After my breast cancer surgery, my alternative health physician strongly recommended adding iodine to my diet. (I used iodized salt—so what is the big deal.) I did not ask why—I should have. I always have better compliance with instructions when I know the why behind doing something. I knew iodine is needed for the cells to convert food into energy and for normal thyroid function. (No one wants a goiter.) But what effect does iodine have on cancer?
Lynne Farrow is a journalist, researcher, former college professor, speaker and activist. Her own experience with breast cancer led to her discovery that iodine is a medicine with proven benefits reaching back 15,000 years.
Iodine is an element that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone. The body does not make iodine, so it must be made an essential part of our food choices. Most of us believe iodized salt is the answer. Author Lynne Farrow asks do we get enough iodine from iodized salt? After her research she asked does iodized salt contain any iodine at all?
The report, Iodine Nutrition: Iodine Content of US Salt by Dasgupta et al, discusses the “Iodine Gap.” This gap refers to the amount of iodine that’s supposed to be in iodized salt compared to the amount actually be measured by the time you use it. The researchers tell us salt is a poor food product to fortify because chloride competes with the iodine making it less effective.
In her book, The Iodine Crisis: What You Don't Know About Iodine Can Wreck Your Life, Farrow explains how iodized table salt is actually a nutritional scam that provides a false sense of security. “The outdated government recommendation (RDA) states that an adequate amount of iodine can be consumed from less than the 250 mcg [about] half teaspoon of iodized salt. She tells us they never factored in that the current bromide pollution purges iodine. They never factored in that iodine “evaporates” from salt containers. Or, that the form of iodine in salt doesn’t absorb well into the body. Research scientists debunked the myth that you can get enough iodine from iodized salt.
An iodine deficiency causes serious problems including frustration, depression, mental retardation, poor perception levels, goiter, abnormal weight gain, decreased fertility, coarse skin, chances of stillbirth in expectant mothers, constipation and fatigue. The World Health Organization reports iodine deficiency is one of the leading causes of mental retardation all over the world.
Good food sources of iodine include shellfish, deep-water whitefish, canned sardines, canned tuna, lobster, oyster, clams, cod, haddock, halibut, herring perch, salmon, sea bass, and shrimp. Dulles, kelp, and seaweed also contain dietary iodine. Iodine is also found in garlic, lima beans, Swiss chard, summer squash, sesame seeds, soybeans, turnip greens and spinach.
Specific health benefits include:
Regulating metabolism that affects the efficiency of body’s organ system and body processes, such as, absorption of food; sleep cycles, and the transformation of food into usable energy.
Iodine is essential to the creation of the hormones thyroxin and triodothyronine that influence heart rate, blood pressure, body weight, body temperature, and protein synthesis. Iodine helps maintain optimal energy levels of the body by the efficient use of calories. The healthy skin, teeth and hair need adequate amounts of iodine. It speeds up hair growth and increases follicle strength, while lack of this mineral can result in hair loss. It is needed for normal growth and maturity of reproductive organs.
A deficiency in iodine can actually make a woman infertile. It is essential that pregnant women get good amounts of iodine to prevent stillbirths or neurocognitive conditions in the newborn babies and to avoid gestational hypertension, which can result in a number of complications during infancy. Many pregnant women do not realize they must consume enough iodine for herself and her child since a great deal is lost every day as it passes into breast milk.
Iodine is used to treat hypothyroidism a condition characterized by an under-active thyroid gland, which results in the general slowing down of all bodily processes as the chemical balance in your body goes off track. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, dry skin, trouble concentrating, constipation, cramps, and leg swelling. Untreated hypothyroid ism can result in conditions such as heart failure or a coma.
Iodine acts as a relief for fibrocystic diseases and is widely used in therapies, both alternative and modern. Lynne Farrow tells us that salt is iodized with potassium iodide,
which may be helpful to the thyroid, however, the breasts and ovaries need iodine as well as iodide. She warns women are taking the wrong iodine.
Iodine has cancer prevention properties. It is anti-carcinogenic and can boost the immune system by enhancing the activity of antioxidants throughout the body. Research studies have shown that cancer cells shrink after being injected with iodine. They even undergo apoptosis (automatic cell death) and are then replaced with healthier cells. Studies have demonstrated a positive connection in iodine’s ability to induce apoptosis in breast cancer carcinoma cells.
Studies demonstrate that thyroid cancer patients show an improvement in symptoms after increasing their intake iodine intake. Thyroid cancer is far more common in people who are iodine deficient.
Iodine ensures programmed cell death (apoptosis), which is essential in the creation of new organs and the removal of malignant cells like cancer cells or diseased cells. Iodine flushes out chemical toxins like fluoride, lead, mercury, and biological toxins. It has antibacterial qualities and is particularly effective against Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) in the stomach, which contributes to ulcers and may cause gastric cancer.
Consult a good alternative physician when reviewing your individual iodine needs, especially if you are pregnant. Caution is recommended: Iodine intake of more than 2,000 mg could be dangerous, especially in people suffering from kidney ailments or tuberculosis. Different people’s bodies will react differently to dose amounts so be observant.
Farrow says don’t skimp on the cheap cost of iodine supplementation this may create expensive problems down the line. She warns that processed table salts often come with aluminum anti-caking chemicals, which contribute to Alzheimer’s issues.
Lynne Farrow currently serves as the Director of Breast Cancer Choices, Inc. This nonprofit organization scrutinizes the evidence for breast cancer procedures and treatments. Farrow, editor of IodineResearch.com, has compiled materials for both beginning and advanced iodine investigators. Visit Lynne's website at LynneFarrow.net
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-iodine.html
http://www.jcrows.com/iodine.html
http://iodineresearch.com
LynneFarrow.net
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Cardboard Furniture for the Disabled
Children and adults with physical disabilities have so many challenges; we ask what can I do to help? Alex Truesdell asked this question and was inspired to start the Adaptive Design Association (ADA). In a public television interview she explained teachers, therapists, and parents can build innovative and therapeutically appropriate adaptive equipment. If you need building plans she and her dedicated volunteers are just a computer click, phone call or letter away.
Truesdell has pioneered the use of cardboard boxes to create strong, lightweight and functional adaptive devices, such as chairs, tables and supports for walking. She says a major problem for parents is that adaptive equipment is very expensive and can be heavy and bulky. Good design is functional for the person and the caregiver.
Because a child grows and needs change, adaptive devices can become obsolete quickly. This is one reason why cardboard is an excellent construction material. Truesdell describes her mission as one of engagement. Families, schools, and communities can come together in the process of designing and building adaptive equipment each specific child’s size and needs. Appropriate adaptive devices enhance the child’s social, physical and academic development.
“ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.”
Truesdell, who trained as an early childhood teacher, was working at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston in 1981. There she met Erin, an infant with severe multiple disabilities. “I had never heard of adaptive technology, but suddenly found myself waking up in the night thinking of adaptations. I rolled towels into bolsters, carved notches in toys, and threaded straps through seat backs.” With the help of her Uncle, a skilled builder, they transformed ideas and frustrations into highly customized solutions for Erin.
Alex set up a small workshop in her basement where she made adaptive devices and assistive technology for her students. Eventually she was hired by the Perkins School to start the Assistive Device Center. In 1998, Truesdell relocated to New York City where she started the adaptive design center. She added an internship program for women re-entering the workforce through Alternatives To Incarceration.
Alex and Antoinette LaSorsa and developed a pilot program and in 2001 established the independent nonprofit Adaptive Design Association. Since its creation ADA has trained “over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities.”
Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Adaptive and assistive Technology is redefining “possibilities” for children and adults with disabilities. This enables individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life.
Over the 17-year history of ADA, they have helped thousands of New York City children and provided hundreds of hands-on classes and internships to future designers and builders. Adaptive Design Centers have been established in Guatemala City, Toronto, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Boston, Montreal, San Diego, Romania, Holland, and two new projects beginning in Portland, Oregon and La Paz, Bolivia.
ADA has an email newsletter and online forum and blog. Participants share adaptations, photos, accomplishments, and questions with a wider adaptive design community across the world. To join the Forum as a contributor, they ask that you email talya@adaptivedesign.org with your first post idea.
The mailing address is:
Adaptive Design Association, Inc.
313 West 36th StreetNew York, NY 10018
ADA reminds us that there are children (as well as adults and seniors) in every community who need custom adaptations. Just as certainly, every community is filled with people who would love to be part of the design and fabrication of those adaptations. “With a small workspace, skilled staff, and a group of savvy volunteers—an Adaptive Design Center can play a key role in transforming our understanding of disability in education, employment, transportation, recreation, rehabilitation, veteran services, and senior care.”
http://www.adaptivedesign.org
http://www.fyeye.org/adaptive-design.html
Truesdell has pioneered the use of cardboard boxes to create strong, lightweight and functional adaptive devices, such as chairs, tables and supports for walking. She says a major problem for parents is that adaptive equipment is very expensive and can be heavy and bulky. Good design is functional for the person and the caregiver.
Because a child grows and needs change, adaptive devices can become obsolete quickly. This is one reason why cardboard is an excellent construction material. Truesdell describes her mission as one of engagement. Families, schools, and communities can come together in the process of designing and building adaptive equipment each specific child’s size and needs. Appropriate adaptive devices enhance the child’s social, physical and academic development.
“ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.”
Truesdell, who trained as an early childhood teacher, was working at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston in 1981. There she met Erin, an infant with severe multiple disabilities. “I had never heard of adaptive technology, but suddenly found myself waking up in the night thinking of adaptations. I rolled towels into bolsters, carved notches in toys, and threaded straps through seat backs.” With the help of her Uncle, a skilled builder, they transformed ideas and frustrations into highly customized solutions for Erin.
Alex set up a small workshop in her basement where she made adaptive devices and assistive technology for her students. Eventually she was hired by the Perkins School to start the Assistive Device Center. In 1998, Truesdell relocated to New York City where she started the adaptive design center. She added an internship program for women re-entering the workforce through Alternatives To Incarceration.
Alex and Antoinette LaSorsa and developed a pilot program and in 2001 established the independent nonprofit Adaptive Design Association. Since its creation ADA has trained “over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities.”
Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Adaptive and assistive Technology is redefining “possibilities” for children and adults with disabilities. This enables individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life.
Over the 17-year history of ADA, they have helped thousands of New York City children and provided hundreds of hands-on classes and internships to future designers and builders. Adaptive Design Centers have been established in Guatemala City, Toronto, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Boston, Montreal, San Diego, Romania, Holland, and two new projects beginning in Portland, Oregon and La Paz, Bolivia.
ADA has an email newsletter and online forum and blog. Participants share adaptations, photos, accomplishments, and questions with a wider adaptive design community across the world. To join the Forum as a contributor, they ask that you email talya@adaptivedesign.org with your first post idea.
The mailing address is:
Adaptive Design Association, Inc.
313 West 36th StreetNew York, NY 10018
ADA reminds us that there are children (as well as adults and seniors) in every community who need custom adaptations. Just as certainly, every community is filled with people who would love to be part of the design and fabrication of those adaptations. “With a small workspace, skilled staff, and a group of savvy volunteers—an Adaptive Design Center can play a key role in transforming our understanding of disability in education, employment, transportation, recreation, rehabilitation, veteran services, and senior care.”
http://www.adaptivedesign.org
http://www.fyeye.org/adaptive-design.html
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Chocolate for Health, Happiness, and Love
Heart-shaped
boxes of chocolates are a symbol of Valentine’s Day around the world. The roots
of Valentine’s Day go back to Ancient Roman times. Chocolate candy gift giving
is a recent development; could it be the result of chocolate’s reputation as an
aphrodisiac?
St.
Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday first appeared in the writings of Chaucer
in 1382. During the medieval period there was a new focus on chaste courtly
love and this is when the familiar symbols of love began to appear--knights
would give roses to their maidens and celebrate their beauty in songs from
afar.
By
the 1840s, Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday was celebrated in most of the
English-speaking world. Richard Cadbury, a British chocolate manufacturer,
created what was then called “eating chocolate.” Cadbury began marketing the
new chocolate and sold them in beautifully decorated boxes.
Chocolate
is made from cocoa beans, which are the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. Due
to its many health effects, the Mayans considered hot cocoa the drink of gods.
The scientific name of the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, was derived from the
Greek words theo (God) and broma (drink). The Swedish naturalist Carl Von Linné
named the tree in the 1700s. Chocolate had great symbolic social, religious,
and economic importance in both New and Old World cultures.
Although
cacao is native to Central and South America, Africa now grows about 70% of the
world’s cacao. The football shaped pod, or fruit, grows from the branches or
straight out of the trunk. The pods encase a sticky white pulp and about 30 or
40 seeds. The pulp tastes both sweet and tart and is eaten or used in making
drinks. If you to bite into a seed straight out of the pod, it is incredibly
bitter.
