The pharmaceutical industry has produced many life-saving drugs. It has also encouraged us in the mentality that someone else, by handing out a pill, can save us from the effects of what we choose to put into our mouths.
Oooh but... We don't want to be responsible for the food and lifestyle choices we make. It would be much more comfortable and enjoyable to carry on the way we are and have someone else fix our problems.
SO - we run to the doctor, we run to the health store, and we say "Fix me please!" The cash-register rings, and we rush off, drugs or remedy in hand, expecting to carry on as usual and see an improvement in our condition.
Because drugs were created to be fast-acting, we've also come to expect fast results from remedies of all kinds, and if they don't come, we go back to try something else... And the cash-register rings again.
What nonesense is this? Think about it for a moment: we have a lifetime of poor choices behind us (many of them not ours), and we expect it fixed at the drop of a hat? Have you ever heard of the man who went for open-heart surgery that was 100% successful, yet a couple of years later he was beginning to suffer from the same problem. How come?
Because he went right on doing what he had always done, and as we all know, doing that produces the same results as we've always had...
To be continued। -
Patricia
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
pH - The Acid/Alkaline Balance of the Blood
Having the correct Acid/Alkaline balance of our body fluids is vital for health. Our correct blood pH is 7.4 - very slightly on the alkaline side of neutral. This is how we were designed to function and our body is forever striving to maintain that pH level.
It is important to understand that the pH thing is not just a piece of fancy chemistry we don’t need to worry too much about. Here are just three simple reasons why:
- If our body pH sinks below 4.0. we die.
- Bacteria, viruses, fungi and all disease-producing organisms flourish in an acidic medium and die in alkaline conditions. The same is true of Cancer cells. So once our body pH starts to drop below neutral, we are opening the door for disease right there.
- All the many Enzymes required for every function in our bodies will not work under acid conditions.
So if we keep our body fluids alkaline, we are setting up the first line of defence against disease. More than that, if we already have disease in our bodies, changing our body pH from acid to alkaline is the first step towards ridding ourselves of whatever disease we have.
Body pH is affected by many things - the foods we eat, the drinks we consume, stress, exposure to toxins and chemicals to name just a few. We have a measure of control over all these things - and in particular the foods and drinks we consume. So it makes sense to try and understand how different foods affect our body pH.
For example, Cola rates at 2.5 - way too low. For more information to help you understand pH balance, please read the following, on Health News
- Acidity, Disease and Cancer
- The 80/20 Alkaline-Acid Food Theory for Healthy Living
- Table of Acid/Alkaline Values of Some Common Foods
- Table of Acid/Alkaline Values of Some Common Liquids
It also makes sense to test your body pH - which will immediately show you where your body is at. You can do this by purchasing saliva pH testing paper, stocked in some health food stores and pharmacies. You need a narrow range pH paper measuring pH 4.5 to 7.5 or 8.5.Do the test about 10am - about 2 hrs after a meal and at the same time of the day every time you test. Rinse out your mouth and get a good flow of saliva. Insert the end of a paper onto your tongue for a few seconds then compare the color with the chart that comes with the pH paper.
Online sources of pH papers:
Healthtreasures.com pH papers - the second item on the page.
Wilderness Family Naturals - the wider range option is the best.
Make a list of the foods you consume regularly and check their pH values - you may be eating yourself to death literally! Think about your children also - check out the Acidity of Coca Cola and other soft drinks above! We have another source that confirms the pH of Coca Cola HERE.
Remember too that Enzymes are living substances and they require the correct pH range to enable them to function. Given the fact that our foods are most often short on enzymes anyway, it’s not a good idea to kill off those we actually do get into our bodies by providing an acid medium in your body.
For more about enzymes check out Enzymes - The Catalysts - Lack or non-functioning of enzymes leads to rapid ageing and fatigue and lays the foundation for chronic disease to develop.
Patricia
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Monday, January 19, 2009
Habitual Coffee Consumption Lowers Blood Pressure
While on the subject of blood Pressure, here’s an interesting little tidbit from a medical journal:
This study examines the relationship between coffee consumption and blood pressure. Results gathered from previous experimental studies on humans had been inconsistent, reporting either positive or negative correlations, or finding no association.
The relationship between habitual coffee consumption and blood pressure was investigated in an epidemiological study of 3336 male self-defense officials aged 48-56 in Japan. Average coffee consumption over the previous year was assessed via a questionnaire.
Findings indicated an inverse association between habitual coffee intake and blood pressure that were independent of obesity, glucose intolerance, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Intake of caffeine-containing green tea was unrelated to blood pressure.
The authors also found that prograssively decreasing systolic and diastolic blood pressures matched increasing levels of coffee intake. Further studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanism of this response.
European Journal of Epidemiology 14 (1998)
Patricia
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Friday, January 16, 2009
Cholesterol and Garlic
Exercise, weight-reduction and stopping smoking are the prescribed methods for improving cholesterol levels. Another way to look after your heart and blood-pressure is by taking care with fats. But research has also revealed the role of aged garlic in balancing HDL and LDL in the blood.
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This article comes from a piece of personal experience that I think might be worth sharing. Several years ago, I went for a thorough check-up at our local hospital, and part of the associated blood work was a cholesterol level check – something I had never had before.
When I returned for the reports, everything was fine. But one thing stood out. My doctor commented that my HDL / LDL levels were perfect – picture book, in fact. She seemed surprised, and so was I. Though I live as healthily as possible, and was certainly getting plenty of exercise at the time, it surprised me to have such a noteworthy report. I concluded that I might be fortunate in having a good HDL / LDL balance genetically.
You probably know that the balance of these two lipoproteins – high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein – is an indication of coronary health. Lipoproteins are formed in the liver by the binding of fats to proteins, to enable cholesterol to be carried in the bloodstream, which is water-based.
When too much low-density lipoprotein circulates in the blood, it allows cholesterol to build up as plaque on the arteries that feed the heart and brain, and the individual is at risk of coronary heart disease or a stroke. On the other hand, higher levels of high-density lipoprotein in the blood lower the risk of coronary heart disease, possibly by carrying cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is processed for excretion from the body.
The more LDL-cholesterol you have in your blood, the greater your risk of heart disease. The higher your level of HDL-cholesterol, the better your prognosis is.
Some time later, I was researching garlic and had bought Garlic for Health by Benjamin Lau, MD, PhD, (1988 ISBN 0-941524-32-9), which deals specifically with research on aged garlic. One of the areas he researched was the effect of aged garlic on regulating lipid metabolism. Perhaps the best way to make my point is by a brief quote from his text:
“In this part of the study, we differentiated between low-density lipoproteins, considered to be detrimental to health, and high-density lipoprotein, known to protect against heart-attack and stroke. Those taking garlic experienced an initial rise in the level of LDL and VLDL. The initial rise was followed by a significant drop beginning in the third month. As the study progressed, subjects experienced an increase in HDL (high-density lipoprotein) (see Figure 6). In other words, garlic can reduce the levels of “bad” cholesterol while increasing the levels of “good” cholesterol.” (Pp. 13-14).
Reading this gave me one of those light-bulb moments, because I regularly take aged garlic capsules, and was certainly taking them at the time I had the cholesterol level check. I was already a fan of aged garlic, for its antibacterial and antifungal effects – now it appeared there was another very good reason to take it in one’s diet.
For anyone trying to achieve a good HDL / LDL balance, exercise, weight-reduction and stopping smoking are the prescribed methods. All of these are vital to good health and should be implemented. But it’s nice to know you can support your dietary and exercise measures by taking an herb that was initially proved to work in at least 65% of cases.
What about the other 35%? This is where it gets interesting. I’ll quote Dr Lau again:
“Reviewing their dietary history, we discovered that they were heavy meat-eaters with diets consisting regularly of steak, pastries, and ice-cream, particularly during the evening meals. When we incorporated dietary modification for these individuals, lowering of lipids was then observed in those who were able to follow the recommended dietary changes. Our conclusion is that garlic should be used together with a good diet to achieve the best result.” (Pp. 15-16).
Note: In these tests, Dr Lau reported an initial “modest rise in cholesterol and triglycerides” in the first 2 months of the test as the aged garlic moved lipid deposits from the tissues, with normal serum lipid values being reached by 6 months. Be aware that this temporary result is to be expected if you have high LDL levels and are considering using aged garlic.
Patricia
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High Blood Pressure
Here are some thoughts on the experience I’ve had with blood pressure, which I know is a huge concern to many people. We had never had problems with it in my immediate family until my mom had an accident and fell down the stairs about 5 years ago (no broken bones, thank goodness). When they examined her at our local hospital they found her blood pressure was up and prescribed medication for it.
I picked up the medication from the pharmacy on the way home and once mom was settled I opened the packet. The first thing that caught my eye was a notice on the pack that said “DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS MEDICATION”.
Alarm bells went off in my head immediately. I rang the clinic to check up and the receptionist said, “Yes, once you are on that medication you have to stay on it” - more and even louder alarm bells.
I got another appointment with the doctor and asked him if I could try to treat this naturally. He went rather red in the face, and asked me what I wanted to use. I told him I had experience in alternative remedies and I wanted to try her on Garlic and Hawthorne capsules. Rather grudgingly, he agreed to let me have a 3 months window to trial it.
Well, the upshot was that the hospital forgot about it, I put her on Garlic and Hawthorne capsules, and some six months later when a District Nurse was here we checked her blood pressure and it was found to be completly NORMAL. That would have been about 4 years before she died, and from then on, what with the visiting nurses and her admissions to hospital she had a pretty regular check kept on that blood pressure - and it remained normal until her final admission in February 2007, at which time it was “slightly elevated, but nothing to worry about.”
I have to add, that we do live on a healthy diet - for those blood pressure sufferers who are not adjusting their diet and don’t plan to, PLEASE don’t expect any kind of supplement to work a miracle. You have to also take responsibility for your eating and lifestyle habits. But if you do that, then taking the right supplements can help you greatly.
I have a friend who used to own a service station and garage. Because of the extreme black circles around her eyes, I felt concerned enough one day as I filled my tank to ask her if she had problems with her kidneys and she said yes - it was her blood pressure medication. She was in her early 50s.
Now I ask you - how many people are put on medication and kept on it for the rest of their lives - medication that causes side effects of this magnitude? It bears thinking about. I am not a doctor and I would hate to look like I am advising people, but my own mother is a case in point. At 94/95 years old whenever she went in for Respite Care for a week per month to give me a break, she was the only elderly person in our small rest home and hospital complex who was not on medication of some kind - and in most cases there was medication upon medication to stop the side effects of this or that drug. Stacks of pills. Stacks of chemicals. I used to watch the meds trolley doing its rounds and shudder. I was grateful my mother wasn’t part of it. And frankly, I’m inclined to think that’s one reason she lived as long as she did.
People actually seem to use medication as a badge of honour. “Oh yes, now they’ve got me on XXX.” Or, “They’ve just changed my medication again to YYY.” Hmmmm…
Pharmaceutical drugs are fine for emergency situations. We have much to be grateful for there. But I recently saw a video clip of some dolly-bird rep of a pharmaceutical company on US television openly stating that her company wanted everyone to know that they needed her company’s products to stay well. As if the human body requires artificial chemicals to enable it to function normally and repair itself if given half a chance. What rubbish - what arrant, arrogant, money-grubbing rubbish!
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Patricia
http://patriciahowitt.comFramed Art Prints and Posters by Patricia Howitt @ Artflakes
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No, No and NO!
I want to say one thing right up front here at the start. I am NOT a Representative or an Affiliate of ANY alternative health remedy marketing program. I am not writing this blog as a marketing ploy.
I have trialled a number of these programs in the past for myself - the products are overpriced for what they do, and in most cases the hype is unwarranted. The autoship and marketing requirements cause more stress than the product alleviates.
What I am going to be sharing here is simply information that I’ve gleaned from a lifetime in this arena, and also from 10 years as a lawyer working in the Government medico-legal field and more recently 7 years’ working sole charge part-time in a health store. I hope you find something here that will open your eyes to some at least of the truths behind how our wonderful bodies are constructed, and how to keep - or make - them well.
Patricia
http://patriciahowitt.com- - -
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Background
My oldest website HealthNews-NZ has been in existence since Christmas 1996. It developed from a lifetime interest in natural health remedies, born out of 20 years grappling with a health challenge that the medical profession was unable to diagnose. Needless to say, because they could not diagnose it, in their minds it did not exist, and I went through some degrading stuff on occasions, unfortunately.
My family turned to alternative remedies to try to help me, and by the time I was finally diagnosed with a long-term systemic candida infection, I was at my wits’ end. This happened before the medical profession acknowledged the existence of candida, and I shall be forever grateful to a doctor with the insight to think outside the pharmaceutical trap that hamstrings Western medicine.
So when I came to the internet in July 1996 and started playing with websites and HTML, I was inspired to set up a website that would share what I’d learned over the years about wellness and natural health remedies with others.
This blog will be a continuation and an outreach for that site, and it will deal with many topics in the field of natural health and wellness, as it grows. I hope it helps people - with information and encouragement.
Patricia
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