Dangerous Acts After Meal

When you have just eaten it is dangerous to do certain things and OK to do others. Here are some cautions...

10 Signs You Have An Unhealthy Gut + How To Heal It

In functional medicine, we believe that every system in the body is connected. Your digestive and hormonal systems, for example, aren't independent of one another. At the center of it all is a properly functioning digestive system.

When your gut is unhealthy, it can cause more than just stomach pain, gas, bloating, or diarrhea. Because 60-80% of our immune system is located in our gut, gut imbalances have been linked to hormonal imbalances, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, eczema, rosacea, and other chronic health problems.

I believe the gut is the gateway to health, and the first step I take with all of my patients regardless of their diagnosis is to heal the gut. I use a system called The 4R Program, which is a simple approach to repairing your gut and restoring your body’s balance.

10 Signs You Have an Unhealthy Gut:

1. Digestive issues like bloating, gas, diarrhea

2. Food allergies or sensitivities

3. Anxiety

4. Depression

5. Mood swings, irritability

6. Skin problems like eczema, rosacea

7. Diabetes

8. Autoimmune disease

9. Frequent Infections

10. Poor memory and concentration, ADD or ADHD

The 4 R Program

1. Remove

Remove the bad. The goal is to get rid of things that negatively affect the environment of the gut, such as inflammatory foods, infections, and irritants like alcohol, caffeine, or drugs.

Inflammatory foods, such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and sugar, can lead to food sensitivities. I recommend an elimination diet as the starting point to identify which foods are problematic for you, in which you remove the foods for two weeks or more and then add them back in, one at a time, taking note of your body’s response.

Infections can be from parasites, yeast, or bacteria. A comprehensive stool analysis is key to determining the levels of good bacteria as well as any infections that may be present. Removing the infections may require treatment with herbs, anti-parasite medication, antifungal medication, antifungal supplements, or even antibiotics.

2. Replace

Replace the good. Add back in the essential ingredients for proper digestion and absorption that may have been depleted by diet, drugs (such as antacid medications) diseases or aging. This includes digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and bile acids that are required for proper digestion.

3. Reinoculate

Restoring beneficial bacteria to reestablish a healthy balance of good bacteria is critical. This may be accomplished by taking a probiotic supplement that contains beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species. I recommend anywhere from 25 -100 billion units a day. Also, taking a prebiotic (food for the good bacteria) supplement or consuming foods high in soluble fiber is important.

4. Repair

Providing the nutrients necessary to help the gut repair itself is essential. One of my favorites supplements is L-glutamine, an amino acid that helps to rejuvenate the gut wall lining. Other key nutrients include zinc, omega-3 fish oils, vitamin A, C, and E, as well as herbs such as slippery elm and aloe vera.

No matter what your health issue is, the 4R program is sure to help you and your gut heal! I have witnessed dramatic reversal of chronic and inflammatory illnesses in a very short period of time by utilizing this simple approach.

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Fasting activates your body's 'survival' mode, boosting your immune system

Scientific research is finally validating the ancient health and healing practice of fasting. The Telegraph recently reported that scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered that fasting "for as little as three days can regenerate the entire immune system,
even in the elderly, scientists have found in a breakthrough described as 'remarkable.'"

Researchers suggest that the mechanism behind this phenomenon is that "starving the body kick-starts stem cells into producing new white blood cells, which fight off infection." And fasting "'flips a regenerative switch' which prompts stem cells to create brand new white blood cells, essentially regenerating the entire immune system."

Tech Times recently quoted key findings from the same USC study. Valter Longo, corresponding author of the study and a professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, stated: "When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged."

Longo added, "With a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system."

Tech Times reported, "The fasting, whether for two or four days, drives the human body into a 'survival' mode in which it begins using up stores of sugar and fat and also breaks down old cells."

The Times of India came out with an article titled "Fast 8 days a year to boost immunity." It also reported from the same California study that fasting forced the body to initiate stem cells to "regenerate and rebuild the entire system."

The researchers were quick to warn that, although fasting has proven benefits, it should be used judiciously and that more clinical research is needed, as prior research results were mixed.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are generic, undifferentiated source cells, which are the basis of all specific cell types such as muscle cells, blood cells and so on. They come in two varieties: unlimited and limited.

