Many people believe they are healthy because they are not sick. They rarely get colds and they have never had a heart attack. But we cannot measure our health by the way we feel. A good measure of health is a slightly alkaline body system and a strong immune system.

A pH test on urine or saliva should give us a reading of between 7 and 7.5. Cancer for example, will not thrive in an alkaline body system. Arthritis and high blood pressure will also benefit from an alkaline system.

Unfortunately for our society, the modern Western diet heads more and more into the highly acidic area which results in high stress on organs, particularly the heart, and other body parts such as bones and joints. Consequently, our society is experiencing a catastrophic rise in nasty diseases and damaged parts.

How do we keep our body systems alkaline?

We need to avoid the acid-forming foods such as refined carbohydrates, (bread, cakes, biscuits, sugar, pastries, pasta, processed fried foods and sugar). When you think about sugar, don’t just think about the white stuff you might put in your coffee. Think about where it is lurking in processed foods and drinks including alcohol. White potatoes, although turn to sugar once digested, so contribute to an acid body system. So do coffee and chocolate. It’s therefore good advice to find a healthy replacement for these foods.

To maintain an alkaline system we need to major on raw coloured vegetables, especially green vegetables. Green drinks, such as wheat grass and barley grass are amazing alkalizers. So are lemons. A slice of lemon in hot water is something you can develop a taste for. Raw salad vegetables are more alkalizing than cooked vegetables, although this doesn’t mean that you can’t have some lightly cooked vegetables in your diet as well as salad.

How do we build a strong immune system?

Pretty much the same recipe. But add some immune boosting vegetables like garlic, onions and ginger to your diet. You can take supplements such as olive leaf extract and Vitamin C, but make sure the Vitamin C you take is not a chewable tablet containing artificial sweeteners.

While we’re majoring on the benefits of coloured vegetables, we must also take into consideration the modern-day problems that modern farming practices have brought about, problems such as genetic modification, sprays and fertilizers. Super phosphate grows wonderfully large vegetables devoid of minerals. The pests are attracted to these because the lack of minerals means low resistance. Then of course, the pesticides have to be applied in order to get any crop at all. So the supermarket ends up with a product that is mineral deficient and high in pesticides. The best advice for the consumer is to eat organic foods whenever possible.

Report by Paul Reid

In 2010 and 2011 part of my story was featured in the Melbourne Age. I would like to post a few comments.
Paul

The Sunday Age, March 7, 2010

Anti-cancer diets: hoax, healer or false hope?

Cancer victims are increasingly turning to extreme diets for a cure.

Jill Starks reports
Paul Reid should be dead. Diagnosed with rare, incurable lymphoma, he was given five years, seven tops, by his oncologist. But having cheated death on Ash Wednesday bushfires, he was not about to surrender his life without a fight.

His weapon of choice? Apricot kernels. Thirty a day. Reid turned down chemotherapy, vowing to eat himself well. Today, 13 years in remission, the 68-year-old believes that “cancer-killing” properties in the kernels he still eats daily, coupled with a strict vegan diet and prayer, have cured him.

“We’re not immortal, but I believe I’ll be healthy from taking this direction,” he says.
Reid is among a growing number of cancer patients who see food as the key to their survival – a trend worrying doctors who fear people may be risking their lives by embarking on extreme, unproven diets. Some patients are forgoing conventional medical treatment and putting their faith in “anti-cancer diets, promoted by alternative health practitioners, or buying untested nutritional supplements on the internet…….

Paul Reid challenged mainstream medicine’s prognosis with a regime of colonic cleansing, a 75 percent raw fruit and vegetable diet, and chewing on apricot kernels – rich in amygdalin, an extract also known as B17, which doctors say is a “phoney” vitamin, but which supporters claim kills cancer cells.
He is convinced that his diet was the cornerstone of his recovery. The fact that no robust research supports his restrictive diet, or that there is evidence high doses of amygdalin can cause cyanide poisoning, and in some cases, death, is of little consequence to the Berwick father of two.

“So what if there’s no scientific proof? What has a person to lose by going on an organic diet?” he asks. “I don’t think my journey has been unscientific, it’s just that there’s been no science in a big way applied to it.”
The substances we ingest undoubtedly affect the body’s metabolic processes. Drinking alcohol can lead to slurred speech and loss of balance, while eating too much fat and sugar can cause weight gain. But food’s effect on cancer is less clear. Some practitioners in both the medical and alternative communities point to research that certain foods can either promote or inhibit cancer cell growth. Other say the the disease is caused by a build-up of toxins that must be flushed from the body with nutrient-rich produce, or that cancer feeds on sugar.
………………………
Dr Phelps, a GP and president of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, says most alternative practitioners operate ethically, and many work collaboratively with mainstream doctors. However she says that there is a pressing need for greater attention to be paid to nutrition in medicine schools and for more funding to research potential links between food and cancer.
“Just because we haven’t got the whole picture yet doesn’t mean there isn’t something in it.” she says. “We are gathering information gradually, which is the way you gather evidence.

