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How Does Acupuncture Actually Work?

Acupuncture has been practised for more than 2,000 years in China, and it is becoming ever more popular in the West. It is estimated that more than one million treatments are given per year in the UK.

There is increasingly good evidence that acupuncture can successfully treat a wide range of conditions. The World Health Organisation website lists 28 conditions for which acupuncture has been “proved through controlled trials to be an effective treatment”, including rhinitis, headache, high blood pressure, lowered immunity, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, back pain, and knee pain. It lists another 60 conditions for which some “therapeutic effect has been shown”, including asthma, infertility, insomnia, and pre-menstrual syndrome.

Thousands of western doctors and physiotherapists have undergone some training in acupuncture. Despite this, many people are still sceptical about acupuncture because it seems to make no sense that the insertion of tiny needles can treat disease. So how does acupuncture actually work?

Part of the answer is that the insertion of acupuncture needles causes the release of chemicals called “endorphins”. (This word is short for “endogenous morphine”. Endogenous means it is produced inside the body, and the word morphine comes from the Greek God of sleep, Morpheus.) There are many kinds of endorphins in the human body, each with a different function. Some reduce pain, some promote the healing of damaged tissue, some promote good sleep, some calm anxiety, and some play a role in hormone production. So, we can see how acupuncture can be used to treat many conditions.

Recent scientific investigations have given us more clues. Using an MRI scanner, it has been shown that the shallow insertion of needles at specific points causes increased activity in the pain control centres of the brain. However, what the neuroscientists found really interesting and surprising, was that if the needles are inserted deeper into the skin, and manipulated until the patient feels a tingling around the needle, the pain control areas become less active (you can see this remarkable experiment on You Tube). This would explain why experienced practitioners get better results than novices, as getting the tingling sensation is an acquired skill.

One study showed that acupuncture caused changes in the brain which promoted stroke recovery. In this experiment, normal acupuncture was compared to “sham” acupuncture, where needles are deliberately inserted in the wrong points. Only the correct acupuncture had the desired effect.

According to Chinese medicine, energy, or “qi”, gathers in certain points near the surface of the body and flows along channels called “meridians.” It has been speculated that this “qi” is a very low level of electrical impulse, and indeed acupuncture points and channels have been found to be areas of low electrical resistance. When a person is ill, the electrical activity at the acupuncture points changes. The insertion of needles helps to return the electrical activity of the acupuncture point to its normal level. Experiments have been done where substances have been injected into acupuncture points and have been observed to move along the acupuncture channels.

So, there is mounting evidence that acupuncture has real health benefits, and that it has a scientific basis of action.

Author

Henry McGrathHenry McGrath is an Acupuncturist and the author of a number of books on traditional Chinese medicine, including Harmony in the Face of the Tiger, about TCM approaches to cancer. He is Academic Director at CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) the UK’s largest training provider in natural therapies.




10 Steps to Detox From Sugar

Have you ever had a sneaky suspicion that you would feel a lot better and probably lose quite a bit of weight if you could just quit eating so much sugar?

Do you feel frustrated because you constantly think about food and crave sugary snacks?

Have you gotten to the point where your desire to feel better is outweighing the relative ease of staying the same?

In my experience, when people decide once and for all to eliminate sugar from their diet, they usually start to freak out about how hard it’s going to be. It is easier if you have a strong, compelling reason to step outside of your comfort zone!

If you are considering a sugar detox,  you are probably struggling with one of the following:

  • You have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes (90% of Americans have not been diagnosed)
  • You have belly fat that you would like to lose
  • You are overweight and low-energy
  • You always crave sugar and carbs
  • You have trouble losing weight on conventional diets
  • You eat when you’re not hungry
  • You get withdrawal symptoms if you cut down or stop eating sugar or flour

If any of these sound like you, what follows is a comprehensive guide to your sugar detox. I highly recommend you detox for a full 10 days.

1. Make a decision to detox

There are lots of other symptoms you may be dealing with including bloating, gas, reflux, irritable bowel, joint or muscle pain, brain fog, memory or mood problems, sinus or allergy symptoms, and more. You know intuitively that these conditions are not normal and are somehow tied to sugar consumption, so by choosing to detox from sugar, you are making a decision to feel healthy and happy!

