Detox your LIFE

Today’s Re-Powering Information – I’ll elaborate on Detoxification a bit more. To detoxify, you first need to be toxic. There is a chance you are not toxic, but given the list above, there is a good chance you have been exposed to something at least in your environment or foods that are foreign to your body. I just hung up the phone with one of my best friends who is in Maryland with a mold specialist. He lives in Florida and after hurricane Wilma, he did not know it, but there was mold in his house, office and health club – where he spent all of his time. He has such a heightened sensitivity now that the smell of cleaning chemicals, perfume, glue or just about anything toxic (especially mold) can give him Parkinson’s like symptoms. He’s had to move 5 time since the hurricane, has trouble staying in hotels or going on elevators with closed in smells and so on. Mold is everywhere. If you have not cleaned your air ducts in a while or cleaned / replaced air conditioner filters, objects foreign to your body can be causing toxicities. Read on to her Dr. Mark Hyman’s idea’s on detoxifying.


Is Your Body Loaded With Harmful Toxins…
Causing You to Be Sick, Sluggish and Mentally Drained Without Knowing It?

Most people begin to experience all or some of the following after only one week of using a detoxifying diet.

· Better digestion and elimination

· Fewer symptoms of chronic illness

· Improved concentration, mental focus, and clarity

· Improved mood and increased equanimity

· Increased energy and sense of well-being

· Less congestion and fewer allergic symptoms

· Less fluid retention

· Less joint pain

· Increased sense of peace and relaxation
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…

Mark Hyman, M.D.
Co-Founder & Medical Director
UltraWellness Center, Lenox, MA

Dear Friend,

If you struggle with fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, sinus problems, headaches, bloating, gas, brain fog, hard-to-lose weight, or just about any chronic condition, there may be something you can do about it—without medication.

First, the good news…

Your body’s natural detoxification system is designed to support optimal health by eliminating waste products and environmental toxins from your metabolism.

When you were born, your body came equipped with a wonderfully designed and perfectly operating internal detoxification system. Your liver is the workhorse, transforming harmful toxins into relatively harmless compounds that are eliminated through the bile and the digestive tract. Your kidneys excrete harmful metabolic and environmental toxins. Your skin sweats and sheds, eliminating chemicals and toxins. Your body even uses hair and nails to eliminate such toxins as mercury and lead.

So what happens after 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years of constant exposure and abuse from the following?

· Nutrient-stripped foods

· Environmental toxins

· Stress

· Pollution

· Medications

· Toxic chemicals

· Pesticides

· Negative thinking

· Hurtful relationships

Now the bad news…

With all the toxins we’re exposed to in our environment, it is NOT difficult for your system to become overloaded and stop functioning the way it was meant to.

Every day, your body faces an uphill battle. It has to clean your system from toxins to keep you healthy. Imagine running your car 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for 40–60 years without a break.

What kind of shape would it be in?
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…

Like any other hardworking system, your internal detoxification system needs periodic rest and support to continue functioning optimally.

Because of stress, poor food and a toxic environment, our systems face increasing pressure, making the need for such rest and support greater than ever.

Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles expose us to an increasingly complex (and deteriorating) environment, so that our detoxification systems must work overtime (without a break) in order to process the toxins we encounter in everyday life.
Common Symptoms of an Overloaded Detoxification System

* Fatigue
* Muscle aches
* Joint pain
* Sinus congestion and post-nasal drip
* Headaches
* Bloating
* Gas
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Foul-smelling stools
* Heartburn
* Sleep problems

* Brain fog
* Food cravings
* Fluid retention
* Excess weight
* Rashes
* Canker sores
* Dark circles under the eyes
* Bad breath or body odor
* Premenstrual syndrome

In addition to the above, it has been shown that impaired detoxification from exposure to toxins can lead to more serious conditions such as:

· Alzheimer’s/dementia

· Arthritis

· Autoimmune diseases

· Cancer

· Chronic fatigue syndrome

· Fibromyalgia

· Food allergies

· Heart disease

· Parkinson’s

· Menstrual problems
Cancer Causes: Environmental or Genetic?

The environment plays more of a role than genetics in such chronic illnesses as dementia, cancer, and heart disease. This point was driven home in an article by the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 343:1494–1496) and was a shock to many people.

The article addressed a study designed to separate environmental and genetic causes of cancer. The researchers studied 44,000 pairs of twins, looking for a connection between the environment and cancer or genes and cancer.

What did they find?

Less than 10% of cancers were related to genetics. Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of cancer.

As a medical doctor, my practice is focused on lifestyle, nutrition, and preventive medicine. After more than 20 years I’ve treating thousands of patients who did not respond well to conventional therapies but underwent remarkable transformations on a detoxification program.

When you follow a detoxification program carefully you should see a reduction in everyday symptoms such as fatigue, sinusitis, and more…

Let me explain why you may be toxic in the first place.
7 Enemies That Impair Your Body’s Natural Ability to Detoxify

Many people, including the majority of those in the medical establishment, think of toxins as something made up by new age or fringe health care practitioners.

Despite opinions, there are medical, environmental, and scientific reasons to consider a detoxification program.

As stated earlier, our internal detoxification system is overloaded because we expose it to so many external sources that wear it out. So what kinds of toxins are you exposing yourself to? Consider the following…
Enemy # 1: Poor Quality Food

Many of the foods we eat contain anti-nutrients (such as sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans or hydrogenated fats, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods) that lead not only to obesity, but also impair our internal detoxification system.

Consider a greasy cheeseburger (with trans fats), which interferes with the healthy functions of our cells; or the sugars from a soda, which deplete us of the good nutrients needed for detoxification, including the B vitamins and magnesium.

What can possibly be good by these statistics?
The Average American Consumes (per year)…

· 100 pounds of sugar

· 55 pounds of fats and oils

· 300 cans of soda

· 200 sticks of gum

· 5 pounds of potato chips

· 20 gallons of ice cream

· Dozens of doughnuts
Enemy # 2: Too Many Medications

Medications (even over-the-counter medications) can be a serious source of toxicity. For example, an article in the New York Times reported on a 1992–1995 Parkland Memorial Hospital (Dallas) study that found the overexposure of Tylenol or other medications containing its active ingredient, acetaminophen, were the leading cause of hospitalization for acute liver failure—especially if alcohol was in the system.
Enemy # 3: Overexposure to Antibiotics

The Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org) found that of the 24 million pounds of antibiotics used each year, only 2 million pounds are used to treat sick animals. Three million pounds are used to treat human infections. The rest (19 million pounds) are given to animals to prevent infection.

When we eat these animals we consume those antibiotics. This leads to serious consequences to our health, including life-threatening infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to those antibiotics.
Enemy # 4: Heavy Metal Poisoning

Perhaps the most ignored and prevalent toxins we face are heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony. Everyone knows these metals are dangerous in large amounts, but we now recognize that chronic low-level exposure can have serious adverse consequences.

In what ways are we exposed to heavy metals?

Do you eat tuna, sea bass, or swordfish a few times a week? These may contain unacceptable levels of mercury. Do you have a mouthful of silver fillings that are decades old? Mercury is a huge problem and we are exposed to it in a number of ways.

Most of the ways we are not even aware of, like our water supply. For example, the Waban Reservoir, which supplies most of Boston, Massachusetts’ water, had ten times the safe levels of mercury in its water supply.

Where does mercury it come from? It comes from coal burning power plants, industrial sources like cement plants and medical incinerators that float up in the atmosphere then come back to earth.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 8% of women of child-bearing age had toxic levels of mercury in their blood.
Enemy # 5: Dangerous Chemicals and Pesticides

Chemical toxins are prevalent in our environment (pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, and even the household cleaning products we use in our homes). We breathe them in and absorb them through our lungs and skin, drink them in our water supply, or we eat them.
Enemy # 6: Food Allergens

Allergens can come from food, mold, dust, pollens, or chemicals. These can trigger inflammation in our bodies and overburden our already overloaded system.

Recent studies have found that 30% of Americans have the gene that may make them allergic to the protein found in wheat, called gluten, and 1 in 100 people have serious reactions to the wheat protein.
Enemy # 7: Hidden Infections

Hidden infections can be a source of toxicity. These toxins may come from bacteria, viruses, or yeast. Common locations include your digestive tract, where bacteria can cause ulcers.

The small intestine can harbor parasites, yeast, and harmful bacteria. The sinuses are often a location of chronic fungal infections and many other sites in our bodies harbor hidden infections.

If you are like most people, you are probably exposed to all seven enemies of our detoxification system and as a result may have a system that is simply worn out.
Why Some Babies of Smoking Mothers Are Born a Normal Weight

Why is it that many—but not all—mothers who are smokers give birth to babies who have low birth weight?

We have never understood why some do and some don’t. But when we looked at the genes that controlled detoxification we found the answer.

Women who had the gene that helped them get rid of the chemical toxins in smoke did not have small babies while the women who couldn’t detoxify the cigarette toxins had smaller babies.

The good news is that we can influence how powerfully our detoxification genes are expressed.

There is something you can do to actually improve the function of these detoxification genes and the enzymes produced from those genes that may prevent chronic illnesses.
A Simple Solution for Detoxifying Your System

While the word “detoxification” may call to mind some extreme behaviors, such as fasting or taking enemas, the approach does not require such drastic measures.

While it does require precise attention to diet and elimination, it should also go beyond these to include exercise, yoga, and contemplative practices.

The process should be accessible, clear, and nourishing—a truly revitalizing experience for your mind and body.

People who complete this program emerge with a renewed sense of vigor, vitality, energy, and a relief from many chronic minor health complaints.
How Does It Work?
Get Rid of Toxins:

Identifying and removing toxic foods and substances from your life will help you get a healthy start.

· Feel energized

· Lose weight

· Sleep better

· Preparing and repairing your digestive system with healthful foods and supplements.

· Enhance circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids throughout the body to refresh, oxygenate, and energize your cells.

End





When your body is free from toxic foods it will have far reaching effects on your sleep, your stress your energy and your results from camp.



Follow the Detox Meal Plan and you’ll feel accomplished tonight and astounding in the morning.

The Real Truth Behind Flu Shots -- And Why So Few People Get the Flu During the Summer...

I know there has been a lot of illness going around camp and especially the schools. I have a 5 year old nephew who has been in the hospital for a week with an intellavirus who now has a pick line implanted for a month of high dosage anti-biotics. I just saw this article and video below from Dr. Mercola’s website regarding the truth about flu shots. I have told you before that in 39 years I have had the flu once (Thanksgiving 1997) and I have NEVER had a flu shot. I remember growing up with friends who had the flu shot every year and got the flu every year. I figured I would take my chances.



Read, watch and listen and form your own opinion. Vitamin D therapy sounds a lot more reasonable to me – especially since some people are deficient.





The Real Truth Behind Flu Shots -- And Why So Few People Get the Flu During the Summer...







Dr. John Cannell is the physician in the first video. He is the founder of the Vitamin D Council and one of the more knowledgeable vitamin D experts out there. He has been a primary resource for me in helping me formulate my understanding of vitamin D.

Only about 1,000 people die directly from the flu virus in the United States each year. While the government claims 36,000 -- the remaining 35,000 deaths are caused by diseases like pneumonia that may follow the flu.

But there's no clear scientific connection between the flu and these more serious afflictions. That means most of the time a flu shot has little impact in actually preventing death.

Barbara Loe Fisher, head of the National Vaccine Information Center, says that the repeated references to 36,000 seems to be an attempt to scare people into getting the shot. Fisher has a new book on the safety issues with vaccines, "Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic."

Her concerns have led her to look at alternatives. One alternative favored by a number of physicians is vitamin D. Dr. John Cannell, executive director of the Vitamin D Council, suggests the reason we even have a flu season is because our vitamin D levels drop, which takes place naturally as we get less and less sun with the approach of winter.

Cannell suggests babies get 1,000 units of vitamin D a day, and those 2 and older get 2,000 units. Many adults and some children need more than that.


Sources:


CBN November 4, 2008



Dr. Mercola''s Comments


Dr. Mercola's Comments:




Close to 150 million doses of flu vaccine have been produced this year, which is the highest number ever available. Yet, the chances of a flu shot being effective in any given year are about as high as your chances of pulling a needle from a haystack. This is because flu shots only protect against certain strains of the flu virus. These strains mutate rapidly, and scientists can only make educated guesses about which strains will be most prevalent this year.

As you might suspect, often they are way off base. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states:

“In some years when vaccine and circulating strains were not well-matched, no vaccine effectiveness can be demonstrated in some studies, even in healthy adults. It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that match may affect the degree of vaccine effectiveness.”


This does not bode well for the millions of Americans who are being lulled into a false sense of security that getting a flu shot is all they need to do to prevent the flu.

Flu Shots’ Poor Rates of Effectiveness

It really amazes me how effective the drug companies have been at manipulating the culture to actually let them sell these toxic, ineffective and expensive options in pharmacies, airports, college campuses, grocery stores and countless other outlets.

The truth is that:

• Giving young children flu shots appeared to have no impact on flu-related doctor visits or hospitalizations during two recent flu seasons, according to a study published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

• The flu vaccine is no more effective for children than a placebo, according to a large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

• No studies have conclusively proven that flu shots prevent flu-related deaths among the elderly.

• A study published in the Lancet just found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people. Why is this important? Because 35,000 of the 36,000 “flu” deaths the government claims happen each year are actually caused by diseases like pneumonia, and NOT the flu.

• Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.


I can’t imagine anyone signing up to receive this vaccine even if they were paid to do it, yet tens of millions are conned into thinking money spent on this shot is worthwhile! If people only understood the facts, I doubt many would rationally decide to receive this shot.

Sadly, throwing away the money spent on the flu vaccine is the least of your worries, should you decide to get a flu shot.

What Exactly is in a Flu Shot?

Before you decide to get vaccinated, it would serve you well to find out.

According to Dr. Donald Miller, MD, two-thirds of this year’s flu vaccines contain 25 micrograms of thimerosal. Thimerosal is 49 percent mercury by weight.

Each dose of these flu vaccines contains more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for mercury.

By now, most people are well aware that children and fetuses are most at risk of damage from this neurotoxin, as their brains are still developing. Yet the CDC still recommends that children over 6 months, and pregnant women, receive the flu vaccine each year. This is just inexcusable.

In addition to mercury, flu vaccines also contain other hazardous ingredients like:

• Formaldehyde -- a known cancer-causing agent
• Aluminum -- a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease
• Triton X-100 -- a detergent
• Phenol (carbolic acid)
• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• Various antibiotics: neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin -- which can cause allergic reactions in some people


How many people do you think would knowingly sit down and allow themselves, or their children, to be injected with:

• Formaldehyde?

• Aluminum?

• Mercury?

• Antifreeze?


It’s time word got out that if you got a flu shot, you did exactly that. And for what? Even if you get a flu shot, you can still get the flu, or flu-like symptoms, because it’s anyone’s guess which flu viruses will be in your area.

The powers that be have done an excellent job of instilling fear into the population so they believe that they must get a shot to stay healthy, but the simple reality is it’s doing you and your family more harm than good.

What REALLY Works for the Flu

Getting appropriate amounts of sunshine or UV exposure through a safe tanning bed (or taking a vitamin D supplement when you can’t get healthy amounts of UVB exposure) is one of my KEY preventive strategies against the cold and flu, as it has an extraordinary strengthening effect on your immune system.

Although supplements are clearly inferior to sunlight exposure or safe tanning beds, I am becoming more convinced of the value of vitamin D supplements as they are less potentially toxic than my initial impression, and they are certainly more convenient and less expensive than a tanning bed.

If you are in an area that does not allow you to get adequate sun exposure, and you don’t have access to a safe tanning bed, adults should take 5,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D per day, depending on body weight. For children, 2,000 IU per day is typically adequate.

For more information on this amazing flu-preventing vitamin, as well as where to have your vitamin D levels checked and how to cure a cold or flu with mega-doses of vitamin D, please read Avoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin That Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks.

And, please, think long and hard about whether you want to waste your money on a toxin-laden shot that likely won’t work to prevent the flu. Personally, I have not received a flu shot nor had the flu in over 20 years because I use lifestyle strategies to keep the flu (and other illnesses) at bay.

The good news is that you can do them too, and drastically improve your chances of staying healthy right on through flu season:

• Eat right for your nutritional type, including avoiding sugar
• Get plenty of vitamin D
• Eliminate sugar from your diet
• Eat garlic regularly
• Consume a high-quality krill oil daily
• Exercise
• Get adequate sleep
• Address emotional stress
• Wash your hands regularly (but not excessively)