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For anyone who is wanting to increase his nutrition intake and improve his health, raw food needs to be a major focus.

It is surprising the times one can walk into a health store and see the shelves stocked with a majority of what is marketed as health food. A quick look at the label shows overly processed foods, chemical additives, binders, fillers, and numerous other items or processes that make the food anything but healthy. If you truly want to increase your nutrition intake, improve your health and boost the quality of your life, seriously consider raw foods.

I recently read an article about Paul Nison, author of Raw Food Formula for Health. He is a former Wall Street Trader whose poor health caused him to relocate, change careers, and focus on improving his health. After working on his health with the Hippocrates Health Institute’s plan of an 80% raw food diet, Paul’s health was transformed, convincing him of the benefit of eating raw, unprocessed, and uncooked foods. The health benefits of a raw food diet were so compelling that Paul switched to a career as a raw food chef and author/lecturer about the benefits of raw food.

Why does cooked food put a strain on the body and its digestive system?

As Paul explains in his book, essential enzymes are destroyed in cooked food. A diet of mainly cooked food strains the body by causing it to work at producing enzymes that ought to be in one’s food intake. While a person who eats raw and fermented foods high in enzymes jump starts that body’s digestive process by reducing the body’s need to produce enzymes, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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You can identify the typical stress patterns you experience when facing life’s struggles and follow a clear plan to leave them behind.

Fellow SelfGrowth.com expert, Jeanie Marshall, Personal Development expert, has written a helpful article to teach you to release the various stress reactions that occur in your body when facing life’s struggles. It begins with helping you identify the reactions that take place in your body so you can train yourself to be aware of when you are beginning to struggle with something. She then gives a couple of creative ideas for permanently releasing old hurts that are adding to your current struggles.

Here is an excerpt from Jeanie Marshalls’ article with a link to the full article below:

Struggle is a common expectation in our society. We tend to plan for it, anticipate it, and invite it into our lives. It has become so familiar that we often push away joy or peace or harmony, declaring such experiences to be unreal or temporary or frivolous.

Select something real in your life that you struggle against, just to give yourself a laboratory. Practicing on something real but not overwhelming will give you courage to explore something you consider a major struggle. Bring this idea or subject into your mind and feel the feelings. You may find it helpful to close your eyes to stay focused on the task. What does the struggle feel like? What sensations do you feel in your body and where do you feel them? What emotions do you feel and how do you feel them? Hear what you say about this subject to yourself. What does the resistance/struggle sound like? What color is the struggle? How big or small is the struggle?

Identify all the reactions, signals, sensations, feelings, and emotions that you can. Try not to ignore anything that comes into your awareness as you read this. How does your neck feel? Your shoulders? Your stomach? Do you feel agitated or impatient? Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Your weight gain can be caused by a lack of sleep.

An estimated 50-70 million Americans are suffering mentally and physically from a lack of sleep (1). Though eating habits obviously play a role in weight gain, studies have shown that there is a definite relationship between a lack of sleep and weight gain.

Various hormones released during your sleep regulate your weight and appetite.

Leptin, released during sleep, is the hormone which tells your body that it is full and doesn’t need more food. The lower the levels of leptin in your body, the more of the hormone ghrelin is released to increase your hunger (2). The growth hormone is also released during sleep; while this hormone causes growth in children, it controls muscle mass and fat level in adults (1).

A University of Chicago research found definite relationship between too little sleep and increased appetite/weight gain. The people in the study who slept only 4 hours a night had leptin levels decrease by 18 percent. This caused the ghrelin levels, which stimulate appetite, to increase by 28 percent (2). These results should be motivational in getting a good night’s sleep. Many of us just stay so busy that sleep is the easiest thing to cut back on.

If stress is causing your lack of sleep, not putting into action a plan to deal with stress will only add to your weight problems.

Stress increases your levels of adrenaline and cortisol, mobilizing the body’s sugar supply, for the purpose of quick thinking and action in emergency situations. If you live in a frequent or continual state of stress, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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3 natural ways to treat depression were discussed by Dr. Mercola in one of his recent newsletter articles.

The link at the end of this post is to the full article as well as to a video clip of his interview with Dr. Gordon, a rare physician who encourages people with depression to take control of their health by incorporating key natural therapies into a treatment program.

