Finding water that is not toxic has become a major health challenge. Many bottled waters contain sufficient minerals that if drunk in quantity, would dominate other minerals, creating an imbalance. Carbonated and sparkling water are acidic, possibly causing alkaline calcium phosphate to get leached from bones to counter the acid. Bacteria colonize in charcoal filters, necessitating frequent replacement.
Filters are only effective on certain sets of toxins. To remove a fuller range of toxins reverse osmosis needs pre- and post-membrane charcoal filters. The polymer membranes get degraded by chlorine, requiring replacement. An excellent discussion of these and further challenges can be found in Cousen’s Conscious Eating (pages 506-513 ISBN 1-55643-285-2).
Algae can form in a hot water heater. Pathogenic bacteria then grow, consuming the algae.
From www.mercola.com: “I believe distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes. More importantly the water loses its healthy structure.” My comment is that distilled water would also absorb oxygen and other gases. Unless one knew the atmospheric mix or measured the pH, one wouldn’t know whether the water was acidic or alkaline.
Health nibbles
A shake of cinnamon with a meal improves digestion, including metabolism of fats, among myriad other benefits. Cinnamon is reputed to relieve diarrhea, flatulence and nausea, counteract congestion, aid peripheral circulation, warm the body, help decrease blood sugar, and even fight fungal and candida yeast infections. Frontier organic cinnamon gets air dried at the ambient temperature in Indonesia at the time. Cinnamon contains blood thinning eugenol, so caution is advised if one’s already taking a thinner such as Warfarin (Coumadin), also if pregnant. Peppermint also aids digestion, helping regulate the flow of bile from the liver.
Especially with dry skin, insufficient oil in the skin, athlete’s foot may be ameliorated by supporting unhealthy skin with nutritive topical crème (Jason’s 25,000 unit Vitamin E Crème) rather than loading the skin and body with highly toxic fungicides. This crème can be alternated with antifungal tea tree oil ointment, which is gentler than medications. One could also try grapefruit seed extract (GSE). GSE is reputed to be effective both internally and externally against viruses including herpes and measles, bacteria, even spores similar to anthrax, candida yeast, fungi, and though it seems absurd even head lice, fleas, mites and other small pests (www.nutribiotic.com, www.nutriteam.com/gsewhat.html, www.pureliquidgold.com, okok.essortment.com/grapefruitsee_rbcp.htm). Another possibility is applying olive leaf extract. Pharmaceutical fungicides used to counter athlete’s foot can cause edema after the body gets overloaded with the poisons that penetrate the skin from pharmaceutical fungicides. A carpet made up of fibers that irritate the skin even slightly may carve micro-grooves in the skin. Such grooves may become breeding grounds for fungi. If the skin doesn’t appear to lack oil, and the athlete’s foot is taking the form of a slightly raised reddish rash, the problem may not be so much a fungal infection as a rash. In this case, the crème wouldn’t help. Perhaps a drying agent such as Calamine might help dry the fluid within the raised rash, as Calamine does with poison ivy rashes.
After a wound closes, E may improve skin healing. Vitamin E oil from a capsule drowns the skin, not letting it breath, so that it may cause more of a scar to form. Vitamin E crème seems to help much more (Jason’s 25,000 unit Vitamin E Crème).
When I use crème on my face I try not to get it into my eyes, since over several weeks it irritates them, causing tears to run.
Increasing one’s alkalinity slightly at night by eating more alkaline ash foods at dinner may well allow for a lower heart rate, and more relaxed sleep. (Please see “Acid-alkali balance”.)
Vision Works, Inc. offers useful therapeutic complementary care that one can practice in the home, for the treatment of focus and eye disorders including macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eyes and diabetic retinopathy (845-255-8222 www.visionworksusa.com).
Leaving foods on the tree or vine to ripen rather than picking foods early for shipment, allows substantially more vitamins and other phytonutrients to form.
Instead of taking antacids to treat acid reflux, one could raise the head of the bed onto one or two 2X4s. The stomach needs to contain acid to process many foods for robust absorption.
Although I've read several books regarding nutritional healing, Balch’s work stands out by a mile (Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch MD, ISBN 1-58333-077-1, available at many large health stores). The first 84 pages of introductory material regarding health are especially worth perusal. Most of the remainder of this 775 page book is a very useful reference for many disorders. For anyone who may be battling cancer, this book contains excellent write-ups on 16 types. Immune disorders also receive detailed treatment. A robust immune system can help improve health when confronting almost any degenerative disorder, especially cancer. Balch does recommend far more supplements than I would normally take, so readers could be highly selective.
One can learn a lot about the nutritionist’s point of view by reading the manual that comes with the calorie counting and nutritional software in Personal Plus from www.nutribase.com. The package includes a CD as well as the manual.
Information on dental work and pain can be found at the site www.doctorspiller.com.
Lecithin could increase brain levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter (for nerve cell communication), possibly improving short term memory.
Exposure to full spectrum light is important for hormonal health, immune system, mood, even for fertility. In winter or for the house-bound, lamps are available (BioLight 800-222-DAWN).
One reason that supplements or pharmaceuticals need to get tested over a long period is the natural variability of disease. Sufferers have good and bad days. If the intervention is made when the patient is on a natural upswing, unmerited credit may be given to the intervention.
Many organizations promote technologies or non-whole food supplements that are reputed to work miracles. While a few of these approaches may resonate and be worth trying, in general longer lasting and more satisfying benefits can be gained by promoting miracles oneself, both within and without, by each step that changes consumption and lifestyle toward a robust healthspan.
City pollution has much the same effect on the lungs as smoke, making it important to use air filters in one’s home, at least in the bedroom.
If one takes ginko or other herbs, Hippocrates Health Institute recommends that they get taken 3 days on, 2 days off, with the 8th week off. During time off the herbs, the body takes over so that it doesn’t get lazy, creating a health-supporting foundation, or “fence” in the case of defensive measures, a foundation or “fence” composed both of tools biosynthesized by the body and imported from the herbs (Hippocrates Health Institute’s www.hippocratesinst.com).
In Europe, homeopathyis respected and practiced widely. The European supplements contain traces of the original element(s) that got mixed in, often at dilutions of about 6X (1 to 60). “Arniflora” is a 1X (1 to 10) gel dilution of Arnica Montana that I’ve found useful for relieving pain, swelling and stiffness. The U.S. practice of homeopathy involves dilution until no trace of the original element(s) could possibly be detected, until less than one molecule would be found in an entire universe filled with water, with the hypothesis that the vibrations from the elements are increased by pounding the container with each dilution, making the supplement more potent even though fantastically more dilute. The vibrations from the elements could not be detected scientifically. A scientist would speculate that such vibrations would quickly diminish due to non-resonant damping. Both U.S. and European supplements get dried into sweet dairy lactose sugar tablets, which may affect the body. A majority of people are allergic to the lactose in dairy. Sugar tablets are often used as placebos in drug testing. The placebo effect is so strong that it may prove more beneficial than the drug being tested. A scientist might be skeptical about any vibration remaining after the water had evaporated from the lactose tablets.
One possibility for dealing with warts might be killing them by covering them with a tiny patch of duct tape. The tape would also kill adjacent skin however. I haven’t yet tried the method.
Occasionally I don’t pay enough attention to sharp tools such as a peeler or knife, and nick a finger. If it’s just a scratch I apply a band-aid to stop the bleeding, then remove it and paint a little liquid band-aid. I’m not crazy about putting that plastic on my skin, but it not only acts as an antiseptic; it also allows the wound to heal much faster despite repeatedly wetting the finger as I prepare food.
Edison became vegetarian to improve his kidney disorder. The vegetarian Sylvester Graham invented the graham cracker.
Stretching for longer than 3 seconds may initiate micro-tears in muscle. Releasing the tension very briefly and smoothly reinitiating the stretch can “freshen” the muscle, so long as bouncing is dampened gently. Jerky bouncing while stretching tears muscle.
Perfectionism isn’t healthy if it causes stress. If it’s stressful to strive for a purely plant-based diet, a deck of cards’ worth of animal-based foods a day probably wouldn’t increase risk much for those in robust health, so long as the rest of the diet is unrefined plant–based foods with lots of green veggies. With supplements of vitamin B12, B complex, vitamin D, DHA, possibly minerals, and sufficient sources of plant protein from unrefined foods, eventually a purely plant-based diet may feel more achievable.
Those with slow circulation in the fingers may develop skin problems during the winter. Such problems can be avoided by using plastic gloves while dishwashing, also by minimizing soaking time during washing, so that oils are retained in the skin. Cotton-lined dishwashing gloves may slip on and off more easily for convenience; one could try first pulling an unlined sticky glove up over the knuckles, then pulling it off the fingers. Keeping the fingers warm during the winter to promote circulation may also help. Wearing warming wrist-bands similar to extra wide tennis sweat guards helps keep fingers warm by reducing heat loss through the wrists.
“Use it or lose it” applies both to memory and ambidexterity. One can increase the number of connections in the brain by memorizing songs or learning a new language, and by retraining one’s non-dominant hand, starting with small tasks like computer mouse movement, tooth-brushing or eating. Speculatively, not only does practicing ambidexterity make mundane tasks fun, but also it enhances integral brain function and anecdotally creativity. One may find that the dominant hand needs to learn the movements that the non-dominant hand has been performing in its supportive role. After a few tries in slow motion, the hands begin to move at normal pace.
How about getting an optionally massaging showerhead for the home? It’s worth it! Smaller diameter showerheads produce more intensive massage pulses.
Volunteers: Our efforts maynot change the world, but can make a huge difference and mean a great deal for a few people. Vitalizing programs with our service, Opening doors to new experience, Lifting spirits, Understanding people better, Noting the difference our efforts make, Touching lives forever, Earning respect, Earning admiration, Reaching out to people in need. Spreading smiles wherever one goes.
