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As over 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s and over 500,000 of them are under the age of 65, it is well worth looking into preventative measures.

I’m highlighting 10 points from an AOL article by Vicki Salemi with a link below to the full article. The sentences in parentheses are my comments on some of the points. The doctor in Ms. Salemi’s article does recommend certain drugs as preventative measures; we, personally, prefer non-drug methods as much as possible, as all drugs have some negative side effects which can outweigh any benefits.

Vitamin B Work with your doctor to put together a plan to incorporate whatever vitamins you are deficient in, particularly Vitamin B. [Our doctor said that Vitamin B is the most difficult vitamin for the body to absorb, so he suggests a quality B complex even if it is the only vitamin you take.]

Heart Healthy Foods Implement a heart healthy diet that’s low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Mental Gymnastics Taking your brain out of the comfort zone is one way to make connections and remain stimulated, such as doing crossword puzzles, creates a multi-dimensional connection.

Exercise Thirty minutes of exercise several times a week is beneficial for brain health. Exercise brings more oxygen to your brain, it helps burn excess sugar, it enhances hormones and is good for blood flow.

Avoid Heavy Metal Contamination Avoid shrimp and shellfish due to the mercury. Avoid exposure to aluminum in general, aluminum foil, pots and pans or deodorant with aluminum as an ingredient. [When buying fish, we look for "wild caught" on the label, and albacore in tuna, as they are supposed to be lower in heavy metals, though some doctors avoid fish completely, such as Dr. Mercola.] Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

If you rated your health practices, where would you rate with the national average?

Do you think your score card would compare to the national average or with what is necessary for a long, quality state of life?  Consumer Reports (1) recently put out an article based on the U.S. Government’s Healthy People 2010 initiative.  We’re going to look at some of these check points so you can see how you rate.  For our readers outside the U.S., you will still benefit from the health goals in these areas and the “how-to’s” of achieving good standards for a long healthy life.

Moderate Exercise

Average- 26 minutes per day for men, 19 per day for women.

Goal- 150 minutes moderate exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise for cardiovascular health, good cognitive function, lower body fat, and less age-related muscle loss.

Optimum- For more health benefits, increase to 300 minutes moderate exercise per week or 150 minutes vigorous exercise and strength training 2 days a week.

Body Weight

Average- Body mass index of 28 for men and women, waist circumference of 39.7 for men and 37 for women.

Goal- BMI of under 25 for men and women, waist circumference of 37 for men and 32 for women to lower rate of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and premature mortality.

How to Calculate- Your weight in pounds divided by your height in inches squared, then multiplied by 703. For ease, a BMI calculator is available at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org/BMI . For waist, measure circumference at belly button height.

Healthy Diet

Average- Less than 3 servings a day of fruit and vegetables for men and less than 4 for women. 

Goal- 2-4 servings per day of fruit and 3-5 servings per day of vegetables (5-9 total) to reduce risk of Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

A couple of readers asked about health problems stemming from past hurts and how positive thinking brings healing, so let’s touch on both today!

There is an endless stream of little things happening everyday which can irritate you if you allow them to, but they are not even worth the negative thoughts and resulting physical consequences.

The first main point here is “little!” For most of us, it is allowing little situations to consistently irritate or worry us that ruin our health. Medical studies have shown that up to 80% of physical illnesses are caused by emotional issues. Some of us may be experiencing health problems due to living in an emotionally and/or physically abusive environment; if that is the case, health cannot come without a change “in” the environment or “of” environments. (If this is your case, please go to the Cloud Tag in the side column and click on “boundary violations” for posts to help you with that type of situation.) The majority of us, however, allow our health to be ruined by instances that actually come down to a matter of our own choice of thoughts. We can be the cause of our own poor health by allowing a multitude of small instances throughout the day to create irritation or anger or worry. Because we allow these negative responses so often, harmful chemicals such as cortisol are continually being released into our bodies. Studies show that cortisol, a chemical released by stress, increases irritability, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and is associated with numerous diseases (1).

The little things that set you off will vary with your personality. For example, what negative thoughts come to mind when:

• someone cuts you off in traffic?
• cuts you off to take the closest parking space?
• a family member spills something on the carpet or furniture?
• the kids start fighting?
• the dog had an accident in the house?
• a co-worker makes a cutting remark about you in front of other staff? Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

Most people admit to being tired and exhausted the majority of the time. Many suffer from restless sleep for a variety of reasons and would do anything for a good night’s sleep!

