“What You Can’t See in Your Indoor Air May Be One of the Biggest Threats to Your Health”
You breathe more than you eat or drink, but most likely you don’t give nearly as much thought to what you may be inhaling. With the possibility of over 1,500 invisible and potentially toxic substances contaminating your air space right now, isn’t it time you took control over what you’re breathing?


Whether you’re relaxing at home, working in your office, driving in your car or riding on public transportation, you’re exposed to a wide variety of airborne particles and contaminants.

While many people focus on outdoor air when they hear ‘air pollution’, you may be surprised to learn that the EPA has discovered indoor air contains 2 to 5 times and potentially as much as 100 times more contaminants than the air outdoors!

Indoor air pollution has truly become one of the most serious environmental threats to your health. Yet, no government agency monitors or controls it and studies on its health effects are limited.

So I ask you… Are you paying as much attention to what you’re breathing into your lungs as you are to what you’re eating and drinking? It may be just as important.

Over the next few minutes, I hope to increase your awareness of what you may be inhaling. And I’d like to share with you options I’ve discovered to help you protect yourself and your loved ones from these contaminants lurking out-of-sight in indoor air, wherever you go.

How Can You Tell If Your Indoor Air Is Polluted?

Most contaminants aren’t visible to the naked eye, so it’s hard to tell how polluted your indoor air may be.

Indoor air pollution is made up of solid and liquid particles that are suspended in your air – or particulate matter.

These suspended particles can consist of dust, metals, smoke, liquid droplets, chemicals and pollen.

One clue may be what you see on your air-intake vent in your home. Particulate matter can build up and form a greasy dirty film, like in the photo.

Even if you can’t see it, particulate matter continually floats through the air in your room, just waiting to be captured by your intake vent or inhaled into your lungs!

dirty air conditioner
A telltale sign of what you may be inhaling
A second clue to the quality of your indoor air might be how you feel. Do you sometimes experience any of these symptoms for no apparent reason?

Itchy, watery eyes
Runny nose
Scratchy throat
Headaches
Dizziness
Forgetfulness
Fatigue
Moodiness
These can be the immediate effects of particulate matter in your indoor air. Health effects can show up soon after exposure or they can take years to manifest in much more serious ways, affecting your entire body and

Scientists now believe obesity and metabolic disease don’t occur because of the number of carbohydrates we eat, but the types
Some think the key to weight control is willpower, but research suggests a hormone called leptin is the culprit; in fact, it’s been called the “leading driver of fat gain in humans”
One study shows that foods with high carb content promote the development of inflammatory microbiota, which leads, progressively, to leptin resistance, metabolic syndrome and obesity
Carbs are a large part of the energy intake for present-day hunter-gatherers in remote parts of the world, but their fasting insulin and blood glucose levels are lower than the healthiest individuals in Western populations
By Physician

Counting carbohydrates is something the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has recommended for years as a way to “manage” blood glucose levels. It entails setting a limit for the amount of carbohydrates eaten during a meal.

The ADA says carbs are another word for sugars, the main source of energy for the body, and that glucose is one of the simplest forms of sugar to be “digested and broken down into a sugar your body’s cells can use.”1

Whether or not you have diabetes, carb counting may not be necessary — if you eat the right foods. Scientists now believe obesity and metabolic disease don’t occur because of the number of carbohydrates we eat, but the types.

The foods most people eat nowadays are shifting their metabolism, and not in a good direction. Most everything we know about how we should eat propels you toward empty carbs for energy. Most Americans burn glucose as their primary fuel, which prevents their body from burning body fat.

Healthy fat is the optimal fuel because it burns much more efficiently compared to carbs, but that's not how we're feeding our bodies. Consequently, many Americans are experiencing a lot of metabolic problems.

It’s time to change the dialogue about how we should be eating, and use food to reverse the deadly trend toward obesity and diabetes.

What Makes You Fat Might Not Be What You Think

There are lots of theories about what macronutrient is responsible for making you fat. First it was too much protein, then fat, and now it’s carbs. Chris Kresser, who teaches alternative medicine and focuses on Paleo nutrition and integrative medicine, says:

“The bulk of the evidence suggests that the quality of food matters a lot more than the quantity of macronutrients — at least for most people. A recent hypothesis suggests that the dense, acellular carbohydrates found in processed foods may be contributing to our epidemic of modern chronic disease.”2

According to the study Kresser cites,3 foods with high carb content promote the development of inflammatory microbiota, which leads, progressively, to leptin resistance, metabolic syndrome and obesity.

Whether your “subgroup” is bodybuilding, weight loss, diabetes or something else, your approach for remedying your current health situation usually varies.

Regardless, when you regularly consume good fats and a small amount of carbs, your body burns fat instead of sugar. In fact, it puts your body in a state of natural fat burn, called ketosis.

One thing to remember is that even small amounts of sugar or refined grains could lead to inflammatory microbiota and leptin resistance.4

Leptin Resistance 101

A lot of people think the key to weight control is willpower, but scientific studies suggest a hormone called leptin that’s produced by your body’s fat cells may be implicated in the calorie-counting/weight gain conundrum.5 In fact, one study calls leptin the “leading driver of fat gain in humans.”6

Sometimes called the “satiety hormone,” leptin could also be called the “gatekeeper” for your appetite. When you eat the optimal amount of food for your body — as opposed to eating excessively because it tastes good and you want more — your leptin levels rise. The more fat in your body, the more leptin is produced.7

It’s more a matter of what happens in your brain than your stomach — specifically the hypothalamus, which controls when and how much you eat.8

Leptin’s job is to inform your brain when you have enough fat stored and when you can stop eating while continuing to burn calories at a normal rate, as well as regulate the balance of energy.9

Authority Nutrition explains it this way: You eat, body fat goes up, leptin goes up, you eat less and burn more. Or: You don’t eat, body fat goes down, leptin goes down, you eat more and burn less.

“This kind of system is known as a negative feedback loop and is similar to the control mechanisms for many different physiological functions, such as breathing, body temperature, blood pressure and others. to Read more login to www.silvialozie.com

Nutritional ketosis has powerful therapeutic benefits, having been shown helpful for preventing and treating many chronic diseases. The primary challenge lies in the implementation and compliance with the program
“The Ketogenic Kitchen” is a comprehensive cookbook that demystifies meal planning and the process of cooking according to ketogenic principles
While a ketogenic diet is high in fat, not all fats qualify for inclusion in a ketogenic diet. Healthy fats include coconuts and coconut oil, MCT oil, raw grass-fed butter, lard, ghee, avocados and pastured egg yolks
Acording to physician;
Many of us are familiar with and fully appreciate the value of a low-carb, high-quality high-fat and moderate-protein diet, but implementing it can be a challenge. Domini Kemp and Patricia Daly have written an excellent resource to help with this, called "The Ketogenic Kitchen: Low Carb. High Fat. Extraordinary Health."

Nutritional ketosis has powerful therapeutic benefits, not only for treating a wide variety of chronic degenerative diseases but also preventing them. The primary challenge really lies in implementation and compliance with the program.

Kemp and Daly are both cancer survivors who say nutritional ketosis played an important part in their recovery. The book was written to fill a need they themselves had while learning how to implement this powerful metabolic intervention.

Kemp's Bouts With Melanoma and Breast Cancer

An Irishwoman born and raised in the Bahamas, Kemp is a chef and food writer now living in her native Ireland. In her 20s, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. This was followed by a breast cancer diagnosis in her 40s.

"It was at that point I went, 'OK, I need to do a lot more than just the typical diet we're being advised [to eat]. Certainly in [Ireland], the food pyramid is still heavily promoted. I looked at all the leaflets in the cancer ward and I thought, 'No. There has to be a better way,'" Kemp says.

"I kept trying to find what was going to be suitable for somebody with breast cancer who'd been diagnosed for the second time with cancer, and what I could do to support my system to the very best [of my ability] through treatment.

Really, going on a low-carb diet seemed to be an absolute no-brainer … For me, low-carb was just great. I really upped the exercise and focused on just supporting my system through chemotherapy, a mastectomy and then radiotherapy. It was around that time I met Patricia."

Daly's Fight to Keep Her Eye

Daly became a nutritional therapist in 2011 and had been in practice for about a year when she met Kemp. Like Kemp, Daly had been diagnosed with cancer at an early age, receiving a diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the eye at age 28.

She got the standard of care, which involved plaque radiotherapy — one of the most invasive therapies in conventional cancer care. As a triathlete, she knew her body well and recognized the importance of taking personal responsibility for her own well-being during and after treatment.

"Having grown up in Switzerland, I grew up with a lot of complimentary therapy. For me, it was always obvious that I want to do something to help myself as well. That's why I started training in nutritional therapy a month after finishing treatments," Daly says.

"Initially my treatment worked very well, but I relapsed very quickly. Not even two years after, the tumors had more than doubled in growth and I had to go back to … the strongest possible radiotherapy on my eye.

The tumor had moved so close to my optic nerve that they had to radiate the optic nerve as well. As a consequence, … just 18 months later, my vision had tunneled in and things were looking dire.

I had pretty much everything you can possibly develop in an eye. I had edema. I had excessive angiogenesis (blood vessels that supply blood to the tumor) … I had cataracts on the way to developing glaucoma. You name it.

It so desperate it was suggested that I do Avastin injections as a first protocol, and if that wouldn't work, I would have to have my eye removed. I was 30 at the time. I was just, 'Whoa, there has to be another way.' I'd had the ketogenic diet in the back of my mind already.

I had started researching it, obviously, as a nutritional therapist. That's when I [decided], 'OK, now I'm really being pushed to the edge. It's now or never. I can't lose anything now, except my eye.'"

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Cooking

Both Daly and Kemp grew up on carb-based diets. Daly, as a triathlete, was particularly into carb-loading. Today, Kemp is in remission after completing her cancer treatment three years ago, and she feels great.

Daly has been officially in remission for six years now, and she still has vision in her eye. Personally, I believe a ketogenic diet has the power to alleviate tremendous amounts of suffering.

Every day, 1,600 Americans die from cancer and the evidence suggests a majority of them may be effectively treated with this dietary approach. Kemp and Daly are really great examples of this.

When Daly and Kemp first decided to embrace the ketogenic diet, there were virtually no eBooks or recipes available, which made it difficult to tailor a meal plan.

"I very much relied on the research of Dr. Johannes Coy and Professor Ulrike Kämmerer in Germany," Daly says. "I was very blessed to have the [German] language. [A]t the time, Thomas Seyfried, [Ph.D.], Dominic D'Agostino, [Ph.D., they] were all just coming online.

But it was very difficult to bring it all together and fill that gap between science and cooking, basically. How do you actually cook to match that?"

Kemp agrees, saying one of the main incentives for writing the book in the first place was that this is the book they both wished they'd had when they were diagnosed with cancer and were trying to implement a carbohydrate-restricted diet ;To read more click www.silvialozie.com

Eating plenty of vegetables can help reduce your risk for many chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. For example, one 2010 study found that eating just one extra serving of leafy greens a day reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.1

Fresh vegetables are a nutritional cornerstone, as most are very low in calories and net carbs while being high in beneficial fiber,2 vitamins and minerals. Vegetables also contain a wide variety of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds.

Phytochemicals found in plants have potent anti-inflammatory capacity and some even help in the elimination of carcinogens. Other plant chemicals regulate the rate at which your cells reproduce, remove old cells and maintain DNA.

Leafy greens, thanks to their high fiber content, also activate a gene called T-bet, which is essential for producing vital immune cells in the lining of your digestive tract.3

These immune cells, called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), help maintain balance between immunity and inflammation in your body and produce interleukin-22 (IL-22), a hormone that helps protect your body from pathogenic bacteria.

ILCs even help resolve cancerous lesions and prevent the development of bowel cancers and other inflammatory diseases.

For Better Health, Eat More Veggies

Studies have repeatedly shown that people with higher vegetable intake have:

Lower risks of high blood pressure and stroke
Lower risks of certain types of cancer
Reduced risk of kidney stones and bone loss
Higher scores on cognitive tests
Higher antioxidant levels
Lower biomarkers for oxidative stress
Lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease4
Lower risk for eye diseases
Fewer digestive problems
That said, some veggies are more beneficial than others. Kale, for example, has gained vegetable VIP status, in large part thanks to its 3-to-1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. This is an exceptionally high amount of protein for any vegetable, resulting in kale being viewed as “vegetarian beef.”

Like meat, kale contains all nine essential amino acids needed to form the proteins within the human body, plus nine other non-essential ones for a total of 18.

Unlike meat it does not have these amino acids in a high concentration. This makes it far more difficult to consume excess protein, which we know can activate mTOR and accelerate aging and chronic degenerative diseases. It also contains more omega-3 than omega-6, which is almost unheard of in nature.

Mustard — The New ‘King of Greens’?

More recently, mustard greens (of which there are several popular varieties5,6) have been gaining in favor. Mustard is a relative of cabbage, broccoli and radishes.

Like kale and collard greens, steamed mustard greens have potent cholesterol-lowering ability, courtesy of its ability to bind bile acids. Bile acids are composed of cholesterol, so this binding activity helps reduce your cholesterol level by boosting excretion.

Mustard Greens’ Claim to Fame: Cancer Protection

Mustard greens are also high in glucosinolate, a plant chemical that your body converts into isothiocyanates (ITCs), which have anti-cancer properties. In fact, studies suggest cancer protection is a primary benefit of mustard greens. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods:7

“All cruciferous vegetables have long been known to contain glucosinolates, but it's recent research that's made us realize how valuable mustard greens are in this regard.

The cancer protection we get from mustard greens may be largely related to two special glucosinolates found in this cruciferous vegetable: sinigrin and gluconasturtiian.

Sinigrin can be converted into allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) and gluconasturtiian can be converted into phenethyl-isothiocyanate (PEITC). Both AITC and PEITC have well-documented cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory properties.”

In addition to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, mustard greens also help protect against cancer by supporting your body’s detoxification systems.8 Some of the nutrients in mustard help boost phase 1 detoxification while sulfur-containing compounds aid phase 2 detoxification.

Nutritional Information

Steamed mustard greens also have an impressive nutritional profile, providing a whopping 922 percent of your RDI for vitamin K, 96 percent of your vitamin A, and 47 percent of your vitamin C per cup (140 grams). Mustard also contain a number of valuable antioxidant compounds, such as:

Hydroxycinnamic acid, shown to inhibit human lung adenocarcinoma cells and effectively combating multiple-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also has antimalarial activity9 and much more
Quercetin, an important free radical fighter10
Isorhamnetin, shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in certain cancer cells. It may also have particular benefits for inflammatory skin conditions11
Kaempferol, which has hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects, and more.12
Ideally, you’ll want to incorporate 1.5 cups of mustard greens into your meals at least two to three times per week. An even better goal would be 2 cups, four to five times a week, although you could mix it up by including other cruciferous veggies as well.

Mustard Seeds Have Medicinal Qualities Too

Every part of the mustard plant can be used, including the roots, seeds and leaves. The seeds in particular have a long history of use in Chinese medicine.

Abscesses, bronchitis, asthma, colds, rheumatism, toothaches, aches and pains, bladder inflammation, ulcers and various gastrointestinal ailments are among the many historical uses of mustard seed, often in the form of a mustard plaster or poultice, which is applied topically.13,14

Historically, mustard was also used in baths to alleviate inflammation, as it helps increase blood flow.

Mustard seeds — which are commonly used to make the condiment you recognize as “mustard” — are a good source of phosphorous, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium and manganese.

Gwen Stewart, author of “The Healing Garden,” provides a couple of recipes for making your own mustard condiment in this referenced article.15 I’ve also provided a recipe below.

The seeds can also be sprouted. For instructions, check out SproutPeople.org’s growing instructions for mustard seeds.16 Tips for growing mustard plants are provided by Mother Earth Living.17

A note of caution: Some states view mustard as an invasive weed and have imposed restrictions on where and how you’re allowed to grow it, so be sure to check with your County Extension agent to find out if any restrictions apply before you plant them in your garden.

How to Make Your Own Mustard From Scratch

Here’s a basic mustard recipe by Paleo Leap,18 which can be tweaked based on your own taste preferences by adding other seasonings and herbs to it.

Basic Mustard Recipe

1/2 cup mustard powder

1/2 cup water

Sea salt to taste

Optional: fresh parsley, chopped

Optional: fresh basil, chopped

Optional: lemon or lime zest

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons of your choice of vinegar

In a bowl, combine mustard powder and water and mix until smooth. Add parsley, basil, lemon or lime zest and/or vinegar, if using. Let the mustard rest for 15 minutes before using.

You can also find a whole-grain mustard recipe on the Paleo Leap website,19 which uses yellow and brown whole mustard seeds instead of mustard powder. It’s a bit more involved, as the whole seeds need to be soaked overnight before you can use them. You also need a food processor to turn it into a paste.

Boost Nutritional Value Through Fermentation

Inflammation from bacterial endotoxins may be a factor helping to drive the obesity epidemic. Sugar and processed foods can quickly make the "friendly" microbe community in your gut unfriendly — even downright hostile. When dysbiosis occurs, bacteria release noxious byproducts called endotoxins. Endotoxins increase the permeability of your gut wall (leaky gut syndrome) and make their way into your bloodstream, triggering system wide inflammation.

