Can An Alkaline Diet Successfully Treat Cancer? Signs Your Body Is Too Acidic & What To Do About It!

It never ceases to amaze me how often conventional doctors fail to address the correlation between food and cancer prevention and treatment. Your diet can not only cause cancer, but it could also prevent or cure you from cancer. Meat, dairy, refined sugar, and processed foods are all known to increase one’s risk of cancer, and all of these are considered acid-forming foods. Cancer is a systemic, metabolic disease that forms as a result of nutrient deficiencies, high amounts of toxins, and usually a pH level that’s too low, meaning the body is too acidic. In order to neutralize the constant acid generation, we need to supply the body with more alkaline foods. An alkaline diet may be your best defence against cancer.

The Relationship Between Blood pH and Cancer

Our pH is measured on a scale ranging from 0-14 with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. In order to transport oxygen throughout the body, our blood needs to maintain a pH level of approximately 7.35. Even though our bodies store excess alkaline reserves to buffer acids, if you’re eating a conventional diet filled with pesticides and processed foods, your reserve has likely depleted.

As Keiichi Morishita explains in his book Hidden Truth of Cancer, as your blood pH becomes too acidic, your body will move the acidic substances from the blood to your cells, allowing the blood to return to a pH level of 7.35. As a result, these cells will become too acidic and in some cases, die. The cells that survive become abnormal cells that cannot correspond with your brain or DNA memory code, typically referred to as “malignant” cells, which will continuously grow. These are cancerous.

While lowering cancer cell pH (increasing acidity) is effective against cancer cell mitosis in the lab, increasing acid levels in the live body of a cancer patient puts stress on normal cells and causes a lot of pain.  So the proposed alkaline therapy for people is a “high pH therapy” and has been developed to normalize the intracellular pH of the cancer patient’s body through elimination of latent acidosis, while increasing the pH of cancer cells to a range above 7.5.  According to published research, it is at that pH they revert to a normal cellular apoptosis cycle (programmed cell death).

Ideally, this approach begins with an alkaline diet.  There is general agreement amongst natural healers and medical professionals that changing a cancer patient’s diet is extremely helpful when someone is confronted with a cancer diagnosis.
The principles of pH therapy are very simple, according to many.  The metabolism of cancer cells does have a very narrow pH tolerance for cellular proliferation ( between 6.5 and 7.5). If you can interfere with cancer cell metabolism by either lowering or raising the internal cancer cell pH, you can theoretically stop cancer progression.
Regardless of whether or not you actually have cancer, an alkaline diet is optimal for your bodily health. In general, the 80/20 rule is believed to be ideal: 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic.

What an Alkaline Diet Looks Like

As the Journal of Environmental and Public Health explains, foods can be categorized as either alkaline or acidic according to their “potential renal acid loads” (PRALs). For example, fruits, vegetables, juices, and other alkaline rich foods have negative PRALs; however, grains, meats, dairy products, fish, and other acidic foods have higher PRALs. To maintain ideal pH, your diet should be comprised of organic leafy greens, herbs and spices, root vegetables, onions, garlic, leek and chives, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages, beans, lentils, peas, and nuts and seeds, combined with minimal gluten-free grains such as rice.
Here are some suggestions to help you improve your alkalinity:

1. Check your pH regularly
2. Drink more water (alkaline water, if possible)
3. Remove acidic foods
4. Convert to a vegan or more plant-based diet
5. Replace a traditional lunch with a large green salad
6. Use lettuce leaves and collard greens as wraps
7. Don’t consume processed foods
8. Eliminate soda, sugars, and coffee, and replace them with herbal tea, herbal coffee, and green drinks
9. Replace dairy milk with non-dairy milks such as coconut, hemp, or almond milk
10. Add green juices and smoothies to your diet

The following diagram highlights which foods are considered acidic or alkaline:

Why Removing Dairy, Meat, and Sugar From Your Diet is Crucial for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

It’s no secret that eliminating meat and dairy products — both of which are categorized as acidic foods — reduces your risk of cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has published multiple studies on the relationship between diet and cancer prevention, one of which determined that red meat and processed meat consumption increase cancer risk. Another study compared the blood from those who maintain a vegan diet to those who follow a standard American diet and concluded that a vegan diet was more effective at stopping cancer cell growth (read our article about it here). Studies have also shown that dairy products can increase one’s risk of developing prostate cancer by 30-50% .The China Study, performed by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, proved that casein, the main protein in dairy products, is a known carcinogen.
Cancer literally feeds off of animal protein and sugar, and numerous studies have demonstrated the link between sugar consumption and cancer growth. For example, Nobel prize-winning scientist Otto Warburg proved that instead of using oxygen, cancer cells use a method of cell respiration called glycolysis, which is the fermentation of glucose (a form of sugar). Without glucose to meet their energy needs, cancer cells die.
It is clear that if you follow a smart alkaline diet, you can significantly reduce your risk of cancer. I use the word ‘smart’ because if you’re consuming conventional fruits and vegetables and genetically modified foods instead of organic, you’re still being exposed to pesticides and toxins, which are also known carcinogens. Many people have adopted organic, plant-based, alkaline-rich diets and have successfully cured themselves of cancer.
Aside from alkaline diets, there are a number of other all-natural treatments for cancer that are being studied and used by cancer patients all over the world. Some of these alternative methods include cannabis, vitamin C injections, turmeric, plant-based diets, and frankincense, among others.