I recently read an article, it may have been by Dr. Mercola, that said most Americans actually exist in a continual state of jet-lag due to throwing off their internal clocks by not making a habit of a dusk to dawn sleep pattern. The article below quoted in Dr. Mercola’s newsletter says that “Americans now get about 25 percent less sleep than they did a century ago.” In addition to health problems such as weight gain, depression, high blood sugar, increased cancer risk, and brain damage, it said “an estimated 71,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes each year.”

In this quote from Dr. Mercola’s newsletter, there are 10 steps for achieving deep sleep.

Below the quote is a link to his full newsletter. Once there, look for 2 other links. After the 10 steps to deep sleep quoted in his newsletter, there is a link to a Reader’s Digest Article with 14 more steps for a good night’s sleep. However, Dr. Mercola has made his own list of 33 Secrets for a Good Night’s Sleep and you will see it at the end of his comment section. These are all good, practical tips, some of which we had already implemented in our household, and some we are going to begin tonight!

1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water, and then iron them before making your bed. The scent is proven to promote relaxation.

2. Hide your clock, so that its glow won’t disturb you and make sure there is no light coming from other sources including your windows as this will seriously impair your body’s ability to produce melatonin.

3. Choose the right pillow — neck pillows, which resemble a rectangle with a depression in the middle, can enhance the quality of your sleep and reduce neck pain. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

A good beginning to resolve many physical health issues is an near as your pillow.

“An estimated 50 to 70 million [people in the US] live on the brink of mental and physical collapse because of a lack of sleep,” as stated in Dr. Don Colbert’s book, “The Seven Pillars of Health (1).” A lack of sleep affects one’s job performance, driving ability, family/friend relationships, creativeness, decision-making as well as contributes to a host of chronic diseases.

Let’s look at a great illustration from nature related to our need for rest.

Dr. Colbert relates the following illustration in his book.  The soil in which our food is grown needs to have regular periods of rest. If crops are not rotated and the soil given a year of rest every so many years, the food grown there, even if organically grown, is devoid of many of the nutrients necessary for life. According to the 1992 Earth Summit, North America has the worst soil in the world-85 percent of the vital minerals depleted from it (2). Data from a USDA handbook from 1972 was compared to USDA food tables in 2001 and found that many vegetables had almost a 50 percent loss in nutrient content during that period of time (3). In scripture, God told people to give the soil a year’s rest every seventh year so that the nutrients could be naturally restored to the soil, and hence, to our food (Lev. 25:1-7). We came from the earth. The earth or soil needs regular rest or it will become devoid of everything of value. The parallel is obvious: if we do not take time to rest, our lives will become devoid of everything of value.

If you are sleep deprived, take a quick inventory of the things of value in your life.

If you have been sleep deprived, you can now quickly see that everything of value in your life-your career, your relationships, your creativity, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

From Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia to Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol, Olive Leaf Extract Should be of Interest to You!

I recently came across a comment on someone’s webpage about olive leaf extract solving digestion issues.  After some research around the web, I wanted to post for you excerpts from 2 of those articles as I was amazed at what I found. 

According to the Nutritional Supplement Educational Centre, the use of olive leaf extract for health benefits has been common to the Mediterranean culture, though more recently popular in the nutritional supplement industry. Olive leaf extract gained international attention when studies showed it to have an antioxidant capacity almost double green tea extract and 400% higher than vitamin C. (2)

Here is a sampling of olive leaf extract benefits listed by the NSEC:

1.  Boosts weakened immune system by neutralizing free radical cell damage.

2.  Naturally kills pathogens such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi, by preventing them from reproducing.

3.  Lowers blood pressure.

4.  Lowers high cholesterol. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Studies show many people use too little or the wrong kind of sunscreen or suntan lotion.

An spf 30 sunscreen rating sounds good but it may not be as good for your health as it sounds.  I compiled some lists of safe options for sun protection, whether you wear sunscreen or prefer other alternatives.

First is the easiest option for you. Use the Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen database.

 According to several sites I searched through, the FDA is not updating its sunscreen standards until 2012.  The EWG tested over 700 sunscreens and gave them a score of 0 to 10, 0 to 2 being the safest ones recommended by the EWG.  The EWG’s study found that 60% contain oxybenzone a potentially harmful hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream and 41 % contained retinyl palmitate which accelerates skin damage and increases skin cancer risk when applied to skin exposed to sunlight. (1) .

Check out the safety of your favorite sunscreens using this database link Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Few things ruin a good vacation or outing quicker than a severe sun burn.  Here are 6 steps to a quick sunburn recovery.

This list consists of abbreviated, paraphrased excerpts from an article called, “Summer Travel (see footnote),” by Dr. David J. Foreman, Herbal Pharmacist, who writes a monthly newsletter for the Vitamin Shoppe chain of stores. You can find more of Dr. Foreman’s articles at www.VitaminShoppe.com, click on Health Info, then on Herbal Pharmacist.

