I'm on my favourite hobby horse again: The acid state of our bodies Listed below are a few different ways of alkalzing so hopefully one of them will appeal to you. The holistic bodily system that pulls us all together and keeps us healthy and functioning optimally is not a system at all, or even a concept -- it's our blood pH. When the pH is balanced, the body is healthy. Most disease states can't exist when the body's pH is alkaline. Bacteria, viruses and fungi can't reproduce. So what's a body full of fast foods, drugs, GMOs, and non-organic food to do? Get alkaline and balance your pH · Choose only organic foods that are GMO-free to avoid pesticides, chemicals and other contaminants · Eat alkaline foods like most fruits and vegetables. They sustain the body's pH on a daily basis. · Reduce all kinds of meats, fowl and refined sugars and flours. Protein intake should be approximately 40-50 grams daily. These foods contribute to an acidic state. · Combine highly alkaline foods in a meal with foods that are acidic to create better balance and maintain alkaline pH. · Drink one or two glasses of organic apple cider vinegar (the one with the brown gunk floating in it, and not the clear filtered one) and water daily. Mix one to two tablespoons of vinegar in eight ounces of water. · Make a pH drink by combining two tablespoons lemon or lime juice with half a teaspoon of baking soda. After foaming has subsided, add 8-12 ounces of water and drink immediately. · Add one to two teaspoons of baking soda mixed with an eight ounce glass of water daily. If you have hypertension or edema, this may not be a good choice for you. Speak to your health practitioner. · Consume foods high in potassium like lemons, bananas and honey. · Lemonade or lemon water helps to clear the body of excess acids and create an alkaline-forming state. Mix the juice of half an organic lemon with two teaspoons of raw honey and eight ounces of warm water. Drink first thing in the morning to flush the system. Do not warm water in microwave oven. · Mix one to two teaspoons cream of tartar with eight ounces of water. Cream of tartar is very acidic, like lemons, and helps to create an alkaline-forming state. It is especially good to use in an emergency, to quell nausea, relieve a headache or overcome shock. It has a light, sour taste and is very refreshing mixed with room temperature water. Do not sweeten. · Drink lots of water daily to flush the system of waste. Consume in ounces, 50 percent of your weight in water every day. In other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water daily. · Supplement with digestive enzymes to help balance the body's pH and overcome acidosis. The pancreas is responsible for producing most digestive enzymes, including bicarbonate. If your pancreas is not functioning properly, the quantities of natural enzymes can be less than optimal.

Benefits of Avocado

I have always looked upon an avocado as just a fattening fruit and was suprised to see how good it was for one, especially with regard to cholesterol. It would also never have crossed my mind to use it as a baby food. You never stop learning! A small pilot study found that eating one-half of a fresh medium Hass avocado with a hamburger significantly inhibited the production of the inflammatory compound Interleukin-6 (IL-6), compared to eating a burger without fresh avocado Avocados, which are actually classified as a fruit, are rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid Previous research has found avocado can help reduce cholesterol levels within as little as one week; contains compounds that appear to inhibit and destroy oral cancer cells, and those that protect against liver damage The greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green fruit of the avocado, closest to the peel, so use the “nick and peel” method to maximize the benefits from your avocado You can increase your avocado consumption by using it as a fat replacement in baking; add it to soups, dessert whips and countless other recipes; and use as a baby’s first food in lieu of processed baby food Courtesy Dr Mercola

A new take on cholesterol

Are you still under the impression that cholesterol is a dietary villain and a primary cause of heart disease? And do you avoid eating healthy animal foods like eggs, butter and grass-fed beef because of “high-cholesterol” fears? It’s time for these pervasive myths to be laid to rest, as when you understand the truth about how cholesterol works in your body you’ll realize it’s not an enemy to your health, but instead plays an essential role in keeping your body functioning optimally.


Cholesterol Crucial for Healthy Cell Functioning

Cholesterol has been demonized since the early 1950's, following the popularization of Ancel Keys' flawed research. As a result, people now spend tens of billions of dollars on cholesterol-reducing drugs each year, thinking they have to lower this "dangerous" molecule lest they keel over from a heart attack. But cholesterol has many health benefits.
Recent research revealed, for instance, that cholesterol plays a key role in regulating protein pathways involved in cell signalling and may also regulate other cellular processes.

