to be the connecting link between the physical and spiritual worlds. Considered the most powerful and highest source of ethereal energy available to humans, the pineal gland has been seen as a gateway that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. Awakening the third eye acts as a “stargate.”
Meditation, Visualization Yoga, and all forms of Out of Body travel, open the Third Eye and allow you to ‘see’ beyond the physical.
Calcification of the Pineal Gland
Most people’s pineal glands are heavily calcified by the time they are 17 years old, so much so that they show up as a lump of calcium during an MRI. Calcification is the build up of calcium phosphate crystals in various parts of the body.
The pineal gland begins to calcify due to the harmful effects of artificial substances such as flouride chemicals found in public water systems and toothpaste, hormones and additives put into processed foods and sugars and artificial sweeteners dumped into soft drinks. Cell phones are also being pinpointed as being harmful to the pineal gland due to high concentrations of radiation.
calcified_pineal_gland
Benefits of Detoxifying and Activating Your Pineal Gland
Detoxification and Activation of the third eye can bring vast improvements of our life. An open third eye brings clarity, concentration, perspicuity, bliss, intuition, decisiveness and insight as well as:
- Vivid dreams.
- Lucid dreams.
- Easier to astral project.
- Better sleep.
- Enhanced imagination.
- Enabling Aura viewing, seeing energy, seeing beings, and seeing with eyes closed.
- Clear channels and ablitly to feel energy.
A closed third eye or “Ajna Chakra” in Hindu tradition brings with it confusion, uncertainty, cynicism, pessimism, jealousy, envy and one sidedness.
How To Decalcify Your Pineal Gland
The idea of having a calcified pineal gland can be likened to a door being glued shut. Although the pathway is unable to be used while it is glued shut, it is still a doorway never the less! With constant pushing the door will eventually break open. Below you’ll find what are said to be some of the best ways to decalcify your third eye (The * indicates that they should be taken with at least one of the other things mentioned for full effect.):
- Avoid all things fluoride: Tap water, cooking with tap water, fluoridated toothpaste, inorganic fruits and vegetables, showers with out filter, red meat, and any sodas and artificial food and drinks. I know how difficult it can be to stick to only organic fruit and vegetable but it is important to start where you are and begin to make those changes where it is possible.
- Foods: raw cacao, goji berries, cilantro, watermelon, bananas, Honey, Coconut Oil, hemp seeds, seaweed, and noni juice.
- Essentials oils can be used to help stimulate the Pineal Gland and facilitate states of spiritual awareness, meditation, astral projection, etc. Good essential oils for Pineal Gland purposes include: Lavender, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Parsley, Davana, Pine, Pink Lotus, and Mugwort (excess use of Mugwort has a neurotoxin effect if inhaled directly, so be careful!). Essential oils can be inhaled directly, burned in a diffuser or nebulizer, and added to bath water.
- Citric acid (LOTS of lemons* will work.)
- Garlic* (Take about half a bulb a day or more for a while, if you crush it and soak in raw apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice it will deodorize it. Use the leftover vinegar or lemon juice on a salad. Personally, I drink it all down.)
- Raw apple cider vinegar* (Contains malic acid. Take a lot of it. Make sure it’s raw, as that is very important. Braggs is the best brand) Everyday I fill a 1 Quart Mason jar with Ionized Alkaline water, 8 tablespoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 tablespoons of raw, local honey. This has so many benefits aside from the pineal gland!
- Sungazing (Gazing at the sun during the first 15 minutes of sunrise and last 15 minutes of sunset will do wonders for your pineal gland)
-Regular Meditation and Chanting. Chanting causes the tetrahedron bone in the nose to resonate and this resonance causes the Pineal Gland to be stimulated and when it is stimulated it secretes more beneficial hormones, and remember: these beneficial hormones keep your appearance youthful. The sound “OM” resonates with the Fourth Chakra, known as the Heart Center, the seat of Unconditional Love. Chanting OM opens you up to Universal and cosmic awareness. You can chant up to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or however long you desire to.
- Crystals that benefit the Pineal Gland include: Amethyst (wand), Laser Quartz (wand), Moonstone, Pietersite, Purple Sapphire, Purple Violet Tourmaline, Rhodonite, Rose Aura, and Sodalite. However, any indigo, violet, or dark purple gemstone or crystal can be used to stimulate the Pineal Gland and open/balance/align the 6th and 7th Chakras. Placed directly on the 3rd eye or brow chakra for 15-30 minutes a day or every other day will help to open/balance/align the 3rd Eye (Brow) chakra and prevent/remove calcification of the gland. The best exercise for Pineal Gland stimulation and health is to take an amethyst obelisk crystal or an amethyst wand, point it at the 3rd eye (point of the wand should touch your skin) and look up directly at the Sun with your eyes closed. Do this everyday or whenever you feel like it for about 5-10 minutes. The Sun’s rays will penetrate through the base part of the obelisk or the end part of an amethyst wand and beam directly into the Pineal Gland stimulating it. You can also use the Laser Quartz (wand) as well. Quartz crystal benefits every single chakra.
- Magnets. Attaching a magnet (that sticks by adhesive) to the part of your skin above your 3rd eye (located between your two physical eyes but slightly higher or slightly above the eyes) for a few hours throughout the day will also stimulate the Pineal Gland and help to decalcify it. Magnets cause the body to become alkaline, especially the part of the body where the magnet is attached. Any strength (gauss) magnet will work, but only use magnets on the head area during waking hours. The energy from Ra (Sun) will magnify the strength of the magnet’s effect on the Pineal Gland.
- Natural Entheogens (not for everyone): Ayahuasca, Psilocybin Mushooms, peyote, changa, cannabis, salvia, DMT and more.
Like with most things, finding a “remedy” for something that is not quite so straight forward isn’t the answer. The search for a “remedy” in itself is a train of thought that is lazy, mechanistic, and not one in line with the specific goal here. However, what is required is dedication, time, and work. I will be implementing some of these proposed remedies as part of my upcoming fast along with beginning a regular practice of meditation and chanting… not specifically as a “cure-all,” but rather as an opportunity to take the energy my body normally uses for digestion and redirect it toward healing and development in order to reaffirm my intent for the future.
Here is a great video if you’d like to learn more:
All overweight women do it. The little white lies that we say to cover the undeniable fact that we’re eating too much. During my “chubby years”, when I was still over 200 pounds, I was shopping in the grocery store when one cute little girl came near and said, “Why are you fat?” She quickly ran off to her mom without waiting for me to say a word. And she left me to think about the answer to her question.
Most obese and overweight women have their list of excuses that they tell others and themselves on why they’re overweight. We often make lots of excuses because truth really hurts and facing the reality that we badly need an intervention is even more hurtful. Below, I’ll be sharing with you a list of the most common lies or shall we say – alibis, among overweight women that they like to tell.
1. “This is just water weight.”
Though water retention can cause weight gain, blaming it for a 25 kg excess in your weight is just ridiculous, because that’s retaining 25 liters of fluid in your system. In that case, you would be the equivalent of a huge human sponge or a human camel! To avoid water retention, lessen the intake of salty foods because salt holds water.
2. “I have big bones.”
Our bones normally make about 15% of our total body weight, so a person weighing 85kg can expect a skeletal mass of 15 kilograms. If you are 25kg overweight due to being big boned, your skeletal mass would be almost twice as much as the norm. This is already an extreme case. Though bone weight is not the same from person to person, the differences are only slight.
3. “We have chubby genes”
Do fat parents encourage their kids to eat large portions of food? Are they over feeding them? Let’s face it, overeating is highly addictive and it’s much easier to blame nature for our circumstances. Did you ever stop to think about this? Nobody says it’s easy to shed pounds but why do some people manage to do it all the time?
