What Will Happen to Your Body If You Drink Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar Immediately After You Get Up from Bed?

Reposted from Choose Healthy Life

http://choosehealthylife.com/drink-honey-and-apple-cider-vinegar/

The mix of honey and apple cider vinegar can cure many well known health problems. These two ingredients have been used in traditional medicine for ages. Apple cider vinegar can be used to treat joint pain, weight loss and digestive issues. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics of honey are equally effective in treating many health problems such as acid reflux and sore throat.

The mixture of these two amazing healing natural products is excellent against many health problems. Here are the benefits of consuming this remedy:
• Reduction of inflammations and joint pain
• No heartburn
• Better function of the digestive tract
• High levels of energy
• Lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• Improved appearance of the skin
• Better breath
• Weight loss

Processed food and meat make the body even more acidic when we are ill. The mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar raises the pH levels to normal and this allows our body to fight bacteria and infections. This happens because these two amazing ingredients become alkaline in our bodies’ metabolisms.
Always choose raw honey and apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar should have pulp at the bottom for best health benefits.
Recipe:
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup of water

Consume the remedy in the morning on an empty stomach. Don’t eat or drink anything for half an hour after the consumption.

Consult a doctor before drinking this homemade remedy if you are taking heart or diabetic medications Long and large consumption of apple cider vinegar may lower bone density and potassium levels as well.

Iodine Supplements in Pregnancy May Boost Babies’ Brains

Reposted from Mercola.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/08/24/iodine-supplements-during-pregnancy.aspx?x_cid=20151113_ranart_iodine-supplements-during-pregnancy_facebookdoc

By Dr. Mercola

Pregnant women are often told of the importance of consuming enough folate during pregnancy in order to prevent birth defects. You may also be aware of the importance of consuming omega-3 fats for your baby's brain and vitamin D for both baby and maternal health.
Some health care providers now recommend probiotics to their pregnant patients to protect against allergies in their children and more. Few pregnant women are aware of the importance of iodine, however, even though it's estimated that 67 percent of women do not get enough via their diet alone.¹
Iodine is a vitally important nutrient that is detected in every organ and tissue in your body. Along with being essential for healthy thyroid function and efficient metabolism, there is increasing evidence that low iodine is related to numerous diseases, including cancer.
Iodine might also severely affect your child's brain and intellectual prowess, as it is important for healthy brain development. New research now suggests an iodine supplement during pregnancy might help to boost children's IQ scores while benefitting the economy.

Iodine May Boost Children's IQ and Lead to Economic Benefits

Research published in 2013 showed that mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy lead to decreased intellect in children. Those born to mothers with low iodine in early pregnancy had lower IQs at age 8, by an average of three points, compared to those born to mothers with healthy iodine levels. The children of low iodine mothers also had worse reading ability at age 9.²
Building on this research, the latest study revealed that if all women took iodine supplements before conception, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding, children's IQ scores would be raised by an average of 1.22 points.³
In turn, the boosts in IQ would lead to nearly $7,000 in higher earnings and lower education costs for children for each pregnant woman choosing to take an iodine supplement. Meanwhile, savings to the UK's National Health Service were estimated at over $310 per pregnant woman. The researchers concluded:

"Iodine supplementation for pregnant women in the UK is potentially cost saving. This finding also has implications for the 1.88 billion people in the 32 countries with iodine deficiency worldwide.
Valuation of IQ points should consider non-earnings benefits — e.g, health benefits associated with a higher IQ not germane to earnings."

Why Low Iodine During Pregnancy Is Detrimental to Baby's Brain

For the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, before the unborn child's thyroid becomes active, the mother is the sole source of thyroid hormones, which are required for optimal brain function and development in children. Hypothyroidism is one of the first ailments to develop in response to iodine deficiency, and it is particularly troublesome during pregnancy.
One 1999 study found that thyroid deficiency during pregnancy can lower your child's IQ by about seven points. Overall, compared with other children, the offspring of thyroid-deficient mothers had impaired school performance and lower scores on tests of attention, language, and visual-motor performance.⁴
According to Dr. Jorge Flechas, MD, researchers have determined that the average dietary intake of iodine for Japanese women is 13.8 milligrams (mg) per day. He recommends 12.5 mg/day for adults, but especially for his pregnant patients to optimize their child's intelligence.
He shares a couple of success stories in his lecture above, where iodine supplementation at higher doses resulted in children with remarkably advanced intelligence.
Although he makes a compelling argument, I am not yet convinced that such large amounts are necessary. It is important to realize that the current US daily recommended allowance (RDA) for iodine are not in milligram doses but in micrograms:

• 150 micrograms (mcg) per day for adult men and women
• 220 mcg for pregnant women
• 290 mcg for lactating/breastfeeding women

However, this RDA was set with the intention to prevent goiter only. Dr. Flechas makes a compelling argument for it being completely insufficient for overall physical health and prevention of diseases such as thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, and cancer. Personally, I am not yet convinced and do not take such high doses in supplemental form.
For comparison, the World Health Organization advises that pregnant women should have 0.25 mg of iodine a day,⁵ so I would encourage you to do your own research and adopt a sensible, middle-of-the-road approach when it comes to iodine.

It's Not Only Pregnant Women Who Need Sufficient Iodine

Iodine is necessary for your thyroid, which in turn produces hormones crucial for brain development. However, other tissues also absorb and use large amounts of iodine, including:

Breasts	Salivary glands	Pancreas	Cerebral spinal fluid
Skin	Stomach	Brain	Thymus

Iodine deficiency, or insufficiency, in any of these tissues will lead to dysfunction of that tissue. Hence the following symptoms could provide clues that you're not getting enough iodine in your diet. For example, iodine deficiency in:

• Salivary glands = inability to produce saliva, producing dry mouth
• Skin = dry skin and lack of sweating. Three to four weeks of iodine supplementation will typically reverse this symptom, allowing your body to sweat normally again
• Brain = reduced alertness and lowered IQ
• Muscles = nodules, scar tissue, pain, fibrosis, and fibromyalgia

Iodine actually induces apoptosis as well, meaning it causes cancer cells to self-destruct. Dr. Flechas is adamant that absence of iodine in a cell is what causes cancer, and statistics tend to support this view. Unfortunately, iodine levels have significantly dropped in the US in recent decades due to several factors, including:

• Bromine exposure: When you ingest or absorb bromine (found in baked goods, plastics, soft drinks, medications, pesticides, and more), it displaces iodine, and this iodine deficiency leads to an increased risk for cancer of the breast, thyroid gland, ovary, and prostate – cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today
• Declining consumption of iodine-rich foods, such as iodized salt, eggs, fish, and sea vegetables
• Soil depletion
• Less use of iodide in the food and agricultural industry
• Fluoridated drinking water
• Rocket fuel (perchlorate) contamination in food, which can impair the uptake of iodine into your thyroid

Too Much Iodine May Be Harmful

The jury is still out on whether iodine in supplemental form is safe, especially at higher doses. For instance, while sea vegetables are a naturally rich source of iodine, the British Dietetic Association recommends against the use of kelp and seaweed supplements, particularly by pregnant women, because they may contain harmful amounts.⁶
Even consuming sea vegetables regularly could potentially put you over a healthy limit. The George Mateljan Foundation recommends that anyone consuming one tablespoon or more of sea vegetables on a daily basis might want to evaluate their intake of iodine to see if it exceeds the Tolerable Upper Limit (UL) of 1,100 micrograms.⁷
While taking extremely high doses of iodine could lead to acute symptoms such as mouth pain, nausea, and vomiting, there is also concern that high-dose iodine supplementation might lead to subclinical hypothyroidism. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, randomly assigned one of 12 different dosages of iodine (ranging from 0 to 2,000 mcg/day) to healthy adults for four weeks.⁸
When diet was factored in, those taking 400 mcg/day were receiving a total of about 800 mcg of iodine per day. At doses at and above 400 mcg of supplemented iodine per day, some of the study participants developed subclinical hypothyroidism, which appeared to be dose dependent.
At 400 mcg/day, 5 percent developed subclinical hypothyroidism; at the highest dose — 2,000 mcg/day — 47 percent of participants were thus affected. Subclinical hypothyroidism refers to a reduction in thyroid hormone levels that is not sufficient to produce obvious symptoms of hypothyroidism (such as fatigue, dry skin, depression, or weight gain, just to mention a few common telltale signs).
So, these findings suggest it might not be wise to get more than about 800 mcg of iodine per day, and supplementing with as much as 12 to 13 mg (12,000 to 13,000 mcgs) could potentially have some adverse health effects.

How to Test Your Iodine Levels

In the US, low iodine is widespread, such that virtually everyone needs it. But there is, unfortunately, no foolproof lab test to find out if your levels are low. However, if you are interested in being tested for iodine deficiency, ask your health care provider about the urine iodine challenge test. This test involves taking iodine tablets and collecting your urine for 24 hours to determine how much is stored in your tissues and how much is excreted. This can give you an idea of whether your levels are sufficient or not.
Another simple way to ensure you're getting enough iodine is to get an inexpensive prescription from your physician for SSKI, which is a super-saturated potassium iodine. You simply apply three drops to your skin and rub it in, once a day. If when you touch something with slightly wet fingertips it leaves a yellowish stain, then the iodine is coming out of your skin, indicating your body is saturated, i.e. you're getting enough iodine.

What Are the Best Ways to Optimize Your Iodine Levels?

Toxin-free sea vegetables and spirulina are likely the ideal natural sources from which to obtain your iodine — however, make sure that these are harvested from uncontaminated waters (especially if you're pregnant!) and be careful not to overdo it. Consuming sea vegetables comes with the added benefit of also providing valuable minerals and even modulating your gut flora such that it alters estrogen metabolism and lowers your risk of breast cancer.⁹ (One study even found that consuming a sheet of nori a day may cut a woman's risk of breast cancer in half.¹⁰)
Other sources of seafood, such as wild-caught scallops, sardines, salmon, and shrimp, contain iodine as well, as do raw milk, eggs, and even strawberries. At the same time, you'll want to avoid all sources of bromine as much as possible, as this appears to play a large role in the rising levels of iodine deficiency. Here are several strategies you can use to avoid bromine and thereby help optimize your iodine levels naturally:

1. Eat organic as often as possible. Wash all produce thoroughly to minimize your pesticide exposure.
2. Avoid eating or drinking from (or storing food and water in) plastic containers. Use glass and safe ceramic vessels.
3. Look for organic whole-grain breads and flour. Grind you own grain, if possible. Look for the "no bromine" or "bromine-free" label on commercial baked goods.
4. Avoid sodas. Drink natural, filtered water instead.
5. If you own a hot tub, look into an ozone purification system. Such systems make it possible to keep the water clean with minimal chemical treatments.
6. Look for personal care products that are as toxin-free as possible. Remember – anything going on you, goes in you.
7. When in a car or a building, open windows as often as possible, preferably on opposing sides of the space for cross ventilation. Utilize fans to circulate the air. Chemical pollutants are in much higher concentrations inside buildings (and cars) than outside.

