The Benefits of Fasting and Detoxing!

Today we live in a convenience age. You can save time by eating fast food and you can get better by taking a quick acting pill. But chronic diseases are on the upsurge and there appears to be a veritable epidemic of cancer. It seems in this age of McDonald’s health is degenerating. Could there be a connection I wonder? If we were to take a minute to look back at history we would see that something altogether not convenient has been around for several thousand years, and that is fasting. Fasting, or forgoing food is the world’s most ancient and natural healing procedure. When animals feel unwell they stop eating and rest. They know something that humans appear to have forgotten; they know that, by ceasing eating, the body triggers a very powerful cleansing process. This ‘cleanse’ reaches down into every cell and produces truly remarkable therapeutic results.

What happens when you fast? After 24 hours of zero food intake the digestive system no longer has anything to do. Digestive enzymes that usually drain a lot of the body’s energy to accomplish their task ,travel not to the stomach but to the intestines and into the bloodstream, where they gobble up waste matter which comprises decaying and moribund cells, metabolic refuse and other pollutants. At the same time as this cleanse is taking place organs and glands get an unaccustomed holiday; this break gives them an opportunity to purify and rejuvenate. Altogether this operation results in enhanced immune system function which at the end of the day means that health is restored and illness killed off. Benjamin Franklin said long ago “the best form of all medicines is rest and fasting.”

Main stream opinion today tends to dismiss this health-promoting trend as a “faddy and New Age” movement which has scant health benefit. As we have already said there is nothing new age about it at all as it has been around for a very long time. Hippocrates according to some, claims to be the father of modern medicine. His sensible motto provides the backbone to the ‘The Hippocratic Oath’ to which all doctors swear. This is “do no harm”. He prescribed abstinence from food while a disease was on the increase and particularly so as it approached the healing crisis. Moreover, another piece of wisdom from the same source was ‘eat sparsely at all times”. Unlike some pharmaceuticals, none of these practices do harm. Essentially it is a good idea to leave the table with room for a little more, and follow the very sound advice recommended by our grandmothers “feed a cold and starve a fever.”

More recently both Dr. Kelly and Dr. Roderigo suggested that all diseases begin in the intestinal tract. By cleaning the intestines you get rid of the toxins which are the main components of this form of unwellness. Fasting and cleansing with the help of enemas and colonics have become increasingly more popular with those truly anxious to bring their health up to speed. Such treatments have been heartily embraced by people like the Swedes and more and more clinics are popping up in both Europe and  the United States.

Back in the early 1990s, centres specialising in this form of cleansing took root on Koh Samui which was at the time, a much favoured destination of back-packers.  The first Resort to appear was “Spa Samui” in Lamai. The brainchild of American Guy Hopkins and his Thai wife, Toy. It offered a de-tox programme at a reasonable price and immediately became popular with the young people who were coming to the island. It still is popular and d has been featured in major newspaper articles as well as television documentaries. Others under the influence of the model of Spa Samui, followed. For instance Health Oasis Resort situated in picturesque Bang Por arrived on the scene in 1997. As time unfolded it seems the original backpackers joined the corporate workforce, becoming more affluent themselves; they were able to spread their health message to wealthier friends and colleagues who thirsted after a more comfortable detoxing experience. Thus the luxurious Kamalaya came into being, whilst others were to follow a similar model.  Not to be outdone the brand name resorts that began to spring up in more recent times, all offered spa facilities and some even embarked on the detox route. Some are located in very beautiful and peaceful settings.  It goes without saying that some are a lot better than others. Health Ambit Consultancy has great experience in this industry and would be more than happy to recommend a resort that suits your own particular needs.

Alister Bredee

“Iodine if you don’t know where, what and why, prescribe ye then K& I.” (old medical saying)

"In clinical practice, the number of women easily identifiable as thyroid deficient has grown to epidemic proportions. Many have gone to their Doctors, have had the standard test; are re-assured they are fine, but are not. It seems the test is unreliable. Dr. David Brownstein in his book; “Iodine why you need it, why you can’t live without it”, quotes from a NHAES study showing iodine levels in the USA have dropped by 50% over the thirty years spanning from 1970 until 2000. Iodine plays a key role in thyroid health. More frighteningly he also points out low iodine levels in pregnant women have increased by 690%. Something is wrong, and we need to ask what!

In spite of massive spending on health care; money that mostly goes on pharmaceutical products, overall health is declining. True, acute disease has lessened significantly, but chronic illness has risen. Maybe, many of the things we are told that are beneficial for us, are not! As a population, we have been misinformed, but why? Most people have never heard of the Georgia Guidestones. The structure, also known as “The American Stonehenge”, is located in Elberton, Georgia. The center cluster of the stones was erected in 1980; the site is dedicated to, “The Age of Reason”. On the tablets are written ten guidelines in eight different languages. The first principle states: “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” Today, the world’s population is a little over seven billion; to reach half a billion requires culling six and a half billion! Conspiracy theorists tell you this is the intention of the Illuminati or New World Order. As I consider the drastic consequences of poor health, it seems that the conspiracy theorists might be right after all!

We were told the thyroid problem was solved by the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s. Women, who lived remote from iodine rich soil, usually found near the life-giving influence of the sea, suffered thyroid enlargement. As the deficient gland had to overwork it increased in size producing a strangulating goiter. They found adding a 5% potassium iodine solution to table salt, gave just enough iodine to prevent goiters growing, but not enough to remedy more subtle thyroid dysfunctions. Sadly, the refining also removed most of the minerals in sea salt. Table salt is now found widely around the world. Seventy-nine percent of households in Thailand, for example, use it.
Until 1950 underactive thyroid was treated with iodine supplementation. No, this is not the product you buy in the pharmacy to dab on wounds! This form is poisonous because it contains alcohol which must never be ingested. Instead, Iodine and its relative iodide are available in liquid and tablet variety. The popularity of iodine, hit a brick wall when the “Wolff-Chaikoff” study emerged from the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. It flew in the face of contemporary thinking; stating any iodine intake in excess of 2 mgs was excessive and potentially harmful. They claimed greater amounts caused hypothyroidism. This was not a scientific fact because hormone levels were never measured to support the argument. This warning then entered the annals of medical knowledge. So Doctors stopped prescribing iodine for thyroid conditions.
The other successful treatment option is by means of protomorphogens this translates as a substance taken from an animal source, normally porcine. Armor Labs have been producing their animal derived extract from as early as the 1930s. When the pharmaceutical companies started producing synthetic thyroid extract in the late 1950s, they swamped the market. Physicians stopped prescribing the natural thyroid extract: now it is pretty difficult to find.
At the same time, bromide ingestion has grown tremendously. Bromide is an iodine antagonist. It is to be found in soft drinks, white bread, toothpaste, fluoridated drinking water, beauty products and hair dyes. Up until the 1970s potassium iodide was added to bread, thanks to Wolff-Chaikoff the practice ceased; it was replaced by potassium bromide. No wonder the thyroid problem has blown up like a balloon. Oh, I haven’t mentioned increased radiation levels either! There is also the question of fluoride and chlorine added to drinking water. These halogens are iodine antagonists, too!
In view of all of this information, everybody needs to increase iodine intake. Eating Wakame seaweed is an excellent remedy, as is eating mussels and seafood. But you require quite a lot as a recommended daily dose to prevent low thyroid and excessive radiation, would be in the region of 30mg. If you have any doubts, it is never recommended to self-prescribe but instead go and see your health care practitioner who will check the problem out for you."

This article by Alister Bredee first appeared in the Samui Gazette of March 7th 2012

The Calcium Myth Exploded!

"We are told the best source of calcium comes via cow’s milk. Like many stories, this one was put out by the publicists employed by the dairy industry to sell their products. The power of advertising is such that people begin to believe the propaganda in time. Cows produce milk from eating grass. This is excellent as we need to get out vitamins and minerals from a vegetable source, too. For the body to absorb nutrients like calcium, they have to come via a photosynthesis process. The nutrient is in the soil; it passes to the vegetables, we eat the vegetables and gain the benefit. A mineral that has been photosynthesized is said to be organic. One that hasn’t is in-organic. Limestone deposits are a rich source of calcium, but they are useless for humans, as we cannot break down the rock into a substance that can be digested and then metabolized.

Cows get their calcium from their food, which is fresh and grassy because it has gone through photosynthesis. That means the nutrients can be digested. Vitamins also need to be present in the ground to enable this process to take place. The animal needs lots of calcium, because it has large bones. Cow’s milk is produced to support young cows and not humans! Calves grow up to become cows which weigh on average between 700 and 1000 lbs. Seven hundred pounds converts to 318 kilos, and that’s a small cow! How many humans do you know of this weight? Cow’s milk is a superfood designed to feed a large animal, so it grows up quickly. It is not the same as mother’s milk. When humans start drinking the recommended three glasses of milk per day, they begin to put on weight, just like the calf. Many people find milk is hard to digest. This is true of Asians who often lack the digestive enzyme, lactase. Milk produces much mucus in the system that clogs up the digestion. Let's return to the calcium issue. Calcium and magnesium are antagonists, but in order to digest calcium, you need magnesium in the correct ratio which is 2:1. Here’s the problem, the cow absorbs these things for itself or the calf, but not for the human; there is a deficiency in magnesium, which makes cow’s milk an inadequate calcium source.

Another factor is the earth factor. To absorb the essential vitamins and minerals means they have to be in the soil in the first place. Old farming methods demanded the field be left fallow to rest between crops, whilst the preferred fertilizer was cow manure. This has stopped because it does not suit the industrialized nature of large scale farming. Cow dung has been replaced by chemical fertilizers, usually of a petrochemical nature. The industry says artificial fertilizers are necessary because of the need to increase crop yields. This is not true. In the current situation, where factory farms separate livestock from plant crops; it is just too expensive to move the methane rich animal manure to the plants themselves. This has reached such a serious problem that most land is now so depleted, that it won’t produce anything without the aid of these artificial stimulants. Six micronutrients and 7 macro are required in the production of the popular nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. This artificial nitrogen is causing immense problems; it is a leading source of nitrous oxide. This far outstrips Carbon Dioxide as a purported cause of the greenhouse effect.

To resolve the issue they have to put the vitamin/ mineral mix back into the soil, but there is a serious problem. The new petrochemical products are inert, whilst the old waste form, coming from an animal origin is organic. It’s the old story of natural versus un-natural. The soil is becoming nutrient short because we are feeding it un-natural substances. This disturbing trend did not start yesterday. As evidence sperm counts in males, in the US, have been declining since the 1930s. A study that appeared in the Journal “Environmental Health Perspectives” showed a sperm density count of 113 million per deciliter in 1940 which had dropped to 66 million in 1990. This is a reduction of almost 50%. The Journal attributed this to environmental factors already mentioned. In short don’t depend on milk as a source of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Eat fresh, green leafy vegetables from an organic producer. These still hold adequate amounts of essential nutrients. For calcium, eat tuna and sardines because the bones of such fish provide an excellent, digestible, source. Also, take a superior quality, non-synthetic food supplement just to make sure you have got the equation right."
This article by Alister Bredee first appeared in the Samui Gazette of 22nd February 2012

High Blood Pressure the Silent Killer.

"Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins, on the other hand, carry the de-oxygenated blood from the rest of the body to the heart. The arteries themselves when healthy are smooth and flexible; this insures blood flow is unobstructed. This flow puts pressure on the elastic arterial wall. The measurement of this force is what is known as blood pressure.
The pressure is not recoded as a single number, but as two, double figure digits. The higher number is known as the systolic pressure. This records the pressure in inches of Mercury when the heart beats and sends blood forcibly to the arterial wall. The lower number is known as the diastolic pressure. This is the pressure exerted in the space between the heartbeats. This is the resting phase and thus registers the relaxing pressure. A normal blood pressure would be 120/80. Higher readings such as 135/86 indicate a warning that something might not be quite right and deserves further attention. A one off reading is seldom to be trusted as blood pressure can fluctuate. For a more accurate picture, readings need to be taken over a few days to show a more precise trend. If the blood pressure is drifting off to the high side, then remedial steps need to be taken.
High blood pressure can damage the arterial and venous system and this puts the individual at increased risk of stroke, kidney failure, and heart disease and can sometimes predict a heart attack. The alarming fact is that high blood pressure is rarely discernible, and that’s why it is referred to as “the silent killer.” As a safety precaution it is necessary to have the numbers verified on a regular basis You can do this by going for check-ups with your Doctor or health care professional and to make matters even easier many pharmacies now offer blood pressure testing as an over the counter service. If you find that your blood pressure is on the high side, say 150/90 then you need to make some positive changes and you need to make them quickly!
If you are a smoker, stop a.s.a.p. Chemicals in tobacco, and there are over 600 of them can raise blood pressure. When you inhale cigarette smoke you adrenal glands get a huge kick. This shifts you into “flight or fight mode”. In sympathetic dominance your blood pressure automatically rises. Another factor is being overweight, as this has a tendency to increase blood pressure. If you are carrying a few extra kilos introduce a healthy eating program and start an exercise regime. Begin easily, and if you are very heavy seek advice so you don’t overdo things! In any case a regular brisk walk is probably good for everybody.
Another sign is “ormentum fat”, namely a spreading waistline which often becomes an unsightly beer belly. If weight piles on easily and becomes difficult to shift there is an indication you might well have a blood sugar issue. This condition is known as metabolic syndrome and warns you that insulin is beginning to lose the ability to enter cells and scoop up glucose. Alcohol is a sugar and can often lie at the root of this condition. If you find yourself experiencing some of these symptoms coupled with irritability and mood swings, go and have you blood sugar levels checked. A fall off in the production of insulin will see blood sugar levels rising and with them an increase in blood pressure. Don’t despair all of this can be addressed by altering the diet and introducing a regular exercise e regime. Oh, and it might be a good idea to reduce alcohol consumption!
Another blood pressure increaser is stress. Again the story goes back to the “flight and fight syndrome”, If we are either angry or afraid there is an adrenal response that puts our bodies in a perceived better state to deal with the increased stress, just like smoking this will result in increased blood pressure. If you find yourself getting increasingly wound up by the vagaries of life, then that is a good indication you are negatively stressed. It also warns you that the time has come to do something about the problem. There are many people qualified to help you discover techniques to bring the stress levels down. Yoga, meditation, bio-feedback, are some answers, but so are a host of therapies designed to root out the cause and bring you back on an even keel. Health Ambit Consultancy is very happy to offer advice to achieve this end, use the website to get in touch." This article appeared in the Samui Gazette of 28th October 2011
Alister Bredee
Koh Samui, October 2011

Poisoned Food Claims 48 Victims at the Dog and Cat Rescue Center.

Brigitte Gomm the founder of Samui’s Dog and Cat Rescue Center is distraught, and quite rightly so. In late February/ early March the Center lost 43 dogs with a further five dying later.
The tragedy started with “Sporty” who commenced with intestinal bleeding leading to death. Two other dogs at the Ban Talig Ngam Center followed within the next two days. The problem, whatever it was, appeared to be liver related as the dogs took on a jaundiced yellow hue on becoming ill. There was a definite problem, but at the time nobody seemed to know what it was! Samples were sent to the Samui Bangkok Hospital for lab tests. The cost was high and the results were inconclusive. Remember, the Rescue Centre is not a commercial operation it depends on charitable donations in order to survive!
As the death toll mounted Brigitte and her colleagues began to suspect poisoning of some sort. They attended to the obvious and cleaned feeding bowls more thoroughly and stopped using the water from their well, because the land behind the shelter had been recently cleared and they felt pesticides might have leached into the water table.
It seemed strange that dogs were dying in Taling Ngam but were unaffected in Chaweng. Why was this? Then the truth began to dawn. The fifty dogs at the Chaweng shelter were all fed on leftovers and donations but the dogs in the other and bigger facility depended largely on dry dog food from Bangkok. Brigitte looked at the dry food. First they stopped using it and secondly they sent samples to Bangkok for analysis. As no results appeared they bought a small test lab, themselves. They found the food was contaminated with Alpha-Toxins, or so they said. Alpha-Toxins are bacterial infestations like staphylococcuus and clostridium. These can cause conditions like pneumonia and severe stomach upsets that can affect the liver.
As soon as they stopped using the food, it was remarkable to see many dogs beginning to get better. Sadly some were too badly affected and did not! To counteract the poisoning every dog was given vitamins and liver supplements. This was an expensive but necessary life supportive treatment.
Now, Brigitte and her team understood why so many of their dogs had died, so they contacted the food supplier in Bangkok. The vet in question explained that they had changed the food formulation the month before. Instead of using a rice base they had moved over to corn. This could well have been caused by the rising rice price. Corn is notorious in how it can easily become mouldy thus creating alfla toxins which are very damaging to the liver. These moulds abound in Thailand, especially in the rainy season. The supplier did not offer to refund the product, but suggested reblending it with a non-affected base. Yes, this would simply make the food a little less toxic! Not surprisingly the Dog and Cat Rescue team refused this offer. The supplier was also annoyed that Samui had warned the “Soi Dog “organization in Phuket who also received their dry food from him. This largely averted a potential tragedy there. Sadly 5 of their dogs died but they were saved the horrific ravages experienced in Koh Samui.
To date the Bangkok producer has received THB 206,000 in payments for his goods. He has made no offer of restitution. He has now blocked all calls from Brigitte but it is unlikely his problems will end there. Another customer, a vet in Bangkok breeds huskies. To date he has lost all 24 of his dogs. It is unlikely he will let this pass lightly!
This is a very sad story where the food manufacturer stands a good chance of going scot free for his negligence. The Samui Cat and Dog Rescue Center has accrued large expenses because of this fiasco. They are a charitable organization and depend on donations for their survival. If you could find a way of helping them in this tragic time, they would be truly grateful. You can find more about this story and have an opportunity to help by visiting their website at "http://www.samuidog.org"

GOD

The little child whispered,
"God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang.
But the child did not hear.

So the child yelled,
"God, speak to me!"
And the thunder rolled across the sky
But the child did not listen.

The child looked around and said,
"God let me see you"
And a star shone brightly
But the child did not notice.

And the child shouted,
"God show me a miracle!"
And a life was born
But the child did not know.

So the child cried out in despair,
"Touch me God, and let me know you are there!"
Whereupon God reached down
And touched the child.
But the child brushed the butterfly away
And walked away unknowingly.

Author Unknown

Remedies: Chewing Gum for Heartburn By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times What alternative remedies belong in your home medicine cabinet?

More than a third of American adults use some form of complementary or alternative medicine, according to a government report. Natural remedies have an obvious appeal, but how do you know which ones to choose and whether the claims are backed by science? In this occasional series, Anahad O’Connor, the New York Times “Really?” columnist, explores the claims and the science behind alternative remedies that you may want to consider for your family medicine cabinet.

The Remedy: Chewing gum.

The Claim: It relieves heartburn.

The Science: It may be hard for most people to think of chewing gum as a remedy for anything other than a case of bad breath. But several studies in recent years have shown that it can in fact help alleviate the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known to most people as GERD or heartburn.

Chewing on a piece or two of gum, it seems, helps force fluids back into the stomach and flood the esophagus with alkaline saliva, neutralizing acids that cause the characteristic burning sensations.

One independent study demonstrating this, published in 2005 in The Journal of Dental Research, involved 31 patients who were recruited for testing after they showed up at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London with symptoms of heartburn. The scientists conceded that their hypothesis going into the study “was that chewing gum does not have any effect on the clearance of reflux from the distal esophagus.”

Ultimately, they were surprised. On two separate days, they asked subjects to fast for four hours, then fed them a “refluxogenic” lunch that would give just about anyone heartburn: two bars of full-fat cheddar cheese, green salad with two tablespoons of mayonnaise, 15 large chips and half a pint of full-fat milk. On both days, some of the subjects were then randomly selected to chew sugar-free gum for half an hour after the meal.

After monitoring the subjects for two hours after the meals, they found that acid levels were significantly lower when the participants chewed gum. The study was financed by King’s College London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Another study, this one in 2001, involved 36 people, some of them with diagnosed cases of GERD and others who were healthy controls. The study found that chewing sugarless gum for an hour after a large breakfast reduced acid reflux in both groups for up to three hours, particularly in the heartburn group. The study was carried out by gastroenterologists at Veterans Affairs hospitals in New Mexico and Illinois, and financed by the American Digestive Health Foundation.

The Risks: Frequently chewing sugary gum may damage tooth enamel and increase cavities. But sugar-free varieties containing xylitol — which helps inhibit tooth-eroding bacteria — can have a protective effect.

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"What we Teach our Children", by Pablo Picasso

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment
that will never be again.
And what do we teach our children?
We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital
of France.
When will we also teach them what they are?
We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel.
You are unique.
In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child
like you.
Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.
You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything.
Yes, you are a marvel.
And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a
marvel?
You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its
children.

~Pablo Picasso

“Learn How to Alkalize your Body for Good Health!”

To determine acid alkaline balance we are confronted by the strange term pH levels. pH stands for “Potential Hydrogen”. It is all about hydrogen ion concentrations. When the level is increased the substance becomes more alkaline and when it decreases, more acidic. The range runs from 0-14. A reading of 7 which is supposed to correspond to water is neutral. Sadly not all water has a pH of 7, but that is another story!
The Human blood is slightly alkaline with a pH reading of between 7.35 and 7.45. Proteins in the diet break down to make strong acids. These include uric, sulphuric, phosphoric and nitric acid. Weak acids like citric acids have a different affect on the human body. Lemon juice is composed of citric acid. Lemons grow on trees and undergo a photosynthesis process. This means the lemon tree absorbs minerals from the earth and transports them to the fruit. The lemon juice breaks down to make carbonic acid which again breaks down to form carbon dioxide and water which are easily excreted from the kidneys. However, the minerals stay and these alkalize the system thus increasing the pH level of blood, urine and saliva. Drinking water does not always provide an alkaline medium. Often municipal supplies are treated sewerage which lack the minerals to reach the desired level of alkalinity or it is bottled water. Water is put in plastic bottles, which break down leaching phtlates into the liquid and making it unnecessarily acid. Phthalates are estrogen mimics and are often confused with PCBs. PCBs (PolyChlorinated Biphenyls). These were considered carcinogenic and supposedly banned in the 1970s. To overcome the problem of over acidic water, it always a good idea to add a slice of lemon or lime in order to alkalize it!
The problem is most people are overly acidic. One reason for this is excessive protein intake. These animal related proteins form strong acids and they steal minerals from the body as the acids need to be buffered to safely pass through the kidneys without damaging them. Sulphuric acid, for instance combines with calcium to complete the buffering process. The calcium comes from the bones, and so we see excessive acidity robs the body of these important minerals which have repercussions later in life. As a result the bones weaken and we encounter deficiency diseases like osteoporosis and consider it part of the aging process when in fact the problem is dietary. By the same token, as people age it seems they they shrink in stature. This happens as the acids in the body leach out vital minerals, unless of course the person realizes the hazard and focuses on eating foods that maintain the alkaline balance.
The dangers do not rest simply with an excess of animal products in the diet. Sugar, simple carbohydrates and saturated fats have the same affect. White sugar is not a food at all. In the refining process all goodness has been stripped from the long chains of glucose and the result is that the sugar in this form is difficult to absorb. These are alkaline foods but as the system cannot break them down effectively the digestion is interrupted and this leaves them in the intermediate acid state and not the desired alkaline one! The same thing applies to wheat and grains. It seems that gluten and some of the preservatives added to white flour make it very difficult to digest, so once more the conversion process does not complete itself and you are left with an acid forming food.
As they body becomes more and more stripped of minerals, it becomes more and more acid and reaches a stage where it simply can no longer heal itself! In this overly acid state it can no longer absorb the minerals and vitamins necessary to reverse its overacidity. At this point serious health issues come to make themselves apparent. The lowered pH creates hormone imbalances, cardiovascular discrepancy, weight gain and sometimes weight loss, bladder and kidney problems immune deficiencies, a buildup of free radicals that cause cellular destruction, a stressed liver, poor digestion, Candida and yeast infections as well as cancers and tumors. To put it bluntly an overly acidic system is a principal cause of disease. However, a low pH can be increased and the health hazards of over acidity reversed.
Cancer is on the rise and it seems 1 in 3 people are now plagued by this life threatening illness. All cancer patients are far too acid and they also lack oxygenation. This is one reason why a sensible exercise routine is so important. In the absence of oxygen, sugar ferments into lactic acid which intensifies the quandary.
So how do we reverse an overly high level of acidity in the body? A good idea would be to buy a digital pH meter. They are easily available from Garden Centers and aquarium suppliers and they are relatively cheap. You need to monitor urine and saliva levels. During the night your body goes through a breaking down, catabolic process. Acids from the previous day decompose; then they are stored in the bladder. The urine voided first thing in the morning is always acidic. Your pH meter will demonstrate this to you. However, as we move out of the catabolic cycle just before midday, the urine will start alkalizing. It should be giving a reading close to 7 at 2pm. If it is substantially below 6.8 you are too acid and need to take steps to reverse the issue. Make sure that you eat a diet that comprises 80% fresh vegetables and only 20% protein. This is in inverse proportion to the regular diet. Make certain you eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Cut out sugar and acid forming foods like fried potatoes and pasta. Stop buying things in packets, add lemon to your water and begin to work on those negative emotions that are poisoning your system. Learn about cosmetics and stop covering yourself in toxic petroleum products which are all far too acid. Stop cleaning your teeth with regular toothpaste, and use sea salt instead. By all means take a mineral supplement, but be sure the minerals themselves come from an organic source. This means they come via a pesticide free vegetable source. The body simply cannot absorb minerals from an inorganic source. Unfortunately you might have to forego some of the “goodies” in life. Coffee and alcohol are both powerful acid forming agents as are cigarettes. We do really have to ask ourselves the question, “what price do you pay for good health?"
Use your pH meter to monitor your progress and make changes so that your urine has a pH of above 6.8 come 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It will take a little effort, but you will feel substantially better when you discover a diet that puts your pH in the alkaline side of the equation and you come to realize good health is really priceless!.

Synthetic Cells and Synthetic Supplements:

A group of American scientists have just developed the first synthetic cell, made entirely in the laboratory! They call it Cynthia! What’s more the developers hail this discovery as the commencement of the third industrial revolution. This sounds strange, what do they mean? They don’t elaborate but I suspect this is a message telling us that this man made life form could somehow be “robotized” and we would then have a workforce of drones to do all the work. Indeed a shocking concept, where man is playing at God with the notion that all the bases are covered. Are they?
Most of the food supplements that we buy today are synthetic. When you see that your breakfast cereal has been fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, you can be 100% certain that these “supplements” are laboratory made. The pharmaceutical companies who manufacture most of this stuff tell you that these are natural life giving vitamins and mineral, but this is simply not true.
Organic Chemists, who staff the pharmaceutical industry, talk about organic in a very different way to a nutritionist or natural health practitioner. In organic chemistry the term indicates that the substance in question originated from a life form because it has an assortment of carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in a hexane ring. The molecules themselves are made from diatoms. These tiny amoebae like creatures came together and eventually gave birth to all the petroleum on the planet. Although oil is derived from a living mass, this mass lived a very long time ago. Besides who in their right minds would want to sit down and drink gasoline, for example? Organic chemists think this is perfectly all right and base many of their pharmaceutical products on derivatives from the oil industry. The same goes for minerals. Shellfish dead for millions of years decompose to form limestone. The argument is this is a good source of calcium.
Nutritionists on the other hand say that for a vitamin or mineral to be classified as organic it must be properly assimiable to the human body. It must come from a recently living source and have passed through the photosynthesis process, because then the body can absorb it and use it accordingly. The same group also talk about organic foods, but that is another subject. Organic fruit, vegetables and meats have to be grown in a natural environment without being subjected to artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
Tests have shown that synthetic vitamins and minerals lack the life force present in the non-synthetic organic equivalents. Kirlian photography demonstrates that pictures of synthetic compared to non-synthetic food sources are very different. A chromatogram will show you the typical rings of ascorbic acid (synthetic vitamin C) are perfectly regular but to be biologically active a substance has to have intrinsic factors, an irregular shape and strong radiations.
During the Korean War American prisoners of war often died of the tropical disease called beriberi. The Red Cross recommended that the prisoners receive Thiamine (Vitamin B1) as a supplement to protect them from the disease. They issued a synthetic form of the vitamin. It simply didn’t work. The problem was solved by the prisoners themselves who started to eat the husk of the rice ration. This contained Thiamine from a living source and the scourge of beriberi was abated.
To be health effective we must really choose a nutrition supplement that comes from a natural source. It seems that synthetic substances are considerably less effective and in some cases downright harmful. If this is the case of synthetic food substances what do you suppose is going to happen to synthetic life forms? Isn’t it time we stopped playing God, because we really do not understand what forces we're are unleashing.

The Cholesterol Myth. The Answer!

So far we have seen that statin drugs are not the answer to purportedly enhanced cholesterol levels. So what is the answer? How do we avoid heart disease and strokes?
• If you are a smoker, stop!
• Escape from the homocystine trap. Homocystine according to a report published by the American College of Cardiology in 2006 is a key factor in heart attacks and strokes.
• In healthy individuals, homocystine, itself a product of amino acid metabolism, is easily converted to harmless methionine. But in less healthy cases the situation is very different.
• Homocystine can create havoc in the Cardio-Vascular system. Why? It likes collagen. Collagen plays an important role in healing and re-building tissue. The key here is inflammation.
• Homocystine builds up in inflammatory sites because of its affinity to collagen. This can lead to a narrowing or even blocking of arteries. Here’s the danger.
The Solution: Folic acid, part of the B vitamin group, is the answer to this problem. Folic acid aids in the conversion of homocystine to methionine. It is found in most if not all multi-vitamin formulations. Even the British Medical Journal pointed out that a small drop in homocystine levels lessened the chance of a heart attack by 15% and a stroke by 24%. An optimistic Chinese study had these levels at a staggering 60%.
How to increase folic acid levels?
• The first step is to increase the intake of alkaline rich green leafy vegetables. You need at least five servings per day.
• Decrease the consumption of wine.
• Stop taking over the counter medications like analgesics (aspirin, ibuprofen, birth control pills, etc).
• If you are on anti-diabetic, anti-convulsant and anti-psychotic drugs, rest assured your homocystine levels are too high. You will need to supplement.
All vitamins are not the same. Pharmaceutical companies would have us believe that synthetic vitamins and minerals are just
the same as naturally occurring substances. This is not true. It will also provide the basics for another set of blogs on this site at a later date.
Brewer’s yeast has been around for years. It was proved to be the answer to anemia as long ago as 1931. This is the best source of naturally occurring B Vitamins, including Folic Acid. The dose needs to be in the region of 400mgs per day and it should be taken with meals for maximum effectiveness.
Peace of I
Alister