It’s already known that cholesterol plays a critical role within your cell membranes, but this new research suggests cholesterol also interacts with proteins inside your cells, adding even more importance.
Your body is composed of trillions of cells that need to interact with each other. Cholesterol is one of the molecules that allows for these interactions to take place. For example, cholesterol is the precursor to bile acids, so without sufficient amounts of cholesterol, your digestive system can be adversely affected.
It also plays an essential role in your brain, which contains about 25 percent of the cholesterol in your body. It is critical for synapse formation, i.e. the connections between your neurons, which allow you to think, learn new things, and form memories. In fact, there's reason to believe that low-fat diets and/or cholesterol-lowering drugs may cause or contribute to Alzheimer's disease.
Low cholesterol levels have also been linked to violent behavior, due to adverse changes in brain chemistry, particularly a reduction in serotonin activity Furthermore, you need cholesterol to produce steroid hormones, including your sex hormones.

Vitamin D is also synthesized from a close relative of cholesterol: 7-dehydrocholesterol.

Considering the fact that conventional medicine has been telling us that heart disease is due to elevated cholesterol and recommends lowering cholesterol levels as much as possible, it may come as a shock to learn that having too little cholesterol is actually a verifiable risk to your health. As Chris Masterjohn, who recently received his PhD in nutritional sciences from the University of Connecticut, explained, to get an idea of the importance of cholesterol you only need to look at what happens if you don’t have it… "If we want to understand why cholesterol is really an incredibly important molecule and is really our friend rather than our enemy, I think what we should look at is the question, 'What happens without cholesterol?' he says. ...[L]ook at Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome or SLOS, which is a symptom of genetic deficiency in cholesterol. It's when people can't make enough cholesterol on their own. In order to actually have this full-blown syndrome, it's a recessive trait, which means you need a defective gene for cholesterol synthesis from your father, and you need one from your mother as well. Now, the number of people who carry this defective gene in the population is about one to 3% of the population. However, the number of babies who are born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome is far lower than we would expect. ...It turns out that if [the foetus] has both of these genes and the unborn child can't synthesize its own cholesterol, then this usually results in spontaneous abortion. So right away we see that cholesterol is needed for life itself..." In those rare cases where a baby is born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, the child is susceptible to and can present a wide range of defects, such as:

• Autism or mental retardation,
• Failure to thrive
• Physical defects in hands, feet and/or internal organs.
• Visual problems
• Increased susceptibility to infection
• Digestive problems
• Heart Disease May Even be Caused by a Cholesterol Deficiency

According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff: "Heart disease, I think, is a cholesterol deficiency problem, and in particular a cholesterol sulfate deficiency problem..." Through her research, she has developed a theory in which the mechanism we call "cardiovascular disease" (of which arterial plaque is a hallmark) is actually your body's way to compensate for not having enough cholesterol sulfate. She believes that cholesterol combines with sulfur to form cholesterol sulfate, and this cholesterol sulfate helps thin your blood by serving as a reservoir for the electron donations you receive when walking barefoot on the earth (also called grounding). She believes that, via this blood-thinning mechanism, cholesterol sulfate may provide natural protection against heart disease. In fact, she goes so far as to hypothesize that heart disease is likely the result of cholesterol deficiency — which of course is diametrically opposed to the conventional view.
 

Total Cholesterol Level is Not a Reliable Indicator of Your Heart Disease Risk

As the leading causes of death in the United States, it’s important to monitor your risk factors for heart disease and make changes to your lifestyle accordingly. However, total cholesterol will tell you virtually nothing about your disease risk, unless it's exceptionally elevated (above 330 or so, which would be suggestive of familial hypercholesterolemia, and is, in my view, about the only time a cholesterol-lowering drug would be appropriate). Two ratios that are far better indicators of heart disease risk are:

1.  Your HDL/total cholesterol ratio:
 HDL percentage is a very potent indicator of your heart disease risk. Just divide your HDL level by your total cholesterol. This percentage should ideally be above 24 %. Below 10 %, it's a significant indicator of risk for heart disease

2. Your triglyceride/HDL ratios:
This percentage should ideally be below 2


Four additional risk factors for heart disease are:

1. Your fasting insulin level:

Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates like fructose and refined grains generates a rapid rise in blood glucose and then insulin to compensate for the rise in blood sugar. The insulin released from eating too many carbs promotes fat and makes it more difficult for your body to shed excess weight, and excess fat, particularly around your belly, is one of the major contributors to heart disease. Your fasting insulin level can be determined by a simple, inexpensive blood test. A normal fasting blood insulin level is below 5, but ideally you'll want it below 3. If your insulin level is higher than 3 to 5, the most effective way to optimize it is to reduce or eliminate all forms of dietary sugar, particularly fructose, from your diet.


    2.  Your fasting blood sugar level:

Studies have shown that people with a fasting blood sugar level of 100-125 mg/dl had a nearly 300 % higher risk of having coronary heart disease than people with a level below 79 mg/dl.


   3.  Your waist circumference:

Visceral fat, the type of fat that collects around your internal organs, is a well-recognized risk factor for heart disease. The simplest way to evaluate your risk here is by simply measuring your waist circumference.  Your Waist Size Can Be a Powerful Predictor of Hypertension and Other Chronic Diseases.