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”
– Hippocrates

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Slow Down! Less Is More!

 When did life get so busy?

The constant go, go, go cycle many of us experience means it’s become very hard to relax, to shut down our minds when we need some peace and calm. Our heads are always full of lists, tasks, thoughts of what we haven’t done and what we need to do… when does it end? Are we needlessly complicating our lives with being so busy? Do we end up avoiding and procrastinating as we attempt to escape, even for a short time, our endless busyness?
We seem to be trapped in the age of being busy. This is fueled by our constant connectivity to devices that offer never-ending amounts of information and distraction via the Almighty Internet. Being too busy ongoingly leads to feelings of stress and overwhelm — we feel there is never enough time to do what we need to do. Over the long term, this can cause anxiety and even depression. Constant busyness affects our physical and mental health, our relationships with our partner and children, our ability to be productive and creative at work, and our self esteem.
Many times, it takes a major event for us to wake up from the vicious cycle we find ourselves in. A health crisis whether physical or emotional, a relationship betrayal or infidelity, our children falling ill or acting out, a serious accident that renders us immobile for a while — eventually something has to give and force us to address the stress and accompanying feelings of resentment, exhaustion, anger, and unhappiness.
So, what can we do to help ourselves start to shift the busy cycle we find ourselves caught up in? Begin by writing out what your day typically looks like so you can see when you wake up, what you spend your time on, and how you feel during the day. The way we start our day has a major impact on the pace of our day. The way we end our day affects our quality of sleep/rest time, which is equally important. Eliminate low priority items in your schedule to free up time and ensure you have some open time slots daily.

Take time to wake up earlier so that you have a few minutes for quiet gratitude and meditation in the morning. Doing this with your partner can be very helpful and makes it more likely you will commit to it. There are apps that you can download for free that can assist by reminding you to meditate and tracking it so you can see your progress.

Another option it to meditate in the shower — water is a wonderful energetic conductor and cleanser and taking a few minutes in the shower can be an amazing way to start off your day.
If you have children, you may want to try doing a few minutes of family meditation during the day, which is a great way to calm and ground.

Simple method to meditate: Sit quietly and focus on the breath, in and out, in and out, in and out, at a normal pace for a few moments. Set a timer for 1-2 minutes to begin with, slowly working up to 5 or 10 minutes — whatever you can manage and feels right for you. Do not put pressure on yourself. Keep it light — I promise, you can’t get it wrong. The fact that you are taking a minute or more to SLOW DOWN is a big step toward shifting the busy mindset. You can do this anytime in the day.
Reviewing how you spend your time during the day is key as well — are you wasting time online, distracting yourself from difficult situations or feelings in your life? Be aware of how often you reach for your phone or get off task by browsing or researching. Limit time on your devices and set a timer when you are online — when the timer goes off, make sure you get up and walk away from your laptop or device. Taking a break from the internet/email is key to slowing down.

If you are at home, get outside or take a break to go do something completely different — perhaps some cleaning or meal preparation. Savour the time you have to clean or eat, and be aware and grateful for the simple things. Step out on your balcony, deck, or yard (or to the bathroom if you are at work) and practice gratitude and a few breaths of meditation to bring you back to the present moment. You can use phrases like “I activate the present moment” and “I activate higher self” to assist you, before you start focusing on your breath, in and out for a few relaxed cycles. Again, keep it light — you can’t get it wrong, and the fact you are creating awareness is key to creating change. It is a slow, gradual process that takes time and patience. It’s taken years to get to where you currently are, and it will take time to shift, too.

You can use this practice anytime during the day when you feel overwhelmed — even while driving. Pull over in your car to a safe spot and focus on your breath for a few moments, taking time to SLOW DOWN and Connect. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your feelings of overwhelm dissipate. And if your kids are feeling overwhelmed, you can do the same thing, whether in the car, at home, or out somewhere. Including them is an amazing way to teach them this powerful, yet simple tool of focusing on the breath. There are countless CDs, MP3s, and apps that you can use. A small portable speaker (for the family) or earphones (if it’s just yourself) are helpful too.
Doing this before bed is a wonderful way to calm your mind and help you sleep. Leave your phone charging in another room overnight so you are not tempted to reach for it if you can’t sleep or first thing in the morning. This is key to creating the space for slowing down.

The more time you set aside for fun, nature, being active, alone or with friends or family, the more you will shift your busy energy. Get your children involved in cleaning and meal prep with an attitude of gratitude. Savouring whatever we are doing slows things down. Less IS more.

Simplify what you can. Clear out clutter and excess material items — donate, share, pay it forward, give it away. Right-sizing feels lighter. It may feel challenging at the start to break the busy addiction, but nothing will change unless you take action and create the space for yourself and your family to SLOW DOWN. Play frisbee in the backyard with the kids, go to the park, go for a walk, get on your bike, hit the gym, try a local meditation or yoga class, play with your cat, get your dog out for a walk (or borrow a friend’s dog), and GET MOVING. Have fun, breathe, be present, and live more in the slow lane. What can you do to slow down and feel more present?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/10/06/slow-down-less-is-more/

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5 juice cleanses that anyone with a sluggish liver, kidneys or lungs needs to know about!

When you perform a cleanse, or as I like to call it; a ‘cleanup’ of the body, you are naturally supporting your detoxification pathways. Cleanses work by taking the stress away from your digestive system. In food cleanses your trigger foods which are dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol are removed, and in a juice cleanse you are indeed resetting your digestion by simply nourishing your body with pure liquids that do not require chewing or extensive digesting.

What you put into your mouth is the biggest factor in how effective a cleanse will be, when you follow a program such as my 3-Day Reset Juice Cleanse you can be successful in converting toxins to waste which can now be easily eliminated from your body in a safe way. After the completion of the 3-Day Reset Cleanse, you can notice increased energy, improved digestion, glowing skin, clear thoughts and a better nights sleep.

This is where your Superstar Cleansing Organs come in, here are their behind the scenes roles that you might not feel – but this is what they are doing to support you.

How Your Superstar Cleansing Organs Support You

 

The Liver

By far the top highlighted cleansing organ, our liver alone is responsible for over 500 functions, including the amazing ability to regenerate itself. This organ’s main function is to filter blood coming from the digestive tract before passing it to the rest of the body. Our liver removes toxins we may have ingested from foods, additives, toxic minerals like chlorine and fluoride, medications and excess hormones. Our liver also plays roles in managing blood sugar levels and protecting the body against bacteria, viruses, and cancerous cells.
Supporting the Superstar: Dandelion greens, turmeric, garlic, leafy greens, lemons, cabbage

Practicing Mindfulness: Negative emotions such as anger, frustration, jealousy, irritability, resentment and envy slowly eat away at both the liver and gall bladder.

The Kidneys

These little guys are essential for keeping our bodies in a state of balance. They regulate fluid levels in the body, control blood pressure, and keep our blood stable. Each kidney is made up of about a million filtering cells called nephrons which filter toxic waste out of our blood by excretion through the urinary system.
Supporting the Superstar: Watermelon, celery, cucumber, dandelion, parsley, apple cider vinegar, tart cherry, cranberry

Practicing Mindfulness: The emotion of fear is well related to the kidneys. When we are in fear, we experience increased urination. Prolonged periods of anxiety can also weaken the kidneys.

The Colon

A healthy colon eliminates toxins from the body one to three times daily, whereas an unhealthy colon produces toxins and adds a hardness and fullness to our lower abdomen.
Supporting the Superstar: Flax, aloe vera, ginger, fennel, garlic. Be sure to continuously sip a clean source of water daily and eat natural sources of fiber like leafy greens, chia seeds, avocados and other fresh fruits with every meal to support healthy elimination.
Practicing Mindfulness: Our colon is very sensitive to the feeling of anxiety, which can be related to IBS tendencies.

The Skin

Our largest organ is our skin, which also makes our skin the biggest surface area of detoxification pathways. We can tell a lot about what is happening inside of our bodies by the appearance of our skin; for example, blemishes are a signal of rooted toxins trying to escape.
Supporting the Superstar: Avocado, coconut oil, hemp, green tea, berries, filtered water, flax, neem. Cease in the use of drugstore skin care products; try organic coconut oil or shea butter as a moisturizer. Exercise daily, hop into a sauna (infrared is ideal) and stimulate your lymphatic system through dry brushing your skin and then alternating hot and cold water in your shower.

Practicing Mindfulness: Understand the connection between the digestive system and the skin. Emotions play an impact on our skin when hormones are not in the balance due to emotional, physical, and mental stress it can lead to inflammation as your body’s natural response. In Chinese medicine Skin Mapping is practiced, where you can relate certain breakout areas to what is happening inside of your body, read more here.

The Lungs

 

Our lungs oxygenate our blood when we breathe in and release carbon dioxide when we breathe out. Respiration is the term for “the exchange of oxygen from the environment for carbon dioxide from the body’s cells.” Many of us, by habit,  take short, shallow breaths due to anxiety and stress in our lives and this relates to the inability to relax. This is not optimal for this important detoxification pathway. Focus on making your breaths deep and calm, plus I think you should laugh a little more! Another cool point is that 80% of fat loss is exhaled in the form of carbon dioxide, so proper breathing is essential in that respect as well.
Supporting the Superstar: Green tea, ginger, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, apples, pomegranates, filtered water.
Practicing Mindfulness: Sadness, depression, and grief target the lungs and can result in shortness of breath and fatigue. Our lungs need a feeling of space, and when we are without “breathing room” the lungs feel constricted, overwhelmed and smothered.

Source:

http://www.holisticole.com/blog/2016/6/8/your-superstar-detoxification-organs

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The chili-chocolate chai latte that burns fat like crazy and satisfies any sweet tooth!

Now that the temperature is dropping, it is important to maintain agni, our digestive fire, in order to keep us energized, warm and free from colds and flu.
One of the most amazing herbs for stimulating agni is cayenne pepper.  Cayenne has amazing health benefits, such as stimulating and repairing digestive tissues, increasing circulation and decreasing the risk of heart disease and even stimulating the release of fat tissue, aiding in weight loss.

There are a number of studies showing its effectiveness for reversing heart disease, reducing headaches, helping to treat skin conditions like psoriasis and more.  You can read more here.

