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Archive for August, 2010

I Hate Germs!

Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics Test plate

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Everybody does! And the answer is not using petroleum-based or synthetic sanitizing agents to eradicate these germs(whether they’re in our bodies or the environment).It’s like throwing fuel into the fire. Anyway, you must have read about the article on NaturalNews.com regarding how antibiotics are practically becoming useless. This study was published by the journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases. What has led to this problem is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics (such as what happens when antibiotics are doled out like candy even for viral infections). Then, there’s the use of antibiotics on animal feed to fatten up the poor animals. These practices have led to resistance to practically all antibiotics and unless new ones are discovered ASAP, then we’re SOL. A different approach, instead of rushing to find more “weapons” against these microbes, is to strengthen overall immunity. With a strong immune system, these bugs are kept at bay and unless there’s a triggering event, they usually stay harmless. Take note that people who catch the flu bug don’t all get sick. It’s usually those with poor immune systems who get really sick and suffer from complications. What are the things we can do to strengthen the immune system? It all goes back to the basics which includes nutritious food, adequate pure water intake, deep breathing, stress reduction, having the right attitude and last but not least, spirituality. What about natural antibiotics? Check out my next blog entry…..

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Environment, News, Tips

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Toxic!

Danger

Back in school, I never understood why the cause (or etiology) of a lot of chronic medical conditions (such as cancer or autoimmune diseases) was unknown or idiopathic. Perhaps, we were not taught to look deeply enough at that time. For whatever reason, it doesn’t make sense to just treat symptoms with synthetic drugs (or even natural ones). It’s always better to look for the cause or causes of illness and address those while also treating symptoms with the appropriate remedies. Otherwise, if the cause/causes are not addressed properly, the illness tends to return and get worse with time. One of the more common causes of chronic degenerative diseases are heavy metal toxins (other causes such as nutritional deficiencies and neurotoxins will be discussed later). These include mercury, lead, arsenic, aluminum, and cadmium among many others. Where do we get them from? Practically everywhere. Indoors and outdoors. It’s from our food, air and water. It’s found in natural and synthetic products. You don’t even have to try hard to get exposed to them. Guess what? Even babies are born with heavy metals present in their system. What are the overall effects of these toxins? Basically, they could deposit in any part of the body, particularly those fatty areas (since these metals are lipophilic) including the nervous system. They would then interfere with physiological processes by causing free radical damage as well as inflammation. It’s always a good idea to screen who presents with vague symptoms (or anyone for that matter, for preventive purposes) for heavy metal toxicity. Screening for heavy metals could be done through the blood, urine, hair and actual tissue samples. There are pros and cons to each type of specimen used for screening, of course. I recommend working with a holistic health care practitioner versed in detoxification or chelation therapy if levels are found to be elevated.

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on August 21, 2010

Drink Milk, Not!

Espace Opéra Milk

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Drinking milk has always been thought of as a healthy thing. I remember as a kid, almost being forced into drinking my glass of milk. I was really stubborn then and I’m glad I was. Being of Asian heritage, it doesn’t make sense to drink milk because most of us (and for that matter, people of African descent as well) are lactose-intolerant. Even organic milk won’t work if you’re lactose intolerant. Besides, there’s so much “stuff” in regular milk that you may not want to drink it. Among these include antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. What’s fed to commercially-farmed animals ends up in their body fluids (and that includes their milk). Anyway, one of the reasons they’re promoting it widely is because of it’s benefit of improving bone density because of it’s calcium content. But, there’s more to healthy bones than taking calcium alone. A preferable source of calcium would be green, leafy vegetables. But of course, it’s not “cool” to promote veggies in large media advertising campaigns. See how they use celebrities with milk in their upper lips? How many of them actually drink milk? What about celebrities with green plant material between their teeth suggesting that they’re eating veggies? Won’t that be a funny picture? I heard one of my mentors several years ago talking to his obese client jokingly. Why do you need (cow’s) milk? Is your mother a cow? Don’t you know that milk is probably making you fat? Funny, but it’s true. One of the results of food sensitivities is weight gain but that another topic we have to discuss in the future. One more thing to think about is that we’re the only mammals that drink milk in their adulthood. Is there a reason why other creatures don’t drink milk in their adulthood? Just wondering…..

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Opinions, Random Thoughts

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Just Breathe….

Fresh Air Breathing Exercises

It seems like a very simplistic advise but breathing can actually help a lot of conditions, not just lung problems. Breathing, before anything else, is much more than the intake of oxygen or the release of carbon dioxide. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed that during the process of breathing, your brain actually scans what’s going on in the rest of the body. When a person breathes in a shallow manner, then they’re not able to fully scan their body. When that happens, the central computer (our brains) cannot do it’s job of coordinating what goes on in the rest of the body. Such is the interconnectedness of the mind and body that the concept that each part of the body functions independently is crap, for the lack of a better word. Breathing is very important. Unfortunately, we often take this for granted. We sometimes focus too much on diet or hydration, to the detriment of learning proper breathing techniques. Although we may last for weeks without food or a few days without water, there’s only a few precious minutes that we can survive without (breathing) air. It’s important to take deep, diaphragmatic breaths (similar to that of a baby’s). Benefits include lowered stress levels, better sleep, and overall better health. Now, take some deep breaths ……

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I’ve got a headache!

Open bottles of Extra Strength Tylenol and Ext...

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Headaches are not fun at all. I’m not the one who would take medications right away though. However, I’ll probably use them as a last resort (of course, after I exhaust all the natural remedies available). The usual treatment for headaches would either be Tylenol or Advil or other anti-inflammatory agents (and in case of migraine headaches, ergot alkaloid agents). Natural pain-relief agents include feverfew and petadolex. They’re generally effective for symptom relief. Some lose their effectiveness over time, especially if the cause or causes are not addressed properly. There are different causes of headaches and they include the following: chronic dehydration, stress, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, structural disorders, visual causes, metabolic disorders, and rarely, tumors. I’ll discuss the more common, easily treatable causes. Dehydration, of course could be easily corrected. ideally, a person needs to drink half of their body weight in ounces, more so if they’re active and sweating. Stress could be addressed by taking vitamins (B complex and C), minerals (Magnesium, Zinc), and adaptogens (ashwagandha, rhodiola). Meditation, massage therapy and prayer all do help. Hormonal imbalances could also be a culprit (progesterone deficiency in women). Nutrient deficiencies including that of magnesium (natural vasodilator and muscle relaxant) and essential fatty acids (anti-inflammatory) could also cause headaches. Food sensitivities can trigger headaches as well. If a person knows what they’re sensitive or allergic to, it’s best to avoid them. Otherwise, address the cause of food sensitivities such as a “leaky gut.” Finally, metabolic disorders such as hypoglycemia can also be a cause of headaches. In summary, addressing the root causes of illness yields better, longer-lasting results than just symptomatic treatment alone.

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