For this reason detoxification is the best way to cleanse our bodies. Otherwise these toxins accumulate and of course can be detrimental to our health and well being. The toxic load can also be eased by using only safe and natural products in the home (both for cleaning and personal care) ultra filtered water, and a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. Meat can be found that is hormone and antibiotic free. As consumers are becoming more health conscious these products are becoming easier to find.

As far as detoxification is concerned there are products for this purpose without side effects. Some products that claim to be cleansers may not have a great impact on the blood or tissue, which is very important for the elimination of chemicals from the body.

Colon cleansers do not remove heavy metals and toxins from the tissues which is important for effective detoxification.

Are colon cleansers helpful?

JoAnne Ott is a guest writer at "Be Naturally Well". 

Sick economy has patients skimping on meds

That's the headline of an Associated Press  news story that I found onMSNBC. One of the things I am grateful for here in Canada is that, even during difficult financial times, I can still see my doctor and get tests if I need them and not have to worry that I will go bankrupt because of it. Oh, that's an issue for another day though!

Next to the picture of the Hendricks family is this caption.

I think it is horrible when people can't work and are faced with financial burden while trying to rause a family HOWEVER is this what it is going to take to drive people to look for healthy alternatives to medicine and doctors?

Don't get me wrong, I think doctors and drugs have their place, (I am a retired nurse after all) but for even the most serious and scary diseases (cancer!?!) there are societies outside of the Western world that have treatments hailing from nature that actually work with MORE efficacy than OUR current doctor recommended treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. There are ALL KINDS of safe and effective ways to treat infections and viruses that don't require a trip to the doctor's office.

I have a suggestion. Why not research natural alternatives to doctors and drugs NOW. Why not start implementing some natural preventative and therapeutic measures into your life today BEFORE you are sick and can't afford the fees for treatment. Not only will you FEEL better just knowing you are taking some steps towards better health, but you may even need to see your doctor LESS. Think of the money you could save, for example, by strengthening your immune system, and getting less colds and flu. What about removing toxins from your system and avoiding aching and tiredness now, and perhaps fibromyalgia, MS, cancer… down the road.

Here are my 6 steps to optimum health. Why not do the research now, so that you can save money, worry, and youth down the road!

6 STEPS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH

1. EAT foods that help to create an alkaline environment in your body. That means more vegetables, fruits, and less red meat. More RAW and less cooked. Try to aim for an 80% vegetarian raw diet. Do you have a juicer? If not, you can get an inexpensive one at your local hardware or kitchen store . (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro works just fine) Juice an 8 ounce glass of carrots and an 8 ounce glass of broccoli and drink it EVERY day. (add an apple for sweetness if desired).

2. DRINK water that is filtered, ionized and alkaline. If you don't have a water ionizer already, you can get one for a couple thousand dollars at www.alkalinewaterfountain.com. If you don't want to spend that kind of money you can get Real Water Concentrate -ionized water concentrate that turns your filtered water into an alkaline health beverage. Get more information on this Water treatment (including tons of info on acid/alkaline diets and reasons) at www.RealWaterHealth.com

3. DETOXIFY- with the Original Liquid Zeolite (www.naturalzeoliteliquid.com)

4. BOOST IMMUNE system by increasing the numbers and action of the Natural Killer Cells (a normal part of your immune system) with Agaricus Blazei (order it when you order your liquid zeolite)

5. AVOID toxins and poisons by using biodegradable, non-toxic cleaning and household products, eating organic produce and hormone free animal products, and drinking filtered water.

6. Get off the couch! Move it baby!

Paying for Slip ups!

You wouldn’t think that one slip would have such consequences. All of a sudden I am aware of exactly why I have been feeling so crappy for such a long time!

Last evening Jim came home with subs. My fave is a club on parmesan oregano bread with loads of veggies and cheese. I at the whole thing!! (foot long not 6") and savored every bite.

I felt a bit of a headache, and pretty sluggish by bedtime, but who doesn’t feel sluggish at 12:30 at night! This morning though WOW I have fluid filled sacs under my eyes, and my eyeballs feel grainy, like the wind blew some sand in there. I also have a headache!

I have felt for some time now that I had a wheat sensitivity, and I often have this kind of reaction when I ate processed meats before. I just never really drew the line between what I was eating and those puffy sacs under my eyes some mornings!

So today I am going back to raw, having learned a valuable lesson. I won’t say that I’ll never eat a sub again, but at least when I make that choice in the future I will be fully aware of what the consequences are!

I made a huge fruit salad yesterday that I can munch on all day. I will be drinking several pints of fresh juice today including a big glass of cucumber and celery to flush out my system. I still have some fresh veggies, but getting low so I will make a trip to the market again today. I need to go through the detox again but I feel better just thinking about it, so it’s going to be ok. Getting back on track doesn’t seem to get me down. :-)

This brings me to something I’ve been wondering about. We all have a  few vices that can through us off for a day, a week and sometimes permanently. My biggest temptations are salty crunchy snacks… potato chips especially, but pretzels as well. I can say no to any kind of chips except for Lay’s Salt and Vinegar chips. I would walk ten thousand miles for a bag of those! LOL

What about you? What can derail you, and how do you avoid it? If you do slip up, do you get right back on track?

I will be working on the forums for most of the day since it is raining today and we won’t be going boating. UGH we’ve had a lot of rain this past month. Hopefully August will be better!

If you are new to juicing, it is VERY easy to get fresh yummy juice.

Wash fruit  well (I like mine from the refrigerator so my juice won't be too warm). I recommend that for fruits and vegetables that you do not have to peel (apples, grapes, pears) buy organic. Juicing concentrates everything including whatever washing doesn't get off.

Peel the fruits and/or vegetables you would normally peel (oranges, pineapple etc)

Chunk them into large pieces and feed them into the chute. Use the plunger provided to push the fruit into the juicer. Juice comes out one end into a cup of some kind and pulp comes out the other and is caught in some kind of receptacle.

Drink the juice right away so you get the full advantage of enzymes, vitamins and minerals all of which begin to degrade (oxidize) as soon as they are exposed to air.

Clean up will vary depending on the machine and needs to be done as soon as you've finished your juice. Small sticky fruit bits will stick like glue if left over a few hours without soaking.  I have a rule… don't buy a juicer that takes more than 5 minutes to clean!

So let's get to some of the combinations that are great for beginners. (If you've never had 'greens' then add them slowly. Most people find the taste needs to be acquired.

BetaCarotene Drink

3 LARGE carrots

1 Granny Smith Apple

2 Large stalks of celery (With or without celery this is delicious!)

Beet Beat

1 medium beet root

2 pears

a thumbnail size ginger root

hand squeeze 1/2 lime

Cool as a Cucumber

1 medium cucumber

1 red delicious apple

1 medium carrot

"Ginger Ale"

A dozen Green Grapes

1 Granny Smith Apple

thumbnail  of ginger root (less if you find the taste too strong)

squeeze 1/2 lime and 1/2 lemon

sparkling water

 Summer Punch

dozen strawberries

1 Orange

Sparkling Water

Apple Greens

2 Granny Smith Apple

Handful fresh Spinach Leaves

squeeze 1/2 lime

Stress Breaker

2 Pears

2 Apples

1 Celery

1 Kiwi

Vegetable Cleanse Drink

3 celery stalks

Large Handful fresh Spinach

3 Large Carrots

There…..That should get you started ! I try to do at least 16 ounces of freshly juiced drinks every day. Some days I am totally on the fly though. I am sure you know what days I mean… :-) when I absolutely can NOT get my fresh juice made I can still get all of the goodness on fresh.

I have found a WHOLE FOOD RAW (dehydrated at less than 100 degrees) mix of picked fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. This juice has been tested at every stage for quality. I am convinced that it is a VERY good alternative to fresh made juice. In the winter (at least here in Canada) it likely has more freshness and enzymes than the produce we can get at the grocery.

It's called URI International. They have a wonderful line of products including some toxin free cleaners and an organic coconut oil (more on that later) but the two products that caught my raw juicers eye were The FEAST and Beyond Berries.

If you click on the image below you will be able to see the introductory pack you can get of this product. The prices are out of this world too! A month supply of the FEAST (2 servings a day) is under $50 which of course is what I spend in a week on fresh produce for my juicing. At any rate… it's great to have a few cannisters on hand.

Click the image below to view the FEAST sample pack

Click the image below if you want to view the rest of the whole food product line.

Getting Healthy Can Keep You Busy!

WOW I went the entire day before I got to my update post! I went to the farmer’s market again and just inhaled! LOL I just filled my fridge yesterday so I really didn’t need anymore fresh produce!

I also got a new page put up on my blog for people with wellness related blogs to add their site. See up in the menu there where it says "Add Your Blog"? It’s real easy… all you have to do is add your link and then grab one of the banners or the text link to put on your site. We’ll have our own little network of wellness sites all joined together in this community. FUN!

So how did I do yesterday?? OOOO I am so glad you asked! I made the most beautiful salad I’ve ever seen and it was delicious. It gave me the idea that when I make up something that I really like I should write it down here, so that led me to think that I need a recipe section as well. So that is what I am going to do. … And if YOU have a vegetarian, vegan, raw or just plain ole healthy recipe you want to share you can put it in the comments section.

So I kind of got lost searching for yoga info and didn’t really get to actually doing anything in the way of exercises yesterday, so today it was the first thing I did when I got my carcass out of bed! 40 minutes on the bike and then 20 minutes of long slow stretching while I lost myself in thought. It was delightful!

And Boy oh Boy you should see the bounty I came home with yesterday. Zucchini, cucumber, green onion, garlic, yam, carrots, yellow and green beans, peas in the pod, romaine, mushrooms, tomatoes, grape tomatoes, new potatoes, grapes, strawberries, mango, black plums, nectarines, lemons, limes, avocado, apples, tangerines, cilantro, parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme, and a bunch of whole grains…. Oh MY!!

Oh and I have to tell you my amusing "breakfast" story! If you’ve been reading along, you know that I’ve been quite fascinated with the whole "eat everything raw" idea. So when I was searching the other day I came across a site that talked about raw grains for breakfast, so I thought, "Self, that is something you should try!" I like to have something substantial in my stomach for breakfats, and apples and oranges don’t seem to be doing it. SO this guy said to get a variety of raw whole grains and seeds, (he listed about 14 different ones) and then grind them in a coffee grinder…. well when I was at the grocery store, in the organic section, I found some "Bob’s Red Mill" 10 grain hot cereal. It had most of the grains the website talked about, and had the added benefit of being already ground, and mixed.

So take 1/3 to 1/2 (I took 1/3) cup of grain mix, add about the same amount of water and soak overnight. I decided that I would add raisins to soak with it, so I added the raisins and water and popped it in the fridge. The next morning I could hardly WAIT to have breakfast! YAY no apples for me! So I grabbed my cereal, popped off the lid, gave it a stir, and put a big spoonful into my mouth.

Well the first think that happened was that the moisture that was in the cereal immediately soaked into my mucous membranes. What was left in my mouth felt like sand. I couldn’t chew, swallow… I could barely move it around off my cheeks and the roof of my mouth! So I immediately got out a pot and spooned the rest in with a bit more water and turned on the burner! That kind of grain is NOT meant to be eaten raw and don’t let anyone trick you into thinking it is!

Anyway, I think I am starting to experience a bit of detox…. today (and yesterday afternoon) my lower abdomen is acting up a bit and churning. I’m also less energetic today. HOWEVER I am STILL a hundred times better than I have been for the last few years so I can handle it!

So now I am going to go write up that salad recipe before I forget, and YES I am going to get to the article on juicing! (*nag nag* )

Hurray it’s Weigh Day!

OH I am excited! DESPITE a very unstructured week of discovery, and a big bag of Salt and Vinegar chips, Friday night at the Mexican restaurant, and several of those disgusting chewy granola, ‘yogurt’ dipped bars that people REALLY want to believe are good for you, I STILL managed to be down 2 pounds!

When you have 65 pounds to lose, 2 pounds does not seem like much, and I am quite sure no one will notice it, (although my husband, God bless him, will SWEAR he can!) but still it is progress in the very first week. My mind vey quickly calculated that if I lose 2 pounds EVERY week I will reach my goal in 8 months, which is 4 months earlier than my goal date of one year!