Here are excerpts of the 3 natural treatments for depression from Dr. Mercola’s article. Again, the link to read the full article on his site is below.

1. Optimize Your Diet

One of the best ways to beat depression is with nutritional approaches. This includes taking high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats daily. Omega-3 fats such as those in krill oil have been found to work just as well as antidepressants in preventing the signs of depression, but without any of the side effects. In fact, throughout my years of medical practice I’ve had large numbers of patients be able to stop their antidepressants once they started taking omega-3 fats…Next, you’ll want to Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Rarely do we contemplate that the key to one’s success in life is a matter of re-constructing our personalities or character to reflect the nature of the Creator.

How are all great works of art recognized? They bear the distinct, unique characteristics of the artist, of the creator. It is also these characteristics of the artist that give the work of art its value. Similarly, we were created to live bearing the unique characteristics of our Creator, of His divine nature. It is these same characteristics that increase the value of our person and enhance our ability to succeed in life.

Consider this daily life example. It is a common principle that the more admirable qualities which exist in a person, the more they are esteemed by society. For example, people desire to enter into business contracts with someone they know is trustworthy. People want to shop at stores with efficient and helpful customer service. We were created to live embodying the very character of God in our own natures, our own personalities-characteristics which are highly regarded and therefore, increase our “value” in the eyes of society. Just as a piece of art carries out the purpose it was created, as we live life emanating the character of God, we will see greater success because we are living according to our divine purpose; we are like a piece of fine art, bearing the characteristics of the artist!

What type of characteristics should one focus on to incorporate the divine nature into his own nature and increase his success rate? Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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As each word that you speak affects every nerve in your body, your commitment to health and healing needs to begin with your words.

Most of us, more often than not, are not too concerned about the proportion of careless words, as opposed to well-thought out words, that come out of our mouths. We have all heard motivational speakers refer to our need to speak positively of our present and future, but here is some science to back it up.

The brain has a specific lobe for speech. The nerves in our brain link to the rest of our bodies in an incredibly extensive way. C. John Holcombe, in his article on Brain Functioning, describes it this way:

Though the greatest mass of nerve cells is collected in the brain, the nervous system links all parts of the body, in a most intimate way, the nerve cells ramifying into and connecting the cells in the bone, skin, organs of digestion, perception, respiration, etc. (1)

So the nerves in our brain connect to the cells in our skin, bones, organs, etc. Though you speak words with your mouth, the nerves in your brain send responses throughout the all the cells of your body. Yomi Akinpelu has a thorough discussion of it in his book, “A Matter of Life and Death.” Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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I have mentioned the Law of Attraction several times, as it is a secular philosophy built on scriptural principles, that has become very popular again in recent years. It involves speaking out the good that you need to see take place in your life, visualizing it, believing that it will come in to existence, and, through this focus, changing your thought patterns so that you (1) develop good, creative decisions which make you successful and (2) become aware of helpful connections and opportunities that you would have missed if you had not changed the focus of your thinking.

I came across a brief, but thorough article by Rhonda Jones which clearly describes how the Law of Attraction is scripturally based and how to effectively implement it. A link to the full article is below and is well worth reading.

Here are excerpts of her 6 steps to attract restoration and success:

Ask - The first step is deciding what it is you want from God. You need to create specific goals for your life. Be specific about what you desire by creating a vision chart or writing down your specific request…

Believe – You must believe that you have already received what you asked for. I’m talking about faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for that evidence of things not seen. Your faith is not in yourself or your own abilities. The scriptures tell us to have faith in God. That is where the power lies… Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Depression is the result of external pressure getting inside and weighing down your thoughts/emotions.

There is a depression that has its root in physical causes, such as a deficiency of certain naturally occurring chemicals in the brain, the 3 main ones being serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Sometimes, in mild cases, these chemicals can be replaced by protein drinks with tyrosine and phenalylanine. I read that the late Dr. Atkins has such a diet available. If you suspect you’re your depression is physically related rather than from circumstancial pressures, you may want to see your doctor for a blood test to determine a proper course of treatment. Probably the most common form of depression, however, is due to allowing the pressure of circumstances to conform one’s thoughts. I’ve mentioned this quote before, “Above all else, guard your heart [mind and will], for it is the wellspring of life (Prov. 4:23).” We must admit to the absolute necessity of controlling our thoughts for the wellbeing of our lives. Another passage says, “For as the thoughts of man’s heart are, so is he (Prov. 23:7).”

