Coco Moringa - Health & Wellness Blog UK

What Are the Dangers of Preservatives?

2011-09-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Manufacturers use preservatives in many products that people consume and depend on for health. Many companies also use them in cosmetics. The intent of preservative use is well-meaning, because they prevent botulism, mold and bacteria, which gives products a longer shelf life and protect people from illness. Unfortunately, many preservatives have dangerous side effects that cause cancers, hyperactivity, nervous system damage and other problems. It should be noted that many studies incorporate feeding massive amounts of a preservative to laboratory rats, so some preservatives consumed in small amounts may not be as dangerous as some studies suggest.

Sodium Benzoate
Many soda manufacturers use sodium benzoate to prevent mold. This chemical can damage mitochondria in cells, which leads to neuro-degenerative diseases. Professor Andrew Kemp from the University of Sydney mentions in an editorial for the May 24, 2008, edition of the "British Medical Journal" that children "were significantly more hyperactive after they ate a mixture of food colorings and a preservative [sodium benzoate]."

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Sodium Nitrate
Sodium nitrate, which is found in many packaged meats like hot dogs, sausages and bacon, is used as a curing agent. The curing of meats reduces the possibility for botulism-causing bacteria. Although MeatSafety.org, a website sponsored by the American Meat Institute trade association, says that sodium nitrate is "safe in the levels used" according to a study done by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, some studies link pancreatic and lung cancers to an increased consumption of meats containing sodium nitrate.

Propyl Gallate
Food manufacturers use propyl gallate as a stabilizer in packaged meats, dried milk, candy, potato chips and baked goods. It is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The National Toxicology Program, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reports that this preservative causes prostate inflammation and tumors of the thyroid, brain and pancreas.

Thimerosal
Manufacturers of vaccines use thimerosal, which is 49.6 percent mercury, as a preservative to prevent the growth of microorganisms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents that in 1999, the Public Health Service issued statements "urging vaccine manufacturers to reduce or eliminate thimerosal in vaccines as soon as possible." The National Network for Immunization Information cites that "mercury can interfere with the developing nervous system." Although thimerosal is no longer used in childhood vaccinations in the United States, it is still extensively used in many flu vaccinations.

Potassium Bromate
Many bread companies still use potassium bromate to strengthen bread dough. Although countries like Britain and Canada banned the preservative as a carcinogen because significant evidence shows that it causes cancerous kidney and thyroid tumors in rats, it is still found in some baked goods in the United States. Potassium bromate is especially dangerous if the food product is not baked long enough at a high enough temperature.

BHA & BHT
Food manufacturers use BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) to prevent oxygenation. This keeps many breads and snack foods fresh for longer periods of time because the fats cannot turn rancid from exposure to oxygen. The Center for Science in the Public Interest cites studies which show that BHA causes cancer in animals. It also asserts that the safety of BHT is unproven.

Dangers of Irradiated foods

2011-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Irradiated herbs, seasonings and spices are exposed to HALF A BILLION chest X-ray's worth of gamma radiation. This information is clearly publicized by the USDA and FDA.

The FDA presently supports the use of Cobalt-60 culled from nuclear reactors on all domestically produced conventional food. The level of gamma-radiation used starts at 1 KiloGray -- equivalent to 16,700,000 chest x-rays -- and goes all the way up to 30KiloGray (500,000,000 chest x-rays or 10,000 times a human lethal dose).

According to Green Med Info:

“Despite the irresponsible promotion of this process as safe, food irradiation destroys much of the vitamin content of food, produces a number of toxic byproducts: formaldehyde, benzene, and formic acid, as well as unique radiolytic products, e.g. 2-alklycyclobutanoes, that have been demonstrated to be cytotoxic (damages cells), genotoxic (damages DNA), and carcinogenic (causes cancer) in test tube and animal studies.”
Sources:
Green Med Info June 20, 2011

Green Med Info

Nutrition and Cancer 2002;44(2):189-91

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry October 5, 2005;53(20):7826-31

Food and Chemical Toxicology December 2007;45(12):2581-91

You're probably well aware that certain foods, like milk and juices, at your grocery store are pasteurized -- a process that uses heat to kill off bacteria from your food, and in the process destroys nutrients and denatures the food. But you may not know that foods may also be irradiated -- a process that exposes your food to radiant energy, including gamma rays, electron beams and X-rays.

Irradiation was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1963, and today is used on more than 40 food products dispersed throughout 37 countries. If this sounds a bit alarming to you, you are not alone. After nuclear disasters like the Fukushima meltdown in Japan, radiation poisoning to food is one of the primary health concerns. So how is it that food processors can expose your food to radiation on purpose, in the name of food safety?

Are There Health Risks to Eating Irradiated Food?
The FDA claims, "Irradiation is an important food safety tool in fighting foodborne illness," noting that the sources and amounts of radiation applied to foods are not strong enough to cause the food to become radioactive. They also state that "food irradiation does not significantly change the nutrient content, flavor, or texture of food." However, as Sayer Ji, found of GreenMedInfo.com, states:

"The FDA presently supports and actively promotes the use of Cobalt-60 culled from Nuclear Reactors as a form of "electronic pasteurization" on all domestically produced conventional food.

The use of euphemisms like "food additive" and "pasteurization" to describe the process of blasting food with high levels of gamma-radiation cannot obviate the fact that the very same death-rays generated by thermonuclear warfare to destroy life are now being applied to food to "make it safer" …

This is not a hypochondriac's rantings, as we aren't talking here about small amounts of radiation. The level of gamma-radiation used starts at 1KiloGray (equivalent to 16,700,000 chest x-rays or 333 times a human lethal dose) and goes all the way up to 30KiloGray (500,000,000 chest x-rays or 10,000 times a human lethal dose)."

As you might suspect, exposing food to the equivalent of hundreds of millions of x-rays does not appear to be an innocuous act. Alternatively, evidence to date suggests it may be having a detrimental effect on the health of those who consume it.

A New Class of Food Contaminants
2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs) are radiolytic derivatives of triglycerides found exclusively in irradiated food. The compounds are generated proportionally to fat content of the food and the dose of absorbed radiation.

Research in animals suggests the compounds may promote tumor growth and colon cancer, and studies show 2-alkylcyclobutanones are able to cross the intestinal barrier, enter into the bloodstream, and be stored in the fat tissue of an animal. The compounds have also been shown to be cytotoxic and genotoxic, which means they may damage cells and DNA, respectively. Studies on human cells also revealed potential cancer-causing effects, with researchers concluding "this compound may be regarded as a possible risk factor for processes in colon carcinogenesis related to initiation and progression."

More Reasons to be Wary of Irradiation
Needless to say, the research to date is raising major red flags that irradiation is NOT as safe as food safety officials would have you believe. In addition to the formation of potentially toxic 2-ACBs, irradiation leads to the formation of furan from ascorbic acid, fructose, sucrose, or glucose. Furan in foods has been linked to liver toxicity, including carcinogenicity.

Another study found that cats developed "mysterious" and "remarkable" severe neurological dysfunction, including movement disorders, vision loss and paralysis, after being fed a diet of irradiated foods during gestation. When they were taken off the irradiated foods, they slowly recovered. This is a major clue that irradiated foods deserve some serious regulatory scrutiny, but unfortunately they have already infiltrated the food system. And it's not as though this concerning evidence was just recently brought to light. One paper on potential dangers, prepared for the meeting of the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee on Irradiated Food, dates back to 1969. The author stated:

" … irradiation can bring about chemical transformations in food and food components resulting in the formation of potential mutagens."

Does Irradiation Actually Mask Filthy Food Production?
The FDA is quick to state that "Irradiation is not a substitute for good sanitation and process control in meat and poultry plants. It is an added layer of safety." But it is, in essence, a tool to wipe out bacteria, parasites and other potential pathogens that linger in food. This means food manufacturers have an out of sorts … After all, they're going to nuke everything later anyway, so why go to the trouble of actually growing your food in sanitary conditions to begin with?

Irradiation is essentially a very effective medium for masking filthy conditions in slaughterhouses and food processing plants. The foundational solution to this problem lies in preventing contamination at the source -- on the farm, during processing and shipping, and so on -- not in wiping out pathogens later using questionable technological interventions like radiation! There simply shouldn't be any need for irradiation, as there simply shouldn't be E. coli in your lettuce or Salmonella in your poultry in the first place.

So why is there?

Our "global food system," which encourages farming on a massive scale, poses steep problems for food safety. Not only can one batch of contaminated spinach or peppers easily sicken people across an entire country, but it's very difficult to trace a contaminated food back to its source … and even harder to then pinpoint the source of the contamination.

Public health agencies like the FDA use the term "field-to-fork continuum" to describe the path any given food takes on the way to your plate, and during any of the following steps, contamination is possible:

•Open field production
•Harvesting
•Field packing
•Greenhouse production
•Packinghouse or field packing
•Repacking and other distribution operations
•Fresh-cut/value-added processing
•Food service and retail
•Consumer
As you can see, the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes.

But again, the solution is not to subject your foods to radiation to make them "safe" … they should be safe from the get-go, and this is one of the primary reasons why I encourage you to think long and hard about the sources of your food. If you are able to get your food directly from the field or after harvest, such as directly from a farmer or farmer's market, you knock out five potential operations that could expose your food to contamination, not to mention you'll have assurance the food has not been irradiated.

Do You Want to Avoid Irradiated Foods?
In the United States, the following foods may be irradiated:

Fresh meat and poultry (including whole or cut up birds, skinless poultry, pork chops, roasts, stew meat, liver, hamburgers, ground meat, and ground poultry) Wheat and wheat powder White potatoes
Many spices Dry vegetable seasonings Fresh shell eggs
Fresh produce

Fortunately, the FDA currently requires that irradiated foods include labeling with the statement "treated with radiation" or "treated by irradiation" and the international symbol for irradiation, the radura:

However, there are exceptions:

•Irradiated meat used in another product (such as sausage) does not have to contain the radura image on the package (it does have to list irradiated meat in the ingredients, though).
•Restaurants are not required to disclose the use of irradiated foods. So be aware that any time you eat out, you have no way of knowing if your food has been irradiated.
You can also avoid irradiation by choosing locally grown, organic foods as much as possible. Certified organic foods may not be irradiated, and foods from a small, local farm are unlikely to be either. So, as I've said many times before, supporting the small farmers in your area and, as much as possible, getting your food from these types of high-quality, small-scale local sources is one of the simplest ways to access pure, unadulterated food.

Related Links:
Irradiated Food Causes Brain Damage

FDA Allows Irradiation of Produce

What are the Most Common Food Infections?

90 Year-Old Powerful Natural Cancer Therapy You've Probably Never Heard Of

2011-08-15T00:42:00.001-07:00

If you're a regular reader, you're probably well aware of the link between the foods you eat and your risk of cancer. But for those of you who may be just joining us, suffice to say that virtually everything you put into (or onto) your body can either help or hinder your natural healing mechanisms, and thereby influence your risk of cancer.

This is not an "alternative" view at all. Rather, even the conservative American Cancer Society states that one-third of cancer deaths are linked to poor diet, physical inactivity, and carrying excess weight.

Once you understand this, it is not a stretch to embrace the teachings of the Gerson Therapy, which has helped thousands of people recover from so-called incurable diseases, including cancer.

What is The Gerson Therapy?
The Gerson Therapy, developed by Dr. Max Gerson in the 1920s, is focused on the concept that you have the power to heal yourself, and it uses non-toxic methods, including organic foods, juicing, detoxification and supplements, to activate this healing potential.

As stated by the non-profit Gerson Institute:

"The Gerson Therapy is a powerful, natural treatment that boosts your body's own immune system to heal cancer, arthritis, heart disease, allergies, and many other degenerative diseases. One aspect of the Gerson Therapy that sets it apart from most other treatment methods is its all-encompassing nature.

An abundance of nutrients from thirteen fresh, organic juices are consumed every day, providing your body with a superdose of enzymes, minerals and nutrients. These substances then break down diseased tissue in the body, while enemas aid in eliminating the lifelong buildup of toxins from the liver. With its whole-body approach to healing, the Gerson Therapy naturally reactivates your body's magnificent ability to heal itself - with no damaging side-effects."

The Gerson Research Organization maintains a collection of reports documenting the research behind the Gerson Therapy as well as the role of diet on cancer, and you can hear anecdotes from patients who have improved using the therapy in the video above, as well as read case studies here.

Many of the success stories include people whose conventional doctors gave no hope for recovery, who were able to overcome their disease against all odds using not toxic cancer drugs but natural fruits and vegetables. The system is not a miracle cure for everyone, and even the Gerson Institute states that "No treatment works for everyone, every time" … but most conventional physicians offer only ONE route for cancer treatment -- drugs, radiation and surgery -- while ignoring or discounting alternative options such as this.

The Problem with Conventional Cancer Treatment
Unfortunately, the leading cancer treatments in the United States are notoriously toxic and come with devastating, including lethal, side effects. Conventional medicine is so desperate to give the illusion of fighting the good fight that many of these drugs are used despite the fact that they're not really doing much to prolong or improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with cancer.

The best-selling (and extremely expensive) cancer drug Avastin, for example, was recently phased out as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer after studies concluded its benefits were outweighed by its dangerous side effects. Treating a disease that is in large part caused by toxins with toxins seems ignorant at best.

Cancer is, by and large, mostly a man-made disease, the tragic result of humans veering too far off course and avoiding health-sustaining diets and activities, while embracing a highly unnatural sedentary, stress-filled lifestyle with exposure to excess chemicals around every corner.

Among the primary culprits fueling our cancer epidemic are:

Pesticide- and other chemical exposures Processed and artificial foods (plus the chemicals in the packaging) Wireless technologies, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure
Pharmaceutical drugs Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits Lack of sunshine exposure and use of sunscreens

I strongly believe that cancer rates are escalating because modern medicine is in no way, shape or form addressing these underlying causes of most cancers. Instead, most of the research is directed toward expensive drugs that target late stages of the disease and greatly pad the drug companies' wallets -- but simply do not prevent or "cure" cancer.

If ever there was an area in which an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure it is cancer. I strongly believe that if you are able to work your way up to the advanced health plan, you will virtually eliminate the risk of most cancers.

This is what sets the Gerson Therapy apart from conventional cancer treatments as well. Even though there are some aspects of this program that conflict with my own views, such as the consumption of fruits and fruit juices, there is no doubt that it is far less toxic than most conventional treatments. And, unlike chemotherapy and cancer drugs, it is seeking to address the underlying systemic causes of cancer and activate your body's ability to heal itself.

Why Haven't You Heard of the Gerson Therapy?
Some of you may have heard of the Gerson Therapy, but the vast majority have not. In fact, most alternative cancer treatments are belittled, discredited or completely ignored by the mainstream press and public health agencies.

Why?

Most public health organizations are bought and paid for by the very same companies whose products contribute to cancer … or are heavily financed by the cancer drug industry. This includes even generally well respected organizations like the American Cancer Society.

In the report titled American Cancer Society —More Interested In Accumulating Wealth Than Saving Lives, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, plainly lays to bare the many conflicts of interest that hamper the effectiveness of this organization.

For example, the ACS has close financial ties to both makers of mammography equipment and cancer drugs. But that's just for starters. Other conflicts of interest include ties to, and financial support from, the pesticide-, petrochemical-, biotech-, cosmetics-, and junk food industries—again the very industries whose products are the primary contributors to cancer!

Once you realize that these conflicts of interest are there, it becomes quite easy to understand why the ACS never addresses the environmental components of cancer, and why information about avoidable toxic exposures are so conspicuously absent from their National Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns.

"This is no accident," Dr. Epstein writes. "Zeneca Pharmaceuticals--a spin-off of Imperial Chemical Industries is one of the world's largest manufacturers of chlorinated and other industrial chemicals, including those incriminated as causes of breast cancer.

Zeneca has also been the sole multimillion-dollar funder of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month since its inception in 1984, besides the sole manufacturer of Tamoxifen, the world's top-selling anticancer and breast cancer "prevention" drug, with $400 million in annual sales. Furthermore, Zeneca recently assumed direct management of 11 cancer centers in U.S. hospitals. Zeneca owns a 50 percent stake in these centers known collectively as Salick Health Care."

It's no small irony that the cancer drug Tamoxifen has been found to cause cancer and increase risk of death, while several top-notch preventive strategies and many safe and effective cancer treatments are ignored.

The ACS, along with the National Cancer Institute, virtually exclusively focus on cancer research and the diagnosis and chemical treatment of cancer. Preventive strategies, such as avoiding chemical exposures, and potential cures, such as the Gerson Therapy, Dr. Nick Gonzalez's nutritional approach or medical marijuana, receive virtually no consideration at all.

My Top 12 Tips for Cancer Prevention
Cancer is devastating far too many families and taking many way before their time. It's time to fight back and take control of your health by following the cancer-preventive lifestyle changes below.

Avoid Fructose and Sugar

It's quite clear that if you want to avoid cancer, or are currently undergoing cancer treatment, you absolutely MUST avoid all forms of sugar -- especially fructose -- and this is largely due to its relation to insulin resistance.

According to Lewis Cantley, director of the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, as much as 80 percent of all cancers are "driven by either mutations or environmental factors that work to enhance or mimic the effect of insulin on the incipient tumor cells," Gary Taubes reports.

Some cancer centers, such as the Cancer Centers of America, have fully embraced this knowledge and place their patients on strict low-sugar, low-grain diets. But conventional medicine in general has been woefully lax when it comes to highlighting the health dangers of this additive.

As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day including fruits. But for most people it would also be wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams or less, as you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose if you drink beverages other than water and eat processed food.
Optimize Vitamin D

There's overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that vitamin D deficiency plays a crucial role in cancer development. Researchers within this field have estimated that about 30 percent of cancer deaths -- which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States -- could be prevented each year simply by optimizing the vitamin D levels in the general population.

On a personal level, you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure. And if you are being treated for cancer it is likely that higher blood levels—probably around 80-90 ng/ml—would be beneficial.

If the notion that sun exposure actually prevents cancer is still new to you, I highly recommend you watch my one-hour vitamin D lecture to clear up any confusion. It's important to understand that the risk of skin cancer from the sun comes only from excessive exposure.
Exercise

If you are like most people, when you think of reducing your risk of cancer, exercise doesn't immediately come to mind. However, there is some fairly compelling evidence that exercise can slash your risk of cancer. One of the primary ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells.

For example, physically active adults experience about half the incidence of colon cancer as their sedentary counterparts, and women who exercise regularly may reduce their breast cancer risk by 20 to 30 percent compared to those who are inactive.

It's important to include a large variety of techniques in your exercise routine, such as strength training, aerobics, core-building activities, and stretching. Most important of all, however, is to make sure you include high-intensity, burst-type exercise, such as Peak 8.

These exercises activate your super-fast twitch muscle fibers, which can increase your body's natural production of human growth hormone. For detailed instructions, please see this previous article.
Get appropriate amounts of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats.
Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
Maintain an ideal body weight.
Get appropriate amounts of high-quality sleep.
Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them. Better yet eat as many of your foods raw as you can.
Looking for Alternative Cancer Treatment?
Only you can determine what type of treatment to seek if you are struggling with cancer; if alternative treatments make sense to you, please be sure to listen to my interview with Dr. Nick Gonzalez, a physician focused on alternative cancer treatment using a three-pronged nutritional approach similar to the Gerson Therapy.

You can also view the highly popular video of Dr. Burzynski and article that we ran three weeks ago, which now has half a million views.

The Stunning Effect of This Single Vitamin on CANCER...

2011-08-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

What if a cure for cancer has been right here all along? What if the very agency charged with protecting your health is the one keeping you from that cure?

A Lawless, Rogue Agency Out of Control
Ten years ago a former New York State assemblyman, Daniel Haley, wrote a scathing exposé on how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) systematically shuts the door on effective and non-toxic products, many for cancer.

The FDA is the chief agency in charge of protecting and promoting Americans' health and safety. But in 10 stunning, true stories in his book, "The Politics of Healing," Haley describes how the FDA has suppressed and banned natural health cures – eight of them for cancer. He later wrote about two additional cancer cures that worked, which the FDA also disallowed.

The FDA even admitted that one of these treatments, discovered by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, was successful with some of the most incurable forms of cancer. I shared this with you in a recent article that showed his film, but stories like this are far too common, and you can't help but wonder how many people have died while the FDA denied them cancer treatments that work.

Haley brazenly calls the FDA a rogue, out of control agency that has lied in Congressional testimonies, deliberately falsified data, and destroyed evidence to prohibit cures like Burzynki's from coming to market. The FDA's loyalties are to the drug industry, not to individuals, Haley says.

His claims mirror those of Dr. David Graham, who once worked in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety. In 2004 Dr. Graham blew the whistle on six drugs that were harming people, including Vioxx, but instead of acting on his warnings, Graham's superiors pulled him off his job. He fought back in a PBS television special when he told how he'd been chastised at the FDA for thinking the FDA served the public. The "FDA is there to serve the drug industry," Graham said his supervisors told him.

'Virtually Every' Drug Company Now Targeting Cancer Therapies
Today, the FDA continues to serve its client, Big Pharma, by making sure that toxic chemotherapy, along with surgery and radiation, are the only cancer treatment options legally available to you. This industry is huge, with 139 cancer treatment drugs in the pipeline just for women alone. All told there are over 900 experimental cancer therapies under investigation. No wonder so many pharmaceutical companies are ramping up their cancer drug research!

According to the New York Times:

"Virtually every large pharmaceutical company seems to have discovered cancer, and a substantial portion of the smaller biotechnology companies are focused on it as well. Together, the companies are pouring billions of dollars into developing cancer drugs."

Note they said drugs, not cures. That's because this industry isn't set up for a cure, even though they say that's what they're looking for. It's also why economic forecasts predict 20 million new cancers by 2025, with the $50 billion-a-year cancer treatment business increasing by 15 percent a year. Pfizer alone projects its annual cancer drug returns will be $11 billion by 2018.

The Truth about Vitamin D
Everyone's talking about vitamin D right now, especially since the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) updated their recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for it. The truth is that most Americans are deficient in vitamin D, and studies show that vitamin D supplementation can both prevent and kill many infections and diseases, including cancer.

Vitamin D isn't actually a vitamin, although scientists refer to it as such. It's actually a steroid hormone that you get from sun exposure, food sources and/or supplementation. The term refers to either vitamin D2 or D3, but according to the National Vitamin D Council, D3 (chemical name 25-hydroxy vitamin D) is real vitamin D, and is the same substance produced naturally through your skin by sun exposure.

Older research appears at odds on whether your body cares which form of D it's getting. But a study in the January 2011 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that D3 is 87 percent more effective than D2, and is the preferred form for treating vitamin D deficiency. It's measured in international units (IU's) in nanograms per milliliter, or ng/mL. The Vitamin D Council believes that a person's D3 levels should be at least 50 ng/mLfor your body to function properly. (To determine whether you might be deficient, you need to get your vitamin D levels tested, and ideally, you'll want to get tested regularly thereafter to ensure you're maintaining optimal levels year-round.)

Fourteen famous vitamin D researchers gave the FNB this information, but the FNB apparently ignored the information that the researchers presented because their "updated" RDA levels ended up being so pitifully low that it's doubtful it can significantly impact Americans' deficiency, let alone fight off diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Experts Protest 'Impossible' New RDA Levels
Depending on your age, the new recommendations are 600 to 800 IUs a day for adults and between zero and 600 IUs a day for children. The FNB also said that taking vitamin D in amounts of 10,000 IUs or more could be dangerous – but that's ridiculous, seeing that a 30-minute dose of sunshine can give an adult more than 10,000 IUs! Since countless studies indicate that much higher levels of vitamin D are required for optimal health, it's no surprise that experts lost no time denouncing the FNB's recommendations.

"It's almost impossible to significantly raise your vitamin D levels when supplementing (at the FNB levels)," the Vitamin D Council posted on its website.

Hidden Agendas and Conflicts of Interest
Suspecting that conflicts of interest and hidden agendas played a part in this, the Vitamin D Council filed Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests so they could examine the FNB's notes on the process. They're still waiting on an answer, but I'm wondering if it doesn't have something to do with the fact that over 1,350 clinical trials on vitamin D are currently being conducted by major drug companies, all based on the prevention or cure of many illnesses and diseases, including 388 for cancer.

Yes, cancer.

From breast to prostate, to colorectal to brain cancers, and even basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer), Drug companies such as Pfizer and Merck are currently either sponsoring or collaborating on clinical trials based on the premise that vitamin D administered orally, intravenously or topically (for skin cancer) may either prevent or cure cancer. Cancer foundations and institutes are all in on the clinical study game as well, such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. Even the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs are studying ways to prevent and cure cancer with vitamin D!

What's really interesting is that several of these studies are using vitamin D in amounts of 50,000 IUs a day or more – which flies strongly in the face of the FNB's claims that self-supplementing with 10,000 could be dangerous to your health. Since recent studies show that supplements of up to 40,000 IUs a day don't appear to be toxic, and that doses as low as 400 IUs a day are too low to even maintain skeletal health, let alone prevent cancer,

The FDA's Definition of Drug vs. Supplement
Over 800 studies already show that vitamin D could have cancer-prevention and/or treatment possibilities. But the problem is that it's a natural substance that can't be patented as a simple supplement, meaning there's no real revenue in it, compared to a prescription brand drug. That's why many drug studies involving vitamins of any kind hinge on how the FDA defines drugs and supplements.

A drug is defined as a product meant for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of a disease. A supplement is defined as a product that is meant to simply "supplement" or "enhance" a normal diet within the daily allowances recommended by the FDA. Drugs – and retailers who sell supplements are not allowed to tell you that vitamin D can possibly "prevent, mitigate or cure" cancer without having the FDA accuse them of selling a drug that hasn't been approved through the proper FDA process.

Again, Follow the Money if You Want to Know the Truth
That process of getting a drug to market costs an average $359 million and takes nearly 10 years– with a good portion of the money going directly to the FDA through user fees. Over the years these fees have become a major funding source for the FDA. What drug companies get in return is faster FDA reviews and drug approvals.

As a result, a kind of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours scenario has ensued, with drug companies maintaining major leverage over the FDA when it comes to protecting their revenue sources, including making sure the $60 billion-a-year supplement business doesn't get in the way of drug sales. The history of FDA laws and regulations on file at Harvard Law School, explains how years ago an FDA task force long ago established this policy

"… to ensure that the presence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a disincentive to drug development."

So how does this relate to too-low RDA levels for vitamin D?

A look at the clinical trials shows that most of them involve "high-potency" D3 supplements, which puts them in the drug category if it turns out they can mitigate, treat or cure cancer. And that means they can be patented – and sold to you as prescriptions at sky-high prices.

Drug Companies Are Elbowing Their Way into Your Healthcare Plan
Another way that Big Pharma has moved in on the cancer industry is through pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer drug benefits for about 95 percent of all patients with prescription drug coverage. PBMs decide which drugs flow through the healthcare system. Supposedly they choose the best drugs and prices for your plan. But what if I told you that the businesses that sell the drugs have been helping to decide which drugs your PBM pays for?

Regulators have been working hard to nip conflicts of interest in the bud, but over the years numerous court cases have shown that drug companies and PBMs working together has led to higher prices and limited drug choices – and allegations of price-setting through secret deals with pharmaceutical companies.

Official Agencies Wedded to Toxic Chemotherapy
I have an employee who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. After her mastectomy, she was told she had several months of chemotherapy and radiation ahead of her. But she sought a second opinion at a renowned cancer treatment center – and learned that chemotherapy was NOT going to be part of her treatment plan because her type of cancer doesn't respond to chemotherapy.

"And since chemo is poison, why would we want to poison you for no reason?" the oncologist told her.

That's right – a person in the business of "selling" cancer treatment actually said he wasn't going to poison her "for no reason" – something I consider unusual in an industry that is wedded to toxic chemotherapy. The employee was pronounced cancer-free four months later, without chemo or radiation, which may leave you wondering, as it did me, how many patients die every year from toxic chemotherapy they got but didn't need?

Some experts believe that as much as 25 percent, or more, of patients who undergo chemotherapy are killed by it. Dr. Vincent Speckhart, a former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and oncologist, was so concerned about deaths from chemo that he told a Congressional committee:

"After 13 years of using FDA-approved chemotherapy protocols, I concluded that such therapies were extremely toxic, poorly tolerated, and not effective in prolonging survival in most solid tumors of adults. In 1983, my patients began to request therapies other than chemotherapy. I agreed, and without even knowing it, I became an 'alternative practitioner' and was red-flagged by opponents of this form of therapy."

In other words, if you're a physician who divorces the status quo of cancer treatment, you'd better watch out. In his book, Haley talks about how this "gross government intrusion into the healing arts," costs thousands – and perhaps millions – of lives and facilitates the drug industry by squelching people like Dr. Speckhart and Burzynski.

Arm Yourself with Knowledge to Protect Your Healthcare Freedom
It doesn't help that the FDA as well as other "official cancer medicine" agencies have a swinging door of employees going back forth between the agency and Big Pharma to work. In a new book, "National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society: Criminal Indifference to Cancer Prevention and Conflicts of Interest," former Cancer Prevention Coalition president Dr. Samuel S. Epstein shows just how bad the conflicts are.

Quoting former NCI director Samuel Broder, Epstein says "the NCI has become a government pharmaceutical company." And the ACS, Epstein says, is more interested in "accumulating wealth than saving lives." With close ties to cancer treatment businesses, the ACS has a track record that "clearly reflects conflicts of interest" when it comes to cancer treatment policies and prevention strategies, Epstein alleges.

And so it goes… So, what you can do to protect yourself from getting cancer, or what can you do if you already have it? The good news is that knowledge is power, and there are things you can do for yourself, right now, not to only to prevent cancer, but to make sure you have the right cancer treatment if you do get it.

Because cancer is almost wholly a man-made disease, it's especially important to recognize that you do have power over many things that could cause you to get cancer. Taking control of your health will put you in a position to make the best health decisions possible if you do get cancer.

Here's a list to get you started on a cancer prevention plan:

Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, monitor your vitamin D levels throughout the year.
Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars/fructose as much as possible.
Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
Maintain an ideal body weight.
Get enough high-quality sleep.
Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.
You also can help by voicing your opposition to the FDA's censorship of alternative cancer treatments by sending a letter to your Congressional representatives and asking them to support H.R. 1364, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning the distribution of information on legitimate scientific research in connection with foods and dietary supplements. Call or write your Congressman now, and stop the censorship of your right to alternative cancer therapies and possibly a cure.

The Western World Needs Moringa Too.

2011-06-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

“Why doesn’t everybody in the world already know about this?”

This is a common reaction that people have when they discover the astounding nutritional benefits of Moringa.

According to recent nutrition studies, Moringa ranks among the top natural products in providing nutrition, vitamins, antioxidants as well as vital proteins. The Moringa plants comes from the Moringa tree founds, among other regions in the world, in the Indian subcontinent.

In India, the Moringa plant has had a long history of success according to India’s age-old medicinal tradition known as Ayurveda (meaning “the science of life”). Ayurveda texts note that the Moringa plant contains more than 90 different kinds of nutrients.

While Moringa has as yet been little known to American audience, many civilizations across the globe have turned to the Moringa plant for sustenance and as remedies for ailments. Above of all, this plant is also known to maintain good health.

PER 1 GRAM

Vitamin C As much as 7 Oranges - An antioxidant required for at least 300 metabolic functions in the body. X7

Vitamin A – as much as 4 Carrot - Important for eyes, skin, bone health, and more. X4

Vitamin B – as much as 4 servings of Pork - Maintains health of nerves, liver, muscles, brain, and more. X4

Vitamin E – as much as 4 servings of Black Sesame - Prevents cell damage, oxidation, and more. X4

Calcium – as much as 4 servings of Milk - Vital for strong bones, teeth, transmission of nerve impulses, and more. X4

Protein – as much as 2 servings of Yogurt - Necessary for growth, development, proper acid-alkali balance, and more. X2

Potassium – as much as 3 Bananas - Important for healthy nervous system, regular heart rhythm, and more. X3

Zinc – as much as 2 Oysters - Promotes healthy immune system, healing of wounds, reproductive health, and more. X2

GABA – more than 30 servings of Brown Rice - Gamma-Amino butyric Acid, an amino acid, is needed for proper brain function and more. X30

Polyphenol – more than 8 servings of Red Wine or 11 servings of Dark Chocolate - Plant compounds that have antioxidant properties to scavenge free radicals and more. X8

Why Do Vegetables Become Contaminated in the First Place?

2011-06-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

The foundational solution to this problem lies in preventing it at the source -- on the farm, during processing and shipping, and so on. There simply shouldn't be E. coli in your lettuce or Salmonella in your tomatoes.

So why is there?

Our "global food system," which encourages farming on a massive scale, poses steep problems for food safety. Not only can one batch of contaminated spinach or peppers easily sicken people across an entire country, but it's very difficult to trace a contaminated food back to its source … and even harder to then pinpoint the source of the contamination.

Public health agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use the term "field-to-fork continuum" to describe the path any given food takes on the way to your plate, and during any of the following steps, contamination is possible:

Open field production
Harvesting
Field packing
Greenhouse production
Packinghouse or field packing
Repacking and other distribution operations
Fresh-cut/value-added processing
Food service and retail
Consumer
As you can see, the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes. If you are able to get your food directly from the field or after harvest, such as directly from a farmer or farmer's market, you knock out five potential operations that could expose your food to contamination.

There is, of course, also potential for contamination directly in the farm field.

For instance, the 2006 spinach scare that sickened hundreds across the United States was initially blamed on wild pigs that spread E. coli bacteria by trampling fences around a spinach field in California. But it was also suggested that other sources may have been to blame, specifically contaminated water including runoff, flooding or irrigation water.

Even the FDA notes that the best solution to food-borne illness resulting from fresh produce lies in preventing it at the source:

"Once fresh produce has been contaminated, removing or killing the microbial pathogens while maintaining the fresh attribute of the produce is very difficult. Prevention of microbial contamination at all steps in the field-to-fork continuum is preferable to treatment to eliminate contamination after it has occurred."

The Agency has developed draft guidance intended to reduce the contamination potential for tomatoes, melons and leafy greens, but these suggestions either do not go far enough or are not being followed by food producers, as contamination is still occurring. Further, there are countless other produce items being grown with little regard for food safety, and the risk that a contaminated pepper or tomato could wind up on your dinner plate remains omnipresent.

Does Washing Your Produce Make it Safe?
The FDA offered seven basic tips to help clean your fruits and veggies, and one of them was to wash produce under plain running water.

But is this actually helpful?

Well, washing under running water will certainly do away with grime and visible dirt on the surface, but this isn't necessarily the source of contamination. Rather, most pathogenic bacteria are going to be invisible, and they can at times exist inside the plant, where no amount of washing can touch them.

Further, microbes on fruits and veggies often form into tightly knit packs called biofilms. Salmonella, E. coli and other types of infectious bacteria live together in biofilms to stay out of harm's way, and once attached they can be difficult to remove, especially on produce with rough surfaces, such as spinach or cantaloupe.

On the other hand, washing your produce will help to remove some pesticides. So if you buy conventionally grown produce, I do recommend you wash it in clean water, not so much to remove bacteria but to help take off some pesticides. (It won't remove them all, but it may help).

The other issue is that most produce is waxed after harvest to withstand the long journey to market and to protect against the many hands that touch it.

Wax seals in pesticide residues and debris, which make them even more difficult to remove with just water. To reach the contaminants buried beneath the surface of your vegetables and fruits, you need a cleanser that also removes the wax, which is what my fruit and vegetable wash does.

In some cases, removing the peel may also help to get rid of bacteria, but keep in mind that often the skin is where the majority of the nutrients are so you'll want to eat it for optimal nutrition.

Many may know that I have not been very fond of alkaline water makers in the past. While I am still opposed to some of the large multi-level brands, I have been more carefully evaluating their claims and have actually been very impressed with the ACID water they produce. Most of the units can either create alkaline or acid water. The acid water is not designed for drinking but it is an excellent cleaning and sterilizing agent and may be the ideal way to clean any contaminated vegetables.

These units are typically well over $1,000 though so it would not make sense to purchase one for this purpose but if you have one you certainly could use it for that. If you don't then a high-quality vegetable wash, like the one we carry, would be more cost effective.

One FDA "Tip" to Ignore: Irradiation
In 2008 the FDA published a final rule allowing the use of irradiation on fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach. They call this a "safe measure for safer" produce, but dousing your veggies with ionizing radiation, which is what irradiation is, is nothing more than a last-ditch attempt by the FDA to make their supervision and certification of the crumbling food system appear safe.

This way, agribusiness can continue to grow and process spinach and lettuce in the filthiest conditions imaginable, and it will still be perfectly safe for you to eat it, thanks to the varying doses of radiation.

The FDA maintains that irradiated foods are no different from non-irradiated foods (which is not surprising considering they also consider meat from cloned animals the same as non-cloned meat). Clearly, they have done an excellent job of ignoring the alarming data on food irradiation that has spanned over four decades.

Reproductive dysfunction, chromosomal abnormalities, liver damage, and strange gene-damaging chemicals have all been linked to irradiation.

The FDA also notes that "irradiation does not take the place of washing," so what, then, is the point?

Currently, irradiated foods must be labeled with either the statement "treated with radiation" or "treated by irradiation," and the international symbol for irradiation, the radura. That might change in the future, but for now I suggest avoiding all foods that contain these labels, or buying organic, as organic food is not irradiated.

Is There Any Way to Find "Cleaner" Produce?
No one wants to worry that their fresh produce is contaminated with disease-causing microbes, and the last thing you want to do is avoid eating health-boosting veggies due to this fear. Instead, the key to making sure that any food you eat is safe is to get it from a high-quality source. I can't stress the importance of this enough.

When you get your produce from small farmers that raise their food in natural settings using clean water, as opposed to massive agribusiness conglomerations that use sewage sludge as fertilizer, there is very little risk in eating these foods raw. The same goes for meat, eggs, and raw dairy products, as well.

Choosing organic produce can also add at least some level of quality, as organic crops cannot be grown with synthetic pesticides or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, nor can they be irradiated.

I suggest browsing through my Sustainable Agriculture resource page to find farmer's markets, family farms and other sources of safe, high-quality food. Not only are these sources likely to grow their crops in more sanitary conditions than a conventional agribusiness farm, but there's a better chance that it will also be locally grown.

The closer you are to the source of your food, the fewer hands it has to pass through and the less time it will sit in storage -- so the better, and likely safer, it will be for you and your family.

This Addictive Commonly Used Food Feeds Cancer Cells, Triggers Weight Gain, and Promotes Premature Ageing

2011-05-27T13:34:00.001-07:00

Is sugar a sweet old friend that is secretly plotting your demise?

There is a vast sea of research suggesting that it is. Science has now shown us, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that sugar in your food, in all its myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll on your health.

The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:[1]

In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!
Sugar is loaded into your soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and hidden in almost all processed foods—from bologna to pretzels to Worcestershire sauce to cheese spread. And now most infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one if taking formula.

No wonder there is an obesity epidemic in this country.

Today, 32 percent of Americans are obese and an additional one-third are overweight. Compare that to 1890, when a survey of white males in their fifties revealed an obesity rate of just 3.4 percent. In 1975, the obesity rate in America had reached 15 percent, and since then it has doubled.

Carrying excess weight increases your risk for deadly conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.

In 1893, there were fewer than three cases of diabetes per 100,000 people in the United States. Today, diabetes strikes almost 8,000 out of every 100,000 people.[1]

You don’t have to be a physician or a scientist to notice America’s expanding waistline. All you have to do is stroll through a shopping mall or a schoolyard, or perhaps glance in the mirror.

Sugars 101 -- Basics of How to Avoid Confusion on this Important Topic

It is easy to become confused by the various sugars and sweeteners. So here is a basic overview:

Dextrose, fructose and glucose are all monosaccharides, known as simple sugars. The primary difference between them is how your body metabolizes them. Glucose and dextrose are essentially the same sugar. However, food manufacturers usually use the term “dextrose” in their ingredient list.
The simple sugars can combine to form more complex sugars, like the disaccharide sucrose (table sugar), which is half glucose and half fructose.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose.
Ethanol (drinking alcohol) is not a sugar, although beer and wine contain residual sugars and starches, in addition to alcohol.
Sugar alcohols like xylitol, glycerol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, and erythritol are neither sugars nor alcohols but are becoming increasingly popular as sweeteners. They are incompletely absorbed from your small intestine, for the most part, so they provide fewer calories than sugar but often cause problems with bloating, diarrhea and flatulence.
Sucralose (Splenda) is NOT a sugar, despite its sugar-like name and deceptive marketing slogan, “made from sugar.” It’s a chlorinated artificial sweetener in line with aspartame and saccharin, with detrimental health effects to match.
Agave syrup, falsely advertised as “natural,” is typically HIGHLY processed and is usually 80 percent fructose. The end product does not even remotely resemble the original agave plant.
Honey is about 53 percent fructose[2], but is completely natural in its raw form and has many health benefits when used in moderation, including as many antioxidants as spinach.
Stevia is a highly sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant, which is completely safe (in its natural form). Lo han (or luohanguo) is another natural sweetener, but derived from a fruit.
All Sugars are Not Equal
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium—and in fact, every living thing on the Earth—uses glucose for energy.

But as a country, sucrose is no longer the sugar of choice. It’s now fructose.

If your diet was like that of people a century ago, you’d consume about 15 grams per day—a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical person gets from sweetened drinks. In vegetables and fruits, it’s mixed in with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which moderate the negative metabolic effects. Amazingly, 25 percent of people actually consume more than 130 grams of fructose per day.

Making matters worse, all of the fiber has been removed from processed foods, so there is essentially no nutritive value at all. And the very products most people rely on to lose weight—the low-fat diet foods—are often the ones highest in fructose.

It isn’t that fructose itself is bad—it is the MASSIVE DOSES you’re exposed to that make it dangerous.

There are two overall reasons fructose is so damaging:

Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.
People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound.
The explosion of soda consumption is the major cause of this.

Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only far cheaper to make, it’s about 20 percent sweeter than conventional table sugar that has sucrose.

HFCS contains the same two sugars as sucrose but is more metabolically risky to you, due to its chemical form.

The fructose and the glucose are not bound together in HFCS, as they are in table sugar, so your body doesn’t have to break it down. Therefore, the fructose is absorbed immediately, going straight to your liver.

Too Much Fructose Creates a Metabolic Disaster in Your Body
Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism. His work has highlighted some major differences in how different sugars are broken down and used by the human body.

I highly recommend watching Lustig’s lecture in its entirety if you want to learn how fructose is ruining your health biochemically.

As I mentioned earlier, after eating fructose, most of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. This is NOT the case with glucose, of which your liver breaks down only 20 percent. Nearly every cell in your body utilizes glucose, so it’s normally “burned up” immediately after consumption.

So where does all of this fructose go, once you consume it?

Onto your thighs. It is turned into FAT (VLDL and triglycerides), which means more fat deposits throughout your body.

Eating Fructose is Far Worse than Eating Fat
However, the physiological problems of fructose metabolism extend well beyond a couple of pant sizes:

Fructose elevates uric acid, which decreases nitric oxide, raises angiotensin, and causes your smooth muscle cells to contract, thereby raising your blood pressure and potentially damaging your kidneys.[1]

Increased uric acid also leads to chronic, low-level inflammation, which has far-reaching consequences for your health. For example, chronically inflamed blood vessels lead to heart attacks and strokes; also, a good deal of evidence exists that some cancers are caused by chronic inflammation. (See the next section for more about uric acid.)
Fructose tricks your body into gaining weight by fooling your metabolism—it turns off your body’s appetite-control system. Fructose does not appropriately stimulate insulin, which in turn does not suppress ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) and doesn’t stimulate leptin (the “satiety hormone”), which together result in your eating more and developing insulin resistance.[3] [4]
Fructose rapidly leads to weight gain and abdominal obesity (“beer belly”), decreased HDL, increased LDL, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure—i.e., classic metabolic syndrome.
Fructose metabolism is very similar to ethanol metabolism, which has a multitude of toxic effects, including NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). It’s alcohol without the buzz.
These changes are not seen when humans or animals eat starch (or glucose), suggesting that fructose is a “bad carbohydrate” when consumed in excess of 25 grams per day. It is probably the one factor responsible for the partial success of many “low-carb” diets.

One of the more recent findings that surprised researchers is that glucose actually accelerates fructose absorption, making the potential health risks from HFCS even more profound.[1]

You can now see why fructose is the number one contributing factor to the current obesity epidemic.

Is Uric Acid the New Cholesterol?
By now you are probably aware of the childhood obesity epidemic in America—but did you know about childhood hypertension?

Until recently, children were rarely diagnosed with high blood pressure, and when they were, it was usually due to a tumor or a vascular kidney disease.

In 2004, a study showed hypertension among children is four times higher than predicted: 4.5 percent of American children have high blood pressure. Among overweight children, the rate is 10 percent. It is thought that obesity is to blame for about 50 percent of hypertension cases in adolescents today.[1]

Even more startling is that 90 percent of adolescents who have high blood pressure have elevated uric acid levels.

This has led researchers to ask, what does uric acid have to do with obesity and high blood pressure?

In his book, The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick, Dr. Robert J. Johnson makes a compelling argument for a previously unrecognized connection between excess sugar consumption and high uric acid levels. However, he promotes artificial sweeteners as an alternative to sugar and makes other recommendations that I don't agree with.

Dr. Johnson is a conventional physician who has not accepted large parts of natural medicine, however, he is one of the leading researchers defining the extent of fructose toxicity. He has spent many years of his life dedicating himself to uncover this mystery.

There are more than 3,500 articles to date showing a strong relationship between uric acid and obesity, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, and other conditions. In fact, a number of studies have confirmed that people with elevated serum uric acid are at risk for high blood pressure, even if they otherwise appear to be perfectly healthy.

Uric acid levels among Americans have risen significantly since the early half of the 20th Century. In the 1920s, average uric acid levels were about 3.5 ml/dl. By 1980, average uric acid levels had climbed into the range of 6.0 to 6.5 ml/dl and are probably much higher now.

How Does Your Body Produce Uric Acid?
It’s a byproduct of cellular breakdown. As cells die off, DNA and RNA degrade into chemicals called purines. Purines are further broken down into uric acid.

Fructose increases uric acid through a complex process that causes cells to burn up their ATP rapidly, leading to “cell shock” and increased cell death. After eating excessive amounts of fructose, cells become starved of energy and enter a state of shock, just as if they have lost their blood supply. Massive cellular die-off leads to increased uric acid levels.

And cells that are depleted of energy become inflamed and more susceptible to damage from oxidative stress. Fat cells actually become “sickly,” bloating up with excessive amounts of fat.

There is a simple, inexpensive blood test for determining your uric acid level, which I recommend you have done as part of your routine health checkups. Your level should be between 3.0 and 5.5 mg/dl, optimally.

There is little doubt in my mind that your uric acid level is a more potent predictor of cardiovascular and overall health than your total cholesterol level is. Yet virtually no one is screening for this.

Now that you know the truth you don’t have to be left out in the cold, as this is a simple and relatively inexpensive test that you can get at any doctor’s office. Odds are very good your doctor is clueless about the significance of elevated uric acid levels, so it will not likely be productive to engage in a discussion with him unless he is truly an open-minded truth seeker.

Merely get your uric acid level, and if it is over 5 then eliminate as much fructose as you can (also eliminate all beer), and retest your level in a few weeks.

Sugar Sensitization Makes the Problem Even WORSE!
There is yet another problem with sugar—a self-perpetuating one.

According to Dr. Johnson1, sugar activates its own pathways in your body—those metabolic pathways become “upregulated.” In other words, the more sugar you eat, the more effective your body is in absorbing it; and the more you absorb, the more damage you’ll do.

You become “sensitized” to sugar as time goes by, and more sensitive to its toxic effects as well.

The flip side is, when people are given even a brief sugar holiday, sugar sensitization rapidly decreases and those metabolic pathways become “downregulated.” Research tells us that even two weeks without consuming sugar will cause your body to be less reactive to it.

Try it for yourself! Take a two-week sugar sabbatical and see how different you feel.

Are Fruits Good or Bad for You?
Keep in mind that fruits also contain fructose, although an ameliorating factor is that whole fruits also contain vitamins and other antioxidants that reduce the hazardous effects of fructose.

Juices, on the other hand, are nearly as detrimental as soda, because a glass of juice is loaded with fructose, and a lot of the antioxidants are lost.

It is important to remember that fructose alone isn’t evil as fruits are certainly beneficial. But when you consume high levels of fructose it will absolutely devastate your biochemistry and physiology. Remember the AVERAGE fructose dose is 70 grams per day which exceeds the recommend limit by 300 percent.

So please BE CAREFUL with your fruit consumption. You simply MUST understand that because HFCS is so darn cheap, it is added to virtually every processed food. Even if you consumed no soda or fruit, it is very easy to exceed 25 grams of hidden fructose in your diet.

If you are a raw food advocate, have a pristine diet, and exercise very well, then you could be the exception that could exceed this limit and stay healthy.

Dr. Johnson has a handy chart, included below, which you can use to estimate how much fructose you’re getting in your diet. Remember, you are also likely getting additional fructose if you consume any packaged foods at all, since it is hidden in nearly all of them.

Fruit Serving Size Grams of Fructose
Limes 1 medium 0
Lemons 1 medium 0.6
Cranberries 1 cup 0.7
Passion fruit 1 medium 0.9
Prune 1 medium 1.2
Apricot 1 medium 1.3
Guava 2 medium 2.2
Date (Deglet Noor style) 1 medium 2.6
Cantaloupe 1/8 of med. melon 2.8
Raspberries 1 cup 3.0
Clementine 1 medium 3.4
Kiwifruit 1 medium 3.4
Blackberries 1 cup 3.5
Star fruit 1 medium 3.6
Cherries, sweet 10 3.8
Strawberries 1 cup 3.8
Cherries, sour 1 cup 4.0
Pineapple 1 slice
(3.5" x .75") 4.0
Grapefruit, pink or red 1/2 medium 4.3
Fruit Serving Size Grams of Fructose
Boysenberries 1 cup 4.6
Tangerine/mandarin orange 1 medium 4.8
Nectarine 1 medium 5.4
Peach 1 medium 5.9
Orange (navel) 1 medium 6.1
Papaya 1/2 medium 6.3
Honeydew 1/8 of med. melon 6.7
Banana 1 medium 7.1
Blueberries 1 cup 7.4
Date (Medjool) 1 medium 7.7
Apple (composite) 1 medium 9.5
Persimmon 1 medium 10.6
Watermelon 1/16 med. melon 11.3
Pear 1 medium 11.8
Raisins 1/4 cup 12.3
Grapes, seedless (green or red) 1 cup 12.4
Mango 1/2 medium 16.2
Apricots, dried 1 cup 16.4
Figs, dried 1 cup 23.0

In addition to limiting your intake of fructose, you should eliminate all sweetened beverages and fruit juices (including all artificial sweeteners) and drink only pure water and raw milk.

You can buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener for about $1 a pound. It is only 70% as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit more of it for the same amount of sweetness, making it slightly more expensive than sucrose—but still well worth it for your health as it has ZERO grams of fructose.

Remember that glucose can be used directly by every cell in your body and as such is far safer than the metabolic poison fructose.

Beer is also a good beverage to AVOID since it increases uric acid levels, just like fructose does, resulting in many of the same toxic effects.

All alcoholic beverages cause you to produce excess uric acid (and block your kidneys from excreting it), but beer seems to have a more pronounced effect on uric acid levels because it’s a rich source of guanosine, the type of purine that is most readily absorbed by the body.1

76 Additional Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
In addition to throwing off your body's homeostasis and wreaking havoc on your metabolic processes, excess sugar has a number of other significant consequences.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of the book Lick the Sugar Habit[5], contributed an extensive list of the many ways sugar can ruin your health from a vast number of medical journals and other scientific publications.

Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.[6] [7]
Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.[8] [9] [10] [11]
Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.[12] [13]
Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.[14] [15] [16] [17]
Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.[18]
Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.[26] [27]
Sugar can weaken eyesight.[28] 1
Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.[29] [30] [31] [32] [33]
Sugar can cause premature aging.[34] In fact, the single most important factor that accelerates aging is insulin, which is triggered by sugar. 1
Sugar can lead to alcoholism.[35]
Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.[36] [37] [38]
Sugar contributes to obesity. [39] 1
Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis.[40] [41] [42]
Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections) [43]
Sugar can cause gallstones.[44]
Sugar can cause appendicitis.[45]
Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.[46]
Sugar can cause varicose veins.[47]
Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.[48]
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.[49]
Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.[50] [51] [52]
Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.[53]
Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.[54]
Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.[55]
High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs),which are sugar molecules that attach to and damage proteins in your body. AGEs speed up the aging of cells, which may contribute to a variety of chronic and fatal diseases. [56] 1
Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.[57]
Sugar causes food allergies.[58]
Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.[59]
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.[60]
Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.[61] [62]
Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.[63]
Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.[64] [65]
Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.[66]
Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.[67] [68]
Sugar can cause emphysema.[69]
High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.[70]
Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.[71]
Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.[72]
Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide, and it can increase the amount of fat in your liver, leading to fatty liver disease.[73] [74]
Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.[75] [76] Fructose is helping to drive up rates of kidney disease. 1
Sugar can damage your pancreas.[77]
Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.[78]
Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.[79]
Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.[80]
Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.[81]
Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.[82]
Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect your children's grades and cause learning disorders.[83] [84]
Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves, which can alter your ability to think clearly.[85]
Sugar can cause depression.[86]
Sugar can increase your risk of gout.[87]
Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.[88] MRI studies show that adults 60 and older who have high uric acid are four to five times more likely to have vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s.1
Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.[89] [90] [91] [92]
Sugar can lead to dizziness.[93]
Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.[94]
A high sucrose diet of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.[95]
High sugar consumption by pregnant adolescents can lead to a substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold-increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.[96] [97]
Sugar is an addictive substance.[98]
Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.[99]
Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.[100]
Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.[101]
Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.[102]
The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.[103]
Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[104]
Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.[105]
Sugar can impair the function of your adrenal glands.[106]
Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in normal, healthy individuals, thereby promoting chronic degenerative diseases.[107]
Intravenous feedings (IVs) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.[108]
Sugar increases your risk of polio.[109]
High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.[110]
Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.[111]
In intensive care units, limiting sugar saves lives.[112]
Sugar may induce cell death.[113]
In juvenile rehabilitation centers, when children were put on low sugar diets, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.[114]
Sugar dehydrates newborns.[115]
Sugar can cause gum disease.[116]
It should now be crystal clear just how damaging sugar is. You simply cannot achieve your highest degree of health and vitality if you are consuming a significant amount of it.

Fortunately, your body has an amazing ability to heal itself when given the basic nutrition it needs, and your liver has an incredible ability to regenerate. If you start making changes today, your health WILL begin to improve, returning you to the state of vitality that nature intended.

CocoMoringa

2011-05-04T09:53:00.001-07:00

Our site is dedicated to bringing you information on health issues and to share our knowledge through natural means. Complemented with products that are Organic and mainly Moringa/Malunggay & Coconut Oil, that are natural & pure ingredients that are sourced & harvested in the Philippines. These also DON'T contain any cheap mass produced chemicals that seriously damage your Health.

Environmental- and lifestyle factors are increasingly being pinpointed as the primary culprits fueling our cancer epidemic. This includes:

Pesticide- and other chemical exposures Processed and artificial foods
(plus the chemicals in the packaging) Wireless technologies, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure
Pharmaceutical drugs Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits Lack of sunshine exposure and use of sunscreens the list goes on......

Our Vision

We aim to lead the market by supplying the widest range of natural, ethical and organic products available, we make this commitment to our customers & suppliers

Our Mission

To exceed our customers’ expectations in quality, delivery and value through an ethos of continuous improvement and development.

Our Values

We aim to be professional in developing working relationships, approachable to all our customers and ethical in all our purchasing and sourcing activities

Do you have Diabetes ?

2011-04-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Much of what you have probably heard about diabetes from your health care provider may be incorrect. There is an enormous amount of misinformation circulating from seemingly knowledgeable sources about this epidemic disease.

The vast majority of diabetics are clueless about how to reverse it, and many don’t even realize that they can. They believe their fate has been sealed and all they can do now is “control” it. More than 50 percent of type 2 diabetics are also not even aware they have diabetes.

Diabetes rates for both adults and children are climbing out of control and one in four Americans either have diabetes or pre-diabetes. Unfortunately, by following conventional medical advise, you could be putting yourself on the path toward life-threatening health problems—and even premature death.

We are in the Midst of a Diabetes Epidemic
The latest statistics indicate the U.S. now has up to 24 million people with diagnosed diabetes, which is 8 percent of our total population. However, the picture is even grimmer when it comes to the prevalence of pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose).

Almost 26 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 20 and more than 35 percent of seniors (age 60 and older) are pre-diabetics. In total, that’s 57 million Americans walking around with pre-diabetes, in addition to the 24 million who have already crossed the line.

That means more than one in four Americans has either pre-diabetes or the full-blown disease!

Not only is type 2 diabetes completely preventable, it is usually curable if you are willing to make some simple, inexpensive lifestyle adjustments that will restore your insulin and leptin sensitivity.

Diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2: What’s the Difference?
Diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus) is a chronic condition traditionally marked by high levels of glucose in your blood (high blood sugar).

Type 1 is called insulin-dependent diabetes (also known as juvenile onset diabetes), and Type 2 is called non-insulin-dependent diabetes (or adult onset diabetes).

Type 1: “Insulin Dependent” Diabetes
In Type 1 diabetes, your body’s own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, resulting in a complete deficiency of the hormone insulin. This deficiency of insulin is why Type 1 is called “insulin-dependent”—because more often than not, Type 1 Diabetics must give themselves supplemental insulin.

Type 1 is relatively uncommon, affecting only about 1 in 250 Americans. It usually occurs in people before the age of 20. There is no known cure.

However, recent research has shown that our preoccupation with sun avoidance may play a major role in the development of type 1 diabetes. The further you move away from the equator, the greater your risk for this disease.

Women can help reduce their children’s risk of type 1 diabetes by optimizing their vitamin D levels prior to, and during their pregnancy as vitamin D has been shown to suppress certain cells of the immune system that may play a role in the development of the disorder.

Type 2: “Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes”
Type 2 diabetes is by far the more common form of the disease, affecting 90 to 95 percent of diabetics, and is completely preventable and nearly 100 percent curable.

If you have type 2, your body is producing some insulin but is unable to recognize insulin and use it properly. This is an advanced stage of insulin-resistance.

Since your insulin is inadequate, sugar can’t get into your cells and instead builds up in your blood, causing a variety of problems. This is why diabetics have elevated blood sugar levels.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

Excessive thirst Extreme hunger (even after eating)
Nausea and possible vomiting Unusual weight gain or loss
Increased fatigue Irritability
Blurred vision Slow healing of wounds
Frequent infections (skin, urinary, vaginal) Numbness or tingling in hands and/or feet

Medications and supplements are NOT the answer for type 2 diabetes; restoring your sensitivity to insulin and leptin is what’s needed.

Diabetes is NOT a Disease of Blood Sugar
Diabetes is a disease of insulin and leptin signaling, not a disease of blood sugar, which is why the medical community’s approach to its treatment is not getting us anywhere.

In addition to diabetes, elevated insulin levels are associated with a number of diseases, including:

Heart disease
Peripheral vascular disease
Stroke
High blood pressure
Cancer
Obesity
Diabetes, like all chronic disease, results from cellular miscommunication.

Leptin: Is It the Missing Link Between Obesity and Diabetes?
Leptin is a hormone produced in your fat cells.

One of leptin's primary roles is regulating your appetite and body weight. It tells your brain when to eat, how much to eat, and most importantly, when to stop eating. And leptin tells your brain what to do with the energy it has. Leptin is largely responsible for the accuracy of insulin signaling and whether or not you become insulin resistant.

The only known way to reestablish proper leptin (and insulin) signaling is through proper diet.

When your blood sugar becomes elevated, insulin is released to direct the extra energy into storage. A small amount is stored as a starch called glycogen, but the majority is stored as your main energy supply—fat.

Therefore, insulin's major role is not to lower your blood sugar, but rather to store the extra energy for future times of need. Insulin’s effect of lowering your blood sugar is merely a “side effect” of this energy storage process.

This is why diabetes treatments concentrating merely on lowering blood sugar can actually worsen, rather than remedy the actual problem of metabolic miscommunication.

Taking insulin is one of the WORST things you can do for type 2 diabetes, since it will actually worsen your insulin and leptin resistance over time.

Fructose—One of the Major Culprits in Obesity and Diabetes
The presence of massive amounts of fructose in today’s Western diet is a driving force behind our diabetes epidemic.

Regular table sugar is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose, and the two are metabolized very differently. Nearly every cell in your body was designed to use glucose for energy—especially your brain cells—but fructose breaks down into a variety of toxins that can have devastating effects on your health.

Fructose has the following adverse metabolic effects:

Fructose does not stimulate a rise in leptin, so your satiety signals are suppressed.
Fructose raises your insulin and your triglycerides, which effectively reduces the amount of leptin crossing your blood-brain barrier. This interferes with the communication between leptin and your hypothalamus. Your brain senses starvation and prompts you to eat more.
Fructose does not suppress ghrelin like glucose does. Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone,” making you want more food.
All of this also sets the stage for overindulgence and hence overweight, placing you on the path toward diabetes.

I strongly advise keeping your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.

However, it would be wise for most people to limit fructose to 15 grams or less as it is virtually guaranteed you will be getting “hidden” sources of fructose from just about any processed food you eat.

This includes fruits, which also need to be carefully measured to make certain that you’re not inadvertently going over the fructose limit. For a helpful chart listing the fructose content of several common fruits, please see this previous article.

Diabetes Drugs Miss the Mark, and are Dangerous
Regardless of what you may have heard, you cannot successfully treat the underlying cause of diabetes with drugs.

For example, consider Avandia.

Avandia works by making diabetes patients more sensitive to their own insulin, helping to control blood sugar levels. In fact, most conventional treatments for type 2 diabetes utilize drugs that either raise insulin or lower blood sugar. Avandia, for example, reduces your blood sugar by increasing the sensitivity of your liver, fat and muscle cells to insulin.

The problem is, diabetes is not a blood sugar disease, as I have already explained. So, drugs that focus on the symptom of elevated blood sugar, rather than addressing the underlying cause, are doomed to fail in most cases.

Not only that, but drugs like Avandia have dangerous side effects, including causing extensive heart problems that have killed literally thousands of people. In fact, Avandia has been linked to a 43 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 64 percent higher risk of cardiovascular death compared to patients treated with other methods!

The good news?

Nearly 100 percent of type 2 diabetics can be successfully cured without medications.

Preventing or Reversing Diabetes in Six Simple Steps
Here are my top six actions to take for increasing your insulin and leptin sensitivity, thus reducing your chances for developing diabetes—or reversing it if you already have the disease:

Exercise
Exercise is an absolutely essential factor, and without it, you’re unlikely to get this devastating disease under control. It is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance.

If you’re unsure of how to get started, I recommend reviewing my exercise program for tips and guidelines. It is also critical to work your way up to include some Peak 8 exercises.

Eliminate Grains and Sugars, Especially Fructose
A large reason for the failure of conventional diabetes treatment over the last 50 years has to do with seriously flawed dietary recommendations. Fructose and grains are largely responsible for your body’s adverse insulin reactions.

You will want to eliminate ALL sugars and grains—even “healthful” grains such as whole, organic or sprouted ones. This means avoiding all breads, pasta, cereals, rice, potatoes, and corn (which is in fact a grain).

You might even need to avoid fruits until your blood sugar is under control.

Eat Right for Your Nutritional Type
Exercising and avoiding grains and sugars might not be enough unless you balance your protein, carbohydrate and fat ratios for your specific genetic biochemistry. The first step is finding out your nutritional type, which then gives you information about your optimal protein/carbohydrate/fat ratio. I now offer the full nutritional typing program for FREE, so you can get started today!

Monitor Your Fasting Insulin Level
This is every bit as important as your fasting blood sugar. You’ll want your fasting insulin level to be between 2 and 4. The higher your level, the worse your insulin sensitivity is.

Optimize Your Vitamin D
Interestingly, optimizing your vitamin D levels not only treats type 2 diabetes but as already mentioned, can virtually eliminate your children's risk for type 1 diabetes if you are pregnant. It’s also vital for infants to receive the appropriate amounts of vitamin D in their early years for the same reason.

Ideally, you’ll want to do this by exposing a large amount of your skin to appropriate amounts of sunshine (or a safe tanning bed) on a regular basis, year-round. Your body can safely create up to 20,000 units of vitamin D a day by direct UV exposure. If you are not getting regular sun exposure on large amounts of your skin you may need anywhere from 5 to 20,000 units of oral vitamin D3 per day.

However, if neither of these options is available, you may want to use an oral vitamin D3 supplement. But remember, if you choose to take an oral supplement, it’s essential that you get your level tested regularly by a proficient lab to make sure it’s in the therapeutic range, which is 60 to 80 ng/ml.

Probiotics
Your gut is a living ecosystem, full of both good bacteria and bad.

Multiple studies have shown that obese people have different intestinal bacteria than lean people. The more good bacteria you have, the stronger your immune system will be and the better your body will function overall.

Fortunately, optimizing your gut flora is relatively easy. You can reseed your body with good bacteria by eating fermented foods (like natto, raw organic cheese, miso, and cultured vegetables) or by taking a high quality probiotic supplement.

For Further Information
This is just a brief overview of the causes, prevention, and treatment of diabetes.

Over the years, I have posted many articles that go into far greater detail on this subject. Below you will find a list of these articles, and I encourage you to do some further reading. Knowledge is power, and with that you can arm yourself against ignorance and misinformation—bringing you one step closer to taking charge of your health.

Diabetes Articles/Links:
What You Know About Diabetes May Be All Wrong
Diabetes is Not a Disease of Blood Sugar! - Startling as that may seem, find out the real cause of diabetes from one of the country's leading experts in this original exclusive article.
The Diabetes Conundrum: What Physicians Are Teaching You May be Killing You - Read the surprising conclusion Dr. Rosedale, one of the leading diabetic doctors in the country, reaches about the current state of knowledge in diabetes.
Leptin: How Diabetes and Obesity Are Linked - Leptin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar in your body, may be the "missing link" between obesity and diabetes. Learn why normalizing leptin and insulin levels reduces your obesity-diabetes risk.
Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects - One of the most read articles on the entire web site; Great foundation for understanding how controlling insulin and leptin is the key to defeating diabetes.
5 Reasons Why Type One Diabetes is on the Rise
Diabetes Epidemic Expected to Double
Mayo Clinic DEAD Wrong on Diabetic Recommendations
This Hormone Makes Counting Calories Irrelevant
Is Insulin Condemning You to a Premature Death?
A Possible Cure for Diabetes Ignored by Big Pharma
Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes Now Strikes One in Four Americans
The Fructose/Uric Acid/Diabetes Connection
Is this Popular Natural Sweetener Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup?
How Probiotics Can Help Diabetics
Diabetes Alert: Your Gut Microflora May Be Out of Balance
Friendly Bacteria Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes
Vitamin D Against Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetics Need More Sunshine
Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Type 1 Diabetes
The Benefits of Exercise
Diet and Exercise Beat Drugs for Diabetes Heart Risks
Beat Teen Diabetes With Exercise
Two Foods You Should Never, Ever Eat After Exercise
Choose Slow Carb Foods to Control Diabetes
How Carbohydrates & Obesity are Linked: The Kind, Not the Amount - Learn how achieving your optimal weight lies in the kind of carbs you consume, not the amount.
Eat Fast Food and Fight Diabetes? - Is a new compound to protect against high-fat food & diabetes all that it is cracked up to be?
Corn Syrup Linked to Diabetes - The startling jump in diabetes in America is mirrored by our growing consumption of refined carbohydrates.
Infants Fed Cereals May Have an Increased Risk of Diabetes - Although many pediatricians recommend starting young infants on cereal, the grain may present a number of problems, including an increased risk of diabetes. Find out what's a better option to feed your child.
Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup
Sugar May Be Bad, But This Sweetener is Far More Deadly
This Common Food Ingredient Can Really Mess Up Your Metabolism
Why High-Fructose Corn Syrup Causes Insulin Resistance
The Mediterranean Diet Can Stop Diabetes
Breast-Feeding Curbs Type 2 Diabetes
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis Improved by Food Choices
How Diabetic Drugs Can Make Your Diabetes Worse and Further Endanger Your Health
Diabetes Drug Causing Deaths
8 Drugs Doctors Would Never Take
Deaths Halt Diabetes Study
Not Again! More Diabetes Drug Dangers...
Green Tea -- Beats Avandia for Diabetes, and No Deadly Side Effects
Diabetes Drug Avandia -- Side Effect Reports Triple
Merck's Latest Drug Scam a Worthless Diabetes Drug
Dangerous Antidepressants Elevate Diabetes Risk
Diabetes Doubles Among American Children
Prev: Dangerous Toxic Sunscreens

Dangers of Sunsceen Lotions

2011-04-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

Sun Exposure Can Protect You Against Cancer
Over the years, several studies have already confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, and can be increased by sunscreens.

One such study revealed that melanoma patients who had higher levels of sun exposure were less likely to die than other melanoma patients, and patients who already had melanoma and got a lot of sun exposure were prone to a less aggressive tumor type.

Another Italian study, published in the European Journal of Cancer in June 2008, also confirms and supports earlier studies showing improved survival rates in melanoma patients who were exposed to sunlight more frequently in the time before their melanoma was diagnosed.

Also, Melanoma is actually more common in indoor workers than in outdoor workers, and is more common on regions of your body that are not exposed to the sun at all. Additionally, UVB radiation has been found to delay the appearance of melanoma if you are genetically predisposed or prone to skin cancer.

To Prevent Skin Damage You Have to Protect Against the Most Damaging Rays
Ultraviolet light from the sun comes in two main wavelengths – UVA and UVB. It's important for you to understand the difference between them, and your risk factors from each.

Consider UVB the 'good form' that helps your skin produce vitamin D.

UVA is considered the 'bad form' because it penetrates your skin more deeply and causes more free radical damage. Not only that, but UVA rays are quite constant during ALL hours of daylight, throughout the entire year -- unlike UVB, which are low in morning and evening, and high at midday.

If you've ever gotten a scorching sunburn on a cloudy day, you now understand why; it's from the deeply penetrating UVA!

Since UVA's are inherently more damaging AND persistently high during all daylight hours, wearing a sunscreen that doesn't protect you from UVA is going to give you virtually no benefit, and be detrimental to your overall health. So the first thing to understand about using sunscreen, when applicable, is to make certain you are actually getting UVA protection.

A Better Alternative to Sunscreen
One of the best strategies to protect yourself from the sun is actually not a sunscreen at all, it's wearing clothing or getting into the shade.

Why?

Because most sunscreens are loaded with toxic chemicals that can actually accelerate skin cancer, or get into your bloodstream where they can disrupt your hormones. Also, the protection sunscreen manufacturers claim is often misleading due to improper application.

So you don't always need to apply sunscreen, and you definitely do want to get some safe sunlight exposure every day, which has also been shown to help protect against as many as 16 different types of cancer, including; breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, ovarian, bladder, gallbladder, gastric, pancreatic, prostate, rectal, and renal cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cotton clothing provides about SPF 15, in other words, you will get about 15-times your skin's normal protection from the sun wherever you cover your body with clothing. Just remember that even with protective clothing on your body, it's still important to monitor your skin for the telltale signs of burning.

Remember, sunburn provides no benefit, and is never good for your skin.

So is Gisele Bundchen Right?
Until very recently all sunscreens did NOT filter out the UVA radiation. They filtered out UVB, ensuring that your body could not make any vitamin D, while letting the UVA through. So there was a strong recommendation from the medical community to use sunscreen, but this advice was actually increasing your risk of cancer while eliminating your body's ability to manufacture vitamin D!

The other issue is what type of chemicals does the sunscreen use to create the barrier against the UVA waves?

The synthetic chemicals often used in sunscreen preparations can get into your bloodstream and can cause all sorts of unwanted toxic side effects, including hormone disruption.

Some of these chemicals include:

OMC (Octyl methoxycinnamate) Octocrylene
Avobenzone Oxybenzone
Homosalate Octinoxatre
Octisalate

So if Gisele was referring to sunscreens containing these hormone-disrupting synthetic chemicals that do not even protect against UVA rays, then she was absolutely right!

Safer Sunscreen Alternatives
However, options do exist to provide safe protection from the sun during times when you may not be able to control the amount of sun exposure you are likely to receive. For instance, if you take your kids to an amusement park or the beach, you might just be in direct sunlight all day.

To get natural sun protection from both UVA and UVB rays, you will want to use a sunscreen product that contains the active ingredients of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. My research team has put together what we think is superior sun protection and you can find more about it here.

You want to be cautious not to include any vitamin A in your sunscreen, or its derivatives retinol and retinyl palmitate.

Other safe ingredients that will nourish your skin include:

Coconut oil Jojoba oil
Sunflower oil Shea butter
Vitamins D and E Eucalyptus oil

Vitamin A—A Dangerous Sunscreen Additive
The sunscreen industry uses vitamin A in its formulations because it is an anti-oxidant that is thought to slow skin aging. But according to the AOL story cited above, the FDA's study of vitamin A's photocarcinogenic properties revealed that:

"tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in a vitamin A-laced cream than animals treated with a vitamin-free cream."

This conclusion came from Environmental Working Group's analysis of the findings released the FDA and the National Toxicology Program.

Why hasn't the FDA released these findings and alerted the public to the possible dangers of using a sunscreen that includes vitamin A or its derivatives?

No one is really certain why the FDA again refuses to listen to its scientists and doctors. But this type of behavior has become standard operating procedure for the FDA, an agency that routinely protects the business interests of corporations instead of following their stated mandate to protect the public health.

Our sunscreen used to have vitamin A in it until I discovered its potential health problems. We immediately removed it, however many other brands still include it in their formulas, so beware, and always check the labels when shopping for sunscreen.

How to Research Your Sunscreen
Thanks to the Environmental Working Group, you are now able to see exactly how your sunscreen rates for safe ingredients and efficacy. Check out EWG's Sunscreen Guide here.

Their website also lists the titanium and zinc containing sunscreens receiving the highest ratings, as well as provides you with some non-mineral options that rank lowest on the toxicity scale.

The site is also a great reference for surprising facts about sunscreen, and also contains a sunscreen hall of shame, showing the absolute worst offenders on the toxicity scale. And lastly, according to their website, 1 in 8 sunscreens sold on the market today still offer no protection against UVA rays!

Astaxanthin as the Hottest New Internal Sunscreen
Yes, a specific nutrient has been identified as being profoundly useful in protecting against sun damage!

Astaxanthin has recently jumped to the front of the line in terms of its status as a "supernutrient," becoming the focus of a large and growing number of peer-reviewed scientific studies. It's produced from marine algae in response to exposure to UV light. This is the way the algae protects itself, so it makes perfect sense that this deeply pigmented substance would have the capacity to "shield" you when it is taken in large enough quantities for a long enough time to saturate your body's tissues. Typically this is several weeks.

One of the benefits of astaxanthin that has piqued the interest of researchers is its ability to reduce signs of aging, by helping protect your skin from sun damage.

Cyanotech Corporation funded a study through an independent consumer research laboratory to measure the skin's resistance to both UVA and UVB light, before and after astaxanthin supplementation. After taking 4mg per day for two weeks, subjects showed a significant increase in the amount of time necessary for UV radiation to redden their skin.

Animal studies lend further evidence to astaxanthin's effects as an internal sunscreen. Consider the following:

In 1995, hairless mice were fed various combinations of astaxanthin, beta-carotene and retinol for four months. After irradiation, astaxanthin alone or in combination with retinol was substantially effective in preventing photoaging of the skin (as measured by markers for skin damage).
In a 1998 study with rats, astaxanthin was found to be 100 times stronger than beta-carotene and 1000 times stronger than lutein in preventing UVA light-induced oxidative stress.
The Journal of Dermatological Science published a study in 2002 finding astaxanthin is able to protect against alterations in human DNA induced by UVA light exposure.
Some Other Tips to Decrease Your Risk of a Burn
Controlling your exposure to the sun is not always possible, and sometimes even the most vigilant of us forget to bring along the proper natural sunscreen when we face overexposure.

So what's the best way to ensure your body is primed to have the best defense against overexposure to the sun's harmful UVA rays?

Consuming a healthy diet full of natural antioxidants has always been a useful strategy in not only staying healthy but also providing your body with the resources to counter damage from exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Fresh, raw, unprocessed foods deliver the nutrients that your body needs to maintain a healthy balance of omega 6 and omega 3 oils in your skin, which is your first line of defense against sunburn.

If you are regularly consuming processed foods and your cells are loaded up mostly with damaged, oxidized fats, you simply aren't giving your skin the proper fat protection it needs at a cellular level.

Fresh, raw vegetables also provide your body with an abundance of powerful anti-oxidants that will help you fight the free radicals caused by sun damage that can lead to burns and cancer.

You can also make sure to wear a cap with a visor to protect your face and eyes from direct sunlight, along with enough clothing to protect your skin from direct sun contact. Most cotton clothing will provide you with about 15 SPF.

Also, I avoid using sunglasses, because I believe your eyes need to receive the full spectrum of light to function optimally, and sunglasses block out some essential waves of the light spectrum. So as you're getting your healthy and necessary daily exposure to direct sunlight to optimize your vitamin D levels, you want to be sure to leave the sunglasses behind.

The Root Cause of Cancer

2011-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

We strongly believe the cancer rates are escalating because they are in no way shape or form addressing the underlying cause of most cancers. Instead, most of the research is directed towards expensive drugs that target late stages of the disease and greatly enrich the drug companies but simply do not prevent cancer.

If ever there was an area in which an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure it is cancer. I strongly believe that if you are able to work your way up to the advanced health plan, that you will virtually eliminate the risk of most cancers.

Environmental- and lifestyle factors are increasingly being pinpointed as the primary culprits fueling our cancer epidemic. This includes:

Pesticide- and other chemical exposures Processed and artificial foods
(plus the chemicals in the packaging) Wireless technologies, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure
Pharmaceutical drugs Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits Lack of sunshine exposure and use of sunscreens

This is clearly not an exhaustive list as such a list would be exceedingly long. For more specifics on consumer products implicated as contributors to cancer, please review the Cancer Prevention Coalition's "Dirty Dozen" list.

The pharmaceutical researchers would like you to believe they're doing everything they can to come up with a solution. Yet all we see is research into newer drug therapies. Clearly they're not digging close enough to the root of the problem, because if they did, they'd touch on some of these lifestyle issues just mentioned.

From my perspective, you ignore lifestyle factors at your own peril when it comes to cancer... Because, clearly, drug-based "advances" are not making a dent in this progressively prevalent disease.

On the contrary, cancer drugs are notoriously toxic and come with devastating, including lethal, side effects. Conventional medicine is so desperate to give the illusion of fighting the good fight that many of these drugs are used despite the fact that they're not really doing much to prolong or improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with cancer.

The best-selling (and extremely expensive) cancer drug Avastin, for example, was recently phased out as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer after studies concluded its benefits were outweighed by its dangerous side effects. Treating a disease in large part caused by toxins with toxins seems ignorant at best.

We can do better than that.

Cocomoringa

2011-01-27T19:25:00.001-08:00

Handmade and natural soaps are specially formulated to deliver the very best in skin care while using only safe, truly natural ingredients. We never use harmful preservatives, or petroleum products.

Handcrafted soaps using the slow cold process method, which means no external heat is used so the goodness of the natural ingredients are preserved for you. Each All Organics soap bar contains skin-loving cold pressed Virgin Coconut Oil and wild-crafted and organic botanicals and vegetable butters for their exceptional skin care benefits, just like real soaps should be done. Our soaps will leave you squeaky clean, healthy skin.

Our products do not contain parabens, mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum, phenol carbolic acid, propylene glycol, acrylamide, toluene, dioxane, sulfates, triclosan, triclocarban, EDTA, TEA, DEA, sodium laureth and sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS/SLES).

Whenever possible, local ingredients are used which help local farmers get more value for their crops. We make each and every product from scratch, and we know what goes into each one of them, not like others who buy cheap lotion base or shampoo base, add some herb-sounding fragrance to it - or worse, and call it organic - while others simply re-label existing products.

Our products take time to prepare. This is because we ourselves extract most of our herbs using water solvents and some of the oils using steam distillation or hydro distillation. We take our pledge to provide natural products to our customers seriously.

Health Benefits Coconut Water

2010-12-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

It may seem obvious to drink during heavy physical activity. But many people underestimate the magnitude of their fluid loss. It is very difficult to avoid dehydration during a long race or when working in the heat because of the rate of sweat loss usually exceeds the rate of absorption of ingested fluids. The maximum rate of fluid absorption by the gastrointestinal tract during exercise is approx 800 ml (27 oz) per hour. The rate of fluid loss through seating can easily reach 1 liter (34 oz per hour and soar to 2 liters per hour under very strenuous conditions thus, it is not possible to drink enough to stay hydrated and dehydration will occur despite drinking plenty of fluid.

So guzzling a liter of water every hour, besides causing discomfort and bloating will not replenish lost liquids. Also, realize that the more dehydrated you get, the harder it is for your digestive tract to absorb what you drink.

In addition to the need to replenish lost water, you must also replenish lost electrolytes. An electrolyte deficiency can be just as dangerous as a water deficiency. Drinking only water, without a source of electrolyte, can dilute the remaining electrolytes in your bloodstream causing hyponatremia, low blood sodium.

Electrolyte deficiency can cause severe reactions, which can send you the hospital or even worse, during exercise, in the heat. More salt is lost in sweat per hour than is usually replaced by food and fluid by commercial sports drinks. Many athletes who rely solely on water and sport drinks for hydration are, to some level, prone to hyponatremia. It is estimated that up to 30% of the finishers of the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon are both dehydrated and hyponatromic. Ultra distance athletes have similar track record.

Sweat contains between 2.25-3.4 grams of salt (Sodium Chloride) per liter and the rate of perspiration during strenuous exercise can easily average 1 liter per hour. Experts recommended that during a long, hot race, you should aim for a total sodium intake of about 1 gram per hour. To get 1 gram (1000 mg) of sodium in your body, you would need to drink 2-1/2 liters (84 ounces) of Gatorade every hour! To get one gram of sodium from table salt, you would need to ingest 2.5 grams (1 gram from sodium and 15 grams from chloride). A teaspoon of salt weighs approx. 66 grams. So you would need to consume 3/8 teaspoon of salt with a liter of water every hour.

To make sure the salt and water are properly absorbed, the beverage also needs to contain 4-8% sugar. But the beverage should not be too sweet. Sugar levels above 10% are poorly absorbed and can cause diarrhea. Commercial beverage and sports drink come up short on sodium and often have too much sugar. Coconut water is a better option. Although 1 liter of coconut water may or may not a full gram of sodium, extra sodium can be added, if desired, either in the water or separately. In addition, coconut water also replenishes lost trace of minerals, has the proper sugar content for optimum absorption, supplies amino acids and other nutrients which may also support proper hydration and to top it off, tastes good!

Daniel Mondschain was introduced to coconut water while training for his 5th Marathon. He said "Coconut water improved my performance. At first. I drank it only after my runs. I realized I was recovering more quickly and with less soreness."

Impressed with the results, he began drinking coconut water instead of water or sports beverage during his workouts. He drank only coconut water throughout the final 2 months of training and during the marathon. The result? "I set a personal record and beat my last time by 7 minutes. I had more energy, less fatigue and less pain the final miles and that made me see the difference.

Coconut water is now a permanent fixture in his training regimen. Commercial sports drink contains water, sugar (sucrose syrup), yellow ft (a chemical dye), ester gum (a stabilizer to keep oils in suspension in water used mostly in making varnish and soap), and Brominated vegetable oils. Brominated Vegetable Oil is a vegetable that is chemically bonded to Bromine, an emulsifier used in citrus flavored drinks to help flavors stay suspended and produce the cloudy appearance. Bromine is a halogen that blocks Iodine utilization in the thyroid and other tissues in the body. The adverse effect is usually fatigue, headaches, tremors, memory loss, hallucinations and seizures.

MALUNGGAY / MORINGA THERAPEUTICS

2010-12-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, people think that solutions to their problems are expensive and hard to find. But more often than not, real solutions to basic problems are abundant, cheap and even free. Health problems are especially solvable with natural inexpensive gifts from nature.

Moringa, for example, is a wonderful blessing for us all. Locally, it is called malunggay and is easily available everywhere. Unfortunately, it is little appreciated by many Filipinos. Today, I would like to share with the good news about Moringa, as written by Mark Fritz of the Los Angeles Times.

"Scientifically speaking, Moringa sounds like magic. It can rebuild weak bones, enrich anemic blood and enable a malnourished mother to nurse her starving baby. Ounce for ounce, it has the calcium of four glasses of milk, the vitamin C of seven oranges and the potassium of three bananas.

"A dash of Moringa can make dirty water drinkable. Doctors use it to treat diabetes in West Africa and high blood pressure in India. Not only can it staunch a skin infection, but Moringa also makes an excellent fuel and fertilizer.

"Memo to Popeye: Moringa has triple the iron of spinach and more impressive attributes than olive oil. Both Moringa and the common carrot are diamonds in the roughage department, but Moringa has quadruple the beta carotene, which is good for the eyes and effective against cancer."

Moringa Names

2010-11-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

Malunggay
Moringa oleifera
BEN OIL TREE
La mu

Other scientific names Common names
Moringa nux-ben Arunggai (Pang.)
M. pterygosperma Balungai (P. Bis.)
Guilandina moringa Dool (Bik.)
Kamalongan (P. Bis.)
Kalamungai (C. Bis.)
Kalungai (Bik., Bis., Tag.)
Kalunggay (Bik.)
Kamalungai (Pamp., Tag.)
Komkompilan (Ilk.)
Molongai (Tag.)
Malunggue (Pamp.)
Malungit (Pamp., Bis.)
Maroñgoi (Sbl.)
Maruñgaai (Ilk., Ibn.)
Drumstick tree (Engl.)
Horse-radish tree (Engl.)
La mu (Chin.)
Ben oil tree (Engl.)

Botany
Tree grows as high as 9 m, with a soft and white wood and corky and gummy bark. Root has the taste of horseradish. Each compound leaf contains 3-9 very thin leaflets dispersed on a compound (3 times pinnate) stalk. Flowers are white and fragrant, producing long, pendulous, 9-ribbed pods, with 3-angled winged seeds.

Distribution
• Introduced from Malaya or some other part of tropical Asia in prehistoric times.
• Grown throughout the Philippines in settled areas as a backyard vegetable and as a border plant.
• Drought resistant and grows in practically all kinds of well-drained soils. Conserves water by shedding leaves during dry season.

Propagation
• Propagation by seeds and stem cuttings.
• Mature malunggay cuttings should be 2 cm or more in diameter and not less than 80 cm (30 inches) in length. Mature cuttings are preferred as they sprout earlier and grow faster.
• The only pests known to attack malunggay are mites of the Tetranychus spp.

Parts utilised
Flowers, leaves, young pods

Properties
• Galactagogue, rubefacient, antiscorbutic, diuretic, stimulant, purgative, antibiotic, antifungal.
• Antiinflammatory, antitumor activities on mice studies.
• Antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-ulcer.
• Estrogenic, antiprogestational, hypoglycemic, antihyperthyroidism, hypocholesterolemic, antihyperthyroid, antispasmodic.
• Considered abortifacient and emmenagogue.
• Purported to be beneficial for decreasing blood pressure, relieving headaches and migraines, reducing inflammatory and arthritic pains, anti-ulcer, anti-tumor. Purported to be beneficial for decreasing blood pressure, relieving headaches and migraines, reducing inflammatory and arthritic pains.

Constituents
• Ben oil, 36% - palmitic, stearic, myristic, oleic, and behenic acids, phytosterin; two alkaloids the mixture of which has the same action as epinephrine.
• Studies of MO leaves have yielded phytochemicals to which are attributed hypotensive effects and anti-cancer properties. The root bark has sex hormone-related properties. (Source)
• Root bark contains alkaloids, moringine which is similar to benzylamine, and moringinine; traces of essential oil, phytosterol, waxes and resins. Also contains a rich combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid, pterygospermin and kaemferol.

Uses
Commercial
Oil, known as ben oil, extracted from flowers can be used as illuminant, ointment base, and absorbent in the enfleurage process of extracting volatile oils from flowers. The oil, applied locally, has also been helpful for arthritic pains, rheumatic and gouty joints.
Nutritional
• Flowers, leaves and pods eaten as a vegetable.
• Source of calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins A, B and C.
• High in HDL (high density lipoproteins); a source of amino acids, omega oils, antioxidants.
• Comparative content: Gram for gram, 7 times the vitamin C in oranges, 4 times the calcium and twice the protein in milk, 4 times the vitamin A in carrots, 3 times the potassium in bananas.
• 100 gms or 1 cup of cooked malunggay leaves contain 3.1 g protein, 0.6 g fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg phosphorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg beta-carotene, 0.07 mg thiamin, 0.14a mg riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin, and 53 mg of vitamin C. (Dr. Lydia Marero of the Food and Drug Research Institute -FNRI)
Breastfeeding women
• Malunggay leaves and pods are helpful in increasing breast milk in the breastfeeding months. One tablespoon of leaf powder provide 14% of the protein, 40% of the calcium, 23% of the iron and most of the vitamin A needs of a child aged one to three. Six tablespoons of leaf powder will provide nearly all of the woman's daily iron and calcium needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Folkloric
Decoction of leaves used for hiccups, asthma, gout, back pain, rheumatism, wounds and sores.
Young leaves increases the flow of milk.
Pods for intestinal parasitism.
Constipation: Leaves and fruit
Decoction of boiled roots used to wash sores and ulcers.
Decoction of the bark used for excitement, restlessness.
Pounded roots used as poultice for inflammatory swelling.
Juice of roots is used for otalgia.
Decoction of roots is use as gargle for hoarseness and sore throat.
Boiled leaves used to help increase lactation.
Seeds for hypertension, gout, asthma, hiccups, and as a diuretic.
Rheumatic complaints: Decoction of seeds; or, powdered roasted seeds applied to affected area.
Juice of the root with milk used for asthma, hiccups, gout, lumbago.
Poultice of leaves applied for glandular swelling.
Pounded fresh leaves mixed with coconut oil applied to wounds and cuts.
The flowers boiled with soy milk thought to have aphrodisiac quality.
• In West Bengal, India, roots taken by women, esp prostitutes, for permanent contraception (Studies have shown total inactivation or suppression of the reproductive system).

Studies
• Moringa preparations have been cited often in scientific literature as antibiotic, antiinflammatory, hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic. However, many of the reports are not placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials.
• Antiinflammatory / Anti-tumor: Anti-inflammtory and Antitumor Activities of Seeds Extracts of Malunggay—A study showed the crude ethanol extract of dried seeds inhibited the carrageenan-induced inflammation in the hind paw of mice by 85% at a dosage of 3 mg/g body weight; the mature green seeds by 77%. The crude ethanol extract also inhibited the formation of Epstein-Barr virus-early antigen (EBV-EA) induced by 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). At a dosage of 100 ?g/ml, the extract inhibited EBV-EA formation by 100% suggesting its antitumor-promoting activity.
• Ovarian Cancer: Possible Role of Moringa oleifera Lam. Root in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A hormonal etiology of epithelial ovarian cancer has been long suspected. Study suggests M Oleifera can interfere with hormone receptor-related and neoplastic growth-related cytokine pathways through centrally acting mechanisms.
• Asthma: Antiasthmatic activity of Moringa oleifera Lam: A clinical study: Study showed improvement in forced vital capacity, FEV1, and peak expiratory flow rate. It suggests a usefulness for MO seed kernel in patients with asthma.
• Antibiotic: 50 years ago, a study yielded Pterygospermin, a compound that readily dissociates into two molecules of benzyl isothiocyanate which has been shown to have antimicrobial properties. Unfortunately, many of the reports of antibiotic efficacy in humans were not from placebo controlled, randomized clinical trials. Recent studies have demonstrated possible efficacy against H. pylori.
• Hormonal properties / Abortifacient: Biochemical observations and histologic findings have been correlated with the anti-implantation action of aequous extracts, one possible explanation for its use as an abortifacient. source
• Antiurolithiatic: Study showed lowering of stone forming constituents in the kidneys of calculogenic rats with the use of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of MO suggesting antiurolithiatic activity.
• Antimicrobial / Water Purifyiing: Study of MO seeds paste for water purification yielded a steroidal glycoside, strophantidin, a bioactive agent in the seed. The seed paste was found effective in clarification and sedimentation of inorganic and organic matter in raw water, reducing total microbial and coliform counts by 55% and 65% respectively, in 24 hours, compared to alum with 65% and 83% reduction.
• Antipyretic / Wound Healing: Study of the ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of MO showed significant antipyretic activity in rats; the ethyl acetate extract of dried leaves showed significant wound healing on rat wound models.
• Analgeic: Previous studies have shown analgesic activity from the leaves of MO. This study on the alcoholic extract of MO seeds showed potent analgesic activity comparable to that of aspirin dose of 25 mg/kg BW.
• Hepatoprotective / Antioxidant: Study concluded that the alcoholic extracts of MO produced significant hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity, the aqueous extracts of the fruit less than the alcoholic extract.
• Anthelmintic: In a comparative study of the anthelmintic activity of M oleifera and V negundo against Indian earthworm Pheritima posthuma, dose-dependent activity was observed with M oleifera showing more activity than V negundo.
• Comparison with Atenolol: Study comparing the effects of M oleifera with atenolol in adrenaline-induced rats on serum cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose level, heart and body weight showed the M oleifera leave extract made significant changes in each cardiovascular parameter.

In the news
• In Leyte, extracted malunggay juice is mixed with lemonsito juice to make ice candies or cold drinks, making it more plalatble and agreeable to children who detest vegetables.
Because of its high vitamin A, C, and E content, all potent antioxidants, malunggay is a very effective in removing unstable free radicals that is damaging to molecules and pro-aging.
For the men: The fruit could increase the sperm count !
For increasing breast milk: One rounded tablespoon of leaf powder provides 14% of protein requirements, 40% of calcium, 23% of iron, and the daily vitamin A needs of a child aged one to three. Six rounded tablespoons of leaf powder will provide the woman's daily iron and calcium needs during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Recent uses and preparation:
Constipation: Eat one or two cups of the cooked leaves at supper time, with plenty of water.
Wound wash: Apply crushed leaves directly to the wound, maintaining cleanliness duriing the process.
• Biofuel source
• Moringa oil extracted from the seed of the malunggay plant is now being tapped as source of biodiesel. It is gaining preferable status over Jatropha as a source of biofuel. All parts of the malunggay plant are used whereas Jatropha is left with poisonous waste after oil extraction. Also, malunggay needs only one to two years for seedling maturation compared to Jatropha's three to five years. The math of malunggay's commercial potential is attractive: Seeds are bought at P10 per kilo, and a hectare of malunggay seedlings can harvest 20,000 kilos in 2 years with a potential profit of P200,000. (Philippine Star)

Toxicities
ª Root bark contains 2 alkaloids, as well as the toxic hypotensive moringinine.
ª Has dose-dependent negative inotropic effect, in isolated frog heart study.
• Niazinin A, niazimicin and niaziminin A and B isolated from the ethanol extract produced hypotensive, bradycardic and negative inotropic effects in experimental animals.
• The bark may cause violent uterine contractions that can be fatal. Chronic high-dose use may cause liver and kidney dysfunctions.
• In frequent or large doses, Interior flesh of the plant can cause toxic nerve paralysis from the alkaloid spirochin. source

Supertitions
Malunggay ingestion is avoided in the immediate period after a family member's death. In the superstitions-laden isms of rural Tagalog life, as a malunggay branch or twig will shed off all its leaves within a few hours of being snapped off a tree, ingesting malunggay might bring death to a relative. Avoiding its use is strongly advised during the ritual of nine days of prayers after a death.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Garden and back-yard cultivation.
Commercial production of oil extracted from flowers.
Malunggay capsule (Natalac) - containing 250 mg dried young malunggay leaves, one to two capsules daily.
Miracle tree products in the cybermarkets.

Anti Ageing Properties of Moringa Oil

2010-11-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

Approximately 90% of all changes in skin are due to prolonged exposure to sunlight. Ultraviolet light not only damages the DNA in the cells of the skin, but also inhibits the repair mechanisms that repair damaged skin cells. As skin becomes less elastic, it also becomes drier and underlying fat padding begins to disappear. With the loss of underlying support by fat padding and connective tissues, the skin begins to sag; it appears less supple and wrinkles form.

After many years of research, scientists, dermatologists and plastic surgeons have discovered that a variety of natural ingredients and vitamin extracts significantly help to slow down and even reverse the signs of aging skin.

Vitamin A (Retinol) - Topical Vitamin A has been suggested to help build collagen fibers within the skin in addition to its more superficial exfoliating property. This is the basis for its use in minimizing the appearance of fine wrinkle lines. Moringa contains 4 times the vitamin A of Carrot. Help to build collagen fibres.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C or ascorbic acid acts as an antioxidant and is considered vital in wound healing because it aids in stabilising collagen. When applied topically, vitamin C can reduce fine lines and wrinkles and may lessen the severity of sunburns. Vitamin C is critical for wound repair, for any type of tissue maintenance, and that applies to your skin. Getting the right nutrients is vital for repairing skin and getting new healthy cells to replace the damaged ones. Moringa contains 0.5 times the vitamin C of orange.
Vitamin E - Vitamin E is another antioxidant that shows to have anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. When applied topically, vitamin E has been shown to improve moisturizing, softness and smoothness and also provides modest photo protection.

It is well known that most of the antioxidants and free radical neutralisers that have been used in cosmetic compositions for anti ageing benefits are absorbed quickly into deeper layers of skin, and then transported away by bloodstream. Moringa Oil with antioxidants or free radical neutralisers can be temporarily bound to skin surface to retard their penetration into deeper layers of skin and provide extra-cellular antioxidant or free-radical neutralising benefits.

A combination of antioxidants is more effective than a single antioxidant on an equal weight basis due to antioxidant cascade mechanism. Moringa with more than 46 antioxidants makes it an effective antioxidant. Moringa oil is a very stable carrier which is highly nutritious to the skin and similar in composition to olive oil but much lighter. It is a powerful natural antioxidant with excellent skin smoothing properties.

Moringa oil soothes and softens the skin. It moisturises and revitalises chronic dry skin, sometimes subject to itching or flaking. It also has nourishing and emollient properties giving it benefits for use in skin and hair care products. Moringa oil is rich in oleic acid with excellent moisturising, cleansing and nourishing properties makes this ideal for use in skincare, hair care, soap and massage products. To know more scientific details and commercial value of this rare oil

Organic Coconut Sugar

2010-11-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Regulating and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels have been more and more common in the recent years. In either hereditary or acquired cases of diabetes, people are advised to regulate their use of sugar and their glycemic index. Because of this need, substitutes for cane sugar have since come out. The glycemic index or GI is regulated but the taste is artificial.
But as Lim discovered, not all natural sugars have unhealthy levels of glycemic index. Benevita Cocosugar and Coconectar gives both the taste and the low GI.

Derived from coconut toddy, Cocosugar have a low glycemic index of 35, much lower than cane sugar which ranges from 63-73 and honey which has 64. Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement of how much the blood glucose rises after a food is eaten; the greater the rise in blood glucose, the higher the GI. A GI of 55 or less is low, 56-69 is medium and 70 or more is high.

Low glucose index food is good for proper control of diabetes mellitus and it has shown to lower the LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol or known as the bad cholesterol. It is also good for weight maintenance, preventing obesity or being overweight.

1. What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a common disease caused by both hereditary and environmental conditions. It is characterized by high blood sugar levels which cannot be processed effectively or efficiently by the body. Blood glucose levels are controlled by a complex interaction of multiple chemicals and hormones in the body, including the hormone insulin produced by the pancreas. Diabetes is the result of high blood glucose levels due to defects in either insulin secretion or insulin action in the body.

So in preventing and treating diabetes, it is important to control the intake of sugar as well as the production of insulin and its effective action on the blood glucose.

There are different types of diabetes. The first type is due to insufficient production of insulin. The second type is due not to the lack of insulin but the ineffective chemical interaction where insulin processes the blood sugar. The second type also occurs in gestational diabetes or diabetes during pregnancy. Both types of diabetes lead to hyperglycemia that causes excessive urine production, resulting compensatory thirst and increased fluid intake, blurred vision, weight loss, lethargy and low energy levels.

There is no cure for diabetes but it can be treated and managed through insulin. For the first type of diabetes, insulin is injected to compensate for poor or insufficient production in the body. For the second type, management is through a combination of proper diet, exercise, medications and insulin supplementation. It is very important to monitor and regulate one's intake of foods with sugar.

If the disease goes unmonitored and untreated, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, retinal damage (that can lead to blindness), nerve and microvascular damage (that can cause erectile dysfunction and poor wound healing).

2. What is glycemic index?

People need carbohydrates in the body through food intake. Glycemic index or GI is the measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates with a high GI are those that break down rapidly during digestion, releasing glucose at a fast rate into the bloodstream. The body has to cope with the high and fast release of glucose, and produce more insulin. Carbohydrates with a low GI are those that break down slowly during digestion, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream. So the body is not taxed by having to cope with oversupply of glucose. Thus, for most people, it is healthier to eat foods that have a low GI and it is equated with a lower insulin demand.

Below are examples of foods and their glycemic index. (include chart)

In cases of very low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, as well as after intensive exercise, foods with high GI might be more suitable because of the need for fast recovery of blood glucose levels. Otherwise, generally, low to medium GI foods are healthier for daily diets.

Nutritional Value of Coconut Sap Sugar
Nutrition Parameter Value
Total energy content1, cal/100g 369.4
Total carbohydrate1, g/100g 92.3
Moisture1, % 2.2
Ash1, % 2.2
Crude protein1, % 1.3
Crude fat1, % 0.12
Vit.C1, mg ascorbic acid/100g 23.4
Thiamine1, mg/100g 0.41
Glycemic Index2 (GI) 35

1 sby the DOST-Food & Nutrition Research Institute
GI- measures how much one’s blood glucose increases in 2-3 hours after eating a certain food, Low GI=55 or less, Med GI=56-59, High GI =70 or more
Low GI food- is good for proper control and management of diabetes mellitus and has been shown to lower total and ldl cholestrol.

Elemental content (ppm or mg/L) of 3 sources of edible sugar, analys by PCA-PTAL, Sept. 11, 2000

Nutrient (ppm or mg/L)
In dry matter
Cocosap Sugar Brown Cane Sugar Refined White
Nitrogen* (N) 2,020 100 0
Phosphorus* (P) 790 30 0.7
Potassium* (K) 10,300 650 25
Calcium (Ca) 60 240 60
Magnesium* ( Mg) 290 70 10
Sodium* (Na) 450 20 10
Chloride* (Cl) 4,700 180 100
Sulfur (S) 260 130 20
Boron (B) 6.3 0 0
Zinc* (Zn) 21.2 2 1.2
Manganese (Mn) 1.3 2 0
Iron* ( Fe) 21.9 0.6 0.6
Copper (Cu) 2.3 12.6 1.2

* Dominant nutrients in coconut sugar

Glutamic acid – the most common stimulating neorotransmitter in the nervous system, plays a role in the normal function of the prostate gland (male reproductive organ)

Sugar components of coconut sap sugar in comparison with table cane sugar.
Type of sugar
Sugar Sucrose
Components Fructose
(%) Glucose
Coco sap sugar1 84.98 2.90 2.00
Standard grade2 99.70 - -
Premium grade2 99.80 - -
Boltler’s grade2 99.90 - -
Mill/factory 99.50 - -
grade2 450 20 10

1 Analysed by the Sugar Regulatory Administration, Nov. ,2006
2 Cane sugar: source of data: PNS 1098:1998

Amino acid content of fresh sap (Kosaki,1974 as cited by Magat, 1996)
Amino Acid Value (g/100g)
Trytophan 1.27
Lysine 0.32
Histidine 1.19
Arginine 0.35
Aspartic Acid 11.22
Threonine* 15.36
Serine* 8.24
Glutamic Acid 34.20
Proline 3.52
Alanine 2.57
Valine 2.11
Isoleucine 0.38
Leucine 0.48
Phehylalanine 0.78

Vitamin content of freshly-gathered coconut sap (Kosaki, 1974 as cited in Magat, 1996)

Vitamin Value (mg/dl)
Thiamine* 77.0
Riboflavin 12.20
Pyridoxine* 38.40
Para-aminonobenzoic acid* 47.10
Pyridoxal* 38.40
Pantothenic acid* 5.20
Nicotinic acid* 40.60
Biotin 0.17
Folic acid 0.24
Inositol* 127.70
Choline 9.00
Vitamin B12 trace

* Dominant vitamins

INOSITOL – highest of all vitamins, its beneficial effects:

• Component of phospholipids in the brain, skeletal , heart and male reproductive organ
• Functions in nerve transmission, regulation of enyzme activity and transportation of fats within the body
• Helps reduce high cholesterol and important for the heart

Also beneficial for treatment of eye abnormalities, eczema and some cases of obesity

Moringa The Miracle Tree

2010-11-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

Nutrional Value
Moringa, commonly known as the “Elixir Tree” is considered to be the most nutrient plant ever known to mankind. You cannot have good health if you do not consume food that is nutritional.

More than 40 basic nutrients should be present in our daily food intake. The most important thing about the nutrients is that they should be from a natural source. Then only, our body will absorb the nutrients. The vitamin and calcium supplements that we take are not fully absorbed by the body. This is mainly because human body can differentiate between the natural nutrients and the synthetic ones. And moreover, the Vitamins or Minerals, when intake separate, they won’t help much. In other words, the human body will reap the benefit only when the Vitamins, minerals, amino acids and the other nutrients are feed together. Moringa, with 90+ nutrients, is the best source to nourish the body with the essential nutrients. The list of nutrients present in Moringa can be broadly classified as given below.

Vitamins:
Moringa is rich in vitamin to the extent that it is one of the richest plant sources of Vitamin. Moringa has Vitamin A (Beta Carotene), Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B6 Pyrodixine), Vitamin B7 (Biotin), Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Vitamin E (Tocopherol) and Vitamin K. Vitamin A is most needed by the body to maintain a perfect vision and to maintain the cardiovascular health. The calcium taken by the body works well only in the presence of Vitamin D.

Minerals:
The list of Minerals present in Moringa is abundant and few of the main minerals include Calcium, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese and Zinc. Calcium is one of the most important minerals for the growth, maintenance, and reproduction of the human body. Blood coagulation, transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contraction and relaxation, normal heart beat, stimulation of hormone secretion, activation of enzyme reactions, as well as other functions, all require small amounts of calcium. Moringa is the richest source of Calcium from a plant material and Moringa more Calcium than that of milk. Moringa, with more Iron than that of Spinach, helps in the formation of hemoglobin and myoglobin, which carry the oxygen in the blood and the muscle. Iron also makes up part of many proteins and enzymes in the body and deficiencies of which leads to the weakening of the immune system. Moringa with more potassium content than that of Banana assists in the regulation of the acid-base and water balance in the blood and the body tissues. It assists in protein synthesis from amino acids and in carbohydrate metabolism. It is necessary for the building of muscle and for normal body growth. Yelixir is the natural alternative for the calcium supplements available in the market.

Antioxidants:
Moringa has approximately 46 antioxidants and is one of the most powerful sources of natural anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants supply the free atoms needed by the human body and mitigate the effect of free radicals. Moringa leaves are rich in Flavonoids, a class of anti-oxidants. The major anti-oxidants present are Quercetin, Kaempferol, Beta-Sitosterol, Caffeoylquinic acid and Zeatin. Antioxidants play a major role in controlling the symptoms of aging process and improve the cardiovascular health. Additionally, Vitamin C & Vitamin E, present in Moringa, also function as anti-oxidants. Researches confirm that the anti-oxidants deliver the desired result, if only taken with the combination of other essential vitamin and minerals, which makes health enthusiast to seek after Moringa.

Phytonutrients:
Moringa leaves and fruits are loaded with Phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are certain organic components of plants, and these components are thought to promote human health. The phytonutrients present in Moringa include, Alpha-carotene, Beta-Carotene, Beta-cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Chlorophyll. Phytonutrients flushes toxins from the body, purifies the liver, helps to strengthen the immune system, helps in rebuilding the red blood cells and the important of all, Moringa Phytonutrients rejuvenate the body at the cellular level.

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

2010-05-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

When a coconut ripens the water inside hardens and forms the white flesh of the coconut. Coconut water is the liquid from young unripe coconuts before this process begins. For centuries locals in tropical regions have been drinking coconut water to boost their immune systems and gain vitality.

This nutrient rich beverage includes organic compounds with beneficial growth properties that can dramatically improve your health. Coconut water contains vitamins which help stop fatigue, chloride, cytokinins, and lauric acid. Completely free of chemicals it is safe to give to children and babies. Some pregnant women prefer drinking coconut water as a natural aid to help ease digestion problems during pregnancy. The lauric acid found in coconut water is the same as human breast milk.

Regular consumption of coconut water can naturally improve immunity, increase metabolism, alter HDL, and detoxify the body. Consistently drinking coconut water can help regulate intestinal function which is known to provide a myriad of health benefits including a clearer complexion. The monolaurin in coconut water which acts as an antiviral monoglyceride has the ability to kill an assortment of viruses and bacteria in the body.

Coconut Water Re-hydrates and Revives
In many third world countries it’s used as a blood plasma alternative method known as the Coconut IV. Wounded soldiers in wars were revived using coconut water. The nutrients and hydration simulates the plasma which contributes to 55% of human blood. As an isotonic and natural electrolyte beverage coconut water is a great alternative to sugary energy drinks. Abundant in calcium this drink serves as a nutritious cholesterol free boost after workouts. Coconut water has less calories and sodium than most soft drinks or juices in the supermarket.

Coconut water is high in potassium. According to the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, individuals with high blood pressure often suffer from low levels of potassium in their diet. Drinking coconut water regularly can significantly reduce your risk of hypertension. Cultures throughout the world that use coconut in various forms such as a beverage or health tonic have fewer diseases and ailments.

Malunggay / Moringa oelifera

2010-03-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

Malunggay leaves was once considered a "poor man's vegetables" but now it is known as a "miracle tree" or "nature's medicine cabinet" by scientists and health care workers from around the world because it is loaded with vitamins and minerals that can be an effective remedy against many kinds of ailments.

All parts of the malunggay tree are usable for nutritional and medicinal purposes - from the roots, trunk, and branches to the leaves, flowers, and seeds. The small, oval, dark-green leaves are famous vegetable ingredient in soup, fish and chicken dishes. The leaves can actually be eaten raw, but best added in meals due to its high concentration of nutrients. The roots is used to make tea, while the trunk, after it's scraped and squeezed for its juice is used to clean wounds.

Malunggay trees are generally grown in the backyards in countries of Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. It is said that these plants are "low maintenance," requiring little to no care.

Malunggay Products: fresh leaves or vegetables, powder or supplement form, tea. Some product where malunggay leaves is included are bread, oil (for cooking and cosmetic ingredients), shampoo and conditioner, ice cream, etc...

Health Benefits:

•Malunggay leaves helps strengthens the immune system.
•Malunggay can help restores skin condition, controls blood pressure, relieves headaches and migraines.
•Malunggay tea can help strengthen the eye muscles.
•Malunggay tea can help heal inflammation of the joints and tendons.
•Malunggay tea can prevent intestinal worms.
•Malunggay can help increase semen count.
•Malunggay help normalize blood sugar level therefore preventing diabetes.
•Malunggay has anti-cancer compounds (phytochemicals) that help stop the growth of cancer cells.
•Malunggay helps relax and promotes good night sleep.
•Malunggay tea is used to treat fever and asthma.
•Malunggay help heals ulcers.
•Malunggay is high in calcium (four times the calcium in milk), therefore lactating mothers are advised to consume malunggay leaves to produce more milk for their babies. The young malunggay leaves are also boiled and taken as tea.
•Malunggay contains three times the potassium in bananas.
•Malunggay contain four times the vitamin A in carrots.
•An ounce of malunggay has the same Vitamin C content as seven oranges.
•Malunggay leaves contain two times the protein in milk.
•Malunggay seed is used to clean dirty or polluted water

Moringa Oleifera for Cancer Prevention or Treatment

2010-02-05T13:09:00.001-08:00

As we learn more about cancer, we are empowered to use more of the tools which nature has created for us to help battle this terrible disease. The fight against cancer exists on many fronts, encompassing both prevention and treatment methods. In the past we have put all of our faith in pharmaceutical drugs, however these are not the only weapons we have at our disposal to do battle with cancer. Moringa Oleifera is a plant which is known to have many medicinal properties. It is becoming very clear that this natural resource is a helpful ally in a comprehensive treatment of cancer.

Moringa has been shown in studies to have an anti-tumor capacity. Moringa contains benzyl isothiocyanate. There are many studies that have shown this chemical and compounds derived thereof to have anti-cancer and chemoprotective capabilities. This chemoprotective aspect is critical for those who are battling cancer; this helps strengthen cells so that they can tolerate chemotherapy.

Moringa Oleifera has other characteristics which make it a good compliment to a cancer prevention or treatment plan. It contains an enormous amount of nutritional content; Moringa Oleifera contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids which are critical for good health. It is loaded with calcium, iron, potassium, protein, Vitamin A and C, and many more properties which promote a healthy body that has the tools to fight cancer. It is known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-allergenic, and pain relief uses. It has also been put to use to fight a variety of infections.

This incredibly useful tree has grown popular of late due to its ability to help sustain populations that have otherwise been fraught with nutritional problems. It tends to grow in areas where access to food and clean water are more complicated. The successes that many have had with Moringa Oleifera in promoting good health in some of the most devastated areas have lead many scientists to examine its properties closely. It is fast emerging as a means to prevent cancer. It is also gaining notoriety as a product which helps cancer patients who are currently undergoing pharmaceutical treatment.

Fighting cancer is about equipping your body with the tools to fight every day. While drug therapies are very useful in this fight, it is also key that naturally occurring dietary options are used as well. Total health will give a cancer patient the endurance to battle the disease with full energy. The anti-tumor properties in Moringa Oleifera will be of special interest to cancer patients. Also, for those undergoing chemotherapy, the chemoprotective properties associated with this wonderful plant will empower the patient to stand strong when using chemotherapy to fight cancer. Investigate the studies which show this plant to be useful in a comprehensive battle against cancer.

Always be sure to discuss all of your treatments options with your doctor, including your choice of dietary supplements, as interactions between chemicals must always be closely monitored when undergoing drug treatment. Moringa Oleifera has exciting potential as an ally in the war against cancer.

Tawas Natural Deodorants Chemical Free

2010-01-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

What are they and what do they do
These crystals have been used in Asia since the year dot to effectively but naturally provide protection. The crystal deodorants last a long time and are free from aluminium chlorohydrate and zirconium.

They won't clog your pores and are also great as they won't leave white stains you get with alot of other deos.
Crystal deodorant has a natural antibacterial action. Body odour is caused by bacteria. By applying the crystal deodorant a thin unnoticeable layer is left on the skin. Odour causing bacteria are not able to thrive on those areas.

Saving Money and Saving the environment
Also from a cost perspective a large crystal deodorant stick will last 9 to 12 months. This a) saves you a lot of money compared to how many 'normal' deodorants you would buy during that period and b) saves heaps of packaging and massively reduces you contribution to the land fill problem.

Our Products Are Chemical / Paraben Free

2010-01-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Mainstream medicine has pretty much sold it‘s soul and chose profits over healing for a long time now. As a result, they only use medicines that they can patent and control - something that they can create, synthesize or uniquely isolate in their labs. The result is always something that is not in a form normally encountered in nature - and a good rule of thumb is that if something is not found in nature it is not a good idea for it to be found in our bodies.

Whenever a plant is found with medicinal properties, drug company scientists try to identify the main active compound and then either synthesize it or uniquely isolate it so that they can patent it, control it, and reap huge profits. The end result is almost always a less effective medicine with side effects that lead to still more medicines in a never ending pattern that is wonderful for profits and horrible for humanity.

Nature, just like our bodies, works synergistically. While there may be one major active compound in a given medicinal plant, there are almost always a large number of supporting compounds that are essential for the overall effectiveness of the raw plant. The right herbs and botanicals can play key roles.

We have a saying here at Coconuts4life if you wouldn’t put your skin moisturiser or any so called Health & Beauty skin product in your mouth and eat it then why would you put it on your skin? (We don’t suggest you do either unless of course you use our Raw Virgin Coconut Oil).
All our products are chemical,paraben free and have not been tested on animals, mass produced so called health and beauty products are loaded with chemicals, it just shows you the power of media (advertising) how to make cheap manmade chemicals look expensive with marketing and give them a fancy name.

Your skin is your largest organ and what ever you put on your skin absorbs directly into your bloodstream much quicker than if you eat and digest it. I would suggest you take a look at the ingredients in your moisturiser they read like a Chemistry book, do a quick Google search you will be horrified.

Coconut Water & 2012 London olympics

2010-01-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well that time of the year is here again. For those new year resolutions let it start healthily with our Delicious Coconut Water. The amazing taste of Zico comes from the fact that it's 100% pure coconut water from young green coconuts. Zico offers one natural ingredient containing a perfect blend of electrolytes and phytonutrients. Inside every young green coconut is a pure juice containing five essential electrolytes, more potassium than a banana, no fat, no sugar added, and no cholesterol. We are also promoting our Coconut Water as part of the awareness for the 2012 London Olympics.

Coconut water is the natural, refreshing way to hydrate and replenish, far surpassing artificial sports drinks. With loads of good stuff like potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and none of the bad like colourings, sweeteners or added sugars. Coconut water is known as the 'fluid of life' because its human electrolyte balance even allows it to infused directly into the bloodstream in times of severe dehydration. Zico coconut water can also be used as a dairy-free alternative to milk. It is lactose free and soy free. Its alkalising minerals provide the body with effective hydration.

Moringa/Malunggay Health Benefits

2010-01-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Moringa is the common name for the plant Moringa Oleifera. In the Philippines Moringa is locally known as Malunggay amongst many other names so we will call it Moringa to less confusion. Moringa is a unique supplement which gives complete nutrition for healthy living. Moringa leaves are rich in vitamins to the extent that they are one of the richest sources of natural Vitamin. Moringa has Vitamin A (Beta Carotene) required by the body to maintain a perfect vision and to maintain the cardiovascular health., Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine), Vitamin B7 (Biotin), Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) helps in absorption of calcium, Vitamin E (Tocopherol) and Vitamin K

Written below are the benefits of the Moringa Leaf:

1.Increases the Natural Defenses of the body
2.Provides nourishment to the eyes and the brain.
3.Promotes metabolism with bio-available ingredients
4.Promotes the Cell structure of the body
5.Promotes natural Serum cholesterol.
6.Lowers the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
7.Promotes the normal functioning of the liver and the kidney.
8.Beautifies the skin
9.Promotes energy
10.Promotes proper digestion
11.Acts as an antioxidant (Powerful to Prevent Cancer)
12.Takes care of the immune system of the body
13.Promotes healthy circulatory system
14.It is an anti-inflammatory
15.Gives a feeling of general wellness
16.Supports the normal sugar levels of the body.

Moringa leaf boosts your energy in a natural manner, and is a remarkable source of nutrition. This energy promotion does not happen because of sugar, so it is lasts for a long time. Individuals ingesting it say that their ulcers are healed, tumors restricted, there are reduction in the arthritis pains and inflammations, controlled blood pressure, the skin problems are restored, and finally they have stronger defenses against diseases.

Another property of the Moringa leaf is its soothing ability, because of which it can lower the blood pressure and promotes good sleep. It can also purify water since it has a detoxifying effect. Also a coagulant agent, Moringa can attach itself to hazardous bacteria and other materials, a process that is surmised to occur in the body too. The happy outcome is more sustained energy without any over-activity, balanced hormone and gland system, controlled blood pressure, and a rested nervous system.

The most important Minerals present in Moringa leaves include Calcium, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese and Zinc. Calcium is one of the most important minerals for the growth, maintenance, and reproduction of the human body. Moringa is the richest source of Calcium from a plant material and Moringa has 17 times more Calcium than that of milk. The rich calcium content of Moringa helps to prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis during old age and strengthen the bones of the young and middle age people. Blood coagulation, transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contraction and relaxation, normal heart beat, stimulation of hormone secretion, activation of enzyme reactions etc requires small amounts of calcium.