My comment:
Thank you Jill for the opportunity to tell a part of my story. I would just like to expand on this, so that readers get a broader picture. For my type of cancer, (low grade non-Hodgkins lymphoma), there was no medical treatment offered back in 1997. There was no medical treatment available, so nutritional therapy for me was the only way to go. (This for me was an excellent situation to be in, because I didn’t have to choose between orthodox and nutritional therapy). Low grade lymphoma responds well to nutritional therapy because it is slow growing, (4-7 years life expectancy), giving natural therapy time to work.

As for alternative therapies being ‘untested? unproven?’ I would agree with Dr Phelps who says that more funding is necessary to research the link between food and cancer. The reason these therapies are unproven is that no money has been designated for their research. But couldn’t we say that trials on real cancer victims who recover using natural therapies are a form of proof? There are many stories like my own but they don’t get published. And if we take a closer look at research presented by Phillip Day, we see that there were actually trials about 60 years ago that proved that these therapies worked, but these were shoved under the carpet.

Vegan diet and 30 kernels a day sounds extreme, but the reader must understand that I undertook this regime only at the peak of my nutritional therapy, after which I added some animal products and reduced my intake of kernels to a maintenance dose. I do not advocate a vegan diet for the general population!

The Sunday Age, November 20, 2011

Raw apricot kernels being sold as cancer cure despite cyanide warnings

Mark Russell
RAW apricot kernels, which authorities say can cause cyanide poisoning, are being sold as an alternative treatment for cancer by a Victorian company.

Cancer Council Australia, which says there is no evidence the kernels have curative powers, wants them banned. ”If you eat a large enough amount of this stuff you essentially get cyanide poisoning,” the council’s chief executive, Professor Ian Oliver, said.
”Many people think that if it’s derived from a fruit then it can’t be too harmful, but in this case it can be.”

Recent tests of kernels sold by …… to a customer in Queensland who had to be admitted to hospital after eating them found high levels of hydrocyanic acid.

There are two types of kernels: bitter and sweet. The bitter kernel is the preferred choice for cancer sufferers using alternative treatments because it contains more amygdalin. Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s Lorraine Belanger said the agency was mainly concerned about the consumption of bitter kernels and was considering listing them as a prohibited food or imposing strict labeling requirements.

Berwick cancer survivor Paul Reid, who has been in remission for 14 years after eating 30 raw bitter apricot kernels a day as part of his treatment, believes a ban would disadvantage other cancer sufferers.

But Victoria’s acting Chief Health Officer Dr Rosemary Lester said only a small number of apricot kernels would need to be eaten to reach potentially unsafe levels of cyanide.

My comment:
Anyone who wants to seriously research this will find that there is plenty of documented evidence on the effectiveness and safety of apricot kernels. For example, in 1950 biochemist Ernst Krebs discovered that the hydrocyanic acid in apricot kernels killed cancer cells but not healthy cells. He ran toxicity studies to determine whether hydrocyanic acid/Laetrill/amygdalin/Vitamin B17, was dangerous to the organism if ingested in abnormal quantities. He reported that Vitamin B17 was harmless, but when stimulated by glucosidase in the cancer cell, it became toxic to that cell. Later other researchers replicated Kreb’s work to confirm these findings. Sheep were fed large doses of hydrocyanic acid. New Zealand researchers Coop and Blakely reported that …”the only symptom the animals showed was “a general sleepiness for an hour”. Worden showed that repeated dosing of rabbits does not produce a cumulative effect and the animals were capable of eliminating excess B17 within two and a half hours.”

(from Phillip Day’s book, “B17 Metabolic Therapy” pp. 65-66).

Anyone who wants to learn more can obtain a copy of “World Without Cancer”, by G. Edward Griffin, and Phillip Day’s book “Cancer – Why We’re Still Dying to Know the Truth”.

And what about the person reported in the newspaper article to be admitted to hospital? I contacted the company who had supposedly supplied the kernels. They said that they had NOT in fact supplied the kernels. They were just singled out because their apricot kernels had the highest concentration of B17 than any in Australia. That’s because they crack theirs FRESH every week. It is true that when a person takes 40 kernels in one dose, (NOT the prescribed way of doing it!), the person may end up with a headache and feel tingly. But it seems that the person reported in the article WAS able to detoxify the B17 and did not die from eating apricot kernels… otherwise we would know about it! People do things like this when they do not have enough information. Trivial, sensational reports from the media that present only a small fraction of the information are to blame. People need to know that the correct way to take the kernels is to take no more than 5 in an hour. This gives the body plenty of time to process the B17 without any feelings of discomfort. If someone genuinely wants to take on this therapy they must do it in combination with pancreatic enzymes and a total nutritional therapy approach. There is plenty of correct information around. Phillip Day is one source. Cancer patients have to be researchers, or at least have a close friend or family member who does the research for them!

I wrote the following letter to the Age in response to my dissatisfaction with the article. (By this I mean that there is danger in presenting a few limited facts without giving the full information.)