This winter I have become obsessed with cayenne pepper, adding it to everything from water (with one full squeezed lemon and ginger) and to soups.  As a delicious study aid, I invented this chai tea recipe. It only takes a couple of minutes to make and is absolutely delicious (and vegan and gluten-free, so everyone’s happy, right?).
It contains three more excellent spices:

1. Cinnamon – Helps lower blood sugar levels
   
2. Ginger – Another warming digestive aid that helps decrease nausea
   
3. Nutmeg – Helps increase the absorptive power of the small intestine and colon, according to my Ayurvedic class

Here’s how to make it:

Chili Chocolate Chai Latte

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper powder
  
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder
• boiling water

Instructions:

1. Add the spices and almond milk to a giant mug (approximately 1.5 cups) and then microwave the mixture for 1 minute
2. When the mixture has finished heating, stir it, add raw cacao powder and continued to stir until the spices began to dissolve, turning the milk brown
3. The, add the honey and continue stirring
4. Finally, top the mug up with some boiling water

If you are opposed to using a microwave or want to make a larger portion of Chili Chocolate Chai Latte, this recipe can be made by mixing everything together (except the honey) and heating it in a saucepan over the stove on low heat.  Add the honey last.  Be warned, however, that this method will take longer than 2 minutes…

Other variations have included adding cocoa instead of raw cacao, or even (if you really want to live it up) a square of pure dark chocolate to let melt, mochaccino-style, in the bottom of your mug.
The tea is creamy, slightly sweet, spicy and chocolatey.  It’s the perfect stimulating, warming beverage for a crisp Winter day!

http://theheartysoul.com/chocolate-chai-latte-recipe/

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This essential oil might be the end of strep throat forever, study suggests!

Strep throat got you down? If you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to do is take antibiotics (1).  Luckily, a new study published in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that cinnamon bark essential oil could be effective in treating your strep throat, no antibiotics necessary!

What Is Cinnamon Oil?

Cinnamon oil is an essential oil made from the bark of the cinnamon plant, Cinnamomum verum. Essential oils are concentrated liquids which contain “aroma compounds” from plants. These oils are usually extracted by steam distillation. Health practitioners have been using essential oils for years to combat just about any ailment you can think of, but sound scientific research on the topic has sadly been lacking.

What the Research Shows

This study by French and Belgian researchers found that certain essential oils show antibacterial properties when pitted against Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria responsible for your strep throat. In the in vitro study, the presence of these oils created an environment that was unfriendly to the strep bacteria, which caused the bacteria to avoid the area where the oils were introduced. Though many essential oils were found to be effective, cinnamon oil was clearly the best. Its effectiveness was about the same as the antibiotic amoxicillin in the measurements used in the study.(2)

Why Cinnamon Oil is Better Than Antibiotics

Antibiotics are the traditional cure for strep throat, and they are probably what your doctor will prescribe to you if you test positive for Streptococcus(3). But before you decide to fill the prescription, here are a few things to consider:

• Antibiotics can kill your gut bacteria and cause you to gain weight quicker(4)
• Antibiotics can kill your throat flora, making it more likely for you to get strep again soon(5)
  
• Antibiotic overuse can lead to an increased antibiotic resistance(6)
  

Cinnamon oil can give you the antibacterial punch without any of the side effects of antibiotics!

How to Use Cinnamon Oil to Fight Strep Throat

Now that you know about the healing power of cinnamon oil, how can you use it to treat that painful case of strep throat? There are a number of ways you can use cinnamon oil(8):

1. Aromatically: Just the scent of essential oils can give us access to their health benefits. Try using a diffuser to spread the scent of cinnamon oil through your home, or simply open the bottle and inhale the scent directly.
2. Topically: Dilute cinnamon oil before applying directly to the skin, as it is very strong and can be irritating. Mix 1:1 with coconut oil and receive coconut oil’s benefits too!
3. Internally: Not all essential oils are safe to ingest, but cinnamon oil is an exception! Add a drop to a glass of water or your morning smoothie, but make sure you get a high-quality cinnamon oil if using internally. Look for organic, therapeutic-grade oils.

Also, check out this article on other ways to cure strep throat without resorting to nasty antibiotics.(9)

Sources:

(1) Pharmaceutical Antibiotics Can Cause Horrific Side Effects – Healthy Holistic Living.Healthy Holistic Living. 2016. Available at: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/pharmaceutical-antibiotics-can-cause-horrific-side-effects.html. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(2) Sfeir J, Lefrançois C, Baudoux D, Derbré S, Licznar P. In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils againstStreptococcus pyogenes. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;2013:1-9. doi:10.1155/2013/269161.

(3) The long-term consequences of ANTIBIOTICS most doctors ignore. Family Life Goals. 2016. Available at: http://familylifegoals.com/long-term-consequences-of-antibiotics/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(4) Antibiotics Can Destroy Good Bacteria and Permanently Slow Your Child’s Metabolism.The Hearty Soul. 2015. Available at: http://theheartysoul.com/children-antibiotics/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(5) Sanders C, Sanders W, Harrowe D. Bacterial interference: effects of oral antibiotics on the normal throat flora and its ability to interfere with group A streptococci. Infection and Immunity. 1976;13(3):808-812. Available at: http://iai.asm.org/content/13/3/808.full.pdf+html. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(6) How Overusing Antibiotics is DESTROYING Gut Health and WIDENING Waistlines. The Hearty Soul. 2016. Available at: http://theheartysoul.com/antibiotic-dangers/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(7) How Do I Choose and Use Essential Oils? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing.Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. 2016. Available at: http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/aromatherapy/how-do-i-choose-and-use-essential-oils. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(8) Cinnamon Oil: 10 Proven Benefits and Uses – Dr. Axe. Dr Axe. 2016. Available at: https://draxe.com/cinnamon-oil/. Accessed October 4, 2016.
(9) Cure Strep Throat Naturally WITHOUT Antibiotics (Here’s How) – Healthy Holistic Living. Healthy Holistic Living. 2016. Available at: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/natural-strep-throat-remedies.html. Accessed October 4, 2016.

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Don’t Panic But Stress Can Counteract Benefits of a Healthy Diet

(iStock photo/Getty images)

By Allison Aubrey, NPR September 28, 2016

Eating well has many known benefits. But a good diet may not be able to counteract all the ill effects of stress on our bodies.
A new study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggests stress can override the benefits of making better food choices.
To evaluate the interactions between diet and stress, researchers recruited 58 women who completed surveys to assess the kinds of stress they were experiencing. The women also participated in what researchers call a “meal challenge,” where they were each given two different types of meals to eat, on different days.
One meal was high in saturated fat, the type of fat linked to cardiovascular disease. The other meal was high in a plant-based oil, which is considered more healthful.
“When women were not stressed and they got the healthier meal, their inflammatory responses were lower than when they had the high saturated fat meal,” explains study author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at the Ohio State University. She says this was not a big surprise.
But here’s the part that may seem counterintuitive: “If a woman was stressed on a day when she got the healthy meal, she looked like she was eating the saturated fat meal in terms of her [inflammation] responses,” Kiecolt-Glaser explained.
In other words, the more healthful meal was no better in terms of its impact on inflammation. “The stress seemed to boost inflammation,” Kiecolt-Glaser explained.
The kinds of stressful events the women experienced weren’t life-threatening. Rather, they’re the sorts of events that make us feel overwhelmed or out of control, such as a child care scramble or caring for an elderly, sick parent.
The researchers measured several markers of inflammation in the body, including C-reactive protein, or CRP.
Over a lifetime, higher inflammation levels are linked to an increased risk of a range of diseases, including “cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, some cancers,” Kiecolt-Glaser explains. “It’s an ugly list of possibilities.”
The findings add to the evidence that stress is a powerful player when it comes to influencing our health. Kiecolt-Glaser’s prior research has shown that people who are stressed heal wounds more slowly. She has also demonstrated that stress can promote weight gain by altering metabolism and slowing down calorie-burning.
Kiecolt-Glaser says there’s still a lot that’s unknown. For instance, in this new study, she’s not sure how the inflammation levels of stressed-out women would have been influenced by an ultra-healthful meal — say, an avocado with greens on a piece of whole-grain toast. She points out that both of the meals the women ate for this study were very high in calories and had about 60 grams of fat.
Now, if you’re looking for the upside in this line of research, rest assured: There are a whole range of strategies that have been shown to help manage stress.
“Close, personal relationships are perhaps the world’s greatest stress reducer,” Kiecolt-Glaser says. Studies have also shown mindfulness meditation and yoga to be effective.
And as we’ve reported, even doing nice things for others can help keep stress in check.
When I was reporting this story, I asked stressed-out Georgetown University law students what they do to manage stress. They pointed to a range of activities — from salsa dancing to listening to hip-hop to going to the gym. “I really enjoy exercising when I’m stressed. It gives you an outlet to distract you,” Marina Smith told me.
And it seems these students are on to some good strategies, says Aric Prather, an assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, who studies how lifestyle choices influence health. “Exercise and social connectedness,” he says, “are effective in improving people’s well-being and their ability to cope with stress.”

https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/09/28/dont-panic-but-stress-can-counteract-benefits-of-a-healthy-diet/

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High Quality Moringa For Energy - Video

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Moringa in the news!

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The Alkaline Diet Info Every Cancer Patient Needs To Read Immediately!

 

The balance of the pH levels in the body is of high importance for every human being, not only for cancer patients. The overall health is significantly affected by it, and in order to stay healthy, you need to maintain an alkaline environment in the body.
As stated in the Raw Food Health “The human body goes to great lengths to maintain a slightly alkaline PH of 7.35, but poor diet and stress can change the PH to an acidic one in which disease can thrive.”
Unfortunately, to maintain the alkaline environment in the body is nowadays extremely difficult, as we are all consuming unhealthy foods, rich in chemicals and toxins, processed foods, microwave meals, and fast foods.
Such an unhealthy diet creates an acidic environment in the body and thus greatly raises the risk of cancer and various other health issues.
Therefore, it is of high importance to follow a healthy, alkaline diet in order to restore the balance in the body, accelerate healing, and support your well-being.
We provide some extremely useful information on how to restore the pH balance in the body and maintain an alkaline environment. The alkaline diet will help you fight inflammation and various other health conditions.
--    Your alkaline diet should be primarily based on organic leafy green vegetables, cauliflower and cabbages, broccoli, herbs and spices, root vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, lentils and peas, onions, garlic, leek and chives, and non-gluten grains such as rice in small amounts.
--    Also, you can consume as much fruits and vegetables as you want, and 2-4 ounces of grass-fed meat, organic poultry or clean fish, a few times a week.
--    Avoid sugar, as cancer cells use more glucose per unit of time than healthy cells. Also,  sugar reduces the magnesium content in the body and thus supports cancer.  “Natural” sugars like agave and honey should also be eliminated from your diet. Instead, you can consume unsweetened apple sauce, figs, dried apricots, or fresh pineapple.
--    Prof. (Emeritus) T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Cornell University Cow, conducted a study which found that dairy is one of the most cancer-causing foods since it contains casein protein.
Hence, dairy products should be avoided in the case of cancer, as due to the high acid production, they may cause inflammation, bone deterioration, and support cancer proliferation.
--    Avoid glutinous grains as gluten causes inflammation. You should not consume high-gluten grains such as rye, whole grains, wheat, and pasta, bread, cereals, cookies, cakes, muffins, crackers, and other baked goods.
You should replace them with non-gluten grains such as quinoa, rice, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth. Additionally, eliminate “gluten free” prepared products, since they have added sugar or processed oils.
Source: www.justamazingrecipes.com


