A History of Bad Medical Advice

“Trust your doctor” or so goes the saying. You wouldn’t blindly trust a car salesman. You’d ask a lot of questions to see if a car is right for you. But most of us have been conditioned to believe our doctors are infallible. To question their judgment is akin to blasphemy. Students of medical history know better.

Bloodletting

Bloodletting was a popular treatment for all manner of ailments, widely used for more than 3,000 years. In 19th century Europe, bloodletting reached the height of its popularity.

In order to understand the rationalization of bleeding patients in order to “get them better” a (somewhat) convincing argument for the practice was made by the father of medicine, Hippocrates.

Hippocrates believed illness was caused by an imbalance of one or more of the four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. To correct the imbalance, bloodletting, purging, catharsis, diuresis, and other treatments were utilized. Bloodletting became the most popular means of balancing the humors and “restoring health.”

Famous bleedings (Quoted from The History of Bloodletting)

When Charles II (1630–1685) suffered a seizure he was immediately treated with 16 ounces of bloodletting from the left arm followed by another 8 ounces from cupping. Then he endured a vigorous regimen of emetics, enemas, purgatives, and mustard plasters followed by more bleeding from the jugular veins. He had more seizures and received further treatment with herbs and quinine. In total he had about 24 ounces of blood taken before he died.

After riding in snowy weather, George Washington (1732–1799) developed a fever and respiratory distress. Under the care of his three physicians he had copious amounts of blood drawn, blisterings, emetics, and laxatives. He died the next night of what has been diagnosed retrospectively as epiglottitis and shock. His medical treatment aroused significant controversy, particularly the bloodletting.

The tools used in bloodletting included various cutting instruments, lancets, fleams, and the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.

Presently, bloodletting is rarely seen as beneficial and it is used in only a select few instances, such as severe cases of hypertension.

Smoking Cigarettes is Good For You

It is common knowledge that smoking is bad for your health. This knowledge is so commonplace now that many of us take it for granted. For decades, tobacco companies used doctors, and actors portraying doctors, to raise confidence in the safety of their products.

These promotions were very successful, and many doctors, especially throat doctors, were not only assuring the public that cigarette smoking wasn’t bad, they claimed smoking was healthy and could even be used as a treatment for throat irritation. Beyond recommendations, doctors were also hired to do pseudoscientific studies, studies paid for by the tobacco industry that consistently produced unrealistic results that supported smoking. When physicians and science are for sale, lies can be perpetuated for a very long time.

According to Stanford,

The list of recruitments who served as experts testifying on behalf of tobacco interests includes a virtual who’s who of leading otolaryngologists in the 20th century, including many leading head and neck cancer surgeons,” Jackler said.

In 1949, the average physician income was $11,058. In that era, a $5,000 payment — which was common from tobacco companies to otolaryngologists — represented a major inducement.

Even after the Surgeon General’s Report of 1964 definitively linked smoking with cancer of the voice box (larynx), the otolaryngology departmental chairs of four major universities testified before Congress in opposition to the findings.

Despite the fact that doctors are ethically bound to put the health of their patients before corporate profits, we have numerous historical examples of how industry can corrupt science. This kind of practice continues to this day.

Eat a High Carb Low Fat Diet

The USDA food pyramid was a low fat, high carbohydrate diet that was far from healthy. Our bodies are not designed to eat like this, but the government and many medical doctors still recommended it. The food pyramid was based on very expensive, highly flawed science.

During the 1980s, nearly a million Americans a year were dying of heart disease. Something had to be done. Problem is, what was done was worse than doing nothing at all.

Low-fat options are everywhere. In lieu of real ingredients like natural fats, highly processed or synthetic chemicals are added to boost flavor and appeal such as artificial flavors, artificial colors, high-fructose corn syrup, amino sweet (aspartame), MSG, and so on. Food-like products are marketed as food, and the differences between good (healthy) fats and bad (unhealthy) fats are lost on many people.

Healthy fats were discovered when anthropologists noted that arctic people, such as the Inuit and Yupik, ate high protein, high fat diets and yet had very low rates of heart disease. This called into question the demonization of fat.

According to Harvard:

Your body needs some fat from food. It’s a major source of energy. It helps you absorb some vitamins and minerals. Fat is needed to build cell membranes, the vital exterior of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves. It is essential for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. For long-term health, some fats are better than others. Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bad ones include industrial-made trans fats. Saturated fats fall somewhere in the middle.

…Omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and even treat heart disease and stroke. In addition to reducing blood pressure, raising HDL, and lowering triglycerides, polyunsaturated fats may help prevent lethal heart rhythms from arising.