   4. Your iron level:

Iron can be a very potent cause of oxidative stress, so if you have excess iron levels you can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease. Ideally, you should monitor your ferritin levels and make sure they are not much above 80 ng/ml. The simplest way to lower them if they are elevated is to donate your blood. If that is not possible you can have a therapeutic phlebotomy and that will effectively eliminate the excess iron from your body.



Do You Need to Monitor Your Dietary Cholesterol Intake?

About 80-90 % of the cholesterol in your body is produced by your liver, which has led to the faulty assumption that cholesterol from dietary sources can, and should, be avoided. Dr. Seneff actually believes it's difficult to get "too much" cholesterol in your diet, particularly in the standard American diet. But you may very well be getting too little, and that can cause serious problems. She points to the research by Weston A. Price, a dentist by profession who travelled all around the world studying the health effects of indigenous diets. Interestingly enough, many indigenous diets are shockingly high in dietary cholesterol based on today's conventional medical standards.
Cholesterol-rich foods like caviar, liver and the adrenal glands of bears were highly valued in some cultures that also had very low rates of heart disease and other modern diseases. Dr. Seneff believes, as do I, that placing an upper limit on dietary cholesterol, especially such a LOW upper limit as is now recommended, is likely causing far more harm than good.

Masterjohn states: “Since we cannot possibly eat enough cholesterol to use for our bodies' daily functions, our bodies make their own. When we eat more foods rich in this compound, our bodies make less. If we deprive ourselves of foods high in cholesterol -- such as eggs, butter, and liver — our body revs up its cholesterol synthesis. The end result is that, for most of us, eating foods high in cholesterol has very little impact on our blood cholesterol levels. In 70 % of the population, foods rich in cholesterol such as eggs cause only a subtle increase in cholesterol levels or none at all. In the other 30%, these foods do cause a rise in blood cholesterol levels. Despite this, research has never established any clear relationship between the consumption of dietary cholesterol and the risk for heart disease… Raising cholesterol levels is not necessarily a bad thing either.”


How to Optimize Your Cholesterol Levels Naturally

The goal of the guidelines below is not to lower your cholesterol as low as it can go, but rather to optimize your levels so they're working in the proper balance with your body. Again, the majority of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which is influenced by your insulin levels. Therefore, if you optimize your insulin level, you will automatically optimize your cholesterol. This is why my primary recommendations for safely regulating your cholesterol have to do with modifying your diet and lifestyle as follows:

• •Reduce, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars in your diet. It is vitally important to eliminate gluten-containing grains and dangerous sugars especially fructose.

• •Consume a good portion of your food raw.

• •Make sure you are getting plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega 3 fats, such as krill oil. Research suggests that as little as 500 mg of krill per day may improve your total cholesterol and triglycerides and will likely increase your HDL cholesterol.

• •Replace harmful vegetable oils and synthetic trans fats with healthful fats, such as olive oil, butter and coconut oil (remember olive oil should be used cold only, use coconut oil for cooking and baking).

• •Include fermented foods in your daily diet. This will not only optimize your intestinal microflora, which will boost your overall immunity, it will also introduce beneficial bacteria into your mouth. Poor oral health is another powerful indicator of increased heart disease risk.

• •Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through appropriate sun exposure as this will allow your body to also create vitamin D sulfate—another factor that may play a crucial role in preventing the formation of arterial plaque.

• •Exercise regularly. Make sure you incorporate high-intensity interval exercises, which also optimize your human growth hormone (HGH) production.

• •Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol excessively.

• •Be sure to get plenty of high-quality, restorative sleep.

