Master Class from “The Most Organized Woman in the World”

Needless to say much on the Konmari Method, as it speaks for itself.  Marie Kondo has propelled the world of unorganised individuals  into a frenzy of order obsessive conscious individuals whose lives have been transformed dramatically. I believe Marie Kondo is an undeclared healer and brings to light ancient Taoist wisdom through her work.  Additionally, she is responsible for inspiring thousands to gain mastery of their living spaces through the art of tidying and organizing. To live from a place of love, inspiration and appreciation for all  that brings us joy is a beautiful way to live. Here’s an excellent cheat sheet from Makespace on practical decluttering The  KonMari Way in only 6 simple steps.

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Food Matters

 

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Science Shows that Alkaline Minerals Reduce Risk of Disease

Robert Ross

The human body is naturally intended to be mostly alkaline. Your blood, for example, must stay between 7.35 and 7.45 pH or you could get seriously ill, or even die! This is so important that your body has an alkaline buffering system to make sure your blood stays in that range. But even within that range there is a huge difference in health factors. Most importantly, with a 1/10th difference in higher, more alkaline pH your blood can carry as much as 300% more oxygen! Imagine the additional energy and endurance you would have if your blood was always as that optimum level!

Yet, the sad truth is that virtually everything in modern civilization and lifestyle is conspiring against you to make your body more acidic, or less alkaline! Environmental toxins are acid forming. Toxins in the water supply are acid forming. Most bottled waters are below optimal pH levels, some even slightly acidic. And the toxins created by cooking and processing what you eat are acid forming!

It is natural, of course, for your metabolism to produce some acidic toxins. Over millions of years the body has evolved an acid buffering system that is more than up to the task of handling those. But a vast toxic overload has enveloped our entire planet in less than 50 or 100 years, depending on when you start counting. From pesticides and preservatives to water pollution and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), our bodies cannot adapt to handling these, resulting in what we euphemistically like to call today’s “diseases of civilization” – cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and many more.

This is all because there is just a slight change in the chemistry of our bodies at the cellular level. For example, in a healthy body your cells convert glucose into a chemical called ATP to store energy at a very efficient level (16:1)l. But the chemistry for that only works in a slightly alkaline environment. In an acidic environment the chemistry is entirely different – obviously! Now your body can’t make ATP! Instead, it uses a backup emergency mechanism to directly convert glucose into energy. That is also part of our “flight or fight” mechanism, and though it does that quickly it is very inefficient (2:1) and burns energy quickly so you can’t store much in the way of energy reserves. That’s why some people need constant stimulants like coffee, tobacco, colas, sports drinks, etc. to keep going throughout the day. If your body was truly healthy you would have all the energy you need without those crutches!

Now, keep mind that I am not talking about a full fledged “diet-induced acidiosis” in the blood. Some raw foodists are confused by this and doctors use this confusion to discredit raw food in general! Actual diet induced “acidosis” can be a life-threatening condition and is rather rare. The more subtle lowering of blood pH towards the lower end of the normal range isn’t called acidosis at all, but is called “acidemia.” Though that isn’t ideal for health your body can handle it. In my opinion, the thing that is really destroying our health is much more subtle – the slight change of our biochemistry at the cellular level from an excess of acidic toxins, making normal cellular respiration impossible.

This phenomena is subtle and hard for medical doctors to quantify let alone diagnose, but modern science is proving the truth of it more and more. Here are just a few references on the relationship to acid-forming toxins and the diseases of civilization we now take for granted!

Research has shown that the effects of acidosis can directly contribute to cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, Crohn’s disease, kidney disease and much more.

In 2009, Robey, Baggett, Kirkpatrick et al published a paper in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal proving that alkaline minerals (sodium bicarbonate) that raise the extracellular pH of cancer tumor cells and prevent metastasis. Their research shows that the pH of the tumors are always acidic and by using highly alkaline minerals to raise the pH – the growth of the cancer (and involvement of lymph nodes) is prevented.

In 2006, Gatenby, Gawlinski et al published research in the Cancer Journal showing that “chronic exposure of normal tissue to an acidic microenvironment produces toxicity by: (a) normal cell death… and (b) extracellular matrix degradation”. They proffer that glucose imbalance (an acid lifestlye) leads to a chronically acidic microenvironment (the normal cells and molecules that surround a tumor cell) which provides the perfect base for cancer.

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A 2009 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism has shown that consumption of and supplementation with alkaline minerals is essential for good health. The objective of the study was to understand the effect of alkaline minerals on bone health. The participants who were taking the bicarbonate supplements had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion when compared to the control group. This means that when taking the alkaline minerals, bones remained stronger and healthier.

In a 1995 issue of the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Joseph Campbell provided a review of the scientific literature on minerals and disease. The article shows that the alkaline minerals magnesium and calcium are critical to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. He also shows that acid-forming foods cause the leaching of calcium from bones and teeth to buffer excess acidity.

The above studies prove, without question, that having sufficient alkaline mineral buffers to neutralise dietary, lifestyle and metabolic acids is critical to maintaining excellent health, energy and vitality and to the prevention of degenerative disease.

It is also highlighted in several of these studies that using an alkaline mineral supplement is an effective way of guaranteeing your daily intake of alkaline minerals is sufficient.

The efficacy of using a mineral supplement (and these supplements providing a usable form of these minerals) is further supported by this June 2009 study published in the Nutrition Journal, “Effect of a supplement rich in alkaline minerals on acid-base balance in humans”. The study concluded “that the ingestion of a multimineral supplement is associated with both a significant increase in blood and urinary pH”.