My letter to the Melbourne Age:

Reading the article in the Sunday Age on “the dangers of eating apricot kernels”, in which I was quoted, I am disappointed about the superficiality. Yes, I was eating 30 kernels a day at the peak of my course of nutritional therapy, but it was not mentioned that they must be eaten gradually throughout the day, never more than 5 in an hour. It was also not mentioned that I started at 3 a day and built up to 30 over a period of six weeks. Research shows that when consumed in this way, the toxic component is neutralized in metabolism. Why pick on apricot kernels? Eating sugar in excess can cause diabetes. Eating peanut butter can cause anaphylaxis in some people. How crazy to deny a legitimate therapy on account of somebody’s excess.

Paul Reid, Berwick

Who can conduct food preparation sessions?

In order to conduct food preparation sessions with school students, a qualified food handler must be present. This can be achieved by completing an appropriate online course.

Tips for primary teachers on class cooking / food preparation sessions

1. Choose a recipe suitable to your age-group. For younger children you may prefer snacks that can be ‘put together’ rather than cooked.
2. Use only healthy ingredients. Exclude sugar, preservatives, artificial colours and flavours. Include a variety of fresh ingredients, as close to nature as possible.
3. Send the recipe home with the children in advance, and ask whether any child has an allergy to any of the ingredients.
4. Make sure you have plenty of parent help, especially when children are using knives for chopping, or stoves. Divide the class into groups of no more than 6 per group, so that there is plenty of adult supervision.
5. For younger children there may be preparation needed before the session starts. e.g. produce to be chopped. If this is the case, ask parents to come early!
6. Plan your shopping list and ask a parent to go shopping for you.
7. Have the recipe printed out for session helpers  – enough for one recipe per group.

Whole school project

If every class in the school is taking part in “Healthy Food Week”, limit the number of recipes to two. Choose one recipe for the junior school and one recipe for the older children. This means better economy with food, and less stress.

Look at our New Start Tried and Proven Recipes for some ideas!

The following recipes have successfully been used by teachers implementing New Start.

Recipes for Juniors:

Pita Bread Pizzas

• A packet of pita bread
• Cheese (grated)
• Tomato paste for spreading
• Italian herbs (dried)
• Chopped vegetables and fresh herbs for topping – chives, basil, spring onion, celery, tomato, mushrooms, capsicum, zucchini
• 1 tin crushed pineapple (drained)

1. Spread the pita bread with tomato paste.
2. Sprinkle on dried herbs
3. Decorate with fresh herbs, vegetables and pineapple
4. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
5. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes, or grill for a few minutes.

Mountain Bread Wraps

• 1 piece Mountain flat bread
• 1 quantity tomato salsa sauce (recipe below)
• Chopped raw salad vegetables – cucumber, baby spinach, celery, capsicum, carrot (grated)

Salsa Sauce

• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 dessetsp. olive oil
• 1 teasp. honey
• 1 teasp. vegetable salt
• 1 teasp. sweet paprika
• 1 dessertsp. arrowroot (or “corn” cornflour)

1. Chop onion and garlic. Fry in olive oil.
2. Blend all ingredients except for arrowroot.
3. Put all ingredients in saucepan. Add arrowroot and whisk while bringing to the boil.
4. Cool.

To make wraps:

1. Spread Mountain bread with salsa sauce.
2. Place chopped/grated salad on bread and roll up.

Ingredients in Mountain Bread:
Rice – 70%, Wheat 30%, Filtered water, Salt

Note: Mountain bread contains no preservative 282 – an important one to be avoided in bread products. Mountain bread also contains less wheat than most flat breads. Many Australians are developing allergies to wheat because of the large amounts of refined wheat products consumed.
Another serving suggestion for Mountain bread – Bake it in the oven or under the grill to make it crispy.

Recipes for Middle / Upper Primary:

Indian Lentil Burgers

• 1 tin brown lentils, drained (or equivalent dried cooked lentils)
• 1 medium white potato (steamed)
• 1 piece sweet potato equivalent in size to the white potato (steamed)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon unrefined salt
• olive oil

1. Stir-fry onion in a little olive oil.
2. Mash the potatoes and combine all ingredients.
3. Place in scoops in an electric fry-pan and turn after a few minutes. Flatten like pancakes. Turn again after another 5 minutes.

Chick Pea Curry

• 1 tin chick peas – drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 cup water
• 1 natural vegetable stock cube – Swiss Nature from Coles Health section
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• Chopped vegetables – sweet potato, carrot, celery, capsicum

1. Chop all vegetables.
2. Place all ingredients in a large pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve on Basmati rice.
4. Garnish with fresh coriander, chives or any other suitable herbs you may have growing in your school garden

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the western world today. The government is spending millions on research, medication and bi-pass surgery, and yet the research has already been done. Heart disease is preventable.

To quote Phillip Day:

“Coronary heart disease, heart attacks, angina, pectoris, thrombosis, myocardial infarctions – trouble by any name – can be caused by certain types of drugs, and also by material which prevents normal blood-flow (atherosclerosis). If you take your garden hose, which is supplying water to your lawn sprinkler, and bend the hose, the water flow ceases to the sprinkler. Likewise, if the arteries supplying blood to the heart become clogged with deposits, or blood clots brought on by sticky platelets, the same starving of liquid to the pump will occur.”¹

How do we prevent heart disease?