Thoughts form our emotions.

The other week I referred you to a new book out, called “Eight Steps to Create the Life You Want.” I quoted the premise for the chapters in this book of how the whole course of one’s life starts with the positive or negative words we speak; those words form our thoughts; our thoughts create emotions, etc. I’ll reference the post below if you still need to read it. The eight steps in this book illustrate how the whole direction of one’s life is altered by words, thoughts, and emotions. I listened to a talk today on depression by the author of that book, Creflo Dollar. He used to be a professional therapist in a ward for suicidal teens before becoming a pastor.

Here are the 4 steps Dr. Dollar mentioned for recovery from depression due to external circumstances: Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Research shows that our harmful exposure to chlorine via shower water can be 100 times greater than through the ingestion of drinking water. (1)

Though we absorb a significant amount of toxins through ingestion (eating/drinking), an even greater amount of toxins are absorbed through our skin. “Researchers have estimated that dermal [skin] absorption of contaminants in drinking water [tap water] accounts for an average of 64% of the dose incurred (2).” Also during showering, any contaminants in the water are absorbed through the inhalation of steam.

Many diseases such as breast cancer, other cancers, asthma, bronchitis are linked to chlorine absorption.

Though most of our diseases appear to be the result of the absorption of a variety of toxins in our environment, we should not discount the affect of chlorine in our daily environment as, first, it is easy to remove, and second, high levels of it have been found in many people with these diseases. Take a moment to read these research results: Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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We can implement a simple process to change our thoughts, thus improving the health of our emotions, spirits, and bodies to achieve wellness.

ReceiveHealing.com readers often request info on changing thought patterns or breaking out of ruts; essentially, changing behavior patterns, emotional patterns, or thought patterns all center on the battleground of your thoughts. Prov. 4:23 points us to the key, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life (NIV)” or another translation, “Keep watch over your heart with all care so you will have life (BBE).” The “heart” in Jewish literature referred to one’s soul, which consists of the mind, will, and emotions (not one’s eternal spirit). By making a quality decision to “above all else,” or first and foremost, focus on controlling and directing your mind, will, and emotions, you are centering your attention on the successful solution to one’s goal of wellness, or of the most enjoyable level of life possible.

A life-pattern of consistent repetition of thoughts that achieve your goals will bring your desired changes, whether it be positive attitude/thoughts, or emotional, physical, or spiritual healing.

God gave a specific example of this process in Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Due to changes in our environment, tap water is not as safe as what we once believed it to be.

We have flooded our environment with so many chemicals that, even after the sewer water or other water source has been processed through a treatment plant, numerous chemicals still remain: weed killers such as atrazine, insecticides such as lindane, drugs such as birth control pills, heavy metal toxins such as lead and mercury. Even the chlorine which was added to kill outbreaks of bacteria can be toxic to us. Here are 2 research quotes on drinking water contaminates:

A 2003 study by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) found that due to a combination of pollution and deteriorating equipment and pipes, the public water supplies in 19 of America’s largest cities delivered drinking water that contained contaminant levels exceeding EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] limits (either legal limits or unenforceable suggested limits).*

“Exposure to the contaminants [sometimes found in public and private drinking water] can cause a number of health problems, ranging from nausea and stomach pain to developmental problems and cancer,” notes Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in its booklet, Drinking Water: What Health Care Providers Should Know. PSR estimates that up to 900,000 people get sick and 900 die in the US per year from contaminated public and private drinking water.*

A small, under-the-sink water filter is an inexpensive way to greatly improve the safety of your home drinking water. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Knowledge alone is not enough to break you out of the rut of ineffective daily structure or of harmful habits.

Though I wrote on this a while back, so many people have been asking for info on this topic that I decided to do a brief follow-up. Many people fill themselves with knowledge from a wide variety of self-help guides, but still fail in implementing the majority of the good knowledge that they’ve learned. It is true that old habits are hard to break. If the habits are rooted in spiritual or emotional issues or addictions, obviously there is rarely an instant route to change; you will need outside support and input.