How did I do yesterday? Well yesterday was my best day, and I think is going to set the pace for what is to come. I have been flirting with the idea of going vegetarian for health reasons, and not because I have anything against eating meat. But I was thinking, if I made vegetarian choices whenever there was a choice, and raw even better, then wouldn’t I be much healthier?

Anyway, yesterday was a critical point in my fascination of the raw food, and vegan/vegetarian way of eating. All day I made raw food choices. (My healthy chocolate is cold processed and heated only enough to pour into the molds so even IT is raw!) I ate a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables and drank lots of alkaline water from my ionizer. I also had a great big mug of Waiora‘s Detox Tea before I went to bed. I will admit that I woke up at 2:30 AM and I was hungry. So I got up and cooked a small bowl of large flake oatmeal in a bit of milk and ate that. It filled up my belly and I went back to sleep quite peacefully.

This morning I will admit to waking up energized EVEN THOUGH my night sleep was broken. THAT is a huge deal for me, since I have been exhausted for months and months now. I even NAP most afternoons for heaven’s sake! So today I feel so great! I am going to go shopping this afternoon and get better prepared for my raw, whole food, vegetarian experiment. I already have a juicer, and yesterday I ordered a dehydrator. I am going to see if I can get a coffee grinder and a grain mill. The coffee grinder should be relatively easy to find, but I suspect the grain mill will be a different story. (I really live in an area that is know for their ‘meat and potatoes’ lifestyle… fishermen, farmers.. you get it!)

I am also going to be on the lookout for a good raw vegan recipe book. I MAY get lucky and find something like that here! There’s always Amazon, or Chapters online if all else fails!

Have a great day all…. I’ll be back later on with my articles of the day. Today I might do one about juicing since that’s going to be on my mind! :-)

With Zeolite

If you want to learn more about that read this article Are Toxins Fattenning. You can also visit Let's Talk Detox for many different current event stories on the shameful pollution of our earth, just in case you are questioning your need to detox. .

There are a number of things that make the Original Liquid Zeolite the best on the market, but first let's address some facts for those of you who are learning about zeolite for the first time.

What is ZEOLITE?

Zeolite is a unique group of minerals with an important basic property – it's the world's only mineral with a naturally occurring negative charge. Therefore, zeolites presently have impressive industrial benefits, and equally impressive Cellular Detoxification implications for human and animal health.

Zeolites possess two intriguing primary physical and chemical properties that are invaluable. These properties include cation exchange and absorption. Zeolites simply lock & hold many positive ions and absorb a multitude of environmental contaminants.

Zeolites were formed from ancient volcanic ash flows settling in neighbouring seas and lakes. This unique group of naturally-occurring minerals has important basic physical and chemical properties and is often referred to as 'molecular sieves'. Zeolites simply lock & hold many positive ions, absorb a multitude of environmental contaminants and also serve as a catalyst for various processes.

• Cation Exchange – Zeolite is the world's only mineral with a naturally-occurring negative charge. Many positive ions are locked up and held by the zeolite matrix.
• Absorption/Adsorption – Zeolite has an open framework molecular structure (very porous) capable of adsorbing and absorbing many different types of gases, moisture, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, low-level radioactive elements and a multitude of other materials. The channels in the zeolite provide a very large surface area where the exchange can take place.

In ENGLISH that basically means that the zeolites have one charge and toxins have an opposite charge. If the toxin molecules are small enough, then the zeolite draws them in like a magnet and removes them!

All ZEOLITES are NOT the same!

Since the original liquid zeolite product hit the market a few years ago, and testimonials started pouring in, manufacturers have rushed to the "drawing board" to try and duplicate the formula, and the success of the product. Now there are several choices of zeolite products in a number of different forms, and mostly you are left to decide for yourself which one is right for you. Following is a description of the different kinds of zeolite products, and their uses.

• Powdered Zeolite:

  Powdered zeolite is available in a couple of forms. Loose powdered zeolite sold in tubs, or powdered zeolite in capsules.