Three factors are important: diet, exercise and supplementation.

Diet

Don’t necessarily be guided by foods that receive the heart health tick. The most important fats to be avoided are the refined processed oils, like cooking oils and margarine, and ‘trans-fats’ found in potato crisps and similar junk foods. These can be more dangerous than saturated fat.

According to The New England Journal of Medicine, trans-fats, or polyunsaturated fats, increase the risk of heart disease by damaging arteries. These dangerous fats are in margarine, vegetable oils, all fast food, most bakery goods. Trans-fats can break and enter arterial walls, rob nutrients and create free-radicals. It is one of the major contributors to cancer and heart disease.

Good sources of fats are avocados, nuts, seeds, cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil,  soft cheeses, organic eggs and mercury-free fish oils. (Unfortunately fish itself these days cannot be guaranteed mercury-free, and the only reliable form of fish oil is in a practitioner grade supplement with a mercury-free guarantee on the label).

Eat mostly plant foods, and as much raw plant food as possible. Avoid refined processed foods. Do not consume too much red meat. Try some plant-based protein sources such as lentils, dried beans, chick peas (garbanzo beans),  nuts and seeds. For lunch and dinner, at least 50% of your plate should be raw salad vegetables. For breakfast, eat fresh fruit, with some ground raw almonds and sunflower seeds.

Organic free-range eggs may be eaten, despite popular contrary opinion. Good quality eggs laid by healthy free ranging chickens do not raise cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is not the enemy. It has been placed in our bodies for a purpose. Cholesterol is a protective mechanism against toxins such as heavy metals. However there is ‘good cholesterol’ and ‘bad cholesterol’ making up your total cholesterol count, so ask your doctor what your ratio is. If good cholesterol is high, and bad cholesterol low, then there should be no problem.

Exercise

The two forms of exercise our bodies need are: weight-bearing exercise and cardiovascular exercise.

Cardiovascular exercise is that which gets the heart pumping and makes us puff a little. It is important to undertake this type of exercise little and often. A person with a sedentary job during the week, who decides to run a marathon on the week-ends is not in a good place. This habit places too much strain on the heart. It is better to do a daily walk or short jog each day. Uphill walking, stair climbing and swimming are also good forms of cardiovascular exercise, but never over-do it. Your body will tell you what you can manage.

Supplements

One of the most amazing developments in prevention and treatment of heart conditions is chelation therapy. This is a special nutritional formula, given intravenously, that has no side-effects. Chelation means “to claw”. The solution, when introduced into the body, cleans out the body from within, cleaning out the plaque from the arteries. Numerous double-blind studies have shown the success of chelation therapy. There is an 85-90% collective success rate. However in most countries, conventional medicine has rejected this therapy because money and politics have taken the place of a concern for health. Bi-pass surgery brings in $millions each year. In New Zealand, the option of chelation therapy is given first, before bi-pass surgery. The problem with bi-pass surgery is that after 5 years, the plaquing starts all over again. ²

A chelation therapy has been developed in a tablet form, and is known as oral chelation therapy. Oral chelation is a specific nutritional formula, which builds and strengthens the antibodies needed to eliminate dangerous cells. It meets deficiencies and to some extent repairs damage. Over time, these powerful nutrients are designed to claw and remove blockages to arteries, restoring blood flow. ³

Bill Davidson, who has formulated a very good oral chelation formula, explains how oral chelation therapy works. Let’s look at the arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygen to the cells. The veins carry carbon dioxide from the cells back to the lungs. The arteries have an extra layer of muscle. Problems occur more readily in the arteries than the veins because of the hardening of this extra layer of muscle – a bit like a garden hose lying in the sun. It lacks flexibility and may crack. When arteries lose their flexibility they do not expand as they should. The pressure builds up and the heart has to work much harder to pump blood through the arteries. Damage occurs easily. Hardening is caused by free-radicals. Calcium and cholesterol can collect at the site of the damage. This reduces the diameter of the artery leading to reduction in blood flow. Particles can break off and travel to the heart, causing a heart attack, or to the brain, causing a stroke.

When there is an abrasion in the arterial wall, plaque may go to this point and builds up as an attempt to repair the damage. This attempt to repair causes a build-up of plaque, leading to blockage. Chelation therapy gently claws away and gradually removes the build-up of plaque on the arterial wall, at the same time repairing the damage.

Not all cholesterol is bad. We have good cholersterol – HDL, and bad cholesterol – LDL. Oral chelation therapy has been shown to improve the HDL-LDL ratio.

As cells in the artery wall are damaged, Oral chelation can repair the damage. So too, can it repair any cell in your body. It can not only help the cardio-vascular system, but can assist with any cell damage. It has had good results with cancer and arthritis. Often, when treating heart disease, there are reports of arthritis improving as well.

Because free-radicals cause cell damage, it is advisable to take a good antioxidant along with the oral chelation formula. The most powerful are OPCs, or pycnogenol. The body can reverse conditions, but it needs help to do so. Everyone should take oral chelation therapy. It improves the delivery of nutrients to every cell, reduces plaque build-up, improves the function of the cardio-vascular system and the immune system.

While chelation therapy is most beneficial for heart health, Dr. Davidson explains that it is also extremely beneficial for people with arthritis, or as an arthritis preventative. ⁴

It is also extremely beneficial for people who need to detoxify. This includes people with cancer and children with A.D.D. Eve Hillary, who suffered from chemical toxicity, and whose son developed A.D.D for the same reasons, found chelation therapy to be very helpful.

Chelation therapy has been used for many years, particularly in Europe. The formula attracts and binds heavy metals, and extracts them from the body tissues so they can be released for excretion by the kidneys. Lead for example, is stored in all body tissues, including blood, bones and brain. ⁵

The oral chelation formula, used as an alternative to the intravenous method, is now available in tablet form.  It a  valuable and convenient way for all to keep the cardiovascular system in excellent health. Taking this supplement on a regular basis not only helps people with heart conditions, but can help everyone to avoid serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, arthritis and even cancer.

Contact us for more information on oral chelation supplementation.

References

1. Day, Phillip, The ABCs of Disease, p. 149
2. Dr. Rockford McCord, Who Has Your heart? Audio tape
3. Sick of being Sick and Tired – brochure
4. Dr. Bill Davidson, Oral Chelation Therapy
5. Hillary, Eve, Children of a Toxic Harvest, p.147

Life would be much easier if we had the assurance that everything we bought to eat, drink or put on our skin, was safe. Unfortunately this is not the case. There are now thousands of harmful chemicals in our environment, many of them sold to us in this way. Let’s look at some examples:

Toxic ingredients in Food:

The following carcinogens are contained in a leading brand of chocolate sandwich biscuits, made in Australia for Australians, BECAUSE the ingredients are banned in the USA and the E.E.C.

E102 – Acid yellow or coal tar. 80% of hyperactive children are allergic to it. Believed to cause allergic reactions in 15% of the general population. Known effects are asthma, hyperactivity, hay fever, blurred vision, breathing problems, skin irritation, wakefullness in young children.

E110 – sunset yellow – toxic waste from petro-chemical industry. A known carcinogen.

E129 – Allura Red colouring – a coal tar dye. It may cause allergic skin conditions. Increases the heart’s rate and is implicated in behavioural problems. Should be avoided by persons suffering from asthma. Listed problems associated with Allura Red: tumours and lymphoma. When given to mice, they developed cancer of the lymph glands.

All of the above ingredients are also contained in a long-standing popular cherry- flavoured confectionery, with the addition of red food colouring 123:

E123 – Amaramth (Red food colouring) – All women of childbearing age, especially those in the first 3 months of pregnancy should avoid this colour.

May provoke eczema. Harmful to asthmatics. Causes hyperactivity. It has cause birth defects and fetal deaths in some test animals.

Implanted in mice bladders it produced cancer. As of October 1999 the ANZFA has allowed this chemical to be used either in large amounts and/or in more foods. ¹

Not only does the government allow harmful chemicals in processed foods, but in the area of personal care products there are very few restrictions. The problem with many chemicals is their low molecular weight. This means that the molecules are small enough to penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream, storing themselves in our organs.

Toxic ingredients in personal care products:

The following is reported in “Skin Deep”:

“Most consumers would be surprised to learn that the government does not require health studies or pre-market testing for cosmetics and other personal care products before they are sold….a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the FDA. The toxicity of product ingredients is scrutinized almost exclusively by a self-policing industrial safety committee. Because testing is voluntary and controlled by the manufacturers, many ingredients in cosmetic products are not tested at all.”

Australia is a long way behind the U.S and Europe when it comes to regulating toxicity. Safety assessment by the author of this report found:

• Just 28 of the 7,500 products we analyzed have been fully assessed for safety.
• One of every 120 products on the market contain ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens. These products include shampoos, lotions, make-up foundations and lip balms.
• 55% of all products assessed contain “penetration enhancers”. (This makes carcinogens penetrate into the bloodstream)
• nearly 705 of all products contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer
• in its 67-year history of monitoring cosmetic safety, the FDA has banned or restricted just nine personal care product ingredients. ²

So what do we look for when buying products?

Don’t just look for absence of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Propylene Glycol. Think about the ingredients that may not be disclosed. Manufacturers don’t have to disclose all the ingredients.

For example, take a list of natural sounding ingredients, like essential oils and plant ingredients. Some companies do not list the foaming agent. If it foams, and no chemical foaming agent has been listed, then be suspicious. If coconut based ingredients are listed as the foaming agent, then it could be SLS made from a coconut derivative.³

It’s time to take responsibility!

• Just because the majority believe the government is looking after us doesn’t make it true.
• Just because products are sold over the counter doesn’t mean they won’t harm you.
• Take time to consider safety for your family. It’s worth it.

References:

1. P.M.. Taubert, Your Health and Food Additives

2. Skin Deep: A report by the Environmental Working Group – www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep

3. Peter Dingle and Toni Brown, Dangerous Beauty, p. 39

Fitness

It is important to maintain or regain fitness, especially around the time of menopause. Suitable activities are walking, dancing, bike riding, exercise bike, gardening. A suitable walking time would be 20-30 minutes at least 3 times per week. If a person is unfit, they need to start with less time and gradually build up.

Diet

• Maintain a predominance of plant foods.
• Include legumes for protein and cut down on meat.
• Cut down on starchy carbohydrates, particularly bread and white potatoes.
• Choose unrefined carbohydrates, such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, legumes.
• Don’t eat wheat or products that contain wheat. Spelt or gluten free grains such as quinoa and millet are better.
• Don’t eat sugar or foods that contain sugar.
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables with an emphasis on raw.
• Replace refined oils and saturated fats with food sources of good oils like avocado, nuts and seeds.
• Don’t drink homogenized milk.
• Eliminate food that is devoid of nutrition.

Weight control

Some body shapes are more prone to weight gain than others. Some people have a slower metabolism than others, and convert food energy to fat rather than burning it. People who put on weight easily will need to work hard at keeping weight gain to a minimum. Thin people on the other hand need to work on supplementing the diet with foods and nutrients that can help with hormonal balance because these people may suffer more from lack of oestrogen. People who are overweight are less prone to osteoporosis than thin people because the fat cells will be producing oestrogen as well as the ovaries.

For effective weight control, eat foods with a low ‘glycemic index’. A list of these foods can be found in The Healing Poser of Food book on this website. Drink plenty of pure filtered water and maintain regular exercise.

Alternatives to HRT

In 1939 it was discovered that an ingredient in the Mexican Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) could be converted into a molecule that is identical to the body’s hormone, progesterone. This has been made into a cream that can be simply rubbed on to the skin. Natural progesterone precursors that stimulate the body’s own production of progesterone have been developed from wild yam and chaste tree (Vitex agnes-castus). These provide safe and natural hormonal balance alternatives for women of all ages.

Foods, herbs and supplements shown to relieve menopausal symptoms are:

• Mexican Wild Yam – Can be taken orally or absorbed in the form of the cream.
• Chaste tree extract – works with Mexican Wild Yam
• Calcium/magnesium – helps bones and assists good sleeping patterns.
• Vitamin C and B complex – for adrenal glands and adrenal hormones.
• Kelp – may assist in proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
• Zinc – may improve hormonal balance.
• Vitamin E and Bioflavonoids – may relieve hot flushes and aches and pains.
• Sarsaparilla – may help balance hormones.
• Oats – good for the nervous system and may help with depression.
• Sprouted soy beans, legumes and alfalfa – can supply additional oestrogen.
• Dong quai – has been used by the Chinese for menopause. It is said to improve liver function and metabolism.
• St. John’s Wart – for depression.
• Black cohash – to restore hormonal balance, thus alleviating mood swings and depression, heavy bleeding and other symptoms related to oestrogen decline.
• Fenugreek – may help to provide more progesterone.

A naturopath can supply you with a herbal mix or homeopathic drops that will balance your hormones.

Aromatherapy

Any oil you buy must be diluted. Never apply neat oil to the skin as it could cause an adverse reaction.

• Cypress – has cooling, drying qualities, which can help alleviate nervous tension. It has a restful, woody smell.
• Try adding it, together with a few drops each of clary sage, rosemary and lemon oils to bath water.
• To make a cooling mist, which can help to ease hot flushes, put 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar into a spray bottle and top up with 100 ml of pure water, then add 3 drops each of cypress and clary sage oils. Shake before using.

References:

The Global Health Alert – Be Informed Productions P/L 2002
Balance those Hormones, Lyn Shand & Sheridan Morris, Aust, 1998
Food Solutions: Menopause, Sally Lewis, Hamlyn, U.K, 2001

There are two main artificial sweeteners that have been used this century. The first, saccharin, is now unpopular due to its possible link with cancer. The second, aspartame, is very popular and appears in many types of processed foods. The potential health risks however appear to be even greater than that of saccharin.

Saccharin has been used as an alternative sugar since the early 20^th century. It was officially given the ‘carcinogen’ title in 1977, when a rodent study in Canada produced an excess of bladder tumours in the male animals. However, due to public outrage, Congress decided to allow it back on the market with a health-warning label.¹

Today saccharin remains controversial. Being unsure whether or not it poses a cancer threat, people have turned to another alternative, aspartame. Brand names include Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure and Neotame.

It is said that aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 by James Schlatter, a chemist working for GD Serle Company, who was testing anti-ulcer compounds for his employers. However this is doubtful, because it is unlikely that any researcher would accidentally taste the chemical. Aspartame’s original approval as a sweetener for public consumption was blocked in 1974 over concerns about its safety. However it received its approval for dry goods in 1981 and given the go-ahead as a sweetener for carbonated beverages in 1983, despite growing concerns over its neurological effects. ²

Aspartame, (food additive number 951 or E951), is synthetically combined in a laboratory. It is 50% phenylalanine. This is not the type of phenylalanine that occurs naturally in foods such as apples and bananas. It is a petroleum derivative, in ‘free’ form, (quite different to the slow-absorbing bound-to-protein form found in foods.) Aspartame is 40% aspartic acid. This is the same as glutamic acid, (msg).³

Dr Olney found that an excess of aspartic acid and glutamic acid, two chemicals used by the body as neurotransmitters to transmit information between brain neurons, could kill neurons in the brain by allowing too much calcium to collect in the neuron cells to neutralise acid. This neurological damage led Olney to label aspartic acid and glutamic acid as “excitotoxins” in that they “excite” or stimulate the neural cells to death. ⁴

Aspartame breaks down in the human system to Methanol (which turns into the embalming fluid, formaldehyde), formic acid, (the same as the venom in ant stings) and DKP, (which was shown to cause brain tumours when fed to laboratory animals).

One litre of carbonated beverage, sweetened with aspartame contains around 56 mg of methanol. Heavy consumers of diet soft drinks can ingest up to 250 mg of methanol daily, amounting to 32 times the EPA warning limit. ⁵

Toxic effects of aspartame

Aspartame poses significant risks to all people, and is of particular danger to infants, children and pregnant women. ⁶

Conclusive evidence has shown that formaldehyde transformed from aspartame in the human body spreads throughout vital organs. Even in small doses, such as a single stick of chewing gum, it can cross the placental barrier.⁷

According to Taubert, there are 92 documented symptoms associated with the consumption of aspartame. The following list has been compiled from three sources, each of which lists the same or similar symptoms. ⁸

It seems that the majority of adverse symptoms are associated with the brain, the nervous system, the endocrine system and the muscles.

Selection of adverse effects from short-term and/or long-term use:

• headaches
• blurred vision
• hearing loss
• hormonal problems
• dimentia
• seizures/convulsions
• dizziness
• tremors
• migraines and severe headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
• memory loss (common toxicity effects)
• slurring of speech
• confusion
• numbness or tingling of extremities
• chronic fatigue
• depression
• insomnia
• irritability
• panic attacks (common aspartame toxicity reaction)
• marked personality changes
• phobias
• rapid heart beat, tachycardia (another frequent reaction)
• asthma
• chest pains
• hypertension (high blood pressure)
• nausea or vomiting
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain
• swallowing pain
• itching /rashes
• hives / urticaria
• other allergic reactions
• blood sugar control problems (e.g., hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia)
• menstrual cramps and other menstrual problems or changes
• impotency and sexual problems
• food cravings
• weight gain
• hair loss / baldness or thinning of hair
• burning urination & other urination problems
• excessive thirst or excessive hunger
• bloating, edema (fluid retention)
• infection susceptibility
• joint pain
• brain cancer /brain lesions
• arrhythmia
• edema
• death

Aspartame disease mimics symptoms or worsens the following diseases

• fibromyalgia
• arthritis
• multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson’s disease
• lupus
• multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS)
• diabetes and diabetic Complications
• epilepsy
• Alzheimer’s disease
• birth defects
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• lymphoma
• depression/panic disorder
• attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD)

Aspartame can cause long-term damage:

It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use. ⁹

Aspartame caused large brain tumors in life-long animal experiments at a dose that could be considered within the “Acceptable Daily Intake” limit after adjusting for differences in metabolism of aspartame’s breakdown products between humans and rodents.

A 1969 study on 7 infant monkeys that were fed Aspartame in milk, resulted in one dying after 300 days and 5 others suffering Grand mal seizures. ¹⁰

Be diligent in reading labels. Aspartame is found in diet soft drinks including diet coke, and in “sugar free” sweets or chewing gum.

Aspartame may also be found in the following:

Over-the-counter drugs & prescription drugs (very common and listed under “inactive ingredients”), cheaper vitamin & herb supplements, yogurt, breath mints, cereals, cocoa mixes, coffee beverages, instant oatmeal, gelatin desserts, frozen desserts, juice beverages, laxatives, milk drinks, shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, tea beverages, instant teas and coffees, topping mixes, wine coolers, dried fruits in cereals. ¹¹

Safe alternatives

Some alternatives are honey; natural fruit sugars or concentrates; stevia which is a herbal sweetener, xylitol which is produced from corn syrup. Even cane sugar is safer, although has its own list of toxic effects.

References:

1. Day, P, (2001), Health Wars, Credence publications, U.K. p. 126, sited in Whelan, Elizabeth M, The Sweet and Sour News about Saccharin, American Council in Science and Health, 17^th May 2000
2. Day, P, (2001), Health Wars, Credence publications, U.K. p. 127
3. Nash Stoddard, M, (2000), Aspartame – The Deadly Deception, Audio tape
4. Day, P, (2001), Health Wars, Credence publications, U.K. p. 128
5. Taubert, P.M., (2000), Your Health and Food Additives, Hyde Park Press, p. 6
6. Day, P, (2001), Health Wars, Credence publications, U.K. p. 126
7. Taubert, P.M., (2000), Your Health and Food Additives, Hyde Park Press, p. 8
8. Day, P, p. 128; Taubert, P.M., p. 8-9; and<http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/>
9. <http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/> viewed 25^th July 2000
10. Taubert, P.M., (2000), Your Health and Food Additives, Hyde Park Press, p. 9
11. <http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/> viewed 25^th July 2000

Dairy products, despite popular opinion, are not the answer to osteoporosis. In the Western world we consume the highest volumes of dairy products in the world, and have the highest blood calcium levels, but the lowest bone calcium levels.

Homogenized milk is damaging to the arteries. The only milk suitable for drinking is the milk straight from the cow if you have one!

Osteoporosis is caused, not simply by low calcium, but by low magnesium and poor Vitamin D, toxins like steroids and excessive caffeine and sodium. Without magnesium you cannot absorb calcium into your cellular tissues or bones. Magnesium is needed for Vitamin D synthesis. Low Vitamin D levels mean low calcium absorption.

Foods high in both potassium and magnesium: lentils, chickpeas, peas, dried beans, nuts, brown rice, bananas, apples, green leafy vegetables, buckwheat and millet.

Best Vitamin D sources: mercury-free fish oil, sunshine

Magnesium levels lowered by: refined foods, stress, tea, coffee, alcohol, sugar, high carbohydrate and fat diets which are nutritionally empty.

Calcium levels are lowered by: soft drinks, tea and coffee, sugar, refined foods, smoking, some medications such as steroids.

Other factors to consider for healthy bones:

• Weight bearing exercise – walking, climbing stairs, digging, aerobic exercises using weights
• Supplementation with a balance of minerals and vitamins. Those that are essential for the absorption of calcium are zinc, molybdenum, manganese, potassium, Vitamin D, Vitamin C.

References:

• Woollams, C. The Tree of Life
• Dingle, P, The DEAL

We used to say ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, but nutritional experts say that today we would have to eat at least TEN apples to get the same nutritional value that was in one apple 100 years ago. Our food looks good, but it lacks the flavour and nutritional value it once had, because it contains only a fraction of the necessary minerals.

There are over 90 nutrients that the body needs to function optimally. These include at least 60 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids and 3 essential fatty acids. Unfortunately today’s foods and lifestyle do not allow us to get these nutrients from diet alone – even if we eat a very well balanced organic diet.

Why are we not getting these nutrients from our diet?

Due to modern farming techniques, farmland soils are being overworked and are seriously depleted of minerals. As a result, foods grown on these depleted soils are also empty of minerals and other essential nutrients.

Until the 1940’s, farmers returned essential nutrients to the soil by mulching, manuring and crop rotation. At the end of World War 11, makers of nitrates and phosphates for weapons were left with stockpiles and needed to find new markets for these chemicals. Earlier experiments had shown that plants could grow in a mixture on just three minerals – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. War chemical manufacturers began selling superphosphate, (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), as fertilizer, at an attractive price making traditional soil enrichment methods uneconomical.1

Three minerals may be enough to make a plant thrive, but by no means will supply the mineral needs of the human body. Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes stated decades ago that: “You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.” Can this just be co-incidence that today we are seeing a huge increase in diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke?

None of the functions of the body can occur properly without ALL the minerals present in the diet. Minerals are responsible for:

• Tens of thousands of bio-chemical functions
• Enzyme function
• All mental and physical processes
• Hormonal secretion of our endocrine glands
• Biochemical activity of vitamins
• Neutralizing of toxic conditions within the body
• Regeneration of cells

Many of us would consider adding a vitamin supplement to our diet, but few consider the importance of a mineral supplement. Vitamins are ineffective without minerals. An effective mineral supplement is a priority for everyone – even those who feel healthy.

What is an effective mineral supplement?

Do not choose the most commonly available – simple inorganic metallic minerals, which have only 3-12% absorption – not great value for your dollar! Instead, look for an organic colloidal mineral supplement. This is a plant-based drink, which will provide you with the 60 minerals that you need. Our bodies are designed to absorb plant minerals, not metallic minerals. Plants can absorb metallic minerals and convert them into colloidal minerals, which immediately go to work in the cells throughout the body and are almost 100% absorbable.

There are only a few known sources of these ancient mineral deposits still in their pristine state. One source is found in Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Another source is the Neydharting Moor in Upper Austria. Scientists believe that the secret of the remarkable properties of the Moor, lie in the unique geology of the area, and the hundreds of herbs the moor contains. The Neydharting Moor “biomass” is the result of complex biological processes, which produce an abundance of plant-based colloidal minerals.

People who are seriously interested in maintaining good health should take an organic colloidal mineral drink daily, as the basis of their nutritional program. This will provide the micro-minerals our bodies need. With an adequate supply of minerals in the body we can help prevent premature ageing and disease, and maintain the energy and vitality we need for our 21^st century lifestyle.

Primary Source: Global Health Alert, Be Informed Productions p/L

1. Colgan, R. The New Nutrition pp. 10-11