Four Steps to Feeling Well for Those New to Natural Health

If you’ve made the decision that you are truly ready to change your lifestyle and claim your birthright of vibrant health, these are the steps to achieve your goal:

Eat Right

If you drill down health to its most critical and essential element, diet plays the most important role. We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Once you understand the critical role diet plays in health, you will understand the absolute truth of this statement. Your diet provides every single building block your body uses to create cells, to repair tissue, to move, to breathe, to exist.

Common sense tells us, the better your diet, the better your health. But what is the best diet? Hopefully we all know the traditional American diet ranks at the bottom of the list. But which of the many alternative diets hold the top position? Vegan? Vegetarian? Paleo? There are many to choose from. But I suggest, you don’t choose.

We are all individuals with particular likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, we are habitual creatures who seem hell bent on getting stuck in the same patterns and the same ruts. But this is a time of change, so… Take the first step–clean out your cupboards and pantry. Toss out all of your processed foods. Get rid of anything with artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. No MSG. No trans fats. No high fructose corn syrup. No foods that could be GMO, and that includes refined sugar. Toss it ALL out.

Next, you shop. A healthy diet consists of a wide variety of whole, unadulterated, unprocessed, organic foods. Meat and eggs should be free range AND organic. If you choose dairy (know that goat milk and cheese may be a better choice) be absolutely sure you choose organic. Milk is actually good for you if it is not pasteurized, but good luck finding it. And as far as meat goes, remember if you choose to eat meat, you are eating off of the top of the food chain. If that animal was fed GMO grains, you don’t want to eat it.

Vegetables should be the basis of your diet. A full 80% of your diet should consist of raw, organic, whole vegetables and fruits, more vegetables than fruit.

Grains should be whole. Why lose most of the nutrients? Remember, this new lifestyle of yours is all about nutrient dense foods.

Avoid the trap of becoming a vegan, vegetarian, or other “good” diet follower who has simply found a new way to be a junk food junkie. Processed food is processed food. Choose a great homemade smoothie instead of “healthy” cookies.

Get To Know Your Local Farmer’s Markets! 

A good farmer’s market (not a boutique gathering where they sell jellies and such) will carry the freshest food at the best prices.  Find one that sells organic meat as well as organic fruits and vegetables. Even if you have to drive across town or out into the countryside, the trip is worth it.

Detox

Good stuff in, bad stuff out. Your body has been accumulating parasites, yeast, heavy metals, and a full array of chemicals your whole life. It’s time to cleanse your body and help it to flush out all of these unwanted substances while cleansing your colon to aid in both digestion and elimination. All of those wonderful foods that you will be putting in your body need a fully functioning digestive system to extract the nutrients that will provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair and grow tissue, to create neurotransmitters, to create hormones, to maintain and build your immune system, and more.

Detox twice a year for the greatest benefit. And always kill excess candida and balance the gut when you do.

Check Out These Detox Articles:

Exercise

Just move. Your lymphatic system needs you to move in order for your lymph to circulate through your body. It has no pump, no other means than the movement of your muscles to circulate your lymph fluid. Try yoga, Tai Chi, walking, rebounding, anything that gets you moving. It’s okay to start off slow and gentle. You don’t need to push it. Once you achieve vibrant health you’ll want to move. It’s one of the signs that you are on the right path.

Supplements

Ideally, your nutrition will come from your food. But let’s be honest, we live in an imperfect world with farming soil stripped of its minerals. Even if the soil was rich, food loses its vitamins and minerals as it makes the journey from farm to table. So unless you are growing your own food in great soil, we suggest you consider supplementation. You may want to consider a nutritional supplement to add to your daily smoothie as well as vitamins, minerals, and supplements to aid in your detox. Source them well. You want only the best. We recommend Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula as a nutritional supplement to add to your smoothies. For your detox, you need a supplement to kill the candida, a supplement to rebuild the flora, one to MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations, and one to clean the intestines.

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Five Best Fruits and Vegetables for Heart Health

When talking about best foods for heart health, most people tend to focus the discussion on fat, saturated versus trans-fat or healthy omega-3s. Of course, the type of fat in your diet does make a difference in the health of your heart, but there are a lot of other foods that can also help keep your heart healthy in slightly different ways. Fruits and vegetables contain no fat, but provide powerful nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber to improve cardiovascular health. Here are the five best fruits and veggies to keep your heart healthy.

1) Strawberries. Two recent studies have found that consuming fresh strawberries may reduce cholesterol and oxidative stress that lead to cardiovascular disease. Both studies required participants to consume a diet rich in strawberries before testing different factors in their blood to determine the effect of the increased strawberry consumption. One of the studies, from the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, required that participants eat 500 grams of fresh strawberries daily for 30 days. During that time the participants’ LDL cholesterol fell an average of 13.7% and triglycerides were reduced by approximately 20%. The reason for this drop may be the anthocyanins in the strawberries, a group of phytochemicals that reduce free radicals.

2) Raisins. These tiny dried grapes may be a great snack for people looking to lower their blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. A paper recently presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Scientific Sessions found that when raisins were eaten as a snack participants’ blood pressure was about 4.8-7.2% less than participants who ate other snacks. It is believed that the potassium, fiber, and antioxidants in the raisins helped lower participants’ blood pressure.

3) Broccoli. This cruciferous vegetable contains a sulfur-based compound called sulforaphane, which has been shown to reduce blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Sulforaphane is a isothiocyanate, a group of compounds responsible for the health benefits found in all cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. This group of compounds has been shown to reduce inflammation, help improve blood pressure, and may even reduce the damaging effect of free radicals on the heart.

4) Garlic.  Garlic, onions, chives, and shallots are all part of the allium family of vegetables and have shown extensive health benefits, especially when it comes to cardiovascular disease. Garlic, specifically, has been shown to decrease LDL, increase antioxidant levels, and reduce hypertension. It may also reduce enzymes involved in LDL formation and the synthesis of other types of fats in the body.

5) Yams/Sweet potatoes. These powerful potatoes are consistently on the list of “superfoods” due to their high fiber, beta carotene, vitamin B6, and potassium content. Fiber helps reduce the absorption of dietary cholesterol in the blood stream, by trapping cholesterol and fat in the digestive system so it is unable to be absorbed. Deficiencies in vitamin B6 have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which may be related to the role it plays in decreasing levels of homocysteine. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant which may help reduce inflammation and lower cardiovascular risk factors.



How To Make Your Own Natural Deodorant at Home – Recipe

When I am at my healthiest, I do not have body odor. I smell when I sweat, but it’s really not an unpleasant odor. People often ask me what kind of cologne I am wearing, and I do not wear cologne. But my natural smell does turn to body odor if I am not eating extremely well or if I am stressed out.

When I was in a relationship, my girlfriend and I became very aware of smell. In fact, when we got used to each other’s smells, we knew when we were irritated, overly stressed, happy, and even horny. We knew when we should leave each other alone, and when knew when we should get under the sheets, just by body aroma. It is subtle, but something well worth tuning into and practicing. Imagine how much better we as a society would get along if we all paid attention to each other’s natural pheromones!

I don’t always eat perfectly. And there are times when I get stressed. Unfortunately, in the outside world it’s not appropriate to let everyone know that I am not in a good mood via body odor.

I have tried many natural deodorants. Many of them that claim to be natural are not natural and/or are not healthy. Most of them do not work. In fact, I have only come across three that have worked. One is made by a multi-level marketing company called Miessence.  Erin Ely, an independent marketing distributor, sent me a sample. Her website is elyorganics.com. The deodorant roll-on I tried worked great! It lasted 6 to 8 hours and it is truly a natural healthy product. This is by far the best all natural deodorant that I have ever used.

Another good one is Herbal Magic Roll-On Deodorant by Home Health U.S.  I found this one at Whole Foods. It worked for 3 to 4 hours and did a fine job of keeping me odor free.

The third best all-natural deodorant I have tried was Terressentials Super Protection Deodorant. This deodorant is powerful, lasting as long as anything I have ever used, but it has one very significant drawback—it leaves a white residue on clothing. For this reason I rank it in third place.

You could try these deodorants or you can make your own deodorant at home!

All Natural Deodorant Recipe DIY

Heat the coconut oil and the cocoa butter until they are liquid and combine ingredients in a blender, or a food processor. Place into a container of your choice and refrigerate overnight.

There are a lot of ways you can adjust this recipe. If you want a powder deodorant you can decrease the amount of liquid ingredients and increase the baking soda and you can also add corn starch. (Corn starch feeds yeast. If you have any yeast problems, forgo the corn starch).

You can make a roll-on liquid or even a spray deodorant by using less coconut oil and less cocoa butter, leaving out the baking soda, and adding more aloe-vera juice and witch-hazel extract (consider ¼ cup of each).

Add more cocoa butter (I’m talking about the real, pure, super thick cocoa butter, not the creamy stuff with the additives) and it makes for a great stick deodorant that you can put into an old deodorant container.

Feel free to experiment with essential oils for fragrance. For a masculine woodsy scent try oil of oregano, which also adds to the odor protection with its anti-bacterial properties.

If you have any all natural deodorant recipes or variations of this one that has worked for you, feel free to share in the comment section below.



Johanna Budwig Cured Cancer Naturally and Here’s How

Cancer. The very word causes a recoil, a visceral awareness that our statistical probability of “catching” this “disease” is astronomically high. Current statistics tell us 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. More than 1 million Americans are diagnosed each year, and this number does not include all forms of cancer.

We run for the cure, we walk for the cure, we donate more than a billion dollars a year to the American Cancer Society in search for a cure, but still no cure is found. There’s no shot, no magic pill, no elixir that will wipe out cancer. Well, actually, there might be one. We do keep hearing about miracle cures from cannabis oil, but it isn’t available to the one million American citizens who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Big Pharma has not yet figured out how they can package and sell it without decimating their lucrative cancer treatment income. So the cancer industry chugs along, with annual spending on medical care for cancer treatment totaling around 125 billion a year. Big business. Very big business. Through this conventional treatment, how many will die horrible, painful deaths, their bodies as ravaged by the “treatment” as by the disease? And why? Because there is no cure for cancer? Actually there is.

Johanna Budwig

“I have the answer to cancer, but American doctors won’t listen. They come here and observe my methods and are impressed. Then they want to make a special deal so they can take it home and make a lot of money. I won’t do it, so I’m blackballed in every country.” These are the words of Johanna Budwig. No, she was not a charlatan or a quack. Johanna Budwig was a German scientist, a six time nominee for the Nobel Prize, who held two doctorates, one in medicine and one in pharmaceutical chemistry. She also studied biochemistry, physics, and psychology. Johanna Budwig found the cure for cancer in 1951.

Budwig had been appointed by her government to lead research into the process of hardening oils into solids–in other words, how to make margarine. Through this work, she was the first to discover that trans fatty acids (hydrogenated oils) are detrimental to health. At the same time, she discovered how to cure cancer, along with other diseases including diabetes, liver dysfunctions, cardiovascular problems, and arthritis.

Budwig discovered that cancer cells are simply cells that did not have the nutrients needed at a molecular level (with the right photons and neutrons) to properly mature. She also discovered that unlike the red blood cells of healthy people, the red blood cells of cancer patients did not contain a fatty layer. This discovery led to her cure, a cure with a 90% success rate. (It is good to note that many of her cancer patients were stage 4, sent to her after failed surgery and radiation. One can’t help but wonder if she would have achieved a 100% success rate with early state cancer or even late state cancer without earlier conventional treatment. )

She cured cancer through diet and nutrition. Her diet is a nutritionally dense , additive free, diet without animal products with the exception of quark (a cheese) or cottage cheese that is mixed with flaxseed oil. This mixture of oil and protein gives the body the needed nutrition to heal itself on a molecular level. Cancer cells are sloughed off or absorbed and the body is restored to health within three months.

Budwig wrote and published six books and many articles. She would have contributed more, had she not spent many exhaustive years in litigation with margarine companies and was restricted through the courts, at times, from publishing.

Further Reading:
Recommended Supplements:
Sources:
  • Cancer Facts
  • Halme, Erkki, The Role of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Overcoming Cancer and Immunological Factors in General, Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients. Oct 90, Issue 87, p 710-711.
  • Cartmell, John W., Cancer: A Patient’s Perspective, Frontier Perspectives, Fall 97, Vol.6, Issue 2, p66, 4p.
  • Lake, Rhody, Famous Cancer Cures, Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine. Apr1998, Issue 186, p72-74. 3p.
  •  Roehm, Dan C., The Biologic Electron, Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, July 90, Issue 84, p 480, 3p.
  •  Dr. Johanna Budwig, a Remarkable Scientist, Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine. May2004, Issue 259, p170-170. 1p. , Database: Alt HealthWatch

 

 



Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium

If you feel stressed out, anxious, irritable, tired, run down, cranky, muddled, or confused, you may need to up your intake of B vitamins. If your intake is low, deficient or depleted, you will feel an instant boost in energy and well-being.

Vitamins are molecules that work as catalysts for chemical reactions within the body. The B vitamins are often found together, working work together to perform various functions. They help carbohydrates break down to glucose, the process whereby our cells produce energy, and they aid in the breakdown of fats and proteins, providing fuel or the proper function of our nervous system and brain. B vitamins are essential for neurotransmitters and nerve tissue. They help our bodies form red blood cells and regulate homocysteine levels. Folic acid (B9) and B12 are essential for normal, healthy, fetal development.

For proper B vitamin production and assimilation, one must have a healthy gut. Please check out How To Heal Your Gut for more information on that.

B Vitamin Deficiency

B vitamin deficiencies affect every system in the body. Mild deficiencies can affect mood and health, can cause inflammation and a host of other symptoms both physical and cognitive. Severe deficiencies can be life-threatening or be causal factors for serious conditions including anemia, heart disease, depression, pellagra, dementia, paranoia, and delusion.

B vitamins are nature’s valium; they assist with sleep, mood stabilization, and cognition. They are a standard treatment for PMS and for those suffering from irritability, anxiety, or depression. B vitamins are also gaining recognition as a treatment for stuttering, with favorable results for about 30% of cases.

Vitamin Deficiency What It Can Help Sources
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
Integral to converting simple carbohydrates to glucose. It is vital to the nervous system and brain and helps make new cells. B1 is found in nearly all foods but is often destroyed by processing.		 Deficiency can cause irritability, confusion, and weight loss.Affects the heart, the nervous system, and digestive system. Deficiency is linked to neuritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, alcohol-related brain disease, and beriberi. Severe deficiency can be fatal. Digestive problems including poor appetite, ulcerative colitis, and ongoing diarrhea. Increase mental acuity. A lot of B1 is used to process alcohol, therefore take B complex after drinking. Vegetables: asparagus, brussel sprouts, green peas, beet greens, spinach, sweet potato.
Beans & Legumes: navy, black, pinto, lima, kidney, lentils, peanuts.
Whole grains: unpolished rice, barley, oats
Seeds & Nuts: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds
Fruits: watermelon, oranges
Other Foods: liver
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Helps make red blood cells and is believed to help incorporate iron into the red blood cells.		 Mild deficiency results in cracked lips, swelling and inflammation of the mouth, throat, and tongue as well as inflammation of the skin. Impaired blood cell production, impaired iron absorption. A deficiency may be associated with cataracts and Parkinson’s Reduces homocysteine levels, iron deficiency anemia, hypertension Vegetables: Beet greens , spinach, asparagus, crimini mushrooms, collard greens, sweet potato, green peas.
Other Foods: eggs, turkey, tempeh, sardines, tuna
Vitamin B3  (niacin)
Needed to convert fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into energy. B3 is also an important dietary antioxidant.		 Mild deficiency causes fatigue, indigestion, vomiting, canker sores, and depression. Severe deficiency causes pellagra, a disease that can be fatal. A deficiency may be associated with Reynaud’s disease,schizophrenia, and Type 1 diabetes Lowers LDL cholesterol, raises HDL cholesterol, lowers triglycerides, reduces hardening of the arteries, and reduces risk of a second heart attack. Vegetables: asparagus, crimini mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potato, green peas
Animal Protein: tuna, chicken, turkey, salmon, lamb, beef, sardines, shrimp
Nuts and Seeds: peanuts, sunflower seeds
Other: brown rice, barley
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Critical for manufacturing red blood cells and sex hormones.		 Deficiency causes depression and irritability, vomiting, and fatigue. Helps reduce triglycerides. Vegetables: avocado, crimini and shitake mushrooms, sweet potato, green peas
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine and other forms)
Helps to form hemoglobin, is needed to metabolize carbohydrates and for   neurotransmitters and the immune system		 Deficiency causes depression and cognitive problems, skin inflammation, burning feet, sore tongue, anemia, and chronic inflammation of the body. Severe deficiency can lead to convulsions. Liver detox, PMS, depression, immune system function. Vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, cabbage, turnip greens, garlic, winter squash, bok choy, bell peppers, avocado, green peas.
Animal Protein: tuna, chicken, turkey, beef, salmon.             Beans and Legumes: lentils, lima beans, pinto beans. Other Foods: banana, sunflower seeds
Vitamin B7 (biotin–often just called biotin)
Essential for carbohydrate and fat metabolism and for neurotransmitters, tissue, bone marrow, sweat glands, skin, hair, and more.		 Deficiency causes nausea, muscle pain, anemia, seizures, and depression. A deficiency interferes with other B vitamins’ ability to help the nervous system function properly. Cradle cap, diabetes, hair loss, fatigue, rashes, and brittle nails. Vegetables: sweet potatoes, onions tomatoes, carrots
Grains: oats
Nuts: peanuts, almonds, walnuts
Other Foods: eggs, salmon, bananas
Vitamin B9 (folate–folic acid)
Necessary for fetal development, red blood cell development and control of homocysteine.		 Deficiency can cause sterility and infertility, anemia, osteoporosis, dementia, and cancer. Essential to prevent birth defects. Irritability, general, mental or physical fatigue, forgetfulness, confusion, periodontal disease. Helps prevent homocysteine build up. Helps prevent dementia. Vegetables: asparagus, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, Romaine lettuce, bok choy, cauliflower, green peas, avocados, leeks, fennel, summer squash, brussel sprouts
Beans: lentils, pinto, garbanzo, black, navy, kidney
Other: papaya, quinoa
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin )
Helps  make red blood cells, DNA, nerve tissue, neurotransmitters.		 Deficiency affects balance, causes weakness and fatigue, numbness and tingling in extremities. Severe deficiency can lead to pernicious anemia, paranoia, confusion, depression, delusions, and memory loss. Reduces homocysteine levels. Treats depression. Animal Protein: sardines, salmon, tuna, cod, lamb, shrimp, scallops, beef, yogurt, milk

Supplementation

B vitamins are water soluble. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, they are not stored in the body, with the exception of B12, which is stored in the liver. Due to this lack of retention, it is important to provide the body with these vitamins on a daily basis.

Update: Sciences is discovering that a healthy gut microbiome produces many of the B vitamins we need. Again, see How To Heal Your Gut.

B vitamins are nature’s Valium; they assist with sleep, mood stabilization, and cognition. They are a standard treatment for PMS and for those suffering from irritability, anxiety, or depression. B vitamins are also gaining recognition as a treatment for stuttering, with favorable results for about 30% of cases.

A healthy, diverse diet that includes plenty of vegetables, legumes, and animal protein should provide all of the B vitamins needed, however, our ability to metabolize B vitamins can be impaired with age, with digestive disorders, with alcohol consumption, with pharmaceuticals, and by certain health conditions. Celiac disease and Crohn’s disease for example, seriously hamper the body’s ability to absorb B12.  At 50 years of age and older, supplementation with a good whole food complex B vitamin should be seriously considered.

Vegetarians, especially vegans, face a serious challenge in acquiring enough B12 through their diet. Supplementation is strongly recommended.

Studies conducted more than 20 years ago warned that long term use of one B vitamin may result in a deficiency of other B vitamins. It is best to take B complex vitamins to avoid this possibility. Though this caution should be widely known, medical doctors routinely prescribe one B vitamin, such a B6 or B12.

When gut health is not optimal, vitamin B is not assimilated properly. If you have a B vitamin deficiency or just find yourself needing them regularly, check out Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases and The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them.

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What’s Ailing You? Could it be Your Mattress?

Are We Paying Attention to What We Let Come into Our Homes?

The average American consumer pays little attention to the detailed minutiae regarding the contents of an ordinary mattress.  More and more attention is being paid to what’s in our food supply and what we are willing to consume, while that which surrounds us and comes into contact with us in some of our most sacred settings, such as in our bedroom, is often overlooked.

Some of the following facts may be worth looking into, however. Being blissfully unaware of these things is not a recipe for a successfully clean, healthful, and organic lifestyle.

Did you know there are a number of known (and probable) carcinogens as well as other toxins in a traditional innerspring or polyurethane mattress? Some of these chemicals include benzene, boric acid, antimony, formaldehyde, and decabromodiphenyl oxide. There are more, but let’s focus on just these few, and take a look at each of these chemicals individually.

The Intruders

Benzene is one of the 20 most commonly used chemicals in the United States. It is a known carcinogen. Benzene can also cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness; it may be harmful to reproductive organs.

Boric acid is a pesticide commonly used for killing cockroaches. It is used in mattresses as a flame retardant. Many sources deny that it has any ill effects on a person, but some doctors beg to differ. [1].

Antimony is used as a preservative and fire retardant. According to Midwifery Today[2], in baby mattresses especially, this chemical can combine with a common household fungus, arising from a baby’s sweat and spit up, and result in three nerve gasses – phosphine, arsine, and stibine – which can be deadly to infants. Antimony can be found in both baby mattresses and adult mattresses, and in the case of a baby mattress, it is recommended to wrap it with a gas impermeable plastic to keep the gasses from contaminating the sleeping area.

Formaldehyde is used to produce many household products. The EPA lists formaldehyde as a probable carcinogen (with high or prolonged exposure). Some of the adverse effects of formaldehyde may be watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea, and skin irritation.

Decabromodiphenyl oxide is a flame retardant used to protect many different types of products and materials from the risk of fire. Older mattresses (prior to 2009) generally contain this agent as part of the fire barrier; unfortunately, however, many of the alternatives to deca-BDE are arguably just as harmful.

Mattress Off Gassing and Its Extension of the Problem

One of the main ways that a person is affected by the above-mentioned chemicals in their mattress, besides casual contact, is with off gassing. Off gassing from a mattress is when a chemical agent or agents are released as a gas from being dissolved, trapped or absorbed inside of the mattress. There are many VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) that typically off gas inside of a bedroom after a new (traditional-type) mattress is purchased.

A guest book[3] on the website Chem-Tox.com reports the experiences of 235 people who have had some adverse side effects, presumably from the types of chemicals discussed above, found in traditional mattresses and pillows.

Natural Solutions

The outlook isn’t all negative. Happily, there are available natural solutions to the status quo being provided in the marketplace. Some of these include mattresses made from botanical latex sap. Natural latex is hypoallergenic, mold and mildew proof, dust mite resistant, and antibacterial. Other natural ingredients used in mattress cores by natural mattress manufacturers may include wool, cotton, horsehair, flax, tufted hemp, buckwheat hulls, millet hulls, and coconut coir. These are all acceptable alternatives, provided they have not been treated with the same harsh petrochemicals discussed above. Beware of greenwashing. One can usually safely navigate through purported claims of natural and organic by looking out for certifications by reputable governing bodies. GreenGuard certification and USDA Organic certification are just a couple of the more trusted types of certifications that consumers may look for in their search for a healthier mattress.

What's in Your Mattress

Additional Sources:

1. http://articles.mercola.com
2. http://www.midwiferytoday.com
3. http://www.chem-tox.com

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Candida Overgrowth Symptoms

Chances are, you have Candida overgrowth. We all have Candida, just like we all have bacteria. And like the microbes in our gut and the rest of our body, it’s all about balance. The problem is that in this day and age, our modern diet feeds Candida.

Candida is a fungus, a kind of yeast. Candida is as opportunistic as they come.

I know very few people without Candida overgrowth. I know lots of health nuts who are aware of it. I know lots of people who take probiotics, who eat the alternative, healthier sugars when they do eat sweet foods. The thing is; I know very few people who don’t eat too many processed, refined foods. If it’s not whole, completely unrefined food, it’s likely to feed fungus. Even fresh, slow pressed vegetable and fruit juice will lead most people to an overabundance of the fungus.

Check out our latest: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

In nature, way back in the day, we didn’t have fruit juice. We didn’t have refined foods. Fruit was seasonal and much harder to get than vegetables. We ate pounds and pounds of vegetables. We pulled up leaves and roots from the ground all day. We got meat when we could, but there were times when that was hard to come by. Our brains need a lot of fuel, and before agriculture, it was much harder to meet our needs. Today we tend to think of balance as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat for those who eat meat. But most people are shocked to know that a true Paleo diet would consist of more vegetables than most people would have time to eat in a day.

Here is an incomplete list of symptoms and other clues that are likely to be caused by too much yeast in your body. And while most (not all) of these can be signs of something else being out of balance, more often than not, if you regularly have even one of the symptoms, you’ve got too much Candida in your inner ecosystem.

Most Skin problems are a Sign of Candida Overgrowth

Skin problems such as acne, Keratosis pilaris, dry skin, hives, rashes, dandruff, and eczema are a sign of too much fungus in the body. You know all those white bumps on the back of your arms? You’ve got Candida overgrowth. I’m not saying that whiteheads are fungus. It’s much more complicated that that. Sometimes aforementioned skin problems such as rashes are a direct result of fungal abundance, but other times, the issues are an indirect result of the colon microbes being out of balance. For instance, acne is often caused by hormonal issues. Hormonal issues are often caused by, exacerbated by, or at the very least virtually always are accompanied by, out of control Candida.

Athlete’s foot and even an itchy arch are also a sure sign of too much Candida.

Diaper rash is almost always candida.

Itchy crotch, itchy vagina, yeast infections, and a funky discharge from the vagina and anus are sure signs of too much Candida

If you need a shower every day in order not to itch, you’ve got too much yeast in your body. If you itch or feel a stinging sensation around your anus or your perineum when you wipe after bowel movements, that’s another sure sign. If it smells funky down there, while this may be perfectly normal, it’s also a sign of Candida overgrowth.

Body Odor

Yes, bacteria are one of the primary causes of body odor. But what many people don’t know is that “bad bacteria” (what we call bacteria that doesn’t benefit us) coincides with too much fungus in the body. If you need antiperspirant or deodorant and daily showers, again this is totally normal, but it’s a sign of too much fungus.

You may be thinking, “This writer must be some kind of non-showering hippie or something!” Yeah, well, let’s just say I don’t smell bad at all if I miss a shower. And while traveling the country I have gone weeks without one and smelled just fine. I still love a good shower as much as the next person. But I just don’t feel like I need them unless I am dirty and grimy.

Trouble with Digestion, Gas, Bloating

Digestion problems, gas, and bloating can be signs of other issues such as kidney problems, allergies, and more. But typically, whenever someone is unhealthy in one area, they also have Candida issues.  Too much Candida in the gut means not enough beneficial bacteria to digest food properly, and this can cause fermentation. Too much Candida in the whole body and even the stomach and kidneys are affected. While we’re on the subject of gas, slow kidney function causes flatulence, and as mentioned, this can be caused by too much fungus.

Allergies and Allergic Reactions

Many times when people think they are having an allergic reaction due to a rash with hives, this is actually a spike in fungus that is out of control. Antibiotics cause these reactions in people regularly because they cull all of the beneficial bacteria that balance our body’s ecosystem.

Seasonal allergies and food allergies tend to vanish when Candida is brought completely under control. It sounds radical, I know, but it’s true.

Other signs of too much Candida include thrush or a white tongue, itchy ear canals, and sugar cravings. Candida overgrowth also leads to a host of other health issues from insomnia to severe mood swings. While Candida is not the sole cause of most health issues, it accompanies almost every health issue.

For more information on how to get your body’s inner ecosystem balanced,

Further Reading:

Supplements we Recommend: