No More M&M’s?

Posted on May 15, 2016 by marcia

30 Reasons To Never Put Another M&M In Your Mouth Ever Again!

bodymindsoulspirit | May 15, 2016

by Lindsay Sibson

You versus a bowl of M&M’s.

If I had to place a bet on who would win that battle, I’d 99.99% go with the M&M’s.

You’ve been there. I’m also guilty.

It is nearly impossible to resist this coveted candy dish.

However, you may want to think twice before reaching for those easy “melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hand” chocolates.

Here is why…

First, a brief history of the glorious M&M:

Created in 1941.
Now sold in over 100 countries with 33 different fillings.
Created to allow soldiers to carry chocolate without it melting.
The two “M’s” are for Forrest E. Mars, Sr. and William F.R. Murrie, the son of Hershey chocolate’s president.
This partnership allowed Mars to use Hershey in their products.
Hershey had control of chocolate at the time.

Harmful Ingredients Discovered In Candy

In 1976, Red candies were banned due to people’s concern about the questionable dyes. FD&C Red #2 was suspected to be a carcinogen. Red candies were then reintroduced in 1983. However, Mars is still urged by consumers to remove these dangerous artificial colors.

These artifical colors have been referred to as “neurotoxic chemicals” by a Change.org petition as well as a press release from Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese experienced a similar petition urging them to remove dangerous Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, which was supported by 350,000 signatures!

The CSPI has recommended that warning labels listing the risks of the eight approved FD&C food colors should be a requirement for all products containing these dangerous ingredients. The CSPI’s Dr. Jacobson said:

“The evidence that these petrochemicals worsen some children’s behavior is convincing.

I hope that the committee will advise the agency to both require warning notices and encourage companies voluntarily to switch to safer natural colorings.”

WHAT Are M&M’s Made Of?

Let’s look at the current ingredients listed on a bag of Original M&M’s:

Milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, skim milk, milkfat, lactose, soy lecithin, salt, artificial color), sugar, corn starch, >1% corn syrup, dextrin, artificial colors (Blue 1 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2), gum acacia.

HOW Harmful Are These Ingredients?

Soy lecithin

93% of soy is genetically modified
Can cause breast cancer
Has negative effects on fertility and reproduction
May lead to behavioral and cerebral abnormalities

Blue #1

Produces malignant tumors at the site of injection and by ingestion in rats
Possible effects include: hay fever, low blood pressure, hives, asthma, allergic reaction
Caution is advised if aspirin sensitive

Red #40

Damages DNA
Causes swelling around the mouth
Hives
Hyperactivity in children
Cancer

Yellow #6

Can cause cancer
Hyperactivity
Allergic reactions
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Nettle rash
Migraines
Swelling of the skin

Yellow #5

Can cause allergic reactions
Hyperactivity
Cancer

Blue #2

Petroleum based product
Increases hyperactivity in children
Increases brain tumors in lab rats
Increases other abnormal cell development

Gum Acacia

Dietary fiber from the Acacia tree
Causes gas, nausea, loose stool and bloating

Sadly, the Mars company has continued to use these artificial colors. Even though the FDA has declared them safe for human consumption, there is clear scientific evidence proving otherwise. What makes it even worse is that there are other natural and safe color alternatives available!

With a 2007 Forbes reported income of $27.4 million dollars, it is time for the Mars company to use that money to make positives changes to their products that will make them safer to eat! Until that day comes… it’s best you give up these dangerous and questionable little chocolates.

Since M&M’s are NOT an option any longer… here is what you can eat instead when you need a chocolate-y fix:

Dark Chocolate: Try the following “clean” chocolate bars:
Equal Exchange: 100% organic and fair trade
Sweetriot: Fair trade and non-GMO ingredients
Good Cacao: Supplement-enhanced chocolate bars

from: http://www.bodymindsoulspirit.com/toxic-mm/

A Case for Not Storing Bottled Water in Car

Posted on May 14, 2016 by marcia

The Biggest Reason You Should Never Drink Water Stored In Your Car

by Karen Foster

Storage of bottled water has become common place in many vehicles, especially during the summer months. While there are few problems arising from this practice while using glass or stainless steel, there are many concerns relating to plastic water bottles, which is still the majority and number choice made by consumers.

Drivers can certainly relate to finding a lost water bottle on the floor of the car and quenching their thirst, no matter how long the bottle has lived there.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, when temperatures outside range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 to 172. The upper scale on this range is higher than the “low” temperature setting on most conventional ovens.

In terms of heat-rise over time, it makes very little difference whether a car’s windows are closed or partially open. In both cases, a car’s interior temperature can rise approximately 40 degrees within one hour, even when the exterior temperature is only 72F according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While there haven’t been widespread outbreaks of illness linked to consumption of contaminated bottled water, bottled water can indeed contain microbes at levels capable of making a person with a weak immune system sick. Bacteria may come from the water source, or can be introduced during the bottling process and multiplied with modest heat. But microbes are just one problem, plastic is another.

Plastic Still A Serious Problem In Bottled Water

A University of Florida study looked at 16 brands of bottled water, and the findings might throw a wrench in current FDA recommendations surrounding bisphenol A (or BPA) levels in plastic water bottles.

BPA is a dangerous chemical linked to health concerns from digestive problems to issues with brain development. It’s was found present in around two billion products in the U.S. that are used on a daily basis. Because it’s the most harmful on developing brains and bodies, children and pregnant women especially need to avoid contact with BPA.

Although there are simple ways to avoid BPA governments are not proactive about releasing that information to the public. The fact that exposure to BPA as a fetus is carried throughout adulthood is a cause for great concern.

While the current low levels in the plastic have been deemed safe, the researchers for this latest study watched these supposedly harmless levels grow over a four-week period when left in 158-degree heat. Even the FDA has warned to keep hot or boiling liquids out of packaging containing traces of BPA, due to its reactivity with heat.

Plastic water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, a material that’s used for a lot of food and beverage packaging since it’s lightweight, durable, and shatterproof. However, when heated, it is known to release the chemical BPA, which can affect hormone levels by mimicking estrogen, and may trigger health risks if exposed at high levels. While the initial levels of BPA found in the 16 brands–save for one–did not exceed EPA standards for these chemicals, scientists are more concerned about how the chemicals increased over time.

