I saw Dr. Mercola say that chlorella helps remove the mercury leaking from everyone’s metal teeth fillings every time they chew. It seems counter-intuitive and expensive to take two of the algaes.  He said to replace the fillings with ceramic ones as they age and have to be replaced

The astounding chlorophyll content of chlorella and spirulina-

http://www.chlorellafactor.com/chlorella-spirulina-10.html

Chlorella and spirulina for proper pH balance-

http://www.chlorellafactor.com/chlorella-spirulina-18.html

The whole free ebook – http://www.chlorellafactor.com/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/16/antioxidant-resveratrol-on-cancer.aspx

“According to Dr. William LaValley, one of the leading medicine cancer physicians I personally know, typical anticancer doses are up to three grams of good bioavailable curcumin extract, three to four times daily. One work-around is to use the curcumin powder and make a microemulsion of it by combining a tablespoon of the powder and mixing it into 1-2 egg yolks and a teaspoon or two of melted coconut oil. Then use a high speed hand blender to emulsify the powder.

Another strategy that can help increase absorption is to put one tablespoon of the curcumin powder into a quart of boiling water. It must be boiling when you add the powder as it will not work as well if you put it in room temperature water and heat the water and curcumin. After boiling it for ten minutes you will have created a 12 percent solution that you can drink once it has cooled down. It will have a woody taste. The curcumin will gradually fall out of solution however. In about six hours it will be a 6 percent solution, so it’s best to drink the water within four hours. Dr. LaValley is also helping us beta test new curcumin preparations that will radically simplify this process.”

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/could-you-have-a-sulfur-deficiency.html

Could You Have a Sulfur Deficiency?
6 pages worth reading – re: sun exposure and Vitamin D3, cholestrol and heart problems

Dr. Mercola
January 3, 2012

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/could-you-have-a-sulfur-deficiency.html#ixzz1ib5b33pY

http://www.gabrielcousens.com/SACREDSPACE/SPARKTHESOUL/GABRIELSBLOG/LETTERTODOCTORMERCOLA/tabid/525/language/en-US/Default.aspx

GABRIEL’S OPEN LETTER TO DR. MERCOLA

Dear Dr. Mercola,

Thank you for your excellent, thoughtful, and sensitive discussion on vegetarianism and the China study. I have been researching and exploring the benefits of a plant-source-only diet for over 38 years (since 1973). Given the length of my practice and the scope of my experience, I have come to some working conclusions on the interrelated topics of diet, health, and longevity. I am writing this for the people who have become confused by your subtle, but clear avocation for a meat-centered diet over a plant-source-only diet, as they are tentatively inspired to shift from one paradigm of health and consciousness to a new level. Although I appreciate most of your points, my main objection is that your implication that people with higher metabolic protein requirements need to eat meat. Based on my extensive, successful, clinical experience over the course of 38 years of helping people do exactly that, with a 99.99% success rate, your position is misleading and untrue.

I did not start my life as a vegetarian and had no bias toward it. I was born and raised in Chicago, and didn’t even meet a vegetarian until I was 28 years old. Born in the early 40’s, and raised with a meat-centered diet, I was a steak-eating, honorable mention, all-state football player, who had no awareness of the dangers of meat consumption. I was heavily biased toward this way of eating. I recall, after participating in a winning high school football game against Evanston, eating thirteen MacDonald’s hamburgers in celebration, when our football team stopped for lunch after the game. The idea of vegetarianism (much less veganism) was completely foreign to me. My father and both grandfathers ate a typical American high-meat diet, and each died at the age of 57. Only my uncle, who became a vegetarian after his first heart by-pass, lived to see his 84th birthday. On my mother’s side, all the men were heavy meat-eaters, and all died of heart attacks in their 40’s. There was never a connection made between diet, heart disease, and mortality by anyone but myself and my uncle.

On a humorous note, I didn’t become a vegetarian until my pregnant wife and I shared a strange dream, in which we both saw our unborn child gestating as a chicken. We were both so disturbed by this dream, that we became lacto-vegetarians overnight.

Several years later, in 1975, while in deep meditation, I was instructed by an inner voice to learn to eat and live in a way that supports the unfolding of spiritual energy. At this point I began exploring the best diet for spirituality. That exploration led me to plant-source-only nutrition and live-foods. My clinical research with thousands of people revealed this to be the most powerful diet on the planet for supporting spiritual life. Although one cannot eat their way to God, this seemed to be the most supportive diet for the spiritual path and life. In a holistic context, diet is not separate from supporting one’s ultimate life purpose as expressed in all spiritual paths and religions; namely, to know God. A key understanding, however, is that only a minority of people actually experience this as their life purpose, and so most are not naturally drawn to this way of life and diet. Some feel that the choice of diet has nothing to do with morals or spirituality. Many vegans are vegans for ethical reasons and are not necessarily interested in spirituality. They are content with a cooked vegan cuisine and have no interest in live-food. Those who are not drawn to plant-source, organic, live-foods for moral, ethical, or spiritual reasons often do not have any interest in such a diet, so I have tried to be sensitive to this issue and am aware that the general population and media is only too happy to find any reason to discount a vegan diet.

Being a holistic physician and a scientist, with papers already published in Biochemical & Biophysics Journal, I, like you, soon discovered that the traditional vegan dietary recommendations were only helpful for a select portion of my clientele. I began discovering in the 70’s, some of the very problems you have recently written about. So in 1975 I began to apply certain nutritional principles in an attempt to move beyond popular vegan mythology and hardcore “religious teachings”, to discover how one can succeed using plant-source-only, live-foods. I began utilizing the Ayurvedic, tri-doshic constitutional analysis and metabolic typing, which I learned, personally, from William Wolcott and Dr. Krystal. The Ayurvedic approach also emphasizes eating with the seasons, and eating with the seasons of life (i.e. eating for age). Using these two systems to address these considerations has provided my clients and myself with a highly effective means for successfully following a plant-source-only, live-food diet, no matter what their metabolic type or Ayurvedic constitution was. I have also seen additional potentially unhealthy patterns with vegan diets that your statements do not address. These vital considerations include the B12 issue; the cholesterol issue; the carnosine issue; the long-chain omega 3 fatty acid issue; as well as one’s overall caloric intake. I will address these as follows.

As discussed above, my clinical experience since 1975 has shown that when there is a properly applied plant-source diet, 99.99% of the people are successful in attaining optimum health. I have only ever had one person, in over 40 years of practice, who was unsuccessful on a properly informed, organized, plant-based diet. This person was born and lived near the Arctic Circle. Similar to your findings, I have discovered that only about 30-40% of people do well on a high-complex carbohydrate diet. About 50-60% of my clients do well on a higher protein/higher fat diet. I discuss the different constitutional approaches to this in my book Conscious Eating (published in 1990).

B12 is also an important issue for both plant-source and meat eaters. Research suggests that both vegans and meat eaters run deficient in B12. (80% of vegans run deficient after 6 years, and 40% of meat-eaters test deficient for the minimum B12 levels.) At the higher levels, needed for optimum function, the rate of B12 deficiency among meat-eaters and vegans is similar and is above 80%. My clinical experience is that almost everyone I have seen, including meat-eaters, needs a B12 supplement. We offer a live, vegan B12 at the Tree of Life webstore, because I do not recommend long-term use of synthetic B12.

I have also noticed a tendency in vegans for low cholesterol, which is below 140 (an unhealthy range). I typically address this by having clients add therapeutic doses of coconut oil to their diets, which raises cholesterol to healthy levels.

Long chain omega 3’s are also a critical deficiency for the general population. Studies have shown that 90% of pregnant women in the US are deficient in DHA (a critical long-chain omega 3 fatty acid for pregnant women, as it is necessary for brain and vision development in the infant). I routinely give DHA/EPA to all clients, because both meat-eaters and vegans seem to be deficient. As a psychiatrist, as well as a holistic physician, I find that post-partum depression rapidly dissolves when the mother is given ample amounts of DHA. All of this, of course, is directly available from the same place the fish get it; yellow algae. (We sell a vegan yellow algae source of DHA and EPA at the Tree of Life webstore.) DHA and EPA can also be gotten in reasonable amounts from purslane and Klamath Lake blue-green algae.

Another consideration, when looking at longevity and diet, is the issue of caloric intake. Research has shown that a caloric intake of 1600 (no matter the food in question) leads to longer life, as opposed to the common 3800 calories the average American consumes. Cooking food destroys 50% of the protein, 60-70% of the vitamins and minerals, and 95% or more of the phytonutients. So one can eat 50% of the calories, if one is eating live-foods and achieve non-stressful “caloric restriction”.

These considerations make some play in longevity studies and overall quality of health. In looking at the full spectrum of longevity studies over the years, one can make a few statements. As pointed out in research by the “non-plant-source magazine”, Life Extension, people consuming a plant-source diet generally live longer. The question Life Extension asks is why don’t they live significantly longer? This may be because of the points I have already mentioned, and particularly the issue of carnosine deficiency. Carnosine is needed to prevent glycosylation and free radical production, which are primary aging mechanisms. To get adequate carnosine a meat-eater would have to eat three steaks per day. Most on a flesh-centered diet, as well as all vegetarians, will tend to run deficient in carnosine. At the Tree of Life we have a vegan carnosine that requires only 1/8 teaspoon per day to be sufficient.

Longevity arguments are complicated and the best we can do is make epidemiological statements, which strongly suggest those with the greatest longevity and primarily, if not entirely plant source only in their diet. According to Herodotus, the father of history, the Pelagasians, who lived 3,000 years B.C., had a 100% live-food, plant-source diet; their average age was 200. I travelled to this area of Greece and learned that these people did, in fact, exist, and that this was indeed their diet. The inner circle of Essenes, when most of the population’s lifespan at that time was 40-50 years, had an average lifespan of 120 years. In my book Conscious Eating, and in other books, it is documented that Jesus and all his disciples were vegetarian. This fits with the Biblical Genesis 1:29 recommendation. People who don’t understand Torah teaching, and use Genesis 9:3 to justify meat-eating, miss the point. Genesis 1:29 is the ideal diet. If you are not ready, as I paraphrase the great Torah sage and physician Maimonides, “Then do the best you can and limit your flesh intake until you are spiritually ready to live by Genesis 1:29.”

There is at least one anthropological finding of 3.2 million years ago, showing that the basic diet of the people at that time was similar the chimpanzees’ diet, which is about 98% plant-source. The Hunzakuts (well known for their longevity) are generally considered to be primarily vegetarian, except for the ceremonial use of meat. There is a certain tribe of Yemanites, who were vegetarian and long-lived. One study done in Russia on their 21,000 centenarians found the highest percent were vegetarians. Another study done in Bulgaria showed 1,600 centenarians for every million of its population compared to 9 centenarians per million in the US. The vast majority of these Bulgarian centenarians were lacto-vegetarians. The tribes in the Vilcabama region of Equador, the Mayans, and Tarahumaras of Mexico are all known for their longevity and are primarily plant-source-only societies. All these studies suggest that vegetarian cultures tend to live longer.

Another important issue, only partially addressed in your discussion, is the higher amount of toxicity in animal, dairy, and fish. As far back as 1990, in my book Conscious Eating, I site research suggesting that animal flesh (being at the top of the food chain) contained approximately 15 times more toxins than vegetables. Root vegetables had 4 times more than leafy vegetables. Milk had about 5-6 times more toxins than leafy vegetables. This information in our rapidly increasing polluted environment becomes particularly significant in choosing the best diet for health. For example when looking at the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, statistics showed a 900% increase in perinatal mortality in the Boston area for three months after the nuclear incident. This was traced to radioactive I-131 released from the Chernobyl accident. Breastfeeding mothers were drinking cow’s milk (organic or otherwise) tainted by the I-131 landing on the grass the cows grazed on throughout the Boston area, and were passing this on to their nursing infants. The children were dying from radioactive I-131 poisoning. This radioactive iodine also fell on the grazing areas of organic cows and the foraging areas of the wild deer as well. To heighten your uneasiness, sources in Russia claim there have actually been four other Chernobyl-type catastrophes, which were kept from going public. As I wrote in my book Conscious Eating, “accidents at nuclear plants occur more frequently than one would ever expect. The Radiation Protection manual points out that there were 2,974 reported mishaps at nuclear plants filed in the records of the Nuclear Regulatory Committee in 1985 alone. According to the September 1985 report released by the U.S. General Accounting Office, there were 151 “significant nuclear safety incidents between 1971 and 1984 in fourteen Western countries’.” This unreported radioactive exposure has not stopped and has gotten worse as the use of nuclear power has spread. In other words, we have a significant amount of radioactive toxicity in our environment, and this toxicity is more concentrated in animals higher on the food chain. This radioactive toxicity also pertains to radioactive depleted uranium, bombs, and other weapons in Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, which has come over to the U.S. on the jet streams. Depleted uranium is somewhere in estimate of 15 to 30 times greater in milk and in water than in plants. My research on 40 people in the U.S. showed that 38 had depleted uranium in their systems.

The issue of pesticides and herbicides has even played out in university research done on the polluted waters of Lake Michigan. It was found that mothers who had one helping of fish per month from Lake Michigan, had a lower (APGAR) neurological scores in their babies and lower SAT scores in these children 17 years later. The impact this concentration of toxins in meat, poultry, fish, and dairy has on our children is significant. For example, the Environmental Defense Counsel has shown that every child born in the US has an average of 200 toxins in its umbilical blood. Some studies have shown that vegetarian breast milk has just 1% of the pesticides and herbicides, as compared to the breast milk from meat-eating women. The question of concentrations of herbicides and pesticides in animal products is central to the discussion of a post 1930’s diet. Pesticides, herbicides, and radioactivity through the spread of depleted uranium in warfare, nuclear plant accidents, nuclear testing, and increasing pesticide and herbicide use in industrial agriculture are having an insidious impact on our food quality. Eating higher on the food chain (milk, meat, chicken, and fish) is definitely exposing people to a higher level of toxins, which of course is worse if cooked.

Given the amount of toxins in our environment, a key point that is confusing for people is the “ideal” of a perfect animal diet with organically raised freely grazing animals in small integrated animal agricultural settings is rarely found. The vast majority of meat is factory farmed, and the so-called organic cows and sheep are still eating the environmental toxins. Moreover, the romantic notion of hunting for food like the Native Americans is, in reality for most, hunting for food is at the supermarket. Moreover, the very idea of the primal hunter-gatherer ideal is suspect because of findings that 3.2 million years ago, people were primarily vegan. Two major studies now show that 60% of Native Americans were historically vegetarian. The Plains People were not the majority model, or even the ideal – as, according to some of their inner teachings, they were instructed to eat buffalo only when they had no other choice.

Perhaps prior to the introduction of pesticides, herbicides, and radioactive materials, a meat diet was far less toxic and less disease producing than it is today. We must consider this fact when we look at Weston Price’s research, which more accurately stated in my book, Conscious Eating, showed that as 14 indigenous cultures moved away from their indigenous diets to white flour, white sugar, and other processed foods, they had significant degeneration within one generation and with each successive generation. His focus was not directly on a meat-centered diet, and his time was before the high use of pesticides and herbicides. Because of this, we don’t get a correct translation of animal agriculture in our modern world, where animal foods are loaded with pollutants. As you correctly point out, these pollutants are even more toxic when cooked and transmuted into carcinogenic free-radical combinations. It is useful in understanding this discussion that before 1900, the rate of cancer was 1-2% of the U.S. population. Today, the rate is 33% in the United States. The major statistical difference probably stems from bringing pesticides, herbicides, white flour, white sugar, and junk food ingredients into the dietary environment. Additionally, in the U.S., annual per capita meat consumption has increased by 57 pounds since 1950, and a 500% increase from 1900 to 1997, so the sheer volume of flesh being consumed is also a factor. Price’s study was primarily about the effects of moving away from natural diet into white flour, sugar, and processed food, and not particularly focused on the meat content of those diets. Our greatest defense against this onslaught of malefic toxins is to avoid eating meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. There is a serious problem with using historical studies to support animal product consumption, as pre-1930’s meat, dairy, and fish qualities were drastically superior to today’s fare.

Just like the question of whether smoking causes cancer (which took 30 years to prove), the definitive proof that meat-eating increases the rate of cancer has not been made. There are strong suggestions that meat-eating in our modern times increases the overall rate not only of cancer 2-4 times, heart disease by 4-10 times, but also the rate of diabetes by 2-4 times (although sugar intake and especially high fructose corn syrup are by far the major cause of diabetes, and definitely are associated with increased cancer [especially of the prostate, colon, breast, and pancreas]). It is a fact that cancer cells thrive on sugar and they need 10-50 times more sugar to thrive. This is why I now only suggest a low fruit diet consisting of low-glycemic berries, cherries, and citrus.

It is difficult at this stage of research to make definitive statements. Like the China study, these are best considered epidemiological studies. However, it is reasonably clear from these studies that the more plant-sourced food a people eat, and the less animal food a people eat, the less chronic disease they have, (including, cancer, heart-disease and diabetes). Like you, I do not consider the China study definitive proof, although it is impressively the largest nutritional study ever done. It is best cited as a strong suggestion. This is similar to the controversy that existed revolving around smoking and cancer, where cigarette companies tried to discount studies because they were not perfect. To me, it was always clear that smoking causes cancer, no matter what the cigarette companies and their researchers tried to disprove. We see this in many of the anti-cancer clinics using a plant-source protocol to reverse cancers. Hippocrates’, Gerson’s, and Thomas Lodi’s therapies include this protocol.

In 1961, the American Medical Association editorialized: “A vegetarian diet can prevent 97% of our coronary occlusions”. There is a trend suggesting more cancer and more heart disease amongst meat-eaters. Meanwhile the research by people like Pritikin and Edelstein suggest that heart disease can be reversed with a low-fat vegan diet. However, this does not necessarily prove that meat-eating causes heart disease. Although we no longer believe a cholesterol of 250 or less is not associated with heart disease, researchers are saying that inflammation stimulates all chronic disease, which includes heart disease. C-reactin protein (CRP) is a measure of inflammation. It is no accident that in our “30 Day Raw Vegan” movie, the CRP dropped 70% when people were taken off their meat and put on a raw plant source only diet for one month. This suggestion of increased CRP of the participants on a meat-based diet may be the “load-to-time” link between meat consumption and heart disease.

In my own life, I have discovered remarkable health and spiritual power, eating a 100% live-food, plant-source-only diet since 1983. On this diet, I was able to do 601 consecutive pushups at the age of 60 (on the sixth day of a green juice fast), as compared to 70 pushups as a National Football Hall of Fame football player and captain of an undefeated college football team 40 years earlier. I am also much more flexible at 67 than I was at 20. This, of course, is an individual experience, but it does make a statement about strength and stability. Paavo Airola, PhD cites 10 studies wherein vegetarian non-athletes out-performed meat-eating athletes in endurance, starting with a 1917 Yale study. Another amazing case of superhuman development is Peter Ragnar, both a spiritually focused and physically powerful person, who, at close to 80, continues to thrive on a live-food, plant-source-only diet, which he has been on for over 30 years. He must be one of the strongest persons pound for pound of anybody, any age, on the planet. Some of his strength feats include bending steel horseshoes with his bare hands, performing 2000 dips in 80 minutes (double what Jack Lalane did in his prime), pinch gripping 160 lbs. of weight plates with one hand, and leg pressing 2020 lbs. Peter and myself dramatically make the point that a live-food, plant-source-only diet, in these modern times, has the power to significantly increase strength and endurance, as well as spiritual awareness beyond any other diet, and thus turning us into superior spiritual athletes. To a lesser degree, this is supported in an epidemiological study done by one of my Live Food Nutrition Masters students. 520 people, who were 100% plant-source-only and 80% live-food for at least 2 years, were interviewed. On this diet there was a 92% decrease in colds and flues after 2 years; an 87% increase in spiritual interest and intellectual acuity; and a 400% drop in constipation, depression, and anxiety. An apt metaphor is that a live-food, plant-source-only diet is akin to driving a Ferrari, while a meat-centered diet primal diet is akin to driving a Ford Escort. Although there are a lot more people driving Ford Escorts than Ferrari’s, more is not better. To carry the analogy further, a Ferrari needs a more specific high-octane fuel and requires more training to drive. Many of the people who have not done well on a vegan diet, choose not to properly educate themselves, and blame the diet for their lack of understanding of educational materials that have been available publically since 1990.

From a holistic viewpoint, we have to consider the importance of spirituality and the ultimate purpose of life, which is to know God (or however you choose to say it). In my research, published in 1987, in my book called Spiritual Nutrition, it was clear that the flow of spiritual energy was suppressed by a flesh food diet. This was based upon my clinical experience with thousands of meditators and people who had their spiritual energy awakened. A key insight into this was finding that people whose spiritual energy was too active, naturally choose to suppress their spiritual energy by eating meat. I observed this phenomenon multiple times. Meat eating really works to suppress the flow of the spiritual energy. I found that a live-food, plant-source-only diet is the best diet for helping us to become superconductors of the divine. I find it no accident that many traditions, including early Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, as well as certain sects of Islam, all recommend a plant-source-only diet as the best for spiritual development. Such a diet also preserves life, health, peace, the ecology, and creates a more equal distribution of resources. It helps to feed the hungry, encourages non-violence and non-cruelty for animal and human members of the planet, and creates a powerful support for spiritual development of mind, body, and spirit. Perhaps the clearest statement of this principle, on both a health and spiritual level is by one by one of my two spiritual teachers, Swami Prakashananda: “When we kill animals we create pain, misery, and fear. When we eat the flesh of these animals, that pain, misery, and fear goes into us, creating disease and illness.” It is a poetic metaphor describing the subtle and gross connections between a carnivorous diet and all chronic disease. Not only does a person’s constitution impact dietary considerations, but also their awareness of the ultimate life-purpose. It is my overall clinical experience that live-food, plant-source-only diet, is the most powerful and effective for enhancing health, endurance, and spiritual evolution.

I do appreciate your comment about sugar, as I am finding this to be the dominant and main cause of diabetes and poor health in general, even more so than meat. A key insight into longevity was that the only one lab test finding, consistent in long-lived cultures, was low fasting insulin. All my clients, over sixty, who has been on my constitutionally and metabolically-focused, plant-source-only, 80% live-food diet, has healthy fasting insulin scores. In the protocol utilized at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, and published in my book, There Is a Cure for Diabetes, I recommend a diet of approximately 50% calories from plant fat, and no carbohydrates, except from vegetables and leafy greens (even for slow-oxidizer and parasympathetic types). I also recommend low protein intake, as it converts to sugar, however, I recommend sufficient protein to support health, bodily repair, and what is best for a person’s constitution. I continue to encourage over-all reduced caloric intake. As a clinician I have found that within 21-days, using a low-sugar, plant-source-only diet and live-foods, we are able to take 55% of type-2 diabetics off their insulin within 3 weeks, and achieve a normal fasting blood sugar less than 100. Close to 30% of type 1’s were able to go off all insulin, and still maintain normal blood sugar under 100. There is no dietary approach in the world that can compare to these statistics. Although it is certainly possible to heal diabetes with meat in the diet with a low carbohydrate and moderate fat intake, it is also important to consider research done by Diabetes Journal in 1985 showing that ¼ pound of hamburger will raise your fasting insulin as much as a ¼ pound of white sugar. This, of course, is consistent with the science showing non-utilized protein is metabolized to sugar and increases blood sugar and therefore insulin secretion.

In summary based on my extensive clinical experience in supporting thousands of people becoming successful on a plant source only diet, I have found:

1) We are unique individuals for whom a consistently successful plant-source-only approach requires a thoughtful application of a constitutional approach to organizing ones diet. This includes, contrary to your subtle implication, that if someone is a fast oxidizer (i.e., needs a higher protein diet) that they need to be a meat eater. There are plenty of high protein sources in a plant-source diet, (such as spirulina, chlorella, and Klamath Lake algae – which are 60-70% protein and 40% assimilable as compared to meat, chicken, and fish, which are 14-16% assimilable). In other words, it is no problem for a fast oxidizer (high protein ratio need) to be 100% successful on a plant-source-only, live-food diet. I have had only one person in 40 years who wanted to be a vegan, not be successful using this approach; and they grew up near the Arctic Circle.

2) General health, vitality, endurance increases on the physical plane and an increased spiritual desire on a spiritual plane on a plant-source-only, 80% live-food diet. That is not to say, it is not possible to evolve spiritually on a meat-centered diet, but intense spiritual practices, such as the Tibetan monks utilize, are needed to overcome the negative impact of eating meat. As of 2005, the Dalai Lama has asked all Buddhists to return to a vegetarian way of life. Based on my clinical experience with thousands of meditators, a meat-centered diet suppresses the flow of the spiritual energy.

3) A plant-source-only, organic, at least 80% live-food, moderate fat and either low protein or carbohydrate intake, depending on constitution; low-glycemic, high-mineral, well hydrated and low caloric diet is best for general health, longevity, and spiritual life. Using these understandings and approaches 99.99% of the population can be successful, healthfully and spiritually, on a plant-source-only, organic, live-food diet.

4) Both a meat-centered and plant-source-only diet require supplementation for optimal health. It is a subliminal myth that a meat-centered diet does not require supplementation and therefore is better than a plant source only diet.

5) Eating higher on the food chain (meat, poultry, fish, and dairy) exposes one to significantly more environmental carcinogenic and neurotoxic substances which may strongly suggest that not only meat, but these toxins, increase inflammation and chronic disease associated with a flesh centered diet such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s (now seen as significantly related to environmental toxin exposure), diabetes, and heart disease, thus decreasing general health, wellbeing, and longevity in modern times. Unfortunately, to prove this with absolute scientific certainty may take thirty years or longer, as it did to prove smoking causes lung cancer. I suggest that the risk/benefit ratio encourages us to move to a safer and healthier diet now, as many may not make it another 30 years on the typical American meat-centered diet. Just like 40 years ago, I advised people to stop smoking before it was proven. As far back as 1990, in my book Conscious Eating, I site research suggesting that animal flesh (being at the top of the food chain) contained approximately 15 times more toxins than vegetables. Root vegetables had 4 times more than leafy vegetables. Milk had about 5-6 times more toxins than leafy vegetables. This information in our rapidly increasing polluted environment becomes particularly significant in choosing the best diet for health. For example when looking at the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, statistics showed a 900% increase in perinatal mortality in the Boston area for three months after the nuclear incident. This was traced to radioactive I-131 released from the Chernobyl accident. Breastfeeding mothers were drinking cow’s milk (organic or otherwise) tainted by the I-131 landing on the grass the cows grazed on throughout the Boston area, and were passing this on to their nursing infants. Unfortunately, there have been many such incidents, secretly impacting our health and wellbeing.

6) The “idyllic, pure, primal, feral, meat-centered, food dream” is an impossible reality except for an elite fraction of the population, and it still doesn’t solve the issue of concentrated environmental toxins and the environment destruction the meat industry reeks. (The 416-page report aptly titled Livestock’s Long Shadow published by the Livestock, Environment, and Development Initiative [LEAD] presents on this topic.) In short, a meat-centered diet is a certain threat to global ecology.

7) Finally, according to our consciousness, do we make our choices. This includes our desires for food. According to the Bhagavad Gita chapter 17, verses 7-8: “The way one eats, performs religious rituals, disciplines one’s self and gives charity depends on the predominance of a particular guna (mental, emotional, and spiritual tendency). Foods, which increase longevity, mental clarity, strength and health (in modern times – a plant-source-only diet) and are pleasing to taste and look at are loved by sattvic people (spiritual, peaceful people). Bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, astringent, and burning foods that give pain and regret and cause health problems are sought after by rajasic people (people with executive and warrior proclivities, but lacking in spiritual interests). Leftovers, putrid and inadequately cooked food from which the energy has gone and is unfit as an offering is preferred by tamasic people (people who have no interest in morals, ethics, or spirituality).” A specific quality of person is drawn toward spiritual life, and hence to spiritual food supporting that lifestyle. Likewise a specific quality of person is drawn toward mundane secular life, having no major interest in morals, ethics, or spirituality. Hence, they are drawn to certain foods supporting that particular lifestyle. What we eat is both the cause and result of our level of consciousness. It is important to recognize this issue as part of the discussion, and not have one’s ego insist that everyone needs to eat the same, as we see with those aggressively promoting the “feral diet”.

This letter is to support those people who of spiritual inclination or those who now feel ready to embrace such an inclination. Although these people are a small minority, it is a growing minority, who are part of the eventual tidal wave of increasing consciousness to heal the planet and humanity and bring us to the next paradigm of peace on all levels on the planet. The real issue here is not meat-eating verses plant-source-only; it is an issue of acknowledging people right to accurate, intelligent information on food choices, and choosing a diet that best suits their life purpose. Both meat-centered and plant-source-only diets are applicable to individuals based on the orientation of their consciousness. Those who are drawn to the new paradigm should not be subject to misinformation that creates fear for those who may be on the edge of stepping into their evolutionary potential for themselves and the planet, through an organic, plant-source-only, 80% live-food diet.

Thank you for your thoughtful work in general, and in the future may you be more sensitive to these deeper issues.

Blessings to your health and spirit,

Gabriel Cousens, M.D. M.D.(H), Diplomat Ayurveda , Diplomat Board of American Holistic Health

Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Gabriel Cousens

|Kevin Gianni (Renegade Health) ✆
Subject: Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Gabriel Cousens

Announcement #1: Dr. Mercola and Dr. Cousens join
the Great Health Debate!

I’ve spent a lot of time and energy putting
together The Great Health Debate…

I’ll save you the stories – with the exception of
this one.

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This One Activity Will Slash Your Chance of a Cold by 50% …
Posted By Dr. Mercola | December 22 2010 | 66,140 views

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/22/alternative-cold-remedies.aspx

WPHL offers a list of ways to fight a cold that are more natural and more affordable than pricey, over-the-counter medicines. They include:
Slippery Elm
alternative cold remedy

The inner bark of the Slippery Elm, when mixed with water, it becomes a slick gel. This gel is rich with antioxidants and coats your throat, stomach lining and intestines.
Herbal Tea

Making a tea from the herb echinacea may help fight the common cold. Goldenseal tea helps treat respiratory tract infections, eye infections and even yeast infections. Hot ginger or elderberry tea can help soothe a sore throat.
Honey

If you have a sore throat, try gargling with a honey mixture.
Nasal Saline Rinse

A natural nasal saline irrigates your nose and helps clear thick mucus and relieve pressure from your sinuses.
Steam

Steam can moisturize your nasal passages and will help the pressure from your sinuses.
White and Cider Vinegar

Wearing a pair of cotton socks soaked in white vinegar is an old, natural remedy that is still used today to reduce a fever.
White Willow

White willow is a natural anti-inflammatory and fever reducing remedy.
Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup has been medically proven to help cure a cold or fever. It is most effective if the soup is made with actual chicken bones in the broth.
Garlic

Here’s one folk remedy to cure a cough or chest cold — chop raw pieces of garlic and mix it with olive oil. Let the mixture sit for a half hour, and then rub the mixture on the bottoms of your feet and cover with socks. The garlic will be absorbed by your skin.
Ginseng

Ginseng can help cure a cold or the flu, as well as prevent future colds if taken as a daily supplement.
Sources:
WPHL December 2010

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Americans catch more than one billion colds a year, making it the most common infectious disease in the US. It’s also the number one reason for doctor’s office visits, despite the fact that conventional medicine has little to offer in the form of treatment.

One of the reasons for this is because colds are caused by viruses (and there are more than 300 cold-causing viruses), not bacteria. So taking an antibiotic for your cold will NOT do you any good whatsoever. Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, such as sinus, ear and lung infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia.

Generally speaking, you do not need to seek medical care for a simple cold. However, if you have symptoms indicative of a bacterial infection you may want to consider visiting your doctor. For signs and symptoms to look out for, please see this article.

The Case Against OTC Cold and Cough Remedies

Most uncomplicated colds last between eight and nine days, but about 25 percent last two weeks, and 5-10 percent last three weeks. How quickly your cold is resolved has a lot to do with your general lifestyle habits and the state of your immune system.

More often than not, over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold remedies will NOT cause a speedier recovery. In fact, some may simply prolong your agony by working against your body’s natural defense- and healing mechanisms.

For example, one previous study showed that people who take aspirin and Tylenol (acetaminophen) simply suppress their body’s ability to produce antibodies to destroy the cold virus. This is the complete opposite of what you’re looking for…

The natural remedies listed above can help reduce your worst symptoms, which is all OTC drugs can do as well, but without the potentially dangerous side effects.

However, an even better option would be to implement certain lifestyle strategies that can help you avoid ever getting a cold in the first place.

The Importance of Maintaining a Robust Immune System

It’s important to understand that the primary underlying reason for why you keep catching colds is an impaired immune system.

Just being exposed to a cold virus does not mean you will automatically catch a cold. If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick.

If your immune system is impaired however, viruses can easily overwhelm your natural defenses and take hold.

A robust immune system is dependent on a number of lifestyle and environmental factors, but the most common factors are:

1. Optimized vitamin D levels — Research has confirmed that “catching” colds and flu may actually be a symptom of an underlying vitamin D deficiency. Less than optimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

In the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date, people with the lowest vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu — and the risk was even greater for those with chronic respiratory disorders like asthma.

I strongly believe you could avoid colds and influenza entirely by maintaining your vitamin D level in the optimal range. Vitamin D is an amazingly effective antimicrobial agent, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill both bacteria and viruses.
2. Avoiding sugar and grains — If you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu, this is NOT the time to eat sugar, grains, artificial sweeteners or processed foods. Sugar is particularly damaging to your immune system — which needs to be ramped up, not suppressed, in order to combat an emerging infection.
3. Getting proper rest — If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or enough restorative sleep, you’ll be at increased risk for a hostile viral takeover. Your immune system is also the most effective when you’re not sleep-deprived, so the more rested you are the quicker you’ll recover. You can find 33 secrets for a good night’s sleep here.
4. Effectively addressing emotional stressors — Emotional stressors can predispose you to an infection and make cold symptoms worse.

Finding ways to manage daily stress as well as your reactions to circumstances beyond your control will contribute to a strong and resilient immune system. My favorite tool for this is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a system that helps balance your body’s subtle energies and repair emotional “short-circuits.” EFT may even help you overcome cold symptoms.
5. Regular exercise – Regular exercise is a crucial strategy for increasing your resistance to illness. There is evidence that regular, moderate exercise can reduce your risk for respiratory illness by boosting your immune system.

In fact, one study found that people who exercised regularly (five or more days a week) cut their risk of having a cold by close to 50 percent. Exercise likely cuts your risk of colds so significantly because it triggers a rise in immune system cells that can attack any potential invaders.

Ideally, establish a regular fitness program, such as Peak Fitness, now, to help you ward off colds and other illness.
However, if you’re already feeling sick don’t overdo it. Over-exercising can actually place more stress on your body, which can suppress your immune system — and you don’t want that either. You might just go for a walk if you are coming down with a cold, or simply tone down your regular workout. Any rise in body temperature will be an unwelcome climate for a viral invader, though, so some exercise during a bout of cold is likely to be beneficial.

If you address these five primary factors that can make or break your immune system, you’ll be well on your way to never having to suffer another cold again.

However, should you come down with one, then what?

Safe and Natural Cold Remedies

The list created by WPHL contains several of my recommended home remedies. Here are several more suggestions that they missed, including vitamins and other supplements that can help treat your cold symptoms.

1. Hydrogen peroxide: I don’t advise over-the-counter medications, but one simple treatment you can try that is surprisingly effective against upper respiratory infections is hydrogen peroxide.

Many patients at my Natural Health Center have had remarkable results in curing colds and flu within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation.

Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3 percent solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars or less. It is simply amazing how many people respond to this simple, inexpensive treatment.
2. Herbs and spices with high ORAC scores, such as turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, and cloves (for more on ORAC, visit www.oracvalues.com). You can simply add these liberally to your food.
3. Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools
4. Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
5. Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response and even fight cancer.
6. Elder flower extract: Rich in vitamin C and a wide range of valuable flavinoids, including anthocyanins and quercetin, elder flower has been traditionally used as a tonic to boost immunity. It is also widely known to promote lung and bronchial tract health.
7. Elderberry: In one study, published in the Journal of International Medical Research, elderberry syrup reduced the severity of flu symptoms and shortened their duration by about four days. Elderberry extract is also known for inducing sweating, and helps relieve congestion.
8. A tea made from a combination of elder flower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
9. Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.

Also make sure to drink plenty of fresh, pure water. Water is essential for the optimal function of every system in your body and will help loosen secretions. Drink enough water to turn your urine a light, pale yellow.

Homemade Cough Remedy

As mentioned by WPHL, honey can help relieve a sore throat or bothersome cough. However, it’s important to make sure you’re using raw honey for optimal health benefits.

That said, it’s quite easy to make your own homemade cough and cold remedy. The Organic Consumers Association has published several great recipes, including this simple honey lemon cough syrup:

Honey Lemon Cough Syrup

Lemon helps promote health by quickly alkalinizing your body, and honey will kill any bacteria. This is a perfect choice for a quick cough remedy.

* Put a pint of raw honey in a pan on the stove on VERY low heat (Do not boil honey as this changes its medicinal properties) .
* Take a whole lemon and boil in some water in a separate pan for 2-3 minutes to both soften the lemon and kill any bacteria that may be on the lemon skin.
* Let the lemon cool enough to handle then cut it in slices and add it to the pint of honey on the stove.
* Let mixture cook on warm heat for about an hour.
* Then strain the lemon from the honey making sure all lemon seeds are removed.
* Let cool, then bottle in a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
* This syrup will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator. To soothe a cough, take 1/2 teaspoon for a 25 lb. child and 1 teaspoon for a 50 lb. child, about 4 times a day, or as often as needed. Adults can take 1 tablespoon doses.

For even more great recipes for dry cough, wet cough, antiviral syrup, plus several soothing tea recipes, please see the Organic Consumers Association article.

The “Calcium Lie” Every Woman Should Know About
Posted By Dr. Mercola

| December 21 2010

By Dr. Mercola

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by porous and fragile bones. It affects 44 million Americans, striking 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 5 men. Those with osteoporosis are at increased risk of height loss, fractures of the hips, wrists and vertebrae, and chronic pain.

If you’ve been led to believe that the key to preventing osteoporosis is increasing your calcium intake and starting on a regimen of pharmaceutical drugs, you’re not alone.

I’m here to lead you past all of the confusing and conflicting information about osteoporosis and down a safer, more effective road to preventing bone loss and osteoporosis.

Read on to learn the truth about osteoporosis and calcium deficiency, what vitamins can make a real difference, and the surprising connection between bone loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

The Truth about Osteoporosis and Calcium Deficiency

I’m sure you’ve heard that the cause of osteoporosis and the key to its prevention revolve around calcium, right?

Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr. Robert Thompson, M.D., wrote an entire book on this subject called, The Calcium Lie, which explains that bone is comprised of at least a dozen minerals and the exclusive focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and increase your risk of developing osteoporosis!

As mentioned in this previous article , Dr. Thompson recommends the use of unprocessed salt as a far healthier alternative to calcium supplementation.

I recommend using Himalayan salt as it is an excellent way to feed your body the trace minerals it needs to function optimally.

Why Sally Field Could be Setting Herself Up for Osteoporosis with Boniva

If you’ve been prescribed an osteoporosis drug such as Fosamax, Actonel or Boniva, it is very important that you understand how these drugs work before putting them into your body.

Web MD describes biphosphonate drugs as:”…antiresorptive medicines, which means they slow or stop the natural process that dissolves bone tissue, resulting in maintained or increased bone density and strength.”

I’m sorry to say, you’re only getting half the story here. Using these types of pharmaceutical drugs is the worst way to attempt to treat or prevent osteoporosis, and I’ll tell you why.Even though they will increase your bone density, these drugs are poison!
They work by killing off certain cells in your bones called osteoclasts. Osteoclasts destroy the bone as part of the natural bone regeneration process. Killing off these cells means you are left with only osteoblasts, which will increase bone density but not bone strength.
As a result, your bones lose their natural ability to build new bone and readjust to the constantly changing forces applied.
Now you have thicker bones with less strength, which actually increases your risk of bone fractures. Additionally, these drugs have been linked to some terrible side effects, including increased risk of ulcers
and:

* Eye problems such as blurry vision, pain and swelling
* Thigh bone fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw

* Liver damage and renal (kidney) failure
* Atrial fibrillation

* Esophageal cancer

* Hypocalcemia (blood calcium levels are too low)

Another disturbing fact?

Fosomax is in the same chemical class (phosphonate) as the soap scum cleaner you use in your bathroom! I’m sorry to say, it isn’t surprising that the pharmaceutical companies have never put that little tidbit of information on your prescription drug label.

Steer Clear of Steroids

According to a study done at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, there is a strong link between osteoporosis and the use of steroids:

“High-dose cortisone is the second most common cause of osteoporosis, and we currently have no real treatment for this serious side effect,” says senior author Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D., Messing Professor of Pathology and Immunology.

“Given how frequently these drugs are used to treat many different conditions, that’s a major clinical problem.”

The conclusion of the study revealed that although the steroid cortisone appears to inhibit the ability of osteoclasts to dismantle old bones in genetically normal mice, the inability of the skeletal structure to renew itself may cause bones to weaken dramatically from aging and stress.

If you suffer from an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis

, asthma

, multiple sclerosis

or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

, click on the links above for natural alternatives for healing.

Gluten Intolerance and Bone Loss

Is your stomach often upset?

Chronic gas, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, constipation and brain fog could all be signs of an undiagnosed gluten intolerance.

Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. According to statistics from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, an average of one out of every 133 otherwise healthy people in the United States suffer from celiac disease (CD) but previous studies have found this number could be as high as 1 in 33 in at-risk populations.

Those with undiagnosed gluten intolerance often have malabsorption of nutrients due to chronic intestinal damage. This means that your body is unable to optimally take nutrients from food and distribute them throughout your body.

This malabsorption of nutrients can lead to osteoporosis.

If you often experience the above-mentioned symptoms, a gluten free diet may be the key you need to experience great health, perhaps for the first time in your life.

My book, The No Grain Diet, explains, in detail, the damaging health effects of sugars and grains, even to those who do not have a gluten intolerance.

Other Foods that Lead to Bone Loss

Processed and fast foods are the worst stuff you can put into your body. In order for your body to function optimally, it needs the type of balanced diet that I suggest in the next section.

Processed foods such as potato chips, french fries, microwaveable “meals”, soda and candy contain very little nutrients and are chock full of undigestible fats and dangerous additives such as high fructose corn syrup, aspartame and preservatives.

If you think switching from a mainly processed food diet to a healthy, nutritious one will be next to impossible, I’m here to tell you it’s easier than you think. In my previous article, I explain how to wean yourself off processed foods in 7 easy steps and how to give your body what it’s really craving.

When cooking, I advise you to avoid most all omega-6 based oils such as corn, safflower or soy oil. These oils are loaded with highly processed, damaged omega 6 fats, which contribute to inflammation in your body.

Instead, I recommend using healthful olive- and coconut oils. For more information, see my video on the health benefits of these oils.

Foods that Prevent Bone Loss

I recommend eating a wide variety of organic, preferably locally grown vegetables to get a proper balance of essential vitamins and minerals into your body. An easy way to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet is vegetable juicing.

It is a highly effective way to obtain the most potent nutrition and it’s easy for your body to digest and absorb.

Remember, it is important that you eat according to your nutritional type because the diet that works for one person may not work for another. Take a moment to take my FREE nutritional typing test to help determine your nutritional type, and the type of foods that are ideal for your personal biochemistry. We used to charge $29 to take this test but it was so important we decided to now offer it at no charge.

One important food that has been shown to help decrease bone loss and osteoporosis is onions. As I mentioned in my previous article, a study done on the effect of onions on laboratory rats proved promising.

Prevent Bone Loss with Appropriate Sunshine Exposure

The health benefits of vitamin D cannot be overstressed. An alarming number of people in the United States are vitamin D deficient, and vitamin D deficiency can lead to a host of health problem, including osteoporosis.

Despite what you may have heard, appropriate sunshine exposure is not bad for you. It is healthy and necessary. Just 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure per day can make a dramatic improvement in your health, and appropriate sun exposure is the ideal way to maintain your vitamin D levels in the optimal range. Alternatively, you can use a safe tanning bed.

However, if neither of those options are available to you, the next option is to take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. Typical adult doses for vitamin D range from 5 to 10,000 units per day.

Keep in mind that it is very important to get your vitamin D levels checked by a qualified lab (I recommend LabCorp) to avoid under- or overdosing.

An optimal blood level of vitamin D for a healthy adult is between 50-70 ng/ml.

The Importance of Omega-3 for Strong, Healthy Bones

Omega 3 is another essential nutrient your body needs in order to prevent both physical and mental illness, inflammation and osteoporosis. As I mentioned in a previous article , The British Journal of Nutrition recently published a study stating that the Omega fat, DHA appears to constitute marrow and enhance bone mineral content.

Unfortunately, omega-3 deficiency is on the rise and has been revealed as the sixth biggest killer of Americans. It has been reported to increase risk of death from ALL causes and accelerate cognitive decline.

While plant-based omega-3 fats such as those found in flax seed are highly beneficial, on account of their high alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content, animal-based omega-3 fats contain two crucial ingredients you are not getting from plants: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Ideally, you would receive all the animal based omega-3′s you would need from eating sea food. Unfortunately, industrial pollution has changed the landscape, turning most of the world’s waters more or less toxic. Fish are now loaded with mercury, industrial toxins, PCBs and PDEs. The same goes for most of the oil that is made from these fish.

Thankfully, there is a sustainable source of animal-based omega-3 fats

available, namely krill oil. Krill are very tiny shrimp-like creatures that exceed the number of all animals (including humans) in the world! Krill oil is also more readily absorbed than fish oil because krill fat is attached to phosphates. This means you need far less krill oil than you would fish.

Another bonus?

Krill oil contains antioxidants called astaxanthin that protect DHA and EPA fats until they are consumed.

These factors make krill oil the optimal choice to meet your omega-3 needs.

Vitamin K2 is CRUCIAL in Preventing Osteoporosis

Vitamin K can be classified as either K1 or K2:

1. Vitamin K1: Found in green vegetables, K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain a healthy blood clotting system. (This is the kind of K that infants need to help prevent a serious bleeding disorder.) It is also vitamin K1 that keeps your own blood vessels from calcifying, and helps your bones retain calcium and develop the right crystalline structure.
2. Vitamin K2: Bacteria produce this type of vitamin K. It is present in high quantities in your gut, but unfortunately is not absorbed from there and passes out in your stool. K2 goes straight to vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver. It is present in fermented foods, particularly cheese and the Japanese food natto, which is by far the richest source of K2.

Vitamin K2 can convert to K1 in your body, but there are some problems with this, which I will discuss shortly. As a supplement, K1 is less expensive, which is why it’s the form used for neonates.

Making matters even more complex, there are several different forms of vitamin K2.

MK8 and MK9 come primarily from dairy products. MK4 and MK7 are the two most significant forms of K2, and act very differently in your body:

* MK4 is a synthetic product, very similar to vitamin K1, and your body is capable of converting K1 into MK4. However, MK4 has a very short half-life of about one hour, making it a poor candidate as a dietary supplement. After reaching your intestines, it remains mostly in your liver, where it is useful in synthesizing blood-clotting factors.
* MK7 is a newer agent with more practical applications because it stays in your body longer; its half-life is three days, meaning you have a much better chance of building up a consistent blood level, compared to MK4 or K1.

MK7 is extracted from the Japanese fermented soy product called natto. You could actually get loads of MK7 from consuming natto as it is relatively inexpensive, and is available in most Asian food markets. Few people, however, care for it’s smell and slimy texture and find it difficult to tolerate.

The evidence suggests that vitamin K2 is essential for your bone health, but it is a nutrient the vast majority of you do not get in adequate amounts from your diet.

How does vitamin K lead to bone health?

Osteocalcin is a protein produced by your osteoblasts (cells responsible for bone formation), and is utilized within the bone as an integral part of the bone-forming process. However, osteocalcin must be “carboxylated” before it can be effective. Vitamin K functions as a cofactor for the enzyme that catalyzes the carboxylation of osteocalcin.

Vitamin K2 has been found to be a far more effective “activator” of osteocalcin than K1.

There has been some remarkable research about the protective effects of vitamin K2 against osteoporosis:

* A number of Japanese trials have shown that vitamin K2 completely reverses bone loss and in some cases even increases bone mass in people with osteoporosis

.
* The pooled evidence of seven Japanese trials show that vitamin K2 supplementation produces a 60 percent reduction in vertebral fractures and an 80 percent reduction in hip and other non-vertebral fractures

.
* Researchers in the Netherlands showed that vitamin K2 is three times more effective than vitamin K1 in raising osteocalcin, which controls the building of bone.

Although your body can convert K1 into K2, studies show that the amount of K2 produced by this process alone is insufficient. Even if you are consuming enough K1, your body uses most of it to make clotting factors, leaving little remaining for your bones.

In other words, your liver preferentially uses vitamin K1 to activate clotting factors, while most of your other tissues preferentially use K2.

Vitamin K2 has also been found to offer you other benefits—besides your bones!

Vitamin K2 is the biological glue that plugs calcium into your bone matrix. Dietary sources of K2 can be found in traditionally fermented foods such as tempeh, miso, natto and soy sauce..

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin K from Your Diet?

Eating lots of green vegetables will increase your vitamin K1 levels naturally, especially:

* Kale
* Spinach
* Collard greens
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts

You can obtain all the K2 you’ll need (about 200 micrograms) by eating 15 grams of natto daily, which is half an ounce. However, natto is generally not pleasing to the Westerner’s palate, so the next best thing is a vitamin K2 supplement.

But remember, you must always take your vitamin K supplement with fat since it is fat-soluble and won’t be absorbed without it.

Although the exact dosing is yet to be determined, Dr. Vermeer recommends between 45 mcg and 185 mcg daily for adults. You must use caution on the higher doses if you take anticoagulants, but if you are generally healthy and not on these types of medications, I suggest 150 mcg daily.

Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about overdosing on K2—people have been given a thousand-fold “overdose” over the course of three years, showing no adverse reactions (i.e., no increased clotting tendencies).

Exercise to Prevent Bone Loss

Remember that bone is living tissue that requires regular physical activity in order to renew and rebuild itself.

Peak bone mass is achieved in adulthood and then begins a slow decline. Exercise is very important in maintaining healthy bone mass. Weight-bearing exercise is one of the most effective remedies against osteoporosis. The last thing you want to consider is to take a drug to improve your bone density, as without question, that is more likely to cause long-term harm than benefit.

Your bones are actually very porous and soft, and as you get older, your bones can easily become less dense and hence, more brittle. Especially if you are inactive.

Resistance training can combat this effect because as you put more tension on your muscles it puts more pressure on your bones, which then respond by continuously creating fresh, new bone.

In addition, as you build more muscle, and make the muscle that you already have stronger, you also put more constant pressure on your bones.

A good weight bearing exercise to incorporate into your routine (depending on your current level of fitness, of course) is a walking lunge, as it helps build bone density in your hips, even without any additional weights. However there is newer technology as discussed below that may even be better.

Discover Acceleration Training

Acceleration training exercise is based on Rhythmic Neuromuscular Stimulation (RNS) dating back to the 1960s when Professor W. Biermann, from the former East German Republic, described ‘cyclical vibrations’ capable of improving the condition of your joints relatively quickly.

As the theories of acceleration training exercise developed, Russian ballet dancers with minor muscle injuries such as Achilles tendonitis discovered that vibration aided the healing process. They also found that their muscular strength and jump height increased with only a quarter of the effort or time required by traditional training methods.

Since then many athletes have discovered the benefits of acceleration training exercise.

These results can be achieved now by using the ‘Power Plate’, which combines a series of exercises and stretches with cyclical vibrations designed to prevent mineral bone loss by adding mechanical load to the bone via the muscle and tendons.

Osteoporosis in Men

Here is something about osteoporosis in men you may not have realized: Men over the age of 50 are at greater risk for developing osteoporosis than prostate cancer. Men develop this disease because of a condition called hypogonadism, which may lead to shrinking by several inches. Risk factors in men include:

* Alcoholism
* Obesity
* Smoking
* Gastrointestinal disorders
* Sedentary lifestyle
* Lack of sunlight exposure

Men with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, emphysema, Crohn’s disease, herniated disks, and autoimmune disease taking steroids such as prednisone or cortisone are increasing their risk of developing osteoporosis that much further.

The Surprising Link Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Bone Loss

As I mentioned in a previous article

, low bone mass has a surprising connection to Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, researchers recorded bone mass measurements for 987 men and women with an average age of 76 years. They then followed them for up to 13 years and tracked who developed Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Results showed that women with the lowest bone mass measurements were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s or dementia as women with stronger bones.

If a woman of 70 years of age has lower bone mass, it means her exposure to estrogen may not have been as high as it should. Therefore, it seems estrogen loss plays a critical role in the development of osteoporosis as well as Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s Far Easier to Prevent Bone Loss than to Treat It

It’s true what Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Now that you’re armed with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions about the prevention and healing of osteoporosis, you’re ready to take control of your health!

This Powerful Nutrient Improves Concentration by 60% and Fights ADHD

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/20/omega3-fat-useful-to-improve-adhd.aspx

Posted By Dr. Mercola | December 20 2010 | 43,997 views
A clinical study in children with ADHD showed that they significantly improved both their clinical scores and identified EEG patterns when their diets were supplemented with krill oil for a period of 13 weeks.

The EEG patterns of the study participants were compared to a database of more than 400 children with an established ADHD diagnosis, providing ample comparative data.

Dr. Hogne Wik said, “This is an important observation identifying positive effects on the central nervous system (CNS) after supplementation of krill oil in humans. For the first time objective EEG-measurements — before and after a 90 day intervention period with krill oil—have confirmed observed improvements in a clinical CNS condition.”

NPI Center reports:

“… Krill is a pure, natural source of the health-promoting EPA & DHA omega-3 essential fatty acids and the naturally occurring antioxidant astaxanthin.”

Sources:
NPI Center October 13, 2010

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

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I first started hearing about the benefits of krill oil — a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fats – for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) back in 2006.

The following year, in 2007, a clinical study examining the effects of krill oil on adults diagnosed with ADHD also showed positive results. In that study, patients improved their ability to concentrate by an average of over 60 percent after taking a daily 500mg dose of krill oil for six months.

They also reported a 50 percent improvement in planning skills, and close to 49 percent improvement in social skills.

These latest findings, which involve children and teens with ADHD, have not yet been published, but the results are again very promising. Additional clinical follow-up studies are also planned, to further investigate the beneficial impact of krill oil on attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is all great news!

Granted, of the 4.5 million American children who have been diagnosed with ADHD, an estimated 20 percent have likely been misdiagnosed, but an enormous amount of children do have neurological problems – the exact cause of which has yet to be teased out by science.

Diet and Brain Health

Unfortunately, the conventional drug treatments most often employed can do far more harm than good. Safe, effective treatment options are sorely needed for the millions of children and adults stricken with ADHD.

I’ve repeatedly said that one of the key factors to effectively treat ADHD is nutrition, and healthful omega-3 fats are a MAJOR component of a brain-healthy diet.

We know the food choices of most people today are incredibly poor, and you simply cannot expect a child to have normal behavior if he is fed refined grains, sugars, processed foods loaded with chemicals and genetically engineered ingredients, and juices and sodas instead of pure water.

Our modern diet also contains an overabundance of highly processed, damaged omega-6 fats while being deficient in omega-3′s.

Not only are processed omega-6 fats harmful in and of themselves, but making matters even worse, they also interfere with your body’s attempt to utilize the tiny amount of omega-3 fats that it gets.

When you add all these dietary factors together, neurological and behavioral issues are not far behind…

You simply cannot have a healthy functioning brain when the proper ingredients to develop or maintain a healthy brain are not provided, and animal-based omega-3 fats are essential for a well-functioning brain.

Krill Oil Benefits Those with ADD/ADHD

Certainly, we already know omega-3 fats are essential for proper brain function and as I mentioned earlier, krill oil, specifically, has now been shown effective for both children and adults with ADHD.

Previous research using fish oil has also confirmed that animal-based omega-3 fat can improve the symptoms of ADHD more effectively than drugs like Ritalin® and Concerta®!

If that’s not cause for hope, I don’t know what is!

This latest study included 18 boys, aged 7 through 11, who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The youngsters received daily krill oil supplements for a period of 13 weeks. When their EEG’s were compared to EEG patterns from a database of 400 other children with ADHD, the researchers were able to confirm beneficial changes in the children’s EEG pattern, and the parents also reported improved behavior.

According to Hogne Vik MD, PhD:

“This is an important observation identifying positive effects on the central nervous system (CNS) after supplementation of krill oil in humans. For the first time objective EEG-measurements—before and after a 90 day intervention period with krill oil—have confirmed observed improvements in a clinical CNS condition,” the NPI Center reports.

Omega-3 Deficiency and Hyperactivity

In this previous article, Theresa Gallagher discusses research from Purdue University, which found that children deficient in omega-3 had significantly higher incidence of hyperactivity, learning disorders, and behavioral problems.

Part of the explanation for this is likely due to the fact that dopamine and serotonin both play a role in ADD/ADHD and other mood disorders, and your dopamine and serotonin receptors are composed of the animal-based omega-3 fat DHA.

If you don’t have sufficient amounts of DHA in your blood, then your dopamine/serotonin receptors end up using man-made trans-fat molecules as a construction material instead.

However, trans-fats (damaged omega-6 fats) are shaped differently than DHA: they are straight while DHA is curved. This causes your receptors to become deformed and not work very well.

Now, if this scenario is repeated day after day, year after year, you could easily wind up with problems like depression and problems concentrating. But this problem can be far more severe than that in a child whose brain is still developing, which is why a healthful diet during the prenatal and infant stage is so incredibly important.

Signs of Omega-3 Deficiency

Omega-3 deficiencies have also been linked to a number of other health problems, such as:

* Dyslexia
* Violence
* Depression
* Memory problems
* Weight gain
* Heart disease and cancer
* Eczema and allergies
* Inflammatory diseases and arthritis

As related by Gallagher, there are more than 2,000 scientific studies demonstrating the wide range of problems associated with Omega-3 deficiencies.

Remember, the ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is about 1:1. But our Western diet, so chock full of processed fast food, has skewed this ratio to about 1:20 or even 1:50!

Common signs that you have an imbalance in these two fats include:

Dry skin Alligator skin “Chicken skin” on backs of arms
Dandruff Lowered immunity Dry eyes
Frequent urination Fatigue Poor wound healing
Irritability Dry, unmanageable hair Frequent infections
Attention deficit Hyperactivity Learning problems
Soft nails Brittle, easily frayed nails Patches of pale skin on cheeks
Allergies Excessive thirst Cracked skin on heels or fingertips
All Omega-3 Fats are Not Created Equal

Many insist that omega-3 from plant-based sources (ALA) are interchangeable with animal-based omega-3 (EPA and DHA), but this is simply not the case.

Plant-based omega-3 fats are highly beneficial and should also be consumed, but the evidence is very clear that they are not an acceptable substitute for animal-based omega-3 fats.

This is primarily related to the fact that your body does not easily convert the ALA in plant-based fats to the longer fats of EPA and DHA needed for brain and heart health. And if you have diabetes, are overweight, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol or are elderly, your body has even more difficulty converting these fats.

That said, even among animal-based omega-3 fats, there are differences that can impact performance.

What’s the Best Type of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fat?

In a perfect world, you’d get all the animal-based omega-3s you need from eating seafood. Regrettably, industrial pollution has contaminated most of the world’s fish stocks with a variety of dangerous toxins like mercury and PCBs.

This leaves marine oils, mainly purified fish oil, or krill oil, as alternatives. Personally, I take krill oil every day, and I’m convinced that it’s the best option for most people, for several reasons.

* Omega-3 in krill oil is bound in a phospholipid structure, making it far more bioavailable than fish oil. In fact, nearly 100 percent of the DHA and EPA in krill oil are immediately available to your body.

The omega-3 in fish oil, on the other hand, are in a triglyceride molecule that has to be broken down in your gut into its base fatty acids EPA and DHA. Once the fatty acids are absorbed into your bloodstream, your liver then has to attach it to phoshphatidyl choline molecule for it to be used by your body.

Because of this, your body can only absorb about 15 to 20 percent of it, while the rest is eliminated in your intestine. (This is also what causes so many people to “burp up” the fish oil taste, and not tolerate the fish oil very well.)
* Krill oil naturally contains the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin, which prevents the perishable DHA and EPA from going rancid. The vast majority of fish oil being sold is actually rancid before you even open the bottle, as it doesn’t contain this protective antioxidant, which prevents the DHA and EPA from oxidizing.
* Krill oil works at a lower dose. For the reasons mentioned above, krill oil is effective at far lower dosages, so you may only need one 500 mg capsule per day.

For more in-depth information about the inherent benefits of krill oil over fish oil, please see my recent interview with industry expert Dr. Rudi Moerck.

Additional Strategies to Relieve ADHD Symptoms

It is my sincere hope that people will begin to realize that drug therapy, if at all necessary, should be a very last resort, after all other options have been exhausted – especially when it comes to behavioral problems such as ADHD.

Clearly, animal-based omega-3 such as krill oil should be high on your list of natural treatment strategies. But there are also a number of other lifestyle changes that can significantly help.

So please, before you consider drugs, consider implementing the following strategies first:

* Eliminate most grains and sugars from your child’s diet. Grains and sugars both tend to cause allergies in sensitive individuals. Even organic, whole grain can cause problems in many children so it would be wise to give them a grain holiday and see if their behavior improves.
* Replace soft drinks (diet and regular), fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure, clean non-fluoridated water.
* Minimize your use of nearly all processed fats, especially trans fats as they disrupt nerve cell intercommunication.
* Avoid all processed foods, especially those containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, which may trigger or worsen symptoms.
* Clear your house of dangerous pesticides and other commercial chemicals. Pesticide exposure has been linked with ADHD.
* Avoid commercial washing detergents and cleaning products used on clothes, and replace them with naturally derived cleaning products with no added perfumes, softeners, etc.
* Spend more time in nature. Researchers have found that exposing ADHD children to nature is an affordable, healthy way of controlling symptoms.
* Investigate sensory therapy and emotional wellness tools. Instead of looking for a quick fix, encourage ADHD sufferers to talk, and find out what emotions are causing issues. You may want to consider the energy tapping techniques to improve emotional coping and healing.

Avoid this Type of Water Purification
Posted By Dr. Mercola | December 18 2010 | 52,619 views
It’s a well-established fact that clean, pure water is a foundational cornerstone of good health. What’s open for discussion, however, is what constitutes “clean, pure water.”

There are many opinions and much confusion about which kind of water imparts the greatest health benefits, particularly when it comes to its pH.

I recently addressed the danger of alkaline water. In this segment I’ll address distilled water, and review the pro’s and con’s of reverse osmosis water filtration. Since most water sources are now severely polluted, the issue of water filtration and purification couldn’t be more important.

It’s unfortunate, but the value of plain water is vastly underrated by most experts when it comes to achieving optimal health.

I’m convinced that we could prevent many of our chronic health problems if we would simply start replacing all soda and nearly all commercial fruit juices with pure water.

As you may know by now, the number one source of calories in the U.S. comes from high fructose corn syrup primarily in the form of soda. Americans drink an average of one gallon of soda each week, and this excessive fructose consumption is a driving force behind obesity and chronic degenerative disease in this country.

Drinking alkaline or ionized water, however, is not a healthful choice in the long run, and as you will see, neither is drinking distilled water…

Why I Do Not Recommend Drinking Distilled Water

Long before natural health enthusiasts began touting the benefits of alkaline water, there were similarly glowing claims for distilled water.

During distillation, water is boiled and evaporated away from its dissolved minerals, and then the vapor is condensed and the resulting water droplets collected. Distilled water is an active absorber, and when it makes contact with air, it quickly absorbs carbon dioxide and becomes acidic.

Since it is free of dissolved minerals and other particles, it has the ability to absorb toxic substances from your body and eliminate them.

However, although drinking distilled water may be helpful when detoxifying for a week or two, the longer you drink it, the more likely you’ll develop mineral deficiencies and an acidic state.

You can rapidly lose electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals, which can cause cardiac irregularities, high blood pressure, and cognitive/emotional disturbances.

In a paper by F. Kozisek of the World Health Organization (WHO), [i] water low in calcium and magnesium, such as distilled water, is associated with the following health problems:

* Cardiovascular disease
* Higher risk of bone fracture in children
* Neurodegenerative diseases
* Motor neuronal diseases
* Pre-term births, low birth weights, and preeclampsia
* Various types of cancer
* Increased risk of “sudden death”
* Acute magnesium and calcium deficiency, weakness, fatigue and muscle cramping

Clearly, changing the water you drink can have profound and potentially disastrous effects on your health, as this research shows.

For these reasons, I’ve been discouraging people from drinking distilled water for well over a decade now, but there are other far more problematic issues with distilled water that make potential mineral deficiencies pale in comparison.

Distilled Water is Only as Pure as the Water You Begin With…

One of the primary benefits commonly attributed to distilled water is its lack of contaminants.

However, this usually turns out to be far from true…

Why?

There are two primary reasons why your distilled water may not be as pure as you’d like to think:

1. Any contaminant in the water that vaporizes at a lower temperature than the water, such as volatile organic compounds, such as disinfection byproducts that are thousands of times as toxic as chlorine, will be condensed and actually concentrated in the finished distilled water. So what you end up with is water that contains even more dangerous contaminants than what you started with.
2. Because the water is acidic and demineralized, it will pull contaminants out of whatever container you put it in.

Many distillers on the market are made of metal, which will actually add certain toxic metals like nickel back into the water. And if you use a distiller with a plastic bottle, you have a number of plastic chemicals to contend with – many of which we now know are extremely toxic.

The Most Shocking Fact About Distilled Water

In recent years we’ve learned a lot about the dangers of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) found in most treated water supplies, such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs).

These DBPs form when water treatment disinfectants such as chlorine, chloramines, and chlorine dioxide react with natural organic matter in the source water.

Researchers have now discovered that DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine, and out of all the other toxins and contaminations present in your water, such as fluoride and miscellaneous pharmaceutical drugs, DBPs may be the absolute worst.

Trihalomethanes (THMs), for example, are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they’ve been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. They’ve also been linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans, and human studies suggest that lifetime consumption of chlorine-treated water can more than double the risk of bladder and rectal cancers in certain individuals.

The process of distilling actually worsens the presence of these extremely toxic contaminants in your water because anything that vaporizes at a lower temperature than water, such as volatile organic compounds (VOC’s and trihalomethanes (THM’s), will also be boiled and condensed.

Sure, the heavy metals are left behind. Lead, for example, will not vaporize. But chlorine will change into chloroform during the distillation process, and will be present in your distilled water.

Distilled Water is Actually MORE Toxic than Municipal Tap Water

So, not only will distillation not remove one of the most significant toxins in water, which are the DBPs, it may actually deliver a more concentrated dose of them.

AND, you’re also drinking whatever chemical or metal contaminants the water has dissolved out of the container it’s stored in!

Talk about a double-whammy of toxic contamination!

This fact alone should be reason enough to ditch the idea that distilled water might be good for you, unless you start with entirely pure water to begin with, which defeats the whole purpose of distilling it.

Remember that every municipal water supply is treated with chlorine or chlorine like substance that will induce the formation of disinfection byproducts in your water supply. So unless you are using the distiller on well water, you need to be very concerned about this.

A volatile organic compound is a chemical that vaporizes at a lower temperature than water and has carbon in it. And there are hundreds of thousands of volatile organic compounds out there, including benzenes, trihalomethanes, and trichloroethylene. Exactly what and how much of these toxic compounds are in your source water will naturally vary from one location to another.

Many of these are industrial organic solvents that are very destructive to the human body. Many if not most of them are carcinogenic at extremely low levels.

DBPs, for example, are measured in parts per BILLION, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the goal for some of these byproducts at zero because they are so dangerous. Unfortunately the EPA goal is impossible to enforce.

Still, the maximum annual average of THMs in your local water supply cannot exceed 80 ppb (parts-per-billion), and the maximum annual average of HAAs permitted by EPA regulations is 60 ppb.

It goes without saying that if distilling were to concentrate these contaminants just a little bit, the consequences to your health could be quite severe.

The Drawbacks Clearly Outweigh Any Potential Benefits

So, in the end, distilled water:

* Is expensive
* Is energy intensive
* Doesn’t remove VOC’s and DBPs
* Is ineffective at removing toxic fluoride
* Draws out chemicals and metal contaminants from whatever container it’s stored in
* Leaches minerals from your body which can lead to health problems

On the positive side, it may help draw out toxins during a short-term detoxification program, but all in all, I believe the drawbacks are stacked quite high and clearly outweigh any perceived benefit.

A Special Note on Removing Fluoride from Your Drinking Water

Distillation also will not effectively remove fluoride, another dangerous element added to most water supplies.

Distillation can remove an estimated 55-60 percent of fluoride, but the rest will get transferred. A reverse osmosis system is slightly more effective, capable of removing about 80 percent of fluoride.

Currently, the only commercially viable way to get non-detectable levels of fluoride (in water that is been treated with fluoride) that I know of is using an activated aluminum filtration system. However, I’m not convinced it will remove all volatile compounds…

The real solution is to convince the US to stop water fluoridation altogether, a campaign I’m currently waging together with the Fluoride Action Network.

I urge you to join us and get involved at any level you can.

If this is a topic that interests you, I would strongly encourage you to sign up for their site as we are shortly going to launch a social networking strategy that will allow you to network with those in your local community so you can initiate the process to have fluoride removed from your water supply.

This is clearly the best solution and it will also produce an improvement in the public health of your community, so you would be doing a major service for your uninformed and deceived neighbors.

Why I’m Changing My Stance on Reverse Osmosis…

I’ve recommended reverse osmosis (R/O) as the water treatment system of choice for some time now, because I was convinced it was the best solution on the market. It’s the system I’ve used in my own home, primarily to reduce the salt content of my water as I had initially installed a water softener.

However, lately I’ve begun to rethink my stance on reverse osmosis.

Reverse osmosis, like distillation, creates fairly acidic water, and it also strips the water of minerals. Additionally, some contend that R/O destabilized the structure of the water, and the system has other drawbacks as well.

It’s expensive, and it wastes water. According to Houston, depending on the system it can use anywhere between two to 10 gallons of water to produce one gallon of drinking water.

Another concern is that most of the systems have a holding tank that must be cleaned out regularly to prevent growth of bacteria.

Still, R/O has certain benefits, and there are ways to circumvent some of its drawbacks.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Reverse Osmosis

On the plus side, R/O is excellent for removing all sorts of contaminants, including herbicides, pesticides, lead, fluoride, disinfection byproducts (DBP’s) and even all but the smallest viruses or protozoan cysts.

Some hormones will slip through, but overall, it does a remarkable job of filtering out some of the absolute worst water contaminants.

It does, however, also create water that is both slightly acidic and demineralized.

One way to ameliorate this is to re-introduce minerals to the water. I add about ¼ teaspoon of Himalayan salt per gallon of water to compensate for the minerals lost.

To restructure the water, you can store it in a large round glass jar. Before placing it in the fridge, create a vortex in the container using a large mixing spoon. I believe this restructures the water closer to its natural state, and if nothing else it helps aerate it.

There are vortex machines that you can purchase for $400-500 but they use electric motors and I don’t believe they do a much better job than merely swirling the water around with a spoon.

Keeping it cold, around 39 degrees Fahrenheit, also greatly helps to impart the natural restructure back to the water.

Prior to using my current whole house carbon-based water filtration system I used R/O to purify my water. I still use R/O when I travel in the winter, but I put the filtered water into glass jug rather than a metal holding tank. I also use it as the final stage in my whole house system to remove any possible contamination that occurs in the water after the purified water leaves the filter and travels through the pipes.

Aim for Living Water

In the end, what you want is pure, clean, well-balanced water that is neither too alkaline nor too acidic. Ideally, the pH of your water should be close to 7, which is neutral.

Somewhere between 6.5 to 7.5 is likely fine.

Some of the mountain springs have water in the 6.5 pH range, which would be my preference if it were readily available. You CAN actually collect your own water from natural springs, and if this is something that interests you, take a look at FindaSpring.com.

Natural spring water is “living water,” in the same way that raw food is “living food” which is why it’s some of the most healthful water on the planet.

As for tweaking your body’s pH, I don’t recommend going overboard in either direction by drinking either alkaline or distilled water.

Most people simply need to normalize their pH because their diet has already made them unbalanced.

A great way to normalize your pH naturally is by juicing vegetables. You can’t find higher quality living water than that extracted from fresh veggies! If this is new to you and you are interested in more information you can review my juicing manual for free.

Four Tablespoons of This “Brain Food” May Prevent Alzheimer’s

Posted By Dr. Mercola

| December 13 2010 | 28,201 views

Watch these videos featuring Dr. Mary Newport to learn about an amazing discovery which could potentially be a “cure” for Alzheimer’s and memory loss: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/13/can-this-natural-food-cure-or-prevent-alzheimers.aspx

Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/themes/mercola/images/bullet.gif Coconut Ketones July 22, 2008

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

In the video above, Dr. Mary Newport discusses ketone bodies, an alternative fuel for your brain which your body makes when digesting coconut oil, and how coconut oil may offer profound benefits in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

This is truly remarkable news, and I urge you to watch Dr. Newport’s video in its entirety to get her full story. If her theory is accurate, this could be one of the greatest natural health discoveries in a long time. Backing up her claims is the remarkable recovery of her own husband

.

Bear in mind however that contrary to Dr. Newport, I personally do NOT support using drugs to treat Alzheimer’s, and based on his condition believe enrolling him in a vaccine study is completely contraindicated and ill advised.

That said, I believe Dr. Newport may have stumbled upon a powerful natural strategy to help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, and that’s what I want to address here.

“Brain Starvation” is a Hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease

One of the primary fuels your brain needs is glucose, which is converted into energy.

The mechanism for glucose uptake in your brain has only recently begun to be studied, and what has been learned is that your brain actually manufactures its own insulin

to convert glucose in your blood stream into the food it needs to survive.

As you may already know, diabetes is the condition where your body’s response to insulin is weakened until your body eventually stops producing the insulin necessary to regulate blood sugar, and your body’s ability to regulate (or process) blood sugar into energy becomes essentially broken.

Now, when your brain’s production of insulin decreases, your brain literally begins to starve, as it’s deprived of the glucose-converted energy it needs to function normally.

This is what happens to Alzheimer’s patients — portions of their brain start to atrophy, or starve, leading to impaired functioning and eventual loss of memory, speech, movement and personality.

In effect, your brain can begin to atrophy from starvation if it becomes insulin resistant and loses its ability to convert glucose into energy.

It is now also known that diabetics have a 65 percent increased risk of also being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and there appears to be a potent link between the two diseases, even though the exact mechanisms have yet to be determined.

It seems quite clear however that both are related to insulin resistance – in your body, and in your brain.

Alternate Brain Food Can Stop Brain Atrophy in its Tracks

Fortunately, your brain is able to run on more than one type of energy supply, and this is where coconut oil enters the picture.

There’s another substance that can feed your brain and prevent brain atrophy. It may even restore and renew neuron and nerve function in your brain after damage has set in.

The substance in question is called ketone bodies, or ketoacids.

Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy. And a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil!

Coconut oil contains about 66 percent MCTs.

The benefits of ketone bodies may also extend to a number of other health conditions, according to Dr. Newport

:

“Further, this is a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclero­sis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), drug resistant epilepsy, brittle type I diabetes, and diabetes type II, where there is insulin resistance.

Ketone bodies may help the brain recover after a loss of oxygen in newborns through adults, may help the heart re­cover after an acute attack, and may shrink cancer­ous tumors.”

Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) are fats that are not processed by your body in the same manner as long chain triglycerides. Normally, a fat taken into your body must be mixed with bile released from your gallbladder before it can be broken down in your digestive system.

But medium chain triglycerides go directly to your liver, which naturally converts the oil into ketones, bypassing the bile entirely. Your liver then immediately releases the ketones into your bloodstream where they are transported to your brain to be used as fuel.

In fact, ketones appear to be the preferred source of brain food in patients affected by diabetes or Alzheimer’s.

“In Alzheimer’s disease, the neurons in certain areas of the brain are un­able to take in glucose due to insulin resistance and slowly die off, a process that appears to happen one or more decades before the symptoms become apparent,” Dr. Newport states in her article

.

“If these cells had access to ketone bod­ies, they could potentially stay alive and continue to function.”

The Ketonic Diet – Why Avoiding Grains Also Protects against Neurodegeneration

Another way to increase ketone production in your body is by restricting carbohydrates.

This is what happens when you go on a high fat, high protein, low carbohydrate diet: Your body begins to run on fats instead of carbohydrates, and the name for this is ketosis.

This is also why you don’t starve to death when you restrict food for weeks at a time, because your body is able to convert stored fat into ketones that are used as fuel instead of glucose.

Consuming medium chain triglycerides such as coconut oil is a better option, however, because the ketones produced by ketosis are not concentrated in your bloodstream, but are instead mostly excreted in your urine.

MCTs and Alzheimer’s Research

The mechanism of this MCT-ketone metabolism appears to be that your body treats MCTs as a carbohydrate and not a fat. This allows the ketone energy to hit your blood stream without the normal insulin spike associated with carbohydrates entering your bloodstream.

So in effect coconut oil is a fat that acts like a carbohydrate when it comes to brain fuel.

Therapeutic levels of MCTs have been studied at 20 grams per day. According to Dr. Newport’s calculations

, just over two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 35 ml or 7 level teaspoons) would supply you with the equivalent of 20 grams of MCT, which is indicated as either a preventative measure against degenerative neurological diseases, or as a treatment for an already established case.

Remember though that people tolerate coconut oil differently, and you may have to start slowly and build up to these therapeutic levels. My recommendation is to start with one teaspoon, taken with food in the mornings. Gradually add more coconut oil every few days until you are able to tolerate four tablespoons.

Coconut oil is best taken with food, to avoid upsetting your stomach.

You Also Need Dietary B12 for Optimal Brain Health

According to a small Finnish study recently published in the journal Neurology

, people who consume foods rich in B12 may also reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 (holotranscobalamin) the risk of developing Alzheimer’s was reduced by 2 percent.

However, I strongly disagree with the dietary advice published by CNN Health

on this topic, which included fish and fortified cereals.

Fortified cereals

are most definitely NOT a good source of dietary B vitamins. They also have inorganic iron added. This is the worst type of iron to use as a supplement and it will raise already elevated iron in those that don’t need it, like most adult men and postmenopausal women.

Elevated iron levels will actually increase your risk of Alzheimer’s

Additionally, most fish are today so contaminated, I cannot recommend increasing consumption of fish either. One exception would be sardines, which are high in B12 and small enough to typically be less contaminated, compared to larger fish.

Instead, your ideal dietary sources of B12 vitamins would include:

· Liver from organic calf

· Wild caught salmon

· Organic, grass-fed beef

· Lamb (which are typically grass-fed even if not specified as organic)

· Organic, free-range eggs

Vitamin B12 is present in natural form only in animal sources of food, which is one of the reasons I advise against a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. The few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs. An analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B12, so your body’s need for the nutrient actually increases.

There are many well-documented cases of brain abnormalities

in strict vegetarians, resulting from vitamin B12 deficiency

.

Foods to AVOID to Keep Your Mind Sharp

Meanwhile, besides incorporating ketone therapy (coconut oil), as either a preventative step or as a treatment, there are other steps you can take to help minimize your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease decades from now.

For instance, it’s important to know what foods to avoid, in order to protect the health of your brain.

These four foods in particular can be pinpointed as enemies of optimal brain health:

1. Sugars, especially fructose — Excessive sugar and grain consumption are the driving factors behind insulin resistance, and the strategies that protect your brain are very similar to those for avoiding diabetes.

There is simply no question that insulin resistance is one of the most pervasive influences on brain damage, as it contributes massively to inflammation, which will prematurely degenerate your brain.

Ideally, you’ll want to restrict your total fructose consumption to below 25 grams a day. This includes refraining from eating too many fruits, if you normally eat a lot of them. If you consume more than 25 grams a day of fructose you can damage your cells by creating insulin and leptin resistance and raising your uric acid levels.

Berries tend to be lower in fructose, and wild blueberries, for example, are also high in anthocyanin and antioxidants, and are well known for being beneficial against Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.

2. Grains – Even whole, organic grains will convert to sugar in your body and spike your insulin levels.

Ideally you’ll want to devise a nutritional plan geared to your specific nutritional type to maximize your health benefits, as grain carbs are far more detrimental to some than others. I believe this is essential to everyone’s health, and I’m very pleased to now be able to offer the full online nutritional typing program for free

. We’ve previously charged $29 for this test, so please do take advantage of this free offer

.

3. Artificial sweeteners – Aspartame

, for example, is an excitotoxin that can literally destroy your brain cells. There are many studies showing the dangers of aspartame

. For example, one study published in 2000

found that aspartame shortens the memory response, impairs memory retention and damages hypothalamic neurons in mice.

And the results from a 2002 study published in the journal Nature

suggest that aspartame may cause mental retardation, although the mechanism by which it does that is still unknown.

Other animal studies have linked aspartame to brain damage and brain tumors

, even in low doses. I believe aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are dangerous to your health in so many ways, I even wrote an entire book on this topic called Sweet Deception

.

4. Soy — Unfermented soy

products are another common food that should be avoided if you want to maintain healthy brain function.

One well-designed epidemiological study linked tofu consumption with exaggerated brain aging. Men who ate tofu

at least twice weekly had more cognitive impairment, compared with those who rarely or never ate the soybean curd, and their cognitive test results were about equivalent to what they would have been if they were five years older than their current age.

What’s more, higher midlife tofu consumption was also associated with low brain weight. Shrinkage does occur naturally with age, but for the men who had consumed more tofu showed an exaggeration of the usual patterns you typically see in aging.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel has written an excellent book, The Whole Soy Story

, which covers the health dangers of soy in great depth and I highly recommend it to anyone still under the illusion that soy is a health food.

Additional Guidelines to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease While Combating Diabetes at the Same Time

Clearly, the best-known “treatment” for Alzheimer’s disease is prevention, not drugs

.

There is no question that insulin resistance is one of the most pervasive influences on brain damage as it contributes massively to inflammation, which will prematurely degenerate your brain — just as it destroys the rest of your body and contributes to degenerative and chronic diseases of all kinds.

As a general rule for optimal physical and mental health, you’ll want to keep your fasting insulin levels below 3.

Interestingly, normalizing your body’s insulin and leptin levels will typically help raise your production of brain insulin, which is a good thing.

In addition to the dietary recommendations already discussed above, the following seven guidelines can further help you prevent Alzheimer’s disease and keep your mind sharp as you age:

1. Optimize your vitamin D levels

through safe sun exposure, a safe tanning bed and/or vitamin D3 supplements.

2. Take a high-quality animal-based omega-3 fat. I recommend consuming high quality krill oil

to meet the optimal amount of omega-3 fats needed to achieve good health and fight Alzheimer’s. I recently did an interview with Dr. Rudi Moerck

, an industry expert, which goes into great detail as to why I am strongly recommending krill.

3. Exercise. You probably know that exercise is good for your cardiovascular system

, but studies have found that exercise can also protect your brain

, thereby warding off Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

According to one study

, the odds of developing Alzheimer’s were nearly quadrupled in people who were less active during their leisure time, between the ages of 20 and 60, compared with their peers.

Similar to a healthy diet, regular physical activity is one of those actions that can significantly improve many aspects of your physical and emotional health. For the elderly, simple activities such as walking

and lightweight training would likely provide benefits. For those who are younger, more strenuous exercise will radically improve the benefits.

4. Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Even trace amounts of mercury can cause the type of damage to nerves that is characteristic of the damage found in Alzheimer’s disease.

Dental amalgam fillings

are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to your improved diet, you can follow my mercury detox protocol

and then find a biological dentist

to have your amalgams removed.

Other sources of mercury include most seafood

, thimerosal-containing vaccinations

and flu shots

, which contain both mercury and aluminum.

5. Avoid aluminum. Aluminum has been widely associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Your main sources of exposure are likely through drinking water

and antiperspirants

.

Aluminum cookware may also be a source of exposure. Although aluminum pots are probably less problematic than the sources mentioned above, I personally would not use aluminum cookware.

6. Challenge your mind. Mental stimulation

, such as traveling, learning to play an instrument or doing crossword puzzles, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Avoid anticholinergic drugs

. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain night-time pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.

A recent study found that those who took one drug classified as a ‘definite anticholinergics’ had a four times higher incidence of cognitive impairment. Regularly taking two of these drugs further increased the risk of cognitive impairment.

Final Thoughts on Combating Alzheimer’s with Coconut Oil

The damage done to your brain from the wrong foods and from unbalanced insulin and leptin levels actually begins decades before you show any of the telltale signs of Alzheimer’s. So it’s vitally important to make healthy decisions now, before you unwittingly do decades of damage to your brain and nerves that you may not be able to reverse.

If you undertake a coconut oil or MCTs therapy protocol, be sure to start slow with the oil, and always take it with food to minimize stomach discomfort. If it takes you a few weeks to work up to the four tablespoons of coconut oil required for a therapeutic dose, that’s normal. Not everyone can tolerate so much coconut oil in a single dose right from the start.

The coconut oil or MCTs should also be taken in the morning, as it takes a minimum of three hours for the oil to convert to ketones and reach your brain. Repeating the dose of four tablespoons of coconut oil twice a day may be beneficial for those already suffering from pre-Alzheimer’s or Alzheimer’s conditions.

With 15 million cases of Alzheimer’s predicted in the United States by the year 2050, you can help ensure you are not one of the victims of this tragic disease by taking steps now to take charge of your health.