2. The Tried and True Turkey Approach

The tried and true turkey is cold turkey. You have to go all the way. There honestly is no half-way for this one if you want to reset your body’s neurotransmitters and hormones.

Sugar, as we know, is highly addictive and lights up the same centers for pleasure in your brain as cocaine and other drugs. It’s a sugar “detox” for a reason! Stop consuming all forms of sugar, flour products, and artificial sweeteners, which cause increased cravings and slow metabolism and lead to fat storage.  Ideally, for 10 days, you avoid any food that comes in a box, can, or package, and any food that has a label. Stick to real, whole, fresh food.

3. Detox your Drinks

We forget that juices, sports drinks, and sweetened teas are just as bad as solid food with sugar or flour. In fact, when we drink sugary sodas and juices all that glucose goes very quickly into your bloodstream, raises your blood sugar, causes your body to release insulin, and ultimately begins the cycle that leads to belly fat and high triglyceride levels! Stats: a 20-ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar; Gatorade contains 14 teaspoons of sugar in one bottle.

4. Protein Power

Lean, clean protein at every meal, especially at breakfast, works wonders for balancing blood sugar and insulin and cutting cravings. Traditional breakfasts based on pancakes, waffles, cereal, and fruit are not part of this equation. You are better off with whole eggs in an omelette with veggies, or even a high-quality protein shake. You will have to plan ahead so you can have nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken, or grass-fed meat on hand for protein at every meal.

5. Eat Green Carbs

Did you know that vegetables are carbs? You get to eat as much as you want. Yep, unlimited green carbs … non-starchy veggies such as kale or dandelion greens, anything in the broccoli family (cauliflower, kale, collards), asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, artichokes, and peppers, to name a few. Go sparingly with things like sweet potatoes and beets.

6. Fat is Your Friend

I’ve said this about a million times, but here I go again. Fat doesn’t make you fat, extra calories and too much sugar does. Fat makes you feel satiated, helps balance your blood sugar, and is necessary for healthy hormone production. Along with protein, I encourage you to include good fats at every meal or snack. Sources of good fats include nuts and seeds (which also contain protein), extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and omega-3 fats from fish.

7. Be prepared for the 911

To set yourself up for success you need to think ahead and avoid a food emergency when your blood sugar is dropping and you find yourself in a food desert such as an airport, the office, or a maze of convenience stores, fast food joints, and vending machines. You will need to pack yourself a collection of good snacks that will rescue you when things look grim. Look for things like:

  • Justin nut butters that come in single serve packets
  • Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds in ziplock bags
  • Salmon jerky or turkey jerky
  • Fresh fruit or veggies

8. Stress Less

There is a direct link between stress and the hormone cortisol. When you are stressed, your cortisol levels go up. This makes you hungry, initiates that belly fat storage pattern, and leads to type-2 diabetes. The trick here is to be aware that you are feeling stressed out and learn to PAUSE.

Breathe.

Breathe deeply.

Studies show that taking deep breaths activates a special nerve, called the vagus nerve, that shifts your metabolism from fat storage to fat burning and quickly moves you out of the stress state. All you have to do is take a deep breath.

9. Don’t Fuel the Flames

Food allergies and stress can cause inflammation which in turn triggers blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type-2 diabetes. The most common sources of inflammatory foods are sugar, flour, trans fats, gluten, and dairy. We often crave the foods we’re allergic to. This might be the perfect time for you to eliminate gluten and dairy for 10 days. Getting off them isn’t easy, but after just 2 or 3 days without them, you’ll have renewed energy, relief from cravings, and will see many of your common symptoms disappear.

10. Sleep it off

Have you ever experienced not being able to lose weight, being stuck on a plateau even though you’ve been doing all the right things, and then all of a sudden you take a couple days off and get plenty of sleep only to find you lost 5 pounds overnight? Sleep is exactly what you need for your body to heal, to reset hormones, and to decrease stress and inflammation. Let’s be honest, most of us are not getting enough sleep. Without the recommended eight hours of sleep,  you experience a rise in hunger hormones, a decrease in appetite-suppressing hormones, and big cravings for sugar and refined carbs. You literally can sleep your cravings and your weight away.

Let us know the results of your 10 day detox!

Sources:



The Unique Mushroom that Balances Hormones

Nature provides an amazing array of resources to improve our health and boost our immunity.  Mushrooms are a type of fungus that are enjoyed by people all over the world and renowned for their nutritional benefits.  In recent years, scientists have studied the medicinal benefits of the cordyceps sinensis mushroom.

Mushrooms have been used as food, medicine, poison, and in spiritual mushroom practices in religious rituals across the world since at least 5000 BC.  They have been used in tonics, soups, teas, prepared foods and herbal formulas to promote health and longevity.  The mushroom fungus, Penicillium, was the raw material used to create the antibiotic penicillin, which transformed the medical world.

What is Cordyceps?

This oddly shaped mushroom grows native to China and grows around the Tibetan area.  For years, it was thought to be a living worm rather than a mushroom and was nicknamed the caterpillar fungus as it is seen growing on the sides of trees.  Cordyceps is actually a fungal spore that kills insects such as caterpillars and moths and feeds off their tissues.

The Cordyceps mushroom has been described in old Chinese medical books from ancient times and is also found in Tibetan medicine. Traditional Tibetan healers have recommended Cordyceps as a tonic for all illnesses.  This is because they continually witness how it improves people’s energy, sleep habits, digestion, stamina, libido, and endurance.

Cordyceps first became popular in the western world when the coach of the record breaking Chinese female runners credited it with the team’s extraordinary success.  Today, many researchers believe Cordyceps to be one of the most powerful performance and longevity promoting herbs (1).

Cordyceps Improves Adrenal and Hormonal Health

The adrenal glands are critical for maintaining healthy energy levels, physical and mental performance, and good sleeping patterns.  Adrenal fatigue is a state where the adrenal glands are overworked and unable to perform their functions effectively.  Individuals with adrenal fatigue suffer from low energy, poor hormonal function, and chronic inflammation.

Adaptogenic substance is a term originally defined by Russian scientist Dr Nikolai Lazarev in the late 1940’s following research done on the eleuthero root.  Israel Brekham, PhD and Dr. I.V. Dardymov formally defined adaptogens with three major characteristics:

  1. Adaptogens are non-toxic – this means they don’t have harmful effects on the body and are safe to be taken for long periods of time.
  2. They produce a non-specific biological response that improves the body’s ability to resist physical, chemical, emotional, and other biological stressors.
  3. They have a strong influence on the body towards homeostatic balance. This means that they move the body in the direction of a normal homeostatic set point.  If stress hormones are too high, they lower and stabilize them, and if stress hormones are too low, they raise and stabilize them.

Cordyceps Improves Performance

Cordyceps is shown to help the body produce and balance cortisol and other stress hormones (2).  The adaptogenic qualities allow them to influence the body towards homeostatic balance.  This means that they move the body in the direction of a normal homeostatic set point.  If stress hormones are too high, they lower and stabilize them and if stress hormones are too low, they raise and stabilize them (3).

In a 2003 study, Cordyceps extract was shown to improve a group of rat’s physical performance in an endurance swim by over 16% .  The rats also showed signs of reduced stress during the swim compared to the placebo group (4).

A 2014 study showed that Cordyceps markedly reduced exercise induced oxidative stress in a group of rats.  The study showed that the rats using Cordyceps has significantly increased production of intracellular anti-oxidants superoxide dismutase, glutathione and catalase in their serum, liver, and muscle.  They had considerably lower oxidative stress markers in their serum, liver, and muscle (5).

For more indepth information on Cordyceps, including  the best forms to take it in and the best teas, raw products, and supplements to get online, see my complete article here:

Sources:
  1. Traditional uses and medicinal potential of Cordyceps sinensis of Sikkim – National Institute of Health
  2. The in vivo effect of Cordyceps sinensis mycelium on plasma corticosterone level in male mouse – National Instite of Health
  3. Pharmacological actions of Cordyceps, a prized folk medicine. – National Institute of Health 
  4. Antifatigue and antistress effect of the hot-water fraction from mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis – National Institute of Health
  5. Polysaccharides from Cordyceps sinensis mycelium ameliorate exhaustive swimming exercise-induced oxidative stress – National Institute of Health



5 Cost-Effective Ways To Home Container Gardening – DIY

Container gardening allows you to anyone to garden at home without the need of a big, spacious area. You can set up your garden on your patio, balcony, deck, porch or inside your home, anywhere you like as long as there is enough air and sunshine for your plants. Container gardening not only maximizes your space, it offers cost-effective solutions to growing organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices right on your own doorstep.

Here are five ways to save money as you create a container garden.

Big Cans and Plastic Bottles

How much do garden pots, containers, and planters cost today? Depending on their size, style, and material, they can range from $5 to $100 each. But you don’t really need to spend money for your plants to have their own shelter. Your cans or tins at home, big or small, are a great alternative. Baby formula cans, food cans, and all sort of metal containers are perfect. Of course, you will use large cans for big and tall plants (ex. tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and fruit trees) and small containers for smaller types (ex. basil, parsley, rosemary, mint, and onion).

When it comes to plastic bottles, you need to cut them in two for horizontal hanging garden and just take off one side for a vertical hanging garden. The best seedlings to transfer to these plastic containers are spinach, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables.

Note: Do not forget to create holes on the back base of the cans and plastic bottles to avoid water clogging and for the plant’s roots to breathe well. Use a nail and a hammer to make a few holes, about 10 to 15, just enough to cover the base.

Animal Manure

Animal manure is a great source of nutrients and organic matter to improve the quality of soil, and of course, to increase plant production. Just to highlight, the manure from grass-eating animals like cows, goats, horses, and buffalos, contain almost all of the nutrients that your plants need including nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, iron, and calcium.

Note: Make sure to dry the manure before putting to your potted plants. Otherwise, flying insects will feast on it.

Compost Pit

Aside from animal manure, compost is also a great fertilizer for your plants. And, you don’t have to source other materials so you can create one. All you need are dried leaves, wood ashes, fruit and vegetable peels, kitchen leftovers, and other biodegradable waste.

Get a large can. Put the compost ingredients alternately with the soil as the base. Leave this compost for 3 to 6 months for moderate to full decomposition. When decomposed, you can use the compost as a fertilizer. And, unlike animal manure, you can just go ahead and spread it around the plant’s base.

Note: Always provide adequate moisture to the compost so that the microbes will continue to break down the particles. In order to determine the level of moisture, get a long and thin stick, push it towards the can’s base, and then, pull it off quickly. Feel the compost soil on the stick and see if it is moist enough.

Human Urine

Like animal manure, human urine is full of nutrients promoting plant growth. It has nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. And, if ever you wonder if it’s actually safe to store your urine in a chamber pot, especially at night as you wake up and pee — it is. Human urine is free from any health risks unlike human feces, which can carry E. coli and salmonella. In fact, the International Space Station astronauts drink urine after a purification process.

Note: Human urine has a pungent smell, so before you start using your chamber pot, make sure that you put water to it, 2 to 3 inches high. The water will help neutralize the bad smell. And, after dispensing the urine to the plants, clean your chamber pot using a laundry washing powder and bleach. This will effectively remove the urine stains left on the chamber pot.

Recyclable Plastic Wrap or Paper

To protect vegetables and fruits from scratches or insect bites, wrapping is very important as soon as they appear. Food wrappers and old newspapers are perfect wrapping materials. Just use a stapler to close the wrap’s opening.

Note: If you use food plastic wrappers, clean them using soap and water, and then let them dry beforehand.

So, who says you need to spend money in order to start or maintain a container garden at home?

Further Reading:

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Foods That Feed Candida

Candida is a more common problem than most people realize. The right supplements can certainly help, but unfortunately, Candida albicans and other species of Candida (there are over 20 of them) will bounce back if you do not follow the most effective and necessary change – radically changing your diet.

Usually, the most effective protocol begins with a strict adherence to a sugar-free, grain-free, GMO-free, and processed food free diet. Over time, as the body restores balance, your immune system will be able to hold Candida in check, and more flexibility in your diet can follow. But during the first few weeks of a Candida detox diet, many foods that are normally very good for you should be avoided. The protocol for moderate-to-severe Candida overgrowth is far more restrictive than mild Candida overgrowth. Perhaps you didn’t know all of the following foods feed Candida.

Fruit

Fruits are high in natural sugars. This is by design after all fruit is nature’s candy. However, it’s important to note that sugar, any kind of sugar, feeds yeast, and Candida is a type of yeast.

For the first few weeks of a Candida detox diet, avoid all fruit. After the symptoms of Candida overgrowth die down, fruit can be reintroduced, but this should be done slowly, a few fruits at a time. Also, the reintroduction of fruit should begin with the fruits that are the lowest in sugar; the high sugar fruits should be reintroduced later. Here are some of the best fruits to initially reintroduce in the diet.

  • Lemons
  • Grapefruits
  • Limes
  • Watermelon
  • Apples
  • Raspberries
  • Kiwi
  • Strawberries
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries

Vegetables

The majority of vegetables are great for a Candida detox diet. Raw vegetables should make up the majority of the foods we eat, all the time, whether we are on a detox diet or not. After the body heals from Candida, a diet high in raw produce, with more vegetables than fruit, is the primary diet change that will keep Candida from coming back and making us sick again – and provide the foundation for health.

Unfortunately, there are a few vegetables that should be avoided for the first few weeks, and not eaten cooked while on a Candida detox diet.

Beets are so high in sugars that cultivars have been developed that are grown just to make processed sugar (sugar beets). Especially when they are cooked, beets (any cultivar) feed yeast in a big way. Healthy people without a Candida overgrowth, should consume raw beets regularly, because they are very high in nutrients.

Alcohol

It is common knowledge that alcoholic drinks are drinks that have been fermented by yeast. Candida is also a type of yeast. Even though there are many differences between the kinds of yeasts used to brew alcohol and the kinds of yeast that infect humans, they share many important characteristics. These fungi feed on sugars and release alcohol and other toxins as waste products. Not only are these toxins harmful to us, they are devastating to the beneficial bacteria in our gut.

Just as alcohol can be applied externally to disinfect wounds (killing bacteria), when taken internally, alcohol also kills bacteria, even the beneficial bacteria that help to keep Candida in check. Without competition from bacteria, Candida can very quickly multiply and cause us a myriad of health problems.

Seafood and Other Food With Heavy Metals

Today’s seafood is not the same as the seafood that we used to catch many years ago. Unfortunately, most of our seafood is contaminated with heavy metals, radioactive material, and other toxins. Sadly, farm raised seafood is usually worse. Farm raised shrimp and fish are usually given GMO feed and they are also contaminated with high levels of PCBS, mercury, and other toxins. Also the mercury in seafood kills our beneficial bacteria, clearing the way for yeast to take over our digestive tract.

Vinegars

Vinegar is made by fermentation in a two-part process. First, yeasts metabolize the sugars into alcohol and then Acetobacter bacteria are added. These bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid. Most vinegars can cause inflammation of the gut, and this can make us more vulnerable to yeast infections. Apple cider vinegar is an exception, and most people with Candida overgrowth benefit from consuming it, especially the raw, organic kind. Sensitivity to vinegar does vary somewhat from person to person. Some don’t experience inflammation from any type of vinegar, while others can’t tolerate any type at all, even apple cider vinegar.

Nuts

Nuts are often contaminated with mold. Small amounts don’t pose that much of a problem for us. But since mold is a type of fungus, our bodies are less able to handle the toxins present in mold if we are besieged by Candida, and many molds contain antibiotic properties as well. As you probably guessed, mold can kill off our beneficial bacteria, and we need as much beneficial bacteria as possible to battle Candida.

Beans

Beans are notoriously difficult to digest; that’s where the gas comes from. Any foods or food combinations that are difficult to digest should be avoided when you’re on a Candida detox diet. If you can’t fully digest food that you consume, you are feeding Candida. Beans are one of those foods that are good for us when we are healthy, but not good at all when we are dealing with Candida overgrowth.

Grains

Most people consume far too many grains. Eaten in moderation, some grains are okay, but when on a Candida detox diet, or any kind of detox diet for that matter, grains should be avoided.

Many of us have been taught how to choose the foods we eat from an outdated food pyramid, or the more recent myplate.gov, which is barely an improvement. Following the government recommendations for eating grains leads to chronic disease, with Candida overgrowth being the first and most common symptom that leads to other diseases.

Agave

Most agave nectar that is sold in stores is actually a mixture of corn syrup and agave nectar. After all, corn syrup is cheaper to produce. Agave nectar has been marketed in the U.S. and abroad as a healthy sweetener, and at first glance, this appears to be true. Agave nectar is very low on the glycemic index so it appears to be good for those with blood sugar problems or those who are merely trying to watch what they eat. In truth, agave nectar is worse than high fructose corn syrup.

The reason that agave nectar is sweet is that it is very high in fructose. While fructose is very difficult for the body to digest, Candida goes to town, easily feeding off of it. Consuming high amounts of fructose impedes liver function and promotes obesity. Agave nectar is higher in fructose than high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately, there is nothing healthy about agave nectar, especially when trying to rid the body of Candida.

Artificial Chemical Ingredients

It’s tempting to think that something with zero calories, like diet soda, is good for us. It’s a comforting thought, but it has no basis in reality.

Aspartame, MSG, Splenda, Sweet N’ Low, Equal, nearly all preservatives such as nitrites and nitrates, and any other difficult to pronounce or mysterious ingredients such as “artificial flavorings” should be avoided.

These are all recent additions to modern diets, and there is no evolutionary justification for eating them. Despite what the FDA would have us believe, we are not meant to eat synthetic chemicals that come from laboratories. There are far too many artificial ingredients for us to list here, but none of them belong in a Candida detox diet.

Other Foods

Sugar feeds Candida, so sugar needs to be completely avoided. A sweet tooth leads to a leaky gut. When sugar is consumed, it feeds Candida and too much sugar transforms Candida into an invasive fungus, robbing us of our health. Candida overgrowth can even penetrate our intestines. It sounds like something out a horror movie, and many people find this hard to believe, but it’s true.

This invasive form, called “mycelial form,” actually produces rootlike tentacles called “rhizoids.” These roots can then penetrate through the lining of the GI tract, causing a pain­ful condition known as “leaky gut,” which is increased intestinal permeability. When you have a leaky gut, partially digested food particles are able to pass through the intestinal lining and directly enter the bloodstream. Not only that, but toxic waste produced by the candida passes right into the bloodstream, too. When this happens, food allergies can result, as well as symptoms of excessive bloating, gas, belching, heartburn, diarrhea and constipation. Don Colbert M.D.

Most dairy products should also be avoided with the exception of unsweetened yogurt and kefir. Dairy contains lactose, a sugar that is difficult to digest, but Candida thrives on it.

How to Eat to Eliminate Candida

It is no small wonder why Candida overgrowth is so prevalent among people these days. Take for instance the most well known all American meal, a cheeseburger and French fries. Eating foods like these promote Candida overgrowth in multiple ways.

The cheese is usually cultured from mold, which is problematic. Usually the cheese is also full of artificial ingredients, and the cow that produced the milk that made the cheese was usually fed GMOs, given hormones and antibiotics, and kept in overcrowded disease ridden conditions. That’s also where the beef came from.

The bread likely contains GMO wheat, as we have been unable to control GMO cross contamination of our food even though all GMO wheat was ordered to be destroyed years ago. Even if the wheat isn’t genetically modified, it most likely was grown with chemical fertilizers, treated with pesticides, and then doused in Roundup just prior to harvest. Also the bread is likely to contain azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in yoga mats, and of course it isn’t good for us.

The French fries are from potatoes grown in chemical fertilizers and treated with potent pesticides, then fried in genetically modified, hydrogenated oils that are high in trans saturated fats.

The healthiest foods in the meal are the lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion but even those foods do not escape the chemical onslaught typically used in conventional agriculture to produce them. The pickle probably contains GMO sugar, artificial flavors, and artificial colors. What’s worse is that out bodies cannot easily digest a meal that is high in both carbohydrates and protein, even when we are healthy. A different approach to food is needed, and there is a better way.

A truly healthy diet consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic, produce, with more vegetables than fruit. On a Candida detox diet, fruit should always be eaten on an empty stomach; it is easier to digest that way. Starches should never be mixed with protein, and the majority of meals should be made up of vegetables. This is easy to do and very satisfying when salads are regularly consumed.

A healthy salad is made up of lots of raw organic vegetables like collard greens, kale, chard, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, onions, beets, beet tops, carrots, zucchini, radishes, cucumbers, raw garlic, (can be pressed into the salad dressing), tomatoes, avocadoes, sprouts, and, a sprinkle of a few nuts or seeds. If you eat animal products, you can add eggs, meat, and sheep or goat cheese. This is an example of a meal that heals rather than harms us.

It is far better to feed our beneficial bacteria and nourish our bodies than it is to feed parasites. Whenever we make a decision about what we eat, we are making life or death decisions. This may sound melodramatic, but it is the way our bodies work. The old adage is true: we are what we eat.

No matter how strict a Candida detox diet is, if the Standard American Diet is resumed afterwards, Candida overgrowth will quickly return. If you want to be healthy, adopt an organic lifestyle. If the bulk of the diet is made up of raw vegetables, than Candida overgrowth will never be a problem again.

From The Editor:

Below, our list of recommended supplements is a protocol that I put together based on what people have found the greatest success with to balance gut flora and heal the intestinal tract. You can take them all together except the FloraMend should be taken without other supplements. If you’re looking for a topical solution, nothing works better than SF722 (both internal and externally), but it causes a burning sensation that is very intense. It does not damage the skin but it hurts until the Candida is dead.

Recommended Supplements:
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse (kills parasites, heals the intestinal walls, sets up hospital home for health flora)
  • Formula SF722 (undecenoic acid, kills candida and other fungal infections better than other antimicrobials)
  • FloraMend-Prime by Thorne (a strong probiotic designed to pass through the stomach acid and into the intestinal tract, all other supplements can be taken together, but take this one separately like early morning and late night)
  • MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations (a parasite killer, works pretty well on Candida, but works even better on many other parasites)
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Detox (This is necessary only for those with seriously damaged intestines, anyone who has recently been vaccinated, or those looking to do a thorough detox)
Further Reading:
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Medication Pollution – We All Live Downstream

Think about it. We all live downstream. Everything we dump down the sink, or flush down the toilet enters our water supply. When you fill that cup from the tap, how many pharmaceuticals do you think are in the water?

Medications are manufactured and sold as over the counter drugs, prescription drugs, and drugs developed for use only within a medical setting (such as vaccines, anesthesia, and drugs used for medical tests). Last year, 4,002,661,750 prescriptions were filled in the United States. Yes, that’s more than 4 billion, 2 million prescriptions. And these were just the prescriptions. Approximately 2.9 billion trips were made to the pharmacy or other retail store to buy over the counter drugs. So all in all, Americans purchased close to 7 billion drugs last year, not counting the medications used in hospitals and clinics.

In households, medications accumulate. In the typical medicine cabinet you will find a combination of drugs:

  • Medications currently prescribed and taken on a daily or on an as needed basis.
  • Medications purchased over-the-counter to be used if/when needed.
  • Prescriptions partially used due to patient non-compliance or a change in prescription.
  • And all too often – a full collection of outdated medications!

Prescription and over-the-counter medications are dangerous. If they are not kept under lock and key, the risk of medications being taken by others is great. Small children mimic their parents. Pre-teens and teens experiment. And children of the household are not the only possible culprits. Their friends will surely check out your medicine cabinet, if given the chance. In fact, it isn’t that uncommon for adult visitors to steal a few pills here and there.

Obviously, it is best to dispose of unused and expired drugs, but all too often they are flushed down the toilet. Even if we didn’t dispose of them improperly, drugs would end up in our water. Whatever drugs we take are excreted in urine and feces. This is true for both humans and animals. Now that conventional factory farming has become the standard, these over-crowded, inhumane meat and dairy factories are filled with animals that are injected and fed hormones to speed up growth and fed antibiotics to survive their abysmal, unhealthy conditions. The waste runoff goes into groundwater and contaminates nearby creeks and rivers.

In addition, many medications come in the form of creams and salves. These are also washed down the drain along with all of the chemicals contained in our personal care products, our cleaning supplies, soaps, and laundry detergents.

All chemicals in the water are beginning to be a problem. Though all sorts of pharmaceuticals are found in our water (antibiotics, hormones, psychiatric drugs, heart medications, and more), the experts say the levels are not yet high enough to affect us, but they are high enough to affect aquatic life. This is a problem in itself and also a sure sign that the levels are rising and will soon become a health concern.

Some pharmaceutical companies allow nursing homes and hospitals to return meds. But what are we supposed to do?

You can check with your county government or city government to ask if they have a medication disposal program in place. They may have an ongoing program or like our county, have a bi-annual medication disposal day. While a twice a year program does help keep meds out of the water, it does little to keep excess medications out of the home.

Check with you pharmacy to see what programs they may have in place. Walgreens and CVS both sell envelopes for $3.99 to ship non-controlled substances to a disposal facility where the unopened envelope is incinerated. And although they say they do not open the envelopes, you are not supposed to send in controlled substances.

Some argue that the cost, the lack of availability, and the emissions from incinerating medications make throwing meds away a better option. They suggest emptying pills and mixing them with nasty garbage to discourage anyone from picking through garbage to retrieve pills.

It’s too bad the obscenely rich pharmaceutical companies are not required by law to take back unused and expired medications for disposal for free. But with their track record of deceit and corruption, they would probably just repackage them for resell.

If you’ve decided to clean up your act and dispose of all your unneeded medications please do not flush them. Either find a program of throw them away.

If you want to get off of pharmaceuticals and leave the conventional medical model behind, true health starts with a nutrient dense, whole food, plant-based diet consisting of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits. Include healthy fats; they are essential. If you choose to eat meat, choose only organic meats to avoid antibiotics, hormones, and meat from animals that were fed GMO feed and raised in inhumane conditions. Avoid all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Avoid processed sugar, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and all genetically modified foods. Eliminate cow dairy and gluten as well if you suffer from any kind of auto-immune disease or chronic condition.

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Five Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Manage ADHD Naturally

If your child is challenged with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, chances are you have both doctors and educators demanding you put your child on medication. Take heart. There are natural ways to help your child.

First and foremost, diet plays a crucial and primary role in managing your child’s health and symptoms. Diet management is simple, but overarching. Your child needs the healthiest possible diet, but then again, don’t all of us?

Diet

The healthiest possible diet consists of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. This means salads, chopped up veggies to snack on, carrot slaw, coleslaw, kale salad, spinach salad, apple salad, fruit salads, smoothies and more. Whole foods are both nourishing and healing. If you eat meat, be sure it is organic. If you eat dairy, choose goat or sheep milk and cheese. Be sure to include healthy fats in the diet like coconut oil, avocados, and flax seed oil or a high quality, beneficial fatty acid supplement. Make sure your child’s diet is high in B vitamins or supplement B complex. Of course choose a whole food vitamin if you are supplementing – never synthetic.

If your current diet resembles the American Standard Diet, you’ll be focusing more on what not to eat that what to eat. To begin with, eliminate all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. No BHA, BHT, MSG, trans fats, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup), and seriously limit or eliminate all sugars except raw honey. Never, under any circumstances, feed your child artificial sweeteners. It wouldn’t be a bad idea (at least in the beginning) to eliminate gluten as well. After several weeks on a really clean diet, you could add it back in and monitor results.

If your child has any known food allergies, completely eliminate offending foods.

Detox

Children with ADHD often have issues with heavy metals and other substances they need to detox. For children, it is best to work with a knowledgeable health care provider who practices chelation therapy and detoxification protocols.

The proper diet (as mentioned above) provides on-going detoxification the natural way. Make sure your child’s diet includes fresh garlic, onions, and cilantro – all of which aid in detoxification and chelation.

Sleep

Adequate, quality sleep is essential for ADHD challenged children to maintain impulse control and focus. Do you know how many hours your child requires? Do bedtimes in your home allow for this much sleep, including wind down time to fall asleep?

  • Age 3-5 years: 11-13 hours
  • Age 6-13 years: 9-11 hours
  • Teenagers 14 and up: 8-10 hours

If your child has difficulty sleeping, again, this is another area where B vitamin supplementation may help.

Exercise and Earthing

Hyperactive children need to run and play. The more they exercise, the better they sleep and the more control they have over their bodies and their attention.

While skateboards, roller skates, bikes, trampolines, and the like will all be great aids for these kids, don’t forget that lack of impulse control leads to risky behaviors. Increased supervision may be required.

Encourage contact with the ground. Barefoot in the grass, laying in the grass, connecting with the earth – however it is done can help. (see below).

Unconditional Love and Positive Regard

Identify and celebrate your child’s strengths and unique abilities. Your child needs to develop a healthy self-esteem and there is little to no chance this will happen through the school system.

Throughout this child’s formative years, the message from most of the adults in his or her life will be one of disappointment, disapproval, and possibly disbelief ADHD is real.

Your unconditional love, respect, and appreciation will provide the emotional foundation your child needs to develop a healthy sense of self.

Conclusion

ADHD is caused by poor functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain. Everything that can be done to improve gut health, hormonal balance, and overall health, will help control symptoms. Grounding or Earthing may help as well.

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