1. Treat it with ice as you would any other burn.  Don’t soak in ice water all at once; apply towels soaked in ice water to sections of your body for 20 minutes at a time, then rotate to another section.

2. Relieve the pain an inflammation naturally with white willow, or take an aspirin.

3. Treat the burn topically with aloe or calendula.  A stabilized aloe gel or calendula cream will soothe the burn and help repair the skin. 

4. Take antioxidants to help your body repair the free-radical damage caused by the burn from the inside out.  Supplements such as lutein, lycopene, or zeaxanthin are Dr. Foreman’s recommendations.

5. Fish oil is an anti-inflammatory and will also help produce new skin cells.

6. Drink plenty of water.  Not only will you have dehydrated from the burn, but increasing your daily water intake will decrease peeling and speed the rate of healing.

Related Post: Sunscreen- Here’s Some Safe Options

Excerpts from “Summer Travel,” by Dr. David J. Foreman, Herbal Pharmacist, Vol. 5, Issue 4.

There are natural ways to optimize your body’s natural health defenses through supplements and some common health practices.

Dr. Kent Holtorf of the Holtorf Medical Group drew international attention after an interview with Fox News about why his own children will not be receiving the swine flu vaccine. People are not always aware of the ways to improve their health and the body’s own defense against the flu and other infections.

Dr. Holtorf posted a question and answer session online about the swine flu (dated April 2009). Here is a quote from his suggestions to prevent viruses and infections. Use the link in the footnote to read the full article.

Natural ways to prevent an infection include vitamin D 5000-15,000 per day (best to check levels), zinc 50 mg/day, vitamin C 3000 mg/day, licorice root extract and miataki mushroom D-fraction. There are good combination products available (Virunex, Immunostim). Nasal colloidal silver can be very effective. It is very safe, and no virus has ever been shown to develop resistance to silver. (1)

Dr. Joseph Mercola is also a strong advocate of optimizing your vitamin D levels, not just for flu prevention but daily health. It is also one of the least expensive ways to be proactive.

He makes 2 strong statements advocating vitamin D:

-Optimizing your vitamin D levels is the absolute best strategy for avoiding infections of all kinds.
-Vitamin D deficiency is the most likely true culprit behind seasonal flu, not the flu virus itself. (2)

Here are his 2 suggested standards for vitamin D supplements: Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Knowledge of the Two Types of Flu Vaccines is necessary for an educated decision.

This post is Part 2 of a 3 Part Series.  In this post, we’ll discuss two different types of flu vaccines, how virus statistics are determined, and important label info from the vaccine manufacturer.

Part 1 discusses why some leading doctors are vocalizing concern over the swine flu vaccine. If you missed it, click the above series link.  Part 3 will give you easy, safe and natural ways to prevent the flu and other infections.  The purpose in this post is not to address the political issues involved regarding the swine flu and its vaccines, but only to make sure that you, my readers, are well informed for the safety and well-being of your own family.

Swine flu vaccines are available in both a nasal spray, which contains live virus, and the injectable vaccine which contains a dead virus.

Nearly all of the swine flu vaccines that made available in October are the nasal spray type that contains live virus’, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people over 50, or those with asthma, heart disease or several other health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s own website.  See the footnote below for the CDC’s full list of who should not get this vaccine. (1) Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Let’s look at a few reasons why more concern is unfolding regarding the flu vaccine and your family’s safety than the swine flu itself.

Below is various info I came across as well as excerpts from Fox News’ interview on September 23, 2009 with Dr. Kent Holtorf, an expert in autoimmune diseases. His interview created international concern over the new flu vaccine. See link below for full interview.(1)

The first concern is that the vaccine was rushed to market.

Dr. Holtorf said, “I have more concern about the vaccine than I do about the swine flu. It’s been rushed to market.”

An article by LeuRockwell.com’s Bill Sardi stated his research on the flu shots also confirmed this:

This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. Mock vaccines are made to gain approval of the manufacturing method and then the prevalent virus strain in circulation is added just days before it is actually placed into use. Don’t subject your children to experimental vaccines. Yes, these vaccines have been tested on healthy kids and adults, but they are not the same vaccines your children will be given.(2)

The second main concern is the toxicity of the adjunct in the flu shot, a substance added to increase its performance.

The main adjunct in the swine flu vaccine is Thimerosal, a compound containing mercury. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Gratifying

With all the talk on fatty acid, most of us have heard that we need fish oil, flax seed or flax oil, and various omega fatty acids, but few people are really sure how much of what ones, so let’s make it simple!

