Danish translation by Jan Petersen

1. Spis naturlige fødevarer.
2. Spis kun fødevarer, som kan fordærve, men spis dem før de gør det.
3. Spis naturligt opdrættet kød, inklusiv fisk , skaldyr, fjerkræ, okse, lam, vildt, indmad og æg.
4. Spis naturligt producerede mælkeprodukter fra køer, der har gået på græs. Helst rå og/eller syrnede som fuldfed ymer, smør, fede oste frisk fløde og crème fraiche.
5. Brug kun traditionelle fedtstoffer og olier, så som smør og andre animalske fedtstoffer, ekstra jomfru olivenolie, koldpresset hør og sesamolie og de tropiske olier—kokos og palmeolie
6. Spis frisk frugt og grønt, helst økologisk, i salater, supper eller let dampet.
7. Brug fuldkorn og nødder, som er blevet forberedt ved udblødning, spiring eller syrning for at neutralisere phytatsyre og andre radikaler.
8. Inkluder enzymberigede syltede grøntsager, frugter, drikkevarer og krydderier i kosten på regelmæssig basis
9. Brug hjemmelavede bouilloner og fonder lavet på kylling, okse, lam eller fisk og brug gavmildt I supper og saucer
10. Begræns indtag af urte og kaffeerstatninger.
11. Brug rent filtreret vand til tørst og madlavning.
12. Brug ubehandlet havsalt og forskellige urter og krydderier for at øge interessen for mad og stimulere appetitten.
13. Lav dine egne salatdressinger med rå vineddike, ekstra jomfruolivenolie og koldpresset hørolie.
14. Brug naturlige sødemidler i begrænsede mængder som f. eks rå honning, ahornsirup, rå rørsukker og stevia pulver.
15. Drik kun upasteuriseret vin eller øl i begrænsede mængder til måltider.
16. Brug kun rustfrit stål, støbejern, glas eller emaljegryder af god kvalitet.
17. Brug kun naturlige kosttilskud.
18. Få rigeligt søvn, motion og naturligt lys.
19. Tænk positive tanker og minimer stress.
20. Praktiser tilgivelse.

Kilde:The Weston A. Price Foundation : http://www.westonaprice.org/

Kostfarer

Danish translation by Jan Petersen

1. Spis ikke kommercielt fremstillede fødevarer så som kager, småkager, kiks, TV dinners, sodavand, sovsepulvre og lignende.
2. Undgå alle raffinerede sødemidler så som hvidt sukker, druesukker, glukose og glukosesirup.
3. Undgå hvidt mel, hvedemelsprodukter og hvide ris.
4. Undgå alle hærdede og delvist hærdede fedtstoffer og olier.
5. Undgå alle vegetabilske olier lavet af soja, majs, tidsel, canola, eller bomuld.
6. Brug ikke flerumættede fedtstoffer til kogning, stegning eller bagning.
7. Undgå friturestegte fødevarer.
8. Praktiser ikke streng vegetarisme (veganer); animalske produkter indeholder livsvigtige næringsstoffer, som ikke findes I planteføde.
9. Undgå produkter, som indeholder proteinpulver.
10. Undgå pasteuriseret mælk; drik ikke minimælk, skummetmælk, pulvermælk og mælkeimitationer.
11. Undgå æg fra burhøns og fabriksfremstillede kødvarer.
12. Undgå højt forarbejdede kød og pølseprodukter, som indeholder Mononatriumglutamat og andre tilsætningsstoffer.
13. Undgå harske og mangelfuldt tilberedte frø, nødder og kornprodukter, som findes I granolaprodukter, hurtigthævende brød og morgenmadsprodukter, da de blokerer for mineraloptagelsen og medfører maveproblemer.
14. Undgå sprøjtede, voksede, biomodificerede og bestrålede samt frugter og grøntsager fra dåse.
15. Undgå kunstige tilsætningsstoffer, specielt mononatriumglutamat, hydroliseret vegetabilsk protein og aspartam som er nervegifte. De fleste suppe og sovseblandinger og bouilloner indeholder mononatriumglutamat selvom det ikke er deklareret.
16. Undgå koffeinholdige drikke så som kaffe, te og læskedrikke. Undgå chokolade.
17. Undgå aluminiumholdige fødevarer så som køkkensalt, bagepulver og samarin og lignende brusetabletter. Brug ikke aluminium til madlavning eller aluminiumholdige deodoranter.
18. Drik ikke vand tilsat fluor.
19. Undgå syntetiske vitaminer og fødevarer, som indeholder dem.
20. Drik ikke distillerede spiritusprodukter.
21. Brug ikke mikrobølgeovne.

Kilde:The Weston A. Price Foundation www.westonaprice.org

Helsegastronomi er himmelsk velsmag, eventyrlige aromaer og dufte, fænomenale teksturer, et udseende så mundvandet løber. Det er ikke karakteristika, der kun tilhører usund men ellers ypperlig mad. Gastronomi og sundhed, samt miljø og etik, er ikke to uforenelige ting. Tværtimod. Ekstremt sunde og miljøvenlige råvarer kan snildt tilberedes, på en sådan måde, at de bliver rene himmerigsmundfulde. Så ja! Din mad kan sagtens være sundhedsbomber og ren medicin forklædt som himmerigsmundfulde.

Helsegastronomi eksisterer og kan sagtens praktiseres. Også til hverdag i dit eget køkken. Først og fremmest skal du selvfølgelig have reelle råvarer, du kan være din krop, dit helbred, miljøet, dem der producerer maden og dine smagsløg bekendt. Altså “hele” økologiske eller bio-dynamiske råvarer, der også har en hvis smagsmæssig kaliber. Når jeg skriver “hele”, mener jeg uspolerede og uraffinerede. Altså koldpressede jomfruolier, der ikke er dead upon arrival på grund af hårdhændet behandling med kemikalier. Også nødder, frø, kerner, eddiker (udover lagereddike, der er destilleret sønder og sammen), friske såvel som tørrede frugter, grøntsager, fuldkornsprodukter (og ikke de raffinerede), bælgfrugter, krydderier, fisk, fjerkræ, kød og mejeriprodukter uden tilsat sukker og lignende pjat. Altsammen økologisk eller bio-dynamisk. Smag er ej heller så kompliceret en størrelse. Der er 6 smagsnuancer. Hvis du sørger for at få dem med i hver ret eller hvert måltid, bliver helheden meget større end alle enkeltdelene. Et plus et plus et plus et plus et plus et bliver ikke 6, men nærmere 20.456,579. De seks smagsnuancer er:

1.Sød

2.Salt

3.Sur og syrlig

 4.Bitter og besk

5.Stærk

 6.Umami

De 5 første smagsnuancer kender du nok allerede. Den 6. – umami – er en ret ”ny” smag. Umami kan du ikke smage i sig selv, men den smag får alt andet i mundfulden, retten eller måltidet, til at smage af meget mere. Med andre ord, besidder alle smagsforstærkere umamismagen. De kemiske smagsforstærkere glemmer vi med det samme.

Fødevarernes smag:

1. Sød - æbler, bananer, tørret frugt, aromatiske krydderier (kanel, kardemomme, nellike, allehånde, anis, fennikel og lignende) .

2. Salt - sojasovs og tamari, havsalt, stensalt, oliven, soltørrede tomater.

3. Sur og syrlig - eddike, citronsaft, limesaft, grapefrugtsaft, appelsinsaft, oliven, æbler, bær.

4. Bitter og besk - vanille, kakaobønner og –pulver, skrællen fra citrusfrugter, hvidløg, persille og de fleste andre grønne krydderurter såsom rosmarin, basilikum og timian.

5. Stærk - chili, ingefær, peber, gurkemeje, karrypulver, kanel, allehånde, hvidløg, rosmarin, salvie, timian.

6. Umami - oliven, soltørrede tomater, fishsauce, sojasovs og tamari, ost, fond lavet på kød, fisk eller fjerkræ, grøntsagsboullion.

Sidst men ikke mindst, skal råvarerne tilberedes med respekt for deres væsen. Hvis du stryger råvarerne med hårene, når du laver mad, kvitterer de med ypperlig velsmag, tekstur og masser af sundhed. Råvarer, der håndteres for hårdhændet eller forkert, “svarer igen” på samme maner. De “snerrer” af din krop og dine smagsløg. Konsistensen bliver kedelig og farven hæslig. Hvis du har ovennævnte 3 ting i mente – reelle råvarer, smagskombinationer og nænsom tilberedning – kan du ikke undgå, at få helsegastronomi som resultat.  

Besøg Årstidernes hjemmeside og se Oscar stege grønsager med vand.
Og mens du er på hjemmesiden,- bliv en stund.
Her kan du bestille økologisk grønt og andet direkte til din dør eller du kan besøge f.eks. Krogerup Gårds aktivitetekalender og blive inspireret til et besøg på gården i Humlebæk,hvor der ofte er arrangementer for hele familien og hvor du kan handle i Gårdbutikken:

http://www.aarstiderne.com

Never Be Sick Again: Health is a Choice, Learn How to Choose It

By Raymond Francis with Kester Cotton

 

Summarized with permission of HCI.
All rights reserved.

 

 

One Disease

There is a new theory about health and disease that is so simple, yet is extremely profound. It is based on cutting-edge science, but is easily understood by anyone. It could change the face of medicine as we know it, and forever put each of us in control of our own health.

Every disease affecting humanity, from the minor cold to diabetes, from depression to life-threatening cancer, is the result of one thing -- malfunctioning cells. Only two things lead up to cell malfunction: deficiency and toxicity. If our cells are not getting the nutrients they require, they become deficient, and malfunction may occur. On the other end of the spectrum, if our cells get an overload of toxic substances that they are not equipped to handle, malfunction may occur.

There are six areas in daily life that we all travel on, either toward health, or toward disease. These are nutrition, toxin, psychological, physical, genetic and medical. If along these six pathways we nourish our cells and prevent them from being poisoned with the choices we make, we remain healthy. Simply put, healthy cells don't get sick. If, however, we make poor choices along these in our day-to-day life, disease occurs.

Because of this, nearly all diseases can not only be prevented, but reversed. The responsibility lies in each of our hands as to which we desire: health or disease. That is an awesome responsibility, and one that may come as a shock to many of us, especially in America, who have been conditioned to believe that illness and disease are just a part of growing old, something all humans face. Not so. Health and longevity as an equation is simple:

Health = Positive Things -- Negative Things

The Face of Health

Imagine living a life of optimum health: one in which you can spend your days in the sun without fear of cancer, where allergies are unheard of, and no loved one suffers depression or needs to be nursed through a chronic debilitating disease. At age 40, not only are you the picture of health, but your 90-year-old dad just fathered another child, and could not be happier about it. He hasn't forgotten your name because of his dementia or Alzheimer's; as these maladies are unknown. You also don't fear that the new baby may have to grow up without his father, because you know that barring some major accident, he should live for at least another thirty or forty years.

Sound like something out of biblical times or maybe even an out-there science fiction movie? It's not. This image is based on the typical health and life of peoples such as the Vilcabambans of Ecuador and the Hunzas, from a valley in the Himalayas (now a portion of Pakistan).

Americans, on the other hand, are not faring so well:

• The US spends more on health than any other nation, per capita and in all, yet ranks 37th in overall health, according to the World Health Organization.
• Autopsies on teens and adults in their early twenties whose deaths occurred accidentally in Los Angeles showed an astonishing eighty percent had early stages of heart disease and fifteen percent had arteries with more than fifty percent blockage.
• Recent medical journals estimate three-fourths of the US population had a diagnosable chronchronic disease, yet according to a 1997 poll in Parade magazine, about two-thirds of Americans consider themselves to be in "good" or "excellent" health.
• The same poll in which so many Americans consider themselves healthy found that about two-thirds that responded regularly take prescription or over the counter drugs.
•  

A Chronic Epidemic

How many people do you know who live with allergies? Perhaps you suffer from them yourself. Many people look at allergies as simply an annoyance or inconvenience, when in reality they are a chronic dysfunction of the immune system. Allergic reactions depress the immune system, not only reducing quality of life, but increasing susceptibility to sickness and disease, and ultimately reducing longevity. Other diseases becoming more prevalent besides allergies are autoimmune dysfunction/disease, ADD/ADHD, birth defects such as autism and cerebral palsy, and chronic fatigue. Diabetes, asthma, and obesity are on the rise as well:

• The Journal of the American Medical Association documented that 25 percent of people under the age of 18 had at least one chronic disease in 1996. These numbers rose to 45 percent of those between 45 and 65, to a whopping 88 percent of people over the age of 65.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 2 percent of adult-onset diabetes cases were diagnosed in people under the age of nineteen in 1980, yet in 2000 it was close to 50 percent. From 1990 to 1998, national cases increased 33 percent and cases among people aged 30 to 39 jumped 70 percent. More alarming than that is the CDC cautions that these numbers do not show the entire problem; it is estimated that a third of diabetics are unaware they are affected.
• The CDC's reports on asthma show an increase of 61 percent in the 12 years spanning 1982 to 1994, and deaths caused by the disease went up 45 percent in the decade between 1985 and 1995; it is still increasing at six percent a year. Asthma is also the reason given most for absenteeism in schools.
• Children who are obese are at seven times a greater risk for clogged arteries later in life, yet childhood obesity has doubled between the years of 1980 to 2000. Unfortunately most of these children do not outgrow the problem; more than one in five teens are overweight and these numbers jump to two out of three in adulthood.

 

Why the Difference?

How can there be such a difference in the way we grow old and the prevalence of disease from society to society? We are told we are healthier than ever, and believe that sickness, disease, discomfort, and compounding prescriptions and medical bills are just a part of growing old. So how are civilizations who live in what we would consider sub-standard conditions, with sub-standard medical care compared to ours, outliving us in both quality of life and longevity?

• Our fruits and vegetables are grown in depleted soil, and are sprayed with fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides. They are harvested before they are ripe, to survive transportation and storage. Nutritional values of the foods are not matured, and deteriorate through handling and storage.
• Not only is our food nutritionally deficient, many times we receive it in a highly processed state which further depletes the nutrients, such as in flours, sugars, breads, pastas, and pretty much the gamut of canned and packaged foods.
• Cooking methods further deplete the nutritional content of our food. We boil, bake, grill, fry, dehydrate, braise, simmer, slow cook, and perform many other inventive means of food preparation. This is to our detriment; raw foods are nutritionally superior to those which are cooked.
• Our energy needs -- gas and oil, pollute our environment. Before those, it was coal. Not only that, our industries, from our computers to our cars, from our newspaper printing to the paint in our homes, have introduced many thousands of man made chemicals our bodies are not used to, and many create a toxic load.
• The transition from farming and hunting to an industrialized information-age society has made us a sedentary society as a whole.

In contrast, societies with the longest recorded longevities such as the Hunzas lived much differently. Their fruits and vegetables were eaten fresh off of the vine or tree, free of toxins. Nutrition-rich whole grains were consumed regularly. Fat calories only made up about ten percent of total intake (as opposed to Americans consuming approximately 37 percent), and about eighty percent of their total diet was raw. They walked many miles daily, and participated in physically demanding folk dances for leisure. These are not just the younger generations either; a twenty-year-old could be dancing right next to someone in their 90s or even 100s.

While this may seem primitive to us, they lived free of diseases that plague our society such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and generally would live well into their 100s, dying peacefully in their sleep from nothing more than age. Women did not suffer from menstrual symptoms. Researchers have observed the men walking barefoot and bare-chested through snow, and yet still not suffer colds. There was no tooth decay, hypoglycemia, mental disorders, depression, Alzheimer's, or any of the other myriad of diseases we think of as just another aging dilemma. They were a happy society, full of energy and life, yet free of doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes.

This concept is not one to be looked upon as grandiose, even the bible states "[Man's] days shall be one hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3). Californian actuaries have shown an average life expectancy for females to be 100 years old, if only heart disease could be removed from the equation. Long life and health are not science fiction, they are our birthright.

 

In today's America, it would be neither convenient nor plausible to live totally in the manner of the Hunzas. Luckily, there are ways that we can improve our health and quality of life that do not require moving from civilization. The move is from within, with a conscious effort to learn, understand, and then act upon the knowledge gained to give our bodies, and therefore ourselves, a fighting chance for health versus disease.

 

Understanding Disease

Cytopathy is the scientific term for a malfunctioning cell. In widespread cytopathy, when large numbers of cells are malfunctioning, disease occurs. In this way, there is only one disease -- cell malfunction. The unifying concept of health and disease is so simple that anyone can understand it, yet it is one that our current medical establishment does not comprehend. They tend to focus on disease as a series of symptoms that must be addressed, and the underlying cause -- cytopathy, is ignored. This focus on symptoms can be thought of as 'symptomology' and it is the basis of Western medicine today. Physicians are taught to look at individual symptoms, neatly categorize them into their disease category, and address the symptoms as just that -- different diseases, ignoring the malfunctioning cells which are the primary cause of each ‘disease'.

Our medical schools teach the philosophy that "Health is the absence of disease," yet they rely on diagnosis of disease when they are practicing medicine. Within that line of thinking, anyone who is not diagnosed with a disease would generally be considered 'healthy.' In reality, health is the state wherein all cells are functioning optimally.

Understanding Cells

There are approximately 75 trillion cells that make up the human body. Within these are hundreds of varieties of specialized cells, each with their own specialized functions. The types of cells that make up your heart differ from those in your brain and eyes, just as the cells of your liver differ from those that line your intestines or make up your bones.

Cells do have certain things in common though. Each cell is encompassed in a membrane, which is like the cell's skin. Its job is to keep toxins out yet let nutrients in, and to keep the necessary substances in while letting the waste be excreted. There are veritable 'powerhouses' within each that provide energy, and cell 'manufacturing plants' which put out things such as hormones and antibodies for your body. They have electrical impulses and communicate effectively with one another. When they do not get what they need, or are harmed by something, their various functions can dissipate.

It is up to us to maintain the health of our cells. We can ensure that we have the adequate intakes of essential fatty acids that make up healthy cell membranes -- omega-3s and omega-6s -- instead of saturated and hydrogenated fats, and trans-fatty acids. We can protect our cells from free radical damage with a diet rich in antioxidants, clean air, food, and water. The sodium-potassium chemical balance within our cells can be helped by lowering our salt intake. Litmus tests can be done regularly to check that the pH level within our cells is slightly alkaline, or around 7.4. And we can maintain our cell's health along each of the six pathways that we make choices on everyday, determining our paths to either health or disease…

 

The Nutrition Pathway

Most of the American diet consists of "make-believe" foods -- comprising as much as 90 percent of the typical families' food budget. Because of this, "well-fed" Americans are actually undernourished. The culprits for this phenomenon vary, and include white flour, sugar, processed oils, milk products, unhealthy plant and animal sources, over-handling and preparation (including lack of raw food consumption), and more. Vitamins and minerals are lacking because of agricultural and commercial practices. Even the way we chew and combine our food affects us from obtaining the proper nutrients.

The main culprits that virtually guarantee a diseased future yet are prevalent in most modern diets are sugar, white flour, processed oils and milk products:

Sugar :

• In Harvey Diamond's book Fit for Life: A New Beginning, he calls sugar a "deadly, virulent poison." Even as little as two teaspoons can have hormonal and nutritional impact that lasts for hours. If you make one change in your diet, remove sugar.
• Sugar is in nearly every processed food. In 1900, the average person in America only ate 10 pounds of sugar per year. As of 2000, that number had risen to an enormous 160 pounds!
• Sugar not only causes tooth decay, but can lead to heart disease, osteoporosis, and immune dysfunction. It is an anti-nutrient comprised of empty calories that causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including calcium, chromium, magnesium, and zinc. It also causes a calcium/phosphorus imbalance, necessary for breaking proteins down into amino acids that the body needs.
• Eating sugar with protein is bad too, as they can react to form AGEs (advanced glycation end products) -- known to promote heart disease, high blood pressure, cataracts, and arthritis.

White Flour :

• Like sugar, white flour is a toxic anti-nutrient that barely resembles the wheat from which it came. It is so different that due to nutritional problems caused by the flour the government passed legislation requiring nutrients to be added back into it in 1941.
• All of the breads and pastas that fill us are empty calories that leave us nutritionally deficient, and can lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, colitis and even rectal cancer.
• Even "healthy" foods -- whole grain breads, granola cereal, rolled oats, etc., are nutritionally deficient and still can be considered "make-believe" foods. If it is processed, it is deficient!
• Puffed grains, like rice cakes, puffed wheat, and any other puffed grain are of special concern: Paul Stitt reports in his book Fighting the Food Giant that in one study it as observed that rats fed whole wheat lived over a year yet those ingesting puffed wheat died in two weeks. Why the danger? High heat and pressure are needed to 'puff' the grains, and these cause changes to the molecular structure of the proteins within, making them toxic.

 

Processed fats and oils :

• Fats and oils, as mentioned above, are the primary materials used in the building of the membranes in each of the trillions of cells within the human body. Eating the wrong kinds of oils can make the membranes weak, leaky, and brittle, which leads to cytopathy and disease.
• Linoleic and linolenic acids (omega-6 and omega-3, respectively) are the two most important essential fatty acids the body requires. They must be in the correct balance with one another as well, yet the typical American diet leads to an abundance of omega-6 and a shortage of omega-3.
• To avoid the imbalance, avoid processed oils from the grocery store. Most contain trans-fats and are heated to high temperatures which can cause oxidation and rancidity. Even "cold-pressed" oils are usually not safe due to the harsh solvents used in the extraction process. Products containing hydrogenated oils should be avoided as well, including everything from margarine to chocolate, breakfast cereals, and much, much more.
• High quality olive oil and flaxseed oil are excellent ways to get the good oils into your body. Raw, unprocessed foods such as avocados, nuts, and seeds, as well as high quality eggs and meats are good sources as well.

Milk & Dairy :

• Milk is another toxic, make-believe food that definitely does not "do a body good":
  - Russell Bunai, M.D. states in a 1994 issue of Natural Health that the "single change to the U.S. diet that could provide the greatest health benefits is the elimination of milk products."

• Dr. Frank Oski, the former director of the Department of Pediatric Services at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, states in the 1992 edition of his book Don't Drink Your Milk that "We should all stop drinking milk… It was designed for calves, not humans." He also states that "At least 50 percent of all children are allergic to dairy."

• About 70 percent of the world's population does not drink milk or consume other dairy products. The World Health Organization's statistics even show that the highest rates of osteoporosis, breast cancer, allergies, and diabetes are from those countries with the highest milk consumption.

• Phosphorus prevents calcium absorption, and cow's milk is rich in it. Humans need magnesium to utilize calcium, yet cow's milk is low in that mineral. The resulting calcium build-up can result in bone spurs, atherosclerotic plaque, and gout.
• Protein in cow's milk metabolizes into strong acids that can be harmful to the body, and calcium is used to neutralize these for our protection. Unfortunately the calcium used is pulled from our bones and other tissues. We should have the strongest bones worldwide due to our high rate of dairy consumption (if we were to believe all of the ads) -- yet we actually have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis.

• Milk has been linked not only to allergies, but childhood diabetes, multiple sclerosis, localized inflammations in infants' intestines, iron-deficient anemia and cancer.
• Better sources of calcium can be found right where the cows get it; dark green vegetables such as broccoli, chard, and kale.

In order to provide cells what they need, we must concentrate on nutrients, not calories. Foods that provide life, such as whole grains in the form of wheat, oats, millet, and quinoa, are excellent choices. Organic foods made without chemicals are generally higher in nutritional value, as well as unprocessed foods harvested at the peak of ripeness (and therefore nutrition!) and eaten shortly thereafter as nature intended -- instead of those that are cooked, peeled, dehydrated, frozen, and canned -- are preferred.

Beside the kind of food we eat, we also need to watch the combinations in which we eat them as well. This is due to the different environments in which food digests; proteins in an acid environment, and starches in an alkaline. To simplify, remember a few simple rules:

• Vegetables can be combined with proteins safely.
• Do NOT combine protein with starches (meat and potatoes, fish and rice, spaghetti and meatballs, burger and fries, etc.).
• Fruit should be eaten alone.

 

The Toxin Pathway

Toxicity is the other cause for cell malfunction. To avoid or reverse disease, we have to protect our cells from toxins as well as give them what they need to rid themselves of toxins. Internal toxins from stress, the digestive system, allergies, and other sources are just as much of a danger as external toxins from foods, cleaning products, and more.

Everyone in America would probably be surprised at the trace amounts of toxins that would most likely be found in their tissues. In the 1987 book Diet for a New America, John Robbins states that human mother's milk "would be subject to confiscation and destruction by the FDA were it to be sold across state lines" due to all of the chemicals (PCBs dioxins, and pesticides) that it is contaminated with. There is nowhere, no modern home, and no one, that can escape the multitude of chemicals we are exposed to daily:

• Disposable Styrofoam cups contain styrene.
• Mothballs and deodorizers contain 1,4-dichlorobenzene.
• Soaps, shampoos, and toothpastes contain the synthetic detergent sodium lauryl sulfate.
• Plastics contain pesticides, PCB's, dioxins, and phthalates.
• Formaldehyde can be found in plywood, particle board, and permanent-press clothing. (Most children's furniture is made with particle board!)
• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a common toxic cosmetic preservative. One study shows as much as 13 percent of it can be absorbed into your skin.
• Prescription drugs and organic solvents can be included on the list of toxins as well.
• In The Poisons Around Us, Henry Schroeder, M.D. writes "five toxic trace metals: antimony, beryllium, cadmium, lead, and mercury are involved in at least half the deaths in the U.S. and much of the disabling disease."
• According to EPA scientists, even if the individual foods we eat are within safe limits, together they may expose us to 500 times our daily maximum recommended limit.

One of the best things we can do to lower our toxic intake is the same as for the nutrition path; eat organic foods grown without chemicals. Clean your pantry of items that are processed and contain artificial ingredients and preservatives; which includes anything from breakfast cereal and donuts to artificial sweeteners. Americans consume an average of ten pounds of the more than three thousand FDA-approved additives yearly, which is alarming because although it may be approved, that does not make them safe. This is especially true when they're combined. Other toxins in our foods include:

• Polymers, plasticizers, stabilizers, fillers and colorants from packaging. Buy foods packaged in paper or glass.
• Trans-fatty acids, aldehydes, ketones, and hydroperoxides found in commercial oils and the foods containing them.
• Pesticides, antibiotics, dioxins, hormones, sulfa drugs, tranquilizers, and other contaminants found in milk.
• Mycotoxins (produced by molds) are found frequently on corn, nuts, dried fruits, berries, fermented foods, and cheeses.
• Waxes found on cucumbers, eggplants, apples, turnips, etc., cover the pesticides and other chemicals on the vegetable, and may not be safe themselves.
• Carcinogens including the highly toxic heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) caused by heating food above 375 degrees (like in toasting, grilling, broiling, and barbequing).

The 1976 EPA study of human breast milk found that vegetarian mothers had only 1 to 2 percent the national average of contaminants in their milk. While the author does not recommend a completely vegetarian lifestyle, you must be careful where your meat comes from. Livestock feed is extremely toxic, and these toxins are transferred to the meats and products made from the animals which we in turn consume. Choose organic, free-range meats, eggs, and other animal products as well as fruits and vegetables. While a bit more expensive, the savings on medical and hospital bills will pay off in the long run.

In addition, do not microwave food. Microwaves change the molecular structure of the food and studies done in both the U.S. and former Soviet Union suggest links with certain cancers, hormone imbalances, lymphatic, digestive, emotional, immune, and blood disorders, brain damage, and heart disease. The Institute of Radio Technology at Kinsk (former Soviet Union) found a 60 to 90 percent reduction in nutritional content of these foods as well. Use the stovetop or oven, but avoid cooking in aluminum, stainless steel, and Teflon-coated cookware. Safer choices are glass or ceramic (Corning Ware).

Water is another toxin-laden substance. From fluoride to industrial run-off, arsenic to discarded prescription drugs, contaminants abound in our water. Ensure you drink high quality distilled or spring water (don't forget the glass bottles!), and install a quality reverse osmosis filter for your home.

The bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen are often toxic wastelands with all of their toxic cleaners and detergents. Another source to look for toxins in would be personal care and cosmetic products. Chemicals to look for include artificial fragrances, colors, and flavors, formaldehyde, phenol, trichloroethylene, BHT/BHA, EDTA, cresol, detergents, glycols, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and nitrates/nitrosamines.

To help combat the toxins invading our lives daily, you can help your liver keep your blood and cells clean by taking supplements such as the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A, as well as coenzyme Q10, carotenoids, bioflavonoids, selenium, manganese, copper, and zinc. Eat plenty of red, yellow, and green vegetables, as well as cruciferous ones such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, and kale. Also make sure your water intake is adequate -- ensure a minimum of eight glasses of clean, pure water daily.

 

The Psychological Pathway

In order to understand the power of the psychological pathway, one must break free from the traditional 'mind over body' philosophy. The mind and the body are in fact, one. They cannot be separated in theory or practice. Just as fear can make us turn pale, so can subconscious thoughts react to conscious ones to make us sick or bring on a diseased state. This is how placebos can be so effective. On the same lines, if you believe yourself to be sick and play the victim, then the victim you shall be. Consider the observation Deepak Chopra, M.D., made in his book Creating Health:

"I have frequently observed that a rapid progression of symptoms and then death from cancer occurred after the diagnosis of cancer was made. It is almost as if the patient was dying from the diagnosis and not from the disease."

In order to maintain a healthy psychological pathway, keep in mind the following:

• There is no such thing as 'just a thought' -- every thought has an effect on the subconscious, no matter how fleeting. Negativity weakens the immune system. Make your thoughts positive.
• Stress can induce positive emotions such as excitement and positive arousal just as it can fear and anger. The same body systems are involved; it is your mental outlook that determines the reaction to stressors.
• Pay attention to your social ties. People with weak social ties are more likely to smoke, develop colds, have mental disorders, and even suffer premature death than their peers with stronger ties to friends, family, and/or the community.
• Don't underestimate the power of prayer/spirituality. Only when the body and mind are connected with the spirit can you be truly healthy. This is true no matter what your religious preference may, or may not be.

 

The Physical Pathway

We have all heard that our society as a whole needs more exercise, and it is true for our health on a cellular level as well. Exercise and movement prevents deficient and toxic states within our cells by promoting nutrient delivery and stimulating the lymphatic system, which facilitates the removal of waste. Exercise slows aging, stimulates mental power, enhances the immune system, lowers blood pressure, dissolves blood clots and thereby lessens the risk of stroke, reduces cancer risk, promotes longevity, and much more.

While there are three basic exercises: aerobic, strength training, and weight-bearing, the most important part is to find something you enjoy doing that combines these, so that you will be more likely to continue. Consistency is key as well -- if you cannot exercise everyday, at least do not go weeks without. This is an invitation for disaster. One exercise that is safe, low-impact, and extremely beneficial to cells is rebounding, because it imparts both weight and movement on every cell in the body. For recommendations and more information, please see http://beyondhealth.com

 

The Genetic Pathway

True genetic diseases do exist, but affect less than one percent of the population. The environment that we create for our cells is what truly controls how our genes express. It is fatalistic thinking to say things just 'run in the family.' Genes require triggers, and as such, we can keep family traits as potential problems rather than allowing them to become reality. By protecting our genes from ionizing radiation (as in x-rays), and non-ionizing radiation (electric devices), genetically modified foods, and unhealthy cooking methods, we can choose which version of 'us' will be our destiny.

 

 

The Medical Pathway

"[T]he greatest danger to your health is the doctor who practices Modern Medicine."
-Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. Confessions of a Medical Heretic

Literally translated, "allopathic" medicine means to "go against" the symptoms of disease ("alio" = against, "pathic" = disease). Remember though, that all disease is malfunction of cells, and masking symptoms will not fix your cells. Be wary of any medical treatment you receive. Ask questions, and be your own advocate. Keep in mind that medical treatments cause nutritional deficiencies as well as toxicity from drugs, x-rays and radiation physically damage the body, and even doctors can do psychological damage (i.e. estimating how much longer the patient may live).

 

 

• America has a higher infant mortality rate than Cuba.
• There is no scientific basis for 80 to 90 percent of all procedures used in medical practice. (U.S. Office of Technological Assessment, 1978, as well as several other studies)
• 70 percent of patients are interrupted by their doctor 18 seconds into symptom description. (Internal Medicine News, 1993)
• We are not a "one size fits all" species. The treatment for one person with a set of symptoms or diagnosed "disease" may not work for someone else with the same affliction due to the inherent differences in our make-up.
• Cancer in America is an industry. Those who have introduced highly effective and inexpensive cures such as Harry Hoxey and Dr. Andrew Ivy, among others, have been suppressed by the American Cancer Society.
• Only one adverse event out of four is ever reported by the medical industry, and this still totals 225,000 deaths per year, broken down as:
• 106,000 -- "Properly" prescribed drugs
• 80,000 -- hospital caused infections
• 12,000 -- unnecessary surgery
• 7,000 -- medication errors
• 20,000 -- other errors
• NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen), antibiotics, vaccinations, hormones, and the like are of special concern.

 

Credit must be given where it is due, and physicians definitely have their place, especially in acute cases such as accidents in which a limb is broke, or those suffering from stroke or chest pains, bleeding ulcers, deep wounds and burns, etc. But in cases such as chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, depression, high blood pressure, arthritis and the like, competent alternative treatments should be sought out through the growing number of alternative practitioners (including enlightened M.D.s).

 

Change Your Perspective

Take a good look at your current situation. Are you suffering any nagging problems such as fatigue, weight issues, allergies, skin conditions, mood issues or anything else like colds? These are warning signs that your cells are not functioning at peak performance. How are your stress levels? What is your activity level? Are you getting enough exercise? Do you take high quality supplements daily? Are you eating your food as fresh as possible as nature intended, and preparing it in ways that will provide the maximum nutrition? What steps are you taking to avoid as many toxins as possible, and to aid your body in ridding the ones you cannot avoid?

You hold the power to choose health over disease. It is up to you to embrace it. Start by taking stock of your life now, today -- your cells will thank you for it!