Seeking and Finding Wholeness

I went to the Basilica Block Party yesterday. If you know me then you know I am not big on parties, concerts, loud music, etc.. I was invited to go so I went. People were much better well behaved than I expected, I think Minnesotans are generally nice and polite and this contributed to the party situation. Maybe the fact this was a Basilica party also made a difference. The music was fun, especially the Barenaked Ladies band (the Chinese Chicken song).

What I did not like was how party admission volunteer staff had everyone get rid of any food or beverages (including water). I understand that they would like people to not bring food or alcohol or even soft drinks, but water is a different story.

I felt that asking people to get rid of their water was an overreaching rule (and a wasteful one). They were filling trash container after another with bottles of water and other drinks, a huge waste.

I did not have my own water bottle with me, so I did not have to get rid of anything. But, had I had water I would have felt very uncomfortable doing that and probably would have refused.

Once I was inside the fenced, barricaded “camp” you could only buy water from a few places and each bottle was sold for $4!  A $1 bottle for $4!

I call this an abuse of power, even extortion. It also felt like an infringement on my human and constitutional rights. Further, you could buy food and beer from many vendors, water was only available at a couple places, no free (fountain) water was available.

What If I said No?

The next time I go to a party I will take my water bottle with me, and I will refuse to throw out my water. If they insist I do, I will say I need it because of health reasons. If they say “no” I will ask for FREE water inside. If they say “no”, I will write about it here again and will then consult with an attorney to see if I could take legal action.

As far as I am concerned what they did was extortion in order for me to buy water from them at their inflated prices.

You may have to wait a few years before I get to try this, since I rarely go to parties like these.

To the Basilica of Saint Mary I say, “please do not extort me again”. Just, “stop it, now”.

To you, the readers, if you had similar experiences I’d like to hear from you, please leave a comment below. If you are a representative of the Basilica I’d love to hear from you, do leave a comment below.

Thanks!

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WEDNESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) — A Congressional investigation of dietary herbal supplements has found trace amounts of lead, mercury and other heavy metals in nearly all products tested, plus myriad illegal health claims made by supplement manufacturers, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The levels of heavy metal contaminants did not exceed established limits, but investigators also discovered troubling and possibly unacceptable levels of pesticide residue in 16 of 40 supplements, the newspaper said.

Products that purport to treat or relieve disease must go through strict reviews because they are considered drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

One witness scheduled to testify, Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, said supplements with too little of the indicated ingredients and those contaminated with heavy metals are the major problems. In testing more than 2,000 dietary supplements from some 300 manufacturers, his lab has found that one in four has quality problems.

Commentary:

I was unable to find any information naming the supplements or supplement companies that tested positive for contamination (so I can avoid them).  I am perplexed why the research findings were not shared. I am more concerned about contamination than the so called misleading claims.We live in a world full of claims, one must do their own research to verify such claims.

I believe that one cannot say all supplement companies sell contaminated products.

Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/policy/articles/2010/05/26/many-supplements-said-to-contain-toxins-make-false-health-claims.html

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Many may sneeze here and there during the spring and summer seasons due to pollen, dust, and other particles in the air. Sneezing is our body’s natural response for protecting itself against harmful particles in the air. Most blame the plants and nature on their allergic reaction. In this article I hope to share one often overlooked allergen, that is not only sneeze-inducing but also potentially hazardous to health.

I am sensitive to the smell of chemicals, especially those sprayed on yards and lawns. When I visit a home improvement store, I literally cannot walk down the isle where pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers are shelved. If I find myself in close proximity, the smell disgusts me and can even make me feel sick, not to mention I start to sneeze.

The harmful and annoying effects of these chemicals seems to often be missing in the mainstream awareness. I rarely hear talk about lawn chemicals and that throat burning chemical smell unique to these chemicals, how they are over used, abused, and often confused with the notion of a healthy lawn.

As I drove to work this morning, I could see chemical spraying vehicles from a local company proudly proclaiming “true green”. A sobering and sad reminder that summer is here. Don’t get me wrong, I adore summer. I loath the chemicals used in the summer.

I got to work, parked my car next to a lawn that was reeking with the chemical smell. As I exited my vehicle heading to my work place I sneezed.

Everybody wants that truly green lawn, right? Wrong, I don’t. I never use chemicals on my lawn, it is not the greenest, nor the prettiest, but that is not my concern. I value safety and doing no harm to others and nature more than a green lawn. My lawn is not polluting your air, making you sneeze or poisoning your air.

When you use chemicals on your lawn here is what you are doing: You are paying factories to make synthetic poisonous chemicals, tons and tons of them (due to consumer demand). You then pay them to package these in plastic containers (plastic waste), ship them all over the US (green house gases due to transportation). You follow that by doing your consumer duty, you grab the chemicals and spray them over your land. If you want better results, you pay a little more, and you get a vehicles assuring you “true green lawns”, this vehicles is one super pray bottle, it is filled with chemicals that should they be dumped in a pond would kill all the fish. You watch as they proudly spray that poison over your grass, you think it’s a small price to pay for the result, my beautiful green lawn is just around the corner. You also may believe the lie that your grass is safe to touch, lay down on, walk barefoot on, within 3 days or a week.

Once these chemicals have been manufactured in the factory (thanks to consumer demand) they are here to stay. When these are sprayed on your grass, so much of this chemical vapor goes into the air, on your trees, on your house siding, into your windows; the air blows this chemical residue on to your neighbors property, onto their vegetable garden, and into their open windows. The chemicals on the grass or in the soil don’t stay there either; sooner or later rain will push these chemicals down into the soil and eventually into ground water, it will pollute the soil for many years and ground water for decades. If you live close to a lake or marsh rain will wash off the chemicals into the lakes drastically effecting the ecosystem, killing fish increasing algae and effecting those who eat the fish and swim in the lake.

One often missed point, is that once you cut the grass, as the mower chops the glass and shakes it violently, these chemicals are released into the air again. Ultimately, the use of these chemicals and the impact they have on nature contributes to weakening people’s immune systems and causing cancer.

If you have children, seriously reconsider chemicals in your yard and lawn. Grass is very attractive, don’t turn it into a poisonous trap for your kids.

Respect your neighbors, you most likely do not throw trash into your neighbors house, yet you are ‘ok’ allowing the release of poison into the air that gets, not only inside your house but, into your neighbors house. If your neighbor is me, you may hear me sneezing as I smell this nasty chemical odor.

In the past I used to curse at these lawns when I sneezed, rather than thinking or expecting a ‘bless you’ I’d utter a curse. I’d blame the lawn, the property owner or ignorance. Today as the summer nears and the chemicals are again unleashed, I sneezed, I did not curse this time; I said “bless you” to the lawn.

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As I was scanning my eyes over the buffet of bumper stickers plastered  to the passenger side of a car, this one jumped out at me.  I had never seen that before!  Never heard that before, never thought of that before-  “What does that mean to me?” I wondered, and toyed with the idea in my head.   Immediately my mind showed me an image of a person, being bombarded with information and opinions, mainly mass media: magazines, television, newspapers, radio, advertisements, etc.  Then i thought of a parent, pointing their finger at their child, telling them they are not enough of this, they are too much of that, etc.  Then we can bring in religion.  And societal ‘norms’.  And culture.  And the list goes on and on…

I thought of how quickly we tend to compare ourselves to each other, to the status quo, to what everything “out there” is telling us.  We are constantly being told how to be.  We are being told how to look FOR the world and how we should SEE the world.  So we don’t always see the truth about ourselves.  Most people have maybe never even pondered , let alone remembered that WE ARE FINE THE WAY WE ARE.

You may not like your body, you may not like the way you appear to others, you may look in the mirror and resist what you see, whether it’s your face, your skin, your hips, your hair, but

YOU ARE FINE THE WAY YOU ARE.  Take a deep breath.  Take a load off!  Can you feel any relief from this possibility??

It’s easy for us to get overloaded and mislead by everything around us.  But the truth of you is inside you- always was, always will be, You cannot lose it.  You’ve just forgotten it’s there.  I am a bodywork practitioner, and that’s why I LOVE doing massages for people- it chills us out, quiets us down, in body and mind, allowing our truth, each individual’s deep well of wisdom and uniqueness, to easily float closer to the surface, eventually permeating out into what appears to be beyond the boundary of our bodies- into what we call ‘reality’

When we stop fussing, mussing, worrying over and trying so damn hard to look good, be ‘appropriate’, make a positive impression and be accepted by people, and we instead put our intention and focus on feeling peaceful, grounded, centered in our True Self’s awareness… we just naturally shine!  And we become magnetic- to other people and to what we want.  That’s hot.  It’s attractive!  And innate within us- patiently waiting, right now, to flood every cell of you and influence all the ways you go about and interact with the world: through your thoughts, words and deeds.

Take a deep breath.  Instead of trying to fix or change what you’re seeing, just let it be.  This goes for your body, as well as any and every situation in which you could ever find yourself.   When we let it be,  it can then have the space and opportunity to change, right before your very eyes.  If it doesn’t change, then at lease your concept of it will-  Cuz everything starts within, behind the eyes.  What ideas and perceptions you hold inside, determines what your eyes will see outside.

Botox, make-up, the right clothes, cologne, teeth-whitening kits, most personal care products- don’t even care of us at all-they are toxic and poisonous.   What most people put on and in their bodies is an underlying  futile attempt to help us feel whole.

Wholeness starts within.  Seek within.  Change the way you see things, and worry less and less about how you look on the outside.  Go to the core of you, the truth of you, which nothing can alter, and will not be masked for much longer. Things are really shifting right now on our planet, are they not?!   We are being called now ,to change the way we see each other, our relationship to the planet, and our connection to what many refer to as God.  Through this fresh way of seeing, we are making manifest heaven on earth.  Heaven floats within you!

May you blissfully float in and exist from the Heaven within you.

~Namaste~

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My dear friend of Minnesota’s environment and public health,

Can you take just a couple minutes to help save Minnesota lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater from the first serious threat of pollution by toxic Acid Mine Drainage from copper-nickel mines?  Here’s a quick-and-easy webform provided by our friends at Organic Consumers Association:  http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1839

TWIN-CITIES COMMENT-WRITING WORKSHOP  this Sunday:

Also, you and anyone you  know who might be interested are invited to attend this special comment-writing workshop Sunday, January 17, 1-4 PM in St. Paul.  Please refer others, even if you’re not likely to attend.  It is a private meeting for contributors to substantive public comments on the draft environmental impact statement, hosted by WaterLegacy.org.

This is a limited opportunity, with comment period set to close *February 3*, 2010. Your comments are critical to the project receiving the scrutiny it deserves. It would create toxic acid mine drainage for hundreds or thousands of years.

Register NOW. Be sure to state your topic(s) or area(s) of interest in the DEIS.
http://www.mepartnership.org/mep_calendar.asp?cal_id=3510

All levels of citizen participation are welcome. Some would just like to sign a form letter and hand it in. Some would like to pick a narrow topic and write comments in one hour, or stay for the duration and write extensive comments. We held a similar workshop in Cloquet last weekend, which was very well-attended and productive.  Many completed and either emailed or mailed their comments that day.

You will benefit by learning from other citizens, background and technical documents, information about PolyMet and the environmental review process, and tips to make your comments most effective. We can provide talking points and drafts.  We will facilitate according to your needs.

Professional input will be available and more is welcome.

NOTE:  Even if you may not feel comfortable submitting written comments on the EIS directly, your expertise would be very beneficial.

Meanwhile, you can demand that DNR provide adequate public participation in the environmental review process. Specifically, ask for 1) extension of the comment period from only 90 to at least 180 days; 2) more convenient and interactive public hearings around the state. Email: Stuart Arkley MDNR stuart.arkley@dnr.state.mn.us <mailto:stuart.arkley@dnr.state.mn.us>

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Great Music video from the nineties !
The lyrics are taken from a famous essay — written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune (article) — which gives some amazing advice for life, thoroughly recommend everyone to watch this ! enjoy !

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO

Lyrics:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99 Wear Sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

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I just wanted to write a quick post and say “Baking Soda, What a Precious Salt!”  Baking soda can be used for so many things, from cooking to deodorizing,  it makes a good tooth paste, has anti fungal effects and can be used to wash hair and quickly eliminate dandruff. What a useful precious salt!

Do you use baking soda for things other than cooking?

Below you will see what wikipedia says about backing soda. Retrieved 10/27/2009 10PM CST.

Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO₃. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slight alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. The natural mineral form is known as nahcolite. It is also produced artificially.

Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda. Colloquially, its name is shortened to sodium bicarb, bicarb soda, or simply bicarb. The word saleratus, from Latin sal æratus meaning “aerated salt“, was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. The term has now fallen out of common usage.

Cooking

Sodium bicarbonate is primarily used in cooking (baking) where it reacts with other components to release carbon dioxide, that helps dough “rise”. The acidic compounds that induce this reaction include phosphates, cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, vinegar, etc. Sodium bicarbonate can be substituted for baking powder provided sufficient acid reagent is also added to the recipe.^[3] Many forms of baking powder contain sodium bicarbonate combined with one or more acidic phosphates (especially good) or cream of tartar. Can also be used for softening peas (⅛ tsp. per pint of water and bring to boil for one hour)

Thermal decomposition causes sodium bicarbonate alone to act as a raising agent by releasing carbon dioxide at baking temperatures. The mixture for cakes using this method can be allowed to stand before baking without any premature release of carbon dioxide.

Neutralization of acids and bases

Many laboratories keep a bottle of sodium bicarbonate powder within easy reach, because sodium bicarbonate is amphoteric, reacting with acids and bases. Furthermore, as it is relatively innocuous in most situations, there is no harm in using excess sodium bicarbonate. Lastly, sodium bicarbonate powder may be used to smother a small fire. ^[4]

A wide variety of applications follows from its neutralization properties, including ameliorating the effects of white phosphorus in incendiary bullets from spreading inside an afflicted soldier’s wounds.^[5] Sodium bicarbonate can be added as a simple solution for raising the pH balance of water (increasing total alkalinity) where high levels of chlorine (2-5 ppm) are present as in swimming pools and aquariums.^[6] Read more…

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I remember hearing my grandmother talk about how castor oil was used in the old days, especially when children got sick, had stomach aches or pretty much any ailment.  I know my aunts and mother hated the taste of this Oil. They would reluctantly drink some, braving the discussing taste. But, the logic was, and remains, that the taste meant this was good for you. They all believe, while the taste was horrible, that Castor oil did have a positive healing outcome.

I never had the pleasure of trying Castor oil. But I was curious, I found some at a local store and I was considering trying some, but the warning on the bottle that mentioned ‘external use only’ deterred me from ingesting it.

Besides the stories I heard from my grandmother, pretty much I did not know anyone else that used this oil as a traditional remedy. I understand how disgusting the taste could be, but I can’t help but wonder if this is oil is does in fact work, and if its effectiveness and usefulness in healing has been forgotten.

Middle easterners used it in the old days to deal with ailments, it is apparently effective on skin and acne and modern day medicines do contain elements extracted from Castor oil.

Have you or anyone you know used Castorl oil for medicinal purposes?

Here’s what Wikipedia says on Castor oil (retrieved 10/25/2009 6PM CST):

Castor oil in food

In the food industry, castor oil (food grade) is used in food additives,^[13] flavorings, candy (e.g., chocolate),^[14] as a mold inhibitor, and in packaging. Polyoxyethylated castor oil (e.g., Cremophor EL)^[15] is also used in the foodstuff industries.^[16]

Medicinal use of castor oil

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized castor oil as “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) for over-the-counter use as a laxative, with its major site of action the small intestine.^[17] However, although it may be used for constipation, it is not a preferred treatment.^[18] Undecylenic acid, a castor oil derivative, is also FDA-approved for over-the-counter use on skin disorders or skin problems.^[19]

Castor oil penetrates deep into the skin thanks to its molecular weight, which is low enough to penetrate into the stratum corneum. Castor Isostearate Succinate is a polymeric mixture of esters with Isostearic Acid and Succinic Acid used for skin conditioning, such as in shampoo, lipstick and lip balm.^[20]

Ricinoleic acid is the main component of castor oil and it exerts anti-inflammatory effects.^[21]

One study has found that castor oil decreased pain more than ultrasound gel or Vaseline during extracorporeal shockwave application.^[22]

Therapeutically, modern drugs are rarely given in a pure chemical state, so most active ingredients are combined with excipients or additives. Castor oil, or a castor oil derivative such as Cremophor EL (polyethoxylated castor oil, a nonionic surfactant), is added to many modern drugs, including:

• Miconazole, an anti-fungal agent;^[23][24]
• Paclitaxel, a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy;^[25]
• Sandimmune (cyclosporine injection, USP), an immunosuppressant drug widely used in connection with organ transplant to reduce the activity of the patient’s immune system;^[26]
• Nelfinavir mesylate, an HIV protease inhibitor;^[27]
• Saperconazole, a triazole antifungal agent (contains Emulphor EL-719P, a castor oil derivative);^[28]
• Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive drug (contains HCO-60, polyoxyl 60 hydrogenated castor oil);^{[citation needed]}
• Xenaderm ointment, a topical treatment for skin ulcers is a combination of Peru balsam, castor oil, and trypsin;^[29][30]
• Aci-Jel (composed of ricinoleic acid from castor oil, with acetic acid and oxyquinoline), used to maintain the acidity of the vagina.^[31]

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On 09/09/09 I wrote an article titled Diet and Fish Oil to Prevent Tooth Decay? where I referenced a discussion in the community forum titled ‘Fish Oil to Prevent Tooth Decay?‘.

I’ve just finished researching this book, Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition (First Edition). I actually was impressed by the comments that I ordered a copy of this book from Amazon a few hours ago. The user reviews were very encouraging that I decided  the book was worth reading and perhaps trying out some of its tips. I am of the belief that every idea is worth examining, and that usually, the most effective and correct solutions are the simplest ones, this applies to math, physics, engineering as well as it applies to the human body and health, common sense, isn’t it?

I’ve had my share of dental issues as a kid, I remember having many teeth extracted, as an adult these dental issues kept haunting me. It didn’t make sense because I followed the rules, I brushed and ate well and used mouth wash. I look forward to reading this book.

Here’s a link to the book:

Here’s some info about the book, based on the Amazon comments I read. The book follows on a trail-blazing dentist, Weston Price. The book outlines mistakes of the western society when it comes to food, it discusses how primitive cultures in the 1930’s (now largely decimated by modernization) had remained immune to tooth decay.

Besides research done by Dr. Weston Price, Nagel draws on personal experience and his child’s. The book has a substantial section devoted solely to children’s diets and the connection to their healthy teeth.

It makes sense that health at large effects the health of teeth, if you are in poor health your teeth will undoubtedly suffer. The book discusses how dental health may actually be an indicator of overall wellness.

This sounds like simple common sense to me.

Here’s a quote:

“Years ago, when people were afflicted with various types of ailments and diseases, it was common practice to blame evil spirits. People of the world still do this today, except that these evil spirits now have a new name. Sci entists, doctors, dentists, and government officials have decided that these new ‘evil spirits’ are called micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, etc.)… The current theory of tooth decay is more like a superstition than a scientifically verified truth… The theory that bacteria thrive on sucrose, and then produce acids that eat away our tooth enamel, seems to be convincing. But it defies both science and logic… A daily mouthwash of some anti-bacterial agent would cure all cavities, if the bacterial theory were true. The answer is clear: what you have been told about tooth decay is a pure, sweet, child-like fantasy.”
~ Ramiel Nagel, “Cure Tooth Decay”

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A couple days ago a new discussion was started in the community forum titled ‘Fish Oil to Prevent Tooth Decay?‘.

The topic of holistic dentistry, root canals and the health of teeth was talked about on Seeking Wholeness in the past, a couple articles come to mind, the Holistic Dentistry article and the Dentistry without Mercury article.

This recent discussion in the community forum is an exciting one because it discusses an area that is often overlooked, namely what impact does nutrition (or life style in general) have on the health of your teeth.

I quote from the discussion forum

If brushing, flossing, massive fluoridation campaigns, and dental surgery were effective in preventing tooth decay, it would not get worse over time. It would stay the same, or get better. This is what I refer to as unscientifically sound practices. If we are to examine the effects of our dental care as a society, the statistics clearly show it is a failure, as tooth decay becomes worse and worse over time. Either Nature is fundamentally flawed and has doomed us to a life that includes decaying teeth, or humans are flawed in understanding and utilizing Nature.

Until we change the way we live, and return to more natural and life-building foods, the trend of tooth decay worsening with age, will continue.
What Really Causes Tooth Decay

Here’s the natural diet that was suggested in this discussion that can allegedly make teeth healthy:

1. Raw grass-fed dairy including, milk, cheese, cream and butter.
2. Organs of sea animals including fish organs, fish heads, fish eggs, oysters, clams, mussels, and crab and lobster with the innards.
3. Organs of land animals, including liver, bone marrow, tongue, heart, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, gonads and for the more adventurous, brain, eyes and stomach lining.

Read/Join the discussion here.

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When it comes to hair, skin and nails, health equals beauty. One of the best ways to look good on the outside is to be good on the inside, in other words, to be healthy.

It’s no surprise that nutrition plays a crucial role towards our the health. Below you will see six tips that will help you give your body the nutrients it needs to keep it healthy on the inside and looking good on the outside:

• Stay Hydrated:
  Drink 64+ ounces of water every day
• Make Meals as Healthy as Possible:
  Eat fresh veggies and fruits. Avoid processed foods. Avoid fast foods. Avoid artificial flavors, preservatives, colors etc.
• Boost Nutrition and Energy:
  Try protein powder in a shake or a smoothie and take organic/all natural multi vitamins (not made in china).
• Get Good Fats Daily:
  Omega 3 and GLA essential fatty acids help keep your skin looking healthy and elastic. Learn more about fats here Fat the good and bad
• More Antioxidants:
  Antioxidants help you avoid skin damage from the sun, poor diet and pollution.
• Reduce Stress:
  Stress can easily lead to breakouts and wrinkles. Try meditation, yoga or other ways to achieve healthy relaxation

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I was fortunate enough to have grown up eating home made wholesome meals that my grandmother cooked. I have, however, had my share of fast food.

I ate burgers from every fast food chain that I can think of, not to mention the french fries, smoothies, hot dogs, fish or chicken sandwiches, tacos, just name a (pre-2007) fast food and I probably have eaten it.

After moving out of my college dorm, I lived on cheap hamburgers and other fast food diets for a couple months. I clearly noticed how my health declined, how I gained weight and had cravings often. I got sick, so I purchased the college meal plan. I didn’t get that plan because I was a smart kid, as I just said I did get sick. I give total credit to my doctor who advised me to eat at the cafeteria for a while until my health improved, so I did. I loved that decision; going to the campus cafeteria was often a relaxing and nutritional daily venture. I kept eating there until I graduated.

Had I seen this picture and had I known what I know now about fast food, I would have likely purchased that meal plan right away, without getting sick, without the doctor having to suggest it.

I am not comparing McDonalds to BurgerKing or DQ or …anything else. I put them all in the same bucket. Well, just imagine a KFC family meal bucket, close your eyes and reach in, grab the first greasy thing you touch, whatever you get, you would have gotten that same from any other fast food joint. I mean, you get bad food. Now that we established that ‘all’ fast food is the same, i.e. ‘bad for you’, you will love this one:

This lady has saved a McDonald’s hamburger from the year 1996. The 1996 McDonald’s hamburger is on the left side of the picture. A 2008 McDonald’s hamburger is on the right side. Do you notice anything strange about the picture? If you said that the 1996 burger looks quite preserved to be 12 years old at the time the picture was taken, then you win — sorry, no-prize!

If you eat home made food, or even restaurant food, you know that if you don’t eat something eventually it goes bad. We are all familiar with mold in all its colors and varieties. Then, how come this burger doesn’t go bad? Isn’t food supposed to go bad?

Had this food been natural, or nutritional, you’d expect to see so much mold, in fact we’d have a bona fide eco-system thriving on that burger.

I teach a workshop titled Healthy Choices for Children. It’s a class for parents seeking solutions to how to improve the way they eat. It’s about the alternative food market, organics, and the top ten food additives to avoid and why, menu planning and more. It’s a 3 session fabulously informative interactive class.

Below is my absolutely favorite prop.

People are always astounded when I share this.

I have used this as show and tell for a very long time.

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I had a discussion with a coworker about water, he said that distilled water will suck out minerals out of my body.  I find myself  unsure if the idea that “distilled water leeches minerals from the body” is truth or myth.  A friend of mine who had Fibromyalgia said her doctor thought her condition was due to drinking distilled water.

One has to be cautious here because money is involved, companies selling distillers may have a different story than companies that sell you water filters.. In the midst of product-selling and marketing wars the truth becomes elusive to consumers.

Even doctors that talk about the topic seem to have a monetary connection to a product, so I cannot trust their talking points either.

A CALL TO DOCTORS: IF any doctor is reading this article, please let me know what your professional opinion on distilled water leeching minerals from the body is. Thanks

I went online looking for an answer and found conflicting views, some say distilled water is good others say it depletes your body from minerals.

Here are some of the views I found:

Yes. You an drink safely distilled water. It is good for health. You must know that basically water is taken from tube wells, which is treated and distilled and the good and potable water is separated, which is good for drinking.

You actually should drink mineral water or safe Tap water as it contains calcium, magnesium, sodium and other trace minerals including flouride which are beneficial to your health.

Distilled water will not do any harm but you may need to supplement your diet with the minerals you are loosing (these minerals are added to tap water to ensure we get enough). The health risks are not severe in the short term but i should imagine, over a number of years may lead to illness if you never eat or drink anything which contains them.

Distilled water is not good for our health , as all the minerals are missing in ditilled water, it doen’t have anything accept H2O…..
On the Contrary, minreal water is purify and it has the basic minerals, which are neede by our body

distilled water is ” ordinary ” water put through a process of boiling and steam collection ( distillation ) and gets impurities out and some chemical elements.

It is WATER….It will NOT suck minerals out of your system…Water does not need any assistance to hydrate your body.
If anyone tells you that distilled water is bad for you they are Yanking your chain or just plain being mean and lying to you.

2. I heard that distilled water is leeches minerals from the body, is this true?

It is unsure where this myth came from, but it is not based upon any scientific fact and is literally a lie.  It is presumed that it was a rumour started by an individual or company with vested interests (possibly a manufacturer of an alternative filter or purifier).

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Here we go again with another food recall. On Tue Mar 31, 2009 a California pistachio processor issued a nationwide voluntary recall due to potential salmonella contamination.

Thus far, several illnesses have been reported by consumers that may be associated with the pistachios, the FDA said.

The pistachios are roasted and tested for quality, it is believed the cross-contamination occurred at the processing / packaging plan.

The FDA is advising consumers avoid all pistachio products

The last food recall due to salmonella contamination outbreak was with peanuts and peanut butter that has sickened more than 690 people in 46 states. The company in the news then was Peanut Corp. of America, the company behind the current outbreak is Setton.

Both Setton and Peanut Corp. of America are bulk provider of nuts to food manufacturers and wholesalers. That means that the contaminated pistachios could have ended up in a variety of processed foods, including ice cream, cookies, candies and trail mix.

I try to purchase and consume (i.e support) organic and small farm products when I can, I do not support large scale commercial factory farming and food processing.

When are we going to learn than small farms and smaller food manufacturers will provide better quality and be more socially and environmentally friendly?

News articles:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=103267

http://cancer.about.com/b/2009/04/01/fda-issues-pistachio-warning.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFoodDistribution%20&%20Convenience%20Stores/idUSN3139386420090331

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1238034318314750.xml&coll=7

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EV Satie Guest Blogger

My Artificial Sweetener Nightmare

By EV Satie, Guest blogger

I was recently reading a great post on Dr. Mercola’s web site about the dangers of Splenda and it got me to thinking about my own personal experience with these harmful sweeteners.

Having had a weight problem my entire life and not being able to tolerate sugar (it made me want to eat and eat!), I did what most people do in my situation- I used artificial sweeteners. On top of that I am quite compulsive, so I used a lot of it. Drinks sweetened with Equal and Splenda were a daily staple, as well as packets and packets of Splenda, which I put in my coffee and on my food. It took me many years to face up to the fact that these so called “safe” sweeteners were really poising my body, and on top of that I had a chronic illness, which was exacerbated by anything chemical and highly processed.

Needless to say, I finally was willing to let all of them go about a year and a half ago, and although it was difficult, it wasn’t the hardest part of my withdrawal from them. About three days into it, I had a severe liver attack which lasted for almost an hour, and I had to lie on my back and deep breathe the entire time so that I didn’t throw up or have to head to the hospital. I had terrible stabbing pains in my side, burning in my intestines, and hot and cold flashes running through my body. Not a pretty experience at all! It has taken me months to heal my liver, and it still gives me trouble now and then.

The reason that I am sharing this with you is because I really want to get the word out about just how toxic these substances are! Splenda may be derived from sugar, but the end result is that it becomes chlorinated artificial sweetener once it has been molecularly altered.

Do you really want something like that in your body?

Please go to the following websites for more information:

• http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/10/New-Study-of-Splenda-Reveals-Shocking-Information-About-Potential-Harmful-Effects.aspx
• www.truthaboutsplenda.com

Do yourself a huge favor and stop using these poisons as soon as you can!

Written by EV Satie

Of

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Garlic, Good or Bad?

I came across this today, does anyone out there have more info on this?

From GARLIC – TOXIC SHOCK! Reprinted from Nexus Magazine, Feb/Mar 2001. Source: From a lecture by physicist Dr. Robert C Beck, DSc, given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, WA, USA, in March 1996.

The reason garlic is so toxic, the sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates the blood-brain barrier, just like DMSO [a sulfoxide], and is a specific poison for higher-life forms and brain cells. We discovered this, much to our horror, when I (Bob Beck, DSc) was the world’s largest manufacturer of ethical EEG [electroencephalography] feedback equipment.

We’d have people come back from lunch that looked clinically dead on an encephalograph, which we used to calibrate their progress. “Well, what happened?” “Well, I went to an Italian restaurant and there was some garlic in my salad dressing!” So we had them sign things that they wouldn’t touch garlic before classes or we were wasting their time, their money and my time.

I guess some of you … are pilots or have been in flight tests… I was in flight test engineering in Doc Hallan’s group in the 1950s. The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: “Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d not had a few drops of garlic.”
Well, we didn’t know why for 20 years later, until I owned the Alpha-Metrics Corporation. We were building biofeedback equipment and found out that garlic usually desynchronises your brain waves.

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I don’t think that ADD is a disorder nor a disease. I know many parents may disagree with me, however I believe that I’ve done enough research to reach this conclusion.

I started a discussion thread here. Feel free to join the discussion and contribute your opinions/experiences.

I know a few that agree that ADD is not a disorder or a disease, one example that comes to mind is Thom Hartman an author on the subject of ADD/ADHD.

I strongly oppose drugging children that are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, If I had kids I won’t let them go on “medication” to treat this “disorder”.

Mood altering drugs, in my opinion, are not medications, and ADD is not a disorder, simply a personality type.

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It is no surprise that our daily use of manufactured chemicals such as plastics and cosmetics poses a health risk by introducing toxic and harmful substances to our bodies. Your body, and the body of every person you know has a plethora of toxics, a mixture of chemicals that are known toxins and ones that have not been tested on humans yet, meaning that we don’t know how they affect us.

The Test

Healthy Legacy Coalition*(1) conducted a test to measure the levels of 20 common chemicals, from three chemical families, in about three dozen people across the U.S. about a year ago; Minnesota contributed Five test subjects.

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There are some foods that people should avoid. Health researcher Mike Adams said, people should avoid foods that contain ingredients known to cause cancer, such as refined sugars, refined grains, hydrogenated oils, MSGs, and nitrates. This is all common-sensical. Check the list to see if you already knew about these foods.

This article lists five foods that may just be the worst foods ever.

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The following brands contain high levels of toxic lead in them: L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red,” L’Oreal Colour Riche “Classic Wine”, Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor “Maximum Red” and Dior Addict “Positive Red.”

L’Oreal had the highest lead results in the samples tested by a consumer advocacy group. You should be upset at L’Oreal, Cover Girl, Dior and other cosmetic companies, also at the FDA for not monitoring the substances that we use (and ingest) more carefully, and ultimately for corporations caring more about profit than the health of their consumers.

We live in a “Consumers, be Aware” world. But, how could we have known that lead existed in a product if lead isn’t listed as an ingredient? Consumers should always be cautious, but how could they make decisions if they are being deceived when information such as lead levels are not disclosed?

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If you enjoy the buttery smell of freshly cooked microwave popcorn like millions of people do, you must read this.

Dr. Cecile Rose, pulmonary specialist at Denver’s National Jewish Medical and Research Center, in a letter, warned federal agencies or regulators that consumers are in danger of suffering the fatal popcorn lung disease from buttery flavoring fumes in microwave popcorn.

At least one heavy popcorn consumer has been diagnosed with the same disease affecting workers exposed to the substance, Bronchiolitis Obliterans.

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I went to the dentist this morning and he took out the amalgam. This silvery amalgam was more than 12 yrs old, and broke in half a few months ago.

Amalgam Silver Filling

It’s a relief to have this tooth repaired and the toxic amalgam gone. I don’t have any mercury in my mouth now. I wonder if I will see any notable improvements that can be attributed to this; I doubt it because there are many factors that effect my health.

This was just a quick personal blog article, not much useful info here. Many future articles will include research, instructions, inspirations and real useful stuff, unlike this one sometimes I just like to share personal events like this .

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I visited my holistic dentist last week in order to get some x-rays taken and ask about removing an older amalgam; while I was there I was given a book titled “Dentistry Without Mercury” by Sam Ziff and Michael Ziff.

Amalgam Filling X-ray

I have not read this small book yet but intend to in the future. I also have a lot of research done on the effects of mercury and why mercury amalgam are bad for you and should be taken out ASAP. It is unbelievable how many of us have toxic amalgams in our mouths.

The Dentist will remove my amalgam and use something else. They also found another area that needs work, a pretty large (in my opinion) decay in one tooth. It is funny how I had jaw pains but did not attribute that to my teeth needing work; I just ignored and never was ‘aware’ of my mouth and teeth even when there was pain. I plan on being more aware of my body including my teeth. Stay tuned, there’s more to come on this.

Here’s this book on amazon:

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