Though having a genetic predisposition for being fat is truly possible, the truth remains that taking fewer calories will result to weight loss. A healthy food regimen, combined with a consistent exercise routine can neutralize those body-plumping genes.
4.”Healthy foods are too expensive”
This is perhaps the biggest excuse that most overweight women like to tell. It is totally not true. Though unhealthy foods are cheap, they are highly addictive. Soon, you’ll keep eating more slices of pizza, more cookies and more bags of potato chips, not to mention sodas. So, what’s the best go-to snack? Fiber-rich foods that will fill you up for hours. Try snacking on oranges, apples or carrot sticks. These healthy snacks aren’t even that expensive to begin with and will pay off in the long run.
5. “I need more food because I’m heavy”
This is true but should not become an excuse to avoid cutting down safely. A very heavy person with a sedentary lifestyle weighing 350 pounds (25 stone) needs to eat 2300 calories per day as their body will use this amount of calories up doing nothing (see BMR calculator http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator). If you are heavy and want to lose weight you definitely need to cut down food consumption but not all at once. You should reduce your calorie intake gradually over the coming weeks. Start with something manageable like a reduction of 500 calories per day. Then gradually build up until you are at a comfortable number.
6. “Foods can’t be addictive”
This is another huge lie among overweight women. Junk foods and sugar are very addictive; they seem like a drug that we can’t live without. They are enticing and overdosing on these foods is no surprise. It’s not hunger but there’s really something about them that makes us feel better.
Ditch the junk foods in the pantry and eat healthy snacks, vegetables, protein snacks and fruits. Accept it, some foods are and can be addictive. You can survive without them.
7. “I hardly eat anything.”
The foods that made you gain weight aren’t the regular meals. Guess what? It’s the food you eat in between. These are the foods eaten secretly, the sugar-laden snacks and foods eaten at a drive-through fast-food as a treat. They give you that instant energy boost but they don’t last that long or keep you going for long enough.
8. “I don’t have time to exercise.”
You set aside time for the things that rank high in your priorities in life. If achieving fitness through exercise is important for you, then you’ll make time for it. If you are not comfortable jogging or walking outside – maybe because of prying eyes – then joining a health club could be the best solution. Mind you, some women jog with their dogs and just go wherever they want. It all boils down to one thing – determination.
9. “I have slow metabolism.”
According to studies most overweight women’s metabolic rate isn’t that low compared to people of normal weight – with increased fat, the metabolism often goes up and not down. The heavy folks only use the slow metabolism excuse to justify their failure to lose weight.
The Moment of Truth
Overweight women are truly smart in making justifications and excuses for holding excess kilos. If we desire to be healthy, the first thing to do is to accept the truth and take the weight of denial off your shoulder. There’s no hope of shedding even a single pound if all our weight loss lies are still holding us back. In reality, there is no shortcut to weight loss, we have to create a calorie-deficit plan, and this can only be attained through a combination of diet and exercise. This is a good time to start drinking meal replacement smoothies, which you can find here, as part of a sensible weight loss plan.
After that incident in the grocery store, I started changing things for myself and for my family. It was far from quick and easy, and it was not instantaneous. It required time, commitment and sincere intentional effort – to feel better and become healthier. It was a sacrifice that was worth every minute of doing without the cakes, cookies and chips. Though I am still a work in progress, I know I am definitely moving towards my goal of wellness.
Detoxifying Your Third Eye
By Estella Hoad | Rise Earth
–
I mentioned earlier in my post about Pre-Cleansing and Intent Setting, one of my goals is to detoxify and decalcify my Pineal Gland. I want to share this information because it is something that has completely inspired me. Here’s a little bit of background first!
The Pineal Gland
(from wikipedia): “The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis, conarium or the third eye) is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces the serotonin derivative melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions. Its shape resembles a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it is located near the centre of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.”
This pineal gland is activated by light, and it controls the various bio-rhythms of the body. It works in harmony with the hypothalamus gland which directs the body’s thirst, hunger, sexual desire and the biological clock that determines our aging process. When it awakens, one feels a pressure at the base of the brain. To activate the ‘third eye’ is to raise one’s frequency and moving into higher consciousness – all is a consciousness experience perceived through the Eye of Time or Third Eye.
While the physiological function of the pineal gland has been unknown until recent times, mystical traditions and esoteric schools have long known this area in the middle of the brain to be the connecting link between the physical and spiritual worlds. Considered the most powerful and highest source of ethereal energy available to humans, the pineal gland has been seen as a gateway that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. Awakening the third eye acts as a “stargate.”
Meditation, Visualization Yoga, and all forms of Out of Body travel, open the Third Eye and allow you to ‘see’ beyond the physical.
Calcification of the Pineal Gland
Most people’s pineal glands are heavily calcified by the time they are 17 years old, so much so that they show up as a lump of calcium during an MRI. Calcification is the build up of calcium phosphate crystals in various parts of the body.
The pineal gland begins to calcify due to the harmful effects of artificial substances such as flouride chemicals found in public water systems and toothpaste, hormones and additives put into processed foods and sugars and artificial sweeteners dumped into soft drinks. Cell phones are also being pinpointed as being harmful to the pineal gland due to high concentrations of radiation.
calcified_pineal_gland
Benefits of Detoxifying and Activating Your Pineal Gland
Detoxification and Activation of the third eye can bring vast improvements of our life. An open third eye brings clarity, concentration, perspicuity, bliss, intuition, decisiveness and insight as well as:
- Vivid dreams.
- Lucid dreams.
- Easier to astral project.
- Better sleep.
- Enhanced imagination.
- Enabling Aura viewing, seeing energy, seeing beings, and seeing with eyes closed.
- Clear channels and ablitly to feel energy.
A closed third eye or “Ajna Chakra” in Hindu tradition brings with it confusion, uncertainty, cynicism, pessimism, jealousy, envy and one sidedness.
How To Decalcify Your Pineal Gland
The idea of having a calcified pineal gland can be likened to a door being glued shut. Although the pathway is unable to be used while it is glued shut, it is still a doorway never the less! With constant pushing the door will eventually break open. Below you’ll find what are said to be some of the best ways to decalcify your third eye (The * indicates that they should be taken with at least one of the other things mentioned for full effect.):
- Avoid all things fluoride: Tap water, cooking with tap water, fluoridated toothpaste, inorganic fruits and vegetables, showers with out filter, red meat, and any sodas and artificial food and drinks. I know how difficult it can be to stick to only organic fruit and vegetable but it is important to start where you are and begin to make those changes where it is possible.
- Pineal gland detoxifiers and stimulants: Hydrilla Verticillata, Chlorella, Spirulina, blue-green algae, Iodine, Zeolite, ginseng, borax, D3, Bentonite clay, chlorophyll, blue skate liver oil.
- Foods: raw cacao, goji berries, cilantro, watermelon, bananas, Honey, Coconut Oil, hemp seeds, seaweed, and noni juice.
- Essentials oils can be used to help stimulate the Pineal Gland and facilitate states of spiritual awareness, meditation, astral projection, etc. Good essential oils for Pineal Gland purposes include: Lavender, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Parsley, Davana, Pine, Pink Lotus, and Mugwort (excess use of Mugwort has a neurotoxin effect if inhaled directly, so be careful!). Essential oils can be inhaled directly, burned in a diffuser or nebulizer, and added to bath water.
- Citric acid (LOTS of lemons* will work.)
- Garlic* (Take about half a bulb a day or more for a while, if you crush it and soak in raw apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice it will deodorize it. Use the leftover vinegar or lemon juice on a salad. Personally, I drink it all down.)
- Raw apple cider vinegar* (Contains malic acid. Take a lot of it. Make sure it’s raw, as that is very important. Braggs is the best brand) Everyday I fill a 1 Quart Mason jar with Ionized Alkaline water, 8 tablespoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 tablespoons of raw, local honey. This has so many benefits aside from the pineal gland!
- Sungazing (Gazing at the sun during the first 15 minutes of sunrise and last 15 minutes of sunset will do wonders for your pineal gland)
-Regular Meditation and Chanting. Chanting causes the tetrahedron bone in the nose to resonate and this resonance causes the Pineal Gland to be stimulated and when it is stimulated it secretes more beneficial hormones, and remember: these beneficial hormones keep your appearance youthful. The sound “OM” resonates with the Fourth Chakra, known as the Heart Center, the seat of Unconditional Love. Chanting OM opens you up to Universal and cosmic awareness. You can chant up to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or however long you desire to.
- Crystals that benefit the Pineal Gland include: Amethyst (wand), Laser Quartz (wand), Moonstone, Pietersite, Purple Sapphire, Purple Violet Tourmaline, Rhodonite, Rose Aura, and Sodalite. However, any indigo, violet, or dark purple gemstone or crystal can be used to stimulate the Pineal Gland and open/balance/align the 6th and 7th Chakras. Placed directly on the 3rd eye or brow chakra for 15-30 minutes a day or every other day will help to open/balance/align the 3rd Eye (Brow) chakra and prevent/remove calcification of the gland. The best exercise for Pineal Gland stimulation and health is to take an amethyst obelisk crystal or an amethyst wand, point it at the 3rd eye (point of the wand should touch your skin) and look up directly at the Sun with your eyes closed. Do this everyday or whenever you feel like it for about 5-10 minutes. The Sun’s rays will penetrate through the base part of the obelisk or the end part of an amethyst wand and beam directly into the Pineal Gland stimulating it. You can also use the Laser Quartz (wand) as well. Quartz crystal benefits every single chakra.
- Magnets. Attaching a magnet (that sticks by adhesive) to the part of your skin above your 3rd eye (located between your two physical eyes but slightly higher or slightly above the eyes) for a few hours throughout the day will also stimulate the Pineal Gland and help to decalcify it. Magnets cause the body to become alkaline, especially the part of the body where the magnet is attached. Any strength (gauss) magnet will work, but only use magnets on the head area during waking hours. The energy from Ra (Sun) will magnify the strength of the magnet’s effect on the Pineal Gland.
- Natural Entheogens (not for everyone): Ayahuasca, Psilocybin Mushooms, peyote, changa, cannabis, salvia, DMT and more.
Like with most things, finding a “remedy” for something that is not quite so straight forward isn’t the answer. The search for a “remedy” in itself is a train of thought that is lazy, mechanistic, and not one in line with the specific goal here. However, what is required is dedication, time, and work. I will be implementing some of these proposed remedies as part of my upcoming fast along with beginning a regular practice of meditation and chanting… not specifically as a “cure-all,” but rather as an opportunity to take the energy my body normally uses for digestion and redirect it toward healing and development in order to reaffirm my intent for the future.
Here is a great video if you’d like to learn more:
When you enter into a detox program, your body-mind goes into dump mode as it purifies itself and eliminates its toxic built up. There may be few symptoms or there may be several. Your body will use its organs of elimination to remove toxins. You may also experience mental and emotional symptoms as the toxins recirculate through your bloodstream and brain on their way out of the kidneys.
The five major organs of elimination are the gastrointestinal tract, the kidneys, the lungs, the liver and the skin. As you begin your detox, these organs will begin to accelerate their respective toxin releases. Remember that the more toxic you are the more you may experience detox symptoms. If they become uncomfortable, simply back off your program a bit. Slow down or shorten your program. If you need to back off, that should be a red flag for you that you are quite toxic and really need a cleanse. You will need to do more frequent and shorter cleanses until you can manage a detox with little or no symptomology. We will discuss a maintenance schedule later.
As a precautionary note, some of your old suppressed symptoms may reappear or escalate. Remember the body uses the same routes in illness and in detoxification. If you find yourself becoming symptomatic, check in with yourself. It is important to continue the detox and not medicate yourself. You are dumping toxic chemicals including medications and do not want to reintroducing them. Again, slow down by having a very light meal like steamed vegetables or an apple until the discomfort subsides. It is preferable to simply ride out the storm. You will be doing short cleanses in the beginning and your body-mind will soon adapt to detox sessions.
You may experience general symptoms to some degree. Mild headaches are quite common. The dull, achy types are the norm. The pain relates to toxins being dumped into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body and brain before elimination. Weakness or lethargy is common as well. Your body is focused on cleaning and diverts energy internally instead of for motion and strength. Achy muscles and flu-like symptoms may appear as toxins work their way out of your musculature. Get a massage. Body temperature tends to decreased on a cleanse. So bundle up!
The lungs will release toxic gases trapped in the blood during normal respiration. In detox mode, the lungs off gas chemicals and natural substances at different rates to balance your body as the other elimination organs remove the trash. You may sense a change in respiratory rates or getting ‘winded’ easily. Take it slow and dial back on activity during a detox. You are shifting gears from external activity to internal cleansing activity. Your body needs to focus and not be overstimulated.
The liver is a major internal player. You will not notice many symptoms here either although this is where the lion’s share of toxins reside and need to purge through the bile duct into the gastrointestinal tract for expulsion. The liver converts or plays a role in the conversion of every process in your body. If it identifies toxins often times it will sequester them. Your liver is like the oil filter on your car. The difference is that your liver never gets changed. So you have to clean it internally with detoxes. You may experience discomfort over your liver area (right side at and below your ribcage) and deep within the right side of your abdomen. Supplementation, massage and manual manipulation of the liver will help reduce this discomfort. As the detox progresses, any discomfort will subside.
Your gastrointestinal tract runs from your mouth through your stomach and into your small intestines and colon to exit via the rectum and anus. The tract is one long tube outside your body. As food and drink move along its length nutrients and metabolic water are absorbed. The GI tract makes every attempt to absorb only nutritious substances and even has mechanisms to eliminate toxins quickly. The challenge is when only garbage is coming in, the tract absorbs everything it can of value. The downside is that it picks up toxins as well. If you eat all natural and organic food stuffs, your body-mind would not get toxic.
As you detox, all the gunk, grit, grime and slime begin to break free and are expelled. This means you will likely experience freedom from constipation and even diarrhea. This is your body dumping toxins at an accelerated rate. No need to worry, just hydrate. You may have bloating and gas as well as a bit of nausea. The nausea may be two fold; from the toxic release and from the change in diet. Add more juices as you can tolerate them. Give your gut a free ride with enemas and colonics. Be wise with your usage of colonics or enemas and hydrate.
One of the hallmark signs of detoxification is a coated tongue. Your tongue will get coated and possibly discolored. The more gunk on the tongue, the more toxic you are. The tongue is an indicator of what is happening all along your GI tract. This is real work being done here. As you might imagine, you will have foul breath as well. Use something natural if you are offensive. Do not use a chemical mouth wash. Chew on some mint leaves and remember when the tongue clears so does the gut. For the moment…
Skin is the largest toxic organ. Every single little pore is a possible toxic removal site. So this means your skin may get pimples, rashes or other lesions. This is a great sign that you are eliminating toxins. Once this clears you will see beautifully renewed and vibrantly healthy skin unlike you have even seen before. Don’t put anything on your skin that you would not eat. Ouch! Anyone out there using cosmetics please take note. I have a shoulder you can cry on. And while you are at it, grab a loofah or a pair of those cool skin massage gloves and starting scrubbing. Working the dead skin off and opening the pores is great for your skin.