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Introducing jackfruit, the meat substitute vegans love!

Image: iStock

It’s big, bumpy and smelly, but also one of the most versatile fruit available. Originating from India, the jackfruit is the largest tree-fruit in the world, and can grow up to 35 kilos.  It’s rendered a “miracle” crop, capable of solving starvation problems partly due to its generous size, but also because of the many ways you can cook it. The Bengali delicacy has provided nourishment for families in many regions of Southeast Asia. Yet, this humungous superfood is still mostly unknown to westerners.

What you need to know about jackfruit

Image: iStock

Sporteluxe’s own resident nutritionist, Michelle Pellizon, gave us the down low on this under appreciated superfood.

Jackfruit is a really popular meat substitute because of its texture; it absorbs flavours really nicely. The nutritional value varies depending on when you eat it during its ripeness, but a 100-g serving is about 95 calories. It’s got about 25 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin B6, and potassium, B1, B2, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, iron, calcium, and dietary fibre.
It can be eaten ripe, in which case it taste like a combination of pineapple, mango and banana, or unripe, taking on a potato-like consistency and taste. The hundreds of bulbs that are contained in the actual fruit have highly nutritional seeds, which can be roasted and eaten as a snack (curbing all those unhealthy sugar cravings!), or used in curries and stews in place of lentils.

It’s not your average fruit

A quick Google search on jackfruit and you’ll find endless images of BBQ pulled pork. According to Business Insider Australia, it’s smells like sweet rotten onions and tastes like pulled pork. Not something we imagine to be appetising, but the trend seems to be popular among vegans and vegetarians who use it to make pseudo-pulled pork sandwiches.

Image: iStock

But don’t be fooled by it’s meaty taste. Michelle explains jackfruit doesn’t quite match up to other high protein legume; “Jackfruit doesn’t have much protein, so if you’re looking for a meat substitute it might be better to go with other vegan protein options like nuts, seitan, or beans.”
The sheer size of the jackfruit makes it an ideal family meal. From pork burgers, to curries or even ice cream and baking flour (by grind the seeds), the jackfruit is extremely versatile, not to mention keeps you fuller longer (so no after hours snacking!). However,  storage can be tricky since it only keeps for a couple of weeks after harvest.
Jackfruit is available in some U.S and Australian farmers markets, and we can’t wait to get out hands on this giant superfood and taste test it for ourselves!

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Fluoride Officially Classified as a Neurotoxin in World’s Most Prestigious Medical Journal!

There has been a huge interest and demand in removing industrial sodium fluoride from water all over the world, since it has been proven that this substance is actually harmful.
The most prestigious and established medical journal, The Lancet, also marked fluoride as a neurotoxin. This regards arsenic, lead and mercury as well.
This news were first introduced by author Stefan Smyle and exposed on the Facebook page Occupy Food. Here the link was related to the report published in The Lancet Neurology, Volume 13, Issue 3, in the March 2014 edition. The authors of this report are Dr. Phillippe Grandjean and Philip J. Landrigan, MD.
Industrial Chemicals Identification
The report distinguishes five similar industrial chemicals and places them into the developmental neurotoxicants group. Those are: lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, and toluene.
Recently, another six neurotoxicants have been identified as well: manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
According to the reporters, there are more neurotoxicants that are not discovered yet.
ADHD, Dyslexia, and other cognitive impairments
The authors proposed a new approach and claimed that “untested chemicals should not be presumed to be safe to brain development, and chemicals in existing use and all new chemicals must therefore be tested for developmental neurotoxicity.”
The report also claims that neurodevelopmental disabilities are affecting plenty of children worldwide, and some of them are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and other cognitive issues, which are known to cause a “pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity.”
The report further continues: “To coordinate these efforts and to accelerate translation of science into prevention, we propose the urgent formation of a new international clearinghouse.”
Highly fluoridated water has been confirmed to cause lower IQ in people who drink it, unlike non-fluoridated water.
Fluoride also linked to Cancers
Cancer is another thing that can happen as a result of drinking water with sodium fluoride in it. This substance is artificially added to drinking water supplies. Also, it is used by dentists in order to support dental health.
The largest fluoride water supplies at the moment are located in North America. As for the other countries, especially the European ones, this water has been banned from use.

Source: althealthworks.com


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The baking soda and castor oil compress you can make at home to treat 15 health conditions!