To counter or prevent this chain of events you need to avoid sugary foods and regularly reseed your gut with healthy bacteria, and one of the best ways to do that is to eat fermented vegetables. In addition to helping break down and eliminate heavy metals and other toxins from your body, beneficial gut bacteria perform a number of other important functions as well, including:

Mineral absorption, and producing nutrients such as B vitamins and vitamin K2 (vitamin K2 and vitamin D are necessary for integrating calcium into your bones and keeping it out of your arteries, thereby reducing your risk for coronary artery disease and stroke)
Preventing obesity and diabetes, and regulating dietary fat absorption
Lowering your risk for cancer
Improving your mood and mental health
Like most other vegetables, you can easily ferment or pickle mustard greens at home. CảiChua is Vietnamese pickled mustard greens. Its sour and spicy flavor works well with a variety of dishes. The following recipe is from GardenBetty.com. For step-by-step instructions, please see the original article:20

Vietnamese Pickled Mustard Greens

2 1/2 pounds of mustard greens

4 stalks green onions

1 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt

4 Thai bird’s eye chiles (or 2 serrano peppers)

(Optional brine)

2 cups water

1 tablespoon pickling salt

Have You Tried Mustard Greens Yet? To Read More log on to www.silvialozie.com

Blackheads form when your hair follicles become partially clogged by excess sebum, an oil produced by your sebaceous glands
While there are plenty of pharmaceutical products sold today that may help remove blackheads, they may contain substances that may harm your health
You may have experienced having blackheads during your teenage years, and some people continue to get them into adulthood. These dark-colored dots are typically found on the nasal and forehead area, though they may appear in other areas of your skin as well. But what exactly causes blackheads to appear?

Blackheads are comedones, the clinical term for skin-colored small bumps.1 They form when your hair follicles become partially clogged by excess sebum, an oil produced by your sebaceous glands.to read more visit www.silvialozie.com

Your sebaceous glands help keep your skin lubricated and reduce its susceptibility of getting cuts, but if they produce excess sebum, blackheads may most likely appear. The three-step process below describes how blackheads form:2

The sebaceous glands produce excess sebum.
The excess sebum combines with dead skin cells, blocking the hair follicle.
The opening exposes the sebum to air, causing it to oxidize and change color.
Contrary to popular belief, the dark color of blackheads is not created by dirt latching on to the sebum. Rather, it is the oxidation of melanin, a pigment found in sebum, that creates the distinctive appearance of blackheads. In contrast, whiteheads are completely clogged, allowing the sebum to retain its color.3

If left untreated, both blackheads and whiteheads may become inflamed due to the influx of skin bacteria to the clogged hair follicles. As a result, they turn into pimples.4

These Factors Can Predispose You to Blackheads

The causes of blackheads vary depending on the person, but it is mostly a combination of hormone production, heredity and the growth of skin bacteria:5

• Hormones

Puberty causes your body to produce more androgen-type hormones. In turn, this causes your sebaceous glands to enlarge and produce more sebum. This condition tends to happen more commonly in men than in women.

• Heredity

Your genes may play a role in the size and oil production of your sebaceous glands. If you inherit large sebaceous glands, you may have a higher risk of developing blackheads.

• Bacteria

Skin bacteria may act on sebum, which causes a blockage. In time, it may form into a pimple, resulting in a pus-filled inflammation that is painful to the touch.

Factors That May Increase Your Risk of Blackheads

Several factors have been linked to the increase of blackheads and acne problems in general. One of them is cigarette smoking, especially among women.

In a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, researchers interviewed 1,000 women between the ages 25 to 50 years old. They discovered that 42 percent of those who smoked had acne, but among non-smokers, only 10 percent experienced this skin condition.6

The researchers went on to conclude that smokers who developed acne problems during their youth were four times more likely to develop acne as they get older, compared to non-smokers in their teenage years.7

In addition, smoking causes your skin to age faster, becoming dry and coarse.8 Other factors that may increase your risk for blackheads include:9

Wearing tight-fitting clothes, such as sweat headbands and turtlenecks.
Using a cosmetic product that may clog your hair follicles (commonly known as comedogenic makeup).
Going to areas with excess humidity.
The onset of stress may cause an outbreak of acne

School's in session again...

That means lots of little bodies cooped up in close quarters, less time outside in the sun, and your children sharing lunches, drinks and snacks with their friends.

Not to mention, that you lose a degree of control over what they eat when you (the parent) aren't there to monitor things. As the old saying goes, "While the cat's away, the mice will play..." So they might be eating sugar and processed foods without your knowledge and consent. And sugar may keep your immune system from functioning at its best.

What's more, if your child is one who isn't efficient at getting their studying done early in the evening, it may encroach on their sleep time. You're probably aware that not getting enough rest also takes a toll on immune health.

How about these other common mistakes that can help keep the immune system from functioning optimally and which are especially common during the school year?

Too much stress. Your children may have more stress in their school settings than you realize. And when they're not happy, you know how that affects you...
Not enough exercise. Exercise is one of the BEST strategies to help maintain a healthy immune system, via the increased circulation and blood flow delivering nutrients farther and wider throughout your system.
Sanitation. Washing hands is a key to good immune health. But how do you know if your child does that when they're away from you?
Care for your digestive tract. Scientific research shows that 80% of your immune system resides inside your digestive tract. In my opinion, the best strategy you can use and encourage your children to use is to take a high-quality probiotic to support their digestive tract.
Many people I speak with fail to optimize their health in one or more of these ways. And I've already alluded to how difficult it is to really know what your children are doing in any of these areas when they're away at school.

But there is a compensatory action you can have them do every morning, while they are with you. Something that can help offset the childish things they do at school without thinking...

And it's a plus for you also.

Your Immune System Is Your Body's Bodyguard

Your immune system is a complicated, interesting and amazing system which helps keep you healthy and strong, protecting your body from environmental stressors.

However, no matter what you do (or how closely you follow the plan above), sometimes your immune system gets tested. That's why you also need a backup plan.

All great athletes know this. They train hard so their bodies stay healthy and they can perform at their best. But they still have physiotherapists and health professionals on call because they know sometimes life just throws a curve ball.

That's why they always have a back-up strategy in place. So...

What Can You Do To Support Your Immune System In
The Months Ahead?*

Listen, many "positive thinkers" might consider this approach negative. But I think it's just being prudent, realistic and sensible. After all, no matter how confident mountain climber Edmund Hillary was when he set off for Mount Everest, do you think he left without tools and backup supplies?

Of course not. And you shouldn't be heading into this winter without a tool to "back up" your immune system either because you need...

A Free Radical Busting Plan To Help Maintain a Healthy Immune System

Free radicals are unstable, destructive molecules that lack electrons. And while they form naturally as a result of normal metabolic processes like breathing, they can increase due to things like stress, poor diet and environmental stressors.

In a nutshell, free radicals have the ability to keep your immune system from functioning optimally.

Traveling
Until when least expected, free radicals keep your immune system from functioning at top form.
So what can you do to promote your immune system and protect against environmental stressors? Well, your body already produces antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. But as we grow older, the levels of antioxidants drop significantly. It is estimated that by age 40, your antioxidant level is at 50%, and by the age of 60 to 70, it is down to around 5% to 10%. So you need to get your hands on a healthy supply of antioxidants to "mop up" these scavenger molecules as soon as they start to pose a threat.*

Please don't make the mistake of sticking your head in the sand like an emu and hoping everything will be okay. Remember, there's a huge difference between earned and justifiable optimism and dangerous optimism

you just have to totaly give your life to christ and ask holy spirit help you before it lead you to hail'' because the end is near and also lead your lsb frieds to christ.

In case you haven’t noticed by now, I truly believe that you are what you eat. If you put good things into your body, you will be rewarded with good things in return. In the past, I’ve covered what foods you should eat for shiny hair, clear skin, and a flat belly. But today I’m teaching you a lesson in foods that keep you healthy from the inside out—otherwise known as foods that boost the immune system. I did a little research on this topic with my team and came up with some fun facts I’m excited to share with you all today. Here’s what I discovered:

Your body’s immune system works hard every day to fight off disease and maintain a healthy, functioning equilibrium for your organs. That said, it’s about time to treat your body like the temple it is by stocking up on these cold fighting eats…

Tuesday Ten: Immune Boosting Foods
Here’s a little bit about what each of these foods does for you:

1. Yogurt is a natural probiotic, which means it replaces all the good bacteria in your system. According to a recent study, those who fueled their body with probiotics had 33 percent less sick days than those who didn’t. Eat up!

2. Garlic contains an ingredient called allicin, which fights infection and bacteria according to Baseline of Health. Eating these cloves raw has shown to decrease the chances of catching a cold.

3. Chicken soup (yep, chicken soup!) helps to reduce inflammation and thin mucus the same way cough medicines do, according to a study from the University of Nebraska. The amino acid cysteine, which is found in chicken broth, is similar to a chemical in an antibiotic that fights bronchitis. Now that’s chicken soup for the soul.

4. Tea, which is quite a soothing remedy for a sore throat, also doubles as a virus fighter. According to Prevention.com, a Harvard study shows that people who drank 5 cups of black tea for 2 weeks had more of the immune boosting protein interferon in their blood than those who didn’t.

5. Mushrooms promote white blood cell production, which helps your body fight off an infection. According to the director of the Institute of Herbal Medicine, people have been using mushrooms as immune boosters for centuries.

6. Strawberries, like citrus, come packed with vitamin C—a common cold remedy most people turn to when they start feeling sick. Vitamin C battles viruses before you even get sick, it also breaks down stress hormones. Whipping up a strawberry orange smoothie for breakfast is a great way to start your day (and it will feel soothing on a sore throat).

7. Brussels sprouts help nourish the thymus gland, which controls much of your immune system function. Eat two servings a day of these beta-carotene rich sprouts for optimal health.

8. Oatmeal is not only a great comfort food when you’re under the weather, it’s also chock-full of beta-glucan, which has antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities that are as strong as those found in Echinacea. Eat your oatmeal (or whip up some of my favorite overnight oats) and you will notice wounds healing faster and antibiotics working better.

9. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash are members of the beta carotene-rich family. Beta carotene increases the number of infection-fighting cells and it’s a powerful antioxidant that helps eliminates free radicals, according to Ask Dr. Sears. Studies have shown that beta-carotene can also lower the risk of heart disease. So just remember…a carrot a day keeps the doctor away!

10. Dark chocolate—get excited chocolate lovers—is one of the best sources zinc, which will decrease your risk of infection and promote the growth of white blood cells. Buy a dark chocolate bar if you’re taking a sick day, and treat yourself to a square or two. Just make sure you buy it unsweetened, because extra sugar surely won’t help a cold.to read more visit www.silvialozie.com

sometimes it is a natural thing but no body compare to any one.

then wash it yourself

Two-thirds of the 41 million people in the U.S.1 who wear contact lenses to correct their vision are women.2 Ten percent of wearers are under 18 years and 25 percent are older than 45. The remaining majority are between 18 and 45 years old.

Although popular, wearing contacts increases your risk of eye infections, damage to the cornea and alters the microbial biome that exists naturally in your eye. In each case, the results can be either dangerous or disastrous to your sight.

Before understanding the risks, it’s helpful to know how your eye works and how contact lenses may help correct your vision. Children report improvements in perceived attraction when wearing lenses, but unless they care for their eyes and lenses properly, they may be at increased risk of losing their eyesight altogether.

How Your Eye Functions

What you see is not interpreted in your eyes but rather in your brain. Light passes through the front of your eye (cornea) and your lens. These structures help focus the light on the retina at the back of your eye.

The cells in the retina then convert the light to electrochemical impulses making their way over the optic nerve and into your brain. The front of your eye acts like a camera lens, letting more light in at night and less during the day. This is why your pupils are larger at night, to let in more light and allow you to see.

Contact lenses are worn in “contact” with the eye. They are prescription lenses designed to correct vision errors, much like miniature eye glasses. They change where the light is focused on the retina, which improves your eyesight.3

These little lenses move with the eye and float on your tear film over the surface of your cornea. As far back as 1508, Leonardo da Vinci had illustrated the concept of contact lenses. The first lenses were made of glass in 1887.

Through the years they graduated to plastic, soft lenses, disposable lenses, gas permeable and, most recently, custom-manufactured silicone hydrogel lenses.4

Gas permeable (GP) lenses are made of firm plastic, have less water, are less flexible and resist bacteria more than soft lenses. The GP lenses also keep their shape as you blink, maintaining your prescription better than soft lenses.

The Importance of Full Spectrum Light

Your eyes need full spectrum light to stay healthy, just as your body requires sunlight.5 When light enters your eye it not only helps you to see but also goes to your brain’s hypothalamus.

This is the gland in your brain that controls your body temperature, hunger, thirst, water balance and blood pressure.

It also has a significant impact on your pituitary gland that secretes many different essential hormones. For this reason exposure to full-spectrum lighting is an effective therapy for treating depression, infection and more.

According to research by Dr. Martin Mainster and Dr. Patricia Turner at the University of Kansas School of Medicine:6

“Inadequate environmental light and/or ganglion photoreception can cause circadian disruption, increasing the risk of insomnia, depression, numerous systemic disorders and possibly early mortality.

Artificial lighting is dimmer and less blue-weighted than natural daylight, contributing to age-related losses in unconscious circadian photoreception.”

Studies have also demonstrated poor lighting is associated with headaches, stress, fatigue and strained, watery eyes.7 Poor lighting is also associated with poor work production.8

Conversely, companies that have switched to full-spectrum lights report improved employee morale, greater productivity, reduced errors and decreased absenteeism.9

If you choose to use contact lenses it is important to choose lenses that do not filter UV light as they will increase the risk your eyes and brain will not receive enough UV light to maintain your health and wellness.

You will also need to protect your eyes from over exposure to UV light. Read my previous article titled, “Common Myths About Sunglasses That Can Hurt You” for tips about when to wear sunglasses and how to pick a pair that meet your lifestyle and physical needs.

Increased Risk of Infection and Eye Damage With Improper Care


In this five-minute video you’ll discover some of the common mistakes people make when they clean or store their contact lenses. These mistakes can have serious consequences, including infection and damage to your eye sight.

In a recent news broadcast from ABC, Dr. William Faulkner from the Cincinnati Eye Institutes warns that 20,000 people a year develop pseudomonas infections in their eyes.10 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 50 percent of people sleep with their contact lenses on.

Unfortunately, these practices lead to an increased risk of infection in your eye, which may lead to a debilitating infection and loss of eyesight. Left untreated you may even lose your eye.

Faulkner relates that people who sleep in their lenses, even those marketed as overnight contacts, have a 10 times greater risk of developing an eye infection.

Nearly 1 in every 5 persons with eye infections involving contact lenses experience damage to their eye.11 These complications include scarred corneas, corneal transplants and loss of vision.12 As far back as 1996, researchers identified several factors contributing to increased risk of infection and corneal ulcers from sleeping in your contacts, including

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle
homemade makeup recipes natural
I get a lot of questions about natural makeup options, and this was definitely one of the tougher things for me to find natural alternatives for. In college, I practically collected makeup, and had endless tubes and compacts that never even got half used.

While there are some good natural alternatives that you can buy (see list below), the cheapest, easiest and most natural way is to just make your own, and you might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

Natural Skin Care

What you do to your skin before you use makeup is just as important as the makeup you use and there are some great natural options for skin care.

I absolutely love the oil cleansing method, which leaves skin very soft and smooth by using natural oils to balance the skin. I typically use the oil cleansing method at night and wash my face with raw honey if needed in the morning. You can also use a natural sugar scrub (equal parts sugar and natural oil) or natural microdermabrasion (baking soda) to make skin look younger.

With proper skin care, the skin will be naturally healthy and you won’t even need to wear makeup most of the time. Most days, I skip the makeup altogether, but when I do wear it, these are the recipes I use:

Natural Foundation

Homemade Option: At the recommendation of a friend who had used cocoa powder for natural bronzer, I started experimenting with natural foundation options, and came up with a recipe similar to a mineral make-up.

I start with a base of arrowroot powder and zinc oxide (can also use cornstarch, but arrowroot works better) and then slowly add in cocoa powder and finely ground cinnamon powder until you get a shade close to your skin tone. You can then store in a jar or old powder container and use a brush to apply. It took me a few tries of mixing to get the color correct for my skin tone, but most days, a quick brush of this is all I need. I later discovered that adding gold mica powder gave it an even smoother texture and made skin radiant.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons zinc oxide (Can use arrowroot powder instead if desired, but it will not offer quite as much coverage)
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (optional)
1 teaspoon gold mica dust
1/2 – 1 tsp of desired natural clay powder (optional) I used a pinch of White cosmetic clay, Fuller’s Earth Clay and french green clay
up to 1 teaspoon finely ground cocoa powder OR bonze mica powder (or both) to get desired color
Optional: 1 teaspoon of translucent mica powder can help for really oily skin
Instructions

Mix all ingredients to get desired color and coverage.
Zinc oxide will give coverage and matte finish.
Colored mica powders, natural clays and cocoa powder will give color. Start slowly and add as needed, testing on inner-arm as you go to find your shade.
Store in a small glass jar with a lid.
Note: If you prefer, just arrowroot powder (or white cosmetic clay), cocoa powder, and (optional) cinnamon powder can be used. This will create a great and completely natural/edible foundation but it will not stay as long as a powder containing zinc oxide and mica. I personally feel safe using zinc oxide on my skin (non nano and uncoated) but if you don’t, just stick to the arrowroot version.