Some manfacturers have made sensational claims that BPA has been substituted for other safer plastics. “Companies that said they had eliminated BPA or were in the process of doing so did not disclose the substitutes they were using,” so it’s unclear if the BPA-free products were using compounds similar to BPA, such as bisphenol-S, which has been shown to exhibit similar health impacts to BPA.

“If you store water long enough, there may be a concern,” study leader Lena Ma said in a press release.

The public should also be aware that re-using disposable plastic water bottles at any temperature can be harmful if they are not cleaned and dried properly. Accumulating pathogens can make people sick if ingested, causing vomiting or diarrhea. This is true with other types of containers, not just disposable water bottles.

So if you’ve store a water bottle in your vehicle for an undetermined period of time, throw it out and switch to glass or stainless steel.

from: http://preventdisease.com/news/16/051316_Biggest-Reason-Never-Drink-Water-Stored-Car.shtml

Heliotherapy – The Sun as Healer

Posted on May 14, 2016 by marcia

What They Won’t Tell You: The Sun Is A Full-spectrum Medicine That Can Heal Cancer

bodymindsoulspirit | May 14, 2016

by Paul Fassa,
NaturalNews

“Those that have attempted to convince the world that the Sun, the Earth’s primary source of energy and life causes cancer, have done so with malicious intent to deceive the masses into retreating from the one thing that can prevent disease.” — Dave Mihalovic, Naturopathic Doctor and writer. [1]

Truth is, we’ve been systematically lied to about the sun and skin cancer for years. This video presentation explains fully. How many know that there is no definitive proof that the sun alone causes skin cancer? [2]

Can the sun cure cancer?

In the book The Healing Sun, author Dr. Richard Hobday documents a wide array of studies which show that the sun protects against cancer of the breast, colon, ovaries and prostate. It can also prevent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and high blood pressure, osteoporosis, psoriasis and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). [3]

Then there’s the case of Dr. Harland G. Call, who was diagnosed with skin cancer and was advised by a surgeon to have it removed. Instead, he decided to sunbath the cancerous area.

After a short period of continuous sunbathing, the skin cancer was completely gone. He returned to his MD for a confirmation, and his doctor confirmed that the skin cancer had disappeared and no surgery was required. [3]

According to Dr. Bernarr Zovluck, “Cancer is helped by sunbathing, writes Dr. Zane R. Kime. Kime writes that those who get more sunlight have less cancer. Sunbathing heals cancer by building up the immune system and increasing the oxygen in the tissues.” [4]

Still, we’re bombarded almost daily with dire “warnings” from reputable “authorities” admonishing us, for our own good of course, to avoid the sun at all costs.

Epidemic levels of sun phobia

For example, Dr. Robin Ashinoff, chief of dermatological and cosmetic surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center advised: “Wearing sunscreen and then deliberately going out in the sun is almost as [bad] as going out with no sunscreen at all.”

She continued, “You don’t get burned, but the UV rays are still getting into your skin. Sunscreen is important, but you should also wear the right clothing and shield yourself as much as possible from direct sun exposure.” [5]

Is Dr. Ashinoff advocating a vampire lifestyle? The reality is that the vast majority of people, including doctors, have been duped into believing the myth that the sun is toxic, carcinogenic and a deadly health hazard.

That’s why most people slavishly and lavishly slather toxic sunscreens on their skin whenever they anticipate direct contact with the sun’s rays. But in fact, most conventional sunscreens are cancer-causing biohazards. [6] [7]

Meanwhile, the multi-billion-dollar cancer industry and the billion-dollar toxic sunscreen industry are making hay with this hoax. True believers are left scratching their heads in bewilderment as statistics reveal that the dreaded malignant melanoma skin cancer is on the rise. [8]

The sun doctor

Dr. Auguste Rollier opened the first European “Sun Clinic” in 1903 at Leysin, Switzerland. He also wrote a very influential book: Heliotherapy. He was considered the most famous heliotherapist in the world.

At his peak, he operated 36 clinics. Dr. Rollier espoused that the sun was an unsurpassed broad-spectrum medicine. He healed his patients using a wholesome diet combined with the power of the sun.

By 1933, there were over 165 different diseases successfully treated with heliotherapy including tuberculosis, wounds, rickets and much more. Dr. Rollier’s death in 1954 marked the end of sun therapy not because it was ineffective, but because it had been replaced by Big Pharma’s “miracle drugs.” [9]

from: http://www.bodymindsoulspirit.com/what-they-wont-tell-you-the-sun-is-a-full-spectrum-medicine-that-can-heal-cancer/

Native Herbal Cures

Posted on March 16, 2016 by marcia

Natural Cures Once Ruled the Land In the US Before Big Pharma Took Over

Dec 18

(GreenMed TV) Slate just reported on this amazing map of ‘Herbal Cures’ from 1932 of the medicinal plants in common use among pharmacists and the public back then. The map itself states under the heading ‘The Service of Pharmacy’:

“It is important that the public does not lose sight of the fact that the professions of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Dentistry, each give an essential service, which must not be impaired or destroyed by commercial trends. The public and the professions whill suffer equally if these services are allowed to deteriorate. In pharmacy the public should understand something of the breadth of knowledge required of the pharmacist. Few people realize the extent to which plants and minerals enter into the practice of pharmacy, and how vital they are to the maintenance of the public health. It has been stated that upwards of 70 percent of all medicines employed are plant products.”

Flash forward 80 years and we have a medical system which relies almost entirely on patented chemicals and/or biologicals that are far removed from anything resembling the ‘back yard farmacy’ of yesteryear. The FDA’s very definition of a drug now precludes the use of natural substances, and drug-based medicine has become a form of human sacrifice, on a scale that may exceed previous civilizations sacrifice of their population for ostensibly religious reasons. This map should be shared far and wide and hopefully will shed light on the massive, emergent database of natural substances (there are about 1700 indexed on our website alone) that can be used to treat a staggeringly wide range of health conditions (over 3,000 indexed on our site alone).