 

You should always aim to get an abundance of nutrients from whole, organic raw foods and healthy alkaline mineral water! There are no acceptable shortcuts on this. It is essential. Here are some whole food sources of the mineral essential for good healths:

POTASSIUM: Avocado, Spinach, Soybeans, Lentils, Swiss Chard, Tomatos, Broccoli, Squash, Cucumber, Sweet Potato, Beetroot, Greens, Carrots

MAGNESIUM: Pumpkin Seeds, Spinach, Soybeans, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cucumber, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin, Tomatoes, Celery, Quinoa, Almonds, Brown Rice

CALCIUM: Basil, Turnip, Thyme, Spinach, Greens, Kelp, Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Celery, Cabbage, Squash, Green Beans, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Garlic

SODIUM: Avocado, Carrots, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Lettuce, Greens, Parsley, Peppers, Radish, Sunflower Seeds, Sweet Potato, Turnip, Beets (only the sodium found in whole raw food, not table salt or the salt added to refined foods which is NOT healthy at all)
As you can see, consuming sufficient alkaline minerals is essential to good health. Your body needs you to minimize acid-forming toxins and maximize alkaline-forming minerals. When you consume acid-forming toxins your body uses up alkaline buffers like the calcium in your bones causing many of the most common modern diseases. The most important alkaline minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. These are abundant in fresh, organic raw foods (particularly greens), as well as alkaline mineral water from a water ionizer!

Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

Laughter is the Best Medicine

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

“Two eternally HAPPY friends who have been laughing since birth in each others company”

Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use

Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”

~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is good for your health

  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits:

  • Boosts immunity
  • Lowers stress hormones
  • Decreases pain
  • Relaxes your muscles
  • Prevents heart disease
Mental Health Benefits:

  • Adds joy and zest to life
  • Eases anxiety and fear
  • Relieves stress
  • Improves mood
  • Enhances resilience
Social Benefits:

  • Strengthens relationships
  • Attracts others to us
  • Enhances teamwork
  • Helps defuse conflict
  • Promotes group bonding
The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits:
  • Boosts immunity
  • Lowers stress hormones
  • Decreases pain
  • Relaxes your muscles
  • Prevents heart disease
Mental Health Benefits:
  • Adds joy and zest to life
  • Eases anxiety and fear
  • Relieves stress
  • Improves mood
  • Enhances resilience
Social Benefits:
  • Strengthens relationships
  • Attracts others to us
  • Enhances teamwork
  • Helps defuse conflict
  • Promotes group bonding

Laughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

  • Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
  • Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
  • Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

The social benefits of humor and laughter

Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.

Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone

Creating opportunities to laugh

  • Watch a funny movie or TV show.
  • Go to a comedy club.
  • Read the funny pages.
  • Seek out funny people.
  • Share a good joke or a funny story.
  • Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
  • Host game night with friends.
  • Play with a pet.
  • Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
  • Goof around with children.
  • Do something silly.
  • Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Incorporating more humor and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships— as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

  • Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
  • Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
  • Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
  • Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

Bringing more humor and laughter into your life

Want to bring the fun? Get a pet…

Most of us have experienced the joy of playing with a furry friend, and pets are a rewarding way to bring more laughter and joy into your life. But did you know that having a pet is also good for your mental and physical health? Studies show that pets can protect you depression, stress, and even heart disease.

Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.

Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with working out, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything you do.

Here are some ways to start:

  • Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. Like laughter, it’s contagious. Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event. The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling.
  • Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
  • When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
  • Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
  • Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”

Developing your sense of humor: Take yourself less seriously

One essential characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there!

Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most events in life don’t carry an overwhelming sense of either sadness or delight. They fall into the gray zone of ordinary life–giving you the choice to laugh or not.

Ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life:

  • Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take yourself less seriously is to talk about times when you took yourself too seriously.
  • Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. Look for the humor in a bad situation, and uncover the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you.
  • Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.
  • Keep things in perspective. Many things in life are beyond your control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical.
  • Deal with your stress. Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter.
  • Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.

Checklist for lightening up

When you find yourself taken over by what seems to be a horrible problem, ask these questions:

  • Is it really worth getting upset over?
  • Is it worth upsetting others?
  • Is it that important?
  • Is it that bad?
  • Is the situation irreparable?
  • Is it really your problem?

Using humor and play to overcome challenges and enhance your life

The ability to laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable but also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and be more creative. People who incorporate humor and play into their daily lives find that it renews them and all of their relationships.

Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you “become the problem” and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning.

Playing with problems seems to come naturally to children. When they are confused or afraid, they make their problems into a game, giving them a sense of control and an opportunity to experiment with new solutions. Interacting with others in playful ways helps you retain this creative ability.

Here are two examples of people who took everyday problems and turned them around through laughter and play:

Roy, a semi-retired businessman, was excited to finally have time to devote to golf, his favorite sport. But the more he played, the less he enjoyed himself. Although his game had improved dramatically, he got angry with himself over every mistake. Roy wisely realized that his golfing buddies affected his attitude, so he stopped playing with people who took the game too seriously. When he played with friends who focused more on having fun than on their scores, he was less critical of himself. Now golfing was as enjoyable as Roy hoped it would be. He scored better without working harder. And the brighter outlook he was getting from his companions and the game spread to other parts of his life, including his work.

Jane worked at home designing greeting cards, a job she used to love but now felt had become routine. Two little girls who loved to draw and paint lived next door. Eventually, Jane invited the girls in to play with all the art supplies she had. At first, she just watched, but in time she joined in. Laughing, coloring, and playing pretend with the little girls transformed Jane’s life. Not only did playing with them end her loneliness and mild boredom, it sparked her imagination and helped her artwork flourish. Best of all, it rekindled the playfulness and spark in Jane’s relationship with her husband.

As laughter, humor, and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new discoveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful, and balanced perspective.

 

Article Source: Helpguide.org

Are We Drinking Enough Water?

