Scientific Living » Diet

Why Diet Matters (Iron Filings Found in Cereal)

Scientific Living — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:17:51 +0000

What really goes into your cereal to “enrich” it with iron? Watch this video and see what happens:

A bag of cereal is pureed
A magnet is shaken up with the puree
Iron filings stick to the magnet

This is not the kind of “iron” you want to be eating to get your nutrition. The amount of filings that appear on the magnet is no insignificant amount either. It is like going to a metal shop and licking a table top that has iron filings on it, then swallowing. Do you really want that stuff getting stuck in your intestines? Our American diet has become extremely toxic, and it is no wonder that so many chronic diseases appear among us. The USA actually has the most illness of all developed countries! Eating intentionally contaminated cereal for example, is one way you can help yourself suffer from heavy metal toxicity!

We are so incredibly bombarded with processed foods, preservatives, additives, and pesticides that we consider it normal to eat that way! Well, the truth is that all these changes are very recent events in human history. We have certainly deviated a long way from what humans have evolved to ideally eat.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

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19 Ways to Beat Cardiovascular Disease Naturally

Scientific Living — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:18:11 +0000

There are many ways to address cardiovascular disease naturally. The best thing to do is to get an integrative physician to help you put together a natural medicine program. Not just any amounts, brands, or combinations of supplements can be haphazardly thrown together. It might even be dangerous. Still, it is important to research options on your own. Also, remember that not all supplements are created equal, and that you should be very stringent when choosing a supplement(s) to ensure both safety and effectiveness. Here is a list of natural supplements and remedies for cardiovascular health in no particular order:

(FYI, since I first wrote this article, I have compiled a list of 21 more items, and 6 common treatments that are dangerous as well as a list of 8 more ways to beat cardiovascular disease naturally)

1. Nattokinase:

Nattokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme derived from the Japanese food Natto. It is used in alternative medicine to dissolve unhealthy coagulation in blood.
More info: 1, 2, 3

2. Dan Shen (Chinese Salvia)

Dan Shen a traditional Chinese herb that is used to treat blood pressure and strengthen the heart, as well as many other things.
More info: 1, 2, 3

3. CoQ10 Ubiquinol:

Ubiquinol is a form of CoQ10 that may be 8 times as effective as ubiquinone (the common supplement form of CoQ10). It is antioxidant, promotes heart health, helps maintain blood sugar, and has many more benefits.
More info: 1, 2

4. Vitamin C:

Vitamin C has nearly endless health benefits including encouraging collagen formation.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

5. Resveratrol:

Resveratrol sold as a supplement is primarily derived from Japanese Knotweed. It has effects on heart disease, cholesterol, cancer, and it seems just about every disease on the planet.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

6. Hawthorn Berry:

Hawthorn berry has been used as a cardiovascular tonic since the early 19th century.
More info: 1, 2

7. D-Ribose:

D-ribose is a naturally occuring sugar found in all living cells. It is a precursor of ATP, the body’s universal energy molecule. It promotes cellular metabolism, which can treat a variety of illness such as cardiovascular disease and chronic fatigue.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

8. Cordyceps Sinensis:

Cordyceps Sinensis is a fungus used to fight hypertension, abnormal blood clotting, and atherosclerosis. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has many other benefits such as, immune system strengthening, detoxification, and increased stress tolerance.
More info: 1, 2

9. Reishi:

Reishi contains plant sterols and gonoderic acids which help maintain healthy blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels, and remove excess cholesterol. It also regulates platelet stickiness. Reishi reduces inflammation by stimulating the production of white blood cells.
More info: 1, 2, 3

10. L-carnitine:

L-carnitine is an amino acid that helps the body metabolize fat for energy. It has been shown to reduce blood and tissue lipids and increase ability to sustain cardiac contractions.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

11. Seanol:

Seanol is a molecule derived from cava Ecklonia algae that may be 100 times more powerful than any single other antioxidant. It also has actions relating to blood thinning, hypertension, and inflammation.
More info: 1

12. Dark Chocolate:

Scientific evidence shows that eating dark chocolate my reduce cardiovascular risk.
More info: 1, 2, 3

13. Green Tea:

Green tea contains the antioxidant quercetin, and the the flavanols called catechins, which is known to help prevent inflammation.
More info: 1, 2

14. Alpha Lipoic Acid:

Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant and helps reduce the buildup of cholesterol.
More info: 1

15. Chlorella:

Chlorella is a micro algae touted to have countless health benefits. It improves heart elasticity, reduces serum cholesterol, and helps prevent atherosclerosis.
More info: 1, 2

16. Garlic

Garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease platelet aggregation, as well as decrease triglycerides and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Garlic also may increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
More info: 1, 2, 3

17. Ginseng:

Ginseng is anti-inflammatory and improves circulation.
More info: 1

18. L-arginine:

L-arginine is an amino acid that compensates for a cardiovascular risk factor called ADMA.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4

19. Magnesium:

Magnesium can be used to treat irregular heart beat, lower blood pressure, and prevent angina.
More info: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Anyone have any cardiovascular success stories?

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

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15 DO’s and DON’Ts of a Healthy Diet

Scientific Living — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:04:34 +0000

We can’t deny that the modern world is full of changes that have drastically altered our diet and food sources. This is so much so that it is almost impossible to truly eat the way mankind did just 100 years ago. Though we don’t want to waste our lives becoming fanatics about how to eat healthy, we can still make significant effort to properly care for the body. If we keep this physical instrument in good condition, then it will be a great gift to ourselves, so that we can go about pursuing higher goals in life without unnecessary disease holding us down. Here are 15 suggestions for eating a more ideal diet. And the key word is *ideal*!

The “DOs”:

1. DO eat raw or lightly cooked food:

Raw food maintains more nutritious value that foods that are cooked. Being a raw-foodist however, is pretty hard. Lightly steaming, baking, or boiling foods are also good ways to eat.

2. DO eat organic:

As much as possible, eat organic foods. They have fewer contaminants, more nutrition, and tend to taste better.

3. DO eat the Clean 15:

The Clean 15 is a list of 15 different foods that are not highly contaminated with pesticides, and can be purchased instead of organic foods.

4. DO eat tons of vegetables

Just 100 years ago, humans ate a much higher percentage of plant-based foods. Vegetables have countless health benefits. One way to make it easy to get down lots of veggies is to buy a slow juicer and make raw vegetable juice daily.

5. DO bless your food:

Blessing food raises your own awareness, and it won’t be long before science also demonstrates that the value of the food is actually improved by blessing it.

6. DO make changes slowly:

If you go overboard trying to change everything about your diet at once, you’ll get tired and give up. Better to to take it one step at a time.

The “DON’Ts”

1. DON’T buy things that come in a package:

Things that come in packages tend to be refined, have preservatives, additives, and less nutrition than things that don’t. Do your best to cut out packaged foods. This will naturally tend to eliminate junk food like potato chips, crackers, boxed cereal, and soda.

2. DON’T eat out:

You never know what you get when you eat at a restaurant. Or worse yet, you do know what you get. Unless it is some place that really goes all-out in trying to be healthy, it is better to get used to eating in your own home every day. Also, constantly eating in restaurants can affect some energetic aspects of a persons health.

3. DON’T microwave:

Microwaves have demonstrated ability to destroy nutrition, cause cancer, and create a number of other biological effects in the body. It’s hard to get away from the microwave, but doing so will be good for your health. It will also give your home one less electrical appliance that detracts from the charm of living a simpler lifestyle with fewer possessions.

4. DON’T drink tap water:

Depending on where you live, the quality of the tap water can be anywhere from okay to terrible. You can buy home test kits to see the level of contaminants in your tap water. If you are going to be spending much of your life in the same home, then constantly drinking poor quality water can add up. You might consider installing a purification system under your kitchen sink. For a one time expense, you can feel better about your drinking water for a long time. Which purification system is best is a topic itself. Some examples are reverse osmosis filters, carbon block filters, and ionizers. And unfortunately, Brita filters and bottled water are not tremendously helpful.

5. DON’T fry food:

Frying food has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other diseases. Essential fatty acids are changed by the heat. Instead of preserving nutrition, toxic compounds are created. Consider eating more raw, lightly steamed, lightly baked, or lightly boiled foods.

6. DON’T eat foods you are allergic or sensitive to:

Everyone has food sensitivities to one degree or another. They can cause anywhere from zero health problems to catastrophic health problems. The best way to track down your own sensitivities is its own topic. One simple thing you can do is try to avoid the most common allergens (wheat, corn, eggs, dairy, soy) for 6 weeks and see if your health really improves. Then add those foods back in, one at a time, to see which one(s) make you feel worse.

7. DON’T eat the Dirty Dozen:

The Dirty Dozen are the 12 conventionally grown foods that contain the most pesticides. If you want to buy organic, then these foods are the place to start.

8. DON’T eat it if it’s old:

It’s excellent to be frugal. But if you are debating whether or not to eat those cucumbers in the fridge that are getting pretty slimy, then it is better to throw them out. The mistake is not in trashing spoiled food. The mistake is in letting the food get to that point.

9. DON’T eat sweets

Sugar may negatively affect health in at least 146 ways. The best amount of refined sugar to eat is zero. Some substitutes are stevia, xylitol, or small amounts of raw honey or raw maple syrup.

Nobody’s perfect about their diet. But every little bit may help.

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

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The 5 Causes of Illness

Scientific Living — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:42:30 +0000

Integrative physicians have long since known the principal causes of illness. The validity of these causes is demonstrated by the fact that integrative physicians generally tend to be head-over-heels more effective than other types of physicians. These are not the only causes of illness, but they cover almost everything. It should also be noted that these categories are not exclusive. In other words, they overlap. You can’t really address one of them without addressing all of them. Without an integrative approach, the chance of overcoming chronic conditions declines. On the other hand, if all sides are addressed, the chance of reversing many chronic conditions improves.

1. Nutritional Deficiencies:

Nutritional deficiencies can be caused by poor diet, stress, an underlying disease process that causes poor assimilation, utilization, or an increased need for adequate nutrition, or by other causes.

2. Toxic Conditions:

Toxins can get into your body from a chronically poor diet, poor air quality, a “sick building”, contaminated food and water, vaccinations, occupational hazards, amalgam fillings, household chemicals, beauty products, infections, and others sources.

3. Stress:

Stress is a subjective measure of the amount of emotional and physical burden placed on a body/mind. It can be caused by lifestyle, emotional burdens, outlook on life, infections, excessive activity, inadequate activity, allergies, and other sources. Nutritional deficiencies and toxic burdens can also rightly be called stressors.

Some integrative physicians stop here and list the above as the 3 main causes of illness. Some often add two more categories.

4. Infections

Symptoms of infection can be obvious (like an acute fever) or they can be completely unobvious. There are dozens of common organisms that can cause “stealth” infections that cause no obvious illness. In course of time these infections can slowly become debilitating. Common pathogenic organisms that can cause stealth infection include Candida, Lyme disease, babesia, bartonella, mycoplasma, herpes viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, XMRV, and many others. Many practitioners contest that such infections are of epidemic proportions.

5. Allergies

Allergies do not have to make you break out in hives or cause anaphylactic shock. Low grade allergies (which can be called “sensitivities”) cause many chronic problems. Most people are sensitive in some degree of another to foods they eat. People can also be sensitive to chemicals or other environmental factors. Though sensitivities can cause debilitating illness, the symptoms are typically mild to moderate. Avoiding sensitivities, as well as desensitizing the body, are both approaches taken to correct such a situation.

So how can these causes be addressed? In principle, the outlook of Natural Medicine is actually quite simple:

Put into your body/mind things that you lack
Remove things from your body/mind that are harmful
Cease feeding your body/mind with those harmful things
Cease doing activities (or inactivities) that put undo burden on your body/mind
Initiate activities that will increase the body/mind’s capacity to handle such burden

Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice. This is opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

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11 Natural Ways to Enhance Athletic Performance (featured on PickTheBrain.com)

Scientific Living — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:32:30 +0000

Today my article has been featured on PickTheBrain, one of the largest personal development websites on the internet. You can read the entire article here:

11 Natural Ways to Improve Athletic Performance

Backed by science and actual use, learn about these 11 natural strategies and the rationale behind them:

Raw foods
Baking soda
CoQH
D-ribose
Essential fatty acids
Magnesium
Heavy water oxygen supplements
Phosphoglycolipids
Proleolytic enzymes
Iron supplements
Amino acids

Please visit the site and share my article.

Disclaimer: This article does not contain any medical advice. This website contains opinion and is for informational purposes only. If seeking medical advice, consult a licensed physician.

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