Your kidney will handle the brunt of toxic liquids they filter from your bloodstream. You want to make sure your kidneys are in good working order. The more you pee the more you flush those toxins out and the less discomfort you will experience. There are a host of supportive herbs for the kidneys. Drinking distilled water will greatly assist with the removal of liquid waste. It will pull toxins out of your bloodstream at an alarming rate.
With all this body talk, I would be remiss if I left out your psychological welfare. Restricting one’s diet and doing a cleanse takes dedication and will power. It can be a bit overwhelming at the onset and you may feel all alone. This time can also bring up past emotions that need to be purged as well. Let them go and know that you are doing something positive for yourself and that the return on your invest will be well worth it. Hang in there and seek supportive friends, family or organizations.
Along with the mental game, you may actually have cause for some of the other disturbances. Since the toxins will be flowing, you may experience irritability or anxiousness. Some of these toxins are excitatory and can get you revved up in a negative way. Ride it out while you flush it out. Remember the distilled water. You may have difficulty sleeping or odd cravings. Pain is technically a psychological beast and can be overridden with some practice. Try meditation, yoga or nature walks. The discomfort will subside. http://naturalhealthwarriors.com/methods-of-elimination-and-common-detox-symptoms/
Daily consumption of wheatgrass turns gray hair back to its natural color and more, for total body health. Wheatgrass is made up of an impressive array of nutrients that reinforce and rejuvenate everything from our cells and tissues to our organs and bodily systems. In addition to its 70% chlorophyll makeup, wheatgrass contains 17 essential amino acids, 90 minerals, 13 vitamins and 80 enzymes.
Cancer cells cannot develop in oxygen rich environments
Regular consumption of the young grass of a common wheat plant can recolor those grays so that you can enjoy your lush, natural color well into your senior years. And it doesn’t just stop at the gray. This young grass slows down the entire aging process by rejuvenating your cells, detoxifying your body, fighting tumors and tightening loose and sagging skin
Made up of 70% chlorophyll, wheatgrass, from the wheat plant triticum aestivum, restores the health of your kidneys and blood
Consuming fresh wheatgrass juice regularly provides many benefits including it has been shown to reverse gray hair back to its natural color.
How does this happen?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, hair pigmentation is influenced by the quality of blood and the strength of the kidneys. If your hair has gone gray, your kidneys and blood need to be strengthened. Foods that accomplish this include wheatgrass and any food with high chlorophyll content.
What is wheatgrass?
Wheatgrass refers to the young grass of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum. Its leaves are juiced or dried into powder for human (or animal) consumption. It is often available in juice bars and smoothie restaurants, and is taken alone or mixed in fruit and/or vegetable drinks.
In The Wheatgrass Book by Ann Wigmore, consuming wheatgrass juice is named as a beauty treatment that slows down the aging process.
That’s because wheatgrass cleanses the blood, helps rejuvenate aging cells, and helps tighten loose and sagging skin.
Benefits of Wheatgrass
The benefits of wheatgrass, however, go way beyond beautification and anti-aging such as reversing gray hair. The high chlorophyll content of wheatgrass, as well as the amino acids, minerals, vitamins and enzymes enable wheatgrass to provide a wide range of health benefits and curative benefits, such as the following:
Fights tumors — Studies show that wheatgrass juice has a powerful ability to fight tumors without the usual toxicity of drugs.
Powerful detoxifier — protects the liver and the blood, and neutralizes toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride
Contains liquid oxygen — this is vital to many body processes, and protects the body against cancer cells (cancer cells cannot exist in the presence of oxygen)
Blood builder — An important aspect of the chlorophyll in wheatgrass is its remarkable similarity to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood. When the chlorophyll is absorbed in the human body, it is transformed into blood, which transports nutrients to every cell of the body.
Note: Some health practitioner’s claim that you can double your red blood cell count just by soaking in chlorophyll. Renowned nutritionist Dr. Bernard Jensen found that wheatgrass and green juices are the most superior blood builders.
In his book Health Magic Through Chlorophyll from Living Plant Life, he cites several cases where he was able to double the red blood cell count in a matter of days merely by having patients soak in a chlorophyll-water bath.
Even more rapid blood building results occur when patients consume wheatgrass juice and other chlorophyll-rich juices regularly.
Some consumers who use wheatgrass for therapeutic purposes grow wheatgrass in their homes, and extract the juice using a wheatgrass juicer. Some prefer the convenience of buying the juice at a juice bar like Jamba Juice or a health food store like Whole Foods.
The average dosage is 1 to 2 fluid ounces of fresh-squeezed juice once a day (or 3 to 4 times a day for detoxification)
Author: Danica Collins http://naturalhealthwarriors.com/wheatgrass-gets-rid-of-grey-hair/
Ananda Yoga To get more benefits from asanas and other yoga exercises your nasal passage should be clean so that you can easily concentrate on your breathing. http://youtu.be/qdJU43MuqjM Jim Mcdonald - Laser Dental Treatment Jokes
Turmeric: The Ancient Super herb
Since ancient times, turmeric has been used for remedying oral ailments, among other therapeutic applications too numerous to count.[1] Consider that plants like turmeric were first eaten for thousands of years before our species ever devised the modern day oddity of encapsulated or tableted extracts that could be swallowed without significant oral contact. It is only logical, therefore, that after long stretches of biological time, taking the root orally as either food, spice or medicine, it would agree with and have benefit for that part of our anatomy and its unique physiology.
Indeed, recent research shows that turmeric extract and turmeric oil may even reverse precancerous changes in oral submucous fibrosis in humans.[2] [3] In addition, there are at least a dozen studies showing turmeric extract can kill oral cancer cells,[4] including a recent study showing that turmeric extract-loaded nanoparticles kill chemotherapy-resistant oral cancer cells.[5] But turmeric’s positive role to play in oral health encompasses more than relatively rare health issues like oral cancer, as it also has tangible value to the vast majority of folks who use common mouthwash in an attempt to keep their mouth clean of plaque.
What gives Turmeric magical healing powers?
Turmeric contains approximately 3-4% curcumin by dry weight. This yellow pigmented polyphenol has been studied extensively in human clinical research as a natural alternative to the common mouthwash ingredient known as chlorhexidine for the treatment of gingivitis, “inflammation of the gum tissue.”
Gingivitis is classified as a non-destructive periodontal disease,[6] and involves bacterial plaque-induced inflammation, but if left untreated, it can progress to a form of periodontal disease that can be highly destructive. Some of the most common symptoms associated with gingivitis are bad breath (halitosis), and bleeding, bright, tender or swollen gums.
Chlorexidine, while considered the gold standard in dentistry for the prevention of dental plaque,[7] was flagged in 2012 in a patient safety alert issued by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), due to its potential to induce anaphylactic reactions.[8] While chlorexidine-induced analaphylaxis is an exceedingly rare reaction, low level exposure has been confirmed in numerous scientific studies to cause a variety of complications.[9] [10] [11] Clearly, safer alternatives are needed and especially if they can be shown to be more effective.
Turmeric Mouthwash Shown Superior to Chlorexidine
In 2012, a study published in the Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology compared the efficacy of a .1% curcumin extract mouthwash + .01% eugenol (Group A) to a more strongly concentrated .2% chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash (Group B), in subjects with mild to moderate gingivitis. Both Group A and Group B consisted of 30 subjects who were advised to use 10 ml of mouthwash with equal dilution of water for 1 min twice a day 30 min after brushing. They were then tracked for plaque and gingival changes at day 0, day 14h and day 21. Both their direct experience (subjective) and objective criteria were assessed at days 14 and 21.
