1. ELIMINATE REFINED SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET

Table sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and most of the other common sweeteners are poison to your body. Artificial sweeteners are toxic chemicals and should be avoided at all cost. Given a choice, choose white sugar over NutraSweet any day but know that both are terrible for your health.

2. CUT OUT OR AT LEAST CUT DOWN ON ALL OTHER PROCESSED AND REFINED FOODS

If you’re one of those people who has nothing but microwave dinners in your fridge and snack bars, cereal, and chips in your pantry, you’re not eating healthy. Even if all of those products wear the organic label, processed, refined, and pre-packaged foods should not be your main staples. There are some great meal replacement bars and shakes out there that are very nutritious but they need to be secondary to the mainstay of a healthy diet: raw fresh produce.

3. GET SUNLIGHT

Sunlight is natural and we need it. All of life needs it in one way or another. If you are healthy and do not have toxins oozing out of your pores, then you shouldn’t have to worry about skin cancer. Use common sense. The more fair skinned you are, the less sun you need. Build your tolerance slowly and get a tan. For more information read Sunshine & Vitamin D featured in this issue.

4. TAKE THE RIGHT MULTIVITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENT

If you bought your multivitamin/mineral supplement at GNC or a drug store, you’re probably wasting your money. For more about multivitamin-mineral supplements read What’s Wrong With Vitamins from our May issue.

5. MAKE SURE YOUR DIET IS ALKALINE

If you follow the previous suggestions, your diet will be alkaline. Cancer, viruses, bacteria, and virtually every other illness or disease from lupus to diabetes thrives on, even generally requires, an acidic environment. Dr. Shillington recommends Body Balance to help you regain the proper alkaline pH in your body. Body Balance is available at his website www.organicsolutionsstore.com.

6. MAKE SURE YOU GET ENOUGH OMEGA 3’S

Dr. Kelly recommends Cod Liver Oil by Nordic Naturals. “This will give you a healthy dose of Omega 3s.” He says, “I don’t recommend a 3-6-9 blend because the body can convert Omega 3s into 6s and 9s if needed. But it can’t convert anything else into 3s. And you need the 3s to heal. You need the Omega 3s to take away inflammation. Studies show that most people will die from inflammation and inflammation related health problems.” Dr. Kelly’s contact information is available on his website www.drtimkelly.net.

7. HOT COLD HYDROTHERAPY

Hot and cold hydrotherapy dramatically moves blood and can lower your stress levels for optimum health. Many health practitioners will tell you there is no better way to treat disease than hot and cold hydrotherapy. For more information see page 65.

8. WORKOUT THE RIGHT WAY

Yoga is a great way to get a good, low-impact workout, to tone muscle, and to build stamina. Do something at least a few times a week that will make you break a sweat and breathe heavily. Your body detoxifies through its skin and lungs more than though defecation and urination. Sweating and breathing heavily has many health benefits.

9. STOP SUPPRESSING YOUR SYMPTOMS

When you take drugs for colds, headaches, and other minor (and major) health ailments you are not making yourself well. You are generally suppressing the symptoms. A lifetime of suppressing symptoms like headaches, sore throats, and coughs will have detrimental affects on your health. When you don’t feel good, your body is trying to tell you something while it tries to fix the problem. Don’t ignore it.

10. HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET

Dr. Shillington says, “All disease is curable! But not all patients are! There are those who are determined to be victims and who are actually trying to succumb!”

Sometimes people want to be sick, whether they know it or not. If you swear you have tried everything, then maybe it’s time to ask yourself some really tough questions. What is your illness doing for you? How do you benefit? Tough ones to answer, and hard truth to face, but the reality is you won’t get well until you are emotionally ready to be well.

Agave nectar is produced from the juice of the agave plant, the same juice which is fermented to make tequila. Agave juice is filtered and heated then concentrated into a liquid, with a viscosity similar to maple syrup. It is much sweeter than sugar but has a much lower glycemic index.

Agave nectar is high in fructose and low in glucose. Lighter grades have a mild, neutral flavor. The amber and dark grades offer the delicate flavor of agave with increasing intensity.

We at OLM do not recommend agave as an alternative sweetener. Too much fructose is no better for you then too much glucose. How much is too much? Not much at all. Excess fructose cannot be processed in the liver and gets converted into insulin resistant fatty triglycerides. And raw agave nectar is still heavily processed and not really “raw”.

I know a couple who buys only organic meat. Most of their processed food, like energy bars, is organic. They made the decision to start buying organic food years ago, and yet they still drink soda every day! That’s like a crack addict trying to cut down on smoking. I just want to yell at them, “Save your money! Buy the cheap meat. Buy the frosted flakes and the power bars. Cut out the soda!”

There are 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar in one can of cola! People who drink soda are destroying their bodies’ ability to properly utilize the nutrition they are trying to get from their organic foods. If you want to improve your health, the first step is to cut out the refi ned sugars like high fructose corn syrup and white table sugar. The next step is to eat more raw fruits and vegetables. The third step is to get a proper multivitamin/ mineral that is easily assimilated. I’m sorry to say that buying organic is not at the top of the list.

I know this is Organic Lifestyle Magazine. It may sound as though I am telling people to stop buying organic foods. I’m not. I’m saying that if you care about the environment, you have every reason to buy organic foods. If you care about fair treatment of animals, you should certainly buy organic meat. But the people I am specifically speaking of are pharmaceutically dependent soda junkies, and I just have to wonder why. They don’t get it. The only reason they are buying organic foods is for their health. And they just can’t figure out why they’re spending so much money at the grocery store and not getting any better. They say they may not be able to keep buying organic if gas prices continue to go up. This couple is even trying to conceive a child, and they can’t figure out why she can’t get pregnant!

Health is so simple, yet we have convoluted it and perverted it and allowed ourselves to be brainwashed. Eat what we ate before cancer, diabetes, ADHD, and auto-immune diseases were rampant. Eat what we ate before we had a food industry bombarding us with commercials. Eat fresh, raw fruits and veggies!

If you are trying to improve your health, you need to start thinking for yourself. Quit believing everything you hear from a company that is trying to sell you something. I see so many people who have decided to follow the advice of a study that says coff ee is good for them, because they’re addicted to coff ee. If I were to show them a study that says coffee is bad for them, they would dismiss it. This isn’t education, it’s self delusion.

Simplify things. Think for yourself. Eat more raw fruits and vegetables. Eat fewer refi ned and processed foods. You will notice a diff erence, not just with your health, but in your pocketbook, too.

Tired of big oil raking in all this profit while they also benefit from massive government subsidies thanks to the Bush administration? Is your children’s college fund going out of your pocket and into your local gas pump? Maybe you are a tree hugging hippie with a hybrid that used to cost $15 to fill up and now you spend $45. Or maybe you’re a hummer-driving logger who would run over a spotted owl if you saw one lying on the road. Either way, unless you are heavily invested in big oil, you’re probably not too happy with what’s happening at the gas pumps. There is no denying that big oil companies are taking advantage of us. But I for one am VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!

I’m not invested in oil. I’m not a wealthy man by any stretch. It hurts me as much as it hurts you to fill up at the gas station. I feel the pain of the people on eBay who are selling their wedding rings to pay for gas. But I also know this: we as Americans drive and drive and drive, and until recently we had no concern over whether or not we were damaging the environment. Oh sure, we’ve all heard of people who carpooled, but we’ve probably never met one unless we live in California. We drive SUVs while people in Europe are cramming themselves into tiny cars like the ones a dozen clowns try to squeeze into at a circus.

A few years ago someone asked me, “What’s it gonna take to curb our oil usage?” I told them it would take more than global warming, more than war, more than the availability of alternative fuels. I said it would take very high gas prices. How high? Well, a lot higher than they are now.

We’re bitching, but how many of us have bought a hybrid? How many of us have written our local congressman or senator to ask why we don’t have electric cars? How many of us have done enough research to discover that this whole hydrogen fuel cell campaign was put together by the same people who bought up the battery patents for electric cars and then chose to sit on the technology so it can’t be used for another 12 years? How many people really understand that biofuel from corn is a worse idea than what we are doing now?

Until we are paying the true cost of gasoline, including the environmental cleanup and the health care costs associated with pollution, we will continue to drive like there is no tomorrow.

I was at the gas station in South Georgia when I overheard a guy talking about how he was thinking of trading in his pickup truck for a hybrid. I couldn’t help but smile. When a guy who wears a cap that says, “I’d rather push a Ford than drive a Chevy,” —a guy who drives a new Ford F 150 pickup with a gun rack, a confederate flag on the rear window, and a McCain bumper sticker—talks about trading in his truck for a hybrid, there’s hope for us all.

Brainwashed – Letter From the Editor

Ask OLM

10 Things You Can Do To Have More Energy

Plastic Bags

Organic, All Natural, and Certified Naturally Grown Food Labels

Gyre

Canvas Bags

Plastic Everywhere

More on Plastic Bags

Paper Vs. Plastic

Farming with Organic Certification

What is Organic Food?

Organic vs. Conventional

The truth is electric engines are a much better alternative to replace the combustion engine than hydrogen fuel cells. The truth is war is incredibly profitable to the powers that make decisions about whether or not we go to war.

The truth is all of the studies that show global warming to be a hoax are well funded by the companies who benefit from those results. The truth is whether global warming exists or doesn’t exist is not the only issue. We are the stewards of our planet. Protecting our planet and caring for our fellow creatures that inhabit it benefits us in many other ways.

The truth is, to a large extent, major corporations control our government. The truth is hemp could be an incredible source of paper, food, and textiles for us while benefitting our soil and our environment.

The truth is that antibiotics and antibacterial products are doing much more damage to our bodies and to our environment than the bacteria that we fear. The truth is that we need bacteria to survive. The truth is that E-coli and salmonella would not plague us if it weren’t for our grotesque farming practices. The truth is that pasteurization of our food is very bad for us.

The truth is that almost all medications are unnecessary if one leads a healthy lifestyle. The truth is that conventional farming and agriculture are stripping the nutrients from our food while poisoning our bodies and our environment. The truth is that there is a simple cure for cancer, diabetes, and for the many new diseases that did not exist until fairly recently. The truth is that in this country, “the land of the free,” doctors who practice natural medicine are going to jail for curing diseases without the use of conventional medicine.

The truth is that we are brainwashed.

Big business is designed to realize short term, not long term profits. While it can be very profitable to go green or to promote health in the long run, the change requires a massive initial investment and a major shift in perception. Big business is all about returns. Stockholders want profits and they want them now. Profits drive business.

But I see that times are changing. People are waking up. Big business knows that if it doesn’t start making changes, consumers will take their business elsewhere. The truth is most of the large corporations would rather convince us that they’ve changed or that they are changing while they keep doing things their way.

We, as consumers, need to start educating ourselves. We need to vote with our pocketbooks. We need to speak out. Anyone who thinks pasteurization of foods is beneficial is brainwashed. Anyone who thinks the word “refined” on food packaging to be a good thing is brainwashed. Anyone who thinks every visit to the doctor should result in a prescription for antibiotics is brainwashed.

It is challenging to re-educate ourselves. We are bombarded with so much misinformation. When someone asks me questions about health, I often think that my answers are just plain common sense. But as they say, common sense is uncommon, especially when there are so many people who stand to profit from uneducated consumers.

What would you do if you just invested 168 million dollars in a new drug to treat cancer and someone told you that a simple change in diet would eradicate cancer cells? Would you even consider the possibility? If you’re like most people you’d convince yourself it wasn’t possible. But if you did recognize the truth, would you risk that investment? Would you do the right thing?

I’m not saying that all the people in charge of big businesses knowingly hurt us or our planet. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. While many of them knowingly do harmful things for a profit, I believe the majority chooses to remain oblivious, just like the general population.

The truth is times are changing. It’s time to wake up. We’re at a turning point. Let’s be sure we take this opportunity to make things change for the better.

Michael Edwards

Editor in Chief

Floaters

I have a question about “floaters” in the eyes. I have asked several nutritionalists about what they are and how do you get rid of them. Do you have any data on “floaters”?

Thanks,

Joy

DR. SHILLINGTON ANSWERS:
Floaters are caused by minute pieces of protein matter (cellular debris) in the viscous fluid within the eyeball. Some people consider this to mean a weakening of the retina attachment and where there are many of them, have gone the lengthy surgery route to handle a detached retina. I have only run into a couple of people with this problem and in each case, the floaters very quickly and permanently disappeared by doing a thorough Intestinal Cleanse and Liver/Gallbladder Flush/Cleanse in addition to using a special tincture applied directly to the eyes.

My special Eyebright Formula is as follows:

1 part Eyebright Herb
1 part Red Raspberry Leaf
1 part Goldenseal Root
1 part Rue Flower
1 part Mullein Flower
1 part Fennel Seed
1/8th part Cayenne Pepper (hottest you can find = Habanero)

In a base of 50% alcohol or 100 Proof Vodka and 50% distilled water. Fill your tincture jar from 2/3rd to 3/4th full of the herbs. Blend the herbs in a blender with your alcohol mixture and let stand in a dark room for a minimum of 14 days. A part is by volume not by weight. It is best to make this tincture on the New Moon and to press it on the Full Moon. Use only 1 to 10 drops in an eye cup and fill the remaining space with distilled water. Start with 1 drop and work up to 10 as this is a warm mixture. Place over eye and open and close your eye for a minute or two while moving eye up, down and to both sides.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

Doc

Ear Infections

Can you recommend a herbal remedy for ear infections?

Joni

DR. SHILLINGTON ANSWERS: One of the best remedies for ear infections I’ve ever used is to crush a clove of garlic into about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, let sit for 24 hours, strain out the garlic pieces, and put a few drops in the ear every hour on the hour while awake. It worked wonders on the children and adults I’ve recommended it to.
Best Regards,

Doc

Distilled Water

I’ve heard that distilled water is too acidic. Is this true?

Susan

DR. SHILLINGTON ANSWERS: The only time distilled water gets too acidic is when it is left out without a cover since it picks up CO2 very easily. As soon as you make your distilled water, put it into an old gallon apple juice glass bottle, put the top on it, and you’ll have no pH problems with it.

Yours in Knowledge, Health, and Freedom,

Doc

Herbs

I know a herbalist from Romania who recommends that his clients places the herbs (made into powder) under the tongue and keep them there for 20 minutes, After that the herbs are swallowed. My question is, would all the power of the herbs be absorbed in the body in this way? Also which parts of the herbs are insolvable in water?

Kind Regards,

Cristian

DR. SHILLINGTON ANSWERS: Herbs are more absorbable as tinctures than the way you suggest. Tinctures (Extracts) are probably the most effective way to get the biochemstry of the herbs into the body, short of intravenous injection 😉

With love,

Doc Shillington

Second Hand Smoking

I work in a smoke filled environment. I’m a bartender. What supplements can I take to reduce the side affects associated with second hand smoke?

DR. KELLY ANSWERS: N-Acetyl Cysteine, or NAC is my first choice. NAC is an amino oxidant antioxidant and a free radicalscavenging agent that can help your liver detoxify. I’d also recommend a quality Vitamin C. Clearing the air is the best choice, obviously. If possible see if your boss could install a quality air filtration system.
Yours Truly,

Dr. Kelly