  Powdered zeolites are the simplest to manufacture. Basically, they take raw zeolite, and crush it to a fine powder. The zeolite, which has attracted some heavy metal and toxin deep into it's cage while in the ground holds on to these compounds and chemicals. It is unlikely that the toxins will be released into your body, however, the already burdened zeolite is less able to pick up NEW impurities than a cleaned "activated" zeolite. Therefore it's detoxing ability is limited.
  The molecules themselves are not small enough to pass through the intestines to reach the blood stream, and into the cells, so it's action is confined to the gut. Impurities, toxins, herbicides and pesticides on the food you eat, and viruses or bacteria in the intestinal tract may be absorbed by powdered zeolite.

  Powdered zeolite may be very effective as an anti-diarrheal agent, and for upper G.I. distress such as heartburn and reflux. Zeolite is approved as a drug in Cuba under the trade name ENTEREX for exactly such a purpose.

• "Liquid" Zeolite:

  First a note about the name "liquid". the zeolite itself is not liquified. In fact "Liquid" zeolite is actually a solid zeolite in suspension. The zeolite 'floats' in the water, allowing for even distribution of the zeolite molecule in a liquid. In the "zeolite in liquid" category there are several different choices.

  • "Enhanced" Zeolite:

    Enhanced zeolite is so called because it is "enhanced with vibrational energies". I am not exactly sure what that means and their website does not shed any light on that. There is no way to "enhance" a product with "vibrational energies" in any kind of scientific way. I understand that holistic healers talk about vibrational energies, but we are talking about living things, and once living foods and supplements. Zeolite is a mineral. It DOES naturally have a charge which attracts like a magnet opposite charged molecules. Most of the toxins introduced to our cells have an opposite charge to the zeolite, but changing the charge alters the property that makes it work in the first place.
    It seems "enhanced zeolite" products are not cleaned out before they go to market either. This means they harbor levels of heavy metals, and toxins in their cages. Again while it is UNLIKELY that the toxins will be released into your system, the zeolite molecules are less effective if they are already burdened.

    A disturbing note on "enhanced" zeolite… it seems that the website Cancer Fighting Strategies.com is promoting a enhanced zeolite as the "best" and they offer a number of patient testimonials to support this. However, it seems that the testimonials are actually from people who used the Original Liquid Zeolite from Waiora. You can read more about that at Zeolite Canada

  • Zeolite in Humic acid:

    The introduction of humic acid into a product is one company's attempt to have the zeolite suspended in water. The ORIGINAL product uses a patented process to suspend (float) the zeolite particles which would normally settle to the bottom. Z Life brand and other humic acid brands are not privy to the process, so humic acid is introduced to get the particles of zeolite to float.

    From their site Humic Acids are biological compounds created by Mother Earth. We call it "mother's milk from the earth." These composites were originally deposited by pristine, ancient forests and compacted and transformed over millions of years, waiting to be extracted for our use today. Translation…. humic acids come from rotting leaves. (seriously… look it up! :o) They mention on the site that Waiora uses heat and chemicals in the processing.. this is true. Waiora uses a heating process followed by a mild acidic bath (something like vinegar) to clean the cages so you get a pure product free of poisons deep in the cages. Heat doesn't hurt the zeolite. Rememebr,it comes from Molten lava! Waiora is hot but not THAT hot!

  • The Original Liquid Zeolite:

    The purest most effective zeolite supplement on the market. Pure clean cages make it the most effective at cleaning your cells, while the suspension technology ensures that it is evenly dispersed throughout the bottle. Each drop is the same as the last. The zeolite is small enough to pass through the gut into the blood stream. Toxins are grabbed and removed safely and efficiently with little side effect. There are no worries of contamination from organic debris, no question of effectiveness due to being unclean, and no end to the number of testmonials on THIS product. In fact, ALL of the testimonials I have seen on the internet thus far have been testimonials from people using the Natural Cellular Defense product, EVEN when a different product is being sold. I haven't seen any original testimonials on the other products.

    I have done a significant amount of research on this product. I wouldn't trust my health to any other zeolite product.

If you want to learn more about zeolite (and there is LOTS more to learn) grab my free book by clicking The Liquid Zeolite Book or just go over there and click on the book cover for The Liquid Zeolite Book under Life Books!

Many Blessings,

Shelley