Occupy the Farm – Occupy 2.0

There is a purpose to activism. It is a means to educate, to communicate grievances, and to effect social change. But the activism of late seems to fall short of  lofty goals. What did Occupy Wallstreet and its knockoff occupy protests across the country achieve? Did we learn anything other than the phrase, “We are the 99% ?” We already knew our banks and corporations are corrupt.

There was, however, an occupy movement that began on Earth Day, April 22, 2012, that did make a difference. They called themselves Occupy 2.0.

For 80 years, the University of California, Berkley managed land called the Gill Tract, acres gifted to the university, as a public trust. This prime farmland was mostly used for agricultural research. But in 2012, the university revealed their plans to sell the land to be used for housing and retail.

On Earth Day, 200 urban farmers descended on the property with 15,000 seedlings, tools for planting, and tents to set up camp to protect and nurture the newly claimed community garden.  Their occupation, protest, confrontations with police, meetings with campus officials, help and support from the neighborhood, and their final outcome were all recorded on film by director Todd Darling whose documentary chronicles the event from start to finish.Occupy the Farm is an engaging film that uplifts the soul and inspires the closet rebel. It is a tribute to non-violent protest and community activism.

Occupy the Farm is an engaging film that uplifts the soul and inspires the closet rebel to break out and support a worthy cause. It is a tribute to non-violent protest and community activism – a must see film.

Check the website for updates and additional information:

occupythefarmfilm.com

April 14: Santa Barbara, CA

Pollock Theater, 7 PM
Ocean Road, UCSB
carseywolf.ucsb.edu
Q&A to follow screening with filmmaker Todd Darling and Effie Rawlings of Occupy The Farm.

April 18: Hollywood, FL

Cinema Paradiso, 1pm matinee
2008 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, FL 33019

April 19: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Cinema Paradiso, 1pm matinee
503 SE 6th St,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 525-3456

 April 20-23: Eugene, OR

Including Earth Day!

Bijou Art Cinema, 7 PM  Speakers nightly.
492 East 13th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401

April 21-­‐22: San Francisco, CA   including Earth Day!

Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA in the Mission District
Q&A to follow 7 pm screenings
roxie.com

April 22 –   Earth Day! St. Augustine FL

Corazon Theater, 7 PM
36 Granada St, St Augustine, FL 32084 (904) 679-­‐5736 corazoncinemaandcafe.com




Morgellons Disease – A New Autoimmune Disease?

What is Morgellons Disease? There are several answers to this question. Ask the CDC or far too many conventional doctors and they will tell you Morgellons disease doesn’t exist, that it is a psychosomatic disorder, most likely a combination of delusional parasitosis and obsessive picking of the skin. In other words, it’s all in the patient’s head, except for the skin lesions caused from self abuse.

Ask a Morgellons sufferer or the rare doctor who believes this disease is real, and you will hear a far different story. Morgellons is a systemic disorder that involves many symptoms common to auto-immune sufferers including:

  • chronic, severe fatigue
  • joint pain
  • neurological problems
  • memory and cognitive disruptions (including brain fog)
  • mood changes

It also involves bizarre symptoms particular to this disease:

  • crawling sensations on and under the skin
  • the sensation of itching or biting
  • skin eruptions or lesions with little black specks on or under the skin
  • filaments or threads under the skin and erupting from the skin

Morgellons is currently in the news due to the emergency hospitalization of iconic singer /songwriter Joni Mitchell, who suffers from this disease. In 2010, she told the Los Angeles Times, “Fibers in a variety of colors protrude out of my skin like mushrooms after a rainstorm: they cannot be forensically identified as animal, vegetable or mineral.”

Doctors and researchers who do not believe Morgellons to be real think the fibers are lint, though all sufferers tell them the fibers are growing out of their skin- that they pull them out as if they were pulling out a hair.

Who Has Morgellons Disease?

While most studies of Morgellons report the majority of patients were middle age white females, the University of Oklahoma says adults and children are equally affected. And while individuals within a family may have this disease, they have also witnessed families where multiple members have the disease. Therefore, it is not known whether the disease is inherited or contagious.

What Causes Morgellons?

There appear to be three major hypotheses as to the cause of this disease (by those who believe the disease is real):

  • It is believed to be a parasite.
  • It is believed to be caused by Borrelia spirochetes (the bacteria associated with Lyme disease).
  • It is believed to be a parasitic fungus. The threads or filaments are hyphae and the black and while specs are sporangia.

Unfortunately, it is far too common for conventional medical doctors to dismiss any patient when the diagnosis is unclear. Twenty years ago, is was common for someone suffering from an autoimmune disease to be summarily dismissed, especially since the cognitive and mood disturbances so inherent in the syndromes provided an easy dismissal due to mental health. Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are still laughable diagnoses to many doctors. The truth is, both of these diseases are more likely sets of symptoms related to a more complex systemic problem, but nonetheless, the debilitating symptoms are not psychosomatic.

More research is needed to determine the definitive cause or causes of Morgellons. It may have one cause, but it is quite likely to be a combination of a fungal disease and a bacterial or parasitic condition. When the immune system is compromised, multiple, simultaneous infections are common.

Morgellons Treatment

Doctors who believe the disease is caused by a parasite are treating patients with anti-parasitic pharmaceuticals. Those who believe the cause to be bacterial are treating with antibiotics. And those who believe the problem to be fungal are treating with anti-fungal medications.

Alternative treatments range from colloidal silver to strange concoctions of borax and dishwashing soap.

Recovery of health, regardless of the manifestation of disease, begins by flooding the body with the nutrients it needs to heal while detoxing. A truly healthy diet with lots of raw, organic produce will help the body to detoxify and eliminate parasites while regenerating the immune system. Disease starts in the gut. Balancing the ecosystem inside the gut heals the body. See How To Kill Candida And Balance Your Inner Ecosystem, and (what kills Candida kills other fungi as well), and check out Herbs and a Protocol that Eliminates Parasites. See the first source below for more on diet.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

Sources:



How to Detox Your Easter Candy Candida

If you’ve eaten sweets over the holidays and you are ready to detox, your goal will be to kill Candida and re-balance your gut flora. First and foremost, it’s time for salads. Unless you want to spend considerable money on probiotics for the rest of your life, if you want to be free of Candida, you need to feed the right ecosystem. That means sticking to a diet consisting of lots of raw fresh organic vegetables, void of processed, refined foods. Your intestinal flora affects your life in many different ways. The more raw vegetables you ingest, the more beneficial your gut microbes are to your body. Avoid gluten as well.

If you went way overboard with junk food (and/or had conventional junk food as opposed to organic, healthier varieties), you’re looking at artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and GMO’s. The good news is, the best way to detox these ingredients is to fix the gut.

Probiotics

The probiotics we take as supplements are not the same probiotics that we keep in our gut, but they are friendly bacteria. Before they decide to check out, they will fight on the side of our beneficial microbes, kill the bad guys, eat the bad stuff, and help digest everything so that the long-term bacteria that prefer to live in our gut will thrive.

The bacteria count is not what’s important when looking for probiotics. You want to make sure the bacteria are designed to pass through the stomach acid. Most are not. Stomach acid is designed to kill bacteria, so it takes a strong beneficial bacteria to make it through.

Other herbal medicines that kill Candida internally include (but are not limited to) wormwood extract, oil of oregano, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and undecenoic acid. But don’t take probiotics with antibacterial herbs. Oil of oregano, for example, can weaken probiotics when they are taken together.

I like fermented vegetables, but I don’t eat them for probiotic properties. I believe the beneficial bacteria from fermented foods is killed in stomach acid. Fermented foods have tons of benefits, and they’re great to take with more powerful probiotics. When the foods hit the gut, the healthy bacteria that made it through has lots of healthy food on which to feed.

Yogurts bought in grocery stores make poor probiotics and typically feed Candida rather than kill it. On the other hand, high quality probiotics can be added to yogurts. Choose yogurt that is organic and free of sugar. Sweetened with fruit if desired.

Eat Salads

Salads are the best way to feed the body a variety of the healthiest foods for balancing the intestinal flora. We’re not talking about iceberg lettuce, some carrot shreds, and ranch dressing. We’re talking about real salads made with kale, collards, cabbage, spinach, chard, and lots of other leafy vegetables to make up the foundation of your daily salad. Add herbs and garlic to them as well.

Conclusion

Those who eat reasonably well on non-holidays and were not suffering from Candida symptoms previously should be able to fix the gut after an Easter candy binge in just a few days by sticking to salads, lots of water, and a high quality probiotic. Be sure to check out Kill Candida and Balance the Body, and see Cheap and Easy Detox for more on detoxifying. For detox recipes including my salad recipe and cranberry lemonade, check out the first few sources below.

Further Reading:



Mainstream Medical Myths / Alternative Healing Pitfalls

It’s hard to find anyone who does not believe in the germ theory of disease, that butter will clog your arteries, or that we are somehow defective and at the mercy of our genetic weaknesses. These fictitious beliefs have spanned several generations; most doctors and the misinformed public accept them without question.

While the medical system has made great strides in trauma care and intervention, it fails miserably at prevention and the treatment of chronic disease. What’s ironic is that many naturalistic physicians and supplement makers adopt the same “need the right drug” approach. They would be more effective if they recognized the electro-chemical nature of life and the need to focus on favorable conditions for cellular health.

Modern healthcare is a profit-driven, state-sponsored business that builds high walls to protect its hyper-complicated paradigm and deter all competition. Why else would every cheap effective treatment be branded as dangerous quackery? In my experience, the therapeutic ideas that really work, from mega or IV vitamin C to hydrogen peroxide to ozone to baking soda to iodine to chelation to hyperbaric oxygen to dozens of natural antibiotics to herbals, polyphenols and cannabinoids to chiropractic to still-free sunshine and earthing, have been either warned against or dismissed as worthless. This rejection is not just philosophical elitism, it is malicious disinformation, malpractice, and in many cases, manslaughter.

With a large chunk of the population debilitated by chronic disease or consumed as caregivers, half a million cancer deaths a year, and a significant portion of the nation’s wealth devoted to sick-care, the odor of fish is unmistakeable.  Coincidentally, 90% of American agriculture is involved in a genetically modified chemical abomination. Toxic disease-generating fare is served on every table and industrial filth contaminates every mudpuddle and minnow. And it’s no secret that nearly 90% of Americans are mineral deficient, lacking magnesium, potassium, iodine, sulfur, zinc, and selenium. Few get a full range of vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, healthful fats, and collagenous proteins. Metabolic dysfunction, junk “carbage,” heavy metals and media-generated stress, however, are in ample supply.

Simple chemistry shows we are made of molecules, which interact according to charge. Repulsions and attractions are like boys and girls, where negative charged electrons are attracted to positive charged protons. Electrons are either removed by protons or free radicals (oxidation), or they are shared, forming a compound, a couple so to speak.

Electrons, like money, go to the strongest hand. Gather them where ye may: from nature, from antioxidants, sea minerals, charged air, earth, and water. Water is the collector and universally overlooked matrix our cells swim in, where electrons are energized by light, heat, sound, and friction. Strong charge gradients and polarities make stuff move. This is standard basic unimpeachable science, without wires, batteries, and generators.

Where conditions are acidic or positive, electrons are scarce and may even be stolen from the chemical bonds of complex molecules such as those making up our bodies.

When a system is alkaline, electrons are plentiful that DNA expresses properly, structural bonds are not attacked, positive charge metals are dispelled, and our cells remain powered up and intact. Life itself hangs on this delicate balance.

Consider the energy equation:
Sun Energy > Food/Water (+) Oxygen > Metabolism  =  Electrons (-) Oxidative Debt (Acidic metabolic wastes, Toxins/Metals, Emotional Stress, Inflammations)  (+ or -)  Electrolyte Mineral Levels, Emotions of Fear/Joy, Lifestyle Habits  =  Total Body Charge  (Approximately 30-50 millivolts or pH 7.35 to 7.40 is Healthy Range)

Natural healing can be powerfully effective if implemented holistically and quantitatively. Raising the body’s charge is the goal. (Holistically means addressing every aspect of life.  Quantitatively means using ridiculously overwhelming quantities of certain safe substances to restore a healthy voltage to the system, as with the counter-intuitive megadosing of vitamin C, niacin, oxygen, magnesium, etc.)

At the bottom of man’s inharmonious relationship with reality lies a conditioned proclivity to rely on force to overcome his neurotic fears. Military aggression and chemically violent “wars” against cancers and pathogens are primitive brutish low intellect approaches. Greed, rape, envy, deception, consumerism, and instant gratification are attitudinal creations of the chimp mind we’ve been forced to adopt in our fantasy of the American dream. No artful finesse here, it’s ecocide.

Connect the dots, track the energetics of living organisms. Trace the flow of oxygen from nose to bloodstream and through the metabolic process until it exits as carbon dioxide and water. Follow food and minerals from the intestinal tract out into the cells. Consider the nature of fluids, circulation, viscosity, membrane construction and the digestion of waste debris by phages and garbage removal via the lymphatic system, skin, liver, kidneys, and intestines. Think of the tone of the body and how the consciousness is reflected in it. Big picture: it all runs on electrons.

The Germ Theory of Disease

The question that never gets asked is, “Do pathogenic bacteria, virus and fungi cause disease…or do unhealthy conditions inside and outside an organism invite their proliferation?”

Through wholesale use of antibiotics and vaccines in humans and in the animals we raised for food, and feeding those animals an unnatural diet, we have witnessed a rise in  pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella along with the appearance of superbugs.  The existence of a beneficial human biome has been broadly publicized, yet is largely ignored when a scary new antibiotic-resistant bug arises from conventional antibiotic-induced floral imbalances. Hospitals are in crisis mode attempting to halt the lethal infections they unwittingly propagate.

Deficient immunity is so widespread, disease control officials use the term “herd” immunity, but ignore the underlying causes in what the “herd” is fed.  Could it be that an acid-forming, grain-based diet with deficient/contaminated animal products, missing minerals, and metal/chemical pollution play a role?

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi are welcomed where metal loads are present, circulation is sluggish, oxygen is not delivered, pH buffering minerals are deficient, metabolism is faulty, and cells are acidic. Doesn’t this mean immune mechanisms lack the energy in the form of electrons to mount an effective response? Wouldn’t it be prudent to use high doses of vitamin C, vitamin D, proton scrubbing hyperbaric oxygen, and alkalizing minerals like magnesium, potassium, and bicarbonates to boost cellular energy and dampen inflammation? Or add the natural immune oxidant, singlet oxygen, via hydrogen peroxide, ozone or again, mega C which generates hydrogen peroxide? Or use charge protectant high ORAC oils and herbal polyphenols, which are antioxidants that simultaneously scrub damaging free radicals and knock down pathogens? Instead of pouring antibiotics with inherent collateral damage upon the world, why not restore healthy conditions and optimize immune function to “un-invite” them?

Though some bad bugs can attack the healthiest person at times, it is usually the marginally healthy people who succumb and develop complications that robust individuals can withstand. Many live lives that are too clean, too sanitary. They rarely encounter the bugs they need to cue immune development. Many more unknowingly carry antibiotic damaged floral populations and intestinal infections like strep, staph, and Candida (think oregano oil) that weaken the system to the point that acute emergencies like C. difficile and pneumonia follow.  Nasty anaerobes silently invade scurvacious gum tissues, and their toxins travel to affect the heart. Tooth decay and chronic root canal infections also source toxins and disrupt electrical acupuncture meridians.

The very idea of vaccination and antibiotics distracts from the thought of personal responsibility over immune fitness, to the point that a fearful public now holds anti-vaxxers responsible for their (in)security. Again, real science is squashed by corporate “science,” which solidifies into political correctness and psychological dependence. The public only knows it has a tummy ache and is scared, but it lacks the first clue. Ignorance is highly contagious, and false premises always yield faulty conclusions.

Cholesterol/Fat Mythology

The drive to change U.S. agriculture into mechanized corn/wheat/soy monocultures spun a web of lies so thick that few have penetrated the deception. The public was switched off butter, eggs, and animal fats onto the USDA “food pyramid” consisting of cereals, corn syrup, vegetable oils, margarines and “lean” feedlot meats. Today, after all the science to the contrary, saturated fats are still heart attack food. Polyunsaturates and omega-3s are recommended though few suspect the danger of easily oxidized vegetable oils. Sugars, salt, gluten and processed grains are falling out of favor, but apparently whole grains are okay, even if loaded with glyphosphate. The picture is still deceptive.

The real problem with factory meat, milk, cheese, poultry and eggs — besides antibiotic, hormone, other drug residues, and bacterial contamination — is the fats. They are built on grain, so Omega 3:6 ratios are reversed. Omega fats are polyunsaturates that oxidize easily, especially when the animals lack antioxidants from pasture grasses in their tissues.  CAFO (concentrated animal feedlot operation) animal fats, like others, are saturated and therefore slow to oxidize, but are different: harder and higher melting out of the feedlot.  Polyunsaturated vegetable oils get damaged, oxidized, and turned trans in processing. Since brain cells and all cell membranes are made of saturated and omega fats, it is important to consume the best and freshest and most electrically conductive fats from pastured free-range sources. Membrane transport can be a bottleneck for oxygen and material delivery. Faulty membranes mean poor mitochondrial energy production and a decline in vitality. Membranes are also damaged in situ through oxidation under low body charge, inflammation.

Grains and sugars are generally acid forming since they generate protons faster than they can be absorbed by available oxygen and converted to water. Though these high-glycemic carbs provide energy up front, they sap electrons on the back end. Un-neutralized protons are temporarily stored in lactic acid with spillover grabbed by NADH (nicotinamide/niacin). Excess carbs are converted to triglycerides, “bad” cholesterol, and body fat.

Cholesterol itself is an essential fat whose levels become elevated upon high carb/sugar intake. Trouble occurs when fat consumption is low, body charge is low, and inflammatory toxins and acidic oxidative stress are present. If vitamin C and collagenous proteins are scarce, vessel linings begin to oxidize and erode. Cholesterol is called upon to deposit band-aid plaques which can eventually occlude the lumen or break free to travel and block small vessels.

Statins are the wrong answer, based on a false and fraudulent premise— yet another example of research confined to an imaginary box by corporate “science.” Instead, consider vitamin C megadose, vitamin E, and the proteins and minerals (lysine/proline/glucosamine/hyaluronic acid/sulfur compounds) in homemade bone/cartilage soups, not only to halt blood vessel erosion, but to rebuild them along with all other connective tissues for beautiful skin, flexible joints, conductive fascia, healthy intestines, and strong bones.

Doctors are trained to ignore nutrition, bad agriculture, and fake food, and to preserve the lucrative business model of the sickness industry. As a profession, they will sell you dangerous drugs, but are remiss in pointing a finger at factory foods. Of course individual physicians may know better, but are locked into their standards of care. And what doctor has the time to correct patient habits and overcome the 24/7 harangue of the commercial media?

What if Americans were aware of the unhealthy counterfeit grain-based fraud that has replaced real foods? Wouldn’t cutting down on high glycemic carbs and sugars be a better answer? What if they figured out that we jam more glucose into our cells than can be processed by available oxygen? What if they learned to eat pastured animal fats and proteins instead of fast-burning sugars that fry their cells in acid? What if they maintained an adequate daily intake of plant nutrients, minerals and fiber? What if they found out that modern “sick-care” is largely a trap that feeds off diseases caused by a politically favored food industry?

Genetics

There are a number of rare, yet well known, genetic disorders, but today cancers and other chronic diseases are being blamed on genetic weaknesses. I don’t buy it, since epigenetic expression is largely dependent on the context of body charge. In fact, all normal biochemistry requires a charge terrain of 30-50 millivolts which translates into a pH of 7.35 to 7.4 which closely tracks ORP or oxidation/reduction (redox) potential. A finely tuned body maintains this electron majority through breathing, electrolyte mineral levels, robust metabolism, and a number of other feedback mechanisms.

DNA is just a complex bio-molecule and its on/off switches, replication, and enzyme production are charge dependent. Just look at the common acidic charge killers that dampen expression: emotional stress/fear/shame, improper nutrition, toxins and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Compare the longevity-boosting telomere protection of laughter, happiness, exercise, and sunshine…or electron-rich antioxidants and free-radical-stopping polyphenols…or any action that keeps the electron balance to the good and away from inflammation and acidic oxidative stress.

Deciphering the genetic code was a Herculean task using incredibly sophisticated science. Applications, though, can cut both ways, correcting defects or creating dangerous monsters. Shouldn’t the first order of business be to provide an optimal charge terrain to maximize expression and appropriate enzyme production?

Genetics? When diseases run in families it is helpful to remember that nutritional habits, lifestyle elements, health awareness, and general attitudes do, too.

Toxic Metals and 80,000 Chemicals “Generally Recognized as Safe”

Thousands of chemicals get a free pass in our industrial machine, being GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), though they have never been studied. Other chemicals and metals, e.g. mercury and cadmium, that are known to be highly toxic, are deemed acceptable at sub-lethal part-per-million concentrations that result from current levels of pollution. The trouble is, they accumulate to reach dangerous levels in fat, in the brain, and in bones. Medicine generally opts for blood tests, which do not reflect their hidden presence. Hair analyses are much more telling and even reveal mineral deficiencies associated with heavy metal loads. Medicine tends to dismiss these dangerous molecules as causative, preferring to address downstream symptoms far removed from their oxidative source. The best example of this switcheroo is the war on tobacco, where it’s not the tar and nicotine, it’s the cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, mercury, pesticide residues and radio-nucleides.  Almost every disease has been blamed on the mysterious workings of cigarettes.  And what links all these diverse “diseases?”  Could it be the positive charge metals and lack of electrons?  Too simple for complicated minds?

Twenty-two military veterans commit suicide every day due to PTSD and millions of men, women and children are taking psychoactive drugs. At the bottom of many neurological/psychiatric disorders is brain inflammation caused by metals, radiations, and other toxins coupled with inappropriate nutrition, not drug deficiencies. These toxins are everywhere in our air, water, and food and they place positive charges where they shouldn’t be. They catalyze the production of vicious hydroxyl radicals, which gnaw at cell membranes and short-out the body’s electrical system without ever being consumed. They reduce circulation and oxygen penetration, which causes cell acidity and loss of function. They must be dispelled from the body before cells can begin to heal.

“Poisons” have different modes of attack. Plastics mimic human estrogen. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) bonds to manganese, zinc, cobalt, and sulfates, creating deficiencies and disruptions of flora and normal biochemistry. Others, such as ionized fluoride, destroy enzymes or block receptor sites or precipitate calcifications or carry metals into the brain and generally trigger acute inflammations. Pharmaceutical wastes, fracking gases, by-products of mining and chemical production, and anything burned, buried or flushed finds its way into living cells. When you say “detox,” people think either Betty Ford or high colonic, not the mobilization and chelation of metal burdens and freedom from a stealthy cause of many dire diseases. Learning to avoid them requires being aware of the unnatural chemistry in one’s everyday environment. But face it, we live on a drugged-up grain feedlot in an industrial sewer.

Different Diseases?

Medicine likes to label individual diseases as if each were unique. In fact they are all the result of inflammation, a shortage of electrons. Powerful electron-stripping oxidation is how an inflammatory immune response handles problems, which is well and good when concluded. Chronic inflammation brought on by various insults is just rust and decay. The question is then to determine the source of inflammation, remove it, and recharge the body. Had medicine operated under this approach, precise protocols could have been established through clinical trials. As things stand, we can only use a general approach to correct nutrient/mineral levels, detox the system, and try to improve emotional and lifestyle factors. Perhaps the best idea is for each of us to take charge of our own health.

We are nearing a point where sensitive humans are of necessity beginning to think.  They see their survival at stake and are penetrating many modern delusions. It’s time to take the next step and evolve.

For more info on detoxification, read: Cleanse, Flush, Sweat, Mobilize, Chelate, Detox…and Heal – Green Med Info

For more info on inflammation, read: The Coming Revolution in Medicine – Green Med Info




Algae-Growing Nuns In Central African Grow Spirulina For Malnourished Children

Many people believe the word “superfood” is a term used for click bait and nothing more, but superfoods not only exist, they are the superheroes of the food world. Spirulina is one such food.

In the Central African Republic, Catholic nuns are using the blue-green algae to fight malnutrition at the St. Joseph Health Center. Bangui, where the nuns are located, has been dealing with the effects of a conflict that has made resources scarce. The lack of food has had an especially pronounced effect on children in the region.

After a meeting with a French pharmacist who advised them on how to grow spirulina, the nuns at St Joseph Health Center were able to successfully harvest the algae to combat malnutrition.

Spirulina is a remarkable source of nutrients, containing the highest natural source of complete proteins, omega fatty acids, iron, and antioxidants. The health applications of a superfood like spirulina can translate across countless circumstances, from saving lives in the Central African Republic to providing everyday nutrients to anyone around the world.

UNICEF CAR
Nuns at the St. Joseph Health Centre in Bangui, Central African Republic, grow their own algae as a supplement for malnourished children who have suffered the ravages of war since 2013. Photo by Sebastian Rich

Working Smarter – and Making a Difference

The number of children who suffer from severe malnutrition in the Central African Republic is on the rise. Compared to last year, reported cases of acute malnutrition have tripled as conflicts in the region leave families unable to plant crops, to earn a living, or to access sanitation, clean water, and health care. Provisions from aid organizations are an inconsistent food source, as security issues often keep the protein supplements from reaching their intended targets. These are the struggles facing the nuns at St Joseph as they care for vulnerable children and mothers.

Spirulina has given them an inexpensive, effective, and reliable way to feed the people who come to the health center. Once a solution to the malnutrition problem presented itself, the nuns obtained the materials to build the algae tanks from the community through begging and borrowing. People are paying attention to St Joseph Health Center because of how effective the spirulina has been and the inspiring initiative shown by the nuns who work there.

The sisters at St. Joseph are proud of how many children they are able to help. After such great results, others in the Central African Republic and areas beyond who suffer from malnutrition see the sisters as both an inspiration and a source of practical knowledge.

Why Spirulina is Awesome

Most people are familiar with algae. It’s the murky, clingy, dingy green stuff in ponds and dirty aquariums. Unappetizing as it sounds, spirulina is among the most nutritious foods on the planet with 18 vitamins and minerals, 8 amino acids, chlorophyll, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids. The stuff is loaded. In addition to that goodness, its soft cell walls make it easy to digest. It also absorbs heavy metals and toxins. Eating algae plain might not be for the squeamish, but a quality green nutrition powder can give you the benefits of spirulina without the slime.

Spirulina is incredibly eco-friendly; it yields 25% more nutrition per square foot than any other plant. If you find yourself inspired by the nuns at St Joseph and want to try some DIY spirulina at home, the Internet is here to help. Great DIY tutorials like the one here can get you started on a window aquarium filled with spirulina. It may take more than one try to get it to work, but, in time, you’ll be able to guarantee a quality supply of homegrown spirulina, perfect for survival and prepping, too! The use of spirulina in the Central African Republic has shown the great impact it can have on health. This Total Nutrition Formula is the perfect recipe for your spirulina, and it’s the best multi-vitamin/mineral/protein supplement I know of. Even if building an algae farm isn’t a viable option, finding a quality source of it can give you access to even better health.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:

Sources: 




When Vaccines Don’t Work – Our Experience With Whooping Cough

Twenty-five years ago, when I still believed in the merits of conventional medicine, I kept my boys up to date on their vaccinations. Imagine my surprise when both of them caught whooping cough… and gave it to me.

It wasn’t fun. The fact that we were on vacation throughout the acute phase, made it worse. I shudder to think of the number of people we may have infected due to the doctors originally misdiagnosing it as altitude sickness (which of course isn’t contagious).

Cough, cough, puke. That was the action repeated a hundred times a day for a few weeks. The boys were the ones who coughed so hard they threw up. I was the one with the mild case. I remember sudden, explosive, uncontrollable coughing. Coughs that came on so fast, I would spew mucus across the inside of the windshield before I could raise my hand a few inches to cover my mouth.

They boys produced an amazing amount of mucus. Looking at their throats, all you could see was a thick wall of green slime. That’s what I remember most about the disease – green mucus and vomit, along with the unmistakable gasp for air (that’s the whoop in whooping cough) during all consuming fits of coughing.

We started off with inhalers (both boys had had a history of asthma) but ending up buying our own nebulizer to deliver asthma medication with a saline mist, the same delivery method used in a hospital emergency room or a doctor’s office. It helped, but nothing really made much difference other than time.

The coughing lasted a few months after the acute illness passed. Whenever the boys exerted themselves, like riding their bikes, coughing returned.

Believe me, I can honestly say I witnessed firsthand and secondhand how awful whooping cough can be. And I don’t believe for a second that their vaccinations made the illness less severe.

There is a current whooping cough outbreak in Utah, with 19 confirmed cases (as of March 27). The only surprise is that the mainstream media is not yet accusing unvaccinated children for this outbreak like they tried to blame unvaccinated children for the latest measles outbreak. Maybe that’s because ALL of the kids afflicted are up to date on their vaccines. Yes, that’s right. All of them.

They are reminding us that the vaccine only works 90-95% of the time. And yet, in our case, both of my sons caught it? For us, that would suggest the vaccine itself was at fault. How else could you explain it?

They are saying that the kids who caught whooping cough will have a milder case since they were vaccinated. Yeah, right. That is one of the standard statements.

And, of course, they are saying to be sure and get your vaccines and keep them up to date.

How many products can blatantly fail to achieve the intended outcome and call it a win? How many products can maim and kill and still be forced upon innocent children?

Spin doctors. That’s what they are. I never fully appreciated that term until this moment.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

Sources:




An Interview with a Chiropractor

Doctor Scott Warner took the time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about chiropractic medicine – what it is, what it isn’t, and why he chose it as a profession.

What made you want to become a chiropractor?

The main reason is that when I started going to the chiropractor, it really changed my life. Not only did it help me with my pain, but it made me feel better, and it really helped me with my allergy and sinus problems. So at that point, I was like,  why would I want to do anything else? Chiropractic did wonderful things for me. At that point I knew I was going to be a chiropractor.

Now most people don’t think of allergies and sinuses as being related to the spine. Could you explain a little bit of why it is?

Well, the brain and the nervous system runs and controls every single thing in the body. All right, so right now it’s telling your heart how to work, your lungs, your kidneys, your stomach, everything, how to work. So it also controls the immune system and if your brain is functioning at a100% and there’s no interference with the nervous system, which is the communication between the brain and the body, then everything should function at 100%. But when the bones go out of place they put pressure on the nerves. That’s called a subluxation. Now, the brain is sending out messages at a 100% but it’s not getting there at a 100%, so a lot of times symptoms can happen. And if your nervous system and immune system aren’t functioning properly, it can make you more susceptible to having allergies and sinus problems.

How many years of schooling does it take to become a chiropractor?

In most states it requires eight years with four years of undergraduate mostly focusing on the sciences and four years of chiropractic school. In some states, it’s a more abbreviated course where you just focus completely on science and you get it done in a little less time, six and a half to seven years total.

What kind of continual training do chiropractors receive?

Every year we have to get a minimum 20 hours of continual training to keep your license active but most chiropractors get more.

What are the licensing requirements for chiropractors?

There are national boards and state boards, some of which you can take while still in school. There’s also a national board in physical therapy that chiropractors can take.

You’re a physical therapist as well?

I am nationally certified by the national board of chiropractic examiners in physical therapy.

What are the specializations or special certifications chiropractors might get?

Well, there’s a lot of things you can do. You can specialize and earn advanced training in x-ray, but they also have advanced training for neurology, children, and a lot of other things, too. But you have to go get more coursework to be able to achieve chiropractic specializations.

How does chiropractic care work? Some of our readers are not real familiar with chiropractic care.

Well, again, as a chiropractor, our job is to make sure your nervous system is functioning at 100%. So almost everybody could be checked for that. You don’t necessarily need to be in pain or have a particular ailment.

So we check spines because most doctors don’t check the spine. It’s where the brain goes into the spinal cord and through those bones in the back; that’s why they’re very important because they go out to the entire body. So as chiropractors, we’re going to be checking that your spine is in alignment and is functioning properly for the purpose of making sure there’s no nerve interference.

When you go to a chiropractor, like with most doctors, you’re going to be filling out a lot of paperwork. A lot of it is going to be talking about your previous history and also what you’re complaining of at that particular moment. So chiropractors take a very detailed history of your concerns and your individual problems, along with your family history. At that point, we’ll do very specific examinations. They might be just plain chiropractic examinations, palpations, and things like that, but we can also do orthopedic and neurological testing.

Most chiropractors utilize x-ray as well as MRIs, cat scans, surface EMGs, conduction velocity tests, so a whole lot of extensive testing can be done. At that point we’d be coming up with a proper diagnosis and treatment, specific chiropractic adjustments to realign the bones, get the joints functioning properly and to remove the nerve interference and get your body to function at 100%. In some cases physical therapeutics can also help them with pain, and some rehabilitation can help with the process as well.

Before chiropractic, our oldest son used to get chronic ear infections. Most people don’t think of the ears and the spine as being interconnected. Can you take a moment and explain how they are?

In regards to the ear infection, again our job is to make the body function at a higher level, by removing nerve interference. So a lot of different conditions like ear infections can be helped, because if we remove the interference, then the brain now can tell the body how to function at 100%, the way it is meant to function. So again if you look up a lot of ailments, you’ll find that we don’t treat any of those ailments, except by getting the pressure off the nerves, that tells the body how to work right. That’s the only thing that will tell the body how to work and the only thing that will tell the body how to heal.

How is osteopathic medicine related to chiropractic care and how is it different?

Well in 2015, it has almost nothing to do with chiropractic care, but back in the days of 80, 100 years ago they were very similar to chiropractors in the sense that they did manipulations. They did it for a different reason. We dealt more with the nervous system, they dealt more with the arterial system. But in 2015, it has almost nothing to do with chiropractic care; it’s basically very similar to medical doctors at this time. Some of them do some manipulations, but they don’t do specific chiropractic adjustments. Most are very similar to medical doctors and have very little to do with chiropractic nowadays.

If you go to an osteopathic doctor with back pain, he’s probably going to prescribe you a muscle relaxer right?

Well, that could happen, but you could go to the osteopathic doctor for anything. They’re basically licensed to do everything a medical doctor can do with very few exceptions.

How can chiropractic care help pregnancy and labor?

Well, again we don’t help with pregnancy and labor. We help with the same thing. We’re going to make sure the spine is in proper alignment. We make sure that it’s functioning at 100%. So again, a chiropractor is able to help with a lot of things by getting the body to function properly, because that’s the only thing that knows how to deliver the baby; the life inside the brain. So again, we’re just here to make sure there’s no interference with the nervous system. In the case of pregnancy, we also want to make sure the pelvis is aligned properly because the baby has to go through the pelvis.

Dr. Marc D’Andrea mentioned online, that his patients average only four hours of labor. I know one of your other patients only labored for 15 minutes.

Anecdotally, pregnant women come here because they do tend to have better results. Scientifically, I can’t say anything about that, but anecdotally we have a lot of patients who will swear by their chiropractor during pregnancy and childbirth. So in regards to pregnancy, almost any doctor doesn’t want you to take any medication at any time. So when they’re dealing with back pain, which can typically happen, patients love the chiropractor because we’re very effective with back pain, and we do it without drugs. So the doctor’s hands are tied in regards to treatment without medication. That’s why chiropractors are a very effective tool for pregnant woman with back pain.

Between the time of this interview and its publication, we welcomed a new baby into the family. My wife, who received regular chiropractic care from Dr. Warner throughout her pregnancy, delivered naturally after a 3½ hour labor.

What are the most common reasons people have for beginning chiropractic treatment?

Headaches are probably one of the most common reasons, back and neck pain, as well as general health issues. We talked about stomach issues, menstrual issues, sinus and allergy problems. They’re finding that they’re not getting completely relieved by what they were doing, taking drugs and seeing a medical doctor. You know because if they were getting 100% results, most likely, they would not try chiropractic. A lot of them go to the chiropractor because they realize they’re just taking medications to deal with the symptoms which just keep coming back, again and again, and the doctors aren’t doing a whole lot to correct that and they seem to be getting good results from chiropractic care.

What are the most common reasons people have for ending chiropractic treatment?

Well, some people end because we put them on maintenance care. So, that’s the game plan, to get their spine working, functioning at 100% and then they just need to come in for check-ups. Same reason why people would want to go to the dentist. The goal of the dentist is not to never see a patient again, the goal of the dentist is to see you twice a year for check-ups and for two reasons. Number one is if you do have a problem, we checked you six months ago, the worse the problem is, is six months old. Also, they’re going to educate you on proper techniques of brushing, flossing, and limiting sugar and all the other things that they do because that’s the game plan, to keep your teeth healthy for the rest of your life, and the best way to do that they’ve found out, is to go every six months for check-ups and for cleanings and education. And if you go every six months, most likely you’re not going to have major problems, need root canals, and so on down the road. Same thing with chiropractic care – people go on maintenance care because their problems are all fixed. At that point, we’ll check them periodically to make sure they don’t have any problems and also to educate them on proper stretching, strengthening, and other things like that at home.

Does maintenance care vary from patient to patient?

Sure, if you start with what’s called spinal hygiene very early in life, just like dental hygiene, at that point it’s very easy to achieve barring any major injuries or things like that. For instance, if you wait to go to the dentist in your 40s and you go every six months, there could already be damage in there that may take years and years to fix before you can even get to get to the point where you have healthy teeth and gums and go every six months. Same thing with chiropractic care, a lot of people before they come in they’ve dealt with their back pain by taking over the counter medications and they help with the pain but they do nothing for the problem and now they come in here and they have arthritis and degenerative changes and it takes them a whole lot longer to get to maintenance care.

My wife has mild scoliosis and I have mild degenerative arthritis. Why are chiropractors better at treating these conditions than other practitioners of medicine?

Well, in regards to mild scoliosis, doctors don’t do anything to treat mild scoliosis. They would monitor to make certain it doesn’t worsen to moderate or severe scoliosis; they have treatment methods for that. So for mild scoliosis, there really isn’t much they can do, except maybe some home exercises. In regards to arthritis, degenerative otheoarthritis, which is what you’re probably referring to as opposed to rheumatoid arthritis or scoriatic arthritis. Those are diseases wherein you might need to see a medical doctor. But degenerative osteoarthritis is usually due to alignment issues and to wearing away, degeneration. As chiropractors, we realign the bones, get pressure off the nerves, and get joints functioning properly. That’s the cause of degenerative arthritis. By properly aligning the spine, it doesn’t continue to degenerate. That’s why chiropractors are so successful with that as opposed to treating it with medication, which only treats the symptoms. One of the best treatments for degenerative arthritis in the medical community is thelebrex which is a cocktail inhibitor. Even on the label, it says it treats the symptoms related to arthritis as opposed to treating the actual arthritis. The spine continues to degenerate with drug treatments; this is why chiropractic is so successful.

Why do chiropractors use x-ray machines?

Well, one of the things about x-rays is that it really gives us a clear picture of the spine, that and MRIs give us all the puzzle pieces we need to see. One of the things is I don’t like to guess with my patients. We can’t see degenerative arthritis. We can’t see a lot of things that we could see on the x-ray. It also tells me the integrity of their spine and I can actually draw lines and angles that will actually show how to adjust as specifically as possible.

You mentioned MRI machines. What are some of the other tools that chiropractors use?

Well, we have the same ability to refer out to any tests we want to, with some exceptions. So with each individual patient, if they require more specific testing, we go ahead and do that. So whatever is the best we can do, number one is for the patient’s safety and to make sure they’re in the appropriate medical facility, but also to make sure we give them the best possible adjustments.

Out of all the chiropractors I’ve been to over the years, your adjustments are the most gentle and effective. The only chiropractor I’ve met that was on your level was a chiropractor that you trained. When I told you this, you said chiropractic is an art and science. Can you explain a little more about that? Why does it feel so different getting adjusted here?

Sure, the actual physical techniques of adjusting the spine are an art form like surgery is. Not all surgeons are as skilled as other surgeons. The skill of the surgeon is going to play a big role in how effective your surgery is going to be. Same thing with chiropractic care. People get experience, they tend to be better at the art of chiropractic later on in their career than they are when they’re in their first couple of weeks working on their first couple of patients. Experience means a whole lot, so every chiropractor needs to focus on becoming the best adjuster they can be.

And how long have you been a chiropractor?

This is my 25th year.

Is there anything we haven’t covered in this interview that you’d like to let the general public know about chiropractic.

We’re here to make sure people’s bodies can be as optimal as possible. So again, I have nothing against doctors or anything with that at all. My job as a chiropractor is to get your body functioning at 100%, so well in fact that your results come out that you’re feeling well. At that point, if you have no symptoms and your test results come back normal, you won’t consider taking symptom-only medications for that, because you’re healthy, you’re feeling good, and your test results are good. So again, we’re not necessarily opposed to drugs or medications or surgery; the whole point is to get you so healthy that you don’t need those things. Our game plan is to get you healthy, instead of treating chronic ailments.

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Check out Dr. Scott Warner at Warner Family Chiropractic.