WHAT IF THEY ARE WRONG?

Article by Doug Kaufmann from Know the Cause.. Doug has a tv show and a website that is awesome.  I have recommended his show and website to many individuals searching for help.  He has a free newsletter I also recommend highly.  Here is one of his latest articles:

As many of you know, this has become my battle cry! What if mammography causes breast cancer? What if the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test isn't prostate specific? What if Amoxicillin, an antibiotic given to millions of children, causes hyperactivity? In this issue of KNOW THIS, we'll explore why, according to medical researchers, cancer is common and fungal infections are rare.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have now identified how one deadly fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, hides from the immune system, enabling it to grow, unabated throughout the infected person's body. What begins as a tiny encapsulated spore, consisting of an outer membrane made up of a sort of sugar (polysaccharide), now attracts more and more of this sugar from somewhere inside the body, leading the once tiny single spore to become too large for the scavenger white blood cells (macrophages) to gobble them up and digest them! Eventually, this mass of cells strangles off normal human physiology and the patient dies.

Lead researcher Dr. Arturo Casadevall says that the mechanism for capsule growth wasn't known until now. Of course, they have yet to identify where the other polysaccharides are coming from but, as you continue reading, you will see how, yet again, an exciting science has been touched upon. Could this discovery actually be a relevant cancer discovery? I think it is! I suspect that millions of other Cryptococcus neoformans cells are already inside our bodies and want nothing more than some bonding-time with their spore family members! Read on click Here

Colon Cancer Hits home

Unexpected and shocking news from your doctor can turn your world upside down.  Some think it could never happen to them or that they are pretty healthy and dont have to worry about eating Mc Donalds everyday. The statistics show that 1 out of 2 men will get cancer and 1 out of 3 women will get cancer. Ignorance and a lack of the correct information from the correct sources is very dangerous. 

Within the last year, a family member and a good friend, were diagnosed with Colon cancer. The crazy thing is, with early detection, colon cancer is preventable and beatable.  IT is critical to get checked early.  The KEY is preventative maintenance and early detection. The standard age to have a colonoscopy done is 50 years old.  I believe that having one done at 40 yrs old is wise.

It is important to understand some basics of colon cancer and how to keep your colon functioning.  Keeping your colon clean provides a number of health benefits, the main ones being: A lowered risk of developing colorectal cancer, the second or third leading type of cancer in most industrialized countries, A lowered risk of experiencing irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, and chronic diarrhea, A lowered risk of developing hemorrhoids, Less objectionable gas production,More efficient absorption of water and minerals, A feeling of lightness, comfort, and well-being in your abdominal region.

After food passes through your stomach and small intestine, the remaining material, mostly waste products in liquid form, move on to the first part of your large intestine -- your colon. Your colon is approximately 6 feet long and serves primarily to dehydrate liquid waste material. In order to understand how to keep your colorectal region clean and healthy, let's go over a few key details on how your large intestine works.

Movement of Waste Material

After you eat a substantial meal, your stomach expands enough to trigger a reflex that causes a contractile wave (called a peristaltic wave) to travel through your small intestine and push any liquid waste material (chyme) that is sitting in the last part of your small intestine into your large intestine.

Movement of waste material through your colon is facilitated by something called "haustral churning". Your colon is divided along its length into small pouches called haustra. When a haustrum is filled with substantial waste material, its muscular walls contract and push the waste material into the next haustrum. The contractile reflex that allows haustral churning is regulated by a division of your autonomic nervous system.

On average, your colon experiences anywhere from about 3 to 12 moderate waves of contractions every minute. After every substantial meal, your colon experiences a much larger contractile wave, called "mass peristalsis". Mass peristalsis serves to push waste materials from your transverse colon all the way to your rectum. In most people, mass peristalsis occurs about three times a day.

When your rectal pouch is distended with enough feces to trigger a contractile reflex, your feces are pushed out through your anus. When you consciously contract your abdominal wall, your diaphragm moves downward and helps open up muscles that line your anal sphincter. If you choose not to release stools when you experience an urge to do so, your reflex contractions may stop, in which case you likely won't have a significant bowel movement until the next mass peristalsis occurs.

Natural Ways to Keep Your Colorectal Region Clean and Healthy

Chronic constipation is the single greatest cause of having an unclean and unhealthy colorectal region because over time, constipation causes your bowel walls to face excessive pressure -- pressure that is created by you straining to go and by your colon walls creating stronger contractions to help eliminate hard stools. Excessive pressure on your colon walls can cause little pouches called diverticuli to form. Sometimes, small bits of waste material can get lodged in diverticuli.

Eat substantial meals; don't nibble on small amounts throughout the day. Each time you eat a substantial meal, you stimulate stretch receptors in your stomach that are responsible for triggering normal and mass peristaltic waves throughout your small and large intestines, ensuring regular movement of waste material through your colon and rectum. Also, eating substantial meals allows significant "chunks" of waste materials to travel together through your colon, turn into well formed stools, and get eliminated from your body in an efficient manner.

Don't suppress the desire to go. If you regularly suppress the urge to have a bowel movement, waste materials spend more time than is optimal in your colon, causing excessive dehydration of waste materials and formation of hard stools.

Ensure adequate intake of water and/or water-rich food. Water helps to move waste materials along, and is absorbed throughout the entire length of your colon. Insufficient water intake can cause stools to form far before waste materials reach your rectal pouch, which can cause constipation. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to drink several glasses of water per day. If you eat plenty of water-rich plant foods, then you can rely on your sense of thirst to dictate how much water to drink.
Eat fiber-rich foods regularly. Fiber adds bulk to the boluses of waste material that travel through your large intestine, and this bulk is essential to your colon's ability to turn waste materials into well formed stools. A diet that is rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains ensures high fiber intake.

Ensure adequate vitamin D status. Adequate vitamin D status significantly lowers your risk of developing all types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. When you aren't able to get regular exposure to sunlight, look to ensure adequate vitamin D status by eating healthy foods that contain vitamin D, such as wild salmon and a high quality cod liver oil.

Ensure adequate vitamin A status. Glands that line the mucosal lining of your colon are responsible for releasing mucous that is needed to lubricate your feces; vitamin A is needed to maintain the health of these specialized cells that release mucous. It's best to ensure adequate vitamin A status by eating healthy foods that contain vitamin A.

Ensure adequate intake of healthy fats. All of your cells, including those of your large intestine and nervous system, require a constant influx of undamaged fatty acids and cholesterol to remain fully functional. If you don't ensure adequate intake of healthy fats, your nervous system and the smooth muscles that surround your digestive passageway -- both of which are responsible for creating peristaltic waves throughout your digestive tract -- may deteriorate in function.

Also, intake of healthy fats is necessary for optimal absorption of fat-soluble vitamin A, which, as mentioned above, is critical to building and maintaining the mucosal lining of your colon. Healthy foods that are rich in healthy fats include: avocados, organic eggs, olives, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, coconuts, raw nuts, raw seeds, and cold-water fish.

Build and maintain large colonies of friendly bacteria in your digestive tract. Large populations of friendly bacteria can keep your digestive tract clean and healthy by promoting optimal digestion, thereby preventing build-up of toxic waste materials. Bacteria also take up space and resources, thereby helping to prevent infection by harmful bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The easiest way to build and maintain healthy colonies of friendly bacteria in your digestive tract is to take a high quality probiotic.

Work at feeling emotionally balanced. Stress can interfere with your ability to clean your colon through its effect on your enteric nervous system. Most people who have come to me over the years with a chronic colon-related health issue have had significant emotional stress in their lives. If you have a challenge with colon and rectal health, I encourage you to take a careful look at ways that you can more effectively manage emotional stress in your life.

Here's the bottom line on this topic: Your body is well designed to keep your colon and rectal regions clean and healthy. If you follow the steps outlined above, you can rest assured knowing that your lifestyle choices are minimizing your risk of having colon-related health issues.

Source: www.naturalnews.com

What you should know about Diabetes

Here are some interesting facts from Food Matters.com and Dr Ron Rosedale MD:



Diabetes was not long ago primarily a 'disease' affecting a small portion of the mature population. Yet today, it is becoming commonplace with all ages of adults and we are now seeing an alarming epidemic of diabetes in increasingly younger children.

In the US, 20.8 million people (7.85% of the population) have type II diabetes and another 50 million have pre-diabetes. More than half are not even aware that they have this condition that can rob them of some of the most enjoyable years of their life, if left unchecked.

Type II diabetes is very much a 'disease' we have given ourselves through diet. While this may not be what many like to hear - it should ring as very good news indeed to anyone with diabetes concerns and the desire to reverse it naturally. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said 'Let Food Be Thy Medicine, and Medicine Be Thy Food'.

Diabetes Is Not A Disease Of Blood Sugar! By Ron Rosedale, MD

As I have stated previously, and one concept that I would like to make well-known to save thousands and perhaps millions of lives as soon as possible, is that diabetes is not a disease of blood sugar, but a disease of insulin and perhaps more importantly leptin signaling, and until that concept becomes well-known in the medical community, articles like the one published in this issue will fortunately continue to be published revealing the inadequacy of current conventional medical treatment for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and the falsity of their advice about nutrition.

Typically treatment concentrates on fixing a symptom, in this case elevated blood sugar, rather than the underlying disease. Symptoms are generally the way that nature has taught our bodies to deal with a disease. For instance, a runny nose is a symptom designed to cleanse the nose and sinuses of viruses and bacteria when one has a "cold." Taking a decongestant just inhibits our own body's mechanism for dealing with that infection and will therefore prolong it.

Similarly, treatments which concentrate merely on lowering blood sugar for diabetes while raising insulin levels can actually worsen rather than remedy the actual problem of metabolic miscommunication. It just trades one evil for another.

Elevated insulin levels are highly associated and even causative of: heart disease, peripheral vascular disease,
stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity and many other so-called diseases.

Since most treatments for (type 2, insulin resistant) diabetes utilize drugs which raise insulin or actual insulin injections itself, the tragic result is that the typical, conventional medical treatment for diabetes contributes to the manifest side effects and the shortened lifespan that diabetics experience.

Traditional medicine appears certainly not to, especially with diabetes. For two millennia diabetes has been considered to be a disease of sugar. Despite centuries of scientific progress including the discovery of insulin and more recently leptin, that has not changed. It appears that medicine has made little to no progress with that myth. Furthermore, the actual purpose of insulin is widely, if not uniformly, mistaken even among the medical community.

The Main Purpose Of Insulin Is Not To Lower Blood Sugar.

It may surprise you, as well as your doctor, that insulin's main role is not to control blood sugar. The control of blood sugar is mostly in an upward direction, not a downward direction. A few types of tissues and cells in our body such as red blood cells require glucose for energy (the rest can and even desires to burn fat or byproducts of fat metabolism called ketones). Thus it is important to always have a little bit of glucose dissolved in our blood.
The trick throughout most of our ancestral history was to keep sugar in our blood from falling too low since there was not that much sugar to be had. Most starches and grains that would turn into sugar are mostly indigestible unless cooked. You might even strain your jaw trying to eat an uncooked potato.

The major source of sugar was fruit, and that was mostly available only seasonally, and even then we had to work and exercise to obtain it, burning the sugar and preventing it from spiking very high. The hormones cortisone, epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucagon, and growth hormone make sure that we always have some glucose available to the tissues that need it.

High Blood Sugar Was A Rarity.

However when our blood sugar did become elevated it was a sign that we had more energy available than we could currently burn and thus it would be a good idea to store the extra. "Waste not, want not." Food was not always available; feast or famine was the rule. When blood sugar becomes elevated it is a signal for insulin to be released to direct the extra energy into storage.

A small amount is stored as a starch called glycogen in our body, but the majority is stored as our main energy supply -- fat. Thus, in this regard insulin's major role is not to lower sugar, but to take the extra energy when available and store it for future times of need. Insulin lowers glucose as a side effect of directing the extra into storage.

Insulin's purpose may go far beyond even that. Insulin is being researched very heavily by scientists who study the biology of aging. It has been found that when insulin is kept low either through diet or via genetic manipulation animals live much longer and the rate of aging is significantly reduced. This appears true in many different species of animals from single cell yeast, to worms, to flies, and appears likely to be true also in primates.

Apparently, low insulin is a signal that energy is scarce and animals need to focus their energy needs on maintaining and repairing themselves so that they can outlive the famine to be able to reproduce at a future, more opportune time. Insulin's purpose has gone from controlling blood sugar, to directing energy stores, and now to actually regulating the rate of aging including the major symptoms of aging -- diabetes, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, dementia, and even cancer.

All Chronic Disease Is Due To Miscommunication Of Messages Between And Within Cells.

As stated in a prior newsletter, all chronic disease is due to miscommunication of messages between and within cells. Certainly diabetes is a disease of insulin miscommunication, and recognizing insulin's true purpose certainly goes much deeper to the roots of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Yet we can go even deeper.

Insulin May Not Even Be The Most Important Hormone In Diabetes Or Other Chronic Diseases Of Aging.
That honor likely goes to leptin. It appears that the hormone leptin is largely responsible for the accuracy of insulin signaling and whether one becomes insulin resistant or not. Leptin, a relatively recently discovered hormone produced by fat, tells the body and brain how much energy it has, whether it needs more (saying "be hungry"), whether it should get rid of some (and stop being hungry) and importantly what to do with the energy it has (reproduce, upregulate cellular repair, or not).

Recent compelling research reveals that the two most important organs that will determine whether one becomes (type 2, insulin resistant) diabetic or not are the liver and the brain and it is their ability to listen to leptin that will determine this.

Leptin largely influences, if not controls, the manifest functions of the hypothalamus in the brain, including:
Reproduction, Thyroid function, Adrenal function and the Sympathetic nervous system.
Fat, and leptin, strongly influences chronic inflammation and therefore diseases associated with this including heart disease, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. It appears now that rather than your brain being in control of your body, fat, by way of leptin, is really in the driver's seat.

The Enemy Is Not Only Foreign To The Medical Community; It Appears To Not Even Be Recognized.
It is no wonder that (type 2) diabetes has not been conquered. By some estimates, diabetes has increased over 700% in the last 50 years. This reveals two very important facts.

Diabetes cannot be primarily a genetic disease, since the prior statistic has taken place within the same generation and presumably essentially the same genetics. Something that we have been doing is obviously wrong and needs to be changed. That something is diet.

It is difficult, or perhaps even impossible, to actually prove that something is true. However, it is not difficult to prove that something is false. Americans have been following (at least partially), for the last 50 years, the nutritional recommendations of a high complex carbohydrate, low saturated fat diet from the: American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association That, in itself, is an oxymoron since most of those "complex" carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice, cereals, pasta, and breads rapidly turn to sugar and the excess sugar (glucose) rapidly turns into long-chain saturated fatty acids (palmitic acid; "palm oil"). Concomitant with that recommendation the incidence of diabetes and obesity has skyrocketed and has become one of the worst worldwide epidemics the world has ever seen.

Eating a high "complex" carbohydrate, low saturated fat diet for health and longevity has been shown, and perhaps even "proven," to be wrong. Minimal common sense would say to try something else.
Diabetes Is A Disease Of Nutrition, And It Is The Science Of Nutrition That Must Treat It. Science is telling us that we must eat a diet that maximizes the accuracy of insulin and leptin signaling allowing cells, you, to better listen to their life-giving messages. (The need for those hormones to have to "yell" to be heard is reduced and the levels of insulin and leptin are therefore lowered.)

That would be the eating plan emphasizing good fats and reduced nonfiber carbohydrates/starches as outlined in my book "The Rosedale Diet" and Dr. Mercola's "Total Health Program". Doing so will greatly improve and even reverse type 2 "insulin resistant" diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, many other chronic diseases of aging, and even aging itself, as many of my patients who have been able to totally eliminate the use of their drugs, including insulin, can attest.

Following those guidelines will let you -- and your genes -- "be the best that you can be."  Quick Fact: Estimated Diabetes Costs in United States (2007) Direct medical costs: $116 billion- After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. Indirect costs: $58 billion - disability, work loss, prema

Açaí and diabetes - how do they go together? While diabetics are taught to approach excessive fruit intake cautiously - with fruit juices being nearly avoided all together, for generally high sugar levels - it seems counter-intuitive that açaí is having a very positive impact on the lives of many diabetics. Açaí is actually a low-gylcemic complete food that has been found to have a stabilizing effect on insulin and blood sugar levels.

Leadership and Liberty- Our world needs leadership now more than ever

Hello all,

Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady, top leaders in the business world, have written many books together over the last few years.  Launching a Leadership Revolution, a New York Times best seller, has been wildly successful.  Since everything rises and falls on leadership,  this amazing book has helped individuals and groups learn the principles of leaderhip, soemthing that sorely needed in our world today. 

Their latest book "Leadership and Liberty" is unbelievable! Here is a video clip of Orrin and Chris discussing this awesome book and why they wrote it. I highly recommend this book since it is one of my favorites.

Dr Blaylock talks about nutrition, behavior, aspartame and MSG

Comsume these 3 purple items for your good health health

Concord grapes, blueberries, red wine: They all get that deep, rich color from polyphenols—compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to the new research. Polyphenols help keep blood vessels and arteries flexible and healthy. "What’s good for your coronary arteries is also good for your brain’s blood vessels," says Robert Krikorian, PhD, director of the Cognitive Disorders Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Preliminary animal studies suggest that adding dark grapes to your diet may improve brain function. What’s more, in a recent human study, researchers found that eating 1 or more cups of blueberries every day may improve communication between brain cells, enhancing your memory.

Inspiring Quotes for success

Here are some inspiring quotes I came across from Steven Covey.  I wanted to share them with here.  Have a great day!

Stephen Covey Quote # 1: "Live out your imagination, not your history."

There is no limit to who you can be and what you can achieve if you put your mind into it. Unfortunately, many people are too afraid to step out of their comfort zone.

If your family has always been in the pizza business, for example, you would find it almost impossible to try doing something else. But that is what Covey is trying to get you to understand.

You don't have to achieve what your parents have achieved. You have the entire world before you to take on. Explore and discover.

Stephen Covey Quote # 2: "There are three constants in life... Change, choice and principles."

Everyone knows that change is constant. But people seem to forget that choice and principles are, too!
And contrary to popular belief, we all have a choice. We choose to live, to die, to betray, to support, etc. Even in a situation where we seem to have no choice, we always have a choice. And this choice is always backed up by our principles.

Stephen Covey Quote # 3: "Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly."

You can't just rely on other people's pep talk alone. If you really want to bring forth 100% of your potential, you're going to have to call out the motivation from within yourself.

Ask yourself what you want to do and why you want to do it. You'll find that doing things for yourself, rather than for others, can fuel you to do the things you never even imagined you could.

Know the Cause - Hosted by Doug Kaufmann

http://www.knowthecause.com/ is a great site for health information.  Doug Kaufman has a TV show that has been extremely helpful to us.

Majority of Americans not Meeting Recommendations for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Interesting article published by Healthy News service on October 17, 2009

No U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to the first report to provide state–by–state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help Americans eat more fruits and vegetables.

“State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009”was released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Healthy People 2010 objectives aim for at least 75 percent of Americans to eat the recommended two or more daily servings of fruit, and for at least 50 percent of Americans to eat the recommended three or more servings of vegetables daily. However, CDC surveys indicate that only 33 percent of adults meet the recommendation for fruit consumption and 27 percent get the recommended servings of vegetables. The statistics are even worse for high school students – 32 percent report eating at least two servings of fruit daily and 13 percent say they eat at least three servings of vegetables each day.

“A diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for optimal child growth, maintaining a healthy weight, and prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, all of which currently contribute to health care costs in the United States,” said Dr. William H. Dietz, director of CDC′s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. “This report will help states determine what is taking place in their communities and schools and come up with ways to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

Ironically, even though our society consumes less than the recommended amount of fruit, I question the integrity of the fruit that IS consumed.  When fruit is pulled off the tree before ripening, then gassed, and bombarded with harmful chemicals, one should wonder how healthy the fruit really is? It stands to reason that fruit today is nothing like it used to be when your Mom had her own garden.  Cancer and disease is rampant and has been linked to lack of fruit and vegetables in our daily diet.  How do you get quality fruit every day conveniently without breaking the bank?  We live in a pharmaceutical fast food culture and it all comes down to education.  If we chose to ignore the studies and statistics thinking that it doesnt apply to you, keep in mind that 1 out of 2 men are going to get cancer. As well, 1 out of 3 women are going to get cancer.  Alarming but true.  Its never too late to make some positive changes that can positively impact you and your family's health in a major way.

Food Inc presents a documentary on the truth about the food we eat.

Store Wars.. This is funny!

ORAC Score revisited..

According to our government, our body requires approximately 7-9 servings of fruits a day OR 3000-5000 orac a day, ( ORAC is simply a measurement of antioxidant acticity from fruit or vegetables) to maintain optimum health. Based on the chart below, it is no wonder why we do not get that amount in our diet everyday.   According to the scientists and doctors, along with thousands of published papers, lack of fruit in our diet (along with our fast food, chemically laden, pharmecutical culture) contributes to all of the health issues we face, including disease and cancer. 

Now, here is what approximately 13 servings of fruits looks like and their associated costs.. 15.73 cents for fruit that may not contain the quality we expect, depending on where you bought the fruit.  Unfortunately, most fruit today has been chemically altered, pulled off a tree or out of the ground before ripeness, guaranteed not to have the same quality as the fruit from your Mom's garden. 

Now, if taking two ounces in the morning and two ounces at night could give you the same amount, wouldnt that be something?  We certainly spend a lot of money on things that do nothing to help our health.  Chemicals and fast food take care of that for us.  Its been said that 10% of what we eat keeps us alive and 90% of what we eat keeps our doctor alive!  Quality fruit is so important in our diet, yet less than 5% of the population gets the required amount EVERYDAY for good health.  The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing over and expect different results.  If we cannot conveniently give our bodies what it needs to survive in this world, then we may want to find a way to do it.  Those who dont have time for proper health will be forced to make time for sickness which we all know is expensive.  Fruit for thought.......