How Long Have You Been Sick & Tired?

How Long Are You Going to be Sick, Tired & Overweight? photo Dawn's Story Sick and tired for 25 years I couldn’t remember the last time I felt “normal”…probably before I had my kids almost 25 years ago.  Being a single parent for most of those years, I chalked it up to stress, worry, busyness, and lack of sleep.  I hadn’t slept through the night since my first child was born. Over the years I visited different doctors complaining of daily headaches, fatigue, irritability, the answer was always the same.  “Are you eating right?  Are you exercising?” “Yes, of course,” I would tell them. I had no clue what eating right truly meant. I thought eating a balanced dinner was having some kind of meat, vegetable (mostly canned) and a starch, usually pasta. We ate convenience foods -- a lot of processed, easy to make, microwaveable foods -- because I really never learned to cook and I was always pressed for time.  Doc prescribes Ambien and Sleep Studies A doctor prescribed Ambien for my sleep problems and recommended a sleep study be done. I spent a couple thousand dollars and was told everything was normal. The side effects of Ambien scared me so I stopped taking the medication and continued to look for answers. Doc asks, "Are You Depressed"? I felt my hormones were not balanced and perhaps my thyroid was not functioning well. “Maybe you are depressed,” offered my physician. “You are too young for menopause.”  All I wanted was to feel “normal” so I took their suggestion and tried some anti-depressants. Those only made me feel worse and 10 times more tired.  If I didn’t suffer from depression before, I sure did now thanks to the anti-depressants.  I took myself off the medication and never went back to see that doctor.  My South Beach and Weight Watchers Adventures I was gaining weight and tried a couple diets including South Beach and Weight Watchers.  South Beach did seem to help and I even lost 30 pounds once. Unfortunately, like with any diet I tried, I eventually went back to eating the not-so-healthy stuff. Weight Watchers worked for a little while too, but their point system allowed me to eat processed sweets like Weight Watchers cakes, sundaes, and Smart ones frozen dinners. I also drank 1 or 2 cans of Diet Mountain Dew daily. Sweets were a huge problem for me and all those treats undermined my efforts. Photo So I Was Right After All but I Was Still Sick and Overweight As I entered into my 40s, still feeling like crud, the weight was not coming off, hot flashes had begun and I pressed my gynecologist to test my hormones. The lab results showed I was clearly well into menopause and my doctor prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) but it just made me feel worse. The Answer Comes Over the years, I was involved with a great group of ladies that met every Thursday for Bible Study. I think they finally became tired of me always complaining about how awful I felt.  I was never so fat and just was really feeling the effects of menopause. One of the ladies suggested I try changing the way I eat. She and her husband had taken Erin's nutrition class and people had been known to feel 10 times better and even been cured from disease just by changing their diet.  Positive Changes Come Quickly! I went to Erin’s class in July of 2011 with my husband and we immediately started the recommended elimination diet on July 31st. We jumped in with both feet and followed the recommendations including trying the Green Smoothies, which to our surprise, are really very tasty. My husband lost 10 lbs the first week (which isn't typical) and I lost 4 pounds.  This was enough to encourage us to continue with our new way of eating.  We followed the plan as Erin outlined in the class and cooked most of the recipes she provided in class. Getting Through The Detox and Withdrawal Period The first week my husband complained of headaches most likely due to caffeine withdrawal.  Erin was extremely helpful with suggestions for supplements and told my husband to try Dandy Blend which is a beverage made from dandelion root. Again, to our surprise, it was rather good and tasted very much like coffee. She recommended that we supplement with Cod Liver Oil and which brand to buy. Keeping an open mind, we did everything she told us (well, mostly!).  In Four Months We Lost 60 Pounds as a Couple! By November, I had lost 20 pounds and 5 inches from my waist and my husband lost 40 pounds.  My energy had increased so I added in some vigorous exercise and I was now sleeping better than I had in years, sometimes even through the entire night. I no longer get headaches every day, my fogginess is gone, and my memory and focus continue to improve with the extra help of some supplements. Even My Lab Work Greatly Improved Before taking Erin's class my blood work was worrisome. My HDL (good) cholesterol was low (37) and my LDL (bad) cholesterol was high (102).  My doctor told me she was going to have to put me on medication if this didn’t improve.  My Doctor Was Dumbfounded When I went back to see the doctor 6 months later she commented on my weight loss and asked me what I was doing. I told her about Erin’s class and how I had changed my diet. I told her I was eating eggs for breakfast almost every morning and she had great concern that this would be bad for my cholesterol. I told her I was eating organic butter, unrefined coconut oil by the tablespoons and cod liver oil. My doctor was cringing. Photo When the results came back, to her amazement, my numbers had improved significantly.  My HDL was a heart-protective 49 -- up from 37. My LDL was 94 down from 102 and my triglycerides were and amazing 39.  Woo, hoo, no medications for me!!  I'm Amazed! I am amazed at the difference eating whole foods has made in my life and am so grateful I decided to take Erin’s class.  I still struggle with sugar, but I am so aware of how my body reacts when I put sugar and processed garbage into it. I am not at my weight loss goal yet, but currently am taking Erin’s advanced class to stay on track.  I am not saying it’s easy, but if you put your mind to it and follow what Erin has outlined in her book, you too will be amazed.  What do you have to lose, but weight and bad health? - Dawn No more excuses! It is time to take some action and improve your health!  or try the learn-at-home option! I recorded 4 live classes to 4 DVDs. Now, you can take advantage of this information from the comfort of your own home.    The Real Food Revivalist! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - --- DVD Series Is it time to think about how you are going to finally stop dieting and lose weight permanently? Are you on yet another diet? The way to reverse chronic health problems (even big ones!) and the way to lose weight permanently is through eating REAL FOOD.  As a country, 67% of us are overweight or obese.  The trend is not reversing and more and more people are getting sucked in to the wrong thinking that we need to eat a low-fat and high grain diet.   Read the success stories on my website - people are easily losing weight, not feeling deprived, having more energy, reversing high blood pressure, diabetes, IBS, arthritis, chronic headaches, skin issues - you name it.  Processed food does tremendous harm to your body and I can show you the way out. I offer live classes (see left panel) & Now this information is available as a 4-DVD Series.  It comes with a 75 page pdf of notes  and a recipe collection.  Filmed with a large group of participants, this 6 hour, 4-DVD Series will help you: Lose weight and keep it off Get to the bottom of food cravings once and for all Learn how to fuel your metabolism and have more energy Reduce your medical bills by treating the cause of your symptoms Learn how to eat real food to look and feel your best _______________________________________ Resources Young Living Essential Oils Virgin Unrefined Coconut, 1 gallon MacNut Oil Nutrex-Hawaii Spirulina DHEA Bioidentical Cream Vitamin D3, 5000 IU Carlson Cod Liver Oil Daily Energy Multi Super Dophilus Probiotic Beyond Organic Meat, Raw Cheese, Cultured Dairy Published by GetBetterWellness.com - Erin Chamerlik -Get Better Wellness Copyright © 2012 Get Better Wellness. All rights reserved.

Don't Use Your Microwave - Here's why

I am convinced that microwaving food, beverages, water, and infant formula is a bad idea. Here's enough research to open your eyes about the loss of nutrients during microwaving.

Scroll all the way down to see pictures of how a plant given microwaved water ended up.  

Read the following to get a taste for the many ways your health can be damaged:

http://beyondhealth.com/CustomPages/articles/MicrowavedFoods.pdf

Swiss studies

• Microwaving food damages nutritional quality
• When we eat the mw food,
• our hemoglobin is decreased
• our white blood cells and cholesterol is increased (a natural response of the body to toxins, infection, cell damage)
• The study also looked at the safety of microwaved water - not safe.  Energy patterns are changed.

Soviet studies

1. Carcinogens are produced
2. Caused malfunction in digestive and lymph systems
3. Decreases in nutritional quality of the food by 60 - 90%
• Including decreased bioavailability of Vitamins B, C, E and minerals.
• Decreased nutritional value of protein.
• Hormonal abnormalities

This article lists the details of the study and concludes 3 things:

1.       Microwaving food creates new chemical compounds that are toxic and even carcinogenic.

2.       The nutritional value of the food is significantly reduced.

3.      There are silent but measurable effects in your body when you eat microwaved food. Such foods appear to promote cancer, hormonal imbalances, lymphatic disorders, digestive disorders, blood and immune abnormalities, emotional problems, permanent brain damage and even heart disease.

http://www.naturalnews.com/030665_microwaved_food_cancer.html

More studies cited and, 

"Eating microwaved food is an invitation for cancer."

Microwaving formula:

• In 1992,Stanford research discovered that microwaving formula at low heat destroyed most of the nutrients.
• Furthermore, the researchers were shocked to find that over 90% of the disease protecting agents in mother`s breast milk were eliminated by microwave warming.

http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf970670x - Heating animal foods in microwave causes a loss of vitamin B12.

More Sources:

1. Kopp, William, "Microwave Madness," Omega News, 13 Apr 2006.
   http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1825144/
2. Lee, Lita, "Microwaves and Microwave Ovens," 14 May 2001. http://www.litalee.com/IDY055/FILES/Microwaves%20And%20Microwave%20Ovens.pdf

Raloff, Janet, "Microwaving can lower breast milk benefits," Science News, 25 Apr 1992.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n17_v141/ai_12100730

Vellejo, F, et al, "Phenolic compound contents in edible parts of broccoli inflorescences after domestic cooking," Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 83, no. 14, pp. 1511-1516. Nov 2003.

Watanabe, Fumio, "Effects of Microwave Heating on the Loss of Vitamin B 12 in Food," J. Agric. Food Chem., 46 (1), 206 -210, 1998.
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/1998/46/i01/abs/jf970670x.html

3. Does Plastic in Microwave Pose Health Problems? Wall Street Journal, 12 Oct 1998. http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Microwave-Health-Problems.htm
4. Does Plastic in Microwave Pose Health Problems? Wall Street Journal, 12 Oct 1998. http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Microwave-Health-Problems.htm

 Ten Reasons to dispose of  your Microwave Oven

 FORENSIC RESEARCH DOCUMENT
Prepared By: William P. Kopp A. R. E. C. Research Operations TO61-7R10/10-77F05 RELEASE PRIORITY: CLASS I ROO1a


From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, one can conclude this article with the following:

 Each of the following points are equally important to read.

1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by 'shorting out' electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.

3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumours]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in UK and America .

8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

Microwaving Also Zaps the Nutrients Right Out of Your Food, by Joseph Mercola,

There has been surprisingly little research on how microwaves affect organic molecules, or how the human body responds to consuming microwaved food.
Wouldn't you expect that a product that sits in more than 90 percent of kitchens, as well as practically every break room in the country, would have been thoroughly investigated for safety?

The handful of studies that have been done generally agree, for the most part, that microwaving food damages its nutritional value. Your microwave turns your beautiful, organic veggies, for which you've paid such a premium in money or labor, into "dead" food that can cause disease!

Heating food, in and of itself, can result in some nutrient loss, but using microwaves to heat food introduces the additional problem of the "microwave effect," a phenomenon that will be discussed in detail later.

The majority of studies on microwaves and nutrition were conducted prior to 2000, I suspect because the focus of radiation research of late has shifted toward a more ominous threat: environmental radiation from electromagnetic devices, such as cell phones and computers, which has mushroomed into a gigantic cloud of electrosmog worldwide over the past decade.

Nevertheless, some excellent scientific data has been gathered regarding the detrimental effects of microwaves on the nutrients in your food:

• A study published in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture[5] found that broccoli "zapped" in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97 percent of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11 percent or fewer of its antioxidants. There were also reductions in phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, but mineral levels remained intact.
• A 1999 Scandinavian study of the cooking of asparagus spears found that microwaving caused a reduction in vitamin C[6] .
• In a study of garlic, as little as 60 seconds of microwave heating was enough to inactivate its allinase, garlic's principle active ingredient against cancer[7] .
• A Japanese study by Watanabe showed that just 6 minutes of microwave heating turned 30-40 percent of the B12 in milk into an inert (dead) form[8] . This study has been cited by Dr. Andrew Weil as evidence supporting his concerns about the effects of microwaving. Dr. Weil wrote:
• "There may be dangers associated with microwaving food... there is a question as to whether microwaving alters protein chemistry in ways that might be harmful."
• A recent Australian study[9] showed that microwaves cause a higher degree of "protein unfolding" than conventional heating.
• Microwaving can destroy the essential disease-fighting agents in breast milk that offer protection for your baby. In 1992, Quan found that microwaved breast milk lost lysozyme activity, antibodies, and fostered the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria[10] .

Quan stated that more damage was done to the milk by microwaving than by other methods of heating, concluding: "Microwaving appears to be contraindicated at high-temperatures, and questions regarding its safety exist even at low temperatures."

• Another study about breast milk/infant formula by Lee in 1989[11] found vitamin content becomes depleted by microwaving, and certain amino acids are converted into other substances that are biologically inactive. Some altered amino acids are poisons to the nervous system and kidneys. (Numerous authors mention this study, yet I was unable to find the original article/study, so I cannot personally validate.) Although many of the above studies are not new, there is certainly ample evidence that microwaving is NOT good for your food.
  

 Microwave Test 

My Family Health - 

Below is a Science fair project presented by a girl in a secondary school in Sussex.
In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts.

The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave.

Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave.

She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave.

As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference, after the experiment which was repeated by her class mates a number of times and had the same result.

       

  

 

 It has been known for some years that the problem with microwaved anything is not the radiation people used to worry about, it's how it corrupts the DNA in the food so the body cannot recognize it.

 

 It takes a bit more time to heat food in an oven or on the stove, but not THAT much time! 

BPA-free, Gum-free Coconut Milk

FYI, Natural Value Coconut Milk is switching to BPA-free cans for organic and regular coconut milk. Plus they do not add guar gum or other gums.

Natural Value:
Coconut Milk and Organic Coconut Milk - Organic Coconut Milk switching to BPA free late spring/early summer. Natural Coconut Milk switching to BPA free late summer. Both will also be guar gum free and Kosher.

Should you buy organic coconut milk?
I asked Dr. Bruce Fife of the Coconut Research Center if it matters (organic or not) and here is the answer:

"About 95% of the coconuts are basically organic even if they are not certified. So you can buy the cheaper coconut milk and feel relatively safe.

Bruce"

 Azurestandard.com sells regular coconut milk for about $2/can when you buy a case.
Amazon.com also sells, $25.63/case on standing order, $2.13/can

Cure Heart Disease (IGNORE "Conventional Wisdom")

The cure for heart disease is the opposite of what the government tells us (NOT a low-fat diet that is high in carbohydrate!!!).

The advice we have been given is actually causing heart disease because ALL those carbs we have been told to eat raise our blood sugar which increases the hidden inflammation inside your arteries.

Cholesterol is not the problem. Taking cholesterol-lowering drugs shuts off a God-given pathway that generates CoQ10, needed for cellular energy. Statins damage muscles (your heart is a muscle) and brain too.

IF you are on a statin drug, like lipitor, you must supplement with CoQ10 as the drug you are taking is depleting this vital nutrient. Work with your doctor and get off health-damaging statins.

Need help with a CoQ10 supplement, here's a good one: Ubiquinol


Lower cholesterol naturally: 
Eat a carbohydrate-restricted diet that is high in vegetables, adequate protein from healthy animals, and about 10 grams of fat per meal (from butter, coconut oil, olive oil, macadamia nut oil, red palm oil, nuts, avocado, olives and other natural fat).


Watch this video http://video.foxnews.com/v/1503058626001/


Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4


Read good books and educate yourself 
The Cure for Heart Disease

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease

Reverse Heart Disease Now

The Great Cholesterol Con

How Cholesterol Myths are Kept Alive

The Statin Damage Crisis

Lipitor, Thief of Memory

Magnesium Miracle

Erin Chamerlik
The Real Food Revivalist

Study: Calcium Pills Raise Heart Attack Risk by 86 Percent

Study: Calcium Pills Raise Heart Attack Risk by 86 Percent

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 6:23 PM

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

Read more: Study: Calcium Pills Raise Heart Attack Risk by 86 Percent 

 Newsmax.com

Americans have been told for years to take calcium supplements for healthy bones, but increasing your calcium intake may come at the expense of your heart. 

Shocking new research published in the journal Heart found that calcium supplements might increase the risk of having a heart attack by 86 percent, and experts warn they should be should be "taken with caution." 

In addition, the research found that boosting overall calcium intake from dietary sources confers no significant advantage in terms of staving off heart disease and stroke. 

Previous research has linked higher calcium intake with a lowered risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes, all of which are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. And calcium supplements are routinely recommended to premenopausal women and the elderly to help avoid bone loss and prevent osteoporosis. 

The new research is based on a German study

• involving 24,000 people who were 
• 35 to 64 years old when they joined the study between the years of 1995 and 1998. 
• They filled out food frequency questionnaires assessing their diet for the previous 12 months, and were asked whether or not they took vitamin or mineral supplements.
• The participants were tracked for 12 years, 

during which time 354 heart attacks, 240 strokes, and 267 deaths linked to heart attack or stroke occurred.

The researchers found that people whose diets included about 820 milligrams of calcium daily from all sources, including supplements, had a 31 percent lower risk of having a heart attack than those whose calcium intake was in the bottom 25 percent. 

(The recommended daily allowance  (RDA)  for calcium in the United States is 1,000 mg for ages 19 to 50 and 1,200 mg for those 51 and older.) 

In regard to a daily calcium intake above 820 milligrams, those people whose intake totaled more than 1,100 mg daily did not significantly lower their risk.

When the relationship between calcium intake and stroke was evaluated, overall there was no evidence that any amount of calcium either protected against or increased the risk of stroke. 

But when the researchers looked closely at vitamin and mineral supplements, they discovered that people who took calcium supplements on a regular basis increased their risk of having a heart attack by 86 percent when compared to those who didn't use supplements.

The risk was even higher when the subjects took only calcium supplements: They were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack than those who didn't take supplements. 

The authors concluded: "This study suggests that increasing calcium intake from diet might not confer significant cardiovascular benefits, while calcium supplements, which might raise [heart attack] risk, should be taken with caution." 

Previous research has shown 

• a link between calcium supplements and kidney stones,  
• as well as gut and abdominal symptoms. 

Professors Ian Reid and Mark Bolland from the Faculty of Medical and Health Science at the University of Auckland in New Zealand noted in an editorial that accompanied the study's publication, that the safety of calcium supplements "is now coming under increasing scrutiny." 

Reid and Bolland also noted that the overall protective effect of calcium supplements taken to prevent osteoporosis lowers risk only about 10 percent. 

They explain the fact that dietary calcium is helpful while supplements are not is because dietary calcium is ingested in small amounts throughout the day and is absorbed more slowly than supplements. 

Supplements, they say, cause calcium levels in the blood to soar above the normal range, and it is this flooding effect which might ultimately be harmful.

"Calcium supplements have been widely embraced by doctors and the public, on the grounds that they are a natural and therefore safe way of preventing osteoporotic fractures," they write.

"It is now becoming clear that taking this micronutrient in one or two daily [doses] is not natural, in that it does not reproduce the same metabolic effects as calcium in food," they say. 

Since studies have shown that calcium supplements are neither safe nor effective, taking calcium supplements should be discouraged, they say. 

The German study isn't the first to suggest that calcium supplements raise the risk of heart attacks. Last year, a meta-analysis of 11 studies published in the British Medical Journal found that people who took calcium supplements increased their risk of heart attack by 30 percent. Those researchers also speculated that the surges in blood calcium levels caused by supplements are responsible.

"We should return to seeing calcium as an important component of a balanced diet, and not as a low cost panacea to the universal problem of postmenopausal bone loss," Reid and Bolland wrote.

Read more: Study: Calcium Pills Raise Heart Attack Risk by 86 Percent
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Health Risks Associated with Genetically Modified Food

 Download the pdf from Institute for Responsible Technology:

http://responsibletechnology.org/docs/140.pdf

Bromelain as a Natural Anti-Clotting Nutrient

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Byron Richards, CCN
Bromelain is one of the best nutrients known to help dissolve things in your body that should not be there.  It is little surprise that a review of bromelain animal and human studies show that it can help keep your blood from improperly clotting.

The science shows that bromelain

• inhibits platelets from sticking together while 
• also protecting the walls of arteries.

It has a specific effect on thrombin,

• helping reduce clotting factors associated with clot formation as well as reduce existing clots.  Unlike the rat poison used by the medical profession, it does not interfere with needed clotting and actually speeds healing.  

(Repair Plus is a fantastic product with bromelain. Enhances healthy tissue and structural repair. Improves internal cleansing. Supports healthy immune response.Supports cardiovascular health.)

Many nutrients help your blood flow better and keep platelets in better working condition.
Other notable choices include

• resveratrol, 
• curcumin, 
• DHA, 
• tocotrienol E and 
• pantethine.  

And remember, leptin receptors are on your platelets.  Leptin resistance is a primary reason for sticky blood that can place you at risk for strokes.  It is vital to follow the Leptin Diet regardless of your weight, and lose weight healthfully if you are overweight, in order to properly reduce risks for inappropriate clotting.

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