HealtyDayS

At the height of the Renaissance, Galileo Galilei and his newly discovered telescope viewed the moons of Jupiter for the first time. The priests and religious leaders of the era refused to look through the telescope fearing that they would have to acknowledge this new information and be forced to revise their model of the world.

As we move into the new millennium, the face of health and healing are taking on a whole new look. With it, a new paradigm in the assessment of health is making its way to the forefront, its tool: Medical Intuition. As the name states, Medical Intuition is a science, where the practitioner, using a highly developed sense of intuition, “looks” into the body, evaluating it on energetic levels. According to Medical Intuitives, we, as humans, are more than just a physical body. Instead, we are made up of a vast array of interconnecting energies and energetic fields, with physical diseases appearing as an external manifestation of disturbances to these energetic fields. A Medical Intuitive easily detects these disturbances.

A Medical Intuition evaluation can provide invaluable information as to issues of the physical body, but can also identify mental and emotional factors that act as direct contributors to health issues. They can also identify potential physical conditions before they reach a dysfunctional state. Medical Intuitives do not diagnose disease. Instead of labeling a disorder, a Medical Intuitive can identify the location of inflammation in the body, evaluate the health of a gland or organ or validate a strong emotion that is impacting health. Many times, a Medical Intuitive can identify imbalances within the body long before it fully manifests as disease. It is as if a Medical Intuitive can let you know that you are driving around on bald tires before you find yourself sitting on the side of the road with a flat.

Medical Intuition is a complex blending of both modern science and esoteric religion, both of which provide a vocabulary and conceptual framework from which a medical intuitive works. These concepts help the practitioner explain and clarify what is being seen, felt or experienced on energetic levels. A solid understanding of the form and function of the physical and energetic bodies is also critical to this work. Without this framework, which quantifies what is being experience, the information gathered by the medical intuitive would make no sense to both layman and practitioner alike.

There are three ways a medical intuitive can access information: clairvoyantly, clairasentiently, clairaudiently. Most medical intuitives receive information utilizing all of these intuitive abilities.

Clairvoyance refers to the ability to the ability to “see” pictures in your mind’s eye, in this case the inner workings of the body, an image of a situation or an emotion that is currently being processed. They are able to see our life force energy, or chi’ as it flows through the body and are able to detect where this energy has stagnated or become blocked. Clairsentience refers to the ability to “feel” energy or emotions in the body. Medical intuitive who use this ability will typically scan the body using their hands, seeking out changes in temperature, energy vibrations or fluctuations in the density of the aura or body. Clairaudience refers to the ability to hear information intuitively. These individuals ask spirit, their higher self, God or the universe for specific insights. Health information is presented to them in the form of a few words, a sentence or even an in depth conversation.

As a Naturopath and practicing Medical Intuitive, I have spent over 10 years working with clients on these levels. It never ceases to amaze me the depth and breath that this skill has to offer. Working with a client one day, I intuitively saw red, inflamed and swollen tissue in and around his sinuses and nasal cavity. I asked him if he had a cold or was he suffering from sinus congestion. He told me he wasn’t. A couple of weeks later, I received a call from this same client. He informed me that the day after our session he suffered from one of the worst sinus headaches he had ever experienced in his life, with the pain and congestion taking a full week to finally clear.

I had another client who sat down for an evaluation. As I started to scan her body, I noticed that her spine was twisted and contorted. I asked her if she had scoliosis where her spine, instead of twisting in the traditional S-type pattern, instead twisted on its axis. She confirmed my observation. Another client came for an evaluation with complaints of arthritis like pain and inflammation in her hands and feet. When I evaluated her body, I noticed a dysfunction in her kidneys. I also noticed that her kidneys seemed extremely acidic. Later on my observations were confirmed by her blood work. She wasn’t suffering from arthritis, but gout.

By far, the majority of the clients I see with health concerns share one thing in common - an emotional trigger. Science is now starting to recognize the impact of emotions on health, but the implications go deeper than the effects of stress on blood pressure. A Medical Intuitive can provide in-depth insights into the emotional triggers that give rise
to a condition of disharmony in the energetic system, thus creating a state of disease in the physical body.

Let me give you a few examples. A few years back, I had a client who came to me for an evaluation. When she sat down for her session, I observed an area of dark, stagnant energy sitting over her heart. When I assessed this energy further, I perceived that she had unresolved issues with her mother. After sharing this information with my client, she quickly told me that she had been adopted and never knew her birth mother. I found out later in the session that my client had recently recovered from quadruple bypass surgery.

I also worked with a woman who was diagnosed with Graves Disease, an autoimmune disorder that impacts the thyroid gland. To the casual observer, my client appeared strong, outspoken, open and ready to share her thoughts and opinions with anyone regardless of whom they are. When I appraised her thyroid intuitively, it was easy to see that this extremely strong, communicative woman, was completely shut down when it came to talking with her husband, choosing to stuff all of her thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions. She decided it was better to not say anything when it came to issues in their marriage and “keep the peace”. The result: the manifestation of a disease in the energetic area of communication.

Her husband, in turn, handled the stresses and strains of life and their relationship differently. As a quiet, self-contained man, he is either unable to or unwilling to share his thoughts feelings and emotions choosing in its place to bottle them up. The result: he walks around like a pressure cooker with no release valve. It was no surprise to me when I found out that his blood pressure was running dangerously high.

To attain health, balance must be achieved not only within the physical body, but also with our thoughts and emotions. It is only with an understanding of where our energy has deviated from a state of health, along with the strength and determination to work through these unresolved issues, that true healing will ever be achieved. Only Medical Intuition can provide you with this depth and breath of information.

Disclaimer: Medical intuitive are not medical doctors. This means that they are not allowed, by law, to diagnose, treat, alleviate, mitigate, prevent or care for any disease of any kind, in anyway. If you have a health condition, it is important that you consult your primary care physician

With the ever-increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases like cardio-vascular and nervous system disorders, the time has come for us to address this ourselves, fair and square without external dependence.

Did you know that reprogramming your natural breathing technique would not only help in preventing these problems but also help in the “reversal” of several such harmful conditions? It’s not only possible but proven too. In fact leading cardiac experts are advocating the benefits of “correct” breathing to their patients.

Surprising as it is, almost none of us use the full capacity of our respiratory organs. This is aggravated by our sedentary lifestyles and leads to several complications popularly called lifestyle disorders.

The first question that comes to mind is? “How can I alter my natural breathing process?” Well, astonishing as it may seem, it’s true. By training our body to breathe in a particular fashion, we re-program our involuntary system to adopt this new way of breathing. Without wasting time, I’ll plunge right away into the technique followed by its overwhelming benefits.

First, lie down on your back, relaxed, with hands and legs outstretched and eyes looking up at the roof. Gently close your eyes and relax.

Step 1: Abdominal breathing

Observe your natural breath. You will notice that as you inhale the abdomen rises and then falls with exhalation. Watch this for a few moments to check this flow. Now begin to deepen, lengthen and extend that movement. That is, while inhaling, let the abdomen rise to its limit and at exhalation let it fall completely. Keep the chest still during this entire process? only move the abdomen. Continue this for 20 breaths and then rest.

Step 2: Thoracic (chest) breathing

Again observe your normal breath, this time focusing your attention on the chest. You will notice the chest moving slightly up at inhalation and down with exhalation. Again, observe this pattern for a few moments. Now again, begin to deepen, lengthen and extend that movement. This time, on inhalation expand and lift the rib cage, filling the lungs completely. Then on exhalation, let the lungs collapse fully, sinking to the limits. In this step, keep the abdomen still, moving only the chest. Do this for 20 breath cycles and then stop.

Step 3: Full Yogic breathing

This combines the above 2 steps in the following way: First inhale by filling the abdomen and then CONTINUE inhaling as you expand and fill the chest. Then exhale first from the chest as it empties and falls and then CONTINUE exhaling from the abdomen as it draws inwards completely. This is one round of the full yogic breath. Repeat this for 20 rounds. Remember the pattern? Inhaling - abdomen then chest; Exhaling? chest then abdomen.

Golden Rule: All of the above steps should be done WITHOUT strain. The natural tendency is to heave with effort. The right way is to make it smooth and effortless. Go slow and easy.

Initially you will experience unevenness or bumps in this breathing process ? as if there are 4 separate parts to the full yogic breath. This is natural considering the years we have spent breathing improperly.

Instead, try to picture this breath as a continuous wave like pattern ? as if the breath moves up from the navel to the throat with every inhalation and then, down from the throat to the navel with each exhalation. It may take a few weeks of practice to perfect a “smooth flowing pattern with minimum effort and with maximum capacity.” This is the desired effect. Over time, the yoga way of breathing will come naturally to you.

And now for the all-important benefits?

The full yogic breath is the basic building block of the powerful yoga breathing techniques, also called ‘Pranayama’ in Sanskrit, which are known for their several benefits.

But the tangible benefits of the full yogic breath are that it:

• Releases acute and chronic muscular tensions around the heart and digestive organs.

• Helps sufferers of respiratory illnesses such as asthma and emphysema to overcome the fear of shortness of breath. It actually increases lung capacity and encourages proper nervous stimulus to the cardio-vascular system.

• Dramatically reduces emotional and nervous anxiety.

• Improves detoxification through increased exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen.

• Amplifies the auto immune system by increased distribution of energy to the endocrine system.

• Calms the mind and integrates the mental and physical balance.

And the real icing is that it contributes to both vitality and relaxation through this single practice.

Daily meditation is the single greatest and easiest practice you can do to relax, restore your energy and love yourself. To reconnect to your spirit and experience who you truly are, this is the first step, but it will only take you so far.

Many successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra swear by it. Why? Because there is wisdom, peace and joy in being present with stillness. In today’s world it is almost a radical act to be still, breathe and simply be with yourself without any distractions.

There are many ways to meditate, but here is a simple way to start if you are new to meditation:

• Sit in a quiet space either on a cushion on the floor or in a chair.

• Hold your spine straight, your chin down and imagine a string pulling the top center of your head up to the ceiling.

• Then simply focus on your out breath - your breath is your life source; in one sense it’s God’s breath breathing you.

• Your shoulders and your jaw are relaxed.

• Your eyes may be open or closed. If they are open, hold an open gaze that is not focused on a particular object.

As your mind races notice the thought and allow it to pass like a cloud. There is othing to do. Just simply be. That’s all you do, but the benefits to your physical and mental health will be tremendous. Unfortunately, those of us who have meditated for over 20 years will tell you, there is a limitation to how far this will take you spiritually.

After 2 or 3 years of meditating there is nowhere to go besides cycling around. Meditation alone leads to calming the mind and blissing out, but not to the spiritual liberation of enlightenment and ascention.

For this you need more advanced techniques in visualization and breathing that focus on your brain and your chakras. These techniques will allow you be awake and aware at any time. To live in a state of grace where your being experiences love, joy and a sense of equanimity at all times.

Chalanda Sai Ma is having one of her master teachers train interested beings in brain illumination techniques which can move you beyond meditation and towards enlightenment.

Here is a description of this from www.humanityinunity.org : “Brain illumination is a simple and very powerful set of techniques used to bring light into the brain in order to create an expanding state of awakened consciousness and enlightenment into our subtle body structures.

Cyclic breathing builds and harnesses prana, and is coupled with universal energy directed by our minds through visualization. These powerful energies are directed into the limbic system of our brain. The limbic system is the portion of our neuro-anatomy that is the seat of consciousness.

By becoming charged with prana and Light (the Supramental Light of God), the limbic system becomes electromagnetically and electrochemically stimulated, awakening the consciousness and expanding awareness into higher states of realization.” For more details on how to do this simple yet highly http://humanityinunity.org effective practice visit: umination/index.cfm

Meditation is the first fundamental step of living an inspired life. How can you live your passion before you prctice connecting to your source on a consistent basis? You can’t. Get to know your inner self and then you’ll begin to experience the expansion of grace in your outer world.

It has been written that when a human body dies it loses 21 grams of weight. This is thought to be the weight of your soul which is your life force. Imagine living 80 to 100 years in this incarnation and never using any of that time to deepen the most primary relationship in your life - your relationship with your spirit.

Lets face it, you came to this life alone and you’ll be leaving alone - the rest is a gift. So why not meditate and deepen your relationship with the spirit you’ll be taking with you when you leave? Your spirit deserves nothing less

Is magnet therapy regarded yet as a mainstream therapy? I consider it is not and through this series of articles I hope to raise awareness by examining a number of issues that have stood in the way of mass acceptance.

There is a useful parallel to be drawn between magnetic therapy and acupuncture. Acupuncture today is an accepted alternative therapy but 20 or 30 years ago it was regarded with deep suspicion. So what has happened to make it so popular now that many conventional health clinics have a professional acupuncturist on hand to provide the therapy? Well, the passage of time has allowed communication of the obvious benefits actual patients have enjoyed by having a wide variety of symptoms relieved. If one reads the information available at http://acupuncture.com/ the science behind acupuncture is still largely theoretical and involves “the common ground shared among meridian system, chakra system and modern sciences” Basically, acupuncture is a successful discipline that encourages the body to heal itself.

(It is worth noting here that the general description of what acupuncture does, includes words such as “electromagnetic fields” and “polarity”. Terms which also are used in any consideration of magnetic therapy.)

So, acupuncture has become accepted mainly because of anecdotal results and any number of successful blind trials. Virtually the same situation that magnetic therapy finds itself in today!

The `sceptics’ and `doubters’ will tell you there is no basis on which magnet therapy can work; but they said the same words with regard to acupuncture all those years ago.
They will tell you there is no clinical proof that magnetic therapy does anything. This too is untrue, but like anything it depends on how tests are carried out and what is being measured.

It is also good to keep in mind; these are both `alternative therapies’. Alternative, to what? To the medical and veterinary establishment who maintain they have the monopoly on curing all biological bodies with drugs and surgery and radiation. (I acknowledge there are dedicated individual health professionals and vets, who do have wellness as their main priority for us and our animals.) There have been many occasions down the ages when new innovations and discoveries have been discredited by those with a vested interest in their failure.

Further fuel for the sceptics and doubters rhetoric is that there are many companies and individuals `out there’ who, looking to jump on a band wagon, will sell you a product that may be totally inappropriate for your needs. `Dealers’ who sell magnetic therapy items have, in my experience little or no knowledge of how the therapy works or able to provide help and advice as to the correct application. It is these people who generally cannot be bothered to find out, will tell you, “it is not known why magnets work only that they do”. This is untrue and in my next article I will examine why and how magnets effect the functioning of the biological body

Have you ever read or have been told that “it is not known why magnets work”? Well, this is untrue. All human and animal bodies are electromagnetic in nature and this fact is closely allied to the chemical balance of the body which can be in either a healthy or an unhealthy state.

It is now known scientifically that a healthy body contains fluids that are slightly alkaline and that an unhealthy body is acidic. A poor diet can make the body acidic and in this state all sorts of dis-eases will thrive. (Dr John Millward MD, “Your Life in the Balance”, available on our website.)

It is also known that at damaged sites in the body, exists a positive electrical charge which affects both the chemical balance the electrical balance in the area resulting in pain. In order to effect healing, the body’s own systems send a negative electrical charge to the area. (Dr Robert Becker, “The Body Electric”)

This healing action of the body is easily restricted by poor diet, lifestyle, alcohol, drugs etc. There is also a lot of evidence of something called “Magnetic Deficiency Syndrome” being a major contributor to restricting the body’s ability to respond to illness. I will be looking in depth at this syndrome in a later article.

• It is now firmly established that a negative magnetic field, provided by a geomagnetic north pole magnetic field (the same as the Earth’s North Pole), is the most natural way of providing much needed support for the body’s own immune system.

Dr W Philpott MD, a practitioner of magnet therapy for over 40 years explains that negative magnetic fields oxygenate and alkalise by aiding the body’s defences and helping to relieve pain. Further, they combat inflammation and infection and enhance deep restorative sleep.

This latter point is extremely important. In order to combat maladies that result from the stress of our current lifestyles, the correct amount of good quality sleep is essential. Combine this with the possibility of at least reducing the amount of powerful drugs taken and what results is a completely natural complementary therapy.

It is probably wise at this stage just to say that anyone reading this article that is undergoing a course of treatment with a health professional should not stop the treatment but consider using magnetic therapy in support. Also, magnetic therapy should not be used if any electronic implants are present in the body.

Given the correct choice and placement of magnetic device, this is probably the most effective alternative therapy available. Typical successful application results in 80 to 90% of cases, higher with some forms of dis-ease. Magnet therapy can be applied by you whenever and wherever needed. Modern materials technology has produced small powerful inexpensive magnets which can be used anywhere on the body and can be moved about to find the best positions. Sleeping on magnets provides a most efficacious application.

In the next article in this series, I will be looking at the subject of magnets, their strength measurement and a complete explanation of polarity

Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors knew how to use an enormous variety of plants for health and well-being. Our neighbors around the world continue to use local plants for healing and health maintenance, and you can too.

In your first lesson, you learned how to “listen” to the messages of plant’s tastes.  And you discovered that using plants in water bases (as teas, infusions, vinegars, and soups) - and as simples - allows you to experiment with and explore herbal medicine safely.

In your second lesson, you learned about herbs for teas and how to preserve and use their volatile oils. You leaned about vitamin- and mineral-rich herbal infusions, and how to use them to promote health and longevity. And you continued to think about using herbs simply.

In this continuation of lesson three you will explore the differences between nourishing, tonifying, stimulating/sedating, and potentially-poisonous plants. You will learn how to prepare and use them for greatest effect and most safety.

² Stimulating/sedating herbs frequently contain essential oils, alkaloids, glycosides, or resins. Because these substances cause strong physical reactions, stimulating/sedating herbs are known from their rapid and pronounced effects, some of which may be unwanted.

Stimulating/sedating herbs are most often prepared as tinctures (and wines), vinegars, teas, and infusions. Many stimulating/sedating herbs are used as seasonings in cooking as well. Despite my cookbook’s injunction to use only a little, I long ago learned that more aromatic herbs in my soups gave a “livelier” result.

Because long-term use of stimulating/sedating herbs can lead to dependency, dose and duration of use must be carefully watched. A moderate to large dose, taken infrequently will   produce better results than a small dose taken over a longer period.

Side effects from the use of stimulating/sedating herbs in water bases are not common but possible. Side effects from use in alcohol bases are frequent. Whenever stimulating/sedating herbs are used regularly, health is compromised.

It is not safe to take prescription drugs with stimulating/sedating herbs, but they may be taken even if you are using nourishing and/or tonifying herbs.

Some examples of stimulating/sedating herbs include:

· leaves of aromatic mints such as catnip, lemon balm, lavender, sage, skullcap
· cinnamon bark
· coffee beans
· ginger root
· kava kava root
· licorice root
· passion flower
· tobacco leaves
· uva ursi leaves
· valerian root
· willow bark and leaves

² Potentially  poisonous herbs always contain alkaloids, glycosides, resins, or essential oils. And they contain large quantities of those poisons, or in very potent forms.

Potentially poisonous plants can cause death directly, through the actions of their poisons on their targets (such as cardiac glycosides which stop the heart) or indirectly, by causing the liver and/or the kidneys to fail (as they attempt to cope with and clear the poison from the system).

Potentially poisonous herbs are usually extracted into alcohol (tinctures) and used in minute doses (1-3 drops). For safety sake use potentially poisonous herbs as infrequently as possible and for the shortest possible time.

Powdering and encapsulating increases the risk of side effects from any herb, but when we take stimulating/sedating and potentially poisonous herbs in capsules, the side effects can be deadly.

Homeopathic pharmacy uses many potentially poisonous plants, but in such dilute doses that death is impossible. Side effects can occur, even with homeopathically tiny doses, however.

Potentially poisonous herbs activate intense effort on the part of the body and spirit and may cause nausea, visual disturbances, digestive woes, and allergic reactions even when used correctly.

Always be extremely cautious when using potentially poisonous herbs. Consult with at least three other knowledgeable herbalists who have used the plant in question before proceeding.

In general it is not considered safe to take potentially poisonous herbs while taking prescription drugs, other potentially poisonous herbs, or stimulating/sedating herbs. It is generally safe to use potentially poisonous herbs while using nourishing and tonifying herbs.

Some examples of potentially poisonous herbs:

· belladonna
· castor beans
· cayenne
· cotton root
· goldenseal
· liferoot/groundsel
· nutmeg
· poke root
· rue leaves and flowers
· tansy leaves and flowers
· wormwood

EXPERIMENT NUMBER ONE

Spend some time alone quietly breathing. Tune into your body piece by piece (toes, feet, calves, knees, thighs, and so on). Use colors to draw yourself. Don’t worry about making art.

For the next month include some nourishing herb in your diet. Example: on Monday include seaweed as a vegetable for dinner, on Tuesday drink a quart of nettle infusion, on Wednesday make a soup with burdock and other roots, on Thursday drink a quart of red clover infusion, on Friday make garlic bread with at least one clove of freshly chopped garlic per slice, on Saturday drink a quart of oatstraw infusion, on Sunday drink a quart of comfrey/mint infusion.

One month later, sit alone and breathe quietly. Tune into your body piece by piece. Use colors to draw yourself. Has anything changed? You can continue this experiment for as long as you like.

EXPERIMENT NUMBER TWO

Repeat experiment number one, but instead use any one tonic (preferably one that lives where you do) at least four times a week for one month. Again, note any changes in how you feel, how much energy and stamina you have, how much curiosity and delight you experience in life. You can continue this experiment for as long as you like also.

EXPERIMENT NUMBER THREE

What stimulants and sedatives do you use regularly? What happens if you give up one or more of them for a week? For a month? Try, on different days, at least one herbal stimulant and one herbal sedative and keep notes of your reactions.

EXPERIMENT NUMBER FOUR

Choose one potentially poisonous plant that grows near you and cultivate a relationship with it. Read about it. Talk about it with others who have a relationship with it. Keep a special book for writing about your poisonous ally.

FURTHER STUDY

1. Name five more nourishing herbs. Specify part used, preparation, and dosage.
2. Name five more tonifying herbs. Specify part used, preparation, and dosage.
3. Name five more stimulating/sedating herbs. Specify part used, preparation, and dosage.
4. Name five more potentially poisonous herbs. Specify part used, preparation, and dosage. In what case and how would you use each?
5. What is the difference between a tonic and a stimulant?

ADVANCED WORK

• Give the botanical name (genus and species) for each plant listed.
• List five nourishing herbs commonly sold in tincture form and describe what they are used for in that form.
• Learn more about homeopathy.

Herbal Remedies

Summertime means insect bites and stings. Take a leaf from Susun S. Weed’s storehouse of natural remedies: Soothe, heal, and prevent bites with safe herbal remedies that grow right where you live, north or south, east or west, city or country.

The best natural remedies for insect bites are right underfoot.

Plantain, also called ribwort, pig’s ear, and the band-aid plant, is a common weed of lawns, driveways, parks, and playgrounds. Identify it by the five parallel veins running the length of each leaf. (Most leaves have a central vein with smaller ones branching out from it.) You may find broad leaf plantain (Plantago majus), with wide leaves and a tall seed head, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), with long thin leaves and a small flower head that looks like a flying saucer. Many Plantago species have seeds and leaves that can be used as food or medicine. A South American variety (Plantago psyllium) is used to make Metamucil.(TM)

How to use plantain? Make a fresh leaf poultice. Pick a leaf, chew it well and put it on the bite. “Like magic” the pain, heat, and swelling, even allergic reactions, disappear, fast. (Yes, you can dry plantain leaves and carry them in your first aid kit. Chew like you would fresh leaves.)

Poultices ease pain, reduce swelling, and help heal. No wonder they’re the number one natural choice for treating insect bites, bee and wasp stings.

Mud is the oldest and simplest poultice. Powdered white clay, which should be mixed with a little water or herb tea, can be applied directly to the sting as soon as possible. Clay can be kept on hand at all times and is less likely to contain fungal spores than the real thing. Finely ground grains such as rice or oatmeal, or bland starchy substances like mallow root, grated potato, or arrowroot powder also used as soothing poultices to ease itching and pain from insect bites.

Fresh-herb poultices are a little more complicated, but not by much. Just find a healing leaf, pluck it, chew it, and apply it directly to the sting/bite. If you wish, use a large leaf or an adhesive bandage to hold the poultice in place. Plantain, comfrey (Symphytum uplandica x), yellow dock (Rumex species), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), wild mallow (Malva neglecta), chickweed (Stellaria media),and yarrow are only a few of the possiblities.

In the woods, you can take a leaf from a tree, chew it and apply that to the bite. Any tree will do in an emergency, but if you have a choice, the best leaves are those from witch hazel, willow, oak, or maple. Play it safe: Learn to recognize witch hazel (Hamamelis virginia) and willow (Salix species) leaves before you chew on them. Maple (Acer) or oak (Quercus) leaves are easier to recognize and safer to chew — unless you live where poison oak grows. If uncertain, avoid all shrubs and any trees with slick or shiny leaves. If the leaf you are chewing tastes extremely bitter or burns your mouth, spit it out at once.

To repel ticks, mosquitoes, and black flies, try a diluted tincture of yarrow (Alchellia millefolium) flowers directly on all exposed skin. A recent US Army study showed yarrow tincture to be more effective than DEET as an insect repellent.

If you’ve spent the day in an area where lyme disease is common, take a shower right away and scrub yourself with a bodybrush. Have a friend check you out for ticks. Also, it takes the tick some time to make up its mind where to bite, so most are unattached and will wash off.

“If the worst happens and I do get a bite, I help my immune system by taking a daily dose of 2-6 dropperfuls of Echinacea tincture. I avoid Goldenseal as I believe it could have adverse effects. If I have symptoms, I use a dropperful of St. Joan’s wort (Hypericum) tincture three times a day to help inactivate the lyme’s organism.”

It seems as if the health of America is failing. One million Americans will die of circulatory disease this year. Six hundred thousand lives will be cut short by cancer as well. How did we get in such a mess? I’m not sure. But there is a way out that is starting to generate a real buzz! Since CNN and the gang won’t talk about it I decided to write is article.

Dear readers, I want to introduce you to the most nutrient dense food on the earth, wolfberries, or more specifically Lycium Barbarum.

The western scientific community have verified what Chinese and Tibetan health practitioners have known for thousands of years. Wolfberries are the healthiest known food on our planet.

In this report I will be talking specifically about wolfberries. In my research on the subject I found that not all wolfberries are created equal. The three most potent berries in the wolfberry family are Tibetan Goji berries, Chinese Xinjiang wolfberries and Chinese Ningxia wolfberries which all belong to the Lycium genus.

Wolfberries, a national treasure in China, have been used in traditional Chinese folk medicine for over 5,000 years. Ancient Chinese medical texts celebrated wolfberries for their wide range of health benefits including strengthening the “chi” or life force of the body. The people who consumed this fruit apparently lived free of common diseases like arthritis, cancer and diabetes. Moreover, their life expectancy has reached over 100 years.

In 1988, the Beijing Nutrition Research Institute conducted detailed chemical analysis and nutritional composition studies of the dried wolfberry fruit. Hold on to your socks, this is what they discovered. In addition to being packed with vitamins B1 and B6 (which is needed by the body to convert food into energy), and vitamin E (which has never been found in fruit before), wolfberries contain more protein then whole wheat, 18 amino acids (8 of them essential for life), 21 trace minerals (including significant amounts of zinc, iron, copper, calcium, selenium, phosphorus and germanium; a very rare anti-cancer agent almost never found in food), more beta carotene than carrots, 500 times more vitamin C by weight than oranges, essential fatty acids (required for the production of hormones and smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system) and is the richest source of carotenoids (natural fat-soluble pigments that play a critical role in vitamin A activity in humans) of any food on the planet. That’s not all.

Here is a short list of other health promoting compounds found in Lycium Barbarum:

Beta Sitosterol: An anti-inflammatory agent found to lower cholesterol, and used to treat sexual impotence and prostrate enlargement.

Zeaxanthin and Lutine: Valued for their role in protecting the eyes. Betaine: Used by the liver to produce Choline which assists detoxification reactions in the liver.

Betaine is known to protect DNA, enhance memory, promote muscle growth and protects us from fatty liver disease.

Cyperone: A sesquiterpene used in treatment of cervical cancer. It is also known to benefit heart and blood pressure problems as well as menstruation problems.

Solavetivone: A powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent.

Physalin: A natural compound that boosts the immune system. Found to be effective in treating leukaemia, hepatitis B and cancer.

A laboratory procedure was recently developed to measure the amount of antioxidants the foods we eat contain. The procedure known as ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) was developed by Dr. Guohua Cao at USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, USA. ORAC is one of the most sensitive and reliable methods for measuring the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radicals. It is the only test to combine both time and degree of inhibition of free radicals.

According to Tufts University, the average person needs approximately 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day to have a significant impact on plasma and tissue antioxidant capacity. Three servings of fruits and vegetables per day provide approximately 1200 ORAC units. This means the average person is short by up to 3800 ORAC units each day, depending on the fruits and vegetables they are choosing and their body’s requirements. To make up the difference, experts recommend supplementing our diet with high ORAC foods to become and stay healthy and slow down the aging process caused by free radical damage.

Lycium Barbarum was rated the food with the highest antioxidant ability coming in at an amazing 3,472 ORAC units per fluid oz. Some of the other notable mentions are vitamin E oil at 3,309, pomegranates at 3,037, blueberries 2,400, raspberries 1,220.

Furthermore, wolfberries have been found to have extremely high levels of immune-stimulating polysaccharides. What are polysaccharides? Polysaccharides are very large, long-chain sugar molecules that are nourishment for macrophages (large white blood cells) in the gut wall. The macrophages are then transported to other immune cells, setting off a chain of defensive events in our bodies.

Several years ago German researchers isolated polysaccharides from Echinacea purpurea (often used in medicinal formulations) and mixed them with macrophages in test tubes. They found that the polysaccharides profoundly activated the macrophages, stimulating them to effectively kill tumour cells. Also it was found macrophages increased their production of interleukin, a chemical which spurs the immune system to greater activity, and the polysaccharides also enhanced the activity of B lymphocytes, immune-system cells which fight bacterial infections.

Below are the results of a 2002 study on the effects of a Ningxia wolfberry product on phagocytes. First, why should we care about phagocytes? Phagocytes are a crucial component of the immune system and are found in the spleen. They digest foreign substances that invade the body including bacteria and other disease causing organisms. Having large numbers of phagocytes in the spleen will enable the body to more quickly eliminate foreign substances and thus prevent the development of potential illness.

The effects were astounding. Spleenic phagocyte cell counts (immune cells) increased by 81% and the ORAC (antioxidant capacity) the subjects’ whole blood increased as well. Essentially, you could say the subjects’ blood became younger.

I believe this little fruit can change the health of the world. Tell your friends about it. If more people knew about wolfberries maybe CNN would stand up and take notice too.

Thank you for spending the time to read my article. My hope is that you have learned something useful and will put that knowledge to use for your own sake and the ones you love.

Asthma Treatment

During the Democratic Convention the Reverend Al Sharpton quoted a shocking statistic: One third of the children in Harlem suffer from asthma. This shouldn’t be completely surprising since asthma cases have been consistently increasing over the years, especially in the cities, escalating recently during the rollback of some key environmental laws, but it is a trend we must turn back.

While parents have only limited control over the environment where they raise their children, there is a personal environmental decision they can make that may dramatically reduce the symptoms their children experience. It all comes down to detergent, and not just any detergent. It is the detergent that they use to wash their children’s clothes and sheets. The biggest selling detergents in the United States contain large amounts of irritating phosphates, which are not only a major irritant to the skin and respiratory system, but a source of serious pollution, and a component in global warming.

If you are wondering if your laundry detergent contains phosphates just read the label, it is listed there. In most industrialized countries phosphate detergents are outlawed for good reason, but in the United States the chemical industry has a strong lobby and cheap phosphates help manufacturers keep their costs low, so their use continues. The next time you walk though the laundry detergent section of your supermarket, take a deep breath and notice how much the smell irritates your nose and lungs. What kinds of detergent contain low, or no phosphates? Baby detergent! No mother would dream of washing their newborn’s clothes and sheets in the family’s powdered detergent! That would give their baby’s delicate skin rashes, not to mention an increase in crying and crankiness. There are many readily available natural detergents that are phosphate-free and it’s worth the time to find them.

We have noticed tremendous improvements for both children and adults when their clothes and sheets are consistently washed in a phosphate-free detergent. By itself this change may not alleviate all of the symptoms of asthma and those related skin rashes, but it clearly removes an insidious irritant from the equation.

It might be helpful to explain why this simple change is so effective. Testing in Europe shows that, while sleeping, people are between two thousand and ten thousand times more sensitive to chemical and electromagnetic pollution than while they are awake. When a child’s pajamas are washed with a chemical irritant and they sleep on bedclothes containing those same toxins, their immune system is challenged nightly, during a time when they are most vulnerable. Their body’s nutritional reserves are consumed in that battle and they are less able to defend themselves from the pollutants they encounter during their day. Asthma and allergies are not produced by a single irritant, but by an accumulation of minor irritants that eventually overwhelm the body’s ability to adapt. It is not a huge leap to imagine that removing a respiratory irritant from the sleeping environment, where a person spends one third of their time, is going to produce an improvement in a child’s ability to breathe.

Many of us live our lives shuttling back and forth between our rational and emotional personalities. Our rational self tells us we need to lose weight and exercise more, while our emotional self has us eating potato chips and watching reruns on TV.

We can understand a great deal about the push and pull of our emotions and our intellect by learning some basic facts about evolution. Science tells us that due to millions of years of evolution, each human being is now the proud owner of an intelligence made up of four brains.

1. The somatic brain (Also known as the enteric nervous system, and located mainly in the gut.)
This brain existed in very early organisms hundreds of millions of years ago. This brain plays a major role in digestion, and in the production and output of the various hormones that are crucial to our emotional and physical well being.

2. The reptilian brain
This brain orchestrates breathing, heartbeat, swallowing, visual tracking, and the startle response. Although reptiles are said to not be able to experience pain or emotion, all of these body functions do significantly affect the emotions of human beings. Shallow breathing, darting eyes, and an increase in heart rate will very definitely lead to a feeling of fear or anxiety.

3. The mammalian or limbic brain
The appearance of this brain led to animals having emotions, and suckling and rearing of young by their mothers. The limbic brain melds the circuitry of the enteric nervous system and the reptilian brain into our sense of emotion. Emotions were felt and acted upon long before the ability of animals to think or reason.

4. The neo-cortex
Last but not least, in its most highly developed form the neo-cortex is the singular gift of humans. The neo-cortex gives us the ability to reason, deal in abstractions, communicate verbally, and be goal oriented. The neo-cortex has very little if any true understanding of emotions.

Even though we now have the intelligence of four brains to draw on, we still often find ourselves unable to successfully cope with life’s challenges. To live a balanced satisfying life, each of us needs to learn how to better embrace, appreciate, and synthesize the emotional wisdom emanating from our enteric nervous system and our reptilian and limbic brains, with the intellectual wisdom of our neo-cortex. By better attending to our emotions, we help the neo-cortex to be less of an autocratic leader, and more of a team player. We need to find ways to artfully orchestrate the desires of our emotional self with the dictates of our intellect. When we are emotionally healthy we tend to be physically healthy as well. Only once we have our emotional and physical well-being in balance, are we best able to use our rational mind to help us achieve our worldly goals. Without attending to our heart’s desires, we find little solace in our achievements, possessions, and relationships. It is only when our rational self works in accordance with our emotional self that we achieve true satisfaction in life.

We can begin to better understand our somatic-limbic self and our emotions, by engaging in various artistic endeavors, meditation, breathing practices, and mindfulness practices. It is important for us to remember that our somatic-limbic intelligence was developed long before our neo-cortex and our ability to rationalize and use verbal language. Emotion does not begin as a thought. Our non-verbal emotional wisdom often gets denigrated in the world today, and this leads to various forms of discontent, stress, violence, and lack of respect for humanity. We will all do well to spend time on a regular basis, communicating with and deeply appreciating our limbic-somatic wisdom