Replacing fats with carbohydrates may indeed slightly lower heart disease, but its close cousin, cardiovascular disease, often afflicts those who follow high carb diets along with countless other health problems such as obesity and diabetes. The pyramid and the new program, choose my plate.gov dietary guidelines (which is almost as unhealthy), point Americans in the direction of chronic disease and an early grave.

Mercurial Medicines

Mercury is a neurotoxin, but in the past medical professionals didn’t understand how toxic it is to all forms of life. It was included in elixirs and ointments for thousands of years.

Qin Shi Huang, the man credited with unifying China, will probably always be best remembered for his military conquests. He was also obsessed with cheating death. Ironically, his efforts to extend his life drastically shortened it. It is believed that he died of mercury poisoning, an unintended side effect of his “immortality treatments”. His memorial was built with rivers of mercury, and an army of intricately crafted terracotta soldiers.

Mercury has been used to treat all manner of diseases, none of them successfully. Mercury is 500- 1,000 times more toxic than lead. It was the active ingredient in quicksilver, an ointment that was used as a remedy for a number of skin diseases. Mercury was later used as a treatment for syphilis and used in many other ointments, in steam baths, pills, and other concoctions. Mercury treatments often caused mercury poisoning, a condition that if not fatal could also manifest as tooth loss; mouth, throat, and skin ulcerations; or neurological damage.

Today, mercury, under the name thimerosal, can be found in hundreds of prescription and over the counter medicines. It continues to be used in lotions, creams, eye drops, eardrops, and nasal sprays. Mercury is widely used in dentistry and it is still used in many vaccines. Mercury also has many names, making it harder for consumers to identify.

Mercury is also known as:

  • Thimerosal
  • Phenylmercuric acetate (PMA)
  • Phenylmercuric nitrate (PMN)
  • Mercuric acetate (MA)
  • Mercuric nitrate (MN)
  • Merbromin (MB)
  • Mercuric oxide yellow (MOY)

Chemotherapy Kills Faster Than No Treatment At All

There is no finer example of bad medical advice than advising patients to undergo chemotherapy. Most people dismiss the idea that you can cure any cancer naturally with over a 90% success rate. Generally speaking, people do not put much faith in alternative medicine or natural cures. Even those who ascribe to the idea of a natural and organic lifestyle tend to dismiss natural cancer treatments, thinking that cancer is too big, too strong, and too deadly for alternative medicine.

New research is confirming what the most committed natural practitioners already knew. It is likely that the radiation and chemotherapy that are used as treatments are too deadly, too heavy handed for cancer.

Dr. Jones’s study published in the journal Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences shows chemotherapy is killing cancer patients four times faster than no treatment at all.

Conclusion

Bad advice is everywhere, and it can stem from every profession, even the medical profession. History has taught us that there are times the experts are nearly unified in their advice and are still dead wrong. The reasoning has always been the same, that the benefits outweigh the risks. When you’re given bad medical advice, you run the risk while the benefits belong to the physician. Ultimately our health is too important to trust the experts without doing our own research.

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Symptoms and Signs of Gluten Intolerance

If you have celiac disease, gluten will damage your body. Even a tiny crouton will set off a chain reaction causing your immune system to go into defensive mode and start damaging the small intestine. According to Holly Strawbridge of Harvard Health, this reaction can “…interfere with the absorption of nutrients from the food, cause a host of symptoms, and lead to other problems like osteoporosis, infertility, nerve damage, and seizures.”

Many people don’t know they are sensitive to gluten or that their health problems are directly related to gluten consumption. The world’s #1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, changed his entire diet during his career. By eliminating gluten, he experienced a drastic physical and mental change. His energy and concentration skyrocketed, which influenced his abilities on the court, helping him reach the top of his game.

So what are the symptoms and signs of gluten intolerance?