There is a lot of variation in this recipe… creating homemade makeup is more of an art than a science and your exact color and base combinations will depend on the amount of coverage and color you want. Zinc oxide as a base will create a makeup very similar to store bought mineral makeups and adding mica powder will give skin a natural “glow.”

If you don’t have or aren’t comfortable with those ingredients, a simple mix of arrowroot and a small amount of cocoa powder and cinnamon will work really well but won’t offer as much coverage.

If you prefer a liquid foundation, check out this tutorial.

Pre-made Options: If making makeup isn’t your thing but you still want some natural options, there are a few good choices. No commercial choice is as natural as the homemade options, but they are a tremendous improvement over any conventional options! Jane Iredale is the best brand I’ve found and they offer some great options for mineral powder, liquid foundation, pressed powder and more.

Natural Bronzer/Blush

Simplest Homemade Option: Similar to above, natural bronzer and blush can be easily made with a base of arrowroot and by adding more cocoa powder and cinnamon to get a darker shade. I’ve also tried powdering dried beet root (in the dehydrator) or dried hibiscus flowers to add a pink tone which works well as long as you can very finely powder them. Store in a shaker make-up container or an old compact.

Boutique Homemade Option: For a slightly more customizable and longer lasting homemade option, use zinc oxide powder (non nano and uncoated) as a base and add cocoa powder and a red or pink hued mica powder to get the desired color.

Commercial Options: For natural blush, I love Aubrey Organic Silken Blush or Jane Iredale blushes.

Natural Eye Liner and Shadow

Homemade Options:Always be careful when using any products, even natural ones, near the eyes. I mix up several colors of eye shadow using cocoa powder (brown shades) Spirulina (green shades) and arrowroot (light shades). My favorite is just cocoa powder with a tiny bit of arrowroot mixed in for smoothness.

For eye-liner, I either use a tiny bit of cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil, or a tiny dab or activated charcoal and whipped shea butter. Be careful not to get either one in the eye. I store the eye shadow in an old powdered eye shadow container and apply with my finger or a very slightly damp brush.

To make a smoother eyeliner, I mix equal parts of coconut oil and shea butter (about 1/2 ounce of each) and add about 1/2 tsp of activated charcoal to make a black eyeliner that is thicker. You can also do this with cocoa powder for a brown hue.

Commercial Options: Jane Iredale offers a few options for natural eye-liner.

Natural Mascara

Homemade Option: I don’t wear mascara most days, but when I want a natural option, it is an easy one to make. In a small bowl, I just mix a few drops of Aloe Vera Gel from Mountain Rose Herbs, a couple drops of Vitamin E oil, and a pinch of activated charcoal (not very precise… I know). I mix it up as I use it, though you could also make and store in an old mascara container or in a small jar and just clean the mascara wand between uses. I brush it on with a clean mascara brush, or even a used Bass Toothbrush from OraWellness.

Boutique homemade option: If you want to take the time to make a fancier recipe, my homemade mascara uses black mineral powder for amazing thickness and length.

Commercial Options: The two natural ones I’ve tried and love are Organic Wear and Jane Iredale.

Supplements for Skin Care

I’m firmly convinced that what you put into your body is just as important, if not more so, than what you put on it when it comes to skin health. I used to have terrible acne and since changing my diet (removing dairy) and supplements, I don’t break out at all and my past scars have healed. The supplements that seemed to have made the biggest difference in skin health for me are:

Fermented Cod Liver Oil– for the Vitamins A, D and K, Omega-3s and Antioxidants, all which are great for the skin.
Gelatin – Which is a pre-cursor for collagen and has made my hair, skin and nails noticeably stronger and smoother (great for cellulite too).
Magnesium– An anti-inflammatory and lacking in many people’s diets. Topical Magnesium Oil seems to be the most effective for skin health.
Ever made any your own makeup? What is the toughest thing to find natural versions of for you? Let me know below!

Chronic drinkers who exercise five hours a week have the same rate of mortality as those who never drink alcohol, in large part by counteracting the inflammation caused by alcohol
The only ones who could not cancel out the harms of their alcohol consumption were those who drank dangerous levels of alcohol each week (20 or more standard drinks for women and 28 or more for men)
Long-time drinkers who exercise regularly also have less damaged white matter in their brains compared to those who rarely or never exercise. Exercise may also curb tendency toward alcohol abuse.

According to the latest statistics, 57 percent of Americans drink alcohol at least once a month.1 Alcohol consumption is a controversial issue. Some studies suggest "moderate" consumption is harmless; others propose it may even have some health benefits.

For instance, research shows people who have one to two drinks a day may have a significantly reduced risk of death from heart disease and "all causes" compared to those who never drink alcohol.2

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans also notes that "moderate consumption of alcohol [is a component] of a beneficial dietary pattern in most studies."3 That said, "moderation" can be a moving target, depending on your age, height, weight, gender, health status, emotional state and more.

And, while some studies show benefits, others show alcohol consumption increases your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer — even at moderate intake levels.4 Moreover, when compared to other recreational drugs, such as tobacco and marijuana, alcohol is the deadliest.5

In the Big Scheme of Things, Less Alcohol Is Better

I generally define "moderate" alcohol intake (which is allowed in the beginner phase of my nutrition plan) as a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer or 1 ounce of hard liquor, with a meal, per day.

As you progress further in the nutrition plan, I recommend eliminating all forms of alcohol. Even if it provides some benefit, it's unlikely that alcohol will add much to an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle.

That said, if you're currently a drinker — whether your consumption is moderate or you tend to overdo it — research suggests exercise can go a long way toward mitigating the health risks, including reducing your risk for heart disease.

This makes sense when you consider the fact that exercise may be one of the most effective strategies for protecting and strengthening your heart. So much so, research shows regular exercise can significantly lower your health care costs if you have heart disease.

In one study, 30 minutes of vigorous exercise, five times per week, resulted in annual health care savings of more than $2,500 per person.6

Acute Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol depresses your central nervous system, which slows down the communication between your brain cells. Your limbic system, which controls emotions, is also affected. This is why alcohol consumption lowers your inhibitions.

Your prefrontal cortex, a brain region associated with reasoning and judgment, also slows in response to alcohol, leading to more impulsive behavior and poor judgment. At higher doses, your cerebellum, which plays a role in muscle activity, will also be impacted, leading to dizziness and loss of balance.

High doses can also result in alcohol poisoning, which can shut down areas of your brain that control basic life-support functions like breathing and heart rate, leading to death. Women are more vulnerable to alcohol poisoning, in part because they have lower percentage of water in their bodies than men.

Women also have less dehydrogenase, a liver enzyme designed to break down alcohol. Women can get themselves into serious trouble if they consume four or more drinks in a two-hour period; men if they consume more than five. Telltale signs of alcohol poisoning; To read more logon to www.silvialozie.com

well that's her life.

wow this is good for our people'' thanks for the infor.

As a meat-and-potatoes nation for the better part of three centuries, to go so far as to choose authentic Indian, Middle Eastern or Thai cuisine is a milestone for many. Throughout the U.S., more and more people have begun embracing the idea of using an exotic curry to spice up their food.

In the above-listed cuisines, curry is practically fundamental. In India, for instance, while there are more than a billion people who speak around 122 different languages and often have vastly diverse cultural differences, all of them love curry. Organic Facts notes:

"Curry powder is native to South Asian cuisines, but was popularized in the 19th and 20th century to the tables of the western world due to the mass exportation of the powder as a condiment after it was discovered by troops and other colonial visitors to the East.

In the mid-20th century, Indian cuisine became more globally popular, so curry, and subsequently curry powder, became widely available."1

Still, it's possible there are some who have only a murky idea of what curry is. Many would say it's a spice, but it turns out it's actually a collection of spices.

While the word "curry" means "sauce," the different combinations of spices and the exact number may vary from recipe to recipe. Curry powder, which you can put together yourself, makes a ready-made foundation for innumerable dishes, and constitutes the base for different sauce flavors. Organic Facts says curry powder is:

"A popular spice mix that has a number of valuable health benefits, including the prevention of cancer, protection against heart disease, reduce Alzheimer's disease symptoms, ease pain and inflammation, boost bone health, protect the immune system from bacterial infections and increase the liver's ability to remove toxins from the body."2

Some curries include herbs, seeds and/or vegetables, such as sweet basil, garlic, red pepper, bay leaves and the seeds of black pepper, mustard, fenugreek and fennel. The most basic list of spices used for a good curry mixture usually includes:

Turmeric: Inflammation-Fighting, Cancer-Combating Potential

One of the most important ingredients in curry powder is turmeric, which for centuries has been a mainstay for treating inflammation, notably in Ayurvedic medicine.

One of its most potent compounds is curcumin, which gives curry its vibrant yellow hue and promotes healing in numerous ways. For bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis, this spice is very beneficial:

"Although human testing is still in its early stages, significant amounts of animal testing have shown turmeric to greatly increase the speed of bone regrowth, connectivity and repair, while reducing signs of bone loss by up to 50 [percent]. This could mean a very powerful boost to your bones, particularly as you age."3

Another benefit of curcumin is its ability to combat Alzheimer's disease. It does this by stimulating your immune system to eliminate the amino acids that make up plaque that free radicals dump into your brain's neural pathways, consequently decreasing cognitive decline.4

Curcumin has also been studied for the many ways it also affects cancer cells. It has chemopreventive effects on stomach and colon cancers in animal studies, and inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a group 1 (read: definite) carcinogen.5

Anticancer activity may actually begin the moment turmeric hits your tongue, as studies indicate that "nanocurcumin," a "polymeric nanoparticle-encapsulated" form of curcumin activated by human saliva is particularly effective in preventing pancreatic cancer.6

For this reason alone, scientists encourage people to increase their turmeric intake, even by taking it in supplement form.

Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger: Not Just For Baking

• Cinnamon, a common ingredient in cookies, breads and other culinary endeavors, comes in two varieties: the cheaper cassia version that is easy to find, and "true" cinnamon from Ceylon.

True cinnamon is helpful in treating diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. It also boosts brain activity, including your memory, your ability to focus and your visual-motor response speed.

In a study several years ago, scientists agreed this was especially true for elderly patients, including those with imminent cognitive decline.7

• Cloves provide the highest percentage of manganese of any food. In just 2 teaspoons, you get 127 percent of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), for strong bones, good skin, blood sugar control and protection from free radical damage, according to the George Mateljan Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to helping you cook and eat for optimum health.8

Sweet and aromatic, making this spice a wonderful addition to hot wassail, cloves contain eugenol, an oil which can protect your body from absorbing toxins from your environment, help prevent colon cancer and exert anti-inflammatory capabilities. It also contains high amounts of iron, fiber and vitamin K.

• Ginger may be worth its weight in gold if you ever find yourself suffering from motion sickness. One or two capsules or even a cup of strong tea made from fresh ginger root may help. Studies show it's even used for chemotherapy-induced vomiting and nausea in cancer patients,9 and for pregnant moms.

The key ingredient is gingerol, a natural oil containing antioxidants that fight inflammation. It can either be used topically or as an extract to ease osteoarthritis symptoms.10

Studies also say ginger can help lower cholesterol. In one study, subjects took 3 grams a day for 45 days, which decreased their markers significantly.11

This fragrant spice also helps slough the lining of your digestive tract, which prevents bloating and constipation, simultaneously lessening the time waste hangs around in your colon and opening the door to free radical damage.12

Cumin: Improved Digestion and Brain-Boosting Compounds

Excellent for digestion, cumin first starts its work in your nose, because the scent kick-starts saliva enzymes in your mouth, which is the first step to digesting foods. Believe it or not, a single teaspoon of cumin can boost weight loss by 50 percent.

The functions performed by cumin in the body are truly remarkable. The list of pharmacological actions is a long one, and includes its ability to protect your stomach and renal system.

It's anti-diabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Traditional uses in the Middle East and Asia include its use for asthma to rheumatism. According to a study in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice:

"Cumin, as one of these medicinal plants, contains more than 100 different chemicals, including essential fatty acids and volatile oil ... Hypocholesterolemic effect of cumin could be partly attributed to its glycoside saponins which prevent cholesterol absorption and increase its fetal excretion …

Moreover, cumin seeds have a substantial amount of … phytosterols [that may] displace cholesterol from intestinal micelles, reducing available cholesterol."13

Perhaps because it's a mainstay for spicing up Mexican dishes to the perfect degree for your palate, this food also serves as a gas alleviator; that is to say it helps release it so it's not so painful (for you, anyway). It's also a natural laxative with anti-microbial and anti-fungal capabilities.

Cumin has seemingly contradictory relaxant and stimulant properties. Its essential oil is described by multiple sites as able to produce a state of "hypnotic tranquility," perhaps because it's linked to brain stimulation and mental clarity.

Compounds in cumin may slow the neurotransmitter acetylecholine's natural degrading process that aging brains experience.14

The compound thymoquinone in cumin has been studied extensively as a cancer killer, and is known for its ability to suppress cancer of the colon, blood, liver, prostate, breast, lung, kidney, cervix and skin.'' To Read more logon to www.silvialozie.com

Your cardiac muscles need a constant supply of certain nutrients and their cofactors to operate properly, including B vitamins, coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10), magnesium, vitamin K2, vitamin D and animal-based omega-3
For heart health, eat a varied diet of whole foods. Research suggests a Mediterranean-style diet may be more helpful than statin drugs; switching to the Paleo diet for at least eight weeks can also benefit your heart
Antioxidant polyphenols are important for heart health. Higher intakes of fruit-based flavonoids (citrus and fruits/berries with a blue, red or dark purple hue) decreased the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke in men
According to physician.

Your cardiac muscles are rather specialized. While similar to your skeletal muscles in that they’re striated, their functionality more closely resembles your smooth muscles, as the continuous contraction of your heart is involuntary.

Every minute, your heart pumps about 5 liters (1.3 gallons) of blood throughout your body, and for optimal health, it’s imperative your heart continues its duty without interruption for the duration of your life.

As all other muscles in your body, your cardiac muscles need a constant and consistent supply of certain nutrients and their cofactors to operate properly.1

Interestingly, part of the energy your body requires can be obtained from sunlight, but you must expose your skin directly to it. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases nitric oxide (NO) release, which can direct more than half your blood flow to your skin.

Once your blood is exposed to the sun it can absorb UV and infrared radiation, which can help to structure the water in your cells and energize your mitochondria, and your heart has the largest concentration of mitochondria.

Heart Problems Are Often Related to Nutrient Deficiencies

Chronic nutrient deficiencies can lead to a number of heart problems, such as cardiomyopathy (a condition characterized by inflammation, loss of elasticity and enlargement of your heart), heart valve diseases, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and heart failure.

Examples of nutrients that are important for heart health include (but are not limited to) B vitamins (including folate or B9 and B12), carnitine, taurine, coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10), magnesium, vitamin K2, vitamin D and animal-based omega-3.

All of these also play important roles in keeping your mitochondria working properly. Antioxidant polyphenols are also important for combatting inflammation and damage caused by free radicals.

That said, nutrients rarely work in isolation; rather, they work in synergy with other nutrients, which means supplementing with one without taking care of other deficiencies may not produce beneficial results.

For example, vitamins D, K2, magnesium and calcium work as a synergistic team, and if one is missing, the others will not perform well.

Your best bet is to eat a varied diet of whole foods, rich in fresh fruits, berries and vegetables. For example, recent research suggests a Mediterranean-style diet — rich in fiber and polyphenols — may be more helpful than statin drugs for heart health.

Mediterranean Diet Outperforms Statins for Heart Health

As reported by CNN:2

“The observational study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference.3 It showed that the people who have had a history of cardiovascular disease and stuck closest to the diet had a 37 percent lower risk of death compared with those who didn't stick with it.

A Mediterranean diet is one that is heavy on vegetables and legumes, fish, fruit, nuts and whole grains … Carnivores can keep poultry and lean cuts of meat on their Mediterranean menu. Red meat, processed food and sugar are off of it.”

CNN cites statin research showing these cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce your risk for heart problems by about 24 percent, so the Mediterranean diet outperforms these drugs by a significant margin. Other studies have also linked the Mediterranean diet to a lower risk of heart attack and stroke,4 and increased longevity.

Originally, Mediterranean Diet Was Actually a High-Fat Diet

Unfortunately, the commonly referred to "Mediterranean diet" actually vilifies healthy saturated fats. Foods like red meats and eggs, according to most reports of the diet, should be eaten sparingly.

However, the truly traditional Mediterranean diet was by no means low in saturated fats. Homemade sausages, raw full-fat milk and cheeses, eggs and, when they could be found, meats like lamb were commonly enjoyed.

So Mediterranean populations were actually eating a high-fat diet for generations, one rich in full-fat animal foods, and still experienced the low rates of heart disease the area is known for. Even today, these foods are quite healthy for you as long as they’re organic and grass-fed or pasture-raised.

Also, many recommend cooking with olive oil rather than butter, which is a terrible recommendation as olive oil will oxidize at high heat. Only eat olive oil cold, drizzled on salads, and make sure it’s non-adulterated olive oil, as many are mixed with cheaper rancid omega-6 oils.5

Butter, coconut oil or lard are best used for cooking, as these can safely withstand heat without oxidizing or going rancid. Definitely avoid processed vegetable oils and margarines.

If you think your favorite lipstick, gloss or eye shadow is "safe" because it doesn't list lead or arsenic on the ingredients label, think again. Virtually every cosmetic product tested in one study contained a potentially dangerous or proven toxic heavy metal.1

Personal care products are a $50 billion industry in the United States, yet the U.S. government doesn't require any mandatory testing for these products before they hit store shelves.

Lipstick, deodorants, shampoos and other personal care products do not usually undergo testing and many times don't contain a complete list of ingredients.

What this means is that women who apply lipstick several times a day could easily be ingesting high amounts of lead2,3 over the course of their lifetime, along with any number of other unknown chemical additives.

Chemicals are not only ingested but also absorbed through your skin, and are not limited to cosmetics.

Latest Senate Bill May Not Be Enough

As an example of just one personal care product problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 127 complaints of adverse events along with more than 21,000 grievances sent directly to the manufacturers of WEN hair care for itching, skin irritation and hair loss.4

In April, 2015, a bipartisan bill sponsored by senators from Maine and California was introduced to require FDA participation in cosmetic regulation.5 Senate bill 1014 Personal Care Products Safety Act was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions after an initial reading.6 This bill essentially states:7

"The FDA must review the safety of at least five cosmetic ingredients each year, and it may establish conditions for safe use of an ingredient, including a limit on the amount of the ingredient or a requirement for a warning label.

A cosmetic cannot be sold if it contains an ingredient that is not safe, not safe under the recommended conditions of use or not safe in the amount present in the cosmetic.

If the FDA determines that a cosmetic has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences, it may prohibit the cosmetic's distribution by suspending the cosmetic ingredient statement."

However, a single tube of lipstick from one company will typically contain a dozen ingredients.8 While the intention is good, testing just five ingredients a year over all cosmetic products on the market will take many decades.

Companies producing personal care products are able to change their ingredients and names far quicker than the ingredients can be tested. Therefore, it is important that you know your risks when you use your favorite personal care products.

Heavy Metals Are Common in Your Makeup

In the report "Heavy Metal Hazard: The Health Risks of Hidden Heavy Metals in Face Makeup,"9 Canada-based Environmental Defence tested 49 different makeup items, including five foundations, four concealers, four powders, five blushes or bronzers, seven mascaras, two eye liners, 14 eye shadows and eight lipsticks or glosses.

Their testing revealed serious heavy metal contamination in virtually all of the products:

96 percent contained lead
90 percent contained beryllium
61 percent contained thallium
51 percent contained cadmium
20 percent contained arsenic
Most of the products also contained an average of four of the eight metals tested (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, beryllium, thallium, selenium).

What's worse, each product contained an average of two of the four metals of highest concern (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury). These metals carry a toxic designation in Canada, as they've been proven to trigger health issues.

Despite the widespread contamination, and the fact that all the metals but nickel are banned as intentional ingredients in Canadian cosmetics, not one of the products listed the heavy metals on the label.

Lipstick May Contain Up to Eight Different Metals


This short news video reveals startling information about lead levels in your favorite lipstick. However, your lipstick likely contains more than just lead.

The U.S. cosmetic industry sales in 2015 reached $56.2 billion, and cosmetics garnered 14.6 percent of those sales.10 The global cosmetics market reached $460 billion and is estimated to reach $675 billion in 2020.11

These large sale numbers come at a cost. An FDA report in 2012 listed 400 different lipsticks that contained trace amounts of lead.12 The report acknowledged there were trace amounts, adding:

"Lead is an unintended contaminant or impurity that can be present at very low levels in some color additives and in other common ingredients, such as water, that are used to produce cosmetics.

. . . Findings showed that the levels of lead found in these lipstick samples were extremely low, and FDA does not believe that any of the products tested pose a safety concern."

The FDA appears to discount the number of times lipstick is applied each day and the potential for buildup of lead, a neurotoxin your body does not metabolize or excrete. Dr. Mark Mitchell, co-chairman of the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association, was quoted in The Washington Post saying:13

"Lead builds in the body over time, and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels."

As a result of reapplication throughout the day, women may be ingesting as much as 87 milligrams (mg) of a product every day.14 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not established whether there is a safe level of lead for anyone.

Lead and Other Metals Increase Your Cancer Risk

Lead is not the only metal found in lipstick. In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers found traces of seven other metals in 24 lip glosses and eight lipstick brands.15

The women in this study reported reapplying their lipstick up to 24 times each day. So, while the FDA and cosmetic industry claim the amounts are minute in each application, they add up significantly over time. The seven other trace metals found include cadmium, aluminum, chromium, copper, cobalt, titanium and manganese.16

Lead was found in 75 percent of the lip products, including 15 of the samples that had concentrations higher than the current FDA published standards for lead in candy consumed by children.

Although lead levels in lipstick have received attention in the past, levels of the trace minerals aluminum, cadmium, cobalt and manganese had higher relative intake indices than lead, according to this study.17

Researchers recommended that these levels of trace metals should also be investigated as the number of times the lipsticks were used represented ingestion or absorption of 20 percent of the acceptable daily amount of aluminum, cadmium, chromium and manganese from drinking water.18

For example, cadmium is a known carcinogenic metal. Previous research has found cadmium in breast cancer biopsies and found it is used by cancer cells to multiply in lab trials.19 The metals are used to give lipstick their pigment. As Sharima Rasanayagam, Ph.D., a scientist at the Breast Cancer Fund, told Mother Jones:20 "Cadmium is a very common contaminant in soil. What's concerning is that consumers don't know they're in the lipstick."

Long-Term Cost of Cosmetics

The study also found consistent daily use of lipstick could lead to dangerous levels of manganese with seven of the products tested, and high levels of chromium exposure in 22 products tested.21 Of particular concern in the use of personal care products like your lipstick are the use of chemicals that don't cause immediate health problems but, over time with consistent use, may increase the risk of cancer, reproductive disorders and other health issues.

Senate bill 1014 Personal Care Products Safety Act is initially slated to evaluate lead acetate, a color additive used in hair dyes and lipsticks.22 The European Union (EU) has banned the use of the additive as it is linked to reproductive problems.23 On the whole, the U.S. lags far behind when it comes to chemical safety. European officials have banned or restricted 1,300 chemicals and groups of chemicals from use in cosmetics; the FDA has prohibited or restricted a mere 11 ingredients.

Lipstick May Boost Self-Confidence

If you aren't ready to get rid of your lipstick, you have a lot of company. You may identify makeup as part of your femininity, as a way to experiment with color and aesthetics, or as a way to boost your self-confidence.

Researchers tested 42 female college students in social situations asking them to either imagine themselves wearing makeup or not wearing makeup. In situations in which they were imagining makeup the students were more sociable and more self-confident.24

People perceive photographs of women wearing makeup as healthier, more likely to be hired, more attractive and more confident.25 Another study found it took as little as 250 milliseconds for participants to rate a woman with makeup as more attractive than those without makeup.26

Women are not the only gender influenced by personal care products. Men who had just sprayed themselves with a scented product were evaluated as more attractive by women who were unable to smell the scent. The men wearing scented body product appeared to act more confidently and were therefore more visually attractive.

Subtly sweet, moist and chewy on the inside, and delectably crisp on the outside, coconut macaroons are an irresistible treat. This healthy yet delicious snack can suit your gluten-free diet, and is lactose-free too.
Here’s a quick and easy gluten-free coconut macaroons recipe from Healthy Holistic Living. Try it, and an appetizing batch of these macaroons can be yours in less than half an hour

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. coconut milk
3 Tbsp. raw honey
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place parchment paper or reusable non-stick baking sheet on tray.
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over high heat, and then bring down to a simmer for two minutes, or until it thickens.
Remove from the heat. Scoop mixture into balls and place on the baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown on top (five to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Be sure to check every few minutes).
Allow to cool and set for several minutes, and then enjoy!
This recipe makes 10 to 12 macaroons.

Go Nuts for Coconuts With This Recipe
While coconut is considered exotic in the U.S. and most Western countries, it is a dietary staple in the Pacific islands and tropical countries. Coconut is a healthy, delicious and refreshing tropical fruit hailed for its many nutritional benefits. This recipe uses three kinds of coconut products, all of which have an impressive nutritional profile:
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut — Also called desiccated coconut, this is a flavorful addition to a variety of foods, including pastries, soups and pies. A 1-cup serving of shredded coconut gives you:
2.68 grams of protein
1.79 milligrams of iron
1.68 milligrams of zinc
Shredded coconut also contains essential minerals, including selenium and manganese, which both stimulate enzymes like antioxidants. Your cells need antioxidants for protection against cellular damage caused by free radicals — the common pathway for aging, tissue damage, cancer and other diseases.1
Selenium helps relieve arthritis symptoms by controlling free radicals and reducing the risk of joint inflammation. On the other hand, manganese promotes healthy bone structure and nerve function.
• Coconut Flour — This product is made from finely grated dried coconut meat, with a powder-like texture similar to grain flours. It has a mild coconut scent and flavor that will not overwhelm your recipes, but rather will impart a natural sweetness and rich texture. Coconut flour is light and airy, making it an ideal alternative for baking. Here are other reasons to ditch your regular flour for coconut flour:
It’s 100 percent gluten-free. Coconut flour is a healthy gluten-free alternative to wheat. Gluten is highly allergenic and can even be fatal for people with Celiac disease, a digestive and autoimmune disorder where gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, and interferes with the absorption of nutrients in food.2
Coconut flour is rich in dietary fiber. Fiber encourages proper digestion and regular bowel movements. It also helps lower cholesterol levels and improve blood sugar control. Each tablespoon of coconut flour contains 6 grams of dietary fiber per serving, which is triple the amount compared to whole flour, and almost double that of wheat bran.
It’s packed with protein. Coconut flour is exceptionally filling because it contains more protein than other flours. Protein is an essential component in rebuilding cells and maintaining healthy tissues and muscles.
It helps regulate blood sugar level spikes. It has a lower glycemic index than regular flour, making it a healthier option for diabetics and prediabetics. The glycemic index measures how foods affect blood sugar levels — the higher the glycemic index, the greater an effect a particular food has on raising blood sugar.3
However, coconut flour’s composition is very different from other flours, and there are a few things to keep in mind when using it for cooking or baking:
You cannot substitute coconut flour for wheat or other grain-based flours at a 1-to-1 ratio.4 Generally, you should use only one-quarter to one-third cup of coconut flour for every one cup of grain-based flour.
You need to increase the number of eggs. Because coconut flour is extremely absorbent and dense, you should add in one egg per ounce of coconut flour to take the place of gluten and help bind the mixture together.
Coconut flour is clumpy. For this reason, you should mix it thoroughly with the other ingredients in your recipe to end up with a fine-textured dough or mixture.
• Coconut milk — This is the liquid extracted from grated coconut meat. Its rich and creamy consistency makes it a scrumptious ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine, such as for cooking curries and soups. Coconut milk is lactose-free, so it is suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
In terms of health benefits, the fatty acids in coconut milk may improve immune function because it is a good source of lauric acid, capric acid and antimicrobial lipids, which have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
The medium-chain saturated fatty acids in coconut may help reduce your heart disease risk. These fatty acids help eradicate the three major types of atherogenic organisms, which are bacteria that cause plaque formation in the arteries.
Coconut milk may also aid weight loss on a reduced-calorie diet because it is rich in fiber, which can potentially increase your body’s metabolism.
Raw Honey Adds Sweetness to This Snack
Raw honey, also touted as “liquid gold,” is a natural sweetener with many nutritional and medicinal values. A tablespoon of raw honey gives you 17 grams of carbohydrates. It is fat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-free as well.5 Raw honey’s natural unprocessed fructose and glucose directly goes into the bloodstream and can provide a quick boost of energy.
However, since raw honey is high in fructose (averaging around 53 percent), it should be consumed in moderation. If you have insulin resistance or are taking medications for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, it would be wise to avoid or reduce your consumption of sweeteners, including honey.

Herpes is a highly transmittable disease, so necessary precautions are essential to prevent it from spreading
If you experience any symptoms of herpes or get exposed to the virus while pregnant, consult a physician and ask to be tested and/or treated for the disease immediately
Herpes is a highly transmittable disease, so necessary precautions are essential to prevent it from spreading. Here are steps you should consider:1,2

• Refrain from having sex: do not have vaginal, anal or oral sexual intercourse, especially if there are blisters or sores around your genital area that aren’t completely healed.

If you have symptoms of genital herpes, do not have sex with your partner as well, since this STD is highly contagious even if itchiness or a tingling sensation is just felt.

• If you plan on having sex with your partner, use a latex condom: even after herpes symptoms are gone, use condoms during sexual intercourse, especially if you have a new partner.

However, there’s a risk when using latex condoms since it only covers the penis. If the virus is present on or around the anus, it’s still possible to transfer the infection via sexual contact. The virus may also reside within your skin and its corresponding nerves, and this is another way that herpes can be passed to someone else.

• Avoid kissing or sharing items with someone who has a cold sore around the mouth: kissing or sharing drinking glasses or utensils with an infected individual significantly increases your risk of getting oral herpes.

• Do not touch sores, even if they look healed: as mentioned, the virus can stay on an infected person’s skin, and touching it can make you susceptible to infection.

• Be honest about your health status: if you have herpes, let your partner know as soon as you can.

• Get yourself or your partner tested: regardless if you had a herpes outbreak or not, it’s important to know if you have acquired herpes or another type of STD.

Should you have herpes and end up passing on the disease to your partner, make a visit to a genitourinary medicine (GUM clinic, or sexual health clinic) to get tested for herpes.

Pregnant Women Need to Watch Out for These Health Risks

If you experience any symptoms of herpes or get exposed to the virus while pregnant, consult a physician and ask to be tested and/or treated for the disease immediately. Should you be diagnosed with herpes, make sure to have regular prenatal care visits.3 There are health risks that pregnant women face when they’re diagnosed with this disease while pregnant, such as:4

• Miscarriage

• Premature delivery of the child

• Transfer of the herpes virus to the child that can result in neonatal herpes, a life-threatening infection

A cesarean section may be performed if you have a herpes outbreak and go into labor in order to lessen the chances of your baby being infected with the virus. Antiviral medications could also be recommended to inhibit a herpes outbreak during delivery. However, these types of medicines aren’t the best solution at all, so you may want to ask for a more natural course of treatment from your physician.

Okra is a warm-weather vegetable that’s been eaten and also used as a medicine in Africa, South America and the Middle East for hundreds of years
Traditional uses for okra over centuries, and some still in use, include pain relief, urinary problems, syphilis, lung inflammation and sore throat
High in fiber, okra also offers the bulk of the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin K, manganese, folate and vitamin C, as well as plentiful amounts of flavonoids and antioxidants
Researchers have reported that okra may help alleviate diabetes symptoms, in part due to its myricetin content, fight breast cancer, and impart mood improvement and work as a stand-in for Viagra

A vegetable many people associate with the Southern U.S., okra is more correctly identified as a warm-weather crop, so it's found in areas of Africa, where it may have originated, as well as South America and the Middle East.

Okra is the color of a fresh corn husk, has the shape of a spike (which is why it's also known as lady's fingers and, in some cultures, bamia pods) and the texture of a grooved cucumber. Sliced, it might remind you of a tiny star fruit.

Okra pods measuring 2 to 3 inches long grow on a large, leafy and perennial plant with beautiful, hibiscus-type flowers. From the Malvaceae (mallows) family — surprisingly along with cocoa, hibiscus and cotton — it bears the botanical name Abelmoschus esculentus and may have a history as old as the pyramids.

These amazing little edibles are best harvested early so they don't become tough, which can happen quickly, since from the time they flower until optimal harvest time can be a matter of just four days, according to the Farmer's Almanac.1 Ideally, they should be harvested every few days.

Removing some of the lower leaves of the plant after the first harvest is said to speed production. In spite of its ability to thrive in hot weather, it does appreciate around 1 inch of water per week.

Wearing gloves during harvest will prevent the fruit's tiny spines from irritating your skin (depending on the variety), similar to some cucumbers.

Uncut, uncooked okra can be placed in freezer bags and frozen for later preparation, or you can can it,2 the result of which is said to taste like it just came from the garden. In some areas of the world, okra seeds are also known as one of the best-tasting coffee substitutes.3

Culinary Uses for Okra

While some people equate the taste of okra to the flavor of eggplant, the texture is different, which will give it a different ambiance altogether. When cooked down, it develops a gelatinous quality that lends itself well to soups. (In fact, okra mucilage has been used as a sizing for glazed paper products in China.)4

One of this veggie's best calling cards is that the entire fruit can be used, including the seeds (after trimming off the ends), and because it can be used raw, curried (especially the seeds), pickled and more, the culinary options are plentiful.

In the Caribbean, people often serve okra with fish in a soup. Its leaves can be cooked in a manner not unlike beet greens or dandelion greens or eaten raw in salads. (One way to do this is to add other types of greens, such as Romaine, arugula or spinach, for a variation in flavors and crunch.)

Okra can be sliced or chopped, stir fried with other veggies such as zucchini, onions and red or green bell peppers and made into burritos or tacos with cheese, or served on top of cooked quinoa.

In the Middle East, bamiya is a hearty stew made using okra along with beef or lamb. An Indian-inspired dish might combine okra and onions sautéed in butter seasoned with coriander, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper.5

Traditional Medicine Using Okra

Because it's an ancient crop used for food from way back, okra was also known as a bona fide medicinal. The leaves were used for pain relief and urinary problems. In the Congo, it was a remedy to help ensure a safe delivery for pregnant mothers. In Malaya, the root has been applied as a treatment for syphilis.

The mucilage has even been used as a plasma replacement and topically as a moisturizer. Cooked down and added to water, it's referred to as "supreme" for people suffering weakness or depression.

It's still used to treat lung inflammation and sore throat and to add bulk to stools as a laxative, as well as to rid the body of liver toxins, according to Holistic Online.6 The same site noted okra's effectiveness for acid reflux, atherosclerosis, cataracts, colorectal cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Nutritional Aspects of Okra

References to the gelatinous mucilage in okra, especially when cooked, are parallel to applications noted by nutritionists who recommend it for people suffering from constipation, as it does help move food through your gut.

Okra is an excellent fiber source to maintain a healthy digestive system and also contains good amounts of calcium, iron and magnesium. It also provides 43 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of manganese and 36 percent of the RDA of infection-fighting vitamin C.

One cup of raw okra (100 grams) contains 33 calories and includes a whopping 44 percent of the bone-strengthening vitamin K you need for one day, which is important as a co-factor for blood-clotting enzymes.

Nutrition and You7 also notes that the folate in okra imparts 22 percent of the RDA in a 1-cup serving, which is important for pregnant mothers to decrease the risk of neural tube defects in their babies. Medical News Today reveals:

"People who do not eat enough folate are at a higher risk for breast, cervical, pancreatic, lung and other cancers. Researchers are unsure of why folate intake and cancer risk are connected.

There is no evidence that taking a folate supplement lowers the risk for cancer. As a result, getting folate from food like okra is important. Getting enough folate is especially important for women who are pregnant and people who are dependent on alcohol."8

Vitamin A content in okra, important for good vision and more, includes flavonoid antioxidants, such as beta-carotenes, xanthan and lutein. Other nutrients include thiamin, vitamin B6, calcium, niacin, phosphorus and copper.

To go along with its traditional uses, the compounds in okra help maintain healthy skin and mucous membranes.

Okra's Impact on Blood Sugar

For diabetic individuals, animal studies suggest okra pods may help alleviate diabetic affects, due to its myricetin content. Myricetin is a flavonoid also found in blueberries, garbanzo beans, turnips and chia seeds, among other foods.

The myricetin in okra was isolated and dispensed to rats, which responded with increased sugar absorption in their muscles, consequently lowering their blood sugar.

A 2012 Food Science and Human Wellness review9 listed several other animals included in similar studies with similar results; however, not all research worked on humans.10

Still, the study indicates that myricetin may prove to be an important breakthrough in the fight against diabetes. In fact, ISRN Pharmaceutics published a study in 2012,11 explained in Medical News Today:

"Researchers fed rats liquid sugar as well as purified okra through a feeding tube. Rats who consumed the okra experienced a reduction in blood sugar spikes after feeding. The study's authors think this is because the okra blocked the absorption of sugar in the intestines."12

As noted, the study indicated the okra may have blocked sugar absorption in the intestines, but also introduced the idea that it may also obstruct the effectiveness of the diabetes drug metformin, so simultaneous ingestion is not recommended.

The Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences13 submitted another study pointing to a possible link between okra and decreased blood sugar levels.

Scientists maintained the blood sugar level of rats for a period of 14 days, then fed them powdered okra peel extracts and seeds amounting to 2,000 milligrams per day per kilogram of body weight.

At the conclusion of the study, no poisonous effects were observed. While the rats that ate the okra had lowered blood sugar levels after 28 days, the end of the study precluded discovering how long the decreased levels may have been maintained.

More Health Benefits From Eating Okra

Like most other vegetables, okra provides a unique set of nutrients and, therefore, a unique set of plant-based nutrients with all the related vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting compounds.

A protein in okra, called lectin, is also found in peanuts and beans. In one study,14 researchers extracted lectin from okra to test on breast cancer cells and found the cancer growth to not only decrease by 63 percent, but to kill 72 percent of the cancer cells. In another review published in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal:15

"The preliminary phytochemical studies showed that flavonoids, tannins, sterols and triterpenes were present in okra. Phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids are commonly present in vegetables and fruits, which provide the health-benefits, associated with diets rich in plant-food.

Flavonoids are a class of secondary plant phenolics, found ubiquitously in fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants, which are known to play a pivotal role as dietary antioxidants for the prevention of oxidative damage in the living system.

Furthermore, a large number of biological actions of flavonoids have been attributed to their potent antioxidant properties; as they act in different ways, including direct quenching ROS, chelation of metal ions and regeneration of membrane-bound antioxidants."

A 2013 study demonstrated that the antidepressant activity in okra was linked to mood improvement, which could make it helpful for people suffering from depression.16 Interestingly, Kantha Shelke, a food scientist at Corvus Blue LLC and spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists, said okra was the "preferred vegetable" among athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, possibly for more reasons than its taste.

"Because of its physiological effects, it has gained some interesting names including 'green panax' in Japan and 'plant viagra' in the USA. The polysaccharides in okra are thought to open up the arteries in a similar way to Viagra."17

Possible Safety Risks Associated With Okra Consumption

Besides the possibility that eating okra while taking the diabetic drug metformin may lower the drug's effect, experts note that this vegetable also elicits an allergy reaction in some people.

Additionally, okra contains oxalates, naturally occurring substances in many plant-based foods. Over-consumption may produce a kidney stone risk in certain individuals with that predilection. Okra contains high amounts of fructan, which is a carbohydrate that can induce diarrhea, cramps and bloating in some people, so people with irritable bowel syndrome are advised against ingesting foods containing this substanc

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But, did you know that the bacteria in your gut also influence your overall health – physical, mental, and emotional?* The microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract act as natural controls on your body weight, energy, and nutrition.*

That’s what makes foods with probiotics so valuable. The healthy bacteria that exist naturally in probiotic foods can actually alter your gut’s microorganisms or your gut flora, making it more beneficial to your health and well being.*

In fact, “reseeding” your gut with probiotic – or fermented – foods may be one of the most important steps you can take for your health!*

Why Foods with Probiotics Can Be Even Better Than Taking a Pill
Turning to foods for nourishing your gut with beneficial or “good” bacteria isn’t anything new. Long before refrigeration and other forms of food preservation were available, people got large quantities of good bacteria – or probiotics – straight from their diet in the form of fermented or cultured foods.

Luckily, many of those foods remain popular today and provide significant amounts of natural probiotics. Just one spoonful of certain fermented foods can provide trillions of beneficial bacteria, far more than you could ever get in a probiotic supplement.

To help you get started, I’ve created a list of 11 of the most popular probiotic foods:

Probiotic Foods List: 11 Super Healthy
Probiotic Foods
Fermented vegetables
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Pickles
Lassi
Yogurt
Kefir
Natto
Miso soup
Tempeh
Kombucha tea**
Let’s take a look at each of these foods, starting with my hands-down favorite.

Fermented Vegetables
For foods with probiotics, you won’t find a better source than fermented vegetables.

I recently tested the probiotic potency of a batch of fermented vegetables made with our probiotic starter culture and was stunned to discover that just one serving of vegetables was equal to an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic! These fermented vegetables contained 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria!

Together with Julie, one of my office team members, I’ve produced a video on how to make fermented vegetables.


At the above link, you’ll also find tips and tricks for fermenting vegetables. We like to sometimes add these vegetables, in addition to cabbage (make sure 80 percent is cabbage): carrots, radishes, turnips, red pepper, celery, and golden beets. Ginger and garlic can add additional flavor. Always choose organic vegetables whenever possible.

I think you’ll discover it’s more fool-proof than you think to make fermented vegetables, and you can make a large batch to share with others or store in your refrigerator. The time you invest will be worth it.

While it’s not necessary to use my starter culture, using it will yield vegetables with exceptionally high levels of probiotics and vitamin K2, a nutrient that’s important for bone and cardiovascular health.*

Cabbage alone can provide adequate probiotics for the fermentation process, but using a starter culture provides much higher levels. I believe that if you are going to the trouble to make your own fermented vegetables, it makes sense to use a starter culture to get the highest level of probiotics possible.

You can buy fermented vegetables commercially if you don’t want to make your own. However, be prepared to pay a steep price. A quart can run as high as $20! When you make your own at home, not only do you save money, you can customize the recipe to suit your taste.

Sauerkraut:
sauerkraut with carrot in bowl
A type of fermented raw vegetable, traditionally, sauerkraut is made from cabbage. Cabbage is an exceptionally healthy food: It’s an excellent source of vitamin C and A. It’s also an abundant source of vitamin K – one serving provides 85 percent of the daily required amount your body needs!

Research has also revealed that cabbage has high levels of a substance called glucosinolate that helps support normal cell growth and development.* Sauerkraut also contains phytonutrient antioxidants that are valuable for supporting a healthy inflammatory response in your body.*

Sauerkraut is one of my personal favorite foods with probiotics. It tastes good and it’s rich in beneficial probiotic bacteria, especially when made with my starter culture. In fact, I recommend customizing your sauerkraut with the addition of other vegetables – there are many recipes you can try!

Ingredients:

1 whole green cabbage
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 carrots, grated
Celery juice
Starter culture
Procedure:

Grate, shred, or slice the cabbage thinly, except for the outer leaves (set them aside). Shred the carrots and ginger, and add to the cabbage.
Mix the starter culture in the celery juice, making sure it’s completely dissolved. Add the juice to your vegetables, spreading it out evenly.
Put as much as sauerkraut in a ceramic pot or glass container as you can.
Get a masher, and mash the vegetables down. This will release more juices in your sauerkraut and eliminate any air pockets.
Place a cabbage leaf on top of your sauerkraut, and tuck it down the sides. Cover the jar with the lid loosely (Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, which will expand the jar).
Store the container in a place with a controlled temperature, like a cooler, for 5 to 7 days. On the seventh day, transfer the sauerkraut to the refrigerator.
Kimchi:
kimchi in bowl
Kimchi is a well known fermented vegetable dish from Korea. Depending on which vegetables are used and the region or season in which it’s made, you can see more than 300 different varieties of kimchi!

There is no shortage of ready-to-eat kimchi brands in US supermarkets today, but many of these products are loaded with artificial flavorings, toxic fillers, and harmful additives. Because they likely have gone through excessive processing, there’s a good chance the beneficial live bacteria they might have originally contained is no longer there.

Just like sauerkraut and fermented vegetables, you can make your own fresh, high-quality kimchi at home. Here’s a recipe I like to use:

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
4 tablespoons sea salt
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 cup daikon radish grated or 1 cup asparagus cut into one-inch pieces
2 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Procedure:

In a large bowl, mix a brine of the water and salt. Mix well to thoroughly dissolve salt. Add the cabbage and daikon radish. Cover with a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged. Soak for 12 hours.
Drain the brine from the vegetables, reserving the brine. Taste the vegetables for saltiness. If they are too salty, you can rinse the vegetables. If they are not salty enough, sprinkle with a little more salt (one quarter teaspoon at a time).
Combine the asparagus, green beans, scallions, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Add to the cabbage mixture.
Put the whole mix into a jar or crock. Pour the soaking liquid over the vegetables, making sure that they are completely submerged in liquid.
Cover loosely with a clean cloth and set aside for three to seven days. The ideal room temperature to help with the fermentation is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is colder, the fermentation takes longer.
Check the kimchi daily. Make sure the vegetables stay covered in brine. After three to seven days, the kimchi will taste ripe. Once this happens, place in glass jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.
(From Healthy Recipes for Your Nutritional Type)
When homemade, or carefully prepared commercially and stored properly, kimchi offers an impressive array of nutrients: vitamins A and C, fiber, lactobacilli and lactic acid, capsaicin, allicin, and indole-3-carbinol. And, of course, fresh kimchi contains high levels of probiotics, making it one of the top super healthy probiotic foods.

Pickles:
jar of pickles
Before you run to your refrigerator and grab your favorite pickle jar, you need to know that the pickles you buy at your local grocery store are most likely not a fermented or probiotic food.

If you look at the jar label, you’re likely find they are packed in salt, vinegar, and are pasteurized. Pasteurization destroys beneficial probiotic bacteria!

Pickling cucumbers is an excellent way to enjoy cucumbers’ many health benefits. Cucumbers contain abundant amounts of vitamin K (even before fermenting), vitamin C, vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid, and minerals like manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

Cucumbers also contain health-benefiting lignans and other phytonutrients that support healthy cell growth and development.*

Yogurt:
Yogurt can be an excellent probiotic food, but only if you choose carefully. Most of the yogurt products you find in the grocery store, including "probiotic" yogurt, are NOT recommended for many reasons: they are pasteurized and typically contain added sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, dyes, and/or artificial sweeteners, which can be detrimental to your health.

You can find out more about which commercial brand yogurts are best avoided, according to this recent Cornucopia Institute report.

I recommend choosing a fermented raw milk yogurt that contains live cultures and no sugar. Your best bet is to make your own using a starter culture and raw grass fed milk.

Raw organic milk from grass-fed cows contains beneficial bacteria that support your immune health.* It's also an outstanding source of vitamins (especially vitamin A), zinc, enzymes, and healthy fats. Perhaps best of all, raw organic milk is not associated with the health problems found with pasteurized milk.*

Lassi:
Lassi is an Indian yogurt drink that’s traditionally enjoyed before dinner. While lassi can be a good probiotic food, be aware that many recipes call for added sugar and large amounts of fruit. Lassi is typically made from blending together yogurt, water, fruit, and sometimes sugar or another sweetener.

Kefir:
kefir
Resembling a thin, drinkable yogurt, kefir can be made from cow, goat, or sheep milk (preferably raw), or even coconut or rice milk. However, kefir and yogurt contain different types of good bacteria. Kefir contains strains of bacteria or probiotics not found in yogurt, along with beneficial yeasts that can promote health in your gut.*

While yogurt’s beneficial bacteria nourish your digestive system and “feeds” the good bacteria, the unique probiotics in kefir can actually help colonize your intestinal tract.* Traditional kefir is made with gelatinous white or yellow particles called “grains” that ferment the milk. These grains contain the probiotic culture, and during the fermentation process, incorporate these live, beneficial organisms into the milk to create the cultured product. The grains are removed with a strainer before the kefir is consumed and added to a new batch of milk.

Like lassi, you must be aware of added sugars in the finished product, as many commercial kefirs contain high levels of sugar. It’s best to make your own using a special kefir starter culture.

Natto:
Popular among the Japanese, this type of fermented soy is largely unknown to Westerners. Once you acquire the taste (and IF you can) for this unusually sticky, strongly flavored food, it can be an outstanding source of probiotics and vitamin K2. In fact, just by eating one small serving or about a half ounce (15 grams) of natto daily, you’ll receive all the K2 your body needs.

Be sure to buy organic natto to avoid bioengineered soy, which is common in the US today. Most importantly, please keep in mind that fermented soy is the ONLY type of soy I recommend, and the only type of soy that truly offers health benefits.

Miso Soup:
Miso is a paste made from fermented rye, beans, rice or barley. When mixed with hot water, you create miso soup that’s a mainstay with the Japanese and macrobiotic cooking. Miso soup makes a quick nutrient-dense meal that’s full of high quality probiotic bacteria. If you choose miso made from soybeans, be sure to purchase organic miso as regularly soybeans are largely bioengineered in the US.

Tempeh:
Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor that makes a great addition to stir-fries and other mixed dishes, including salads. A good probiotic food, it’s also high in vitamin b12. Be sure to buy only organic tempeh to avoid bioengineered soy.

Kombucha Tea:
organic kombucha tea in glass
Kombucha tea is a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast. Sometimes tricky to make safely at home, Kombucha tea is made by adding a colony of bacteria and yeast to a mixture of sugar and tea, and allowing the mix to ferment. The liquid that results contains B vitamins and other chemical compounds.

**Even though it is a probiotics food, I don’t tend to recommend Kombucha tea because of its high sugar content and risk of contamination when prepared at home.

There are so many other super healthy foods with probiotics to include in your diet, it’s not necessary to include one that might present a risk to your health!

Note: If, for some reason, you cannot take any of these foods, then a high-quality probiotic supplement like Complete Probiotics is the best alternative

Meniscal tears are present in 35 percent of people over 50 and anterior cruciate ligament ruptures occur between 100,000 and 200,000 per year
Rehabilitation programs may offer you the same results as surgical repair depending upon several factors
Strong rehabilitation programs also improve strength and stability of the joint, potentially reducing future injury

The knee is the mostly commonly injured joint by athletes, accounting for 2.5 million sports-related injuries seen in the emergency department annually.1 Meniscal tears occur in 35 percent of people over the age of 50.2

Ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), important to stabilizing your knee, occur in 100,000 to 200,000 people each year.3 Knee injuries may be treated by a wide range of clinicians, from orthopedic surgeons to internal medicine physicians or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialists.