The results were as follows:
On comparison between chlorhexidine and turmeric mouthwash, percentage reduction of the Plaque Index between 0 and 21 st day were 64.207 and 69.072, respectively (P=0.112), percentage reduction of Gingival Index between 0 and 21st day were 61.150 and 62.545 respectively (P=0.595) and percentage reduction of BAPNA [The N-benzoyl-l-arginine-p- nitroanilide assay; a measurement of pathogenic bacterial activity] values between 0 and 21st day were 42.256 and 48.901 respectively (P=0.142).
In all three objective parameters tested, turmeric extract was at least as effective as chlorhexidine mouthwash at improving the patient’s oral health. However, technically, the curcumin formulation beat out the chemical mouthwash in all 3 measurements, and at only one-half the concentration.
Also, subjective evaluations showed that the turmeric mouthwash was better received by the subjects.
In the characteristically conservative style of academia, the author’s concluded:
“Chlorhexidine gluconate as well as turmeric mouthwash can be effectively used as an adjunct to mechanical plaque control in prevention of plaque and gingivitis. Both the mouthwashes have comparable anti-plaque, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.”
Additional human clinical research has confirmed curcumin’s effectiveness as a chlorexidine alternative in reducing plaque,[12] as well as reducing plaque-associated gum inflammation.[13]
One of the major differences with a turmeric (curcumin)-based mouthwash is that if one happened to swallow some, it would not result in the type of adverse effects associated with a biocidal/antiseptic chemical such as chlorhexidine. In fact, given the broad range of documented health benefits of turmeric, it would actually provide some side benefit, were this to happen.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. But remember, always exert caution when embarking on any new dietary and/or supplement change, and do so under the guidance of a trained professional such as a medical herbalist or integrative physician. And remember, the quality of the herb will depend on whether it was organically produced (non-irradiated), well-handled and preserved in order to eliminate mycotoxins and related microbial contaminants. http://www.curejoy.com/content/turmeric-superior-chemical-mouthwash-oral-health/
Q. Thanks for joining us Khabir. For the benefit of our readers can you share your credentials as an Ayurveda expert and a brief background on your work?
I am a professional health consultant, Ayurvedic and Naturopathic practitioner, whole-foods nutritionist, herbalist and formulator, public speaker on natural self-care and an author of numerous natural health-care programs.
I maintain a busy private health-care and consulting practice in Ojai and Santa Barbara California. For over 14 years, I have successfully helped hundreds of clients and thousands of people to naturally overcome a wide range of health conditions and improve their overall health. I travel throughout southern California providing private consultations, selling herbal teas and spices, conducting workshops and lecturing on a wide range of health subjects (mostly in Whole Foods Market and other health foods stores).
I was born in Tucson Arizona (1962) and was raised as a lacto-vegetarian, by health conscious parents who began educating me about nutrition and Hatha yoga at an early age. As a teenager, I was already helping others improve their eating habits and providing medicinal teas for common health complaints. I went on to formally study western herbal medicine (1980) and the traditional nutritional sciences (1981). I pursued advanced Ayuveda studies in India (starting in 1982), specifically herbal formulations and applications, and mentored under an Ayuvedic Doctor in Northern India, Rishikesh, for about 3 years.
Why is cleansing of the liver so vital to our well being?
In our industrialized developed world we are immersed in a sea of toxic chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half-a-million chemicals are in use today and over 5000 new chemicals are introduced yearly. Some researchers believe up to 25% of these may be carcinogenic. This is why it is crucial to employ a liver cleanse supplement and/or diet to cleanse your liver of the toxic waste of 21stcentury living. If your liver becomes overworked, it can become congested. Toxic compounds and impurities may get trapped in deposits of hardened bile. Pollutants may not be flushed out of the body, and can back up in your bloodstream.
What are the signs that I need to cleanse and detox my liver?
A sluggish liver can lead to serious fatigue, weight gain, water retention and a host of other health woes. Detoxification, that targets the liver, can help remove these unwanted poisons and enable it to function properly. A healthy liver will increase your energy, improve metabolism and help you burn excess fat.
A poor functioning liver can also manifest a malaise of symptoms that lead to misdiagnoses for other chronic diseases. This sluggishness can be prevented and also corrected through rejuvenating and cleansing your liver frequently.
Do you really need a liver cleanse?
Since the liver has more than 500 functions including storing fat soluble vitamins and some water soluble vitamins like folate and B1-12. A main function of the liver is converting sugar, fatty acids and fats into glucose and then storing glycogen for future use. Additionally the liver creates bile, metabolizes hormones, breaks down excess cholesterol, homes aldosterone and insulin and old cells and antibodies that need to be removed from the body. The liver also has a role in the immune system by producing antibodies. So when a person’s liver is congested, fatty, burdened, with too many toxins or damaged by infection, there are a wide range of symptoms including but not limited to:
Allergies
Bloating, Gas, Flatulence
Chemical Sensitivities
Constipation
Fatigue
Fatty Liver
Gallstones
Low Metabolism
Menopausal Digestive Issues
Obesity
PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
Poor Digestion
What is the basic protocol for your liver detoxification program?
Liver and Gallbladder Cleansing Program offers an inexpensive and easy way to detoxify, protect, and rejuvenate one of your most important organs and the many body functions it supports. When your liver functions at its best, it has the marvelous ability to recover and regenerate; all it needs from you are the proper nutrients and to be free from any toxic burden.
By cleansing the colon and the liver consecutively, you’ll focus on the top two filtration organs of the body. The combination of both therapies helps relieve poor digestion including gas, bloating, and constipation while at the same time promote healthy liver function.
BTW – This program does not include drinking Epson salts or drinking a cocktail of oil and citrus juice. This liver cleansing program utilizes herbal and nutritional therapies.
I generally follow these three steps:
Improve Digestion. First I provide pre-cleanse dietary instructions according to a person’s body-type and provide herbal solutions to achieve regular elimination which will be taken throughout the treatment period.
Intestinal Cleanse. Use a custom fiber mix and custom Ayurvedic colon cleansing/laxative as needed. I have the client drink a liver detox tea in the morning, have a green powder based on chlorella with meals and then slowly add the fiber between meals. (The fiber is both a bulking agent and has intestinal drawing properties.)
Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse. Next, I have the client continue with the liver tea or a general detox tea but have them eat a simpler diet with lots of veggies and no oil or fat in the diet. I also add another Ayuvedic powder to helps soften any stones. Then I have the person take a veggie concoction each morning with includes lemon juice, garlic and ginger at various amounts with 1 Tablespoon of olive or flax oil. Then each morning for the next 4 or 5 days the amount of oil is increased. (This process of not having any oil or fat all day and then doing so in the morning with these supportive herbs flushes the gallbladder and detoxifies the liver very effectively. )
Are there specific cleansing programs depending on different health conditions?
Different types of plans can be done based on the individual.
The MILD Colon/Liver Cleanse Plan is for individuals in good health, who have completed a colon cleanse or liver cleanse before.
The MODERATE Colon / Liver Cleanse Plan is for individuals in fair health, who have never completed a colon cleanse or liver cleanse before and have been suffering with moderate fatigue, bloating, gas, candida, indigestion or constipation. Clients in this category may have been diagnosed with fatty liver disease, elevated liver enzymes or other liver function issues.
The INTENSE Colon / Liver Cleanse Plan is for individuals in poor health, who have never completed a colon cleanse or liver cleanse before and have been suffering with severe fatigue, bloating, gas, candida, indigestion or constipation. Clients in this category may have been diagnosed with fatty liver disease, elevated liver enzymes, or other liver function issues, or diagnosed with IBS or diverticulitis.
Is there any dietary regimen one need to follow while on the liver detox?
Pre-cleanse dietary instructions according to your body-type (Ayurveda Dosha); supplement recommendations to achieve healthy digestion and proper elimination. But basically it needs to be simple with a low amount of protein, no animal protein, cooked and easy to digest vegetables and grains based on one’s body-type/Dosha. Juicing with carrots, beets and celery with other dark greens will also help the detoxification process.
What are the benefits of such a program?
Generally speaking a liver detox supports blood purification, cleanses stagnant waste from the liver, promotes the production of healthy blood cells, bile and nutritional fluids and reduces and eliminates gallbladder congestion
The overall benefits of the program include:
Healthy weight loss, improved digestion and nutrient absorption and the prevention of future health problems especially gallbladder issues and liver conditions.
Okra: The Wonder Vegetable – 22 The Amazing Health Benefits Of Okra
Okra is one of the best medicinal vegetable, that hasn’t got its due sometimes due to its taste. Read this article to understand why this is unarguably one of the best natural veggies to add to your wonder list and diet today!
What is Okra?
Okra, also known as “lady’s finger”, is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the Malvaceae (mallows) family and named scientifically as Abelmoschus esculentus. One of most nutritious vegetables around Okra is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions around the world for its fibrous fruits or “pods”. The pods are handpicked while just short of reaching maturity and eaten as a vegetable.
Why you should include Okra in your diet?
Okra has a long list of health benefits:
Rich Fiber Source: Okra’s rich fiber content helps in better digestion, and regularization of bowels. The soluble fiber, Pectin, swells up in the intestine and helps in easier elimination of the wastes from the intestine.
For Diabetes: It has insulin-like properties that help to reduce blood sugar levels. Eugenol, a type of fiber found in Okra, helps to stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
For Pregnancy and Fetal development: Abundant Folates in Okra, not only help in conceiving but also in fetus’ brain development, prevention of miscarriages, formation of the fetal neural tube, and preventing any defects in the tube.
For Strong Bones: Vitamin K is a co-factor in the vital blood-clotting process and along with Folates, restores bone density, strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis.
For Asthma: The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Okra, and rich vitamin C content, curtail the development of asthma symptoms and prevent fatal attacks.
Respiratory soother: A decoction of leaves and flowers of Okra are used in treating bronchitis and pneumonia. Its mucilaginous (slimy, gluey) quality makes it an excellent home remedy for treatment of common cold and flu.
Relieves Constipation: The rich fiber and mucilaginous content in Okra pods help increase stool bulk, facilitate proper absorption of water, bind to toxins, lubricate the large intestines, and ensure easy bowel movements, with its natural laxative properties.
Treats Sun strokes: Those suffering from summer heat and sun strokes should include Okra in their diet. Relieves from weakness, exhaustion, and overall depression.
Lowers Colon cancer risk: The insoluble fiber found in Okra cleans out the intestinal tract, decreasing the risk of colon-rectal cancer. The high antioxidants in Okra helps protect the immune system against harmful free radicals and prevent mutation of cells.
Prevents Obesity: Okra provides minimum calories, the fiber helps in keeping you full for longer, and the abundant nutrients nourish you.
Lowers Cholesterol: Okra contains soluble fiber pectin, which helps in lowering the serum (bad)cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis. It does it by altering the production of bile in the intestines and aiding in elimination of deposited cholesterol and clots.
Skin Detoxifier: Fiber aidstoxic waste cleansing and Vitamin C aids in repairing body tissues, preventing skin pigmentation, reducing acne, psoriasis and other skin conditions.
Lively Hair: The transparent mucilage imparts life and bounce to unruly, curly and lifeless hair. It acts as a great hair conditioner, scalp moisturizer for dry and itchy scalp, fights dandruff and lice, and adds a youthful sheen to your hair.
Detoxification: Okra’s fiber not only aids the stool function but the mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid, ejecting toxins, dumped into it by the filtering liver.
Immunity Booster: The high antioxidants and vitamin C content make Okra a good immune booster food. Other essential minerals like magnesium, manganese, calcium and iron fight against harmful free radicals and promote healthy immune system.
Clear Vision: Okra contains beta-carotenes (precursor of vitamin A), xanthin and lutein, all antioxidant properties, preventing eye problems like cataract and glaucoma.
Prevents Anemia: Iron, Folate, and Vitamin K aid in hemoglobin formation, blood coagulation, and red blood cells production, providing a supreme defense against anemia.
Cures Ulcers: The alkaline mucilaginous content helps neutralize acids and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract speeding up the healing of peptic ulcers.
Treats Genital Disorders: Okra increases sexual potency and is beneficial in treating genital disorders like syphilis, gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, dysuria and excessive menstrual bleeding.
Rich Protein Source: The seeds of Okra are an excellent source of first-rate vegetable protein and oils, enriched with amino acids like tryptophan, cystine and other sulfur amino acids.
Feeds Blood Network: Studies show that eating plenty of flavonoid and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, such as Okra helps to support the structure of blood capillaries.
Probiotics Feed: Good bacteria (probiotics), in intestines, thrive on Okra,contributing greatly to the health of the intestinal tract. It helps biosynthesis of Vitamin B complex, similar to how yoghurt serves the small intestine.
If you want to get healthy from the inside out this is one food that you should not miss out on.
Forget capturing, forget honey. You can kill more flies with sugar substitute.
Many common insecticides are made of synthetic molecules, and they’re used all over, often to the detriment of the environment, human and animal health, and non-targeted insects like bees. Insect pests are even developing resistance to them. Now, researchers show that the main component of a top-selling sweetener, Truvia, is toxic to fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). The findings may lead to an effective, small scale insecticide that leaves humans unharmed.
Erythritol is a naturally occurring, non-nutritive sugar alcohol that was approved for use as a flavor enhancer and food additive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration back in 2001. The agency labeled it: “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). You can find it in little green and white packets of Truvia, marketed as a natural sweetener born from the leaves of the stevia plant.
A Drexel University team led by Daniel Marenda and Sean O'Donnell raised fruit flies on food containing erythritol and other sweeteners, including artificial sugar substitutes as well as table sugar and corn syrup. The flies seemed to prefer erythritol even when sugar was around. But those flies raised on food containing Truvia showed noticeable motor impairments and lived for only 5.8 days on average -- compared to the 38.6 to 50.6 days for flies raised on control and experimental foods without Truvia. Pictured above, (dead) flies raised in tubes containing Truvia.
The study began as a sixth-grade science fair project three years ago. Study coauthor Simon Kaschock-Marenda asked his parents why they stopped eating white sugar when they were trying to eat healthier. “He asked if he could test the effects of different sugars and sugar substitutes on fly health and longevity for his science fair, and I said, 'Sure!'" Marenda recalls in a news release. The two bought every type of sugar and sugar substitute they could find at their local supermarket; Marenda’s lab supplied baby flies and growth medium.
“After six days of testing these flies in our house, he came back to me and said, ‘Dad, all the flies in the Truvia vials are dead…” Marenda says. “To which I responded, ‘OK… we must have screwed up somehow. Let’s repeat the experiment!'" Under more rigorous testing conditions in the lab, they replicated their results. That's when they teamed up with O'Donnell, an entomologist down the hall, and turned the science project into a full-blown study. “Indeed what we found is that the main component of Truvia, the sugar erythritol, appears to have pretty potent insecticidal activity in our flies,” Marenda says.
No other sweeteners tested had these toxic effects -- not even PureVia, which also contains the same stevia plant extract found in Truvia. The team is now pursuing a patent on erythritol as an insecticide to be used on small scales. They’re also continuing to study its effectiveness (or toxicity) in other insects like termites, roaches, and bed bugs, as well as bugs higher up in the food chain, like the mantis. http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/calorie-free-sweetener-safe-humans-kills-fruit-flies
Just what is your food made of, anyway? Try industrial synthesis, genetically modified mold secretions, hydrochloric acid, mercury-contaminated caustic soda, ferrocyanide… and, of course, lots of GMO corn.
If common ingredients like “citric acid” and “ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)” sound normal and familiar enough that you practically conjure up an image of the flourishing orchard they were grown in – then think again.
Picture instead an industrial factory, carrying out protocols developed in a lab, produced with enough winding nozzles, tanks, valves, pipes and other thinga-ma-jiggers to create a meandering and disorienting Dr. Seuss story. Because, after all, these common –nearly ubiquitous – ingredients don’t come from where you might assume (i.e. simply, citrus fruits).
Instead, mass produced citric acid and ascorbic acid are hidden GMO ingredients that reportedly set off allergenic responses for some sensitive consumers. Further, both are known accomplices to the creation of benzene – a known human carcinogen – inside food and drink products alongside sodium benzoate.
Feel free to peruse these blogs and forums for complaints about citric acid from those allergic or intolerant to citric acid itself, mold & yeast and/or corn. Food intolerance to citric acid, or the components of its production, can trigger such symptoms as: stomach pain, reactions in the mouth, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, hives, dark circles under the eye and/or blotchy skin.
Nevertheless, most people are not allergic to citric acid, and have no identifiable negative effects from eating it. But it does serve as a poignant reminder that what we eat comes from food products – constructed as if from tinker toys, with multiple, highly processed ingredients that virtually no one would recognize and few know anything about.
Otto Von Bismarck famously quipped back in the 1800s that “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” But today there is an endless array of foods that would baffle or disgust consumers if they saw them made. Industrial food processes have rendered entire grocery stores filled with food products whose ingredients would be even less recognizable than the contents of sausage.
Citric acid: in practically everything on the shelf
Citric acid is common enough to find in foods of virtually every kind, due to its use as a preservative – extending shelf life and preventing spoilage – as well as to enhance flavor with its acidic and slightly sour taste, which gives all manner of “natural”-ish and completely artificial foods and beverages a “refreshing” kick.Despite being a known hidden GMO, it is even frequently found in certified “Organic” foods – and the USDA and FDA allow it to be in there.
Citric acid isn’t becoming a controversial foodie’s food-to-avoid, but instead trending for its ability to bring out the pucker-inducing and tangy tastes in popular foods. It is increasingly celebrated for helping to bring a balance of “all five flavors” to countless restaurant dishes and prepackaged processed foods – indispensable to even celebrity and TV contestant chefs.
Like MSG, the widely used ingredient that enhances ‘savory’ flavors and induces cravings, citric acid is widely used not only as a preservative but as a “fairy dust of flavour amplification” by enhancing and intensifying other flavors present in the recipe.
MSG and citric acid are essentially enablers to modern America’s food frenzy addiction – making even bland foods not just palatable and tasty, but downright delectable and captivating. With so many ingredients raising red flags, piling on sugar, synthetic chemicals and calories while contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart conditions and even cancer – MSG, citric acid and their peers make manufactured food products possible.
Both are used industrially to make even bland foods taste better and last longer on the shelf, regardless of nutritional value. But like many other common food additives, the science behind their production would probably take away from their (artificial) palate appeal.
Manufacturers and distributors of citric acid – as well as the larger food industry who use it as an ingredient in practically everything – benefit from the public’s assumption that citric acid comes from fruit. While this natural appeal is frequently used in food marketing and product imagery (as this chemical manufacturer clearly does), the reality of large scale, mass production of citric acid bears little to no resemblance.
Ignorance-based marketing: This chemical company uses the “fresh” image of citrus fruit to market its citric acid – with no mention that it is most likely derived from genetically modified black mold grown on GMO corn syrup
. As the Globe and Mail succinctly puts it:
Citric acid occurs naturally in such fruits as limes, pineapples and gooseberries. The dry, powdered citric acid used as an industrial food additive since the early 19th century, however has a less appetizing source; it is manufactured using a mould that feeds on corn syrup glucose.
Citric acid does in fact occur naturally in citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits in significant quantities… in fact, as a product of the Kreb’s Cycle, it is present in most living things. But industry would find it simply too costly and… well, simple to derive their preservative ingredient that way.
Actually, a cornered citrus market was already making this form of citric acid too expensive by the mid-to-late 19th century, making an alternative economically desirable even then. Authors Michael Mattey and Bjorn Kristiansen argue in their introduction to Citric Acid Biotechnology that “the science, though important, is secondary to the economics and politics of production” of citric acid.
Instead, since the early 1900s, the black mold Aspergillus niger has been used to ferment starches to derive citric acid. In 1893, a chemist named C. Wehmer discovered that citric acid could be produced with penicillium mold and sugar. Wartime disruptions in the Italian citric acid market paved the way for full-scale industrial production, after a food chemist named James Currie discovered that Aspergillus niger was even more efficient at producing citric acid. Currie also developed new methods for fermentation, and Pfizer hired him and launched a plant in 1917 to mass produce citric acid grown from mold in a sugar medium. Currie’s methods were also used by Pfizer to drastically increased the production of penicillin, credited with saving countless lives.
Today, it is not only true that nearly all citric acid is made through mold fermentation with GMO corn, but that it is produced by some of the biggest of Big Ag food producers, both in the U.S. and in China.
The three biggest domestic producers of citric acid – Archer Daniels Midland,Cargill and Tate & Lyle Americas (actually a British company) – have been recently involved in suits over import duties and trade turf against Chinese firms, including Shandong TTCA Biochemistry, battling for market share in America.
Think of all the times citric acid shows up on the ingredients label in things that you or those you love eat. We already know it isn’t as simple as squeezing a lemon or lime, but what the hell is it, anyway?
Judge for yourself, with a glance over this “simple” formula:
THE PROCESS: How Citric Acid is Synthesized from Genetically Modified Black Mold
Citric acid production has become a refined and highly prized industrial process. Numerous scientific studies discuss revisions and improvements to the efficiency. But there are definitely some constants to this often competitive and secretive process:
citric-acid-a-niger
- Engineering the mold: Aspergillus niger is a naturally occurring black mold that commonly appears on fruits and vegetables, as pictured on the onion above (source: S.K. Mohan, Creative Commons license). However, significant modification of A. niger has taken place over the past several decades to increase production of citric acid and decrease the production of unwanted byproducts. This has resulted in countless generations of genetically modified mutant variants, now specialized for industrial-scale economics. Two of the main types of modification are:
• Gamma radiation has been used to modify strains of A. niger mutants, resulting in multiplied or increased production through genetic improvement.
• Further genetic modification in the lab has taken place through the engineering of the glycolytic pathway, resulting in a metabolic-streamlining that facilitates greater citric acid production from sugar, while shutting off side avenues ofglycolysis.
Further genetic modification and “improvement” of A. niger are an object of ongoing study and industrial practice.
- Producing the Sugar Medium: Nearly all industrial citric acid begins with a highly processed glucose corn syrup that is derived from corn wet milling (other parts of the corn residues go to other processes). Other industrial sources include beet sugar and cane molasses, and occasionally also fruit waste.
But it’s hard to beat the economics of subsidized corn – the vast majority of which is the unlabeled, genetically modified, high starch (yellow dent #2) variety – that can synergistically contribute to ingredients like citric acid as well as ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose (corn sugar), maltodextrin, corn oil, corn meal, ascorbic acid (labeled as Vitamin C), MSG and other free glutamates (such as ‘hydrolyzed vegetable protein’), malic acid, baking powder, vanilla, xantham gum and perhaps hundreds of others. Oftentimes, hydrochloric acid is employed in the corn-conversion process.