Note: Amazingly, you will find the much demonized Cannabis Sativa listed as a medicinal plant used on the Druggist’s map! Consider that in modern times this plant alone has been used to incarcerate hundreds of thousands of citizens simply for possessing, using and/or trading it as a commodity! (Source: GreenMed TV)

Click here to view the massive, poster size version of this image.

from: http://www.realfarmacy.com/1930s-pharma/

Importance of Vitamin D & The Sun

Posted on March 14, 2016 by marcia

How Dermatologists Fuel Chronic Disease Rates With Their Flawed Sun Exposure Guidelines

Story at-a-glance

The U.S. Surgeon General, the American Academy of Dermatology, and The Skin Cancer Foundation all view sunlight irrationally as a dangerous skin cancer risk
Sun avoidance fuels health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and poses special health risks to pregnant mothers and their children
The evidence supporting sensible sun exposure is strong and clear, while there’s little evidence that sunscreen use protects against skin cancer, or that vitamin D supplements are bioequivalent to sunshine

By Dr. Mercola

In July 2014, the interim U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Boris Lushniak, who is also a dermatologist, issued a “Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer,”^1,² in which he declared UV radiation harmful and said sun exposure should be avoided altogether.

The American Academy of Dermatology and The Skin Cancer Foundation also advocate avoiding all sun exposure — regardless of the color of your skin — saying vitamin D supplementation can address any deficiencies.

This is an irrational and shortsighted position that lacks any credibility. The scientific evidence, now running in excess of 34,000 studies, detail that UV exposure is essential, both for vitamin D production and other benefits unrelated to vitamin D.

The color of your skin is a significant factor to determine appropriate exposure times and any advice that does not take this into consideration is illogical. We are not nocturnal beings, avoiding the sun entirely is horrible advice that should not be followed.

Dermatologists’ Position on Sun Exposure Riddled With Fatal Flaws

Let’s remember that, because of their irrational concern, they were able to convince public health officials and media to convince people to use sunscreens.

What happened as a result of the public adopting this proactive “preventive” approach? Skin cancers actually increased.

Why? Because the dermatologists did not do their homework. Most sunscreens blocked UVB, which causes vitamin D levels to increase and lower cancer rates, but they let UVA, which can cause skin cancer when excessively exposed, to shine right through like a hot knife through butter.

What’s worse, they never admitted to their egregious mistake. Ironically, the only location dermatologists approve of UV light treatment is in their office under costly supervision.

Avoiding Sun Exposure Radically Worsens Disease Rates

Advocating abstinence from UV light is undoubtedly fueling many health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases and depression.

UVB exposure is essential for optimal health, and any risks of exposure are related to over exposure and burning. Research shows vitamin D is involved in the biochemical regulation of nearly every cell in your body, including your immune system.

Vitamin D deficiency can deteriorate your health in a number of different ways, as your cells need the active form of vitamin D to optimally regulate genetic expression.

As noted by William Grant, Ph.D., head of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC), staying indoors to avoid sun exposure is “not particularly good advice,” adding that:³

“There are several papers indicating that occupational exposure to sunlight reduces the risk of melanoma. It is having fair skin, a high-fat, low fruit and vegetable diet, sunburning, etc., that are more linked to melanoma than total UV exposure.”

Vitamin D Is Crucial for Pregnant Women

Vitamin D is particularly important for pregnant women, as deficiency affects both the mother and her child in the short and long term, including raising the child’s long-term risk for diabetes, allergic rhinitis,⁴ arthritis, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.Recent research shows that raising maternal vitamin D levels helps children born in winter months develop stronger, healthier bones.⁵ Lead researcher Professor Nicholas Harvey, Ph.D., of the University of Southampton, also notes that sun exposure is the most important source of vitamin D.

Health initiatives such as GrassrootsHealth D*Action study,⁶ and the Protect Our Children NOW! campaign are both based on these fundamental and scientifically proven facts.

Dermatologists Ignore Skin Color

The fact that the American Academy of Dermatology issues the same recommendations for everyone, without regard for skin type, is telling. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they view sun exposure as nothing but a dangerous cancer risk to be avoided at all costs.

This is a really nonsensical, and most definitively nonscientific, stance. According to their advice, even if you have the darkest skin, you should always seek shade and wear protective clothing and/or sunscreen when outdoors.

The notion that supplements are bioequivalent to sunshine is lacking. While I recommend supplements if UVB exposure is not available, to suggest that vitamin D can replace all the benefits of sun exposure is ridiculous.

In fact, each of us responds quite differently to vitamin D supplementation – there is a 6 to 10 times difference in dosage response between individuals. If you are supplementing with vitamin D, you should have your levels checked twice per year to ensure you stay above 40ng/ml.

Because of this, vitamin D experts such as Grant and Dr. Michael F. Holick note that sensible sun exposure is far preferable to vitamin D supplementation.

Oversimplifying the Issue Is Not a Good Public Health Policy

The Skin Cancer Foundation echoes the American Academy of Dermatology’s recommendations.

When questioned about this philosophy and asked why the recommendations fail to take into account skin type and color, Dr. Henry Lim, who sits on The Skin Cancer Foundation’s photobiology committee, replied that such information is irrelevant because vitamin D supplements can address deficiency.

According to Lim:⁷

“We want to make it simple as a public health message — as to what the public should reasonably be able to absorb and understand. To fine tune it is just too complicated we feel.”

But by oversimplifying the matter, dermatologists place a great number of people at grave risk for vitamin D deficiency, which may not be identified until health problems have already set in. Moreover, the advice to use sunscreen is also on shaky scientific ground.

According to an analysis by epidemiologist Marianne Berwick, Ph.D., there’s very little evidence to suggest that sunscreen use will prevent skin cancer.

After analyzing a dozen studies on basal cell carcinoma, which is typically non-lethal, and the more deadly melanoma, Berwick found that people who use sunscreen tend to be more likely to develop both of these conditions.

Only 2 of 10 melanoma studies found that sunscreen was protective against this condition; three found no association either way. None found sunscreen use protected against basal cell carcinoma.⁸

Your Body Is Designed to Optimize Health Effects of Sun Exposure

While you certainly need to avoid the skin damage associated with sunburn, sun exposure is required for optimal health, and your skin type plays a major role in how much UVB exposure you need and can safely tolerate.

Darker-skinned people not only need more sun exposure to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D, they’re also more protected from skin cancer due to their skin pigmentation. Yet this important reality is simply ignored by dermatologists, resulting in most African Americans being at a radically increased risk of cancers and heart disease from vitamin D deficiency.

