Have you taken your Child to an Energy Healer yet?
Why not? What have you been waiting for!

Does your child suffer from anxiety, digestive issues, tics, ADHD, ADD, Autism, body jerks, tourettes, depression, OCD, and/or negative behaviors? Is your child having issues adjusting to change?

Read below on how CranioSacral can help.

It takes a village to raise a child. Therefore as a family, a parent partnership or as a single parent, you should not be left alone to be “everything” for your child; there isn’t enough energy in a single person to do so. Physically, emotionally, and mentally one person cannot be “all parts, all persons, all personalities” for our child, that is why the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Children are born into this world very open and vulnerable; therefore they are very susceptible to absorbing other’s emotions into their emotional body. We are taught in this world to hold tight and contain our emotions instead of releasing them, therefore our children follow suit and begin to hold tight and contain their emotions and absorb the emotions of others. When children and even adults begin to contain their emotions instead of releasing them, it causes distress and dis-ease in the physical, emotional, and mental body. The stress that is placed on the body can create aliments and issues, for example: digestive issues, tics, ADHD, ADD, Autism, body jerks, tourettes, depression, anxiety, OCD, negative behaviors, relationship issues, & more.

What is CranioSacral and How will it help your child?

CranioSacral Therapy is based on the concept that our body is self-healing; if our mind, body, and spirit are aligned as ONE, our body will be in perfect health and balance.

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle non-invasive modality that releases restrictions around the brain and spinal cord, thus allowing our body to self-heal and self-correct. There are no side effects from CranioSacral Therapy; the practitioner creates a loving and safe environment for the client to begin their self-healing process.
• Gentle
• Non-invasive
• No force, pressure, or poking (very relaxing)
• No side affects
Throughout the journey of life, we encounter and endure stress, strains, and trauma that become trapped in our bodies. When our body holds onto the stress, strains, and trauma (instead of releasing it), our tissues and fluids are no longer in harmony, thus our core body system becomes compromised. When there is disharmony in the body this will result in dis-ease in our body and symptoms of pain, discomfort, emotional, physical, and behavioral issues will arise.

Who can benefit from CranioSacral?
• Babies
o Colic
o Ear infections
o Sleeplessness
o Hyperactivity
o Birth trauma
• Children/Young Adults/Adults
o Asthma
o ADD/ADHD
o Negative behavioral issues (Tourettes, OCD, tics, body jerks, & etc)
o Digestive issues
o Brain Injuries
o Cerebral Palsy
o Autism
o Emotional distress
o Assist with transitions/changes
o Focus/Attention Span
o Trauma
o Relationship Issues
Many clients have received the following benefits from CranioSacral:
• Relief from Migraines
• Release of Depression & grief
• Relief of Sinus pressure and pain
• Loosening of tight muscles and joints
• Release of muscle and joint pain
• Balance in the emotional and physical body
• Gain of clarity
• Positive change in behavior patterns, thus leasing to improvements in relationships and quality of life
• Awakened Life purpose and passion
• Reduced stress, anxiety, and fear
• Improved sense of well-being, peace, and happiness

Facts about Autism

According to the “Autism Speaks” organization:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual skills, music, math and art.
• Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
• Autism prevalence figures are growing
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs the nation $137 billion per year
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism
• Research suggests that the development of autism is rooted in very early brain development. However, in most cases, no one cause can be identified.

Autism Intervention and Therapy
The typical therapies offered for Autism only focuses on the social skills, language and communication, imitation, play skills, daily living and motor skills. A therapy approach that focuses on addressing just the symptoms will not be a cure because the root cause is ignored. Many of the symptoms of Autism are directly connected to the emotional body and so far the emotional body is not addressed through the current therapies offered widely throughout the Autism Intervention Program. “Emotion” is energy in motion, therefore when emotions are not flowing freely through the body, it causes dis-ease and symptoms rise to the surface. Symptoms are external signs that alert us when something inside of us is out of alignment. CranioSacral addresses all the of the “bodies”, the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual, thus allowing the “bodies” to find it’s Divine alignment and release the symptoms and obtain “ease” through the “bodies”.

When there is decompression on the Cranium (head), your child might experience the following symptoms:
• Sensory issues
• Delay in speech
• Lack of eye contact
• Highly Introverted

Many children on the Autistic Spectrum experience the above symptoms and with CranioSacral Therapy the Cranium will begin to expand and contract allowing the tissues and fluids to release, relax, and flow without restriction.

How CranioSacral works for Autism (and other behavioral and emotional issues)
• Restores autonomic nervous system’s flexibility and adaptability
• Enhances flow of blood and fluids throughout the body
• Improves the internal environment for the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system
Take your Child to see a CranioSacral/Energy Healer today
CranioSacral and Energy Healers are widely spread throughout the world today due to the increased need of alternative medicine. If you live in the Chicago area and would like to learn more about what I do, please contact me, Dana Massat, 708-703-1791 or by email: dana@ascendyoursoul.com. If you are out of the Chicago area and would like to locate a CranioSacral Therapist, I would be happy to assist in locating one near your area as well.
How Dana Massat BS. CST. MRT., works with our “Gifted Children”
I am passionate about spreading the healing around the world and the children are seeds of Mother Earth. I am here to assist and teach them how to grow strong roots of their emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental bodies. I will use my intuitive healing gifts and CranioSacral techniques to release any trauma or blockages in their emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental bodies.

I have always had a special passion working with our “gifted children”, reawakening their natural healing flow and teaching them to strengthen their gifts. I have two sons myself, whom are my spiritual teachers and have strengthened my gifts with working with children through my own parental experiences. Children are open- hearted by nature, all they need is to feel safe and loved and the healing begins right away. I am an assist teacher at the Sacred Journey Institute and I currently teach the Gifted Children’s class; which is a class designed to teach adults how to understand and learn how to strengthen the miraculous gifts these children have! I will teach your child and you tools that you can use to release emotions, restrictions, and blockages from the body and shift old behaviors and patterns.

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Martha H. Howard, MD, Dipl. Ac. NCCAOM

Most sunscreens contain chemicals that have strong estrogenic effects. They are also known as “gender-bending” chemicals. This means that the chemicals in them act like the female hormone estrogen in the body, and can be associated with serious medical problems like smaller penises in boys, loss of libido or breast development in men, early puberty in girls, and uterine fibroid tumors, irregular periods and endometriosis in women.

A 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) showed that 97% of Americans are contaminated with a widely-used sunscreen ingredient called oxybenzone that is associated with hormone disruption, as well as free-radical damage to cells, and allergies.

A Mt. Sinai School of Medicine study published just one day before the CDC showed that oxybenzone is also associated with low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers are exposed during pregnancy.

Why would anyone want to the idea of slather a cream full of these chemicals or any chemicals on babies and young children every day? Or on a pregnant woman? Or even on an adult?

The Environmental Working Group, a consumer protection group, has listed more than 600 sunscreens and other cosmetic products that contain oxybenzone. For the list, and more information, check out their website, http://www.ewg.org. Here are the names of some of the most commonly used gender-bending chemicals, so you can recognize them on labels:

Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone)
PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA)
Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate)
Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate)
Digalloyl trioleate
Menthyl anthranilate
Avobenzone [butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane; Parsol 1789] (allowed in EU)

What to use instead:

Badger SPF 30 + unscented sunscreen. If you like a scented sunscreen Badger also makes one with natural lavender.
Mychelle Sun Shield
California Baby Fragrance Free Sunblock for Kids
Aubrey Organics Natural Sun

Have a great summer!!

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Dr. Helen Lee, DC

Diabetes has increased world wide at alarming rates over the past few decades. Statistics show that the incidence of diabetes has gone from 153 million diagnosed in 1980 to 347 million in 2008. More specifically, diabetes has risen twice as much as in the U.S as compared to the European countries.

The focus of “fixing” diabetes over the last decade has been to substitute sugar with artificial sugar, to switch natural fats with chemical derivatives and to medicate with drugs that cause the body to think blood sugar levels are “within normal range”. Clearly statistics and trends are showing that what we as a society have been doing to combat this disease process is NOT working.

One very crucial factor to remember is that no matter what disease process, that disease is not isolated to the malfunction of only one organ or system. Our entire body works as a whole, which means that if one area of the body is having a difficult time functioning properly, so must the entire body. Therefore, on a holistic level we must start asking different questions that propel us into thinking about and caring for our bodies differently.

What are some of the key factors we should consider in the treatment of diabetes?

What and how we eat: The quality and kinds of food, how much it is processed and  how we eat it through the day are of key significance because it is the fuel for our bodies to function. One might think eating foods that contain artificial fat and sugar solves the problem of the impact of sugar on the organs. However, those foods are most likely still heavily processed and allow one to keep the same habits of consuming foods with less nutritional content than fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods also increase the load of toxic chemicals that the body must work at expelling.

Another factor is stress. The adrenal glands not only work to keep blood sugar levels stable, they also work in response to anxiety and stress by releasing cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released in the “fight or flight” response which also directly affects fat storage and weight gain in individuals. So an important component of increasing one’s health is also learning to adapt to lifestyle stresses with more peace, joy and happiness.

Addressing how you think about situations, the quality of your life, your work life, the number of hours during the day that you’re doing things that you enjoy versus things you dread, being able to relax your mind and body, are all crucial components of a healthier body.

Studies continue to investigate the link of any disease to nutrition, lifestyle, genetic predispositions, ethnicity, etc. which may be contributing to it. Ultimately the disease process is a result of the body having to respond to or inability to respond to the many choices that have been made. Changing your choices towards health & life enhancing choices will allow your body to follow suit.

References:

• USA Today: Diabetes on upswing worldwide 
• Fairwarning.org: Global increase of diabetes  
• Medicalxpress.com : Diabetes
• CDC.gov 
• UNM.edu 

We encourage reproducing our articles as long as you link back to this page.

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Dr. Helen Lee, DC

Fever and aches and pains, oh my! Many people don’t enjoy when their bodies don’t feel well and do whatever they can as quickly as they can to get rid of the symptoms. But what if symptoms arise for our benefit? Symptoms are cues to make us notice that the body is tired or imbalanced in some way and to get us to slow down.

A fever awakens our immune system and makes it inhospitable for foreign invaders such as bacteria and virus to proliferate. It also makes us uncomfortable in many ways so that we will be forced to slow down, rest, take care of our selves and shut down so that our bodies can focus on healing and rejuvenating. Stifling this process too quickly with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and or other over-the-counter drugs can prevent the body from healing as effectively and as quickly as it would like to.

Some Benefits of Fevers:
- Increased temperature directly kills bacteria/viruses/other microbes
- Increases production of white blood cells, macrophages, interferons and other cells which fight off and prevent further spread of microbes
- Stimulates antibody production which strengthens our overall immune system for the future

Natural Options To Support Person with Fever:

- Make sure keep hydrated with water and natural fruit juices; no sugar filled drinks
- Breastfed infants, breastfeed as much as infants desire so they can benefit from mother’s antibodies
- Eat lightly or even skip a meal depending on individual desire, giving the body a chance to focus on fighting the microbes; such foods as soups, broth, steamed vegetables and rice are good for the feverish person
- Rest, rest, rest and lots of TLC
- Reassurance and trust that the body is well on its way to healing and repairing itself!
- Visit your holistic healthcare practitioner to aid in supporting your body

When is a fever too high? Each person knows themselves and their child the best so always trust your own instinct. Some basic considerations for consulting health care professional:

- Infants 3 months & younger with fever greater than 100.4 degrees F
- Children 3-36 months with fever greater than 102.2 degrees F and if they appear ill
- Any fever over 104.5 degrees F
- Persistent vomiting, confusion, extreme lethargy, “floppiness”, extreme stiffness/pain in neck, seizures

References:

•Scientific American – what causes a fever
•Yale Medical Group
•Hippiedippiebebe.com
•Mercola.com

 We encourage reproducing our articles as long as you link back to this page.

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There are many different responsibilities women deal with at different stages in their life. One of these important responsibilities involves her ability to conceive a healthy child. However, what happens if a woman is not yet ready to have a baby? This is when she makes a thoughtful decision to use birth control. In order to ensure the birth control method she chooses is suitable for her needs she must be well informed about the variety of birth control methods available to her. She must also take into consideration how her fertility influences the type of contraceptives she decides to use throughout her lifespan. Continue reading to learn how a woman’s body undergoes a variety of changes throughout the years and how these changes can help her choose which birth control method is most effective.

Sex Drive and Fertility of Women in Their 20’s

Higher levels of testosterone
Increase in sex drive
Peak in fertility

During her twenties, a woman is more likely to have a higher sex drive than any other time in her life. This is contributed to higher levels of testosterone produced within her body. Testosterone is a hormone that is known for influencing sex drive, and is the main reason why many women participate in sexual activity during this time.

This is also a time when fertility peaks, which is why women in their twenties are more likely to conceive a healthy baby the natural way. Since women are likely to be more sexually active during this time, it is important that they take extra precaution when it comes to birth control.

Birth Control of Women in Their 20’s

Birth control pills
Condoms

There are different types of birth control methods a woman in her twenties can use. Since it is highly likely that she may conceive, if she is sexually active during this time, she will want to invest in at least two methods of birth control. One method is the birth control pill.

All birth control pills are different; however, they all serve a main purpose, which is to prevent pregnancy. The only way birth control pills will work is if the woman takes them everyday on a regular basis. If she skips a day, it decreases their potency and increases her chance of becoming pregnant.

Another factor that can decrease the effectiveness of birth control is weight. If a woman is overweight, she increases her chances of becoming pregnant. This is why it is of utmost importance to use two methods of birth control during this time in her life. Antibiotic usage lessens the effectiveness of birth control pills and thus gives an additional reason to use a back-up method.

Another birth control method women in their twenties should also use is condoms. Not only do condoms help prevent conception, they also protect women from sexually transmitted diseases. Using these two birth control methods will enable a woman to have sexual intercourse without worrying about becoming pregnant or contracting an STD.

Sex Drive and Fertility of Women in Their 30’s

Decrease in amount of eggs in ovaries
Decrease in sex drive
Increase in sexual activity
Decrease in testosterone levels

As a woman ages, the amount of eggs in her ovaries decrease each year by a significant percentage. A woman in her thirties has less of chance of conceiving a baby. In fact, her chances of conceiving decrease by 3% each year from the time she turns thirty-one. This 3% percentage decrease occurs each year, until she turns thirty-five. Once she hits thirty-five her ability conceive a baby begins to decrease at an even faster rate. It has been reported that one in four women age thirty-five or older will have trouble conceiving.

Sexual activity increases; however, there is a slight decrease in the levels of testosterone in her body. Many women in their thirties, approximately 51% also tend to claim a lack of sexual desire. However, several studies state that during the thirties women reach their sexual peak.

While women may loose interest in sex, the type of relationship they have with their partner also influences their sex drive and desire for sex. Since it is more common for women in their thirties to find a more fulfilling and stable relationship with their partner during this time, she will engage in more sexual intercourse than she did when she was in her twenties. While her sex drive may not be like it was during her twenties, the love and caring associated within her relationship makes the sexual intercourse experience with her partner more meaningful and special. This type of sexual activity is driven by love, not lust. In addition, many women in their 30’s wish to conceive a baby and therefore increase their sexual activity despite their decreased sex drive.

Birth Control Methods of Women in their 30’s

Spermicidal foam
Condoms
Birth control pills

Since women may be participating in more sexual activity during this time, she will want to invest in spermicidal foam and condoms. Birth control pills can be affective as well; however, since her chances of conceiving are less likely during her thirties, a woman still should take precautions against sexually transmitted diseases. This is especially true if she is not in a monogamous relationship.

Sex Drive and Fertility of Women in Their 40’s

Very low testosterone levels
Gradual loss of sex drive
Eggs released less frequently

During their forties women may begin to lose their sex drive because their level of testosterone is about half of what it used to be during their twenties. Not only does the amount of testosterone appear to be virtually non-existent, but she starts worrying less about being able to conceive. Although biologically women in this age bracket should experience lower libido, many are more sexually active now that their children are getting older.

While her sex drive may be lower, she still does have a chance of becoming pregnant, although her chances of conceiving are slim. Women in their forties release eggs from their ovaries less frequently, which makes conceiving a baby less likely, but still possible.

Women in their forties, who are not in a monogamous relationship and participate in casual sex, obviously still have a chance of contracting an STD. Many women may participate in unprotected sex during this time because they believe they have no chance of conceiving. This reckless type of sexual behavior can be detrimental not only to their health, but to the health of their partner. It is also one of the reasons why STD’s are spreading among this particular age population. Another reason is due to the high percentage of divorced women in their forties who, just like their divorced husbands, are rediscovering dating.

While women in their forties have less of a chance of becoming pregnant, they still need to practice safe sex. They need to keep the same mindset they had about sex when they were in their twenties and thirties. Just because they are older and have less of a chance of conceiving does not mean they should have unprotected sex.

Birth Control of Women in Their 40’s

Condoms
Vaginal ring
Spermicidal lubricant

Women in their forties can use many different contraceptives. They can use contraceptive sponges or a vaginal ring along with spermicidal lubricant. They should also make sure that their partner uses a condom. The condom helps to protect both partners from STD’s.

When women know more about their sex drive, fertility and birth control methods at different stages of their life, they can make a well-informed decision about using the birth control method that best suits their needs. Regardless of age, safe sex should be practiced at all times. This helps to protect the woman, her partner and any future partners from sexually transmitted infections.

Where are you when it comes to aging, sex, and birth control?

Regardless of a sexually active woman’s age, she will be healthier and happier if her energy and hormones are balanced and in sync with her age and lifestyle. The women we see in our clinic, whether for painful periods, PMS, natural fertility treatments, or weight loss, all have one thing in common—they are energetically and hormonally imbalanced when we first see them. Once a woman’s body is balanced energetically and hormonally, and in harmony with a positive lifestyle, her physical conditions can resolve and she can feel spiritually as well as emotionally at peace regardless of her age. And isn’t that what any woman wants?

Dr. Ian Wahl is the founder of both the Natural Fertility Health Center and the Wahls of Wellness, located in Arlington Heights, IL. You can contact Dr. Wahl at 847 392-7901 or go to www.FertileSpirit.com or www.WahlsofWellness.com.

Sources

Wisegeek.com

MarieClaire.com

ARHP.org

lhj.com

WomensHealth.gov

WomensHealth.med.monash.edu.au

MarchOfDimes.com

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All of the hoopla in the media these days about the dangers of salt is a perfect example of why the LAST person you should trust for advice on nutrition is a medical doctor. If your $30,000 automobile started to give you trouble, would you ask your neighbor, who had just read a book on the internal combustion engine, how to fix it? No! You would ask a certified mechanic. It is no different with questions regarding nutrition. NEVER ask your medical doctor what you should and shouldn’t eat to stay healthy. They have no training and no clinical experience with it. Salt is one of the most necessary nutrients to the human body that there is. Salt is involved in thousands of metabolic processes, and, without enough of it you will get sick and then die.

One of the most noteworthy salt-related processes of the human body is the production of stomach acid. The molecular structure of salt is NaCl – sodium chloride. The molecular structure of stomach acid is HCl – hydrochloric acid. Your body gets the chloride molecule it needs to keep its stomach acid strong and healthy from salt (calcium is also an important player here). If you don’t have enough salt, your stomach acid will be weak. If your stomach acid is weak, you cannot digest your food completely. If you cannot digest your food completely, you develop nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiencies are the MAIN CAUSE of all chronic disease. Therefore salt is PRETTY IMPORTANT, don’t you think?

Last but not least, when your stomach acid is weak (from a lack of salt), guess what happens? You develop heartburn! Heartburn is caused by NOT ENOUGH stomach acid – not too much. Start salting your food to taste and your heartburn will disappear in about 3 weeks.

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The physicians in ancient Greece used the word “asthma” to mean breathlessness or gasping for air. They believed that asthma could be relieved by adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle changes. Ancient Chinese physicians used the term to mean “wheezy breathing” to indicate an imbalance in one’s life force or Qi. Qi was restored through acupuncture, herbs, diet, and exercise. Ancient Hindu philosophers believed that there was a connection between breathing and the soul. In order to make the mind, body, spirit connection, yoga used controlled breathing to help enhance meditation. And the 12th century rabbi and physician to the Sultan of Egypt, Maimonides, recommended that the royal prince who had asthma should eat and drink less and avoid the polluted environment of the city—and eat more chicken soup (I’m not making this up). i

So you can see that asthma has been around for quite a long time. And with it comes some inevitable myths surrounding actual facts. Let’s look at a few of the current myths of asthma.

The Myth:
There aren’t that many people with asthma; it’s just a bunch of media hype

The Facts:
Whether we like it or not, there are more adults and children with asthma today than at any time in the past. The occurrence of asthma has increased exponentially over the past 20 years. In the 1990’s, more than 7.1 million people went to see physicians for asthma conditions and an estimated 3300 people died from asthma during that time. ii Today those numbers have increased almost 6-fold—an estimated 34.1 million adults in America suffer from lifetime asthma with an additional almost 9 million children under the age of 18. iii Do the math, that’s 13 percent of the population in the United States. Hard to believe, but true. According to the American Lung Association, over 500,000 people are hospitalized each year and over 5,500 deaths annually are now attributed to asthma. Asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States and the leading cause of school absenteeism. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, asthma accounts for more childhood hospitalizations and lost school days than any other disease. iv

The Myth:
Asthma is all in your head—get counseling and get over it

The Facts:
There are two types of asthma. v Allergic (extrinsic) Asthma is triggered by an allergic reaction to an inhaled substance such as dust, pollen, mold, chemicals, animals, etc. Ninety percent of asthma cases are caused by extrinsic asthma. Non-allergic (intrinsic) Asthma is triggered by factors not related to allergies such as exercise, anxiety, depression, cold air or dry air, etc. The symptoms of both are the same—coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and chest tightness. Either type of asthma can be life threatening. And it’s unlikely that psychotherapy will correct asthma triggered by an allergen or cold air.

The Myth:
Chill out and don’t over-react every time you feel any shortness of breath and you won’t have an asthma attack.

The Facts:
Have you ever wondered what drowning must feel like? Ask someone with asthma. Imagine the smooth muscles around your bronchial tubes tightening up and becoming inflamed thus causing a further narrowing of the tubes. At the same time, your lungs are producing excess mucus filling up the narrowed spaces where your air should be flowing. As it becomes more difficult for air to pass in and out of the lungs, oxygen levels decrease in the blood. vi You know you need to breathe to stay alive, but you can’t. Whether you panic or not, you are having a biological reaction that isn’t allowing you to breathe properly and oxygenate your body. Your lips turn blue from the lack of oxygen in your blood. You feel as if you are drowning…like you are dying. OK, now try to imagine chilling out and calming down when you suddenly can’t breathe and your lungs are filling with mucus. Not so easy without oxygen or an inhaler.

The Myth:
If we didn’t coddle our children, there would be less asthma

The Facts:
Some people are born with a predisposition toward developing asthma. However, what actually triggers the disease can vary from person to person. Common triggers include tobacco smoke, air pollution, pollen, allergens from animals and insects, abrupt weather changes, and biological contaminants such as mold, and viral infections.

Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications such as blood pressure drugs, aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are all known asthma triggers. vii

Studies show that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to develop asthma as children of nonsmoking parents. Also, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy tend to be born with smaller airways, which greatly increase their chances of developing the disease.

The Myth:
The proper way to treat asthma is through medication and immunotherapy (desensitization shots)

The Facts:
Asthma doesn’t have to severely limit your life. While it is prudent to be proactive, you don’t have to subject yourself to painful injections and, for most asthmatics; you don’t have to live on a regime of oral pharmaceuticals and inhalers. During an acute severe asthma attack, inhalers or a trip to the ER may be appropriate. But there are steps you can take to prevent asthma and to avoid asthma attacks.

Some Natural Solutions to Asthma and Breathing Problems:

The Biggest Myth:
You will always have to avoid your asthma triggers for the rest of your life

The Most Hopeful Fact:
No one can guarantee that any allergy treatment will work for you. But in our clinic we have found that there is a way to treat the symptoms associated with allergies and sensitivities that trigger asthma by reducing the biological stress caused by the offending substances. This in turn reduces the asthma episodes and allows a person with asthma to lead a completely normal life without having to live a lifestyle structured around avoidance and fear.

We have found that Advanced Allergy Therapeutics, AAT, retrains the body so that it no longer reacts inappropriately when in contact with an offending allergen.viii The AAT treatments do not rely on the use of needles, medications, homeopathy, herbal remedies or supplements.  The treatment is safe, painless, effective and gentle enough for infants. As in all forms of health care, there are no guarantees; however, a high percentage of AAT patients respond favorably to the treatment on a long term basis and usually don’t need to be re-treated for the same allergens after their initial course of treatment.

People suffering with asthma should be able to enjoy life and breathe without fear of triggering a frightening, life-threatening asthma attack.

Sources:
i “The History of Asthma”
ii Asthma In America, Asthma Statistics, www.asthmainamerica.com/statistics; National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Data Fact Sheet, Asthma Statistics.
iii nsc.org/asthma/go
iv Asthma In America, Asthma Statistics, www.asthmainamerica.com/statistics; National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Data Fact Sheet, Asthma Statistics.
v AsthmaSymptom.org
vi AnswersTV.com/go
vii “Acute Asthma”
viii “Midwest Allergy Relief FAQs”

For more information on asthma, breathing problems, and AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapeutics) go to www.MidwestAllergyRelief.com or email Dr. Wahl at info@MidwestAllergyRelief.com.

Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH is a Doctor of Acupuncture and herbalist who specializes in the treatment children and adults with allergies and hypersensitivities. He is the Founder and Director of the Midwest Allergy Relief Center (www.MidwestAllergyRelief.com) as well as the Wahls of Wellness (www.WahlsOfWellness.com). Dr. Wahl can be reached at 847 392-7901 or info@MidwestAllergyRelief.com.

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Do you keep your nails perfectly trimmed, cleaned and manicured? If your nails aren’t perfect, do you cover them up with fake nails or polish? Did you know that ignoring such signs as imperfections could be dangerous to your health?

The eyes, skin and yes, the nails, are excellent indicators of what’s going on inside your body. If your nails are healthy (smooth and pink with a slightly curved surface and free of discoloration/spots), your body is probably pretty healthy too. But if your nails are discolored, brittle or otherwise appear unhealthy, it may be because of an underlying health problem.

Your nails — composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin — grow from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticle. As new cells grow, older cells become hard and compacted and are eventually pushed out toward your fingertips.

“The nails can be windows to a patient’s overall health, and while the nail itself is dead tissue, the areas under the cuticle and beneath the nail are alive,” said dermatologist Richard K. Scher, M.D., professor of clinical dermatology at Columbia University in New York City.

Note these signals that your nails may be sending your way:

And, what can you do to create awareness and avoid problems:

Your physician is often your best resource for nail conditions that may be signaling something more…


Sources:
“Fingernails and Nutrition”
“Healthy Nails and Cuticles”
MayoClinic.com/Health/Nails

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National Diabetes Awareness Month — should it be a month, or should it be each and every day? Diabetes is rampant, and unless we win the wars on obesity and education, we cannot hope to win the war on diabetes. It is our country’s greatest enemy.

So, what is it, and why the concern?

Causes
Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both. This is what happens when we eat:

People with diabetes have high blood sugar. Risk factors include:

Children…and our schools
The percentage of children who are obese has more than doubled, and among adolescents the rates have more than tripled since 1980. Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and is associated with problems such as poor self-esteem. The good news is that schools can help students and staff adopt healthy eating and physical activity behaviors that are the keys to preventing obesity and avoiding diabetes.

What you can do…
You should work closely with your health care provider to learn how much fat, protein, and carbohydrates you need in your diet. A registered dietician can be very helpful in planning dietary needs. Exercise regularly to avoid complications and to keep your body moving. Follow your physician’s directives concerning diet and medication. And, take good care of your feet. Make each and every day Diabetes Awareness Day…begin your personal campaign now to live a healthy life and to manage your disease or prevent it!

References
Standards of medical care in diabetes–2007. Diabetes Care. Jan 2007;30 Suppl 1:S4-S41.
Caballero E. Prediabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Jan 2007; 92(1); 15A-16A.

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Alzheimer’s disease is a modern epidemic. 5.3 million Americans have it. It is the 7th leading cause of death. According to the CDC, there is a new diagnosis every 70 seconds and its treatment profits the medical industry 148 billion dollars a year. Worldwide, 35.6 million people are suspected to have it, and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to double every 20 years. It is not genetic, is only indirectly related to the aging process, and it is not caused by a vengeful God. Alzheimer’s disease is a physician created disease, and in-as-much, it is a perfect example of the short sightedness, hubris, danger and ineptitude of the allopathic medical profession.

To understand this last statement, we need to put the practice of medicine in the United States into perspective. Since 1920, more or less, the American medical stage has been completely dominated by MD’s. This happened because of financial and political alliances formed between the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Institute, allopathic hospitals and allopathic medical schools all around the country. If you aren’t familiar with the term “allopathic” – it refers to the type of medicine that MD’s practice. Allopathic medicine (allopathy) is just ONE system of medicine. There are many others: Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese medicine, Chiropractic, etc. For the last 100 years however, allopathic medicine has been sold to us as the ONLY legitimate type of medicine, with all of the other systems of medicine being pitched to us as alternative, or inferior to it. Most people think that MD’s are the top dog of medicine because their treatments are more effective than those of the others. It is not. As a matter of fact, according to Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, 250,000 deaths per year are caused by medical errors, making this the third-largest cause of death in the United States. That’s right! Treatment by your MD is the third leading cause of death in the United States – right behind heart disease and hypertension.

This little history lesson represents the tip of the iceberg concerning the evolution of medicine in the United States, and I mention it only because of the subject matter at hand: Alzheimer’s disease. It is my contention that this illness is caused by MD treatments. Named after the 20th century physician, Alois Alzheimer, the very first case of Alzheimer’s disease was recorded in 1906. A patient of Dr. Alzheimer’s (named “August D”) developed memory problems, unfounded suspicions that her husband was unfaithful, trouble speaking, trouble understanding what others were saying, and died within 5 years of developing the first symptoms. Post-mortem autopsy of her brain revealed dramatic shrinkage of the cortex, fatty deposits in the blood vessels of the brain and dead brain cells. Current medical technology only allows for Alzheimer’s disease to be diagnosed via autopsy of the brain AFTER someone has died. When someone is living, we can only say that we suspect that they have Alzheimer’s disease. This is an interesting point to ponder because there is a very similar illness referred to as “Sundowner’s” syndrome. The symptoms of Sundowner’s and Alzheimer’s are very similar. The only difference being that Sundowner’s is the terminal stage of Beri-Beri, and is caused by a chronic vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. This is why anyone with cognitive difficulties indicative of Alzheimer’s or Sundowner’s should be given vitamin B1 in therapeutic doses, as it will completely eliminate the cognitive difficulties if it was Sundowner’s and not Alzheimer’s.

Let’s have a little anatomy lesson. 75% of the white matter of the brain (the tissue effected by Alzheimer’s disease) is made from cholesterol. One of the anatomical characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease is shrinkage of the cortex. If the cortex is made from cholesterol, and it shrinks, might not a cause of this be due to a lack of cholesterol in the body? Well, yes it would – except for the fact that the liver manufactures cholesterol when the body’s stores start to run low. Are there any drugs you can think of that reduce the body’s ability to manufacture its own cholesterol? I’ll give you a minute to think…

Statin drugs!

Statin drugs (cholesterol lowering drugs) work by creating inflammation in the liver that blocks the liver’s ability to manufacture cholesterol. Statin drugs lower your cholesterol levels by blocking your body’s ability to make its own cholesterol.

If the part of your brain that shrinks because of Alzheimer’s disease is made out of cholesterol and you take a cholesterol lowering drug, is it a stretch to think that the two might be related? Statin drug sales have increased remarkably in the same time span that Alzheimer’s disease has gone from the 8th to the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Has anybody looked at this relationship? YES! Yeon-Kyun Shin, a biophysics professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, says the results of his study show that drugs that inhibit the liver from making cholesterol may also keep the brain from making cholesterol, which is vital to efficient brain function.”If you deprive cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters,” said Shin. “Neurotransmitters affect the data-processing and memory functions. In other words — how smart you are and how well you remember things.” Shin’s findings were be published in the Feb. 2009 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Will anybody take this seriously? No! Why? Because statin drugs are one of the most widely-prescribed and most lucrative sectors of the pharmaceutical industry, with total revenues exceeding $26 billion in 2008.

My advice – Stop all statin drugs immediately. Don’t worry about this increasing your risk of heart disease – it will not. (Go to www.ravnskov.nu for information about cholesterol levels and heart disease. Eg: there is no relationship between high cholesterol and heart disease). Eat foods high in cholesterol. Have your diet be 80% fat. Take all 91 essential nutrients appropriate for your body weight every day (go to my website to learn how to do this: ww.drglidden.com). Take extra vitamin B1. Fire your MD, and hire me or one of my naturopathic colleagues – as we are the only physicians in the country trained from day 1 in the application of science-based, clinically verified, safe, effective and affordable NON-DRUG treatments.

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The lungs are essential organs for life, but it is not well known that respiratory diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide.

In 2020, out of 68 million deaths worldwide, 11.9 million will be caused by lung diseases (4.7 by COPD, 2.5 by pneumonia, 2.4 by TB and 2.3 million by lung cancer). Globally, in terms of mortality, incidence, prevalence and costs, respiratory diseases rank second (after cardiovascular diseases). In some countries, they are already the leading killer.

Two major lung diseases (lung cancer and COPD) are generally, but not exclusively, caused by cigarette smoking. However, it is important to stress that lung diseases are not just related to smoking, asthma and allergies conditions are also on the rise. There is a wide variety of other causes, ranging from genetic influences to nutritional, environmental. Environmentally can be from the air we breathe indoors or outdoors, second hand smoke, cleaning products, gas stoves, radon.

Tips for taking care of your lungs:

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Summertime… and the living is easy. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high – but the lazy, hazy days of summer also represent health hazards!

Summer is here, so be aware of these and other health hazards to ensure a safe summer for you and your family.

1. Skin Cancer
If caught early, skin cancer is usually treated easily. Risk is great in those who:
- have spent lots of time in the sun or have been sunburned
- have fair skin, hair and eyes
- have a family member who has had skin cancer
- are over the age 50.

What you can do: Check your skin and wear lots of sunscreen; avoid the sun when possible.

2. Heat Stroke
Heat stroke can be life threatening. Some signs of heat stroke include:
- confusion
- short, rapid breathing
- a fast pulse

What you can do: Call 911 immediately.

3. Food Poisoning
The CDC estimates that 76 million people suffer from food poisoning. Summer time is picnic time.

What you can do: Use common sense about food handling.

4. Drowning
Each year over 3,000 people drown. For each child under 14 that drowns, another five suffer from near drowning.

What you can do: Prevent tragedy through supervision, proper pool safety and enforcing rules around the water.

5. Dehydration
Dehydration can happen quickly in the summer heat.What you can do: Have water handy; take frequent water breaks during summer activities.

Sources
“Summer Health Hazards”
“Fireworks, sun burns, and other summer health hazards”

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For generations people have been powerless to & accepted disease processes or the way one ages on the particular genes which may have been “passed down”. For example, “my mom and all her siblings have gotten diabetes so I will get diabetes sooner or later”, “I’m 59 and am nervous because my granddad and dad had heart attacks before they were 60” , and so on. The science of Epigenetics is now however proving what holistic practitioners have known for centuries—which is that the gene is not the lone factor in how one ages. The environment both external and internal plays a significant factor in whether a gene “turns on or stays off/unexpressed”. How & what we think, our basic beliefs in life, how we live our lives, what we choose as habits, how we eat, our values all play a key role in affecting how and what our body will express. This is the powerful connection between the mind, energy/Spirit and the body.

Take Responsibility:

Don’t Worry Be Happy!
What are you thinking? In general positive thoughts release positive chemical reactions and allow our body to heal, recoup, digest, and function with more ease. Negative thoughts such as worry, fear, doubt, etc. will cause release of noxious chemicals which irritate and cause the body to work harder. Choose to become aware of what you’re thinking and shift the negative thoughts into positive ones! You’re body will love you for it!

Create healthy habits
Dedicate practice of the simple basics: eat more fresh vegetables/fruits, drink more water, eliminate processed foods/drinks, exercise regularly, stop or reduce any habit which you KNOW is creating more stress in your body today! This is a “practice” because you may have to choose over and over again until certain healthy choices now become more automatic.

Learn from your parents/ancestors
Take on the beliefs and habits that have worked at increasing the health & happiness of your ancestors and let go of the ones that have not served them because they are not going to serve you.

Sources
“Your genes are not your fate”
“The Human Genome Project”
“Mind Over Genes-The New Biology”
www.WalterBortz.com

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Iodine Supplementation and Metabolic Syndrome Consumption of seaweed in amounts typical of the Japanese people may be associated with low metabolic syndrome prevalence. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include: Abdominal obesity, Atherogenic dyslipidemia (high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol), Elevated blood pressure, Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, Prothrombotic, Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein)
People with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. In fact, the incidence of metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide, with the notable exception of some Asian countries where seaweed is commonly consumed.

A recent study examined the role of iodine in controlling the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Study participants were separated into two groups: Group 1 was given placebo for one month followed by 4g/day of seaweed for one month. Group 2 was given 4g/day of seaweed for one month followed by 6g/day of seaweed for an additional month. The study states that 4-6g/day of seaweed is typical for most people in Japan. In Group 2, systolic blood pressure decreased 10.5mmHg after one month of 6g/day of seaweed. Waist circumference changed for female participants in both groups, but was more significant in Group 2 with a 2.1 cm decrease after 4g/day and a further 1.8cm decrease after 1 month of 6g/day of seaweed. The study states that consumption of seaweed in amounts typical of the Japanese people may be associated with low metabolic syndrome prevalence.

What is the magic ingredient in seaweed? Iodine of course! If your patient is dealing with metabolic syndrome, consider a 24 hour urinary iodine test to check for iodine whole body sufficiency. If they are deficient in iodine, supplementation may be warranted.

Reference:

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Q. What really causes gray hair?

A. A deficiency in the mineral copper is the cause of gray hair. It is NOT due to aging, stress, nor is it genetic. Copper is necessary for the formation of melanin, which is the pigment that colors our hair and skin. If you run out of copper, your body cannot produce melanin, and you hair turns gray or white. Interestingly enough, copper is also necessary for the healthy function of the Thyroid gland, the elasticity of the skin, and the integrity of blood vessels. Hypo-thyroid conditions, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, spider veins, and aneurisms are all due, in large part, to uncontrolled, undiagnosed, copper deficiencies.

So – if you have white or gray hair, and you have hemorrhoids, spider veins or varicose veins, have yourself checked for an aneurism, you don’t know what you are missing…

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The Meridian Stress Assessment (MSA) is a painless, non-invasive analysis using an FDA-approved measurement device to detect imbalances in your health. The MSA allows your physician to detect dysfunctions associated with symptoms you’ve been experiencing. Meridian Stress Assessment analyzes acupuncture points on your skin associated with your major organ systems or meridians. The evaluation determines the stress that each organ meridian is under, along with specific natural remedies to bring them back into balance.

 
Meridian Stress Assessment Evaluates:

Benefits of Meridian Stress Assessment:

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How many men know that June 14-June 20 has been designated National Men’s Health Week? Probably not many. And that’s unfortunate. Men may be from Mars, but we have a very earthly purpose. Most of us are partners with a family. Therefore, taking care of your self is taking care of your family. What would happen to your family, your children, or your grandchildren, if you were suddenly not around? Do you think I’m asking a rhetorical question that has no value? Just ask your family how they would take your untimely passing. Most families don’t even want to discuss such an idea. So, be one of the REAL MEN and take care of your family by taking care of yourself.

How do REAL MEN take care of themselves?

They take the REAL MEN’s Challenge:

Regular Health Screenings
Want to know why I believe REAL MEN get regular health screenings? Because men, in general, tend to ignore their health problems and would rather put a staple in their finger than go to a doctor for a check-up. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels should be checked annually. The earlier potential health problems are uncovered, the easier they are to correct.

At age 50, it’s time for a colorectal check. A colonoscopy may sound uncomfortable, but colon cancer is far more uncomfortable for you and your family. Prostate cancer is responsible for around 30,000 deaths annually.i Since it is treatable and can be contained when caught early, prostrate screenings are an annual must for every man over 40.

Remember, REAL MEN get regular check-ups with a physician who can pinpoint major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, elevated cholesterol or blood pressure, excess weight or diabetes. Believe me, your doctor won’t think you are a wimp to request these health screenings.

Educate Yourself
If you want to live a long life full of vitality and vigor, educate yourself about healthy living. This article is just a surface scratch on the world of men’s health and wellness. I want to encourage men of all ages to implement positive lifestyles for themselves and their families.

Avoid Additions
The most obvious and rampant addiction among men is smoking. According to a 2008 study, 23% of men smoke and 18% of women.ii Smoking is the leading preventable cause of illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and emphysema. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that damage your heart and blood vessels, and nicotine overworks your heart by constricting blood vessels and increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. The good news: when you quit smoking, your risk of heart, lung and blood vessel disease drops dramatically in just one year.

But smoking is just the most apparent addiction a man may have. Alcoholism afflicts nearly 20 million Americansiii, 75% of whom are men or boys under the age of 21.iv Illegal drug addiction also affects about 20 million Americans, most of whom are men or boys under the age of 21 (illegal drug usage without addiction is much higher).v The number of men and boys addicted to alcohol, legal, and illegal drugs in the US is frightening.

But even more worrisome is the rise of gambling addiction affecting men ages 18 and up. Depending upon the study, between 2 million to 8 million Americans are addicted to gambling. And the majority of them are men between the age of 18 to 24.vi

Although there is no definitive study on the number of men addicted to pornography, according to WebMD the numbers of men being treated by therapists for pornography addiction and compulsion is extremely high and growing.vii

Add to all the above addiction statistics the number of men in prison for violent crime in the US and our picture of what it means to be a “real man” becomes cloudy. It is time for men in America to wake up and become aware of the enormity of the problem. Not to sound terribly stereotypical, but American men put men on the moon. Let’s put our collective energies together and tackle these addiction problems plaguing our fellow men. Together we can significantly reduce the cycles of violence and addiction that affect so many men and young boys.

Look at Yourself
OK, now for the really hard part. Look at yourself in the mirror. What do you see? Did you know that 70% of all men age 20 and above are overweight or obese and that a current study indicates that 90% of men will become overweight?viii That’s right, 90% of us guys are going to become overweight. Being overweight or obese puts you at greater risk of heart disease and cancer. And, interestingly enough, heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in men regardless of their age or race.

Mental and Emotion Health
Stress, depression, and anxiety can contribute to many physical ailments including digestive problems, sleep disturbances, frequent illnesses, and chronic fatigue. So taking care of your emotional well-being and mental health should be a primary concern for men of any age. REAL MEN know that stress and anxiety affect their body and they learn to reduce those symptoms through exercise, stress reduction, meditation, and alternative therapies such as acupuncture. The most stressful circumstances that often trigger physical and emotional responses are brought on by the strains of everyday life. Work stress, relationship stress, financial stress, and family stresses such as raising children or taking care of elderly parents or divorce and separation, all contribute to difficulties coping with life events.

Exercise
Exercise can be fun as well as good for you. REAL MEN know that regular exercise can cut their risk of fatal heart disease by 25%, reduce their anxiety level by 20%ix, and when combined with meditation will actually cut their risk of heart disease in half.x Exercise helps strengthen your heart so it can pump more blood and oxygen into your body with less effort. Plus, it builds endurance, controls blood pressure and weight gain and can help reduce cholesterol and your risk of developing diabetes. REAL MEN aren’t consumed with a compulsion to exercise; they do it for fun and to feel healthy. Whether your exercise takes the form of walking for 30 minutes, playing a sport, working out at a gym, or taking a yoga class, is less important than doing it on a regular basis a few times a week.

Nutrition
Hey guys, we’re talking about healthy eating here, not dieting. What is healthy eating for REAL MEN? It is eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Healthy eating is avoiding processed and fried foods and limiting your intake of certain fats such as saturated fats and trans fats which increase your risk of coronary artery disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat is found in the food we men love to eat such as beef, butter, cheese and milk. Although healthy eating doesn’t mean cutting out alcohol entirely, it is best to limit yourself to no more than two drinks a day.

Are you ready to take the REAL MEN challenge?
So, are you ready to rise to the ranks of the REAL MEN? Are you willing to take up the REAL MEN challenge to live, work, and play in such a way as to be a good role model for other men, especially our young boys? Are you willing to implement a positive lifestyle for yourself and your family, as well as your community, that promotes good health and well-being? Are you ready to join the ranks of the REAL MEN?


Sources:
i. How Many Men Get Prostate Cancer

ii. Questions About Smoking Tobacco

iii. NLM.gov: Alcoholism

iv. Trivia-Library.com: Information about Alcoholism

v. MayoClinic.com: Drug Addiction In-Depth

vi. NCPGambling.org

vii. Men.WebMD.com: Is Pornography Addictive?

viii. MedicalNewsToday.com/go

ix. Regular Exercise Cuts Down Patient Anxiety 20 Percent

x. Meditation Cuts Heart Attack Risk in Half


Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH is a Doctor of Acupuncture and herbalist who specializes in men’s and women’s health and reproductive wellness. He is the Executive Director of the Natural Fertility Health Centers (www.FertileSpirit.com), as well as the founder of the Wahls of Wellness (www.WahlsOfWellness.com) and the Midwest Allergy Relief Centers (www.MidwestAllergyRelief.com). Dr. Wahl can be reached at info@fertilespirit.com.

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Drink more water- Yes, I know you have heard this before, so why are you not doing it? Slowly build your pure water intake to 1 quart per 50 lbs of body weight. Tap water is not a good source for your daily H2O consumption. The Rhinofilter , a whole house filtration system, does a great job filtering not only your drinking water but your shower as well. Drink, shower, bathe, live…in healthy water.

Include more raw foods- Include at least 50% of your diet as raw food, such as vegetables, salads, blended drinks, and fermented foods. This is a great time to introduce those dark green leafy veggies such as chard, kale, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, and collards.  Try out the recipe at the end of this article for Kale Delight. For added Greens insurance add a super green like Jade Chlorella, Living Fiber or Vitality Greens (now available in capsules).

Grow green friends- Everyone should have an herb garden on their kitchen counter…fresh oregano, basil, chives, and cilantro liven up a dish in a flash. Home sprouters allow you to increase your home grown greens to include bean sprouts, radish sprouts, and even your own wheatgrass!

Green your cleaning products- Remove the stress of toxic cleaning supplies from your home.  We use Ecover products in our office and our home.  These products are toxin free, but they do a great job of cleaning up the toughest stains and messes.  Get things clean without toxic chemicals!

Exercise- Not only for weight loss but overall health, you got to get that body moving.  Rebounding is one of our favorite daily exercises. It is the most convenient, metabolically effective, acid-removing form of exercise we know. It strengthens the entire body, increases circulation, improves digestion, strengthens muscles, pumps the lymphatic system, works on your balance, and is gentle on the joints. So get that rebounder!

Fresh air- No matter where you live make the time to get some fresh air.  If you live in the north like us then take the time to bundle up and breathe fresh air. It helps clear ones mind. At a minimum open the windows to air out your home!

Educate yourself-  When it comes to your own health you have to educate yourself.  You are responsible for your own health.  Read books, take classes, hire a health coach to oversee your plan and help you accomplish your health goals.

Sweat- Not only through exercise but make time to try the Far-infrared sauna.  We really believe that everyone should have a far-infrared sauna in their home. Sweating is one of the major ways your body eliminates acids and toxins. The Far Infrared sauna is more than detoxification, it can help with stress relief, enhance immune system, weight & cellulite control, improves cardiovascular health and pain relief.

Live your life with passion and seek fulfilling relationships.

” Kale Delight ” serves 4 

Chop the kale, onion, radishes, daikon in small pieces. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy! Feta cheese or any other cheese may be added. Bon Appetit!

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There is a rising sentiment that we have become too clean! But wait, isn’t cleanliness next to Godliness? Well, not exactly according to of us who believe that the immune system needs to be challenged, naturally. The Hygiene Hypothesis basically states that our bodies need to be challenged by friendly bacteria and parasites or the immune system doesn’t respond appropriately. This results in a significant rise in autoimmune disorders and allergies. So, although most people have their wipes, hand sanitizer and multiple other solutions for keeping their kids hands germ-free, however, kids need to consume some dirt, bacteria and friendly parasites for a healthy immune system.

In 1989, David P. Stratchan was the first to see the relationship between a decreased incidence in eczema and hay fever in children who came from larger families. Eczema and hay fever are known to be allergic reactions. Since that time hundreds of articles have been published supporting the need to be in contact with friendly bacteria and parasites to balance the immune systems ability to recognize a foreign invader.

The body has two sides of the immune system. One side that produces cells called T1 and the other produces T2 cells. When our body comes in contact with a “bad” bacteria or virus, T1 cells are produced to fight that bacteria, this is a normal response. If the immune system receives inadequate amounts of this simulation, the T2 side becomes over-active, resulting in allergic and auto-immune reactions. The autoimmune disorders associated include MS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, hay fever and allergic rashes.

We know that if all the bacteria, yeast and mold in our body were to die, we would die and our stools can contain up to 60% bacteria. Clearly there is a symbiotic relationship that cannot be denied. We need good bugs! And while it is important to keep devastating diseases in check, ridding our body of the friendly flora and fauna is equally devastating.

So, to balance all of this consider the following:

Dr Kristina Sargent is a chiropractic physician with 18 years experience.  Her mission is to engage, educate and empower people to take control of their health to prevent chronic diseases and lead successful lives through serving people with alternatives to medication.  Her toolbox includes personalized diet recommendations, weight loss, exercise, chiropractic care, positive thoughts, prayer and meditation, and massage therapy. Her office, Restor Healing Centre, is located in Wheaton, Il. The website is www.RestorNow.com .

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Going from doctor to doctor and hearing “It’s your hormones honey,” made me want to scream! As an educated person, degreed in Psychology and Dentistry, I knew there were answers I wasn’t getting.

The many doctors I consulted with were stymied, as my persistent and chronic symptoms were so varied. Having no connection with one another, they did not know what to call my illness. Grappling with various labels, and unable to identify a cause, the symptoms were classified as idiopathic.

Sick and tired of living with a laundry list of debilitating chronic symptoms including mental confusion, irritability, short temper, memory loss, uncontrollable bursts of anger, tingling/numbness in my hands and feet, muscle spasms, rectum and vaginal pain which felt like a stabbing knife, carpel tunnel, sore throats, urinary infections, ulcerated esophagus, reflux, irritable bowel, acne, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, tremors, overwhelming fatigue, slurred speech, neck & shoulder pain, depression, anxiety attacks, low self esteem, hearing problems, blurred vision, headaches, heart palpitation, irregular menstruation and a miscarriage at 5-1/2 months while in my senior year of dental school. WOW!!!! Hormones? I don’t think so!

I was a walking medical disaster, and I emphasize WAS. At the suggestion of a friend I attended a seminar. There, I learned that the myriad of symptoms I had been battling for years were most probably not of hormonal origin, but a direct result from occupational exposure to mercury from placing/removing silver-amalgam fillings, including the fillings in my own mouth.

Motivated to research the toxicity of mercury in silver/amalgam fillings, I discovered from many governmental agency such as the (ATSDR) Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, (NIOSH) National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the manufacturers of the silver-amalgam material safety data sheets, and other reliable sources, we found that that these fillings are a potential health risk. Interesting, silver-amalgam fillings are classified as hazardous waste prior to placement in the body and hazardous waste after removal from the body. I was in shock to learn that the mercury in these fillings are released in the form of a vapor. I was taught the mercury is locked in and can not come out. We know that mercury is a neurotoxin, but I wasn’t taught to what degree, or that my unborn/children I nursed could also be harmed by these vapors.

Here I was, I found out that I was misinformed about the fillings. It was my wake-up call to question what I knew and see where that would lead me. The more I learned the more I realized that my health had been severely compromised by my own mercury amalgam filling and occupational exposure. I knew enough from dental school and my research to know that upon removal of the mercury amalgam the amount of mercury exposure increases as it is drilled. Thus, you are likely to receive a large exposure. I sought out a dentist trained in minimizing this problem. Following removal of the fillings, I sought help from many physicians trained to treat people with mercury toxicity. Having the fillings removed is just the beginning of a long road to recovery because the mercury had been absorbed into the body.

So I had begun a ten year journey of recovery with the realization that I had been mislead about something that I thought was helping people. I took this increased awareness and began a quest for answers. I used my scientific intellect to ravenously research ways to support the body. I reached out to many other healers, and I used my spiritual intent to know that our bodies are self-healing.

It took five years of treatment, now nearly 9 years post removal, and I have regained my life. The good news is people can improve their health with the help of doctors who learn how to diagnosis and treat the mysterious symptoms from chronic mercury poisoning/allergy.

After my own quest for health and all that I have heard and learned from my patients, I know with clarity the power we have to heal. We just need to be pointed in the right direction and given awareness of our available tools. I know that this can be a daunting task to people, especially if they are ill. This is why I like to work with people to support and guide them on how they can start on their own journey. With my medical background, research capability, and the wealth of information I have gathered through my healing journey, I feel I can give people the start they need to find their healing modalities as well as coach them through their quest for health.

It is my wish that you don’t settle for less. You need to believe in yourself, your instincts, do your homework and don’t accept being sick without questioning what the cause might be. Below I have attached a list of symptoms that will help you in your journey! Don’t settle for “it’s all in your head or it’s your hormones honey!!!”

Symptoms of Mercury Poisoning

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Dr. Marilyn Mitchell is transforming her practice with the growth of the Integrated Healing Team. Dr. Mitchell has pursued certification in energy healing and holistic services to complement her core services of responsive and holistic women’s health. By expanding her scope of practice and attracting a cohesive team of providers, the IHT is poised to offer services to women interested in full spectrum women’s health in a healing space.


What meaning does a disease, illness or life transition hold for you? A holistic provider can help you through a process where you can uncover your own meaning and what healing approaches best serve your situation.


In health care, when we talk about holistic medicine or healing, what we mean is a conscious or intuitive approach to human beings. We consider any illness, health issue, crisis or transition as an opportunity for healing. Rather than consider these as inconveniences on our forward trajectory, each provides a critical interruption, an opportunity to listen to our bodies and our inner journey.


We are all on a journey in this lifetime, whether we acknowledge it or not. Our day-to-day lives and our cultural structures often keep our attention from our deeper selves and our ongoing growth. By paying attention to our inner growth, it quickens and is enhanced. When we do not pay attention, our growth is stunted and may manifest as physical, emotional or mental illness. Imbalance and illness provide a doorway back into ourselves.


The traditional medical approach uses a grand body of knowledge that has a focus on alleviating symptoms and curing disease, and relies on the linear mind for its implementation. The holistic approach enlarges upon the medical knowledge base and adds body wisdom, spirit wisdom and the recovery of joy. Holistic healing relies on intuition, compassion, meaning and purpose for its implementation. Many believe that to use a holistic model necessitates using only herbs, vitamins and other alternative methods, while shunning anything medical and technological. I feel this is actually not holistic, and merely trades in one “cure” for another. Yesterday’s medicines (herbs and botanicals) are today’s alternatives.


Our WomanCare Integrated Healing Team works to design a program of healing unique for each individual woman and her situation. We use herbs, botanicals, vitamins and healing through the vibrations of the human energy field; we also use medical technologies (and medical arts like surgery) when called for. We have seen tremendous growth and healing for women through surgeries, during menopause, for permanent weight loss, for hormone imbalances, PMS and for many other issues.


The key is discovering with the patient what she wants and needs–from all levels of being.

Marilyn Mitchell, M.D.
Director of Integrated Healing
WOMANCARE PC


www.WomanCarePC.com
www.HealingSpaceLLC.com
Marilyn Mitchell’s Chicago Healers Profile Page

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Contrary to popular opinion, cholesterol is not a bad thing. 85% of your brain (by weight) is made of cholesterol. All of your sex hormones (estrogen, progestrerone, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA) are all made from cholesterol. Cholesterol is so important that your body makes three to four times more cholesterol than you eat. The production of cholesterol increases when you eat little cholesterol and decreases when you eat too much. The mad rush to lower cholesterol is perpetrated by the companies that make statin lowering drugs and is not supported by the literature. Don’t believe me? As John Adams once said: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence..” Let’s review the literature:


- In 1988, researchers examined the relationship between blood lipid levels and coronary risk in 997 people aged 71-104 and then followed for four years. The sample included both men and women and was similar with respect to race and socioeconomic status. A substantial proportion of the subjects (34% of women, 16% of men) had serum cholesterol levels greater than or equal to 240 mg/dL.


- THE FINDINGS: Relative to mortality, or hospitalization for myocardial infarction or unstable angina, No significant associations were found for:

- Total serum cholesterol!

- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol!

- Total / HDL cholesterol ratio!

- Amazingly, Among women, those with high serum cholesterol levels actually had the best survival curves.

- In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewing and reanalyzing existing data, Dr. Stephen B. Hulley, an epidemiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and his colleagues say that there is no justification for routine cholesterol tests before age 35 in men and age 45 in women.

- The Framingham Heart Study of the 1950s (to find out what caused Heart Attacks) evaluated 240 risk factors of which cholesterol was only one, and it concluded that heart attacks were unrelated to cholesterol levels.

- Half of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol!!!

- People with Low cholesterol become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is high.

- More than twenty studies have shown that people who have had a heart attack haven’t eaten more fat of any kind than other people, and the degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated with the diet.

- The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the statins, do prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents, disturb the functions of the muscles, the heart and the brain, and pregnant women taking statins may give birth to children with malformations more severe than those seen after thalidomide.

Uffe Ravnskov MD has been the major whistle blower in conventional medical circles concerning the cholesterol issue. Go to his website for more details: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm


Considering the fact that cholesterol is necessary for sex hormone production, what would you expect to see from a culture of people taking massive amounts of cholesterol lowering drugs? How about mood disorders, menopausal symptoms and erectile dysfunction? It is not a coincidence that Viagra sales have gone up in direct proportion to statin drug sales. How convenient. Also – Alzheimer’s disease is much more prevalent today than it was 50 years ago – and given the fact that 85% of the brains mass (by weight) is made from cholesterol, it is probable that statin induced low cholesterol levels play a role in the manifestation of this disease.


The World Health Organization (WHO) tracks the overall health of the citizens of the world. In the last 20 years, even though we have followed an MD induced anti-cholesterol cultural panic, and have eliminated butter, salt, red meat from our diets, while increasing our Statin drug intake to the tune of 3 billion dollars each year – US citizens have fallen from 14th place to 72nd place! The French, meanwhile, have risen from 15th place to 3rd – even though they eat butter, cream, lard, organ meat, salt, and really rich food! All of the time! The WHO refers to this phenomenon as “The French Paradox,” and has no idea of why this could be happening. Pharmaceutical company co-opted MD’s with no education and no clinical experience even in basic physiological nutrition, blame it all on some unknown gene. This from smartest minds in the world! Pah-leeze. The French situation is not a paradox at all, it is a reflection of elementary nutritional science. If MD’s took the time to study functional medicine, we would all be living in a healthier world. Regretfully, naturopathic physicians are the standard bearers here – and as there are only 5000 or so of us currently licensed and practicing medicine, very few people have access to this information. There ought to be a law…Cholesterol is not the enemy. It is a fundamentally important lipid steroid that the body needs in order to function. Want more info? Log onto my website: www.drglidden.com

References:
- Harlan M Krumholz, Teresa E Seeman, Susan S Merrill et al, Lack of Association Between Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality and Morbidity and All-Cause Mortality in Persons Older than 70 Years, J American Medical Assoc 272(17):1335-1340 (2 Nov 1994) [Reprints: Harlan M Krumholz, MD, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, PO Box 208017, New Haven CT 06520-8017!

- Stephen B Hulley and Thomas B Newman, Cholesterol in the Elderly: Is It Important? [Editorial] J American Medical Assoc 272(17): 1372-1374 (2 Nov 1994) [Reprints: Stephen B Hulley, MD, University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Box 0560, San Francisco CA 94193!

- American College of Physicians. ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, 1996: There is no proof that cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce the incidence of heart disease among men and women aged 65 to 75.

- A study done at the University Hospital in Toronto looked at 120 men who had previously had a heart attack. The study showed men with high cholesterol or low cholesterol were equally likely to have a second heart attack.

- Another Canadian study followed 5,000 men for twelve years and could not find a link between high cholesterol and heart attack.

- A study called the Honolulu Heart Program was published in 2001. It looked at more than 8,000 individuals and made this statement: “Long-term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death. Thus, the earlier the patients start to have lower cholesterol concentrations, the greater the risk of death.”

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Healthy living doesn’t happen at the doctor’s office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It’s about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. It’s about our fast food stops, inhaling our food ‘on the run’ and time constraints that prevent us from living a healthy lifestyle.


When all of the systems within our complex bodies are in synch, we are balanced and charged. Think about the cell phone, PDA or other assistive device that you use on a daily basis. When the charge is gone, what do you do? You simply plug it into an outlet or USB port and recharge the battery!


What about your most vulnerable human commodity – the body? What do you do when your cells are tired, toxic, thirsty, or just plain worn out? First, you find the root cause and that might be lack of sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration – or burning the candle at both ends. That may have worked well for you at age 20-30 (it did for me), but after awhile, our bodies just do not respond well to abuse. So, what is a human body to do?


Nutrition
Some folks say that you are what you eat – but in reality, you are what you digest. And, good digestive health starts with the basics. The caveman’s diet was based on meat, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables – and he never heard of the food groups. When those foods are natural and organic, free of pesticides, plastics and preservatives, they are even better for you. How much is too much? It is no secret that we are facing the challenge of obesity and too much food places a strain on the immune, detoxification, and cardiovascular systems. So, eat well, in moderation…and choose wisely.


Water, water everywhere…and not a drop to drink.
Water is critical in health and dis-ease. Dehydration is a very common occurrence in our society. Consider this formula – drink one-half of your body weight in ounces per day to maintain a good level of hydration. The media has clearly stated the perils of tap and bottled water. Tap water fan contain chlorine, sediment, heavy metals and pesticides, but the alternative, bottled water, is expensive and is often nothing more than tap water in a plastic bottle. Filter your water and make it environmentally pure…drink living water and see what a life in balance can do for you!


Sleep
Improve your sleep and improve your life! Overstressed, overwhelmed and overtired – these seem to go hand-in-hand. We spend about one-third of our lives in bed, and if we travel for work, we spend a great deal of that time in someone else’s bed. Many of us pass the night tossing and turning, disrupting the eight hours of rest what we should ideally get. And, this has a negative impact on the other 16 hours in the day as well as on your overall health. Few things can make you feel better than a good night’s sleep, and few things have as powerful an influence on our lives and on our health. Sleep recharges the brain and is essential in memory, leaning, and muscular coordination.


Most bedrooms are replete with the requisite television (TV) set and the “indispensable” accoutrement—a DVD player. There are phones, alarm clocks, maybe sound systems, and many people keep their computers in their bedrooms and on (what’s worse is that from the time children are little, they have computer and TV’s and monitors in their bedrooms). These emit electromagnetic frequencies (EMGs), that are man-made and disruptive to the human energy system—sometimes seriously so. Many people fear the dark, so choose to sleep with night-lights on or to fall asleep to the TV.


Bedrooms can often become the catch all of our overabundance of stuff that we do not want to leave out in the public areas of our homes. Whether its papers, books, magazines, or clothes, the more our bedrooms become filled and busy, the poorer the air quality impacting sleep becomes. Patterns of late night activity, or lack of it, also are powerful contributors to sleep disturbances. Though many are in denial about this, watching media where intense human drama, violence and action are blasted out in rapid-fire images that can be dizzying, affects us energetically and emotionally. Pushing our bodies into the sympathetic nervous system, when we should be gearing down within the parasympathetic system of slowed respirations, heart rate activity and digestion prevents the relaxed state necessary for quality sleep.


Working until late at night to try to make deadlines or to achieve what we think we need to achieve in a day’s time is also a prescription for sleep difficulties since this intensity of output also activates the sympathetic nervous system. Eating late, being on a computer late, have arguments with family, worrying about tomorrow, feeling dissatisfied with life, all are powerful contributors to this national phenomenon.


As children, we have resilience, but even today’s kids are being affected by ineffective sleep patterns. Transform your sleep habits, and transform your life…your body, and your mind, will be grateful!

Tips for healthy living:

1. Eat well, choose well, but monitor quantities

2. Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces per day of quality water

3. Treat yourself to a decent night’s sleep…

See what a life of healthy living will do for you!

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Gluten has been in the news lately. We notice that more foods are being promoted as “gluten-free”. Yet most people have no idea what gluten is or why there are “gluten-free” foods. Let’s see if we can bring some clarity to why even Chex Cereal is now being advertised as “gluten-free”.


Gluten is nothing more than a protein in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Most of us would never know if we ate something with gluten in it. However, some people have a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten which manifests as a “wheat allergy”. If you have a wheat allergy, your body thinks that wheat is a harmful substance that needs to be attacked and repelled. The symptoms of a wheat allergy vary, but commonly manifest as some gastrointestinal distress, maybe skin irritations, and even sinus congestion. These are typical allergy reactions. There are highly effective treatments available for a wheat allergy (for more information on treating food allergies go to www.MidwestAllergyRelief.com¹


On the other hand, there is a more serious autoimmune disorder known as Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is not a “wheat allergy”. It is a genetic disorder in which the body attacks itself when gluten is ingested. In an allergy, the body attacks the foreign substance, not itself. In celiac disease the villi of the small intestine are destroyed creating nutritional deficiencies and other severe reactions.² Celiac disease is difficult to diagnose without specific blood testing. Most people with celiac disease have been misdiagnosed because of its wide range of symptoms. The following are a sampling of the symptoms of celiac disease (a person with celiac disease can have one symptom or all of them or even be asymptomatic): short-term symptoms include, bloating after eating gluten, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, difficulty concentrating, irritability, itchy skin rashes; long-term symptoms include chronic fatigue, anemia, osteoporosis, easily fractured bones, chronic weight loss. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease with as many as 2 million people who are unaware that they even have it.³


Although there is no cure for celiac disease, following a gluten free diet will allow the intestinal lining to heal and will also relieve all celiac symptoms. The long-term effect of not following a gluten free diet for someone with celiac disease can be life-threatening.⁴


Gluten is in many food products, such as bread, pizza, cookies and cakes, but is also a hidden substance in foods in the forms of food starch, natural flavoring, fillers and seasonings. Gluten is also found in many over-the-counter and prescription medications as fillers and excipients. Gluten is also often used in cosmetics, health and beauty products and household products. You can see how a person with celiac disease must be vigilant in order to eliminate all gluten from their lives.


The good news is that today gluten-free foods are available in most local grocery stores as well as in specialty food stores and on-line. Even restaurants have become so familiar with celiac disease, that many provide gluten-free menus.


If you think you have celiac disease, do not immediately eliminate gluten from your diet. First, get the celiac blood test. If you are not eating gluten, the blood test will be inaccurate. If you test positive for celiac disease then following a gluten free diet will transform your life.


Tips for Following a Gluten Free Diet
– When baking, there are great substitutes for wheat flour now available. They contain a combination of rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch, which can be substituted 1:1 for wheat flour in many recipes. These ready-made, all-purpose, gluten free flour products are available at many grocery and specialty stores, as well as on-line.

– Although the internet is filled with misinformation, the following websites are accurate and provide a tremendous amount of information on how to live a gluten free life:
www.GlutenFree.com
www.GlutenFreeMall.com
www.CeliacDisease.net
www.CsaCeliacs.org

– As mentioned above, many restaurants now have gluten free menus. However, when eating out, always inform the server that you are on a gluten free diet when you are seated. Ask to speak to the manager and go over menu choices and preparation before ordering. The manager will alert the kitchen staff and chef to insure that your food is prepared safely.

– When traveling, staying in a residence-type hotel with a kitchenette, makes it easier to follow a gluten free diet.

– Sleep-away camp can still be fun for a child with celiac disease. Just work with the camp directors and staff to insure a safe experience for your child. Some camps will even provide a section of a freezer and a microwave so pre-made foods can be sent from home while following the camp menu with gluten free alternatives.

– Parties can be managed quite well by calling ahead and speaking with the host or hostess. This will enable you to determine the planned menu and bring a dish that is gluten free.

– Find a local celiac support group by searching for one in your area on the internet.

Remember, a diagnosis of celiac disease for you, your child, or a loved one, is not “the end of the world”. It is the beginning of a wonderful, transformational journey toward healing, health, and well-being that will allow you to become the healthy person you were meant to be.


Beverly Wahl, ATP®, is an ordained minister who works with her husband, Dr. Ian Wahl, providing emotional and spiritual support to patients at their clinic in Arlington Heights, IL. Beverly has been active in the celiac community for 13 years, after her daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Beverly at 847-392-7901.


Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH, is a Doctor of Acupuncture and herbalist who specializes in the treatment of children and adults with allergies, hypersensitivities, and other chronic conditions that have not responded to traditional nor alternative treatments. His daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease 13 years ago. He is the founder and director of the Midwest Allergy Relief Center, the Wahls of Wellness and also the Natural Fertility Health Center.


¹ Midwest Allergy Relief Centers, Arlington Heights, IL, www.MidwestAllergyRelief.com .
² :Lapid, N., “How common is celiac disease?”, http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/faqs/f/HowCommon.htm.
³ Adams, S, “A summary of Celiac disease and Gluten Intolerance”, http://www.celiac.com/articles/572/1/A-Summary-of-Celiac-Disease-and-Gluten-Intolerance-by-Scott-Adams/Page1.html.
⁴ See www.Glutenfree.com

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Sustainability, broadly defined as the capacity to endure, has become a wide-ranging term that can be applied to almost every facet of life on earth, from a local to a global scale. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources. The incorporation of sustainability within the practice of medicine and dentistry is a newly emerging model of healthcare that ideally will be available to all persons and is good for people and the environment.


Sustainable healthcare is the practice of medicine and dentistry that recognizes the link between the environment, medicine and human health and seeks to provide better healthcare while protecting our limited environmental and medical resources. The sustainable, green approach to healthcare is much more comprehensive and more beneficial than a holistic approach alone. The following are the basic principles of ecologically sustainable medicine:


- Safe and harmless
- Clean and non-toxic
- Cost-effective
- Non-polluting
- Adaptable and flexible
- Accessible to all people
- Renewable
- Protective of the quality of life on earth, the environment and earth’s natural resources
- Synergistic with human health and planetary well-being
- Connected with the web of life


Conventional healthcare, in contrast, focuses on cure and specialization, costing more money and often limiting care to only those who can afford it. Conventional medicine places emphasis on treating the end points of disease rather than employing the precautionary principle and focusing on prevention and the link between human health and the environment. In addition, conventional healthcare consumes huge quantities of resources, which are becoming scarce and many of the waste products of healthcare actually do harm. The over-prescribing and misuse of pharmaceuticals, the improper disposal of pharmaceuticals, the incineration of bio-hazardous waste and the utilization of medical products containing environmental toxins, poses a serious threat to human health. There is an undeniable connection between our health and the environment. The environment, both locally and globally, both indoors and out, is a primary determinant to your health. The WHO (World Health Organization) puts the value of clean air, clean water and healthy land for uncontaminated food and recreation close to 60% of the primary basis for a healthy life, affecting you just as much as your genetic makeup!


The implementation of sustainable medicine and dentistry lies in two directions. One is the way of prevention, health promotion, and a public health priority. Here the focus will be on reducing the social and environmental problems that are now reckoned to be the most significant source of illness, disease, and premature death. The other direction is toward greater personal responsibility for health, laying upon individuals a far stronger obligation, backed by appropriate social and economic incentives, to take care of their health and simultaneously, laying upon society a stronger obligation to change those social and economic institutions that generate, or abet, poor health (D. Callahan, www.teleosis.org).


How can you incorporate sustainable healthcare into your everyday life?

- Eat healthy food, preferably organic and locally grown
- Engage in regular exercise, preferably outdoors, walk to places
- Rest regularly
- Understand your local environment (where are places for you to engage in active recreation, where are places that have hazards or risks that should be avoided)
- Purchase supplements and medications in small amounts (everything you buy has to be disposed of if unused)
- Choose personal care products (PCPs) that are natural and non-toxic (the improper disposal and overuse of PCPs and pharmaceuticals are posing a serious threat to our municipal water system and the ecosystem)
- Only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary and listen to your doctor
- Seek practitioners that endorse sustainable medicine and dentistry.


At ORA Dental Studio and ORA Oral Surgery & Implant Studio we are committed to the wellbeing of our patients, our team, our community, and the environment. We are proudly the first green group dental practice in the nation and have not only built green healing facilities, but practice green health care as well. For more information visit www.oradentalstudio.com and www.orasurgery.com.

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The pH level (the acid- alkaline measurement) of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. An alkaline pH of body fluids is healthy for the body cells. The issue is how to maintain a balance pH level for good health. Maintaining a critical balance of pH, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones and hydration within the biological terrain (our internal environment) enables the body’s cells to perform all of their vital functions of maintaining life and health. The ideal level would be 10% acid and 90% alkaline. A chronically over acid pH corrodes body tissues. Loss of this balance over time contributes to the development of poor health and increased susceptibility to the effects of opportunistic organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi.


Over-acidification can lead to obesity. The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs, so these acids don’t literally choke your organs to death. Fat is actually a response from the body to an alarming over-acidic condition.


Over-acidity also leads to underweight. The yeast and fungus produced within an overly acidic body can feed on your nutrients and reduce the chemical and mechanical absorption of everything you eat buy as much as 50%. This causes many people to become excessively thin, which is no healthier than becoming overweight. Fatigue, illness, and body weight changes are the results.


Fatigue is probably the major symptom or complaint of an overly acidic body. The toxins produced in an acidic body environment reduce the absorption of protein enzymes and hormones. The result is fatigue, poor endurance, poor muscle tone, and general weakness. The most important thing you can do is to begin to hydrate the body with alkalizing water. A thirst for water will develop as one begins to hydrate with water. Our bodies are 70%water and cravings are usually the body’s cry for water.


When acid wastes enter our bloodstream, the blood system will attempt to dispose of these wastes in liquid form through the lungs, and the kidneys. If there is to many wastes to handle they are deposited in various organ systems like the heart, pancreas, liver, colon, and other locations. The breakdown of this disposal process of acid waste could be called “the aging process.” Alkaline water will neutralize harmful stored acid wastes and gently remove them from the tissues.


It is important to remember viewing health in a holistic manner at all times. Health is when all our body system, that is, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, is in harmony and full of energy. How can we maintain a healthy environment for body cells/tissues in a holistic manner.


It is important to pay attention to what We eat in drink that contribute to the acidity and alkaline in our bodies. What are our thoughts, words and deeds? Are they alkaline or acid? Our emotional state, our thoughts and deeds contribute to how our bodies react to the food we eat. Remember it is beneficial committing time, thought and effort for our optimum health as it is to the energies we expend to make money. There are certain measures an individual can take in gaining information about maintaining a healthy environment for their body cells.


The biological terrain test (BTA) is one such measure that can assist us in knowing our pH levels. Supplements are recommended to correct any imbalance. One such supplement is the ULTIMATE GREENZONE. Ultimate GreenZone assists in balancing the body’s pH. The Ultimate GreenZone provides additional nutrients and energy; fiber that assists in maintaining normal range cholesterol levels; promotes healthy colon; enzymes that support proper digestion. It allows you to get nutritious whole food goodness that your body requires from grains and vegetables.

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Part I: “The Call For Action” — Eco-Friendly Healthcare

We live in a world where concern for the environment and sustainable development – minimizing the impact of our consumption of renewable resources – is a necessary and growing consideration for everyone. Business and industry alike are paying close attention to this trend because energy-efficiency and sustainability positively reflect their values as good corporate citizens, and has an impact on overhead and profitability. As such, “the ultimate purpose of business is not, or should not be, simply to make money. Nor is it merely a system of making and selling things. The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative invention and ethical philosophy.” (Paul Hawken, 1993; The Ecology of Commerce)


The health care industry fits very well into Paul Hawken’s proclamation. It is a business, which indeed specifically exists to promote the wellbeing of humankind through service and ethical philosophies such as the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath, originating in the 4th century B.C., is an oath that has been traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of health care. Derivations of the oath have modified over the years in various countries, schools, and societies as the social, religious, and political importance of health care has evolved. The primary tenant of the oath, “Above all, do no harm,” still continues to be the foundation for the practice of all types of health care today. However, with the realization that human health and environmental health are inextricably linked, it now becomes paramount that health care providers need to also foster global/planetary health in their regimen and thereby “Do no harm to the environment.” Therefore, an additional practice tenant needs to emerge: What is good for the planet is good for the patient and what is good for the patient is good for the environment. Given this, there is a call for action, whereby health care providers have the obligation to also serve as environmental educators and to become advocates and stewards for the environment.


There must be a paradigm shift that occurs within medicine and dentistry, which will lead the healthcare industry to take a proactive stance. We can continue to simply treat cancer, support learning-disabled children, develop extreme measures to improve fertility and offer palliative treatment for the outcomes of diseases, such as asthma, nervous system disorders, immune deficiency diseases, etc., or we can choose to direct resources toward reducing the hazardous chemicals that contribute to these health problems instead. We must focus on the precautionary principal, preventing toxic substances from getting into the environment and into our bodies, preventative care, as well as waste reduction, energy-efficiency and sustainability.

So what are some instances when health care can actually do harm?
Unfortunately, almost every healthcare setting world-wide: hospitals, ambulatory facilities, extended care facilities, urgent-care facilities, medical offices and dental offices utilize PBT (persistent bio-accumulative toxins), VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other harmful chemicals and elements, which with exposure can adversely affect the health of team members, patients and the environment. In addition, medical waste incinerators are a leading source of dangerous air pollutants. As early as 1994, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified medical waste incineration as the leading source of dioxin, a potent carcinogen (www.epa.gov). Dioxin is one of 12 chemicals targeted for elimination under a new United Nations treaty on persistent organic pollutants (www.chm.pops.int). Mercury is also a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, and liver. In the U.S., up to one in 10 women already carries enough mercury in her body to pose a threat of neurological damage to her fetus (www.noharm.org). The U.S. ranks the health care sector as the fourth largest source of mercury air emissions due to their contribution via medical waste incinerators (www.noharm.org). PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and HBCDs (hexabromocyclododecanes) are flame-retardant chemicals that are applied to a wide variety of everyday items such as upholstery, foam cushions, and electronics, which can all be found throughout health care facilities. PBDEs have been shown to have adverse effects (e.g., interfering with reproduction and development) in mammals, birds, and invertebrates at environmentally relevant exposures (McKernan, M.A., B.A. Rattner, B.K. Ackerson, M.E. Barton, K.S. Schoen, R.C. Hale, and M.A. Ottinger. 2006. Comparative toxicity of polybrominated flame retardants in avian embryos. 2006 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Meeting). Additionally, PBDEs have been shown to produce carcinogenic, endocrine-modulating, developmental, reproductive, and neurotoxicological effects (Birnbaum, L. 2005. PBDEs: Toxicology update 2005. Baltimore, Maryland: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). PBDEs do not chemically bind to the substrates to which they are applied, and so they are easily liberated. These moderately long-lived molecules are primarily released into the atmosphere, where they can be transported globally and readily bio-accumulate in biological tissues. Recent research shows that PBDE tissue burdens are doubling in humans and animals every two to five years, with levels in human breast milk recently showing dramatic increases, especially in the United States and Canada (Birnbaum, L. 2006. Median levels of PBDE 47, 99, 153 in human milk from different countries. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Experimental Toxicology Division). Lastly, PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) plastic and DEHP (Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate) are used extensively within the health care industry. PVC is a plastic polymer that is used in a wide array of products. Unplasticized PVC is hard and brittle at room temperature. A plasticizer (softener) is typically added to increase the flexibility of the polymer. “PVC plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and in the trash. Our bodies are contaminated with poisonous chemicals released during the PVC lifecycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which may pose irreversible life-long health threats. When produced or burned, PVC plastic releases dioxins, a group of the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems” (www.besafe.net).


Overall, with regard to waste, the numbers are staggering. Within the healthcare industry actual documented toxic bio-hazardous medical waste generation for our region of the world alone is approximately 6lbs/person/year, which amounts to an astounding 1,108,000 + tons per year and rapidly growing (World Health Organization www.who.int). Fortunately, the growing global concern for these problems and desperate need for action has led to the formation of several organizations and benchmarks in the industry, such as a new USGBC? (United States Green Building Council) rating system – LEED? For Healthcare (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the GGHC (Green Guide For Health Care), Practice GreenHealth, Teleosis Institute, HCWH (Health Care Without Harm), Mercury-free Health Care, and the EDA (Eco-Dentistry Association). The opportunities in the fields of medicine and dentistry are significant to improve environmental quality and human wellness through diligent green planning, design, construction and subsequent operations and maintenance practices. The practice of Eco-Friendly Dentistry?, once it is universally adopted, will prove to be an extremely important part of the solution.


Please stay posted for Part II: Eco-Friendly Dentistry^TM – A Newly Evolving Practice of Dentistry

Steven A. Koos D.D.S., M.D. www.OraSurgery.com and www.OraDentalStudio.com

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Miasm is a homeopathic term to describe tendencies and root issues to develop chronic diseases. The word miasm means a cloud or fag in the being. The theory originates in the founding father of homeopathy, Hahnemann’s book The Chronic Diseases which was published in 1828. He believes that when a disease was left to themselves or improper treatment, it would go on to increase, grow worse and torment the patient to the later part of his life. The disease information is stored in the cellular level and can be inherited from early generations or acquired in current life time.


Hahnemann believes that all chronic diseases arise from the three major chronic miasms: Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis. Physical expressions of the miasms can be different, but they all originate from the same root.


Psora is the mother of all chronic diseases goes back the farthest in human history. It includes all skin diseases, most mental illness, allergies, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, most dysfunctional diseases of organs and systems. Chief remedies are sulphur, natrum mur, calc carb, arsen alb, lycopodium phosphorus, mezereum, graphite, causticum, hepar sulph, petroleum, silica, zinc and psorinum etc.


Sycosis and Syphilis, being derived from suppressed Gonorrhea and syphilis, respectively, are responsible for many chronic diseases with infectious nature. Sycosis is held to be responsible for many sexual and urinary disorders, and affections of the joints and the mucous membranes, also those conditions worsened by damp weather and by contact with the sea, and all warty excrescences and growths. Chief remedies are thuja, lycopodium, natrum sulph, causticum, kali sulph, staphysagria, calc and sepia etc.


Syphilis is held to be responsible for many diseases of the nervous system, the blood and skeleton as well as a range of psychological diseases such as alcoholism, depression, suicidal, insanity, loss of smell and taste, blindness, deafness and ulcerations. It also associated with many heart conditions as well. Chief remedies are arsenicum, aurum, mercury, phosphorus and lycopodium nitric acid etc.


During the modern era of homeopathy, it has been claimed that some new miasms have been developed such as Tuberculosis and Cancer. Other factors such as Radiation, Petroleum, Heavy Metal and Virus, are also being proposed to be new miasms.


The miasm theory still faces two main problems. The first is whether it is true and the second is how it is interpreted and dealt with clinically. It is understandable that all chronic diseases have the root issues that associate with the weakness of the body. The miasm theory is probably the energetic model for chronic diseases comparing to the genetics from allopathic system. Based on homeopathic understanding the miasm can not be changed. Therefore, the treatment for chronic diseases should still focus on achieving physiological balance the body. The purpose of using homeopathic miasm remedies is to reduce the miasmatic influence to the body. To address miasm issue of specific diseases, consult a classical homeopathic doctor. It may not be wise to use miasm remedies alone in treating chronic diseases.

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There has been a lot of talk lately about the use of Epsom salts to cut the risk of cerebral palsy in premature infants. The articles written in the mainstream media point to one particular study from the University of Alabama that indicated injecting the mother with magnesium sulfalte (Epsom salts) before delivery cuts the risk of cerebral palsy in half for very premature babies.


Cerebral palsy is not a simple condition, like chicken pox. It is a group of disorders whose cause is not known. Cerebral palsy disorders are caused by faulty development of, or damage to, motor areas in the brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and posture. There are a variety of conditions can lead to such brain injury, including:


- Genetic conditions and problems with the blood supply to the brain during the first 6 months of pregnancy.
- Oxygen shortage to the brain.
- Rh incompatibility.
- Severe jaundice in the newborn.
- Drug or alcohol use during pregnancy.
- Kidney and urinary tract infections, if severe and prolonged, in the mother can lead to brain damage within the fetus.
- Exposure of the expectant mother to certain infections
- Severe physical trauma to the mother during pregnancy
- Brain infections such as encephalitis or meningitis
- Head injury to the baby after birth
- Failure to recognize and treat infant seizures following delivery
- Excessive use of a vacuum extractor
- Failure to detect a prolapsed umbilical cord reducing oxygen supply
- Improper use of delivery forceps
- Hospital staff may not properly read or respond to the babies vital signs
- Failure to declare fetal distress
- Failure to diagnose and treat jaundice or meningitis

While most doctors, nurses, midwives, and hospitals provide a high standard of care for their patients, unfortunately, there are medical mistakes. Although there is little information available on the percentage of children whose cerebral palsy was caused by an unfortunate birth injury, magnesium sulfate infusions may not be effective in those unfortunate cases.


Should you ask your doctor to use Epsom salts if you are delivering premature? At this point in time it is too early to determine the side effects of such a procedure. But its effectiveness in this clinical trial makes it a prime target for further investigation in premature deliveries. If future trials replicate these results, it may change the standard procedures used during premature labor.


One note of caution. Do not confuse the use of Epsom salts baths and foot rubs with a medically managed infusion of magnesium sulfate during delivery. A pregnant or nursing woman should never use Epsom salts, whether in a bath, foot rub or ingested, without first consulting with their medical doctor. Epsom salts may be contraindicated in women who have blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions.


Ian Wahl, LAc, DA, CH is a Doctor of Acupuncture and herbalist who specializes in women’s health and reproductive wellness. He is the Director of the Natural Fertility Health Centers (www.FertileSpirit.com) and the Wahls of Wellness (www.WahlsOfWellness.com).

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What is truly needed to keep the skin looking young, clear, healthy and vibrant? Would it be expensive moisturizers and creams, pH balanced skin care products, natural products, soap free cleansers, and skin exfoliants? We all have a daily regimen of taking care of our skin. The question is, “What practices can you do to create a natural and constant expression of radiant skin?”


Myth 1: Your skin can block toxic chemicals from your skin care products.
Answer: False
Principle: The skin is the largest organ of the body and is responsible for a variety of functions including protection, sensation, excretion, immunity, blood reservoir, and Vitamin D synthesis. Instead of applying skin products that are chemically toxic to the skin, which can go directly into the blood, liver, brain, lymph, and fat cells, apply moisturizers and other products that are free from the following ingredients: sodium lauryl sulfate (any sulfates), propylene glycol, alcohol, parabens, imidazolidinyl and diazolidinyl urea, synthetic colors, triethanolamine, mineral oil, petroleum, and other chemical based ingredients.
Practice:Be aware. Read your label and be aware of what you actually put on your skin. Buy skin care products that do not have the above ingredients.


Myth 2: The skin needs to drink, feed and breathe.
Answer: True
Principle: Dehydration, lack of topical nutrients and lack of oxygen can perpetuate skin aging. The skin has a capacity of 80% water. The best moisturizer for the skin is water from water soluble moisturizers. This, along with a wellness approach to life, will create juicy plump smooth skin. The shine from oil based moisturizers creates an illusion of moisture. The oils prevent water loss from the skin and do not add any more water than what is already present. The oils are therefore no use to the skin’s natural water binding soluble substances. In addition, the oils create a protective barrier that does not allow the skin to breathe causing hypoxia which damages the skin. For your skin to breathe and absorb the nutrients from the oils, the oils must also be water soluble. Other ingredients found in skin care products that help with hydration and nourishment are ionized atomic minerals and natural sugars.
Practice: Acknowledge that you skin has its own life force that is not separate from you. Enhance the life force of your skin by giving it natural plant based formulations that utilize water soluble properties, ionized atomic minerals, and chemical free ingredients. Allow your skin to completely hydrate, nourish, and breathe.


Myth 3: pH balanced skin care products are best for the skin.
Answer: False
Principle: The skin is a reflection of the whole. Just like the human body, it needs a higher or more alkaline pH for nutrients to be optimally absorbed and utilized by the cells. This type of an environment carries the greatest amount of oxygen that a healthy cell needs. Most products that are available contain chemicals that are depleted of oxygen and have an acidic pH. Many products, including “natural ones”, that are said to be pH balanced are due to the mixture of chemicals present which tricks the body into receiving the toxins as nutrients.
Practice: Find out for yourself. Test your product with pH paper that has a range of 5.5 to 8.0. Optimal pH range would be 7.2 or above.


Myth 4: Sunblock stops skin cancer.
Answer: False
Principle: As noted by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “…the incidence of melanoma of the skin has increased significantly [in the United States] by 7.7% per year from 2003 to 2005 among men, and increased significantly by 2.9% per year from 1993 to 2005 among women. When considering the use of a sun block, understand that the majority protect from the UVB rays that prevent sunburn and not the UVA rays that are extremely more damaging to the skin. What you probably don’t know is that sun block typically needs to be reapplied about every hour.. When using sun block, you are also protecting yourself from receiving Vitamin D that is an essential nutrient for cancer prevention. In addition, sun blocks contain numerous toxic chemicals that are even more harmful to your body.
Practice: Be responsible. Limit your exposure to the sun to before 10am and after 2-3pm when the sun is not at its peak. This will allow you to still get your Vitamin D nourishment for the day. Look into current sun protection products that use desert plants.


Myth 5: Lifestyle has a direct effect on premature aging.
Answer: True
Principle: Depending on your lifestyle habits, it is well documented that smoking and long term sun exposure quickens the aging process of the skin. This can result in the following: loss of elasticity, fine and deep wrinkles, skin damage, thin skin, skin cancer, dullness of skin, and leathery skin.
Practice: Honor yourself. Your skin is an expression of how well you take care of yourself.


Myth 6: What you eat and drink has no long term effect on the health of your skin.
Answer: False
Principle: Your skin has natural regenerative qualities. Anti-aging is when the next generation of cells are healthier than the first. Your skin’s health and radiance is affected by how you choose to nourish yourself. What building blocks do you choose? You can help defy premature aging with optimal hydration and an increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables. You will not only help to moisturize from the inside out. You will also enhance oxygenation, reduce free radical damage, reduce inflammation, increase alkalinity, and enhance healing.
Practice: Choose to nourish for long term effects of youthfulness.


Myth 7: Stress can cause wrinkles.
Answer: True
Principle: Life’s challenges are never ending. Stress can be thought of as a stimulus or change that the body must respond to immediately. This response in physiology can either reflect optimal adaptability or survival. For many, there is a constant bombardment of emotional stress, environmental stress, lifestyle challenges, physical stress, work deadlines, trauma, relationship problems, death in the family, irritations, annoyances, worries, fears, burdens, and so on, that trigger a constant barrage of cortisol in the body for its survival. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when your automatic defense mechanism senses an emergency and triggers a survival response. Your body is not designed for a constant stress response. Breakdown, exhaustion and premature aging internally and externally will predominate.
Practice: Get back to basics. Breathe and focus on what you are thankful and grateful for!!!


Myth 8: Your natural radiant glow is in direct proportion to living a passionate life.
Answer: It’s up to you.
Principle: Have you ever noticed that there is a magnificent glow expressed by those that are living an authentic and passionate life. They gently radiate love and compassion. Coming from passion, they are genuinely happy which shows in their state and physiology. The beauty is seen beyond the skin. We see the beauty in who they truly are.
Practice: Find your passion, be your passion and live your passion for the good of all.

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Summertime is fun, the pool, the beach and the…dangerous sun poisoning. Symptoms of sun poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea and red, burning skin. How do you prevent sun poisoning? Let’s start with some basics.


Make sure your body is hydrated. Hydration does not mean sports drinks and soft drinks…no matter what their manufacturers say, high sugar content will dehydrate you. So if you try to hydrate the body, water is the best! If your kids want juice, you can dilute the juice with water as much as possible, and keep reminding them to drink throughout the day. Watermelon juice (watermelon and ice in the blender) is also a great natural source to hydrate the body.


Remember to use sunscreens. The main ingredients in regular sunscreens are now found in many waterways, and beginning to have a disastrous disruption in the hormonal systems of fish and other animals that inhabited and consumed the toxic waters. Natural sunscreen is not only better for us, but also for our planet. You can find SPF 40 sunscreens made by Jason Natural and Lavera.


Also keep in mind, protective clothing can be huge in helping to prevent sun poisoning. People who live in the scorching desert always covered their body except with the eyes, because that is the best way to protect their body from the sun. Of course we don’t have to be that extreme. But long or three-quarter sleeve cotton tees and Capri pants are better than tanks and shorts. Also bring umbrellas and tents so you have shade every few hours. If it’s a hot day, go out to the beach before 11am or after 4pm, when the sun light is weaker.


But if sun poisoning does happen, here are some ways to deal with it. Aloe vera gel, vinegar, alcohol, iced tea can all be applied topically to help with the burning feeling and swelling. Drinking more water is also important to hydrate the body. In Chinese medicine, a Chinese herbs combination called Huoxiangzhengqi can help with most of the sun poisoning symptoms except the skin. You can also find homeopathic remedies such as Rescue cream for the sun-burning skin and Rad-tox to detoxify radiation out of the body. Another homeopathic remedy is Calendula in various dilutions or in cream form. For more information about treating sun poisoning, please contact our office at 847-922-4156, or visit our website at www.highlysensitivebody.com.

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Green health care is based on the understanding that we are all ecosystems, interacting with each other and with the larger ecosystem—the outdoor and indoor environments that surround us. Before the development of industrialized medicine, people were often sent to “greener” climates to recover from illnesses. During the TB epidemic brought about by overcrowding and sweatshop working conditions in late 19th century United States, people would be sent to Switzerland to get well, and their only cure was pure air, water, and food—which finally cleared the effects of the smoke and coal dust out of their lungs, and gave their immune systems enough strength to fight off the TB. Now, in the 21st century, we are caught in the middle of pollution that is much less visible than coal smoke—chemicals, drugs and pesticides in our water, soil, and air, and on our food. In Crestwood, here in the Chicago area, village officials supplied people with water from a well tainted with two cancer-causing chemicals related to perchloroethylene, or PCE, a dry-cleaning solvent. This case came to light because a mother would not stop questioning why her teenage son had leukemia as a toddler. (see “Poison in the Well, from the April 19 2009 Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-crestwood-water-bd19-apr19,0,3074699.story. Today’s green health care relies on detailed knowledge of the effects of pollutants on our health, and the creation our own “pure air, water and food” environments to prevent and treat illness.


Why is green health care so important to us and to our environment?
We have been shocked by stories of the factory conditions that caused so many people to become ill from peanut butter, and the “factory farm” conditions in Mexico that contributed to spread of the swine flu. It is clear that when our ecosystem suffers, we suffer–when green methods of farming or planting or factory management are not followed, we pay the price with human illnesses. When people in government and industry deliberately lie about chemicals they are dumping in our lakes and rivers, or about the effects of chemicals like triclosan in our soaps and other products, or pharmaceuticals in our water supply, the water gets more toxic, and we get cancer and other illnesses. (for more about triclosan and a list of products that contain it, see http://www.BeyondPesticides.org)


It is extremely important to face this problem and do the best we can to help patients clean up their diets and environments. It is currently common practice to treat cancer patients only as individuals, rather than ecosystems. They get their chemotherapy and radiation, and then are put right back into the same environment that they were in when their cancer developed, are given the same diet, and use the same products. That defies simple logic. The most extreme example I have seen of people living in a cancer causing environment is this: Two families lived in exactly the same type of pollution and got identical cancers. Both families lived in houses that were downwind of iron foundries, one on the north side of Chicago, and one on the south side. In each family, the father had colon cancer, the mother had lung cancer, the son had lymphoma and the daughter had breast cancer.

Tips for using “green health” methods of prevention and care:
1) Keep all chemicals out of your body products and cleaning supplies. Methylparabens, propylparabens, PEG, sodium laureth sulfate and many other chemicals do not belong in your shampoo, conditioner, lotions or cosmetics. Two good organic brands that really keep the chemicals out are Hugo and Desert Essence. Some other brands talk a good game, but essentially put a few herbs on top of a lot of chemicals. Be sure you read all labels. For more, see “20 Ways to Reduce Your Intake of Chemicals in Body Care Products at http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/reduce052104.cfm. For good, safe cleaning products, check out Costco Baby-ganics at www.costco.com/go


2) Make sure you are in clean air—that you are not in a sick building, either at home or work. Some of the newer buildings are just as bad as or worse than older ones because they have toxic building materials, such as formaldehyde, placed in too-tightly sealed buildings with poor HVAC systems. There is also the problem of water damage and mold contamination. Make sure your building is mold free.


3) Use organic foods if at all possible. Whether you fruits and vegetables are organic or not, wash them in an ecologically safe food wash, or an eco-detergent, and rinse them well in filtered water. Buy meats, fish and chicken that are organic or free range and are not fed antibiotics or hormones. Avoid processed foods, food additives, food dyes and artificial sugars. Aspartame is a known neurotoxin. (see Russell Blaylock, MD’s excellent and comprehensive book Excitotoxins for more information on aspartame and MSG.) Food dyes have already been banned in the E.U., and the U.K. is in the process of banning them. They are derived from coal tar. Yet here in the United States they are still classified as “GRAS” (generally recognized as safe) substances by the FDA. Avoid products that contain corn syrup—it is implicated in turning off the mechanism in the brain that tells you when you feel full, it is a major player in the creation of insulin resistance (and therefore obesity) and it has recently been found to be contaminated with mercury.


4) Be sure you are drinking clean water. To compare the effectiveness of various filters, see http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com


5) Buy safe plastics, both containers and toys. Most important are baby bottles and toys that are free of bis-phenol-A. For more on bis-phenol-A, see http://bisphenol-a.org


6) Find health care providers who are open to integrative methods—one of the best places to do that is right on this site, http://www.chicagohealers.com


It might be tempting to adopt an attitude that says, “there’s nothing I can do, it’s everywhere” and give up. But there’s a lot you can do, and it’s worth the time, effort and attention. Each person that uses safe products and practices preventive green health is helping themselves, their family, and the environment by staying healthy, and preventing the spread of more toxic pollutants.

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Computerized electric conductance testing measures electric response at acupuncture points. This scan can read the balance of energy in your lungs or other organs; it can reflect your reactions to food and food additives. It can show whether you have a reaction to dust, molds, and other allergens, toxic chemicals, or metals, whether you are infected with a parasite, bacteria or fungus, and how your emotions are affecting your health.


At Wellness Associates of Chicago we have had more than four years of experience testing with this system. The results have high rate of agreement with other forms of testing. Our clients have found that when they eliminate the foods, additives, chemicals and allergens that the computer shows are reactive, generally their illnesses–”irritable bowel“, chronic sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), ADD, eczema, acne, abdominal pain, restless leg syndrome, migraine headaches–go away.


We have heard wonderful results from parents. Recently the mother of a seven year old we had tested last year came to get tested herself. She told us that her daughter’s life had changed completely. From age two to age seven, five long years, her daughter had had severe eczema, sores all over her body, intense itching, repeated ear and sinus infections, gum disease, and recurrent strep throats. Her mother said she had been at the doctor almost every week. After testing with the computer method, and removing the allergenic foods and airborne pollutants identified by the computer from this little girl’s diet and environment, her mother said that she had just spent a year being completely well. She only saw a doctor once-when she fell on the playground and hit her hand. She only got a rash once, and that was when she decided to try to eat a piece of cake.


This non-invasive method is suitable for adults and children. We have tested children who are less than two years old. There are approximately 14,000 items in the system, including hundreds of foods, and many chemicals, metals, microbes, and allergens. They may be tested painlessly and quickly. The standard test takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes. A wand that looks and feels like a ballpoint pen is pressed against different acupuncture points on the fingers, while the person who is being tested holds another metal wand. The result is shown on the computer, and is able to be printed out and taken home as a guide.


The computer can detect many types of reactions. One is the “classic” Type I allergic reaction that is a histamine response, and causes symptoms such as hives and immediate swelling of the lips face or throat. However, the computer also records other types of allergic response, including the other three, more delayed-type responses. Delayed type responses are particularly important in food reactions, since many allergies to foods do not involve histamines. Allergists often tell people who suffer from illnesses caused by delayed reactions to foods that they absolutely do not have food allergies. Yet, the allergists have limited their testing to skin tests for histamine response, and have never considered the possibility of, or testing for, delayed type allergies.


These delayed symptoms come on as much as several hours to a day after eating an allergenic food, and cause inflammatory responses that target many different parts of the body-causing problems such as attention or memory deficits, (allergy-based brain dysfunction), sinus or migraine headaches, “irritable bowel”, bloating, fatigue, chronic sinusitis, swollen lymph glands, eczema, psoriasis and other forms of skin problems, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, rapid heart beat, and swelling in the face, hands and legs. These are often diagnosed with terms based on the symptoms rather than the cause-and are called, for example “fibromyalgia” “chronic sinusitis” “irritable bowel syndrome” or “chronic constipation”, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) etc. These “diagnoses” are really only descriptions of groups of symptoms, and do not deal with the causes of the problems. Therefore, the delayed type allergies are never discovered, and are not treated. In the United States, this type of testing must be classified as non-medical, and non-diagnostic. In Germany, conductance testing is used extensively by medical doctors, and its scientific basis is recognized.


Here is some of the latest scientific theory about the method, from a recent article by a Chinese researcher. In terms of the science of electronics, balance in the body system can be defined as “coherence, or harmonic resonance, in a dynamically stable system of electromagnetic standing wave interference patterns within a resonance cavity.” This may seem complicated at first, but is easy to understand with some definitions of the terms:


1. resonance cavity: an enclosed space, such as the human body, which contains patterns of electromagnetic waves
2. standing wave patterns: patterns of standing waves similar to those in water around submerged rocks in a stream
3. dynamic stability: a stable pattern which is maintained only with continued stable energy input
4. harmonic resonance: a coherent pattern of electromagnetic or sound waves that is like the distribution of tones in a harmonic chord of music
5. coherence: coordination of patterns in a manner that makes a field of wave forms work as a system.

If you picture the “standing wave” patterns of the body as a field of stable waves like those around rocks in a flowing stream, you can see that it would be “dynamically stable” just as the stream is, and would be affected by many factors. If you slow a stream down, speed it up, or move the rocks, there is a change in the height and pattern of the waves. The same thing happens to the wave pattern in your body when physical, emotional and environmental factors change your energy and state of well-being.


Acupuncture points represent standing wave peaks in the body’s entire system of waves. They are close to the surface of the skin, and have higher electrical field strength than other points in the system.* Measuring response at these points of higher electrical field strength can reveal much about the operation of your entire system. This is the current scientific theory behind the testing.


Computerized testing helps to solve medical mysteries by getting beyond diagnoses that are only descriptions of symptoms, and discovering the real causes of health problems.


*Zhang, Chang-lin “Skin Resistance vs. Body Conductivity: On the Backgound of Electronic Measurement on Skin” ISEEM, Vol 14 No. 2, (January 2005) pp. 151-174

For more information about Electric Conductive Testing or to contact Dr. Martha Howard, call 773-935-6377.

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My lifelong vision problems never would have been diagnosed or treated if it hadn’t been for my young children.
Initially, my husband and I sought Dr. Getzell’s help because both of our children had difficulties with reading and writing, as well as balance and fine and gross motor skills. I was completely unaware that I too had severe difficulties with visual perception. At age 40, my eyesight was still better than 20/20, and I had always been very proud that I never needed glasses or contact lenses. My husband and friends envied my “perfect eyesight.”
But as Dr. Getzell explains, sight and vision aren’t synonymous. Sight is how clearly and at what distance one sees objects. It tells nothing about how well a person’s eyes, brain and body work together to process what is seen. It is vision, not sight, that influences learning, thinking, posture and balance.
Nevertheless, I had always excelled academically and earned my living as a professional writer. I would never have gotten treatment—or indeed even suspected I had a problem—if my children hadn’t become patients first. But within a year, all three of us were wearing behavioral lenses and doing vision training activities daily.
One salient trait that we all shared was a tendency to focus in on a small portion of whatever we looked at—what Dr. Getzell called tunneling, or a failure to see the big picture. Although our eyes could see everything clearly, the amount of information that our brains took in and processes was limited.
For example, a year ago I was assigned to cover a conference for a newsletter. I looked at the flyer and picked up the phone to ask for directions and find out where I should park. The person I spoke with immediately pointed out that all of that information was on the flyer in front of me. I had looked at the flyer, but I hadn’t seen the whole page.
The first clue that I shared the same diagnosis with my children came during my son’s initial exam. To demonstrate the concept of visual perception to us as parents, Dr. Getzell asked my husband and me to each try to knock over a plastic bowling pin with a ball, both with and without special glasses. Dad accomplished this effortlessly without lenses. But when he put them on, he fell down. The opposite happened to me. Without lenses, I missed the pin by a mile. With them, I knocked it over. It was then that I began to wonder whether poor visual perception might be the explanation for my poor athletic ability. I had taken refuge in academics as a child because I couldn’t play.
Still I was doubtful. Certainly, I read and wrote well. My articles were published in national magazines. But Dr. Getzell explained that I didn’t read and write as well as I would be able to if I completed vision training.
I had suffered from eyestrain since I was about 25, which limited the number of hours I could work. One optometrist had given me some eye exercises, but they made my eyes hurt more, so I had quickly given them up.
I began vision training for two reasons: one was for my benefit, but the other was to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment personally. Children are rarely self-aware or forthcoming in telling their parents how vision training is transforming their lives for the better. About the most they will do is complain about having to spend so much time doing the activities.
Skeptics of any treatment or educational intervention for children frequently claim that the child would have achieved the results without it. The child simply developed at a slower than average rate, they argue. He would have done it anyway. Or perhaps the credit should go to some other teaching method used at school. The same arguments could not be made about any changes I experienced because I am an adult, and I wasn’t involved in any other forms of therapy or self-improvement.
During my eye exam, Dr. Getzell asked me to stand up, close my eyes and tell him which way my body was leaning—forward, backward or to one side. Then he would try different lenses on me until I felt like I was standing up straight. With these lenses, I walked more smoothly with longer strides and my shoulders were level for the first time. This was the prescription for my very first pair of glasses.
But it seemed like a long wait for that prescription to be filled. Dr. Getzell had made me more aware of how my vision affected the way I perceived my body. For many years, my right eye had frequently hurt from strain, but how I noticed that it actually felt lower and further recessed in my head than my left eye. I felt like a figure in a Picasso painting, even though my reflection in the mirror looked perfectly normal. Over the next year of therapy, my right eye would feel as though it was gradually shifting positions until it felt symmetrical with the left eye.
From the moment I first put on my new glasses, my world opened up for me, and two weeks of euphoria followed. I was immediately more aware of the space around me, and rooms looked larger to me. Not only was I conscious of the space in front of me, on either side and above me that I could see, but I was also aware of the space behind me.
Within a few days I began to perceive myself as the center of a circle or an ever-changing map that stretched out indefinitely all around me. (Later, when I became more aware of the space above me, I felt I was the center of a hemisphere.) This especially helped me with driving because I could make better sense of what I saw in the rear view mirror. Before I had been sometimes confused about the orientation of cars in the mirror, and so I didn’t check it as often as I should.
During those first two weeks, common household tasks become noticeably easier for me. My movements were more fluid so that I could transition more smoothly from one to the next. Kitchen work went faster, and I began to think that at last I might be able to keep up.
You see, I’d always been called slow. I remember staying in for recess and at lunchtime regularly in the early grades to complete my work. I was able to do almost everything well except sports, because I compensated for my poor visual perception by doing things slowly.
Other people sometimes accused me of not carrying my share of the load, because I didn’t work as fast as they did. I would get angry with them and frustrated with myself. Actually, I was working very hard, but because of my undiagnosed vision problems, my efforts didn’t show.
But just as I was thinking that the glasses had miraculously changed my life almost overnight, they stopped working for me. Housework became slow and difficult again. I became less aware of my surroundings. I would need more than the glasses to sustain the kind of changes I had experienced initially, so I began vision training alongside my children.
I noticed changes almost continually over the entire course of my training. Some were obvious, others subtle. But the most dramatic was in depth perception—though I had never known before that my depth perception was poor.
After I’d been in training for about two months, I looked out the window one morning and said, “What’s that?” The world suddenly looked vastly different to me. I was seeing it in three dimensions for the first time. This was something I had previously perceived only in stereo photographs and miniature rooms in museums. I had no idea that the real world looked that way. It was much more beautiful than I had ever imagined. Now every time I step outside, I still marvel at the beauty of the spaces between trees and branches.
Throughout my therapy, I noted continual improvements in my reading, balance and coordination. I no longer reread material to grasp the meaning, and my reading speed increased. Proofreading became quicker, easier and more accurate. I could check whole words and sentences at a glance, instead of letter by letter, and be certain of their accuracy. One day while I was paying bills I found myself able to copy account numbers in one or two glances—three or four numerals at a time. Before I had always copied numbers one or two at a time and checked and double-checked. I suddenly understood why I had to stay in for recess in first grade.
The glasses even affected my speech. Once when I was between prescriptions, I became less articulate. I hesitated, tripped over my tongue and felt generally less confident in myself. As soon as I got my new lenses, I spoke well again.
Dr. Getzell can demonstrate these results readily in his office. He has asked my daughter and me to read both with and without our new prescriptions. We always sound more fluent with the proper lenses. Anyone listening can easily hear the difference.
The same phenomenon happens with my daughter’s feet. Without her glasses, she is decidedly pigeon-toed. But when she wears them, her feet point almost straight ahead when she walks. Again, it all has to do with vision directing and monitoring the body’s performance.
My vision training has bestowed numerous benefits, but perhaps the most important is safer driving. My spotless driving record frankly was due more to luck than to skill. I was a very cautious, hesitant driver who checked and double checked at intersections and on-ramps, but who also had a very large blind spot and often couldn’t react quickly enough.
Now that I have completed vision training, I can check over my shoulder once and confidently turn the corner or merge with oncoming traffic, knowing I haven’t failed to see an oncoming vehicle. I’m no longer terrified of the expressway or afraid to drive my children to their many activities.
In fact, safe driving is a major reason why I want both of my children to complete vision training. At least I’ll know that when its time for them to learn to drive, I’ve done all I can to ensure their safety.
I completed my training last May. I need my glasses only for close work now. But in the six months since I finished I have observed further changes.
Dr. Getzell told me that how we see affects how we think. If we can see the whole picture, we can understand and organize better and faster, because we can see patterns and relationships instantly. Vision happens all at once, not sequentially or piece-meal.
I was doubtful until the day I cleaned my refrigerator. In the past, this had been a half day job, as I washed a shelf at a time and tried to figure out where to put it while I washed another. Then once I got the appliance entirely emptied, I fiddled around with how to put it back together again.
This time was different. All the shelves and drawers came out in order and went back in reverse order. Te operation was clear and simple.
But I hadn’t worked at vision training for a year so I could clean my refrigerator more efficiently. What about my writing?
Although being a writer is central to my identity, writing itself had often been a dreaded chore. I enjoyed having written much more than the act of writing itself. Often, I had difficulty organizing my thoughts and identifying the main idea. In short, I didn’t know where to start. As a deadline approached, my anxiety levels climbed sky high. What if I couldn’t do it?
My method for longer articles was to collect my notes and ideas on my computer and then arrange and rearrange them until I found an order that flowed reasonably well. Then I would flesh out the story. I think of this method as akin to putting a jigsaw puzzle together piece by piece.
In fact, to meet deadlines, I had to focus all of my thoughts and energy intensely on the task and give up the rest of my life and a lot of sleep. Dishes piled up in the sink, family members complained that they had no clean clothes, and I abandoned my exercise program.
Actually, I have done little professional writing in recent years because I couldn’t balance the needs of my family with the demands of editors. This article is the first I have attempted since completing vision training. And it has come together very differently.
I didn’t have time to read and arrange the copious notes I kept during the training period. I wrote this entirely from memory. From the start, I knew the beginning, the ending and every step in between.
While I had to give up some activities to write this, I didn’t have to drop everything. During the three days that I worked on it, our family routine remained the same, and I also attended three of my daughter’s performances in a variety show. And I have enjoyed the time I spent writing. I look forward to finishing soon and having this Sunday afternoon to share with my family.
Vision training has given my life a rhythm that has dramatically reduced anxiety and stress. In training, Dr. Getzell stresses rhythmic breathing and performing all activities to the beat of a metronome set at 60 beats per minute. Eventually, my internal body clock was reset to the steady beat. I used to work slowly, but then rush to catch up in an uncontrolled way. I thought that I never had enough time to finish and that I was saving time by rushing. That was why I often made mistakes in sports. Now I feel that there is time for everything, and everything will get done if I simply work steadily.
The rhythm has helped my music. I play both the piano and violin, but my rhythm was never good. And I had trouble coordinating the fingering o the violin with the bow changes, thus producing a fuzzy sound. Now I am confident of the rhythm when I play and enjoy playing more than ever.
Overall, vision training has led me to a healthier life with much less stress. I went through many changes during the years I was in training. The most obvious to everyone was that I lost 40 pounds. Jenny Craig shares some of the credit, but Dr. Getzell motivated me. He told me that being overweight changed my posture and adversely affected my vision. Also, vision training was the first significant thing I had done for myself in the 10 years since the birth of my first child. The therapy got me started taking care of myself again.
At the same time, my children have become more physically and academically capable, which makes my life easier. As my 11-year-old son winds up his training, he is able to learn new material much more readily and is doing better in all school subjects this fall than I ever expected him to.
My daughter has caught up with her second grade class in reading, after six months of vision training. (Although she got glasses at about the same time as my son and me, she didn’t begin training until later.) Interestingly, the big jump in her reading ability came over the summer, when no one was teaching her to read, but she was doing vision training. It is more common for children to lose reading skills over the summer.
My self-confidence has grown immensely. Before the training, I was a little hesitant and slow to respond because vision required such effort. (Or I missed the obvious as with the previously mentioned conference flyer.) People reacted with impatience and subtle rejection that ate away at my self-esteem daily from childhood. Now at 42, I feel I am better than ever in all ways. Even my bowling score is up dramatically from what it was a few weeks ago. Until this fall I never got more than a few points over 100.
It’s never too late to begin vision training. Remarkable changes happen whether the patient is six or sixty.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Dr. Getzell’s office: 847-866-9850, or go to his website: wwwpathwaystobettervision.com

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More Than Just Rickets
The newly rediscovered anti-aging properties of the amazing sunshine Vitamin D

By Dr. Mayer Eisenstein

Recent scientific studies have found that the level of Vitamin D in most people, while adequate to protect against rickets, is not high enough to lower the probability of other medical conditions that may be caused by insufficient amounts of Vitamin D. 1

At the same time that doctors are discrediting the value of vitamins, minerals and supplements, more and more scientific studies are coming out about their medical and therapeutic values. No vitamin has had more scientific studies recently published than the rediscovered “Sunshine Vitamin” – Vitamin D.

Chronic Pain and Vitamin D
Life Expectancy and Vitamin D
Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D
Cancer Prevention and Vitamin D
Decrease in Falls in seniors and Vitamin D

CONCLUSION:
To increase your protection from cancer, chronic pain, decrease falls, and possibly protect yourself from influenza (without the ineffective flu vaccine7) , I recommend a minimal daily dose of 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3. The scientific evidence points out that even higher doses may be indicated for other medical conditions. This inexpensive, less than 10¢ a day, therapy may be the greatest rediscovery of the 21st century.

References

1. Gerry Schwalfenberg, MD CCFP, Clinical lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada“Not enough vitamin D” Can Fam Physician Vol. 53, No. 5, May 2007, pp.841 – 854 Copyright © 2007 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada.

2. W. Michael Hooten, M.D., et al., “Lack of Vitamin D may Worsen Chronic Pain,” American Society of Anesthesiologists 2007 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, October 13-17, 2007.

3. Philippe Autier, MD; Sara Gandini, PhD, “Vitamin D Supplementation and Total Mortality – A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials” Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:1730-1737.

4. Garland, Cedric F.; Grant, William B.; Mohr, Sharif B.; Gorham, Edward D.; Garland, Frank C. “What is the Dose-Response Relationship between Vitamin D and Cancer Risk?” Nutrition Reviews, Volume 65, Supplement 1, August 2007 , pp. 91-95(5).

5. John J Cannell, Michael Zasloff, Cedric F Garland, Robert Scragg, Edward Giovannucci, “On the epidemiology of influenza” Virology Journal 2008, 5:29 doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-29
Publication date 25 February 2008.

6. Kerry E. Broe MPH, Tai C. Chen PhD, Janice Weinberg ScD, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari MD, MPH, Michael F. Holick MD, PhD, Douglas P. Kiel MD, MPH (2007), “A Higher Dose of Vitamin D Reduces the Risk of Falls in Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized, Multiple-Dose Study” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 55 (2) , 234–239 doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01048.x, February 2007.

7. Lone Simonsen, Ph.D., of George Washington University, Washington, and colleagues (Lancet Infect. Dis. 2007 [Epub doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61389-0]).

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As individuals seeking a healthy, happy and productive life, it is important to consider where we come from, and what benefits us and those around us in achieving our goals, whether they be greater health, awareness or happiness.


A full holistic approach to life considers our inter-dependence on how we treat our bodies, minds and others – and how this treatment affects our overall health and wellbeing. From a physical standpoint, many people forget that we are simply animals, a collection of cells, muscles, organs and tissue, all of which are influenced greatly by what we think, how we behave, what we eat, how much sleep we get, our ‘peace of mind’ and attitude, amongst a multitude of other factors. Though amazing advances have and continue to be made in the area of medical research, a natural non-invasive approach to treatment and care often has fewer side-effects, and a more powerful impact on the individual as a whole.


To attain a fully healthy life, we need to nurture ourselves from the inside out. That starts with taking good care of our bodies and good nutrition. Links have been made (for example) between food dye and ADHD (did you know Robin Williams has ADHD?) – Americans are eating an increasing amount and volume of processed, unnatural foods. Making a mental shift and consciously buying organic produce, meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits & grains – and doing what you can to eat less junk and processed food, gives your body natural fuels for health – and will often result in increased energy, a reduction in lethargy, greater mental acuity and ultimately, a happier and healthier day-to-day life.


If you are shortly to embark on a holistic lifestyle, and are considering changing your diet as one of those ‘first steps’ another great treatment to consider would be detoxification. This may help to speed up and prepare your body for your new lifestyle and nutritional approach, by cleansing your system and helping to remove excessive levels of toxins. Remember always to drink plenty of water! Our bodies are made up of approximately 78% water at birth, and 55% to 60% of water as adults. Good hydration is imperative for good bodily function!


There are so many types of holistic and alternative care, and areas that this approach can benefit and impact. These include great anti aging techniques, prevention of pain and suffering through natural treatments, care for cancers such as sarcoma muscle cancer, accurate identification of the causes of headaches, and the subsequent removal of the symptoms for headaches, new approaches to pain (both chronic and non-chronic), relieving individuals from having to research typical medical “best pain meds” or standard medical approaches.


How many times have you, your friends or colleagues discussed medical issues or complications and challenges? There are alternative approaches that work well and are often unexplored or not advocated by traditional medical practitioners – not because they do not work well, but due to a lack of knowledge and involvement from many traditional doctors! A lack of knowledge on their part does not invalidate or negate the benefits of a natural approach to life, wellbeing, medicine & health.


Much can be learned about ourselves and our bodies resilience and inherent ability to self-heal through natural, holistic approaches to life. Serious pregnancy complications can be alleviated through great pre-natal care, whether it be regular yoga and an organic diet, or acupuncture to relieve stress (The negative effects on body functions as a result of stress have been proven time and time again), it’s great to start a holistic and natural approach during pregnancy first stages, and to carry that approach through the full pregnancy.


Where would you rank your physical and mental health if you had to fill out a pain and suffering calculator? How much of that pain do you believe could be eradicated if you approached your health and wellbeing in a different and more holistic way?


So, embarking on a holistic lifestyle is important from a body & wellness perspective, but one must not forget to consider how your mind is affected by what you do, how much sleep you get (concentration and mental acuity are greatly impaired by lack of sleep) and how you treat yourself and others. You will have seen many advertisements on television and in the media for anxiety medication as a possible treatment for stress & anxiety, but have you noticed all the listed possible side effects?


Learning to appreciate yourself, and to treat others well, to learn de-stressing techniques (via meditation for example) and seeing a psychotherapist or counselor to help you learn to value yourself and prioritize your life – can all help you improve your mental health in more natural ways, often with longer lasting beneficial impacts!


We cannot advocate a holistic and alternative approach to life too strongly! We have seen time and time again the benefits of this approach for ourselves, our clients and friends. Our recommendation? If you have yet to consider a more natural approach to health and wellness – start off slowly, remember that change of any kind does take time, but many treatments will result in immediate benefits to your energy levels and overall health. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues about your new approach, and find great healers across multiple modalities at www.chicagohealers.com, all our experts have been fully-vetted and undergo a strict interview and application process before joining us as members.


Learn to love yourself and to treat others as you wish to be treated, nurture your body (after all, you have only one) and appreciate and value your skills, social ability, mental strengths – and work on your weaknesses. Try to get enough sleep, and practice de-stressing techniques to enable you to tackle and adjust to your ever changing life with vibrancy and vitality. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride!

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Hair is an excretory tissue for essential, nonessential and potentially toxic elements. In general, the amount of an element that is irreversibly incorporated into growing hair is proportional to the level of the element in other body tissues. Therefore, hair elements analysis provides an indirect screening test for physiological excess, deficiency or maldistribution of elements in the body. Clinical research indicates that hair levels of specific elements, particularly potentially toxic elements such as cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic, are highly correlated with pathological disorders. For such elements, levels in hair may be more indicative of body stores than the levels in blood and urine.


All screening tests have limitations that must be taken into consideration. The correlation between hair element levels and physiological disorders is determined by numerous factors. Individual variability and compensatory mechananisms are major factors that affect the relationship between the distribution of elements in hair and systems and pathological conditions. It is also very important to keep in mind that scalp hair is vulnerable to external contamination of elements by exposure to hair treatments and products. Likewise, some hair treatments (e.g. permanent solutions, dyes, and bleach) can strip hair of endogenously acquired elements and result in false low values. Careful consideration of the limitations must be made in the interpretation of results of hair analysis. The data provided should be considered in conjunction with symptomology, diet analysis, occupation and lifestyle, physical examination and the results of other analytical laboratory tests.

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In our electronic world, we get too little natural light during the day, and too much artificial light at night. Too little sunlight causes low levels of Vitamin D. According to the Mayo Clinic, “The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. Recently, research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.”


We need at least 20 minutes of natural light per day. We even get in the habit of turning lights on during the day, when sitting by the window would do it–so take advantage of natural light during the day, and save power that way.


Both for day and night, the best, power-saving bulbs are the compact fluorescent kind called CFL bulbs. They cut the amount of watts used down to a fraction of the power used by the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs. A 22 Watt CFL provides as much light as a 100 Watt incandescent. If you haven’t replaced your incandescents with CFL’s do it now.


At night, we need to be in total darkness to get the best sleep. Too much light disrupts sleep patterns by disturbing melatonin production. Evening power-saving includes turning off all lights except the low Watt CFL that you are using, and keeping all lights off at night. You can protect yourself from street lights, and other outdoor lights by using room darkening shades in your bedroom.


To prepare for Lights Out Day, stay away from candles–they are too much of a fire hazard, they use up indoor oxygen, and it is too easy to forget them and go to bed, only to wake up and find your house on fire! If you have to move around during the hour of “Lights Out”, use a small keychain LED flashlight to light your way.

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Vibrant health is one of life’s greatest gifts. Many strive towards this state of high-level wellness. This is where our whole being of body, mind and spirit is in balance and harmony. Energy, peace and gratitude flow as we feel connected to the present moment. Many consumers are seeking ways to achieve this level of health with the use of integrative medicine, a melding of holistic and prevention modalities along with the crisis care of allopathic medicine when appropriate, in order to reach their vision of high level wellness.

A friend of mine, Rev. Barbara Pescan of Evanston, IL once wrote:

We are more than our ailments, more than the sum of our addictions, co-dependencies, operations, scars and lapses. We are whole. It is an interesting conundrum that when we pay more attention to the health in our lives and less attention to the illness, that is where the healing begins – in refusing to let the illness determine the value of our lives. Find a way to act subversively today on the side of health. And may you find blessing.

Imagine individuals and our nation paying more attention to true health, rather than disease. Allow yourself to be a bit of a rebel and act subversively today on the side of your health, and the health care in our country. How can you do that? Embrace the new science that is based on an energy paradigm. When you see your body, your thoughts, your prayers, your world as energy, it opens up many new choices for health and healing. Within this new energy paradigm, the complementary, preventive and alternative modalities make sense for effective healing as well as for cost-effectiveness. It’s time for a health revolution.

Our current allopathic medical system based on Newtonian physics and reductionism (the science of breaking things down into mechanical parts, often into the smallest parts possible) is outdated. Yet it has been very beneficial for isolating factors which cause disease, and has created some pharmaceutical drugs and surgeries which border on the miraculous; but it is an ineffective match for chronic diseases. Drugs and surgery should rarely be used as the first choice in that physicians take the oath of Hippocrates: “Primum, non nocere (First, do no harm).”

Allopathic medical treatment, which is expensive and focuses on disease rather than health, also is often unsuccessful in healing the leading causes of death, especially chronic conditions which compose the majority of health complaints. In fact, failures and mistakes in our current allopathic medical system are now leading causes of death in the U.S.

The proposed plans to insure all Americans fail to recognize that they are still linking up a very broken and ineffective profit-based medical system to a broken and inefficient government that can easily be [and is] bought by special interest groups. The time is now to create a cost-effective integrative medical system that allows access to true health care. This new medical system would keep in balance the health of the whole person and the health of the system with reasonable profit. It’s time to be that rebel and act subversively on the side of health!

We are in a major paradigm shift that extends across the sciences. The new science of energy physics, a la Albert Einstein, proposes an energetic paradigm for the universe. The New Energy Physics give scientific credence to a new way of thinking and being in the universe: one that honors science and spirit, energy and matter, mind and body, emotions and spirit as part of the energetic, mysterious, ever-changing, dynamic, participatory whole.

The energy of thought/prayer/intention comes into this system. Matter changes in this participatory universe. The mind-body connection makes scientific and spiritual sense in this system. What opens up is a vision for a medical system based on the new science, incorporating the concept of each person as an ever-changing energetic whole of body-mind-spirit, moving towards greater health and wellness. Health is portrayed as a process moving towards balance, vibrancy and wholeness by way of awareness, seeking education, holistic modalities and growth for the whole person. Health and wellness can begin from the place where the signs and symptoms of disease have manifested—or before any signs of disease have manifested, thus preventing much dis-ease. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings even more true now.

Larry Dossey, M.D. has done a lot of work and research on the role of prayer and healing. He sounds the clarion call for a marriage of science and spirit. He teaches that in modern medical education, there has been a clear bias toward the logical, analytical, rational approaches to disease; and bias against any other approach deemed “right-brained,” irrational, religious or unscientific. But now the choice between science and spirituality appears increasingly artificial, even from a scientific perspective.

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., was recently in Chicago and spoke on the topic of spirituality and healing. She has decades of work and research in the mind-body-spirit field. Many researchers who initially were intrigued by the mind-body connection, have been drawn more deeply into exploring the role of spirituality in health. Take notice of this trend of moving from body to energy to spirit in some of our popular physicians and researchers such as Candace Pert, Ph.D., Herbert Benson, M.D., Christiane Northrup, M.D., Bernie Siegel, M.D., Andrew Weil, M.D, and others. I have also noticed this trend in my own personal and professional process and practice.

The National Wellness Association reports that doctors are finding some surprising evidence that spirituality can promote health. And the shift to the wellness model has been supported by research in chemistry, psychology, neurophysiology, psychoneuroimmunology and quantum physics. So, let’s “act subversively today on the side of health.” And may you find blessing.

Gina Orlando, MA, CH is a wellness consultant and certified hypnotherapist with 26 years in the holistic health field.
www.ginaorlando.com

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What are parasites?

A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism, at the expense of the host organism. Parasites living inside the human body will feed off our cells, our energy, off the food we eat, even off the supplements we take. There are many varieties of parasites. They fall into several categories. Here are some common parasites: Amoebas, Arthopods, Bacterias and Nano-Bacterias, Flat Worms, Flukes, Fungi, Mildew, Molds and Slime Molds, Microzymas, Mycoplasmas, Nematodes, Pin Worms, Prions, Protozoas, Round Worms, Somatodes, Spirochetes, Tapeworms, Viruses, and Yeast. Some are only visible under a microscope. Some can be passed in the stool and be quite large. Parasites produce thousands of eggs, and have several life stages, ranging from three to twenty four.

Here is a brief description of a few of the known types of parasites:

Arthropods are six to eight legged creatures, such as lice, bedbugs, mites, ticks, and fly larvae.

Bacteria can be present in almost anything. Here are some examples: Shigella species are frequently in pasteurized milk and cause intestinal, muscle and joint problems. Salmonella species are frequently in pasteurized milk and raw eggs and poultry, and cause food poisoning.

E-Coli can also be found in foods. Staphylococcus epidermidis is very difficult to kill and causes sinus and skin infections. Streptococcus pneumoniae often causes ear, sinus, throat, and bronchial infections. Borellia burgdorferi causes Lyme’s Disease. It spends part of its cycle inside the nerve cells. There are also two different species of bacterias that are called nano-bacterias and Spirochetes.

Flukes are leaf shaped, thin worms with a bilaterally symmetrical body and hooks or cup shaped suckers. They have both male and female organs in each individual. They have a simple digestive tract and complex life cycles with two or more hosts, usually one of which is a mollusk. Some examples are: Fasiolopsis buski, Fasciola hepatica, Eurytrema pancreaticum.

Fungi is multi cellular- with long filaments/spores, that can live on the skin, under nails and inside tumors and tissues. Ringworm is a fungus of the skin. There is also mildew, molds and slime molds.

Microzymas can be formed by the body from other types of parasites, or caught from others as a microzyma. They can also morph into cysts, tumors and foreign cells.

Morgons can be caught as a morgon or can become a morgon from being morphed from other types of parasites. They can produce a threadlike fiber that can sometimes come out through the skin. There is a disease called Morgellon’s Disease, associated with this type of parasite.

Mycoplasmas are a crystalline bacterial toxin associated with the Brucella bacterium. They are sometimes found in chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Gulf War illness, AIDS, and related diseases. It can be delivered via insects, aerosol, the food chain, or caught from contact with other infected persons.


Prions are an incorrectly folded protein that are treated as a parasite because of the damage they do. They can get into the cells and cause holes in the brain. This is the leading cause of Alzheimer’s and Mad Cow diseases.

Protozoas are a single cell animal and have very complex life cycles. Some examples are:

Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis species, and Giardia lamblia. There are also three other types of protozoas called Amoebas, Nematodes and Somatodes.

Viruses and Warts – Viruses can cause serious illness. Adenovirus causes the common cold. Respiratory syncytial virus causes respiratory problems. Influenza virus causes flu. There are many other types of viruses. Warts are colonies of several species of viruses.

Worms can be several types of worms, such as Flat, Pin, Round, Thread. Roundworms are elongated, cylindrical worms with well developed digestive tracts. Most species are free living but a large number of species parasitize humans, animals, and plants. In humans, there are both intestinal and tissue inhabiting species. Some species are thorny-headed worms, equipped with hooks to help attach itself to the intestinal wall. Their digestive tract is absent. Some examples are: Ascaris lumbricoides, Pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis, Strongyloides stercoralis, and Trichinella spiralis.

Tapeworms have an elongated ribbon-like body, with a specialized attachment organ called a scolex on the anterior end. They contain both male and female organs. They have no digestive tract and attach themselves to the inside of the small intestine, or other organs, and absorb nutrients directly into their bodies. Immature tapeworms invade tissues and encyst themselves there. Most require at least two hosts. Some examples are: Diphyllobothrium latum, Echinococcus granulosus, taenia solium.

Tongue Worms can be anywhere in the body, not just the tongue. They are so named for their shape like a tongue, not because they are in the tongue. They are serious and can also cause many problems. They can also morph into other types of parasites.

Yeasts are species of single cells that divide, and parasitize humans. Candida albacans is one of many species.

Other – there are also many other types of parasites that man does NOT know about. We can actually muscle test a person to see if he has “other” parasites that we can’t identify. We can then give the correct herbs to kill them.

Parasites can be transferred from one individual to another by direct contact between the host and a potential host, by cysts or eggs, which can live for some time outside the host before infecting a second host. Some are carried by an arthropod vector, which may itself be a host, if the parasite develops within it. Many have complex life cycles, requiring two or more species of hosts to complete their cycles.

Parasites can be ingested through the mouth, inhaled through the nose, or by skin contact. They can also be transmitted via body fluids. Insects and animals can also transmit them to humans.

Common sources of parasites are contaminated soil, fruits, vegetables, raw or rare meats, pets, mosquitos and flys, feces, polluted water, and contact with another person who is infected.

Factors that contribute to the growing parasite epidemic include the widespread use of drugs that suppress our immune systems. An imbalance of good to bad bacteria in the colon is also a contributing factor. Some other factors include wide use of antibiotics, eating refined carbohydrates, steroid drugs, X-rays and radiation therapy, chlorinated water, stress, low fiber diet, pollution, poor digestions and elimination, and mercury toxicity from dental fillings.

The increase in world travel by tourists, armed forces and immigrants spreads every possible parasite everywhere. The increase in synthetic toxins within the body is changing the life cycles of some species making many parasitology textbooks inadequate. Our changes in lifestyles have increased the spread of parasites all over the world. Increased use of nurseries and other child care facilities increase exposure. Increased eating in restaurants contributes to less control over parasite contamination. Increased consumption of ethnic foods exposes us to a wider variety of species. Increased world travel exposes more people to a wide variety of species for which they have no natural immunity. Increased levels of stress in modern day living lowers our immunity. Increased sexual promiscuity and homosexuality increases exposure. And certain modern medical practices increase the probability of parasitic infection by compromising the patient’s natural immune defenses. Examples are surgery, blood transfusions, incubation, and prolonged hospitalization.

Today it is apparent that 98% of all diseases are caused by parasites and/or toxins. They can affect tissue anywhere in the body. Because they can get into the blood and travel to any organ, parasites cause problems that are not often recognized as parasite-related. For example, a roundworm infestation in the stomach can give the appearance of a peptic ulcer. And chronic Giardia lamblia can be an undetected element in both candidiasis and chronic fatigue syndrome. It is not only the parasites that can cause damage to the body, but also the waste they excrete. These waste products poison the body, forcing the organs to work overtime. Processing these wastes also stresses the immune system. As the detox mechanism becomes overwhelmed, nutritional reserves are depleted and the immune system weakens, resulting in disease development.

Some symptoms caused by parasites:

Hair loss and scalp rashes
Mental confusion and poor learning ability such as ADD and ADHD or hyperactivity
Memory loss, forgetfulness or chronic depression
Mutiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease
Bi-Polar Disease (same as Manic Depressive Disease)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Sleeping problems
Nutrient deficiencies and anemia
Headaches or migraine headaches
Loss of coordination, seizures, general weakness or lack of energy
Loss of hearing or itchy ears
Cloudy or distorted vision, blindness and crossed eyes, floaters and double vision
Skin rashes, Psoriasis, jaundice, or itchy skin
Loss of balance
Horseness, coughing and loss of voice
Over or under active thyroid
Lowered immunity or immune system problems
Chronic lung infections, or breathing difficulty
Rapid or irregular heartbeat, Mitral Valve prolapse
Excessive hiccupping or coughing
Pains in the abdomen, neck, shoulder, back, or inflamed joints
Painful or weak muscles, loss of motor skills, numbness or tremors
Loss of appetite
Poor digestion, bloating and gas, indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
Malnutrition due to poor absorption
Cancers
Ulcers
Crohn’s disease
Hiatal hernia
Acid reflux, heartburn
Weight loss or gain, eating more than normal, but not gaining weight or still being hungry
Teeth grinding or clenching
Hemorrhoids or rectal itching
Swelling in legs or feet
Hypoglycemia
Prostate problems
Frequent or difficult urination, incontinence, burning or itching, or bedwetting or chronic uninary tract infections
Painful intercourse, poor sperm count and viability, infertility
PMS, period problems, menopausal problems, miscarriage, endometriosis
Unexplained fevers
Blood clots
Bone pain or deformity
Chronic infections
Tumor formation
Excessive nose picking or itchiness
Allergies
Chronic yeast infections
Chronic fungus infections of toenails and/or fingernails

These are but a few of the problems that can be associated with parasites. Most health care providers, whether allopathic or natural, tend to miss a large percentage of parasitic infestations and end up merely treating the symptoms the parasites cause. No one is immune from parasitic infection. Every living thing on earth is subject to parasites every day.

Doctors usually use a stool analysis or a blood analysis to detect parasites. However, they can be very difficult to detect since they tend to hide in various parts of the body. There are no specific tests for certain kinds of parasites. Tests are only available for 40 to 50 types of the more than thousands that can live in your body. Thus, a negative lab test is no assurance that a person does not have parasites. The most reliable test is kinesiology or muscle testing, but only if done very specifically by someone who knows how to detect them. And then there is no assurance that some may have been missed, because they like to hide. But, it is better to detect what you can and treat them, than to do nothing at all.

In treating parasites, the natural health community has come up with several steps:
1.Identify what types and species you have
2.Dissolve the cysts and tumors they create, and open the cells they are hiding in to be able to kill them.
3.Kill the parasites, with both a “zapper” and the use of herbs.
4.Clean up their toxins.
5.Rebuild the tissues.
6.Realign the energy fields to help prevent further problems.

How can you avoid parasitic infections? Since total avoidance is impossible, you can help yourself by following these instructions as well as you can:

Avoid eating raw fruit and vegetables that have not been thoroughly washed.
Avoid eating all meats that are not thoroughly cooked.
Avoid eating meats cooked in a microwave. The temperature varies from one place to another inside the food, and it does not reliably kill parasites.
Precook poultry before cooking it on a grill.
Avoid eating in restaurants as much as you can.
Don’t keep animals in your house. If you must have a pet, keep it outdoors.
Don’t let animals lick your skin or kiss you.
Keep all pets and farm animals wormed with weekly or daily doses of herbal formulations. De-wormers given by veterinarians are inadequate since the pet will get re-contaminated as soon as it goes outside.
Don’t wear other people’s clothing, especially if they have Psoriasis or eczema. Such clothing likely contains Strongyloides worm eggs, which hatch on contact with skin.
Drink only safe water and milk. (Zap it if it is not pure)
Always wash hands after going to the bathroom and before eating or food preparation.
Avoid breathing dusty or moldy air.
Make sure all household members are parasite free so you don’t keep transferring parasites to each other.
Make sure all dishes are either washed in a dishwasher or scalded with very hot water.
Keep all open food packages, including bread, in the refrigerator.
Store bread in a paper bag instead of plastic, to delay the growth of mold.
Keep your fingers away from your nose and mouth.
Use a clean dish cloth daily – cook it in the microwave before using.
When new symptoms appear, recheck for parasites. Kill them before they do extensive damage.
Lastly, but the most important of all, is to keep your immune system up to par. If your immune system is in top shape, when you do get them, your body can then get rid of them, instead of giving them a chance to dig in and cause disease for you.

If you suspect parasites may be the cause of your ailments, you should contact a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in Parasitology. They will have the correct information and protocols to make sure that you get the best treatment options. Everyone is different, and may need a different type of recommendation for getting rid of their particular parasites. It is not enough to just go to the local health food store, buy a two week cleanse, and think that you have destroyed all the parasites you may have. Sometimes it takes weeks or months to destroy certain parasites, depending on what you have, how long you have had it, and your general health.

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Addictions can be challenging to get rid of! With alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, it can at least be a “done deal” when you quit. You stay away from them, and that is that. With food, shopping and sex addiction it’s another story. You have to eat, you have to buy at least some things, and while celibacy is a possibility, it is not realistic for most people. So a planned way of changing your approach to these activities is a necessity. A holistic program gives the best chance of success both for those addictions that you can quit and for those you have to moderate.

Getting rid of an addiction is definitely a challenge but it can be done with a good holistic program, determination, and some real work!

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The 6 REAL Numbers that Most Impact Your Health by Dr. Kristen Bobik, D.C., L.Ac.
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