If you're pregnant, keep in mind that some prenatal supplements contain added iodine as well, so you should factor that into your total daily intake. Even if you're not pregnant, adults can also consider an iodine-containing whole food supplement in addition to the dietary sources mentioned above.

[OnePercentHealth.com Note:  From my own research I disagree with Dr. Mercola warnings about "too high" of a dose of iodine.  I take over 50 mgs per day and know several others who take the same or higher dose.  If you have a thyroid problem or cancer, higher doses are suggested.  I also suggest taking iodine in the form of Lugol's Solution applied to the skin.]

Considering the Flu Shot? Here Are Five Reasons to Think Twice

Reposted from Wake Up World

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/10/30/considering-the-flu-shot-here-are-five-reasons-to-think-twice/

By Carolanne Wright
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

“Emelie Olsson is plagued by hallucinations and nightmares. When she wakes up, she’s often paralyzed, unable to breathe properly or call for help. During the day she can barely stay awake, and often misses school or having fun with friends. She is only 14, but at times she has wondered if her life is worth living.

 

“Emelie is one of around 800 children in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe who developed narcolepsy, an incurable sleep disorder, after being immunized with the made by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in 2009.” ~ Reuters

 

An uptick in narcolepsy after the flu shot is not unusual — Finland, Norway, Ireland and France have seen dramatic increases since the Pandemrix H1N1 swine flu vaccine was introduced. In total, more than 30 million people in 47 countries were given the GSK shot during the 2009-2010 flu season. Independent researchers subsequently published peer-reviewed studies from Finland, Ireland and Sweden, showing the 2009-2010 influenza vaccination campaign increased the rate of narcolepsy by seven to thirteen times in children given the GSK shot, compared to their unvaccinated peers. Unfortunately, narcolepsy isn’t the only risk associated with the vaccine.

 

An Unexpected Side-Effect

Prior to developing narcolepsy, Emelie was a top student who enjoyed tennis, playing the piano, making art and spending time with friends. However, a few months after she had the Pandemrix vaccine, her life changed forever.

 

In the beginning, she nor her parents suspected narcolepsy. It was simply a case of increased tiredness, where Emelie often needed to sleep when she came home from school. But then she began collapsing and it was clear something was seriously wrong.

 

The disease progressed beyond daytime sleepiness into nightmares, hallucinations, sleep paralysis and episodes of cataplexy — a sudden and dramatic loss of muscle strength triggered by strong emotions. She can no longer laugh or joke with her friends due to the disorder.

 

Goran Stiernstedt, a doctor turned public health official in Stockholm, Sweden, has poured over the data documenting what happened in his country during the 2009-2010 flu season, after the vaccine was introduced. “The big question is was it worth it? And retrospectively I have to say it was not,” he told Reuters in an interview.

Additional Dangers

Beyond narcolepsy, the flu vaccine can cause other severe complications, such as:

Fetal death

A study published in the journal Human and Experimental Toxicology found a 4,250% increase in the number of miscarriages and stillbirths during the 2009/2010 flu season. The researcher concluded: “[A] synergistic fetal toxicity likely resulted from the administration of both the pandemic (A-H1N1) and seasonal influenza vaccines during the 2009/2010 season.”

Contracting the Flu

Instead of protecting you from the flu, the vaccine can actually make you more susceptible to it. This study discovered that “a significant positive association between the seasonal influenza vaccine and lab confirmed H1N1 was observed.”

Viral Shedding

If you’re not concerned about increasing your own chances of getting the flu, consider that you can spread the disease to others if you decide to use the nasal spray vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control:

“… children and adults vaccinated with live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) can shed vaccine viruses after vaccination, although in lower amounts than occur typically with shedding of wild-type influenza viruses.”

Neurotoxic Ingredients

Brain-damaging mercury is a common preservative in flu shots. Exposure to the heavy metal can cause depression, cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, memory loss, attention deficit disorder and a host of other serious ailments.

“Tests conducted via ICP-MS document mercury in the Flulaval vaccine at a shocking 51 parts per million, or over 25,000 times higher than the maximum contaminant level of inorganic mercury in drinking water set by the EPA.

“The tests were conducted via ICP-MS using a 4-point mercury calibration curve for accuracy. Even then, the extremely high level of mercury found in this flu shot was higher than anything we’ve ever tested, including tuna and ocean fish which are known for high mercury contamination.” [source]

If you’re still unsure about the flu shot, have a look at the GlaxoSmithKline package insert for FluLaval and reported adverse events after vaccination [source]:

• Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Lymphadenopathy.
• Eye Disorders: Eye pain, photophobia.
• Gastrointestinal Disorders: Dysphagia.
• General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions: Chest pain, injection site inflammation, asthenia, injection site rash, abnormal gait, injection site bruising, injection site sterile abscess.
• Immune System Disorders: Allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, angioedema.
• Infections and Infestations: Rhinitis, laryngitis, cellulitis.
• Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Muscle weakness, arthritis.
• Nervous System Disorders: Dizziness, paresthesia, hypoesthesia, hypokinesia, tremor, somnolence, syncopeGuillain-Barré syndrome, convulsions/seizures, facial or cranial nerve paralysis, encephalopathy, limb paralysis.
• Psychiatric Disorders: Insomnia.
• Respiratory, Thoracic, and Mediastinal Disorders: Dyspnea, dysphonia, bronchospasm, throat tightness.
• Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Urticaria, pruritus, sweating. Vascular Disorders: Flushing, pallor.

Alternatives to the Shot

If you would rather not risk the flu vaccine, there are plenty of safe methods to keep you and your family healthy throughout the influenza season. Here’re a few examples:

Elderberry

Rich in vitamins A and C, elderberry has a long history of use for promoting health. Well-known for its ability to prevent and treat upper respiratory infections and fever, research has shown 20% of individuals suffering from the flu experienced significant relief within 24 hours of consuming the extract. By the second day, 73% were on the mend, whereas an impressive 90% were completely cured within three days.

Additionally, a British in vitro study discovered the extract inhibited avian bird flu (H5N1) by ninety-nine percent. And Panama successfully used elderberry juice to treat the 1995 flu epidemic.

Liposomal C

Unlike high doses of vitamin C powder, liposome-encapsulated vitamin C will not create digestive distress or other negative side-effects. Dr. Thomas Levy adds “… liposomes, especially in the case of those containing vitamin C, rapidly load up the immune cells in the lymphatics of the gut, achieving high intracellular levels of this nutrient. Colloquially speaking, one could say this “supercharges” the immune system cells.” He also believes liposomal vitamin C is more effective than intravenous vitamin C in the case of acute viral syndrome.

For further support during the flu season, Dr. Mercola recommends 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day, eating fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, miso, pickles sauerkraut) as well as coconut/coconut oil, mushrooms (reishi, shiitake, maitake), turmeric, oregano, cinnamon and cloves. On top of that, keep on hand the following:

Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.

Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response and even fight cancer.

A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.

Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.

Don’t forget to drink a good amount of purified water, get enough sleep, moderately exercise and reduce emotional stressors in your life to help boost immune response.

Article sources:

• www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-narcolepsy-vaccine-pandemrix-idUSBRE90L07H20130122
• www.journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0033536
• www.journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0033723
• www.vaccineinjuryhelpcenter.com/flu-vaccine-narcolepsy-british-court-rules
• www.vactruth.com/2013/02/01/8-damn-good-reasons
• www.articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/03/how-to-prevent-the-flu-easy-as-1-2-3.aspx
• www.peakenergy.com/articles/nh20140411/Exposing-the-truth-about-liposomal-nutrients
• www.thrive-living.net/2013/10/flu-epidemic-elderberry-prevention.html
• www.gsksource.com/pharma/content/dam/GlaxoSmithKline/US/en/Prescribing_Information/Flulaval/pdf/FLULAVAL.PDF

Coconut Oil: Four Tablespoons of This "Brain Food" May Prevent Alzheimer's

Reposted from Mercola.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/13/can-this-natural-food-cure-or-prevent-alzheimers.aspx

By Dr. Mercola

Dr. Mary Newport writes about ketone bodies, an alternative fuel for your brain which your body makes when digesting coconut oil, and how coconut oil may offer profound benefits in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
If her theory is accurate, this could be one of the greatest natural health discoveries in a long time. Backing up her claims is the remarkable recovery of her own husband.¹
Bear in mind however that contrary to Dr. Newport, I personally do NOT support using drugs to treat Alzheimer's, and based on his condition believe enrolling him in a vaccine study is completely contraindicated and ill-advised.
That said, I believe Dr. Newport may have stumbled upon a powerful natural strategy to help prevent and treat Alzheimer's, and that's what I want to address here.

'Brain Starvation' Is a Hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease

One of the primary fuels your brain needs is glucose, which is converted into energy.
The mechanism for glucose uptake in your brain has only recently begun to be studied, and what has been learned is that your brain actually manufactures its own insulin² to convert glucose in your blood stream into the food it needs to survive.
As you may already know, diabetes is the condition where your body's response to insulin is weakened until your body eventually stops producing the insulin necessary to regulate blood sugar, and your body's ability to regulate (or process) blood sugar into energy becomes essentially broken.
Now, when your brain's production of insulin decreases, your brain literally begins to starve, as it's deprived of the glucose-converted energy it needs to function normally.This is what happens to Alzheimer's patients -- portions of their brain start to atrophy, or starve, leading to impaired functioning and eventual loss of memory, speech, movement, and personality.
In effect, your brain can begin to atrophy from starvation if it becomes insulin-resistant and loses its ability to convert glucose into energy.
It is now also known that diabetics have a 65 percent increased risk of also being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and there appears to be a potent link between the two diseases, even though the exact mechanisms have yet to be determined.
It seems quite clear however that both are related to insulin resistance – in your body and in your brain.

Alternate Brain Food Can Stop Brain Atrophy in Its Tracks

Fortunately, your brain is able to run on more than one type of energy supply, and this is where coconut oil enters the picture.
There's another substance that can feed your brain and prevent brain atrophy. It may even restore and renew neuron and nerve function in your brain after damage has set in.
The substance in question is called ketone bodies or ketoacids.
Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy. And a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil!
Coconut oil contains about 66 percent MCTs.
The benefits of ketone bodies may also extend to a number of other health conditions, according to Dr. Newport:³

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

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

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are fats that are not processed by your body in the same manner as long-chain triglycerides. Normally, a fat taken into your body must be mixed with bile released from your gallbladder before it can be broken down in your digestive system.
But medium-chain triglycerides go directly to your liver, which naturally converts the oil into ketones, bypassing the bile entirely. Your liver then immediately releases the ketones into your bloodstream where they are transported to your brain to be used as fuel.
In fact, ketones appear to be the preferred source of brain food in patients affected by diabetes or Alzheimer's.

"In Alzheimer's disease, the neurons in certain areas of the brain are un­able to take in glucose due to insulin resistance and slowly die off, a process that appears to happen one or more decades before the symptoms become apparent," Dr. Newport states in her article.⁴
"If these cells had access to ketone bod­ies, they could potentially stay alive and continue to function."

The Ketonic Diet – Why Avoiding Grains Also Protects Against Neurodegeneration

Another way to increase ketone production in your body is by restricting carbohydrates.
This is what happens when you go on a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet: Your body begins to run on fats instead of carbohydrates, and the name for this is ketosis.
This is also why you don't starve to death when you restrict food for weeks at a time, because your body is able to convert stored fat into ketones that are used as fuel instead of glucose.
Consuming medium-chain triglycerides, such as coconut oil, is a better option. However, because the ketones produced by ketosis are not concentrated in your bloodstream, but are instead mostly excreted in your urine.

MCTs and Alzheimer's Research

The mechanism of this MCT-ketone metabolism appears to be that your body treats MCTs as a carbohydrate and not a fat. This allows the ketone energy to hit your bloodstream without the normal insulin spike associated with carbohydrates entering your bloodstream.
So in effect coconut oil is a fat that acts like a carbohydrate when it comes to brain fuel.
Therapeutic levels of MCTs have been studied at 20 grams per day. According to Dr. Newport's calculations,⁵ just over two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 35 ml or seven level teaspoons) would supply you with the equivalent of 20 grams of MCT, which is indicated as either a preventative measure against degenerative neurological diseases, or as a treatment for an already established case.
Remember though that people tolerate coconut oil differently, and you may have to start slowly and build up to these therapeutic levels. My recommendation is to start with one teaspoon, taken with food in the mornings. Gradually add more coconut oil every few days until you are able to tolerate four tablespoons.
Coconut oil is best taken with food, to avoid upsetting your stomach.

You Also Need Dietary B12 for Optimal Brain Health

According to a small Finnish study recently published in the journal Neurology,⁶ people who consume foods rich in B12 may also reduce their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 (holotranscobalamin), the risk of developing Alzheimer's was reduced by two percent.
However, I strongly disagree with the dietary advice published by CNN Health⁷ on this topic, which included fish and fortified cereals.
Fortified cereals are most definitely NOT a good source of dietary B vitamins. They also have inorganic iron added. This is the worst type of iron to use as a supplement and it will raise already elevated iron in those that don't need it, like most adult men and postmenopausal women.
Elevated iron levels will actually increase your risk of Alzheimer's.
Additionally, most fish are today so contaminated, I cannot recommend increasing consumption of fish either. One exception would be sardines, which are high in B12 and small enough to typically be less contaminated, compared to larger fish.
Instead, your ideal dietary sources of B12 vitamins would include:

• Liver from organic calf
• Wild-caught salmon
• Organic grass-fed beef
• Lamb (which are typically grass-fed even if not specified as organic)
• Organic free-range eggs

Vitamin B12 is present in natural form only in animal sources of food, which is one of the reasons I advise against a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. The few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs. An analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B12, so your body's need for the nutrient actually increases.
There are many well-documented cases of brain abnormalities in strict vegetarians, resulting from vitamin B12 deficiency.

Foods to AVOID to Keep Your Mind Sharp

Meanwhile, besides incorporating ketone therapy (coconut oil), as either a preventative step or as a treatment, there are other steps you can take to help minimize your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease decades from now.
For instance, it's important to know what foods to avoid, in order to protect the health of your brain.
These four foods in particular can be pinpointed as enemies of optimal brain health:

1. Sugars, especially fructose -- Excessive sugar and grain consumption are the driving factors behind insulin resistance, and the strategies that protect your brain are very similar to those for avoiding diabetes.
   
   There is simply no question that insulin resistance is one of the most pervasive influences on brain damage, as it contributes massively to inflammation, which will prematurely degenerate your brain.
   Ideally, you'll want to restrict your total fructose consumption to below 25 grams a day. This includes refraining from eating too many fruits, if you normally eat a lot of them. If you consume more than 25 grams a day of fructose, you can damage your cells by creating insulin and leptin resistance and raising your uric acid levels.
   Berries tend to be lower in fructose, and wild blueberries, for example, are also high in anthocyanin and antioxidants, and are well known for being beneficial against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
2. Grains – Even whole, organic grains will convert to sugar in your body and spike your insulin levels.
   
   Ideally, you'll want to devise a nutritional plan geared to your specific nutritional type to maximize your health benefits, as grain carbs are far more detrimental to some than others. I believe this is essential to everyone's health, and I'm very pleased to now be able to offer the full online nutritional typing program for free. We've previously charged $29 for this test, so please do take advantage of this offer.
3. Artificial sweeteners – Aspartame, for example, is an excitotoxin that can literally destroy your brain cells. There are many studies showing the dangers of aspartame. For example, one study published in 2000⁸ found that aspartame shortens the memory response, impairs memory retention, and damages hypothalamic neurons in mice.
   
   And the results from a 2002 study published in the journal Nature⁹ suggest that aspartame may cause mental retardation, although the mechanism by which it does that is still unknown.
   Other animal studies have linked aspartame to brain damage and brain tumors,¹⁰ even in low doses. I believe aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are dangerous to your health in so many ways, I even wrote an entire book on this topic called Sweet Deception.
4. Soy -- Unfermented soy products are another common food that should be avoided if you want to maintain healthy brain function.
   
   One well-designed epidemiological study linked tofu consumption with exaggerated brain aging. Men who ate tofu at least twice weekly had more cognitive impairment, compared with those who rarely or never ate the soybean curd, and their cognitive test results were about equivalent to what they would have been if they were five years older than their current age.
   What's more, higher midlife tofu consumption was also associated with low brain weight. Shrinkage does occur naturally with age, but for the men who had consumed more tofu showed an exaggeration of the usual patterns you typically see in aging.
   Dr. Kaayla Daniel has written an excellent book, The Whole Soy Story, which covers the health dangers of soy in great depth and I highly recommend it to anyone still under the illusion that soy is a health food.

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

Clearly, the best-known "treatment" for Alzheimer's disease is prevention, not drugs.
There is no question that insulin resistance is one of the most pervasive influences on brain damage as it contributes massively to inflammation, which will prematurely degenerate your brain -- just as it destroys the rest of your body and contributes to degenerative and chronic diseases of all kinds.
As a general rule for optimal physical and mental health, you'll want to keep your fasting insulin levels below 3.
Interestingly, normalizing your body's insulin and leptin levels will typically help raise your production of brain insulin, which is a good thing.
In addition to the dietary recommendations already discussed above, the following seven guidelines can further help you prevent Alzheimer's disease and keep your mind sharp as you age:

1. Optimize your vitamin D levels through safe sun exposure, a safe tanning bed, and/or vitamin D3 supplements.
2. Consume more high-quality animal-based omega-3 fat. I recommend consuming high-quality krill oil to meet the optimal amount of omega-3 fats needed to achieve good health and fight Alzheimer's. I recently did an interview with Dr. Rudi Moerck, an industry expert, which goes into great detail as to why I am strongly recommending krill.
3. Exercise. You probably know that exercise is good for your cardiovascular system, but studies have found that exercise can also protect your brain, thereby warding off Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
   
   According to one study, the odds of developing Alzheimer's were nearly quadrupled in people who were less active during their leisure time, between the ages of 20 and 60, compared with their peers.
   Similar to a healthy diet, regular physical activity is one of those actions that can significantly improve many aspects of your physical and emotional health. For the elderly, simple activities, such as walking and lightweight training, would likely provide benefits. For those who are younger, more strenuous exercise will radically improve the benefits.
4. Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Even trace amounts of mercury can cause the type of damage to nerves that is characteristic of the damage found in Alzheimer's disease.
   
   Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to your improved diet, you can follow my mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
   Other sources of mercury include most seafood, thimerosal-containing vaccinations and flu shots , which contain both mercury and aluminum.
5. Avoid aluminum. Aluminum has been widely associated with Alzheimer's disease. Your main sources of exposure are likely through drinking water and antiperspirants.
   
   Aluminum cookware may also be a source of exposure. Although aluminum pots are probably less problematic than the sources mentioned above, I personally would not use aluminum cookware.
6. Challenge your mind. Mental stimulation , such as traveling, learning to play an instrument or doing crossword puzzles, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
7. Avoid anticholinergic drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain night-time pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.
   A recent study found that those who took one drug classified as a "definite anticholinergics" had a four times higher incidence of cognitive impairment. Regularly taking two of these drugs further increased the risk of cognitive impairment.

10 Herbal Remedies To Quit Smoking

Reposted from Healthy Holistic Living

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/quit-smoking-with-herbs.html?t=DM

Smoking is one of the worst things you can do. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it – but there’s still a ton of smokers out there. Why? Because it’s so hard to quit. Not only that, but a lot of the quitting options substitute the nicotine from cigarettes for nicotine elsewhere.
And nicotine is a big part of the problem. Cigarettes and smoke inhalation equals carcinogens. But cigarettes use more chemicals, like nicotine, to create lifelong smokers by making it an addictive habit.

Where There’s Smoke…

Besides damaging your lungs and heart – 2 very important organs – smoking causes inflammation, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, a weak immune system and even early menopause. Smoking has been linked to reproductive disorders as well, like irregular menstrual cycles, low sperm count, and erectile dysfunction – not to mention various forms of cancer.
Most states have some ban on smoking, whether it’s in restaurants and bars, or simply in offices. As of January 2014 10 states still had no statewide ban on smoking. If you’re a smoker and you’re looking to quit, try one of these healthy alternatives.

Natural Ways to Quit Smoking

Ginger

Ginger juice eases the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking. Drinking ginger juice will help with the nausea that comes when you’re quitting.

Cayenne Pepper

This spice desensitizes the respiratory system to addictive components like nicotine and tobacco, and will actually reduce your desire to smoke. Add a few pinches of cayenne to a glass of water, or include more of it into your diet.

Oats

Oats will help remove harmful toxins from your body and reduce the desire to smoke. Oats are one of the oldest treatments to help quit smoking. Simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground oats into 2 cups of boiled water and leave overnight. Boil the mixture the next morning for 10 minutes and drink after every meal.

Lobelia

Irritation, nausea, poor concentration and hunger are all associated with quitting smoking. Curb those symptoms with lobelia.

Hyssop

Smoking withdrawal can lead to anxiety and even hysteria. Reduce the craziness with a little bit of hyssop, an herb that clears congested lungs and helps ease your body and mind when you’re trying to quit.

Valerian

Valerian is a very powerful sedative herb. It eases inflammation and helps with restlessness, anxiety, and stress that come with quitting.

Licorice Stick

Natural licorice root is a great thing to reach for when you feel the need to smoke. If you’re orally fixated, this will help much like chewing gum helps.

St. John’s Wort

Another great herb, studies suggest 450 mg of St. John’s Wort 2 times daily helps kick the habit. It lessens the desire to smoke and eases your respiratory system.

Ginseng

Ginseng stops the release of dopamine which is a main contributor to why you like smoking. Include a teaspoon of ginseng powder into your breakfast and it will reduce the desire to smoke.

Multivitamins

Vitamins A, C and E can help calm the need to smoke as well as repair damaged cells and give your body much needed nutrients. Vitamin A repairs damaged mucus membranes, vitamin E repairs your body’s cells, and vitamin C promotes a healthy immune system.

Breathe Easy

This certainly won’t be the easiest thing you ever do, but if you can find some solace in these herbal treatments, you should be able to live smoke-free and happily. Share whichever works best for you with us on Facebook – and please share any great herbal fixes I’ve missed.

SOURCE: http://www.perfecthomeremedies.com/2015/06/top-15-home-remedies-to-quit-smoking.html#.VY1EuERkt1Y.reddit

Killer in Your Mouth: Remove Amalgam Fillings and You Will Be Healed of Many Diseases

Reposted from the Health & Love Page

http://www.healthandlovepage.com/remove-amalgam-fillings/

The vast majority of dentists will probably tell you that the dental material used in your mouth is perfectly safe and that it cannot be related to any health condition or disease.
However, the truth is a little bit different and there is sufficient evidence to support the claim that most of the dentistry procedures today can actually support certain process that happen in the body like emotional instability, chronic fatigue, depression, multiple sclerosis, birth deformities, Alzheimer’s disease and many other serious diseases and disorders.

One of the most dangerous materials used in dental procedures is the silver filling (amalgam). This cheap material comes with significant amount of mercury which can be potentially life-threatening.
Most fillings consist of more than 50% mercury and there are many people who use these fillings for more than ten years. A huge number of dentists from all over the globe as well as the WHO (World Health Organization) has opposed the claims that these dental fillings can be dangerous for our health.
According to Dr. Hal Huggins, who was among the first doctors who dared to speak about the risk that these fillings bring, even a very small exposure to mercury in the human body can lead to serious health consequences. This claim was the reason why many of his colleagues decided to distance themselves from his work.

In order to support his claims, Dr. Huggins decided to present an example of an experiment which included egg cells. Every time the egg cell was exposed to the effects of mercury, it failed to connect itself with the uterus even though the fertilization process was successful. According to Dr. Huggins, the mercury found in our fillings produces toxic gases in our mouth during the entire day and this is one of the things that contribute to the occurrence of many diseases.

Chronic fatigue is often caused by the presence of mercury in the mouth and the number of people who are suffering from this condition will not drop as long as we use this type of fillings.
Huggins spent most of his career in providing free help to people who were poisoned with mercury found in the amalgam fillings. Once he published his study and conclusion related to amalgam fillings, he was harassed by the pharmaceutical industry and got fired.

Of course, this didn’t stop him and he continued to advise people to remove silver fillings in order to protect their health.

It is good to point out that silver or amalgam fillings were used in France in the beginning of the 19^th century for the first time. There are many dentists around the globe that use them today mostly because they are cheap.

Avoiding Hot Flashes Naturally

Reposted from The Healthy Home Economist

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/these-things-bring-on-hot-flashes/

Hot flashes are a common and sometimes debilitating symptom of menopause.
A reader recently emailed me for help with this problem. She writes, “Sarah, I am having a terrible time with hot flashes. I’m having to get out of bed multiple times a week in the middle of the night to go stick my head in the freezer for relief. Can you suggest anything that might help me?”

As a matter of fact, there are definitely some very simple things a woman can do to avoid hot flashes potentially never experiencing them at all. The advice below comes from my trusted doctor of many years who is both a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and a MD, which gives her the very rare and valuable perspective of both mainstream and alternative medicine.

Hot Flashes a Dreaded Symptom of Menopause

Perimenopause is that period of time when a woman’s body naturally transitions toward a nonfluctuating hormonal state known as menopause which concludes the fertile phase of her life. Women start perimenopause at widely varying ages. Some women notice “The Change” coming on as early as their mid-30’s while others are well into their 50’s before any noticeable transition begins to occur. This phase can be just a few months or as long as a decade in length.
Interestingly, women who wear a lot of makeup appear to be more prone to experiencing an early menopause up to 15 years earlier than women who don’t. Researchers have theorized that this is likely due to the ovarian disrupting effect of the toxins widely found in conventional makeup. One has to wonder if use of toxic personal care products and makeup for many years starting as an adolescent might also contribute to uncomfortable perimenopausal symptoms decades later.
The hallmark of perimenopause is an uneven rise and fall of the main female hormone estrogen. Some women experience no symptoms at all from these fluctuations. In the Japanese language, there is not even a word for “menopause”, an indication that this journey which all women eventually go through is not considered a big deal or traumatic occurrence. For others, “The Change” can trigger terribly uncomfortable symptoms.
These complications can include occasional or frequent hot flashes, probably the best known and most dreaded (peri)menopausal symptom of all.

Hot Flashes Greatly Affected by Lifestyle Choices

What many doctors won’t tell patients that are suffering from hot flashes is that this symptom is greatly affected by lifestyle choices. Even worse, they might be far too quick to suggest the health destroying, long term effects of hormone replacement therapy or just tell them to buck up and get through it because “it won’t last forever.”
This type of advice is not in any way helpful to a woman simply trying to get a decent night’s sleep or afraid to go to a social gathering for fear of an embarrassing hot flash coming on.

The truth is that there are some simple things a woman can avoid doing that will greatly affect the frequency and severity with which she experiences hot flashes.

Below are the three major things that a woman should avoid doing as these habits can bring on problems with hot flashes in a hurry according to my doctor and her experience of several decades treating women with hormonal imbalances during The Change.

Sugar Consumption Triggers Hot Flashes

First of all, she suggested to drastically cut back on sugar in the diet as this is a common problem for women who experience hot flashes. Given how much sugar Westerners eat today, this is probably not a big surprise. The average American consumes a whopping 180 lbs/81.6 kg per year of refined sugars (this does not even include fruit and other natural sugar sources), which is a 27% increase just since 2003 when refined esugar consumption was 142 lbs per person per year.
Be aware that too much fruit or refined carbs like pasta can be a problem too. Yes, you can eat too much fruit and pasta is not a healthfood! Most people have absolutely no idea how much sugar they are really consuming until they sit down and really take a look at it in detail. My guess is that most women who have a problem with hot flashes would almost invariably also have a problem with too much sugar in the diet.
A realistic goal if this is a problem for you would be to only allow natural sugars in the diet that combine to total no more than 36 grams per day. One medium banana contains 14 g, for example. A single can of soda, a Starbucks latte, or a “healthy” bottle of fruit juice would put you over the daily limit in a hurry.
According to Tom Valentine of Search for Health, research has shown that significant immune system suppression begins to occur above 36 grams (for adults, less in children) so this is the manageable cut off point that seems reasonable to shoot for.

Alcohol and Hot Flashes

My doctor suggested that the second thing that will bring on a hot flash in a hurry is drinking alcohol. Alcohol tolerance varies widely among people, so it is very important to know what will trigger a problem for you.
For some people, a single glass of wine occasionally consumed at a party might bring on a hot flash. For others, it might be a couple of drinks every night for a week that results in a problem.
Consequently, if you already have a problem with hot flashes, it seems advisable to go cold turkey off the booze until you get the situation under control. At that point, if you feel comfortable, reintroduce a drink here and there and observe the effects to understand what your personal metabolic limits are.
Note that going off alcohol will frequently cause difficult to control sugar cravings and too much sugar is also a trigger for hot flashes. Recovering alcoholics, for instance, are in great danger of becoming sugar or ice cream-aholics instead. This tragically was the experience of my late uncle who eventually succumbed to liver cancer.
The solution for some is to enjoy fermented beverages like kombucha which are naturally very low in sugar and non-alcoholic, according to Nourishing Traditions.

Exercise and Hot Flashes

Many women might be surprised to learn that exercise can also bring on a problem with hot flashes. While exercise is certainly beneficial and can greatly assist with hormonal balance (see this article for details), suddenly starting on an exercise program and going overboard with it is a recipe for hot flashes in a hurry!
The key is to build up to any new exercise program slowly giving the body time to adjust appropriately. As always, it is best to consult with your practitioner before initiating any exercise program anyway – especially if you are a perimenopausal woman already experiencing hot flashes or other complications.
In summary, keeping sugar and alcohol consumption to a bare minimum (or none at all) and ensuring that any exercise program is sensible and moderate will avoid the three most common things that bring on hot flashes during perimenopause and menopause. This advice comes from a practitioner with both a holistic and conventional background who has helped hundreds of women in her career deal with “The Change” in a non-medicated, life embracing fashion.