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Your April Issue of Natural Alternatives
April 01, 2009

Natural Alternatives for Your Total Health


April 2009

Hello, and welcome to this little late edition edition of my Natural Alternatives Newsletter!


I hope you will enjoy reading this issue.

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a favor and pay it forward!

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“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.” ~Hippocrates

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1) WEIGHT LOSS WEAPON

2) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEALING CRISIS

3) FRUIT JUICE: HEALTHY OR NOT?


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1) WEIGHT LOSS WEAPON

Carb-cutting Enzyme Stopped By Bean Extract, Endocrinologists Say


UCLA researchers have found an extract in white kidney beans may help the body stop carbs from breaking down into sugars. A digestive enzyme in the body normally acts like scissors, literally cutting starches into little sugars. Phase 2 stops the enzyme from cutting, so the starches stay in the body as long fibers and are burned off quicker. Patients in the clinical studies who took Phase 2 lost body fat, not lean muscle.

Americans are getting fatter. In fact, more than 60 percent are overweight and 18 million have type 2 diabetes. It's an epidemic that's becoming more of a problem with each passing year. Now, a new discovery could help you shed those dangerous pounds and live a healthier life.

Pastas ... breads ... cereals ... We know them well. And doctors say it's carbs like these that are making us fat. "The problem is that starches are broken down immediately into sugars. When starch breaks down into sugar, it stays in the bloodstream, but is eventually stored as fat," Steven Rosenblatt, a family practice doctor in Los Angeles, tells DBIS. But if you can't bear to give up your favorite foods, there's a new option. UCLA researchers have found an extract in white kidney beans may help the body stop carbs from breaking down into sugars.

"By lowering the amount of starches in our diet and the amount of carbohydrates in our diet, we allow the body to slowly start to burn off that stored energy," says Rosenblatt. He with the bean extract, known as Phase 2, which is sold in pill form and is now even added to certain foods. Here's how Phase 2 works: A digestive enzyme in the body normally acts like scissors, literally cutting starches into little sugars. Phase 2 stops the enzyme from cutting, so the starches stay in the body as long fibers and are burned off quicker -- making losing weight and keeping a normal blood sugar much easier.

Doctors say patients in the clinical studies who took Phase 2 lost body fat, not lean muscle. The extract is not recommended for pregnant women or type one diabetics because their blood sugar could get too low. Mild nausea is the only known side effect. Nora Cosgrove's struggled with her weight all her life. She admits to probably having been on every diet, but nothing worked. But when her doctor said she was on the fast-track to developing type 2 diabetes, she tried Phase 2.

After three months, she lost 30 pounds and six dress sizes! "I'm not tired anymore," Cosgrove says. "That's the main thing."

The FDA recognizes Phase 2, but doctors say it isn't a miracle pill. Patients still need to watch what they eat and exercise. But at least they don't have to give up carbs for good. It is available over the counter at health food stores for about $25 a bottle.

BACKGROUND: Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, examines the effect of white kidney bean extract (called Phase 2) on food and Glycemic Index (GI) levels. The research has resulted in the development of many new products for people on special GI diets, including a new pasta. It could especially benefit patients with diabetes, who need to closely monitor and control blood sugar levels, as well as serious athletes and overweight people.

ABOUT THE STUDY: Previous clinical trials found that 1 gram of the Phase 2 kidney bean extract affects blood glucose levels, while the new study shows that 2-3 grams affect GI levels. White kidney bean extract neutralizes the digestive enzyme necessary for starch to turn into glucose. It slows the digestion of starches and sugars, which can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar after eating. A previous UCLA study found that Phase 2 reduced starch absorption by 66%.

THE GLYCEMIC INDEX: Developed in the 1980s, the glycemic index (GI) ranks various foods according to how they affect blood sugar levels two to three hours after eating. Foods high in fat or protein don't raise levels very much, while certain carbohydrates are so easily broken down in intestine that blood sugar levels rise too quickly. The GI only tells you how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into glucose; it doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a given serving of a particular food, or what percentage are 'available' carbohydrates, i.e., those that provide energy (starch and sugar, as opposed to fiber). You need to know both to fully understand how a given food affects blood sugar levels. The glycemic load (GL) measures the latter. A GI if 70 or more is high; 56 to 59 is medium; and 55 or less is low. A GL of 20 or more is high; 11 to 19 is medium; and 10 or less is low.

HOW DIGESTION WORKS: Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients to be absorbed into the blood and carried to cells throughout the body. It does this via the digestion process. Food is travels through the esophagus into the stomach, where it is dissolved and emptied into the small intestine. The digested nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls, while the rest is expelled as waste

 


2) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEALING CRISIS
By Ellen Valentine, CNC


Often misunderstood, because of the way most people interpret feeling bad, is the way the body seeks to heal and add quality years to the particular person involved. Termed the Healing Crisis, it is the bodys attempt to throw off toxicity and get the rest imperative for healing.

Colds and influenza is actually the body’s attempt to cleanse. Working with that process means rest and lots of fluids. Unknown to many frequenters of fast food chains, symptoms that appear as flu-like for them are really food poisoning.

During anytime of healing, even in the case of serious illnesses, cleansing the body with organic juicing or supervised water fasting (not recommended without support) colon hydro-therapy or other safe, time tested and success proven methods are suggested to work along with the natural process of the body. Whether a healing crisis comes on naturally, the bodys attempt to give the person a better quality of life by throwing off toxicity, or is a cleanse prompted by the person through diet or other methods, it is important to support the body with rest, fresh water and as little stress as possible.

The healing crisis may not feel great; however, it can add years to life. When symptoms are merely suppressed with medication and one goes on with what one must do without needed rest, the need for the cleanse does not disappear. In fact rather than being so close to the surface, the cause dives deeper; and unresolved, what the body wanted to rid itself of will gain power and become serious illness in years to come.

Why must it feel so bad? Many people dont have the tolerance for feeling badly. It can feel better to suppress messages and healing processes rather than accept opportunities to throw off toxicity. Most people receive this message in early childhood from the television, pharmaceutical companies and other seeming authority media.

Truthfully it does seem that healing wants to present itself during a busy schedule, stressful time, or when that certain deadline must be met. In brief, the body under stress also has a weaker immune system. Too much stress taxes the immune system. The healing crisis can feel like the flu with headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing with expectoration, skin eruptions and lethargy. The body does this occasionally in an attempt to clean out. The alternative to resting and working with the body is to stop the process, which will only suppress the toxic material in the body.

What to do if you are in a crisis and you make the smart decision to go with the flow and support your body? Take as much rest as possible. If you must work, take a different attitude while there of emotional detachment. Meditate morning and night. This will give you the opportunity for thoughtfulness, prayer, scientific or not, and space to hear what the Universe is trying to tell you. Buy or use your juicer. Drink at least a quart of fresh juice a day. Get a book that gives you juice recommendations. Eat only food that has a natural earth color; in other words, no fast food, nothing white, no dairy and no meat, no breads.

The above are easy and inexpensive alternatives to staying sick or suppression through medication. If youre a bit more ambitious you can get colonics, delve into traditional uses of herbal combinations, see a naturopath, get body work and join an on-line or local community support group.

Like everything in life healing crises are cyclical. If you are recovering from cancer or other life threatening illness, plan on healing and cleansing naturally several times a year, stay on your food regime and find a nutritional and naturopathic accountability coach. You will need to do this for support.

Please be advised, if you are under a doctors care for any life threatening illness you should ask for assistance in determining difference between normal body healing and an acute but life threatening attack. It is also notable that the body will never recover from a chronic disease without the healing crisis. If you must be under medical care to stay alive you have the right to take care of yourself with natural means too. Rely on your own judgment in this regard and take back control of your body. Making your own decisions and trusting your body is the first part of healing from within. It is your gift to be well and get well naturally and the healing crisis is an integral part of that healing process.

Take Care of Yourself You Deserve It, Ellen Valentine, CNC About the Author: Ellen Valentine is a Life Transitions Coach and Nutritional Counselor. Her passion is assisting people feel ease in the body and with normal healing processes. Create Health Early on with Organic Baby Nursery Bedding


3) FRUIT JUICE: HEALTHY OR NOT?
By Lee Stiffer-meyer

Once upon a time, fruit juice was looked upon as a healthy beverage. But along came the obesity epidemic and a number of unfavorable news reports, and its reputation went from healthy to unhealthy. Is a glass of good old fashioned fruit juice really that bad?

One hundred percent fruit juice is a good source of vitamins and minerals. But it also contains a lot of sugar. When juice is extracted from whole fruit, fiber is stripped away and what’s left is mostly sugar. That means less nutrition and extra calories. Case in point, one glass of orange juice has 110 calories and less than a gram of fiber. One whole orange has about 85 calories and four grams of fiber. Fruit juice consumed alone, causes a sudden spike in blood sugar. But fiber in whole fruit helps slow the absorption of sugar.

On the other hand, 100 percent fruit juice offers a convenient way to get essential vitamins and minerals. And these days, there are a wide variety of fruit juices that are fortified with extra nutrients. Take for instance, orange juice fortified with calcium or Omega-3s. Or juices fortified with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols and B vitamins. These products offer a way to get more vitamins and minerals.

Kids and juice

In the last five years, health experts have advised parents to limit children’s juice consumption, particularly because fruit juice is a source of sugar, and children are already consuming too much sugar from processed foods. Parents should avoid all fruit juices that aren’t labeled 100 percent fruit juice. That includes any juice with high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.

Bottom line

Fruit juice can be part of a healthy diet, just be conscious of portion size and drink fruit juice with a combination of other foods like lean protein and a fiber-rich complex carbohydrate, so you keep blood sugar levels in check.

Tips


*Use 100 percent fruit juice combined with plain low-fat yogurt for a healthy smoothie

*Use one-half cup of sparking water and one-quarter cup of fruit juice for a slightly sweet refreshing beverage

*Freeze fruit juice with yogurt to make homemade frozen fruit bars

*Use fruit juice in homemade salad dressings instead of sugar

Source: examiner.com


PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!


Thank you for reading.


Livia P.
www.natural-health-and-healing.com
Brampton, Ontario, Canada


P.S. If you have a comment or suggestion, just reply to this e-mail. Your feedback is important to me.


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This newsletter is for educational purposes only. It is your right to educate yourself in health and medical knowledge, to seek helpful information and make use of it for your own benefit, and for that of your family. You are the one responsible for your health. You must educate yourself in order to make decisions in all health matters. My views and advices are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medicine, but simply a help you to make educated changes in order to help your body heal itself. If you have a medical condition or concern you should consult your physician.

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