Flu Shot Facts Everyone Should Know

There is a consistent misnomer among the mainstream consensus that vaccines are healthy. If flu shots are effective, one could argue that the end result is healthy, but there is nothing healthy about the vaccine itself. In 2014, the ingredients include thimerosal (mercury), aluminum salts, sugars, gelatin, egg protein, formaldehyde, and neomycin. Nobody in their right mind can argue that allowing these toxins into the body is actually “healthy.” The idea is that the damage the vaccine may do is outweighed by the illness it prevents.

The question remains, is it worth the risk, however minor or major the risks may be? To answer this question, we need to answer the question of whether the flu shot reduces the number of flu cases each year. The CDC says yes, but most people don’t know that the CDC admits they cannot verify their claims.

If you’re on the fence about flu shots (or know somebody who is), the following is undisputed, inarguable information that can all be easily verified, information that everyone should be aware of to in regards to flu shot dangers and efficacy.

The CDC has no idea how many people contract influenza or die from it each year

The CDC states that they receive reports on confirmed influenza cases in children but not adults. Their website lists the number of annual flu-related deaths for children. The average since 2003 is 113 deaths per year. Yet they claim 25-35,000 Americans die from influenza each year. They base their numbers on cases of pneumonia, respiratory, and circulatory related deaths without laboratory confirmation that influenza was a cause. Many of these cases are the elderly who suffer from chronic diseases. The CDC claims their deaths are due to flu-related illnesses or that the flu weakened their condition, yet there is no confirmation that the patient suffered from influenza.

The flu is not usually the flu

Whenever we spike a fever along with muscle aches and pains we (and doctors as well) decide we have the flu. But we probably don’t. We may have a virus of some kind, or we may have a bacterial infection (which could also be from food we ate) or a fungal infection (like candida, which can infect the body just like a virus or a bacteria and show all of the same symptoms). Even if it is a virus, there are more than 200 viruses that cause flu-like symptoms.

Pneumonia has more than 30 different causes, influenza being but one of them.

The National Center for Health Statistics states, “Cause-of-death statistics are based solely on the underlying cause of death [internationally defined] as ‘the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death,'” Since the flu is rarely an “underlying cause of death,” the CDC created the term, “influenza-associated death.”

The CDC does not want to know how many people actually die from the flu. Or, they do know, and don’t want anyone else to know. When you put the pieces of the puzzle together, that much is clear. If they wanted to know how many people died from the flu, as in, how many people die from flu symptoms with laboratory confirmed influenza virus every year, it would be relatively easy to find out. We have those statistics for other diseases, but not for the flu.

The CDC does reveal the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of flu inoculations

In children, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine is reported to be a mere 66%. It doesn’t seem possible to derive a factual number for adults since the CDC states that tests for influenza are not reported. When laboratory tests are done to confirm influenza, they often show that influenza was not present. Perhaps this is why the CDC does not collect this information.

They guess which influenza shot to give you every year

The viral strain used to manufacture the vaccine is based on the best guess of which flu strain will spread during the next flu season. Add to this best guess scenario the fact the viruses mutate. Even if the correct strain was chosen, a mutation may render the vaccine useless. It’s interesting to note that while, as mentioned, the CDC does track the annual confirmed influenza deaths of children, but the CDC does not track what influenza virus kills them. We cannot find any record of how often the vaccine companies manufacture for the correct strain, or how often any particular strain of influenza is more or less likely to kill us.

For all we know, they could be giving people the wrong flu vaccine more often than not.

Flu vaccines contain aluminum salts & formaldehyde

The use of aluminum salts on the skin has been linked to breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and many other diseases. Aluminum, in any of it’s forms, is known to be extremely toxic to humans. Of course, injecting or snorting aluminum, as opposed to drinking from aluminum cans and absorbing it from skin products, is very different. We would argue that this difference poses a far greater risk to health, but vaccine advocates disagree.

Flu vaccines are not vegan friendly

Sugars (sugar often comes from non-vegan sources), egg protein, and gelatin (derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products) are in the 2014 rounds of flu shots. The flu vaccine is prepared from the fluids of chick embryos inoculated with an influenza virus.

Yes! Influenza shots still contain mercury

If you choose to take a vaccine, look for the ingredient thermisol. Thermisol is in multi-dose vials of flu vaccine, which are most of the flu vaccines.

Autism is not the most common vaccine injury being settled in vaccine court

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is an auto-immune reaction to viruses and vaccines. The immune system attacks the nervous system. Symptoms range from tingling and weakness in the limbs to life-threatening paralysis.

There has been a lot of news about the links between vaccines and autism, but settlements for Guillain- Barré Syndrome exceed autism and other child development cases in vaccine court. The number of settlements also far exceed the numbers of cases cited by the CDC and other pro-vaccine sources.

The CDC has no idea how many people contract influenza or die from it each year

The CDC states that they receive reports on confirmed influenza cases in children but not adults. Their website lists the number of annual flu-related deaths for children. The average since 2003 is 113 deaths per year. Yet they claim 25-35,000 Americans die from influenza each year. They base their numbers on cases of pneumonia, respiratory, and circulatory related deaths without laboratory confirmation that influenza was a cause. Many of these cases are the elderly who suffer from chronic diseases. The CDC claims their deaths are due to flu-related illnesses or that the flu weakened their condition, yet there is no confirmation that the patient suffered from influenza.

The flu is not usually the flu

Whenever we spike a fever along with muscle aches and pains we (and doctors as well) decide we have the flu. But we probably don’t. We many have a virus of some kind, or we may have a bacterial infection (which could also be from food we ate) or a fungal infection (like candida, which can infect the body just like a virus or a bacteria and show all of the same symptoms). Even if it is a virus, there are more than 200 viruses that cause flu-like symptoms.

Pneumonia has more than 30 different causes, influenza being but one of them.

The National Center for Health Statistics states, “Cause-of-death statistics are based solely on the underlying cause of death [internationally defined] as ‘the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death,'” Since the flu is rarely an “underlying cause of death,” the CDC created the term, “influenza-associated death.”

The CDC does not want to know how many people actually die from the flu. Or, they do know, and don’t want anyone else to know. When you put the pieces of the puzzle together, that much is clear. If they wanted to know how many people died from the flu, as in, how many people die from flu symptoms with laboratory confirmed influenza virus every year, it would be relatively easy to find out. We have those statistics for other diseases, but not for the flu.

Conclusion

The flu is completely preventable. The irony is that the flu shot makes a healthy person more likely to get the flu and a person with a compromised immune system is much more likely to be damaged by toxic vaccine ingredients than a healthy person. The more often the flu shot is received, the more likely an injury will occur, and the weaker the immune system will be in the long run. If you’re looking for more information on vaccinations, be sure to check the first source. Also check out How to Detoxify from Vaccinations, and Bullet Proof Your Immune System.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


How I Overcame Depression Naturally

I’ve been depressed. My depression was situational, but it did become very physical, and very chemical. It always does, if you live with it long enough. And I did.

I was depressed for years. I had good times. It wasn’t all negative. I had plenty of good times. But I was depressed. For months at a time, all I wanted to do was sleep. When you’re depressed, even if you’re having an amazing day, it feels like there is an ominous cloud over you, a constant reminder that it will start raining again soon.

The toughest part about being depressed was the fact that I didn’t want to get better. At the time, I couldn’t see that, but I was hurting really badly. Depression was sort of a release; there was no other way to deal with the tremendous amount of pain I felt.

I did overcome it. I needed more than one hand to count how many times I thought I might end it all. But today, I am a very happy person. The following is how I overcame my depression.

Mindset

I started a journal. I wrote every single day. I wrote anything I wanted to write, but I always wrote down anything that was bothering me, and I highlighted those issues. Whenever I was in a good mood, I would go back to my journal and see if some of the things that were bothering me so much still mattered, and if they did, I would see what I could do about them when I wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed and negative.

When something really overwhelmed me and caused considerable pain, I would wait until I was feeling very good and I would remember the incident. I’d make a movie out of it, one where I could watch myself from a distance, and replay it in my head over and over again with different colors, scenarios, distances, etc. I did it over and over again, and then I would see what I could have done differently (if applicable) and I decided if there was anything I could do at the current time or later that could make me feel empowered and resolve the issue.

If you have a very overwhelming traumatic memory, I suggest you learn about neuro linguistic programming (also known as NLP). In particular, I like the Visual-Kinesthetic Dissociation Technique for phobias. I find it alters perspections very nicely. And remember, life is all about perspective, focus, and the choices we make as a result.

I kept a to-do list and stayed busy! I added good things to my list, like exercising, meditation, getting grounded, reading fiction, reading for knowledge, making healthy food, spending time with family, etc. When ridding the mind of depression, it’s not the time to dwell. It’s also not the time to veg out in front of the TV or just hang out with friends. These are methods for “escaping” depression, and the results don’t last. Meditate. Read. That takes effort. Dwelling and worrying, or watching TV are easy and produce toxic results just like eating junk food.

Fitness

We can point to many studies and many more scientific reviews about the effects of exercise, including endorphin release, hormone correction, detoxification, healing, the brain, and any mental disease or health issue.

Your body utilizes, to an extent, a lose it or lose it system. Less educated people don’t use the brain as much as educated people do, and they are more likely to experience Alzheimer’s, and other degenerative diseases of the mind. Exercise helps everything, including your brain. And while I know first hand that it’s the hardest thing to do when you’re depressed, regardless of whether or not the depression is biological or situational (though it’s always biological), exercise is going to help. I like weight lifting. It’s primarily anaerobic, but can be done in a way that offers aerobic benefits as well. Yoga, Tai Chai, martial arts, running, swimming in a non-chlorinated water, and bicycling are great.

If I had to pick the very best, I vote for squats. You don’t even need weights. Everyone should be able to do 100 squats. It helps to detoxify the body, builds the heart, and almost the entire body so well, causes a better release of growth hormone than any other exercise, and you can do it at home anytime. I like what replicates nature (we used to squat all day every day for many reasons) and I like what gets the job done as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time with the most amount of benefit. This is why I love bodyweight squats.

Health

The brain is an organ. Think of it like the liver, the kidneys, and the heart. All of our organs can become bogged down with toxins and not function very well. Anyone who is depressed has a brain that’s not working well. Regardless of whether it’s temporary and situational or chronic, the brain needs nutrition and the body takes up and assimilates nutrition much better when it is not being bombarded with toxins. Plus, certain toxins can cause chemical reactions within the body that exacerbate and even cause depression (and other mental disorders).

Diet

I cleaned up my diet. When you are depressed, this is the time to eat lots of vegetables—raw, fresh, and organic whenever possible. It’s always time to eat lots of vegetables, I know. I say that in every article. But it’s true. A depressed mind is a mind without enough B vitamins. One very common reason for not having enough B vitamins is candida, which can inhibit the development and the assimilation of B vitamins within the intestinal tract.

Cut out alcohol and any other drugs. Drugs are toxins, and any toxins, especially drugs we use to get high or reduce pain, will worsen depression in the long run. That said, the reality is that sometime things are too intense to get through without drugs. Although I am a very anti-pharmaceutical person, I have been so overwhelmed that I chose to self medicate in order to survive (and I did it primarily with marijuana, which is way better than alcohol or pharmaceuticals). But the reality is that they are all toxic. None of them are worth it in the long run.

Sleep

With the right nutrition, high quality, deep, restorative and healing sleep is much easier to come by. It may take time, but it will come. If you suffer from insomnia (and depression often does come with insomnia), go camping if you can. Leave or turn off the cell phone. This can remove distractions and electromagnetic fields that disrupt hormones and sleep patterns. It can also facilitate grounding (more on that coming).

Supplements

B vitamins, balanced minerals, and healthy fats are imperative for anyone dealing with depression. The brain is mostly fat and B vitamins need a body with balanced and healthy fats to assimilate fats properly (which is used to build our cell walls; healthy fats = cells less susceptible to damage or infection). B vitamins are water soluble, but they are not utilized properly if the body is made up of toxic fats.

A detox is also a great away to not only help heal and reset he body, but to give you something to focus on that shows relatively fast results. It can be a nice stepping stone for natural health to become a hobby. Paying attention to your body, really listening to it and knowing what it wants and needs, is hard to do when you’re depressed. It’s also hard to get depressed when you’re doing it (paying attention to the health of your body). Make sure your detox addresses candida and parasites, since both can cause and fuel serious mental health problems.

I love raw oysters for depression and sexual function. I think of them more like a supplement than a food. They have lots of B6, B12, zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron as a whole food source that’s easy to assimilate. All of these nutrients are very important for brain health. Combine a dozen oysters with a salad, a good B vitamin complex and a good nutrition formula, and then I am ready to go workout no matter how stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed I am. And after a good workout, the depression’s severity is at the very least, drastically reduced.

If you do eat raw oysters, be careful. Do some research, and don’t eat them if you have a severely compromised immune system.

Grounding

If you suffer from depression, or you travel frequently, or you get stressed too often/easily, or you suffer from insomnia, grounding will be of a huge benefit to you. And if you don’t suffer from any of the aforementioned, grounding will still be a huge benefit for you. But nothing compares to diet. Supplements are a distant second, and grounding comes in third.

Conclusion

I’ve been depressed. I’ve written about it before. I am passionate about natural remedies for depression, but I know how incredibly difficult it can be. I know the kind of depression that makes your body hurt so badly that moving is difficult. I know depression so debilitating that the idea of exercise is laughable, and the laughter is almost painful; laughing is the second to the last thing you want to do in that state (exercise, of course, is the very last thing you’d want to do).

I am prone to depression and I have also experienced some very traumatic events and losses. It can be so hard to get over and chronic depression; it feels like a warm blanket that I have hidden under for years at a time. Once you get well, you have to figure out what being depressed was doing for you, if you don’t want depression to come right back into your life. You can also heal much faster when you realize what being depressed is doing for you, but it can be impossible for people to see that when they’re in the thick of it. Almost everyone who is depressed will say it’s not how he or she wants to feel. But looking back, when I was depressed, I felt exactly what I wanted to feel at the time. And getting enough motivation to make it through a depressing time in a healthy way can be extremely difficult, but it’s well worth it.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:


How Candida Leads to Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Other Mental Disorders

If you are depressed while you suffer from regular yeast infections, or athlete’s foot or have taken antibiotics recently, there is a connection. Our brains are inextricably tied to our gastrointestinal tract and our mental well being is dependent on healthy intestines. Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and a host of other mental illness from autism to ADHD can be caused by an imbalance of gut microbes like fungi, and “bad” bacteria.

Candida is the opportunistic flora that typically takes over our colon with conventional diets. Along with it comes other fungi, harmful bacteria, and parasites. An intestinal system infected with this kind of ecosystem cannot process and assimilate many of the vitamins we need, like B vitamins, which are imperative for brain function and found to be low (especially B6) in virtually anyone experiencing depression. Candida also breaks down the intestinal wall and leeches into the bloodstream, allowing other toxic byproducts to leak from the colon to the bloodstream.

Much of the body’s hormone production occurs in the intestinal tract. 90 to 95% of our serotonin, the key neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood, is produced inside our intestines. When the candida population reaches a certain point, it suppresses the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. A lack of serotonin leads to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Acetaldehyde, a byproduct of yeast (candida), also reacts with the dopamine neurotransmitter, which can cause mental problems such as anxiety, depression, poor concentration, and feeling spaced-out.

Candida impairs the liver’s ability to store vitamin B12. We don’t need much B12, but if we are low, depression and other more serious mental issues well develop quickly.

The byproducts of candida’s metabolism are toxic to us. Candida goes through the bloodstream and finds other areas of the body to make home in, invading everywhere it can and making detoxifying the blood every difficult for the body. The blood becomes sluggish with diminished regenerative capacities, and the body begins to age, ache, and develop allergies and then autoimmune issues, which all lead to and fuel depression.

It’s rare to find a person who suffers from depression and does not suffer from an overgrowth of candida. On the other hand, it’s rare to find a person in our modern culture that does not suffer from an overabundance of candida. That said, it’s very difficult to improve one’s mindset without a healthy mind. And you cannot have a healthy mind without a healthy colon.

Poor colon health does lead to poor brain health, as well as poor health within the rest of the body. For almost every major disease, both physical and mental, one of the most important things you can do, and the first thing that should be done, is to improve the health of the intestinal tract by killing excess candida and balancing the gut flora. A great way to do this is with thorough detoxification. Also see Natural Remedies for Depression and Leaky Gut & Candida. See the first source for more on detoxifying. We recommend a high-quality probiotic and SF722 along with a healthy, whole-food diet to kill Candida quickly.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:


How to Detoxify from Vaccinations & Heavy Metals

If you choose to vaccinate (or believe you have no choice), it’s time to detoxify. This is not an article intended to debate the efficacy of vaccinations, but merely to address the toxicity from vaccinations and advise on elimination of the toxins.

Regardless of what your position on vaccinations is, any rational person cannot deny that the ingredients in vaccines are toxic. In fact, almost every single ingredient in any immunization is toxic to the human body. Besides the vitamins and minerals, nobody in their right mind would drink a concoction with any one or combination of most of the vaccine ingredients (and those vitamins and minerals they add are toxic, too). Most vaccinations are directly injected into our bodies, allowing the ingredients to directly enter the bloodstream, which rationally, seems like an even more dangerous approach.

Vaccine ingredients (adjuvants and preservatives) and substances used in the manufacturing process, including vaccine-production media that are present only in trace quantities, include: sucrose, fructose, dextrose, potassium phosphate, FD&C Yellow #6, aluminum lake dye, fetal bovine serum, sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate, aluminum hydroxide, benzethonium chloride, lactose, aluminum potassium sulfate, peptone, bovine extract, formaldehyde, thimerosal, ammonium sulfate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, bovine extract), calf serum, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxphosphate sulfate, and ethanol. Vaccinations also contain many inorganic minerals, vitamins, amino acids, salts, and sugars.

If anyone can tell me why in the heck they put artificial colors into vaccines, I would love to read about it in comments. Does anyone really care what color an immunization is?

Obviously this sort of cocktail going into the bloodstream can slow things down. You are introducing heavy metals, preservatives, and a host of other inorganic compounds, most of which are not even found in nature, directly into the blood stream. Much of the vaccine material will not leave the body without assistance, especially with a typical modern lifestyle and diet.

Eat Well

The goal in order to detoxify from vaccinations is to flush the body of toxins, including heavy metals. There are a few good supplements available for chelation, but it can also be done with the right foods. Along with a healthy diet, the best ingredients for a natural heavy metal chelation regimen are chlorella, cilantro, citrus peels, spirulina, and garlic.

Most vegetables have some chelation properties, and eating combinations of vegetables increases their ability to chelate exponentially (this is true for all the health benefits). Make salads with more than ten different vegetables with lots of cilantro, avocado, and garlic every day. Avoid sugar, and avoid any and all refined, processed, manufactured foods.

Fix the Immune System

Sugars are present in vaccines, and sugars suppress the immune system. Sugars also feed parasites, viruses (indirectly), fungus, bacteria, and any other little creature that wants to harm us. These refined sugars travel through the bloodstream to wherever infection can be fed. As mentioned, lots of garlic is recommended, as well as the following supplements: oil of oregano, Echinacea, goldenseal, and goldenthread. These supplements, especially when used in conjunction with each other, will help purify the blood, remove toxins, and keep any infectious agent at bay, all while helping to repair the immune system.

In addition to those supplements, a B vitamin complex is recommended for a few weeks after immunizing. Formaldehydes, and metals like mercury and aluminum make assimilating B vitamins more difficult. Until the heavy metals are removed, the solution is to take a high quality B complex supplement and to make sure the digestive system is as healthy as possible.

Drink Lots of Fluids

I try to drink a gallon of cranberry lemonade with stevia and cayenne (click for recipe) every day. I am also 6’2” and I weigh 220 pounds. Use your best judgment. For most people, a gallon of water a has huge benefits including flushing out our system or toxins, heavy metals, and impurities, detoxifying our blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing aging dramatically, as long as you are getting enough minerals and other nutrition while you do it. But to make drinking that much water even more difficult, for best nutrient absorption and heavy metal chelation, it’s best to take food with supplements and drink water (or lemonade) when the body is not trying to digest. You can also alternate days where you drink a lot more and eat a lot less, and vice-versa. This is a great way to detoxify quickly and get plenty of nutrition at the same time.

Exercise

Sweating, breathing hard, and moving help detoxify the body. Exercise also moves toxins that had otherwise settled, making elimination more likely. While you exercise, be sure to breathe properly. Breathe deeply from your diaphragm and expand your abdomen when you fill your air with lungs. It’s often said that 70 to 80% of the toxins we expel from our body evacuate through the lungs. The skin is the next most significant organ in regards to toxin elimination, hence the sweat with exercising. Running, exercising in a sauna (a non toxic sauna, ideally), jumping rope, rebounding, hiking with hills, squats, yoga, and tai chi are all great exercises for aiding detoxification.

Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy

Hot water increases blood flow to the surface of the body. Cold water drives the blood from the surface to the core of the body. Alternating hot and cold water increases blood flow and speeds up circulation. It brings fresh blood with oxygen and nutrients to the organs and glands and carries away toxins and waste. Dr. Shillington suggests starting with water as hot as you can stand for a minimum of two minutes. Then turn off the hot water for two minutes of cold—the colder the better. Alternate back and forth for a total of 20 minutes, ending with cold. Read more at Hot & Cold Hydrotherapy.

Supplements

Shillington’s Blood Detox is absolutely amazing, and in my mind, essential for any detox. With goldenseal, it cleans the blood, which helps every part of the body in every way.

Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula has chlorella, spirulina, and citrus peels in it, which is awesome for detoxifying and chelating heavy metals, and it’s the best multivitamin/mineral supplement I know.

Shillington’s Intestinal Detox & Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will repair the intestines, remove heavy metals from the digestive tract,  and promote healthy gut flora.

Boost the chelation with this powerful supplement HM Complex by Pure Encapsulations.

Oil of oregano, Echinacea, goldenseal (which is in Blood Detox), and Chinese goldthread are also highly recommended, and don’t forget the garlic and the cilantro.

B vitamin complex  is recommended for a few weeks at least, since heavy metal toxicity causes the body to assimilate b vitamins inefficiently.

Keep Doing It

Unfortunately, the amount of heavy metals and other very toxic compounds in vaccines causes a huge burden on our immune system and takes a long time to expel from the body. Where the toxins settle inside the body, determines what, if any, vaccine injuries occur.

Keep in mind that heavy metals can shift. And they are heavy, as their name denotes. They often settle at the feet. A footbath detox works well for pulling toxins from the feet. More importantly, keep eating well, keep drinking lots of fluids, keep chelating, and keep exercising and detoxifying. The reality is, the healthier an individual is, the less likely they are to be injured by vaccines.

Regardless of their efficacy, the irony is, the healthier a person is, the less benefit they could possibly derive from vaccines. Also check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

Sources:



Reversing Erectile Dysfunction Naturally

Let’s face it, for most of your life your penis has had a mind of its own. How many times has it chosen the most inopportune moment to stand at attention? And now that you are older, it has become obstinate. Once again it is uncooperative, but now it refuses to rise to the occasion.

Sexual response is complicated. It is dependent on a combination of physical and emotional factors that either work together or work against your desires. If you find yourself having difficulty obtaining and maintaining an erection, the first thing you need to do is get your mind straight. If you let your fears get in the way, you’ll set up a trigger that will shoot you down–literally.

You’re not 18 anymore. Face it. It’s a fact. Your manhood is not at risk. Neither is your relationship. If you rely on one part of your anatomy to please your partner, you have bigger problems to solve. Know that you can please your partner with or without an erection. Once you put this problem into perspective and not let it get in the way of intimacy, half the battle is won.

So what are the physical causes of erectile dysfunction? There are many, but most of them come down to blood flow. If you are doing anything to your body to inhibit blood flow and healthy circulation, you need to stop. The first question is whether or not you smoke.

Over time, smoking constricts blood vessels. Blood flow is essential to erections. If you smoke, drink excessively, or take drugs, you need to decide which is more important to you. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter if these are habits you’ve indulged in all your life. You knew they were bad for you, and they have taken their toll on your vascular health.

If your vessels are clogged with cholesterol and plaque, your prostrate is swollen, you are obese, you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or you are popping a dozen prescribed pills, it is not too late to turn it all around and regain your health.

Step One – a Healthy Diet

A truly healthy diet is the foundation to eliminate any disease or dysfunction. The basis of a truly healthy diet is produce. A full 80% of your diet should consist of fresh, raw, organic produce–more vegetables than fruit. Stop eating processed foods. Don’t eat anything with artificial flavors, colorings, or preservatives. No MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, GMOs, trans fats, or chemicals you can’t identify. If you eat real food–not food from a box or can–this is pretty easy. You need to eat a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, healthy omega 3 fats, and protein. If you eat meat, eat organic meat. Conventional meat is filled with hormones and antibiotics, plus the animals were probably raised on GMO feed. While you’re at it, eliminate sugar and caffeine.

This diet will eliminate nearly every disease, including type II diabetes. Your blood sugar will level out and your organs, immune system, and circulatory system will receive the nutrients they need to revitalize and heal. See link below for more information on a healthy diet.

Dietary additions that can help your circulation and vessel health:

  • Garlic – Fresh garlic is good for you in every way.
  • Turmeric- The curcumin in turmeric has many benefits and helps with circulation.
  • Cayenne – This pepper is the best for the circulatory system.
  • Goldenseal – Orangeroot (another name for goldenseal) helps detoxify the blood.
  • Omega 3s – Oily fish, flax seed oil, fish oil, or blended oils with Omega 3s create better circulation and less inflammation.

Step Two – Detox and Eliminate Candida

If you’ve been eating the typical American diet and taking antibiotics, you gut is totally out of balance and your body is filled with toxins. Cleanse your body so it can focus on healing. To learn how to detox and kill Candida, see the further reading section below.

Step Three – Balance Your Hormones and Take Supplements To Help Your Body Heal

Supplements Proven to Help Erectile Dysfunction

  • Panax ginseng, called “herbal viagra.” 600-100 mg 3 x a day
  • Rhodiola rosea, take 150-200 mg a day
  • DHEA is an natural hormone produced by the adrenals–helps to make testosterone
  • L-arginine is an amino acid that helps relax blood vessels
  • B vitamin complex for healthy nerves and blood vessels
  • Take Magnesium with calcium or soak in epsom salts for 40 minutes)
  • Maca Root restores sexual health without raising hormone levels
  • Saw palmetto berry treats enlarged prostate symptoms, like pain and irritation, and stimulates male hormones, libido, and fertility
  • Damiana leaf contains aphrodisiac properties and improves the sex drive
  • Yohimbe bark has been used to treat erectile dysfunction
  • Siberian ginseng root revitalizes the adrenals, where hormones are produced
  • Garlic promotes a healthy circulatory system
  • Brazilian ginseng root and American ginseng increase energy and enhance endurance
  • Sarsaparilla root gives the body an elevated dose of testosterone
  • Ginger root increases circulation in the body
  • Korean ginseng and Chinese ginseng warm the body and help deal with stress
  • Kola nut kills prostate cancer cells

Shillington’s Male Energy Formula Recipe:

This is an amazing formula for balancing men’s hormones. You can make it here or purchase Shillington’s Male Energy Formula on Green Lifestyle Market.

  • 2 parts American White Ginseng
  • 2 parts Korean Ginseng
  • 2 parts Chinese Ginseng
  • 3 parts Yohimbe Bark
  • 3 parts Damiana Turneria Aphrodisiaca
  • 3 parts Siberian Ginseng
  • 2 parts Sarsaparilla Root
  • 1 part Saw Palmetto Berry
  • 1 part Oat Seed (Green Immature)
  • 1 part Kola Nut
  • 1 part Ginger Root

Parts are by volume. Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 Blend of Alcohol and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

Combine this formula with Shillington’s Prostate Formula for prostate health, sexual performance, hair regrowth, more energy, healthy adrenals, better workouts and muscle growth and recovery, and many other male-related hormonal issues.

Unfortunately, we don’t have Shillington’s Prostate Formula recipe.

Step Four – Exercise

No, we can’t leave out exercise. You need to get your circulatory and your lymphatic systems moving, and there is no better way than exercise. You can walk, do yoga, or go to a gym. Just get moving. It would also help to do hot and cold hydrotherapy right on the crotch (see further reading).

The most important element to regaining sexual function is to know that there are many steps you can take to regain your health. In the meantime, as you are working towards your goal of a healthy revitalized body, you can still enjoy intimacy. Old dogs do learn new tricks, you know. Play and have fun. Just letting go of performance fear can do wonders.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
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The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

To say that hormones have an incredibly powerful effect on our perception and therefore the choices we make is an understatement. Hormones are actually a part of how we see the world. We use hormones not just to sleep, to procreate, or to respond to danger, but for almost every function of the body.

Our body is designed to be ready for anything. Different circumstances require a different combination of chemicals. Fear needs adrenaline, of course. When we meet someone we like, there is a different set of hormones secreted than when we meet someone we dislike.

A poorly working, imbalanced hormonal system makes it much harder to get through life. How can it be easy when you’re receiving inaccurate messages of how the world is interacting around you. Pretty much everyone is familiar with how PMS can change a woman’s view on life. Relationships, jobs, and life in general just don’t seem to work right when our hormones are disrupted.

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

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are liquid chemical messengers that regulate many activities of the body. They signal biological processes from metabolism, growth, and maturation to sexuality and reproduction (and everything in between).

The endocrine system secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream. The primary glands of this system include:

  • Hypothalamus
  • Pineal gland
  • Pituitary gland
  • Thyroid gland
  • Parathyroid glands
  • Adrenal glands
  • Pancreas
  • Ovaries
  • Testes

These organs are not the only organs that secrete endocrine hormones; the digestive system, the kidneys, the liver and bone also excrete endocrine hormones. In addition, hormones are secreted by the exocrine system. Cells in the body use hormones to communicate.

The primary medical problems that we associate with hormones are sexual and reproductive problems (ovaries, testes, adrenals), a slow or overactive metabolism (thyroid gland), poor blood sugar regulation (pancreas), stress related problems (adrenals), and sleep disturbances (pineal gland).

What Is a Hormone Imbalance?

We typically think of a hormone imbalance as PMS, but other hormonal health problems include diabetes, cancer, bipolar disorder, and the other 6,000 endocrine disorders that result from hormones not functioning properly due to overproduction, underproduction or disruption in delivery or utilization.

Hormone Disruptors

Many manmade chemicals are known endocrine disruptors that can affect development, the reproductive system, the immune system, and the neurological system. They are associated with various cancers (breast, prostate, thyroid, etc.), birth defects (including deformed limbs and sexual organs), learning disabilities, ADHD, and cognitive/brain development problems including lowered IQ, and fertility/reproductive problems. The greatest damage is done in utero.

Hormone disrupting chemicals are found in many products we use on a daily basis including cosmetics, body care products (soaps, shampoos, perfumes, deodorants, sunscreens, etc.), detergents and household cleaners, plastic bottles and food containers, pesticides and herbicides, metal food cans, mercury (in food and in amalgam fillings), phthalates (used to coat medications), flame retardants, PCBs (found in many things including paints, adhesives, and caulks, and wood floor finishes), DEHP (in food packaging)–the list goes on and on.

All of the horror stories we hear about chemical exposure and subsequent damage to the body relate back to hormone disturbances and how the chemicals interfere with the body’s ability to regulate its hormones. Too much or too little of any particular hormone is going to have a significant effect on the body. And yet, knowing this, the FDA continues to allow the dairy industry to pollute the milk supply with a growth hormone (rBGH)even though it has been banned in many other countries.

Our modern world is filled with hormone disrupters in the air we breathe (especially indoors), the water we drink, the food we eat, the products we put on our bodies (which are absorbed into the skin), and the products we use on a daily basis.

What Can We Do To Reduce Exposure to Hormone Disruptors?

There are many things we can do to lower our exposure to hormone disrupters: diet, the body care products and cleaning supplies we use, and other choices which affect our environment.

Diet

Choose organic. Organic foods minimize ingestion of pesticides and herbicides and eliminate GMOs, all of which disrupt hormones. Do not eat unfermented soy. Unfermented soy has enzyme inhibitors that severely disrupt estrogen.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Body Care Products

Again, choose organic. Soap, toothpaste, fragrances, shampoo, hairspray, deodorant, shaving cream, facial masks, acne treatment, sunscreen, topical medications–all can be purchased or made at home as a chemical free alternative to the commercial chemically laden products.

Cleaning Supplies

Organic or chemical free cleaners can easily be found at health food stores, but in reality what do you really need to purchase? You can clean nearly every surface in your home with vinegar or baking soda. Why buy expensive alternatives? Make sure your laundry cleaner and dish soap are chemical free as well.

Household Pollutants

Do not use chemical air fresheners. They have been linked to depression! Set out a bowl of vinegar; it will absorb odors. Or boil some orange peels on the stove. Take the time to find nontoxic paint and other home improvement items that will not poison the air. Carefully choose carpets, cabinets, upholstered furniture and last but not least–carefully choose your mattress! Open your windows and let the fresh air in!

Teeth, Vaccines, Stimulants, Birth Control and Candida

Teeth with mercury fillings, root canals, and cavitations can disrupt hormones. An overabundance of Candida in the gut disrupts hormone production. Birth control wrecks havoc on the hormonal system. Vaccines contain heavy metals and other preservatives that damage hormone production.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

How To Eliminate / Detox Endocrine Disrupters From the Body and Balance the Hormones

Again, diet is the foundation for all health and is certainly the foundation for eliminating any unwanted chemicals from the body.

Choose an organic, whole food, nutrient-rich diet with as much variety as possible. A full 80% of your diet should consist of fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. Meat must be organic! No artificial colorings, flavorings, or preservatives. No MSG, trans fats, or GMOs. Avoid processed foods altogether. Eat real food. Real food does not come in a box or a package. As much as possible, avoid foods in plastic wraps. If your food is transported home in plastics, remove it. Invest in glass storage containers (glass jars work just fine!) Do not buy canned foods.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Tap water has hormone-disrupting fluoride, pharmaceuticals, and a ton of stuff you don’t want in your body. The cleanest water is distilled. Yes, it is more acidic. Yes, it is devoid of minerals. Even so, given a choice of water available, it only makes since to start with distilled water for the cleanest, safest water possible. Check out What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and for Drinking? and Inexpensive, Easy Detox – The One Gallon Challenge.

The right foods and great nutrition will continually aid the body in eliminating foreign materials, whether they are parasites, viruses, bacteria, yeast, heavy metals, or chemicals.

Green Lifestyle Market has a host of supplements that help balance the hormones depending on the health issues at hand. Most everyone can use a Candida Detox, and either Shillington’s Male Energy Formula or Shillington’s Female Formula.

Recommended Supplements:

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Thyroid Disease Epidemic – How is Yours Doing?

Is your hair thinning or falling out? When you look in the mirror, does it seem that the outer edges of your eyebrows have disappeared? Have you gained or lost weight without changing your diet? Are you tired all the time? You may be one of the millions of Americans with undiagnosed thyroid disease.

Thyroid disease has become epidemic in the United States with numbers of confirmed cases at more than 12 million and estimates of undiagnosed cases doubling that number. Radiation exposure from Fukushima, perchlorate contamination of municipal and well water (trace amounts of this chemical used to make rocket fuel damage the thyroid), damage to the thyroid due to prescription drug use, and the explosion of auto-immune disease, which is a high risk factor for thyroid disease all suggest thyroid disease is on the rise.

Often, thyroid disease is misdiagnosed, especially in the elderly, as clear symptoms of the disease are passed off as aging, while doctors neglect to administer diagnostic tests.

So how do you know your thyroid may not be functioning properly? Who is at risk? And what are the symptoms?

Risk Factors for Thyroid Disease

Risk Factors include: race (Caucasian), gender (female), age (over 60), family history (family history of auto-immune disease or thyroid disease), an existing auto-immune disease (including Celiac disease), iodine deficiency or taking medications with high levels of iodine, heavy caffeine use, radiation exposure, smoking tobacco, pregnancy, or within six months of giving birth.

Thyroid Diseases and Thyroid Dysfunction

The two primary malfunctions of the thyroid gland are overproduction of hormones (hyperthyroidism) or underproduction of hormones (hypothyroidism). Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid tissue in such a way it causes hyperthyroidism, whereas, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. These two diseases are responsible for the vast majority of hyper and hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism include: weight loss, nervousness, moodiness, weakness, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shaky hands, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, hair loss, and red, itchy skin.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism include, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, fatigue, thinning hair, thinning eyebrows or loss of outer edges of eyebrows, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, impaired memory, adult onset ADHD, slow healing, feet or hands that get cold easily, insomnia, poor sleep habits, poor sleep quality, daily sleepy spells, menstrual irregularities, anxiety, nightmares, dry skin, and yellow skin (due to difficulty converting beta carotene to vitamin A. Muscle and joint pain (which can be severe and may be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia) may also be experienced.

Six percent of the American population suffer from one of these two conditions; 78.7% suffer from hypothyroidism, while 21.3% suffer from hyperthyroidism.

Other diseases and conditions of the thyroid include: thyroiditis, an overall inflammation and swelling of the thyroid gland caused by a viral infection or an autoimmune disease; goiter, a singular non cancerous swelling that can be associated with Hashimoto’s or an iron deficiency; thyroid nodule, a small, abnormal, non-cancerous mass or lump that may secrete excess hormones causing hyperthyroidism; thyroid storm, a rare form of extremely high hyperthyroidism that causes extreme illness, and thyroid cancer.

Structure and Purpose of the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is a part of the endocrine system, a network of glands that make and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. The thyroid, which is located in the front of the neck, above the clavicle, directly below the Adam’s apple, is a butterfly shaped organ with tissue that traverses the windpipe and lobes that rest on either side.

Generally we only think of the thyroid gland in relation to metabolism: an underactive thyroid causes weight gain and an overactive thyroid causes weight loss. However, hormones from the thyroid gland regulate the growth and activity of many of the body’s systems and activities including: the synthesis and breakdown of proteins, the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, growth and development, heart rate, body temperature, vitamin metabolism, calcium levels in the blood, bone growth and density, and the individual cells’ ability to take in nutrition and oxygen and dispose of waste.

Hormones of the Thyroid and Connection to Other Hormones

The pituitary gland releases the hormone TSH to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). T3 is used throughout the body affecting nearly every psychological process. T3 is 20 times more potent than T4. However, most of our T4 is converted into T3 by the body’s organs, if the body has the correct nutrients to convert it.

Calcitonin is also produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone’s function is to maintain the proper homeostasis of calcium in the bloodstream, reducing calcium levels when they become too high. It prevents calcium loss in the bones at times such as pregnancy and lactation.

How to Prevent and Treat Thyroid Disease Naturally

Both iodine and selenium are necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Without iodine, the thyroid cannot produce T3 and T4. Without selenium, the body cannot convert T4 into T3. However, too much iodine or selenium can do more damage than good. You may consider testing your levels and working with your health care professional if you decide to supplement with iodine or selenium unless you take a thyroid supplement that is properly balanced. (see below)

Foods That Benefit

The thyroid gland must have iodine to produce T3 and T4. Good food sources include the following:

  • Shellfish—shrimp, scallops
  • Seafood—cod, sardines, salmon, tuna
  • Yogurt and milk
  • Eggs

Selenium is essential to the process of the body breaking down T4 into T3. Many sources of selenium are the same as iodine:

  • Seafood—cod, sardines, salmon, tuna (tuna is the highest)
  • Shellfish—shrimp, scallops

But also:

  • Poultry—turkey and chicken
  • Meat—Lamb and beef
  • Brazil Nuts (2-3 a day) …and many other foods

Foods to Avoid

If you have hypothyroidism, medical professionals warn against eating raw cruciferous vegetables or suggest you radically limiting their intake. Foods in question with hypothyroidism include: broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, peanuts, linseed, pine nuts, millet, cassava, mustard greens, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. They also recommend we avoid alcohol and tobacco, and while we agree with that, we don’t necessarily agree with the cruciferous vegetable recommendation. We believe that a varied diet of fresh, raw vegetables can fix almost anything, including any adverse reaction to the foods themselves. Though, obviously you have to use common sense; if you smoke, drink lots of coffee, or rarely get enough sleep then a large kale smoothie and a kale salad every day isn’t the smartest choice.

For those with severe thyroid disorders, occasionally (depending on the thyroid disorder and the person’s diet), cruciferous vegetables can be debilitating if not cooked first. It doesn’t take much heat to remove the _____.

Supplements, Herbs, and Alternative Therapies

B-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, a good multivitamin with minerals, vitamin C, and probiotics will all benefit your condition. For hyperthyroidism, you will need good anti-oxidant support.

For hypothyroidism: L-tyrosine (500 mg two to three times daily. Never take this without your doctor’s approval if you are taking conventional hormone medication or if you have mania or high blood pressure).

For hyperthyroidism: L-carnitine decreases thyroid activity. (May thin the blood.)

The following herbs may help with hypothyroidism: Coleus (Coleus forskohlii),  Guggul (Commiphora mukul), and Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus). Do your research on these herbs if you are taking any prescription medications or have any other medical issues. Avoid these herbs if you have hyperthyroidism.

The following herbs may help with hyperthyroidism:  caffeine free green tea (Camellia sinensis) standardized extract and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).

Homeopathy, acupuncture, massage, and hydrotherapy may also be of benefit.

Regardless of the treatment you choose, your foundation of health will always be a diet filled with densely nutritious foods; 80% raw, organic, produce. Avoid all processed foods, artificial flavorings and colorings, MSG, GMOs and trans-fats, sugar, and caffeine. Drink plenty of clean water each day. Exercise and get plenty of sleep. Give your body the foundation that will allow it to heal. Check out Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies for more on thyroid health.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:

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