Preventing the spread of the cold

Contamination studies have demonstrated that viral infections are spread much more readily by direct contact than through the air.  Therefore cleanliness and not sharing utensils, toothbrushes, etc. should be observed.  This is especially important with babies and young infants as they have a greater tendency to be held and touched.

 Here are some vitamins and minerals that support immune function

A properly functioning immune system requires adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Typical adult dosages for use DURING an infection are as follows:

·  Vitamin A – 25,000-50,000 IU per day

·  Beta Carotene – 200, 000 IU per day

·  Zinc – 30 milligrams per day

·  Bioflavonoids – 1 gram per day

·  Vitamin C – 1-3 grams per day

 Vitamin C has been shown to decrease the duration of a common cold if given in large amounts (up to 8 grams per day) at the initial onset

 Botanical (herbal) medicines

Here are some herbal medicines that are effective for their immune stimulating and antiviral properties:

·  Echinacea

·  Astragulas

·  Licorice

·  Hydrastis

 Hydrastis is also considered to have antimicrobial properties which can be effective against bacterial infection.  Dosages depend on the form in which they are taken – i.e. tinctures, raw plant or solid extract.

 Dietary changes to make when you are sick

Diet  modifications necessary to support the immune system:

·  Decrease consumption of solid foods.

·  Increase consumption of water and fluids.

·  Eliminate completely all simple sugars and fruit juices.

 Rest and decreased activity cannot be overemphasized. Let your body rest so it can heal!

 Soaking the grains activates enzymes that help you digest them better.  If you follow a gluten-free diet, please see notes at the end of the article. 

 When purchasing ingredients, in all cases, fresh (especially organic) is preferred to frozen and frozen is preferred to canned. When purchasing seeds, buying organic is especially important, since many non-organic seeds are coated with an anti-fungal agent, Captan, that is especially toxic and usually appears as a pink-colored residue on the seeds.

 4 cups              Rolled Grains                      

Begin by using the following proportions, adjusting as necessary: 2 cups  Rolled oats (flakes) plus 2 cups of some other available grain (rye, barley,  rolled rice flakes, etc.). Use 4 cups rolled oats if other grains are unavailable. Choose grains that are edible after soaking only—no cooking of the foods in this recipe is done, on purpose.

 2 cups            Oat Bran (use rice bran if gluten-sensitive)

 ½ cup             Fruits (fresh, dried, frozen. Raisins, dates, blueberries, strawberries, etc. (without preservatives only)

 1 cup               Sunflower and/or Pumpkin Seeds (can be ground)                  

1 cup               Nuts (raw, chopped, unsalted.  Begin with walnuts and almonds

 1 cup              Lecithin Granules

 1 cup               Ground Flax Seed *

 1 cup               Milk Thistle Seeds * (Silybum marianum)

 ½ cup              Chia Seeds (optional) or Sesame Seeds

 To taste        Spices

 Try coriander, fennel, and/or turmeric according to taste. Begin with 1 teaspoon of each. Other favorites include ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, “apple pie” or “pumpkin pie” blends.

 *Flax and milk thistle seeds are available at most health food stores. Grind them in a coffee grinder, blender, meat grinder or mortar and pestle.

 Combine all ingredients and keep in refrigerator. Soak the mixture for 30 minutes or longer before eating (i.e. overnight). For soaking, use water, soy milk, rice milk, nut milk (see recipe below), apple juice, etc.

•   To make almond milk, blend ½ cup almonds with 2 cups water.
•   Prior to using fruit juice for soaking, dilute the fruit juice with an equal amount of water (in order to limit simple sugar intake).
•   To increase protein value, eat with yogurt, cottage cheese or tofu.

 NOTE: This diet is intended to strengthen the immune system and is not designed to be hypoallergenic. It may contain foods to which some individuals have food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities and, in those cases, those foods should be avoided. (For example, individuals with gluten (gliadin) intolerance or sensitivity need to avoid wheat, spelt, rye, triticale, oats, barley and kamut, while other grains for them are safe to consume. Dairy products can also provoke or exacerbate their condition and are best avoided. Individuals with Herpes simplex should routinely avoid peanuts, nuts, seeds, chocolate, wheat germ, granola and coconut. During active outbreaks, these individuals should also avoid whole grains, legumes, sprouts, carob, vegetables with edible seeds and citrus fruits.)