Drinkable
chocolate has been used for years to treat ailments. Spanish explorers brought
chocolate back to Europe in the 16th century where sweetened warm versions
considered a health elixir were consumed. From the 16th to 19th centuries, hot
chocolate was valued as a special drink, as well as taken as a medicine. In
France during the 17th century, the French drank it to fight against fits of
anger and bad moods.
Modern
research has discovered that chocolate reduces levels of stress hormones in the
body. Cocoa’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties come from the
abundant flavonols. It is best to avoid the overly processed chocolate, found
in the candy aisle, which contains added sugar and saturated fatty acids that
counter cocoa's inherent health benefits. It is best to choose the dark,
flavanol-rich chocolate bars.
Should
you worry about eating chocolate? Researchers, Katz DL, Doughty K, Ali A. of
Yale University, tell us the research indicates the benefits of moderate cocoa
or dark chocolate consumption outweigh the potential risks of over consumption,
including increased risk of weight gain.
Cocoa
contains more antioxidants than most foods and has anti-inflammatory effects beneficial
to heart health. Cocoa may directly influence insulin resistance and as a
result reduce the risk of diabetes. Further, cocoa consumption may stimulate
the immune response. Cocoa can protect nerves from injury and inflammation,
protect the skin from oxidative, UV radiation damage, and improve cognitive
function and mood.
A
9-year study of over 30,000 women in Sweden found that those who consumed up to
an ounce of high-quality chocolate high in cocoa content 1 to 3 times per month
had a 26% lower risk of developing heart failure. Women who ate 1 to 2 servings
per week displayed a 32% heart failure risk reduction. The European Heart
Journal reported that daily dark chocolate consumption over a 4-week period
improved concerns in patients with congestive heart failure.
Research
continues to demonstrate that antioxidants, such as those in cacao, help
prevent cancer, heart disease, age-related macular degeneration and aging in
general because they fight free radicals in the body.
A
Cornell University study shows the antioxidant concentration in hot cocoa is
almost twice as strong as red wine. Cocoa's antioxidant concentration is two to
three times stronger than that of green tea and four to five times stronger
than that of black tea. Professor Chang Yong Lee added that more antioxidants
are released when it's heated up.
The
flavonoids help your body process pout nitric oxide improving blood flow,
helping to lower blood pressure and improve heart health. Flavonoids also help
prevent the blood platelets from mingling together and forming clots. This
sounds much healthier than taking blood thinning medication. Recent research
demonstrates chocolate, like aspirin, has a biochemical effect that reduces the
clumping of platelets, which cause blood to clot.
The
American Association for the Advancement of Science reports drinking hot
chocolate can help you think better. The flavonoids increase the blood flow and
oxygen to the brain. Researchers think dementia could be treated with cocoa
which works by increasing blood flow to the brain.
The
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in partnership with candy maker Mars,
Inc. have launched a three-year study on the topic, Will Taking Chocolate Pills
Improve Heart Health? It will be the first large study, involving 18,000
people, to look into the potential role of cocoa flavanols in high-dose form,
without the added sugar and fat of chocolate.
Chocolate
has been shown to produce higher levels of physical energy and mental
alertness. Cacao is: Anti-inflammatory Anti-carcinogenic Anti-thrombotic,
Lowers Alzheimer's risk, Anti-diabetic and Anti-obesity. It improves liver
function for those with cirrhosis, is neuro-protective and improves
gastrointestinal flora. It also reduces stress hormones, and symptoms of
glaucoma and cataracts. It can slow the progression of periodontitis, improve
exercise endurance, may help extend lifespan, and protects against preeclampsia
in pregnant women.
Commercial
instant hot cocoa mixes should be avoided. Most popular mixes list cocoa as
down on the list of ingredients behind higher-level ingredients such as sugar,
corn syrup and a medley of vegetable oils. These ingredients tend to eradicate
any benefits the cocoa may have to offer. There are several websites on how to
make healthy versions of instant cocoa from scratch.
Jaymi
Heimbuch of the website Mother Nature Network suggests one of the easiest ways
to include more cocoa in you diet is to sprinkle it over fresh fruit. She gives
us these tips for buying cocoa powder:
•
Look for certified fair trade. There are many great brands to choose from, and
you're helping to ensure workers get a living wage.
•
Look for organic. It's true that not all organic cocoa tastes as good as
non-organic, so you'll have to test a few out and see what you like best. But
if you can, go for organic.
•
Look for a higher fat content. Yep, you read that right. The really good cocoa
that has lots of flavor (and therefore is more satisfying and you won't need to
use as much) has as much as 24 percent more fat than the cheap stuff.
•
Make sure you're getting unsweetened cocoa powder, and not something that has
sugars mixed in. Avoid packages labeled "ground chocolate" as this is
a basically powdered chocolate bar with added stuff we're trying to avoid in
the first place. Make sure the only ingredient is cocoa.
Any
time, not just Valentine’s Day, is a great time for giving chocolates to those
we love! And don’t forget yourself----have a headache? It’s hot cocoa time.
Read
more: http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/7-health-benefits-of-drinking-hot-cocoa#ixzz37wYTB3Fj
Antioxid
Redox Signal. 2011 Nov 15;15(10):2779-811. doi: 10.1089/ars.2010.3697.
Epub
2011 Jun 13.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Vitamin D for Cancer Prevention
Winter in St. Louis has been gloomy—week after week of gray
sky. On the very occasional day we had sunshine, I made a point of taking a
walk. I am a sun lover and have a habit of getting out in the sun everyday when
the weather cooperates—before 11:00, or after 3:00—I don’t like to use
sunscreen. Skin needs to be bare to turn the sun’s light into Vitamin D.
Dr. Mercola, on his health and wellness website, tells us
vitamin D is one of the simplest solutions to wide-ranging health problems. He
considers vitamin D deficiency to be pandemic in the United States. Many
Americans are not aware that they may be lacking this important nutrient.
Vitamin D is not a regular vitamin; rather it is a steroid
hormone that you get primarily from either sun exposure or supplementation. Marcela
states vitamin D has the ability to influence genetic expression that produces
many of its wide-ranging health benefits. Research studies have shown that
increasing levels of vitamin D3 can prevent many chronic diseases. They believe
the incidence of several types of cancer
could be slashed in half.
Dr. Mercola interviewed Dr. Michael Holick, a leading
vitamin D researcher, who expounds on these and many other health benefits of
vitamin D in his book, The Vitamin D Solution. Holick, an MD and a PhD, tell us
D also fights infections including colds and the flu. It regulates the
expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy
bacteria and viruses.
Dr. Holick says. "We had shown many years ago that
during the winter time, if you live [north of] Atlanta, Georgia, you basically
cannot make any vitamin D in your skin from about November through March.
Obviously, you need to either take a supplement or use a tanning bed or an
ultraviolet light that will produce vitamin D... I typically recommend, if
you're going to go out into the sun, expose your arms, legs, abdomen and back,
two to three times a week for about half the time it would take to get a mild
sunburn... [W] hen you make vitamin D in your skin, it lasts two to three times
longer in your body.”
Dr. Edward Group, DC, and NP, recommends vitamin D3 because
it is the most bioavailability form of vitamin D. Group warns we are all at risk to be
deficient of this crucial element. Vitamin D is essential for the
regulation of calcium and phosphorus in the body and maintaining proper bone
structure.
The easiest and most reliable way to get vitamin D is
through sun exposure. To produce enough vitamin D, the hands, face, arms, and
legs need to be exposed to sunlight a minimum of two to three times a week for
a quarter of the time it takes to develop mild sunburn. Exposure time varies
with age, skin type, season, and time of day. Group tells us good levels of
vitamin D can be restored by sunlight quickly---6 days of casual sunlight
exposure without sunscreen can make up for 49 days of no sunlight
exposure. Vitamin D is stored in
body fat during periods of sunlight and i.e. then released when sunlight is
gone.
If you live in Canada and the northern half of the US you
are at risk for vitamin D deficiency. D deficiency also occurs in sunny
climates when people are stay indoors more, cover up outside, or consistently
use sunscreens to reduce skin cancer risk. Older people are at risk for vitamin
D deficiency because they are less likely to spend time in the sun, have fewer
“receptors” in their skin to convert sunlight to vitamin D, may not get vitamin
D in their diet, and may have trouble absorbing vitamin D or may have more
trouble converting dietary D to a useful form because of aging kidneys.
Studies show the risk for vitamin D deficiency in people
over 65 years of age is high. Nearly 40% of older people, even in sunny climates
such as South Florida, don’t have enough vitamin D in their systems. Dr. Group
reports vitamin D supplements may be needed by older people, individuals living
in northern latitudes, and “for dark-skinned people who need extra time in the
sun, but don’t get it.”
Vitamin D supplements prevent bone loss in people taking
drugs called corticosteroids and when taken with calcium seems to improve bone
density in people with existing bone loss caused by using corticosteroids.
Older people who do not have enough vitamin D tend to fall more often than
those with adequate levels Also, vitamin D, in combination with calcium may
prevent falls by decreasing body sway and blood pressure especially in women
and those living in hospitals or residential care facilities. Taking a specific
form of vitamin D called cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) along with calcium seems
to help prevent bone loss, Osteoporosis (weak bones), and bone breaks.
Some research shows a high-dose vitamin D supplement plus
calcium may lower risk of developing certain types of cancer. Those taking
vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) have a 49% reduced risk of cavities. Research
shows school aged children taking a vitamin D supplement during winter have a reduced
chance of developing seasonal flu, as well as, asthma attack triggered by a
cold or other respiratory infection. Individuals with lower vitamin D levels
are more likely to be obese while women taking calcium plus vitamin D are more
likely to lose weight and maintain their weight.
Research over the last few years demonstrates a correlation
between Alzheimer’s
disease and vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is
a potent immune system modulator, which modulate the immune response
and strengthen immune defenses. A study showed high dose Vitamin D
supplementation resulted in RA symptom improvements in an
astonishing 89% of patients and 45% of patients obtaining complete remission.
If you choose to use a tanning bed to increase vitamin D
synthesis, Dr. Holick recommends protecting your face, and to only go in for
half the time recommended for tanning. The tanning bed you're using needs to
put out UVB radiation. It is the UVB that interacts with the skin to create
vitamin D.
Many tanning beds on the market that only put out UVA, which
creates a tan. UVA rays are the ones responsible for skin damage and they do
NOT make your skin produce vitamin D. He tells us beds tend to vary between
three to 10 percent UVB and the higher the percentage of UVB the better. There
are also beds that make UVB only. A UVB only bed won't make you tan. However,
for the health benefits a UVB tanning bed is certainly a great option.
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/3-amazing-health-benefits-vitamin-d3/
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-929-VITAMIN%20D.aspx?activeIngredientId=929&activeIngredientName=VITAMIN%20D
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Health Benefits of Cranberries, Black Walnuts, and Buttermilk
I should call this article the health benefits of scones. There are many ways to strengthen the immune system. The best ways are to spend time with those you care for, being kind to yourself, and good food never hurts---make a date for Teatime.
During the holidays I try do something special, something
iconic and Christmas-y. To many of us in the USA, that means doing something
reminiscent of a “Victorian, English Christmas.” This year I invited a group of
friends to Christmas Tea at the Fleur De Lys Mansion B&B.
Tea refers to several different meals in countries, which
were formerly part of the British Empire. Teatime is the time at which the tea
meal is usually eaten, which is typically in the late afternoon, or early
evening when tea is traditionally served.
The Fleur De Lys Mansion B&B is a gorgeous, luxury inn
set in the grandeur of a 19th century mansion and features dark woods, leaded
glass windows, fire places, granite tile, and deep, soft brocade couches. Fleur
De Lys is located in St. Louis, Missouri’s grand, historic district of Compton
Heights.
Our wonderful tea was prepared Jane Muscroft of Queen’s
Cuisine LLC. Jane was born and bred in Melton, Leicester, England. She arrived
in America in 2000 and moved to St. Louis in 2007. She gives cookery classes at
a local supermarket chain, has a catering business, and sells pastries online
and at local farmer’s markets.
According to Jane’s website, English afternoon tea dates
back to 1840 and the home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, Belvoir Castle,
which is just 12 miles from Jane's home town of Melton. Anna Maria Stanhope,
the 7th Duchess of Bedford was visiting and asked for tea and bread to be
served in her quarters as it was mid-afternoon and she needed a little
something to stave off the 'sinking feeling' she was having. Typically a
Victorian dinner was not to be served until 8 pm in the evening.
Over time the original bread and butter became
sandwiches, scones and clotted cream were added as well as delicate little
pastries and desserts. Afternoon tea was born and became a social affair
of Victorian Britain for the ladies of the upper classes. Afternoon tea was
initially served in private residences. Then in the finest hotels of London
began providing afternoon tea. Today afternoon tea is a tradition at the Ritz
and Harrods in London as well many other tearooms, department stores and hotels
around the world.
Jane tells us “Somewhere along the line, Americans got the
idea that "high tea" meant "fancy," as in "high
class." In fact, a high tea is simply a light meal with a meat dish or
two, often eaten by laborers. The stereotypical tea with scones, clotted cream
and jam is properly known as "cream tea." Add some dainty sandwiches
and other pastries and it's called "afternoon tea."
Jane’s scones inspired me and as a Christmas present for my
sister-in-law I made scones for the first time. I choose to make
Cranberry-Black Walnut Scones, which are made with buttermilk. I made this
recipe because of the inherent healthiness of cranberries, black walnuts, and buttermilk!--- The wonderful flavor, and the way scones make breakfast, or tea,
a transcendent experience was an afterthought, right? (Also, amazingly easy
to make)
Cranberry & Walnut Scones
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Serves: 12, Yield: 12 Scones
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour-all I
had-worked out great)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar—much healthier than
refined white)
2 tablespoons margarine (I used butter)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, nonfat
Cooking spray (I used parchment paper-no yucky sprays for
me)
3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (I put 1/3 cup right in
the dough to take advantage of health benefits)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 400°F
Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, or use parchment
paper.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a
medium bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles
coarse meal. Stir in cranberries.
Add buttermilk and vanilla, stirring with a fork until dry
ingredients are moistened.
Spoon 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart,
onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts and
1 ½ teaspoons sugar.
Bake at 400F for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Makes 12
(13) scones.
Health Benefits
Cranberries
The website teachervision.com tells us Native Americans made
pemmican, deer meat and mashed cranberries mixed together as a survival cake
that kept for long periods of time, long before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. They
used cranberries for their medicinal value in poultices to draw poison from
arrow wounds. Cranberry juice was a natural dye for rugs, blankets and
clothing. To the Delaware Indians in New Jersey cranberry was used as a symbol
of peace. The German and Dutch settlers came up with "crane berry,"
because the vine blossoms resembled the neck, head and bill of a crane, which
became the word cranberry we use today. The cranberry is one of only a handful
of fruits native to the USA.
The health benefits of cranberry juice include relief from
urinary tract infection, respiratory disorders, kidney stones, cancer, and
heart disease. It is also beneficial in preventing stomach disorders and
diabetes, as well as gum diseases caused by dental plaque. Phytonutrients, which
are naturally derived plant compounds, are present in cranberries and have been
found to prevent a wide range of health problems.
Buttermilk
L.V. Anderson,
on slate.com, tells us that the confusion surrounding this drink dates back to
the 18th century or before. While some historical sources use the word
buttermilk to describe the byproduct of butter making, others use it to
describe milk that had gone sour from sitting around too long before being used
to make butter. The butter by-product, buttermilk, could be either “sour,” if
you started out with the off milk, or “sweet,” if you started out with fresh
cream.
Before the 20th century, buttermilk could refer to at least
three different categories of beverage regular old milk that had gone sour, the
sour by-product of churning sour milk or cream into butter, and the “sweet”
by-product of churning fresh milk or cream into butter. “By the late 1800s,
buttermilk had taken on a more specific meaning and usage in the kitchen.
Cookbooks started calling for the sour version of buttermilk in recipes for
bread made with baking soda.”
Buttermilk helps improve the body’s immune system as it prepares
to fight diseases. Buttermilk contains all essential nutrients required by our
body, but contains few fats and calories. It is often included in weight loss
diets. The vitamin B12 helps synthesize the fatty and amino acids, in addition
to fighting anemia and stress, while promoting nerve cell growth. B12 is also aids
in converting glucose into energy. The potassium and riboflavin in the
buttermilk helps lower blood pressure, and the calcium improves bone health.
The cosmetic industry has made extensive use of it in beauty
products. Buttermilk is good facial mask that softens, and the lactic acid
brightens and exfoliates the skin to create a youthful look, while its
astringent nature removes blemishes, freckles and tightens sagging skin.
Black walnut
Walnuts were found in prehistoric deposits dating from the
Iron Age in Europe. They are mentioned in the Bible; King Solomon's nut garden
dates back to 940 BC. The Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra L.) is
a native of eastern North America. They grow mostly alongside rivers from
southern Ontario, Canada west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia and
southwest to central Texas. Black walnuts were an important food for
American Indians and early settlers.
The website grandmasherbs.com tells us black walnut is known
as a vermifuge—worm and parasite remover. Worms and parasites are a
problem even in the United States. It is thought that even with our standards
of sanitation nearly a third of the population is infected with parasites.
Parasites like ringworm, pinworm and tapeworm have been a problem with humanity
for thousands of years.
Black walnut is an antiseptic, a germicide, a parasitic, and
a laxative and can ridding the body of intestinal parasites and tapeworms,
heals skin conditions, fungal infections, and balances sugar levels. The nut is
thought to oxygenate the blood, provides a source of iodine and omega 3 fatty
acids. It also is able to burn up excessive toxins and fatty materials.
http://www.thefleurdelys.com/
Monday, December 21, 2015
A Book Review: Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
The gift of knowledge--a really great story, a history, or
the biography of an amazing person--a book is the best present ever! For a
graduation, birthday, Chanukah, Christmas, or your special holiday, you can’t
go wrong with a book.
When it comes to gift giving, I do believe it is the thought
behind the gift that counts. I want to give gifts that are memorable, but
finding a memorable gift can be a challenge. Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One
Man's Fight for Justice, by Bill Browder,
is a memorable book.
Bill Browder was the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital
Management the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005. Red Notice is
autobiographical. Bowder was born and raised in the US. In rebellion to his
family’s communist and socialist ideals, as a student he sets his sights on
becoming a great capitalist.
The book starts with Browder, the founder of Hermitage
Capital Management and investment adviser to the largest foreign investment
fund in Russia, sitting in a Russian airport waiting to be passed through
passport security. In 2005 he was denied entry to the country and declared a
“threat to national security” as a result of his battle against corporate
corruption.
He holds a BA in economics from the University of Chicago
and an MBA from Stanford Business School. Before founding Hermitage, Browder
was vice president at Salomon Brothers. As the founder of The Hermitage Fund,
he made, then lost, and made a second fortune investing in Russia. Red Notice
is the shocking truth of what it is like to do business in Moscow.
According to Browder’s website: Browder was once the largest
foreign investor in Russia, making his investors piles of money, but if he had
to do it all over again, he never would have entered the country in the first
place. "I now understand how completely naive I was to think that as a
foreigner I was somehow immune to the barbarity of the Russian system,"
says Browder.
Browder tells the story of his friend, Russian lawyer Sergei
Magnitsky, who was murdered in prison in 2009. Magnitsky uncovered a $230
million fraud committed by Russian government officials. Russian authorities
raided and seized Hermitage Fund’s investment companies and used the Fund to
steal $230 million of taxes.
Following Browder’s expulsion, the Fund’s lawyer, Sergei
Magnitsky choose to investigate the tax fraud and the officials who perpetrated
it. Magnitsky was arrested by the same officials who he implicated in the
fraud. In prison he was tortured for 358 days and ultimately killed in custody
at the age of 37. Browder began a campaign to expose Russia’s endemic
corruption and human rights abuses and to exact justice for Magnitsky.
Browder began a fight for justice in the Magnitsky case.
However, in Russia the government officials responsible for the lawyer’s death
had been exonerated and some even promoted. Browder took his campaign to
America where the US Congress adopted the ‘Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law
Accountability Act’ in 2012. This act imposed visa sanctions and asset freezes
on the corrupt official’s responsible for the detention, ill treatment and
death of Sergei Magnitsky.
This law was the first time the US sanctioned Russia in 35
years. It has become the model for all subsequent US sanctions against Russia.
This act has become a model, worldwide, for dealing with oligarchs and those
who abuse “human rights.” This has angered Russia’s President Putin.
Luke Harding, The Guardian online news UK, 2015, interviewed
Browder in London. Browder said, “Unlike
in communist times, ….the west isn’t dealing with a hostile ideology.
[Browder’s] thesis – which I share – is that Putin and his law enforcement and
spy agencies are in effect running Russia as a “criminal enterprise” for their
own financial gain. Anyone who stands up to them – such as Magnitsky – faces
being shot, arrested or penalized.”
Harding tells us, “Browder says his problem isn’t with
Russia as such but with the powerful clique of ex-KGB spies who have grabbed
the state.”
Russian readers may download a free copy of the Russian edition
of Red Notice off the Internet at Bill Browder’s website.
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Notice-Finance-Murder-Justice/
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Grief, Loss and Coping Skills
To the people of France, I say You Are Not Alone. This is a
trial of the Spirit. You are in my prayers and I send you blessings of hope and
courage. We in the USA are your younger siblings in liberty and as family in
times of stress and threat, we pull together. May hope motivate your actions,
thoughts, and healing in evil times.
Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., in her article On Grief, Loss
and Coping quotes Rob Zucker, grief counselor, “We don’t come into our grief as
a blank slate. What you bring to the table will impact how you process your
loss.” Journalist Ruth Davis Konigsberg in her book, The Truth
About Grief: The Myth of its Five Stages and the New Science of Loss,
tells us “…probably the most
accurate predictors of how someone will grieve are their personality and
temperament before the loss.”
Zucker, author of The Journey
Through Grief and Loss: Helping Yourself and Your Child When Grief Is Shared,
describes several patterns or themes that individuals may experience. Following
the loss, some individuals experience a deep sense of disbelief, which might
serve as a buffer in processing the harshness of reality. Zucker states high
levels of anxiety also are common while some individuals experience “an absence
of emotions,” they question “What’s wrong with me?”
Research has shown we tend to accommodate and recover after
loss more quickly than previously thought. For most people the intense grief
with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, shock and intrusive thoughts tends
to subside within six months. However, other studies show that although these
symptoms dissipate we “still continue to think about and miss [our] loved ones
for decades. Loss is forever, but acute grief is not…”
Resilience is the individual’s ability to adapt or rebound
quickly from change, illness, or bad fortune. In the past resilience was
considered rare and reserved for particularly healthy people. However, Bonanno
writes in a 2004 American Psychologist “Resilience to the unsettling effects of
interpersonal loss is not rare but relatively common…and does not lead to
delayed grief reactions.” Zucker tells us there is “no prescription or
rulebook” for coping. There are lots of different ways to cope with grief,
Bonanno said. Often coping with grief is about just getting it done, putting
one foot in front of the other, or doing what feels right to you.
Research shows that “only people who are doing poorly [with
grief] should get treatment.
Only about 15 percent of people experience complicated
grief. Zucker reports effective treatments focus on getting people back into
their life and moving forward.
Research, by Crescence Allen, psychologist, shows that
coping activities need to be consistent with your personality traits. Internal
locus of control individual’s benefit by activities such as journaling, listening
to music or reading self-help books. External locus of control individuals will
gravitate to self-help groups, confiding in friends and group projects. Both
personality types respond to and benefit by spiritual activities.
J. William Worden, professor of psychology at Harvard
Medical School, tells us grief is work. The tasks are to accept the reality of
the loss; work through to the pain of grief; adjust to an environment in which
the deceased is missing; and emotionally let go and move on with life.
Worden reports there is no magic in the one- or two-year
healing date following a loss. His model acknowledges that death does not end a
relationship; moving forward is a dynamic process that may continue through the
life cycle. He believes personalized, meaningful commemoration, and rituals may
facilitate this [healing] process.
Love endures death. Worden tells us the loss of a significant loved one is not something just to be "gotten over.” The work of grief involves learning to live with and adjust to the loss, according to Worden. The goals of grief work include regaining an interest in life, feeling hopeful again, redefining and recreating a purpose.
Love endures death. Worden tells us the loss of a significant loved one is not something just to be "gotten over.” The work of grief involves learning to live with and adjust to the loss, according to Worden. The goals of grief work include regaining an interest in life, feeling hopeful again, redefining and recreating a purpose.
Grief is of the spirit, mind, and emotions while stress is
the body's response. When the self feels in peril of physical death, the body
reacts with fight, flight, or freeze behavior. This fear sets off a biochemical
chain reaction leading to feelings of panic, such as dizziness, rapid
breathing, or a racing heartbeat.
We often are more compassionate to other’s emotional and
physical needs but turn a blind eye to our own needs. It is essential to watch
for and keep aware of the body’s post-traumatic stress reactions an inability
to work or function, fears that you cannot control, or recurring traumatic
memories.
The brain is hard-wired with a protection protocol. During
threat, the brain signals the body to release a burst of hormones that fuel the
capacity for a response. Once the acute threat is gone, the body is meant to
return to a normal relaxed state. However when feelings of threat are chronic,
it is essential to develop strategies for dealing with the biochemical stress,
hyper-vigilance and anxiety.
Symptoms Stress
Headache
Muscle tension or pain
Chest pain
Fatigue
Change in sex drive
Stomach upset
Sleep problems
Anxiety
Restlessness
Lack of motivation or focus
Irritability or anger
Sadness or depression
Overeating or under eating
Angry outbursts
Drug or alcohol abuse
New or increased tobacco use
Social withdrawal
When the body is always on high alert, over time, high
levels of stress lead to serious health problems. Develop and practice a range
of stress management techniques before stress adversely impacts your health,
relationships, and quality of life.
Coping Skills for Grief and Stress
Identify your thoughts and feelings and express them in some
way
Share your process with someone you trust
Journal your process what you’re feeling, thinking and doing
Reach out and talk to loved ones
Express your grief through physical activity or art
Consider how you’ve managed and handled tough times in the
past
Develop new tools, such as meditation, physical activity or
deep breathing
Research shows positive emotions and laughter are
tremendously helpful
Meditation and prayer
Participate in rituals that honor your loss and help in the
search for meaning
As we are anchored in our spiritual beliefs, we know we will
see our loved ones again. We know also that no matter how much we miss them,
they would not choose for us to live in sorrow, or guilt.
http://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-stress
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Saunas Flush Out Toxins and Disease
Human beings have used sweat baths for hygienic and health
purposes since the Stone Age. Our ancestors saw the value of sweating and
flushing out toxins and disease as a way to maintain optimal physical and
mental health.
Cultures around the world have versions of the sweat bath:
The ancient Roman Thermae, the Japanese Onsen, the Russians
Banya, and Native North American’s Inipi (sweat lodge), and the Turkish bath or
Hamam. However, in the U. S. the Finnish Sauna seems most popular.
The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines sauna as: 1. A special
heated room in which people sit or lie down in order to get hot and sweat, 2. A
Finnish steam bath in which the steam is provided by water thrown on hot
stones, and 3. A dry heat bath; also: a room or cabinet used for such a
bath.
The skin, largest organ in the body plays a major role in
the detoxifying toxins through the pores. To regulate the body's elevated
temperature, the skin produces sweat. The skin transforms toxins from
lipid-soluble, fat or oil-based, into easier to eliminate water-soluble forms
and flushes them out through the pores.
Our modern lifestyles can lead to inactive skin. Many of us
don't sweat, especially during the winter months. Modern synthetic fibers,
tight clothing that doesn't allow the skin to breathe, excessive prolonged sun
exposure, and a sedentary lifestyle can damage our skin and inactivate the
natural ability to eliminate toxins.
We are exposed to hundreds of chemicals during the course of
our lives and our health is negatively impacted. Physicians and scientists are
now acknowledging that regular sweating is a safe and natural way to heal.
Sweating can detox toxic chemicals and metals from the body faster than any
other method.
Physicians and scientists are now acknowledging that regular
sweating is a safe and natural way to heal. From innocent bath products such as
shampoos, shower gels, lotions and soaps to deodorants. Household cleaning
solvents, detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower
water also affect the skin.
Benefits of regular sauna use include: healthy sweating;
toxin elimination; releases built up body tensions, aches and pains; peace of
mind; and may stimulate the skin to produce white blood cells and strengthen
the immune system. Sauna use increases and improves the rate of blood
circulation and breathing creating an effect similar to mild exercise. It burns
about 300 calories per average session and combined with a healthy diet and
moderate exercise helps you lose weight, stay fit, and be healthy.
By enhancing circulation cells, tissues and organs receive
greater oxygenation. Oxygen increases the body's energy and promotes healing.
Heating the body’s tissues and speeds up the metabolism, as a result the cells
are gradually capable of eliminating toxins much more effectively.
Dr. Whitaker, on his website, tells us there are tens of
thousands of man-made chemicals in our environment, food, water and air. “No
matter how pure your diet or lifestyle, I guarantee that your body contains
traces of hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals such as pesticides, drugs,
solvents and dioxins.” Sweating is an effective way to get rid of them. According
to Whitaker, your eccrine glands put out about a quart of sweat a day but in a
sauna, they pump out a quart of sweat in 15 minutes.
A recent research study, the New York Rescue Workers
Detoxification Project looked at the health of the firemen, policemen, and
other rescue and cleanup workers bore the brunt of this environmental disaster
when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed on September 11, 2001. As a
result of the massive amounts of toxins that were released, they experienced
acute respiratory distress and a wide range of health issues including
gastrointestinal complaints, worsening pulmonary problems, depression,
irritability and cognitive disorders.
The 500 rescue workers, mostly firefighters between the ages
of 35 and 45, completed a sauna detox program with excellent results. After
treatment the number missed work days per month dramatically decreased,
symptom scores dropped dramatically, 84 percent of participants discontinued
all their drugs because their symptoms had cleared up, and there was
significant improvements in thyroid function, balance, reaction time and even
IQ!
According to Whitaker, in article in the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology, reports a study in which endothelial cells
lining the arteries improved functioning by 40 percent when participants
spent15 minutes a day in a sauna a day for 14 days. Researchers in Japan found
that sitting in a sauna is very beneficial for congestive
heart failure. The Japanese subjects, with serious heart failure,
took daily saunas for four weeks and 13 of 15 patients had significant
decreases in blood pressure. The Japanese subjects also demonstrated
improvements in the heart’s pumping ability, exercise tolerance, and oxygen
uptake.
Sauna use is considered helpful for:
Chronic
fatigue
Mild
depression
Rheumatoid
arthritis
Musculoskeletal
pain
Skin
conditions
Some individuals prefer a far infrared sauna because it is
part of the natural light spectrum.
Many consider it to be more comfortable. Typical saunas heat the air
when the hot air contact the skin the body heats up. Far infrared light
heats up the core body temperature by penetrating tissues directly and
deeply. Because the air in the far infrared sauna is much cooler it easier
to breathe and this allows you to stay in longer and work up a better sweat.
David Ewing Duncan published an article titled "The
Pollution Within", in the 2006 October issue of National Geographic
Magazine. His goal was to investigate what chemicals were hiding in his body.
He found high levels of flame-retardants, pesticides, and dioxins that must
have been acquired more recently. He also found high levels of DDE and PCBs that
he had most likely absorbed as a child, which had never been processed out of
his body.
A sauna assists the liver and kidneys with the process of
body detoxification and is the only way to detoxify fat stored poisons. The
heat loosens stored toxins, which are temporarily deposited into the
bloodstream causing some first time sauna to experience a really bad headache
when toxins enter the bloodstream.
The blood is pumped out to the surface of the skin to be
cooled. The cooling process causes toxins to be expelled through the skin’s
pores in the sweat solution. In other words the sauna facilitates the body’s
natural working process of detoxification and powerful healing abilities.
If you find yourself trapped in a sedentary lifestyle
because of work and family commitments or physical limitations, consider
getting a home sauna and developing the sauna habit. I have recently started
using a traditional sauna, hot air only, after my swimming session---three
times a week for three weeks. I am thrilled by the results: decreased
allergies, lungs feel stronger, skin looks livelier, muscle tension/cramping
decreased, and I feel energized.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Defeat Sinus Infections
Sinus infections are extremely difficult to overcome. Because
of my many allergies, I used to suffer from serious, lingering sinus
infections. It often seemed allopathic medication only created new issues like
yeast infections, constipation, or diarrhea. My herbal studies course
introduced me to an herbal combination that brought me relief and healing---Goldenseal
and Eyebright.
Allopathic drugs, antibiotics, never really healed my sinus
infections. I would take course after course of antibiotics and still have
lingering problems after months of drugs.
The most obvious problem with antibiotics is that they destroy the
healthy gut bacteria.
When taking a course of antibiotics many allopathic
physicians now recommend that you take a probiotic or eat yogurt. Taking a
probiotic or yogurt to replenish healthy gut bacteria is important. But
remember some probiotics do not make it past the stomach, I know this from
personal experience. If you have continuing intestinal issues, (gas, bloating,
pain, mucus), consider getting an enteric-coated probiotic. The enteric-coated
probiotic releases into the intestines and replenishes healthy bacteria.
Frustration and desperation with standardized drugs led me
to the study of medicinal herbs. For everyday concerns herbs are much more
effective with fewer side effects. Goldenseal is a powerful destroyer of
infection, and Eyebright also has anti-bacterial properties while balancing the moisture level the sinus membranes.
Because infection initiates the immune/inflammatory
response, one should cut back on inflammation inducing foods when ill, such as:
sugar, white processed flour, grape seed, cottonseed, safflower, corn and
sunflower oils, Deep fried foods, fast foods, commercially baked goods, dairy
products, feedlot-raised meats, alcohol, and artificial food additives. In
other words when your sick keep it simple choose fresh organic fruits (especially
pineapple) and vegetables, organic eggs, and organic chicken or turkey.
Goldenseal: Hydrastis Canadensis, Ranunculaceae (buttercup genus)
Goldenseal usually has a tall, fork-like stalk with multiple
leaves at its tip. Two leaves are generally located near the ground. During
blooming season, greenish or white flowers are at the stalk tip
Goldenseal is found in the eastern region of North America,
southeast Canada and parts of Europe. It can be wild-crafted in areas from
Ontario, Canada to Arkansas, USA and is cultivated in Washington and Oregon.
The Cherokee, Native Americans, used goldenseal for
respiratory inflammation, digestive and genito-urinary tract problems,
infection, general debility, dyspepsia, and to improve appetite. The Iroquois
used a golden seal root decoction for earache, sore eyes, whooping cough,
diarrhea, liver disease, fever, sour stomach, flatulence, pneumonia, and heart
trouble.
European immigrants who landed on America learned the
benefits of Goldenseal from the native tribes and it became a part of colonial
medicinal care. Prof. Benjamin Smith Barton described the herb as an Iroquoian
cure for cancer in the 1798 essay “Collections for an Essay Toward a Materia
Medica of the United States.” The herb became popular in the early 19th century
when renowned herbalist Samuel Thompson who promoted its medicinal benefits.
Modern uses of Goldenseal include used liver disease,
duodenal ulcers, loss of eating sensation, swellings, cancer, and as an
anti-inflammatory ointment for painful or painless swollen bumps. Goldenseal
has been used for: Abscesses, digestion, allergic rhinitis, bladder and
intestine infections, boils, candida albicans, glandular cleansing,
conjunctivitis, diarrhea, earache, eczema, excessive menstruation, flatulence,
gum infections, hemorrhoids, hay fever, laryngitis, liver disease, pneumonia,
preventing cold and flu, reducing fevers, liver and spleen functions,
constipation, relive congestion and excess mucous, ringworm, soothing irritated
mucus membranes (eyes, ears, nose and throat), sores, sour stomach, thrush,
ulcers, whooping cough, and wounds.
Drugs. Com tells us “few well-controlled clinical trials are
available to guide dosage. Recommended dosages vary considerably: 250 mg to 1 g
3 times daily; some product labeling suggests dosages as high as 3,420 mg/day.
Ten to 30 drops of the extract 2 to 4 times a day has been recommended for
influenza.”
Goldenseal should be avoided during pregnancy as it
stimulates contractions. Consult a physician if you have heart disease,
diabetes, glaucoma, a stroke, or high blood pressure.
Eyebright: Euphrasia officinalis
Eyebright is a hardy, small annual plant native to Europe
and is characterized by deeply cut leaves. Common to the heaths and the
pastures of Britain, it is also found throughout much of the European
continent. Eyebright is also found in the sub-arctic regions of the North
America.
Eyebright tends to be sourced wild because it is
hemi-parasitic and cultivation is very hard to accomplish. These wild plant
populations are the source for most of the eyebright used in herbal remedies.
The plant bears many small flowers and are gathered July to August.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, the herb was used to
treatment eye afflictions such as conjunctivitis. Eastern European folk
medicine often uses eyebright topically, as well as the internally, for the
treatment of inflammations, stinging and weeping eyes, over-sensitivity to
light, blepharitis, conjunctivitis, styes, hay fever, chronic sneezing and eye
fatigue.
Eyebright reduces inflammation in the eyes and counters
mucus accumulations by tightening the mucous membranes
around the eyes. As a result eyebright is often used in the treatment of
infection and allergic reactions.
Eyebright is also excellent middle ear problems, sinus disorders, and mucous in
the nasal passages. Eyebright is an astringent herb if dryness or stuffiness
increases discontinue use.
Eyebright tea can be taken at a dose of two to three cups
every day during the treatment period. The dried herb dosage of 2-4 grams can
be taken three times a day, during the treatment period. Eyebright tincture is
taken as a single dose of 2-6 ml three time every day of the treatment period.
Safety of internal consumption is not a big concern as Eyebright
is an herbal remedy with few or limited side effects. However, women who are
lactating or pregnant should avoid use since long-term use with pregnant
patients has not been researched.
For those of us with allergic rhinitis, who also worry about
the over use of antibiotics, Goldenseal and Eyebright offer real relief with no
side effects. These herbs are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and break down
mucus. These amazing plants, with the glorious synergy of perfect nature, can
do the work of three different drugs. I call this cost effective!
http://www.drugs.com/npp/goldenseal.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)