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By Andreas Moritz

To produce the right amount of bile each day (1-1½ quarts), which the body requires for proper digestion of food, the liver needs plenty of water. In addition, the body uses up a lot of water to maintain normal blood volume, hydrate the cells and connective tissues, cleanse out toxins, and carry out literally thousands of other functions. Since the body cannot store water the way it stores fat, it is dependent on regular, sufficient water intake. To maintain proper bile production and bile consistency, as well as balanced blood values, you need to drink about six to eight glasses of water each day. The most important time to drink water is right after getting up: First, drink one glass of warm water to make it easier for the kidneys to dilute and excrete urine formed during the night. This is of great importance because urine is highly concentrated in the morning; if it is not diluted properly, urinary waste products may settle in both the kidneys and the urinary bladder. Second, drink another glass of warm water to which you can add the juice of 1 slice up to ½ of a fresh lemon and 1 teaspoon of raw honey. This helps to cleanse the GI tract. Other important times for drinking a glass of water (not chilled) are about ½ hour before and 2½ hours after meals. These are the times when a well-hydrated body would naturally signal thirst. Having enough water available at those times ensures that the blood, bile, and lymph remain sufficiently fluid to conduct their respective activities in the body. Since hunger and thirst signals use the same hormonal alert system in the body, if you happen to feel “hungry” during those times, it is more likely that you are actually running out of water. Therefore, it is best to drink a glass of room temperature or warm water first and then see whether your hunger has subsided or not. If you suffer from high blood pressure and use medicinal drugs for this condition, make sure you have your blood pressure monitored regularly. With an increase in your water consumption, your blood pressure may return to normal within a relatively short period of time. This would make the intake of medication obsolete and even harmful.

 By drinking enough water, you may also start to lose weight if you are overweight, or gain weight if you are underweight. It is equally important to choose a water treatment system that gives you fresh, healthy water. The H2Owater treatment system is, for example, is very efficient and health-promoting, but it is also quite expensive. Its unique technology even removes pesticides and herbicides from the water and leaves your drinking, shower, and pool water as fresh and clean as pure mountain water. The H2O Concept 2000 uses electrical impulses to break calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate, salts that are the major causes of hard water, into calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate with the by-product being carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is dispelled at the faucet in minuscule amounts. Calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are the soluble forms of these two minerals. In their soluble state, these minerals compounds cannot adhere to the inner surfaces of pipes, water heaters coils, glass surfaces, faucets, and so forth. Thus, mineral buildup and the formation of scale are impossible. The H2O Concept 2000 will also significantly reduce any existing scale over time. This gives all water-using appliances in your home a longer and more efficient life span. Although quite pricey at the beginning, this water treatment system saves you money in the end. It is also virtually maintenance-free. Quite a few similar filters are now available, some cheaper, others even more expensive. I personally use a Puritec whole house water filter, which is similar to the H2O Concept 2000. When you choose a water treatment system, make sure it has the mixed-media KDF/GAC filtration technology. Quite affordable, yet still very effective, and excellent for people who not only are interested in proper hydration but also want to cleanse the body from toxins, are water ionizers. These are widely available on the Internet. The most commonly used methods to remove chlorine and numerous other contaminants from your drinking water (and possibly shower water) are filtration and reverse osmosis. Although these systems can also be pricey, they are still an affordable option if you consider the cost of suffering through a bout of cancer. To help replenish some of the minerals lost when using these two types of systems, add a few grains of uncooked basmati rice to the water jug or bottle (avoid plastic containers) and leave the rice in the jar for up to a month at a time. Adding a pinch of or unrefined sea salt to a glass of water also helps to give you the lost minerals back. Distilled water, which is the closest to natural rainwater, is excellent for hydrating the body cells, but, unlike rainwater, it is lifeless. Adding 3 to four 4 of uncooked basmati rice to 1 gallon of distilled water gives it minerals and vitamins (or else use the sea salt option), and exposing the water to direct sunlight or placing a clear quartz crystal in the water for an hour helps to restore its vitality. There are machines I know of that produce healthy, energized distilled water. Their water even eliminates the smell in waste lagoons and septic systems (it kills only harmful bacteria). Of course, the old-fashioned method of boiling your drinking water for several minutes causes any chlorine to evaporate. Another inexpensive way to get rid of most chlorine in water is to use vitamin C. One gram of vitamin C will neutralize 1ppm (part per million) of chlorine in 100 gallons of water. This is particularly useful if you want to lie in the bathtub without suffering the irritating effects of chlorine on your skin and in your lungs. Prill beads are another, far less expensive, form of water treatment. Although they cannot replace a water filter, they still cleanse your drinking water and make it ‘thinner’. This has a positive effect on the blood, lymph, and basic cellular processes. Prill beads are available on the Internet. I can attest to the good taste of the water, its ‘thinness’, and its excellent hydrating and cleansing effects. Yet another good water treatment is Molecular Resonance Effect Technology (MRET)-a device that alters the molecular organizational state of water and other liquid substances. MRET Water has many special properties that make it ideal to help the body to increase its quota of structured water. MRET-activated water closely resembles cellular water in the body and hence is bioavailable. MRET Water is produced by means of a nonchemical biosafe process of water activation. During this process, a subtle, low-frequency electromagnetic field is imprinted into the water. It is similar to the earth’s geomagnetic field found in special healing springs. I have tested the basic MRET and found it to be very beneficial, although it requires separate filtering. It is widely available on the Internet. [This is an extract from the book ‘The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush’ by Andreas Moritz] Andreas Moritz is a writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine. He is the author of 13 books on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation and Cancer Is Not a Disease. His most recent book is titled ‘Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time’. Moritz is also the creator of Ener-Chi Art ( http://www.ener-chi.com ) and Sacred Santémony. Much of his life’s work has been dedicated to understanding and treating the root causes of illness, and helping the body, mind, spirit and heart to heal naturally. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6235065

Declutter for Mind, Body and Soul

The Minimalist’s Guide to Fighting (and Beating) Clutter Entropy

Leo Babauta

 

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

Recently I published the Four Laws of Simplicity, which talked in part about decluttering your home and office … and it seemed to strike a chord with many of you.

Clutter, apparently, has invaded all of our lives.

And the inevitable fact is that, no matter how much we simplify our lives, even after a huge decluttering session and after a vow not to buy anything ever ever ever again … entropy always always sets in.

It starts out as one item on the floor. Just a simple box, or a toy, or a piece of clothing. Such a little thing, nothing to worry about. But that one little thing will attract a second, and then a third, and soon clutter will grow insidiously in our homes until it overwhelms us. And then we’re back to square one.

Don’t let it happen. Be vigilant.

Here are my favorite tips for beating clutter entropy, for the minimalists among you.

1. One in, two out. Make it a rule: for every new item that comes into your life, you need to remove two. That means gifts, clothes, shoes, books, magazines, anything. It’s great to have a place where you put things you’re going to get rid of … whether to give to other people or to donate to charity or to take to a used book store. Then you can just grab the stuff on your way out to do errands.

2. Limited storage. I like this rule because it fits in with my philosophy of self-set limitations: don’t allow yourself to have tons of storage space. The more storage you have, the more stuff you’ll keep. Instead, have limited storage and if stuff doesn’t fit in there, get rid of it. That forces you to make choices. They key is making those choices … if you don’t, you’ll end up with clutter.

3. Clear floors and flat surfaces. Keep them clear. A room looks so much cleaner if all flat surfaces, from the floor to tabletops to countertops, are clear of clutter. Remove everything from these surfaces except perhaps one or two decorative items (don’t clutter with knick knacks). If you find stuff making its way here, clear it out. Clearing surfaces once a day or every couple days is a good routine.

4. Designate a home for everything, and be fanatic. When you find stuff on flat surfaces, or draping over a chair, it might be because you don’t have a designated spot for that kind of thing. If you don’t, designate a spot for it immediately. If stuff doesn’t have a home in your home, you need to get rid of it, or it will forever wander around the house. The other problem might be that you have already designated a spot for it, but you’re just not good at putting it away. In that case, take a month to build up the habit of putting things where they belong immediately. It’ll make a huge difference.

5. Regular decluttering sessions. Put in your calendar. Even the best of us need to declutter regularly. If you’ve decluttered your home, things might be great now, but you’ll need to do clutter maintenance. Put it in your calendar: perhaps once a month, once a week, or once every few months. Experiment to see what interval works for your life.

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. – Lao Tzu

6. Reduce your desires for more. If clutter is coming into your life at a rate that’s too great for you to handle, you might need to look at your buying habits. Do you go shopping for clothes or gadgets or shoes or books every week (or more)? Are you always buying stuff online? If so, is it out of real necessity, or do you just like to buy stuff? It’s important that you take a look at these desires, and see if you can address them. Reducing your desires will go a long way to reducing your need to fight clutter.

7. 30-day list. This is really a way to control the desires I mentioned in No. 6 above. Make a list: anytime you want to buy something (other than absolute necessities), put it on the list with the date you added it. Then, don’t allow yourself to buy something until it’s been on the list for 30 days. By then, your desire for that item might have passed. It’s a great way to control that impulse to buy. (A cool alternative: the Want book.)

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

8. Change your habits. Clutter didn’t create itself. It’s there because you put it there. What habits do you have that created the clutter? There may be many of them, some of them already mentioned above: you buy a lot, you don’t designate a home for things, you don’t put things away, you buy but don’t remove things … you may have other habits that create clutter. Change those habits, one at a time. Take 30 days and focus on a clutter habit, and see if you can create a new habit that will reduce your clutter.

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Juicing for Cellular Health

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 The benefits of juicing are numerous and well documented. The USA in common with rest of the western hemisphere is currently suffering from an epidemic of obesity and rising rates of ailments including heart disease, diabetes and cancer (to name but a few) as we increasingly consume fat and sugar laden fast and processed foods.

 

name but a few) as we increasingly consume fat and sugar laden fast and processed foods.

However, over the past few years a new trend has developed, which reflects an increasing interest in organic and healthy foods. It seems that more and more people are waking up and realizing that their dietary habits are shortening their life spans.

It’s more than just athletes and health professionals who are slowly but surely acknowledging that the benefits of juicing can help them to be healthier and happier over an extended life span.
 

It’s more than just athletes and health professionals who are slowly but surely acknowledging that the benefits of juicing can help them to be healthier and happier over an extended life span.

 

PROS

  • Juicing for health provides vital nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for our bodies to repair themselves, strengthen the immune system and for cell regeneration and growth.
  • Unlocking nutrients of raw foods is one of the vital benefits of juicing. Fiber is quite literally locked into many vegetables and fruits and the potential benefit of the fiber is lost as the digestive system does not unlock it. Juicing releases the fiber’s nutrition so that benefit may be realized.
  • Normally we do not consume peelings, seeds and pits of fruits and vegetables. These parts are a rich source of vital nutrients we normally throw away. A good quality juicer extracts juice from the whole veggie or fruit, including peelings, pits and seeds to provide vitamin and minerals that would otherwise be lost.
  • Heat kills live enzymes. A quality juicer minimizes heat in order to preserve the most live enzymes possible.
  • Using a good quality juicer will cause the least amount of foaming in the juice. Foam is indicative of oxidation of the juice which lowers the antioxidant benefit. Less foam equals more antioxidant benefit.
  • Juice is an excellent snack or meal replacement that is very filling. Many dieters claim that juices assist them to lose pounds with no hunger.
  • The antioxidant effects of juices will help detoxify your body and help you eliminate the toxins, fats, preservatives and chemicals that a diet of processed foods leave behind in your body.

Increased energy and mood uplift are collateral benefits of juicing. As your body becomes detoxified and “cleaned out” it will be more able to access and utilize

  • restorative and sustaining nutrients which most likely will make you feel better in general. When you feel better you are more energized and happier.
  • The most readily digestible or absorbable form of foods, not to mention the most concentrated form, is juice. Juicing makes foods easy to digest and thus, easier for the body to receive maximum benefit from the source food.

Making your own juices allows you to make any combination of fruits or vegetables that you choose into juice – and you know what’s in it, unlike produce on the supermarket shelves

Healing With Sunlight

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Heal Yourself With Sunlight

by Andreas Moritz

The time when one’s immediate natural impulse on the first sunny spring day was to get outside and enjoy it is long gone. Only the very courageous or “careless” who defy the grim warnings from medical mandarins and cancer specialists, wholeheartedly endorsed by the sunscreen industry, dare to venture forth into the “dangerous” sun. Unless they are covered head to toe with sun protection factor (SPF) 60, they gamble with their lives, or so they are made to believe, by those who serve their own vested interests. Fortunately, this view is beginning to crumble in the blatant absence of scientific proof that sunlight causes disease. What is being discovered instead is that lack of sun exposure is one of the greatest risk factors for disease. Very few people know that not getting enough sun kills 50,000 people from cancer deaths every year in the US alone. As shown later, these are deaths that are easily preventable through the Vitamin D produced by the body in response to regular sun exposure.

Unfortunately, it is the ultraviolet portion of sunlight that is the most easily eliminated by windows, houses, spectacles, sunglasses, sun lotions, and clothing. Before antibiotic drugs were discovered in the 1930s — penicillin having been the first one — the healing power of sunlight was favored by the medical community, at least in Europe. Sunlight therapy, called heliotherapy, was indeed considered to be the most successful treatment for infectious diseases from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. Studies revealed that exposing patients to controlled amounts of sunlight dramatically lowered elevated blood pressure (up to 40 mm Hg drop), decreased cholesterol in the bloodstream, lowered abnormally high blood sugar in diabetics, and increased the number of white blood cells, which people need to help resist disease. Patients suffering from gout, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, arteriosclerosis, anemia, cystitis, eczema, acne, psoriasis, herpes, lupus, sciatica, kidney problems, asthma, and even burns, have all received great benefits from the healing rays of the sun.

The medical doctor and author, Dr. Auguste Rollier, was the most famous heliotherapist of his day. At his peak, he operated 36 clinics with over 1,000 beds in Leysin, Switzerland. His clinics were situated 5,000 feet above sea level, the high altitude allowing his patients to catch a lot more UV light than was possible at the lower levels of the atmosphere. Dr. Rollier used the UV rays of sunlight to treat diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), rickets, smallpox, lupus vulgaris (skin tuberculosis), and wounds. He followed in the footsteps of Danish physician Dr. Niels Finsen, who won a Nobel Prize in 1903 for his treatment of TB using ultraviolet light. Rollier found that sunbathing early in the morning, in conjunction with a nutritious diet, produced the best effects.

The miraculous complete cures of tuberculosis and other diseases facilitated by these doctors made headlines at the time. What surprised the medical community most was the fact that the sun’s healing rays remained ineffective if the patients wore sunglasses. [Sunglasses block out important rays of the light spectrum which the body requires for essential biological functions.] Note: your eyes receive these rays even if you are in the shade.

By the year 1933, there were over 165 different diseases for which sunlight proved to be a beneficial treatment. However, with the death of Rollier in 1954 and the growing power of the pharmaceutical industry, heliotherapy fell into disuse. By the 1960s, man-made “miracle drugs” had replaced medicine’s fascination with the sun’s healing powers, and by the 1980s the public was increasingly being bombarded with warnings about sunbathing and the risks of skin cancer.

Today, the sun is considered the main culprit for causing skin cancer, certain cataracts leading to blindness, and aging of the skin. Only those who take the “risk” of exposing themselves to sunlight find that the sun makes them feel better, provided they don’t use sunscreens or burn their skin. The UV-rays in sunlight actually stimulate the thyroid gland to increase hormone production, which in turn increases the body’s basal metabolic rate. This assists both in weight loss and improved muscle development. Farm animals fatten much faster when kept indoors, and so do people who stay out of the sun. Therefore, if you want to lose weight or increase your muscle tone, expose your body to the sun on a regular basis. The use of antibiotics, which has practically replaced heliotherapy, has in recent years led to the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria, which defy any treatment other than the balanced use of sun, water, air, and food. Cutting out or substantially reducing any of these four essential constituents of life, results in disease.

Any person who misses out on sunlight becomes weak and suffers mental and physical problems as a result. His vital energy diminishes in due time, which is reflected in his quality of life. The populations in Northern European countries like Norway and Finland, which experience months of darkness every year, have a higher incidence of irritability, fatigue, illness, insomnia, depression, alcoholism, and suicide than those living in the sunny parts of the world. Their skin cancer rates are higher, too. For example, the incidence of melanoma (skin cancer) on the Orkney and Shetland Isles, north of Scotland, is 10 times that of Mediterranean islands.

UV light is known to activate an important skin hormone called solitrol. Solitrol influences our immune system and many of our body’s regulatory centers, and, in conjunction with the pineal hormone melatonin, causes changes in mood and daily biological rhythms. The hemoglobin in our red blood cells requires ultraviolet (UV) light to bind to the oxygen needed for all cellular functions. Lack of sunlight can, therefore, be held co-responsible for almost any kind of illness, including skin cancer and other forms of cancer. As you are about to find out, it may be highly detrimental to your health to miss out on sunlight.

Can UV-Radiation Prevent and Cure Skin Cancer?

A major concern of our scientists today is the dramatic increase of skin cancers around the world. There are three main types of skin cancer, two of which, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma (non-melanomas), are increasingly prevalent, whereas the third, malignant melanoma, is much rarer but far more lethal. The most pressing question is why would the sun suddenly become so vicious and try to kill scores of people after thousands of years of harmlessness?

The medical community claims that ultraviolet light (UV) is the major cause of skin cancers. This theory is based on the assumption that our thinning ozone layer permits too much of the germicidal UV to penetrate to the surface of the earth and causes destruction of all kinds, including damage to our skin and eye cells. Yet the theory has major flaws and no scientific backing. Contrary to general belief, there is no evidence that reduction in the ozone layer, observed at the poles, has caused any increase in melanomas.

The germicidal frequency of UV is destroyed or is filtered out by the ozone layer in the Earth’s stratosphere, and only small amounts — necessary to purify the air we breathe and the water we drink — actually reach the surface of the earth. To that effect, a study of Punta Arenas, the largest South American city close to the Antarctic ozone hole, showed no increase in health problems related to depleted ozone. In fact, UV measures were too small to have any noticeable effect. Actual measurements taken in the United States since 1974 show that the amount of UV radiation reaching the surface of the earth is decreasing and continues to decrease slightly each year. This research was conducted to detect the frequency of UV radiation that causes sunburn. UV radiation had dropped an average of 0.7 percent per year over the period from 1974 to 1985 and continued to do so afterwards.

The fact that the number of skin cancers in the United States had doubled within this period of 11 years contradicts the theory that UV light is the reason behind the skin cancer epidemic. The number of malignant skin cancers (melanomas) discovered in 1980 in the United States was 8,000, and eight years later it had increased by 350 percent to 28,000. In 1930, the expectancy of developing melanoma was as low as 1 in 1,300 people. Since 2003, 45,000 to 50,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the United States. Melanomas, which account for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths, make up only 5 percent of all reported skin cancers. The most striking fact about this lethal form of cancer is that it can occur in parts of the body that are not necessarily exposed to the sun such as the eye, the rectum, vulva, vagina, mouth, respiratory tract, GI tract and urinary bladder.

Overall, since the beginning of the new millennium, each year one million Americans are being diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. There are millions of sufferers now, all of whom have been made to believe that the sun is the culprit for their skin diseases. But since UV radiation is decreasing every year and skin cancers were extremely rare 100 years ago when UV intensity was much higher and people spent much more time outdoors, what other factor could be held responsible for causing skin cancer?

The More UV, the Less Cancer

Even if UV penetration to the surface of the Earth did actually increase by, for example, one percent each year (which is not the case), such slight increases would still be hundreds, if not thousands, of times less than the normal variations which people experience because of differences in geography. Let’s assume that you move from an area near either one of the Polar Regions, e.g. Iceland or Finland, toward the equator, e.g. Kenya or Uganda in East Africa. By the time you reach the equator, you will have increased your body’s exposure to UV light by a whooping 5,000 percent! If you live in England and decide to move to Northern Australia you will increase your exposure by 600 percent! Calculations show that for every six miles you move closer to the equator, you increase your exposure to UV light by one percent.

Today, millions of people around the world travel from low exposure places to areas of high exposure near the equator. Many thousands of tourists travel to areas that are located at much higher altitudes than where they normally live. For every 100 feet of elevation there is a significant increase in UV radiation. But this does not prevent people from climbing mountains or living in countries like Switzerland or at the high altitudes of the Himalayan Mountains. According to the UV/cancer theory, most Kenyan, Tibetan, or Swiss residents should be afflicted with skin cancer today. Yet this is not the case at all. The fact is that those who reside at high altitudes or near the equator where UV radiation is the most concentrated are virtually free of all cancers, not just skin cancers! This shows that UV radiation does not cause cancer; in fact, it can even prevent it.

The human body has a unique ability to become accustomed to all kinds of variations in the environment. It is equipped with perfect self-regulating mechanisms that protect it against damage from the natural elements. Overexposure to swimming in the sea or in a lake can lead to extensive skin swelling, shivering, and circulatory problems. Our body will let us know when it is time to get out of the water. Getting too close to a fire will heat us up and encourage us to move away from it. Rainwater is natural, but standing in the rain for too long can drain our immune system and make us susceptible to catching a cold. Eating sustains our lives, but overeating can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Sleeping recharges our “batteries” and revitalizes the body and mind, yet too much of it makes us sluggish, depressed, and ill. Likewise, sunlight has healing properties unless we use it to burn holes into our skin. Why should any of these natural elements or processes cause us harm unless we abuse or overuse them?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to say that a preference for unnatural things like junk food, stimulants, alcohol, drugs, medical intervention (unless it is for an emergency), as well as pollution, irregular sleeping and eating habits, stress, excessive greed for money and power, and the lack of contact with nature, are more likely to cause such diseases as skin cancer and cataracts than natural phenomena that have ensured continued growth and evolution on the planet throughout the ages?

It is very encouraging to see that new treatments using light are increasingly being recognized as breakthrough methods for cancer and many other diseases. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved “light therapy” to fight advanced esophageal cancer and early lung cancer-with fewer risks than are found with the use of surgery and chemotherapy. Although it has been known for over 100 years that light can kill diseased cells, it is only since a number of convincing research studies have been conducted that there has been a sudden resurgence of interest in light therapy. There is promising success with bladder cancer, infertility-causing endometriosis, advanced lung and esophageal cancers, skin cancer, and diseases leading to blindness, psoriasis, and autoimmune disorders. In one study, light therapy eliminated 79 percent of early lung cancers. Regular exposure to sunlight still seems to be one of the best measures one can take to prevent cancer, including cancers of the skin.

Now Even Doctors And Scientists Say, “It’s Not True!”

Like myself, there have always been some health practitioners who didn’t buy into the theory that the sun causes deadly diseases. It warms my heart to hear that now even some of the top authorities in the field are standing up for the truth, despite intense criticism from their colleagues. In an article written in the New York Times in August 2004, a high-profile dermatologist, Dr. Bernard Ackerman (a recent winner of the American Academy of Dermatology’s prestigious, once-yearly Master Award), publicly questioned the commonly accepted assumption about the sunlight/melanoma link. According to Dr. Ackerman, who in 1999 founded the world’s largest center for dermatopathology training, there is no proof whatsoever that sun exposure causes melanoma. To substantiate his arguments, he cites a recently published article in the Archives of Dermatology concluding that no evidence exists supporting the notion that sunscreen prevents melanoma, a claim the mega-million dollar sunscreen industry and those in the medical mainstream have falsely made for decades.

Dr. Ackerman didn’t stop at exposing this decades-long deception of the masses; he also cast doubt on the increase in the incidence of melanoma cases medical mainstream doctors insist is happening. He found that an expansion of the diagnostic definition of “melanoma” has allowed a much broader array of symptoms to be classified as the deadly disease compared to just 30 years ago. Melanoma has to a large extent “grown” to epidemic proportions because of statistical manipulations. In other words, if the same diagnostic definition applied 30 years ago were applied today, melanomas would have increased only insignificantly.

Furthermore, this respected physician challenged the medical mainstream to explain why nearly all cases of melanoma among certain races (black African, Asian and South American) occur in areas of the body that are almost never exposed to sunlight-places like the palms, soles of the feet, and mucous membranes. Should it not raise doubts among physicians and patients alike when even among pale-faces, the most common sites for melanoma (legs in women, torso in men) get significantly less sunlight exposure than other parts of the body? To make a point, based on this and other evidence, your best chance of avoiding melanoma is to move to areas of higher UV-concentration, such as mountainous regions or the equatorial tropics and become a nudist! Since sunlight boosts the immune system, you may find that such a move would also help with many other health issues from which you may be suffering. Naturally, all this data raises the question, what actually causes skin cancer? The answer may surprise you greatly.

 

Immense Benefits: Olive Oil

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News Is Finally Starting To Get Out About The Many Health And Anti-Aging Benefits Of This “Superfood”…

Amongst other things, it contains a very powerful natural anti-inflammatory compound called oleocanthal which inhibits the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX). COX is found in virtually everyone suffering from an inflammatory condition. Since most diseases, health ailments and premature aging are believed to be caused by inflammation, when you reduce inflammation in the body you correspondingly reduce these conditions!
Pain is a side effect of inflammation. The oleocanthal in olive oil works similarly to ibuprofen in reducing inflamation. As a result pain is reduced.

Oleocanthal could help reduce and even prevent inflammation thus reducing or even eliminating pain without the potential side effects of prescription or over the counter drugs!

Most commonly used in the Mediterranean diet, the health and anti-aging benefits of extra virgin olive oil have been known for thousands of years and are just now starting to gain awareness in Western cultures.

It’s believed that extra virgin olive oil could be largely responsible for the low rates of cancer and heart disease in parts of Europe and Greece. Monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants (polyphenols) are believed to be the contributing factor for these low rates.

All of the internal health benefits provided by extra virgin olive oil can easily be realized by simply adding a small amount to your daily diet.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil From Lebanon Is Loaded With A Powerhouse Punch of Boron… A VERY Important Health And Anti Aging Mineral!

One of the additional major benefits of extra virgin olive oil from Lebonon is its higher than normal content of boron. This higher level is caused by the unique boron dense soil primarily only found throughout the region where these trees are planted. Boron is a very important trace mineral that has largely been ignored by mainstream medicine. This is unfortunate, as it is extremely important and as a health supplement, could have amazing beneficial effects on the body.

Health Conditions That Could Potentially Be Improved Naturally with Boron:

• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Pre Mature Aging
• Menopausal Symptoms
• Sex Hormone Imbalance
• Allergies
• Parasites
• Candida Albicans
• Lupus Erythematosis

Boron is a natural remedy for many of the “side effects” of aging and is an effective treatment for 95% or more in the relief of arthritis (provided the joints have not completely deteriorated). It works very well in alleviating arthritis, partly due to its crucial role of calcium integration into the cartilage and bone. This is important for all of us as we age, even if we do not have arthritis. Aging is partly associated with weakening of the bones as they become increasingly porous – adequate Boron can help prevent this side effect of aging!

Beauty Benefits of Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil Topically

Applying extra virgin olive oil topically provides incredible moisturizing and humectant properties. Japanese studies indicate that the topical application of extra virgin olive oil has many anti-aging benefits for the skin. Ordinary olive oil, however, does very little from a health perspective.

For hundreds of years, Cretans and Europeans have used extra virgin olive oil as a skin moisturizer and anti-aging remedy. There is no need to spend money on overpriced olive oil skin care products. Simply apply a small amount of extra virgin olive oil directly to skin and watch it come alive!

Since most people spend their younger years baking in the sun, it makes a lot of sense to get the health and anti-aging benefits of extra virgin olive oil from both intake and topical application. Doing so could help slow down and even turn back the clock from all the visible damage caused by sun over exposure.

The Source Of Heart Attack And Stroke Protection In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Now Revealed!

According to an article in Science Daily (Apr. 1, 2009) — Scientists have finally pinned down the constituent of extra virgin olive oil that gives the greatest protection from heart attacks and strokes. In a study of the major antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil, Portuguese researchers showed that one, DHPEA-EDA, protects red blood cells from damage more than any other part of olive oil.

“These findings provide the scientific basis for the clear health benefits that have been seen in people who include extra virgin olive oil in their diet,” says lead researcher Fatima Paiva-Martins, who works at the University of Porto.

Heart disease is caused partly by reactive oxygen, including free radicals, acting on LDL or “bad” cholesterol and resulting in hardening of the arteries. Red blood cells are particularly susceptible to oxidative damage because they are the body’s oxygen carriers.

In the study, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Paiva-Martins and colleagues compared the effects of four related polyphenolic compounds on red blood cells subjected to oxidative stress by a known free radical generating chemical. DHPEA-EDA was the most effective and protected red blood cells even at low concentrations. The researchers say the study provides the first evidence that this compound is the major source of the health benefit associated with extra virgin olive oils, which contain increased levels of DHPEA-EDA compared to other oils. In extra virgin olive oils, DHPEA-EDA may make up as much as half the total antioxidant component of the oil.

Paiva-Martins says the findings could lead to the production of “functional” olive oils specifically designed to reduce the risk of heart disease, “Now that we have identified the importance of these compounds, producers can start to care more about the polyphenolic composition of their oils.”

Article Source: www.agelessimpact.com

The ‘Oldest Woman’ drinks Olive Oil

By Spanno

Mariam Amash, an active inhabitant of a quaint Israeli village, makes sure to drink at least one glass of olive oil every day. And since she was born in 1888, she’s had at least 43,800 glasses–roughly 2,737 gallons of olive oil.

Olive oil can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as regulate blood sugar level and knock out nasty free-radicals. More info can be found here. Apparently it has worked fairly well for Mariam, you know, seeing as she’s been around since the Turkish Empire was in control.

With 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren, and 20 great-great-grandchildren, I bet she spends most of her time making out $10 checks.

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Olive Oil: Your Gateway to Health

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Olive Oil Benefits

 

1. It’s Natural! – the best of olive oil benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is nothing but fruit juice extracted mechanically from olive fruit. There is no heat or chemicals used in the extraction process. My favourite and the most beneficial is a fresh organic unfiltered extra virgin olive oil. Follow this link for more information about olive oil grades.

2. Flavour – It just tastes good. I guess I would have to say it is an acquired taste and some people just don’t like the bitter characteristic of some oils. There are olive varieties known for their mild flavour and olive oil pressed from ripe olives is smooth, mellow and buttery.
substitute olive oil for butter

3. Nutritional Value – vitamins E, K, and A as well as polyphenols, squalene, oleocanthol, triterpenes and hundreds more micronutrients make olive oil a healthy choice. Read more about olive oil nutrients.

4. Oleic Acid – oleic acid (omega 9) makes up 55 – 85 percent of the fatty acids in olive oil. Don’t confuse this with the amount of free oleic acid which is the main factor used to determine the grade of the olive oil and the lower the better. Oleic acid aids in keeping our arteries supple and helps prevent cancer.

5. Hydrogenated Oils – olive oil is not hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenation creates dangerous trans-fats found in margarine and many other packaged foods. Please read this page for more information about hydrogenated oil and trans-fats.

6. Heart Health and Cholesterol – extra virgin olive oil is high in polyphenols (a powerful antioxidant) and monounsaturated fat which contributes to lowering bad cholesterol. Read more about this health benefit here.

7. Cancer – researchers at the University of Oxford believe that olive oil may be just as effective in the prevention of colon cancer as fresh fruits and veggies. A diet rich in olive oil has been shown to reduce the incidence of colon., breast and skin cancers.

8. Blood Pressure – Studies now indicate that extra virgin olive oil may help to lower blood pressure. Patients were able to reduce or eliminate the need for medications when olive oil was consumed on a regular basis.

9. Alzheimers – this disease is associated with the clogging of arteries caused by cholesterol and saturated fat. Replacing other fats with olive oil will reduce the risk.

10. Gallstones – Olive oil promotes the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones naturally and lowers the incidence of gallstones.

There are more olive oil benefits. It’s great for skin and hair care , used in natural remedies, and is a more versatile cooking oil than you may think.

Article source:  www.amazingoliveoil.com

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Link between Lack of Sunlight & Depression

The exact connection between vitamin D and depression is not fully understood. There seems to be a correlation between the two, if not a direct causation. People with clinical depression have been found to have vitamin D deficiencies, though these could both be symptoms of a different root cause. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a condition that is thought to be linked with the declining exposure to bright light during the winter months, and a lack of sunlight can also create a vitamin D deficiency. Research suggests there may be a causative relationship between vitamin D and depression, since positive effects have been achieved through the administration of the compound to people suffering from depressive conditions.

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There appears to be a link of some kind between vitamin D and depression. The human body is capable of synthesizing vitamin D if sufficient sunlight is available, so a deficiency is typically linked to a lack of natural light or a defect of some kind. A lack of sunlight can also cause symptoms of depression in some people, as seen in seasonal affective disorder. It is thought that the lack of sunlight has a negative effect on brain chemistry, though it is also possible that low levels of vitamin D production could contribute to this disorder and other forms of depression.

The human body depends on a type of light known as ultraviolet-b (UVB) to produce vitamin D. Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that light therapy with UV filters can improve mood, suggesting that conditions such as SAD are not entirely caused by a lack of vitamin D or improved by its presence. Other studies, however, suggest that vitamin D can have a similar or complimentary affect on mood. One double blind study conducted in Australia suggested a causative relationship between vitamin D and depression. This study involved the administration of vitamin D3 and found positive results one standard deviation over the placebo.

Anecdotal evidence also suggestions a relationship between vitamin D and depression. Increased depression in recent history has coincided with a number of trends that have reduced human exposure to sunlight, particularly to the UVB necessary for the production of vitamin D. Urbanization and time spent working indoors, particularly in enclosed office environments, can dramatically cut down sunlight exposure. The potentially harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation have also resulted in the wide use of sunscreens, which can have the unintended effect of reducing vitamin D production. None of this necessarily proves that low levels of vitamin D cause depression, though a strong relationship can be seen nonetheless.

Author: Unknown