 Resources

1.     Cavanaugh, Christopher (Editor-in-Chief). Strengthen Your Immune System. 2001. The Reader’s Digest Association.

This conclusion has been disputed by many scientists. But careful analysis of the best studies to date indicate that people who log the most cell phone minutes are more likely to develop tumors on the same side of the head that they hold the cell phone, compared with those who use cell phones less often.

 Disturbing Research:

The largest study of cell – phone use, known as Interphone, was conducted in 13 countries over a 10 – year period. The study, published in International Journal of Epidemiology, found that people who used cell phones for at least 1,640 hours over the 10 – year period, which is about 30 minutes a day, had a 40% higher risk of developing a glioma, a deadly type of brain tumor. 

The development of a brain tumor to the point that it can be detected often takes 20 to 30 years. The fact that these tumors are showing up after 10 years of exposure is disturbing because it is much faster than expected.

 The Interphone study defined “heavy use” as using a cell phone for about 30 minutes a day. How many minutes are you on your cell phone each day?

 While the debate rages on about whether cell phones are dangerous or not…Here are some ways to be safer about your use:

 The fine print in cell phone manuals usually advises users to hold the phone at least 7/8 of an inch away from the ear. Farther is better. Try to use speakerphone mode.

 Wait for good reception. Cell phones emit much higher levels of radiation when the antenna is sending out signals to search for a tower or satellite. These signals can travel hundreds of miles and the poorer the reception, the greater the radiation emitted by your cell phone.

 Use a hollow – tube headset. This is the safest type of headset because the last few inches, those closest to the ear, consist of a hollow tube. This hollow tube transmits sound like a stethoscope. Wired headsets need to be kept away from the body because the continuous wire that runs from the phone to the earpiece will expose you to some unnecessary radiation. Hollow – tube headsets can be purchased at www.Mercola.com www.WaveShield.com/products

 Use “airplane mode.” Even when you’re not talking on a cell phone, the phone is sending out signals every few minutes to search for the nearest tower. Turn off the phone when you’re not using it. Or switch it to airplane mode so that it can’t send or receive signals, but you still can use the phone to listen to music, watch videos and check your calendar.

 Keep the phone on your desk when working. When the phone is switched on, don’t keep it in your pocket or attached to your belt. This is particularly important for men. Preliminary research indicates that men who keep their phones close to their bodies (often in holsters or pockets) have lower sperm counts and poorer sperm quality than those without this exposure. We do not know the effects on egg cells because they are more difficult to harvest.

 Text instead of talk. There’s a burst of radiation when you send or receive a text message, but the intensity and duration of the radiation are lower than when you talk. Texting is a better alternative to talking on your cell phone, but keep the phone as far away from your body as possible. Normal clothing, including leather, will not reduce your exposure.

 Don’t use your phone in a car, train or bus. Using a cell phone inside a metal vehicle can increase levels of radiation due to reflection and the fact that your cell – phone signal has to be higher to exit the vehicle. The best practice is to keep the phone off or in airplane mode and to check it periodically for messages. Then return messages by text or use a landline phone later.   

Reference: www.drmercola.com

http://www.strategies4wellbeing.com

 Last week we talked about the benefits of clearing clutter out of your space.  This week we are providing you with guidelines to systematically clear clutter out of your house or office, one room at time.  We encourage you to make this a priority in your life and see the benefits unfold!

 1). Take a piece of paper for each room in your house and at the top write the room and then list out each area.

 For example:

 Master Bedroom

Dresser Drawers

Under Bed

Closet

 2). Label three boxes or bags:

 Throwaway

Giveaway

Keep

 Ask yourself these questions about each item in every area and place it in the appropriate box or bag. The reason for moving items you want to keep into the box or bag, is that it will give you a chance to reassess the placement of that item. It’s always a good idea to move things around in your house from time to time. This allows you to see your home in a whole new way as well as giving you a new perspective on your life.

• Do I love it?
• Do I need it?
• Does it support who I am now?
• Are there positive or negative thoughts, memories, or emotions that I associate with it?
• Does it need to be fixed or repaired, and am I willing to do so now?
• If it is time to let it go, when and where is it going?

 When you have separated all items into one of the three categories:

 Put the THROWAWAYS in the trash or recycling immediately!

 Prepare and label the GIVEAWAYS to go to their new home; friends, family, charity, etc. – and make sure to remove them from your space within one week.

 Consciously choose the area where the KEEP items would like to live and place them there with love and gratitude.

 Congratulations!

Now watch for the helpful people, opportunities and things that flow into your life because you have let go of the old and made room for the new.

What is Clutter?

 Clutter is anything that is broken, unused, unfinished, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized. It can be anything that you longer use, need or love. Clutter is energy constipation. It can stop the energy from flowing in your life and can affect your prosperity, health, relationships, creativity, spirituality and wellbeing.

 Affects of Clutter

 Clutter blocks the flow of chi or energy through your home or office. This in turn can produce a feeling of being stuck physically, emotionally or mentally. A cluttered environment can manifest as feeling stuck in some area of your life.

• Being overweight, lethargic or depressed.
• Decrease in the flow of prosperity.
• Feeling disorganized or confused.
• Lack of new opportunities.
• Feeling exhausted or drained, possibly from having too many items from the past.
• Keeps your energy in the past, may have difficulty staying in the present.
• Makes everything take longer.
• Can cause you to procrastinate.
• Can make you feel ashamed or self-conscious.
• May cause lack of direction or focus in your life.
• Scattered thinking.

Location of Clutter

• Behind doorways, in hallways, under beds.
• Cupboards, drawers, closets, medicine cabinets.
• Counters, desktops, bookshelves, tabletops.
• Garages, sheds, back and side yards.
• Backseat or trunk of car.

Types of Clutter

• Collections.
• Books, magazines, newspapers, photos.
• Sentimental stuff or items from an old relationship.
• Electronic clutter.
• Things you no longer use or clothes that no longer fit.
• Things that need fixing.
• Things you do not love.
• Unwanted gifts.
• Boxes and bags.
• Audio and Video clutter.
• Mystery items.
• Inherited clutter.
• Computer related: old downloads, cluttered desktops, saved emails, and disorganized files.
• Big stuff – an old car in the yard, furniture you do not use, need or love.
• Outdated vitamins, food or make-up.
• Un-needed items in your handbag, wallet or briefcase.
• Old journals full of negativity and angst.
• An unbalanced checkbook.
• People who drain your energy.
• Anything stopping doors or windows from opening fully will keep energy from flowing into your home.

The Clutter Test

• Does it lift my energy to think about it or look at it?
• Do I love it?
• Do I need it?
• Does it reflect who I am now in my life?
• What positive and or negative thoughts, memories or emotions do I associate with it?
• Does it need to be fixed or repaired, and am I willing to do so now?
• If I moved tomorrow, would I take it with me?
• If it is time to let it go, am I going to throw, sell, lend or give it away and when?

The Benefits of Clearing Clutter

• Feel more energy and vitality.
• Experience clarity and focus in your life.
• Lose weight more easily.
• Allow new opportunities to find you.
• Increase in the flow of wealth and prosperity.
• Overall improved sense of health and well being.
• Finish projects that you have been procrastinating.
• Experience more creativity.
• Feel more grounded and centered.

 By releasing clutter you are also letting go of old life patterns that no longer serve you, creating a pathway for new opportunities to come into your life that support who you are now and who you are becoming.

Newer homes and buildings, designed for energy efficiency, are often tightly sealed to avoid energy loss from heating and air conditioning systems. Moreover, synthetic building materials used in modern construction have been found to produce potential pollutants that remain trapped in these unventilated buildings.

 Chemicals are released into the air within the home through a number of catalysts which are common to the home, (and often undetected as health threats) including upholstery, curtains, plywood, particle board, stains and varnished, paints, paper towels, tissues, carpets, permanent-press clothing, fabrics, construction materials, modern synthetic furniture, computers, electrical equipment, and other household products, synthetic materials and chemicals in, or around the home. 

 The trapped pollutants result in what is often called the Sick Building Syndrome. Symptoms of SBS include allergies, asthma, irritations of the eyes, nose and throat, fatigue, headache, nervous system disorders, respiratory congestion and sinus congestion.

While it’s a well-known fact that plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis, the NASA/ALCA study showed that many houseplants also remove harmful elements such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

While NASA found that some of the plants were better than others for absorbing these common pollutants, all of the plants had properties that were useful in improving overall indoor air quality.

NASA also noted that some plants are better than others in treating certain chemicals.

For example, English ivy, gerbera daisies, pot mums, peace lily, bamboo palm, and Mother-in-law’s Tongue were found to be the best plants for treating air contaminated with Benzene. The peace lily, gerbera daisy, and bamboo palm were very effective in treating Trichloroethylene.

Additionally, NASA found that the bamboo palm, Mother-in-law’s tongue, dracaena warneckei, peace lily, dracaena marginata, golden pathos, and green spider plant worked well for filtering Formaldehyde.

After conducting the study, NASA and ALCA came up with a list of the most effective plants for treating indoor air pollution.

The recommended plants can be found below. Note that all the plants in the list are easily available from your local nursery.

1. Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’, heartleaf philodendron
2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
3. Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’, cornstalk dracaena
4. Hedera helix, English ivy
5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
6. Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’, Janet Craig dracaena
7. Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii’, Warneck dracaena
8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
10. Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’, peace lily
11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

For an average home of under 2,000 square feet, the study recommends using at least fifteen samples of a good variety of these common houseplants to help improve air quality. They also recommend that the plants be grown in six inch containers or larger.

Here is a list of resources for more information on this important study:

PDF files of the NASA studies related to plants and air quality: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/foliage_air/foliage_air.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/journal_mas/journal_mas.pdf

 Peter Katzmarzyk, PHD, colleague at Pennington, the nations leading obesity research center says that it doesn’t matter how much you exercise if you spend most of your day sitting. Living an active life is what supports you in being healthy. “Regular exercising is not the same as being active. A person may hit the gym every day, but if he’s sitting a good deal of the rest of the time, he’s probably not leading an overall active life”.

 It can be as simple as standing more. Retail sales associates who stand on their feet all day burn about 1,500 calories while on the job; a person behind a desk might expend roughly 1,000 calories. That could explain why some people gain 16 pounds on average within 8 months of starting a sedentary desk job; according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

 There are many different research studies which conclude that being sedentary all day, no matter how much you might exercise, contributes to obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance as well as neck, shoulder and back issues. Do you sit all day at a desk? If so, you are encouraging muscle stiffness, poor balance and mobility, and lower back, neck and hip pain. Fascia is the tough connective tissue that covers all of your muscles. While it is pliable, it tends to “set” in the position your muscles are in most often. So if you sit most of the time, your fascia adapts to that position. When you sit a lot, your hip flexors shorten too which can cause poor posture and walking with a forward lean. When you spend too much time sitting, your glute muscles eventually forget how to “fire”, which can cause your pelvis to tilt forward, which puts stress on your spine and cause low back pain.

 What can you do to help counteract the negative effects of sitting all day? Get up and move! Every 20 to 30 minutes get up and take a walk, stretch and reach your arms over your head, touch your toes and roll your shoulders and neck. And if you can, get a standing workstation so that you have the option of sitting or standing while working at the computer.

 You can also access the nutritional data that accompanies every ingredient in each recipe. She includes nutritional highlights of what foods are beneficial for particular health conditions.

Basic Balance

 1 mango

1 cup kale

1 cup water

Yields 1 quart

 Rocket Fuel Smoothie

 2 cups green or red seedless grapes

3 golden kiwis, peeled

1 ripe orange, peeled, seeds removed

1 small leaf of aloe vera, with skin

5 leaves red leaf lettuce

2 cups water

Yields 2 quarts

 Morning Zing Smoothie

 ½ bunch dandelion greens

2 stalks celery

½ inch fresh ginger root

2 peaches

½ pineapple

Yields 2 quarts

 Heavy Metals Be Gone

 1 bunch cilantro

2 cups stinging nettles

1 bunch fresh parsley

3 stalks celery

1 lemon juiced

 2). Breathe in the smell of citrus.  Certain citrus fragrances, such as lemon, orange or grapefruit, boost feelings of well-being and alleviate stress by upping levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood. Get pure organic essential oils and diffuse them in your home. Or put a few drops on a cotton ball and keep in a baggy in your purse and breathe in the fragrance throughout the day.

 3). Take a walk. The rhythm and repetition of walking has a tranquilizing effect on your brain, and it decreases anxiety and improves sleep. Try to do a brisk, half-hour walk every day.

 4). Learn to say no. It’s easy to overextend yourself in the holiday season in order to please everybody. However, it is important to take care of yourself. Eliminate the activities and social events that you really do not want to participate in but are doing so only out of obligation. You will be happier and have more energy for the activities that you really do enjoy.

 5). Stick with your daily health routines. Eat regular healthy meals, exercise and try to get 7 to 8 hours sleep a night. Do not skip breakfast in order to save calories for a party later that night. When you are eating regular healthy meals throughout the day, you will feel satisfied and not be temped to over do it with empty calories found in refined carbohydrates and sugar. Make exercise a priority especially during the holiday season. This will help you release stress and increase endorphins the feel good hormones, as well as boost your immune system.

 6). Turn off your cell phone. Constant cell phone buzzes and email alerts keep us in a perpetual fight-or-flight mode due to bursts of adrenaline. Not only is this exhausting, but it contributes to mounting stress levels. Enjoy being relaxed and present while spending time with your family and friends.

 7). Slow down and be mindful. With so many activities, social events, gift shopping, cooking and friends and relatives visiting; it’s easy to get off center. Try to be mindful by being present to and paying attention to where you are and what you are doing each moment, rather than resisting the situation and wanting to be somewhere else. When you find your mind frantically racing back to all the things you still have to do or wishing you were somewhere else, take a few slow deep breaths and bring yourself back to the present moment and what is happening right now where you are. Keep at it. Repetition of this exercise will eventually make it easier to do and you will be able to remain calm and at peace even in the midst of chaos or challenging situations.

 You can do many things to increase this natural and critical molecule in your body. You can eat glutathione boosting foods, exercise, and take glutathione boosting supplements.

 9 Tips to Optimize your Glutathione

 Eat Foods that Support Glutathione Production

 1).  Consume sulphur rich foods. Garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, cabbage, cauliflower and watercress.

 2). Try bio-active whey protein, if you do not have a sensitivity or allergy to dairy products.  This is a great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis. Keep in mind, the whey protein MUST be bioactive and made from non-denatured proteins. Choose non-pasteurized and non-industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics.

 Exercise Your Way to More Glutathione

 3). Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improves detoxification and enhances your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to at least 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking, jogging or various sports activities. Strength training for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.

 Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements

4). N-acetyl-cysteine. This has been used for years to help treat asthma, lung disease and to treat people with life-threatening liver failure from Tylenol overdose. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is the acetylated form of L-cysteine that has been used to break up pulmonary and bronchial mucous. It is very efficiently absorbed and has been shown to protect cells directly and support the immune system. It is an antioxidant and a free radical-scavenging agent that increases intracellular glutathione at the cellular level. NAC can act as a precursor for glutathione synthesis as well as a stimulator of the cytosolic enzymes involved in glutathione regeneration. NAC has also been shown to protect against oxidative stress

5). Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in terms of a powerful antioxidant.  It supports energy production in our cells, blood sugar control, brain health and detoxification. We often become depleted due to stress.

 6). Folate, Vitamins B6 and B12. These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione.

 7). Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.

 8). Antioxidants – Vitamin C and E in the form of mixed tocopherols, work together to recycle glutathione.

 9). Milk Thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.