Courtesy Dr Mercola

Sometimes unavoidable heavy metal toxins

Believe it or not, we all have heavy metals in our systems. Some more so than others. We live close to a highway and my son was found to have a very high lead content when he was only 15 years old. Heavy metals in the human body contribute to serious health problems. Toxic heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, uranium and aluminum may enter the human body through food, water, air, or absorption through the skin. In today's world, it is difficult to avoid exposure to any one or more of these metals. Toxins from heavy metals can result in enormous damage to the human body. Long-term exposure may result in muscular, neurological and physical degeneration and may cause cancer. Although aluminum is not a heavy metal, it is readily ingested through the use of food additives, antacids, buffered aspirin, astringents, raising agents such as baking powder, nasal sprays, vaccinations, aluminum foil and cookware. Foods that chelate metals Pectin, found in the rinds of various fruits and vegetables, has been found to chelate heavy metals and other contaminants from the blood stream. These contaminants are then excreted from the system through urination. Good sources of pectin are green apples, cabbage, bananas, beets, grapes, carrots and the pith of citrus fruits. Cilantro, otherwise known as coriander, is an excellent food for removing heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum and lead from the body. This herb is believed to cross the blood-brain barrier and remove heavy metals from the brain. Taking 400 mg of cilantro a day can pretty much clean heavy metals out of the body in just two weeks, according to Robert C. Atkins MD. Parsley is extremely effective when it comes to removing mercury from the body. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale and cabbage contain antioxidants that increase the production of detoxifying enzymes in the body. Sulfur-rich foods, such as onions and garlic, help the body to eliminate heavy metals such lead. Other sulfur-rich foods, such as cauliflower, eggs, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbage are able to remove some heavy metals from the body. Natural chelating agents include amino acids, obtained from proteins such as eggs and fish. Protein deprivation has been shown to decrease the liver content of several enzymes the body needs to remove toxins. Chlorella is a mild chelator. Chlorella has a three-layered cell wall that contains cellulose microfibrils, which aids in heavy metal detoxification. Alpha lipoic acid is made by the body and can be found in very small amounts in foods such as spinach, broccoli, peas, Brussel sprouts, rice bran, and organ meats. According to Dr. Lyn Patrick, alpha lipoic acid crosses the blood brain barrier and is able to trap circulating heavy metals, thus preventing cellular damage caused by metal toxicity. Courtesy Natural News.

Toxins are everywhere in our homes

Toxic chemicals found in everyday household products are absorbed through the skin (as practically all chemicals are), which can lead directly to liver toxicity, nervous system disorders, and cancer. Here are some examples: The bathroom is one of the most toxic rooms in the house. People use deodorants containing aluminum (Alzheimer's disease), shampoos containing harsh solvents (liver toxicity), toothpaste containing non-organic fluoride (osteoporosis), mouthwash with aspartame (brain tumors) or saccharin (cancer), and to top it off, most people slap on a dab of perfume or cologne containing highly toxic cancer-causing chemicals. In a laboratory analysis, one popular perfume was found to contain more than forty chemicals classified as hazardous to the liver, and yet the FDA still does not require perfume manufacturers to warn consumers about the toxic chemicals found in their products. The laundry room is also highly toxic, containing the same chemical perfumes in both the laundry detergent and especially the dryer sheets. Dryer sheets coat all your clothes with a layer of toxic chemicals. When you wear those clothes, your body moisture causes those chemicals to come into contact with your skin and be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. It's an easy way to poison your system with cancer-causing chemicals. Highly toxic chemicals are also found in the kitchen. We use antibacterial soap products made with a potent nerve chemical similar to agent orange -- that's what kills the bacteria. Automatic dishwashing detergent contains yet more chemicals and toxic fragrance compounds that coat the plates, glasses and silverware with a thin layer of cancer-causing chemicals. Subsequently, families then eat off those dishes and ingest the chemicals. People use horrific quantities of pesticides and herbicides in their gardens with seemingly no care whatsoever about the health consequences of doing so. The most dangerous poisons are not the ones labeled as such. Most people aren't even aware that their perfumes and colognes are poisons. They have no clue that most deodorants cause Alzheimer's disease. They're not even aware that dryer sheets coat their clothes in a thin layer of chemicals that promote liver cancer. Product manufacturers, meanwhile, absolutely deny the health consequences of their products. They acknowledge that the chemicals are present, but they claim the skin doesn't absorb them. That's nonsense, of couse: the skin absorbs practically all chemicals. That's why the "patch" medicines work in the first place: the medicine is absorbed through the skin. Spread the word. Send a friend this article and let them know to avoid these products. Here's what to use instead: for deodorant, make your own with 50% baking soda mixed with 50% corn starch. It won't stop the sweating, but it will stop the odor unless you follow a terrible diet, in which case you will need to probably stop eating red meat and drinking cow's milk before the stink will subside. For soap in the shower, use Dr. Bronner's soaps (find them at health food stores). For laundry detergent and automatic dishwasher soap, buy Seventh Generation products at a health food store. Make sure you buy all these as "fragrance free" products. Fragrance is the source of many toxic chemicals. You'll want to avoid fragrance at all costs. For perfumes and colognes, you'll have to buy natural products made exclusively with essential oils, not artificial chemicals. These can be very, very expensive. So you might consider just wearing no perfumes at all. I'm sure everyone around you will greatly appreciate it anyway, since most people put on far too much fragrance as their senses are dulled to the smell of their selected fragrance. Fragrance actually dulls the mind and the senses, by the way. That's a completely different topic, but the short version is that if you wear perfume and use fragrance in your laundry, your mind is dulled. By using only fragrance-free products, you will literally become more intelligent. No kidding. Courtesy of Natural News.