If I were allowed only one herbal remedy to treat medical conditions, it would be raw, organic garlic.

Garlic is nature’s antibiotic and more. Garlic kills (removes, eliminates, reduces) bacteria, colds, flus, viruses, parasites, inflammation, warts, fungi, and plagues.

The Benefits of Garlic

• Kills kidney infections
• Kills urinary tract infections
• Inhibits leukemia
• Kills and expels worms
• Increases insulin production
• Kills athletes foot (apply externally and take internally)
• Dramatically lowers cholesterol
• Helps with weight control and weight loss
• Reduces and regulates blood sugar
• Reduces high blood pressure
• Kills cancer cells (has been proven in numerous lab studies)
• Treats acne (apply externally and take internally)
• Soothes psoriasis (apply externally)
• Kills cold sores (apply externally)
• Removes heavy metals from the body
• Strengthens the immune system
• Kills strep throat
• Kills tooth infections

Things to Know when Using Garlic

Garlic Breath

If you stink when consuming raw garlic this should quit happening when the digestive system gets healthier.  Garlic + toxins = stink.

When the toxins are all gone, so is the stink. It is very beneficial when your eyes water while cooking with garlic or onions. The properties that make your eyes water actually cleanse and help kill eye infections. Garlic is great for just about every health condition.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut

Chopping Garlic Before Eating

Two components of garlic, a sulfur-based compound called alliin, and the enzyme alliinase, are kept separate within garlic. But when the cells are ruptured these elements are released, allowing them to come in contact and form a powerful new compound called allicin. This compound is responsible for many of the health benefits garlic is known for, along with its pungent smell and bite. The more the garlic is chopped (minced, pressed, etc.), the more allicin is produced. After cutting the garlic, let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow the chemical process to take place.

Personally, I take a different approach to receive the same results. To maximize the effectiveness of garlic, try chewing it for at least one minute while breathing in and out of your mouth. Chew for as long as you can, continuing to let the air in as you go.

How Cooking Affects Nutrients

Heating garlic without letting it sit has been found to deactivate the enzyme that is responsible for the formation of alliicin. However, if you have allowed your garlic to sit for 5-10 minutes, you can cook it on low or medium heat for a short period of time (up to 15 minutes) without destroying the alliicin. This is because letting it sit not only ensures the maximum synthesis of the alliicin, but also makes it more stable and resistant to the heat of cooking. – The Worlds Healthiest Foods

Cooking for:

• 5-15 minutes — minimal loss of nutrients
• 15-30 minutes — moderate loss of nutrients
• 45+ minutes — substantial loss of nutrients

Garlic Burns

Yes, it can actually burn you. When using garlic topically, be cognizant of this and remove garlic when finished with treatment. Don’t leave raw garlic pieces on the skin too long. When using garlic to remove a splinter for instance (see below) you may want to check every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure the skin is not burning.

Garlic left on an open wound can burn within a few minutes.

Personal Story from Michael Edwards

In Los Angeles there was a spider with a bad attitude in our apartment. He bit me nine times over the course of four nights. I do not know what kind of spider it was, but he was nasty, and five of those bites got very infected. I’m not one to get infections easily, but the spider that bit me was a potent little bastard! The bites were on my left arm near my elbow. I couldn’t move my elbow and I was starting to look like an Ebola virus victim. One of the bites was so bad that there was almost a third of a cup of green and greenish yellow, thick, oozing puss that I spent 5 hours carefully extracting, only to have it fill up the next day. I was taking tons of supplements and eating well; I was doing everything I could to ensure I did not get an infection, but this toxin the spider bit me with was unrelenting. I was also using some of the most potent herbs I knew of, putting them directly into the huge hole left behind from the puss extraction. During the third time (seven days after the bite) of removing the puss (I was cutting open my arm and literally digging into the infection, scooping out this nasty pussy junk), I noticed streaking. Blood poisoning. So I decided to take drastic measures. I knew it would burn me badly, but I filled up the hole with garlic. I shoved a total of four large minced cloves into the infection, which gives you an idea of the massive size of the hole that was there on my arm just below my elbow. Then I bandaged the wound.

It itched so badly that night, but my whole arm hurt and itched so much already that the garlic itch didn’t matter to me. I taped my hands in my sleep so my fingers wouldn’t claw off the bandage while scratching in my sleep.

The next day I awoke to a huge purple welt. It was three times the diameter of a quarter, and it looked like something had eaten a huge chunk of my arm. It was ghastly! But it was also uninfected! I had no itch, and very little pain right there, unlike the other bites.

The other bites had to be drained for infection a few times, even well after the wound closed. I did not do the garlic trick with them, as the scar that I thought might be permanent was massive and disturbing to look at. It took a month for the other spider bites to heal, and it took 6 weeks for the garlic wound to completely heal leaving a very large scar.

But here is what I found most interesting: today, one year later, every single spider bite left a scar, except the big one. The one I put the garlic into is less visible than the others. As massive and nasty as it was during the slow healing process, the permanent damage done was less than that of even the relatively insignificant other bites.

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

Growing Garlic

This amazing herb is easy to grow and is the best organic pest repellent you can have in your garden. Growing it interspersed throughout your yard will keep away unwanted visitors. In the fall, plant cloves with the tips pointing up, four inches deep, and six inches apart in direct sun. Watch them pop up in the spring and harvest when the tops start to turn brown. Hang them in bundles or braids in a dry place. Next year, plant the biggest cloves to keep improving the strain, and then eat the smaller ones.

Companion Planting

Garlic, in close proximity, will benefit cabbage, cane fruit, fruit trees, roses, and tomatoes. Keep away from beans, peas, sage and asparagus.

When planting garlic around vegetable companions, scatter the onion and garlic plants to minimize infestation by onion/garlic pests such as onion maggots.

The Garlic Game

When everybody in the house is sniffling, coughing and blowing their noses constantly, its time to play the garlic game. First you get the game materials together. Every player needs one large glass of water and a handful of peeled garlic cloves. Spin a clove to see who goes first. The first player puts one clove of garlic in their mouth and chews as fast as he or she can, then swallows it down with a sip of water. Player 2 does the same. The first one to refuse garlic loses and has to eat 3 cloves or stay sick as a penalty.

Whoever eats the most garlic wins. Anyone who eats an entire bulb is the ultimate winner. However, I do recommend you have some food in your stomach before playing this game, as raw garlic on an empty stomach can cause nausea and vomiting.

You may think that chewing raw garlic is intense and hard to do, but try it. It’s not as bad as you think, and it’s nowhere near as intense as our chili pepper contest.

Recommended: How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally

More Things Garlic Can Do

This miracle herb has a few more tricks up its sleeve:

Treat Alopecia

Thanks to the allicin, garlic (and onions for that matter) have been shown to reduce hair loss and help regrow hair. Slice garlic and let it set for a couple of minutes to maximize the allicin. Take the sliced garlic and rub on the scalp, squeezing as you go for the most benefit. You can also infuse oil with garlic and massage it into your scalp.

Remove a Splinter

Place a slice of garlic over the opening of the splinter entry and cover with a bandage.

Glass Repair

For cracked glass, rub some crushed garlic clove juice on the crack. Wipe away any excess.

Got Any Other Garlic Tricks?

It’s a powerful substance. Be careful, use common sense, and listen to your body when treating ailments and conditions with garlic. It’s an amazing herb and should be treated with the respect it deserves. If you know of anything else we should include in this garlic article, please let us know by leaving a comment.

Recommended Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Cayenne and Capsaicin, Natures Miracle Medicine

Click here for full size map.

What is Marijuana Decriminalization?

Marijuana decriminalization eliminates criminal penalties, such as extended incarceration for possession of smaller amounts of cannabis.

The typical penalties for people caught possessing marijuana within decriminalized limits (these limits may be anywhere from 10 to 100 grams depending on the state’s laws) are fines, usually a few hundred dollars. For first offenses, short jail sentences may also be imposed in states with stricter decriminalization laws. Subsequent offenses, and people caught with possessing larger amounts of marijuana (outside the decriminalized limits), typically receive much harsher penalties.

Decriminalization and medical marijuana laws are a step in the right direction, but we feel that marijuana should be legal in every state.  Polls show that the majority of public opinion has finally moved in this direction as well.

The problem is that lawmakers, by nature, are generally conservative, and typically slow to respond (more often than not, they didn’t get to where they are by being forward, progressive thinkers). They need to hear from us! If you think that marijuana should be legal, like we do, call your local representatives and let them know how you feel.

States That Have Decriminalized Marijuana:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

States That Allow Medical Marijuana:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington
• Washington DC

States That Have Legalized Marijuana:

• Colorado
• Washington

Do you have a correction or an update for us? If so, please comment and help us keep this page up to date.

For more information on marijuana laws check out our sources:

• vox.com
• mpp.org/states
• medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php
• medicalmarijuana.procon.org/

When someone shows interest in natural health, the first question is often, “Where do I start?” Organic food is often prohibitively expensive or hard to find, and there are thousands of supplements pushed, each marketed with its one promise to magically cure what ails us. It can be overwhelming, and getting started is, for many people, the toughest part.

I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that there are some very easy, relatively inexpensive steps almost anyone can take to holistically improve their health.

The bad news is that health and vitality is not to be found in a bottle or some other form of packaging.

I, the owner of Green Lifestyle Market, a company that sells supplements, am here to tell you that if you’re looking for a quick fix, an item you can purchase and consume to allow you to continue living a toxic lifestyle, this is the wrong article. And anyone who tells you that you can get all of your daily nutrition in one shake, smoothie, pill, or powder is only trying to sell you something.

Drink Lots of Good Water

I weigh 210 pounds and I try to drink a gallon of water a day. I need less water when I eat more raw produce, but I still shoot for a gallon of water a day. I get spring water when I can, fresh from a spring that I trust. But if you don’t have access to a spring, or if you have a seriously compromised immune system, distilled water could be a better choice, initially. Just make sure you’re not drinking a gallon of tap water a day. Tap water is toxic, and fluoridated water is a crime against humanity.

Sometimes just plain water is boring. I usually make cranberry stevia lemonade. I take fresh lemons and pure bottled cranberry juice and sweeten it with stevia. For more, check out our Stevia Lemonade with Cayenne within our Cheap and Easy Detox Diet Plan article.

I find that this lemonade is easier to drink when I am not feeling particularly thirsty, and there are tons of health benefits! The lemon and the cranberry help flush out toxins and balance the body’s pH while providing you with electrolytes and other nutrients.

Eat More Raw Fresh Produce

I eat a huge salad almost every day. If I make rice and beans, I add avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and shredded carrots right on top. If I eat soup I add shredded and diced vegetables right before eating. When I snack, I choose fruit and vegetables. I eat red bell peppers like other people eat apples. Approximately 80% of my diet (by bulk) is raw fresh produce. Check out my salad recipe in that article, too.

As the editor and chief of Organic Lifestyle Magazine, I am telling you that “organic” is not the most important thing.

When you’re shopping for produce, if you can afford it, and if it is available, buy organic. By all means, this is very important and you will feel the difference. But when choosing between organic frozen carrots and fresh conventional carrots, I’m picking fresh almost every time. I draw the line at genetically modified foods. To understand what foods to be aware of in order to avoid GMOs, read our Foods that are GMO article.

Cut Out These Foods

GMOs

Soy should not be consumed unless first fermented and not genetically modified. Over 99% of the soy we consume is terrible for our health. Soy naturally has enzyme inhibitors that wreck havoc on our hormones. The way Asians were eating it for thousands of years included fermentation, which nullifies the enzyme inhibitors. This is why health nuts soak and sprout their nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Like soy, conventional corn and potatoes that you find in your grocery store are almost always GMO and should be avoided.

Gluten

There are two problems with wheat. The first problem is that through our farming practices we have genetically modified the gluten protein. This is not to be confused with what we call GMOs. Hybridization is the practice of cross-pollinating plants. For instance, the bananas we eat today are hybrids. They are nothing like the bananas of our ancestors. So, at a genetic level the bananas and every other food we eat today are actually genetically modified, but this is not the same thing as what we refer to as GMOs.

So while our hybrid practices has made much of our food more palatable and more nutritious, it has changed the gluten protein in wheat into something we cannot properly digest.

In addition to the modified gluten, we also do not make bread the way we used to. Our technique for making bread included a fermentation process using lactobacillus bacteria that broke down the gluten proteins and rendered the wheat digestible, or we would soak and sprout the wheat before making the bread.

For most people, cutting out wheat in their diet yields amazing vitality. Try it for a week and you’re bound to notice a difference.

Refined Foods

Your food should give you nutrition. But refined foods rob your body of nutrition. Consuming white rice, for instance, is acidic. Your body uses minerals to balance out the acidity in order to keep your body’s blood at a slightly alkaline pH. If not, you’re dead. So every time you eat white rice, you’re robbing your body of alkalinizing minerals to maintain this balance. Brown rice has these alkaline minerals. This is true for white flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and almost any other refined food. Eat whole foods that have all of their nutrition. Once your taste buds adjust, you won’t even be able to stand the refined crap everyone else ingests. It’s very much like quitting smoking. You wonder how you ever put up with the smell, because now it makes you sick!

Dairy

Some people tolerate raw (unpasteurized, un-homogenized) cow’s milk from grassfed healthy cows very well. Others don’t.  But nobody does well on conventional dairy products. It’s not natural. And milk is a very poor, toxic source of calcium. If you’re looking for calcium, eat green vegetables.

Squat

We are meant to squat. We squatted to go to the bathroom, we squatted to hide from prey, we squatted to hide from predators, we squatted to keep our asses off the ground while relaxing, we squatted many, many times day. In the wild, if we couldn’t squat, we didn’t have much more time to live. Squatting is the most important exercise you can do. It even helps detoxify the body. It puts gentle pressure on your organs while aligning them properly to help eliminate waste. Squatting can even help with several ailments including constipation, kidney infections, back pain, and even baby malposition during labor.

We should all be able to do 100 squats in a row, going all the way down. Most people can’t do 10.

If you cannot squat, try get-ups. Lay down on the floor. Get up. Lay back down on the floor.  Alternate the leg you use to get up.

If you can’t do get-ups, sit in a chair, and stand, and sit, and stand some more. Try to use your legs as much as possible while using your arms and momentum as little as possible.

Conclusion

Many people read an article like this and ask with disdain, “So what can I eat?” There are so many choices out there. But the problem is not so much a lack of choice as it is a lack of convenience. You’re not going to get healthy nutrition from packaged, processed, easy foods. If you want fast food, that’s what fruit is for. But if you’re making dinner and you want to prepare a healthy meal, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and make a meal from scratch using whole, unadulterated foods.

There are so many other things you can do for your health. For instance, a huge step you can take is growing your own food. If you can do this, the return on your investment will be a bit slow, but hugely rewarding once realized. But for most people, nothing else need be done until these steps are first realized. If you suffer from serious health issues, you may want to see Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases, and checkout and bookmark this list of “Foundational Articles.”

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included
• Total Nutrition – Make Your Own Homemade Nutrition Formula
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Starting a conversation about protein sources between a vegan and a meat eater is a lot like discussing politics or religion with a stranger. More often than not, it’s not going to end peacefully. However, there are many myths and inaccurate claims made on both sides of the fence with regards to protein intake and the best sources, and it’s time to clear it up.

Calorie Content

One of the first big debates with animal vs. plant protein is calorie content. Meat eaters will argue that you need to eat far more vegetables than you do meat in order to get a beneficial amount of protein. In fact, some will argue that you will basically starve trying to get enough protein while spending your entire day eating.

It’s true that vegetables have a lower caloric density than meat. Yes, you would have to consume more volume to equal the same amount of protein. But this may be a moot point. Unless you are training moderately to heavily, the protein content you require could easily be met by a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, a lower calorie vegetarian diet is easier on the digestive system than a diet with animal protein (largely due to meat being cooked).

If you train intensely, it will be more difficult to meet your caloric needs on plant protein alone. This is where meat can help pick up the slack and provide you with the extra calories you may require. For example, a 3oz serving of steak provides 174 calories and delivers 26 grams of complete protein. A 3oz serving of cooked quinoa provides 34 calories and delivers 3.5 grams of complete protein.

If you feel you require more calories with protein, for whatever reason, animal meat is definitely an easy option. And it is the only way many people are going to get enough protein. Due to the lack of produce and other whole foods in our diet, most people’s vegan protein comes from soy and other unhealthy ingredients in processed foods. Not only are these foods highly processed and toxic, the proteins are difficult for the body to assimilate and they cause a host of health issues.

Complete vs Incomplete

One of the most cited points in an animal vs. plant protein debate is the fact that animals provide a complete protein, whereas plants can’t do the same. This is an erroneous assumption for two reasons:

• There are plant sources of protein that are complete (for example, chlorella, hemp seeds, bee pollen, chia seeds, and quinoa).
• You can combine different plant proteins to make a complete protein in any given meal, like lentils and brown rice. The reality is that plant-based diets contain such a wide variety of amino acid profiles that vegans are virtually guaranteed to get all of their amino acids with very little effort.

There are logical and understandable reasons why animal protein may be more desirable to people, besides taste and convenience. While vegans argue that meat causes cancer and other serious health problems, health minded omnivores will state, and correctly so, that improper cooking methods and poor quality meat (factory farmed), are the causes of poor health issues.

Assimilation

One of the least talked about subjects when it comes to the animal vs. plant protein debate is assimilation. Very few people consider the fact that the amount of protein contained in the food source is rarely the amount of protein your body digests and properly assimilates.

For years, soy protein isolate has been used in protein powders and even baby formula to help increase protein intake. However, what many failed to consider is that conventional unfermented soy is a highly indigestible protein, and assimilation is a fraction of what is printed on the label. In addition, most soy is genetically modified, and unfermented soy enzymes inhibitors can cause serious hormone imbalances.

Generally speaking, good forms of plant protein will be more easily digested than good forms of animal protein. In fact, to better digest animal protein it should be paired with fresh non-starchy vegetables in order to provide the enzymes and probiotics required to break it down properly for optimal digestion.

Furthermore, typical cooking methods of animal protein ruin your ability to properly assimilate it. Today, we usually cook food quickly and at high heat by pan-frying, microwaving, deep-frying, and barbecuing. All of these methods form advanced glycated end products, which are difficult to metabolize, and the problem becomes considerably worse with added sugar (which is present in nearly all sauces that may be applied while cooking).

If you want to avoid these glycated end products to improve your assimilation and avoid negative immune system reactions, cook your food on low heat (up to 180F) with water whenever possible, and avoid adding sugar. Glycated end products, other free radicals, and broken damaged acids are all a result of cooking foods, and cooking faster and/or longer creates more of them. They are all toxic to the body.

Amount of Protein Required

Of course, a big factor in how much protein you actually need depends on your activity level. These numbers vary between “protein experts”. However, the following numbers can provide a guideline:

• Sedentary – .8 grams per kg of body weight (160lbs is 72kg which is 57.6 g of protein required daily)
• Endurance – 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72 kg, which is up to 100g of protein required daily)
• Body builders – 1.4 to 2.0 (some say as much as 2.5) grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72kg, which is up to 130g of protein required daily)

With a fairly sedentary lifestyle (inactive to very light exercise like walking), you can very easily meet your protein requirements through a plant-based diet. An endurance athlete will need to know the higher and more efficient plant-based proteins to be able to do the same, and the body builder will have to consistently consume only the most nutrient and protein dense forms, many times a day, in order to meet the right quota.

In the case of body builders, it will likely be much easier to consume animal meat to get the amount of calories and protein they require, but they should be wary of proper combinations with non-starchy protein rich plant sources in order to actually absorb the high level of protein they take in.

However, there are vegan body builders winning competitions on plant-based protein alone, so those needs can be met.  If you seriously doubt the ability to build muscle mass on a plant protein based diet, I would ask you to consider where cattle and pigs get their protein to build muscle mass (hint: plant-based sources, not other animals).

Eating Protein

If you do choose to eat animal meat as your primary source of protein, choose those that are raised humanely and not injected with antibiotics, hormones, or steroids and are pasture fed or fed organically. Grass fed beef is a great example of a good source of animal protein.

Also consider how the meat is cooked. Beef and fish do not need to be completely cooked and therefore are much easier on the digestive system. Chicken and pork on the other hand, should be cooked completely, which makes the meat more acidic and much more difficult to digest, which compromises your protein assimilation. (We don’t recommend eating pork.)

When looking at good vegetarian and vegan protein sources, consider chlorella/spirulina, hemp, bee pollen, chia, and quinoa, which are all above 25% protein (quinoa, chia, bee pollen,) all the way up to between 40% and 70% (hemp and chlorella).

When preparing a plant-based protein, cook it gently or not at all. A properly made smoothie can easily yield more than 30 grams of protein in a highly digestible format. Combine this with a quinoa and vegetable dish and you have a protein rich meal.

In the end, you can meet your protein needs with either

Our ancient ancestors, in most parts of the world, ate far more plants than animal protein and certainly did not eat animal protein nearly as often as we do in modern times. We could learn a lot from them and limit the animal protein in our diet as we add in more high quality plant protein to increase the absorption and assimilation of our various protein sources.

If you do choose to ingest animal flesh, please buy meat that you know was treated as humanely as possible. These animal products are better for us, better for the environment, and of course better for them.

And if you decide you want to avoid animal sources altogether, you can certainly obtain the complete protein and calories you require through plant-based sources alone. If you have high protein requirements, it just may take a bit more planning and work in the beginning to ensure you meet your needs, depending on your activity levels.

Complete Vegan Sources of Protein

The following are plant-based foods that contain all of the essential amino acids that make up a complete source of protein.

• Chlorella – 58-75% protein
• Spirulina – 51-71% protein
• Hempseed – 47% protein
• Chia – 21% protein
• Quinoa – 14% protein
• Buckwheat – 13% protein
• Amaranth – 13% protein
• Soy – 81% protein (look for whole, organic and fermented soybean sources for proper digestion)

Bee pollen, while not vegan, is another plant-based complete protein that is 25% to 40% protein.

It’s nice to know what your complete sources of plant-based protein are, but with a little variety, it’s easy to get all the essential amino acids in your diet. Also, many traditional dishes offer all of the essential amino acids. For instance, brown rice and beans is a complete source of protein. Vegetables have such a wide variety of amino acids, it’s actually easy to just eat a few vegetables and get all of them. Further, you don’t need all of the essential amino acids in one meal, or even in one day, to build complete protein in your body.

Conclusion

If you’re considering reducing your animal consumption, or cutting it out completely (or you already have), know that there are plenty of choices out there. Being healthy is all about eating well, and eating well is all about whole foods.  Almost everyone could use more fresh, whole, raw and/or home cooked foods in their diet.

Also, the amount of meat we consume is not sustainable. We as a society cannot continue to eat as much meat  as we do unless we turn to lab created flesh or some other scientific answer, which will likely create a whole host of new health problems. But if we reduce our meat consumption drastically, grow some of our own food, start looking at how and where we can grow more food (such as rooftops and stacked gardens), and we buy from local and small scale farmers, not only can we feed everyone well with plenty of land left over, we can also dramatically reduce our impact on our environment (there is nothing more impactful that we could do), radically improve our health, and we could remove a lot of needless suffering, too.

Did we miss any complete protein sources for vegans? Let us know! And if you have any other tips on healthy protein intake, please tell us about them.

Intestinal parasites are abnormal and unwanted inhabitants of the gastrointestinal system that have the potential to cause damage to their host.  They consume nutrients from the foods we are eating and they puncture holes in the intestinal membrane.  Humans can play host to more than a hundred different types of parasites.

Parasites can range from microscopic amoeba to 10 foot long tapeworms.  These parasites and their eggs can enter the circulation and travel to various organs such as the liver where they can cause abscesses and cirrhosis.  They can also migrate to the lungs causing pneumonia and into the joints, brain, muscles, esophagus and skin where they cause hyper inflammatory processes.

Parasites have killed more people than all the wars in the history of humankind.”   National Geographic

Chronic parasitic infections are linked with intestinal permeability and leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, irregular bowel movements, malabsorption, gastritis, acid reflux, skin disorders, joint pain, seasonal and food allergies, and decreased immunity.

How Do You Get Parasites?

Parasites can come into the body through exposure to contaminated food and water, day care centers, pets, mosquitoes and fleas, and sexual transmission.  Many individuals who are doing a lot of international flying will encounter regions of contaminated food and water.   Pork and scavenger fish and shellfish happen to be especially rich in heat tolerant parasites.  It is estimated that 85% of the world’s population is infested with parasites.

According to United Nations data:  “Overall, about 1.5 billion people have roundworms, making it the third most common human infection in the world. Whipworm infects 1 billion people… More than 1.3 billion people carry hookworm in their gut, and 265 million people are infected with schistosomes.”

Two Main Classifications of Parasites

There are two main classifications of intestinal parasites that can create significant problems.  These include protozoa and helminthes.  Protozoa are single celled organisms that have two stages: the trophozoite stage where they are metabolically active and invasive and a stage where they are inactive, called the cyst stage.

Helminths are large, multicellular worms that are typically big enough to see with the human eye in their adult stage.  Nematodes (roundworms), cestodes (tapeworms), and trematodes (flatworms and schistosomes) are among the most common helminths that inhabit the human gut.  These are typically unable to reproduce in the human gut.

Types of Protozoa

The most common intestinal protozoans are Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora Cayetanenensis, Cryptosporidium spp and Blastocystis hominis.  The disorders these parasites cause are called giardiasis, amoebiasis, cyclosporiasis, cryptosporidiosis and blastocystitis respectively.  The major symptoms associated with these are diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, dehydration, weakness, low energy and joint pain.  If uncontrolled, these infestations can be fatal.

Antiparasitic Nutrition Plan

Parasites love sugar and everything that turns into sugar. So the best way to starve the parasites is through using healthy fasting and cleansing strategies while eliminating as much sugar and grains as possible from the diet.

Several herbs and foods act as very strong antiparasitic agents. Extra virgin coconut oil is loaded with medium chain triglycerides that enhance the immune system in its battle against pathogens. Raw garlic and onions provide sulfur containing amino acids that are antiparasitic. Eat six tablespoons of raw, extra virgin coconut oil, one whole clove of garlic and one large red onion daily to help parasite proof your body.

Unique Herbs and Fermented Beverages

Dried oregano and especially essential oil of oregano are extremely volatile and antiparasitic. Use two to three drops of oregano oil in water with fresh squeezed lemon and drink this three times a day. Clove works just as well, so you could substitute or use clove oil with oregano oil. Ginger, wormwood, and black walnut are also commonly used in antiparasitic strategies.

Fasting with vegetable or bone broth and loads of garlic and onions is a great antiparasitic strategy.  It is also important to use fermented drinks such as fermented whey from grass-fed cows and fermented herbal botanicals such as ginger, oregano, garlic, kombucha, etc.  Other fermented beverages include coconut kefir and apple cider vinegar.  These are powerful tools to help destroy parasites.  They contain organic acids and enzymes that help to create an environment that is non-conducive for parasitic development.

Cleansing Periods and Antiparasitic Lifestyle:

Many holistic health coaches recommend a three to 21 day low calorie, liquid diet that is rich in organic broth, fermented beverages, water, and fresh squeezed lemon. Probiotic  and anti-microbial herbal supplements are highly recommended to help destroy parasites and re-inoculate the gut.

After the cleansing period, it is especially important to utilize high quality, fermented raw dairy and vegetables. Raw, grass-fed fermented dairy products like amasai and  cheese, along with kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented veggies should be used abundantly. These foods are rich sources of L-glutamine, an amino acid that helps rebuild the gut. These fermented foods also contain very powerful strains of good bacteria, organic acids, and enzymes that act to keep parasites out of the body.

A regular life cycle that inhibits parasitic development includes regular, intermittent fasting for periods of 16-24 hours.  It is important to drink lots of clean water to push out feces and not allow it to become a breeding ground for parasitic organisms.  The nutrition plan should focus on fermented foods and drinks, good fat sources, anti-oxidants, and clean proteins.

Sources For This Article:

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754014/
• http://www.naturalnews.com/037964_parasites_detox_cleanse.html
• http://www.lacasaspa.com/colon-health/about-parasites/
• http://lymeinside.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/parasites-and-lyme-disease-parasites-lyme/
• http://www.hcmionline.com/education/parasites.htm
• http://www.buzzle.com/articles/intestinal-parasites/
• http://www.trilighthealth.com/Parasite-Info-18.html
• http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/turmeric-and-anti-inflammatory-herbs
• http://www.livingfood101.com/natural-health/what-to-expect-after-a-parasite-cleanse.html

Echinacea is a coneflower that is found most commonly in eastern and central North America.  It is typically found in early-to-late summer in the open wooded areas and prairies.  Echinacea was used by the North American Indians and the early settlers as an anti-microbial for relief of infections, pain, and to reduce symptoms of snake bite and anthrax.  Others have used Echinacea for relief of scarlet fever, syphilis, malaria, blood poisoning, and diphtheria.

The advent of antibiotics, and the massive marketing and prestige that went behind this new medical technology, reduced the usage and understanding of herbal medicine.  The Germans picked up Echinacea in the 20^th century and began to study it, performing numerous studies that have demonstrated Echinacea’s effectiveness at enhancing immunity. For more on the history of Echinacea, check out Wikipedia.

Echinacea Reduces Inflammation

Echinacea has been used to reduce inflammation associated with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.  It has also been shown effective against bronchitis, candida, herpes, and other major infections.  Many individuals today use it as an immune aid to prevent or overcome colds and flu.

Echinacea stimulates the body’s immune response to resist bacterial and viral invaders.  One of the mechanisms is by increasing the levels of the chemical properdin that increases cellular resistance to infection.  This unique herb also activates T cells and stimulates macrophages that engulf and destroy problematic invaders.  This activity also helps reduce the formation of tumors.

Echinacea Blocks Pathogenic Invasion

Humans and animals utilize hyaluronic acid to form healthy stable cells.  Most pathogenic organisms utilize the hyaluronidase enzyme to destroy hyaluronic acid and allow easy access into the cells and tissues of the body.  Echinacea has a constituent by the name of echinacin B which has been shown to inhibit the enzyme hyluronidase, thus blocking the pathogens ability to enter the cell and cause damage.

Echinacea has three unique nutrients that synergize to enhance immune activity.  These nutrients include polysaccharides, alkylamides and cichoric acid which together provide a strong activating force on white blood cells that destroy pathogenic organisms and tumor growth.

The Most Common Uses of Echinacea

Most herbalists recommend Echinacea to treat ear infections, athlete’s food, hay fever, sinusitis, urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections, and slow healing wounds.  It is also very good at speeding up recovery time from common colds and flu.  Many individuals use it in a proactive manner to keep their immune system bolstered in an effort to prevent illness.

Some of the best ways to consume Echinacea are in an organic herbal tea format, as a dried or fresh flower, or in a fermented organic acid base.  The fermentation of Echinacea in an organic acid base unlocks the full nutritional potential of the plant.  The organic acids also help to feed the gut flora and form an alkaline ash that restores a healthy pH balance to the body.

From the Editor

Not all echinacea is created equal. Most on the market are diluted, weak, and ineffective. If you’re looking for a very high quality echinacea tincture check out Echinacea Plus at Green lifestyle Market.

Proper Immune Coordination

We have two major parts to our immune response. These two major parts of the immune system are the TH-1 pathway, which produces an immediate response, and the TH-2 pathway, which produces a delayed response. The TH-1 response is marked by T cells while the TH-2 pathway is built on antibody formation and identification.

The key to a strong immune system is balance and coordination. The TH -1 system is classified by Killer T cells, T helper cells, and T suppressor cells. When we have too many T suppressor cells our immune system is too weak and we get colds/fevers/flu. When the Killers are too many or the helpers and suppressors are too few, we end up with a poorly coordinated immune response that damages our own tissue. This is commonly seen in autoimmune disorders.

When the TH-2 system is dominant the body tends to rely on it when it is threatened in any way. A common example is allergies. When we are exposed to the allergen, the TH-2 system goes into overdrive causing a massive inflammatory response. This is due to poor balance between the TH-1/TH-2 system and then a poorly coordinated TH-2 response that creates a systemic inflammatory reaction in response to a very minor threat.

Echinacea is a TH-1 Pathway Enhancing Herb

TH-1 pathway enhancing herbs include Astragalus, Echinacea, Licorice root, Lemon balm, & pomegranate among others. The TH-2 boosting herbs include pine bark, green tea, grape seed, and resveratrol.  Immune modulating herbs, such as turmeric, boswellia, and ginger, help to enhance immune coordination through the entire body.

To put this information into action, you can access how you feel and what you notice after an immune pathway challenge. To do this, try taking a large dose of a TH-1 boosting herb. If you feel wonderful and your immunity improves, there is likelihood that you may have a pre-existing TH-2 dominance. If you feel terrible and are massively inflamed, there is a likelihood you are TH-1 dominant and that you over-stimulated this pathway. Try balancing with TH-2 boosting herbs and immune modulators.

Keep a journal and see what imbalances you may have. This will give you an advanced level of knowledge of your own individual tendencies and will allow you to stay healthy and balanced throughout your life.

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Echinacea+
• Shillington’s Blood Detox
• Coptis chinensis
• Shillington’s Total Tonic

Further Reading:

• Make Your Own Total Nutrition Formula
• How to Make Homemade Vitamin C
• Garlic
• Ginger
•  Apple Cider Vinegar
• Make Your Immune System Bulletproof

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea
• http://greenlivingideas.com/2011/11/26/the-many-health-benefits-of-echinacea/
• http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/herbs_echinacea.html
• http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/echinacea-000239.htm
• http://www.naturalnews.com/030600_immune_system_herbs.html

“How to be happy” is googled 55,600,000 times a month in the United States. Happiness is something every business pretends to sell. Pharmaceuticals, soft drinks, clothing lines, and just about every product you can purchase claim to offer happiness for a price. But what if you don’t have the money? No problem. You can buy it with credit. But the truth is, if we were happy we wouldn’t be spending so much money on crap we don’t need.

Happiness VS. Pleasure

Understanding the difference between pleasure and happiness is paramount. And from what I see, hardly anyone in our society knows the difference.

Coke started a marketing campaign, “Open Happiness,” implying that happiness is inside their bottles and within their soda, dancing among the fizzy sweet goodness, waiting to start a party in your mouth. The first time I saw that commercial, I knew a new trend was starting. While Coke wasn’t the first, it seems that every large business marketing their brand is now promising some degree of a happy, more joyful life.

At most, these products that are pushed on us in every way possible, 24 hours a day, offer pleasure and nothing more. They certainly don’t offer happiness.

Pleasure is short term. It comes in spades with happiness, but it comes at a price with consumption. And often that price exceeds the number on the price tag.

Polls show that in countries where people have less–less cellular coverage, less television, less shopping, fewer automobiles–they are often much happier than we are in our modern societies with all our toys. It seems the more we attempt to satisfy our every eager impulse, the emptier we feel.

Recommended: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Fuck Convention, and Fuck Consumerism

Convention says you need to spend money to be happy. Convention says you need pharmaceuticals (or you will at some point) and a large home to be happy. Convention says you need to work your ass off for many years to achieve this. And convention says a lot of other stuff that doesn’t do us any good.

Convention produces marketing that is shoved down our throats to spur us on to stimulate an economy that will collapse if it doesn’t keep growing at an incredible rate. It’s all about selling us stuff: more vaccines, more cars, the newest phones, and bigger, higher resolution televisions. But the price we pay is a drive to work harder and harder and harder to keep up with the Joneses. All the while, we are bombarded with so much technology offering us convenience while it sucks up every spare moment we might have had. Most of us want this. Most of us need this, because when we stop and just sit still with our thoughts, we don’t like the massive void we feel. We think all that crap fills that void, when, in fact, it creates more and more of a void within us.

Let go of what you’re supposed to do, and do what’s best for you. Unplug for awhile. Unplug more often. Get away from the noise. Figure out what makes you happy, and start taking some time to do it. Make the time.

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

Fuck What Other People Think

My life really started to change for the better when I began letting go of what other people think of me. I do things for me. I don’t do things for someone else unless it’s out of love and/or the desire to help someone. It’s no longer because I want to impress someone. I used to live for other people, working the job that I was supposed to work, driving a car that I thought other people liked to see me in, wearing the clothes that people told me I looked good in, and constantly worrying about what other people thought. It takes a lot of energy out of you.

I realize that many people aren’t going to like my use of language in the previous two titles, but I felt for the sake of authenticity, well, fuck it.

I see a lot of my friends trying to please their parents at the expense of their own happiness, for their whole lives. I see these people choosing careers and their whole life’s path based on a need for their parents’ approval. And these are people with parents who will never, no matter what their adult children do, tell their son or daughter that they are proud of them. Nothing their kids do will ever be enough. But if it were, it wouldn’t have been worth it.

I tell people to go do something embarrassing, to go into a store where no one knows them and pretend to trip and fall. Or yodel. Go for a walk with their headphones on and dance across every crosswalk. I tell them to practice not worrying what anyone thinks. It’s liberating and it feels better and better every time you do it.

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

Fitness

If you haven’t heard, exercise releases endorphins. Exercise has many benefits on our emotional state. It’s actually very difficult to be miserable about anything in life when you’re exercising, (except maybe the exercise itself.)

Exercise has a knack for putting us in the moment. Other worries fade away. Things shift into perspective. The whole day is better after a good workout.

Give it some time if you’re new to fitness. Those benefits don’t come immediately. At first it can feel like a drain, and the initial soreness can be very painful. But like everything else, the good stuff takes work.

Diet

Poor nutrition and toxic ingredients prevent the body from working right. This includes the brain. The brain doesn’t work right when we don’t get the right nutrition. When the brain doesn’t work right, we feel like shit. This goes for the body, too, but I find it surprising how many people think that the brain’s ability to function properly, including (but not limited to), dealing with stress, remaining objective, and controlling anger, has nothing to do with physical health. Studies show that chemical toxins, both in food and in our environment, have a direct correlation to our overall wellbeing.

B Vitamins, D, oils

B vitamins, vitamin D, and healthy fats are absolutely essential to our wellbeing. Anyone suffering from depression or any other mental health issue needs to consider taking high quality supplements and changing their diet.

Staying in the Moment

We spend so much time wishing to be in a different time. With phrases like, “I can’t wait until…” and, “Remember when things were…” But we so often fail to realize that the moment you are in now could very well be a time you long for later.

Learning to stay in the moment has been absolutely life changing for me. There are rarely any problems in the present. Putting yourself in the moment, and staying there, is difficult at first, but it puts things in perspective. Exercise is a great way to do this. Yoga and meditation are also very good at teaching us to stay in the moment. Whenever life gets overwhelming, consider that the problems at hand are in the future. Right now, at this very moment, we have everything we need.

Perspective

Have you ever had a day where you felt great, and then you had one or two little things happen to you and all of the sudden your life sucks? Life is all about perspective. Our perspective is our life. And that means that our life, no matter where we are in it, is our choice. A terrible situation for one person can be an incredible experience for another. It all depends on perspective.

I was in prison, after having lost my daughter, my friends, the business I had just started, and what felt like my whole life. I had lost everything I thought I cared about except for my mom who came to see me every single chance she could. And in that prison, when I got to see my mother, I was filled with joy. I spent all week looking forward to visitation. Hugging my mom meant everything to me. I was in prison, and every day I got to hug my mom was amazing. This was after a year of being in jail where I could only see my mom through glass. Prison was wonderful because I not only got to hug her, I got to go outside, walk in the grass, exercise, eat raw vegetables, and feel the sun on my skin. I got none of this in jail. A year deprived of all of these pleasures put things in a whole new perspective. And I never let go of that.

It really is the little things in life that you’ll remember, that you’ll laugh about, that you’ll hold in your heart. No one (or at least, very few people) lays on their death bed agonizing over a bad business decision. Stay in the moment with a fresh perspective and look at the joy you can feel. It’s there. Sometimes you just have to look harder for it.

I Am Happy

I have been through more crap than most people who read this article would ever know. I carry pain with me at all times. There is a sadness that may never go away, due to a major loss in my life. But I am still, really, very happy. I love life. I live in the smallest home I have ever lived in. I have less stuff than I have ever had. I am starting Green Lifestyle Market and it is very stressful. But still, I am not only happy, I am joyful. I keep my diet clean. I exercise. I don’t give a damn what other people think of me because it’s none of my business, and I love being me. If you are reading this article, looking for your own happiness, I wish you the very best and sincerely hope you find it. I am sure it is with you, that it has always been with you, waiting for you all along.

Recommended Supplements:

• B-Complex #6  – Thorne Research
• Vitamin D – Thorn Complex
• Krill Oil
• Shillintong’s Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Natural Remedies for Depression
• I’m Depressed
  
• Vitamin B6 and What You Should Know About it