Some healthful foods may cause high blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure or have been told that your blood pressure is slowly creeping up, then you probably started a new diet and exercise program to lower the numbers. While eating good food that is natural and healthful can help fight hypertension, you may be unaware that some good foods can actually cause an increase in blood pressure.

Let's first take a look at the substance that might be causing hypertension, and then I'll give you list of foods that contain it.

Tyramine: the good, the bad & the ugly
Tyramine is an amino acid derived from tyrosine, another amino acid. I wrote about tyrosine (Depression & how I conquered it) and its effect on depression. Tyramine constricts blood vessels. Your body makes all the tyramine it needs, so adding tyramine through foods or through tyrosine supplements may increase the constriction of your blood vessels. By constricting your blood vessels, you may inadvertently cause hypertension or higher-than-normal blood pressure levels. Tyramine does wash out of your body through the digestive process, so the effect on your blood pressure is only temporary. However, taking tyrosine supplements on a regular basis will make your tyramine levels (and, possibly, your blood pressure) higher all the time.

One of the worst tyramine interactions is with prescription drugs. MAO inhibitors block the formation of tyramine (this is a highly simplified explanation). If you eat tyramine-containing foods or take tyrosine-containing supplements while taking an MAO inhibitor, you could end up with seriously high blood pressure.

Foods that may cause high blood pressure
If your blood pressure is too high, or you would like to avoid foods that could cause hypertension, avoid these foods:

1. Aged dairy products (cheeses, yogurt, etc.)
   
2. Soy products (soybeans, soy sauce, teriyaki, miso, tofu, Bragg Liquid Aminos, etc.)
   
3. Air-dried, canned or cured meats and fish
   
4. Pickled foods
   
5. Corned beef
   
6. Broad (fava) bean pods
   
7. Yeast extracts and foods containing them (Vegemite, etc.)
   
8. Sauerkraut
   
9. Alcohol (especially chianti, vermouth, and tap beer and ale)
   
10. Chocolate
    
11. Over-the-counter cold medicines
    
12. Avocados (riper fruit has more tyramine)
    
13. Dried fruit
    
14. Eggplant
    
15. Oranges
    
16. Bananas
    
17. Pineapple
    
18. Plums
    
19. Liver
    
20. Onions
    
21. Nuts
    
22. MSG (monosodium glutamate)
    
23. Vanilla
    

This isn't a complete list of tyramine-rich foods. You can find a more comprehensive list at PCC Natural Markets, which has a web page devoted to a tyramine-free diet. Check it out if you've tried everything else without success to naturally lower your blood pressure. The only available cookbook for a tyramine-free diet (Headache and Diet: Tyramine-Free Recipes) was published in 1990. Much has been learned since 1990 about tyramine-containing foods, and some foods that we now know contain tyramine are listed as tyramine-free in this book. If you're still interested in the book, click on the Amazon link below.



If you've eaten a food that has caused your blood pressure to increase, you should take some comfort in the knowledge that it's just temporary and will subside in about 5 hours. If you are under a doctor's care for hypertension or take an MAO inhibitor and your blood pressure increases significantly, contact your physician immediately.

Tyramine-rich foods can also cause migraine headaches. If you suffer from frequent headaches, perhaps you should try a tyramine-free diet to see if that clears things up. Also, check out my blog about migraines and magnesium. It might help relieve your migraines.

Additional resources:
J S C Med Assoc. 2002 Aug;98(4):187-92
J Clin Psychiatry. 1999 Mar;60(3):191-3
J Clin Psychiatry. 1996 Mar;57(3):99-104
J Clin Psychiatry. 1995 May;56(5):196-201
Drug Intell Clin Pharm. 1981 Nov;15(11):904-6

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Is your low-carb diet slowly destroying your body?

If you've read my first blog, you know that I used to be the Associate Publisher for Dr. Robert Atkins' monthly newsletter. I was an avid follower of the Atkins diet for about 30 years - until I got older and found that the diet didn't work for me anymore. I started gaining weight when I turned 52, which was also the year I started writing for the Atkins newsletter. Before then, I was at the same weight I had attained in the ninth grade, when I reached my current height and development. Something was amiss, but I didn't know what. Now I know that 30 years of eating an animal-based high-protein diet probably didn't contribute to my long-term health and may have been responsible for my eventual weight gain.

Eat a diet low in carbs while creating a healthy body
Over the past 30 years, there have been a number of diets competing with the Atkins plan, but they all had one thing in common: lots of animal protein. My "beef" with animal protein isn't a PETA thing (I fully support hunting). It's a health thing.

Eating loads of meat every day for decades can contribute to serious health issues, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high cholesterol, a fatty liver, gallbladder dysfunction, memory problems and male impotence. Fortunately, the pH Miracle eating plan can reverse these health problems without causing weight gain (in fact, you'll probably lose weight). While the inventors of the diet, Dr. Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young, don't heavily promote the diet as low in carbs, they do cover the issue in their books. All the foods you eat on the plan are low in carbs. So, eating less carbs according to the pH Miracle plan is a great way to be healthy and thin.

The pH Miracle is aptly named, because it brings about a miraculous change in your body at a highly accelerated pace. While you will probably lose weight on other meat-based low-carb diets, none of them will build up muscle and good health. The pH Miracle diet does!

It eliminates all sweet fruits (fructose is just as liable as table sugar to cause blood-sugar problems) and all grains, just like most other low-carb diets. Any type of flour, including whole wheat, spelt and quinoa, can generate blood sugar levels that are too high. The foods recommended on the pH Miracle diet have low glycemic (sugar) levels. Instead of eating apples, you'll eat grapefruit. Instead of eating prepared salad dressings, you'll make your own out of delicious oils and spices. Instead of eating breads loaded with preservatives and made of processed grains, you'll eat breads made from the sprouts of familiar grains. The combinations of foods on the pH Miracle diet are endless, and they'll help give you a healthy, sound body and mind.

How to get started on the pH Miracle diet
I've written a number of blogs about this wonderful diet. While I've written mostly about the alkalinity of the diet and how it eliminates acid reflux, it also helps you lose weight without compromising your health if you decide to follow it. Here are the links:

Is acid reflux destroying your immune system?
Burp! How to prevent & stop GERD
More food tips to halt acid reflux
Acidic foods can stop acid reflux and GERD
Avoid doctors to stay healthy & alive!
Do you drink a gallon of water every day?
Is your GERD a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem?

The following books will help you get started. Two of the books are by Dr. Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young. The two cookbooks (Back to the House of Health) are written only by Shelley.

If you want to eat the perfect low-carb diet, then get these books!




* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

You'll soon be eating genetically engineered food & virus-filled meat!

The U.S. government is not a source you can trust for protecting your health. They come out every so many years with a new food pyramid based on whatever mainstream medicine tells them is healthy. This has done absolutely nothing to curb the sky-rocketing growth of terminal, crippling and life-shortening illnesses.

Modern medicine is no better. Doctors educated in medical schools that are virtually devoid of info about complementary or alternative medicine or the benefits of proper nutrition should not be in charge of your well-being.

The only one you can depend on for good health is YOU!

To back up these assertions, here are some recent news items I'd like you to digest.

Genetically engineered milk takes the place of breast milk
For decades, hospitals and doctors have discouraged new mothers from breast-feeding. Most doctors believe that breast-fed babies suffer from more childhood illnesses and are frequently undernourished. Supposedly, bottle-fed babies received better nutrition and better-quality nutrients because formula was filled with ALL the essential vitamins. In the 1960, '70s and '80s, women who breast-fed their babies were told they had to supplement breast milk with baby vitamins because their babies weren't getting enough vitamins and minerals! Manufacturers of formula were welcomed with open arms by hospitals and obstetricians and were encouraged to provide free samples of baby formula as well as coupons to save on future purchases.

Now, University of California (Davis) researchers have reported that bottle-fed infants typically have more gastrointestinal diseases than breast-fed babies. Instead of encouraging new mothers to breast-feed babies, they've come up with a way to supposedly alleviate or eliminate these diarrhea-related diseases through artificial means: genetically engineered goat's milk.

Scientists added lysozyme, an antibacterial component of human breast milk, to goat's milk and fed the formula to baby pigs. After feeding the pigs for 16 days, they found a reduction in coliform bacteria (which can cause diarrhea) in the pigs' intestines. With that as their basis, researchers believe they can give the same antidiarrheal protection to newborns as they would have gotten from breast milk.

While research is ongoing to determine if lysozyme can survive when the milk is converted to powdered form, there's a bigger question. Who will "donate" their newborn as a test for this formula? Women in Third World countries? Most of them breast-feed their babies. Why substitute bacteria-laced pasteurized goat's milk for breast milk? I understand that some women with AIDS cannot breast-feed, but I wonder if that's the real aim of this study. I believe we will see the milk tested on babies in poorer countries to determine if it's safe enough to feed to children in the U.S. That's because U.S. women would be up in arms if they were asked to donate their children as medical guinea pigs. Women from poor countries will be told a convincing story and will believe it.

Genetically engineered rice on your dinner table
Testing conducted by Germany discovered an unapproved genetically modified rice strain in a shipment to that country from the U.S. According to a report from the Associated Press, there are two genetically engineered types of long-grain rice that ARE acceptable for human consumption. The one discovered in the German shipment was a third one that is not approved. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture claims "There are no human health, food safety or environmental concerns associated with this [genetically engineered] rice."

Apparently, you've been eating genetically engineered rice, but the government hasn't bothered to make that common knowledge. Dabbling with the genetic code of something as simple as rice may seem harmless, but we have no idea what the end result is. There is insufficient testing with genetically modified/engineered food to determine what the harm will be down the road. As with pharmaceutical drugs, we've discovered problems we never anticipated because we couldn't imagine the interaction.

Government spraying your food with a virus
Another report from the Associated Press reveals that the Food and Drug Administration is spraying a "bacteria-killing virus" on processed meats (cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages). That's to prevent people from getting sick from the dangerous bacteria we allow in our foods!

The Centers for Disease Control claims that 2,500 people a year become seriously ill from the culprit bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes), with 500 of them dying. Does it make sense to treat the meat of an entire country because 2,500 people become ill? The addition of this virus is an admission by the FDA that they are incapable of ensuring a safe food supply.

As with all things in nature, there has to be a balance. What will become of the virus that kills the bacteria? Is it inert? Is it harmless? What happens if it's used improperly? The head of the company that makes the spray-on virus claims it's safe "as long as it is used in accordance with regulations." Just as with the addition of fluoride to our municipal water supplies, we should be ready for unsafe practices with the new spray-on virus. Accidents happen (and don't get reported), overdoses regularly occur because of poor training or because technicians don't care, and shoddy oversight by government inspectors often fail to identify health issues (which is why they want to use this stuff in the first place!).

What if we've made a mistake?
Our minds are not infinite. We cannot comprehend the interaction of experimental foods with our bodies. It could be years - even decades - before we know the effects. What then? We could pull the products from the market. What about the millions or hundreds of millions of people whose lives have been affected (or ended!) because we were impatient and wanted results now?

My family is staying clear of the products listed in today's blog. Why take a chance? After all, the government doesn't really care. If they do admit there's a problem, you'll be long dead before they do. Isn't that what happened with the soldiers exposed to agent orange in Vietnam? Over 30 years passed before they admitted culpability. Too little, too late.

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Is acid reflux destroying your immune system?

The lymph tissue in your gut is a whopping 70 percent of your body's immune system. If you don't take care of your intestinal tract, you will become sick and will contract diseases that deteriorate your nervous system, your organs, your digestive tract and every other part of your body. Eventually, you will succumb to illnesses that others with healthy guts simply shake off. Acid reflux may be an indication that you're destroying your gut's natural immune system.

First, a little lesson from HIV treatments
Bear with me for a moment as I write about HIV, as this is very pertinent to today's blog about acid reflux. A recent article in the Journal of Virology states that immediately after a person is infected with HIV, the body's gut battles the virus. If the gut is unhealthy or not robust, the virus is not destroyed. The virus ends up making a home in the gut, wreaking havoc on the immune system. Its very presence prevents the gut from effectively fighting microbes and diseases. It even uses the gut to hide from drugs that can destroy it.

Your gut may also be acid - and killing you!
Acid reflux may be a sign that your gut is also acidic. Acidity is a fertilizer for viruses, bacteria and other deadly microbes. Whatever acidity is doing to your stomach, it's doing much worse things to your gut. If you shut down the acidity, you will remove the environment that microbes and deadly diseases need to grow and take over your body.

An alkaline body is a death sentence for disease. If you eat mostly alkaline foods, your body becomes alkaline and your reflux disappears. Yes, it's that simple! Your gut returns to its natural alkaline state and sweeps out all disease-causing microbes living in it. The other organs that have been held hostage by acidity and acid-loving microbes return to their natural alkaline state and become reinvigorated and function properly.

An alkaline body enjoys vitality, energy and robust health. If you're tired of being a guinea pig for acid reflux drugs, then give your body the alkaline diet it craves. It's the only way you can have perfect health for the rest of your life.

How to get started on an alkaline diet
I've written a number of blogs about eating an alkaline diet. Here are the links:

Burp! How to prevent & stop GERD
More food tips to halt acid reflux
Acidic foods can stop acid reflux and GERD
Avoid doctors to stay healthy & alive!
Do you drink a gallon of water every day?
Is your GERD a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem?

The following books will help you get started on an alkaline eating plan. Two of the books are by Dr. Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young. The two cookbooks (Back to the House of Health) are written only by Shelley.

If you want to enjoy perfect health and eliminate acid reflux forever, then you'll order these books. Nothing happens until you take that first step!




Additional resources:
J Virol. 2006 Aug;80(16):8236-47

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Zinc for mental wellness

Dr. Claude Pfeiffer was a biopsychiatrist years ahead of the rest of the world. In the 1960s, he discovered that nutritional deficiencies are the cause of serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and clinical depression.

The most important element in keeping your brain normal
Zinc is one of the most important metals (iron is the other one) associated with normal brain function. Most of the your brain's zinc is in the hippocampus, which is associated with memory processes. Part of your retina, considered an extension of the brain, has large amounts of zinc. Whenever you think, remember things or use your eyes, your body is using parts that require sufficient amounts of zinc to function properly. Dr. Pfeiffer used zinc supplements in conjunction with other trace minerals to successfully treat schizophrenics and help them eliminate use of psychotropic drugs.

Other metals essential to brain function can't be fully used by your body unless zinc is present in sufficient quantities. In a rodent study, researchers found that potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, copper and manganese were not properly distributed or utilized for normal brain function if there was a zinc deficiency.

Can criminal behavior be eliminated with zinc supplements?
Turkish doctors at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Firat University Faculty of Medicine studied zinc and copper blood levels of 88 subjects who suffered from schizophrenia. Half the subjects were criminals. Schizophrenic criminals had a much lower level of plasma zinc and much higher level of copper than non-criminal schizophrenics. While there are certainly non-dietary reasons people commit crimes, it appears that deficiencies of trace minerals such as zinc may result in criminal behavior.

Supplementing with zinc
If someone you know suffers from schizophrenia or other mental disorders, they should have their zinc blood levels measured. Taking prescription drugs or being locked up in a mental facility for decades is hardly a solution to a serious mental problem. People do not become schizophrenic because they have a shortage of Fluanxol, Piportil L4, Haldol LA or Stelazine.

Zinc is important for everyone, not just those suffering from mental disorders. However, if you're inclined to try zinc supplementation and have a mental disorder, find a healthcare provider who can look at the big picture and not just his prescription pad.

Because zinc impacts other metals, you need to keep it in balance. The proper zinc/copper ratio is 10:1, and many zinc supplements come that way. Taking zinc for mental disorders requires higher dosages, which can result in a copper deficiency, and must have medical oversight to be sure other essential metals aren't depleted.

Think zinc!



Additional resources:
Biol Psychiatry. 1982 Apr;17(4):513-32
J Nutr. 1983 Oct;113(10):1895-905
Arch Androl. 2003 Sep-Oct;49(5):365-8

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Stevia: sweet relief from high blood pressure with no side effects!

Hypertension is no joking matter. It can kill you. If you're taking antihypertension drugs, you'll be interested in the blood pressure lowering effects of stevia, a natural sweetener.

Brazilian sweetener has been used for 1,500 years
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a plant grown in Brazil, where it's been used for 15 centuries as a sweetening agent. In recent years, scientists have been able to extract the essence of stevia's sweetening abilities. This essence is known as stevioside. Because compounds made of the leaves of the stevia plant also have a bitter aftertaste, the sweetener hasn't enjoyed widespread use. However, the extract - stevioside - has a much more pleasant flavor and is now giving the sweetener worldwide acceptance.

Lower blood pressure without any side effects!
Prescription drugs for high blood pressure have many side effects. Here's a short list of what you can expect: gout, higher blood sugar, insomnia, depression, impotence, skin rash, loss of taste, kidney damage, constipation, swollen ankles, dizziness, heart palpitations, drowsiness and excessive hair growth. Stevia has NONE of these side effects. The only thing you'll get with stevia is lower blood pressure! Don't take my word for it. Researchers have tested stevia extensively and proven stevia's efficacy and safety.

Taiwanese doctors at the Taipei Medical University Wan Fang Hospital conducted a clinical trial involving 87 men and 87 women who took 500mg of stevia powder or a placebo three times a day for two years. Systolic blood pressure dropped from 150 to 140, while diastolic blood pressure dropped from 95 to 89. According to the patients' own weekly records, their quality of life measurements "were significantly improved overall with stevioside compared with placebo." Lower blood pressure, PLUS your life is better. And, there were no side effects with stevia use! Can you say the same about your blood pressure medicine?

Stevia helps diabetics lower their blood sugar
An interesting side effect of stevia is that it also helps lower blood sugar. If you look at the list of drug side effects I listed a couple paragraphs above, you'll see that higher blood sugar is a known side effect of prescription medication. If you're also diabetic, then antihypertension drugs could make your blood sugar reach a life-threatening level. If you're not a diabetic, antihypertension meds could still cause blood sugar irregularities. Stevia naturally lowers blood sugar while lowering your blood pressure!

Danish researchers at the Aarhus University Hospital conducted a lab test on mouse islet cells and found that stevia stimulates these pancreatic cells to secrete insulin. Stevia works WITH your pancreas to make sure there is adequate insulin!

Not all stevia is made alike
If you've tried stevia before and disliked it, you've probably tried an unrefined product. I use a highly refined extract called stevioside that sweetens without the bad taste. If you use too much, however, you will get a funny licorice aftertaste.

Over the years, I've tried several brands but finally settled on stevioside sold by Emperor's Herbologist. It has no additives. Some stevia products have other ingredients because their stevias are not pure and won't sell unless they mix them with something else. I've been buying Emperor's Herbologist stevioside for a long time and have never been disappointed with their quality or ervice. They're friendly people, and I've met the owners at commercial shows. Nice people selling a great product! I buy a kilogram of stevia every few years, and I make sure I never run out. Click on the link below to lay in a supply for your family. Stevioside is available in individual packets or bulk sizes.


High-quality stevia

There are some great cookbooks with gobs of mouthwatering recipes using stevia, such as The Stevia Cookbook, Sensational Stevia Desserts and Sugar-Free Cooking with Stevia. Click on the Amazon links below to learn more about these books.



Additional resources:
Clin Ther. 2003 Nov;25(11):2797-80
Metabolism. 2000 Feb;49(2):208-14

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Green drinks stop acid reflux & saturate your body with nutrients & oxygen

Have you seen the movie Batman Begins? As Batman wakes up one morning, Alfred, his trusty valet, brings him a glass with some green liquid in it. It doesn't look very appetizing, but he drinks it right down. In The Thomas Crown Affair, Rene Russo drinks a thick malt-like drink of some green stuff, which appears to barely get down her throat. What are these people drinking? Green drinks, of course!

What you get in a green drink
"Green drink" is a generic term for drinks made of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, grains, algae, sprouts and/or grasses. Some green drinks are made only of grasses, e.g., wheat grass, barley grass or lemon grass, while others add probiotics (beneficial bacteria). A few add bee pollen, herbs and a full range of vitamins and minerals. They're mixed with a liquid, usually water. I've been drinking green drinks since 2005. Besides being an excellent source of nutrients, green drinks also contain a significant amount of fiber. Most importantly, green drinks are rich in chlorophyll. More about that in a moment.

Make sure your green drink is either unsweetened or sweetened only with stevia, a natural sweetener. You don't want to counteract the benefits of green drinks by adding more sugar or artificial (chemical) sweeteners.

Fight acid reflux & GERD while enriching your blood with oxygen
If you select a green drink that is made of only alkaline vegetables, grasses, herbs, sprouts and leaves, you will help your body quickly de-acidify. Drinking several of these alkalizing drinks every day helps keep your body in an alkaline state and prevents acid reflux and other digestive disorders.

Green drinks are loaded with chlorophyll, which is where they get their color. According to Dr. Robert Young, author of The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, "chlorophyll helps your blood deliver oxygen throughout the body, making stronger blood and thus stronger cells."

Your blood not only delivers red and white blood cells to your tissues, organs and muscles, but it also delivers nutrients and oxygen. While you already know that you can't live without oxygen, did you know that it also prevents physical deterioration? During the worldwide polio epidemic in the 1940s, polio victims were somtimes placed in iron lungs, which forced oxygen into the body's cells. That was the only sure way to prevent further damage from the disease. Some people lived the rest of their lives - decades! - in an iron lung, because they couldn't get enough oxygen transported to their cells without it.

How to pick the right green drink
I'm going to recommend only two green drink brands. I've tried a number of them but most taste so awful that I can't recommend them. Others require very large doses to get the same nutrients and benefits of the two recommended below.

Super Greens is sold by Innerlight.org. It was formulated by Dr. Robert Young and his wife Shelley Young and is promoted in their pH Miracle books. I haven't used Super Greens because it is quite expensive, although I feel it is clearly superior to anything else on the market. Click on Super Greens to order it.

I use Green Vibrance (linked below). It has some ingredients not recommended by the Youngs, but it has worked very well for our family and has wonderful alkalizing properties.



* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Load up on vitamins, minerals & other nutrients with alfalfa

Alfalfa's roots go very deep into the ground, about 20 feet and sometimes more! The roots pull the nutrients still available deep within the earth and transfer them to the plant. Because our farmlands have lost much of their rich topsoil, plants with shallower roots don't have a very high nutrient value.

Animals LOVE alfalfa & so should you!
Animals instinctively know what they need. When dogs and cats eat grass, it's because their bodies need it, and they naturally gravitate toward the right choices. Humans seem to have lost their good instincts about the right food choices.

Farmlands across America grow alfalfa for animal feed, because farmers know that alfalfa helps create healthy animals. Maybe we should take a page from their book.

Like a vitamin-mineral pill in a plant
Many of the vitamins and minerals you take in supplement form are readily available in alfalfa. Here's what you'll get if you eat alfalfa sprouts or take an alfalfa pill:

Vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, pantothenic acid, biotin & folic acid.

Trace elements, including calcium phosphorous, potassium, magnesium iron, zinc & copper.

Saponins, amino acids & up to 35% protein.

While you may be taking some really potent dosages of vitamins and minerals, they may not be reaching your body. Some supplements don't dissolve completely and exit the body without dispersing their contents. And, if your digestive system isn't functioning properly, you may not be able to extract everything available in a supplement. By eating healthful food, such as alfalfa, you'll be saturating your stomach, blood, muscles and tissues with the nutrients they crave.

Pills or sprouts
You can take alfalfa pills, which are readily available and very inexpensive, or you can take the tasty route and eat alfalfa sprouts. Put sprouts on sandwiches in salads or even put them through the juicer. Don't buy bottled alfalfa juice. The bottling process requires heat (pasteurization), and that diminishes the vitamin and mineral content.

Alfalfa sprouts are found in virtually every supermarket's produce section, but you can easily grow them in your own kitchen. Sprouters are easy to use and supply fresh greens when you need them. Seeds germinate and sprout in 24 hours, and in 3-4 days you'll have nutritious, edible sprouts!

Amazon sells a variety of sprouters. Here are some in different price ranges along with a sprouting book:



* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Mercury poisoining: it's not just from your dental fillings!

In my previous blogs about "silver" dental fillings ("Silver" dental fillings: Part 1...Are they dangerous? and Part 2...Ridding your body of mercury), I spoke about mercury in dental amalgams. However, there are two other big sources of mercury: vaccinations and fish.

Stay away from vaccinations...you, your kids & your pets!
It isn't a secret that vaccinations have mercury in them. The bottle that contains the vaccine holds many doses, and mercury, in the form of thimerosal (it's 49.6% mercury!), is added as a preservative. Since the doctor is injecting needle after needle into the bottle, contamination must be prevented.

The drug companies figured that mercury was the ideal substance, even though it's deadly! Imagine what happens to a baby that's vaccinated with dose after dose after dose of mercury during its most important formative months and years. Everyone agrees that mercury causes neurological damage; but, for some idiotic reason, the medical profession, the government and the drug companies just can't see that injecting mercury into the body is harmful!

Your pets are also at risk of mercury poisoning. When I took our cats to the vet (they were kittens) for their required rabies shots, I asked about the mercury in the vaccinations. The vet assured me that mercury hasn't been part of vaccinations for years. Of course, he was ignorant of the facts. The drug companies admit to its continued use and have no intention of removing it, even though the U.S. Congress has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to mandate that vaccinations contain no mercury. Since I know the truth, I allow ONLY the required rabies shots for my pets. I postponed vaccination until the very last minute I was allowed without violating the law. Since I don't board my cats, they are not subjected to the ridiculously frequent updates on rabies shots. Don't let your vet talk you into giving your pet every vaccination available. It's costly to your pocketbook and to the health and well-being of your pets. Just say NO!

Fish is brain food, but it could be DESTROYING your brain, too!
When I was a kid, fish was called brain food because the oils are beneficial to brain cells and your nervous system. These days, it still affects the brain but for a different reason: it's destroying brain cells instead of benefiting them!

If you already have mercury fillings in your mouth and you've been getting regular vaccinations (e.g., flu shots), adding toxic fish to your system might be destroying your brain instead of improving it! Because of the alarmingly high levels of mercury in fish, doctors have warned pregnant women to eliminate tuna from their diets to avoid damaging the baby's brain. But, the news isn't all bad.

Eating the right tuna could reduce your mercury intake
I enjoy eating tuna and have found a brand of tuna low in mercury. Tuna are large fish and live a long time. Because mercury isn't expelled from their bodies, the fish has increasingly higher levels of mercury as it ages. If you could guarantee that your tuna was younger, the amount of mercury ingested would be negligible.

Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna harvests tuna that is no more than three years old. The cans are marked "minimal mercury." If you've been eating canned tuna commonly found on grocery shelves, you'll be stunned by the superb texture and flavor of Wild Planet. Once you've eaten Wild Planet tuna, the other brands will smell and taste like you're eating from the kitchen trash can! The fact that it's also low in mercury is the primary reason for buying this tuna, but the taste is the thing that will keep you coming back.

Click the link below to be taken to Amazon's grocery section if you'd like to buy Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna. You will leave this blog when you click the link:



Read more about the dangers of mercury at the linked websites below.

Additional sources:
The great thimerosal cover-up: Mercury, vaccines, autism and your child's health
Mercury, Vaccines and Medicine
The Foundation for Health Choice
Vaccinations: A word of caution for our animals

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I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Chromium: liposuction in a capsule!

You've tried every diet imaginable. Everyone else you know can lose weight no matter what they try. You eat less and less but never lose weight. Or, you lose it but end up gaining it back - and more on top! If you're at your wits' end and think you're going to be fat forever, you might want to try chromium.

No matter what you eat, you may not be getting enough chromium
If you're obese or find it impossible to lose weight even when you faithfully follow a weight-reduction regimen, then you may be deficient in chromium or possibly have a greater physical need for it.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral and is found in some foods. However, chemical fertilizers and pesticides have depleted the nutrient level of soil, which means food isn't as rich in vitamins and minerals as it used to be. Even if you eat foods traditionally high in chromium (e.g., broccoli), you may not be getting as much as you think. That comes straight from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory!

It's not the diet. It's the chromium!
There is compelling scientific evidence that chromium unlocks the door to weight loss, builds muscle and helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Chromium is important for diabetics, because it helps increase glucose tolerance and it metabolizes fat. That can benefit you even if you're not diabetic. Big swings in blood sugar levels make you hungry, make you feel faint, cause food cravings. It may also be a sign of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes.

A study conducted in 1998 found that subjects who took chromium lost three times as much weight as those not taking it! The chromium group also reduced their body fat by more than six times the non-supplemented group.

Some dosage recommendations
All the scientific studies I've read state that chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate GTF (glucose tolerance factor) are the most effective forms of chromium. Dr. Robert O. Young, author of The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, believes the optimum chromium supplement is a combination of these two. He recommends taking 200mcg with each meal.

It's important to keep your chromium intake below 1000mcg (1mg) per day. Remember, this is a trace mineral, and you're only replacing what nature used to provide. Never take mega-doses of minerals!

There are plenty of chromium supplements that offer one type of chromium or the other, but only a few that contain both. Ultra Chromium GTF by Source Naturals has both. Below are three different quantities of this product. The one on the left is three bottles of 120 capsules each. A real bargain! The center one is a one bottle of 120 capsules and the on one the right is a bottle of 60 capsules. Buy whichever amount suits your budget.



Let me know how this supplement helps you lose those extra pounds. Click on the comments link at the end of this blog to tell your story.

Additional sources:
Linus Pauling Institute
The pH Miracle for Weight Loss
Nutr Rev. 1998 Sep;56(9):266-70

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Are your x-rays killing you little by little?

X-rays were discovered by William Roentgen in 1895. Since then, we've come to realize that x-rays aren't harmless, and great care must be taken when giving them. Anyone who uses x-ray machines or works in an area where they are regularly used must wear a counter that indicates how much radiation they've been exposed to. Once exposure reaches a certain level over a designated period of time, that person must leave the area for the remainder of the time period. According to what we've been told, the human body can only be exposed to so much radiation before damage occurs.

But, what if even the most minute exposure causes damage? In fact, we've known for quite some time that getting any type of x-ray compromises cells, wreaks havoc and causes destruction. The medical industry continues to hide this information and lobs assurances to consumers that getting an x-ray is safe and harmless.

How to protect yourself from damaging x-rays
Knowing that x-rays are destructive is useless if you don't know how to protect yourself! Below are some research studies that prove that some supplements offer significant protection against x-ray damage.

In 2006, Indian researchers at the Pineal Research Laboratory of Banaras Hindu University fed melatonin to rodents to determine if the antioxidant increased leukocytes (white blood cells) to protect the body from x-ray radiation. Using four groups of test subjects that received either melatonin or vitamin E in varying dosages, they discovered that taking melatonin before being x-rayed "prevented radiation-induced oxidative damage" and that the supplement had a "high protective role."

In an animal study conducted by Turkish scientists at the University of Yuzuncu Yil, researchers wanted to know if taking antioxidant vitamins and minerals could protect against radiation damage caused by x-rays. They fed rodents vitamins C and E or a combination of manganese, zinc and copper. A control group received no supplements. After exposing all groups to 550 rads of x-rays, they found that damage was minimized in the groups receiving supplements. They stated that "supplementation with antioxidant vitamins and minerals may serve to reinforce the antioxidant systems" and have a "protective effect against cell damage by x-rays."

In a laboratory test, scientists found that polyunsaturated fatty acids were protected from radiation (and the resulting free radicals) by vitamin E. In fact, they stated that "very efficient protection" of polyunsaturated fatty acids "could be obtained with relatively low concentrations of vitamin E" levels.

What to do before your next x-ray or dentist visit
Before you get that x-ray or mammogram and before you visit the dentist the next time, it might be a good idea to take some protective supplements. I take melatonin on a regular basis (read Sick & tired? Try melatonin! for more info), so I don't have to add that supplement to my regimen. Also, melatonin helps you sleep, so it's not practical to take it during the day or if you're not going to be sleeping! I also take vitamin E every morning. However, before getting an x-ray and before going to the dentist (you never know when they'll pop an x-ray on you!), I take 400mg of vitamin E and 200mcg of selenium. I take them one hour before I expect to be in the chair. If I have a morning appointment, I just hold off taking my regular morning vitamin E capsule and take it with selenium before the appointment.

If you've been watching the headlines, you know that the medical industry is in shambles because of errors, deaths and other problems caused by gross negligence or because the FDA and researchers opted to ignore important facts and serious health hazards. Don't become a statistic when they finally announce that x-rays, even occasional dental ones, are dangerous!

You can find good-quality vitamin E, selenium and melatonin through the approved discount retailers shown in the left column. I buy from these sites all the time and find their prices to be extremely competitive.

Additional sources:
Int J Radiat Biol. 2006 Jun;82(6):411-9
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2003 Aug;94(2):149-56
Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med. 1979 Apr;35(4):343-50

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Is your GERD a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem?

Acid reflux (GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a miserable, painful problem. Mainstream medicine tends to treat it apart from any other symptoms or illnesses you might have. In fact, acid reflux may be a warning sign from your body that something worse is happening. Acid in your stomach could mean that your entire body is acidic and wreaking havoc on your muscles and organs and disarming your immune system.

Acid is dissolving your muscles
If you've ever used a meat tenderizer (the stuff you sprinkle on), you might have wondered how it could tenderize meat. It works by breaking down the muscle tissue. It's an acidic process. The same process that is working in your body right now. Your acid reflux may be an indication that your body is floating in too much acid, breaking down your muscles bit by bit.

Only by reducing the acid levels of your entire body can you spare your muscles further destruction. By eating an alkaline diet, you'll not only get rid of acid reflux and GERD, but you'll notice that other aches, pains and symptoms start to disappear. Sometimes, one symptom (acid reflux, in this case) is so painful and so powerful, that other symptoms aren't noticed. Your body may have been telling you something was wrong, but you were too preoccupied with curing acid reflux to notice other serious health issues.

An acidic body encourages bacteria growth
Bacteria like acid, and they thrive in it! By changing to an alkaline diet, you're eliminating the growth medium and "home" for harmful bacteria.

Your large intestines are loaded with good and bad bacteria. The beneficial bacteria are supposed to keep the harmful bacteria in line. When you create an acidic environment, the bad bacteria grow rapidly and are totally out of control. They take over, and that could be the beginning of other health issues such as allergies, autoimmune disorders and symptoms that your doctor can't treat because he has no idea what's wrong.

Instead of looking at the fundamental problem (an acidic body), your doctor orders thousands of dollars of tests and prescribes costly drugs to treat each of your symptoms. If the symptoms line up to look like a disease that has a name, you'll be treated for that. Wouldn't it be easier (and cheaper) to just eat an alkaline diet and eliminate the environment for illness?

The road to health & permanent well-being
To create the perfect environment for health, start eating the right food. That's why it's there!

Eat leafy green vegetables in their raw state (e.g., dandelion greens, spinach, red or green leaf lettuce, romaine and iceberg lettuce).

Eat raw sprouts (e.g., mung, radish, alfalfa, onion, lentil, garbanzo, sesame, soybean and sunflower).

Eat grapefruit and enjoy the freshly squeezed juices of lemons and limes.

Use extra virgin olive oil (packaged in glass bottles, not plastic!), unrefined coconut oil, sesame oil, almond oil and Bragg Liquid Aminos on foods and salads instead of acidic dressings that are loaded with chemicals and sweeteners. Good oils combined with the Liquid Aminos taste great on fresh vegetables.

Eat fresh non-leafy vegetables (e.g., cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers of every color, green onions, chives, parsley, cilantro, avocado, zucchini, leeks, garlic, celery, artichokes, peas and asparagus).

The above suggestions are just a few of the foods that will help you take back your body from bacteria, illness, GERD and deterioration. Try to buy organic whenever possible.

Read more about acid reflux in my previous blogs:

Burp! How to prevent & stop GERD
More food tips to halt acid reflux
Acidic foods can stop acid reflux and GERD
Avoid doctors to stay healthy & alive!
Do you drink a gallon of water every day?

Buying resources:
Bragg Liquid Aminos: Click on the link below to buy this wonderful, tasty condiment that will help alkalize your body. I would recommend getting a small spray bottle and refilling it with the quart size of the Liquid Aminos.



Sprouts: Buy fresh ORGANIC sprouts locally or grow your own. In fact, Amazon sells some popular models of sprouters for home use. The one on the left is the smallest available, but it can be enlarged if you decide you like sprouting and want to expand. If you've grown sprouts before and would like to jump in with both feet, try the larger, more elaborate sprouter on the right.



Oils: Buy organic oils in glass bottles. The exception is coconut oil, which doesn't deteriorate quickly and is not affected much by storage in a plastic container. I keep my oils in a pantry and out of direct sunlight. Don't store your oil bottles on a windowsill that gets direct sunlight all day. Also, don't store your oils in a cabinet above your cookstove. Too much heat (cooking heat, too) degrades fragile oils and makes them rancid. Rancid oils form free radicals and do more harm than good.

Books: I've recommended these books in my other blogs, but they bear repeating. They are the foundation for creating a healthy body. All are available at highly discounted prices through Amazon. If you can afford only one book, buy the original pH Miracle book on the left. If you can afford to buy both volumes of Back to the House of Health cookbooks, then you'll be that much further toward reaching your goal of no acid reflux! If you're interested ONLY in losing weight and would like to do it inexpensively and healthfully (and never gain it back again!), then get the pH Miracle for Weight Loss.




Another good reference book is The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health: Restore Your Health by Creating Balance in Your Diet by Christopher Vasey (linked below). I say this is merely a reference because his list of alkalizing foods differs in significant ways from those mentioned by the writers of the pH Miracle books. Depending on the extent and frequency of your acid reflux, you may be able to eat a diet with more semi-acid foods. You could always try Dr. Vasey's diet first and see if it relieves your GERD. However, if your esophagus is regularly on fire and you are on medication for GERD, go straight to the ph Miracle books and never look back!



* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

Manuka honey kills drug-resistant bacteria

The Tea Tree bush, which is indigenous to New Zealand, is known for its oil. It has soothing, healing properties and is available as an aromatherapy oil and is included in soaps, shampoos, scalp treatments and topical ointments.

Bees like the Tea Tree bush, too. In fact, honey made from the Tea Tree's flower is an extremely potent anti-bacterial agent. Ordinary honey is useful for killing bacteria, but manuka honey - as the honey is called when made from the blossoms of the Tea Tree bush - is even more powerful.

All honey is not created equal!
If you've been using honey from your local supermarket, you may not be getting any of the bacteria-killing properties of honey. Much of the honey on the grocers' shelves is heat-treated (pasteurized). Raw honey contains all the bacteria-fighting properties, but heat-treating honey reduces these properties. One of the reasons heat-treating is popular is that it makes the honey more liquid and easier to pour. Not a very good reason to remove the healthful benefits of honey! Most health-food stores sell raw honey, which contains the anti-microbial constituents to fight diseases and microbes.

Why manuka is the "king of honey"
Because the Tea Tree bush is naturally rich in anti-microbial constituents, the honey manufactured from its blossoms have the same properties.

A honey survey conducted by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Waikato in New Zealand tested 345 unpasteurized honey samples taken from 26 different floral sources, including manuka honey. They found that manuka had extremely high anti-bacterial properties and had anti-bacterial agents not found in other honey.

Most honey inhibits bacterial growth by generating hydrogen peroxide (your white blood cells fight disease by producing hydrogen peroxide). However, when scientists removed this element from their manuka sample, it was still a potent antibacterial agent!

Here is some additional research that supports the benefits of manuka honey or honey in general:

Good for your gut: Egyptian researchers discovered that honey increases beneficial gut flora (bifido bacteria and lactobacilli) and also reduced the effect of mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, which is known to cause liver cancer.

Kills E. coli, Staph and Strep growth: Researchers in the United Arab Emirates found that adding honey to cultures of highly contagious bacteria prevented further growth of the cultures!

Good for your teeth and gums: A study at the Discipline of Periodontology at the School of Dentistry in Dunedin, New Zealand, found that 30 volunteers using a special chewable manuka "honey leather" had reduced plaque (reduced from 99% to 65%) and reduced bleeding of the gums (reduced from 48% to 17%) over a 21-day period.

Manuka stops flesh-eating bacteria: British doctors at the Wound Healing Research Unit at the University of Wales College of Medicine found that topically applying manuka honey to wounds infected with MRSA promotes healing and kills the bacteria. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause flesh-eating bacteria.

If you can't easily find manuka honey locally (it isn't very common in the U.S.), click on the link below to buy some from Amazon.



Find more manuka products at Manuka Honey USA.

Additional sources:
J Pharm Pharmacol. 1991 Dec;43(12):817-22
Int J Food Microbiol. 2004 Dec 1;97(1):1-8
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Mar 14;6:6
Med Sci Monit. 2005 Dec;11(12):BR433-8
J Int Acad Periodontol. 2004 Apr;6(2):63-7
J Dermatolog Treat. 2001 Mar;12(1):33-6

* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.

"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates