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.