Your knee may suffer from an acute or traumatic injury or, through overuse, you may experience degenerative changes to your meniscus. How you treat these injuries may have an impact on your ability to return to your normal activities, and whether you experience degenerative arthritis in the future.

A recent randomized control trial demonstrated the effectiveness of using a structured exercise program to rehabilitate your knee either prior to surgical repair, or in many cases, instead of a surgical repair.

To take full advantage of rehabilitation it's important to understand how the knee works and what key factors are evaluated to determine which option is best for your unique situation.

Anatomy of Your Knee and Meniscal Tears

Three bones meet at your knee to form the joint that is the largest and considered the most complicated joint in your body.4 Although your knee is a hinge joint, it must not only bend and be flexible to allow walking but also stable to allow you to stand stationary.

Between your thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) are two wedge shaped pieces of cartilage. The function of these tough and rubbery pieces are to cushion the two bones and keep them from rubbing against each other.5 These pieces are called your meniscus.

The menisci have blood supply to the outer edges but this supply rapidly declines as you move further toward the center of the cartilage located directly between the two large bones. Your menisci can tear in a number of different ways from either an acute injury or from degenerative changes over time.

The number of surgeries done each year to repair a meniscus tear has been on the rise. Recent findings in the American Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrated that meniscus repairs increased 100 percent between 2005 and 2011.6

Additionally the research demonstrated that patient pain may not have been related to the meniscal tear in the first place.7

The researchers found patients experienced pain relief despite the fact that the tear did not heal after surgery. The lack of healing was discovered during a follow-up arthroscopy. What did appear to relieve pain and improve function was immobilization and physical therapy.

Study Demonstrates Effect of Exercise Versus Surgery

Two studies demonstrated the effectiveness of using a structured physical therapy program to either eliminate the need for surgical repair or to improve outcomes when therapy was done prior to surgery.

In the first study, researchers followed participants for five years with minimal follow up loss. The study participants had suffered an ACL injury. The researchers found that results between those who had surgical repair and those who were treated with rehabilitation alone were near identical.8

Another study released in 2016 followed participants for two years who had suffered a meniscal tear in their knee.9 Again researchers found exercise and rehabilitation in middle-aged patients with knee damage was as effective as a meniscal surgical repair, which is an outpatient procedure.

Researchers estimate that 2 million people worldwide undergo arthroscopic surgery every year. But in their review of the literature, researchers did not discover benefits to the patient. This prompted scientists from Denmark and Norway to undertake this two-year study.

In this study, researchers identified 140 patients who had a meniscal tear, the majority of whom were without any osteoarthritic changes to the knee. Half underwent an intensive 12-week exercise program and the other half had arthroscopic surgery and given a home rehabilitation program.

No clinical difference between the two groups was found as it related to their ability to do daily activities, participate in sports or pain levels. Thirteen of the participants who were in the exercise-only group opted to have arthroscopic surgery during the study, but didn't experience any additional benefits.10

Additional Benefits of Exercise Versus Surgery

Arthroscopic surgery is considered a low risk procedure. The most common serious side effects are deep vein thrombosis, infection and pulmonary embolism, occurring only 0.4 percent of the time.11

However low risk this procedure may be, surgical repair increases medical costs, insurance costs and doesn't appear to produce superior results. On the other hand, a strong rehabilitation exercise program does produce increased strength in the large muscles supporting the knee joint.

In the most recent study, researchers tested the quadriceps (thigh) muscles of the participants at baseline, three months and 12 months.

They found the individuals who underwent rehabilitation not only experienced similar results to those who had arthroscopic surgery, but also exhibited increased strength.12 The authors, quoted in Science Daily, said:13

"Supervised exercise therapy showed positive effects over surgery in improving thigh muscle strength, at least in the short term.

Our results should encourage clinicians and middle aged patients with degenerative meniscal tear and no radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis to consider supervised structured exercise therapy as a treatment option."

Strength improvements were demonstrated in the first 12 months of the study, but were not evaluated during the remainder of the study. Improved strength in the knee joint may reduce your potential for further injury and may also improve your ability to perform daily activities.

Sham Surgery or Placebo as Effective as Arthroscopic Surgery in Older Individuals


A placebo effect happens when you think you're being treated with something, but the medication you're given doesn't have any physiological effect. This video describes what may be happening in your brain when you take a placebo. To gain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a medication must prove it is more effective than a fake drug or placebo.14 However, when approving medical devices or surgical procedures for treatments, this proof is not required.

In 2002, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine proved the results people experienced from arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis were no better than those results you would expect from a placebo.15

In another trial, conducted with 146 patients who experienced a meniscal tear without osteoarthritis, researchers found that a sham surgical procedure had the same results as those who underwent a meniscal repair.16 The study evaluated the participants over a 12-month period and found no significant difference between the groups.

The study proving the placebo effect in arthroscopic surgeries for osteoarthritis occurred in 2002. Unfortunately, to date this information has not changed the number of arthroscopies performed, costing insurance companies and individuals over $3 billion each year for a procedure that produces results individuals may experience with physical therapy and rehabilitation alone.17

Consider These Important Factors Before Surgery

If you would like to consider a surgical option for your injury there are several factors that may improve or reduce the likelihood of a successful outcome.

• Functional Changes

While you may have changes to your meniscus on an MRI, if you don't exhibit pain or functional changes to your gait, surgical repair is likely not necessary. Sports medicine physicians use a "duck walk" to evaluate the impact knee injuries have on your stability and strength.18 Squat and walk like a duck. If you aren't able because of knee pain or weakness, consider a rehabilitation program to improve your joint strength and reduce pain.

• Weight

Your weight is a significant factor in determining the potential success of a surgical repair. For instance, research has found significant changes in the curvature of your knee joint within the first three months after injury with an increased body mass. The results found those who underwent surgery experienced greater flattening of the knee joint than those who used rehabilitation without surgical intervention when their body mass index was higher.19

• Size and Placement of the Tear

The reduced blood supply to the meniscus in the center of the knee increases the likelihood any surgical repair will not heal or will fail. The size of the tear and the placement — whether in the center of the meniscus or along the outer edges with greater blood supply — impacts the decision about surgery.

Repair of the meniscus has a greater success rate in younger patients with peripheral tears near the capsular attachment that are either horizontal or longitudinal. Even in these cases, success depends on compliance with post-operative exercise and rehabilitation, including non-weight bearing and bracing.20

Before Surgery, Seriously Consider Ozone Therapy

I've previously interviewed Dr. Robert Rowen about ozone therapy for a variety of painful conditions. He is one of the leading ozone physicians in the U.S. and has successfully treated many patients with ozone therapy as an alternative to surgical intervention. If the ozone treatment fails, there is no harm and one can always have surgery, but if you have surgery and it fails, the surgery may cause irreversible damage.

Infrared laser treatment (K-Laser) is another option. It's a relatively new type of therapy that speeds healing by increasing tissue oxygenation and allowing injured cells to absorb photons of light. This special type of laser has positive effects on muscles, ligaments and even bones, so it can be used to speed the healing of traumatic injuries, as well as chronic problems like arthritis of the knee

The history of oil pulling dates back nearly 3,000 years. Before modern medicine, elders in India developed Ayurveda, a form of mind-body health system. The basic tenet of Ayurveda is that when balanced, your body has amazing powers to heal itself.

Practitioners recommend you provide your body support through a healthy diet, adequate sleep, reduced stress, strong digestive process and living in tune with your natural constitution.1

One of the practices of Ayurveda is oil pulling, or the act of swishing and rinsing your mouth with oil. Oil pulling has been used in traditional Indian folk remedies to prevent tooth decay, bad breath, bleeding gums and to strengthen your teeth and gums.2

Benefits to Your Oral Health

Some believe oil pulling may have more extensive benefits to your health. I can't support all of those claims, but I have first-hand knowledge of how oil pulling benefits oral health as I have been pulling consistently since 2011.

Oil pulling is an effective mechanical method of cleansing your teeth and the smallest crevices along your molars that the bristles of your brush cannot reach. Your dentist may have recommended using sealants on your teeth to help prevent decay from forming in these tiny areas.

In the past, popular oils for pulling were sesame and sunflower oils. However, those are high in omega-6 fats, which you likely get enough of each day. Cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil is my oil of choice for a couple of reasons.

Bacteria is the root cause of both bad breath and cavity formation in your teeth. They have membranes that are fat-soluble and break down with the mechanical action of swishing and pulling oil. Research demonstrates that pulling oils improves the saponification, or breakdown of bacterial membranes.2

While sesame and sunflower oils may functionally break down bacteria, coconut oil adds another advantage. Coconut oil is a medium-chain fatty acid found to inhibit Streptococcus mutans, the chief bacteria responsible for cavities.4,5

Coconut oil also protects against yeast infections in the mouth, generally referred to as thrush.6,7 This condition is more common if your immune system is compromised, or may be experienced by infants and nursing mothers.

Oil Pulling 101


In the video above I describe how I use oil pulling in my own oral health practices and the benefits you may experience as well.

Simply measure out about a tablespoon of coconut oil to pull. You may find this is too much or not enough, but it's a good place to start. Coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24.4 degrees Celsius) but will quickly liquefy once you put it into your mouth and start moving it around.

Swish the oil around your mouth, using your tongue and cheeks to pull the oil through your teeth. Try to relax your jaw muscles to avoid muscle fatigue. The action is natural and usually won't cause discomfort.

Although you'll want to use it as if it were mouthwash, you don't want to gargle it or swallow the oil you've been pulling. If you feel the urge to swallow, it's important you spit it out and start again.

As you swish the oil around your mouth it breaks down bacteria. Both saliva and bacteria become incorporated into the oil, which is why you don't want to swallow the oil as you swish. After approximately 20 minutes the oil begins to get thick and milky white.

Spit the oil into your garbage can or outdoors. I spit it out in the yard, making sure I don't get it on my plants. Although your saliva is combined with the oil, the liquid may still be oily enough to coat your plumbing and cause a blockage or cause water to drain more slowly. In time, oil pulling can become as natural as brushing your teeth.

By increasing the pH in your mouth after pulling you may reduce bacterial growth even further. To do that, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 6 ounces of water and gargle. This will alkalize the pH of your mouth, and since bacteria thrive in an acidic environment, the increased pH will discourage growth.

Why I Don't Recommend Fluoridated Toothpaste

Fluoride has been added to water supplies and toothpaste, and offered as treatment in your dental office for years as an answer to stop tooth decay. However, in more recent years fluoride has come under close scrutiny, and for good reason.

One groundbreaking study demonstrated the fluorapatite layer formed on your teeth by fluoride-containing toothpaste is only 6 nanometers thick.8

To put this in perspective, it would take 10,000 of these layers to achieve the width of a single strand of your hair. Researchers now question if this ultra-thin layer may actually protect your enamel, considering the simple act of chewing quickly eliminates the fluorapatite layer from your teeth.

Other substances in toothpaste have greater success with repair and re-mineralization of dentin (the tissue below your enamel that makes up the bulk of your tooth) than fluoride toothpaste.9

Fluoride toothpaste may also be the single largest source of fluoride ingestion in young children, a major risk factor for disfiguring dental fluorosis. According to research, it's not uncommon for young children to swallow more fluoride from toothpaste than is recommended for the entire day from all sources.10

Science has clearly demonstrated that swallowing fluoride is detrimental to your and your children's health. It is a toxic chemical that accumulates in your tissues over time, changing your enzymes and producing serious neurological and endocrine dysfunction.11,12,13,14

Children are particularly sensitive to the adverse effects of overexposure to fluoride. Therefore, if you have young children it's recommended you use a non-fluoride toothpaste, or teach them to brush their teeth with coconut oil too.

Fluoride builds up in your body as well as your child's, so it's a good idea that you use non-fluoride toothpaste as well.

The Impact Dental Health Has on Your Physical Health

Your oral health has a profound systemic effect on your physical health. Your mouth can be viewed as a window to your health, as you can easily assess the health of your gums and soft tissue.15 As noted by the 2000 Executive Summary from the Surgeon General:16

"The past half century has seen the meaning of oral health evolve from a narrow focus on teeth and gingiva to the recognition that the mouth is the center of vital tissues and functions that are critical to total health and well-being across the life span.

The mouth as a mirror of health or disease, as a sentinel or early warning system, as an accessible model for the study of other tissues and organs and as a potential source of pathology affecting other systems and organs ..."

Your mouth is an entry way for pathogens and toxins. Recent research demonstrates oral infections are linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.17,18

Poor dental health may also increase your risk of dementia.19 Researchers theorize that the trigger may be periodontal or gum disease. Data on more than 4,000 adults over age 65 years old were evaluated, and those with the fewest teeth without dentures had a far higher risk of dementia than those with 20 or more teeth.

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects more than just your mouth. Research has found a reciprocal relationship between the need for diabetes medication and periodontal disease in diabetics.20 Treatment of periodontal disease reduced the need for insulin in this study.

In another study, scientists found a link between periodontal disease and an increased risk of chronic kidney disease.21 Individuals with gum disease developed chronic kidney disease at four times the rate of those without gum disease.

A Comprehensive Oral Health Plan

Caring for your teeth and gums is an essential part of your overall health and wellness. It's important to address nutrition, oral care and the products you use. Here are some general guidelines that can help you improve your oral health:

• Reduce your net carbohydrate intake to meet your insulin level requirements. I suggest you reduce your overall net carbs — i.e. your total grams of carbohydrates minus your grams of fiber intake — if your fasting insulin level is over 5.

Avoid carbs like beans, legumes, and grains such as rice, quinoa and oats, as well as highly-processed grain products like bread, pasta, cereal, chips, bagels and fries. These begin digestion in the mouth and impact the health of your teeth. Limit fructose intake to 25 grams or less. Even fructose found in fresh fruit should be limited.

• Use toothpaste containing natural ingredients, such as coconut oil, baking soda and essential oils. There is no real reason to expose yourself to dangerous chemicals, such as fluoride, when other natural alternatives are easily available, highly effective and cost efficient.

• Eat a diet rich in fresh, whole foods, grass-fed meats and fermented vegetables. This helps ensure you get plenty of minerals for strong bones and teeth.

• Floss and brush daily. Brush your teeth gently as over brushing along the gum line can cause the gum tissue to recede and develop pockets along the teeth. These are prime areas for bacterial growth.

• Pull with coconut oil once a day for at least 20 minutes to reduce bacterial growth, strengthen your teeth, reduce bad breath and lower your risk of gum disease

Bad breath does not only affect the sufferer, but also those around them
If you or someone you love has chronic bad breath, don't worry. Treating bad breath starts with recognizing the fact that conventional bad breath remedies, like mouthwash, can only do so much – and you must turn to your food and lifestyle to completely address this condition
Today, I'm here to talk about bad breath, a very sensitive subject of health and wellness. Also known as halitosis, bad breath is estimated to affect up to 50 percent of the population, with varying degrees of severity.1
Bad breath does not only affect the sufferer, but also those around them. Some go through their daily life completely unaware of this problem, unless they are told directly by people in their social circles. This is a source of discomfort and can be very embarrassing.

If you or someone you love has chronic bad breath, don't worry. Treating bad breath starts with recognizing the fact that conventional bad breath remedies, like mouthwash, can only do so much – and you must turn to your food and lifestyle to completely address this condition.

The Problem with Mouthwashes

Many mouthwashes today contain sodium chlorite, also referred to as chlorine dioxide. Although they claim to freshen you breath for up to six hours, an independent study shows that sodium chlorite can only do so for anywhere from four to 42 minutes. While these mouth rinses focus on altering the chemical composition of the rancid gases, they do nothing to stop the bacteria causing bad breath.2

There are a number of products, like SmartMouth, that contain sodium chlorite mixed with zinc chloride. The zinc ions prevent bacteria from producing gas by blocking their amino-acid receptor sites. Another product called Biotene uses two enzymes that break down biofilm and balance the bacteriapopulation in your mouth .

sodium chlorite in mouthwashesWhile they may seem to eliminate bad breath, these bad breath cures work only for a short period of time and will not eliminate odor-causing microbes.

A better option would be to use essential oils like thyme, peppermint, wintergreen, and eucalyptus. Several studies, including one from the University of Rochester Eastman Dental Center, New York, has found that these natural solutions reduce inflammation and plaque that may cause bad breath.

Another study, published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, reported that using an essential oil mouthwash was able to reduce the presence of Streptococcus mutans, a strain that causes dental carries, by 75 percent. These oils were also able to prevent bad breath for up to three hours by eliminating odor-producing germs in the mouth.3

Another natural technique that can promote oral health is oil pulling. This ancient Ayurvedic Indian tradition is done by swishing oil in your mouth, "pulling" it between your teeth for 20 to 30 minutes. This practice is said to kill pathogenic bacteria, promote optimal oral hygiene, and detoxify your system.4 If you decide to try this, I suggest using coconut oil.

Here lies another dilemma, however. As with commercial mouth rinses, natural oils only work temporarily and will not address the real cause of bad breath.

Simply put, there really is no shortcut to treating this condition. You must first learn what causes bad breath for it to completely disappear.