  1. Depression and anxiety. Symptoms include a feeling of hopelessness, loss of appetite, anger, sleep deprivation, lack of interest and energy, inability to relax, heart racing, chest pains and other psychosomatic symptoms. Medication is sometimes required to fight off the persistent imbalances, but once gluten is removed from the diet, this mental condition may be resolved.
  2. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This disorder affects both kids and adults. When on a gluten-free diet, you’ll get your kid focused and sitting in one place much easier than before.
  3. Fatigue and brain fog. It can be quite debilitating not to be able to think straight, but not every sense of disconnection originates from the head. A 2002 study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that there may be significant cross reactivity of IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies to gluten and other different antibodies that could result in mental fogginess.
  4. Autoimmune diseases. Gluten sensitivity can contribute to development of other diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, psoriasis, scleroderma or multiple sclerosis among many other.
  5. Digestive issues. Gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation are usually the culprits. Also, constipation may occur in children after gluten consumption, an obvious indication that they cannot tolerate it.
  6. Low immunity. Our bodies have IgA, a class of antibodies that are found in our saliva, tears, and sometimes in our blood and gastrointestinal tract. These antibodies are the first line of defense against any disease, but gluten can diminish their level and consequently make you prone to other illnesses. If you want to stay healthy, stay away from gluten.
  7. Hormone imbalance. This protein can cause menstrual irregularities, weight gain or loss, low energy, hot flashes and more. Once women with gluten sensitivity reach pre-menopause, the ovarian output of sex hormones (progesterone and estrogen) drops and serious problems start to reveal themselves. The adrenal gland starts working like crazy causing unstable blood sugar, gastrointestinal tract inflammation, increase in fatigue, as well as body fat and unstable mood swings.
  8. Migraine headaches. Millions of people around the world suffer from this condition. Not all causes are linked to gluten; however, if you free yourself of this protein, you may find it was the cause of yours.
  9. Body issues. Your teeth, bones, skin, joints and muscles can also be affected by gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease. As soon as you do an elimination diet, you can determine if gluten is the main cause of such ailments. It may take some time, but once you have the diagnosis, you can immediately start treating yourself and discover other delicious dishes that help heal and restore balance to your body and mind.

If you have a gluten sensitivity, do your research. You will need to be vigilant in avoiding obvious as well as hidden sources of gluten. Although this will cut many grains and many processed foods out of your diet, gluten free foods are becoming more popular.

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Common Bad Parenting Advice You Should Ignore

Sometimes trusting your instincts is better than trusting the experts. Too often as parents we ignore our gut instincts, and we are duped into following bad advice, the kind of expert advice that has been backed up with faulty research.

Research is often flawed. In years past, the main problem was bias. In modern times, bias it still a problem, but more often problems arise from conflicts of interest. Instead of pursuing objective results, research is commonly twisted to support corporate agendas. Ultimately the scientific method is self-correcting, but this can take a long time. Life is too short to trust the experts and take harmful advice to heart. There is no substitute for doing your own research.

Cry It Out Method

Culture influences science in many ways and so do changes in family structure. In most parts of the world, parents share caretaking with other adult relatives. In America during the late 1800s, extended families were often broken up and the typical American family became a smaller unit. During this transition, new parents had to cope with raising children on their own, a highly independent but unnatural approach to child rearing. This is the cultural backdrop that gave birth to the crying it out method.

It was falsely believed that parents would spoil their children if they were too attentive to their needs. This belief wasn’t based on real evidence, but it was later supported by several poorly conducted studies. This behaviorist view became ubiquitous, and even the government echoed the same advice.

An old U.S. government pamphlet told mothers that babies should never inconvenience adults and that catering to the needs of a baby was a serious waste of time. The goal was to teach a baby as young as 6 months to quietly sit in its crib.

Letting your infant “cry it out” can cause brain damage, actual neurological harm as well as psychological harm. It is not a way to make a child more independent; it makes a child more dependent. By meeting babies’ needs early on, they become much more independent later in life. And interacting with infants is not a waste of time; it is a highly educational and productive activity. Entertaining your baby stimulates their neural development.

Infant Nutritional Advice

From the late 1800s through the 1960s, many pediatricians’ recommendations were either abusive or negligent, depending upon your point of view. As a matter of fact, following their advice today would most likely result in very sick infants, the loss of parental rights, or both.

Sir Frederick Truby King, and Walter W. Sackett were two widely followed “expert” doctors who were champions of bad advice. Sackett’s books are still being sold.

King believed in enforcement parenting. He advocated feeding babies every four hours during the day and never feeding them at night. He recommended placing infants in their own room and leaving them alone in the garden for long hours in order to “toughen them up”. He also firmly believed that cuddling should never be done to excess. Ten minutes a day was his recommended maximum allowance for physical affection. To him, parenting was about routine and discipline, not affection or bonding. Sadly, his advice was widely taken to heart.

Walter Sackett also advocated a four-hour daytime only feeding schedule. By his own admission, this schedule was enacted for the convenience of the hospital. He recommended the introduction of solid foods for infants who are 2-3 days old beginning with cereal and introducing meat at 14 days. He argued that, “Research has shown that baby’s digestive tract will not be harmed by any food he can swallow.” Of course, modern research refutes this harmful advice. He believed you could give a hungry infant water instead of food. He even recommended giving coffee to six-month-old infants!

Many doctors also recommended formula over breast milk. This recommendation, like so many others, was inspired more by corporate payoffs than by scientific findings.

Obviously, these days we know better. Breast milk is the best food for our babies, and other foods should be introduced one at a time. We recommend starting at the earliest with fruit at six months of age. Foods that are common allergens, such as strawberries, should be delayed. Infant formula should be avoided if at all possible. Many formulas contain GMOs, MSG, and other harmful substances. Even the healthiest infant formula pales in comparison to nature’s super-food, breast milk.

The reason that foods should be delayed at least this long is a baby’s gut is highly permeable. This is known as a virgin gut (in an adult a highly permeable gut is known as leaky gut syndrome). When breast milk seeps through the gut, this is not harmful. Permeability with other foods can result in allergies and other health issues.

Separate Sleeping

It is an American notion that children should be left to sleep in their own room, and if they don’t like it (none of them do), they can just cry themselves to sleep. Throughout most of our history as human beings, and throughout most of the world, infants have always slept with their parents.

WEB MD, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other medical authorities warn against co-sleeping. Web Med states the following:

Sharing the bed with your baby multiplies the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) fivefold, according to a 2013 study. The American Academy of Pediatrics cites the dangers of SIDS and suffocation, and recommends that parents keep their baby out of their bed, especially during the first 3 months of life.

Colson encourages room sharing. To lower SIDS risk, follow two rules when you do put your baby down in his crib or bassinet. “The most important thing is that the baby is always put to sleep on his back, and that there isn’t anything around the baby like pillows, heavy blankets, or bumpers.”

Many Americans are convinced by their recommendations. In reality, co-sleeping predates SIDS. Before it was known as SIDS it was called crib death, and for good reason. Babies forced to sleep alone (made to sleep in cribs) are more likely to die from the stress, and babies need their mothers in order to take cues for breathing. A breast-fed baby almost never dies of SIDS, and when they do, they are usually well vaccinated and left to sleep alone.

SIDS was so rare prior to 1950 that it isn’t even mentioned in the statistics. Mass vaccinations began after the 1950s. . Forcing a baby to sleep alone is an unnatural arrangement for the baby and the mother. Infants who are fed formula, who are forced to sleep alone, and who are well vaccinated run the greatest risk of SIDS. The SIDS rate in America has fallen with the rising popularity of breast feeding, but there is so much more we can do to protect our children.

Dr. James J. Mckenna shares his research on co-sleeping.

…Touching infants changes their breathing, body temperature, growth rate, blood pressure, body temperature, stress levels and growth itself. In other words, the mother’s body is the only environment to which the human infant is adapted. As Dr. Winnecott, the famous child psychologist put it, “There is no such thing as a baby, there is a baby and someone.

… sleeping alone in a room by itself and not breastfeeding are now recognized as independent risk factors for SIDS, a fact that explains why most of the world never heard of SIDS.

…the breathing of the mother and infant are regulated by the presence of each other — the sounds of inhalation and exhalation, the rising and falling of their chests, and the carbon dioxide being exhaled by one and inhaled by the other expediting the next breath! I have argued in scientific articles that this is one more signal to remind babies to breathe, a fail-safe system should the baby’s internal breathing transitions falter.

…Holding, carrying and sleeping with a baby is not just a nice social idea, but also an important contribution to their well-being.”

Many new parents are worried that they will forget their baby is in the bed with them and roll over on them. This is a remote possibility. New parents are ablaze with hormones (both mom and dad) and it is highly unlikely they will forget the presence of their child, even when sleeping. But a poor diet and environmental toxins can disrupt hormones; making this nightmarish scenario more likely. Co-sleeping is not without risk, but leaving the infant to cry it out and just “get over it and self soothe,” abandoned and alone in its room, is a more dangerous option. Forcing a baby to sleep alone guarantees some harm to the infant, while co-sleeping carries no guarantee of harm.

Child Protective Services and other similar but differently named state agencies do not look kindly on co-sleeping. Many parents who co-sleep still have baby rooms set up, with cribs and all, even if they never intend to use them, just in case overzealous social workers show up on an anonymous tip.

A co-sleeping crib or a co-sleeping basinet is a possible middle ground, as long as the baby can maintain physical contact with his/her mother.

Precautions should be taken to ensure the safety of a co-sleeping infant. Falling off the bed onto the floor can be fatal. To prevent this, many co-sleeping parents simply put their mattress on the floor with no frame and no box springs. Other parents pile up pillows around the bed as a way of breaking a baby’s fall should they roll off the bed.

Circumcision

vaccien and circ meme
Since the 1800s, experts have promoted circumcision as prevention for a laughable list of medical conditions from excessive masturbation to crossed eyes, nervousness, and epilepsy. Dr. John Hutchinson, a dedicated advocate of circumcision in the 1890s, states the following in making his case for genital mutilation.

It is surely not needful to seek any recondite motive for the origin of the practice of circumcision. No one who has seen the superior cleanliness of a Hebrew penis can have avoided a very strong impression in favour of removal of the foreskin. It constitutes a harbour for filth, and is a constant source of irritation. It conduces to masturbation, and adds to the difficulties of sexual continence. It increases the risk of syphilis in early life, and of cancer in the aged. I have never seen cancer of the penis in a Jew, and chances are rare”.

Circumcision is an unnecessary, painful, traumatizing operation performed on newborn infants that can lead to infection and death.

Doctors are highly motivated to conceal the true cause of circumcision death. Neonatal circumcision has no medical indication and is now considered to be an unnecessary non-therapeutic operation. It is unethical to carry out such operations on minors who cannot consent for themselves. Consequently, most doctors who have a baby die after a circumcision would prefer to attribute the results of his unethical operation to secondary causes, such as infection or bleeding, while ignoring the primary cause, which is the circumcision that resulted in the infection or bleeding. It is, therefore, very hard to identify the total number of deaths that occur from circumcision. One senses that one may be seeing only the “tip of the iceberg,” with the vast majority of deaths from circumcision being concealed. The deaths undoubtedly cause an increase in infant mortality. Male infant mortality is higher than female infant mortality. It is not known how much of this increased mortality is due to the practice of male circumcision. CIRP

Conclusion

Bad parental advice from the experts is undoubtedly still ubiquitous. On many issues such as co-sleeping, experts are divided on what is best for our children. In times past, there often was more of a consensus on what should be done, but this was still no guarantee that the experts were right, not when the prevailing views of experts were to toughen up our children by abandoning them for extended periods of time and not holding them for more than ten minutes a day.

Other controversies concerning parenting still abound, such as whether or not to vaccinate. If you’re researching what is best for your child, your research should be thorough. Include a look at what other countries practice to gain a more complete understanding. For example, American children are the most heavily vaccinated in the world, and they are also the most chronically ill.

If an expert says something you agree with or disagree with, investigate further and learn all sides of the argument. All children are unique and each family is unique. Ultimately, we decide what is best for our children. Knowledge is our best defense.

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Reverse Gray Hair Naturally

My first gray hairs appeared when I was 24-years-old. I was standing in a checkout line with a good friend, buying my baby boy a gift for his first birthday. My friend shrieked when she saw my first two gray hairs, and she automatically reached to pluck them out. I grabbed her hand and emphatically declared that I had earned them with my first year of motherhood. They were staying on my head! Now I know my early shift to gray was not a badge of honor or achievement, it was a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

Your hair will naturally turn gray or white with age, but if premature graying occurs, your diet may be lacking in nutrients or other health issues may indicate.

Health Issues That May be Indicated by Prematurely Gray Hair

  • Celiac disease. (Within weeks, a gluten-free diet may result in hair darkening years after going gray.)
  • Endocrine imbalance. (Balancing hormones may result in hair darkening within months.)
  • Pernicious anemia.

Supplements That May Help Halt or Reverse Graying Hair

  • B-12
  • Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) (from folic acid)
  • Copper

How to Correct a Vitamin or Mineral Deficiency

When addressing nutritional deficiencies, there are 3 things to consider:

  • Diet
  • Toxic load
  • Ability to assimilate nutrients (gut health)

A Healthy Diet – A Healthy Body

The foundation of all health is a truly healthy diet – a whole food diet that consists of 80% or more fresh, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits. One large salad per day filled with a variety of vegetables can change your health. You will be giving your body the nutrients it needs to fuel and repair itself and the prebiotic foods to ensure gut health and on-going detoxification if you include the right foods. To learn more, check out the 80% Raw Food Diet.

A truly healthy diet eliminates processed foods along with all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar. It limits caffeine. It includes healthy fats rich in omega 3s and plenty of pure water.

Detox for Health

Best of intentions and a great diet can only go so far when the body is filled with toxic sludge. We live in the most toxic environment humans have ever endured. Plastics, heavy metals, vaccines, dental fillings, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals – the list goes on and on. Once or twice a year, we need to detox, but it helps if we incorporate foods like raw garlic and cilantro into our daily diet with lots of pure, clean water. When we do, we are detoxing a little each day. To learn how to detox safely, check out Cheap and Easy Detox Diet Plan.

Gut Health

If your gut is sick and inflamed, you are suffering from what is called leaky gut syndrome. Gluten and Candida usually go hand in hand in breaking down the biofilm that lines the gut. Candida actually can drill holes right through the healthy tissue. The result? Proteins and other substances leak into the bloodstream without going through the proper digestive processes. This infiltration leads to allergies, autoimmune diseases, and other disease. And as the gut breaks down, our ability to absorb nutrients is lost.

Onion Juice Reverses Gray Hair

Onion juice has been used for centuries treat thin graying hair and alopecia. Onion juice has many benefits to the hair follicles:

Onions are rich in sulphur and other compounds that are great for killing infections. Onion juice kills germs, parasites, some fungal infections; all can cause hair loss. Onions remove hydrogen peroxide buildup and reduce inflammation while providing enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other nourishment to regenerate the hair floccules.

Studies have shown that daily onion juice applied topically can reduce and reverse greying and regrow hair. You can juice or crush the onion. Apply the onion juice daily to your scalp and lightly massage or brush it in. Leave the onion Juice on the scalp for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Start with a small amount, it’s tricky and it’s messy.

Conclusion

A healthy diet, a thorough detox and the right supplements may not result in darkened hair, but there is no doubt these changes will result in greater health. If you choose to supplement B-12 or folic acid, it is best to take a vitamin B complex. B vitamins work together. Be sure to choose a high-quality vitamin/mineral supplement (or make your own).

If you’re suddenly experiencing rapid hair loss or graying, look at Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Hypothyroidism.

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Eating For Aging

Our bodies go through a whole lot of wear and tear as we go about our daily lives, which leads to some challenging conditions during our golden years. We’re already predisposed to ailments thanks to genetics and our environment, but poor nutrition takes those risks even higher. The common diseases that come with age have some debilitating symptoms that nobody wants to encounter, so nutrition isn’t something we can afford to put off. Start reducing your risks for common aging problems today.

Arthritis

Our joints have a soft cushion of fluid and cartilage that keeps them moving smoothly and painlessly, but this cushion can be compromised by injuries, infections, and extra weight. As time adds to the wear and tear of our joints, the damage can grow and lead to the painful inflammation we call arthritis. There’s no known cure for the pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduction in strength and motion, so prevention is the way to go.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These critical fats offer your joints important lubrication that will keep them moving smoothly. Fry up your omega’s with some fatty cold water fish like mackerel, wild salmon, and sardines.
  • Antioxidants: Vitamins A, C, and E and phytochemicals like ellagic acid, lutein and anthocyanin all serve as antioxidants. Meet your needs with colorful foods like berries, grapes, greens, sweet potatoes, and wash it down with some green tea.
  • Sulforaphane: This compound acts as an anti-inflammatory, and it’s showing big potential in the prevention and slowing of osteoarthritis. You can work the benefits of sulforaphane into your diet by eating cruciferous greens like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage.
  • Oleocanthal: This compound has shown to be a powerful anti-inflammatory that can actually help treat arthritic conditions. Get a spoonful from a bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

Osteoporosis

Our blood requires a constant level of calcium to keep clotting, pH, and muscle function where they need to be. The good news is that we have a supply of calcium our body can always rely on. The bad news? Those calcium withdrawals are coming straight from our bones. The worst news? Millions of people don’t even have a clue they’re at risk of osteoporosis until they’re suffering a broken bone. Rebuilding weak and porous bones is too little too late, so learn the basics of bone health.

  • Vitamin D: Calcium has gotten all the credit for bone health, but it’s thanks to Vitamin D that our bodies can absorb it. This is one vitamin you can’t source from food, so get yourself a supplement or a dose of sunlight.  
  • Vitamin K: Studies are showing that Vitamin K can help regulate calcium and form bones, and research in Japan suggests that it can increase bone mass and reverse bone loss. Get your Vitamin K from dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli.
  • Omega-3’s: On top of fighting the inflammation of arthritis, omega-3’s show promise in maintaining bone mass and helping us absorb calcium. Get a fish-free serving from walnuts, or hemp, flax, and chia seeds.

Dementia

When brain cells are damaged, the communication of neural networks are impaired. As this degradation spreads, regions of the brain responsible for things like memory, speech, and visual perception are no longer able to function properly. This degeneration of the brain produces the challenges of memory loss, hallucinations, and communication faced by dementia sufferers everywhere. The brain is the control center of our entire body, so there’s two dietary needs that shouldn’t be skimped on.

  • Omega-3’s: If there’s anything we’ve learned today, it’s that omega-3 fatty acids are a critical part of a healthy diet. Studies and stats show 3’s playing an important role in healthy, functioning, and developing brains, so grab a handful of walnuts (their shape says it all) for a quick fix of brain benefits.  
  • B-Vitamins: Science shows a strong connection between high levels of homocysteine and Alzheimer’s. B12 deficiency is another common factor in Alzheimer’s risk, making this a worthy dietary addition, but B-vitamins are also showing they can drop the levels of this concerning neurotoxin. B’s are mostly found in meat and fish, but nutritional yeast offers an astounding (and quick) B-fix.

 Eat Well and Live Long!

There are a lot of important factors contributing to disease, but now you have some easy and simple aids for prevention. Do you have your own tricks and tips for longevity and vitality? Share in the comments below!

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Alleviate Depression Naturally

Depression. You’d think we all have the same definition for this word, but we don’t. Misery, the blues… Many people think a sad emotional state is equivalent to clinical depression. It is not.

To meet the diagnosis of a depressive episode the following criteria listed in the DSM-V must be met:

Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations.

  1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.
  2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others).
  3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.
  4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
  5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
  6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
  7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).
  8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).
  9. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
  10. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
  11. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism).

All, or nearly all, of the symptoms people experience during depression or any other mental disorder, are symptoms every person experiences at one time or another. The difference between normal experience and a disorder is the constancy, severity, and combination of symptoms.

Normal experience does not include two straight weeks of sadness so intense it results in an inability to function at work while it is impossible to sleep (or to get out of bed). In addition there is a sudden dramatic loss of weight, movements become slow and deliberate, and thoughts of death or suicide crowd out every thought not associated with self-loathing. (This is an example of five symptoms from the list).

Depression is associated with low serotonin levels and high cortisol levels. Serotonin is known as the feel-good neurotransmitter while cortisol is a hormone known as the stress hormone.

Conventional Treatment for Depression

Since depressed feeling and depression are not always one in the same, what we call depression can be viewed on a continuum. Severe symptoms meeting the criteria for clinical depression would be on one end of that scale while sadness or the blues while general dissatisfaction with life would be at the other. And yet, regardless of where a person is on that scale, there is a high probability that a doctor will prescribe anti-depressants if the patient requests them. Hopefully, psychiatrists would not be as quick to prescribe them.

Generally, any good doctor will at least mention eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, and sleeping 8 hours a night. But too often that prescription pad is pulled out to “help.” Anti-depressants, taken to decrease suicidal thoughts and feelings, can increase suicidal and homicidal thinking and have been linked to both suicides and to most of the mass murder incidents that have occurred in the last few decades.

Alternative Treatment for Depression

As with all aspects of physical and mental health, healing begins with a truly healthy, nutrition-packed diet and exercise.

Diet

A truly healthy diet consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce, more vegetables than fruit, a wide variety of foods, healthy fats, and pure water. (Check out the 80% Raw Food Diet for more information).

When any body system is not working properly, increase nutrition and detox. A great way to increase nutrition is to add nutritional powder to your daily routine in juice or a smoothie. To learn how to make your own Total Nutrition Powder, check out Total Nutrition, Make Your Own Multivitamin and Mineral Formula.

More of Shillington’s Recipes:

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When you are eating an organic 80% raw diet that includes plenty of clean water, and foods like onions, garlic, turmeric, and cilantro, you are detoxing on an ongoing basis. But a thorough bi-annual detox is extremely beneficial.

Eating right is more than adding the right foods to your diet. It is just as important, if not more important, to remove the food from your diet that you should not eat. Avoid all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, MSG, trans fats, and GMOs. Do not eat corn syrup. Unless it is organic, it’s genetically modified. Avoid or seriously restrict caffeine. Avoid sugar. Conventional sugar has no nutritive value. It harms the body and the immune system in a number of ways and chances are it is genetically modified, as most of the conventional sugar made nowadays comes from sugar beets, a crop that is generally GMO. The easiest way to deal with all of the issues of what not to eat is to eat real food, whole food, and avoid processed packaged foods.

By eating a truly healthy diet, you will be well on your way toward healing your gut. If you have an overgrowth of Candida you will benefit from supplementation and some additional dietary additions and restrictions until you have that overgrowth in check.

Gut health is vital in alleviating depression because the beneficial bacteria in the gut manufacture 80% of our serotonin. When the gut is out of balance due to Candida, parasites, and bad bacteria, serotonin levels suffer, as does the body’s entire hormonal system.

To learn more about how to heal the gut, read How To Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem.

Exercise

Exercise is essential for several reasons. First, exercise produces endorphins that elevate your mood. Studies comparing exercise to pharmaceuticals have proven that exercise is more beneficial than drugs.

Exercise improves overall health by moving blood and lymph throughout the tissues. This process helps bring nutrients into individual cells while removing waste from the body. The immune system is strengthened and the body and its organs, including the brain, receive the cleansing and the nourishment needed to attain peak performance.

Vitamin D

The link between vitamin D deficiency and depression is well documented and even carries its own diagnosis- Seasonal Affective Disorder. Unless you live in the lower portion of the U.S. (draw a line from Los Angeles, CA to Atlanta, GA to mark the line), chances are you do not get enough sun to make adequate amounts of vitamin D. Vitamin D supplementation should always be considered as a first line of defense when symptoms of depression are present. To learn more about Vitamin D, read Sunlight and Vitamin D.

B Vitamins

B vitamins are best taken together in the form of B complex vitamins. Never take just one B vitamin alone for any length of time.

B vitamins are essential for many functions in the body. Deficiencies in B5, B6, B7, or B12 cause depression. Daily supplementation will elevate mood, decrease irritability, and improve sleep. To learn more about B vitamins read Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium.

Conclusion

With the right diet, exercise, detoxification, and supplementation, the body is given the resources to heal itself. If loss, abuse, or other life events are contributing to sadness, low self-esteem, or other symptoms, therapy can be an invaluable aid in healing.

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Further Reading:


Easy Gluten Free Pancake Recipe

The gluten free household faces unique challenges. Even though gluten-free products have become more mainstream, they still cost between 2 to 10 times more than conventional alternatives. And even at those hefty prices, gluten free products like pancake mixes are rarely organic.

Until recently, cooking was all but a lost art. For those who wish to take back our health and save money on eating out, cooking from scratch is becoming more popular than ever.

A truly healthy diet consists of 80% or more fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruits. (Check out the 80% Raw Food Diet for more information.) But for those of us who are foodies, this still leaves a little wiggle room for variety. Although anything made with sugar should not be a staple in our diet, no one should be forced to live life without pancakes. Even if gluten doesn’t bother you, this recipe should prove far superior to any other pancake recipe, and it even forms a complete protein!

Whenever possible, buy organic. In the case of cornstarch, always buy organic to avoid GMO corn products.

You Will Need

  • Organic Rice Flour (brown or white)
  • Organic Corn Starch
  • Tapioca Flour
  • Garbanzo Bean Flour (aka Chickpea Flour)
  • Aluminum Free Baking Soda
  • Aluminum Free Baking Powder
  • Gelatin or Organic Xanthan Gum
  • Sea Salt
  • Organic Maple Sugar
  • Fruit (optional)
  • Eggs or Egg Replacer
  • Butter or Spread (Cow, Goat, or Earth Balance)
  • Buttermilk, Kefir or Yogurt (Cow, Goat, or Coconut)
  • Honey or Maple Syrup
  • Organic Vanilla Extract
  • Optional toppings include up to 2 Cups Fresh Fruit (Blueberries, Strawberries, Bananas and Cherries are all popular choices, but any fruit you like will do) and Whipped Cream.

Dry Pancake Mix (Makes 3 Batches)

First mix up a batch of dry pancake mix. Feel free to double or triple this recipe. Keep what is left over in a closed jar in your pantry for later use. The mix tastes best when used within 3-6 months.

  • 3 ½ Cups of Rice Flour
  • ½ Cup of Corn Starch
  • 1 Cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
  • 1 Cup Tapioca Flour
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Xanthun Gum or Gelatin
  • 3 Tablespoons Maple Sugar

Pancakes (Yields about 12 pancakes)

  • 2 Cups of Dry Pancake Mix (see above)
  • 2 Eggs or Egg Replacer
  • 2 Cups Milk
  • 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter (or Spread)
  • 1Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk, or you can put the dry ingredients in a closed container and shake a few times.

Preheat your pan or griddle (we prefer cast-iron, and we advise against Teflon).

Whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. (It can still have some lumps).

Add a small amount of butter, or cooking oil to the pan. If it sizzles, it’s ready. We like avocado oil, rice bran oil, peanut oil, or coconut oil. (For this purpose olive oil is a poor choice due to its low smoke point; it burns too easily)

Using a ladle, pour the pancake batter onto the griddle or large pan. Within 2-3 minutes, bubbles will form around the edges of the pancake. Gently slide a spatula beneath the pancake and carefully flip. (The cooked side should be golden brown.) After another minute or two your pancakes will be ready. If not served immediately, pancakes can be kept warm for up to 30 minutes when covered and held in a 200-degree, preheated oven.

cooking Gluten Free Pancakes

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