As noted in a previous article by Nautilus:⁹

“How the sun affects you depends on your complexion, the shade of which is determined by melanin … The anti-oxidizing molecule is so versatile at protecting and repairing DNA from UV solar radiation that creatures from humans to fungi deploy it … [T]he melanin sits atop cellular DNA like tiny umbrellas pointed … out to shield from incoming rays …

[T]he same ultraviolet wavelengths in the 290 to 400 nanometers range that trigger melanin production also spark vitamin D creation. You cannot make one without the other.

Humans evolved to produce two kinds of melanin … The MC1R gene determines the type of melanin the body produces. In the mid-zone such as the Mediterranean region, people … produce eumelanin, the pigment responsible for brown or black hair and for dark skin that tans easily …

[I]n far northern Europe, humans paled, adapting to lower light … with a different type of melanin, called pheomelanin, associated with fair skin and blonde and red hair with minimal protective value, but allowing more UV to penetrate to make vitamin D. ”

Sun Avoidance Raises Risk of Internal Cancers

Dermatology is focused on one primary outcome — avoiding skin damage and skin cancer. But by focusing on just one side of the UV exposure issue, they’re actually promoting a lifestyle that may raise your risk of other lethal cancers and chronic diseases. Not only have higher vitamin D levels been shown to offer significant protection against a number of internal cancers, there’s also evidence showing higher levels offer protection against melanoma.

In fact, higher rates of melanoma are found among those who have low vitamin D levels; among indoor occupations; and in areas of the body that rarely or never see the light of day. In short, the vitamin D your body produces in response to UVB radiation is protective against skin cancer. As noted in The Lancet:¹⁰

“Paradoxically, outdoor workers have a decreased risk of melanoma compared with indoor workers, suggesting that chronic sunlight exposure can have a protective effect.”

Even more importantly, vitamin D has been shown to significantly reduce internal cancers, along with chronic diseases such as heart disease, which kill far more people than melanoma does. Breast¹¹ and prostate^12,¹³ cancers are just two examples where low vitamin D renders you more vulnerable to more aggressive forms of the disease. Recent research¹⁴ has also found that low vitamin D levels are associated with more severe peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients.

Reporting on recent research linking low vitamin D levels to an increased risk for aggressive breast cancer, Medical Daily writes:¹⁵

“The researchers linked vitamin D levels to the ID1 gene, which at high levels of expression is associated with breast cancer tumor growth. Past studies have shown that vitamin D is linked to inhibiting the expression of this gene, and that low vitamin D levels have been associated with more aggressive tumors. ”

Public Health Messages Should Be Based on All-Cause Mortality Reduction

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE & VIEW THE VIDEOS< GO TO: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/14/vitamin-d-sun-exposure-guidelines

Benefits of Aloe Vera

Posted on March 12, 2016 by marcia

What Aloe Vera Does In Your Body: Why Egyptians Called It The Plant Of Immortality

by Alanna Ketler
Collective Evolution

Known to the Egyptians as the plant of immortality and to Native Americans as the wand of heaven, aloe vera comes with a wide array of amazing healing properties — some of which you may already be aware. You might even have your own aloe vera plant in your home for those small emergencies like scrapes, cuts, and burns, but did you know that aloe vera is not only limited to topical use and is actually even more beneficial to your body when taken internally?

Aloe vera contains over 200 biologically active, naturally occurring constituents which include polysaccharides, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and minerals that promote nutrient absorption.

According to The Journal of Environmental Science and Health, aloe vera also possesses anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties that assist the immune system in cleansing the body of toxins and invading pathogens. But that isn’t all aloe vera juice/gel has to offer.[1]

Minerals
Aloe vera has loads of minerals including calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, and manganese. These minerals work together to boost metabolic pathways.
Enzymes
Aloe Vera contains important enzymes like amylase and lipase which can aid in digestion by breaking down fat and sugar molecules. One molecule in particular, Bradykinase, helps to reduce inflammation.

Vitamins
Amazingly, aloe vera is one of the few plants that contains vitamin B12, which is required for the production of red blood cells. This is great news for vegetarians and vegans in particular, who often do not get adequate amounts of B12 through their regular diet. Aloe vera is also a source of vitamins A, C,E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), and B6.

Amino Acids
Aloe vera contains 20 of the 22 essential amino acids that are required by the human body. It also contains salicylic acid, which fights inflammation and bacteria.

Other Uses For Aloe

Aside from being an excellent body cleanser, removing toxic matter from the stomach, kidneys, spleen, bladder, liver, and colon, aloe can also offer effective relief from more immediate ailments, such as indigestion, upset stomach, ulcers, and inflammation in the gut. It also strengthens the digestive tract and alleviates joint inflammation, making it a great option for arthritis sufferers.

One study found that aloe vera juice, when taken the same way as a mouthwash, was just as effective at removing plaque as the common mouthwash and its active ingredient, chlorhexidine. This is a much better alternative because it is all-natural, unlike the typical chemical-laden options found in stores.

Aloe vera gel has also been found to effectively heal mouth ulcers, which are more commonly known as canker sores.

How To Take Aloe?

Aloe can be consumed straight from the plant, but the easiest and most palatable option is probably aloe juice, which you can find in most health food stores. You can also buy the leaves from many common grocery stores, or harvest your own, and juice them yourself.

You can buy the gel and mix it into your juices and smoothies or just drink it straight up. It does have a somewhat bitter taste though, so you may want to include other things. It is great to drink daily, but if you are using it to assist with a specific ailment, talk to a natural health expert or do some research into the matter to find instructions on specific dosing.

from: http://www.riseearth.com/2016/03/what-aloe-vera-does-in-your-body-why.html

Time to Go Back to Saturated Fats

Posted on March 6, 2016 by marcia

Could Eating the Right Fats Save 1 Million Lives per Year?

By Dr. Mercola

Story at-a-glance

Sadly most health “experts” continue to ignorantly recommend diets low in saturated fats and high in refined vegetable oils, resulting in dramatic increases in disease
Contrary to popular opinion, diets high in saturated fats are not responsible for rising rates of heart disease
Saturated fats increase levels of large, fluffy LDL cholesterol, which is not linked to heart disease

March 06, 2016

You know the drill. Watch or read the health media and you will be regularly told to avoid saturated fats because they raise your LDL cholesterol, which will ultimately clog your arteries and lead to heart disease.