Poor Oral Health and Microbial Metabolism in Your Mouth

In most circumstances, halitosis stems from odor-inducing microbes that reside in between your teeth and gums, and on your tongue. It can also be caused by bacteria linked to gum disease.5

Gum disease comes in two stages: gingivitis and periodontitis. If not treated immediately, gingivitis can progress into periodontitis, which literally means "inflammation around the teeth."6 Both types involve varying degrees of inflammation. Roughly 10 percent of the population has severe gum disease with accompanied halitosis.7

Gum disease-induced bad breath can result in the following:8

People who have gum disease often have space in between their teeth and gums, where food can get stuck, leading to the proliferation of bacteria.
In severe cases, individuals experience more blood loss due to bleeding gums. Bad breath can surface from decomposing blood.
It is very important to follow proper oral hygiene practices to prevent bacteria from building up in your mouth. Later, I shall discuss in detail some natural methods that will help promote oral health and keep odor-promoting microbes from spreading in your mouth.

Certain Lifestyle Habits Linked to Bad Breath

Other than being an effect of poor oral hygiene, bad breath can also occur as a consequence of certain things you do. For instance, taking drugs exposes you to a wide number of synthetic, chemical compounds, which are likely linked to a wide variety of side effects, including dry mouth.

It is important not to confuse dry mouth with bad breath. Referred to as xerostomia, dry mouth occurs when your saliva production is inhibited. According to one study published in 2000, over 600 drugs have the ability to suppress saliva production. Included in the list are antidepressants, diuretics, and aspirin.9, 10

Unfortunately, saliva plays a significant role in preventing bad breath, as it helps rinse odor-producing germs from your mouth. If you suspect that the root of your foul breath is drug-induced, see your doctor about adjusting your medications.

Another habit that can cause dry mouth (and possibly bad breath) is breathing through your mouth. Paying close attention to how you breathe can remedy this.

Snoring can also lead to and worsen dry mouth and bad breath. Being a chronic snorer can be a serious problem and should be addressed, or it may lead to other complications. To find out strategies on how to overcome this, see this previous article I wrote on snoring. Drinking alcohol can also cause you to develop bad breath, since the scent of alcohol lingers in your breath. You may also develop dry mouth upon frequently ingesting alcohol.11
Other problematic habits that may lead to halitosis are smoking and eating certain foods. Cigarette-induced halitosis is one of the more serious forms of bad breath. Cigars contain several chemicals that produce a strong odor and teeth stains.12 If you're looking for ways to curb your smoking habit, here's my advice on how to quit smoking.

Dealing with these factors will not only treat bad breath but will also prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Moreover, there is one major cause that many people do not typically associate with the occurrence of foul breath. I believe that tackling this one problem can help treat and prevent bad breath, along with other health problems.

The Little-Known But Major Cause of Bad Breath and Other Diseases

A healthy digestive system is crucial for optimal overall health. In your gut reside trillions of beneficial bacteria that influence many of your body functions, including your immune system. Studies show that an estimated 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut.13

The ratio of good and bad bacteria is a crucial indicator of the condition of your health. Your gut should have a balance of somewhere near 85 percent good bacteria and 15 percent bad.14 An imbalance between good and bad bacteria can predispose you to a wide number of health problems, more serious than bad breath and body odor.

Having less-than-optimal gut flora can make you vulnerable to health conditions linked to bad breath. A fishy smell in the breath suggests kidney problems, while a fruity-smelling breath may mean uncontrolled diabetes.15

This is why reseeding your gut with beneficial bacteria is essential for optimal health and disease prevention. But before I enumerate the steps that will help you achieve this, you must first understand how your diet plays a significant role in the imbalance of your gut flora.

Factors That Can Make or Break Your Gut Health

What you eat can positively or negatively impact your gut. The worst foods you can consume are processed, which predominantly contain sugar and grains that break into sugar. These two disrupt your microflora balance by allowing bad bacteria, fungi, and yeast to thrive and multiply, producing metabolic waste products that lead to the deterioration of your health.16

A poor balance of bacteria in your gut also:

Prevents the absorption of important nutrients
Prevents the breakdown of toxins
Promotes allergies
Lessen your consumption of or eliminate refined carbohydrates, soda, fruit juice, and even "healthy" vitamin-infused drinks, as they contain high amounts of sugar.

Apart from sugar, other factors that affect microflora balance are:17

Antibiotics – They not only kill bad bacteria, but also destroy the beneficial organisms in your gut. Take antibiotics ONLY when absolutely necessary.
Factory-farmed meats – Meats that come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) or factory farms are routinely fed low-dose antibiotics, including synthetic hormones and genetically engineered grains, which are linked to the destruction of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Chlorinated and/or fluoridated water – Some local water companies add chlorine and water in order to filter your water supply. Having a high-quality water filter can reduce your exposure to these dangerous chemicals.
Antibacterial soap – These soaps contain triclosan, the active compound that kills human cells and promotes growth of bad bacteria.
Agricultural chemicals, like pesticides – This pollutant can destroy the beneficial bacteria in your gut. You can avoid exposure to pesticides by supporting organic farmers who use sustainable methods to grow food.
How to Restore the Balance in Your Gut

having a balanced dietThe key to keeping your digestive health at optimal condition is to consume only the healthiest of foods. My comprehensive nutrition plan contains step-by-step ways to promote your diet. But generally speaking, your meals should comprise:18

Unprocessed whole foods
Only raw or lightly cooked meals – Try to eat at least one-third of your food raw
Organic pastured meats and dairy products
Foods that come from high-quality, organic sources
Vegetable carbohydrates (with the exception of potatoes)
Healthy fats, such as coconut oil, avocados and raw nuts and seeds
Along with eating a balanced diet, reseeding your gut flora should be an ongoing process, as it is likely that you are exposed to toxic elements every single day. I recommend you optimize your gut bacteria by:

Eating more fermented foods – What I speak of are the traditionally made, unpasteurized versions of fermented foods and not the supermarket-bought ones, which are often loaded with preservatives and other artificial ingredients.
Ideal choices include fermented organic milk (such as kefir and yogurt), fermented vegetables (including cabbage, turnips, eggplants, carrots), and fermented soy like natto. These cultured sources can supply your gut with billions of beneficial bacteria that support your immune system as well as aid in your body's detoxification.19

Fermented foods can also promote healthy bioflora in your mouth and get rid of Streptococcus mutans. It is ideal to consume cultured foods that are high in Lactobacillus strains and bacteria that possess high concentrations of lactic acid.20

While fermented products can be found in health food stores and Asian markets, it is more economical to make them at home.

Taking a probiotic supplement – I believe that taking supplements should only be done to support or compensate for a nutritionally deficient diet, as you can mainly get the nutrients your body needs from the food you eat. Probiotic supplements are a great option if you don't consume raw organic vegetables on a daily basis.
Probiotics should also be taken if you're taking certain medications, especially antibiotics. This will help reseed the beneficial organisms that are killed by them.

Brush Your Way to Optimal Oral Hygiene

Brushing and flossing are indeed effective ways to promote a healthy bacteria environment in your mouth, thereby preventing bad breath. However, I urge you to avoid toothpaste that contains fluoride. Rather than prevent cavities and other dental problems, fluoride is actually associated with poor oral health and a number of detrimental health risks.21

Take note that tooth decay is driven by the symbiotic relationship between bacteria and acidity, which is responsible for a pathogenic environment in your mouth. Lowering the pH of your mouth will trigger loss of calcium in your teeth. Deficiency in calcium yields to low teeth porosity, which will allow plaque to become pathogenic and destroy your teeth.

brushing teeth regularlyOnce microbes penetrate your teeth's enamel, they release enzymes that break down the collagen of your tooth's inner structure. This also leads to cavities.22

In order to neutralize the acidity of your mouth, brush your teeth with baking soda at night. You may even use it as a mouth rinse by dissolving a little in water. Here are some instructions on how to use baking soda effectively at night:23

When brushing: Wet your toothbrush and dip it into the baking soda. After brushing, your teeth should feel smooth.
When rinsing: Add about a teaspoon of baking soda in a small glass of water. Swish it around in your mouth and spit out.
When flossing: Dissolve a small amount of baking soda in water and fill your irrigation instrument. If you're using a WaterPik, make sure it doesn't dry up because it will cause buildup that renders the instrument useless. Always keep water in your irrigation tool and store it upside-down in a glass of baking soda and water. The presence of baking soda will help stop the proliferation of pathogens. Drain it all out and rinse thoroughly with water once every week.
In the morning, I recommend you use toothpaste that contains calcium and phosphate salts, or hydroxyapatite, which can restore minerals to your teeth.

The key to treating and preventing chronic bad breath is to determine its root cause and address it head on. Optimizing your gut flora will also go a long way in preventing halitosis, as it strengthens your immune system and balances the population of bacteria in your gut.

Also, work on upholding optimal oral health practices to prevent plaque buildup and odor-producing microbes from proliferating in your mouth. For more information on safe oral hygiene practices, check out my

If you don't drink enough water, you can easily become dehydrated. Many actually mistake their thirst for hunger, and this is one of the basic premises behind the idea that drinking water may alleviate hunger and help you lose weight.

Many studies support this idea though, so it's not just pure hype. Most recently, researchers found that adults who were chronically under-hydrated had higher body mass index (BMI) and were more likely to be obese compared to well-hydrated adults.1,2,3,4,5

A BMI of 25 is considered overweight; 30 obese. Those deemed sufficiently hydrated had an average BMI of 28 whereas inadequately hydrated individuals had an average BMI of 29.

While this study does not prove drinking more water will help you lose weight, it does suggest staying well-hydrated is associated with slightly lower body weight.

On the other hand, a 2013 systematic review of 11 studies and two other meta-analyses concluded that while high-quality studies were still lacking, increasing your water consumption when on a diet does appear to be helpful for weight loss.6

Studies looking at general populations that were not necessarily trying to lose weight found that increasing water consumption yielded inconsistent results.

How Drinking Water May Aid Weight Loss

So is it all about filling your gut with water to alleviate hunger pangs? As explained by Authority Nutrition,7 there are actually a number of mechanisms at play. Studies have shown that drinking water may:

• Reduce your calorie intake. If you drink more water, you're less likely to drink other beverages such as soda, fruit juices and energy drinks, and this is, I believe, the most significant factor that explains why higher water consumption promotes weight loss.

Research suggests replacing other beverages with pure water typically lowers your overall caloric intake by about 9 percent, or 200 calories a day.8

• Reduce your appetite. Interestingly, this effect has only been shown to hold true in older subjects. Drinking water before meals had no discernible effect when studied in children.9

In a 2010 study,10 adults who drank 500 milliliter (ml) of water prior to each meal lost an additional 2 kilos (kg) or 4.4 pounds over three months compared to the non-water group.11

Another study12,13 published in 2015 had very similar outcomes. Adults who drank 500 ml of water 30 minutes before each meal lost 3 pounds more weight over 12 weeks than those who did not preload with water.

Overall, they lost 4.3 kg, or 9 pounds, over the course of the study, which is what you could expect from joining Weight Watchers for 12 weeks.

• Increase your resting energy expenditure, meaning you burn more calories. While I doubt drinking water will help you burn any significant amount of calories, some studies do suggest it may give your metabolism a slight boost.

For example, adults who drank 500 ml or about 16 ounces of water increased their metabolic rate by 24 and 30 percent respectively in two separate studies.14,15 The metabolic rate began to rise within the first 10 minutes, and peaked around 30 to 40 minutes afterward.

In a third study, overweight women who drank in excess of 1 liter (L) or 34 ounces of water per day lost an extra 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of weight over the course of a year.16

Overweight and obese children who drank 7.5 ml of cold water per kg of body weight (averaging 518 ml) also had a 25 percent rise in resting energy expenditure.17

How to Gauge Your Personal Water Requirement


As noted earlier, many of the studies looking at water consumption for weight loss involve drinking 500 ml (16 ounces) of water before each meal. That's basically two tall glasses of water. As for the conventional recommendation to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, there's no real science to back that up.

Water requirements are in fact extremely individual and can vary from day to day, depending on your age, body size, activity level, temperature and so on. Personally, I drink about three-fourths to 1 gallon of water per day, and I'm quite active under the Florida sun.

Three strategies that will help you gauge your water requirement on any given day are:

• Feelings of thirst. Once your body has lost between 1 and 2 percent of its total water content, it will signal its needs by making you feel thirsty.

Bear in mind the thirst reflex tends to be underdeveloped in children and can be compromised in older adults, and by the time you actually register thirst, you may already be somewhat dehydrated. If your mouth is dry, that's a sign to rehydrate.

If you're an athlete, a 2 percent dehydration level is enough to cause a 10 percent decrease in athletic performance,18 and recent research shows driving while dehydrated reduces your concentration and reaction time to the same degree as being legally drunk and/or sleep deprived.19

For these tests, hydrated drivers drank 200 ml (6.76 ounces) every hour; dehydrated drivers got only 25 ml (less than 1 ounce) of water an hour. This kind of data may also hint at the amount of water you need in order to optimize your brain function and physical performance.

• The color of your urine. You should be drinking enough water to turn your urine a light-colored yellow. Dark-colored urine is a sign that your kidneys are retaining fluids in order to maintain your bodily functions, which includes detoxification. As a result, your urine will seem highly concentrated and dark.

One caveat: riboflavin (vitamin B2; also found in most multi-vitamins) will turn your urine a bright, almost fluorescent yellow, which will make judging your water requirement based on the color of your urine more difficult.

• Frequency of urination. A healthy person urinates on average about seven or eight times a day. If your urine is scant or if you haven't urinated in several hours, you may need more water.

Other Signs and Symptoms Suggesting You May Need More Water

Other, more subtle signals indicating your body may be lacking in water include:20,21

• Fatigue, dizziness and/or mood swings

• Muscle cramps

• Headache, back or joint ache; chills

• Dull, dry skin and/or pronounced wrinkles

• Constipation

Kidney stones are another "symptom" suggesting you may be chronically dehydrated, as the No.1 risk factor for kidney stones is insufficient water intake. If you aren't drinking enough, your urine will have higher concentrations of waste products, including substances that can form stones. Stone-forming chemicals such as calcium, oxalate, urate, cysteine, xanthine and phosphate will have less chance to settle and bond in your kidneys and urinary tract if you're urinating frequently.

According to the results of a large meta-analysis,22 presented at a National Kidney Foundation meeting in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, people who produced 2 to 2.5 L (approximately 68 to 84.5 ounces) of urine per day were 50 percent less likely to develop kidneys stones compared to those who produced scantier amounts. To generate that amount of urine, people typically had to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water daily.

Guidelines issued by the American College of Physicians (ACP) in 2014 call for those who have had kidney stones in the past to drink enough water to produce 2 L (68 ounces) of urine each day, which they say can reduce your chances of a recurrence by about 50 percent.23 The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) also recommends drinking more than 12 glasses of water a day to avoid stones.

Too Much Water Has Its Own Risks

While most people don't drink enough water for optimal health, too much water also has its risks. You don't want to overdo it. As detailed in a previous paper in the British Medical Journal (BMJ),24 excessive amounts of water can cause your sodium level to drop to a dangerously low level, causing hyponatremia; a condition in which your cells get waterlogged and swell.

While most cells can handle this swelling, your brain cells cannot, and most of the symptoms are caused by brain swelling. Symptoms of hyponatremia include:
This condition is most common among athletes who rehydrate excessively. Clearly, staying well-hydrated is essential. But it may be unwise to force yourself to drink a certain amount of water just because someone said so. Remember, hydration needs are highly individual, and using your thirst, the color of your urine and frequency of urination are the best ways to gauge your personal needs on any given day.

Replacing Sugary Beverages With Water Is Key for Successful Weight Management


One of the first pieces of advice I offer to anyone trying to lose weight is to stop drinking soda, fruit juice, sports drinks and any other sugar-laden, high-calorie beverage. This is especially true of drinks containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has been shown to have the most adverse metabolic consequences, fueling weight gain, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and more.

While many are getting savvy about the dangers of soda, fruit juice is still considered "healthy" by most. This is a serious mistake. As illustrated in this Health Science infographic, fruit juice is just as hazardous as soda, and in some cases even more so. Replacing all sugary beverages with pure water can make a significant difference if you're trying to lose weight or improve your health.


It's important to recognize that your body loses water throughout each day, even when you're not sweating, and that you need to constantly replenish this fluid loss. While soda, fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks and other beverages typically contain a fair amount of water, they are poor substitutes for pure water and generally do not count toward this requirement.

Many commercial beverages also contain diuretics like caffeine, which will only dehydrate you more. So if you're thirsty, don't reach for a caffeinated beverage.

Remember, research shows drinking just one can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a year.25 One sweetened beverage per day also increases your risk of developing diabetes in the next decade by 18 percent, according to a 2015 meta-review.26,27

Previous research has shown this risk may be far higher than that. Frequent soda drinkers also have a higher cancer risk, courtesy of both its sugar content — which has been identified as the top contributor to the surge in cancer — and potentially carcinogenic ingredients like 4-methylimidazole found in caramel color.28

Hydrate Well, but Be Mindful of Your Water Quality

So to stay well-hydrated, drink pure water. This is true when exercising as well, as most sports drinks are loaded with sugars and other questionable ingredients. Unless you have access to pristine well water (which is quite rare these days) or a natural gravity-fed spring, 29 I strongly recommend filtering your water.

It can also be a good idea to "restructure" your water. I've previously interviewed biomedical engineer Gerald Pollack, Ph.D., on the subject of living, structured water. His book, "The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor," clearly explains the benefits of living water, or what he calls EZ water—EZ standing for "exclusion zone"—which has a negative charge.

This water can hold energy, much like a battery, and can deliver energy too. This is the kind of water your cells contain; even your extracellular tissues are filled with EZ water, which is why he believes it's so important to drink structured water for optimal health. I drink vortexed water (which increases EZ) nearly exclusively.

cornrow

i cant beleive this is real, tel me it not true

According to a specialist ;

Your dental health is an important component of your physical health. It’s a frequently underappreciated aspect that can have a profound systemic influence. In fact, thousands of studies have linked oral disease to systemic disease.

Your mouth is like a window to your health; the soft tissues and your teeth reflect what’s going on in the rest of your body. Inflammation is well-known as a “ravaging” and disease-causing force, and gum disease and other oral diseases produce chronic low-grade inflammation.

When the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease enter into your circulatory system, it causes your liver to release C-reactive proteins, which have inflammatory effects on your entire circulatory system.

Health Risks Associated With Poor Oral Health

People who fail to brush their teeth twice a day may be putting themselves at risk of heart disease,1,2 and advanced gum disease can raise your risk of a fatal heart attack up to 10 times.

There’s also a 700 percent higher incidence of type 2 diabetes among those with gum disease, courtesy of the inflammatory effects of unbalanced microflora in your mouth. Other health effects associated with poor oral health include an increased risk of:3

Bad breath (halitosis)
Dementia: failing to brush twice a day increases your risk of dementia by as much as 65 percent, compared to brushing three times a day
Pneumonia: good oral hygiene has been shown to lower your risk of pneumonia by about 40 percent. Other research has shown that people with periodontitis have a 300 percent greater chance of contracting pneumonia
Erectile dysfunction (ED): ED is more than twice as common among those with periodontitis than those without ED
Kidney disease and more
Overall, your diet is the most significant determinant of your oral and dental health, but how you clean your teeth can also make a big difference. Flossing, for example, is an important strategy, yet one-third of American adults never floss. If you’re one of them, I’d encourage you to reconsider.

The Importance of Flossing

Flossing is perhaps even more important than brushing because it removes bacteria that are the precursors of plaque, which if left to fester will turn into tartar that cannot be removed by regular brushing or flossing.

Tartar is what eventually causes the damage that leads to decay and tooth loss. Most people are aware that flossing is a recommended practice for optimal oral health, yet nearly one-third of Americans never floss.

Remarkably, 1 in 5 Americans also does not brush their teeth twice a day.4 According to a recent investigation:5

32.4 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 30 never floss
37.3 percent floss, but not daily
30.3 percent floss on a daily basis
More women than men never floss
Low-income participants are less likely to floss than those in higher income brackets
Flossing Guidelines

Use a piece of floss that is about 15 to 18 inches long, wrapping each end around your index fingers. Slide the floss between your teeth and wrap it around the side of the tooth in the shape of a “C.”

Scrub the area by moving the floss up and down, and back and forth. Make sure you scrub both sides of the adjacent teeth before moving on to the next set.

If you have wider spaces between your teeth, use Super Floss, which is thicker.6 If dexterity is an issue, use soft plaque removers. Similar to toothpicks, they allow you to clean between your teeth with one hand. A double-pronged floss holder is another option.

While flossing, you can get telltale signs of potential health problems. For example, bleeding gums is a warning sign that you have bacteria in your mouth causing damage, which can easily spread through your blood stream and cause chronic inflammation elsewhere in your body.

The answer is to gently floss and brush more often, until your gums no longer bleed from brushing or flossing. If bleeding persists longer than a week, see a dentist.

Keep in mind that a Waterpik cannot replace flossing. These types of irrigation tools can also be hard on your gums. The truth is, if you brush and floss, you have no need for a Waterpik. That said, it can be beneficial if you have braces.

Tooth Brushing Guidelines

Research suggests the ideal brushing time is two minutes, and the ideal pressure is 150 grams (gm), which is about the weight of an orange.7 Brushing your teeth too hard and longer than necessary can cause more harm than good.

Researchers found that brushing longer than two minutes, and/or using pressure greater than 150 gm does not remove any additional plaque, so there's a “Goldilocks’ zone” when brushing, and there’s no reason to keep going past that point.

When it comes to toothpaste, I recommend using non-fluoridated versions. There are a growing number of such toothpastes on the market these days, as more people are becoming aware of fluoride’s downsides and dangers.

Other toxic toothpaste ingredients to avoid include triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), propylene glycol and diethanolamine (DEA).

Alternatively, you could make your own toothpaste8 using ingredients such as coconut oil, baking soda (which acts as an abrasive and helps with whitening), and a pinch of Himalayan salt. High-quality peppermint essential oil can be added for flavor and cavity prevention.

The Case for Oil Pulling


Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice. When combined with the antimicrobial power of coconut oil, I believe it can be a powerful tool to improve your oral health. The high lauric content of coconut oil makes it a strong inhibitor of a wide range of pathogenic organisms, from viruses to bacteria to protozoa.

However, it also helps promote oral microbiome homeostasis, which is really important, as you don’t want to kill all microbes.

Oil pulling is thought to improve oral and physical health by reducing your toxic load. By swishing and “pulling” the oil between your teeth, it helps draw out pathogens that might otherwise migrate into other areas of your body. When done correctly, oil pulling has a significant cleansing, detoxifying and healing effect.

Naturopathic physician and coconut oil expert Dr. Bruce Fife has compared the benefits of oil pulling to changing the oil in your car:9

"It acts much like the oil you put in your car engine. The oil picks up dirt and grime. When you drain the oil, it pulls out the dirt and grime with it, leaving the engine relatively clean.

Consequently, the engine runs smoother and lasts longer. Likewise, when we expel harmful substances from our bodies our health is improved and we run smoother and last longer."

Sesame oil is traditionally recommended, but it has a relatively high concentration of omega-6 oils and the large amounts of unsaturated fats make it particularly sensitive to oxidation and going rancid.

I strongly believe coconut oil is a far superior option. I also think it tastes better. Coconut oil has a lipophilic effect, helping to eliminate unhealthy biofilm from your teeth. As noted by Authority Nutrition,10 it’s particularly effective at killing Streptococcus mutans, an oral bacterium responsible for a majority of tooth decay.

Coconut oil also contains a number of valuable nutrients that help promote oral health. That said, from a mechanical and biophysical perspective, either oil is likely to work.

So how do you do it? It’s quite simple, actually. You simply rinse your mouth with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, much like you would using a mouthwash. Work the oil around your mouth by pushing, pulling, and drawing it through your teeth for about 15 minutes. This process allows the oil to dislodge and neutralize pathogens and other debris.

When done, spit out the oil (do NOT swallow it) and rinse your mouth with water. I typically spit mine out on the soil outside of my house, being careful to avoid any plants. If you want, you could dissolve a pinch of Himalayan salt in the water and rinse with that. Himalayan salt contains more than 85 different microminerals, so this is another all-natural strategy that can help promote strong, healthy teeth and gums.

Poor Oral Health Is a Risk Factor for Oropharyngeal Cancers

Poor oral hygiene has also been linked to an increased risk for head and neck cancers. As noted in a recent analysis of 13 studies that were part of the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium, lack of tooth brushing and low frequency of dental visits consistently raised the risk of head and neck cancers.11,12

Poor oral health is also an independent risk factor for oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which could contribute to oral cancers such as cancers of the throat, tonsils, and base of tongue, if left untreated for long periods of time.

In one 2013 study,13,14 participants with poor oral health had a 56 percent higher rate of HPV infection than those with healthy mouths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 60 percent of oropharyngeal cancers are related to HPV,15 but according to this study it could be as high as 80 percent.

The researchers speculate that good oral hygiene could help prevent HPV infection, thereby lowering your risk for oropharyngeal and other cancers associated with untreated HPV infection.

The Importance of Nourishing Your Oral Microbiome

Part of oral health is attending to your oral microbiome — the colonies of beneficial microbes residing in your mouth. Achieving oral health is really about promoting balance among the beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in your mouth.

And contrary to popular belief, antimicrobial agents and alcohol mouthwashes designed to “kill bad bacteria” actually do far more harm than good in this regard, as they can be indiscriminate killers. The key is to nourish the beneficial bacteria, so they can naturally keep the potentially harmful ones in check.

Your oral microbiome, while connected to your gut microbiome, is quite unique. By promoting oral microbiome homeostasis, you can improve your digestion and salivary immune system, the latter of which helps protect you against disease, such as the common cold and flu. Your oral microbiome even plays a role in making vitamins.

Interestingly, probiotics do not work in the mouth, so it’s not as simple as adding more beneficial microbes into your oral cavity. Instead, as an initial step, you need to cease killing too many microbes in your mouth. Scientists are now starting to recognize that many of the same bacteria that perform beneficial functions can have pathogenic expression when disturbed. So avoiding disrupting the microflora in your mouth is typically more helpful than trying to kill everything off.

Even natural antimicrobial herbs can disrupt your oral microbiome. This includes tea tree oil, tulsi oil and oregano oil. The problem stems from the fact that beneficial bacteria end up having less of a chance of developing a healthy and balanced microbiome when you disturb them too much.

Promoting Oral Health Through Nutrition and Homeopathy

So what are your alternatives? While probiotics do not have a direct effect on your oral microbiome, addressing your gut flora can make a big difference. Fermented vegetables and other traditionally fermented foods are an ideal source, but if you don’t eat fermented foods, then a high-quality probiotic is certainly recommended.

I used to be severely challenged with plaque, but once I started eating fermented vegetables on a daily basis, and doing oil pulling with coconut oil, the plaque buildup was dramatically reduced. Your diet can also make or break your teeth, as it were, by influencing inflammation. Avoiding the following dietary culprits can go a long way toward reducing or preventing inflammation in your mouth and body:

Refined sugar/processed fructose and processed grains
Oxidized cholesterol (cholesterol that has gone rancid, such as that from overcooked, scrambled eggs)
Foods cooked at high temperatures
Trans fats
Damaged omega-6 fats found in processed vegetable oils
Certain nutrients are very important for optimal gum health. Vitamin C is one. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is another. CoQ10 is a critical cofactor in the Krebs cycle, which is how energy is created in your cells. Bleeding gums, for example, can be a sign of CoQ10 deficiency. There are also a number of homeopathic tissue salts that can be beneficial for oral health, including:

Silica
Calcarea fluorica (calc. fluor.) or calcium fluoride
Calcium phosphate
Calcium carbonate
4 Strategies That Can Improve Your Oral Health

Research revealing the connection between the microorganisms in your mouth and cancer (as well as many other health problems) makes it clear that oral hygiene is a necessary prerequisite if you want to be healthy. Major problems can result from the overgrowth of opportunistic oral pathogens, including oropharyngeal cancers. In addition to avoiding fluoride and mercury fillings, my top four recommendations for optimizing your oral health are as follows:

Eat a wholesome diet of real food: fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-pastured meats, poultry, eggs and dairy; nuts and seeds. Minimize consumption of sugar and processed food
Add in some naturally fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, pickles, kimchee or kefir
Brush your teeth twice daily, and floss every day
Oil pulling
When it comes to oral hygiene and preventing cavities, please remember, drinking fluoridated water and brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste is not the answer because fluoride is more toxic than lead. Rather it's about your diet, and about proper dental care: brushing and flossing.

By avoiding sugars and processed foods, you prevent the proliferation of the bacteria that cause decay in the first place. Following up with proper brushing and flossing, and getting regular cleanings will ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy natural.

what is healthy marriage?

yes i know that every human being is created to have a desire to be married and some have a desire to be single. But most of you want to be married. So what does a healthy marriage look like, and why is there so much confusion about this topic of marriage and family?

Well there are certain things that we need to understand when we get married.

One, is the whole idea of commitment. Commitment for the rest of your life to this one person. Now it's an investment of your life into them but it's an investment of their life into your life. And so you make each other lives even better. I often tell people that when they get married and they know the Lord as their God than they have a triune relationship. They have the husband and they have the wife and they have God involved. And so this relationship really works because of that overall relationship.

Three things you need to understand to have a healthy marriage. One, commitment. We're committed to each other for the rest of our life. And we're going to be committed even when things aren't working out well. We believe in that person. We're investing in them.

when you become married it isn't something you choose to do because you feel good about it. Because true love in marriage is not based just on emotional feelings. Emotional feelings come and they go. A lot of times your emotional feelings have to do with the nights' sleep you had before today or the food you ate. Your emotions can be thrown off very easily. But in marriage you believe that love is commitment, love is a decision. You decide to do the loving thing for the person you're married to because you're committed. And commitment isn't something that's two weeks or two months or two years. Commitment is something where you become married and your committed to this person for the rest of your life. And so you have to understand that when you make this important decision to get married, or if you are married and you're not feeling really good about your spouse, understand that you can be committed. So understand in healthy marriage we have to have commitment.

Number two we need to understand how to communicate. This is the number one complaint from ladies around the world. How do I help my husband communicate?
Well men are not natural communicators. Ladies are natural communicators. And so men have to learn how to communicate in effective ways and understand the needs of their wife like the Bible tells us to. While women they speak on the average of three times more words than the average man. Men are doers, women are natural communicators.

Communication is something that's verbal; it's non verbal. We communicate a message to another person, in this case our spouse, and they communicate back to us and we say words that they understand. Communication takes patience and there are ways that we communicate effectively. There are ineffective ways.

Let me tell you a poor communication style that I promise you will end a marriage.
One, when we communicate and every time we talk we begin harshly; in a rude form; in a mean way, that's not a way to start. And couples that begin communication we might as well stop it right then. And then the communication goes from harshness and it just executes even bigger and we start feeling negative about the other person. We start accusing them of things. And then we go into bad opinions about them, this is in communication, and then we can't fix the discussion or the problem we're dealing with because we feel bad about the person because the communication began in the wrong way. And then we start having bad memories about this person that we're married to the rest of our life.

You know you can begin communication in a good way. You can start by complimenting the person or saying I want to discuss this. I want to have good communication between us.

Well, this is just a brief discussion on the whole thought of communication and commitment, but understand this, in every relationship we need to know how to communicate effectively. Men with their wife, wife with their husband. Even with our children. And we need to understand that this is critical for a healthy marriage.

Three see that we need to understand is the whole idea of conflict management. Marriage is comprised of a commitment to another person. You want to stay married to them for the rest of your life, but you know you need to communicate. But in communication and in family there is always conflict issues. Conflict issues have been here since the beginning of time. And you know what, we can learn how to have conflict in our home, even in our family when there are children, and we can come to the right conclusions.

And if you don't know how to be involved in appropriate conflict management, meaning we don't yell at each other, we don't call each other names, we never hit each other. These are abusive kinds of behaviors. And we can stop doing it. You might say well that happens in my home. Well let me tell you something about that. It's learned behavior. Everything that you have learned to do you can unlearn. You can change and become better at how to have conflict or communication skills in your life. And so know this; when in conflict there's escalating conflicts and anger, that's a danger sign and you need to be careful and kind of slow it down. Give it some time.

And then you start avoiding each other because you can't talk or you can't be around each other. God doesn't want that to happen to you. God wants you to want to be with each other. We can take little breaks from each other because every relationship is a challenge, but when we're avoiding each other, hiding from each other because we're afraid of conflict, that's not the answer. Or we start dishonoring the other person. Putting them down, not respecting them, belittling them. We need to honor the person we're married to. Respect them for who they are, for who God created them to be.

What can happen in conflict if we're not careful we can develop negative habits where we are continuing as I've mentioned to use words that are inappropriate or yell or even become physically abusive. These aren't ways that we treat people. We have a good God that created us to love people, especially love the person you're married to. Your children, we have each other and we're all important to each other. For the rest of your life you can know how to manage conflict. You can know how to communicate in appropriate ways. These are learned behaviors. You'll get better at it if you trust God and let him help you. And if you read the Bible and understand there are good ways to treat people, the people that you love and you're committed to.

God will help you learn how to communicate better. God will help you be committed to another person. That he has created a very special person you can learn how to communicate and you can be committed to them for all of your life. And God will help you with conflict issues.

I want you to know that God's on your side because God created marriage. He created marriage as a gift for you. And I hope that you trust him as you decide to be married for the rest of your life.

Closing Thoughts...

I want to thank you for listening to me as I've talked to you about your family. And I also want to remind you that God created your family and God created you. The best way to make your life work is to be connected to your creator. The scripture tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. When you do this you'll get connected to the creator. I want to pray with you right now to be connected to the one that created you and your family. Would you pray with me?

Father, I give my life to Jesus Christ today. Help me to be different. I believe that he died for me and he rose physically from the dead. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Thank you and I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen

Now if you've prayed that prayer with me and you want to pray even more with another person, hit "yes" on your computer screen and you'll be able to pray with another person. If you have more questions, and all of us have questions, God's good with your questions, I want you to hit another button, "I still have more questions." We would be thrilled to answer you. Thank you for praying with me today