I recently read a clear cut article on fatty acids by Dr. David J. Foreman, Herbal Pharmacist, who writes a monthly newsletter for the Vitamin Shoppe chain of stores. (We buy most of our supplements there.) I’ll give you the highlights from his article, “Secrets of Healthy Fats Revealed.” The link for the full article is footnoted below.

Dr. Foreman makes an interesting statement that Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are possibly more important than vitamin and mineral supplements because our bodies cannot make them.

EFAs have to come from our diet. Symptoms of a lack of EFAs can include:

• Dry, itchy skin
• Poor memory
• Heart disease
• Poor circulation
• Fatigue
• Mood problems
• Immune weakness
• Hormone imbalances

Not only is it important to have EFAs, but they need to be in a proper proportion to each other. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

There are more options than just calcium supplements to increase your bone density even after you become aware of your osteoporosis.

Let’s look at the options available for natural osteoporosis treatment suggested by 3 well-known authorities in the medical field including a personal program to build your bone density.

Here is a list of a daily regime of supplements suggested by David Edelberg, M.D., medical director of the American Holistic Center/Chicago.

-1,200 mg of calcium
-800 mg of magnesium
-10 mg of zinc
-1 mg of copper
-1,000 mg of vitamin C
-200 IU’s of vitamin D
-50 mg of vitamin B6
-1 mg of folic acid
-1 mg of silicon
-0.5 mg of boron
-5 mg of manganese

Dr. Edelberg says that these supplements can be purchased in most health food stores. You can even find some manufacturers which provide all of these supplements in one capsule. (1)

Dr. John R. Lee’s work specifically with osteoporosis showed that benefits can be achieved independent of age, that osteoporosis reversal is a reality, and that the treatment program is safe, uncomplicated, and inexpensive.

Dr. Lee is world famous for his medical advancements in the realm of women’s health. Here is an excerpt of one of his studies: Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Although osteoporosis is usually considered a disease of women, 30% of osteoporosis fractures occur in men. It affects 75 million people in the US, Europe, and Japan, and causes 1.3 million fractures annually in the US alone. (1).

Osteoporosis-related hip fractures are fatal 20% of the time and produce permanent disability half of the time.  With such stats, it is highly beneficial to look at prevention through natural forms of calcium supplements. I’m going give you the recommendations from a couple of different sources, all of which are footnoted at the end of this post.

This is Part 2 of a 3 – Part Post; if you missed the post to assess your risk level, click the above series link. Part 3 will cover Natural Treatment to improve your bone density and minimize bone loss.

 Here is a list of natural calcium supplements condensed from suggestions by Mother Nature.com. Use the link to read their full article.

1. Eat a handful of sesame seeds each morning
2. Drink almond milk morning and night, which is high in calcium. Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.SC. suggests making your own by soaking ten almonds in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes, peeling them and mixing into a blender with 1 cup of cow, goat, or soya milk. Then add a pinch each of cardamom, ginger powder and saffron. You can also buy almond milk at stores such as Walmart.
3. A daily intake of dark green leafy vegetables, low-fat dairy products and sardines with bones are a natural calcium supplement suggested by Richard Gerson, Ph.D.
4. For a non-dairy calcium supplement, naturopathic physician Michael Murray, N.D. suggests juicing 3 kale leaves, 2 collard leaves, a handful of parsley, 3 carrots, 1 apple and 1/2 a green pepper. This provides 212 mgs calcium and 102 mgs magnesium, both necessary for good bone density.
5. Two standing yoga poses done once daily are good exercise for maintaining bone density, called the mountain and the tree, as suggested by Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D. A word of caution – elderly and advanced osteoporsis patients should not do the tree pose. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Osteoporosis is a fearful topic for most women, yet the best way to overcome fear is to empower yourself with clear cut information. 

In this 3 – Part Post, we will cover Osteoporosis Risk, Prevention, and Treatment.  “Half of all American women over age 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis sometime in their lives [while] one in five sufferers is male. “(1)

Before covering your risk factors, again let me emphasize that you can do much to reduce or eliminate a variety of risk factors with regard to your bone density.  Let me start with a great word of encouragement from WomentoWomen.com:

When you have a lot of risk factors, or just a few strong risk factors, it’s easy to feel like you’re doomed for problems with your bone health; especially with all the frightening statistics we see in the media about bone health and fracture.  But the statistics on lifetime fracture risk project what might happen if you do nothing to improve your bone health. On the other hand, when you take advantage of the many opportunities to support your bones, you will reduce your odds of a fracture.

Since the more risk factors you have, the greater the likelihood of a fracture, the most common sense response is to be proactive and reduce the number of your risk factors. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »