Mother Earth Organic Root Cider Review

Mother Earth Organic Root Cider is a blend of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, lemons, turmeric root, ginger root, horseradish root, garlic, beets, white onion, habanero peppers, and Serrano peppers (in order of prevalence). All of these whole food ingredients are GMO free, certified 100% organic, and raw. It’s also clear that the quality of ingredients is of paramount importance to Mark Welch, creator of the cider and owner of Barrier Island Organics.

The cider is not pasteurized. This had me curious, and Mark explained that the process they have implemented is a newly FDA-approved process that kills the pathogens.

When the cider is being made they add 9 pounds of vegetables for every 9 pints of vinegar. The process then calls for the mixture to sit at 50 degrees or above for 12 days before it is bottled. Then it must sit 6 days at 50 degrees or above before it can be shipped out. [This] ensures that all pathogens are killed. The PH must fall into certain parameters in both parts of the process. It’s the acidity that kills the pathogens, but what’s interesting is that the drink actually alkalinizes the body. The bottom line is because of this special process, the pathogens are dead, and the ingredients are never heated or pasteurized.”

I’m honestly more excited about this than I have been about a new product for a long time. I’m sipping on this cider every single day. This tonic will help the body’s detoxification processes, strengthen the immune system, reset gut flora, reduce inflammation, and so much more.

Everything in it is stuff we could all use more of. And it is highly concentrated.

We have a similar product called Shillington’s Total Tonic. It’s a decent product, but one I’ve never really pushed much because it’s expensive and I felt it was not as potent as it could be. Tasting the two side by side is a world of difference. And of course, you feel the difference too.

The cider has a 3-year shelf life but will likely last much longer than that, and you don’t need to refrigerate it. Use it as a daily tonic to help the body with all its functions, and take a bit more if you feel a cold, allergies, aches, or a headache starting. It’s the first thing I take in the morning, just a sip to wake me up. Depending on the cause, it may also eliminate stomachaches (though it could cause one too), and it can knock out a migraine.

My only complaint is I wish it contained cilantro. Shillington’s formula has it, and cilantro would be a great addition to really strengthen the chelating properties of the tonic, but Mark says, “Ugh, I hate cilantro. Maybe later.” In the meantime, I just keep throwing cilantro on my salads, and I do a shot of this Organic Cider with every meal.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron Have a Message for Everyone: Eat Less Meat

The Director, James Cameron, and former governor of California, former movie star, and former omnivorous bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger, remind us that animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the combined exhaust from all transportation. Cameron, vegan since 2011, and long time meat eater, Schwarzenegger, are promoting a plant-based diet. Together they are supporting China’s new directive that asks its citizens to cut down on meat consumption to prevent illness such as heart disease and diabetes. Schwarzenegger says he feels fantastic and tells us not to buy into the idea that we need more meat to be strong. He also says:

Less meat, less heat, more life.”

True Activist Reports:

According to the documentary Cowspiracy, livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. By utilizing land to grow crops that feed humans rather than cows, world hunger can be managed and the large amounts of methane produced by the livestock (which is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2 on a 20-year time frame) will be lessened.

It all begins with the little choices you make. Thankfully, eating healthy, plant-based food is easier now, more than ever. Whether you purchase veggie burgers at the store or opt to make your own, there are a variety of ways you can please your palate while helping the planet.

Schwarzenegger correctly advises: “You have to start slowly, you can’t just convince people to stop eating meat altogether. It’s a very big challenge, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done and you shouldn’t be on that campaign, but it’s a very hard thing to overcome.”

It doesn’t have to be difficult, and it can most definitely be delicious. Click here if you need recipe inspiration.

Arnold Schwarzenegger partnered with the Wild Conservation Society to raise awareness about the issue of poaching. In that video, he made it clear that poachers will pay for their crimes against humanity as killing African Elephants for their tusks is likely to result in their demise within the next decade.

Conclusion

It’s not that eating meat is bad for you, contrary to what almost every vegan argues. The concern with meat regarding health is if it’s factory farmed or otherwise unhealthy meat, how it was processed, and how it is cooked. Meat, when of healthy quality and prepared right, is not “bad” for you. Raw fresh produce is the best thing to eat, but if that was all we ate we’d need to graze on food all day, especially if we are active. Regardless, there are many other great reasons to stop eating meat or to cut down.

If you choose to eat meat, please do so responsibly, and don’t forget that your money will be a vote for cruelty or a vote for better treatment every time you purchase meat. Please be an informed customer.

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Study Shows ADHD Drugs Do Not Help With Homework

A small, first-of-its-kind, study suggests that giving stimulants, (like Adderall or Ritalin), to kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may not help them complete homework or get better grades. Instead, the research suggests these drugged children may actually “…experience acute and prolonged academic impairment and underachievement including marked difficulty with completing homework.”

Researchers compared behavioral techniques against medications in 75 children attending a summer school program for eight weeks. They randomly assigned children to receive either behavioral treatment that included daily report cards for kids and coaching parents to help with homework or a long-acting stimulant.

“Long-acting stimulant medications haven’t been shown to help with homework performance despite companies advertising their utility for homework time,” said Brittany Merrill, lead study author and a researcher at the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University in Miami. He added via email: Behavioral interventions are more effective than long-acting stimulant medications in improving homework performance among children with ADHD, and stimulant medication did not add to the effectiveness of the behavioral intervention.”

From the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology:

Evidence indicates that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience acute and prolonged academic impairment and underachievement including marked difficulty with completing homework. This study is the first to examine the effects of behavioral, psychostimulant, and combined treatments on homework problems, which have been shown to predict academic performance longitudinally.Method: Children with ADHD (ages 5–12, N = 75, 71% male, 83% Hispanic/Latino) and their families were randomly assigned to either behavioral treatment (homework-focused parent training and a daily report card; BPT + DRC) or a waitlist control group. Children also participated in a concurrent psychostimulant crossover trial conducted in a summer treatment program. Children’s objective homework completion and accuracy were measured as well as parent-reported child homework behaviors and parenting skills.Results: BPT + DRC had large effects on objective measures of homework completion and accuracy (Cohen’s ds from 1.40 to 2.21, ps < .001). Other findings, including unimodal medication and incremental combined treatment benefits, were not significant. Conclusions: Behavioral treatment focused on homework problems results in clear benefits for children’s homework completion and accuracy (the difference between passing and failing, on average), whereas long-acting stimulant medication resulted in limited and largely nonsignificant acute effects on homework performance.”

Reuters reports that children were excluded from the study if they had been diagnosed with autism, mental health disorders, or other medical issues that could negatively affect treatment with stimulants.

Despite being advertised as beneficial by the drug companies, this study concludes that long-acting stimulant medication is not likely to be a positive solution for homework problems.

The differences were significant. Children subject to behavioral treatment finished between 10% to 13% more homework and completed the problems 8% more accurately compared to the drugged students. The authors conclude that the difference translates into getting an average passing grade of C using behavioral techniques, while children on stimulants would average an F.

There are limitations to the study such as its small size and the potential for environmental influences that could affect the reaction to the medication. The authors also concede that more time on a medication may yield positive results.

On the other hand, many natural healthcare practitioners believe that ADHD is most often a result of being overtired, which is caused by many factors including vaccine damage, poor diet, poor sleep habits, and emotional issues. The fact that the drugs of choice used to treat ADHD are stimulants does support the theory of being overtired. It may seem contradictive, since someone exhibiting hyperactivity doesn’t appear to be tired, but it’s the body’s way of compensating by releasing adrenalin.

ADHD, like most other chronic health issues, is best treated with diet and some other hands-on, engaged approaches. Drugs typically do not work as well as suggested, if at all, and always (literally, always) cause problems. If you have ADHD, you would do well to cut out artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, refined sugars, and any stimulants, and get good quality sleep. And don’t get the flu shot.

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Dr. Bronner’s No Longer With Organic Trade Assoc. Saying They Betrayed GMO Labeling Movement

Most of our readers are familiar with Dr. Bronner’s, the largest soap and body care products company in the natural and organic sector. The company supports an increased minimum wage, cannabis reform, animal welfare rights, and has a long history of supporting the organic movement.

The Organic Trade Association, aka OTA, is a membership-based business association for the organic business community in North America. OTA claims to promote the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, and the public. The OTA recently disillusioned consumers who are fighting for GMO labeling by supporting the DARK act. In response, Dr. Bronners has cut ties with the organization.

Dr. Bronner’s, North America’s leading natural brand of soap and organic body care products, has resigned from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), citing the association’s betrayal of the consumer-led GMO labeling movement, and general drift away from the core principles that drive the organic movement. The OTA compromised their initial position of opposition to the DARK Act and lent the crucial support that allowed anti-labeling legislators to push that same legislation through the Senate and be signed into law by President Obama this summer.” – Dr. Bronner’s

Dr. Bronner’s has pledged to redirect its organizational resources to organizations that “…more authentically and courageously…” promote organic, sustainable agriculture.

We are particularly thrilled to support the Rodale Institute’s new Organic Farming Association and the expansion of their regional teaching farms across the country, as well as participate in the North American General Assembly of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) at Expo East,” says Dr. Bronner’s Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO), David Bronner. “We encourage all true organic companies, whether they choose to remain a part of the OTA or not, to support and participate in both,” continues Bronner.

This DARK Act was made possible in large part by what I and other movement leaders see clearly as the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) betrayal of the movement to mandate labeling of GMOs in America, forever preempting Vermont and all other states from mandating disclosure of GMOs on packaging.” – David Bronner, Huffington Post

Late July President Obama ignored roughly 250,000 petitioners by signing  Senate Bill 764, otherwise known as The DARK Act, into law. It’s a compromise bill developed by food companies that creates mandatory, standard, national labeling for GMO foods. The problem with the bill is that it does not provide a simple label disclosure on the package. It also eliminated the ability of individual states to force labeling. And to make matters worse, as the bill is written, this law might not even apply to genetically modified ingredients derived from soy and sugar beets. Companies will have the choice of using clear text, a GMO a symbol, or a digital link like the QR code. It’s assumed by consumer advocates that companies will choose to use the QR code, forcing consumers to be both vigilant and technologically savvy, which they say is not likely for people on lower incomes.

Professor Laura Murphy is the director of the Environmental & Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School. She says,

If Congress were really interested in providing consumers with information, it could have adopted Vermont’s on-package label that companies are already using across the country. Instead, Congress created a mechanism for companies to hide behind QR codes and trample on state efforts to provide their citizens with actual information. As if this weren’t bad enough, the federal law has a confusing definition of ‘bioengineering’ that gives USDA the authority to determine how much of a product needs to be bioengineered before a label is required, and prevents even the food companies from certain types of disclosure.” – ER News

Conclusion

With Bayer merging with  Monsanto, the TPP deal, globalization, and industry monopolization, It’s time to grow your own food! Don’t buy processed food. Stick to the produce and bulk sections. When GMOs can’t be avoided, take high-quality probiotics daily.

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GMO Labeling Bill Passes Senate – Did Whole Foods Sell Us Out?

On Thursday, July 7th, the senate voted 63-30 to approved a bipartisan compromise bill for a federal labeling of food made with genetically modified organisms. The bill is moving to the House of Representatives next.

Proponents of the bill say the law will be good for consumers, allowing shoppers to know what they’re getting, and the bill will provide a national standard for labeling.

There are three labeling options. Companies can label the food product as genetically modified or they can use a symbol that denotes GMOs, an on-pack symbol, the bar code, or the unreadable QR product code. When companies choose to label only through the QR code (and we guess that’s what most will do), the customer is expected to scan the barcode with their smartphones or call an 800 number.

Critics are quick to point out that this law will wipe out existing labeling laws like Vermont’s current legislation that does require clear and conscious GMO labeling. Also, this bill could exempt certain genetically modified foods from any kind of GMO labeling.

Proponents of labeling insisted that nothing short of text on packages would do. Some, including Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and erstwhile presidential candidate, also raised concerns over the definition in the bill for determining which foods would require labels, a sign that if the bill becomes law, legal challenges will almost certainly follow.” – New York Times

For example, if a biotech product is genetically engineered with items ‘found in nature,’ (such as bacteria), then it can be passed as a natural food product. Other GMOs, which cannot yet be detected by current technology, would also pass as whole foods under the new law. This would include foods made with non in vitro recombinant DNA techniques.” – Natural News

The USDA Secretary would also have the power to determine what concentration of GMO ingredients would fall under the labeling law, so it’s not unlikely consumers may ingest GMOs even after verifying that the QR bar Code says no GMO.

Even if the customer has a phone and a QR bar code app, and wants to take the time to scan the product, more often than not, cell phones don’t work at all or the internet is extremely slow inside a grocery store. Some grocery stores don’t even allow cell phones (This is true for Dekalb Farmer’s Market in Decatur Georgia. Be sure to check them out if you haven’t).

The law will not go into effect for two years if it does make it all the way to be signed into law. Consumers will have to wait, and no other states will be able to legislate labeling in the meantime.

Is Whole Foods in Cahoots With Monsanto?

Walter Robb, the CEO of Whole Foods backs the new bill, saying:

The alternative is that Vermont goes into effect and then there’s a number of other states behind that, it makes it difficult for manufacturers to be able to label and label to that different standard…

And I think the way she’s put the bill together, which is to give manufacturers choices, is I think the marketplace and the customers will take it from here… so obviously, I think she’s done a great piece of work… we are already are out there further with our commitment to full transparency by 2018. We’re not gonna… we’re looking at how these two live with each other, but we’re already past that, but I think in this day and age, to come together, to create some sort of a reasonable standard that manufacturers can… and gives the customer a lot more information is a pretty good thing.”

Whole Foods backed the bill. As Walter made clear, Whole Foods is looking out for their food manufacturers first and foremost. Whole Foods has helped champion the idea of food transparency, but the company would not get behind previous, more conscious legislation to label GMO foods. This bill’s ambiguous text leaves a lot to be interpreted, and it is clear this is a bill written by the food companies in an attempt to appease the public without actually affecting GMO sales.

Conclusion

If the bill passes into law, is it a step in the right direction? Maybe. It depends on how the legislation plays out. The bill, as it is now, leaves so much up for interpretation. The harder the public pushes for transparency, the more likely the bill will get better for consumers along the way, or get replaced by something better. Regardless, the best way to avoid GMOs is to avoid buying processed, manufactured food. Stick to the produce section in grocery stores (whole produce GMOs are very rare), visit your local farmer’s markets and get to know the farmers (not the guys who buy food from distributors and pretend to be farmers, get to know the actual farmers). And grow your own food! It’ll be interesting to see what happens with labeling whole produce if the bill passes and more foods do get genetically modified.

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How Himalayan Salt Lamps Work

Have you been wondering what the deal is with those salt lamps? It’s not just the nice ambient light. Salt lamps actually help filter the air, removing dirt, pollen, bacteria, viruses, pet dander, mold spores, positive ions, and more. Right now, salt lamps seem to be all the rage within the natural health community. Users report a dramatic change in the quality of air in their home, leading to many health benefits.

Reported health benefits of Himalayan salt lamps include:

  • Improves difficulty with breathing
  • Reduces allergy symptoms
  • Less stress due to a calming and soothing effect
  • Better cognitive function, ablility to concentrate
  • Less fatigue when working for long periods around other electronics
  • Fewer headaches and migraines
  • Reduced symptoms from many autoimmune diseases like rheumatism and arthritis.
  • Skin is healthier, more supple
  • Insomnia is relieved (though those who suffer from insomnia may not do well with the light on at night; reviews are mixed on this issue)
  • Fresher air that smells better and feels better to breathe
  • A better overall sense of health and wellbeing

See for yourself. If you typically sit and work at a computer for your job, this will be easy. Put a salt lamp on your desk next to you for a day and compare the difference. Anyone who is in tune with their body will be able to feel it easily, but understanding why this happens is a bit more complicated, but very illuminating (pun intended).

(you can purchase salt lamps here)

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Positive and Negative Ions

An ion is a molecule that, through environmental influences, has lost or gained an electron. The names seem a little backward from our perspective. Positive ions have a negative effect on us while negative ions have a positive effect. Positive ions are usually carbon dioxide molecules that have been stripped of an electron. Negative ions are usually oxygen molecules that have gained an electron. Negative and positive ions are drawn to each other. They bind to neutralize.

Positive ions are created by electrical equipment: clothes dryers, computers, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, televisions, electric stoves, wireless networks, etc. They are also created by pollution. City air is filled with positive ions.

Negative ions are abundant in nature, especially in forests, near the ocean, and near waterfalls. They are created by the movement of water, by sunlight, and by the Earth’s radiation. When you sit beside a waterfall or stand on the beach near the ocean, you breathe in air that just seems to fill you with energy. This is the effect of negative ions.

Incidentally, old growth forests produce many more ions than young forests.

The trouble is, with our lives predominantly spent in offices, houses, and cars, we’re blocking out nature’s negative ions while we produce positive ions that bombard our bodies virtually every minute of every day.

EMFs, like daylight, and blue and white lights, depress the conversion of serotonin to melatonin, and melatonin is what the body needs for quality sleep.

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The Positive Health Benefits of Negative Ions

This is what most sellers of salt lamps focus on.

Bacteria, mold, and yeast flourish in a positive ion environment. Many allergens and other air pollutants are positively charged, and the positive ions themselves are believed to have a detrimental effect on our health as well. Research is really just getting started in this area, and it is a source of much debate and contention. A this point, we do know that at least there are serious health issues with some people when exposed to EMFs.

Negative ions will “detoxify” the air. The negative ions attach to the positively charged particles in large numbers, causing mold spores, pollen, pet dander, cigarette smoke, bacteria, viruses, odors, dust, and other hazardous airborne particles to become too heavy to stay airborne. But negative ions by themselves seem to provide health benefits as well. This surfeit of negative ions has long been associated with improvements in mood and physical health. It’s still early, but research conducted in the last decade is now starting to show that negative ions have a net positive effect on our health (aside from the aforementioned benefits of neutralizing the air). Ideally, we should be spending most of our time in nature not only to get away from positive ions, but to immerse ourselves in negative ions.

One of the most tantalizing hints regarding negative ions and health surfaced when German researchers discovered a link between catecholamine regulation and lifespan after depriving experimental animals of negative ions. First, researchers at the Goldstein and Lewin Dept. of Medical Research in Stahnsdorf, Germany isolated mice and rats in air-tight, sealed acrylic cases. Next, they filtered the ambient air to remove all negative ions from the sealed cases. Their research led to the discovery that a prolonged deficiency of negative ions led to an accelerated rate of death for the experimental animals. Examination of the animals led researchers to conclude that the results ‘…strongly suggest that animal death is related to disturbances in neurohormonal regulation and pituitary insufficiency.'” – NutritionReview.org

Outdoor conditions away from the city have an average ratio of 40% positive ions to 60% negative ions. Inside our homes and offices, there’s a huge buildup of excess positive ions. This is why we have static electricity inside buildings. Rub your feet on carpet and touch a doorknob and you might get a shock, but you won’t be able to repeat this process out in a forest.

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Common building materials that contribute to electrostatic buildup include carpets, vinyl, plastics, drapes made with synthetic materials, wallpaper, paints, varnishes, dimmer switches, poorly wired homes (not up to current code), smart meters, and much more. Fluorescent lighting is a huge source of EMFs. Forcing people to work or attend school under this fluorescent lighting was one of the worst ideas of the 20th century. Most of our buildings also have poor ventilation and low humidity which allows static energy to build up.  As if that wasn’t enough, the ductwork, copy machines, printers, computers, and other devices that ground will actually ground off the beneficial negative ions, leaving a greater number of positive ions.

Bacteria, mold and yeast flourish in a positive ion environment. Ductwork, copy machines, computers and other devices ground off negative ions resulting in a greater number of positive ions. The grounding off of negative ions in HVAC systems contributes to bacteria and mold growth in the air distribution network. Frequent cleaning of ductwork and sanitizing it with a non-toxic citric cleanser can eliminate a predisposition to ‘sick building syndrome,’ but will not solve negative ion depletion.”  – Richard Crowther

How Do Salt Lamps Generate Negative Ions?

Salt attracts moisture. The small amount of heat given off by the light bulb inside of the block of salt creates heat, evaporating the moisture. This evaporation action, as previously mentioned, will reduce the amount of positive ions in the room, which in turn increases the amount of negative ions, and many also believe the evaporation process itself also creates additional negative ions. There’s some debate on this issue. Salt lamps may not actually literally generate negative ions themselves. Regardless, we do know for sure that they do reduce the amount of positive ions in the air, increasing the ratio of negative to positive ions by way of attracting positively charged water molecules and exhausting neutral vapor into the air.

When a negative ion comes in contact with a positive ion they neutralize one another. Negative ions attach themselves to the positively charged molecules floating in the air and the molecules become too heavy to remain airborne. And as they fall, they take the airborne allergens and toxins with them, as mentioned in an earlier paragraph.

If salt lamps produce negative ions, even a very large salt lamp will only produce them in a small radius. But as mentioned, after some time, the room will be full of negative ions. A negative ion generator would produce far more negative ions in the room more quickly. On the other hand, ionizers are more expensive, they aren’t as pretty to look at. Salt lamps definitely do remove positive ions, and salt lamps offer other benefits, too. While the ions are what most people who sell salt lamps have been focusing on lately, consider negative ions from salt lamps as an added benefit. They have much more to offer.

Salt, Water Vapor Attraction, and Evaporation

Water vapor is in the air we breathe. Indoor humidity carries a positive charge. Airborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, etc.) and other irritants and toxins use the airborne water molecules (humidity, vapor) to travel onto our skin and into our lungs.

Salt is hygroscopic, which means that it attracts and holds water molecules from the surrounding environment. The bigger the block of salt, the more water vapor it attracts, carrying with it the airborne contaminants. When the salt is heated, more vapor is attracted to the salt lamp, and the water is then dispersed back. Particles are left stuck to the salt lamp. The pathogens die while the heat from the light bulb causes the water to evaporate back into the air.

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The ambient air surrounding a salt lamp is measurably cleaner by the transformation cycle of hydrogen and oxygen, as well as sodium and chloride ions. This characteristic is especially helpful for relieving the symptoms associated with asthma and allergies in general.

The range for the wattage of bulb that should be used is pretty wide, but large salt lamps need more wattage to produce desired results but too much wattage will retard the lamp’s ability to absorb the water from the air.

Every week or so turn off your salt lamp, let it cool off for an hour, and wipe the lamp with a barely damp cloth.

Electromagnetic Oscillation

An electromagnetic field surrounds the Earth.  All life on this planet depends on this electromagnetic field of vibration. This field is known as the Schumann resonance frequency. The frequency of this electromagnetic field resonates at 7.83 Hz (cycles) per second. We also know that our brains (and we believe our entire body and all other mammals) operate on this frequency.

In its neutral state, a salt crystal exhibits the very same frequency oscillation value, just under 8 Hz. EMFs caused by electronic devices have very diverse, chaotic frequency values. As mentioned above, we now know that these frequencies disturb our natural electric field, which upsets the natural development of our cells, unbalances our hormones, disrupts our natural sleep rhythm, and promotes illness. We are electrical beings, and the wrong electrical energy surrounding us robs our bodies of energy we use to live.

The atomic structure of salt is neutral. It is believed that salt lamps are a natural amplifier of frequencies around 7 to 10 Hz and can neutralize those harmful, chaotic, electromagnetic wavelengths caused by electronic devices.

Himalayan Salt Lamp Color Therapy

The light emitted from a salt lamp may not strike most people as a substantial health benefit, but light color has huge effect on our lives!

  The Healing Effect of Light Colors on our Body and Mind:

  • Pink – Supports loving emotions, trust, compassion.
  • Brown – Supports emotional balance and emotional clarity, a “grounded” feeling.
  • Orange – Facilitates a feeling of security, beneficial to our nervous system, and helps to activate the kidneys and bladder.
  • Yellow – Encourages mental comprehension, and activates the pancreas, liver, and gall bladder.
  • Red – Strengthens the heart and blood circulation, contributes to a feeling of alertness.
  • Blue – Raises energy levels, suppresses melatonin, boosts mental clarity, and elevates mood.
  • White – This is balanced light which includes all of the other colors. White light has a cleansing and detoxifying effect on the body.

Consider our sunsets and sunrises and the different colors that come out of the sky. It makes perfect sense that we react to colors the way we do.

While we recommend LED lights over fluorescent lights for health reasons, it should be know that LED lights emit a blue light. It looks very white to most, and some bulbs look whiter than others, but it’s still a blue light to our body, which is great for daytime, but should be totally avoided as the sun goes down. This blue light from our computers, TVs, cell phones, and other electronics, inhibit the release of melatonin, which causes sleep disturbances and leads to other hormonal imbalances.

Salt lamps don’t emit blue light. The soft pink, brown, and/or orange light of a Himalayan salt lamp is soothing. The specific oscillation values of salt crystal lamps depend upon the crystalline color structure of the salt.

Some people choose to sleep with the lamp on. Some lamps have dimmers, but dimmer switches may put out enough EMFs to counteract the lamp’s effects when the lamp is turned down low. Some people say it helps to leave the light on while sleeping, but while it certainly is not as disruptive as some of the other light spectrums, no light is usually considered best for facilitating deep sleep.

It does make sense to use the light of a salt lamp before and after bedtime. If you want to leave the lamp on all night, but don’t want to see the light, try this: When you’re just about to go to sleep, move the lamp behind something and drape some dark fabric on the lamp, like a hand towel.

Recommended: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Where and How To Use Himalayan Salt Lamps

To receive the maximum benefit from salt lamps, position them close to you in places you frequent. For instance, if you work at a desk, put one on your desk, closer to you than your computer and other electronic devices. If possible, place one in every room.

Remember the salt attracts moisture and the light bulb evaporates that moisture. If the light is not turned on for several hours a day, it will become wet, enough to cause a puddle. If your lamp will be turned off for a long period of time, wrap it well in plastic, sealing out humidity.

As mentioned previously, it’s a good idea to unplug the lamp once a week to let it cool off, and wipe it off with a damp rag. Don’t use a damp or wet rag on the lamp when it is hot.

How to Choose a Himalayan Salt Lamp

There are plenty of low priced salt lamps on Amazon, at Walmart, etc. Most of them work (check reviews), and if you’re unsure, a cheap one may be a good place to start. But cheap salt lamps really are a pain in the butt. A high-quality salt lamp looks much better, should last for decades, and you’ll see its worth in comparison to a cheap lamp. Cheap lamps have cheap bases that break in no time, bulb fixtures that don’t stay in, and the larger lamps often come with a bulb that doesn’t have enough wattage.

Every Himalayan salt lamp is unique. The shape and colors vary. Generally, the darker shades of pink and orange are considered higher quality. Cheap lamps are usually a very light pink and typically have visible black deposits within them.

The bigger the size, the bigger the effect. The weight of a salt lamp is a good indicator as to how well it can clean the air. Price is, of course, a factor, so if your budget is limited, use these salt lamp sizes as a rough guide:

  • On a desk, a smaller crystal salt lamp between 5 and 10 pounds is large enough as long as the lamp is positioned closer to you than the computer itself. If this sort of positioning isn’t possible, 10-15 pounds may be a better choice.
  • For small- to medium-sized bedrooms that do not have heavy EMF loads (no TV, etc.), 5 to 10 pounds is enough.
  • For larger rooms, 10 pounds and up will yield the most benefit. If possible, get a very large lamp for large rooms and open office environments.

The shape of the lamp does not affect its ability to clean the air, but the type of surface area is important. Polished salt lamps like orbs and pyramids, while very pretty and still very beneficial, do not have as much surface area as the roughly chiseled versions.

Conclusion

If your lamp isn’t warm or drips too much water, particularly in humid environments, try increasing the wattage of its light bulb. Also, remember that you need to use light bulbs that produce some heat. This is no place for the eco-friendly LED. Most cheap salt lamps within the 6-12 pound range and any good quality salt lamp will come with the right kind of light bulb, but you will need to replace them.

Start with one salt lamp. Chances are, you’ll end up with at least one for every major room in no time.

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How To Prevent and Treat Vaginal Infections Naturally

You squirm in your chair as you feel that itch, along with an annoying, burning sensation. Oh no, not again…

Experience has taught you it will quickly get worse.

What Causes Vaginal and Vulvar Irritation and Infections?

Why does this keep happening? What can you do to prevent it? There are several causes of vaginal infections and vulvar discomfort.

  • Chafing and other physical reactions
  • Allergic Reactions and Reactions to Chemicals
  • Bacterial Infections
  • STDs
  • Parasites
  • Yeast Infections

Chafing

No matter how much you like the look, tight fitting clothes are not a great idea if they rub and chafe your nether parts. If those skinny jeans and those tight undies and thongs are rubbing you the wrong way, trade them for loose fitting alternatives. When the body’s flora is out of balance, damage quickly leads to infection. Skin irritation is damage to the skin. The skin needs to breathe without being in contact with toxic fabrics. Cotton breathes. Your nylon undies may be beautiful, but comfortably fitting cotton underwear helps air circulate and helps those delicate tissues heal. (Organic is best of course.)

Allergic and Chemical Reactions

Along with unnatural fibers like nylon, personal care and contraceptive products may be causing you problems as well. Soap, bubble bath, perfumes, douche solutions, vaginal lubricants, and contraceptive foam or creams are toxic and can cause irritation that leads to infection.

Soap and Bubble Bath

Stick with organic soap and consider unscented varieties until you have completely determined the cause of your problem. When you do use scented soaps, make sure the scent is from an essential oil, not a chemical cocktail. Aside from the current problem, you don’t want to slather your body with chemicals every day. Your skin absorbs whatever you put on it and draws it into your bloodstream.

Antibacterial soaps also lead to increased body odor because they kill the friendly bacteria on the skin that keeps the nasty bacteria in check. This is the same process that goes on in your gut. The friendly bacteria help keep your skin healthy. Quit killing them! After a few weeks of using organic soap, you’ll notice an amazing reduction in body odor provided you eat a diet of whole, healthy foods. And the gentle cleansing action of the right products will certainly help to heal irritated skin.

Read the label on your bubble bath or any other products added to your bath water. If it’s not free of sugar and organic, toss it. You’ll find that on the right diet and the fewer bath products you use, the better your skin will look and feel.

Perfumes, Sprays, Douches

Aside from perfumes included in soaps, many women spray or dab their under-regions with perfume, use douches, or use vaginal sprays. Stop. Just stop!

Your body knows how to cleanse itself. With few exceptions, you do not ever need to douche. If you think douching works as a contraceptive, think again. It doesn’t. So why would you ever want to rinse out your vagina with water and chemicals?

Do not use any perfumes or sprays. If you heal your body from the inside out (through a healthy diet) and wash with organic soap, you will not smell like your favorite flower, but you will smell great – like nature intended. If not smelling human is important to you, try essential oils.

Bacterial Infections

An amazing number of women were never taught to wipe from front to back. Wiping from back to front moves fecal matter into the vaginal area and the urethra, causing bacterial infections in the vagina and the urinary tract. While this is not at all likely when the body’s microflora is balanced, chances are if you’re reading this article your flora is not as healthy as it should be. Bacterial infections are said to be the most common vaginal infections, and many speculate that wiping incorrectly is the reason.

Anal to vagina sex without thoroughly washing first is also a cause of bacterial infection. If your lover argues that it is all natural and nothing to be concerned about, he’s wrong. Vaginas were not meant to handle feces, and feces, even from the healthiest body, can easily infect a vagina after the irritation of intercourse.

STDs

STDs such as trichomonas, gonorrhea, and chlamydia can result in vaginitis with a heavy foul-smelling discharge, or they may have little to no symptoms. If you are sexually active with multiple partners or have reason to suspect your partner may be, get tested regularly and use protection.

If you have any symptoms of vaginitis, it is always a good idea to rule out STDs.

Parasites

Like any other part of the body, parasitical infections are a possibility. Trichomonas, listed above as an STD, is a protozoan parasite. Other parasites that can cause problems include pinworms, scabies, and lice.

Yeast Infections

Yeast infections, caused by Candida, are an all too common cause of vaginal infections. These recurrent infections are usually treated with over the counter medication that may address the current infection, but never addresses the underlying cause. They’re also generally pretty slow to take effect.

How To Prevent Vaginal Infections

Diet is the basis to health and the key to preventing almost every disease. Feed the body the nutrients it needs to function at an optimum level. Detoxify the body to reduce the chemical and toxic load that interferes with proper metabolism and endocrine function. Exercise to move the lymph and aid the immune system. Ground yourself, soak in sunlight, and get enough sleep. Add a little joy to your life and you have the perfect combination.

The truth is, your vagina has its own ecosystem, much like and always influenced by the gut. Just like your gut, your vagina has a natural balance of bacteria, yeast, and other microflora. If you do something that sends that balance out of whack, you pay the price with an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria, yeast, or other nasty intruders such as a parasite or a virus. And one of the interesting characteristics of “bad” bacteria is that they don’t seem to mind co-mingling with parasites and fungi. Healthy bacteria doesn’t like to compete with anything that doesn’t belong. Healthy bodies have healthy immune systems in large part due to a plethora of beneficial microflora. People with balanced, healthy flora are not prone to infections. If they do become infected, infections are mild and quickly resolved.

So if you are a woman who is prone to vaginitis, your overall health needs a boost. Sugar is probably a factor. Sugar feeds Candida, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. If your gut is filled with an overgrowth of Candida, this yeast will affect your vagina and may also cause athlete’s foot and patches of infection on your skin. Dairy, drugs, and alcohol are also factors, and mercury toxicity promotes fungal growth and other infection as well. (Vaccines, mercury fillings in the mouth, too much contaminated seafood, etc.). Physical health and mental health begin with gut health, as the gut houses much of the immune system and produces neurotransmitters essential for healthy brain function and mood.

To regain your health, stop eating sugar and dairy (specifically, don’t consume pasteurized cow dairy) and eliminate artificial flavors, colorings, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, and most of the processed food in your pantry. Eat whole, fresh, organic foods, mostly produce, and mostly vegetables. Shoot for 80% raw. If you achieve this goal, your diet will be filled with nutrients and enzymes and the prebiotic foods that restore gut health.

What Not To Do

Avoid Antibiotics

Just as oral antibiotics wreak havoc on the gut microbiome, they will affect the vaginal bacterial balance as well, resulting in an overgrowth of Candida.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol can wash away almost all of your gut flora, the good guys and the bad guys. The problem is that it doesn’t kill Candida spores (almost nothing does). So while it seriously damages the entire digestive system, it leaves behind all those Candida spores to go to work on the damage. In addition, alcohol raises your blood sugar levels and now you have a large amount of sugar in the blood traveling around ready and waiting to feed Candida as they evolve from their spore form.

No More Yogurt

With one exception, Bio-K plus, yogurt is not a great probiotic. Stomach acid is designed to kill bacteria. When you eat yogurt, you end up with dairy and sugars in the gut that feed whatever is there to feed. Good bacteria love produce. The bad guys love sugar, dairy, and damaged cells. That’s their food. Limit the fruit and cut out anything else that feeds them.

How To Naturally Treat a Vaginal Infection

As mentioned above for prevention, a truly healthy diet is essential. First and foremost, eat right. A sugar binge can cause exponential growth of a yeast, bacterial, viral, or parasitical infection. With supplements and the right diet, a vaginal infection can typically be cured within a few days.

If you suffer from reoccurring vaginal infections it’s time to get serious about fixing the gut. See Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease for more on gut health. Below are a few supplements that can wipe out any vaginal infection fast, and we recommend treating for all typical types of infection (bacterial, fungal, parasitical) even if you think it’s just one, because when the body is prone to infection there’s always more than one type of infectious microbe just waiting for its opportunity to flourish.

Be sure to check out the further reading section as well, and along with supplements, follow the information here, Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included, for a powerful and fast detox protocol. Just following the guidelines for the detox will in most cases eliminate all infection, balance everything, and get the body completely well, typically within a week or two, but supplements radically speed up the process.

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