Tsiyon Messianic Community

"Maybe a food/health column at Community would be great!" -Ester 

"I couldn't agree more! Are you going to be the first to start one?"-Dawn. 

Thank you, Dawn. I am taking up your challenge.   

Here goes! I have many articles on Nutrition, Health, Cancer Issues and testimonies of healing, that are very encouraging and informative.

*1st Article-

> The true healers of disease
> public_health@ ...... 6:18 pm PST
> By Darrel Crain, DC
> The man known as the father of medicine is quoted as
saying, "Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease."
He also said, "It is more important to know what sort of person has a
disease than to know what sort of disease a person has." >
> That was Hippocrates, who walked upon the planet four or five
hundred years before another famous healer named Jesus showed up.
Jesus is said to have talked about healing forces of divine love
inside every one of us that miraculously make us healthy. This kind
of talk was apparently not popular with certain leaders of that era.
I guess some things never change.
>
> In the intervening two thousand years, physicians pretty much
forgot Hippocrates' advice about studying the person, replacing it
with a fascination for disease. Disorders of every variety have been
amply described, named, treated, defeated, rediscovered, renamed, and
so on. The rationale behind it all is the notion that disease
eradication is a noble and achievable goal that results in better
health. Is this true? What would Hippocrates do?
>
> If health is what we are after, perhaps we should build up
our natural healing forces as a top priority. Battling disease in
order to gain health is like flailing against the walls of a dark
closet with a flashlight to defeat the darkness. Turn on the
flashlight, the darkness disappears without a fight. Where to? It
just vanishes. And what of so-called diseases in the body when health
is powered up, do those vanish too? Yes, although some conspiracy
theorists believe old diseases are loaded into black helicopters at
midnight and flown to secret government laboratories in Maryland to
be stored in freezers for possible future use.
>
> Speaking of secrets, there is one secret about disease your
doctor probably never told you. Perhaps because it was never properly
explained in med school, or else it was buried by the memorization of
a jillion symptoms and diseases. This is the secret: disease has only
one cause. Just one. Wonder what it is? Abnormal cell function.
>
> Understanding this basic principle can change your life by
changing how you work to restore your health. Since disease is the
abnormal function of cells, it follows that recovery is a process of
restoring cells to their normal function. Healthy cells make healthy
organs, healthy organs make healthy life systems, and this adds up to
a healthy human body. Of course, innate coordination free of
interference is needed to keep the miracle happening, as well as a
healthy mindset and lifestyle to sustain it.
>
> Dr. B.J. Palmer, called the developer of chiropractic, is
said to have described this same principle of life in slightly
different terms. He declared there are two diseases, "too much, and
too little." This may be more familiar to you as the famous
toxicity/deficiency (or purity/sufficiency) rule that predominates in
many natural healing disciplines.
>
> The medical world is coming around to recognize the
importance of the toxicity/deficiency framework. The prestigious
British Medical Journal (BMJ) polled its readers to name the greatest
medical advance in the last 150 years. Did the advent of antibiotics
win that honor? No. How about vaccines? No. Was it anesthesia, the
discovery of DNA's structure, X rays, Viagra? No, none of these.
According to the BMJ, the greatest medical advance in the last 150
years is better sanitation. This simply means clean water and
sanitary sewage disposal.
>
> The funny thing is, the other greatest single contribution to
human health in the last 150 years in my view, improved nutrition, is
also non-medical in nature. These two conditions, standards of
sanitation and standards of nutrition, to this day are the primary
factors that determine human health across the globe. Inexplicably, a
delusional notion persists in the medical industry that the greatest
advances in medicine in the last couple of centuries have, in fact,
been medical in nature. But that is not to say medicine has not
advanced at all.
>
> Only one hundred years ago the final curtain was falling on
the era of the traveling medicine show. The last Patent Medicines
were being sold between acts of entertainment from the back of the
last medicine show wagons at the edge of town. Professional medical
men had spent years campaigning against the traveling minstrels,
complaining that the homemade brews in those little bottles they sold
were mostly alcohol and did little to help people, and in some cases
made them worse.
>
> The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was thus born to smash
the Quackery Cartel and rid us of the public nuisance of snake oils,
potions and false miracle cures. These efforts have apparently paid
off, because the many snake oils, potions and false miracle cures
available today are government regulated and are considerably more
profitable. At least now when the wagons pull out of America's living
rooms every night after selling patented medicines between
entertainments on television, they don't leave horse droppings.
>
> Yes, the era of modern medicalization appears to be in its
twilight years. People today are seeking the kind of doctor described
in ancient times, a doctor who finds out about the person in his or
her office, not just the symptoms they bring with them. People are
educating themselves and asking tough questions. Is this treatment
nontoxic? Will it improve my health on a cellular level? The cool
part is that more and more doctors are thinking the same way.
>
> Benjamin Franklin wrote of such doctors, "He's the best
physician that knows the worthlessness of the most medicines."
>
> At last, regard for Hippocrates' wisdom has come full circle.
After two and a half millennia, we finally realize that he had the
last word when it comes to enjoying a healthy life, "If we could give
every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not
too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to
health." ----------------------------------------------------------------

Let me know if you want more. Hehee! Blessings, Ester.

 
"If only we all were born in France, we would all be blessed with the inherent ability to eat fattening foods to our heart’s content, and still stay lean and trim. I am, of course, using sarcasm. A French person has every chance to get fat as an American does (just ask any French exchange student who comes to the United States -- they probably ended up going home at least 10 pounds heavier).

What is it about the French culture that seems to favor thinness, even in the midst of all of that bread, cheese, butter, wine and heavy sauces? In a sentence: they eat real food and they savor it. (Give me BUTTER anytime; can't have my toasts without it! Ester)

Allow me to explain.

French People Eat REAL Food

Unlike the United States where mega-supermarkets are the norm, many people in France still shop for fresh unprocessed food  every day or two. They have access to wonderful farmer’s markets, specialty food shops, and butchers that sell fresh produce, hand-made cheeses, high-quality meats, and fermented, sourdough breads. (And many of them WALK to get there.)

Whereas an American may sit down to a breakfast of a cheese omelet made with processed cheese and store-bought eggs, a similar French-made omelet would include naturally fermented cheese made from raw milk from grass-fed cows, and eggs that came from a small farm, and were not refrigerated but simply left out on the counter (which is the best way to store your eggs, assuming they are of high-quality). (FULL CREAM milk for me too! Skimmed milk? YIKES-Ester : )) )

Now I am not one to recommend eating cooked eggs at all (half cooked is better), but my point is that the difference in food quality is quite extraordinary. Though Americanized junk food and fast food is slowly infiltrating France, it is still not the norm, at least for the older generations. The majority of their food comes fresh, without preservatives and food colorings, and without synthetic ingredients. And did I mention the butter? French people eat this regularly, along with a host of other full-fat foods.  Contrast this to the United States, where many seek out fat-free or low-fat versions that are often pumped full of corn syrup or artificial sweeteners as an alternative.
These low-fat, artificially sweetened foods are a complete disaster, ruining your body’s ability to count calories or even sense when you are full. Not so with traditional French fare, that is so rich you’ll likely feel full after just a few bites.

And that is part of the secret, which contrasts quite remarkably with the United States.

My Recent Grocery Store Experience

I typically don’t go grocery shopping but my living arrangements have recently changed, and when I was in the grocery store yesterday I was behind an attractive young woman who was clearly not overweight. I just about fell over when I saw what she put on the conveyor belt: a loaf of white bread, two-pound packet of cookies, crackers, poor-quality highly processed lunch meat and processed American cheese. 

There wasn’t a shred of real food in her entire order. She probably is one of the multitude that have been successfully brainwashed by the food industry and doesn’t realize that in a few short years her choices will slowly but surely steal her health, cause her to age prematurely and join the two-thirds of the United States that is overweight. 

French Food Satisfies

A common complaint of people who come to my wellness center near Chicago is that they don’t feel satisfied after eating. Many of them are even eating what would be considered healthy foods, yet they are still not satiated.

In France, no one is leaving the table hungry. Yet they’re not leaving it feeling stuffed, either. As this Cornell study found, the French do something that I often recommend: They listen to their bodies.

When they feel full, they stop eating.

Unfortunately, in America many have lost the ability to sense when they are full. This comes from a combination of things, but a major one is leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that communicates to your brain, letting it know how much energy your body has stored, and whether or not it’s full. Once full, one of leptin’s functions is to reduce your appetite and induce fat burning.

