Continue reading »]]> I subscribe to many different natural health newsletters.  Most of them report on the same remedies but every once in a while, there is a special report that really grabs my attention.  I received this particular bit of information from Natural News regarding high blood pressure.  The newsletter talked about studies confirming the beneficial effect of a common vegetable we use today that can affect blood pressure – celery.  It was found to decrease a potentially dangerous situation without the risk of possible side effects that might accompany prescribed medication.

Hippocrates, a Greek physician considered to be the Father of Medicine, prescribed the juice of this leafy-topped stalk to patients suffering from nervous tension.  Chinese medicine has also long recognized celery juice to reduce high blood pressure.  Only recently, has it been studied in the Western world. The University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) is credited with one of the first studies of celery’s effects on blood pressure. In one instance, the father of a scientist at UCMC experienced a drop in his blood pressure from 158/96 to 118/82 after just one week of eating about four stalks a day.

Celery contains an active compound named phthalides.  Phthalides naturally relaxes the muscles in and around the walls of the arteries which cause those vessels to dilate, creating more space inside the arteries that permits the blood to flow at a lower pressure. Phthalides have also been reported to promote a healthy circulatory system by reducing what are known as stress hormones. Celery also contains high amounts of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. The beneficial effects of these minerals serve to calm the nervous system, automatically counterbalancing stress levels.

A physician at the Whitaker Wellness Center and her father decided to test this theory. They both drank celery juice for thirty days, mixing it with a little orange juice to mask the slightly bitter taste of juiced celery. The results proved the theory to be true.  The father’s systolic level dropped from 148 to 128, and the physician’s went from 120 to 105.

Who knew celery juice could be so beneficial? It can lower blood pressure AND reduce stress hormones.  Because stress hormones are linked to weight gain, it may also help me to lose weight, as well.  Interesting…

To your health,

Lici

Continue reading »]]> Vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of the 30,000 genes in our body. It is for this reason that vitamin D influences more than just our bone health. It also has a protective affect against cancer by decreasing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells as well as increasing the death of mutated cells. It can even fight colds and the flu by influencing our immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, vitamin D has been shown to influence other conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis (Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), infertility and PMS, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and age related mental decline.

Our vitamin D levels have a dramatic effect on our entire body. What is really frightening is that it is thought that over 95 percent of our senior citizens and 85 percent of the American population are deficient, including our children. Being out in the sun for 30 minutes a day allows our body to produce about 20,000 IUs of vitamin D. That is an equivalent of about 50 typical multivitamins or 200 glasses of milk!  However, during the winter months, we are stuck indoors more often. Getting that 30 minutes a day of sun is near impossible. To optimize our levels we have two other alternatives. The first alternative is to utilize a safe tanning bed where the harmful emissions are shielded.  The second is to take a high-quality supplement. Although our body has a way of insuring we do not overdose on vitamin D when we are exposed to the sun or the tanning bed, it cannot guard itself against an overdose of this vitamin when we supplement.

To prevent an overdose or to check for deficiencies, we must test our vitamin D levels regularly. We need to work with our doctors to reach optimal levels. It is important to keep in mind if you decide to take oral supplementation that vitamin D3 is a human vitamin D where vitamin D2 is inferior and a synthetic version. You can purchase vitamin D3 at your local health food store, but I would first check my levels.

I find it strange that given the fact that optimal vitamin D levels could prevent diseases, it is not checked by mainstream doctors more regularly. Let’s take our health in our own hands and request our levels be checked. It is my hope that by educating ourselves about what our body needs we can live long and disease free lives.

Here’s to our health!

Lici

Continue reading »]]> Artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame and Sucralose (Splenda) are found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins and prescription and over the counter drugs.  But, did you know that Aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent?  It is the most controversial food additive, and the most contested in FDA history. Even still, it was approved for use as food, not on scientific grounds, but because of political and financial pressure.

There have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined!  Some of the side effects of aspartame can include headache, changes in vision, convulsions and seizures, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting, and joint pain.  Aspartame toxicity also mimics several other common health conditions, such as:  multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ADD, depression and arthritis, just to name a few.

Aspartame contains aspartic acid that is an excitotoxin. This excitotoxin causes particular brain cells to become overly excited to the point where they die. A review conducted in 2008 by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo found that consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, and may lead to neurodegeneration.

Now we know that artificial sweeteners are not healthy. But what about it being, at least, a low-calorie food? By reducing our caloric intake we can reduce our weight and be healthy, right?  Research has discovered that diet foods and drinks actually stimulate your appetite, thereby boosting your desire to overindulge.

As we become more aware of what is actually making us sick and making changes accordingly, we can be healthy. Health isn’t an illusion, but our right!

To your health!

Lici