You might already be aware of some of the health benefits of castor oil, such as relief from constipation or anti-inflammation. But when it’s combined with baking soda, it can actually be used to treat a variety of health problems pretty easily.

Before you start, you will need to make a compress for some of the treatments. It’s simple to make and only requires castor oil, plastic sheeting, clean gauze, hot water bottle and a towel. Here’s how to get started and what to use it for.

How to Make and Use a Compress

• Clean your skin with baking soda solution before and after using the compress
  
• Soak the gauze in heated castor oil
  
• Place it on the critical area, cover with foil and place a hot water bottle on it
• Wrap it in a towel and hold for one hour
• Rest while holding
  

Health Problems Treated

Injuries

1. Place on wounds, bruises, and cuts to help them heal faster
   
2. Can help in healing injured wrists if you wrap it in castor oil overnight
3. Relieves pain and itching from insect bites and stings
   
4. Helps lower back pain when applied to the area once a week
5. Bleach brown spots on your skin

Diseases

6. Castor oil has been found to be effective in treating skin cancer and melanoma
7. Alleviates chronic diarrhea by applying to and covering the stomach
8. Eliminate nail fungus by coating the affected areas every day
9. Can help speed up the healing of Hepatitis C
   

Other

10. Effectively removes warts after four weeks
11. Massage your head with the oil for 20 minutes before shampooing once a week and boost hair growth
12. Massaging the belly with castor oil in the last two months of pregnancy prevents stretch marks

While it may not literally be a ‘miracle’ cure, castor oil and baking soda is still really effective. Add in the fact that it’s simple to make and use, and you have a useful addition to your medicine cabinet. Give it a try and let the results speak for themselves!

Sources:

Yari, Abbas, Hamid Yeganeh, Hadi Bakhshi, and Reza Gharibi. “Preparation and Characterization of Novel Antibacterial Castor Oil-based Polyurethane Membranes for Wound Dressing Application.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 102.1 (2013): 84-96. Web. (1) (2)
Mercola, Joseph, Dr. “Castor Oil Uses: The Benefits of Using This Simple Home Remedy.” Mercola.com. N.p., 28 Apr. 2012. Web. (3) (4) (7) (8) (10)


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Mix Bananas, Honey and Water: Cough and Bronchitis Will Disappear!

Treating chronic cough and bronchitis has always been a challenge even for conventional medicine…well, up until now.
This new natural remedy contains some of the oldest and most powerful ingredients that soothe the throat and lungs and cure coughing and bronchitis in no time!
Thanks to the mighty properties of honey and bananas, which are included in the recipe, you can use this remedy for both children and adults and enjoy its flavor as well!
Anything from sore throat, bad cough and even stomach problems can be treated with this drink.

Here is how to prepare it:

Ingredients:

• 400 ml boiling water
• 2 medium ripe bananas with dots
• 2 tablespoons of honey

Preparation:

First, peel the bananas and puree them with a wooden fork or spoon. Do not use metal cutlery, since the bananas tend to darken when in contact with metal.
Next, place bananas in pot and add boiled water to them. Let mixture steep for 30 minutes.
Finally, when the remedy is cooled off, add honey. You can strain mix if you prefer it transparent. It is important to add the honey last, so it doesn’t lose its important properties over to the boiling water.

Consumption:

• Drink 100ml of this remedy 4 times a day (total of 400ml per day).
• This amount is sufficient for one day and you can prepare a fresh one the following morning.
• First results come in 5 days.

Appreciate nature more and always turn to it for more beneficial remedies!

Source: www.healthonlinecentral.com


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Fitness For Your Thoughts!

Many people exercise to weight or improve their cardiovascular health, but what many people do not know is the awesome effect that physical fitness can have upon their mental health. Exercise releases “happy chemicals”, also known as endorphins and dopamine; these chemicals help boost and create feelings of happiness, euphoria, and satisfaction. For this reason many doctors suggest that individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, and/or substance abuse should make time to hit up the gym. This doesn’t mean you have to start cranking out pushups or running on the treadmill for hours on end. Even if it’s just for thirty minutes, your body can receive the mental benefits.
The Huffington Post titled released an article “13 Mental Health Benefits of Exercise”, that wrote about the benefits of exercise on mental health. Some of the benefits listed were reduced stress, increased relaxation, help with controlling addiction, a sharper memory, and even a boost to an individual’s creativity. So the next time you find yourself feeling a bit blue, especially if you are suffering from anxiety and depression, maybe hit up the gym. Not only will it take your mind off of things, but it will truly help your mind feel better.

http://accent.southern.edu/

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The Science Behind What Happens To Your Body When You Go Organic – Because People Still Don’t Believe It!

When it comes to eating organic, and encouraging others to do so, it’s not uncommon to hear a response in the form of, “well, how do we really know it’s organic” or “it probably doesn’t even make a difference.”
This is still common, but with more uproar within the past few years about the concerns surrounding the pesticides that are constantly sprayed on our foods, science is now stepping in to examine the difference.
Furthermore, a number of countries are completely banning the pesticides commonly sprayed on food in North America, and for good reasons, some of which are outlined below.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organic farms and processors must not use any genetically modified ingredients. This means that organic farmers can’t plant GMO seeds, an organic cow can’t eat GMO feed, an organic soup producer can’t use any GMO ingredients, and so on. Farmers and processors must show that they aren’t using GMOs and that they are protecting their products from contact with prohibited substances from farm to table. In order for something to qualify as organic, it must also be free from most synthetic materials, like pesticides and antibiotics.
Conventional food is (obviously) the exact opposite. Conventional food can be sprayed with pesticides, contain genetically modified ingredients, as well as administer antibiotics.

Eating Organic vs Eating Conventional

In 2012, a widely reported Stanford University study concluded that there is little difference in the healthfulness and safety of conventional and organic food. Since its publication, experts in the environmental and health sciences department criticized the study for completely overlooking a large and growing body of evidence regarding the adverse effects of pesticides. More specifically, a letter accepted for publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine pointed to the lack of information in the study regarding extensive data on the number, frequency, potential combinations, and associated health risks of pesticide residues in sprayed food. This publication calculated a 94% reduction in health risk attributable to eating organic forms of six pesticide intensive fruits.
So is organic food more nutritious?
“In carefully designed studies comparing organic and conventional apples, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, milk, carrots, grains and several other raw foods, organic farming leads to increases on the order of 10% to 30% in the levels of several nutrients, but not all. Vitamin C, antioxidants, and phenolic acids tend to be higher in organic food about 60% to 80% of the time, while vitamin A and protein is higher in conventional food 50% to 80% of the time.” –Charles Benbrook, research professor and program leader for Measure to Manage (M2M): Far and Food Diagnostics for Sustainability and Health at Washington State University (source)
A team led by Kristen Brant, a scientist at the Human Nutrition Research Center Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, carried out one of the most sophisticated meta-analysis of the “organic-versus-conventional food” nutrient-content debate. Their analysis was published in Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences in 2011, under the title, “Agroecosystem Management and Nutritional Quality of Plant Foods: The Cause of Organic Fruits and Vegetables.”
This study documents significant differences in favour of organically grown food and explains the different, yet basic farming system factors that lead to these differences. They concluded that increasing the amount of plant-available nitrogen, which is typically found in conventional farming, reduces the accumulation of (plant) defence related secondary metabolites and vitamin C, while the contents of secondary metabolites such as carotenes that are not involved in defense against disease and pests may increase.
They also found that secondary plant metabolite based nutrients in fruits and vegetables are 12 percent higher, on average, in organic food compared to conventionally grown food. Another group of nutrients that are composed of plant secondary metabolites that are involved in plant defenses against pests and response to stress were, on average, 16 percent higher.
“This subset encompasses most of the important, plant-based antioxidants that promote good health through multiple mechanisms.”
The team of researchers estimated that the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables is associated with a 12 percent higher nutrient level intake.
This is just one example of research conducted showing higher nutrient levels in organically grown food, and we are not even talking about pesticides yet.
One thing about organic food is that it’s not sprayed. A recent study conducted by researchers from RMIT university, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that an organic diet for just one week significantly reduced pesticide exposure in adults by 90 percent. (source)
Cynthia Curl, an assistant professor in the School of Allied Health Sciences Department of Community and Environmental Health at Boise State university, recently published a pesticide exposure study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Results of her research indicated that among individuals eating similar amounts of vegetables and fruits, the ones who reported eating organic produce had significantly lower OP pesticide exposure than those who normally consume conventionally grown produce. You can read more about that here.
Below is a very interesting clip titled “The Organic Effect” from the Swedish Environmental Research Institute. Watch what happened when this family decided to switch to organic food. Here is the full report.
“The change in how agriculture is produced has brought, frankly, a change in the profile of diseases. We’ve gone from a pretty healthy population to one with a high rate of cancer, birth defects and illnesses seldom seen before. The tobacco companies denied the link between smoking and cancer, and took decades to recognize the truth. The biotech and agrochemical corporations are the same as the tobacco industry; they lie and favor business over the health of the population.” – Dr. Medardo Avila Vazquez, a paediatrician specializing in environmental health (Related CE Article on the GMO/Cancer link in Argentina here)
The list literally goes on and on, the pesticides that are sprayed on our food have been linked to a variety of diseases, and high risk pesticides rarely appear as residues in organic food, and when they do, the levels are usually much lower than those found in conventional foods -especially the levels in imported produce.
“I recently completed an assessment of relative pesticide health risks from residues in six important fruits – strawberries, apples, grapes, blueberries, pears, and peaches. Using the latest data from USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (USDA, 2012) on these foods, I found that the overall pesticide risk level in the conventional brands was 17.5-times higher than the organic brands. The differences translate into a 94 percent reduction in health risk from the selection of organic brands.” – Charles Benbrook, research professor and program leader for Measure to Manage (M2M): Far and Food Diagnostics for Sustainability and Health at Washington State University, from his letter that was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine
This is very clinically significant, and this is why more and more people are starting to be concerned about pesticide related health risks.
The work of Chensheng (Alex) Lu, from the Harvard School of public health is well known. He has shown that when school-age children switch to a predominately organic diet, exposures to organophosphate (OP) insecticides are almost completely eliminated.
“Children today are sicker than they were a generation ago. From childhood cancers to autism, birth defects and asthma, a wide range of childhood diseases and disorders are on the rise. Our assessment of the latest science leaves little room for doubt; pesticides are one key driver of this sobering trend.” October 2012 report by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)

http://www.collective-evolution.com/

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