The problem with this recommendation is that it is only based on a theory, and worse yet that theory has never been proven. In fact, the recent studies that carefully examine saturated fat disprove this.

The video above provides a comical illustration of what happens when a renowned international cardiologist publishes a groundbreaking article¹ that debunks saturated fat. He is challenged by two ignorant dietitians spouting what they had been taught years ago.

Interestingly, a new American Heart Association (AHA) study claims eating the “right” fats could save 1 million lives per year.

Indeed, this is likely an understatement, but the researchers got the fats wrong and now are spreading misinformation that will likely cause needless pain, suffering and premature deaths.

Saturated Fats Are NOT to Blame for Heart Disease

The widely circulated assumption that eating a diet high in saturated fats leads to heart disease is simply wrong, as they are actually necessary to promote health and prevent disease. Dietary fats can be generally classified as:

Saturated

Monounsaturated

Polyunsaturated

A “saturated” fat means that all carbon atoms have maxed out their hydrogens and as a result there are no double bonds that are perishable to oxidation and going rancid. Fats in foods contain a mixture of fats, but in foods of animal origin a large proportion of the fatty acids are saturated.

So How Did These Natural Saturated Fats Come to Be Vilified?

In 1953, Ancel Keys, Ph.D. published a seminal paper that led to a later study that served as the basis for nearly all of the initial scientific support for the so-called “diet-heart hypothesis.”

Conducted from 1958 to 1970, and known as the Seven Countries Study, this research linked the consumption of dietary fat to coronary heart disease.²

What you may not know is that when Keys published his analysis that claimed to prove the link between dietary fats and heart disease, he selectively analyzed information from only seven countries to prove his correlation, rather than comparing all the data available at the time — from 22 countries.

As you might suspect, the studies he excluded were those that did not fit with his hypothesis, namely those that showed a low percentage of fat in their diet and a high incidence of death from heart disease as well as those with a high-fat diet and low incidence of heart disease (like France).

If all 22 countries had been analyzed, there would have been no correlation found whatsoever.

Journalist Nina Teicholz, author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” also stated that when researchers went back and analyzed some of the original data, heart disease was most correlated with sugar intake, not saturated fat.³

What’s Wrong With the 2015 Dietary Guidelines?

I recently interviewed Nina Teicholz about the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (below). While there were many positive changes, such as the elimination of a limit on dietary cholesterol, the fallacies about saturated fats remain.

These guidelines are highly relevant, as they determine what foods will be served in feeding assistance programs, including the National School Lunch Program, programs for the elderly, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and military rations.

Through these programs, they determine what 1 in 4 Americans will eat on a daily basis. They also dictate the advice you’ll get from your doctor, nutritionist, or dietician. According to Nina, when the guidelines were launched in the 1980’s, one single Senate staffer wrote what became the national dietary guideline.

He was heavily influenced by certain scientists, and didn’t have the background to conduct a sound review of the science.

Those guidelines resulted in a diet that is low in fat and high in carbohydrates, and it has remained that way ever since. This type of diet is clearly tied to obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic health problems.

The guidelines are still to this day heavily influenced by industries whose main concern is unrelated to the public health—a fact pointed out in Nina’s controversial article⁴ in The British Medical Journal, which was eventually retracted after 170 scientists signed a letter asking for its retraction.

Why The Saturated Fat Myth Continues

Click HERE to watch the full interview!

So why does the saturated fat myth remain, despite all the evidence showing it’s false? Why won’t the guidelines committee review the now overwhelming evidence and set the record straight? As noted by Nina:

“I think that there are two kind of big explanations for why this is [not done]. One is that there are huge industry interests. Because the guidelines are part of the USDA, half of the USDA’s mission is to promote agriculture.

At the same time, they have a mandate to tell people to eat less of some things over other things. Those two mandates conflict…What are the industries that benefit from the guidelines? The makers of carbohydrate-based food… Corn, soy, and the vegetable oil manufacturers. Because when you tell people not to eat saturated fats, what they eat instead are unsaturated fats, mainly vegetable oils, which have increased over 91 percent over the last three decades…

The other major factor that keeps the guidelines from changing…is that there’s a tremendous professional investment in this particular kind of advice. There are university professors’ reputations staked on it. There are many institutions who have invested in this particular hypothesis about what makes people healthy… These giant institutions cannot be seen as flip-flopping. They can’t be wrong. That prevents backing out of any advice that might be flawed.”

Cutting Back on Saturated Fats Doesn’t Lengthen Life: 6 Major Studies

…

Dietary Guidelines to Reduce Fat Were Introduced Without Any Supporting Evidence

In 1977, the U.S. released the first national dietary guidelines, which urged Americans to cut back on fat intake. In a radical departure from current diets at the time, the guidelines suggested Americans eat a diet high in grains and low in fat, with vegetables oils taking the place of most animal fats. The U.K. released similar guidelines in 1983. The guidelines were controversial, and even the American Medical Association said at the time:¹⁶

“The evidence for assuming that benefits to be derived from the adoption of such universal dietary goals … is not conclusive and there is potential for harmful effects from a radical long-term dietary change as would occur through adoption of the proposed national goals.”

There’s no telling how many have been prematurely killed by following these flawed low-fat guidelines, yet despite mounting research refuting the value of cutting out fats, such recommendations are still being pushed. Further, according to research by Zoe Harcombe, Ph.D. and published in the Open Heart journal, there was no scientific basis for the recommendations to cut fat from the U.S. diet in the first place.¹⁷

The guidelines were, and still are, quite extreme, calling for Americans to reduce overall fat consumption to 30 percent of total energy intake and reduce saturated fat consumption to 10 percent of total energy intake. No randomized controlled trial (RCT) had tested these recommendations before their introduction, so Harcombe and colleagues examined the evidence from RCTs available to the U.S. and UK regulatory committees at the time the guidelines were implemented.

Six dietary trials, involving 2,467 men, were available, but there were no differences in all-cause mortality and only non-significant differences in heart-disease mortality resulting from the dietary interventions. As noted in Open Heart:¹⁸ “Recommendations were made for 276 million people following secondary studies of 2467 males, which reported identical all-cause mortality. RCT evidence did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines.”

…

In Summary, Saturated Fats Are Healthy

Saturated fats:

Increase your LDL levels, but they increase the large fluffy particles that are not associated with an increased risk of heart disease

Increase your HDL levels. This more than compensates for any increase in LDL

Do NOT cause heart disease as made clear in all the above-referenced studies

Do not damage as easily as other fats because they do not have any double bonds that can be damaged through oxidation

Serve to fuel mitochondria and produce far less damaging free radicals than carbs

To read the whole article, go to the link below from which this was excerpted:

from: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/06/saturated-fat-diet-heart-disease.aspx

Nourishing The Chakras

Posted on February 17, 2016 by marcia

7 Sacred Herbs for Activating and Harmonizing the Chakras

15th February 2016

By Justin Faerman

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

While the chakras themselves are energetic/etheric in nature, they each have corresponding physical organs, glands and systems in the body that can, and do, have an effect on their functioning. When the associated organ/gland/system is weak or out of balance, the relevant chakra will be under active; and when the associated organ/system is balanced and healthy, the chakra will generally be in harmony.

This interconnectivity of the physical and etheric bodies goes the other way as well—if there is an energetic imbalance in a chakra, for example, as a result of emotional disturbances, then this can also cause the associated physical elements to become weak as well. As such, it is important to not only address physical imbalances with herbs and lifestyle adjustments, but also on an energetic level as well with breathwork, meditation, kriya/tantric yoga, qigong or whatever your preferred flavor of energetic medicine.

It is interesting to note that in the system of Traditional Chinese Medicine each organ corresponds to specific emotional states. This is an important distinction because, as mentioned, emotional patterns also have an effect on chakra function in the sense that negative emotions tend to disturb chakra function and positive emotional states tend to improve it. By using herbs to balance the underlying organs, glands and systems of the body, and hence the chakras themselves, it has the added benefit of helping us to work through the associated emotional patterns that may be also negatively impacting the chakras as well.

There are many different practices—both energetic and otherwise (as outlined earlier)—with the end goal of healing and balancing the chakras that are effective to varying degrees, but, like putting water into a bucket with holes in it, if the corresponding organs, glands or bodily systems are weak for whatever reason, simply charging the area with Qi or Prana will not necessarily be as effective as simultaneously working to heal any underlying imbalances in the physical body itself. Besides general lifestyle adjustments, there are few methods as powerful and effective as the proper use of herbal medicines to bring the various aspects of the body back into balance.

In a general sense, you will get the most benefit by using the following herbs as an adjunct to the energetic/etheric practices outlined above. With that being said, I recommend two ways of taking these herbs for maximum benefit and to avoid imbalances in the bodies—etheric and physical. The first is slightly more sophisticated and requires you to understand what chakras or organs/glands/systems may be weak in your body. If you have this awareness and knowledge then you will generally want to take specific herbs from the list below to treat that specific imbalance. On the other hand if you are not sure what is in or out of balance then I would recommend taking a blend of a small portion of each of the herbs outlined below in order to maintain systemic balance and harmony so as not to overactivate or neglect any specific chakra or part of the body.

1. Root Chakra (Mooladhara): Perineal Gland and Urogental System

Recommended Herb: Shilajit

Although not an herb in the traditional sense, Shilajit is the byproduct of thousands of different herbs because it is the solidified resin of prehistoric forests compacted under the weight of the Himalayas for eons of time. As such it is very grounding, building and rejuvenating, rich in minerals and other compounds that literally restore the body at a foundational level. In that sense, the root chakra is also foundational in the chakric system and helps us stay grounded energetically. Shilajit also works on a number of other systems, organs and glands in the body and has many other remarkable benefits that you can learn about in the in-depth article I’ve written on it here: consciouslifestylemag.com/shilajit-benefits-ancient-superfood as there is simply too much to go into for the scope of this article.

2. Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana): Sexual Organs and Kidneys

Recommended Herb: Schizandra Berries

Schizandra is an incredible herb with many positive effects in the body, but it is particularly well known for strengthening and tonifying the sexual organs in both men and women. As a mild diuretic, it is also cleansing of the various energetic pathways that run through this area of the body and is particularly nourishing to the kidneys, making it an excellent herb for the sacral chakra and healing any underlying imbalances therein.

3. Solar Plexus (Manipura): Digestive Tract, Intestines and Adrenal Glands

Recommended Herb: Pine Pollen

Manipura is in many ways the seat of power in the body both etherically and physically—our digestive system is responsible for turning the food we eat into the vital energy that runs our body. When the digestive system is weak, everything suffers. The third chakra is also the etheric-emotional seat of our self-confidence and sense of personal power. Correspondingly, when it is weak or there are imbalances in this area, it manifests as fear, worry and anxiety, as these emotions arise when we lack self-confidence. Thermal bio-scans of thousands of people in large-scale research studies at major universities have found these emotions (fear, worry and anxiety) are concentrated and most often experienced in the third chakra area.

In that sense, few herbs strengthen the body quite like Pine Pollen. One of nature’s most treasured herbal medicines, Pine Pollen is rich in DHEA, the body’s master hormonal precursor, which nourishes the adrenal glands directly and balances the entire endocrine/glandular system, which is foundational to our sense of personal power and self. Pine Pollen is also phenomenally rich in rare and important nutrients and nourishes the body at deep levels, supplementing weak digestion, which is remarkably common, and giving us added energetic support, no matter what phase of life we are in. There are few things which energetically strengthen the body like Pine Pollen, making it a perfect corresponding herb for the third chakra.

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata): Heart and Lungs

Recommended Herb: Reishi Mushroom

In the Daoist tradition, Reishi is considered a supreme heart Qi tonic, meaning that it increases the flow of vital energy to the heart and strengthens it directly as a result. It is also calming and balancing to the nervous system, which helps with our overall emotional balance, of which the heart is the center in the body in many ways. Reishi is also a supreme ‘Shen’ tonic, which translates to herb that nourishes the spirit. As the Anahata chakra is the ‘gateway chakra’ to higher consciousness and the heart itself is one of the key intuitive centers of the body, Reishi is particularly nourishing and relevant as a tonic for this area. Reishi also increases blood flow to the heart and lungs, further supporting the organ systems underlying the heart chakra.

5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddhi): Thyroid Complex

Recommended Herb: Kelp/Seaweed

While there are many factors that influence thyroid health, perhaps the most pertinent is the supply of bioavailable iodine in the body. And there are few better sources of iodine than seaweeds. Rich in iodine and other important trace minerals, seaweeds supply the body with abundant raw nutritional materials that are hard to get and conspicuously lacking in modern western diets, even for those who eat quite healthfully. Iodine and the minerals in seaweed also strengthen the entire endocrine/glandular system as a whole, making it a great dietary addition for anyone doing regular energy or healing work.

6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): Pineal Gland, Brain

Recommended Herb: Gotu Kola

One of the premier herbs in the ancient Indian Ayurvedic system of holistic medicine is Gotu Kola, a powerful herb for the brain and related glands and systems. Gotu Kola enhances oxygen uptake to the brain specifically and to the body’s cells in general and has been shown to actually increase intelligence in long-term users. It has also been shown to enhance and harmonize trans-hemispheric communication in the brain, which is likely why it has been traditionally used by meditators. Brain hemisphere synchronization produces measurable changes in brainwave state into the alpha, gamma and theta spectrum, which are associated with expanded states of consciousness. Gotu Kola is also said to act directly on the pineal gland in part through the above mechanisms and due to the fact that it is a vasodilator, causing both increased blood and oxygen flow to key areas and glands within the brain and body.

The Hindus also consider it to be a powerful herb for balancing the pituitary gland and the crown chakra, essentially killing two birds with one stone. In that sense, the plant acts as a sort of ‘shortcut’ to help one access higher states of consciousness and awareness and is a key herb for harmonizing the brain and higher chakras.

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): Pituitary Gland

Recommended Herb: Sage

I’m going to make a non-traditional recommendation here. Most know sage as the premier smudging herb, but it can also be taken internally and works in much the same way—to clear the etheric body and physical body of energetic blockages and imbalances, as well as destructive influences. As the crown chakra is the gateway between the higher non-physical planes/energies and the body, it is fitting to suggest an herb that is energetically cleansing and harmonizing rather than deeply physical in its effects, although sage certainly has those properties as well. Recently discovered in some fascinating studies is sage’s ability to increase perceptual awareness, intelligence, brain function and memory; and those intuitively tuned into the deeper effects of the herb will notice it also enhances sensitivity to subtle energies, which further cements its appropriateness as a tonic for this chakra. Taken in tandem with Gotu Kola, all of the physical organs, glands and systems correlated with the crown chakra are are addressed, strengthened and balanced.

As always with herbs, seek organic, wildcrafted/harvested or biodynamic whenever possible and choose those with minimal, low-temperature processing to preserve active constituents and enhance potency. Start slow and work your way up in dosage to what intuitively feels right for your body as you acclimate to their effects, and be sure to take a few days’ break from the herbs now and then to let your body rest and integrate the changes.

from: http://wakeup-world.com/2016/02/15/7-sacred-herbs-for-activating-and-harmonizing-the-chakras/

Healthy Eating as Pathology

Posted on January 9, 2016 by marcia

Experts Claim Passion for Eating Healthy Has Become a Mental Disorder

Anna Hunt, Staff Writer
Waking Times

When you finally realize that mainstream food companies are basically selling us food full of chemicals and devout of nutrients, you may, like many others, start to become a little fanatic about reading ingredients lists, seeking out GMO-free products, supplementing with superfoods, and actually paying attention to what goes into your body.

Well, guess what? Now, you suddenly may have a mental disorder, at least according to scientists at the University of Northern Colorado who conducted a case study about the obsession of eating healthy. This new eating disorder is called orthorexia nervosa (ON) and is said to be driven by a fear of being unhealthy and disgust for low-quality food.

“Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a term introduced to describe a condition characterized by a pathologic obsession for bio-logically pure and healthy nutrition.” ~Ryan M. Moroze, MD. et al [1]

The psychologists conducting the study argue that healthy eating can become dangerous if one becomes fixated on the types of ingredients in food, how the food is cooked, and what materials are used to prepare it. Those “suffering” from orthorexia may take extra time to prepare their food and carefully consider what they are willing to eat.

In this day and age, 90% of grocery store shelves, at least in the United States, are filled with processed foods, most of which are scientifically engineered to create physical and psychological dependency. Mega-portion processed meals have lead to spiking rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Shouldn’t conscientious effort to prepare and eat healthy foods be called sensible and smart instead of potentially dangerous?

Let’s agree that obsessive behavior is never really healthy, regardless of the situation. So what’s really the danger? Thomas Dunn, associate professor of psychology at the University of Northern Colorado and co-author of a recent paper believes the following:

“Such draconian diets can lack essential nutrients, and they make the vitamins and minerals a person does get from meals of exclusively, say, leafy greens, impossible for the body to absorb. This can lead to fragile bones, hormonal shifts, and cardiac problems, along with psychological distress and entrenched, delusional thinking.” [2]

We have been so meticulously programmed by food marketers that mainstream processed foods are “natural” “healthy” and “nutritious”, yet the statistics speak for themselves: the typical mainstream diet is making us unhealthy. Regardless of the substantial rise in obesity and numerous diseases, even people that follow the mantra of “healthy diet and exercise” are finding it increasingly difficult to be healthy because food bought in stores is just not what is used to be.

In the face of declining public health, doctors pump us full of pills that don’t really address the issue. Food corporations only care about profits, and their marketers lie to help them get those profits. Who else is left to help us find a path toward optimum health but ourselves?

How can you judge if you or someone you love is suffering from orthorexia? Similarly to most other mental illness assessment, a quick review of a checklist of potential traits will do. According to Dunn, if you identify with two or more of the following traits, you might need to see a counselor:

1. You consume a nutritionally unbalanced diet because of concerns about “food purity.”

2. You’re preoccupied about how eating impure or unhealthy foods will affect your physical or emotional health.

3. You rigidly avoid any food you deem to be “unhealthy,” such as those containing fat, preservatives, additives or animal products.

4. You spend three or more hours per day reading about, acquiring or preparing certain kinds of food you believe to be “pure.”

5. You feel guilty if you eat foods you believe to be “impure.”

6. You’re intolerant of other’s food beliefs.

7. You spend an excessive proportion of your income on “pure” foods. [4]

Considering this list, I’m a certified health nut!