However, especially for breaking out of the rut of the typically daily habits that create an ineffective life, consistency is the key.

In both the religious and secular realms, people often quote Jesus words, “The truth will set you free.” Yes, it can, but the all important element to truth setting you free which Jesus revealed in the same conversation is rarely mentioned. In that conversation, Jesus said, “If you remain constant to my Message, you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (TCNT),” or another translation, “If you continue in my Word…(RSV).” Constancy, consistency is the key to effectively implementing any truth and breaking out of the ruts in your life! Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Changing from lotions to natural oils is an easy and inexpensive way to begin reducing toxin levels.

Most lotions, as well as many other cosmetics, contain harmful toxic substances called parabens. Parabens have been linked to various cancers as well as a wide variety of women’s health problems due to the hormone imbalances they cause. Dr. Elizabeth Smith, M.D., says,

Recently, Professor Sumpter in the U.K. discovered that Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, and Butyl Paraben are estrogen mimics and stimulate the estrogen receptor. His research was so disturbing that the European Union inquired of the European Cosmetics and Toiletry Association whether these common preservatives would increase the rate of breast cancer. The vast majority of hand lotions and gels contain this preservative. The parabens seem to be associated with cramping and worsening of endometriosis. Frequently cutting out all parabens makes menstrual cramping disappear. (1)

From my studies, countless people have experienced reduction or healing of various ailments and diseases by the elimination of such toxin intake. Here is a more detailed quote of a study relating parabens to cancer: Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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The emotions created by a lack of healing often cause people to ask this question. Yet God even calls Himself by a healing name.

God uses many different names throughout Scripture to describe Himself and assist us in understanding His characteristics. They were used as names in the original language, though when translated they often appear as more of a phrase. Some examples are: God Almighty, God our Righteousness, God our Provider, God our Peace, Redeemer, Savior, King of Kings, Father God, and many more. In Exodus 15:26, God says, “I am Yahovah Rapha’,” which is translated in English, “I am the Lord who heals you.” A direct translation is the “Self-Existent or Eternal One who cures, heals as a physician, repairs, thoroughly makes whole.” To help us understand Him clearly, God identifies Himself as the One who thoroughly heals us. His desire is that our healing is not solely physical, but in every aspect of our lives. [This post is a continuation of a healing discussion the day prior called, "Why Doesn't God Heal Me?" You will want to read that post first if you have not, as this post will mainly go through quotes showing God's willingness to heal.] Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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Since the majority of Jesus’ 3 year ministry on earth consisted of healing people’s physical ailments, in addition to delivering from demonic forces and preaching, it is a continual question in this day and age, where is healing now?

Scripture expresses that Jesus’ life revealed the will of God for us. Since His ministry on earth consisted of bringing restoration to people’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it would naturally follow that this is still God’s desire. There are many verses that speak of God’s desire to heal; one of God’s names for Himself is even “The Lord our Healer,” as translated into English, though we will cover those in the next post.

In part of my own personal search as to why there is presently such a great lack of physical healing through prayer, I have put much time into studying people who have been known to be unusually effective in prayers for supernatural healing. In this post, I would you to share with you one of the most phenomenal healings I’ve ever read and the principles of healing by which this great man of faith lived.

Healing does take place in even the most deadly diseases.

John G. Lake was a missionary to South Africa from 1908 to 1913. While there, a horrific bubonic plague broke out. John Lake was caring for the sick and burying the dead. Britain sent a ship of medical supplies and a corps of doctors to him. The doctors asked Lake how he had protected himself from the deadly plague. His answer was, “I believe ‘the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom.8:2).’ As long as I walk in the light of that law [of the Spirit of life], no germ will attach itself to me.” In scriptural context, this verse speaks of Jesus’ work of salvation bringing the life of the Spirit of God to us and freeing us from “the law of sin” or, in other words, from everything evil that came into the world through sin, such as disease, poverty, addictions, spiritual death, and early physical death. The doctors were unconvinced, so Lake insisted they do a microscopic experiment on him. Lake showed them that if one of them took bubonic plague foam from the lungs of a dead person and put it under a microscope, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »