October 29, 2007

Bill Maher Makes Sense of Health

I don’t always agree with Bill Maher but on his show recently he talked about the health crisis we have in the United States… and he made sense. Watch:

Bill is right on here. As I’ve been saying for years, the solution isn’t another pill, it’s what you put into your body, on your body and what you do with your body that will determine how healthy you’ll be.

There is no magic pill as the pharmaceutical industry or government would make you believe. And no, the government is not here to take care of you.

The only answer is to take responsibility for your own health by eliminating all processed foods, toxins, drugs and concentrating on as much fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and natural grains in their natural state, preferably organically grown as possible. Stay active and maintain a positive outlook.

We can encourage others to do this as well and ‘vote’ with your dollars by buying healthy foods and avoiding the junk. Share this with your schools, friends, co-workers, church members, family… anyone you can. If enough do this, the junk will go away because of simple economics, no one will buy it.

To your best health!

Mark

P.S. You can start by ‘voting’ with your own dollars and selecting healthy snacks and food for your family. Learn more.

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October 23, 2007

Breast Cancer Drug Actually Causes Cancer

In a recent study published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen (sounds toxic, doesn’t it?) was shown to actually increase the risk of uterine cancer and death in women.

This is only one of many studies that show Tamoxifen to increase instances and deaths from uterine cancer, although the drug is still on the market.

It’s also interesting to note that most all prescription cancer drugs have a steep price tag, but small (if any) benefit. Some cost as much as $100,000 but only extend the patient’s life a few months (according to their own research).

Why spend hundreds of thousands on chemicals when the best and most logical alternatives cost pennies in comparison?

Can you prevent cancer?

Yes you can, and here are the best ways to do it:

  • Stay active and get plenty of exercise. Strenuous exercise and activity that makes you sweat helps move toxins out of your body, helps keep your insulin levels down and makes you feel good, physically and mentally.
  • Get at least 30 minutes of exposure to the sun daily, preferably earlier or later in the day. The sun provides the best source of Vitamin D, proven to reduce by 50% your risk of getting any cancer.
  • Avoid processed and modified foods and concentrate on fresh, dried, preferably organic, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and natural grains.
  • If you have to cook some foods, steam them instead of any other method.
  • Maintain a positive outlook, release negative emotions and enjoy your life.
  • Avoid environmental toxins including synthetic air fresheners, pesticides, bug sprays, household cleaners and pollution.
  • Drink lots of spring or distilled water.
  • Get plenty of sleep.

And that’s not just my opinion, even the American Cancer Society, most often tied to the medical establishment, has reported that upwards of 62% of all cancers can be avoided by making simple lifestyle changes.

Regain your health, save time and money and enjoy your life.

To your best health!

Mark

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October 20, 2007

Avoid Vitamins and Sugar, Live 15 Years Longer

German scientists have found that by giving up sweets and avoiding vitamins, you can extend your life by about 15 years.

In researching the effect of reducing the amount of glucose given to worms, they found that it extended their lives about 25%, or 15 years in human terms.

But it isn’t for the reason you and I would suspect.

When the glucose was reduced, it increased the amount of free radicals (we normally hear this as a bad thing) and in turn, used energy from other sources to build up long lasting defenses against free radicals.

Now, if they were fed anti-oxidants in the form of vitamins, those free radical defenses weren’t built up. So the combination of lowering sugar and letting their system do what is supposed do naturally, they build up long lasting defenses.

This would go against the suggestion of many that anti-oxidant vitamins and supplements are good for you. From this research, it appears it may actually be the opposite.

In my research and experience, I go back to nature, letting your body do what it does best. Feed it as nature intended, avoiding the processed, fortified and modified foods and supplements and concentrate on fresh fruits, vegetables, natural grains, nuts and seeds. This automatically keeps the processed and added sugars and supplements out of your diet and not only could extend your life, but also increase the quality of your life!

Read more at Reuters.

To your best health!

Mark

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October 15, 2007

England Takes Step In The Right Direction With Obesity Crisis

Prime Minister Gordon Brown took a step in the right direction Monday when he announced a new initiative where schools would increase the number of physical fitness programs weekly. This comes on the heels of a report that a full 50% of Britons will be obese in 25 years if current trends continue. I agree with the schools comments that this is a good idea, although more importantly is what parents do at home. Studies have confirmed that parents are the primary influence in children’s lives and the best thing to do is to be a good example and teach them proper eating and activity habits including eating a diet of primarily fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and natural grains.

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October 9, 2007

Are You Following These Keys To Optimal Health?

Dr. Weston Price was a dentist in the 1930’s that decided to research the health of cultures world wide. He traveled all over the world interviewing, examining and photographing, and since he was a dentist, he also was interested in their teeth. What he found was profound and undisputed even today. Here’s what he learned.

In native cultures that were thriving with good health, what he found these things in common:

  • they ate natural foods that were not processed, without any additives like sugar
  • the foods were organically grown locally and eaten seasonally
  • they ate fermented foods and some ate unpasteurized dairy foods
  • apparently they ate animal foods, including animal fat

[The one area that I digress from Dr. Weston’s findings is consuming animals foods. The research I have reviewed (and my personal experience) is that especially with the way animals are raised today (they were raised differently in the early 1900’s, without the factory farming, drugs and automation of today’s farming business), there are more risks than rewards in eating animal foods.]

He also found that in these thriving cultures, their teeth were healthy and strong - no cavities. He thought of the mouth as the window to the body and the health of your teeth normally indicated the health of your body.

In the cultures where health was declining, including poor dental health with rotting and missing teeth he noticed that they all had one major thing in common - the introduction of processed foods into their diet. He noted that it was plain to see that shortly after a culture was introduced to processed foods, their health progressively declined.

Dr. Preston’s finding are documented in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

Another doctor, Francis Pottenger is famous for his 10 year nutritional study on the effects of cooking food. He studied hundreds of cats and fed them different ratios of cooked vs. raw foods. What he found was that those cats on a primarily cooked food diet didn’t make it past the third generation. Their health deteriorated and they could no longer reproduce. Those cats feed 100% raw foods thrived. You couldn’t tell the difference between one generation and the other, they were all in great health.

Both doctors research hasn’t been refuted and if you reflect on their findings, you’ll notice the same affects of the diet on our population today. More and more women are unable to conceive and fertility clinics are everywhere using drugs to stimulate what nature can’t. Obesity and related diseases are growing daily. What also has increased is the amount of processed, modified and denatured foods that we eat every day. Children are being introduced to fake, processed foods and grow up believing that is normal and then continue by passing it on to their children. It’s a never ending circle that will continue forever and lead to a very sick society, or worse.

Actually, we’re already there as America is last among developed countries in health with more disease and health problems than any other. Obesity alone is responsible for over $100 billion dollars a year in health care spending. And America is mainly responsible for introducing and exporting most of the processed foods overseas. The statistics show that when fast food was introduced in foreign countries, their health progressively declined, and continues today. Do we want to pass this on to our children?

Let’s think about it this way for a minute.

If you agree that your body is natural (you weren’t created by a machine or some un-natural method) , why would eating something un-natural, processed, modified, created in a laboratory or grown/filled with chemicals or additives be good for your body (most food packaged or served in a restaurant is processed)? Why would you want to eat something that isn’t natural knowing this?

Here’s something that may also shed some light on this. Did you know that your body automatically rejects anything that it doesn’t recognize as natural? One way we found this out is by researchers looking through the waste from portable toilets. In sifting out the waste, they found thousands of almost whole vitamins and pills (among other things) that were passed almost whole through the digestive system without being absorbed. In analyzing these tablets they found them all to have been created (in a laboratory - most vitamins are made this way) and not a whole food vitamin (whole natural foods condensed into a tablet).

Only you can change this declining trend by realizing that the only way to gain optimal health in all areas of your life is by eating fresh, unprocessed, organically grown foods. Eating primarily a diet of foods that are raw and a small percentage dried, steamed or lightly cooked.

The video goes into more detail and is inspiring.

To your best health!

Mark

If you’re looking for a way to add whole foods to your diet, learn about the convenient, delicious and healthy foods available to you, without leaving your home. And read about the life altering changes others have experienced.

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October 6, 2007

How Television Affects Your Behavior [Video]

Interesting video on the affects of watching television. I found the explanation of how the ‘fight or flight’ reaction works while watching TV and how that affects our actions, especially in children and how it appears to be linked to hyperactivity.  In my experiences with my daughter, she normally acts different after watching television. Either very excited, spacey, not interested in doing much (other than watching more TV) and frustrated when I ask her to turn it off. Very different than her curious, happy, inquisitive self that is always interested in doing projects, crafts, workbooks, homework (yes homework!).

Overall, there is little benefit to watching television. The medium, as the video points out, is specifically designed to sell you something, whether it’s a point of view, idea, activity, a product, or a service. You are both consciously and unconsciously bombarded with messages that are not in your best interest. Have you noticed that when you sit down to watch TV, it’s often hard to turn off, even if you only plan to watch one program? Anywhere I go I see this happen with people of all ages. Commercials, previews, specials or other topics seem to draw you in. Oh I forgot, that’s why it’s called ‘television programming’!

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October 3, 2007

Study Reports Vegetarian Diet Best For Heart Health

Not surprisingly, a new study released by the University of Massachusetts rated a primarily vegetarian diet, like the one authored by Dr. Dean Ornish, as the best diet for heart health. The study compared popular diets and concluded that a low fat, meat-less diet that is high in fiber was the best in helping you to avoid heart disease. From experience and research, this diet is also great for losing weight, avoiding most disease and feeling better overall.

To your best health!

Mark

Get ideas on how to easily and conveniently add more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds into your diet.

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October 2, 2007

Single Best Way To Help The Environment

I often get asked what’s the best thing to do to help the environment. Recycle, drive less, eat locally grown food, take public transportation? It was often a toss up to what I may suggest since each one is helpful although none really stood out as the best.

Now have the answer.

The United Nations (UN) recently released a report that stated the single best way to help the environment is to stop eating meat. The amount of pollution created in raising animals for human consumption is staggering, more than 130 times of human generated pollution. The amount of water used for animal raising is staggering as well.

Watch the video below from the Glenn Beck show that details more. Now Glenn is no vegetarian, but he makes a valid point that those that want to help the environment ought to be a good example and show others what they can do to make a difference.

Not only is skipping meat good for the environment, it’s also been proven to reduce your chances for disease, extend your life and increase the quality of your life considerably.

If you’d like to help the environment (and yourself) take the first step and reduce or eliminate meat from your and your family’s diet. Look at resources that help with adding convenient and delicious foods to your dietvegetarian and vegan options as well as vegan raw options.

To your best health!

Mark