More Green Power

"Scientific research has discovered that chlorophyll, the green-colored matter (pigment) in plants, has almost the exact molecular structure of hemoglobin in human blood. Chlorophyll in the plants we eat helps build healthy blood in humans by supplying the blood with oxygen, nutrients, and photochemical compounds in plants that protect our body from illness and disease. Through photosynthesis, plants convert sunshine into chemical energy. Photosynthesis is the process by which plant cells make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight. Some scientists believe that photosynthesis is the most important chemical reaction in nature because man depends upon plants to gather the sunshine energy and make it available to us as food. A plant only uses about one-sixth of the sun energy it captures to sustain itself. The remaining five-sixths is stored in chemical bonds, ready for human metabolism to break it down into useful energy. This solar energy is captured and stored by plants as carbohydrates and then released by metabolism of humans making all the work of the body possible." The Genesis Diet, by Gordon Tessler,Ph.D., p. 31.
This book is a recommend.

Read Health With Tongue Analysis

Learning to analyse your own health status can help you along in a detox program or give you incentive to undertake one.
The tongue reveals many health issues. Remember the old stereotype of the doctor who, upon first seeing a patient, always said "stick out your tongue?" A good doctor in times past, before so many computerized tests became the norm, could look at a person's hands, eyes, skin, and tongue and diagnose their condition fairly accurately.
The best time to look at your tongue is in the morning before you drink anything. Look at your tongue in the mirror. Take note of it's color, shape, marks on the surface and contour. A very healthy person has a light pink tongue with no special markings or fuzzy spots or colors. If you have ever noticed the tongue of a very young child, you will know what I mean by light pink and clear of anything else.
Here are a few things to note:

• Impression of teeth around the edge of the tongue usually means malabsorption of nutrients.
• White or grey "fuzzies" in the middle back of the tongue indicates toxins in the colon.
• Yellow to yellow-green patches on both sides near the back part of the tongue may indicate kidney problems.
• Cracks all over the tongue indicate colon trouble.
• A small patch in the middle front of the tongue may indicate a weak heart.
• A coating, white to yellow, covering the tongue indicates toxins in the stomach, large intestine or small intestine.
• A crooked mid-line down the tongue may indicate a deformity in the curvature of the spine.
• Black "fuzzies" in the center toward the back of the tongue indicates serious toxin build-up. (This is most common with smokers and is a warning that both the lungs and the stomach have a dangerous level of toxins.)

When you undertake a detox program, note the condition of your tongue daily. You may see it actually begin to look worse. This is a good sign though that your system is throwing out toxins and its showing on your tongue. As you continue on in the detox your tongue will look clearer and cleaner and your breath will become sweeter.

Simple Detox Plan

If you think you are only ready for a gentle cleanse, here is a simple plan.

• Drink purified or distilled water - 6-8 glasses daily. Add fresh lemon or lime to your water.
• Eat only fruit in the morning. Fruit is cleansing and will help your system throw off the toxins.
• Upon arising in the morning, take 1 TBSP of Barleylife powder (young barley leaf juice powder, see July 25, "The Life Force").
• Take 1 tsp. of Herbal Fiberblend to begin with and increase the amount daily till you are taking 1 TBSP. daily. Mix with water or juice and drink quickly. You probably won't like the taste, but this mix of herbs and fiber gently cleanses the colon and helps rid the body of parasites.
• Eat a large, dark green salad (see July 26 "Get Enzyme Power") for lunch with raw seeds or nut butter. Use a good olive oil/vinegar dressing (like Braggs).
• Eat organic as much as possible.
• Eat raw food snacks like fruit (fresh and dried), veggies with an organic dip, dried nuts.
• Use only organic sprouted grain bread and crackers.
• In the afternoon, take another TBSP of Barleylife or Barleylife X-tra.
• Dinner should be at least 50% raw veggies and the rest lightly steamed or sauteed veggies. For some protein, add a small portion of fish, organic meat, egg or raw milk cheese.
• Drinks can be organic apple juice or herb teas, but stick with the water diligently.

Follow this for one week. Note at the beginning what your weight is, how well you sleep, elimination (or difficulty with it), and what your tongue looks like.
You will notice positive changes right away!
If you are hooked on caffeine, this regimen will help you either give it up or cut back. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, make your drinks half decaf. If you are a soda drinker, it's important to give it up totally. To start, either give it up completely or wean yourself off with only one soda/day.
After a week with mostly raw and some cooked veggies and small amounts of protein, you can stay on it longer for a quicker, deeper cleanse or make some diet alterations.
To read more or order Barleylife or Herbal Fiberblend, click on the link for whole food/herbal supplements.

Come Clean and Detox

I know you've heard it plenty of times - we're living in a society that is full of toxins! Pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals in the soil and water - what have we done to ourselves and our earth?
Well, we humans are also survivors and with some help, our bodies can clean out and rebuild and heal. We truly are, as the psalmist says, "fearfully and wonderfully made." (See "Speaking of Toxins," July 13.)
Plants are our number one tools for cleaning out and healing ourselves. Adding greens to your diet will immediately bring good healing results. But, to do an internal cleanse and give the body the tools it needs to detox, means going further than just eating more greens.
Dr. Bernard Jensen has stated, "life or death begins in the colon." The standard American diet is comprised of refined, processed foods, high in saturated fats, low in fiber, high in sugars and salts. All this indulgence and convenience has cost us our health. So, what to do. Periodic cleanses can be very beneficial, although the most benefit will come about if you are willing to make permanent changes to your diet and lifestyle. How far are you willing to go? When you begin it may seem difficult, but as you keep at it, your body feels better and believe me, it will begin to talk to you and you will know instantly when you bite into something whether it is beneficial or not.
A cleansing program is easy to undertake and does not require that you buy expensive boxed programs. With a little knowledge and old-fashioned will-power, you can do it!
Program coming up!

Kidneys Doing Overtime

You can diagnose a lot about your own health. Many health conditions manifest themselves on the hands, the tongue, the eyes etc.
You can check your kidneys, gallbladder and liver by examining your hands.
Look at the palms of your hands and note their color. If they are reddish with obvious white blotches or dots, you may need to detoxify your system. Your kidneys, gallbladder and liver are being overtaxed.
Although, during pregnancy the above signs are common due to the extra stress put upon the woman's body. It is vital during pregnancy to maintain a healthy diet low in sugar, salt and animal fats, as well as no smoking, no coffee or alcohol and regular exercise along with deep breathing exercises.
Detoxing the system requires a change in diet, drinking more pure water, exercise (to get the blood flowing) and deep breathing exercises.

Longevity Food

This food is very common and easy to be had. You don't have to special order it, it's not some recently discovered "exotic" plant making health claims at a pretty penney, it doesn't taste yukky and it's quite versatile and easy to incorporate into any diet. It's olive oil!
Are you surprised? Well, you shouldn't be, it's been around for thousands of years and only just recently are we "advanced" people just discovering what generations of ancestors always knew.
From earliest times, olive oil has been held in very high regard. The ancient Egyptians revered it, it was the base for the holy anointing oil of the ancient Hebrews, in the New Testament the "good samaritan" poured in "the oil and the wine" to help a victim of assault and battery, it had a very high place in the medical practices of the ancient Romans and of course now we are evaluating it's healing abilities and realizing they are many.
It is a mono-unsaturated oil and has been shown to be an artery protector. It has also been found that in countries where it is a major source of fat in the diet, that the population tended to have more reduced risk of breast, prostate, ovary, and colon cancer.
Mono-unsaturated fats are considered the healthiest fats. Other sources of mono type fats are seafoods, avocados, nuts, canola and peanut oil. By the way, if you suffer from allergies, these kind of fats in your diet will help to lower allergic reactions!
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and is beneficial both internally and externally. It is readily aborbed by the skin and makes a great lotion, but you have to give it a few minutes to be aborbed. Try making your own great skin softner by combining coconut oil and olive oil, massage onto the skin and wait a few minutes. Wonderful hydration.
When you buy olive oil, look for extra-virgin, cold pressed. If it looks cloudy, that's good, it hasn't been filtered. Olive oil is not the best for high heat cooking, so don't use it for that, but it does nicely on salads, sandwiches, on veggies, drizzled over potatoes, etc.
There are so many uses for olive oil. Rub some on and drink some down.

Mean Case of Hiccups

My husband was drinking some sparkling mineral water and suddenly a hiccup binge insued. They wouldn't stop. He tried holding his breath but they soon returned. It turned into a mean case, even disrupting his sleep.
Holding my breath usually works for me. My daughter tells me that if she gets hiccups she bends over and drinks water from a glass, slowly. Well, these two methods only worked temporarily for my husband and then they were back. So I did a little looking around and found this remedy. It's called the"Hughes/Green Hiccups Cure" and this is what you do: (1) Pour a tall glass of water.
(2) Hold your breath and pinch your nose closed. (3) Slowly, take 10-20 swallows of the water... all the while holding your breath and pinching your nose closed. (4) When you can't stand it any longer (you'll know by that feeling that you are going to drown) after a gasp, take a deep breath and relax. They claim this cures the hiccups 99% of the time - "guaranteed!" A second treatment might be necessary for stubborn cases though.
This was the cure for my husband's hiccups.

Sometimes some understanding of the cause of hiccups can help ward them off. Basicly hiccups result from an irritated diaphragm muscle. As it contracts, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to stop the inflow of air and thus the "hiccup."
Some causes are eating too fast, eating too much and drinking bubbly drinks. Sometimes you can feel a hiccup coming on and if you do, then stop chewing/drinking and take a slow deep breath and then chew/drink slowly.
Here are a few other offerings:
Put strong pressure on the collar bones.
Take a teaspoon of honey.
Eat or suck on a piece of ice.
Mix the juice of one lemon in half a glass of water; drink; repeat if the first drink didn't stop the hiccups.
Put a teaspoonful of salt on half a lemon and then suck the juice out of the lemon.
Breathe into a small paper bag that is tightly pressed around your mouth. Or try spreading your arms out like a "T" and take a very deep breath. Repeat several times.
Place a teaspoon of sugar on the tongue and wash it down with a glass of cold water. Another sugar remedy suggests swallowing it dry.
Eat a teaspoon of peanut butter.

Let me know what works for you.

Get ENZYME Power

Enzymes make all the difference in terms of the body’s ability to actually utilize the nutrients found in the food. Because enzymes are so vital to not only the breakdown of nutrients but also the effective metabolism of nutrients, no amount of bottled vitamins and minerals will be able to effect our health the way just good fresh food and juices will. Enzymes digest the food, enzymes break the food down, enzymes carry the nutrients to the cells, then the cells take all these nutrients and build bones, teeth, heart, etc. Our standard American diet is killing us. We are digging our graves one spoonful at a time unless we change our ways.

There is a good and simple way to add more enzyme power to your diet. Studies done on young cereal grasses have shown them to be virtual enzyme factories. They contain proteases, amylases, and lipases. (For instance, proteases help us heal faster by reducing inflammation and breaking up debris in the injured area.) If the enzymes are not destroyed by processing, they can continue to function in the proper conditions even after the plant is harvested.

The most potent and balanced of all the cereal grasses has been shown to be young leaves of barley. In the book “Green Barley Essence,” by Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, MD, he explains his quest to find a single food source that would offer the most healing virtues and balanced nutrients. After much research, he selected the young leaves of barley. He then developed a patented process to extract the goodness of young barley leaves by first juicing the leaves right as they are harvested and then spray-drying the juice all at temperatures no higher than 98 degrees.

The AIM companies produce an excellent barley leaf powder using this same patented process. It is called Barleylife. I've used this product for years and even my grand children like taking it. It's also a business of mine, because they are a good company that way too, and I prefer being able to work at home.
Aim takes great care with their products. The plants are grown in a pristine environment, and harvested when young and only in the morning when the plants have stored within them the most nutrients. Barleylife is full of enzymes, chlorophyll and a host of other vital phytonutrients. “It is the fact that barley juice powder is ‘living’ that makes the difference,” Dr. Hagiwara said. “I can hardly express how happy and excited I was when I succeeded in preserving its nutrients alive.” You can visit this web-site if you'd like to learn more : www.myaimstore.com/livewell.

Enzymes - The Life Force

There are thousands of different enzymes. Enzymes are usually defined as protein substances produced by living cells. But there seems to be much more to them than that. Enzymes have been studied since the early 1900’s, and although there has been a flurry of research on them in recent years, we are only just beginning to understand their importance and function. Enzymes function on two levels, chemical and biological. Chemically , they are the dynamos that drive metabolism to use the nutrients we take in. The chemical part can be synthesized by chemists. But it’s the biological part that is so fascinating. That part can not be synthesized. Here’s why. It’s life force, pure life energy. Only creator God can make that! Without the life force of enzymes, we would be only a pile of lifeless chemicals.

Humbart Santillo, in his book, “Food Enzymes: The Missing Link to Radiant Health,” uses the example of a light bulb to explain this mystery of enzyme activity. Just as a light bulb is just a carrier of an electrical current, so also a protein molecule is only a carrier of the enzyme activity. He explains, “An enzyme is the electromagnetic energy that manifests itself in a protein molecule that controls the chemical and biochemical processes of life…pure energy.”

We have two sources of enzymes, one is the enzyme store already resident in each of us, and the other is the food we eat. Each of us is born with a certain amount of enzyme energy at birth. As we age, this internal store becomes diminished. By the age of 60 a person will have 50% fewer enzymes than they did at age 30. As we age we use up our store of enzymes, and therefore experience lack of energy, disease and aging. The faster an enzyme supply is used up, the shorter the life-span will be. But, this out-flow of vital enzyme energy can be slowed. We can determine that by the food we eat. Only food that is in its fresh, raw state is going to have the enzyme activity that will benefit our health. The enzymes in food begin to be destroyed at a temperature of 118 degrees F. Enzymes are amazing little powerhouses that can perform complicated chemical reactions within the body at only room temperatures and are not changed or destroyed within the body, even in digestion. So, eating fresh fruits and vegetables daily is vital to optimum health. Carefully dehydrated fruits and vegetables also preserve the enzymes of the food in a dormant state. The enzymes can then be awakened when moisture, either through water or saliva, is introduced.
It just shows there is a lot to be said for a raw food diet, or at least a mostly raw food diet.

Hens and Greens

If you've ever raised chickens, you know that they really prefer to peck around an open yard rather than stay in their pen with chicken feed. I've gotten my best eggs with the deepest yellow yolks, when my hens could just graze in the grassy yard. They were getting their greens!

All of that chlorophyll from the young shoots of grass was making them into good layers. I discovered also that there has been some research on the matter of hens and chlorophyll. It's recorded in a book entitled, "Cereal Grass," put out by the Wilderness Community Education Foundation. A Dr. Charles Schnabel, in 1928, was experimenting with various nutrient supplements looking for one that would increase the egg production of hens. He noticed that when the hens were fed with just 10% of young cereal grasses, their egg production rose from the average 38% to an incredible 94%.

Futher research as recorded in the book, was done by Dr. George Kohler, of the University of Wisconsin. He found that summer milk from cows (grazing in pastures) was much more nutrient dense than the winter milk. Feeding this milk to small lab animals, he found that those fed the summer milk thrived and those fed the winter (grain and hay fed) milk did poorly and often were sick and died. (What does this say about most dairy milk found on super market shelves?! Give me the pasture fed cow milk please. Which means organic.)

Chlorophyll is truly amazing. It has been called the "blood of green foods." Chlorophyll molecules are little energy factories taking sunlight and converting it into chemical energy the plant can use. It has remarkable healing properties. It has been shown to accelerate wound healing, encourage the synthesis of new blood, protects against toxic chemicals and radiation and the list goes on.

Hmm, does it make you want to eat your veggies?

Maximize Overall Health with a Highly Antioxidant, Enzyme-Rich Green Drink Mix

We are all aware of the growing body of evidence that connects fruit and vegetable consumption with optimal health. Our fast-paced lifestyle often prohibits us from eating as healthy as we should. In addition, our ability to absorb the nutrients in fruits and vegetables is often impaired by factors such as age, poor digestion or other nutrient-blocking factors in the foods we eat. Consequently, finding ways to supplement our fruit and vegetable intake is crucial.

The latest 2005 USDA dietary guidelines now recommend a wide variety of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily for “average” women and 9 per day for “average” men. As calorie requirements increase, recommendations go as high as 13 servings for those larger and more active than average. In fact, the National Cancer Society admits that the “5-A-Day” gospel was just the bare minimum.

Despite the well-known benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, adherence to the USDA guidelines is low in the US. Indeed the new USDA 2005 guidelines recommend a 50 percent increase in vegetable intake, a 150 percent increase in fruits, a 250 percent increase in orange colored fruits and vegetables, and a 350 percent increase in dark greens!

The news that we, as a nation, are falling very far short is disturbing. Scientific studies have found those who eat 7 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day suffer from a much lower incidence of the common chronic degenerative diseases of aging as compared to those who eat only 2 or 3 servings per day. (The Standard American Diet can, MAYBE, at best, come up with the latter amount of servings. Try reading the "The Crazy Makers," by Carol Simontacchi.)

So the studies report that our compliance, when it comes to eating the correct amount of fruits and vegetables, is very poor. It is routinely reported that only 1 in 5 adults follow the USDA’s old minimum “5-A-Day” advice and even less children do. (Some reports say 2 in 5 adults attain the minimum, but that was before the potato was moved from a vegetable to a grain, so French fries are no longer counted.)
According to The Products for Better Health State of the Plate Report, “No other food commodity (fruits and vegetables) – especially one with such importance to disease prevention – has a gap this large between recommended and actual intake." Another eye-opening report is the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. After gathering evidence from 1994-2004, the report concluded, “A significant gap in the variety of fruit and vegetable intake was also found, which does not allow for an optimal or even near-optimal intake of antioxidant (and other) nutrients needed to protect against... ‘killer’ diseases.”

We live in a culture of fast pace, "no time to cook" lifestyles. That's why taking green powder drink is a good safe-guard for your health and your family's health. AIM Barleylife is a potent green drink powder made from young barley leaf juice and processed at very low temperatures to ensure that the enzymes and phytonutrients are intact. They also make a product called Redi- Beets and Just Carrots, so you can add them to your diet and be assured of getting your daily veggies. You can order at Livewell AIM Products
Remember, eat your veggies!

Speaking of Toxins

Deep breathing is a practice that should be done daily and especially when stress starts creeping up. Deep breathing exercises help to rid the body of toxins. Toxins are nasty. They build up over time and can find a lodging place in almost any part of the body. We breathe toxins, we eat and drink toxins. It almost seems hopeless, except for the fact that the body is a marvelous working organism, designed for life and self healing.
You can help your body rid itself of its toxic load. Here are some suggestions:

• Deep breathing exercises.
• Drink plenty of clean water (spring or filtered), about 6-8 glasses/day.
• Go for a walk or other exercise.
• Eat a large, fresh, green salad every day (more on fuel later).
• Use herbs to help your colon cleanse itself. (Your body can't utilize what it can't absorb.)

More to be said on colon cleansing and herbs.

Humming and Breathing Deeply

There seems to be a lot more to good health and vitality than just diet and exercise. Probably the number one contributor to poor health is stress. Stress causes indigestion, constricts breathing, increases blood pressure, contributes to insomnia, constipation and many other common disorders that if not attended lead to auto-immune diseases etc. Hmmm. Just stop and take some deep breaths, close your eyes and picture something pleasant, even for a few seconds. There, you've just put up a defense against the stress onslaught. Every time you take a deep breathing break you strengthen your body's energy resources. Get the air in and get the toxins out.
Stress usually creeps up on the back of your neck and spreads down the back of your shoulders. According to Asian Indian medicine, this is where most cold and sickness viruses enter. Roll your shoulders and practice deep breathing breaks. Don't suffer from oxygen starvation. Your whole immune system will suffer if you neglect this vital force. No matter what the situation, stand or sit up straight and take some deep breaths and break the back of stress.