Unlimited stem cells, also called embryonic cells, can develop into any type of cell or tissue. Potentially, these cells have the ability to reverse and restore any type of injured or diseased cells or tissues.

Research into unlimited stem cells has been focused on the development of profitable synthetic drugs that can mimic these cells. A major advantage to unlimited stem cells is that they can be replicated outside the body in a lab.

Currently amidst controversy, unlimited stem cells have been developed from fertility clinics' discarded three-day-old embryos. Unlike limited stem cells, these cells exist outside the body and can be developed into any kind of needed cell or tissue type.

Limited stem cells, also known as adult stem cells, have for some time been successfully used to repair specific organs and tissues based on where these cells originated.

A major disadvantage is that not all organs or tissues have these limited stem cells, which can be difficult to secure. Another disadvantage is that limited stem cells cannot be grown in a lab and must be taken directly from the body, immediately frozen and then directly transplanted into the patient.

Fasting - an ancient medical practice

Medical fasting is the practice of abstaining from solid food for a specific and predetermined period of time in order to obtain a variety of therapeutic benefits, both preventive and curative.

In fact, fasting has been used therapeutically for thousands of years. Hippocrates, the father of Western Medicine, advocated its use and taught his disciples that fasting activated the body's ability to heal itself.

Around 500 years ago, Paracelsus, an illustrious Swiss German Renaissance physician who founded the Western discipline of toxicology, proclaimed that "fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within." Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old healing system from India, has long advocated fasting and its therapeutic benefits.

In Europe, medically supervised fasting has been traditionally used to heal and restore patients' health. It continues to this day in special healing spas, especially in Germany. Some experts estimate that the majority of Americans store between five and ten pounds of toxic substances in their bodies.

FDA Finally Admits Chicken Meat Contains Cancer-Causing Arsenic

After years of sweeping the issue under the rug and hoping no one would notice, the FDA has now finally admitted that chicken meat sold in the USA contains arsenic, a cancer-causing toxic chemical that’s fatal in high doses. But the real story is where this arsenic comes from: It’s added to the chicken feed purposely!

Even worse, the FDA says its own research shows that the arsenic added to the chicken feed ends up in the chicken meat where it is consumed by humans. So for the last sixty years, American consumers who eat conventional chicken have been consuming arsenic, a known cancer-causing chemical.

Until this new study, both the poultry industry and the FDA denied that arsenic fed to chickens ended up in their meat. The fairy-tale excuse story we’ve all been fed for sixty years is that “the arsenic is excreted in the chicken feces.” There’s no scientific basis for making such a claim, it’s simply what the poultry industry wanted everybody to believe.

Now the evidence is so undeniable that the manufacturer of the chicken feed product known as Roxarsone has decided to pull the product off the shelves. Interestingly enough, the manufacturer that has been putting arsenic in the chicken feed for all these years is Pfizer — the very same company that makes vaccines containing chemical adjuvants that are injected into children.

Technically, the company making the Roxarsone chicken feed is a subsidiary of Pfizer, called Alpharma LLC. Even though Alpharma now has agreed to pull this toxic feed chemical off the shelves in the United States, it says it won’t necessarily remove it from feed products in other countries unless it is forced by regulators to do so. As reported by AP:

“Scott Brown of Pfizer Animal Health’s Veterinary Medicine Research and Development division said the company also sells the ingredient in about a dozen other countries. He said Pfizer is reaching out to regulatory authorities in those countries and will decide whether to sell it on an individual basis.”

But even as its arsenic-containing product is pulled off the shelves, the FDA continues its campaign of denial, claiming arsenic in chickens is at such a low level that it’s still safe to eat. This is even as the FDA says arsenic is a carcinogen, meaning it increases the risk of cancer.

The National Chicken Council agrees with the FDA. In a statement issued in response to the news that Roxarsone would be pulled from feed store shelves, it stated, “Chicken is safe to eat” even while admitting arsenic was used in many flocks grown and sold as chicken meat in the United States.

What’s astonishing about all this is that the FDA tells consumers it’s safe to eat cancer-causing arsenic but it’s dangerous to drink elderberry juice! The FDA recently conducted an armed raid in an elderberry juice manufacturer, accusing them of the “crime” of selling “unapproved drugs.” Which drugs would those be? The elderberry juice, explains the FDA. You see, the elderberry juice suddenly becomes a “drug” if you tell people how it can help support good health.
The FDA has also gone after dozens of other companies for selling natural herbal products or nutritional products that enhance and support health. The FDA is also waging a war on raw milk which it says is dangerous. Currently in America, thee is a food and drug regulatory agency that says it’s okay to eat arsenic, but dangerous to drink elderberry juice or raw milk.

Diet Changes that may help reduce Cancer

With the incidences of cancer seeming to rise frequently according to the media outlets, many people wonder if there is anything they can do in order to significantly reduce that risk. While a diagnosis of cancer can be a devastating blow, there are some steps that people can take to reduce their risk of getting a number of different types of cancer. One of the things that an individual has the most control over is the diet that is consumed. By making some dietary changes, it is possible to lower the risk of getting cancer.

Increase fiber

There is a reason why so many health experts espouse a diet that is high in fiber. Repeated studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between a high-fiber diet and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. Fiber helps move those potentially toxic compounds through the intestinal walls faster as well as bindS them together so that they are kept away from the intestinal walls. This is even true for those people who are at high risk for colon cancer. A study showed that, when those people ate a high-fiber diet of no less than 13 grams of wheat bran fiber each day, less growth was noted in those cells that were potentially cancerous.

Increase consumption of raw fruits and vegetables

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is not just a good idea to keep sugar cravings to a minimum and help keep weight manageable. Along the same vein, eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables helps an individual reduce their craving for fatty foods, a notorious component of the diet that can increase the risk of cancer. In addition, fruits and vegetables are high in phytochemicals. These phytochemicals are natural compounds that can help the body fight off cancer and lower risk. Those vegetables that are cruciferous, such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale and mustard greens, are considered cancer-fighting powerhouses, because they contain three powerful phytochemcals.

Make the switch from an animal-based diet

Studies that have looked at the diets of vegetarians, as well as Seventh Day Adventists, have found that these groups tend to have a much lower risk of developing cancer. Some researchers believe that the skyrocketing rates of cancer during modern times is directly correlated to the switch humans made from a primarily plant-based diet to one that focuses on animal products. Indeed, plants have a three-prong advantage over animal products. They contain phytochemicals, as well as more fiber than animal products. In addition, plants contain a great deal less fat than animal products.

By making a few changes to eat in a healthier fashion, individuals can greatly decrease their risk of being diagnosed with cancer. Following these dietary changes over the course of a lifetime can help them remain cancer-free.

Change Your Diet Before Pregnancy!

Healthy diet before pregnancy significantly lowers risk of having preterm birth later

(NaturalNews) New research conducted at the University of Adelaide and published in The Journal of Nutrition has shown that women who consumed a poor diet before conceiving had roughly 50 percent higher risk of having a preterm birth as compared to those who ate a healthy diet. This is the first piece of research to look at what women ate before becoming pregnant and how it affected birth outcomes.

Preterm birth

Preterm birth (delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy) has been linked to significant short and long-term negative health effects. Almost 3 out of every 4 newborn deaths are linked to preterm delivery.

"Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant disease and death and occurs in approximately one in 10 pregnancies globally. Anything we can do to better understand the conditions that lead to preterm birth will be important in helping to improve survival and long-term health outcomes for children," said Dr Jessica Grieger, the leader of the research team.

Study findings

The research team from the university's Robinson Research Institute had looked at the eating habits of over 300 women in South Australia. They found that women who had diets consistently abundant in protein and fruits before conception had a lower chance of having a preterm birth. On the other hand, those whose diets were high in fats, sugars and takeaways were about 50% more at risk of preterm births.

"In our study, women who ate protein-rich foods including lean meats, fish and chicken, as well as fruit, whole grains and vegetables, had significantly lower risk of preterm birth. On the other hand, women who consumed mainly discretionary foods, such as takeaway, potato chips, cakes, biscuits, and other foods high in saturated fat and sugar were more likely to have babies born preterm," said Dr Grieger.

