Basic Steps to Awesome Health
Here we are one of the richest and
most technologically advanced nations in the world, but also one of the sickest
populations in the world. Every day we see an ad for a new miracle product that
will bring us back to that optimal state of health that we once enjoyed. For
some of us, it has been so long since we really felt at our best; we can’t even
remember what "feeling good" feels like.
Technology is wonderful, but when
it comes to nutrition, I’m afraid it has caused much more harm than good. While
modern food processing and manufacturing has provided us with fast, convenient,
and seemingly good tasting things to eat, our body is in total dismay trying to
find anything in this prettily packaged stuff it can use for detoxifying,
rebuilding, or replenishing stores of nutrients to provide us with optimum
health.
The nutritionists of old always
proclaimed that all disease is caused by toxemia, a chronic overload of toxins.
The main areas under attack by these toxins are the colon, liver, kidneys and
the endocrine system (thyroid, adrenals, pancreas…), our main waste processing,
filtering and regulating systems in the body. With a few basic, simple, but not
necessarily easy steps, we can do a great deal to substantially reduce the
toxic load on our system and see enormous improvements in well being. As a
bonus, the cost to implement these steps is pretty minimal.
So, let’s get started:
- FOOD: You are what you eat. Raw and Living Foods are
foods that contain enzymes (life force and digestion aides). In general,
the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys all its enzymes.
(Enzymes start to degrade as early as 106 degrees F). All cooked,
pasteurized and processed food is devoid of enzymes; furthermore cooking
food changes its molecular structure and renders it toxic. Living and raw
foods also have enormously higher nutrient values than the foods that have
been cooked. Enzymes are important because they assist in the digestion
and absorption of food. If you eat anything that is enzyme-less (cooked,
pasteurized and processed); your body will not get maximum utilization of
the food. This causes toxicity in the body. (Can you guess why over 75% of
Americans are overweight?). The more raw, live foods you eat, the
healthier you will be and the better you will feel. For amazing
discoveries about his subject visit The Raw Family Website and
purchase their excellent books
- BREATH: We have become a society of extremely shallow
breathers. The proper way of breathing is using the diaphragm to inhale
air into the bottom part of the lungs first, since that is where the
highest concentration of blood vessels is located. Proper breathing alone
can boost your energy to incredible levels and eliminate a great majority
of ailments. Obviously, this subject is way too extensive to try and cover
in this short synopsis. So, spend $5 on the paperback version of Sheldon
Saul Hendler's book "THE OXYGEN
BREAKTHROUGH" and follow the simple exercises on appropriate
breathing and boost your immune system into the stratosphere.
- WATER: Drink the sum of your body weight (in lbs) divided
by two in ounces of water every day. Remember that it is advisable that
you sip your daily water on a continuous basis until the entire determined
amount is consumed. If this is not possible it is strongly recommended
that you not consume more than 5-6 ounces of water every half hour,
especially around meal time, so as to not over dilute your natural stomach
acids. If you have been determined to have high amounts of sugar in your
blood it might prove beneficial to drink distilled water, otherwise if you
tend to run low blood sugar it might be wise to avoid distilled water. It
is suggested that bottled water not be considered under any circumstances
as it tends to have various levels of mold present in it. Whatever you do,
don't drink tap water as it is loaded with chlorine, sometimes fluoride,
and an enormous host of all kinds of chemicals and inorganic material that
do nothing but increase the toxic overload we are trying to correct. An
acceptable alternative to tap water is reverse-osmosis water. I can hear
it already! "I can't drink that much water, I'd have to visit the
restroom all of the time," like there is some advantage in holding on
to the waste in your kidneys. Geez! By the way, NO, NO, NO, beer, coffee,
soda, juice, etc, doesn't count. It is strongly advised that you avoid all
carbonated beverages in general. Matter of fact; add 2 eight ounce glasses
of water to your regimen for every glass/cup of any of the above to
compensate for the alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and other yuck found in them.
For an eye opening dissertation of the importance of water and salt in our
diet, click HERE
or use the link on the main page
- FIBER: Add more fiber to your diet. If nothing else, take
a good fiber supplement to add at least 10 grams of fiber daily in divided
doses. Use brown rice instead of white rice, eat more fruits and
vegetables (not potatoes, unless they are raw), get the good bread (the
one with chunks that weighs half a pound a loaf). Two words of caution!
Stay away from some of the commercial fiber supplements that are loaded
with sugar and chemicals (to give them a nice orange flavor) or, even
worst, artificial sweeteners. Second, if you don’t drink enough water (as
stated above) fiber will tend to plug you up, instead of producing the
desired effect of making you more regular. It is always a good idea to add
fiber gradually even when your bowel moves 3 times a day as nature
intended. If you are one of those people who only move every other day or
longer, a good colon-cleansing program is STRONGLY recommended. For info
on safe and effective colon cleansing click HERE.
- GET RID OF THE TOXINS: Outside of the food we eat and
liquids we drink, we are constantly bombarded with a toxic load from the
air, electromagnetic radiation, out gassing from building and other
materials and from the cleaning and personal care products we use every
day. We don't for the most part have much control over the air,
electromagnetics (unless it is TVs, Microwaves, Computer Monitors,
Portable and Cell Phones) and out gassing from carpets, furniture and
household/office materials. Where we do have control is in the cleaning
and personal care products we use every day and our ability to shield from
radiation. For non-toxic cleaning and personal care products click HERE.
- MOVE: Get outside and get some exercise! We’re not
talking about anything drastic here, but just a 30-minute walk a day. We
all pay attention to our circulatory system but we ignore the larger
lymphatic system, which is activated through exercise and proper
breathing. While on your walk, make sure you take deep breaths filling the
bottom part of your lungs first and then the top. This is accomplished by
pushing your stomach out when you breathe in before expanding your chest.
It will be a little awkward at first, but after you get the hang of it, it
will be second nature. If you can do this early in the morning, it has an
extra bonus, as you will feel energized the rest of the day.
- SUGAR: Eliminate refined sugar from your diet. If you
must sweeten something, use STEVIA, an herbal product that is super sweet,
but doesn’t have any of the disastrous effects. For the last 10 or more
years, you’ve been hearing that "Fat makes you Fat", WRONG!! What
happened? In the same 10 years, the manufacturers have been making a
fortune on low-fat products and "we the people" have gotten
plumper. Obesity is now an epidemic in
- MEDITATE: Not just for the mystics or the advanced yogis.
If you will take the time to meditate on a daily basis, your life will
substantially improve for the better. Not only is it the best form of
stress relief, but it also deeply connects us with our inner self and the
divine, which is much to ignored these days.
Health is not just a physical matter, but a balance of physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual. The best nutrition and exercise will not
keep you out of the sick ward if the mental emotional and spiritual are
ignored. The best source for information on this subject is Lawrence
LeShan’s book "How to Meditate" available at bookstores
everywhere for around $6. It will be the best $6 you’ve ever spent,
guaranteed!
- GET CONTROL OF YOUR EMOTIONS: When looking for the CAUSE
of anything that ails you, 50% or higher can be attributed to strong
unresolved emotions. These past or present emotional charges create blocks
in your energy, muscular and nervous systems, which lead to actual
dis-ease if not released. Using a free, simple and highly effective method
called Emotional Freedom Technique
(EFT), you can easily and permanently free yourself of old memories, addictions,
angers, resentments, fears and even physical symptoms which have an
emotional basis. To learn how EFT can catapult you to freedom, click (HERE)
- LAST BUT NOT LEAST, DO SOMETHING UPLIFTING FOR ANOTHER
HUMAN BEING ON A DAILY BASIS: You never know the
impact you can have on another human being by reaching out with a kind
word, a pat on the back, or something as simple as a smile. The more you
give of yourself in selfless service of others, the better you will feel,
the more positive your mental attitude and the higher your level of
health.
Whew! I got a lot windier than I
intended, but obviously, entire books can be and have been written on each one
of these subjects. If you have specific questions, e-mail me (bw@spiritcentral.net) and I will be more than happy to expand
further.
If the above seems like a big bite
to take, then start with water and go from there. Don’t tell me you don’t have
time or it cost too much. How much time and expense do you have right now in
doctor’s visits, prescriptions and over the counter medications?
On the subject of supplements, I
have tried them all it seems. Some are excellent (very few) and a lot of them
are just plain junk. Stick with organic or wild-crafted herbs and whole food
supplements. Use tinctures or extracts preferably over capsules or tablets. I
have found a selected few, which I use and recommend and can point you to them
on request.
