One of the biggest lies ever told is that vaccines eradicated disease; improved sanitation eradicated disease. This lie is the big falsehood upon which many other myths are propagated. When lies are repeated enough, they come to be taken as the truth.

…in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.” -Adolf Hitler

Though the pharmaceutical industry can fool most of the people most of the time, they cannot fool all of the people all of the time. As Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “No lie can live forever.”

Like all pharmaceuticals, vaccines can have potentially devastating side effects. Adverse reactions can and often are far more serious than the diseases they are intended to prevent. Your chance of dying from measles with modern healthcare is nearly zero, and yet hundreds have died from the MMR vaccine.¹

Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, testified before Congress that the mass immunizations aimed at eradicating polio caused most of the polio cases since 1961. How can the polio vaccine be safe or effective when it causes the disease it is intended to prevent?²

In a bad year, India has fewer than a thousand cases of polio. In fact, India was certified polio-free in 2014 and hasn’t had a case of polio in three years.³ In their efforts to eradicate polio in India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s mass immunization campaign permanently crippled well over 50,000 children. It could take more than a century for polio to cause the kind of devastation this polio immunization campaign caused. These are not the results of a safe practice.⁴

Vaccines Are Effective

There is a saying that no vaccine is 100% effective. This saying implies that vaccines are close to this number, but in truth, vaccines are not tested for effectiveness at all. If a vaccine generates antibodies, it is considered effective; however, antibody generation does not equate to a numerical percentage of disease prevention. One of the best indicators of vaccine ineffectiveness is that the same vaccines are given over and over again. If a vaccine guaranteed immunity, why would it have to be given again? Vaccination carries with it serious risk of injury, including death. If you’re going to bet your life on it, wouldn’t you want the vaccine to actually work?⁵

Our immune systems rely on far more than just antibodies to fight pathogens. An individual dying of AIDS has no shortage of antibodies in their blood; their body produces vast numbers of antibodies and yet that doesn’t keep them alive when their white T-cells have been decimated by the HIV virus. Antibodies aren’t everything. Just because vaccines generate antibodies, that doesn’t mean they are effective.

Your Doctor Knows More About Vaccines Than You Do

No doubt your doctor has strong opinions about vaccination; but do they know anything about them? Probably not. The science of immunology, virology, or advanced toxicology is not taught to most medical students. If anything about vaccines is taught, only one side of the scientific debate about vaccines is ever presented to medical students.⁶

If you ask the average medical doctor about MRC-Cells, WI-38 Cells, vaccine adjuvants, or vaccine court, you will probably be met with deafening silence. Doctors are typically profoundly ignorant about immunizations. If you spend ten minutes researching vaccine ingredients, you are likely to know more about vaccines than your doctor. If you read a vaccine insert, you are likely to know more about vaccines than your doctor. If you spend five minutes speaking to a naturopathic or homeopathic doctor or even a chiropractor, you will find that they know far more about vaccines than your conventional medical doctor.⁷

Mercury Was Removed From Vaccines

This actually never happened. Mercury was removed from some vaccines and replaced with aluminum. Other vaccines, like the flu shot, still contain mercury under the name thimerosal. Thimerosal is 49% ethyl mercury. Mercury is 1,000 times more toxic than lead, and it is still present in a number of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.⁸

If You Are Vaccinated and Get a Vaccine Preventable Disease, You Will Catch a Milder Case of the Illness Due to Having Been Vaccinated

Actually, if you were vaccinated and then caught the disease, you either caught it from the vaccination itself, or if time passed, the vaccine failed and you caught it from someone else who had been recently vaccinated and was shedding the disease.

There is no evidence to suggest that injecting the body with toxins and pathogens makes our immune system stronger, but there is a growing body of evidence that suggests the highly vaccinated are more vulnerable to both chronic and acute diseases.

Vaccine Manufacturers are Held Accountable for Vaccine Injuries

In 1986, the Childhood Vaccine Injury Act made vaccine manufacturers immune from all liability due to vaccines. Instead of holding the manufacturers accountable, vaccines are taxed, and these taxes go to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.⁹ In order to receive compensation for vaccine injury, one must win in Vaccine Court. Vaccine Court is a rigged system of compensation designed to protect the vaccine industry and deny claims brought forth by parents and family members of dead and crippled children and adults. There is a better than 80% chance that a claim will be denied by vaccine court. If claims are paid out, compensation rarely covers medical expenses. If a vaccine kills, the maximum payout is $250,000.¹⁰ Isn’t human life worth more than a quarter of a million dollars?

Adverse reactions to vaccines can also result in agonizing, rare, exotic, and crippling diseases. A few examples of these are Guillain Barre Syndrome (an immune disorder in which the body attacks the nervous system), Transverse Myelitis (a neurological disorder which can result in paralysis, urinary retention, and loss of bowel control), Miller Fisher Syndrome (which can result in respiratory failure, abnormal muscle coordination, and a myriad of other symptoms) and Intussusception (which is caused by the intestine being pulled inward, onto itself, which can be fatal, and it is always excruciating).¹¹

The payouts awarded by vaccine court vary on a case-by-case basis. When considering how miserable these diseases make people, and how expensive treatment is, one would think the compensation would be greater. The following payouts were advertised by Maglio, Christopher, and Toale, P.A.:¹²

• From 2010 through 2015, this law firm won 11 cases that included death. The smallest payout was $100,000 and the largest payout was $400,000. The average payout was $218,792.50. Cases with a payout over $250,000 included payment for injuries as well.
• From January through November 2015, this law firm won 46 cases that included Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS). The smallest payout for GBS was $60,000 and the largest payout was $807,000. The average payout was $215,829.70.
• From January through November 2015, this law firm won 6 cases related to Transverse Myelitis. The smallest payout was $85,000 and the largest payout was $537,500. The average payout was $184,750.
• From January through November 2015, this law firm won 2 cases related to Miller Fisher Syndrome. Each had a payout of $125,000.
• From January through November 2015, this law firm won 1 case related to Intussusception. It was awarded an annuity totaling $58,106 to be paid over four years as well as an additional lump sum of $10,221.19 to cover a Kentucky Medicaid lien.

The Anti-Vaccine Movement is a Fad

Objections to inoculation and vaccination have been around for as long as inoculation and vaccination have been practiced. Typically, when we hear the term conscientious objector we think of someone who is opposed to military service during wartime. Centuries ago, the term referred to someone who was opposed to getting inoculated, or getting their children inoculated. The anti-vaccine movement is an old movement, and it is not going away. We will not be silenced, and we know the truth is on our side. We know it is only a matter of time before the truth about vaccines is known by the majority of people, not just by a select few who have taken the time to do the research.¹³

The Internet is Full of Misinformation Regarding Vaccines

Have you heard this tired cliché, “Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet”? Actually this is sound advice, but you shouldn’t believe everything you see on TV either, or everything you read in books, everything your doctor tells you, or even everything you read in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Misinformation is everywhere. Falsehoods, half-truths, and outright lies are not solely limited to the Internet.

An informed opinion demands familiarity with both sides of an issue. No one, not even your doctor will ever care about your health or your children’s health as much as you do. Both sides of the vaccine debate are easily accessible via the Internet. Even anti-vaxxers agree that the Internet is full of misinformation about vaccines.

Misinformation abounds everywhere, especially on websites like the CDC, FDA, and NIH. The truth is out there for those willing to go and find it. A good place to start is to look up vaccine ingredients. Isn’t it a good idea to know what is being injected in you or your children?

The Unvaccinated Spread Disease to the Vaccinated

This lie spread by vaccine manufacturers is another believed and repeated by so many only because they’ve heard it so often. Infectious disease is typically spread by person-to-person contact. A healthy individual doesn’t spread disease; sick people do. Rarely, there are cases of those who are disease carriers, individuals who exhibit no symptoms, but are capable of spreading disease. There is no evidence to suggest that if these individuals were vaccinated, that this would happen less often. On the contrary, it is the recently vaccinated who spread disease through viral shedding.

Yes, viral shedding is a real hazard.¹⁴ The recently vaccinated often spread the very disease that the vaccine is intended to protect against. When this happens, the unvaccinated are typically blamed for the outbreak. A good example is the recent Disneyland measles “epidemic”.¹⁵

If there is no vaccine for the strain of the virus responsible for the outbreak, the same tactic is used: blame the unvaccinated. In the absence of television advertisements, every major or minor disease outbreak engenders free marketing. Despite high vaccination rates, it is the unvaccinated who are blamed for disease.

This blame is assigned by the mainstream media outlets whose bills are paid by Big Pharma. Defying all logic, the public is told that vaccines can only work if everyone is vaccinated.¹⁶ Considering how interconnected the world is these days, even if everyone in our respective country of origin were to be vaccinated there would still be unvaccinated foreigners traveling people would encounter, and the gullible could place blame upon strangers in strange lands for spreading disease. The fight for 100% worldwide vaccination is unattainable, so there will always be scapegoats.

Scientists and Doctors Agree that Vaccination is the Best Defense Against Infectious Diseases

Another myth perpetuated by the mainstream media and Big Pharma is that there is a consensus among scientists and medical professionals that vaccines are the best protection available against disease. In actuality, there is no consensus. Vaccination is hotly debated by doctors and scientists, especially those who actually study vaccination.¹⁷ When it’s Mom and Dad against the world, anti-vaxxers are framed by the mainstream media as anti-science.

In order for science to progress, competing scientific explanations must be evaluated on their own merits, not dismissed or accepted based upon their initial popularity in the scientific community. There are, in fact, so many doctors and scientists opposed to vaccines that we have produced an ongoing series of articles giving voice to their expert opinions.¹⁸ We are unlikely to ever run out of new experts we can draw upon to continue this series. Obviously, there are more than a handful of experts opposed to vaccination.

Conclusion

One cannot eradicate diseases by way of immunization. Injecting pathogens and toxins into the bloodstream bypasses the body’s natural defenses, and leaves us more vulnerable to injury and death than natural exposure to the disease ever could. When we are intimidated into vaccinating because diseases like measles used to kill people, we aren’t being given all the relevant facts. Measles are unlikely to kill anyone these days due to modern medical care. It’s true that antibiotics are useless against viral infections, but when someone is battling measles, they are more vulnerable to secondary infections, like pneumonia. It is another modern day myth that the measles vaccine saves lives. Your chances of dying from measles is nearly zero. The same cannot be said of the measles vaccine.

There are many myths surrounding vaccines. They will continue to be perpetuated until those of us who are in the know challenge them wherever and whenever we hear them. The best defense against lies is the truth, and the best defense against bad ideas are better ideas. In the absence of truthful reporting, it is up to us to be the media before vaccine hysteria spreads ever further though vaccine mandates. If we cannot be deceived, we are to be coerced – that is until we can shed light upon these vaccination myths. If you’ve recently been vaccinated, or may be getting immunized soon, check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children.

Related Reading:

• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Vaccines, Retroviruses, DNA, and the Discovery That Destroyed  Judy Mikovits’ Career
• How Plumbing (Not Vaccines) Eradicated Disease
• The MMR Vaccine – A Comprehensive Overview of the Potential Dangers and Effectiveness

Sources:

1. Can Measles Vaccine Cause Injury & Death? – National Vaccine Information Center   ↩
2. The Polio Vaccine Myth: ‘The Vaccine Stopped Polio’ – Collective Evolution
   Updates on CDC’s Polio Eradication Efforts – CDC   ↩
3. Bill Gates’ Vaccine Program Caused 47,500 Cases of Paralysis Death – NSNBC   ↩
4. Voodoo Science: The Myth of Vaccine Efficacy – Age of Autism   ↩
5. Doctors Learn to Talk Vaccines – Wall Street Journal   ↩
6. Vaccines: What Your Doctors Know and Don’t Know – Vactruth   ↩
7. Ten Lies Told About Mercury in Vaccines – Trace Amounts   ↩
8. Supreme Court vaccine ruling: parents can’t sue drug makers for kids’ health problems – CBS News   ↩
9. History of Anti-Vaccination Movements – History of Vaccines   ↩
10. Studies Show That Vaccinated Individuals Spread Disease – Weston A. Price   ↩
11. Journalist Infuriates Readers While Reporting on Massachusetts Whooping Cough Outbreak – Inquistr   ↩
12. Pertussis Outbreak Among Vaccinated Preschoolers Raises Alarm – Medscape   ↩
13. Doctors Against Vaccines – Organic Lifestyle Magazine   ↩
14. Scientists Against Vaccines – Organic Lifestyle Magazine   ↩
15. Hitler and the ‘Big Lie’ – The Holocaust Historiography Project   ↩
16. FAQ- Topic: Vaccine Injury Compensation – National Vaccine Information Center   ↩
17. Disorder Index – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
    Our Firm’s Vaccine Case Results – Maglio, Christopher, & Toale, P.A.   ↩

Cacao growers are facing climate fluctuations along with a growing list of diseases and pests that attack their crops. While the Foundation for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy is on the case (breeding new varieties of cacao and looking for locations that will still be able to sustain cacao production, in say, twenty years), no one knows if they’ll be able to meet the world’s ever expanding demand. What’s going to happen when we run out of chocolate? Will we replace chocolate with carob?

Carob Is Sustainable

Humankind’s long, exciting history with chocolate makes carob seem like the quiet, reliable but less dangerous, less sexy option. It is, but it is also a sustainable one.

Carob is a hardy legume originating in the Mediterranean that can stand temperatures as low as 20°F. Unlike chocolate, carob doesn’t contain caffeine or theobromine. There are few pests that affect it, so it is not likely to be treated with pesticides. Though carob does need to be dried, unlike chocolate, it doesn’t need to be fermented, which further limits its contact with animals and insects.

Perhaps the most important feature of the carob plant is its drought-resistance. Cacao is a water-hungry plant that needs nearly eighty inches of rainfall a year. Regions close to the equator where cacao grows are experiencing drier conditions as climate change evolves, making cacao a less sustainable crop as water resources decline. In contrast, carob requires roughly 20 inches of rain a year, and that’s only to produce fruit. A mature tree can survive drought conditions for years. Multiple signs are pointing to water being the most precious resource in the near future. Shifting our dependence to crops that are less water-intensive is critical.

It Doesn’t Have All of Those Pesky Human Rights Issues

Carob also beats chocolate on human rights. Recent investigations into chocolate production on the Ivory Coast found evidence of continued human rights abuse with 12,000 children smuggled in and made victims of modern slavery. The average carob product is much less labor intensive and more frequently farmed in countries with better-regulated labor laws. It is always more likely to be fair-trade.

Nutrition

Sugar is energy, and we’re biologically wired to want it. But all forms of sugar are not equal, and too much of it and many of the modern forms of it combine to feed Candida and cause other damage. Carob pulp is about 50 percent sugars and while gorging yourself on it isn’t recommended, the naturally occurring sugars benefit greatly from carob’s fiber content, which slows down the absorption of said sugars. This sugar content also has the side benefit of lowering the amount of added sugar needed to make carob palatable.

Carob contains a rich array of nutrients. Like chocolate, carob has significant antioxidant activity, but carob has three times more calcium. It’s also a good source of B vitamins, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and trace minerals like iron and manganese. It also serves as a protein source.

In natural medicine, carob’s levels of pectin and tannin help stop serious cases of diarrhea. Its antioxidant profile has also been effective in helping lower cholesterol, and some studies suggest carob is capable of attacking cervical cancer cells.

So Why We Aren’t Clamoring for Carob?

Short Answer? It’s not chocolate.

Carob’s natural sweetness actually plays against it in the taste category, as the bitterness found in chocolate gives it a stronger and more varied flavor profile. Chocolate also contains more fat, another food stuff we find hard to resist.

While linking carob with chocolate does garner some positive press, it also creates carob’s biggest obstacle. Carob and chocolate are most often a sweet treat, they are combined with like ingredients, they are usually the same color, and they do have a similar taste.  However, anyone biting into carob expecting it to taste just like chocolate will be disappointed and forever think of it as an inadequate substitute. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Reframe the Situation

So, it’s not chocolate. If you’re able to separate carob from chocolate, carob can be a satisfying treat. It’s great in homemade energy bites, desserts, and even smoothies. Keep an open mind and try it. You just might have a new favorite sweet snack. Here’s a recipe to get you started.

Carob Coconut Rough Slice

Makes 16-20 single-serve squares

This recipe, Carob Coconut Rough Slice, from Be Good Organics, is used with permission. All of the items listed for the recipe can be purchased from their site.  Always use certified organic ingredients whenever possible.

Base Ingredients

• 1c almonds (soaked 8 hrs or overnight, rinsed and well drained)
• 1/2c raw carob powder
• 1c dates (soaked for a few hours then drained – save the water to use as sweetener in your hot drinks or in a smoothie)
• 2c desiccated coconut
• 3/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• pinch organic sea salt

Chewy Topping

• 1/2c cashews
• 1/3c raw carob powder
• 8 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• c = 250ml cup, tbsp = 15ml tablespoon, tsp = 5ml teaspoon

Instructions

1. Add almonds to a high-speed food processor or blender, and blend until fine.
2. Add the carob powder and salt and blend again.
3. Now add the dates one by one while the machine is running (through the hole in the top), until fully combined.
4. Remove from the processor into a bowl, then mix in the coconut.
5. Finally mix in the coconut oil until well combined.
6. Pour into a glass or metal tin lined with a square of baking paper and press down until really firmly packed – then place in the freezer to set.
7. Now for the topping, add the cashews to your food processor and blend until they become a fine powder. Add the carob powder until mixed, then one by one while the motor is running add your medjool dates.
8. Make sure your second measure of coconut oil is melted but well cooled (not warm, or it will separate). Add to the processor until the mixture becomes one big gooey ball.
9. Take the base out of the freezer, press the topping down on top of the base and smooth over. Place back in the freezer for about an hour until set, then remove, slice, and store in the freezer or fridge.

This will last a couple of weeks in the fridge. If you want it to last longer (or you have limited self-control), it will also keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Raw Vegan Carob Brownie

Recommended Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Powerfully Healing Raspberry Cream Smoothie Recipe
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Carob: Better Than Chocolate – Gilead Institute
• Carob vs. Cacao – Live Strong
• Carob Health Medicine – Medical Health Guide

We’ve seen it before. Over time, bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. Roaches become immune to bug spray. Weeds become immune to herbicides. Adaptation wins. Chemicals lose. Such is life.

The newest winner is lice. A champion strain of “super lice,” now reported in 25 states, is proving resistant to the chemicals commonly used today to kill them – both the over the counter and the prescription drugs. When are we going to learn that chemical warfare will always result in creating super bugs?

It isn’t necessary to poison lice with chemicals that harm us and our environemnt. You can kill them naturally by suffocation. Even if over the counter treatments and prescription treatments still worked, do you really want to slather neurotoxins on your child’s scalp? Or yours?

Natural Remedies for Lice and Super Lice

There are several methods to go to war on lice and a few preventative treatments as well. As always, the better you eat, the healthier you are, the less susceptible you are to infection both inside the body and outside. This is true for internal parasites and external parasites like scabies, fleas, and lice. If you’re dealing with any infection (or ailment for that matter), it behooves you to load up on fresh, raw vegetables; to eliminate processed foods; and to seriously restrict any excessively sweet whole foods (like grapes and bananas for instance).

Manual Delousing

First of all, check your child’s scalp on a regular basis – once a week at the very least if lice have been a recurrent problem in their daycare or school, daily if there is a current infestation.

Check all over the scalp, but pay special attention to the area around the ears. Look for lice and look little dark specks. If you find the dark specks, these are nits – otherwise known as eggs. You can use a nit comb to remove lice and nits.

Now, of course, the manual method works, but it is tedious and time-consuming. If you’ve ever tried to remove fleas from a cat or dog with nothing but a flea comb, you know the drill. But if you catch lice early enough and your child only has a few lice and nits, the manual method alone may work.

If you spray any area that has nits with apple cider vinegar (or dab it on with cotton balls), the vinegar will dissolve the “glue” that attaches the nit to the hair shaft, making manual removal much easier.

How To Smother Lice

Mayonnaise, olive oil, and coconut oil are all used to smother the little suckers. Some suggest beginning with an apple cider vinegar rinse, leaving it on until it dries, and using the nit comb as the first step. Some suggest doing this as the last step.

Cover the entire scalp with mayo, olive oil, or coconut oil. Oil can be used with or without the addition of essential oils (tea tree, rosemary, cinnamon, or peppermint oil are good choices).

Cover the head with a shower cap and leave it in place for 2-8 hours. Some say the little monsters can hold their breath that long. Other say 2 hours does the trick.

Don’t forget this important step: wash everything that could be infested with lice and use the dryer! Bed linens are not the only concern. Hats, hoodies, coats, clothes – wash them all at the same time you do a treatment. In fact, if you do the 8-hour treatment, wash the linens before and after.

One treatment will probably not be enough. If you miss one nit, it will grow up to lay 8-10 eggs a day. So… plan on repeating the treatment every 7 days for a few weeks. (Of course you may not find any lice and be home free after one treatment. But check carefully!)

Other Natural Methods of Killing Lice

Reports of using strong salt solutions or diatomaceous earth look promising. One mother successfully treated lice by using ½ pound of salt to 2 quarts of water. Her instructions are to pour the saltwater over the child’s hair while the child is in the tub,  leave on for 10 minutes, rinse, and condition. Repeat daily for 3 days and again every 7 days for 3 weeks.

Diatomaceous earth is a little trickier. You want to leave this dry powder on overnight after working it into the hair and follow with a vinegar rinse and nit comb. Since you don’t want to breathe this dust and you don’t want your child breathing it and you have to devise a method to keep this on the scalp overnight, it seems oil would be a better, easier method.

How To Prevent Lice Infestations

Yes, there are idiots out there who will say that your child caught lice because you did not keep his or her hair clean. Others say that lice prefer clean hair. Cleanliness is not the issue.

The one thing you are responsible for is the health of your child. Feed your child the best possible diet. All parasites do seem to prefer unhealthy hosts, and they all love sugar! If you do feed your child a healthy diet, and he or she still picks up lice, don’t waste your time looking for fault or blame. It’s time to deal with it in a healthy, responsible way.

In addition to diet, lice really hate essential oils and will avoid them. Spritzing your child’s backpack, coat, and hat with a spray of water and essential oils (10 drops of peppermint, rosemary, tea tree, or cinnamon oil to one cup of water) may deter lice.

Conclusion

Maybe the evolution of super lice is a good thing. Maybe the result will be  a revolution in awareness of natural treatments. Remember that the skin (scalp included!) soaks up any chemicals that are placed on it. Why would anyone ever want to expose their child to poisons, to neurotoxins, to anything that might harm your child this way?

One can only hope that Big Pharma doesn’t respond the way other scientists have – to replace a failing insecticide with a new, stronger one. They probably will. We’ll see.

Recommended Products:

• Diatomaceous Earth • Food Grade DE

Recommended Reading:

• Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included
• All About Fleas – Natural Remedies – Inside and Out
• Common Parasites and How to Kill Them
• Herbs and a Protocol that Eliminates Parasites from the Body

For most people, living a healthy lifestyle is no easy task. Being healthy involves a few hundred decisions every single day about what and where to eat, how to exercise, what medicines or vitamins are necessary, and so much more. Even talking about healthy eating isn’t easy. Food has so much associated context and culture that discussing a healthy diet can be as tricky as conversations about religion or politics.

Don’t think so? Put a vegan, paleo eater, and the average American in a room and watch them go to war over their food philosophies. It’s not that one person is right and the others are wrong; they each have a completely different belief about what constitutes a healthy diet.

In his book and recent documentary, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan goes into great detail explaining how different foods (processed and unprocessed) affect the body and how “nutritionism” (a focus on individual nutrients rather than the food itself) has derailed our understanding of food. The result has been decades of focusing on fat, cholesterol, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, or calories, which has left humans fatter, sicker, and more confused than ever.

The mantras “Eat less, exercise more,” “ Balance energy,” and “Everything in moderation,” have brainwashed generations of Americans into believing they can eat whatever they want as long as they exercise enough to “burn it off.” The problem is, this doesn’t work.

Last year, a conglomeration of beverage companies created a campaign called MyMixify to convince kids that they can “mixify” their lives by “balancing” some activity with a sports drink or sugary juice beverage. High-fructose corn syrup, the form of sugar found in most commercial sodas, sports drinks, and fruit drinks today, has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the liver and to increase insulin resistance and it is associated with type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Even zero calorie “diet” beverages have been shown to negatively affect the intestinal microbiome and raise blood sugar in the process.

By perpetuating the premise that a calorie equals a calorie, that a calorie from a nutritious vegetable is the equal of a calorie from high fructose corn syrup, processed food companies avoid any responsibility for the food they create, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the consumers. It’s not the highly processed, incredibly addictive, preservative and sugar-filled, artificially colored and flavored substances that are the problem, it’s that you are not running 10 miles daily to burn it off! “Don’t blame us!” they say.

Sorry, Coke and Pepsi, but you can’t out exercise junk food.

Quality Matters

Most people who change their diets from a standard American diet to paleo, vegetarian, vegan or similar diets see significant changes to their health largely due to the removal of processed foods. (If they actually stick with it, of course.) Those who change their diets but continue to eat processed foods, generally do not see the same benefits. The reason is that the human body does not treat all foods the same. Everything gets digested and responded to by hormones differently, depending upon the type of food, quality of ingredient(s), and composition of nutrients.

In his book, The Dorito Effect, author Mark Schatzker dives into the world of flavor and its impact on nutrition and our health. Flavor isn’t just a bonus; it actually tells us what’s in the food we’re eating. The fruits, vegetables, and even animals we’re consuming today are being bred for speed to market and shelf stability, not flavor. The results are foods that have less nutritional value and less flavor than foods traditionally raised. Taste a fresh tomato fresh from the garden, then taste one “fresh” from the grocery store. The difference is like night and day. One has grown into full ripeness on the vine and is bursting with life and flavor, the other was picked while still green, trucked across the country and treated with ethylene gas to “ripen” before it is brought to the store. It  has a mealy, cardboard-like texture and flavor.

So Which Would You Rather Eat?

Conversely, quality helps moderate the amount we eat as well. When was the last time you overate a plate of salmon or broccoli or eggs? Can’t recall? What about a bag of chips? Or a bottle of soda? Foods that are created to be devoured mindlessly like chips or soda are incredibly easy to over consume. They are high in “flavor” (mostly from chemical additives) but low in nutrition, so your body wants to keep eating, thinking that some nutrition has to be in there somewhere. Sadly, it isn’t. But with real food that is full of flavor and nutritional value, you don’t need to eat as much to feel full and satisfied because your body is actually receiving both a nutritious and delicious meal.

To bring this philosophy back to health and the daily decisions consumers make, a movement toward real food is growing in America. Enlightened consumers don’t want the Monsanto bred corn grain or factory farmed meats from the slaughterhouse. To put it simply, they want quality not quantity.

Michael Pollan’s take away from In Defense of Food is to follow these simple rules:

• Eat food.
• Don’t eat too much.
• Eat mostly plants.

Whatever your dietary preference, we couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re paleo, vegetarian, vegan, low carb or just want to be healthy, these are words to live by.

While tracking calories may be a part of your healthy lifestyle, focusing only on calorie counts will not create a healthier life. Obsessing over one aspect of a food isn’t healthy. Instead, focus on quality whole foods (non-processed foods) and enjoy. Your body will take care of the rest!

So What To Do Now?

When cooking at home, it’s quite easy to regulate what goes onto your plate. When dining out, however, do you really know what’s going on behind the curtain? In order to extend this real food philosophy to the dining world, Tasteful App (available on iOS and Google Play) ranks restaurants based on the quality of their ingredients and the benefits for certain types of diet. So no matter where or how you’re eating, you can make truly healthy decisions.

Related Reading:

• Fitness vs. Health – Letter from the Editor
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Healthy Sugar Alternatives and More
• 8 Steps to Health

If I told you there was a plant that offered an amazing range of nutrients, eased allergy suffering, reduced inflammation, treated arthritis, healed rashes, cured anemia, and improved energy, you would want to know about it, right? Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are a superfood, super-medicine, and all around superstar of the plant world.

Nettles have a long history, appearing in the writings of the ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians, and Roman armies. Their fibers were found in artifacts from the Bronze age and early indigenous American cultures. Nettles are found growing all over the world and in forests and fields near you. They are readily available as a bulk herb and supplement at health food stores. You can incorporate nettles in your diet by creating amazing culinary delights or by steeping them as a tea when you just feel like you need some super powers. There is a lot that you should know about nettles.

Nettles – the Super-Green Superfood!

Nettles pack a powerful punch of nutritional value, making them an excellent superfood and tonic. They contain high levels of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and more chlorophyll than almost any other plant. They have been used throughout history to restore energy to the sick and stimulate sluggish metabolic and lymphatic systems in the spring.

When consumed as a broth, tea, or even a traditional beer, nettles are an age-old cure for scurvy, anemia, low energy, and general depletion from illness or fever. Nettle tea can be extremely useful as a mother’s helper to bolster prenatal nutrition and to increase milk production for breastfeeding. The high nutrient content, combined with all the other positive benefits, makes nettles a worthy daily health supplement. Whether this is in the form of a capsule, tincture, or fresh herb, it’s a good way to ensure you are taking care of yourself.

Nettles as All Around Medicine

Stinging nettle is one of those plants I like to call “Nature’s medicine chest.” It addresses such a wide variety of ailments both internally and topically, that it is always worth having on hand. Aside from the more prevalent treatments for arthritis and allergies, nettles act as an anti-inflammatory agent, addressing a variety of related conditions from sore muscles to gastrointestinal discomfort. The diuretic properties of nettles make them a useful treatment for urinary tract infections, issues with the bladder and kidneys, and enlarged prostate (BPH) for men. A reliable women’s health herb throughout the entire reproductive

Nettles alleviate a variety of issues encountered during menstruation, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause making them a reliable women’s health herb for the entire reproductive cycle.

It is also thought that nettles aid in reducing blood pressure and lowering blood sugar. Externally, nettles treat eczema, burns, rashes, hives, and stimulate hair growth. As an astringent, it stops bleeding and can be applied in a powdered form to arrest nosebleeds. When it comes down to it, nettles belong in your medicine cabinet in some form, much like band-aids. Really.

Nettles as Arthritis Treatment

Although the sting of the stinging nettle is uncomfortable when you encounter it out on a walk, the prickly hairs on the stem and leaves actually reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis. If you pick  nettles with your bare hands, your fingertips may be numb for hours afterward. Urtification, or basically flogging the affected area with stinging nettles, is a practice documented over the last two thousand years. Research has shown that the “sting” of nettles both interferes with pain signals in the body and releases anti-inflammatory compounds to treat arthritic conditions. Taken internally, nettles have been found to support bone and joint health, deliver a healthy dose of boron, balance hormones that affect arthritic conditions, and flush uric acid buildup from the affected joint areas. With plenty of not-so-great-for-you pain relief available these days, it’s nice to have this natural, safe, herbal go-to available for daily management.

Nettles as Allergy Treatment

For a large number of the population suffering from allergies and hay fever, nettles can be a great ally. It is most commonly taken in the form of freeze-dried capsules during periods of seasonal allergies, to reduce inflammation of the affected tissues. Nettles are thought to reduce the histamine levels produced by the body as an allergy response, thus alleviating the allergy symptoms. Many people have reported that itchy eyes, sneezing, runny noses, and stuffy sinuses are treated as effectively, if not more so, by stinging nettle than over the counter allergy medications. They will also leave you feeling energized rather than drowsy. I have always thought it was a wonderful coincidence that nettles start growing in the spring just as pollens are coming out, and continue into the summer and height of pollen season.

Benefits and Use of Stinging Nettles for Other Ailments

Stinging nettles are a blood purifying, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, detoxifying antioxidant with more health benefits than we can list.

• May treat many skin problems from acne to eczema
• Stimulates lymph system
• Stimulates immune system
• Support adrenal glands
• Supports thyroid
• Supports prostate
• Supports the spleen
• Supports the pancreas
• Supports entire endocrine system (hormonal system, glands)
• Good for menstrual cramps, bloating, PMS
• Relieves menopausal symptoms
• Relieves arthritis symptoms
• Promotes release of uric acid from joints
• Supports the kidneys
• May break down kidney stones
• Helps with respiratory tract infections and respiratory inflammation
• Helps asthma sufferers
• Strengthens the fetus in pregnant women
• Promotes milk production for breastfeeding
• Improves blood clotting
• Relieves pain and symptoms from osteoarthritis
• Reduces inflammation
• Reduces likelihood of prostate cancer
• Eliminates allergic rhinitis
• Reduces hypertension
• May reduce nausea
• Alleviates diarrhea
• Helps with gastrointestinal disease, IBS, and constipation
• Reduces gingivitis (when used in mouth)
• Removes and helps prevents plaque buildup (when used in mouth)
• Has been shown to help treat Alzheimer’s disease
• Provides relief for neurological disorders like MS, ALS, and sciatica
• Destroys intestinal worms and other parasites
• It’s antifungal. Kills Candida along with other yeast and fungi

How to Find Nettles

Nettles can be found growing in moist soils at the edge of forests, in fields, along ditches and near streams or marshy areas. With a good plant ID guide and advice from local foragers, you can venture out and gather your own nettles all through the spring months. You can also purchase nettle seeds from heirloom seed companies and plant them in your garden. I have found that the rhizomes from wild nettle patches transplant nicely into my garden. They love my compost pile. With a little water, you can keep them going through the summer. Nettles are very easy to dry and use throughout the rest of the year when they aren’t found growing outside. If you do not have access to foraging areas or garden space, you can always purchase dried nettle leaf and a variety of nettle supplements. In the Spring, grocery stores will sometimes carry fresh, wildcrafted nettles.

Wellness Nettle Broth Recipe

I have found when I am feeling under the weather, or I am just in need of some solidly green food at the end of the winter, a nettle broth is perfect. It leaves me feeling healthy and energized.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh stinging nettle tips (or 1 cup dried)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves fresh minced garlic
• 2 Tbs fresh grated ginger root
• 1 burdock root peeled and chopped fine (or 4 Tbs dried)
• 4 cups vegetable broth, miso broth, or bone broth
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• dash of tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, sauté onions until translucent. Add burdock root, garlic, and ginger and sauté a few more minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add nettles, turn down to a simmer, and stir occasionally until the nettles are soft and fully cooked. (This breaks down the prickly hairs, and your tongue will thank you.) Add tamari or Bragg’s and season to taste.

Stinging Nettle Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

The boron in stinging nettles is an essential element for bone health that helps bones and teeth retain calcium. Therefore, it is a great addition to homemade toothpaste.

Homemade toothpaste is easy. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, leave it out or substitute something similar. Mix it up, and experiment.

• 2 Tbsp nettle powder
• 1 tsp Irish moss powder
• 1 tsp bladderwrack powder
• 1 drops liquid stevia
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Add dry ingredients together and mix. Add wet ingredients and a little bit of distilled water to get your desired consistency.

Recommended Reading:

• Five Common Weeds to Cultivate for Health and Nutrition
• Fight Cavities and Gingivitis Naturally With Homemade DIY Oral Health
• Allergy Free in Five Days (foods, dander, dust, seasonal, etc.)
• What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips

Related Products:

• Gaia Herbs Nettle Leaf Capsules
• Gaia Herbs Nettle Leaf Liquid Extract
• Douglas Labs Nettle Capsules

Sources:

• Stinging Nettle – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Stinging Nettle – Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy
• Use Natural Remedies for Arthritis Pain – Mother Earth News
• Nettle: Nutritious Allergy Ally – The Practical Herbalist
• Eat Your Wild Greens: The Delectable Nettle – A Mountain Hearth
• Nettles Bring Spring to the Kitchen – NPR

Epsom salt is not actually salt; it is a mineral compound, magnesium sulfate. It looks like large salt crystals, dissolves easily in water, and has many uses for health, beauty, and the garden.

There are different grades of Epsom salt, one for agricultural and one for personal use. For personal use, look for USP or the “drug facts” list on the label.

Why Take an Epsom Salt Bath?

Epsom salt baths are relaxing and therapeutic. They are a long known treatment for skin issues like eczema and acne, muscle soreness (well known within the bodybuilding community!), inflammation, bruising, swelling, and strained or torn muscles and ligaments. Epsom salt baths are also a wonderful aid for detoxing and an easy means to up your intake of both magnesium and sulfate.

Why We Need Magnesium

Magnesium is crucial to our health. It is a key mineral for metabolic processes that play a role in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body. It helps the body regulate enzymes and aids in electrical impulses, toxin elimination, muscle control, and more. The University of Maryland Medical Center site states, “Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs magnesium. This mineral also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones. Magnesium activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate levels of calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body.”

It is believed that most of us do not get as much magnesium as we need from our diet due to depleted soil and municipal water, which is stripped of minerals during the purification process.

How to Properly Take an Epsom Salt Bath or Soak

You will commonly see directions suggesting 2 cups to a normal size bath, more for an oversized bath, with a 12-15 minute soak. David Jockers DC, MS, CSCS, suggests a much more individualized measurement and a much longer soak. He recommends the amount be determined by the individual’s weight. The following is for a standard size bathtub:

• Children under 60 lbs: ½ cup
• Individuals between 60-100 lbs: 1 cup
• Individuals between 100-150 lbs: 1½ cups
• Individuals between 150-200 lbs: 2 cups
• For every 50lbs more – add an additional ½ cup of salts.

As for soaking time, he says the first 20 minutes pulls out toxins while the second 20 minutes allows the body to soak up the magnesium and sulfate.

He also cites the following contraindications: pregnancy, open wounds or burns, or cardiovascular disease (without your healthcare practitioners knowledge).

For muscle soreness an Epsom salt bath is one of the best things you can do, but if your goal is detoxification, first do a dry brush rub to remove dead skin and open up your pores. This takes about five minutes. Take your time. When you finish soaking, consider hot and cold hydrotherapy.

Combine Epsom Salt With Other Ingredients

You can add additional ingredients to your Epsom salt bath such as essential oils, baking soda, olive oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and more.

Essential oils are a natural compliment. The usual suggestion is 3-10 drops. Remember essential oils are medicinal. For recipes google “essential oils plus Epsom salts.” You will generate more than 400,000 hits.

Dr. Jockers suggests adding from 1 teaspoon to ½ cup of ginger or cayenne to “increase heat levels, which help you to sweat out toxins.” These herbs not only enhance the detoxification process, they are full of antioxidants as well.

Use Epsom Salt to Make a Compress or a Foot Bath

You can make a compress to relieve muscle pain. Start by dissolving Epsom salt in cold water with a ratio of 2 tablespoons for each cup of water. Use a cotton washcloth to soak up the solution and apply to affected area.

To create a footbath, use one cup of Epsom salt to a basin of warm water. Soak your feet to alleviate tired aching feet, sprains, and fungal infections of the feet or toenails. Footbaths also allow the body to soak up magnesium and release toxins (though perhaps not as much as a full body soak).

Use Epsom Salt as a Laxative

Epsom salt can be used as a laxative, though care must be taken. It is possible to overdose on magnesium that is ingested and there are several contraindications for this use. Check out this article on Drugs.com for more information and pertinent warnings.

Use Epsom Salt in the Garden

Epsom salt is used as a fertilizer and an insect deterrent in the garden and for houseplants. Roses, peppers, and tomatoes, in particular, tend to benefit from its use. A trail of Epsom salt sprinkled around an area deters slugs and raccoons.

Additional Uses of Epsom Salt

There are many ways to use Epsom salt. Here are a few:

• Remove a stubborn splinter. (Soak area for a few minutes prior to removal to decrease inflammation and swelling and to soften the splinter.)
• Clean out washing machine. (Pour 1 cup into machine and run through normal cycle.)
• Clean bathroom grout. (Use equal amounts of Epsom salt and dishwashing detergent.)
• Use as an abrasive to clean pots and pans.

But there’s nothing better than an Epsom salt soak when your sore. If you experience muscle soreness due to an autoimmune disease, check out Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid and Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases.

Related Products:

• Bath Salts on Green Lifestyle Market
• Omega-D3 – Nordic Naturals
• Fibrenza Systemic Enzyme (500mg) – HCP Formulas
• Boswellia – Pure Encapsulations

Further Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Reduce Muscle Soreness
• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• What Causes Cronic Inflammation and How to Stop it For Good

Sources:

• The Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths – OLM
• What is Epsom Salt? – Epsom Salt Council
• Magnesium – World’s Healthiest Foods
• Magnesium – The University of Maryland Medical Center
• Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths – Care 2
• Fertilize with Epsom Salts – National Gardening Association