To transform corn or other plant starches into by-products that can be used to create these ingredients, some serious chemistry must be employed.
citric-acid-corn-wet-millingcitric-acid-mercury-chlor-alkali
After wet milling corn to separate the starch, the production of many of these ingredients then involves a bath in strong bases, where lyes are used to break down the plant material further. Sometimes this means autolysis, when yeasts or bacteria ferment the material, and other times hydrolysis is used – which vary depending upon the type of additive, and the most efficient and cost effective established processes.
As with other common food ingredients, there is an ongoing issue with mercury cell technology – an outdated model still used in several major chlor-alkali plants – that have a known issue with mercury contamination during the application of caustic soda (to neutralize work with acids). Among hundreds of food ingredients that are potentially contaminated by mercury, studies show the three most common are high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate and, yep, citric acid.
A 2009 study published in Environmental Health analyzed the level of mercury contamination from the chlor-alkali process, resulting in numerous grabbing headlines warning about the mercury content in high fructose corn syrup. Although citric acid didn’t make the news, it too is processed in the same way:
Mercury cell chlor-alkali products are used to produce thousands of other products including food ingredients such as citric acid, sodium benzoate, and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used in food products to enhance shelf life. A pilot study was conducted to determine if high fructose corn syrup contains mercury, a toxic metal historically used as an anti-microbial. High fructose corn syrup samples were collected from three different manufacturers and analyzed for total mercury. The samples were found to contain levels of mercury ranging from below a detection limit of 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms mercury per gram of high fructose corn syrup.
- Medium preparation: Various proprietary combinations of acids and heat areused to remove impurities and sterilize the corn syrup or other substrate, including: decationization (to alter the charge of ions), thermodynamic hexacyanoferrate clarification (pertaining to an ion exchange using an iron/cyanide compound) as well as boiling – that’s right, they use cyanide.
Meanwhile, the sugar substrate is diluted in preparation for fermentation.
- Inoculation, itself a complicated step: Through a careful process, the spores or cultures of the fermenting agent is introduced, mixed and multiplied. In nearly all current industrial processes, a genetically modified mutant strain of Aspergillus niger (black mold) is then used to ferment the corn sugar syrup into citric acid over the course of several days.
citric-acid-inoculationPM
- Careful control is applied to the pH of the mixture; in various modifications to the process, different types of acids (including hydrochloric acid) are used to increase the productivity of Aspergillus niger and prevent other unwanted products, such as oxalic acid. Subsequent genetically mutated strains of A. niger have been developed to allow the “non-production” of oxalic acid at a higher pH of 5 with the presence of manganese, whereas some production facilities have required a pH as low as 2 to prevent the formation of oxalic acid at the expense of citric acid production.
citric-acid-a-niger-fermentation
- Fermentation in the Reactor: The mold-glucose solution is fermented inside in an industrial reactor, generally constructed of stainless steel tanks or towers (tomitigate past manufacturing issues that have occurred in the industry with corrosion and leaching [p. 4 submerged process] and also contain manganese [useful in controlling the production of citric acid]). The reactor includes a sophisticated aeration system that maintains the desirable level of dissolved oxygen, which fluctuates during different stages of the fermentation process.
The process of fermentation leads to the catabolism of glucose sugar by the Aspergillus niger, leading to its secretion of citric acid into the culture broth.
Spore levels, temperature and pH are all tweaked over the course of several hours or days as production of citric acid increases, peaks, then planes off.
Is anyone still with me here? We’re not quite done!
- Broth separation: After fermentation, the “culture broth” must be separated so the citric acid can be obtained. The processes vary and, again, are closely guarded trade secrets. Some processes cut the fermented broth using a solvent extraction method, while most modern citric acid production utilizes a process known as “calcium citrate precipitation.”
- Calcium citrate precipitation: The fermented broth is neutralized by calcium hydroxide, converting/precipitating much of it to calcium citrate. This is then filtered out of the solution, and sulfuric acid is then used to convert the calcium citrate to citric acid and calcium sulfate. The calcium sulfate is filtered out and evaporation for crystallization begins.
citric-acid-crystallization
- Crystallization: Another secretive step is the exact process for converting the final substrate of citric acid into the crystalline white powder that is sold to food manufacturers and consumers. An entry in Volume 17 of Biotechnology and Bioengineering published in 1975 describes the process: “The filtrate is concentrated under vacuum at a low temperature to give crystals of citric acid. Details of both fermentation and crystallization procedures are closely guarded trade secrets.”
The process is likely even more refined, specialized and high tech today. AWikispaces entry for Citric Acid describes putting the isolated citric acid through additional steps with “activated carbon, cation and anion exchange resins in fixed bed reactors” before evaporation. It then describes both a hot and cold process of crystallization, with the former producing //www.cargillfoods.com/wcm/groups/public/@cseg/@food/@all/documents/document/na3014920.pdf" target="_blank" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; list-style: none; border: 0px none; color: rgb(42, 165, 38); -webkit-transition: all 0.15s; transition: all 0.15s;">anhydrous citric acid, and the latter producing monohydrate citric acid.
- Finishing for Market: The products then can undergo centrifuging, fluidized bed drying and classification (by grain size) before reaching the market.
- Sodium Citrate: A related ingredient that is commonly used in foods as an acidulant, as citric acid is, and as an emulsifier in cheese products, is sodium citrate. It is typically created in the same facilities where citric acid is produced, by adding caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, a.k.a. lye) to citric acid, neutralizing it into a weaker citrate salt. Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland and Tate & Lyle are all major producers of sodium citrate.
If the use of caustic soda involves a mercury-cell chlor-alkali plant (see above diagram), further mercury contamination could occur, though membrane-cell technology is replacing it in most plants.
An additional issue with citric acid pertains to its use as a common preservative alongside other ingredients that could cause known carcinogens, like benzene, inside food products:
Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate “Fizz-ion”: A Carcinogenic Contaminate the Soda Companies Have Known About For Decades
Academic studies emerged in the early 1990s about a potent combination of ingredients that was frequently showing up in soft drinks, sports drinks and artificially flavored citrus beverages: the presence of sodium benzoate had the known potential to break down in benzene, a known human carcinogen, when in the presence of heat, or in particular, either citric acid or ascorbic acid. Studies proved that this could happen right inside the drink containers – while in transport, on store shelves or waiting for consumption in consumers’ homes.
Yet nothing was done about it, until the scandal reemerged in 2005 when the FDA was confronted with studies conducted by a private citizen! Numerous European studies in Germany, Belgium and elsewhere backed up the data, and things slowly began to change.
Afterwards, many diet soda brands, sports drinks and citrus-flavored beverages voluntarily removed the troubling ingredient sodium benzoate (though some laughably replaced it only with potassium benzoate, which has the same potential to create benzene).
However, many other brands have done nothing at all, and the FDA allows them to continue using this dangerous mixture of ingredients, despite clear data on the matter. Foods and drinks containing the potentially harmful combination of sodium benzoate and citric acid can STILL be commonly found on store shelves, perhaps especially with generic brands.
Here’s a video covering some drinks containing it:
Artificial Fruit Soda Creates Cancer Causing By-Product…
Start reading ingredient labels on the brands that you shop for – and those you already know best to avoid – and take note of just how many products contain the hidden GMO ingredient citric acid. We recommend simplifying your diet by eating fresh produce – better if they are grown by someone you know/trust or are “organic” – and foods with as few ingredients as possible.
How many times have you glossed over this seemingly natural ingredient – despite the fact that it is a highly processed and synthetic food additive?