Low leptin levels (leptin resistance) in your brain, however, will signal your body to keep eating and storing more fat. How do you become leptin resistant? By eating the typical American diet full of sugar, refined grains, processed foods and not a whole lot else.

In France, where they eat a minimal amount of processed and refined foods, leptin levels are probably much closer to where they need to be, lest their body’s natural ability to regulate appetite, and weight, remains intact.

French meals are also more satisfying because they are savored. It takes about 20 minutes for your food to be digested enough, and a signal sent to your brain, telling you that you are full.
In France, you would still be working through your first course at this time, while in America you could easily polish off way too many calories in the 15-minute span you give yourself for lunch. " Dr. Mercola. March 05 2008
------------------------------------------------

Bon jour!
Hopefully now we realise what causes over-weight and unhealthy bodies: over-processed food of all kinds!
Take care of the one and only body we have while waiting for His soon victorious return!
In Yahshua,
Ester.
Ps. Changed highlights to better colour. 

                What Else Do We Know About Supplements For Cancer?

Needless to say, there are a variety of supplements that have received favorable press, based on positive study results. Most, however -- and this may be key -- are found to be preventative, more so than curative in nature.

Black cohosh and CoQ10 are two supplements that have been found to have potential in the treatment of cancer.  Other supplements have been shown to be helpful in reducing your risk of contracting a variety of different cancers, including:

Selenium against lung, prostate, colorectal, and skin cancer
Vitamin E against prostate cancer
Vegetable fiber against prostate cancer
Calcium against colon cancer
B6 against colorectal cancer
The one supplement that appears to have the most overwhelming support for both reducing your risk, and aiding in your treatment of cancer, however, is vitamin D from sunlight.

How to Virtually Eliminate Your Risk of Cancer

I believe these relatively simple risk reduction strategies can help you to VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE your cancer risk, and radically improve your chances of recovering from cancer if you currently have it.

You won’t read or hear much about these elsewhere because they have not been formally "proven" yet by conservative researchers. However, most people don’t know that 85 percent of therapies currently recommended by conventional medicine have never been formally proven either.
And, as discussed above, conventional cancer treatments are clearly not in the best interest of most patients suffering from the disease.

Reduce your processed food, sugar and grain carbohydrate intake
Yes, this is even true for whole unprocessed organic grains as they tend to rapidly break down and drive your insulin and leptin levels up, which is the last thing you need to have happening if you are seeking to resolve a cancer.
Control your fasting insulin and leptin levels: This is the end result, and can be easily monitored with the use of simple and relatively inexpensive blood tests.
Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil or fish oil and reducing your intake of most processed vegetable oils
Get regular exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down.
Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
Normalize your vitamin D levels and vitamin A levels by getting plenty of sunlight exposure  and consider careful supplementation when this is not possible.
If you take oral vitamin D and have a cancer it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.
Get a good night's sleep
Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have
Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution
Limit your exposure and provide protection for yourself from information carrying radio waves produced by cell phone towers, base stations, phones and WiFi stations
Avoid frying or charbroiling your food. Boil, poach or steam your foods instead
Have a tool to permanently reprogram  the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes.
Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions.
===========================

As usual, prevention is always better than cure!
YAHWEH's shalom and blessings,
Ester.

                        Will Spinach Save Your Sight?


Dr. Mercola's Comments: 
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60. While it doesn’t always cause total blindness, macular degeneration slowly affects your central vision, the part that is crucial for recognizing faces and doing detailed work.

At first, you may simply have blurred vision or a need for more light when you’re reading. Then, straight lines may begin to appear crooked, and dark or empty spaces may begin to block your central vision, similar to a blindspot when you’re driving.

How Does Macular Degeneration Begin?

The macula is a small area just two millimeters wide, located in the back of your eye, in the middle portion of your retina. Your macula, which is made up of light-sensitive cells called cones and rods, is essential for central vision.
 
For reasons scientists have yet to pinpoint, parts of your retina and macula become diseased. As macular degeneration progresses, tiny, fragile blood vessels that leak blood and fluid begin to develop in your retina, causing further damage.

However, there is pigment in your macula that seems to act as a blue-light filter to protect your macular region against oxidation by light. In addition, this macular pigment can scavenge free radicals.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, two yellow-hued antioxidants found in leafy greens like spinach and kale, are the predominant pigments in this area.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Two Powerhouse Antioxidants for Your Eyes

Eating foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can lower your risk of macular degeneration, so if you value your eyesight, listen up.

To get the benefits of these antioxidants, some researchers believe you need to eat about 6 mg a day. But the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin needed to treat macular degeneration rises to about 11-12 mg per day.

Yet, most people are not getting nearly this much. Federal surveys have found that the average American consumes only about 2 mg of lutein daily.

What does the science say about lutein and zeaxanthin?

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets higher in lutein and zeaxanthin resulted in improvements in both AMD patients and the control group.

A study in the Archives of Ophthalmology found participants who ate the most foods containing lutein and zeaxanthin had a 35 percent lower risk of developing AMD than those who ate the least.
And as the video above showed so clearly, eating lutein-rich spinach every day for six months was enough to improve the vision of people already suffering from AMD. So this is truly powerful information.

What is Your Best Source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin?

Lutein is found in high amounts in:

Kale and spinach
Turnip and collard greens
Romaine lettuce
Broccoli
Zucchini
Brussels sprouts
Peas
These are all great sources, however, your best source of these antioxidants is actually not on that list.

Egg Yolks are One of the Best Foods for Your Eyes

There is about 0.25 mg of lutein in each egg yolk -- in a highly absorbable nearly ideal form, especially if you don't cook it. Egg yolks also have zeaxanthin in an equal amount.

Quite simply, the lutein in egg yolks is superior because it is more easily absorbed by your body. A study in the Journal of Nutrition even proved this.

The researchers gave 10 volunteers different sources of lutein (spinach, eggs or one of two types of lutein supplements, each of which provided 6 mg of lutein per day), and the eggs were the best. Those who ate eggs as their lutein source had blood levels of lutein that were about three times higher than that of those who ate other lutein sources.

How to Get the Most Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Your Diet

No matter what source you choose, the absolute key to making sure you receive the benefits of the nutrients in these foods is to consume them RAW. Once you heat spinach or eggs, the lutein and zeaxanthin become damaged -- and they will not perform as well in preventing degeneration of your macula.

Additionally, the accessory micronutrients in the foods that enhance their action will also be damaged. So if you want to make sure your eyes stay healthy, add a few raw egg yolks and some raw leafy greens, according to your nutritional type, to your daily diet.

Finally, keep in mind that lutein is an oil-soluble nutrient. So in order for your body to absorb it, you’ll need to add some fat, like olive oil, butter or coconut oil, to your leafy greens.

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Excellent information in an egg-shell!      Eggs are fabulous; confirmed Personally by Abba Elohim when He spoke to my spirit, and I discovered what He meant by seeking out what B-Complex (combats stress) is, and where to get it.
FRESH Baby spinach is the best and yummiest in a salad with black olives and olive oil!
My daughter uses coconut oil for fried rice, and it's the most fragrant, healthy and tasty ever!    Try it! 
Love, Ester.
 

                             PUT YOUR SODA TO GOOD USE!
                                                   
"I would never say that soda provides no benefits.  In fact, it has dozens of useful purposes, such as:

Cleaning your dirty toilet bowl
Removing rust spots from chrome
Getting gum out of your hair
Getting rid of skunk odor
Cleaning grout
According to some, you can even use it to shell hard-boiled eggs; if you soak hard boiled eggs in Coke, the shells will supposedly dissolve, eliminating the need to actually have to peel them.

If you are actually drinking soda as a beverage, you are putting your health at risk every time you do so.  Drinking just one soda a day can increase your risk of being obese by an amazing 60 percent. And it will increase your risk of diabetes by 85 percent!  Soda drinkers even have a higher throat cancer risk.

From a nutritional standpoint, soda has pretty much nothing to offer except bad news -- including the ridiculous new “healthy” sodas that have hit the stores recently.  Some of the major components of a can of soda include:

Phosphoric Acid: This can interfere with your body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of your teeth and bones.

Sugar: It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup, the number one source of calories in the U.S.

Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and possibly some forms of cancer.

If you thought diet sodas might be a better option, think again. They are filled with unnatural, artificial chemicals, and are actually even worse the regular soda.  There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame (Equal) alone, including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.  On top of all that, they won’t even help you lose weight; in fact, they will double your risk of obesity by stimulating your appetite, increasing your carbohydrate cravings, and activating your body’s fat storage mechanisms.

Nutritionally speaking, soda is one of the main reasons why many people suffer health problems. Aside from the negative effects of the soda itself, drinking a lot of soda is likely to leave you with little appetite for vegetables, protein and other food that your body needs.

If you struggle with an addiction to soda (sugar is actually more addictive than cocaine), I strongly recommend you stop this health-harming habit.

And remember that a glass of fresh clean water with a squeeze of lemon or lime makes a great soda alternative any day.   It won’t, however, kill the rats in your kitchen.  Soda is much better suited for that particular purpose.-Dr. Mercola.
 
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How to Use Soft Drinks To Kill Mice and Rats 


If you have a problem with mice or rats, one way to get rid of them is with soda pop. 

Mice and rats lack the ability to burp. You can use this to your advantage. Simply pour Pepsi or Coke into a shallow dish, and place the dish near where the mice or rats are entering your home.
The rodents will drink the sweet soft drink and later, when they can't burp, they will die.

Right next to walls usually works best for any type of bait or traps, as does under sinks, where they may like to hide out, or underneath your stove.

As the carbonation only lasts just so long, you will need to keep that in mind and refill your dish accordingly. Try putting a new dish down each night before be bed.-eHow.com 28 April 2008

===================================

Shalom! Do not throw away your soda; put them to good use! For getting rid of grout! 
Blessings,
Ester.

                                     Avoid and Combat INFLUENZA-Tony Isaacs

Beyond those obvious measures, I have also compiled the following information for anyone who wishes to avoid and combat influenza:

Avoiding the Flu:

The good news is that you can take steps to help you avoid the Bird Flu or any other flu when it comes, and to survive it if you happen to catch it. Included in these steps are the things that you should do to protect yourself from virtually all diseases and illnesses: get plenty of rest, exercise, quit smoking, eat a nutritious diet, avoid stress and, above all, to make your body's natural first line of defense -- your immune system -- strong and robust.

Some of the very best immune boosters are:

* Echinacea * Pau d’arco * Suma * Astragalus * Medicinal mushrooms

* Beta glucans * Aloe vera * Alkygycerol * Lactoferrin * Bovine colostrums

* Glutathione * Mangosteen

The next thing you should do is to also take one or more good natural anti-viral agents, especially if the Bird Flu does mutate and begin to spread from human to human, because unlike other illnesses or flues, the Bird Flu will use your own immune system to attack you. This is because we have never been exposed to a strain of flu like the Bird Flu and it is likely that biochemical cascade of immune cells and immune system bio-chemicals such as interferon, interleukin, monokines and cytokines will literally pour into the lungs and eat your lungs up. With the Bird Flu, it is essential to also include good natural anti-viral supplements along with immune boosters.

Among the very best natural pathogen destroyers are:

* Garlic * Olive leaf extract * Oil of wild mountain oregano

* Grapefruit seed extract * Colloidal SilverJuice Therapy for Flu:

* Apple and dark grape juices are often recommended for those fighting the flu. They have properties that work against congestion and runny nose. Dark grape juice is rich in tannins, substances that have been shown to kill viruses under laboratory conditions.

* Dilute the juices if they are too sweet. Drink them at room temperature. Pear, cranberry and, especially, pomegranate juices are also helpful for combating flu.Ayurvedic practitioners recommend the following strategies to combat flu:

* At the first sign of the flu, switch to a bland diet. Eat soft-cooked rice (rice that has a very soft, moist texture created by a longer cooking time with more water) with a pinch of cumin, ginger powder and turmeric for seasoning. In India, broken rice is used for this purpose with generous amounts of water so that we will get a soup in the end. The ginger and cumin heat up your body, so you can sweat out toxins. Turmeric has antibiotic and antiseptic qualities. You can also add few cloves of garlic cut into small pieces to the mixture as garlic is very good for flu.

* For Severe Flu Symptoms - Take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic coughs, colds and clear the sinuses. A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

* Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

* Water, lemons, cinnamon sticks and honey. Put a gallon of water in a large pot on the stove. Add four lemons, cut in quarters, and two sticks of cinnamon. Bring water to a full boil and then let steep for five or more minutes. Drink one cup several times a day if you are able to stay home and rest and one or two cups at night, otherwise just drink at night. Best taken at the beginning of flu symptoms. This remedy should help you sweat out the flu, help ease any sore throat you may have and also keep you hydrated.

* Tea, lemon, orange juice and brandy. Works like a charm. Just make a cup of tea, squeeze half a lemon and half an orange into the tea and put two teaspoons of brandy and you should feel much better soon.

* One garlic clove and a sharp knife. Cut raw garlic as thin as possible and put the garlic slices on your tongue. Do not chew, just place on the tongue and then swallow. Best when taken at the first signs of flu symptoms.

* Eucalyptus, burnt sugar, lemon and water. Boil the water and add eucalyptus, burnt sugar, lemon juice and/or lemon rind, and continue to boil for five minutes. Drink the tea hot, preferably just before going to bed.

* Colloidal silver. A half teaspoon of colloidal silver for children and a teaspoon for adults can be swallowed to ease or eliminate flu symptoms. If you take colloidal silver regularly, you may never get the flu.

* Use a warming tea made of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Cayenne (Capsicum minimum) and ground Ginger (Zingiber officinalis). In a 1995 Israeli study, elderberry extract was found to reduce both the severity of symptoms and the duration of flu (two to three days in the treated group versus six days in the placebo group). Choose an extract standardized to contain 5 percent total flavonoids and take 500 milligrams twice daily.

* Garlic helps to detoxify the body. Take 500 milligrams (or one clove) three times a day for up to five days.

* Take ginger tea. Ginger tea is antiviral and helps break up the mucus and congestion. Ginger tea is excellent if the stomach is affected. To make the tea, boil 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Take a cup as needed.

* To help alleviate and disinfect dry air passages, add 10 drops of tea tree oil to a bowl of hot water or vaporizer and leave in bedroom overnight. A small handkerchief sprinkled with a few drops of the oil and left under the pillow may help as well.

* At the onset of a flu, drink lindenflower tea with 2 drops of lemon balm oil, thyme tea with honey, rose hip tea or acerola juice. When you start to sweat, quickly go to bed and continue sweating for one hour. Change clothes, rub body dry and try to steep. This therapy often stops the flu before it becomes full blown.Important Herbs for Flu:

* Echinacea - Echinacea has been a traditional favorite for colds and flu. Double blind studies in Germany have shown that infections with flu-like symptoms clear more rapidly when taking echinacea. Echinacea appears to work by stimulating the immune system. Taking 3–5 ml of tincture or 300 mg of dried root powder three times per day is usually recommended.

* Elderberry - Elderberry is another herb that has been used in treating flu. This herb contains two compounds that are active against flu viruses. It also prevents the virus from invading respiratory tract cells. A patented Israeli drug (Sambucol) that contains elderberry is active against various strains of viruses. In a clinical trial testing Sambucol, twenty percent of flu sufferers who used it showed significant relief of fever, muscle aches and other symptoms within 24 hours, and another 73 percent felt better after the second day. In three days, 90 percent were reported completely cured. In a similar group that received an inactive treatment (a placebo), only 26 percent were improved in two days, and it took most of them six days to feel well again. Sambucol also stimulates the immune system and has shown some activity in preliminary trials against other viruses, such as Epstein-Barr, herpes and even HIV. In a small double blind trial, patients with influenza were found to recover three times faster when they took one capsule of elderberry extract four times daily compared to patients taking placebo.

You can take the medication or take the herb by making a tea from the herb: Make elderberry-flower tea by steeping 3 to 5 g of dried flowers in one cup of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Take 1 cup of this tea 3 times daily. Elderberry flower is generally regarded as safe. Side effects are rare and consist primarily of occasional mild gastrointestinal distress or allergic reactions. Its safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not established.

* Astragalus - Astragalus root has been used to enhance immunity for thousands of years in China. This herb is considered by herbal practitioners to be a tonic that strengthens the body’s resistance to disease. Astragalus can stimulate practically all of the processes of your immune system. It increases the number of stem cells in bone marrow and speeds their growth into active immune cells. Astragalus also may help boost levels of interferon, one of your body’s potent fighters against viruses. This, in turn, can help prevent or shorten the duration of colds and flu. Astragalus also boosts the production of white blood cells called macrophages, whose function is to destroy invading viruses and bacteria. As soon as you discover the flu, take one 500- milligram capsule of astragalus four times a day until symptoms disappear. Then take one capsule twice a day for seven days to prevent a relapse.

* Garlic - Garlic is known to kill influenza virus in test tubes. It also stimulates the immune system and wards off complications such as bronchitis. Garlic contains several helpful compounds, including allicin, one of the plant kingdom's most potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics. This herb's aromatic compounds are readily released from the lungs and respiratory tract, putting garlic's active ingredients right where they can be most effective against cold viruses. Holistic practitioners often recommend taking several cloves of raw garlic per day during an infection. You can also take aged garlic extract, or consume products such as hot garlic bread or toast.

* Asian ginseng (eleuthero) - Asian ginseng has immune-enhancing properties, which play a potential role in preventing infection with influenza. Boneset has been shown in test tube and other studies to stimulate immune cell function. This may explain boneset’s traditional use to help fight off minor viral infections, such as the flu.

* Wild Indigo - Wild indigo contains polysaccharides and proteins that are believed to stimulate the immune system. It is used traditionally to fight the flu in combination with herbs such as echinacea, goldenseal, or thuja.

* Forsythia and honeysuckle - These herbs are used by Oriental Medicine practitioners to treat colds, flu and other viruses. They have real antiviral benefits. At the inception of cold or flu, mix honeysuckle and forsythia with lemon balm tea (lemon balm also has antiviral properties.) Take this tea before going to bed.

* Mullein - A tea made with mullein flowers provides throat-soothing mucilage and also has an expectorant effect. Herbalists think that this plant contains compounds that inhibit flu viruses. You can also make a tea with mullein leaf.

Other Herbs: * Bayberry * Boneset * Calenda * Ginger *Goldenseal

* Lemon balm *Oregano grape * Thyme
                                                                     (Part 1; to be C'tinued)

      Part 2 Cont'd    Avoid and Combat INFLUENZA-Tony Isaacs

Nutrition for Flu:

* If you don't feel like eating, do not force yourself. For a day or two, consume only liquids -- water, juices, teas, and soups. Digesting liquids require a lot less energy than digesting foods. This means that your body has more energy to fight the flu.

* Consume easily digested foods such as juices, lemonade (hot or cold), herbal teas, applesauce, and lots of nourishing broth and homemade soups. Miso and chicken soup are good choices.

* Take mushroom soup. Mushrooms of choice include shiitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms. They are shown in studies to boost the body's immune response.

* Getting plenty of fluids, including soups, is particularly important. Drink at least six to eight glasses of liquid daily. Fluids help to thin secretions, making it easier for the body to clear them, and also help to prevent constipation and flush toxins from the body.

* Sick People Soup - Here is a great soup to take when you are down with cold and flu. It comes from Rosita Arvigo, author of "Rainforest Home Remedies."

1) 1/2 head cabbage, chopped  (2) 1 onion, chopped (3) 1 head garlic, chopped   (4) 3 carrots, sliced  (5) 3 pieces celery, diced   (6) 6 Tbsp ginger, grated
7) ¼ c miso (soybean paste)   (8 )  2 qts water ( 9) juice of 1 lemon or lime

Boil the vegetables in the water until tender (about thirty minutes), then add ginger and garlic and allow to boil another five minutes. Remove from heat. Take a bit of the hot soup from the pot and mix with the miso to form a thick liquid. Add to the soup and serve. Squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice into the bowl. For added health boosts, add sliced agaricus, reishi, shiitake or maitake mushrooms to the boiling vegetables and sprinkle crushed garlic on the soup before serving.

* When there is fever, take liquids only.

* Recommended liquids: Warm broth, vegetable juices and herb teas.

* Avoid dairy products and sugar. They increase and thicken mucus. Avoid a milky drink at night if you have chest problems, since this can contribute to congestion of the chest by morning.

* Red beet juice makes the flu virus inactive.

* Condensed grape juice strengthens the heart muscles.

* Parsley, celery, watercress, garlic, lemon, carrot and coconut juices are nourishing and help to cleanse and promote healing.

* Drink fruit juices after diluting. Limit the intake of sugars.

* Increase the proportion of vitamin C-rich foods in the diet, such as tomatoes, raw green peppers, carrots, strawberries and citrus fruit. This vitamin is easily destroyed by the process of oxidation, so do not leave peeled, chopped fruit or vegetables to stand for a long time before eating. Overcooking also leads to loss of vitamin C, especially if fruit or vegetables are boiled. Vegetables and fruit are best eaten raw, and if vegetables must be cooked, steam them, which preserves essential nutrients.

* Eat fresh, raw fruit and vegetables, whole grains, garlic, pulses, beans, small helpings of fish, nuts and seeds. These foods appear to increase resistance to infection and improve vitality.

* Use unrefined, cold-pressed flax seed oil as a salad dressing. Flax seed oil is an excellent source of the omega-3 essential fatty acid and also contains the omega-6 essential fatty acid. These fats help strengthen cell membranes, thereby speeding healing and strengthening resistance to infection. In the body.

* Eat sea plants or algae. These can re-mineralize the body after overexposure to processed foods. Spirulina, alfalfa, chlorella or seaweeds can be added to soups or juices in powder or capsule form.

* Garlic can also help ward off a cold by inhibiting the growth of staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria.

* Avoid food and drinks that put extra strain on the liver. The liver is responsible for efficient detoxification of the body. The foods to avoid include convenience foods containing substantial amounts of chemicals such as colorings and preservatives, and alcohol, which also depletes the body of vitamin C.
Nutritional Supplements:

* Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Bioflavonoids - Vitamin C is well-known for treating and preventing colds. Studies show that vitamin C can shorten the duration of common colds and flu and even prevent them. Taken in large enough doses, vitamin C can boost your immune system by pumping enough fuel into white blood cells to destroy invading viruses and bacteria. Vitamin C increases interferon levels and has interferon-like properties itself. It acts as a natural antihistamine that helps dry up watery eyes and reduce nasal and chest congestion. It is also a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent the damage that your body endures when viruses or bacteria attack your immune system. Dockworkers given 100 mg of vitamin C each day for ten months caught influenza 28% less than their coworkers not taking vitamins. Moreover, the average infection was 10% shorter in those taking vitamin C. Other studies have reported that vitamin C in high doses (2 grams every hour for twelve hours) can lead to rapid improvement of influenza infections.

* At the first sign of cold or flu symptoms, take 500 milligrams of vitamin C with bioflavonoids or rose hips four to six times a day. The bioflavonoids and rose hips strengthen the vitamin C’s infection-fighting power by 35 percent, according to experts. Start taking Vitamin C as soon as you can. There are no adverse effects from taking high dosages of vitamin C. If you experience diarrhea, reduce the dosage of Vitamin C. Use bioflavonoids along with vitamin C for their synergistic effect.

* Vitamin A is a nutrient vital to the mucous membranes throughout the respiratory system during a cold or flu. It is known as the anti-infection vitamin. It battles viruses and bacteria in two ways. By keeping the cells healthy all along your respiratory tract, it provides a barrier that resists microorganisms. If some invading microorganisms manage to breach the barrier, you want to have antibodies and lymphocytes ready to destroy them. Vitamin A helps your body provide those reinforcements.

As soon as you notice cold or flu symptoms, take 100,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A daily for three days, then reduce the dosage to 25,000 IU for one week or until symptoms disappear.
Caution: These are very high doses, please check with your doctor before taking this much.

* Beta-carotene, Vitamin A’s precursor, is rich in antioxidant power and antiviral properties. It bolsters immunity and protects the thymus gland. It also protects you from viruses by enhancing mucous membrane secretions. By producing the secretions, the beta-carotene prevents the virus from invading your body. If you feel a cold or flu coming on, take 100,000 IU of beta-carotene for 10 to 14 days, then cut the dosage to 50,000 IU a day to prevent future respiratory infections.

* Zinc - Zinc supplementation is recommended for immune system support. Zinc lozenges soothe a sore throat and help fend off a cold before it takes hold. Zinc stimulates the immune system by generating new white blood cells and whipping them into shape to battle viruses. If you have too little zinc, your production of white blood cells may drop, and that can increase your risk of catching a cold, flu, or other upper respiratory infection. In one study, children who got 10 milligrams of zinc daily for 60 days were much less likely to get respiratory infections than children getting less. In fact, the children who got enough zinc were 70 percent less likely to have fevers, 48 percent less likely to have coughs, and 28 percent less likely to have mucus buildup.
* Take 5 to 10 milligrams of zinc five times daily for five days to one week. Take zinc with food to prevent stomach upset. Be careful not to consume too much zinc. Doctors recommend taking no more than 15 milligrams of zinc a day. Zinc gluconate in lozenge form has been found to shorten the duration of cold symptoms. In a study, participants who sucked on one zinc gluconate lozenge (containing about 13 milligrams of zinc) every two hours while awake got rid of their coughs, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headaches three to four days sooner than those who didn’t get any supplementation. Don’t take them for longer than one week, because they can weaken your immune system.

* Garlic - Garlic is very beneficial especially at the beginning of a cold of flu. It warms the body and acts as an antiviral and antibacterial.

* Thymus glandular extract boosts immune function by increasing the number and activity of infection-fighting white blood cells. Take 250 to 500 milligrams twice a day. This is especially important for people over forty, as thymus function declines with age.

Recommended dosages:- Vitamin C, with bioflavonoids, 1,000 mg every few hours throughout the day, up to bowel tolerance

- Zinc lozenges, with 3 mg copper, every few hours, up to 70 mg daily during a cold and 30 mg daily as a preventive.

- Garlic, 2 capsules three times daily

- Vitamin A, 25,000 IU daily (avoid during pregnancy)

(Excerpted from the author's book "Collected Remedies".)

About the author
Tony Isaacs, is a natural health advocate and researcher and the author of books and articles about natural health; is residing in Texas, near Utopia.

Wow U made some really good points here, Ester,  & gave us things to consider.

Moses and those other men didn't die sick or was in a nursing home.   wow how things are so different today.

Boy did our habits changes over the centuries.    I didn't even think of that.   how men today are in nursing homes or sick, but Moses and those other men weren't when they died.

Food for thought.   We need to change  our habits, the way we eat, what we eat.    We need to relearn everything.

                                                                        Study Reveals another Benefit of Vitamin C;
Reducing Risk of Painful Gout
Aimee Herd (March 12, 2009)
"Vitamin C may reduce the frequency of attacks and provide a degree of protection…"

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since I have family members who suffer from gout, I know how painful it can be, and thought this an important piece of information to pass along. I love it when the natural substances God has provided are revealed to be an asset to better health and prevention of diseases. –Aimee Herd, BCN.

Recent findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine cite vitamin C as a good prevention measure against gout—a painful arthritis-related condition brought on by too much uric acid in the blood which can then deposit crystals in and around the joints causing inflammation. (Photo: SPL/BBC News)

The research showed that vitamin C (found in peppers, oranges and sprouts) reduced the uric acid levels by increasing the expulsion of it through the kidneys. In addition, vitamin C is thought to ease inflammation, consequently helping with the pain.

The study of 20 years involved about 47,000 men, 1,317 of whom developed gout. Those who took 1,000mg to 1,499mg of vitamin C per day had a 34% lower risk of developing gout, while those who took 1,500mg per day had a 45% lower risk, according to the BBC News report.

"Vitamin C may reduce the frequency of attacks and provide a degree of protection," said Rheumatologist Dr Michael Snaith of the UK Gout Society, adding as a warning, "But that does not mean to say that taking whacking great amounts of vitamin C is going to eliminate gout."
------------------------------------------------

Historical accounts suggest that sailors in the fourteenth century were aware of the medicinal properties of oranges and lemons. In 1589, British sailors would call this illness “skurvie” or scurvy. It was not until 1911, that scurvy was recognized as a vitamin deficiency (Carpenter, 1986).

Overall, the symptoms of scurvy include a feeling of weakness, restlessness, rapid exhaustion and sallow skin. A patient will also experience muscle pain, depression and hemorrhaging of muscles and tissues. In later stages a patient will exhibit extreme exhaustion, kidney and pulmonary problems, as well as diarrhea, which consequently leads to death (Pauling, 1976).


Collagen is a fibrous protein critically responsible for the maintenance of connective tissue, a substance that holds various structures in the body together. Tendons, cartilage, bones, arteries and veins are comprised of connective tissue, whereas collagen acts to strengthen and protect these tissues. Ascorbic acid is required for the synthesis of collagen in the bodies of human beings and animals (Pauling, 1976).

Pauling believed that it was evident that there is a direct correlation between ascorbic acid and many diseases, including viral diseases, if not all diseases (Pauling, 1976).
Research has shown that ascorbic acid inactivates the herpes virus, vaccina virus, hepatitis virus, bacterial viruses and other viruses (Stone, 1972, for references).
The results of this study convinced Pauling that at least 250 mg of ascorbic acid per day should be taken by most people in order to maintain their health. Also, he believed that if most people took between 250 to 10 g per day they could expect to reduce the chance of incurring a common cold or influenza. In addition he proposed that if a viral infection is contracted, secondary bacterial infections could be inhibited (Pauling, 1976).

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can counteract saturated fats that are converted by oxidation into dangerous peroxides. Also, human beings naturally produce 700 mg of cholesterol in the body daily, but higher concentrations of cholesterol in the blood may lead to cardiovascular complications (Pauling, 1976).
 Research has found that an increased intake of vitamin C reduces the concentration of cholesterol in the blood ([/color]Ginter, 1970, 1973, 1975; Spittle, 1971).

A number of reports indicating the efficacy of vitamin C on wound healing after surgery have been cited by Stone (1972). Likewise many studies have shown that large doses of ascorbic acid resulted in accelerating wound healing. Some surgeons have suggested that their patients take additional vitamin C before a surgery, and then administered 5 g or more to each liter of intravenous fluid prior to performing the surgery.
Other physicians have observed that increased doses of vitamin C decreased postsurgical pain, reduced the time needed for regaining normal bodily functions, expedited rapid wound healing, and decreased the overall length of time spent in the hospital (Pauling, 1976). -AlternativeHealth

--------------------------------------------------------

Shalom! The many known benefits of Vitamin C. Take note that Collagen aids in keeping away wrinkles!!!
Blessings for good health in Yahshua,
Ester.

 
Mike Adams

March 9, 2009
 
 
Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials Sent to 18 Countriesby Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) There's a popular medical thriller novel in which a global pandemic is intentionally set off by an evil plot designed to reduce the human population. In the book, a nefarious drug company inserts live avian flu viruses into vaccine materials that are distributed to countries around the world to be injected into patients as "flu shots." Those patients then become carriers for these highly-virulent strains of avian flu which go on to infect the world population and cause widespread death.

There's only one problem with this story: It's not fiction. Or, at least, the part about live avian flu viruses being inserted into vaccine materials isn't fiction. It's happening right now.

Deerfield, Illinois-based pharmaceutical company Baxter International Inc. has just been caught shipping live avian flu viruses mixed with vaccine material to medical distributors in 18 countries. The "mistake" (if you can call it that, see below...) was discovered by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada. The World Health Organization was alerted and panic spread throughout the vaccine community as health experts asked the obvious question: How could this have happened?

As published on LifeGen.de (http://www.lifegen.de/newsip/showne...), serious questions like this are being raised:

"Baxter International Inc. in Austria 'unintentionally contaminated samples with the bird flu virus that were used in laboratories in 3 neighbouring countries, raising concern about the potential spread of the deadly disease'. Austria, Germany, Slowenia and the Czech Republic - these are the countries in which labs were hit with dangerous viruses. Not by bioterrorist commandos, but by Baxter. In other words: One of the major global pharmaceutical players seems to have lost control over a virus which is considered by many virologists to be one of the components leading some day to a new pandemic."

Or, put another way, Baxter is acting a whole lot like a biological terrorism organization these days, sending deadly viral samples around the world. If you mail an envelope full of anthrax to your Senator, you get arrested as a terrorist. So why is Baxter -- which mailed samples of a far more deadly viral strain to labs around the world -- getting away with saying, essentially, "Oops?"
But there's a bigger question in all this: How could this company have accidentally mixed LIVE avian flu viruses (both H5N1 and H3N2, the human form) in this vaccine material?

Was the viral contamination intentional?The shocking answer is that this couldn't have been an accident. Why? Because Baxter International adheres to something called BSL3 (Biosafety Level 3) - a set of laboratory safety protocols that prevent the cross-contamination of materials.

As explained on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosaf...):

"Laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic and potentially lethal agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents. This is considered a neutral or warm zone. All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within biological safety cabinets or other physical containment devices, or by personnel wearing appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. The laboratory has special engineering and design features."

Under the BSL3 code of conduct, it is impossible for live avian flu viruses to contaminate production vaccine materials that are shipped out to vendors around the world.

This leaves only two possibilities that explain these events:

Possibility #1: Baxter isn't following BSL3 safety guidelines or is so sloppy in following them that it can make monumental mistakes that threaten the safety of the entire human race. And if that's the case, then why are we injecting our children with vaccines made from Baxter's materials?

Possibility #2: A rogue employee (or an evil plot from the top management) is present at Baxter, whereby live avian flu viruses were intentionally placed into the vaccine materials in the hope that such materials might be injected into humans and set off a global bird flu pandemic.

It just so happens that a global bird flu pandemic would sell a LOT of bird flu vaccines. Although some naive people have a hard time believing that corporations would endanger human beings to make money, this is precisely the way corporations now behave in America's ethically-challenged free-market environment. (Remember Enron? Exxon? Merck? DuPont? Monsanto? Need I go on?)

Make no mistake: Spreading bird flu is a clever way to create demand for bird flu vaccines, and we've all seen very clearly how drug companies first market the problem and then "leap to the rescue" by selling the solution. (Disease mongering of ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc.)

Why it all suddenly makes sense. Until today, I would not have personally believed such a story. I personally thought talk of bird flu vaccines being "weaponized" was just alarmist hype. But now, in light of the fact that LIVE bird flu viruses are being openly found in vaccine materials that are distributed around the world, I must admit the evidence is increasingly compelling that something extremely dangerous is afoot.

Baxter, through either its mistakes or its evil intentions, just put the safety of the entire human race at risk. Given all the laboratory protocols put in place to prevent this kind of thing, it is difficult to believe this was just a mistake.

There is some speculation, in fact, that the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed up to 50 million people worldwide (http://images.google.com/images?hl=...), was intentionally started by injecting servicemen with "experimental" flu vaccines that actually contained live, "weaponized" flu material just like the material being distributed by Baxter today.

Examine the historical record. You'll find that the 1918 flu originated with servicemen. Even more interestingly, it began in multiple cities, simultaneously! There is no single point of origin with the 1918 flu. It appears to have "spontaneously" sprung up across multiple cities all at once, including a military base in Kansas. (Kansas? Yep. So how did it get to Kansas in an era when air traffic was virtually non-existent? Vaccines, of course!)

All those cities and servicemen have one thing in common: Flu shot vaccinations given to them by the military.

If you put the pieces together on this, it's not too difficult to suspect that influenza could potentially be used as a tool of control by governments or drug companies to catalyze outrageous profit-taking or power grabbing agendas. A desperate, infected population will gladly give up anything or pay anything for the promise of being cured.

Or was it just an innocent mistake? Oops!But for the skeptics who dismiss any such talk of conspiracy theories, let's examine the other possibility: That a global avian flu pandemic was nearly unleashed unintentionally due to the outrageous incompetence of the companies handling these viral strains.

As we just saw, this is a very real possibility. Had this live bird flu virus not been detected, it could have very easily found its way into vaccines that were injected into human beings. And this, in turn, could have unleashed a global avian flu pandemic.

If the drug companies making and handling these materials are so careless, then it seems like it's only a matter of time before something slips through the safety precautions again and gets unleashed into the wild. And that leads to essentially the same scenario: A global pandemic, widespread death, health care failures and a desperate population begging for vaccines.

So either way -- whether it's intentional or not -- you essentially get the same result.

Why a global pandemic is only a matter of time. I am on the record stating that a global pandemic is only a matter of time. The living conditions under which humans have placed themselves (crowded cities, suppressed immune systems, etc.) are ideal for the spread of infectious disease. But I never dreamed drug companies could actually be accelerating the pandemic timeline by contaminating vaccine materials with live avian flu viruses known to be highly infectious to humans. This, it seems, is a whole new cause for concern.

You can believe what you will. Maybe you agree with the nefarious plot theory and you agree that corporations are capable of great evils in their quest for profits. Or perhaps you can't accept that, so you go with the "accidental contamination" theory, in which your beliefs describe a very dangerous world where biohazard safety protocols are insufficient to protect us from all the crazy viral strains being toyed with at drug companies and government labs all across the world.

In either case, the world is not a very safe place when deadly viral strains are placed in the hands of the inept.

We are like children playing God with Mother Nature, rolling the dice in a global game of Viral Roulette where the odds are not in our favor. With companies like Baxter engaged in behaviors that are just begging to see the human race devastated by a global pandemic wipeout, it might be a good time to question the sanity of using viral strains in vaccines in the first place.

Vaccine-pushing scientists are so proud of their vaccines. They think they've conquered Mother Nature. Imagine their surprise when one day they learn they have actually killed 100 million human beings by unleashing a global pandemic.

We came close to it this week. A global pandemic may have just been averted by the thinnest of margins. Yet people go on with their lives, oblivious to what nearly happened.

What's inescapable at this point is the fact that the threat of a pandemic that looms for all of human civilization, and that drug companies may, themselves, be the source of that threat.


==================================

Shalom! Rule of the day is always 'better safe than sorry', when so much info has been dispensed;
so much doubts cast on why mankind has not improved on health generally, when medical "progress"
is so advanced?! On the contrary, mankind has been, and is degenerating in every sense of the word? 
Take care, be wary, eat REAL and proper food.  Draw closer to YHWH for wisdom and guidance. 
Blessings and love in Yahshua,
Ester.


 

By Dr. Mercola
Vitamin B12 is fittingly known as the energy vitamin, and your body requires it for a number of vital functions. Among them: energy production, blood formation, DNA synthesis, and myelin formation. Myelin is insulation that protects your nerve endings and allows them to communicate with one another.
If you know or suspect you’re vitamin B12 deficient, you’re not alone.
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. There are many well-documented cases of blindness and brain abnormalities in strict vegetarians, resulting from vitamin B12 deficiency. 
The older you get the more likely you are to have a vitamin B12 deficiency. The two ways you become deficient are through a lack of vitamin B12 in your diet, or through your inability to absorb it from the food you eat.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is extremely common in strict vegetarians and vegans. B12 is not readily available in plants, so if you do not eat meat or animal products you are at risk.

Vitamin B12, also known by the scientific name cobalamin, is water-soluble. Unlike other water-soluble vitamins, B12 doesn’t exit your body quickly in urine. It is stored in your liver, kidneys and other body tissues. As a result, a deficiency may not show itself for a number of years, depending on your diet and your body’s ability to efficiently absorb B12.
This time lag is a serious concern, because after about seven years of B12 deficiency, irreversible brain damage can result.Vitamin B12 is a powerhouse micronutrient for a whole host of reasons. Your body needs B12 for:
proper digestion, food absorption, iron use, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, healthy nervous system function
promotion of normal nerve growth and development , help with regulation of the formation of red blood cells , cell formation and longevity
proper circulation, adrenal hormone production, healthy immune system function, support of female reproductive health and pregnancy
feelings of well-being and mood regulation, mental clarity, concentration, memory function, physical, emotional and mental energy
As you can see from this list, your B12 level impacts a number of very important systems in your body -- everything from your DNA to how happy you feel.

If you don’t have adequate vitamin B12 levels in your bloodstream, you might notice some of the following warning signs:
mental fogginess ;  problems with your memory ; mood swings ; lack of motivation ; feelings of apathy ; fatigue and a lack energy
muscle weakness ; tingling in your extremities  ;
One of the most important functions of vitamin B12 is building the myelin which insulates and protects your nerve endings and allows them to communicate with one another. If you’re B12 deficient and your myelin is depleted, you can experience health problems as widespread as depression, dementia and even symptoms which mimic multiple sclerosis.

Depression is thought to be linked to a shortage of compounds called monoamines, which are manufactured by your central nervous system. Vitamin B12 helps your body make these compounds. There is also evidence high levels of homocysteine associated with B12 deficiency may promote depression.

Research also indicates a B12 deficiency may lead to cognitive problems and reversible dementia in the elderly. This type of treatable dementia differs from Alzheimer’s, however, B12 may play a role in this growing epidemic as well.
A study of over 100 senior volunteers showed older individuals with low levels of vitamin B12 are more apt to suffer from brain atrophy or shrinkage. Brain atrophy is a well-established characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

A lack of vitamin B12 can result in a condition called pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia is characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells, and a larger size of existing cells.
Since vitamin B12 helps in the formation of red blood cells, a chronic lack of adequate B12 will naturally affect your body’s ability to create red blood cells, eventually leading to anemia. “Pernicious” was the adjective applied to the often fatal condition back in the days before it was understood to be caused by a lack of vitamin B12.
Left untreated, pernicious anemia can do permanent, serious damage to your body. It can increase your risk for heart problems and strokes. It can damage your nerve cells and affect everything from your balance to your sense of smell. It can also cause changes to the surface of your digestive tract, increasing your risk of stomach cancer.

If you have trouble sleeping, it could be due to a lack of melatonin in your system. I place on adequate good quality sleep for optimum health.
Melatonin is known as the “sleep hormone” and as you age, your body becomes less efficient at producing this chemical.
B12 plays a crucial role in melatonin production, which is another reason it is important to make sure you’re receiving an adequate amount of this vitamin into your blood.

Inadequate vitamin B12 levels have been linked to many neurological conditions in addition to dementia and Alzheimer’s, including spinal cord disease and peripheral neuropathy.
Peripheral neuropathy is a disease or dysfunction of your peripheral nerves, and can include numbness and tremor, as well as opposite sensations like tingling, pain, itching and pins and needles. Your skin can become hypersensitive to the point where you can’t stand to have anything touching certain areas of your body – clothing and bedding actually cause pain. If your muscles are involved they may feel weak, tired or heavy, and you may experience muscle cramps, tremors, and soreness.
A lack of vitamin B12 might also be implicated in migraine headaches and Parkinson’s disease, both of which are neurological conditions.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has also been linked to psychiatric disorders, which are grouped into the following methods of expression:
Mood disturbances ... apathy, depression, eating abnormalities, and behavior disturbances which occur specifically at night
Hyperactivity ... agitation, euphoria, irritability, lack of inhibition, and motor disturbances
Psychosis ... hallucinations and delusions
Optic neuropathy is another outcome of vitamin B12 deficiency. Long-term, chronic B12 deficiency is known to cause deterioration of the optic nerves, resulting in blindness. This is an irreversible condition.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have a common risk factor – increased homocysteine levels in blood.
Studies show insufficient amounts of folic acid and vitamin B12 can elevate your homocysteine levels, potentially increasing your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Cancer
We know vitamin B12 plays an important role in DNA synthesis, and its presence in your cells, along with folic acid, helps to alleviate the wear and tear on your genetic material. Damage to DNA is a well-known risk factor for cancer.
Low levels of B12 are specifically linked to increased risk for breast and cervical cancer.

How B12 Deficiency Affects Fertility, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Elevated homocysteine levels which result from an inadequate intake of B12 are well-known markers for increased risk of heart problems and stroke.
Pregnant women with B12 deficiency carry an increased risk of having a baby born with neural tube defects, a class of birth defects affecting the infant’s brain and spinal cord. Spina bifida, which can cause paralysis, is a type of neural tube defect, as is anencephaly, which is fatal.
If you’re planning a pregnancy, it’s absolutely critical to attain a healthy level of vitamin B12 in your blood stream before you conceive. Neural tube defects develop within the first four weeks of fetal life, so if you wait until you’re pregnant to check your B12 levels, it could be too late.
If you’ve had trouble conceiving, or lost pregnancies through miscarriage, you should have your vitamin B12 levels checked. A B12 deficiency has been linked to infertility and repeated miscarriages.
If your diet doesn’t include animal products and you’re breastfeeding, your baby could develop brain abnormalities due to a vitamin B12 deficiency.
 
Age-Related Insufficient Production of Hydrochloric Acid
The older you get the more your digestive system breaks down, especially if you’ve been following the standard American diet. Specifically, the lining of your stomach gradually loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid which releases vitamin B12 from your food.
If you’re over 50, it’s safe to assume you are not absorbing vitamin B12 at an optimal level.

Use of Antacids and Anti-Ulcer Drugs
The use of antacids or anti ulcer drugs will also lower your stomach acid secretion and decrease your ability to absorb vitamin B12.
Stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is a crucial ingredient in your body’s ability to absorb B12. If you’re taking a medication specifically designed to reduce the amount of stomach acid you produce, your body’s ability to use vitamin B12 from the food you eat or the supplements you take will be significantly compromised.

Use of the Drug Metformin© If you take Metformin© (brand names Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Fortamet, Riomet, Glumetza, and others) for diabetes, the drug may reduce your B12 absorption through interference with the metabolism of calcium in your body. Calcium is another necessary component in your body’s ability to absorb B12.
A recent study indicates that the longer a person with Type 2 diabetes takes Metformin© and the higher the dose, the greater the risk for vitamin B12 deficiency.

Other Medications That Diminish Level of B12
Many prescription drugs have the potential to diminish the level of B12 in your system, including:  antibiotics ; antipsychotics
anti-cancer medications tuberculosis medications ; anticonvulsants birth control pills ; anti-gout medications cholesterol-lowering drugs
anti-hypertensives potassium replacements ; drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease   

Coffee Drinkers
According to recent research, if you drink four or more cups of coffee a day you are likely to experience a 15 percent reduction in B vitamins compared to people who don’t drink coffee.

Bacterial Infection
Infection with Helicobacter pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

If you’ve had gastric bypass surgery, you may be B12 deficient. The surgery often disrupts the mechanisms which aid your body in absorbing vitamin B12 and other vitamins.

There is ample evidence to indicate exposure to nitrous oxide (Laughing Gas Anesthesia) may destroy B12 reserves.

Nitrous oxide is used by dentists for pain management and in operating rooms as a form of anesthesia. Use of the gas can pose a significant risk to those with existing undiagnosed or untreated B12 deficiency.
Health care workers who are routinely exposed to nitrous oxide are also at risk. And of grave concern is the abuse of the gas by medical personnel, teenagers and young adults who use it for its euphoric effects. This practice can result in severe neurological damage.

The Fundamental Role of Intrinsic Factor in Vitamin B12 Absorption
The key point to understand here is that if your body is not making intrinsic factor, you could swallow vitamin B12 till the cows come home and you simply won’t absorb it.
Part of the reason you require a binding protein like intrinsic factor is that vitamin B12 is a very large molecule. It is actually the largest vitamin we know of. In addition, the way it gets absorbed into your body involves a complex series of events.
Intrinsic factor is a molecule protein made by your stomach. It grabs onto the B12 molecule and together they move through your stomach to your small intestine. When they reach the end of your small intestine, the intrinsic factor is absorbed first, pulling the B12 with it into the cells of your large intestine, where they are absorbed for use by the rest of your body.
 
If your body doesn’t produce enough stomach acid, then you’re not producing enough intrinsic factor either.
Indigestion, heartburn and gastric reflux disease (GERD) are conditions which normally develop later in life. While symptoms feel like your stomach is making too much acid, in the vast majority of cases, the reverse is true – too little stomach acid is being produced.
To make matters worse, the first thing many people do when they get symptoms of indigestion or heartburn is reach for an antacid, further compromising their ability to produce hydrochloric acid.
Lack of free acid in your stomach interferes with digestion and reduces the amount of nutrients you get from the food you eat.
Since a lack of stomach acid means a lack of intrinsic factor, and since the only way vitamin B12 can be absorbed into your system is through bonding with intrinsic factor molecules, it’s easy to understand why so many people are not getting adequate B12 into their bodies.
This is why vitamin B12 shots are so popular. They bypass absorption problems and put the vitamin directly into your bloodstream.

One of the best natural sources for vitamin B12 is certain types of seafood. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to buy commercially produced un-contaminated fish, and it is my firm belief the risks associated with mercury laden seafood outweigh its health benefits.
I do not recommend eating most commercially available fish, as it is just too difficult to determine its purity and safety. This is especially true if you’re pregnant or have a growing family, as methyl mercury is highly toxic to the developing brains and nervous systems of infants and children.
Beef and beef liver are also good sources of B12, but keep in mind grass-fed beef is highly preferable to the grain-fed variety.
Chicken is also a natural source of vitamin B12. Organic chicken is the way to go, as conventionally raised chickens may harbor antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
 
Pork is another source of vitamin B12. It is not a food I recommend, however. Pigs are scavengers and will eat almost anything, making them susceptible to retroviruses and parasites. These bugs have a high probability of making it into pork food supplies, and no amount of cooking can insure they have been killed.
You should avoid all processed pork products like bacon and sausage.
 
Regardless of which meat you prefer, keep in mind -- how it is cooked can also mean the difference between a nutritious meal and an unhealthy one.
Drinking milk is another way to get vitamin B12. However, avoid pasteurized milk even if it’s organic. The only milk I recommend is raw milk. Look for Certified Grade A milk, produced under government supervision and guaranteed absolutely clean.
Eggs are another source of vitamin B12, and there’s a bonus: eggs are one of the healthiest all-around foods in the world.
Ideally you’ll be able to buy your eggs locally from a free-range pasture farm. Second choice would be to buy free-range organic from the grocery store. Don’t go for the omega-3 added eggs – they are actually less healthy for you than regular eggs.
As with all foods, how you prepare your eggs makes a big difference in their nutritional value. I recommend eating eggs raw, however, if you choose to cook them, soft-boiling is your next best option. Scrambling is the least desirable of all cooking methods, especially if you have high cholesterol.
 
Vitamin fortified or not, cereals are not a healthy food. The highly processed grains in cereals quickly break down to sugar in your system, and stimulate insulin production. Infants and children also do not fare well eating cereal. 

MULBERRIES!

NaturalNews) Mulberry (Morus) trees are ripe with fruit all across the US right now. These tasty berries are not only delicious and nutritious, but are used in Chinese medicine to enrich the blood and yin, treating conditions such as dizziness, tinnitus, premature graying of the hair and insomnia. (1)

Mulberry trees are easy to spot - full as they are of purple, pink or white berries; the purple stains on the sidewalk below make them even more difficult to miss. They love cities, and can be found growing out of cracks in sidewalks, as well as in lush soil in parks and along rivers. There are different varieties, with berries varying from dark purple, to light purple, pink and even white.

They are delicious eaten right off the tree, but can also be added to smoothies, or made into pies (both baked and raw.)

The dark purple mulberry looks like a small blackberry but tastes much sweeter, and the seeds within are not as large as those of the blackberry. The white mulberry (Morus albus) is actually prized as an herb in Chinese medicine, yet the berry is not the only part of the tree that is used.

Four different parts of the plants are used, in four different ways. Additionally, the feces of the silkworm, whose diet is mulberry leaves, are considered two more herbs (or medicinal substances.)

The mulberry itself is called sang shen, and enriches the blood and yin. It can be used to treat dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia and premature graying of hair. In Chinese medicine, the dose is 6 to 15 grams a day, and is often used in syrup form, taking advantage of the berry's natural sweetness. It is known to contain carotenes, thiamene, riboflavin, vitamin C, tannin, linoleic acid, and stearic acid. The berries can also be used to treat constipation (when due to blood deficiency.) (2)

Mulberry leaf is called sang ye, and is used to treat fever, headache, sore throat and cough. It is also used to clear red, sore, painful eyes, both internally and externally as an eye wash. (3)

Mulberry root bark is called sang bai pi and stops coughing and wheezing, while also promoting urination to reduce enema, especially of the face. In European herbal traditions, the root bark is used as a decoction, to get rid of tapeworms. (4)

Mulberry twig is sang zhi, and helps relieve arthritis in the joints of the arms. Clinical research has also shown an immune effect from drinking an infusion of mulberry twigs: patients with reduced immune function showed an increased rate of lymphocytes (white blood cells that defend the body against disease). (5)

Even silkworms - whose sole food is mulberry leaves, are used as an "herb" (or medicinal substance) in Chinese medicine. The silkworm body is known as jiang can, and is used to extinguish wind and stop tremors, especially childhood seizures and facial paralysis.(6) Silkworm feces - or can sha - is another medicinal substance, used as a tea or poultice, to treat itchy rashes (7)

Mulberries are not commonly found at groceries stores, or even farmer's markets. They are beginning to be touted as a "super food" in some circles, however, and are sold dried, year round.

This is one delicious fruit that is great to know about, both for enjoyment and for health. Grab a good guide book or take a walk with someone who can point out these trees to you; they are certainly worth knowing about, and are only abundant with berries for 4 to 6 weeks a year.

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I WILL BE RUSHING OFF TO HOPEFULLY FIND SOME TODAY FROM THE SHOPS!  ABBA is wonderful, such treasures in HIS provision! Ester

So, turmeric has been used as a substitute for saffron (an old world spice) in Europe for over 700 years.
One of the main healthful ingredients in turmeric is curcumin (a curcuminoid), which gives turmeric its yellow color.
Western scientists first isolated the curcumin molecule in 1815, obtained its crystalline form in 1870, and determined its overall structure in 1910.
Curcumin can potentially benefit you by:

Promoting your immune system against stress*
Helping maintain your healthy digestive system*
Supporting your healthy bones, joints, and overall skeletal system*
Helping you maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range*
Promoting your healthy blood and liver functions*
How Turmeric Provides Antioxidant Nutrients*

You probably know that antioxidants are important nutrients in supporting your health.
They help you slow down free radical damage that can seriously damage your cells, organs and DNA
Turmeric helps protect your cells -- and  helps you counteract this process with its antioxidant content.*
The antioxidant content within turmeric comes from active compounds called curcuminoids.
These curcuminoids deliver antioxidants that may be:

5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E -- and also stronger than vitamin C
3 times more powerful than grape seed or pine bark extract
Strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical -- considered by many to be the most reactive of all oxidants*
I believe antioxidants are your body's #1 way to neutralize free radicals and help you potentially slow down the signs of normal aging.*
Oxidation by free radicals can damage cells and DNA -- and thus impact your aging process* -- something we all would like to put the brakes on.
Antioxidants are also key nutrients in:
Supporting your memory function*
Promoting your heart health*
Boosting your immune system*
So, I can't say enough about the importance antioxidants play in promoting your overall health.* And turmeric is another excellent source of antioxidants for you.

Why this Herb Can Help Enhance Your Outer Beauty*
Speaking of antioxidant nutrients and their potential to impact the aging process, some of the first aging signs you may see as you get older are changes to your skin.
Well, the organic ingredients found in turmeric can help promote your healthy skin.*
How does it work?
Curcuminoids support important blood and liver functions, healthy joints, and your overall well-being.* This in turn helps promote your radiant, supple skin.*
Turmeric has been considered to be ‘skin food' for thousands of years in India and other cultures.*
Turmeric helps you:
Cleanse your skin and maintain its elasticity*
Provide nourishment to your skin*
Balance the effects of skin flora*

So, turmeric can act as your one-two punch against normal aging with its skin promotion and antioxidant capabilities -- outer beauty and inner purity.*
 
Your Triple-Action Cellular Booster and Adaptogen*
Another potential advantage from turmeric usage involves the smallest living things within you -- your cells.
Turmeric can assist your cells in three ways, by:

Helping you neutralize substances that can cause cellular stress*
Maintaining your cells' integrity when threatened by occasional environmental stressors*
Providing the antioxidants you need to help support your cells against excessive oxidation and free radicals*
And turmeric is also recognized as an adaptogen -- helping to support your body against stress and providing immune system support.*
And turmeric has multiple  uses, including blood cleansing and maintaining healthy skin.*
Turmeric includes the following:
-- promotes your healthy nervous system and helps you cope with discomfort*
-- supports your absorption of vitamins and minerals*
-- helps you in purging out wastes and building healthy blood*
-- promotes the wellness of your circulatory system*
 
13 Ways this Ancient Herb Can Help You
Spice Up Your Life (and Your Health*)
Let me summarize a few of the ways this 100% certified organic-based Turmeric can spice up your whole person:
Boosts your antioxidant protection against free radicals*
Helps promote your healthy skin*
Supports your overall eye health*
Provides you immune system support*
Aids your skeletal system and joint health*
Encourages your healthy liver function*
Helps you maintain healthy cells with support against free radicals*
Balances the health of your digestive system*
Aids you in support of healthy blood and your circulatory system*
Helps you maintain normal cholesterol levels to support your cardiovascular system*
Assists your neurological system's healthy response to stress*
Promotes a healthy female reproductive system*
Helps you maintain blood sugar levels already within the normal range
           -Dr. Mercola.
 

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Try this - season fish or chicken with sea-salt and this turmeric in powder form, before frying! YUM!
Ester.