If psychologists are so eager to create new mental illness, why not create a fancy label for the people participating in hot-dog eating contests, contributing to the daily consumption of 1.9 billion servings of Coca-cola products, or opting for the quad-stacked Big Mac and supersize fries.

“Orthorexia has not yet found its way into the latest edition of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), yet is commonly being lumped in with other eating disorders. Stepping back and looking at the ones pushing this label on us shows highly questionable motives. Psychiatry as a whole is deeply in bed with a pharmaceutical industry that makes the drugs to “treat” every one of these “disorders.” It is often these companies that are wielding influence behind the scenes to invent more mental health categories with their toxic products as the answer.” ~ Jefferey Jaxen [5]

Sources:

[1] http://www.psychosomaticsjournal.com/article/S0033-3182(14)00050-4/abstract

[2] http://www.popsci.com/striving-perfect-diet-making-us-sick

[3] http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/07/health/orthorexia/

[4] http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=3191903&page=1

[5] http://naturalsociety.com/officials-declare-eating-healthy-mental-disorder/

from: http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/01/08/experts-claim-passion-for-eating-healthy-has-become-a-mental-disorder/

Love Your Thyroid

Posted on November 28, 2015 by marcia

The Top 5 Super Foods For Thyroid Health

by Daily Super Food Love

Another epidemic is sweeping across the world. According to experts, there are as many as 30 million people suffering from a form of thyroid disorder in the United States alone – and half of them are undiagnosed. That is a staggering 12% of the nation’s total population.

Worldwide, approximately 430 million people are estimated to have a thyroid disorder.

Strangely, there is little concrete information about this problem worldwide since many patients and their doctors mistake the common symptoms for something else.

One serious cause of thyroid dysfunction is iodine deficiency. We get very little of it in our modern diet but iodine is a nutrient obtainable from food. It may seem overly simplistic to use food for thyroid health but it works and could be the answer in your particular case to getting this important gland functioning normally again.

10 Symptoms of Thyroid Malfunction

1. Fatigue: Persistent exhaustion no matter how much sleep you get.

2. Poor Sleep Quality: Being unable to sleep or wanting to sleep all the time.

3. Mood Swings: Feelings of sadness or anxiety.

4. Appetite Changes: Changes to food preferences or altered taste.

5. Brain Fog: Inability to concentrate or difficulty with simple cognition.

6 .Bowel Irregularity: Bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea.

7. Temperature Sensitivity: You persistently feel too hot or too cold.

8. Chronic Pain: Aches in joints or muscles for no particular reason.

9. Reproductive Issues: Infertility, miscarriages, or premature births.

10. Menstrual Changes: An increase or decrease in cramps, flow, or length of periods.

What Does Your Thyroid Do for You?

The thyroid hormones thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3) produced by your thyroid gland – a butterfly shaped gland in your lower throat – are responsible for managing your metabolism, body temperature, and blood pressure. Though this part of the endocrine system is small, it is mighty. It literally effects all of you because every cell and organ in your body use thyroid hormones.

Hyperthyroidism (less common) is the term used when your thyroid produces too much hormones. It is also referred to as an overactive thyroid. This condition can result in unexplained weight loss, feeling jittery or anxious, inability to relax, lack of focus, rapid heart rate, fatigue, marked increase to appetite, deterioration of nails, skin, and hair, heart disease, irritability, sleep irregularity, and intolerance to heat.

Hypothyroidism (most common) is the term used when your thyroid produces too little hormones. It is also referred to as an underactive or sluggish thyroid. You may notice no symptoms initially but they tend to worsen as time goes by. Deficiency in these essential hormones lead to feelings of fatigue, depression, obesity, pain in joints, muscle weakness, deterioration of hair, skin, and nails, heart disease, poor memory and focus, and intolerance to cold.

Hashimoto’s Disease is an autoimmune condition. Your immune system malfunctions and sends out antibodies to attack thyroid tissue. Over time, the thyroid is beaten down and unable to function properly. The majority of patients with hypothyroidism test positive for these antibodies. It is important to keep your immune system strong and lower body-wide inflammation to prevent these antibodies from destroying your thyroid.

Your thyroid is stimulated by signals from your brain (hypothalamus) and your pituitary gland tells the thyroid gland to either produce hormones or to hold back. When the signals are blocked or false, it can result in serious repercussions throughout your system.

Common Causes of Thyroid Malfunction

–Iodine or other nutrition deficiency.

-Graves is a genetic autoimmune disease that stimulates thyroid hormone production.

-Plummer’s disease is benign lumps that stimulate thyroid hormone production.

-Pregnancy can trigger thyroid dysfunction.

-Thyroiditis is inflammation that triggers excess thyroid hormone to flood the blood.

-Physical, mental, or emotional stress may affect how your thyroid functions.

-Environmental toxins are thought to play a role in dysfunction of the thyroid.

This condition can affect adults, children, and infants. Newborns tested and treated early respond well and the practice has prevented poor mental development.

There are synthetic hormones available (thyroid drugs are the fourth highest selling in the United States) that can eventually get your thyroid back on track. However, most patients have to have a thyroid that no longer functions for the synthetic replacements to work.

Preventing the destruction of your thyroid in the first place is a far better solution.

5 Best Foods for Thyroid Health

1. Seaweed and seafood (scallops, shrimp, sardines, salmon, and tuna)

2. Yogurt, eggs, and cheese

3. Coconut oil

4. Cranberries and cranberry juice

5. Baked potatoes (with skin)

5 Worst Foods for Thyroid Health

1. Soy products

2. Refined gluten grains

3. Sodas, alcohol, or excessive coffee

4. Hydrogenated oils (avoid processed or fast foods)

5. Refined sugar

Currently, there is no cure for autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s that cause extensive damage to the thyroid and result in conditions such as hypothyroidism. As with most autoimmune conditions, it is crucial to pay close attention to diet and lifestyle habits. It may not reverse thyroid damage completely but it will slow the advance and ease symptoms.

Good choices for your thyroid benefits your entire body. All of your systems are connected and they depend on each other to function properly. Choosing the right foods for thyroid health are also good choices for your heart, brain, and gut. All of you will feel the difference.

Source: dailysuperfoodlove.com, healthy-holistic-living.com

from: http://www.realfarmacy.com/thyroid-foods/