Diet during pregnancy important too

Of course, what a pregnant lady eats during pregnancy is also very important. Another study published earlier in 2014 in the British Medical Journal had revealed that pregnant ladies who consumed a "prudent" diet containing good amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and who drank water had a markedly lower risk of preterm delivery. The researchers from Iceland, Norway and Sweden also found that a "traditional" diet of boiled potatoes, cooked vegetables and fish was associated with significantly reduced risk as well.

"It is important to consume a healthy diet before as well as during pregnancy to support the best outcomes for the mum and baby," added Dr Grieger.

The bottom line

A woman who wishes to have a healthy pregnancy and to give birth to a healthy child needs to consume a healthy diet. This applies to both during and before pregnancy. A well-balanced and varied diet containing lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, healthy protein and water is recommended. At the same time, the consumption of high-fat, sugary and processed food should be cut down, if not ceased altogether. Organic foods are preferable, while non-organic produce should be washed to remove toxic chemical residues.

Another key point -- it is never too late to make positive dietary changes.

"Diet is an important risk factor that can be modified. It is never too late to make a positive change. We hope our work will help promote a healthy diet before and during pregnancy. This will help to reduce the number of neonatal deaths and improve the overall health of children," Dr Grieger also said.

10 Ways to Live Without Attachment

It always amuses me how a particular lesson continues to show up in our life until we get it. Sure, it comes in different forms – a physical sign, something we hear, a challenge we confront – but it comes repeatedly.

Lately my lesson is learning how to let go. That might seem like a nebulous idea, but it’s really quite simple: the tighter the grip, the more tension is created. The more tension that lives in our bodies, the more stressed out we are, and stressequals the root of all evil.

Knowing what we want and having zero control over timing can be a struggle. It’s important to learn how to have a dream, wish it well, send it on its way, then get back to living in the here and now. It's like sending a message in a bottle off to sea; yeah, we hope someone finds it and responds, but we aren’t desperate for that to happen and almost forget about it once it hits the tide.

Here are some ways I’ve learned to apply that same breeze to every day life:

1. Figure out what grounds you and do it daily.

I wake up every morning and do the same series of five-minute stretches, drink hot water with lemon, take a shower, do a quick meditation, eat breakfast, then feel ready to brave the day. I like to get a workout in if possible, but if not, this routine still sets me up to be present and productive. Taking this time for myself brings me to a place of balance. From that place I can respond with a calm, secure attitude, continuously moving forward as I confront things that might otherwise stop me in my tracks.

2. Do what you love.

Stop saying yes when you want to say no. Figure out what makes your heart smile. Spend as much time as possible doing that, and trust that you can make a career out of it. This makes uncertainty exciting because there’s a faith that every moment has the potential to bring true joy.

3. Release the ego and say goodbye to self-doubt.

Judgement, comparisons, fears, insecurities, and all the guilty feelings that create pain in our lives stem from the ego. Do not them guide you. Take control of your mind; empower it.

4. Cultivate unshakeable self-love.

Yes, we’re all crazy. Feel better now that that’s out there? We’re also all awesome; own that, because who cares about the rest? Expand on the ways you rock and forget the rest. When you feel good about yourself, you feel good about everything else.

5. Take nothing personally.

We’re all fighting the good fight and doing it the best way we know how. Everyone handles stuff differently. Choose to let things bounce off you, and they will. It’s so much easier this way!

6. Look whatever feeling comes up straight in the face and be OK with it.

Then choose to move forward anyway. Learning to be comfortable with discomfort is a lesson that will last a lifetime. Just take a deep breath and stop trying to analyze it. Feel it, move on.

7. Slow down and pay attention.

When we aren’t filling the time with minutiae there’s a lot of empty space. Which is a good thing. That allows us to tune into the detail and pay attention to the signs. This is where we get little winks from the universe that we’re heading in the right direction. The winks are so fulfilling!

8. Relax.

The majority of our society lives from a place of fear. Get out of your adrenals. It always works out the way it’s supposed to, and it’s all going to be OK.

9. Come from a place of unconditional love.

Don't sweat the small stuff, give and show love every way you can. Happiness is a choice, make that perspective your priority.

10. Practice patience.

Keep your eye on the prize but enjoy the journey. All good things come to those who wait.