What do you really know about your immune system? If you are like most people, the answer is, not a lot. Everyone knows the basics. The immune system is what keeps us from getting sick. It's the system that kicks out the bad germs, bacteria and viruses.

I've sat here for an hour now trying to decide the best way to simplify how the immune system works so that I can explain to you how to help keep it strong. What I've decided is that there is no easy way to break it down.  Instead, I'll be pointing you to several other well-written, easy-to-understand websites. I suggest that you check out this article at Howstuffworks.com if you are interested in knowing how the immune system works. Otherwise, just understand that the immune system is affected by and/or related to every single organ of the body and requires some very specific things to keep it working properly.

First of all, it needs to be fed. Vitamins, minerals, elements, enzymes...all of these are necessary to keep your immune system strong and focused. So, is the answer a multi-vitamin or supplement? I don't believe so. The body absorbs vitamins, minerals and nutrients from food sources much more rapidly and efficiently than when taken in the form of a pill. This is one of those rare facts that homeopaths, doctors, nutritionists and the universe can all agree on.

That doesn't mean that you need to eat 50 different fruits and veggies a day to get all the nutrients that your body needs. Mother Nature is a multi-tasking expert. Most fruits and veggies contain a whole little package of vitamins and nutrients within them. A few, recently dubbed 'Super-foods', contain a big package of vitamins and nutrients.

It has also been proven that organic foods contain higher levels of these vitamins and nutrients. I know all the arguments...organic costs too much, it doesn't look as pretty, it's harder to obtain....I've heard and felt them all. The truth is, though, they are cheaper over time. The few extra dollars a week spent on organic instead of non-organic will help ensure a stronger immune system, which leads to fewer sick days, less money spent on medicine and increased energy and productivity.

Many fruits and veggies also contain antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral elements. Imagine them as steroids for the immune system without the side-effects, if you will. Sometimes our immune system will get overloaded with processed foods, environmental toxins, viruses, germs and a gazillion other depressants. It's hard work fighting off all those enemies! Whose system couldn't use an extra bit of muscle?

Here are a few foods that will help keep your immune system strong and healthy:

carrots, cucumbers, leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc), eggplant, tomato, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, onions, garlic, oranges, avocado, honey, apples, berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), lemons, limes, grapefruit, papaya

Raw veggies are best, but really, who wants to munch down on a raw onion? Any form you eat them in (except canned) is great, just don't microwave them or over-cook them. Try steamed asparagus drizzled with fresh lemon juice and dash of sea salt. A fresh fruit salad sprinkled with some freshly grated coconut, raisins or nuts and a hint of fresh mint. Add some extra onion and garlic to your meals. It doesn't have to be complicated and you'll feel so much better!

Our immune system also requires a constant, fresh source of oxygen to function properly. How often do you take the time to just sit and breath? Do you know the best way to breathe? Did you even know there was a 'best way to breathe'? This is one reason that I always recommend yoga. The combination of breathing and movement helps stimulate the organs of the body, which promotes better function and a stronger overall health.

The skin, too, plays a part in the immune system. It is our first defense against a whole army of deadly bacteria and germs. It is the largest organ of the body and is capable of absorbing just about anything that comes in contact with it. That is why it is incredibly important to have a good skin-care regimen that is free of chemicals and unnatural ingredients that the body often sees as 'foreign material'.

While your skin will fight it as long as possible, eventually it will catch up with you and suddenly you have a rash from your soap, dandruff from your shampoo and a nasty case of acne from the same kind of makeup you've used for years!

Check your labels when you go to buy your next bottle of face cleanser. Remember that just because it says 'made with natural ingredients' doesn't mean it's made with ALL natural ingredients. Here are a few ingredients to avoid:

mineral oil,  lanolin, PABA, formaldehyde, phenol acid (urocanic, salacylic and others), propylene glycol, parabens (methyl, propyl and others), Sodium lauryl sulfate (also Sodium Laureth , Ammonium Lauryl, and other "sulfates")

Some natural ingredients to look for that contain antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and other immune-boosting properties ( and many other beneficial characteristics including moisturizing, healing and protecting) include:

shea butter, kokum butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, grapeseed oil, olive oil, sesame oil, aloe vera, honey, beeswax, tea tree, lavender

There are times, though, that even the healthiest diet and a proper amount of exercise aren't enough and our immune system goes on the blink. What then? Then you make a doctor's appointment and gladly snatch the prescription he hands you for an antibiotic, right? Well, you could do that. It's not my first course of action, though. Here is what I do for myself and my family. I've gotten a few friends hooked on it lately, too, I'm afraid. Are you ready? It's kinda complicated...

~I take a lemon and squeeze it til there's not a drop of juice left. I leave the seeds and pulp in it because they have their own healing characteristics, but you can filter them out, if you prefer.

~Then I add a teaspoon full of some local honey that I always keep on hand.

~I add to that 1 dropper full of astragalus extract. I prefer Teeter Creek Herbs for extracts.

~I stir it all up, then drink it.

Does it work? I think so. It's been years since my daughter's last ear infection, which she used to get at least twice a winter. My last bout of strep throat, which used to happen every year in the spring and fall, hasn't made an appearance in over five years. We haven't had a sore throat, a cough or the flu in years. For general health and prevention, I take this 2-3 times a week. At the first sign of any illness, even if it's just that yucky I-don't-feel-sick-but-I-don't-feel-good stage, I take a dose every 6 hours until I feel better. I've never had to take more than 2 doses. Usually within hours I am back to feeling good.

Why would it possibly work? Well, several reasons.

~Lemon is an antiseptic that helps kill of germs and bacteria while 'sanitizing' the system. It cleanses the throat and the stomach, stimulates the digestion and helps keep the system clean.

~ Honey. This is often called a 'miracle food' for good reason. It was mentioned as far back in history as the Egyptian Hieroglyphics for it's ability to heal and nourish the body, both inside and out. Besides being antibacterial, it is also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, helps heal skin cells, moisturizes, speeds healing, stimulates growth and much more. Read more about honey here!

~Astragalus. Many studies have been done on this Eastern herb and they all show the same thing. It is a valuable herb for stimulating the immune system. This herb seems to not only strengthen the immune system, but it actually helps the body produce immune cells. For more info on some of the studies and effects of astragalus, check out this site.

]]> http://feww.wordpress.com/?p=1077 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:02:51 +0000 feww http://feww.wordpress.com/?p=1077 The Right to Live Free of Toxic Pollution Must Be Made A Fundamental Human Right!

Of nearly 90,000 chemical compounds in use, the majority of which have never been tested for health effects, only a fraction are registered and of those only a handful have been banned by EPA in the last thirty years. Meanwhile, about 2,000 new chemicals are introduced each year.

See Main Entry: The Right to Live Free of Toxic Pollution

Related Links:

• Top EU court backs citizen rights in air pollution
• Initial Condition No. 6. Understand your human rights!

.

U.S. state wages fight against toxic chemicals

By Mercedes Grandin
Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:14am EDT

AUGUSTA, Maine (Reuters) - Hannah Pingree was so alarmed when she learned she had dangerously high levels of mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals in her body that she took her case to the Maine state legislature and challenged chemical makers.

As the majority leader of Maine's House of Representatives, she sponsored legislation that gave the state the authority to broadly identify and investigate "chemicals of high concern" in consumer products, particularly those that may reach children.

The bill, signed into law in April, makes Maine the first U.S. state with such authority and could serve as a model for other U.S. states trying to fill a regulatory void left by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Just five chemicals out of 82,000 known to be hazardous to human health, for instance, have been banned by the EPA since 1976, the most recent being asbestos in 1989.

Maine's law coincides with mounting concerns in the United States over chemicals found in everyday products, from cars to clothes, and follows similar European Union laws.

The EU in 1999 banned phthalates -- chemicals used to make plastic more flexible -- and last year implemented a law known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) that requires businesses to prove substances in everyday products are safe and submit data about them.

Maine's bill echoes the EU approach. It requires makers of toxic chemicals to notify state authorities of the quantity and purpose of the chemicals and work to develop safer alternatives.

Experts are watching to see if Maine's law will lead to tougher measures nationwide, while an organization representing chemical manufacturers expressed concern that layers of new state-by-state regulations could hurt the industry.

Under the law, Maine will test chemicals and issue a "certificate of non-compliance" to manufacturers stating their chemicals do not meet state laws. The state can notify retailers the product contains toxic chemicals and legislation can be approved to ban its sale.

Pingree, 31, was one of 13 people tested in a study sponsored by an environmental group. All 13 had potentially toxic chemicals in their bodies.

"I just got married last summer and am interested in having kids in the next few years, and those chemicals could have a dangerous impact on me and my ability to bear children," she said.

Although it's unclear how the chemicals entered the bodies of the people tested, mercury, arsenic and phthalates are common in many consumer products.

"Maine is sending a clear message to the federal government that where they have failed, states will act," said Pingree, a Democrat.

CHEMICALS FOUND IN BIRDS

Environmentalists in Maine say there is growing evidence that harmful toxic chemicals are working their way into the state's ecosystem. A study, conducted by biologist Wing Goodale at the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine, revealed the presence of more than 100 man-made chemicals in 23 species of bird eggs from across the state.

Goodale's research provided further ammunition for supporters of the Maine legislation, revealing that birds were ingesting toxic chemicals through their food chain and passing them on to their eggs.

Although some chemicals banned in the 1960s and 1970s were shown to have decreased in birds, new substances are taking their place -- from flame-retardants to water repellents, pesticides and mercury, the study said.

Goodale said the chemicals could damage neurological, reproductive and immune systems of birds, harm their livers and affect their hormone functions.

Both the human and bird studies showed elevated levels of chemicals such as the plastic softener phthalates that are used in cosmetics, lubricants, and wood finishers, and bisphenol A, found in some plastic packaging, including baby bottles.

Flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, turned up in humans as well as birds, the Maine studies showed. PBDE's are used to make televisions, carpeting, furniture and mattresses.

The studies also turned up a family of perfluorochemicals known as PFC's used in making upholstery resistant to stains.

A U.S. government study released in April showed that bisphenol A may be tied to early puberty as well as prostate and breast cancer. Based on draft findings by the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, senior congressional Democrats asked the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its view that bisphenol A is safe in products for use by infants and children.

Critics say Maine's law could hurt manufacturers.

"It's a high price for Maine to bear to attempt to replicate federal agencies who are better equipped to deal with these issues," said Roger Bernstein, managing director of state and government affairs at the American Chemistry Council, an industry body representing chemical manufacturers. "It makes more sense to have one federal system."

Other U.S. states have also begun to act on chemicals in consumer products. Washington state signed into law on April 1 legislation that places restrictions on the manufacture of children's products containing lead, cadmium and phthalates.

In February, the Massachusetts Senate approved a bill to identify dangerous chemicals in household goods, but the legislation has yet to be passed into law.

In 2007, Washington became the first state to ban toxic flame retardants, and California banned toys containing phthalates. Lawmakers in Maryland, Nebraska and Hawaii have been considering bills similar to Maine's legislation. (Editing by Jason Szep and Philip Barbara) - Copyright the author(s), or the news agency.

Related Links:

• Top EU court backs citizen rights in air pollution
• Initial Condition No. 6. Understand your human rights!

.

"You can spend thousands of dollars on sophisticated alarm systems to protect your family against burglars, smoke, and carbon monoxide, but are you really safe? You may not have considered some unseen security threats. There are millions of them – bacteria, viruses, allergens, toxins, and parasites – they’re all around you, and they’d love nothing more than to invade your body and destroy your good health!

When your body encounters a potential attacker, it activates an amazing defense mechanism called the immune system. The first job of the immune system is to keep germs out, and it does this by use of barriers to prevent entry into the body. These include your skin, tears, saliva, stomach acid, intestinal flora, and mucous membranes.

Sometimes, invaders are able to get past this first line of defense, and that requires a more aggressive defense. In such cases, a vast network of cells, tissues, and organs all begin to work together to recognize and respond to the emergency. In order for this large-scale response to be effective, the entire immune system must be made aware that the body is under attack. This is the job of special cell messenger protein called interleukin-2 (IL-2). IL-2 sounds the danger alarm and spreads the word quickly throughout the body. IL-2 is also important in the production of T-cells, a vital part of the body’s targeted response to specific threats.

With so many divisions of your immune “armed forces” at work, it’s essential to have smooth and efficient communication among them to avoid a delayed or sub-optimal response. That’s why lymphocytes are so vitally important. These special white blood cells circulate throughout the body, playing an important role in commanding, directing, and coordinating your immune system’s diverse and varied functions.

Your highly complex immune system can actually recognize and remember millions of different enemies, and it can produce potent biological weapons called antibodies to match up with and wipe out nearly all of them. One of the body’s most powerful antibodies is immunoglobulin G (IgG), which circulates in the blood, working covertly to seek out bacteria, viruses, molds, yeasts, and allergens. When IgG finds a foreign invader, it “paints” it with a special chemical to mark it for destruction by the immune system’s “clean-up squads.”

Here are 10 great tips that can help you to keep your vital immune system functioning smoothly:

• Don’t smoke. In addition to what you already know about the hazards of tobacco smoking, it also wreaks havoc on virtually every aspect of immune function.
• Avoid toxins. Reduce exposure by choosing organic produce, washing fruits and vegetables to remove pesticide residues, and by using household cleaners and personal care products that are made with less toxic materials.
• Get adequate sleep. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight germs.
• Reduce stress. There is compelling scientific evidence that chronic stress causes a measurable decline in the immune system's ability to fight disease.
• Be optimistic. Studies show that pessimists, who tend to find fault with everything, don't live as long as optimists, who have a more cheerful outlook. If you’re content with whom you are and with your life, you’ll also have less stress, and therefore fewer immune health consequences.
• Exercise regularly. Studies show the dangers to immune health of a sedentary lifestyle. One study compared inactive people with those who walked briskly almost every day. Researchers found that those who didn't walk took twice as many sick days in four months as those who walked.
• Stay connected. Humans crave social contact, and studies have shown that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the more likely we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and die prematurely. One study found that people who are isolated may live only half as long as those who have a lot of human contact. Love appears to nourish the immune system, so spread the love!
• Eat a sensible, healthy diet. Excess fat can suppress the immune system, and too much sugar can inhibit the action of phagocytes, the “Pac-Man”-like blood cells that gobble up viruses and bacteria.
• Don’t overuse antibiotics, especially for viral infections (such as colds or flu) where they have no effect. Cutting down on unnecessary antibiotic use will help to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• Drink 4 ounces (120 ml) of GoChi every day!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GoChi – Human clinical study shows significant immune enhancements in just 30 days! 

In a recent randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled human clinical trial, blood tests on participants drinking a daily serving of 4 ounces (120 ml) of GoChi showed significant improvements in three key markers of immune health in just 30 days. Compared to their blood levels at the beginning of the study, the test subjects experienced the following:  

27% increase in lymphocytes

58% increase in interleukin-2 (IL-2)

19% increase in immunoglobulin G

In yet another controlled human study that was featured in the peer-reviewed Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM), participants drinking a daily serving of just 4 ounces (120 ml) of GoChi reported experiencing significantly decreased feelings of stress and more positive feelings of contentment and happiness in as little as 14 days. The publication of this study by the independent experts of a peer-reviewed publication such as JACM represents a first for a functional juice beverage in the Direct Selling industry, and it demonstrates FreeLife’s ongoing commitment to supporting its claims with solid scientific research.

Drink GoChi. Your body’s armed forces will thank you!

Your FreeLife Science Team

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REFERENCES:

“Immune System.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved July 18, 2008. Available at http://www3.niaid. nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/

“Medline Plus: Immune System and Disorders.” U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved July 10, 2008. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystemanddisorders.html

Amagase H, Nance DM. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study of the General Effects of a Standardized Lycium barbarum (Goji) Juice, GoChi™. J Altern Complement Med. 2008; 14(4), pp. 403-412. Abstract available on PubMed at http://www.pubmed.gov (PMID: 18447631)

Many people do not even think twice when they use antibiotic creams and soaps. This is likely a very bad habit and here is why. As reported in the well respected journal Nature (Nature November 22, 2001;414:454-457), the skin has a built in ability to produce it's own antibiotic like chemicals to protects against bacteria and infection. This chemical is known as a human cath cell or LL-37 and works similar to antibiotics with the added intelligence to jump into action and increase activity only to cells under assault. For most people the use of topical antibiotics will seriously impair the delicate balance of microorganisms on our skin. Compromising skin tissue repetitively can lead to more serious infections and a lack of resistance to pathogens even creating 'super-bugs'. Humans have an important symbiotic relationship with microorganisms that must be respected. A recent Italian study found that exposure to bacteria is essential for development of an infant's immune system. It is now thought that a baby must be exposed to germs during its first year in order to develop antibodies needed to fight infection later in life. Dr. Stuart Levy of the Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics has been cautioning against the overuse of antibiotic products for years.  The group's website can be found at: http://www.healthsci.tufts.edu/apua/home.html.

“A vaccine has been developed which protects psittacine birds from infection by the virus. Two injections, four to six weeks apart, must be given. Birds vaccinated in 1991 are still resistant to challenge by the virus.”

Sadly no treatment is currently available for this disease but much research is being undertaken through out Australia. A DNA test is available to detect the disease in infected birds. If you suspect your bird might be infected, you veterinarian can take a blood sample and send it away for diagnosis.

I don’t want to get peoples hopes up to high due to the high mortality of this disease but when I research the disease I did come across stories of some parrots not only surviving the disease but apparently they have completely recovered from it. Click here to read a heart felt story about Sweetpea’s struggle with PBFD and ultimate recovery. Apparently some older birds that have been tested positive have show no effects but they so remain carriers for the disease.

Many Infected birds do however live long and happy lives, some owners even knit them little jumpers if their birds loss too many feathers. I provided my girl with her own heating lamp. Due to their weak immune systems they need especially good care and hygiene. An infected bird must be isolated to prevent any contact with other parrots as this is a highly contagious disease which is transmitted though faeces and feather powder. Take great care when you personally come into contact with other parrots, make sure you change your cloths and wash thoroughly. This is a very resistant disease and is know to survive many disinfectants. It can lay dormant in an old cage for years, so it is best to destroy any of the bird’s possessions to prevent inflecting another parrot. This virus occurs in both wild and pet birds.

References: (Viewing date – 22^nd June 2008)
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/p-c-disease/index.html
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/p-c-disease/pubs/p-c-disease.pdf
http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_007.htm
http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=281
http://www.geocities.com/~calliefeather/sweetpea.html ]]> http://reactionsmatter.wordpress.com/?p=58 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:14:37 +0000 reactionsmatter http://reactionsmatter.wordpress.com/?p=58

Nonspecific Invasion - Skin Penetration **VD is Permanent, Chemo Might Destroy Tissue

Steps	Description	Volcabulary
VASODILATION	Blood vessels get big. Immature cells can get to site - from blood to interstitial fluid.	Delivery of Protein & Leukocytes
INCREASE PERMEABILITY	Blood vessels  stimulated endothelial cells increase slits allow Diapedesis	/Intracellular Clefts Diapedesis.
CHEMOTAXIS	Injured cells release chemoattratant to allow binding. Endothelial contraction allows the neurtrophill to diapedesis. Chemoa. Guide Neur. To damage site. Monocytes follow, change in IF to  Macrophage.	Neutrophils, monocytes, chemoattractants: VCAM-1 (Vascular Cellular Adhesion Molecule) and ICAM -1 (Intra Cellular Adhesion Molecule) Margination
MICROBE DESTRUCTION	Macrophage Attaches by specific receptor, surrounds and engulfs bacteria Intracellular –Phagocytosis,  Opsonin facilitates binding (CRP, C3B), once engulfed by macrophage, vessel Phagosome fuses with Lysosomes forming Phagolysosome. Microbe digested and exocytoses. Extracellular – COMPLEMENT,  MAC embeds self in the microbe membrane forming pore. Water and salt enters microbe rupture cell.	Macrophage, C3b Receptor CRP (Cell Reactive Protein) Phagosome Lysosomes Phagolysosome MAC – Membrane Attack Complex Complement.
TISSUE REPAIR	Thrombin activates Fibrinogen to fibrin. Activates Factor Xlll for clotting, Proenzyme Plasminogen to Plasmin by Plasminogen activator (tPA) digests fibrin - Anticlotting.	Thrombin Fibrinogen Factor Xlll Plasminogen, Plasmin

Specific Immune – Be Specific, B-Cells

RECOGNITION	B cell makes antibody and can bind to any antigen Bacteria gets into body, enters lymphatic system, B cell recognizes the bacteria and binds		Surface Receptor called antigen
	T-cell bind to cells affected or called Antigen Presenting Cell APC bound to MHC receptor to Tag the cell. (Cells Identity: Class 1 MHC every cell except Macrophase & Bcell. Class ii found on Macrophage & B cell only. {Major Histocompatibility.... Complex) Because fragments of bacteria previously engulfed are displayed on macrophage membrane MHCII.	Cytotoxic T binds to Class I MHC	APC-Antigen Presenting Cell Class I MHC Class II MHC
		Helper T cell requires Class II MHC – binds to it activating Helper T cells.
ACTIVATION	B-cells differentiates into plasma cells, release antibodies which bind to more bacteria (some into memory cells).		IL1 TNF IL IL2
	T-Cells – Macrophage release IL1 and TNF IL and TNF induce Helper T cells to release IL2 IL2 stimulates helper T cells to proliferate More cytokines are released from T cells New cytokines stimulate B cells to proliferate.
ATTACK	B-cells Antibodies enhances Phagocytes and NK releasing toxic chemicals and Start Opsonin process

  If good cells are already infected

1. Infected cell presents Class I MHC on membrane

2. Enhances Cytotoxic T cell to bind to receptor

3. Helper T cell activated by macrophages

4. Macrophages release IL1 and TNF

5. Active Helper T cells release IL2 to stimulate proliferation

6. IL2 stimulate more Cytotoxic T cells

7. Activates Cytotoxic T cells

8. Cytotoxic T cells release Perforin, which produces pores in infected cell causing membrane to disintegrate.

8b. Also IL-2 released by Helper T cells activates NK and Macrophages.

9. Both release toxic chemicals that destroy infected cells.

I've been hearing about this product for years. Well, at least for the past ten years or so which is roughly how long it's been available. Sure seems longer ago than that!

It was all the big rage back then. Everyone was trying to recruit me to sell it via some network marketing machine and at the time it just didn't do much for me. I never tried as it seemed expensive to me and even though I could get rich and retire and buy an island in the South Pacific buy selling it to all my friends and family and neighbors...I decide to pass.  

Now, I'm starting to see it again in various places I haven' seen it before. And...where I'm reading about it now they're claiming it can do things I wasn't aware it could do. Like, supposedly, it has anti- inflammatory properties.

I've done a little research and most of what I'm seeing is favorable. I've also come across the sites that are promoting that  the product is complete sham and you'll waste your money if you buy even an ounce of this stuff.

What are we talking about you ask?

TAHITIAN NONI® Juice supports your immune system, delivers superior antioxidants that help rid the body of harmful free radicals, increases energy, is cholesterol-friendly, and allows for greater physical performance levels.

Ancient tradition and modern research both testify of the power of noni. A must for those concerned with overall health and wellness.

TAHITIAN NONI® Juice is impossible to duplicate. Our process-which includes harvesting techniques, quality assurance that begins in the field, extraction and stabilization procedures, custom equipment, and packaging techniques-is proprietary and absolutely exclusive.

So, has anyone had any experience with this wonder elixir? Do you know anyone that has had any experiences with Noni Juice? Positive, negative or other?

I feel a "if I snooze I might lose" moment coming on and am hoping to get some firsthand insights before I take my next step. The product looks interesting and has me intrigued...

Thanks for your help,

~ Rick Zwetsch ~

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Prolonged TV watching is a strong predictor for obesity. Recent research has proved that people who watch around two hours of TV per day are much more likely to be overweight than those who watched only half an hour per day. When you watch TV you are virtually motionless. Your heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic rate decline, resulting in burning 20 to 30 calories less per hour. Research by Harvard University has shown that there is a link between the amount children eat and the amount of television they watch.

2. Eating Too Fast

It is a habit of most people living in a fast paced society. Eating fast lets you eat too much before you are fully aware of it. It takes the brain about 15-20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Scientists suppose that fast eating is a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, a combination of the symptoms such as high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

3. Task Snacking

Task snacking refers to eating while doing other activities. if you often eat meals or snacks while working by yourself in front of your computer, while driving, watching TV, or standing at the kitchen counter, shopping with a friend, or talking on the phone, it's likely that the "task snacking" eating style is increasing your odds of becoming overweight or obese.

4. Frequent Fast Food Consumption

One of the big reasons we’re seeing more obesity in our society these days is that we are too stressed and busy to make healthy dinners at home, often opting to get fast food at the nearest drive-thru instead. Fast foods compromise the quality of the diet by replacing more healthy foods. Fast foods are known for having high content of saturated and trans-fat, low content of fiber and massive portion sizes, which leads to obesity.

5. Eating To Manage Feelings

Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food (usually "comfort" or junk foods) in response to feelings (such as depression, anxiety, or loneliness) instead of hunger.

Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. How many times have you found yourself scouring the kitchen for a snack, or absently munching on junk food when you’re stressed, but not really hungry?

6. Too Busy To Exercise

With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. If so, you’re not alone. Americans live a more sedentary lifestyle than we have in past generations, yet our minds seem to be racing from everything we have to do. Unfortunately, from sitting in traffic, clocking hours at our desks, and plopping in front of the TV in exhaustion at the end of the day, exercise often goes by the wayside.

7. Your Friends Can Make You Fat

If you're putting on weight, you might want to take a look at who you're hanging around with. A study published in the July 26, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that obesity may be "socially contagious." The study was conducted on more than 12,000 people over 32 years, and concluded that having an overweight friend, sibling or spouse increased one's risk of obesity by 37 to 57 percent.

8. Lack Of Sleep

Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of obesity by boosting ghrelin (an appetite stimulating hormone) and lowering leptin (an appetite suppressor). The study from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom found that, compared to an eight hours of shut-eye, each one-hour decrease in sleep duration was linked to almost 3% more body fat.

9. Unaware Of Calories And Fat

Many people eat foods with no idea of the calorie or fat value. This leads to weight gain and unhealthy eating habits because you can easily consume twice the normal calories required to maintain your weight, let alone lose weight, if you don't know how many calories you are eating.

10. Credit Cards

Your plastic may be affecting more than just your credit score. Visa conducted a study of 100,000 fast-food restaurant transactions and found that people who pay for their food with a credit card spend 30% more than those who pay with cash. For the average woman, who visits a fast-food restaurant once a week, that adds an extra 17,160 calories, or 4.9 pounds, per year.

11. Missing Meals

Research shows that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, and that morning meals seem to help those who've lost weight keep it off. Denise Bruner, MD, obesity specialist and former president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, says that skipping meals of any kind results in a "tremendous bout of compensatory hunger."

12. Uncomfortable Clothing

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse found that casual and comfortable clothing workdays promote increased physical activity. Specifically, study participants took an average of 491 (or 8%) more steps on Jeans Day than on those days in which they wore normal business attire. It is also estimated that study participants burned an average of 25 additional calories on Jeans Day with the extra steps and miles walked. Wearing casual clothing every day for 50 weeks of work translates into burning an additional 125 calories per week and 6,250 calories per year.

13. Neglecting Scales

Recent study from the University of Minnesota found that dieters who weighed themselves daily lost about 12 pounds over two years, while those who never did shed only four pounds. Other research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that those who have daily weigh-ins (along with face-to-face support) are 82% less likely to regain five pounds than a control group without weigh-ins or support.

14. Boredom

A survey by the Priory Group in the U.K. found that more people ate when bored than when stressed.

Source: http://www.healthassist.net/food/obesity.shtml

Psychologists have a theory called the facial feedback hypothesis that says our facial expressions produce feedback that affect not only our behavior and ability to express ourselves emotionally, but the behavior and emotional expression of others. We can actually improve our moods just by smiling; and by smiling, improve the moods of those around us.

Multiple research projects and studies have been conducted in support of this hypothesis and the results are fascinating. For instance, it's been found that we undergo involuntary biological changes when instructed to mimic certain facial expressions: mimicking an angry face actually increases the flow of blood to the hands and feet in much the same way a person who is truly angry experiences increased blood flow. And a mimicked smile actually releases endorphins into our system making us feel better, happier. A smile is so powerful in fact, studies have found that it can actually be felt at the other end of the phone.

Who knew?

Another study found that 72% of us believe that people who smile frequently are more confident and successful (or crazy... oh wait, no, that's just me.) Yet another study found that mimicking the face of someone else increased our empathy toward that person – a smile producing a smile.

My favorite study showed that participants holding a pencil in their mouths while viewing cartoons (forcing the mechanics of a smile), rated the cartoons funnier than those participants without the pencil. Maybe I should have had a pencil in my mouth when I watched PAY IT FORWARD, or better yet, a crowbar. Crack that smile right open.

So our smile is important and an actual tool of good health maintenance.

To keep our smiles healthy we need to keep ourselves healthy. Keeping our immune systems strong and fully supported will not only keep our smiles cold sore free (and by connection, the Herpes Simplex Virus at bay, http://www.surenature.com), but will improve our overall health and appearance. When we look and feel healthy we can’t help but smile, eliciting a smile from that passerby on the street who smiles at her co-worker who smiles at the coffee guy who smiles at the mailman and so on and so on and so on, paying forward our sense of health and well-being.

:-) Good to know.

Authors Comment: I found this article on a blog and thought it was highly interesting, especially considering the interest in the apparent addiction factor of Timmy's coffee. I've written on this subject before, (Tim Horton's Nicotene/MSG? ) and that particular article went haywire with readers. After doing some research, I now find I have to alter my opinion on the ingredients of their coffee. Besides the moderation factor of coffee which most ignore, and the unhealthy chemicals so common in non-organic coffee, the Tim Horton's brand may indeed have other highly undesirable ingredients. Check out the interesting read below:

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Speculation abounds on the internet as to why an entire nation can't function without Tim Horton's coffee. Canadians will go to astonishing lengths to wrap their hands around a hot double-double. Theories range from nicotine to MSG, to insane amounts of caffeine to good old all-purpose crack cocaine. Thanks to a CBC investigation, the coffee has even been submitted for laboratory testing and come up clean. A few days after our return from Canada, I was send this email:

From: Chris
Date: Oct 3, 2007 5:30 PM
Subject: Tim Hortons EXPOSED
To: Susannah

I spent some time yesterday evening looking into the mystery of Tim Horton's rocket fuel. Some interesting finds:

Firstly, Tim Horton's claim that none of their coffee contains additives (none of their food, for that matter). A huge and already prosperous business is unlikely to risk their reputation by lying about this, so I assume they're telling the truth.

Harold McGee tells me that Colombian Arabica coffee beans, when roasted, contain small quantities of a substance called lactisole which reduces the apparent sweetness of sugar by two thirds. This is why a cup of 'double double' strength Tim Horton's, which contains a whopping 18 grams of sugar, tastes quite benign. The same amount of sugar dissolved in water would taste unusually sweet.

I did discover that lactisole has been synthesised and used by a company called Domino Sugar in a mixture called Super Envision Flavour and Texture Modifier. Not mentioned on their main website, they've hived off all their more controversial formulas onto www.dominospecialtyingredients.com, which tells me that:

Super Envision® Flavor and Texture Modifier is the latest Domino Specialty Ingredient product of the Envision sweetness inhibitor line. This unique ingredient reduces sweetness and allows the food formulator to use a full range of carbohydrates to maintain the desired attributes of products, such as: moisture retention, mouthfeel and water activity. Super Envision can typically be used at < 1%.

In other words, this stuff is used to cram more sugar into foods and sports drinks whilst not making it taste too sweet. Possibly why a can of coke is stuffed with 39 grams of sugar in only 12oz and still remains palatable. So the recipe seems pretty simple. Very strong coffee beans carefully chosen for a wide popularity, lots of sugar, lots of cream. Keeps 'em coming back for more.

In short: Tim Horton's coffee has no secret ingredient. Its crack-like qualities arise from its unique ability, thanks to naturally-occurring lactisole, to deliver not only caffeine but a double dose of good old-fashioned sugar -- 18 g, or just under 4 teaspoonsful, roughly as much as you'll find in 8-and-a-half Pixy Stix -- across your blood-brain barrier in a matter of minutes. The fact that a double-double also delivers 7 grams of delicious, delicious fat (4g of which are saturated), or roughly as much as you'll find in 2 teaspoonsful of butter, doesn't hurt either.

From: Susannah
Date: Oct 3, 2007 6:00 PM
Subject: Re: Tim Hortons EXPOSED
To: Chris

This is better than Matthew's calling up Kleenex to cross-question them about the "anti-viral" properties of their latest bird-flu-paranoia-inspired tissue.

That Super Envision stuff is scary. I presume all that bland corporate jargon just serves to conceal the fact that the stuff is used to allow food makers to shoehorn even more sugar into processed foods to give them the true crack effect. From Domino's company history:

During the mid-1990s, the company embarked on an intensive research and development program to develop non-sweet sugar for different food applications. For example, the company's development of such a product, which combined Lactisole, a sweetness inhibitor, with sucrose, enabled it to tone down the sweetness in sports drinks and energy boosting beverages. Another application involved using non-sweet sugar as a fat substitute for frostings, icings, and a variety of frozen desserts. By 1995, the company had received approval for 18 food applications for its non-sweet sugar, including use in low-oil salad dressings.

You're right -- in other words, lactisole is a compound used by the forces of evil to satisfy our monkey brains and give us an "energy" boost without us realizing it's all just sugar. Notice also that the use of "non-sweet sugar as a fat substitute" came about in the mid-90s during the "fat is bad" craze, when pretty much every edible item in the world, including Oreos, sported a badge proclaiming it was low in fat. Never mind how high it was sugar. Thus proving absolutely spot-on the words of Richard E. Grant in How to Get Ahead in Advertising: "[It] must be low in something, and if it isn't, it must be high in something else, and that is its health-giving ingredient we will sell."

Source: hotgingeranddynamite.blogspot.com

Further Information:

• Lactisole is a carboxylic acid salt isolated from roasted Colombian Arabica Coffee beans. Like gymnemic acid, it is a sweet-inhibitor or taste-modifier.

• Kinghorn, A.D. and Compadre, C.M. Alernative Sweeteners: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded, Marcel Dekker ed., New York, 2001. ISBN 0-8247-0437-1

Anti-sweet properties

At concentrations of 100–150 parts per million in food, lactisole largely suppresses the ability to perceive sweet tastes, both from sugar and from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. A 12% sucrose solution was perceived like a 4% sucrose solution when lactisole was added. However, it is significantly less efficient than gymnemic acid with acesulfame potassium, sucrose, glucose, and sodium saccharin. Research found also that it has no effect on the perception of bitterness, sourness and saltiness. According to a recent study, lactisole acts on a sweet taste receptor heteromer of the TAS1R3 sweet protein receptor in humans, but not on its rodent counterpart.

Lactisole Interacts with the Transmembrane Domains of Human T1R3 to Inhibit Sweet Taste. P Jiang, M Cui, B Zhao, Z Liu, LA Snyder, LMJ Benard, R Osman, RF Margolskee and M Max. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, Issue 15, 15238-15246, April 15, 2005

As a food additive

The principal use of lactisole is in jellies, jams, and similar preserved fruit products containing large amounts of sugar. In these products, by suppressing sugar's sweetness, it allows fruit flavors to come through. In the United States, lactisole is FDA GRAS (Fema number: 3773) and approved for use in food as flavouring agent up to 150ppm. Currently, lactisole is manufactured and sold by Domino Sugar and its usage levels are between 50 to 150 ppm.

JECFA "Specifications for Flavourings"

Sugar sans sweetness - lactisole. Prepared Foods, May, 1995 by Fran LaBell

I was distraught at 16, holding her on her last morning during a severe asthma attack, until I was moved out of the bedroom by the GP attempting resuscitation. My mother had contracted tuberculosis, a rarity in 1980, and because of asthma from her childhood, didn't really have a hope of recovery. In her family, chronic asthma skipped a generation, passing from her grandmother to my mother. tick-tock, tick-tock... It is also present in a couple of my nieces and nephews, but with the hope of improved medication, they have a good hope of avoiding fatal asthma attacks.

I am now 42, a year older than my mother was, and yet on the morning of her death, a relative said that she thought that it would have been me to die before my mother. I suppose she had a bit of a point. I was born at 27 weeks, weighing less than 2 kg, given only 5 minutes to live and the almost inevitable cerebral palsy afterwards, due to the infancy of neonatal care in 1966. Follow that with meningitis as a toddler, Type  1 diabetes at 10, with all its hypoglycaemic comas and an accidental medical personnel-induced hyperglycaemic coma which sent me into intensive care 60% dehydrated, and doing a very good impression of an Egyptian mummy! tick-tock, tick-tock!

There is no doubt that the asthma gene eventually played a major role in the death of my mother. My development of type 1 diabetes, where my own immune system caused the disease. It destroyed the smallest, most delicate and, as research into the side effects of diabetes is now showing, one of the most important organs, the Islets of Langerhans within the pancreas, which produce insulin. tick-tock, tick-tock...

This consequence of this genetic destruction, with the visual, kidney, circulation, hearing, dementia, depression and other problems that we are told are in store for us if we don't try to slow it down, is a genetic time bomb of nuclear proportions. tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.... BANG

Roll on stem cell technology, our best help for genetic disarmament!!!

1. Fasting
Fasting is the most effective way to boost your immune system. The immune system is not activated and does not use any of its specialized cells to rid the body of the substances taken in after a meal. Therefore, those cells are kept in reserve when most needed. It is important to have specialized killer cells in reserve, which can possibly help ward off cancer.

2. Diet
What you eat plays a major role in the strength and integrity of the immune system. In order to build a healthy immune system, you need to give it the best fuel to do so. A diet that includes mainly organic fruits and vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils), grains (brown rice, sprouted or cracked wheat bread) and organic, antibiotic and hormone-free whole milk, is the proper fuel the body needs to help build a strong, healthy immune system.

3. Sufficient sleep
Getting enough sleep, not just rest, is important for the immune system. It needs ample time to re-group after a day of being bombarded with food intake, (usually not the best that should be eaten), and stressful situations. The immune system is literally on guard every second of the day. So, when the body is finally at rest during a good night?s sleep (eight hours), the immune system rejuvenates itself to prepare for the next day. Without proper sleep daily, the immune system is ill-prepared to fight off illness, which weakens it.

4. Supplementation
Sometimes, it may be necessary to take a supplement to help boost the immune system if you travel frequently or have a stressful work environment. Echinacea and Vitamin C both help to enhance the immune system?s response to stress. Andrographis stimulates the immune system to make the cells that engulf foreign substances in the body (phagocytes) and excrete them out of the body.

In a presentation made at the annual Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting in Toronto in October 2006, findings determined that the incidence of whooping cough or pertussis, in the United States is increasing. Pertussis can be deadly. In the mid-1970s, about 1,000 cases of pertussis were reported each year in the United States. By 2004, more than 25,000 cases were reported. One study showed that the number of pertussis cases in the Seattle area increased from 39 in 2001 to 280 in 2003. The highest incidence of the disease occurred among infants less than 1 year old, but the largest increases in pertussis were among people 20 years and older (an 11-fold increase) and among adolescents and teens 10 to 19 years old (a more than fivefold increase). In 62% of infant cases, a household member was the potential source of infection.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 300,000,000 people suffer from asthma and 255,000 people died of asthma in 2005. Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occur in low and lower-middle income countries. WHO has estimated that deaths will increase by almost 20% in the next 10 years. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals' activities for a lifetime.

Although the fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood, the strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled asthma-triggers or allergies. These include indoor allergens (for e.g. pollution, household dust and pet fur), outdoor allergens (for e.g. pollens and moulds), tobacco smoke and chemical irritants in the workplace. Allergies can cause your suffering to worsen. Urban areas show the most dramatic rise in hospitalization and deaths triggered by allergens. Developing industrialization and higher levels of environmental pollution are major factors. The research shows a sharp increase of overall allergic events since 1980. The number of children with on-set of asthma has increased by nearly 60% and asthma related deaths by 78%. Hay fever affects 30-40% of Americans and is the most chronic illness for children. Symptoms include decreased lung function, bronchial inflammation, recurrent coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, and tightness in the chest, sneezing, runny nose, congestion, itching, redness of the eyes, inflammation, and rashes. Allergies are disorders of the immune system. The function of the human immune system is to defend the body against invaders such as certain bacteria, viruses, and fungi and to destroy any infectious microorganisms that invade the body. The immune system is made up of a complex and vital network of cells and organs that protect the body from infection. Although the immune system is extremely complex, its basic strategy is simple: to recognize the enemy, mobilize forces, and attack.

Just as a country that seeks continued existence, it must be in a constant state of preparedness to face all kinds of threats and dangers from external and internal sources. If it fails to defend itself, no matter how well-developed and advanced a nation may be, it could be destroyed with the launching of a military offensive against it or even a well-directed and unanticipated terrorist act. The human body also has unseen enemies that are more resilient than others. In today's age of environmental toxins, viral and bacterial infections and the myriad of allergens that we are exposed to on a daily basis, serious measures must be taken to guard against them and to keep our internal defense system fully functional to protect ourselves against these threats.

The human body is made up of atoms. All atoms contain a nucleus and have electrons that circulate around the central body. Atoms connect to each other to form molecules by sharing or exchanging their electrons. In an example using water, it is formed by three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. The electrons they share are locked into a stable compound making it difficult to break down. However, in some compounds, there is a "free radical," an electron that is not held firmly in the compound and so is "free" to break away and attach to another compound or body tissue. When they combine with another tissue, free radicals oxidize chemicals that form tissue, like oxygen turning iron to rust. Just as rust does not possess the strength of iron, oxidized tissues lose strength when they are damaged by oxidation. These free radicals are highly reactive chemical molecules, causing tissue damage and destructive effects upon the human body. Your body has built-in defenses against free radicals but they can be overwhelmed by the effects of stress, environmental pollutants, and age.

Western medicine relies on aggressive prescription drugs to deal with many problems related to immune-system dysfunction. Unfortunately, these methods often result in unwanted and even dangerous side effects. And natural pills only provide fleeting, inconsistent results.

Ayurveda-Immunice is the oldest and most holistic and comprehensive medical system available. It's fundamentals can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas - the ancient Indian books of wisdom written over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda-Immunice uses the inherent principles of nature to help maintain health in a person by keeping the individual's body, mind, and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.

They have a seasoned group of Ayurvedic doctors specialized in Vajikarana, one of the eight major specialties of Ayurveda. Vajikarana is "a process or a drug, which make a man as healthy as a ox and able to undergo many hours of physical rigors." Vajikarana prescribes the therapeutic use of various herbal and tonic preparations for enhancing the capabilities and vigor of the Immune System while strengthening the body and overall well-being.

They (Herbs' Vajikarana Scientists) combine a proprietary herbal formula based on centuries old wisdom with advice on diet, exercise, mental training, and relaxation to help men and women reach their peak and overcome their overall health concerns through safe, natural means.

Results: The precise combination of ingredients in Immunice along with a mind-body focus precisely addresses Immune System Vulnerabilities!

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20080807-17623.html

“The incidence of asthma in people from the ages of 8 to 44 who had childhood eczema, was nearly double that of people who had never had eczema,’’ Dr Burgess said.

http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_5266.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/023583.html

In the latest example of absurd disease mongering to receive widespread media attention, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee has announced that infants as young as two years old need to be screened for high cholesterol, and children as young as eight years old should be put on prescription statin drugs. This absurd advice is being offered even though statin drugs have never been tested on young children. But the FDA, in its ongoing drug-pushing campaign, has granted approval for the use of such drugs on children as young as eight. (Will they now expand that approval to children as young as two?)

The point of all this? To sell more high-profit prescription drugs, of course, to yet another group of victims being targeted for medication by Big Pharma. This is called "market expansion," and it's the only way drug companies can continue to grow their profits and keep shareholders happy.

As drug companies continue to expand their profits and influence over the now-utterly-corrupt medical industry, they are also expanding their customer base by continuing to push medications for increasingly younger demographic groups. Not content to drug more than half the adults in western nations, Big Pharma now sees children as its next area of market growth, in much the same way that soda companies once sought to persuade parents to feed their babies soda pop as a way to instill the desire for sugary beverages at a very young age.

The conventional medical profession -- which has long since sold its soul to the drug companies and now functions as little more than an elaborate pharmaceutical vending machine -- is likely to follow this absurd advice and place children as young as eight years old on statin drugs, even without a single safety test having ever been conducted with children taking these powerful chemicals. NaturalNews readers need no reminders that statin drug side effects include:

• Severe disruption of hormone production, including sex hormones
• Extreme loss of cellular energy
• Devastating loss of muscle function (rhabdomyolysis)
• Kidney failure
• Erectile dysfunction
• Mental confusion
• Homicidal impulses
• Amnesia

... and many others you can read about at: http://www.naturalnews.com/001353.html

Are these the kinds of results our medical community wishes to see in eight-year-old boys and girls? Do we really want to send adolescent boys off to school, doped up on drugs that cause homicidal impulses, erectile dysfunction and mental confusion?

The medical community apparently thinks so. After all, they're already drugging up the children with psych drugs that cause suicidal thoughts and violent outbursts (school shootings, anyone?). The thought of adding yet another mind-altering, body-damaging drug to a child apparently doesn't earn a second thought from modern medical doctors, most of which are too busy cashing "speaking fee" checks from drug companies to invest any real time actually protecting the health of their patients.

But what if these children really have high cholesterol?

I can already hear the drug pushers chanting in unison: "But what if these children really have high cholesterol? Don't they deserve treatment?"

"Treatment," of course, is a clever euphemism for "drug 'em!" It's the call-to-arms of the medication industry, and it really only means pushing more drugs onto more people who don't need them.

I'm all for real treatment -- that is, treatment that reverses the underlying health condition. But the medical community won't stand for that. It is currently illegal in the United States to offer a patient any treatment whatsoever that claims to reverse cancer, for example. Doctors are only allowed to offer prescription drugs and surgery, and that's it. Neither option, of course, will resolve the underlying health problem.

And what, exactly, is the underlying health problem in this case? Any child diagnosed with high cholesterol at the age of eight has been a victim of dietary abuse and physical neglect. To imbalance a child's cholesterol at such an early age requires the consumption of large quantities of:

• Milk and dairy products (like cheese)
• Fried foods and trans fatty acids
• Processed meats and animal products

Such a condition also indicates a dangerous lack of plant-based nutrients in the child's diet, since a plant-based diet focused on unprocessed, fresh foods and living foods reverses heart disease and normalizes cholesterol!

I submit that any child can be cured of high cholesterol in a matter of weeks by being fed a 100% plant-based diet, comprised entirely of non-processed foods, and including fresh, raw vegetable and fruit juices along with numerous superfoods. (The junk food companies, of course, will never stand for this. They earn no profits when children eat fresh produce...)

That's how you solve the cholesterol problems in America's youth. Change their diets, and you change the health results you get. It's so simple that you'd have to be an idiot not to get it.

Why are the nutritionally illiterate in charge of health care?

Interestingly, the health authorities in power today are, indeed, idiots when it comes to nutrition. Having never been taught the absurdly simple relationships between food intake and health outcomes, they continue to operate in a fantasy realm of false ideas where food has no relationship to health and children who exhibit symptoms of disease merely suffer from pharmaceutical deficiencies requiring rectification with medication.

That's right: The mainstream medical profession now thinks of pharmaceuticals as essential nutrients, believing that children who are not given numerous medications are somehow lacking treatment or missing out on the benefits of those drugs.

And yet, at the same time, the real essential nutrients -- vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals -- are scoffed at by conventional medical practitioners who claim that VITAMINS exhibit no health benefits whatsoever in the human body!

You got that? Vitamins are useless, they say, but pharmaceuticals are essential!

Why no drug company will face my $10,000 health challenge

Which brings me to my $10,000 health and fitness challenge. Two weeks ago, I challenged the drug companies to produce a single person who could beat me in a physical fitness contest, pledging that I would personally pay $10,000 to anyone who could beat me. The catch? They have to provide a contestant who is experiencing the "benefits" of multiple pharmaceuticals that the drug companies claim enhance consumers' health. You can read the full details on that challenge here: http://www.naturalnews.com/023476.html

To date, not a single drug company has dared to meet this challenge. Can you guess why? Because pharmaceuticals make you sick, not healthy. The more medications a person takes, the worse their health gets! It's true with adults, it's true with senior citizens, and it's true with children as well.

Big Pharma is an industry based on fraud. It is, in fact, a criminal operation that preys on the bodies of innocent children who will only be harmed by these patented, high-profit synthetic chemicals that have no place in the human body to begin with. What children need today is:

1: Regular access to honest, fresh, unprocessed foods.

2: An honest education in health that isn't influenced by the junk food companies.

3: Protection from all the chemicals, additives and refined ingredients in processed foods and popular beverages.

They aren't getting that in the public schools, and they sure aren't getting that from the USDA's laughable Food Guide Pyramid. (See www.HonestFoodGuide.org for a better guide.) And sadly, they're not even getting that in the homes, since most parents know as little about health and nutrition as conventional doctors!

Our bodies are quite literally under attack each and every day, from the foods we eat to the water we drink to the air we breathe. Disease-causing organisms (like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites), in their relentless attack, are usually agents of minor inconvenience: we catch a cold, a hangnail gets a little infected, suddenly our gas could power an SUV. Other invasions, however, can be life threatening.

In 2004 the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S. was influenza (the flu) and/or pneumonia. 215,000 people die each year from Sepsis (a severe bacterial blood infection), more than the combined deaths from breast, colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Measles kills a half a million worldwide, TB almost two million, and with Bird Flu, West Nile, SARS, HIV and others all revving their engines, our immune system is becoming our most precious possession.

We may think it’s what goes in our car’s tank that’s precious, but what goes in our own tanks is of far greater value.

The results of a recent study conducted over a 12-year period found that our immune systems decline at a rate of 3% per year.  Most every day on the news we hear of some new antibiotic-resistant strain of something or other that’s wreaking havoc here or there or everywhere.  How can we protect ourselves? How can we protect and strengthen the most vital component to our health and well being?

One way is the introduction of probiotics to our healthcare regime.

Probiotics, sometimes referred to as “good bacteria", are living microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and yeasts) found in some foods or taken as supplements, that (as defined by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) “when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." Most probiotics are similar to the bacteria found naturally in the human gut. Breast-fed infants, for example, have a natural protection from many diseases precisely because of these bacteria. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the two most common bacterial groups, within which Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus, as different species (both found in Sure Nature’s ImmunaSure. http://www.surenature.com) boost the immune system and are highly beneficial to the digestive process.

Though probiotics are only now being clinically tested under the auspices of the FDA, their healing properties have been known and used for centuries. Probiotic foods – fermented foods and cultured milk products – date back to ancient times, providing a protective balance to a sometimes-harsh environment.  With our contemporary environments becoming more and more challenging, a person’s well being is dependent upon this bacterial balance.  And good bacteria (probiotics) are essential to the development of the immune system and the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients.

Probiotics are already being used to combat the side effects of antibiotics, rebalancing the system, but studies have also begun to show that probiotcs may be effective in combating Crohn’s disease, tooth decay, chronic stomach inflammation, skin infections, respiratory infections, irritable bowel syndrome and infectious diarrhea.

Keeping our immune system’s functioning properly keeps us healthy, and probiotics promote healthy function.

So, who’s your daddy?

According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 300,000,000 people suffer from asthma and 255,000 people died of asthma in 2005. Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occur in low and lower-middle income countries. WHO has estimated that deaths will increase by almost 20% in the next 10 years. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals' activities for a lifetime.

Although the fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood, the strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled asthma-triggers or allergies. These include indoor allergens (for e.g. pollution, household dust and pet fur), outdoor allergens (for e.g. pollens and moulds), tobacco smoke and chemical irritants in the workplace. Allergies can cause your suffering to worsen. Urban areas show the most dramatic rise in hospitalization and deaths triggered by allergens. Developing industrialization and higher levels of environmental pollution are major factors. The research shows a sharp increas