Healthful thoughts
This section aims to provide some healthful thoughts and ideas that are often neglected, forgotten or overlooked in our day-to-day life when the issue of health keeps preempted by other priorities in our life. While it is not intended to serve as any form of medical advice to any type of disease, it is my humble wish that some of you out there will start to make more informed choices to improve your health and well-being by reconnecting with nature.
Bowel cleanliness
A clean bowel is the foundation of good health. The small intestine is where part of the digestion and absorption take place. The large intestine is responsible for the final digestive processes and elimination. Normally, it takes 18 hours for food to go through the body and be eliminated. Insufficient bowel movements and too little fiber and bulk in feces may often be associated with many health problems, such as gallbladder disorders, heart problems, varicose veins, appendictis, clotting in the deep veins, hiatal hernia, diverticulosis, arthritis and cancer of the colon.
Root causes of sickness
Nutrient deficiencies and internal toxicities are the main reasons why people are getting sick. Nutrients come from food that is bred by nature, synthesized by sunlight, water, oxygen and organic compounds; not from artificially-made packaged food that are loaded with chemicals. Toxins can be created and accumulated in our body due to external and internal factors. By providing the right nutrients to the body and optimizing our detoxification systems, we are able to build a strong immune system that leads to good health.
Probiotics
Our intestines, small and large, are residence of more than 400 different species of micro flora or bacteria. Friendly bacteria such as lactobacilli or bifidobacteria, keep the disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli, H. pylori and salmonella in check. Maintaining balance among our intestinal inhabitants (85% good bacteria, 15% bad bacteria) by limiting the use of antibiotics and eating probiotics-rich food (live-cultured yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso) are extremely important in aiding digestion, nutrient absorption and overall health.
Water matters
Water is the next most essential nutrient we need to survive after oxygen. The human body is composed of approximately 75% water and 25% solid matter and the brain tissue is said to consist of 85% water. We need water to regulate temperature, carry nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushion the joints, help dissolve nutrients, flush out toxins, and many more. Dehydration can sap your energy, affect mental alertness, decrease work capacity and is associated with many illnesses such as angina, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, colitis, constipation, edema, gout, headaches (including migraine), high blood pressure, ulcers, obesity, fatigue, osteoporosis, forgetfulness, and neck, muscle and back pain. Don’t wait until you get thirsty to drink; by then, you’ve been dehydrated for too long. Drink at least 8 glasses of pure, filtered water.
Chlorella is a complete food
Chlorella is probably one of the most ancient foods that has the most health-building benefits. This 2.5 billion-year-old, single-celled algae is considered as a complete food because it contains 58.4% protein, 23.2% carbohydrates, all of the B vitamins, vitamins A, C, E and K, amino acids, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, iodine and the highest percentage of chlorophyll of any known plant source. The chlorophyll in chlorella can help speed the cleansing of the bloodstream. Chlorella is very high in nucleic acids, the DNA and RNA and has been found to protect against the effects of ultraviolet radiation.
Antioxidants
In order to understand how antioxidants work, we have to learn about the story of free radicals. A free radical is an incomplete molecule, which makes it very unstable. Free radicals attack other molecules and steal their electrons to keep stability. This process is damaging to the second molecule, which becomes a free radical itself. The generation of free radicals is a natural process for all living organisms. They are produced through breathing, digesting, and reacting to outside environmental factors such as excessive sunlight, tobacco smoke, preservatives, pesticides, chemicals, air pollution and stress. Free radicals attack the retina, muscles, joints, cell membranes, the lining of the coronary arteries as well as the genetic material, - DNA.
Antioxidants-rich diet
Always choose whole food as your main source of nutrients before considering supplementary sources. Vitamin A, C and E are some of the most widely known antioxidants found in bright color fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin are the pigments that give the fruits and vegetables their color. That’s why we need to include a rainbow color of food in our diet. Dark green vegetables are a significant source of provitmain A carotene and so are other yellow, orange, red and purple fruits and vegetables such as spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams and squash.
Connect your mind
"If you connect your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place." - Lao-tzu
Believe
"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible." - Rich Devos
No worry. Be Happy
Healing begins with happy and healthy thoughts. When you are happy, everything works better – you are more productive at work; you are more friendly with people; you are more passionate about your partner; most importantly, you love yourself more. Research shows that laughter helps boost the immune system by increasing igA antibody, B cells and gamma interferon (the immune system’s frontline defense against viruses) as well as reduce dangerous stress hormones like cortisol.
Fiber
Include both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet as they play different roles in the digestive system. Found in apples in the form of pectin or the gooey stuff in cooked oatmeal, soluble fiber binds to excess cholesterol, estrogen and toxins for elimination out of the body. Insoluble fiber like bran and psyllium, acts as a bulky agent that pushes waste through the intestines at the appropriate rate. Fiber is essential to the health of our bowel, which directly affects the absorption of nutrients.
Bowel difficulties
Intestinal toxemia and autointoxication (a condition caused by poisonous substances produced within the body) are direct results of intestinal constipation, which is a condition overlooked by many people. If the digested food cannot get out of the body within a reasonable time, the food residues that remain in the intestines will putrefy and form toxic substances that results in intestinal toxemia. Constipation not only lowers the body’s resistance, but also predisposes the body to many acute illnesses and causes many chronic degenerative diseases.
Spring Clean-up
As the season changes, we need to pay attention to our body’s nutritional needs so that we can prepare ourselves for the change in weather and shifts in life. Spring is the purification season, which is the best time to cleanse the body for better energy support and nutrient absorption for the coming season. Start each day with 1 or 2 glasses of purified water with lemon as well as some stretching exercises. Try to lighten the diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking more liquids. Consider a thorough detoxification program or master cleanse to rejuvenate your cells after the long cold winter.
Go naked …
… with your mind so that you can be with your true self. Listen to what your heart has to say and make peace with yourself. Being true to yourself is to leave all forms of judgments and criticisms behind, see yourselfas the created, then the pure love and light that resides within you will reveal itself. Love is the greatest of all.
All minds are joined.
All minds are joined. Whatever thoughts we hold toward others we are holding about ourselves as well. - Marianne Williamson
The root of many health problems …
One of the ways to improve health is to cut down on your sugar consumption, especially refined sugar. Secretly hidden in most of the processed or packaged food, sugar is one of the over-consumed substance that severely depress our immune system and increase the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, varicose veins, kidney disorders, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, migraine headaches and high blood pressure. Under the influence of sugar, the white blood cells are paralyzed and rendered ineffective for at least five hours. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are even worse as they are extremely toxic to the nervous system.
Enzymes – our biological catalysts
Enzymes are catalysts that speed up specific chemical reactions in the living cell, where molecules are broken down and formed. There are basically three types of enzymes:
- metabolic enzymes control the metabolic rate by taking proteins, fats and carbohydrates to build and carry out the normal functions of the body and repair any damaged organs and tissues;
- digestive or pancreatic enzymes are secreted by the pancreas and are needed to digest food – proteases digest proteins; amylases digest carbohydrates; and lipases digest fats;
- food or plant enzymes from raw food, start food digestion but only work within specific pH and temperature range. When the body is enzyme-deficient, it is prone to many health problems such as digestive disorders, heart diseases, obesity, cancer, endocrine disorder and many degenerative diseases.
More about enzymes
Without enzymes, life cannot be sustained because they are necessary for many physiological processes such as digestion, energy production, blood coagulation, and excitation and contraction of neuromuscular tissue. Enzymes are large protein molecules and are destroyed by cooking, ultra violet radiation, pasteurization, concentrated acids, bases, heavy metal ions (such as lead, arsenic, or mercury), and alcohol. Some enzymes require a cofactor or coenzyme to carry out the action. Most coenzymes are derived from vitamins such as most of the B vitamins. Minerals such as zinc, iron and copper function as cofactors for some enzymes. Over-taxing the body to produce digestive enzymes can reduce its ability to produce metabolic enzymes because the body sometimes may convert metabolic enzymes to digestive enzymes at times of need.
Sugar is anything but sweet to your health
The difference between refined and raw sugar is that the refining process removes 93% of the chromium, 89% of manganese, 98% of cobalt, 83% of copper, 98% of zinc and 98% of the magnesium, all of which are essential for the normal functioning of our system. Sugar is also disguised under names such as molasses, maple syrup, sucanat, fructose, glucose, honey, barley malt syrup, rice syrup, amasake, etc. Brown sugar is just white sugar plus molasses. Unless it is organic, the unrefined raw sugar also contains various contaminants. The immune system is depressed under the influence of sugar because the immune cells are unable to march around the body fighting invaders.
Magnesium – nature’s tranquilizer/relaxant
Being one of the most deficient minerals in modern day people, magnesium takes part in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including those related to our detoxification pathways and energy production. Its importance is commonly overshadowed by calcium when it comes to bone formation or osteoporosis but in fact, about 60% of the magnesium in the body is in bone, 26% in muscle, and the remainder in soft tissue and body fluids. Since magnesium has been referred to as “nature’s calcium channel blocker”, it is necessary to keep a good balance between calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals such as potassium and sodium. People who tend not to relax well or hot-headed and excitable people who use their intellect too intensely can definitely benefit from a magnesium-rich diet.
More about magnesium
Magnesium and calcium, in combination with phosphorus, are essential for the formation of bones, teeth and several other structures of the body. Both magnesium and calcium are involved in the contraction of muscles and regulation of heart beat. Magnesium deficiency is very common among populations who consume large quantity of processed foods and little amount of whole foods, which are the main source of our life-enhancing vitamins and minerals. Foods high in magnesium include all green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, beet greens, mustard greens, as well as kelp, wheat germ, and nuts and seeds such as almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts and English walnuts.
The sunshine vitamin that goes beyond bone-building
Vitamin D is both a fat-soluble vitamin and a hormone that help to keep calcium and phosphorus in the bones by increasing calcium absorption and decreasing its excretion via the kidneys. Dr. Abram Hoffer, the forerunner of orthomolecular medicine, pointed out that chronic vitamin D deficiency may cause an increased risk of high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, cancer (of the colon, prostate, breast, skin and ovary), and diabetes. Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol is the form we and other animals make and is proved to be the more efficiently utilized form than D2 or ergocalciferol that is found in plant source and the synthetic, irradiated ergocalciferol found in many vitamin D-fortified products.
Embrace your magnificence
Self love is the origin of all forms of healing because only when you recognize the magnificence of your true self can you allow the universal life force to flow through and reprogram your cell biology for healing to take place. "If everyone were aware of their magnificence, then we'd no longer be driven by fear," said Anita Moorjani, who shares her near-death experience in her book Dying To Be Me, which depicts her journey back to the physical world after being told that her body - after fighting cancer for almost four years - began shutting down.
Love yourself unconditionally
Your magnificence is not defined by your accumulations or possessions, accomplishments, appearance, race, religion, skin or any of the worldly matter; it is who you are and how you feel about yourself that matters. As the children of God, we are loved for who we are because we are part of the Divine Source who is also the creator of all. Self love not only gives us the energy to thrive in life, but also empowers us to help and serve others. We can’t give what we don’t have. With unconditional self love, we are able to extend our love to our neighbor – the humankind, without judgment. Realizing that we are all connected means that there is no separation between us and the Universe. We are One and we are Whole, regardless of our physical difference. Our physical illness is a manifestation of our sick emotions and feelings about ourselves. Mind virus is hundred times more destructive than physical virus.
Cancer doesn’t kill; fear does …
Don’t let anyone instill fear in your mind by telling you that you are in the terminal stage of an illness and are left with so many months to live or it takes at least 18 months for you to recover from your illness. The lack of hope is toxic to the mind and impairs the body’s ability to heal. Fear is the deadliest emotion that creates stress and triggers the HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal) system, which is one of the protection systems against external threats. In the book “The Biology of Belief”, Dr. Bruce Lipton writes, “when the brain’s hypothalamus perceives an environmental threat, it engages the HPA axis by sending a signal to the pituitary gland, the “Master Gland,” which is responsible for organizing the fifty trillion cells of the community to deal with the impending threat. … When the HPA axis mobilizes the body for fight or flight response, the adrenal hormones directly repress the action of the immune system to conserve energy reserves.”
The heart-protective nutrient that can be depleted by blood pressure and cholesterol drugs
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), is an essential component of the mitochondria, which is the energy producing unit of the cells of the body. CoQ10 can be likened to the spark plug in a car engine, without which the car cannot function. The body’s ability to synthesize CoQ10 declines with age and can be impaired by nutritional deficiencies, genetic or acquired defects in CoQ10 synthesis, increased tissue needs or long term use of blood pressure or cholesterol lowering drugs. It is also a powerful antioxidant that is noted for its heart-protective, antiviral, antibacterial and antitumor properties. The fat-soluble CoQ10 is also known as ubiquinone and can be easily converted to the active form, ubiquinol for people under 25 years of age. It is generally recommended that for people who are over 40 years old, it may be more beneficial to take ubiquinol, which is better absorbed.
Self love
“Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now are the keys to positive changes.” – You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
Forgiveness
“Forgiveness enables a person to release buried anger, resentment, bitterness, shame, grief, regret, guilt, hate, and other toxic emotions that hide deep in the soul and make a person ill – both emotionally and physically. Forgiveness releases layers of hurt and heals the raw, jagged edges of emotional pain. Saying ‘I forgive’ is like taking an emotional shower – forgiveness cleanses and frees the entrapped soul.”– Deadly Emotions by Don Colbert, M.D.
Eye as a mirror of your general health
We all know that “the eye is the window to the soul.” In fact, we can go further by saying that the eye is the mirror of health. If more of us are aware of the profound relationship between the eye and the brain, which is the master control centre of our health, we will not be surprised to find out why dry eyes are often associated with arthritis and poor circulation and a weak heart can cause macular degeneration.
The eye develops in the embryo as a protrusion of the forebrain and thus, is an extension of the brain. Through the nervous system, the eye is connected to various organs and tissues of the body. We must recognize that any disease, including eye disease, does not happen overnight. What we call disease is merely a symptom of a deeper imbalance in the body as a whole. It takes time for the body to lose its self-healing abilities and manifest itself as a form of “dis-ease.” Most chronic and acute conditions are a combination of nutrient deficiencies, internal toxicity, emotional stress, psychological disharmony, environmental effects and heredity.
